The First Hellhound

“Arrrgh, just stop it!” Olka snaps, shocking not only me but the other two as well. “All you do is fitting what happened into your own delusions! It makes no fucking sense! I am seriously fed up with your bullshit!” Risitha’s outburst is so intense none of us can interject – we can only sit and listen. “Gods this, Gods that… and now you are basically building some phony ‘prophecies’, making up destinies and looking for connections where there are none!?” She is standing up, shaking, with her fists balled. “You know what the Witches said, don’t you? And why did they say that?”

Nugund and Pola glance at each other, partially confused, partially shaken by the violent outburst; as for me – I haven’t a slightest idea what she’s talking about. It looks like the Lisitha wants to say something – but she is not allowed to, as the furious girl continues.

“They commune with the dead. The dead“ she shakes her head. ”They cannot tell the future, only the past – and you know very well that the Prevsiet slowly destroys their memories and prevents new ones from forming. Whatever they say is a reflection of the past – as an option to solve our own problems – and is often very different from what needs to be done!” She points towards the Foxwoman next to me. “And yet, you seem to forget that very thing! That it is help, an assistance, that comes from the Ancestors - not a divinely ordained solution to our problems! Even the Elders don’t really expect that much from us!”

Pola looks dejected and just stares reproachfully, in silence; it is the Wolfman who breaks it. “What are you talking about?! Isn’t The Great Oak supposed to give us powers to slay the dragon?! Are you saying Elders lied to us and we are wasting time?! Why would they do this?!” He looks really angry now. “And if what you said is true, then why did you came with us, huh, Olka of clan Karas? Why are you risking your life on – apparently – useless quest?!” He confronts the Risitha aggressively; a low growl constantly escaping from behind his bared teeth, his position low, ready to pounce at her in any moment.

“That’s because” she says with a pinch of sadness in her voice. “They did it for you” hunter’s eyes widen in shock and disbelief. “When you lost everyone, you wanted to attack the dragon – alone, without any plan nor preparation; that’s just an elaborate suicide! And Elders sent you – us – to The Great Oak without expecting any great miracle! Whatever the Oak can give us probably won’t be enough – that’s why they also told us to collect magical materials, like Moonberries or Purple Eyes.” Nugund seems stunned, unable to rebuke anything she said and she proceeds to answer his questionas. “As to why I am here… not everyone lost everything but their life” her voice cracks; she takes a deep breath, wipes a tear running down her cheek, and continues, more quietly, with sorrow. “My youngest siblings need nursing. Going with you… Elder Mara promised to personally take care of them if I do just that” she chuckles, bitterly and with irony. “It is quite clever, if I say so myself; the route we were supposed to take would get us safely through the cave, then we would just need to find the magical tree. Would we be able to get anything from it? Maybe, maybe not; we would be successful even if we brought just the reagents for our Witches and enchanters.”

Volkhlun’s legs give up as soon as the Risitha finishes; it’s as if every string that kept him standing snapped. He sits on the ground clutching his head, visibly struggling to cope with Olka’s outburst; she herself now breathing heavily. It is the only sound breaking the awkward silence – at least until Pola speaks up.

“I see where you are coming from… but that doesn’t explain the fact that we found Kora – and that she was sent to us by the Goddess herself! She said so!”

I frown and try to say something, but the Lynxkin girl is faster. “No, she didn’t! It is you, Pola of clan Linar, who constantly says that! And you!” She addresses me finally, looking me in the eye “I got the impression you are not a religious person – your dismissiveness when Pola wanted to explain Beastkin religion during our journey through the cave, and the way you spoke about your previous world… and then you go and just claim to have met a God?!” She looks sad and… hurt?! “I thought you were similar to me; I thought you would understand!”

I am taken aback – I can see a certain longing in her eyes. A longing I can clearly understand, since I also have felt similarly – this desire to have others acknowledge how I feel, to ensure me I’m not alone. It is now crystal clear to me, that Olka is an atheist – and that a vast, vast majority of people aren’t; at least those in her proximity. Well, this world does appear to be way less technologically advanced, after all, and people in ancient times were extremely religious, so I shouldn’t be surprised. At least their tribe appears to be quite tolerant – if I remember correctly, nonconformists in the old times would often be killed or expelled in those situations.

I honestly had no idea my petty revenge would cause so much problems for me; not only showing me in a way I’m not comfortable with – but that it will also hurt somebody else. I shake my head. “You… aren’t wrong, really” I say before she can continue. “I apologise for my poor word choice; please, let me finish and explain myself.”

And so I tell the rest of my story: about testing, about my interaction with my creator, and – most importantly – about feelings I felt at that time. I tell all about the confusion, the embarrassment, the frustration, the powerlessness, the humiliation I experienced; I want them to understand. I want Olka to understand; I want her to know that she is not alone and her worldview is valid. I want to be her friend. And to do that – I have to mend this gap first.

“So… about my creator: I don’t call them GOD out of reverence – but out of spite” that visibly confuses everyone; they freeze for a second, clearly having trouble to process this information. “I won’t deny I feel some gratitude towards them, and that they are a very powerful entity; but that doesn’t change the fact they treated me horribly” I take a deep breath before continuing. “The more I think about it, the more… violated I feel” I clench my fists a tear runs down my cheek. “I was completely powerless and treated not like a person – but like a test animal; all my dignity was stripped away from me, all my feelings discarded. And while it is true that there are things I am grateful for – I was able to experience so many amazing things since arriving in this valley – there are also some things I simply cannot overlook; there is just something deep, deep inside me that absolutely HATES how I was treated” I smile bitter-sweetly. “The only time where they showed any stronger emotions was when I thought about them as a god. They were like one to me, especially at the time. So I decided to call them that – because it was the only way to get back at them. So no, I don’t really see them as a divine being” I focus on the young Risitha in front of me; I really want her to get it. “And certainly not one worthy of worship.”

And so we stare at each other in silence; me – waiting for her answer, her – still mulling over my tale. There is still some scepticism in her eyes – but then I start seeing a glimmer of hope in them, growing stronger and stronger the longer I look; it seems Olka slowly overcomes her suspicions. But then, the moment gets interrupted.

“I don’t get what’s the difference” it’s Nugund, whose voice appears to be more hoarse now. “Gods don’t rule over us, after all; nor are they that different from us” he looks me in the eye. “They are Ancestors, after all.”

“That’s true” Pola backs his statement. “They watch over the world – and us – not control it – or us” there is a certain light in her eyes as she speaks. “They are Guides, not Masters! They are like parents, who allow their kids have freedom! And they led us here – it’s no coincidence that we met Kora and she have already achieved so much – that must have been Their plan all along! They knew we would meet!” She stares at me with conviction and certainty as she addresses me. “You will save us, right?”

Olka snorts at that “Really? Why then did they not, at least, warn us about the dragon?” She casts a quick glance at me before returning to the Lisitha. “If they can point us in a direction they desire – why would they use such a senseless tragedy for that? Why would they wait?”

“But we knew it was bound to happen” the Foxwoman says matter-of-factly. “We know that time is circular and it rhymes; some Great Calamity was always destined to fall upon us – that’s how the World works” her expression saddens. “Losing close ones still hurts, but – as you know – the danger lurks everywhere; an avalanche, a sickness, or a monster attack – even of a simple horned rabbit – can kill even the strongest if they are not careful.”

To our surprise it is Nugund who snorts this time, apparently no longer in a state of trance. “Yes, but no” he glances at Pola, with pain and grief. “Illness takes mostly the old and the weak; to monsters die the reckless and the arrogant; to the avalanche – those who are stupid and disrespect the mountains. But a dragon?” Some grim glint appears in his eyes. “It kills everyone: the old and the young, the weak and the strong, the reckless and the careful, the wise and the dumb; there is nothing

one can do to prepare for that attack!” As he speaks, he becomes more and more agitated. “And you are telling me we could have predicted that?! Or that Gods deliberately waited for such a massacre?! WHAT FOR?!” He is shouting and shaking in fury; his Aura flares and I can feel the air move, amplifying his voice. “JUST TO FIND HER?!” He points at me. “ARE YOU REALLY SAYING SHE’S WORTH EVERYONE… every… one…”

His voice cracks and fades at the end; I can see tears flow down his cheeks. He sits down again, visibly exhausted and upset. His heavy breathing is the only sound any of us emits. Others are also shaken and unable to say anything. I think I can now tell pretty well what have happened to them, but I still have to ask.

“So…” I begin, very quietly and slowly, trying to be mindful of their feelings. “I can see what a tragedy befell you all and why you came here – and I desire to help you, but…” out of nervousness I swallow my saliva, audibly; I try to be as gentle as possible. “Would you mind telling me what happened to you – since the beginning, so I can fully understand?”

Nugund sighs, takes a deep breath and nods; he’s the one to speak first, with his eyes staring into the void.. “Over a Moon ago, our tribe was attacked by an Ice Dragon” he shakes his head. “A wild beast, unlike Celestial Dragons that are said to rule the country of Bolundo in the far, far West. There is no reasoning with them; they know only strength and violence” he pauses for a moment and when he continues, his tone gets even more morbid. “It attacked my Clan first – on a day I was out in the wilderness, hunting. When I returned… it was a bloodbath” his eyes get cloudier and more melancolic with each sentence. “Everyone I loved was dead. My beloved. My children. My grandchildren” his shoulders drop in resignation and he looks older, much older than I initially assessed; then he looks at me, his eyes bottomless pits of unbelievable sorrow. “I lost everyone – even my closest friends were unable to escape. Only person alive I have left is Elder Mara – and we weren’t even that close to begin with.” He ends abruptly, seemingly unable to continue; his grief too fresh and too overwhelming for him.

“My clan was next, a few days after his” Pola picks up where Nugund left. “We have just learnt of what happened, as first survivors reached our gord. Still; even with more time we would not be able to change what happened much – the dragon is just too strong for a single clan to challenge it – just to repel it” she pinches the bridge of her nose – or rather her short muzzle – and smiles bitterly. “I was quite lucky. I managed to bring out my son, and my sister helped my brother; some of my friends also escaped.”

“We were the last to be attacked” says Olka and frowns immediately. “Well, the last before the three of us embarked on our journey at least. There are probably even more now. As for me, I was more lucky, in a sense, than the other two: most of my family – many of my younger brothers – managed to escape; I personally brought my youngest siblings out. Our mother, though, perished, as she had yet to recover from giving birth to them” her voice trails off; she wipes her eyes, coughs and shakes her head, then continues. “Anyway, the Elders gave us our mission soon after I arrived; I think they did it to stop kin like Nugund, who was on a verge of just attacking the dragon – which is basically a suicide if you don’t have any plan” Volkhlun lowers his head at that statement. “I joined, because my brothers need to be fed – and that way I could ensure they wouldn’t starve.”

“And I joined because I felt helpless” admits Pola, to my great surprise. “I am not a huntress, nor an enchantress; but I know our legends and stories exhaustingly” she smiles at me. “Were it not for you, I would be the one to locate The Great Oak.”

“Our journey have already taken us nearly half a Moon” Wolfman takes over from the Foxwoman. “We were moving quite fast, despite increased activity of the monsters” he looks at me. “No doubt because of you and your fight. And then we met, just as we were about to enter the caves” he takes a deep breath and exhales really slowly, with closed eyes; there is certain deliberation in his moves. He then looks at me, his eyes filled with conviction and determination – and then he shortly bows before me!

“Kora of the Wilds – please, lend us your strength; help us slay the evil dragon, so the others won’t suffer like us!”