A Beastlord's Memoirs

[Zirali]

I've never been good at introductions, so I'll keep it short. My name is Zirali Bladeclaw. I'm a Vah Shir Kati Sha of the 65th circle, and I thought I would write up my memoirs now that I have some time. If you want to read about my life, just keep on reading. If not, you have my personal invitation to go climb a tree.

I've always been the adventurous type. One of my first memories is of my mother barely kept me from falling off the bridge. She managed to grab me by the tail when I decided I really needed to get an up close look at the Pit. Boy did I get a switching for that one. I couldn't sit down for a week. That's parents for ya, one moment they're glad you didn't fall off a three hundred foot bridge, and the next moment they're making you wish you had.

My decision to become a beastlord was an early one, but before I go into my reasons, I'll have to do a bit of explaining for you furless ones. It's customary among our people for cubs to be presented to the King when they reach schooling age. There's a huge feast and party held every year, with the traditional meal being roasted saurek and rockhopper. They are captured and kept alive in cages until the day of the feast. Then they are tied up and brought before the King to receive his approval before being killed and resigned to the ovens for the big dinner. It keeps down their numbers, as they have a reputation for attacking traders.

When it was my year to be presented, the bards were especially fortunate (so they thought at the time) to have captured a particularly large and troublesome rockhopper out on the Moor that the soldiers stationed there had nicknamed Dirtchomp. It was almost too large for the cage, and my mother told me that in retrospect they probably should have expected what happened. As it was being carried on a stretcher to be presented to the King, it managed to claw its way loose. Panic ensued. People were running everywhere, and their screams could be heard over the sound of the snarling reptile. I'm not afraid to admit that I was terrified, running through the crowd and ducking between knees to find my mother. Then the crowd suddenly parted, leaving me out in the open and Dirtchomp only a few yards away.

I could feel its enraged, bloodshot eyes boring into me as it stepped closer, a leather collar attached to a chain that dragged behind. But I was frozen, mezmerized like saureks captured by a bard's song. As it came closer, I could see the saliva dripping from between its daggerlike teeth. Where it landed holes were scorched in the flagstones. That mouth seemed to fill my whole vision, and time slowed to a standstill. I could hear my mother calling my name, but her voice was distant, insignificant. As Dirtchomp reached towards my face with its jaws, there was a flash of orange and black and the monster's maw was suddenly gone.

I had to refocus to see what had happened. A warder that I recognized as Elder Animist Dulmul's Palav had his jaws clamped firmly over Dirtchomp's throat, his arms wrapped around the reptile's chest, and his claws dug firmly into its back. The massive tiger stood almost erect on his hind feet, his full weight brought to bear on his opponent. Dirtchomp's head was lifted high, so it could not bring its poison to bear, but its forefeet were raking along the feline's shoulders. The two figures stood in a stalemate for what seemed like an eternity, before they finally fell sideways, almost in slow motion. When they hit the ground, I could feel the vibration through my feet. To me it seemed as if the whole world was holding its breath as the tiger and the rockhopper lay still upon the street. Then after a long moment, the feline stirred, and the breath was released. I saw him struggle to get up with blood running down his forelegs, and I rushed over to help him.

He gave me a friendly lick on the face before my mother appeared to whisk me away, almost sobbing in relief. As she carried me off, I gave the warder a greatful wave over her shoulder. From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to be.

[Kivuli]

((Great writing. Keep it going!))

[Hanlaana]

Exciting! Please, keep going!