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Tink woke up in suddenly in the night. Her skin was clammy and her heartbeat like a captured bird. What was that noise coming from outside the cave?
She was shivering slightly inside sleeping furs despite the warmth of the night. The cave around her was cool in the dark. It must have been a dream. Wolf was slumbering beside her his breathing deep and even. There it was again! A slithering rasping sound and and the thump of claws on the ledge.
"Wolf wake up!" She shoved him hard in the shoulder. The noise outside ceased.
Wolf grumbled and awoke suddenly sitting up.
"What is wrong Tinky?
Tink was on her feet with a flint tipped spear in one hand.
"I heard strange noises of a creature outside on the ledge"
"I will light a torch if the cooking fire is not out. It probably is a seabird scared away by all the noise we have been making."
He did so his tall spare frame made shadows dance on the cave walls.
He lit a torch from the coals of the fire.
The cave opening shone dimly in the torchlight.
Wolf approached it warily.
Tink followed behind him armed and ready.
On the ledge of the cave wolf dropped to his knees with a startled exclamation.
"There was something strange here! I thought you were just dreaming."
On the ledge were claw marks in the ash from previous watchfires.
Wolf pulled back so Tink could see.
Huge clawed tracks in the loose ash and what look like the dragging marks of a tail. They looked like they were made by a Komoda dragon but there were drag marks on either side like they were made by wings and the ground was wet and smeared with gray ooze.
Tink exclaimed with excitment tinging her voice. "It must be twenty feet long whatever it is!"
The quiet night with the usual murmur of wild life was suddenly shredded by horrific screams and shouts coming from the beach in the direction of Blue Lagoon.
Tink and Wolf climbed down quickly from the cave ledge without a word and ran towards the beach towards the source of the screams. The screams continued higher in note then suddenly cut off.
Then a woman's shreik of anguish and loss filled the air.
Through the palms burst Wolf and Tink onto the beach their breath coming in gasps.
A figure of a tall woman dressed in leather was crying in sorrow and gasping. The sand was churned up around her. Her silver hair was in disarray.
They reached her quickly. Maleficent moaned and partialy huddled into herself to into bent into herself sobbing. Tinky wrapped her arms around the crying woman.
"Maleficent what happed? asked Tink her voice filled with fear and concern.
"It.....it got Diaval and dragged him into the lagoon there. Its a monster." She said in excitement sorrow and terror. She pointed to the drag marks and tracks that disappeared into the lagoon. Tink gasped. The tracks were the same ones her and Wolf found in front of the cave. The beach around the tracks was smeared with blood and that strange gray ooze.
Maleficent stumbled away and collapsed on the beach in a seated position moaning and sobbing.
Shouts could be heard in the night from further away. Tink sat down beside Maleficent and put her arm around her.
Maleficent sobbed and began talking. "It was horrible! We were walking along the beach just talking. I had trouble sleeping so we thought a moonlit stroll would help me get back to sleep. We heard sound of something big moving through the palm trees trees then this huge monster crocodile thing burst onto the beach. Diaval pushed me behind him and I stumbled but before Diaval could raise his machete it grabbed Diaval in its jaws cutting off his last breath and It disappeared with him into the water."
She burst into wailing keening sobs and buried her head into her hands. Wolf examined the water.
"It is gone now."
They could see many torches and hear exited shouts from down the beach.
The air seemed electric and filled with many voices. It seemed like half the islands residents had gathered on the beach.
Shouts of voices in the milling disorderly crowd. "What happened?
Who was screaming? The voices grew to a roar as people noticed the blood on the beach.
A muscular scarred man with a commanding presence entered the center of the crowd.
"Quiet!" he yelled but he crowd of people was too exited. The uproar increased.
Desire a lovely mature dark haired beauty in a flowery dress stepped forward and handed him the conch shell.
Dodger gave his wife a strained but grateful smile and blew the conch. The loud trumpet like sound rang through the air. This shocked the crowd to silence and summoned any islander not awakened to the uproar.
Dodger lowered the horn.
"You and you" He pointed to two islanders. "Take her to the healer." The two women gently led the crying widdow away.
"Now will someone please tell me what happened here?" He pointed to Wolf so Wolf relayed the tale to hushed silence.
After he finished a large magnificent warrior entered the circle. He wore an imposing helmet made from the head of a huge jaguar.
Sabertooth said "I was afraid of this Dodger."
"What do you mean?" Dodger sounded worried.
Sabertooth dropped his voice. "Our Shamen Rainy told me a tale."
"What did she tell you? Please tell us the story as Rainy is on a quest?"
"Everyone else be QUIET!!!" Dodger said commandingly. "If I don't have absolute quiet the miscreants will be thrown in the pit to rot"
Sabertooth began his tale to hushed silence.
Rainy our shamen was exploring the other side of the island when she found a huge cave system. On the walls were cave paintings telling a tale of the original islanders native to this place.
Once there was a quiet peaceful and prosperous village. They all lived in harmony and fellowship. The chief Babamik had two sons. His lovely wife Faumea was no longer with them. His sons did not get along. His son Matabiri was a great warrior and his son Aku Aku was a powerful witch doctor and shaman. They hated one another and were in competition for the hand in marriage of the lovely maiden Miru. She could only marry one of them and played each brother against the other. Aku Aku preformed great feats of magic to impress her and Matabiri preformed even greater feats as a powerful warrior against the enemy tribes. Miru would not choose between them until one day while sunbathing on the beach her repose was sharply curtailed by a huge komodo dragon who cornered her and was about to turn her into his evening meal. Miru screamed. Matabiri heard her and ran to save his beloved.
He fought a mighty battle and killed the creature that would drag off his beloved. Miru pledged to him and gave herself to him right there. They were slumbering in each others arms enraptured with their union when Aku Aku came upon them wrapped in each others arms. He was bitter and his heart bled in anguish. He cursed them and the whole island dragging off the carcass of the dragon. With unholy magic he enlarged the dragon and melded it to the body of a shark and breathed life in to his evil creation.
You are Anocra Dia and will live ten thousand centuries. You will pull those who cheat in love to their watery doom. Live in the island caves under water. Once each years for the travels of a full moon in the tenth month of the year return and kill those who you find here. No longer wishing to live without his beloved he threw himself into the mouth of his creation as a blood sacrifice and entered the realm of death to seal his pact with the evil forces of nature. The beast monster he created slumbers in the under water island caves returns once a year to take his sacrifices in the tenth month of the year.
When his tale ended Sabertooth stood there silently. A huger murmer rose around him.
Dodger again shouted for silence.
"Tink! Where is your chief our greatest warrior of the feathered helm and cloak?"
Tink bowed slightly.
"I know not Dodger. For I have not seen for a fortnight and three sunsets. Perhaps his bride knows where he is?"
Dodger yelled "Danica where are you lovely one?"
"Here Dodger" The radiant young amazon stood forward.
"My husband is exploring far to the west. There were legends of an unknown obscure God who is very powerful. My husband went to challenge his supremacy before he could act against us. As of late the local challenges are to easily overcome by my beloved."
She stepped back into the crowd.
Despite warnings the crowd was in an uproar again.
There were murmers of can we really believe fairy tales.
Dodger blew the conch again.
"Our greatest hero and warrior is not here to be our champion. Who will defend us against this monster? I am open to suggestions.
Drunken Hermit staggered a little.
"We could sacrifice a virgin to the monster if any of these lot were virgins." He looked at the ladies around him and an ugly whispering rose among the women present. His gorgeous young blonde wife pulled him back out of the conference center.
Dodger shouted. "Enough of this. We will all meet on Warrior beach near the council fire in two hours. The crowd dispersed still discussing everything loudly.
Maleficent stayed with Tink and Wolf at the lava tube cave where they resided after her return from the healers. She cried and sobbed that Duaval would never cheat on her with another.
Everyone met on Warrior Beach. Despite the fears of the previous night the bright sunshine and lovely blue skies made people skeptical about the happening of the previous night.
In the circle of the island leaders was Rainy back from her quest. She stood brilliant in the sunshine bright as a rainbow.
Dodger called for order and looked more sure of himself then he had the night before.
"Everyone all is not lost! The fabulous Rainy has returned and will explain everything to you. What one powerful shaman can create another can destroy."
Rainy stepped forward. Silence fell at once. "I believe the creature we face is real and will take one islander daily unless the witch doctors curse is countered. I know the magic to do this but I need volunters to help gather the magic ingredients I need to destroy the evil that dwells among us. Who will help me?"
There was a great surge of people stepping forward.
"Wonderful!" Rainy smiled at them all.
"Wolf and Tink I need Pericon. It is the plant with spiky leaves and small yellow flowers. It grows in the mossy clearing in the center of the Forbidden Jungle.
Tink said "I know the plant you mean" They left Warrior Beach to gather the needed flowers.
Danica went to gather sand from the gates of Ancient Village.
Sabertooth was send to Rain Forest to capture a rare elusive swallowtail butterfly.
Desire went to gather shells at Crystal Springs.
In all twelve brave islanders risked life and limb to bring their ingredients back to warrior beach and then to meet at Blue Lagoon where the great shaman Rainy would raise magic to dispell the evil monster dragonshark.
At the midnight hour they descended again on Blue Lagoon.
Rainy had lit thirteen magic fires in a circle to keep the islanders safe.
She arranged the altar on a very old rock surface jutting from the beach. Candles were lighted and sweet Smokey smells filled the air from herbs and aromatic wood on the fires.
Rainy recited The Blessing Chant
May the powers of The old Ones,
the source of all creation of these Islands
Pele, Oa Rove I call on you!
all-pervasive, omnipotent, eternal;
may Ulupoka protect us and keep
us safe.
the Lady of the Moon Laka
and the God Ku Ka Pua
Hunter of the jungle
rulers of the elemental realms;
may the powers of the stars above and the Earth below,
bless this place, and this time, and I who am with You.
Help keep us safe Island Gods both known and unknown I call you
forth from the secret shrouded places.
Come from Fiery Volcano, Lava Field, and Foggy Mountains.
Be with us here now. Protect us from the monster who dwells
in deepest caves and would destroy us all.
I invoke the Goddesses and Gods.
Rainy raised her arms and chanting and drum beats began in a slowly rising frenzy. Power Rose in the air pulling the villagers together as one and they were swaying and chanting.
Rainy lifted a Marilla fruit and pierced it with her flint knife.
"As I pierce the skin of the fruit I pierce the hide of the evil monster that would destroy us all"
Rainy removed several seeds and placed them on the fire to burn then placed the gathered ingredients to be consumed by fire.
The water of the lagoon started to froth and waves to form. An unearthly shriek filled the air.
"On this night of October I mark your passing,
evil monster created from jealousy and Rage. Return through the sunset gate into the land of nonbeing.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone before. Those persons long gone on who your evil fell. May their spirits find peace."
There was a horrible raspy shriek and the monster writhed in its death agonies and was no more.
"In darkness there is the greatest light."
"May the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!"
Wendy woke in bed and sat bolt upright. Her heart beat in her chest like a trip hammer.
She turned on the light beside the bed.
Her husband Osc woke beside her.
"What is wrong?"
He looked at her pale sweaty face.
"I had the strangest dream. We were on an island with other people and there was this evil sea monster"
He interupted her.
"It was only a dream. You had a nightmare. There is no island and no sea monster. It was probably the lasagna you ate as a snack before bed. Now turn off the light love. I have to work tomorrow."
She turned off light but lay there awake. The island seemed so real.
Was it a dream or was she dreaming now?