Itchy Feet

Chapter 5

[IFy-Trivia]

*⛄ Red Canyon - {Location} PR; ** - A huge maze of gorges that connects all the lands. Considered the most dangerous place in existence, besides the Southern Lands. Used to be home to the Kai Clan, the Itchy Feet.

Chapter 5 

Dirt, carcasses, and death at every corner. The safest I have ever felt in my life however. I still remember the warmth of the sand, every path and every threat. We all had to learn how to survive in the canyon, in death's playground, our playground.

"The Red Canyon? We are seriously willingly serving ourselves up to the Canyon." The Canyon's reputation was more than a shade terrifying. Song was unsurprisingly uneasy, just as the horses were.

"I agree with Curly here, this is a stupid idea." It was the first sound we had heard from Karla other than grunts and grumbles in a long time. Song caught the daggers with grunts and grumbles of his own.

"I'm sure the stories are exaggerated, right Kouda?" Caryna held her breath as she turned.

"As long as we don't disturb the landscape, we'll be fine. Plus we are desperate."

The entrance into the Canyon served up a few warnings from beyond. Messages in bones scattered all around as we entered.

"Oh look, here's a carcass of an Eel Moose," Zenah pointed at a giant carcass laying in front of us, "I didn't think any existed beyond the Southern Lands. Magnificent creatures, they have killed more of my people than any other Wildebeast."

"And would you look at that, it seemed to be trying to get away." I ignored Song's stare as I surged on.

I was tempted to reminisce for a moment. Each path was etched in my mind with memories attached. Memories to saver, and those I wished I could forget. Memories of children running in the canyon, laughter. But also dark memories of legions of men invading our lands to hunt us down. The men who killed my parents and took me to slavery. Unsurprisingly nothing had changed. It seemed just as it was fifteen years ago.

The Red Canyon was rumoured to be art. Art from the gods. But men were more afraid of the rumours about a guardian as ancient as existence. A beast sent to keep the art undisturbed. To let every rock say the word it was created for, each feeling- like a stroke.

...

Deeper into the belly of the Canyon we went. It was all quiet but for the sound of the horses hoofing further and further. Even Song had held his tongue, probably afraid to draw attention to us. The deeper we went the more the canyon began to feel more alive. And all of a sudden we weren't the only ones making noise in the dead zone. Many creatures surrounded us, fortunately, harmless creatures. The only thing that may have seemed threatening was the smell.

"What in the world is that smell?" Caryna finally burst out.

"Rotten flesh ey?" Karla answered quickly.

"Well that must be a heck of a lot of rotten flesh, maybe we should turn back?" Song's anxiety was peaking again, "Whatever has been killing, might still be there."

"No, this canyon would never leave food to go to waste. Every bit of flesh is torn from bone with every kill." I said.

"Comforting..." Song mumbled.

"Don't worry, it's only the mushrooms ahead, we are close." None of them seemed to welcome my assurance however. The canyon only had limited types of undergrowth, mushrooms, cacti and rare trees. A few of the canyon's guides for survival.

"How close is close?" Caryna was visibly wilting under the sun. "We've been riding since morning, and quite frankly I think I need a break."

"We can't stop just yet, if we don't get to Crystal Ridge by night fall we'll certainly perish. I'd rather we get there as soon as possible."

"Whoa boy!"

We hadn't noticed yet, but the horses were dying.

"Let's take five minutes, even the horses are feeling the heat, man." Cried Song as he dusted himself from the dirt.

"No, it's not the heat." Green puss seeped from their hooves, with hollow eyes staring into the unknown. Lost in a trance. "We stepped on a green mine."

Suddenly a dust storm raged behind us.

"We are being followed! Leave the horses, run!"

The horses' desperate mourns were sucked into the dust fog with a shower of blood rain scattering on the earth as we put some distance between.

"What the hell is that?!" Caryna cried desperately.

"Rave Hounds! There may be any between two and two dozens in that fog!"

Karla and Zenah's intentions to fight were quickly subdued. The fog seemed to devour everything in its path. With a thunderous roar to follow the cloud as it shredded.

"I knew this was a stupid idea! The freaking canyons?!" cried Song,"And that's coming from me!"

"What about above?" Even Zenah was getting breathy. The blue skies above really did seem safe, calm. One of the biggest illusions the canyon could ever fashion.

"Whatever happens, never climb the rocks! Rave hounds don't have too much stamina." But the fog was gaining on us, quickly. "Our best chance is to run til they tire or confront the hounds, but the fog is poisonous!"

"Well then if that's the case," Zenah halted almost immediately, before I could even protest. A trail of hisses erupted as she disappeared into the fog, with a splatter of blood drops staining the earth red. Two lumps of flesh ejected high into the sky as the fog never showed any signs of slowing down. Only one made to the ground however. Half a carcass of blue bloody fur went crashing into the earth below my feet, the other half had been snatched up by shadows above.

A second canine body crashed into rock in the distance, its head landed just beside Queen Caryna as we all stopped in anticipation. Two more headless canines thumped against the canyon walls as the dust fog began to disappear.

Underneath stood Zenah, holding two bloody swords in hand. Two snakes slithered down her hands to swallow the swords, and then simply vanished.

"It seems fortune favoured us, there were only four hounds," said Song with relief.

We were not as lucky as we thought however. One of the slaughtered canines had managed to leave us a sucker punch even in death. The body had just managed to rob our fortunes by cracking the most delicate pillar in the canyon. Shortly after our victory, the wall came cracking down. Taunting ancient beasts we were never ready to face to rage on us.

When I was little I watched countless men come hunting us, but perish at the hand of the beast, the Vykehn. The rumours about an ancient guardian were true.

Suddenly the earth burst beneath us- darkness.

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