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krwordgazer wrote: A gift given to show you care singing a pine/evergreen tree winter ("white-cold") discovering something new Shadow watched as the snow continued to fall just outside the mouth of the cave. Foxhair came to stand behind him, her arms wrapping themselves beneath his arms, then around his chest. “You should come back to the rear of the cave. It’s much warmer there.” “This winter fall should end soon,” Shadow said, not looking back. He felt Foxhair’s warm body pressed against his. They had been love mates for a considerable amount of time; Foxhair, always hoping that Recognition with her Chief would eventually take place, so that she could bare a new cub and bring new life to the small tribe. She knew a cub with her chief would be the greatest gift to give. She also knew a cub would help the tribe’s size; a cub to continue Shadow’s bloodline, so his would not end as young and tragically as their previous chief, and best friend, Wildthorn’s life had. “What happened to Steeleye?” Wildthorn asked from the back of the cave. Foxhair looked at her love mate, “This is your tale, Chief.” It was a tale of tragic loss, again. Something the Elves of Stonehowl Holt had come to know all too well. “Perhaps you should tell it,” she persisted, encouraging him to return to the back of the cave where it was warm. Shadow turned and walked to the back of the cave, walking side by side with Foxhair. Shadow sat down, lost in thought for a moment; wondering where to begin. “It has long been tradition, the Way, within Stonehowl that the Chief is not by blood – but by who shall lead the pack – just as Wolves do.” “Though Wildthorn took the mantle of chief, after Steeleye, it is not because he was the son of the Chief,” Shadow said. “It was because after the loss of Steeleye, Wildthorn changed; wanted to prove, perhaps to his own late father, that he could be Chief.” Shadow paused once again. His mind traced the unspoken thought that perhaps he should have challenged Wildthorn back then to be Chief; and perhaps, if he had, his best friend would still be alive. “How did we lose Chief Steeleye?” Echo asked, repeating his sister’s question from earlier. “We didn’t just lose Chief Steeleye on the night we lost him,” Sungazer said, recalling all too well the lives that were lost on that ill fated hunt. “That night we lost Stormcreek,” he gestured to Foxhair who had sat close to her chief and love mate, “brother of Foxhair.” A look of sadness crossed her face at the distant memory. We also lost one of our greatest hunters, Elktamer. Stream’s own parents were both lost, Woodspear and Runningspring.” “And the Pack lost many of their own,” Shadow added. “What happened?” the words stammered out of Windfetcher’s mouth. The young cub who would surly be the next chief was now speaking with fear in her tone. What foul thing could have happened to claim so many? “It began with one of the trolls, a troll by the name of Digdung,” Shadow began. “He claimed to have encountered a serpent the size of an oak tree. We did not believe him until he pulled forth a scale from the serpent. It was as big as hand.” Shadow held out his hand, stretching out his fingers to emphasize its size. “Digdung claimed that the scale could be used to make protective leathers. But he said his people didn’t have the hunting skill needed to hunt and kill the serpent – but if we did it for him, that he would gladly hand over its skin to us, if he could have some of its scales.” “Steeleye couldn’t resist the challenge,” Shadow continued. “He was impetuous! He would not listen to his mate, Fernglade, who suspected that Digdung was lying and up to something!” “Digdung had explained that he had come to the surface to get Blackswamp Water for Maggoty, when he encountered something new - the serpent…” Shadow continued after reflecting on his youthful days of seeing Digdung, and how the troll had disgusted him. “So Steeleye gathered up a small hunting party which included Fernglade, Elktamer, Woodspear, Runningspring, Stormcreek, and Starmane.” Shadow paused on that last name – his own sister, barely a few seasons older than him. “They left to hunt the Serpent with ‘rainbow scales’ as Digdung called it,” Shadow finally continued. “Steeleye refused to let me go – told me to watch after Wildthorn who was still recovering from his wounds from Bloodfang…” “But I couldn’t sit still,” Shadow said. “I have always believed that Fernglade had a strong sense of knowing when someone was up to something. So I left to go to the troll caves and made my way in, looking for Digdung. Instead, I ran into Trollforge – who was curious why I was so upset. I explained what Digdung had seen, and Trollforge told me that I had to find Steeleye and the others and stop him – that the serpent was more than what Digdung said – more than even he had realized.” “I don’t know why I trusted Trollforge, always have,” Shadow shrugged, “even if he was just another troll – but I did trust him. So I called for Mooneyes, and got on his back and rode as quickly as I could, trying to find Steeleye and the others.” “The next few moments,” Shadow said, his voice wavering perhaps for the first time. “They happened so quickly.” He took in a deep breath. “I saw the Serpent strike out from the marsh suddenly. Steeleye was the first to be struck by the serpent’s giant fangs. This snake was as thick as I am tall,” Shadow said. “Those fangs struck Steeleye like twin swords, into his chest, injecting the snake’s vicious venom.” “Even with his dying breath, he tried to tell the others to run,” Shadow continued the tale. “But Fernglade would not leave her soul mate behind. With a vicious, painful, howl, she jumped off from her mount and flew at the snake, driving her dagger into its eye. The serpent reeled back, and tried to shake Fernglade off – but she wouldn’t let go of her dagger that she had plunged into its eye. So instead, the serpent bashed her repeatedly against a tree, until her limp dead, fingers released their hold. I remember seeing that pine tree stained with her blood…” Shadow shivered at the memory, and what was about to come next in the story. “Starmane was next to fall to the snake – half blind, the snake resorted to its next weapon – it rapidly constricted both her and her mount within a choking coil – I heard the bones of my sister break and snap as easily as you or I might snap a twig.” “Runningspring was trying to heal Fernglade, who was already dead, but she refused to believe it, she was crying,” Shadow’s words seem to ramble, as telling the story suddenly became about reliving the memory. “The serpent almost looked as if it realized that Runningspring could heal – and immediately bit into her back. She fell forward, barely alive – but she saw me, standing there in shocked horror as I tried to comprehend everything that was happening to me. She told me to run – she told me to flee – and before she died, I felt her fluttering in my mind, telling me to get Stream to safety.” “Woodspear saw his soul mate fall, felt her die, and he screamed,” Shadow said. “I am not sure I have ever heard a scream like I did that night. Woodspear, to his credit, had managed to drive his spear through the snake’s mouth – but the snake closed its powerful jaws and snapped the spear easily – leaving Woodspear defenseless. It struck out at him, again, the venom worked quickly… but I think Woodspear wanted to die. I don’t think he could think past that moment.” Shadow’s eyes went to Stream. “But know, your father loved you. But seeing his soul mate die … he died that night.” There was one more truth that was going to come out of this night, out of this story, that Shadow had kept a secret. “Elktamer, who used weapons made from the antlers of elks, had inflicted many wounds, that should have killed any other animal,” Shadow explained. “But this serpent refused to die. Something kept it alive. Almost as if it were healing itself. The serpent bashed away at Elktamer, until he could barely move, then constricted him within its coils – leaving only Stormcreek and I alive.” He looked to Foxhair, who had been his love mate now, for sometime – the next part would be about her brother. “Stormcreek saw me – saw me struck with terror and unmoving and stepped between me and the serpent. He tried to tell me to run but I couldn’t – I was too scared.” “You? Too scared?” Windfetch scoffed. “But you’re not afraid of anything!” “You’re wrong little one,” Shadow said. “I am afraid of many things. You have to be if you’re Chief – or else you become careless. This is what happened to Wildthorn – his fearlessness led to carelessness. But this isn’t about him,” Shadow said, shaking his head. “Regardless, there are many things I am fearful of cub.” “So what happened?” Echo asked. “Stormcreek knew I wasn’t going to be able to run,” Shadow went on to say. “He stood before me, and swore that the serpent would not taste my blood,” Shadow recalled. “I felt planted to the ground. That’s when I heard him in my head – sending to me – he said he was sorry.” Shadow closed his eyes. “Then the serpent struck, and Shadowcreek died at my feet,” Shadow replied. “A slow, painful death,” he added, muttering. “And all I could do was stand there. I looked up at the serpent was looking at me – waiting – for me to do something – like the others had – but I was still frozen.” “I should have died with them,” Shadow said. “I thought you ran when Shadowcreek told you to?” Sungazer asked, leaning forward. “I thought you said you didn’t see him die?” “I lied,” Shadow said. “Why?” Sungazer suddenly stood. “Why would you lie about something like that?” “Because of what saved me,” Shadow said. “What was it that saved you?” Sungazer pushed. “Bloodfang,” Shadow replied. “It was Bloodfang.” (1) “But … we never saw him again after the Pack dealt with him!” Foxhair sat up. “Bloodfang must have been drawn by the scent of blood,” Shadow continued. “There was so much of it. He suddenly roared up from the bushes – the force of his arrival alone knocked me down into some bushes, where I saw Bloodfang and the rainbow serpent engaged in combat. The serpent tried to coil around Bloodfang, but the giant bear would not have it – it took its giant fangs, for which he was named after, and buried them deep into the serpent.” “But then, something else happened,” Shadow explained. “There was this… energy all about them… crackling… and almost as if their fight had called it forth – the clouds grew dark and the rain began pouring. All around me the floor turned red from the blood that had been spilled – and yet I could not take my eyes off the two of them.” “I don’t know how to explain what happened next,” Shadow said, “I am not even sure if what I saw was real or some fevered dream. But there was a bolt from the sky – white fire – that struck the two as they were entangled with one another – and I hear both of them cry out… what was there… was a melted flesh of the two of them together… their skin fused together… I could have probably ended it there … it was weak… disoriented… instead, now that I wasn’t in any danger… I fled.” Sungazer was shocked. “When we went back – the bodies were there, but the creature was gone,” Shadow said. He refused to look at Sungazer. He knew the Elder was not happy with Shadow. But how could Shadow tell them that he had a chance to strike down the beasts that had killed so many when it was weakened – and instead fled? “Tonight, we howl for the fallen,” Shadow said. He tilted his head back and howled; the wolves joined in the singing, for the Pack had lost many as well. Illustration by Embala. Click here to see. 1. See the story of Bloodfang in the [url= http://www.elfquest.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=407613#407613][b]Nov 2008 Grab Bag![/b][/url] WRITER’S NOTE: If you missed what I was eluding to, it’s that Shadow witnessed the birth of Madcoil. Now I realize in ElfQuest canon, it was a Sabretooth Tiger and a Serpent – but with Madcoil’s size, I had always thought that a bear was a better idea – and thus I created Bloodfang – a bear with huge fangs, and massive claws; much like Madcoil (well snakes already have massive fangs). And there’s more to Bloodfang and the Rainbow Serpent to be revealed probably in a future grab bag – that I came up with while writing this segment! (Not that most read the non canon character stuff – but at least I am including elements of canon stuff in my own stories). :-)