Ewok Bloodlust

Part 3

Maybe it was a boulder. But, Yub Yub had never seen a boulder like it before. It was like a river stone, washed smooth on each side, but with sharp edges, and wings like a bird jutting out on two sides. On the flat front side of the boulder was a black, shiny, surface. It shone bright under shafts of morning light that broke through the canopy. One edge of the boulder was buried in a rugged scar in the ground. The bushes and ferns around it looked ripped and matted.

Yub Yub peeked over the ridge with wide eyes, shielding himself with fronds of the greenery around him. He could not remember how long he crouched there, but his knees were beginning to hurt. He was almost ready to believe that the boulder would not attack him. But he could still hear the bizarre clunk in his head from when his rock hit its surface.

A fallen star? He had never seen a fallen star so close. But it had to be a fallen star. What else? Yub Yub wasn't a cub anymore, but he still loved the elders' stories, stories about the gods warring in the heavens. If it was a fallen star, did one of the gods ride it down? Or did the gods send it down from a catapult? Or maybe the boulder was the god.

Yub yub weighed his options. If it was just a boulder from a catapult, he could get closer. But if the boulder was a god, and he hit it with a rock– he shuddered to think. He thought about his little village from earlier that morning. When he pretended he was a god, he squashed an entire village when he got mad.

It was an accident. He didn't mean to hit it with a rock. He was hunting a mouse. Maybe he could explain.

After what seemed like another hour, his aching legs decided for him. He had to investigate or lie down and die. He had to be brave. Besides, he figured that if it were a god, or a god were nearby, sneaking away would be tough anyway. Yub Yub was clumsy. He was no hunter. He would make too much noise.

He finally mustered up the courage to creep over the hill one little step at a time, glancing over his shoulder at every chirp and rustle in the leaves. Every twig and dead leaf that snapped under his paw sounded like thunder in the brush. Still, the closer he got to the boulder, the more confident he felt the danger was in front of him, not behind.

Finally, he came within a few spear lengths. Yub Yub forced his legs to a crouch for another cautious look. Nothing moved in the little valley, except a bird or two high overhead. Yub Yub could see now that this was not a boulder . Stars were made of something else, like arrowheads left too close to the cook fire. The whole thing looked smooth, and Yub Yub noticed brightly colored vines growing out of small grooves here and there. The vines were different colors– some were blue like the sky, others red like the berries that grew near his village, or the caps of his favorite mushrooms.

He also noticed all sorts of sticks, and mid-sized rocks with sharp corners, spilling out from inside the main boulder. But they were unlike any sticks or rocks Yub Yub had ever seen before. His curiosity pushed him onward. Until he tripped over a small ridge in the ground.

The fall caught him by surprise, and he rolled under a bush to hide as quick as he could. Did the god see him? Trip him? But on closer inspection, he saw just a hardened boar-wolf print in muddy ground. He panicked for nothing. Foolish Yub Yub. It was just a print.

Recovering from the fall bolstered his confidence, and he stood boldly to survey his surroundings. All was quiet, except for the normal forest song. Yub Yub chittered to himself. What was there to be afraid of? It was just a big, strange boulder.

He walked forward with his chest up and discovered a big hole in the side of the smooth rock. It looked like a large flat piece of it had sheared off. And inside, it was hollow, and large enough to climb around inside. Inside there were more vines, tied to the walls in curious patterns. He also found more of those square rocks everywhere. Looking in and toward the smooth, shiny black rock near the front, he discovered that he could see right through it to the forest outside. He could also–