A Biography of a Human

Chapter Twenty-six:

“Eclipse"

Those bone crusher Queens, how vile they are! Spotted and laughing as they are served by hordes of servile males. The females are male and the males mere women! They conform to disorder, neither feline nor canine!

According to legend, they were born out of an affair between Canis and Felide. That is the only answer to the strangeness the Hyena race possesses.

Aha'hor had died.

He ruled for a few years more after executing his son, but started growing weaker physically. He began slowing down and reinforcing everything up for the next generation, removing fellow male lions who would be a challenge to his grandson's rule and making sure everything was set for the inevitable moment of his passing. This included giving an oral command carved in stone and placed in the center of the settlement, that upon his death and if Den was still a cub then, that his mother, Nith'hatep, will lead the pride as a male would do and that any opposition to this would be met with swift punishment.

The lion that was quite hostile to Gernan and his new ways was unsurprisingly the first to go, quietly executed for Aha'hor knew he would try and take over with a young pride leader by right of strength. How such customs reminded me of the deeply embedded nature of wolves. Though the practice of having the strongest be Alpha has fallen into disuse, it's still in their inherent way to listen to the strong leader over that of the weak one.

Though Den was young and still untested, Aha'hor knew he would grow into a strong leader. After the slaying of his father, he began spending a lot of time with the wide eyed kitten. It was quite homely seeing the fuzzy, little cub sitting on his imposing grandfather lap as he talked to him in mock-seriousness, giving out pride situations for him to resolve.

“Your ally vows to you to come in your aid in battle in exchange for not being conquered by your pride. When the time of battle comes, his forces are nowhere to be seen and you lose quite a few of your best warriors in retreating, what do you do?"

“Retreat!? But that is what cowards-"

“No, Den! It's being wise! Would you risk losing all of your lions to a battle you would lose? No!"

“Now, back to my question, what would you do if you had an ally that swore to you but went back on his words?"

Den paused for a bit, bringing up his little, furred finger to his maw before shouting out with conviction, “I would invade his pride! Any one who is that scared of fighting with me must be weak!"

“GOOD! GOOD!" the older lion shouted with pride in his little charge, knowing his feelings about his ability were not in doubt.

It was then two years after the incident with Weha'djet, that the moon covered over the sun, causing day to become like night. It was an amazing sight to behold and all the lions fell to their knees and wailed at the once glorious sun becoming an otherworldly black disc ringed with flames of white and the landscape around becoming like twilight.

Gernan meanwhile, was fascinated, he had read about such phenomena before but had never been witness to one himself. Nonetheless, it was widely seen as an omen of coming change, though for felines it was more dire as it was their symbol being darkened like night.

Aha'hor told me that night when I was with him that it was a message from the gods that his death was near and he needed to ensure my own survival.

“They are going to want to bury you alive with me, as is custom…" I was in a state of shock, I had known nothing of this before now.

“Fear nothing, Pesh'ef. I will make sure they don't do that…" relieved, I forgot all about it and continued on tending to Aha'hor.

Two weeks later, the noble lion collapsed and was taken to his bed where he peacefully faded from this word, assured of his success in creating a stable pride for his grandcub to take over. I was with him as he left on that crisp, warm morning and was torn with emotion, since although we had not met in the most gracious of ways, he was still a good lion and was good to me.

The very same day Nith'hatep met with the pride, Den seated close by her side. She was dressed in leather armor and held the mace of Aha'hor across her lap as she clutched the little furred shoulder of her cub in her paw. She was Pride Leader and was not merely going to act it but also look it, for she also donned a false mane tied around her face.

“I am Acting Pride Leader! Aha'hor has mandated this and there will be no doubts about it, do I make myself clear?" I overheard in the next room over, as I was still seated by the motionless form of Aha'hor, and it was followed by murmurs of acknowledgments from the other males.

“What will happen now?" Gernan whispered aloud to himself, his muzzle near my right ear as I continued to gaze at the lifeless, but serene expression on Aha'hor's face, framed by a graying mane laying flat against the bed surface.

Bringing up my weary hands to my face, I started rubbing my temples before giving out a long sigh of release. We didn't know what would be next for us, would we continue to stay and serve Nith'hatep? We both did not know the answer and it unnerved us greatly.

A light breeze gently blew in from one of the slotted windows high on the white plaster walls around us, wafting past a few hanging rush tapestries dyed in natural hues of red and orange, gently swaying with a crackle of the dried-out vegetation woven into itself.

“I honestly don't know…" was all I muttered, devoid of total emotion, my face feeling cold and numb with the uncertainty of everything that was about to face the two of us.

Part of myself was worried at the course of this new unstable rule, I feared that one of the males in the room behind me would walk right up and kill Nith'hatep and take over, just like that. It would not be hard, but it was only quiet then, no commotion or any indication of what I feared would happen then…

“Yes, Pride Leader! I shall serve you as I have done with great Aha'hor!" followed by a chorus of more allegiances of loyalty in a wave that blew my fears away. She had pulled it off, not by sheer luck, but from nursing her own interests subtly the entire time with others and had secured herself. Aha'hor was right about her.

For us, we were still up in the air, but at least things were calm and nothing would be in chaos.

“Now about the burial of Aha'hor, the human boy, he must be buried with his master as is custom of possessions of the Leader," what I felt hearing that was akin to dropping a plate of glass upon the floor and with that all reason left my thoughts.

“WHAT! WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" I found myself coming out of the mists of sheer anger into the middle of the room where the pride was meeting, my face boiling red as the room of burly lions looked at me in a state of perplexed confusion at the sight of little human like me barging in and shouting like I did and I felt a growing, gawking feeling.

“What have I done!?" was all I thought as I gulped down a massive bubbling of fluid in the back of my now-numb throat, wishing I could rewind time.

“Know your place, human! You dare speak as though you have authority!" was the string of spiteful words that finally broke the unnerving silence I had caused. Instantly, all forms of meekness that I had developed at finding myself in the situation evaporated!

“I may be human, with not any worth in your eyes, but I was Aha'hor's human and he said he did not want of me to be killed for his sake!" I spat back in matching scorn to his own. The feline eyes of his glowing with rage at my rebuke to him and he started to stomp over in my direction while a gnawing feeling of wanting to see this chauvinist lion die also emerged coldly from my white hot rage.

A sense of power grew and spread within the fibers of my being, my eyes flaring like the very flaming rims of the eclipse and a voice that dripped with an assured sense of imperious ordination! It was the beginnings of something, something I knew not then or where it would carry me.

Gernan emerged quickly behind me after my outburst and was frantically gripping my shoulder in an attempt to make me shut my mouth before I heard a low snarl from behind. The old wolf was about to try and defend me, my anger subsided knowing I was going to get Gernan in danger with this.

“You need a beating, human! And I will gladly take the-"

“That is enough, everyone! You are scaring Den, your Pride leader," Nith'hatep commanded with a cutting tinge to her tongue, forcing us all back into order as she gestured to her cub with a fearful, growing gaze.

It had the intended effect and the air cleared of all hostility. The lions left the small, pillared room after giving their apologies to their mistress and leader, further confirming to her that she was established in her place, maybe this is what she desired to see happen from me? This part of her scared me, not knowing where her intent lay.

“Pesh'ef, trust, trust…" was all she said to me, the whole while giving me a sly, feline look, which made me feel safe in her paws and also a bit scared of what she meant, though I did not get long to gaze at her, for Gernan hurried me out with his gray furred arm wrapped defensively around my shoulders.

Night came and I went to bed, but was given a drink of pressed, fresh pomegranate nectar from Gernan before I passed into slumber, all the while telling me not to worry again and again as he helped me in an awkward way to drink the sweet tart drink, even over-tipping it, staining red marks on my tunic.

“Gernan! Cut it out, you're making me a mess!"

“Don't worry," he cooed, not even acknowledging what I had said.

“Don't be scared."

Again.

“Everything will be okay."

And again.

This was all so strange of him, but I just thought of it as being a symptom of this rather stressful day, knowing everything would be fine tomorrow. I must have been very tired as it took no time before I felt groggy.

Then without a moment's notice, a most vivid dream came into being. I was floating…no, carried! But it felt was like I was floating and I honestly felt dizzy from the motions of it. Then sounds, distorted cries all around me while above, only the blue of the sky acted as a ceiling. Blue, marred only by maybe one or two clouds, as normal with dreams, the details like that were rather hazy when recalling them again.

In the corners of my eyes, all around me were ropes of beige, blurry masses mixed with foggy colors of white and brown among them. Moving my head ever so slightly, something silky-soft brushed my chin and tickled my neck, a multitude of thin but very soft articles strung into something that was wrapped around my neck.

They felt so much like flower petals rubbed on the skin! All cool and nice! It was pleasant, though I wished those weird yowls would go away. They were starting to really bother me, I tried to will them away, which sometimes works in an aware dream, but they did not go anywhere so I stopped bothering and just tried to block them out in favor of the wonderful cooling feeling this object wrapped around my head was causing me.

It was like I was on a cloud, drifting through the warm air of the vast landscape, gently swaying up and down with the winds on high. All these slight movements sent thrills up my spine as though I was about to fall.

Then everything came to a stop: movement, sound, everything became a deafening silence as my body felt grounded to the earth once more. By this point I had closed my eyes, content to drift in this dreamscape behind my eyelids.

Warped voices arose, speaking in the feline tongue, echoing words my forlorn mind did not bother to understand. Sensations on my face emerged forward, light touches on my skin. Opening my heavy eyes a tad, I witnessed through blurry vision a dark oval come down onto me. No sense of fear filled me as such an ominous object encased itself over my face. The cool material it was made from hugging the contours of my head, muting out the world for me in both sight and sound.

“This must be deep sleep..." I wondered without care while musing about how all of this would be forgotten the moment I awaken in the morning. It would not be long now, sleep is but a blink of an eye and soon I would be bidding Gernan a good morning.

“Oh, Gernan…you are so good to me…

I could not breathe!

My instincts kicked into motion, my hands clawing on the object that was obstructing my mouth and nose. Momentary panic crescendoed up and then abruptly felt air filling my lungs, the danger was past. But all sense of tiredness vacated me after that fright and alertness was now in its place. Why was everything black?

My eyes were wide open, but it was like they were still closed! I even had to check if they were truly open or not, probing the darkness that clouded everything. Taking short breaths, I composed myself as I felt around gently with my slightly shaking hands.

Was it in the middle of the night and I had just woken up? I recalled thinking to myself. But where was the light of the night sky? No matter how dark the night is, the sky always has a glow to it, and that was eerily absent now. I started feeling around and soon my fingers caught on something around my neck.

“My collar? Gernan usually takes it off before bed!" I thought and as I pulled it away it stuck me that it was not what I first thought. It was lose and soft, and it had a strong floral aroma.

“Flowers?! Wha-" looking left and right frantically, seeing nothing but darkness all around me.

“Gernan? Did you do this!?" I spoke out, taking refuge that this was all just either another dream or that it was the middle of the night and my eyes were not working yet, like was normal when in a dark space. In moments like those, I sometimes wished I had the vision of a Chimera, but such idle envious thoughts happened on me at this moment.

“GERNAN! GERNAN! Where are you!? Wake up!" my voice rattled with fear, which grew with every word and the feeling of needing to flee took hold. I bolted up, but tripped harshly even before I could make the fist step.

My face was in something voluminous and soft, but there was a coldness underling it. It was familiar…I felt this before many times and as I moved my hands around to lift myself, I knew were I was and what exactly I found my face stuck into was.

Aha'hor's corpse! One would have to a dimwit to not realize this, everything came into place within the confines of my thoughts, the dream, it was a funeral! Those yowling blobs of brown just out of reach of my focus were lions! Mourners! The sensation of being carried, the flowers around my neck!

This was also my funeral.

I flew, flew, into a frenzy! Throat cracking with burning pain as all the bubbling fear and panic let itself loose into this small subterranean sepulcher! I shot up, threw my hands unknowing at the space around me.

BANG!

Pain erupted across the top of my scalp and wrist! The walls and ceiling were coming down on me! My world became a vice-like box! I barreled forward, loud crashing exploded before me as my legs kicked themselves out over items and objects that were unknown to me, but were in fact, burial provisions.

My form was strewn across a low bed, which I had tripped over, and my outstretched arms landed roughly on some jars of provisions that were neatly arranged in the corner of this tiny chamber. Various tendons were sprained by the fear of a long, drawn-out death in this darkness, made all feelings of stinging pain that I would have felt come to nothing.

Lifting my face from the netted mesh of the bed's interior, I continued in my panic, accidentally kicking over boxes and jars of items, spilling their contents onto the dusty floor while stumbling about. At my wit's end, I, in my sheer desperation threw myself at the walls of this tight space, pounding and clawing at the mud-brick edifice that encased me with the cold body of the lion Chieftain, that I was meant to serve in the next life.

“I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" I agonized in such a way that my voiced faltered in wave-like motions of muteness. “NOT LIKE THIS! NOT HERE! PLEASE!"

Collapsing on the floor, I continued on pounding and thrashing at this wall in a vain attempt to somehow break out of here, but I knew full well that was impossible in my current state. Even if I did somehow break down this wall with my bare hands, there would be nothing but sand and dirt. I was not thinking, I had seen Aha'hor's tomb before as it was being constructed a year ago.

A large dug pit, going down some two persons height in depth, with the ground leveled, as lions were laying bricks in the shape of a room and climbing down into the pit via ladders. Access too the tomb would be via a hole in the top and once he was interned, it would be sealed up with brick and some several feet of dirt and sand over that.

Running out of energy, I just broke down into pitiful sobs as my pounding motions became more and more lethargic and my voice became but a shadow of itself in low whispers.

“I…don't…want to die…"

“…Please…"

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the scratchy surface of the brickwork. I withdrew into a deep recess of my mind where I would find some comfort, taking refuge in happy memories of the past. Images of my parents, my grandfather, Gernan, all flashed around in that space. I felt safe, time went by in moments while I enjoyed my life, wondering if it was all worth it in the end.

In this silence, only my heartbeat emerged, it kept on growing louder and louder, repeated 'thuds' again and again, till it grew so deafening it brought me out of the comforting corners of my consciousness.

It was not my heartbeat, it was something else and it was coming from above! Was it rescue!? I dismissed this notion, this had to be some illusion of a desperate mind conjuring up sounds to bring back hope to a withering soul, who knew all hope was gone.

I was going to die here, there was no doubt about it.

LIGHT! I was blinded, a halo of light came forth above me and its warmth cascaded across my grimacing face. Was this death? Was this how one goes into the next world? I raised my limp hand upwards into the ushering, blinding light, expecting to soon see the face of my parents welcoming me into eternity.

Around my wrist, something calloused wrapped around it, only Grandfather had hands like that! He was hoisting me into heaven! Of course! I thought to myself then in my delirium as the air rushed out of my lungs and I felt myself being launched upwards.

Then a voice!

“Xander! Pup!"

Then a tight embrace and the feeling of coarse fur brushing across my face, followed by wetness assaulting my nose and chin. Gernan! There was no doubt about it, only he would treat me with such affection.

My eyes still resisted the harshness of the light and the world around was as blurry as when one first awakens in the morn, but the sight of Gernan before me was clear, the angular face, the long muzzle sticking itself right into my face, and above all, the unmistakable scent of fur lingered forth to my nose. All but confirming that it was him and that I was saved from a horrible end, slowly starving to death in that crypt of despair.

Once I was accustomed to everything and my senses came to normal once more, I saw it was not just Gernan, there was also a lion, a lioness to be exact, Nith'hatep. She stood a little bit near and held the reins of a camel bundled with sacks and supplies, watching our tender reunion.

“Nith'hatep? Wha-"

She spoke forth first, cutting me off and knowing what I was about to say.

“We planned this Pesh'ef, the wolf and I. You had to be buried with my late Father-in law as to satisfy the pride. To do otherwise would have risked endangering my still-green rule," it all made sense, though I won't lie here, I was a bit miffed at not being privy to this little plan, but that was neither the time nor place to nag about not being told about something! I was alive and that was all that mattered now.

“You two must go now," Nith'hatep spoke up again.

“Where?" I asked in earnest as Gernan, who was clearly in the know, responded.

“To the cheetah lands, you said?"

“Yes, they are a good people, they will do right by you and welcome you without demands. The two of you will be safe there," hearing this, the presence of the loaded camel made sense to me now.

“But make sure to avoid the hyenas, they will do wrong by both of you!" the lioness furthered as Gernan, now mounted atop the humped beast, leaned down to help me up and take a spot in front of him.

“It's a pity you two cannot head south to that free settlement of Toum, it's much too risky, wandering through the lion heartlands to get there. The cheetahs are the next best, but again, make sure you stay clear of dog-women with dicks! They won't have mercy on you!" she said, again repeating her warning about these other canines, whose reputations have been quite odious whenever they happened to be brought up among the lions.

“Ugly, spotted dogs with hunched backs, who are ruled by tyrannical females that possess male genitalia, while the males are but slaves to their oppressive wills and whims," is what I was able to gather about them.

One thing I was not well-informed about was this Toum. Yes, I had heard it brought up a few times before but never for very long and I never bothered to asking about it. All I did know of it was that it was some kind of settlement made up of various creeds of the heartlands of Afika.

“Thanks for the warning, we will both keep that in mind," Gernan replied curtly to the warnings of the lioness, eager to get going before the sun set too deep into the sandy horizon.

“Oh, one last thing, take this" from around her waist, Nith'hatep retrieved a broadsword sheathed in tanned leather, clearly of foreign import, and lifted it into the waiting paw of Gernan.

“I am sure you will know how to use this if you happen to run into any issue?" she coyly asked as Gernan nodded his head, his muzzle gently tapping the top of my head as he did so.

Before taking off into the evening dusk, the lioness who I had also shared my body with gave me a sly wink with her seductive feline eye as though she was telling me “Of course I was not going to let you die," and we headed out West towards the Great Barrier Desert.

Venturing a look back, I saw the steadily striking form of that amazing lion woman, gently waving a solemn adieu to us. She was backed by the fresh green of the vegetation that hugged the river Naiel. She was every bit the image of a strong lion Queen, proud, aloof but also kind and motherly. It was a bit sad knowing I would not see her or her adorably sweet cubs again. I knew that feeling was mutual, as I am sure the sultry feline would have liked to have kept me around, but it was not to be.

It was not to be…

A good week of travel passed with nothing much happening. We made it past the deserts and into the savannas, keeping a low profile and avoiding major watering holes where there would surely be some activity with others. It went well, to us at the time.

Unknown to us was the fact we were drifting South with every trek, which meant we were getting closer to the land the hyenas prowl each day! We were in such a rush to get out that we took no heed of any of the directional signs. When the sun rose, we headed out in that detection and stayed on that path. Supplies were good, camels milk gave us all the liquid we needed and the beast did not need to eat much. I am honestly surprised at what the thing could even eat!

We were both very confident in our desert skills and I would not be surprised if that was another reason we happened to be so reckless when it came to where we were heading. I even jokingly called Gernan, “Wolf of the Desert," he found that amusing, talking about how all of this was great training for desert warfare. If only he could return back to wolfkind and teach such things to others.

It was all so relaxing, there was no fear or anything as we traveled out, soon expecting to be found by a hunting party of cheetahs who would welcome us with their hospitality. Then we would finally be safe and maybe once and for all. Thoughts and hopes of a nice, calm life returned, perhaps Gernan could find a stable position as a teacher to the cheetahs on martial training, like with the lions but no command of anything, as the old wolf was tried of the risks and just wanted to retire. I was just a young man and that sounded nice even to me, I too had been through much in such a short period of time.

But, sadly, it was not meant to be…

All these thoughts and dreams came to a dashing with the loud bellowing of whoops, then everything changed.

Dark figures emerged from the darkness of the jungles to our right, then the camel keeled over, its hooves being tripped up by a concealed rope, letting out frightened grunts as our shoulders made impact against the hard ground.

“Stay here!" Gernan ordered as he retrieved his broad sword from one of the downed camel's sacks. “No, you can't fight! You're ol-" I stopped at the last word, realizing how insulting that would have sounded, but it was too late Gernan knew the word I was getting at.

Old.

His wolfish brow furrowed with an expression of slight annoyance as the strange whoops continued from afar, but drawing closer. I had given him a challenge without even knowing it and now he was going to prove to himself he was no old wolf!

“I must control my mouth!" I cursed as Gernan stood up defiantly and the swoosh of the sword being unsheathed announced his intent to fight to the approaching hyenas.

Peeping barely over the side of the still-breathing camel, whose eyes whirled with crazed excitement, I saw them. They were as every bit as the lions had said! They did look slightly hunchbacked, but they weren't, it was just their thick, meaty necks which gave that appearance.

My only solace was the fact their weapons were not as good a quality as Gernan's sword, but they still had numbers and they were drawing closer and closer. As for gender, I paid no heed of that, they all wore loin cloths and held striped leather shields close to their bare chests, any indication of gender via the organs between the legs was in vain if the stories about them in that regards turned out true.

They all encircled my Master, stopping their whooping which was replaced by a more fearful sound. A laughter that I could only describe as sardonic in nature, sharp and bellowing, and above all mockingly aimed at my wolf Master who took up a defensive posture. Raising one forearm up in defense of any coming blows and hugging his tail and ears close to his body to stop any cheap blows to such parts.

He twirled his sword in his paw in a small show of prowess as well as loosening up his wrists. All the while, the Hyenas looked at each other in jest as if to say, “Look at this old fool!" as one seemed to walk up prominently to take my Master's duel challenge.

As for me, that stomach of mine was doing acrobatics at this sight! I did not want this to happen! I felt faint and could hardly even watch as the two started to get closer, ready to fight.

Then a flurry of motion! The hyena lurched first with his primitive sword, which only pierced air as Gernan gracefully ducked the move with a quick fluid motion which honestly shocked me.

“Maybe I have underestimated my Master's ability!" I ventured as I watched Gernan spin around and bring down his sword on the hyena, which was quickly blocked by a snapping motion of his arm, landing a mere hit on the shield.

The two both jumped back, each eying up one another for any hint of movement. Gernan launched forward in a surprise thrust, aiming not for the body of his opponent, but straight for the shield! It shattered into splinters as Gernan jumped back again.

Now both were just armed with their weapons and I honestly started to believe that Gernan could win this and we would be safe. I found myself even wanting to cheer him on from my place. How stupid I was, there were more hyenas than just this one, but in my mind I thought he could do it.

With both now on an even footing, Gernan waited. The act of breaking the other's shield filled the hyena with a rage at being beaten and there was no doubt it would now make a foolish move, and it did. Filled with rage, he lunged forward, swinging his sword blindly as Gernan calmly leapt around and landed a swift slice at the back of the hyena's knee joint.

It cried out in pain and fell to its knees, giving out whimpers of pain. I was through the clouds, I jumped up with the widest smile I could muster and was about to shout out how my Master was the best wolf ever when all the other hyenas broke out of their brief shock, dropped their weapons and pounced upon the lone form of my Master!

“AHHHHHHHHHH! MASTER! GERNAN! NO!" I screamed in horror as I scuttled around from my place, waving my arms around fanatically about my head as if that would somehow help and started childishly pounding on the backs of one of the growling beasts that were mobbing my Gernan!

One of them responded to my futile attempts by turning its dog-like head and focusing its blunt ears in my vicinity and eying me up. Not a second later, both of my hands were tightly encased in a singe paw of this mangy beast.

I was thrust closer to its fur-covered face, the fur being so thin I could almost make out the skin under it. It opened its jaw as a foul decay washed over my face and a tongue slithered near my face until it made contact with its gritty surface.

Having turned my head to the side to avoid the stench of this creature's breath, I saw the mob of hyenas clear up from around my Master. He was alive! I had feared the worst but he was alive but now tied up and gagged, soon to be hoisted over the shoulders of one of the warriors.

I did not have much time to savor the relief of my Gernan not being reduced to fleshy ribbons by these fearsome things, for I was compressed into a ball and barreled up into a dark sack. My head rammed into the stone-like back of that one foul-breathed hyena, as he slung me over his shoulder roughly.

After that, I just tranced out. This was getting normal to me and it was showing now. I bet the gods and spirits were having a riot watching my life play out.

I can only hope they are enjoying it…