Devil's Breath
The Empire’s lands had been ripe with plants the young male had never seen in his life, rare and exotic flowers and herbs with medicinal uses he couldn’t even begin to fathom. There was one flowering tree however that had caught his attention most of all, not for its beautiful and long dangling flowers, but for the constant lack of life surrounding it. Birds refused to perch on its branches, and animals refused to sleep in its shade, it was strange to him, but most of all it was intriguing. He wondered if any of the other wolves in the empire had taken note of the tree that creatures seemed so keen on avoiding, but hadn’t gone out of his way to ask them. Instead he had coyly gained the attention of one of the primates trooping about the castle, and enlisted its help in discovering more about the strange tree.
The two walked side by side to the garden, Rain smiling and joking with the monkey as it chattered noisily. The monkey had been sufficiently charmed into following Rain, heedless of the potential danger, mostly because Rain was after all quite small and unassuming particularly compared to the other wolves in the empire. When the monkey became aware of their final destination however he became instantly more hesitant.
“Well? Aren’t you coming?” He asked, seemingly heedless of his companion’s wariness.
“This tree? What about it has you so scared?” He asked, cocking his head slightly as he asked a kind smile lingering on his features.
The monkey seemed greatly discomforted at his question, and it was then that he realized the creature was afraid for him, rather than himself. Looking between the wolf and the tree the monkey hastily scampered toward the base and returned holding a seedpod delicately in front of him. “Bad things.” The monkey said gravely, holding the seeds out for Rain to inspect.
“They just look like seeds to me.” He said, eyeing the thin coating of dust along the sides of the pods, then feigned a wary sniff at the monkey’s paw. “They smell quite good too.” He said with an innocent smile. The monkey looked down at the seeds in his black palm and sniffed them gingerly, shrinking back instantly and slapping at his face. Rain watched curiously as the monkey batted at its nose and eyes and chittered with fright. “Calm down!”Rain cried, and the monkey, instantly came to a halt. Rain drew back, surprised and examined the monkey closely, his pupils had dilated to the point that his irises were simply gold rings around the massive black pits and even at a distance Rain could hear his thunderously beating heart. Not calm at all, but he had frozen when Rain commanded it.
“Put those down.” He ordered cautiously and the monkey emptied its paw with a deft flick of his wrist. “Come here.” He ordered and the monkey obeyed. He found himself grinning in earnest now as the monkey heeded his command. “Clean your paws.” He said and the monkey began to lick his paws clean, his heart thundering louder as he tasted the faint dust that had clung to the seed pods. It gave Rain an idea.
“Go stand under that tree for me.” He said and watched with glee as the once hesitant creature obeyed him unwaveringly. The monkey knew there was something dangerous about the seeds but not exactly what it had been, with a flick of his ear Rain sat and told his companion; “Pick up a seed and put it in your mouth.” To his astonishment the monkey obeyed. “Take a bite.”
With a crunch the monkey bit into the seed, and for a moment he awaited further instruction, but then his chest began to heave, inward and outward rapidly. The monkey’s knees buckled and he gripped his chest as a scream of agony tore through him. He convulsed wildly and writhed in pain, until he was completely still, his mouth hanging open as his crumpled form laid beneath the deadly tree.
Rain was exuberant, just from a mere sniff of the seedpods the monkey had become completely entranced and had followed his every desire, forgoing all instinct and danger. The seeds themselves he had discovered the heart rate to elevate and, he found, in great quantities, could cause an instant and painful death. His grandmother had believed that studying the ways of herbs could only be used for mending and healing, but Rain had discovered a far greater use; mind control and death. The giddy thought of inducing the seed dust onto his father entered his mind and he found himself unable to help but laugh just at the mere thought. He wouldn’t need to outsize his father or grow stronger than him, not if he could force his father to fling himself from a cliff, perhaps even into the flaming mountain the lightning king had once called home. The power was overwhelming, he felt dizzy with it, intoxicated by it, and then, suddenly it all came crashing down around his ears. How would he gather it? How would he treat it so it could be safely carried and used? His ringed eyes lingered on the prone frame of the monkey, and he suddenly knew then the wisdom of having a companion.
The question now was could he be so cruel? To lure another monkey to certain death? No. Not even for all the power in the world. He would find a companion that could aid him, but would find a method that prevented his chosen friend from succumbing to the effects of the deadly herb. He would find a way, and slowly, such an answer began to form in his mind. |