Charles & Freya The Black Lion

     Today our first meeting with the dangers of the forest occurred. We had just packed up out lunch on the edge of a meadow, amidst a patch of tall grass under the shadow of the Arbutus canopy when Freya 's hair went straight and ridged. Her nose had caught the sent of something or someone close at hand.

     At the far end of the glade the shadows appeared to be moving under a thicket of black berry thorns. It appeared to be very feline like, a large black cat, much like a panther. Though every so often the creature would stood up on its hind legs, extending it's front legs out like arms to reach berries higher off the forest floor, delicately plucking them with its index finger and thumb. Another anthropomorph perhaps, like Freya and the mouse folk?

     For several minutes, that seemed an eternity of both fear and intrigue, we stood in silence. Freya didn't move a muscle as she stared at the creature of shadow. At last the majestic cat seemed to have had its fill of berries, as if by some magic I had yet to perceive or understand, the being went, under guise of shadow, from standing and appearing much like a humanoid to that of a feline again. Down on all fours it moved slowly, as if it had a premonition of being watched, out into the glade.

      Stepping out into the glade amidst the shafts of sunlight that streaked down from the towering Red Wood canopy high above, the might cat crept. Its paw was twice the size of my battle hardened hands the fur of which shimmered deep sea greens and blues, every few moments under the sun, along with a menacing shade of crimson and purple. I could have sworn it was scales shimmering under the lion's obsidian fur. The magic of its coat appeared more so as the cat stepped wholly into a shaft of light in a display of power it showed off its form, in a stance of majesty, as a king upon a throne stands when aroused to stand in an array beauty disguising a menacing will.

     It was a magnificent feline indeed, but no panther. An Obsidian main covered its menacing face, head and neck, it was a black lion. It stood there for a moment, taking in the sun before melding into the shadow of the forest once more. Later I would recall that I only saw the left side of the magnificent beast in the light, though while it remained in hidden in the half light dark of the thorn bushes we were on its right. Also, I could have sworn, though that night I did not write it down in my journal, that its right eye was forlorn and grey, while its left remained a vibrant yellow that shimmered a in the light a brilliant emerald green.

     'That was close,' came Freya's voice stammering softly into my ears, waking me as if from a dream, I was stirred back into reality. 'The demon was satisfied with our fear of its power.

     'Can the lions...' I began.

     'Demons,' Freya interrupted, 'There are no lions anymore, only the ancient demon's descendants. They were all wiped out at the beginning of the final world war. It was in that time that man's fear of the unknown nearly swallowed the whole earth, luckily the immortals had a plan.'

     I had so many questions, though I had not the nerve to ask for I was yet still overcome by the terrible will projected from the mighty... Demon. The remained of the day we crept along in silence above the forest floor in the Arbutus Labyrinth. That night we barely slept though neither of us felt the presence nor saw a trace of the Black Lion throughout course of our travels towards the marshes that day.

In all hopes of returning,
Charles & Freya