"A Story?" I said, with a bemused look in my eye. "A story of what, Elder?"
"A story of Takk. And... his children." the Elder responded, a steeling look to his eyes.
I was taken aback, long Takk has been a legend among my people, whispered to have great prowess and great skill at taking his victims unaware. I moved closer to the fire burning in the middle of Camp Narache.
"Long have we told this story, young one, for it is a story passed down to each member of the Hawkwind Tribe. And one day, may you tell it to the young bloods."
"But Elder, we know Takk has children. Many Children, why is this story so different?" I asked, wondering if I was going to be bored with stories of little Leaping Hatchlings.
"Aye, what you say is true. But through the years, four of his children have arisen to a status rivaling their Father. They're different in their own ways, and what makes them unique, makes them deadly." the Elder pulled his shawl closer to himself, the night's wind was beginning to pick up, the flames flickered and played across his aged face as he continued. "Aloaki'shne, Shumanialo, Ichnee'awa, and Awakeekielo we call them, but to our companions they are Shadowdancer, Flamerunner, Bloodtalon, and Cloudstalker, the Four Deadly Children of Takk." the Elder's gaze seemed distant, almost trance-like, and his voice dropped to a softer, almost whisper-like tone. "It is said that the Raptors of the Barrens are smart. So smart in fact, young one, that they build nests that look like huts. They adorn them with jewelry and silver that they steal. It was one of the smartest of these Raptors, the fabled Sunscale Matriarch, that Takk took as his mate for three seasons. They say the Matriarch was put down by some adventures who were hired to retrieve some stolen silver, though we may never know the whole truth."
"So Takk, he sired with her over three seasons? And some special raptors emerged?" I asked, unsure if I was following correctly.
"Yes, young one. Not all of their brood was Special, only four. Most of their children were ferocious and cunning, like any Raptor we encounter. But those four, they showed something unique. The oldest of the four, Shadowdancer, looks the spitting image of her father. She hides deep within the Wailing Caverns, preferring stealth and ambushes to outright combat. So named because she will lie in wait, ambush, and drag her victim away into the shadows before anyone else knows what's going on. A deadly foe, to be sure."
I shivered at the thought, a very deadly raptor. I prayed to the Earthmother that I never hope to meet such an enemy.
"Next there is Cloudstalker. His skin and his temperment set him apart from the others. He brazenly walks the sun-touched plains of the Eastern Barrens, his blue skin glinting in the sun. Unafraid of anything that stands in his way, his comes at his foes face on, taking them down in a flurry of claws and brute strength. Certainly a different kind of Raptor from his Sister."
I sat there imagining how a blue raptor would look running at me, I quickly shook my head, not liking what I had envisioned.
"The third Great Child of Takk is Bloodtalon. If Shadowdancer is Cunning, and Cloudstalker is Brave, then Bloodtalon is Ruthless. Showing no mercy, and certainly not offering a quick kill, this Raptor's skin is a cursed bloody red. Hiding ruined scar that seperates the Northern and Southern Barrens, Bloodtalon lies in ambush, much like his older sister. What seperates their tactics is subtlety. Shadowdancer would strike at you and drag you into the darkness, making quick work of you. Bloodtalon would ambush you and slowly play with his meal, making sure it thrashes and moans, and bleeds out from many slashes and bite marks before finally ending you. A gruesome fate, to be certain."
So far, of all of these 'Great Children', I like this one the least. Certainly such a creature was not beloved of the Earthmother.
"Lastly, the youngest, though certainly not the weakest is Flamerunner. Born the runt of her Brood, she was quickly run off from her nest by her siblings. Through sheer luck or determination, the small Hatchling made it's way into the Southern Barrens. When the great Cataclysm occured and the Overgrowth began to spring forth, Flamerunner was just as affected as the other plants and animal life residing there. The hue of her skin took on an unnatural Orange colour for her kind, and she began to become larger than her kin. Soon she earned her name as she swiftly and agilely raided and attacked caravans and refugees passing through the Overgrowth, like a blazing trail of flame she could be seen moving through the Overgrowth, striking and ravaging for food before disappearing back into the mutated vegetation."
Flamerunner, now that one seemed the least deadly of the four, but I certainly had no doubt that she'd still be deadly if I ever met her. Looking at the Elder I asked "Why do you tell me these things, Elder?"
His response was quick, and cold, much like the night wind. "I tell you these things, Young One, so that one day they may save your life. Your path is in the service of the Earthmother, and should you ever cross paths with one of these fabled Children, I should hope you prevail."
I shook my head and looked the elder in the eyes, "I never want to meet them. In fact, I hope some day brave adventures subdue them. Or better yet kill them in the Great Hunt. They'd make fine trophies." And then the Elder and I shared a laugh.
"So they would" he said as he clapped me on the shoulder. "So they would."
yep nice story indeed.
