“Get on my back!” Riverpaw yelled at him.
Ben jumped on and Riverpaw ran for the underside of the crab while it was still stunned by Evercloud’s attack. Just as he ran underneath the crab’s body, Ben rose up and plunged both of his blades deep into the crab’s underside. The creature stumbled and swayed, swooning as its life faded away. The group retreated and made ready for another attack, but it wouldn’t be necessary. The giant blue crab fell into the side of a large dune and never rose again. The group fell to the ground, out of breath and sick on adrenaline.
“How…did we…not see…that thing…coming?” gasped Riverpaw in between giant breaths.
“They are camouflaged to the sand and impossible to see at a distance. The only way to know that they’re coming is their chittering,” responded Tomas.
Ben walked over to the dead body of the crab and retrieved his blades from the monster’s underside. As he yanked them out, he noticed that the crab had punched a hole into the side of the dune.
“Hey,” he called to the group. “Come see this.”
Who Is Your Leader?
“It’s a hole,” said Riverpaw, not fully understanding why Ben found it necessary to show everyone.
“Yes. A hole,” said Ben, not fully understanding why Riverpaw couldn’t see the significance. “In a sand dune…it’s a giant pile of sand, and it’s hollow.”
Riverpaw shook his head. “Nope. Still not impressed.”
Ben threw his arms into the air and turned his head to the sky. Tomas crawled over to the hole and stuck his head inside to look around.
“I can’t see anything,” he said as he pulled his head back out of the hole.
The hole was rather large, large enough for Whiteclaw to fit through easily. However, it seemed as though the hollow beyond the hole went down instead of across, and despite the bright desert sun, there was not enough light to see how deep it was.
“I believe I can be of some service,” said Whiteclaw, stepping forward. “If we had something that we could burn, we could throw it into the hole to see how deep it is.”
Tomas pulled a tinderbox from his pack and lit a long strip of cloth off of his shirt. He balled the strip up and then worked to ignite the material.
“Let’s see if this works,” he said, once he had the material lit. Tomas threw the wadded cloth into the darkness and watched as it fell.
“That was a good idea,” said Ben.
“I saw it done somewhere,” replied Whiteclaw.
“It’s working,” came Tomas’ voice from the darkness of the hole. “It stopped about twenty feet down, and-and there’s a…leg! Yeah, a leg! Wait, I can’t see anything anymore. The fire’s out. I can’t see anythAAAAHHH!!
A rope flew out of the darkness and looped itself around Tomas’ neck. As it tightened, it ripped him from his perch on the lip of the hole, pulling him deep into the darkness.
“Tomas!!” yelled Ben and stuck his head into the hole. “TOMAS!!!” Ben could hear Tomas screaming in the darkness but his cries were getting further and further away, until they disappeared altogether. “We have to get him!” Ben yelled, turning to Evercloud and the bears. They stared blankly back at him in shock. “We have to save him!” he pleaded.
“Evercloud,” began Riverpaw. “I’m going to hang my body down into that hole. Then you can climb down my back and try to reach the bottom. Tomas said it was about twenty feet. We should be able to reach that.”
Evercloud nodded and Riverpaw began to lower himself into the hole. He moved slowly and dug his claws as deep into the earth as he could to have a sure hold. Once he gave the signal to Evercloud, Evercloud began to crawl down Riverpaw’s back. He put his arms around Riverpaw’s neck the best that he could and then walked his feet down to Riverpaw’s hips.
“All right, Riverpaw, I’m going to drop to your legs.”
Riverpaw again dug his claws as deep into the earth as he could. “Go ahead.”
Evercloud leaned back slightly and dropped the top half of his body down to touch his feet. He held onto Riverpaw at the hipbones, where his feet had been resting, and slid his feet off. His legs now hung freely in the air below Riverpaw, dangling in the darkness.
“Can you reach the bottom?” Ben yelled into the hole.
“Not yet,” called Evercloud. “Hold on.” He then released his grip upon one of Riverpaw’s hips and dangled from just one arm. He tried to stretch out his leg but still could feel nothing. “Nothing yet, but I must be close. I’m going to drop.”
“No, Evercloud!” came Whiteclaw’s voice, booming into the darkness. “That’s too dangerous. We don’t know what is on the floor.”
But before Evercloud had heard the end of Whiteclaw’s sentence, he had released his hold on Riverpaw and fallen to the floor, only a few feet below.
“It’s okay,” Evercloud cried. “I’m all right. It’s not that fa–”
“Don’t move a muscle,” came a gravely voice from the darkness. “I’ve already killed your friend, so don’t try any funny stuff.”
“What’s going on?” called Riverpaw. “Is it okay for me to drop?”
“No!” yelled Evercloud. “Don’t come down.”
“Tell your friends to get down here and move slowly, or I’ll kill all of you,” said the gravely voice.
“What do you want?” asked Evercloud calmly.
“I don’t want anything.”
“Then why do you want us down here?”
“So you can fix the hole you made in my roof,” said the voice in the darkness.
“If that is all that you want, then why did you kill our friend?”
The voice huffed and sighed. “I didn’t kill your friend. I just don’t want any funny business.”
“Where is he?” asked Evercloud.
“In the other room.”
“And you’ll let him go if we fix the roof?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see him?”
“After you fix the roof,” huffed the voice. Then, Evercloud felt objects being thrown in the direction of his legs and then he heard a door slam somewhere behind him.
“What’s going on down there?” yelled Ben from above.
“Come down here,” Evercloud yelled back at him. “We have to patch the hole.”
As the others were making their way down to the floor of what seemed to be some sort of cave, Evercloud began sifting through the materials that had been thrown at his feet. There seemed to be a bag of candles, along with a box of matches, a hammer and some nails. Is this it? thought Evercloud.
“What happened?” asked Ben once he had reached the floor of the cave.
“We’ve disturbed whoever lives here. He’s got your brother in another room and he’ll only let him go if we patch up the roof.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” asked Riverpaw.
“He left us a few things,” said Evercloud. “Matches, candles, nails and a hammer, but nothing else.”
“Well, first thing’s first,” said Whiteclaw. “Light the candles so that we can see where we are.”
They lit the candles and looked around. There was not much in the room with the exception of a couple of torches and a large mattress upon the floor.
“This must be his bedroom,” said Evercloud.
They lit the torches that were in the room and now they could see quite well. The room was still very sparse, however the walls were painted quite extravagantly with murals. The travelers marveled at the artistry with which the murals were painted.
“I’ve seen these before,” said Ben. “But they’re different.” He grabbed a candle and moved closer to one of the scenes. “These are pictures of the Ancients being banished from the world. I’ve seen these before in churches of the Holy. These are different though. You see here.” Ben pointed at the shape of a large griffin. “This is Tenturo. In this picture he is painted white. In the church’s version, he is red. Also, in the church’s version, there are two white stallions driving Tenturo away. I
don’t know what these are.” Ben pointed at two black beasts painted upon the wall. “These pictures seem to suggest what we’ve been believing all along.”
“That the Ancients were not so evil after all.” The group spun around to see a stout little man in the doorway, wearing a gray robe and a bashful grin. “Your friend has just told me of your quest. Please, follow me.”
“What about the hole?” asked Evercloud.
“This is more important,” said the man.
The group walked into another room and found Tomas, sitting at a wooden table, stuffing his face with bread and cheese and some sort of meat.
“It’s crab,” he said cheerfully with his mouth full. “It’s delicious.”
“You hunt the crab?” Ben asked the squat little man, in disbelief.
“More like trap. Lucky for me, the creatures have far more flavor than they have brains. Please, help yourselves.”
The group sat around the table, but not all began to eat.
“I apologize for my rudeness,” said Whiteclaw, addressing the little man. “But who are you?”
“Oh, forgive me,” said the man, wiping crabmeat from his face. “I am Padre Esteban, retired explorer, current aide to the great Tenturo.”
“You have seen Tenturo?” asked Ben.
“Yes.”
“So you know where we can find him?”
“Well, we’ll get to that. First, eat.”
“Excuse me again, Padre,” began Whiteclaw. “But how is it that you trust us so easily? What if we, in fact, meant to harm Tenturo?”
“You?” laughed the Padre. “Harm Tenturo? That’s a good one.”
“Even still,” added Ben. “How do you know that our intentions are good?”
“I don’t. But we will get to that. Eat.”
So they did. The travelers, along with the Padre, ate until they were full, finding the crabmeat quite succulent. At one point, Riverpaw turned to Tomas.
“How were you not hurt in the fall?”
“Landed on the bed,” Tomas said with a cheese filled grin.
The Padre poured them mugs of wine to wet their mouths as they finished eating. “Now,” he said, “I have a story I would like to tell all of you that I think you will find most interesting. Then, if things go accordingly, I may find it necessary to administer a test.”
“A test about the story?” asked Evercloud.
“No, I don’t think so. Though that is a good idea… anyway, here’s the story.”
And so Padre Esteban began:
“When the world was young, and quite boring I might add, four ancient beings gathered together to create creatures to inhabit Earth. Many creatures did they create, some big, some small, some intelligent,” and the Padre nodded at the bears, “and some not so,” and he nodded at the empty plate of crabmeat. “However, they had yet to create a creature with their combined forces and they very much wished to do so. So one day, they gathered together and set about the task of creating a creature together and they would call this creature, man. They argued over how it should be done and in the end, it was decided that Tenturo and Bahknar would create the body of fire and wind and Densa and Chera would give it life with earth and water.”
“That’s not how it happened,” interrupted Riverpaw.
“Don’t interrupt,” said the Padre sternly. “Now where was I? Oh, yes. And thusly, they had created man. Yet, something was wrong. The body of man could not interact with the world around it. A body made of fire and wind was terrible to gaze upon and the other creatures of the world fled from man. And rightly so, as man’s very touch would burn and rip their flesh. Even the vegetation of Earth could not withstand man’s touch. Everything man came in contact with perished before him. He was a cursed and damned creature, forced into isolation by his very nature. The Ancients had failed in their first combined attempt. Man, as they had created him, was not fit for the Earth.
“So, the Ancients discussed their failure long and hard with each other and finally, sadly, they agreed to destroy it. They killed their creation and buried it at the bottom of the deepest chasm they could find, in the deepest abyss, in the deepest sea, to forget about it forever.
“The Ancients, unable to deal with their failure, tried again to create man. On only their second attempt they were successful. Earth and water made a much more pleasant exterior. Man was their pride and glory and the world existed harmoniously for quite some time. Unfortunately, there was one thing that the four Ancients had not accounted for, or should I say someone they had not accounted for.
“No one knows when time began and no one knows how many ancient beings there are or how many worlds there are across the scope of existence. But on that day that the four Ancients created man, they forgot to include one specifically important ancient being. Quite possibly the most important ancient being of all: the Earth.”
“You mean to tell us that the very ground that we walk upon is an ancient being?” asked Ben.
“Sort of,” answered the Padre. “I assume that you know Densa was the Ancient who controlled the element of earth. But if you will, imagine that the trees and rocks and dirt are but the outer covering of the ancient being that is the Earth. The core. And it has all the thoughts, feelings and jealousies of any other being. And jealous the Earth was. Tenturo, Bahknar, Densa and Chera had done much creating without consideration for the Earth. That was their greatest folly.
“In the Earth’s jealousy, it retrieved the body of the fallen creation and again, gave it life. Not only did the Earth reanimate the creature, but also bestowed upon it a power only known to the Earth itself. Thusly, the Great Tyrant was unleashed upon the world. The four Ancients were no match for the Tyrant’s new power and, subsequently, were forced away. I assume that you know the rest.”
The group was stunned. The Earth itself was an ancient being. How was this possible?
“You’ll have to excuse me, Padre Esteban,” began Ben. “I’m finding this a little difficult to swallow. Do you have any proof to back this story up?”
“I don’t need proof, my boy. That’s the funny thing about truth. Give it enough time and it’ll see its own way through.”
“Our quest is futile then. If we are to believe you,” said Whiteclaw. “If what you are telling us is that the very earth that sustains our life willed the Great Tyrant forward. How can we fight that? Should we even fight that?”
“Don’t be so negative,” chided Padre Esteban. “We don’t know what the Earth intended, and we don’t know how the Earth feels now. Sometimes our actions can be quite like an avalanche. Sometimes one little action can create an unstoppable force that we never intended. Who’s to say that the Great Tyrant is not just something that got out of control? The Earth could be on our side, for all that we know.”
“So what should we do?” asked Ben.
“Don’t know,” shrugged Esteban. “But I’m sure Tenturo has an idea.”
“So you’ll take us to him?” asked Whiteclaw.
“If one of you can pass the test.”
“Just one of us?”
“Just one.”
“Then let us begin this test, Padre Esteban.” Ben stood up from the table. “I believe we are all eager to know what it is.”
“It’s very simple,” began Esteban. “You are all to go back into the room where you entered my home and wait. I will call you out, one by one, and administer the test.”
“But what will we be doing?” asked Tomas.
“You’ll see,” smiled the squat little man.
So the group walked into the room in which they had first entered Padre Esteban’s home and waited underneath the hole in the roof. Riverpaw was the first to be called out and Padre Esteban led him down the hallway, past the kitchen where they had eaten, into a small room at the far end of the hallway. The room was lit well with candles and there were benches along the wall. Riverpaw and the Padre sat down on the floor, in the middle of the room, facing each other.
“What is t
his place?” asked Riverpaw.
“Merely where I come to gather my thoughts,” said the Padre. “Now Riverpaw, I will ask you one question. You will answer it as honestly as you can. That is the test. Are you ready?”
Riverpaw shifted uncomfortably. “Uh. I think so.”
“Who is your leader?”
That’s it? thought Riverpaw. It seemed like such a simple question. There must be more to it. However, maybe that was the trick. Don’t over think, he said to himself, just be honest.
“My father, Whiteclaw.”
“Good. Thank you. Please go into the kitchen and wait for the others.”
“Did I pass?”
“I will reveal that after all of the answers.”
Riverpaw made his way to the kitchen and Padre Esteban retrieved Tomas from the room.
“Well, honestly. I think Evercloud is probably the leader,” began Tomas. “I mean, he’s the reason why my brother and I are on a quest with a couple of bears. He’s sort of the bridge.”
“Thank you. Please go into the kitchen and wait for the others.”
Then it was Ben’s turn.
“I don’t mean to sound conceited, but I’m the leader. We wouldn’t be trekking through this desert if it weren’t for my actions. My brother is the only other one who knows the desert and I am the elder. So, yes, I would have to say that I am the leader.”
Next came Whiteclaw and the answer was quick.
“I follow the King of Gray Mountain, Eveneye.”
“Thank you,” said Esteban.
Finally, it was Evercloud’s turn. As he followed the Padre down the hall, he looked into the kitchen and saw the others. Riverpaw shrugged at him, signaling that they yet knew nothing. Evercloud swallowed hard and continued to walk.
“Who is your leader?”
The first thing Evercloud thought to say was Whiteclaw. That’s too simple, he thought. There must be a trick, a deeper meaning to the question. Maybe the answer is the Ancients. No, anyone would say that. It must be specific to our group so that no one could cheat. Whiteclaw was the strongest and eldest, but Ben and Tomas knew the desert. They wouldn’t have gotten this far without them. However, the party never would have met them if it weren’t for Evercloud. Could I be the answer? he wondered. To be fair, Riverpaw had done his share as well. Hadn’t it been his idea and action that had dealt the final blow to the giant crab, ultimately opening the hole to Padre Esteban. It could be any of us, really, he realized.
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