| The Caldrons Keeper (Revised) In a land of dragons, mystical powers, crystal balls, and other now deceased creatures lived a witch demon deep inside a mountain undetected from prying eyes that occasionally wreaked havoc over the kings domain. Knights and warriors of every description failed to find the powerful legend. For some unknown reason a female had gifts giving them the ability to locate the wicked lair though none succeeded in their quest and gave their lives fruitlessly in the process and died with the secret. That is until now. They hung from the damp ceiling like pulsing pouches of soft velvet over the scalding caldron as it bubbled incessantly. The cave dark save for the flickering pulses of light emitted from the caldrons flame beneath. It flashed in tiny hues of yellow, reds and blue from ancient rock formations imbedded in the walls as she listlessly stirred the smoldering kettle. The armored warrioress took it upon herself to rid the kingdom of the evil witch that preyed on the land .Her young sister full of courage, youth, and the want to show her prowess had never returned from her secret travel Her task had been just one of many failures that left bones of her predecessors scattered in the dust of time. Her dark form blending with the eerie shadows made a surge in my blood as it raced almost giving me away hidden in the black tunnel. My breasts heaved with each choked breath as I waited. Her back to me I took a step hoping for surprise when I heard the crunch beneath my foot I looked down and saw the broken amulet. A well known part of her lost sisters personal belongings. She knew it well as she had given it to her on her sixteenth birthday. My blade flashed into empty space as the dark form stood its ground and my sword ceased its struggle. I heard the laughter of a thousand devils ringing in my ears as it echoed off the walls of the huge cave and the bats formed a cloud above her ugly face. Her eyes laced with a red glow lit my polished armor like a hot burning stove. I swung and slashed out finding empty voids as she appeared and disappeared her laughter ringing around me. Finally she solidified and grabbed my wrist in super human strength and forced the sword little by little toward the burning caldrons bubbling contents. As it neared tiny eruptions leapt up as if by living beings dwelled within. The point of the sword eventually vaporized as it disappeared into the thick scalding brew. I was left with but a short blade in my grasp as she let go. I watched as she took a crystal ladle and dipped it into the magic potion. I backed to the corner my only protection and no escape. She lifted the ladle above her head menacingly prepared to fling it upon me and I knew the end was near. I prayed to the lost souls of my comrades to send me strength that I might prevail in this battle of evil. A smile now upon her wicked face. She tensed for only a moment then��..! The almost silent swish of the blade as the tomahawk flew through the air and found its mark. In an instant the ladle dropped from her hand spilling its contents over her body. The sizzling acrid smell stifled me as I watched the curls of smoke rise from dead flesh and she screamed. The bats swarmed then raced to the exit for escape. Their keeper now dying and the roof of the cave filled with poisonous vapors they were doomed if they stayed. The evil demon now being slowly eaten away by her own making sunk to the floor vaporizing little by little until only a smoldering smock and robe lay crumpled on the dirt floor. She stood gazing at the burnt remains until her attention was diverted by his voice. He spoke in a different dialect than herself but still understandable. He was tall and his strength showed in his arms and legs like the God Mercury. His stomach rippled with cords of bands like bronze. His face chiseled sharp yet appealing. His hair flowed like silk the color of the raven and the two feathers at an angle in his locks framed his features well. His leather breeches tight over the taunt muscles. His chest bare save for a beaded and bone necklace hanging covering the barreled chest. Tendons in his neck bulged like a bull. The fletching on the arrows behind his back protruded over one shoulder and a bow hung loose in his hand. A long bladed knife laced snug against his leg in a sheath showed his skill in carving on the white bone handle. He took her hand and she saw herself slowly becoming an illusion and he like a mirage fading. As she stood almost terrified she failed to notice one lone bat attach itself to the back of her armor as they held hands fading away. As they vanished behind them could be heard the rumble of crumbling earth as the cave fell in on itself and the entrance sealed forever by a huge landslide preventing intrusion into the dark mystical secrets held within. She stood gazing at her strange surroundings in a strange land. Leather pointed shelters with open fires in front tended by females in leather dresses and warriors walking proud among them. A dog came to survey this new being from a safe distance then sulked way tail hidden after a stern look from the warrior holding her hand. He led her away from the village and down a beaten path after which he took her through heavy brush as she listened to a roar in the distance. Soon they came to a sandy shore below a huge waterfall filling a clear blue lagoon with several large flat stones protruding from the middle basked in sunlight away from the mist covered falls. He stood and released the drawstring as his breeches loosened and he deftly pulled the leg of each off his straining muscles. He pulled the beaded breast plate from his neck and dropped it on his leather garment. He was now standing totally bare as his bronze skin reflected the sunlight and he dove into the deep pool his dark form disappearing in its depths. Her head not yet clear envisioned a handsome warrior now disrobed filling her fantasy like images already mixed and confused in her mind. After several minutes he still had not appeared and she searched the nearby opposite shore for some sign. Seeing none she dropped her heavy armor and the clothing around it and stood poised. Her heavy breasts firm above her slender waist widened to her hips then to strong slender legs as she dove making little splash. She swam searching, her golden hair flowing in the soft current but no warrior was to be seen. Turning like a mermaid looking around she spotted a scaled creature coming toward her. She back peddled trying to escape and hold it at bay in front of her but it continued. It resembled no creature she�d ever seen but then again almost everything around her was foreign. The creature pulled up just short of her waiting in still almost motionless form. Its gills flared and closed then opened again but she saw something in its eyes that calmed her fear. Its smooth scaled arm reached and as it touched her she felt a change like a dizziness come over her. She slowly evolved into a furred being. They swam together rolling and playing among the bottom growing plants and along the rock formations darting in and out her in her otter like form and he in his reptilian stage. Soon after a long period of time elapsed they came to rest out of the water taking deep breaths as they both slowly reverted to their natural forms. She abandoned her modesty and lay back upon the smooth stone and he looked deep into her eyes. In a moment he knew and slid over her supple form as they coupled together in heated breath. She was a changeling with his help and touch but their son was a true link between them. He ran with the deer unnoticed. He swam with the fish blending. He prowled the moonlight with the wolf. He flew with the eagle in the day and the owl by night. He was one with nature. She was one with her bronze mate forever. Their daughter sat off to the side stirring her little pot of dirt, worms, and bugs once in a while reaching into her little leather pouch decorated in beadwork hanging from her waist and sprinkling a dust over the contents! On closer observation the spread winged eagle beadwork had pointed ears on its head almost resembling a bat. Vision Quest � 2003 T Lovett |
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