By Ginger Albro (Pepperochu/Keeper of Memory)
"Scoria is dead! The king is dead!" A frantic crowd of Rasikannians cried out and scattered; it was utter chaos. Aarik and I attempted to calm the crowd, we hearded them up with our jeweled spears, while Zenta attempted to contact Leviathan, the owner of the Bandersnatch who killed Scoria.
"I think we should try to get some help...." I called to my fellow guard, Aarik, while stabbing down the rabid peasants with the blunt end of my javelin.
"You kidding, Telenak? We can handle it...Ahk!" She was abrubtly pushed down by a large Rasikannian, who then nearly trampled her trying to get to the murder site. I offered her a claw up, but she refused and used her spear to clamber back to her feet.
I looked over to Zenta; still trying to contact the god. She had sat at his statue, a large wolven fish, and mumbled in our ancient language. Finally, the statue's eyes flashed, and Zenta immediatly got up and bowed. A white mist emerged from the statue, then took the form of a white and blue wolf.
Leviathan saw the creature; his Bandersnatch.The mighty creature was fifty feet tall, and had a wolven face with the body of a serpent covered in white fur. It also had a blood-covered muzzle.
"My most prized creature, Bandersnatch...." Leviathan caught the attention of his sacred animal with his soft voice, somehow. Noticing I was staring, and that everyone around me was bowing, I had immediatly fell to my knees and brought my head low. I couldn't see what was going on, but I could hear everything. The Bandersnatch moved toward Leviathan, I heard a low growl. For a meer second I lifted my head, and noticed the crazed look in the Bandersnatch's eyes.
"...Why?" Leviathan continued, "I am already a misfit among the three other gods, even compared to Styx. Styx's animals wouldn't even kill a king...now I don't want
to harangue you, so I'll just spare you the speech by killing you." After a moment, I heard something hard crash to the ground. The sound caused me to jump, slightly. Lifting my
head up once more, I discovered that Leviathan was gone, and the Bandersnatch was dead.
~*~*
"Citizens of Breccia!" A meeting had occoured after the little affair in the city center. Aarik and I stood beside our two messangers, Heerouladinn and Meerdjetta; they were not of our species, they were compleatly different. They were actually creatures of the god Styx, Meerkestas. Meerkestas were short creatures, unlike the tall Rasikannians. They were also mammals, while we were reptillian. Meerkestas had long snouts with two sets of eyes, tan-colored fur, and short ears. But their most distinctive feature was their tails; The tails were long and ribbon-like, and the Meerkestas used them like legs; They stood on their tails. Rasikannians don't have tails, though. We stand upright and have a humanoid body structure. Lizard heads, claws, and two knees on our legs made us not-human. We also had either grey or grey-blue scale coloration.
"Hey! Telenak! You day-dreaming again?" Aarik poked me playfully, curtailing me from my train of thought.
"...I'm awake...." I whispered back.
"Our king, Scoria, is now dead, as you should know." Heerouladinn said.
"And we need to appoint a new ruler!" Meerdjetta continued.
"And, the only blood relative of Scoria around Breccia currently is...."
"I, Celnak." The croud turned to see a cloaked figure in the shadows. He creaped out and onto the stage, facing the two twins.
"Erm..." They said at the same time.
"I didn't know the mage was related to Scoria." Aarik whispered.
"Celnak is apparently very secretive." I told her.
Celnak tilted his head and showed his sharp fangs in a wide, slightly askew smile. In his monotone voice he said: "I've been waiting for this moment my whole life."
"Well...Celnak, you are related to Scoria, but...."
"But what?" Celnak inturrupted Meerdjetta.
"But we were talking about Scoria's daughter, Vorvile!" Celnak had a shocked expression on his face, an almost discusted expression.
"Vorvile...but her patron god is...."
"Sen. God of life." Heerouladinn said. Aarik leaned close to me.
"Isn't Celnak's patron god...Styx? God of death and slaughter?"
"Perhaps that's why he's not looking too well...." Celnak had already stormed off the stage in a rage. He pushed through the crowd and slid into the inner city.
"Well," said Aarik, "I suppose I should go find the new 'Queen-to-be'." Both I and Aarik hopped off the stage and to the direction of Scoria's citadel....
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Pronounciation:
Aarik: Are-ick
Breccia: Brek-ee-a
Celnak: Sell-nack
Heerouladinn: Hear-roll-a-din
Meerdjetta: Mear-jet-ah
Meerkestas: Mear-kess-tas
Rasikannian: Raz-ick-can-ee-en
Vorvile: Vor-vill-eh