Selania: Through the Whirlpool

Chapter 5: Hostages

Many miles away from the dolphins and alligators, the fearsome Emperor Shen Lang was "restoring order" to his empire. All day he had been scouring the countryside for any traitorous creatures to take as prisoners, after a mysterious outlaw killed two scores of his soldiers. He was in a vile mood, for not one living creature was to be seen for miles of countryside. They apparently knew he was coming. The outlaw had to be dealt with.

Shen Lang's jet black chariot was accompanied by many other wagons in which his wolverine soldiers occupied. He looked back at them, smiling wickedly at their foolish loyalty to him. He was the only human in the land, to his knowledge, and he had every creature groveling at his feet, ready to do anything he pleased out of pure fear.

He had come to the world by mistake years and years ago. Shen Lang once was a very important official to the emperor of ancient China, until he betrayed the emperor and attempted to assassinate him and crown himself emperor, in want of power. The emperor found out, and sent soldiers to find Shen Lang and kill him, but he was too crafty to be found. He stole many precious valuables and statues from the Chinese palace, commandeered a ship from the emperor's shipyards, and sailed off in a southwest direction for around a month, later to become captured in the whirlpool's current and enter through by accident.

He then found a strange and marvelous land very different from Earth in which all things were possible for humans; a land of opportunity. He found that he had strange powers in the world, magical powers to do almost anything imaginable in his mind. He observed that all of the talking creatures were humble and peaceful, and would cower to a strong ruler if ever one conquered the land.

So, striving for complete and utter power, he then set out on a two year quest to conquer a large piece of land and captured all the talking wolverines, werewolves, crocodiles, venomous snakes, and every other fearsome looking creature to become his soldiers and generals, and formed the Imperial Order of Shen Lang. He captured slaves and forced them to build a great castle for him to reside and rule over the land. Death and despair reigned all throughout his kingdom. This is how we find Shen Lang at present, being ruler of the land for ten long and gruesome years.

Focusing ahead in the shadows of the cool summer night, the ancient Chinese sorcerer's one eye squinted to catch sight of three humble figures quietly stealing through the underbrush in a desperate attempt not to be seen. Shen Lang alerted their presence to his elite wolverine soldiers and within seconds they had the three hooded creatures, along with the wriggling bundle they were carrying, captured and facing the emperor.

"What is it they are carrying?!!" shouted Shen Lang.

The wolverine confiscated the large bundle of sheets and blankets none too gently and revealed it to be a two or three year old human boy. The soldiers gasped as the boy was brought before the Emperor.

"How dare you possess a human child without informing the Imperial order?!!" Shen Lang glared down at the shivering creatures. "Guards! Bring the boy up here and tie the other three up!"

The oldest and tallest of the three animals was a fox, and the two younger and smaller ones were a rabbit and a small deer fawn. They were attired in traveling robes, dark green with hoods.

The soldiers blundered forward and knocked the three upon the forest floor, crudely tying their paws and hooves behind their backs and gagging their mouths. Another wolverine grabbed the young boy by his arm and stood him up before the emperor. Eyeing the boy with a strange expression, Shen Lang ordered that he be sat on the chariot seat next to him.