Tale Weaver Festival

With a few glasses of wine, a full belly, and a comfortable seat Pyralis was more than happy to settle down and listen to the stories as well as share her own. She listened politely to those that went before her and soon enough it was her turn. She sauntered forward and settled down in front of the fire light.

"On the island of Luba you have only two choices. Run… or fight. Considering I was outnumbered ten to one, and discretion is the better part of valor, I hightailed my ass out of there as fast as I could." She kept right on speaking, not worrying if swearing was allowed or not.

"You see Luba was home to a number of enormous, cannibalistic wolves. The Devourers. They would eat anything and everything. Per their beliefs anything that was killed was to be consumed, especially nosey pirates. Whether they were there intentionally or victims of an unfortunate mid-storm raft wreck." Her right paw came to her chest and she bowed her head as she mentioned the wreck, illustrating that her being there had been a complete accident, though the corner of her mouth twitched a bit suggesting that was not the whole truth.

"I've always been fast for my size and I was much younger back then. I was well ahead of their hunters, navigating through the jungles like I'd lived there my whole life. I got cocky."  Pyralis delivered a warning look to some of the younger wolves present. A note to the dangers of an inflated ego. "I thought I was one step ahead of them when in reality they were herding me right where they wanted me to go. Just as I was almost past the jungle and onto the shore-"

"Dooownnn…."

"Dowwwn…"

"CRASH, into the bottom of a deep, muddy pit. I felt my left back leg fold badly underneath me and knew I'd sprained it. At the bottom of the pit were various bones, the remnants of the Deveourers' meals. I was in a storage pit, where they would keep me til they were ready to eat me. When I looked up I could see them peering down at me. Then off they went, no doubt to spread the word that dinner had been secured.

"The pit was about 15 feet down and with a bum leg I knew there was no way I was going to climb out of there. Definitely one of the lowest points in my life…. budumptish." Pyralis chuckled. "Get it? Lowest… I'm in a hole.  Anyway… it wasn't long before I had company. A bonded pair of coyotes were soon thrown into the pit with me.

"They were nervous, chattering creatures ignorant of the common tongue. They snarled at me and soon grew quiet. Huddled and whimpering in a corner. I was not about to give up so easily. I could smell the smoke of the Devourers' cooking fires and the flesh of their appetizers. No doubt they were roasting the pups of their enemies who failed to listen to their parents and had gone astray." Pyralis grinned wickedly at a few of the pups before continuing.

"I dug into the side of the nearest wall, testing its integrity to see if I might tunnel out or at least hide. The clay earth was thick and hard but a foot in I met stone. That way was no good. I continued testing the walls as the sky got darker. I kept digging and at every turn was met with stone. The only thing I did find was a rough-skinned newt. A toxic creature that could bring about swift death if consumed. I could eat this and save myself the horror of being roasted alive over a fire but I wasn't ready to die just then.  A wicked idea came to me and I acted on it without hesitation." It was survival of the fittest out there and Pyralis had no problem sacrificing a few coyotes to save her own skin.

"I turned on my cell mates, slaying one coyote and weakening the other. Using my paws I shoved that newt down the remaining coyotes throat. Of course he threw it up but there was enough toxin ingested for my purposes. As soon as he succumbed to the throe of seizures and started screaming I covered myself in the other coyotes blood and started shrieking as well.

"One of the cannibals companions, a greater potoo, came to see what was wrong and I swiftly pretended to just die on the spot. I had my mouth open, tongue out and my eyes rolled to the back of my head, like this." Pyralis demonstrated, making a terrible face in front of the fire before continuing.

"The bird flew lower and was soon followed by its Devourer companion who threw a rope ladder down and entered the pit. He sniffed about and I held my breath. When he came near to me I sprang up! My teeth latched around his throat to silence him. My hind legs kicked out and struck the potoo in the head sending it crashing into the side of the pit. It was a struggle. I was brutally kicked and struck but it didn't take long for my captor to pass.

"I had to move swiftly. The male coyote had since died and all was silent. The Devourers would expect the commotion dealt with and their compatriot to return. Using mud I covered up the lighter parts of my coat so that I would look like the Devourer in the pit. I took his jewelry and ornamentation and even his unconscious potoo companion which I set upon my head like a hat.

"I then started climbing… "

"up… up…. up…"

"I made it to the top and under the cover of darkness the guards did not distinguish me from the now dead Devourer in the pit. But how the fuck to get off this island? I moved closer to the fires where the rest were finishing their first course and saw several rafts tied up on the beach. I moved silently down the beach to the middle raft, hoping to use the others to hide me. I was just about to untie it when the fucking potoo regained consciousness and sounded the alarm!

"I flung the wretch from my head into the water where he flapped and screeched, big yellow eyes bulging out of his head as he flailed. The guards immediately checked the pit and realized what had happened. They were coming for me soon followed by a number of the other devourers. I untied all three rafts and pushed the middle one with all my might, ignoring the pain in my leg as I shoved it out into the sea. Thankfully the tide was with me and I was soon on my way. The Devourers leapt into the water to try and retrieve the remaining rafts but by the time they did I was nearly out of sight. Completely free. Completely alone… well, until I realized I had a stowaway.

"As the morning broke I found that bloody potoo hunched up on the back of the raft…" Pyralis grinned broadly, her teeth glistening in the firelight. "Let's just say I was happy to have some breakfast."