The Story of Kian

~CHAPTER 1~


A warm breeze wisped through the trees. A glow glistening from the small fire, and huddled around were six tigers. Taking place in the annual tradition of stories being told to the young on the night of the full moon. Crackles coming from the fire lit up the sky a little more than the fire did, showing the clouds that drifted overhead. As the story that was being told, was only shared with the cubs that were the oldest. And the tale was intriguing the little cubs, as they listened on.

“It all happened long ago, when we had no name for ourselves. There was a great illness, and it struck us and took many lives, he didn’t have a cure for this disease, and so we couldn’t fight it. One of the lives lost, was the great warrior, Kian. Kian, was a strong, fearless warrior. He was an inspiration, but his death was very unfortunate. Even more unfortunate that only days after he died, we had found the cure for this disease. And in memory of Kian, we had named our clan, Kiang.”

“Is that all?” asked one of the cubs, settled around the fire. The elder shook his head.

“No. After those events we had found this land. But the Stone Forest, was cursed.”

“With what?” Arose another cub voice.

“Kian’s spirit.” The elder answered “He had been angered at the belated discovery of the cure. He could have been saved, but it was just too late. And so his spirit is contained and limited to Stone Forest, because of his body having been buried deep inside it’s grounds. Due to Kian’s strength, he is able to take, just about any life. The only lives he does not take fully are those belonging to queens. He uses them to lure in kits, and any other life he can get. And because of this curse, we can not allow any one, kit or warrior, to enter Stone Forest.”

One of the cubs leaned over and said to a littermate “Hey, Kiniko, I bet that’s what happened to your mother!”

“Shut up Dafiyn!” Kiniko glared at Dafiyn for that remark.

“Dafiyn! Don’t joke about those kind of things!” A much older and taller tiger walked over and looked down at Dafiyn.

“Sorry, Youpien, I-I was just kidding.”

“Well next time don’t!” Kiniko howled at Dafiyn, turning around refusing to look at him.

Dafiyn, trying to defend himself replied, “Oh come on Kiniko! You know it’s not real, none of it is! They just tell us this to stop us from wandering in Stone Forest! Right Pashuga?”

The elder turned around, paused for a few moments, then looked back, “Yes, they’re only stories.”


~END OF CHAPTER 1~