“Move and you die.”
Teflok looked around at the many spears lowered against him, a few poked in and drew blood.
“Don’t be foolish, I have important news I bring. Bigger than our petty squabbles.” said Teflok.
“Petty squabbles? We have been at war for a generation, dozens of my men have fallen by your spears and you call this petty?” a man standing behind the spearmen answered.
“Something has come out from the deeper jungle, something beyond all of us.”
“Hah, Teflok you think us foolish? You know you’re beat and now come to us with tricks and lies.”
“Please, Rafok you must listen to me. An ancient creature attacked hunters not two days ago. None were left alive and the people fear. I have come to you because this is a danger greater than we are to each other.”
“I’ve had enough of your lies, take him prisoner!” ordered Rafok.
The men rushed in against the cries of Teflok and bounded him, carrying him off towards Rafok’s camp.
______________________________________________________________________________
Hot tears streamed down Teflok’s face as he sat tied to a pole near the center of his enemy’s camp. In front of him Rafok’s tribe danced a victory dance as the chieftain made a speech.
“Today is a good day. We have taken captive our greatest enemy. He has come here with lies meant to deceive us, but are wiser. We have seen through his trickery and now his is our prisoner and will die. We will have victory over those across the expanse!”
A cheer went up from the gathered men, women, and children of the tribe.
“You fools, you doom us all.” said Teflok.
“Quiet.” a guard smacked Teflok upside the head with his club.
He cried out as he felt blood run down his chin. He shook his head and looked down at the ground, whimpering.
“Some great leader you are, look!” the guard called out to the others “Teflok cries like a woman!”
Laughter went up from the gathered folk there as Teflok shook his head.
“I don’t cry from fear, I cry because you are dooming both my people and your own.”
“Silence.” said the guard giving Teflok a lighter rap across the chin.
Rafok continued his speech as Teflok stared up at the stars above. He felt a weariness deep in his bones. Despite his predicament he felt himself drifting off into sleep. It felt as if he had only slept a moment when he was yanked up.
“Bring forth the prisoner.” boomed Rafok’s voice.
Teflok’s blurry eyes started to make sense of the scene around him. The fire had grow higher since he had last seen and before it was a large stone with bonds around it. Rafok stood above it a stone dagger in his hands and a ceremonial headdress on his head.
“Rafok please!” said Teflok.
The people around jeered and laughed.
“Look at how the once mighty Teflok begs!” shouted Rafok.
“Rafok…”
A stone cut Teflok’s face then another and another came from the assembled crowd. The stones done other came forward and spit on him. He was finally lowered down to the rock and bound there with the straps. Above him Rafok looked down a cruel smile spread across his lips.
“We have freedom this night, we have freedom for us all. Tonight we offer you up to the gods. Tomorrow we slay your men, make love to your women, and make your children our slaves to do our bidding.”
“Please Rafok, there is a beast out there. We need your help.”
“Hahaha!” Rafok pointed down to Teflok’s helpless form “Did you hear that? He needs our help!”
Laughter echoed around Teflok.
“You are wiser than this Rafok. Why would I come here unarmed? Have you ever known me to be a fool?”
“You came to trick us Teflok, with your lies of great beasts and peril. Long have you made us suffer but no more. You have made an error and now you must die for it.”
“Rafok stop! You must listen! There is something that came from the deep forest! Why would I lie? What good would that do me?”
“Enough talk, you die now.”
Rafok raised the knife on high and gave a shout that was taken up by every member of the tribe. Then it was answered by a earth shattering roar that came from the forest. The cry died out as every member turned towards the roar.
Teflok heard “What was that?” whispered between the tribespeople.
“Rafok please…”
“Silence prisoner.” said Rafok stepping away from Teflok and towards where the roar had come from.
“It was probably a cat.” said the guard that has beat Teflok.
“No, that was no cat. Too big.” said Rafok.
“Then what was it chieftain?” asked a man in the crowd.
Rafok looked down at Teflok “Release him and get him clean.”
“Chieftain?” asked the guard.
“Do as I say!”
The guard nodded and raced over to Teflok untying his bonds “Come, we’ll get you clean.”
As Teflok was being led away he looked over his shoulder at Rafok who had a fearful look on his face.
______________________________________________________________________________
“I told you this was no lie.” said Teflok sitting on cushioned ferns in Rafok’s tent, a small fire blazing in the middle.
“What is this creature?”
“That we do not know. Game has been scarce so the hunters went into the deep jungle. There they were attacked by something. When they had not returned for a few days I went out with my warriors and searched for them. We thought you had done them harm but then we found their remains.
Blood and bone thrown about the forest. Entire men broken in half. Teeth and gash marks greater than any spear or dagger could make. Other men were crushed as if they had boulders thrown on them. We knew this wasn’t your doing so fled back to the village. It was a night later that we heard the roars in the night and I knew we could not do this alone. So I left and now the roars echo outside your fires.”
“Then you are to blame for wakening this ancient darkness that now terrorizes us all!”
“We must eat. The creature was already coming forth, the hunters had ventured no further than the shamans go before being attacked.”
“Ah! Shaman Ipishtun has not returned, he has been gone seven days now.” said the guard.
“Silence Potak. Even so, we must assemble the hunters and warriors of our tribes and hunt down this beast before it destroys us all.” said Rafok.
“Calm, we must be wise. We don’t know how great this beast is. He could be as tall as a tree and as strong as a boulder. We could be rushing the men to their deaths.” replied Teflok.
“Then what else could we do?”
“Figure out what this creature is first. Then see if we can beat it.”
“While it devours our people?”
“If we lose all the hunters and warriors the people are as good as dead anyways.”
“And what if we find that we cannot overtake it?”
“Then we move.”
“Move? My people have lived here for generations, I will not leave because some beast has come out of the forest. We will fight it and we will conquer. Now, go and gather you hunters and warriors and I will gather mine. I’ll have no more of this foolishness of yours. We’ll do what should have been done two nights ago and slay the beast.”
“Very well, where are we to meet?”
“We’ll meet by the great waterfall two days from now at sunset. There we will go through the forest and slay this creature, then we can return to who shall have this land in the end.”
“Then let me go that I may gather my men.”
Rafok motioned a hand towards the flap of the tent “Go, and Potak make sure that he has any food or water he needs for his journey back.”
Teflok bowed and left.
______________________________________________________________________________
Teflok stared at the trees around him, off a short distance was the river that disappeared over a great waterfall to their left. Many fires burned in the clearing and many torches were being prepared.
“He is not here yet…maybe he springs a trap!” Metolak, Teflok’s head warrior gasped.
“Let’s hope not for that would doom us both.” replied Teflok.
“Rafok is not one for wisdom or one to trust.”
“I know, but we have little choice at the moment. You saw what happened to the hunters.”
“What if Rafok attacks the village while we are all out here? He knows it’s unguarded and I would not put it beyond him.”
Teflok felt worry gnaw at his heart.
“We will give him until the last of the sun sets and then we go back to the village…with speed.”
Metolak nodded.
Teflok wandered over to the river and looked out towards the waterfall to the land below. Verdant jungle stretched out as far as the eye could see, in the far distance one could make out an ancient volcano. Branches snapped across the river. Teflok rose spear in hand and strained his eyes in the dying light.
Across the river men emerged from the forest, Rafok at the front.
“So he has honored his word.” said Teflok.
The men went down river and were soon across. Teflok ran back to camp to meet them.
“Good to see you have kept your promise.” said Rafok.
“I was thinking the same thing.” replied Teflok.
“Now, we have brought many a drum and will use them to bring the creature to us. I say we do this in the clearing here. You already have fires burning and that will keep us from tramping through the forest at night.”
“That’s not a bad idea. We shall see if it works but first let us eat before the battle.”
______________________________________________________________________________
The sun had long ago set and the food was being digested as the steady beat on the war drums began. It echoed down through the jungle and out across the river.
“Louder and faster.” said Rafok.
The drummers beat a more frantic pace.
Rafok took a torch and began pacing back and forth before the jungle calling out into it.
“Come beast! We do not fear you! We do not fear your fangs and claws. We do not fear your mighty limbs. Come! Rafok will put you down!”
The drums continued their beats for an hour, Rafok had slowed down his pacing and now rested against a tree. Teflok felt sleepiness crawl at the edge of his consciousness. He blinked and felt as if he’d fall asleep upright all the while the drums continued their steady beats.
“Maybe he fears the fire and the drums.” said Metolak after another hour had passed and a few men snoozed through the camp.
Teflok started over to Rafok who sat blinking against a tree.
“Maybe the beast fears the drums and won’t come while they beat.”
“Then we have solved our problem.” replied Rafok.
“Can we beat drums all night, every night of our lives?”
“If it is to prevent our destruction.”
Teflok nodded and sat down across from Rafok.
“Maybe we should go out and seek the beast.” said Rafok.
“Go into the forest? We’ll be leading our men straight into the creature’s belly.”
“But-“
A roar echoed out of the forest, the drums stopped and the men from the camp all woke.
Potak leapt up and turned towards the men “Keep beating the drums!”
The beat started slowly then picked up to its former speed. Teflok stood up and walked back towards camp and the firelight. Rafok stood behind staring into the forest.
“I would not stay so close to the forest.” said Teflok.
Rafok waved him off “Go and hide by your fire. I shall be fine.”
Teflok shrugged and walked back towards the men.
Another roar echoed in from the forest, this time closer.
“Get your weapons ready!” said Teflok.
The men grabbed their spears and clubs and lit any unlit torches, forming up next to each other facing the forest, in front of the drummers. Only Rafok alone stood outside.
“What is he doing? He’ll get himself killed.” said Potak.
“Go and fetch your leader before that happens.” said Teflok.
Potak nodded and ran forward breaking from the mass of men.
“Rafok! Rafok! Come to the line where the spears and fire will protect you.” said Potak.
“Go away fool, I am just fine here.”
Teflok thought he heard the sound of crashing branches.
“Please chieftain the beast approaches and it is not safe.” Potak was now even with Rafok at the edge of the jungle.
Teflok held up his hand “Silence the drums.” but was ignored.
“Silence the drums!” shouted Teflok but still they ignored him.
With horror Teflok turned to the jungle to watch as a great form burst through the trees. It was a lizard that walked on two legs and was greater than any Teflok had ever seen. It had dull green scales and horns a top its head. It stood over three times the height of the men and had to weigh at least as much as ten of them.
The creature craned its mighty neck and with a remarkable agility snapped its jaws down on Potak, removing his torso from his hips. Rafok stared in horror as his spear fell by his side and the great form retreated into the forest as quickly as it had appeared. Teflok would had swore it was a ghost had not Potak’s lower half remained there on the ground.
With a sudden start Rafok gave a cry and rushed for the men. He ran through the front line and crouched in the middle of the circle, his eyes wide and his body trembling.
“What was that?” he muttered shaking his head “That is no beast I have ever seen.”
“It is the creature that came from the deep jungle and the one we must slay.” said Teflok.
“Ha! Such a thing cannot be slain by the hands of man. It is a demon sent by the gods to punish us.”
“If we do not do something about it, it’ll feast on our women and children.”
Rafok’s eyes darted this way and that.
“What would you do Rafok?” asked Teflok.
Steadying himself Rafok slowly rose to his feet “What…what can we do against such a thing?”
“Lure it out.” said Teflok.
“How?”
“Come.” Teflok started towards the forest alone.
“Are you mad? That thing will eat you before you even knew it was there!” shouted Rafok.
“I am not going all the way, only to where the creature thinks it has a chance. When it comes for me, rush out with your spears and meet it.” said Teflok.
Teflok walked out almost halfway between the dense forest and the men. There was more crashing in the forest. Teflok turned and readied to flee. More crashing. He felt the sweat bead on his forehead and the grip he had on his spear moisten. Closer came the snapping branches. Teflok felt as if his heart were to burst out of his chest at any moment.
Then crashing through the trees at an impossible speed came the great lizard. With a shout Teflok fled with all of his might, rushing ahead on pure instinct. The men ran forward and before he knew it, he was in among them. When he realized it, he spun around and beheld a scene of horror. The great lizard had a man lifted in the air in its great jaws, another lay smashed to pieces below it.
Most of the spears rang off its hide, a few finding the mark in its underbelly. The creature flung the man in its jaw, dead, and resumed the carnage. It now waded in among the men, taking a man with every bite. Its great tail whipped around clearing out men. One fell grasping his side, another tried to stand up but his legs gave out under him. The beast continued its fight, a tornado of fury that ripped the men to bits.
A few more spears cut into the underbelly and the underside of the neck of the beast causing it to began a retreat. It loped a few paces away, turned and snapped in a half a pursuing man, taking the top half with it as it rushed back into the forest. Teflok looked at the slaughter around him in shock.
Both his and Rafok’s men were in a pool of blood, guts, and other battle field matter. It was as it had been with the hunters but on a much grander scale. Nearly half of both their forces were depleted and nearly half the women of the village were now widows. Teflok fell to the dirt, feeling helpless.
“I told you.” Rafok’s bloody form walked towards Teflok an accusing finger pointed at him “I told you. That was a demon sent by the gods and there is nothing we can do against it. And now look!”
Rafok spread his arms about him “Our armies are in ruins. In a matter of seconds that demon slew more than many a battle and we did nothing to it.”
Teflok rose staring at the space in the forest where the creature had disappeared into “We must get behind the fires, and think of something else.”
“We must make sacrifice to the gods. This is what I get for denying them your soul!” Rafok’s eyes were red and he hefted a club high into the air charging at Teflok.
“No!” shouted Teflok but Rafok paid him no mind.
Teflok grasped a spear and held it in front of him, halting Rafok’s charge.
“You are being foolish Rafok.”
“No, it was foolish to let you live, now look at what has been wrought. The gods want your soul and who am I to deny them?”
“How do you know it is my soul they want Rafok?”
Rafok paused thinking.
“We cannot defeat this creature through strenght of arms we will have to think of another way.”
Rafok shook his head “Your soul is the only thing that will save us.”
Rafok gave a shout and rushed forward club held behind his head. Teflok lined up the spear with the charging man and met him. The spear took Rafok through the chest. The chefitain stared at Teflok his mouth gaping.
“You drove me to this.” said Teflok.
Rafok looked around at the faces around him “Slay him.” he said, then fell limp.
Teflok let the body slide off the spear and looked around at Rafok’s men.
“He gave me no choice, you saw this.”
The men looked at one another.
“This was not my doing.”
“You bear the spear that slew him.” said one of Rafok’s men, a tall muscular youth.
“He would have slew me otherwise.”
“You slew Rafok! You slew our cheiftain.”
“No more blood needs to be spilled today.”
“It is too late for that!” with a shout the youth charged forward followed by the others.
Teflok’s men leapt into battle and the two sides met. It was a short and bloody affair. Teflok downed the youth with the spear. A few of Teflok’s men fell and all but a few of Rafok’s did. What little was left of the defeated tribe raced across the river.
Teflok looked at the mess of the camp. He was down to a tenth of the men he had come with and nothing to show for it.
“Now both the tribes will die you fool.” said Teflok looking towards Rafok’s still form.
“Come, we sleep within the fires tonight and then we go to the village and prepare.”
______________________________________________________________________________
“Spears and stone are not what will bring this creature down, this much we know.” Teflok looked around at the men surrounding him.
Elders mixed with warriors and hunters.
“So then what do we do? The beast prowls at night and it will strike at the village eventually.” said Metolak.
“I don’t know. Maybe we flee. Perhaps this is the jungle warning us that we are not meant to be here.” said Teflok.
“Nonsense.” Yaku, an elder spoke “The jungle is not driving us out. If one interprets every misfortune or challenge as a sign to flee we wouldn’t get anywhere in this life would we? No, if anything this is the jungle testing us. To see if we are worthy of staying.”
“But we are failing. The creature took out our army as well as Rafok’s in one fell swoop. We have few men left to hunt and defend and the people grow hungry and more frightened each day.” replied Teflok.
“Ah but there are ways other than fighting or fleeing to deal with this.”
“What do you mean?”
“The creature has the entire tribe beat in both strength and speed. If we go to fight it with arms we will die and if we try to flee from it, it’ll hunt us down and devour us all. But we have something that the creature does not, we have guile and it is with this that we can defeat the beast.”
“How?”
“We set a trap for it.”
“A trap? What trap could hold such a monster? Will all due respect elder you did not see this creature, it could not be held by a trap of man.”
“You underestimate man. How big is this creature, how tall does it stand?”
“Nearly that of a tree.”
“And how wide.”
“Five or six men easy.”
“And the weight?”
“At least ten men I would say.”
“Ah, then such a creature can be caught and slew. Did you not say that some of the spears pierced it?”
“Not enough to matter.”
“Not in that instance but still this tells us much about defeating this creature does it not?”
“It does?”
“Yes, it does. I have a plan and it will require the work of the entire tribe to pull off, and we must get started right away.”
“Tell us.”
______________________________________________________________________________
Teflok heaved more dirt into the bowl before passing it up to another man who took it away to be dumped. Around him nearly the entire village was down in the dirt with him moving bowls of it away or digging it up. They dug around a central point with a small pathway leading away from it. A top this pathway sat Yaku the elder making sure his plan came to fruition.
Already at the ends closest to the village great spikes, some with stone tips had been erected in the pit. A call went up from above, the hunters had returned. Some of the women began climbing out of the pit or being hoisted up with ropes to cook. Teflok started digging into the dirt again when he heard another cry, this one different.
“Teflok, come up here.” said Yaku his hand shaking as he pointed.
Teflok made his way up one of the ropes and looked for what Yaku had seen. There tramping through the forest was a short line of women and children. Their faces were matted with blood and dirt. Some of them were missing limbs and others had disfigurement on their faces. They stared ahead with glazed over eyes, there was not a single man among them.
“What is this?” asked Teflok rushing to the front of the line.
An older woman looked up at him “The creature came to the village of Rafok and with the men gone it wrought destruction. We are all that is left. We come asking for shelter. Us old women will cook your food, our boys will do your work, and our girls will be your brides, but we ask shelter.”
“You make take shelter here.”
“What is this you do?” asked the woman looking at the pit.
“We dig a trap for the beast.”
The woman’s eyes went wide and she laughed “Oh ho ho, foolish man. At least you have given me my first laugh in a long while.”
“You are not sad mother?”
“Oh I am very sad but in my years I have seen a great many things. This from the jungle may not be the worst.”
And with that the old woman went on leading those behind here. Teflok called attendants to help them.
______________________________________________________________________________
Teflok watched as the last of the poison was applied to the tips of the sharpened spikes in the pit, the men were hauled out and the meat was soaked in the poison as well. All was prepared.
“What do we do now?” asked Teflok.
“The beast has come by every night but has not yet attacked. We do what we must to get it to attack. We shall cook this food and cause such a savory smell to go through the forest that it will have no choice but to come fall through our trap.”
“And what if it jumps out as soon as it falls through?”
“Then we flee and let the poison do its work.” replied Yaku.
Teflok shook his head but began preparing the meat. It seemed such a shame to spend fresh kills in this way but it was needed.
The smell drifted throughout the camp. The meat though poisoned still smelled delicious. Teflok heard his belly grumble as they began walking carefully across the thin stretch of land to the central pillar in the pit where the meat was being piled on top of as the sun began to set.
“How do we know some other creature of the jungle will not spring the trap?” asked Teflok seeing Yaku.
“We must be wary. Drive out the cats and such with spears but something tells me that they will be cautious for they will know the great beast will be drawn to such a feast as this.”
Teflok walked away satisfied with the answer. Soon night had fallen and the drums began to beat. Teflok called the men back from the forest not wanting the beast to snatch them up. He stood a ways from the pit with a small fire burning with many torches, a few warriors around him. Towards midnight they heard the familiar bellow.
“The creature comes.” said the frightened men.
“Hold, for we are ready for it now.”
The men crouched in deep holes they had dug, where they may be safe from the creatures teeth, though many feared being buried alive. Teflok heard branches snap as the creature approached. He felt his heart quicken as he sank down in the hole, poking just the top of his head out, watching the trap in the moonlight.
The great lizard came into view. It sniffed the air and then took a few steps towards the pile watching it intently. It sniffed again and took a few more steps. It looked back and forth scanning the forest around it. Then it reared back and took another sniff.
Does he smell us? Wondered Teflok.
The creature took a few steps towards Teflok and the men and away from the trap still sniffing every few moments.
It smells us! thought Teflok.
The creature gave a low growl and then started forward towards the men, its head low. It gave a roar and Teflok knew they had been found. The lizard pounded up to a man’s hole and dug its snout in. The man shrieked as the teeth found him and dragged him up.
Teflok rose up and flung a rock at the creature. It bounced harmlessly off its neck and did nothing to stop the creature from finishing the man it had in its jaws. The man dead it turned on the others. Now it came for Teflok’s hole. Teflok turned and dove as deep into the hole as he could. He feebly held out a spear above him.
Soon the opening above him darkened and the creature smashed its head down. Dirt fell in on Teflok as the lizard works it mighty muscles getting closer and closer. The speared had the tip bit off and fell down by Teflok’s side. He grabbed the spear tip and cried out as he felt the hot breath of the beast bear down on him.
Then the creature pulled its head out. Teflok heard shouts followed by a roar as the creature went after another. He dug out of the hole and came up to the surface. The creature had another man in his mouth while another rushed away from the beast screaming.
Teflok rose up and waved his hands over his head. The creature dropped the man’s carcass and started running after the other man that had fled, ignoring Teflok. Angered Teflok shouted as he made his way towards the trap hoping to distract the beast. But it was set on its course and snapped up the man a few seconds later. Teflok watched with horror as the creature’s jaws snapped down on the man rending and tearing the flesh, muscle, and bone.
Then it looked up at Teflok and started for him. Teflok shouted then turned and ran. He only had a short way to go and he was on the narrow passage that led across the trap. He turned and fell into the poisoned meat at the middle. The creature gave a roar and opened its jaws wide as it charged. Teflok felt himself nearly faint as the creature closed in on him.
The chieftain eyes were froze open and he gave a cry as the lizard came within distance. Then there was a great roar and the creature fell through the thin leaves hiding the trap. Teflok jumped up and looked down into the pit. There lay the beast on its side, the bottom half riddled with spears tips. With a great effort the creature righted itself and groaned. It started limping around the circle trying to find a way out. Teflok started throwing it down the meat that it ate enthusiastically.
The pathway back had crumbled when the creature had stepped on it causing it to fall. Teflok had nothing to do but watch the creature circle to one side and then back around the other groaning.
______________________________________________________________________________
The sun was rising overhead when Teflok heard other men. He looked down the trail to see some of the men who had fled during the night returning. He stood up and waved his hands over his head shouting. Hearing him the men started running.
“Teflok you live?”
“I do and what’s more the beast has been slain.” Teflok pointed down triumphantly into the pit.
The men cautiously approached the edge and looked over. There lying in the bottom of the bit was the great lizard on its side. The skyward eye stared vacantly up at them and the mouth hung open, the tongue resting on the dirt.
A shout of celebration went up from the men.
“Quick give me a rope that I may climb over.” said Teflok.
The chieftain was given a rope and climbed back across, keeping one eye on the creature the entire time. The people of the village came and worked day and night to fill the pit with rocks so that the creature would never move again. The work done the people celebrated and Yaku was heralded as the wisest of men and Teflok the bravest and the good days began…at least for a time.
