Huntress-2
        Tâkara watched in horror hidden inside the hollow log as the Moon-Beast shifted back and forth through its countless forms. Without taking her eyes off of the creature she reached at her waist for her blade, but it wasnât there. She had to have dropped it somewhere between having run in pursuit of the stag and then when she ran away from the beast. She had thrown down her bow and taken up her spear in order to charge the stag. Her spear was dropped near the log, a few yards ahead of her, since she hadnât had the time to tuck it into the log. What was she to do? The only weapon she had close by and was aware of was the spear, and it lay between her and the beast.
Nervously she looked around her for some kind of weapon, but only saw the beetles and worms around her. Above her own panicked breaths and pounding heart she heard the dying, guttural sounds of the stag as the Moon-Beast ripped into its hide. Â Closing her eyes, Tâkara offered a prayer to her ancestors for her protection. Â Between her palms, Tâkara clasped the sacred beads that hung around her neck and chanted her peoples ancestral prayer, over and over, barely audible to herself.
âHonor me, ancestors, with your shielding graces. Lend me your protection, for I am weak in spirit and need your strength, oh, ancestors.â
Tâkara felt warmth spread from her hands and through her entire body. She had been blessed, Calmness swept over her like a balmy rain; and her body, that she had not realized had been rocking back and forth, had stilled. She kissed the beads that glowed with a dull, blue exuberance. What about the beast? Ever so slowly and with great trepidation, Tâkara peered through the hole in the log and past the fern fronds. She saw the remains of the stag, a leg with a protruding white shaft of bone stripped of meat and the shattered antlers, but the Moon-Beast was nowhere in sight. Surely it had not gotten its fill on a single deer, but perhaps it had followed the stampede of animals for more.
She knew it would be unsafe to leave just yet, and settled her back against the mossy inside of the log. Her mind raced. She could stay there for the night, and at first light Tâkara would trace her way back to the village. It was best that way. She sighed heavily and wiped the mud laced sweat from her neck. She swatted at the mosquitoes and ants that bit and pinched at her bare skin inside the rotted inside of the log. Her mind mulled over the tales that she had been told of the Moon-Beast; none were too pleasant, and many ended with death or disappearances.
In the ancient times, when Tâkaras people had first been blessed with the great powers- fire, water, earth, wood, and wind-, there was the Moon-Beast. A creature with the powers to control the life of the jungle. The beast had the powers to shift into any and every creature at will. A being of goodness and purity. The Moon-Beast at one time had been celebrated for its blessings among the jungle. But somewhere along the years the tales had become twisted in fear, bloodshed, and agony. If the Moon-Beast had been good before then what made it change so? Â This notion puzzled Tâkara as she had never truly thought about it and now that she witnessed its powers her mind wandered.
Deep in thought Tâkara found herself smelling the sweet aroma of honey cups. The thought of the yellow buds that she loved to eat, made her stomach growl vigorously. But more than even her she felt an aching drowsiness from stillness around her. She had trouble holding her eyes open. Sleep was what her body yearned for now, but her mind knew that she needed to stay awake in order to keep watch. Alone and unarmed she was incredibly vulnerable to any attack by that beast.
The sun above the clearing had begun to fade away and leave the sky in its amber dusky glow. She was losing visual on her surroundings within the log and with the failing light of the evening. She felt incredibly calm and relaxed despite her situation. Her eyelids slowly drooped and her head thumped against the wooden interior of her hideaway. A warmth seemed to coil around her. All she wished to do was curl up on the mossy ground and sleep. She could here in the safety of the log; here she was not visible to predators; sleep here begged her body.
Tâkara woke up slowly  feeling as if she had slept on her arm. She tingled with that very feeling all over her body. Ants seemed to crawl all over and beneath her skin. She couldnât see, everything was black.
âWas it still night?â She thought.
She moved to pushed herself up but found her limbs were useless. She couldnât move. The ants spread through her body and seemed to light her lungs afire whenever she breathed. She struggled for the air she desperately needed. Her heart thudded against her ribcage as she realized what was happening. She was paralyzed. She couldnât move her arms or legs. Even her eyes wouldnât budge.
However, she could hear. Her hearing was perfect as ever. She could hear the blood pumping behind her ears but other than that, all she heard was a slow rattling. This one sound chilled her bones and sent the fire ants scurrying into her throat where she attempted to swallow the lump that had formed there.
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