My story
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:49:33 amIdk if anyone besides HMS read my story..so I decided to post it here. xD
Prologue
The following passages are a series of accounts I’d experienced while on a research mission to find out more about the elusive Wyrm. The basic information that I was supplied with was that they are small, furry creatures and are very elusive and that they come in many different sizes and colors. Not much else is known about them other than the fact that small villages in the Amazon Rainforest are said to have seen them, and even captured them. This is where my journey begins and where my life will be changed forever.
Day 1
I had arrived unknowingly on the outskirts of a village in what seemed to be the middle of the jungle. The jeep, that had driven me from the airport, dropped me off at a trail that supposedly leads to a site in the jungle to set up my camp. In all honesty I didn’t think I was getting anywhere. I was grumbling to myself about how well this trip was starting off, sarcastically of course, and hadn’t been watching where I was going. Soon enough, I’d triggered a trap and was hanging by my foot from a tree. Surrounding me much to my considerable dismay were twelve natives with spearpoints angled at my vulnerable areas..which was practically my whole body. I noticed some had particularly colorful things, for better choice of words, tied and hanging by a string to the ends of their spears on the wood right before the stone tip began...they were hard to explain. Particularly colorful fabric? It didn’t seem like it..‘Where would they get fabric in the middle of the jungle?’ I thought to myself. Then it hit me..it wasn’t fabric, it was fur!
Before embarking on this trip I’d studied a little about the people of this region since they were the ones claiming to have found a new species, a.k.a. the Wyrms. So these people captured and killed them? It seemed likely, noting the fur seemed to be special right of passage, sacred, or something similar among them because only one or two had it on their spears. From what I’d gathered, Wyrms were relatively harmless, but maybe we have a completely wrong picture of them. During my studies I’d picked up a bit of their language. I asked them in their own tongue if they would let me down and told them that I was a foreign researcher trying to get information on the Wyrm species. As soon as I’d told them that, they seemed to be afraid for some reason. They hurriedly let me down and told me, “Leave now, no information!” They’d said sharply. I saw the looks on their faces and decided not to push it, now that I knew that they were here I could come back at a later date.
As I was leaving in search of my campsite yet again, even through the thick trees, I could tell it was getting dark. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me; I swore I could hear someone following me. As I turned around, I saw a dark figure looming out of the darkness. I was too scared to do anything, just watched it walk, rather hobble, closer to me. As the figure got closer, I made it out to be a member from the tribe I’d just left behind, or so I’d thought. He seemed to be some sort of shaman; he smelled of herbs. His appearance distinguished him as well. I could see the years of experience and wisdom etched upon his face in every wrinkle. As the thought of him being a shaman registered with me, I thought, what would a shaman want with me? He seemed worried and stressed “You’re the reporter from the states, right?” He huffed, coughing a little. I nodded, still somewhat afraid to say anything. “Ask no questions..meet me back here in three days time.” I nodded again, noticing his voice seemed to be more stable now. He looked around as if to see if anyone had followed him. He then hobbled back off, disappearing into the mist. Well that was strange, I thought. What would a shaman want with me? Especially to have me meet him back here...My mind was too far gone into the land of exhaustion to bother about it tonight. I really needed to set up camp. On my way further into the jungle, I could’ve sworn my eyes were playing tricks on me. I kept imagining seeing little glowing things dart between the leaves of certain trees. I thought nothing of it until I roused myself up enough to notice that there was a little piece of fur in front of me on the ground. I bent over to pick it up, noticing it had a glowing sheen to it. ‘Peculiar..’ I thought, sticking it in my pocket to further analyze tomorrow. I continued on the path until I came to a flat area and a rotting picnic table to the side. There was some gravel spread upon the forest floor which I figured was a place to pitch my tent. I’d done it lazily, half asleep, and just sort of collapsed in there on my sleeping bag. It was far too hot to be in it anyway.
Day 2
I woke up to find similar poofs of fur, like the one I’d found last night, scattered around inside my tent. I guess I’d forgotten to zip the door and some jungle bird or something had gotten in. I picked them all up, examining them and petting them. They were really soft. I wondered if I could find the animal they’d come from, it would make a nice fabric. It than began to register with me that Wyrms were furry. I scrambled for a camera and a baggie. I photographed the bits of fur and then stuck them in little bags to be used as evidence. As I began combing the jungle for more fur, I’d found many more bits or fur. As I was nearing a small stream, my foot crunched on something. I looked down and to my dismay I’d shattered some type of egg. Though when I examined further, it was only a piece of an eggshell. It was brightly colored and pieces of it seemed to be leading somewhere. I followed the small pieces of shell until I came upon a little nest. A nest! Another solid piece of evidence! Perfect. I snapped some pictures and moved on. At the time, I didn’t realize it...but the nest and eggshell were extremely old.
By the time I was done scoping out one area of the jungle, it was getting dark so I decided to head back to my campsite. When I got back, there were more pieces of fur and my food was scattered everywhere “Oh come on..” I sighed, walking to my remaining food supplies before hearing a rustling. I stopped, frozen, and looked at the food bag. A few more rustles and then a flash, whatever had been rooting through my supplies was gone. I’d taken a quick picture and had only gotten a blur of something light colored. I figured it was a bird or something..that weird jungle bird again, until I found a chunk of fur in the supply bag. That little bugger was invading my campsite yet again! If only I was here when it did. After settling down from that encounter, I’d curled up in my sleeping bag. The climate had changed and it was considerably colder tonight. At the brink of slumber I thought with some strange excitement, ‘I meet the shaman tomorrow night’.
Day 3
On the third day, I woke up and found the same fluffy pieces of fur scattered around camp. Those Wyrms were mighty curious creatures. I smiled at the thought. While having breakfast, I heard some rustles in a bush nearby. I heard voices. Must be the villagers, I thought. Though I was sure it was them, I got up and peeked through the bushes where the rustling had originated. There were 3 men circled around something. I couldn’t see what it was because one of the men was blocking my view, but I knew it was an animal. It was making faint squeaking noises, seemingly scared noises at that. I didn’t want to speak up, for fear of getting speared through the eyes or something gory like that. Their spears, as I remembered, were tipped with some type of poison as well. One of the men moved just in time for me to see the spear pierce a small, furry creature. A loud death cry rang out and I winced, immediately realizing what it was. The men seemed to be happy, patting the man who stabbed the Wyrm on the back. I was thinking how cruel they were, until I thought...it’s their way of life and I wasn’t in a position to judge.
The cry of the dying Wyrm echoed in my head all day while I was searching for more evidence. I was finding the same things, fur chunks, egg shells, and abandoned nests. No hard evidence and I was getting frustrated. It was nearing dusk and I was heading back to my campsite, fuming about how I hadn’t found anything new today. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going and faster than I could yell, I was plummeting down a pit. I landed at the bottom with a dull thud, letting out a small cry. After regaining my composure, I realized that I’d fallen into a trap. I looked around. It was pitch black down here..who knows what else was in this trap besides me. It seemed to be forgotten. I tried yelling for help with no avail. It looked like I was stuck as well as missing my meeting with the shaman. I leaned against a wall, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them “Hello!?” I tried again, hearing the familiar echo of my voice bouncing along the walls of the deep trap. I wondered what the villagers would be trying to catch that was this big. Not a single thought registered. I hadn’t seen many other animals here. I yelled one more time before cutting myself off, hearing a slithering noise in the grass above.
What could it be? A snake? Probably...I stayed there, trying to breathe silently. I could hear and feel my heart fluttering faster than a humming bird’s wings. I clamped my eyes shut, not daring to look as I heard the rustling grow closer. When I dared to crack open an eye, I was face to face with a gigantic, monstrous creature. I had no idea what it was! Its’ head seemed...round, but it wasn’t as reptilian as a snake’s. It seemed somewhat dragon like but smooth and had a glowing gem on its forehead. I opened my other eye when I’d established that the creature wasn’t going to attack me. If it wanted to, it would’ve already since I was a sitting duck. It tilted its head, seeming almost as intrigued with me as I was of it. I examined the rest of it, wondering how it was able to get its head level with mine. It seemed like its body was wrapped around a vine hanging from a tree above..but that vine was at least six feet up! A snake wasn’t that agile and would probably be afraid of me. I noticed that its body seemed furry..Then it hit me. It was a giant Wyrm! The first one I’d seen..that was alive, that is. I let out a gasp and it blinked, moving its face closer to mine. I moved my head back and it moved even closer. Now I was pressed against the wall of the trap, staring cross eyed at this gigantic Wyrm. It sniffed me once, licked me, and began trying to wrap itself around me. I struggled at first but then I realized that it was long enough to pull me out! That’s what it was trying to do...what a smart Wyrm! As it pulled me up and out of the cave, I was petting it and telling it what a good little Wyrm...well, I’d corrected myself and said “Good big Wyrm” because it gave me a look when I’d called it little.
When we got to the top, the shaman was sitting on the root of a tree cradling something in his hands. The Wyrm uncoiled itself from me and slithered over to the shaman, curling around his feet. He looked up and smiled at me, the wrinkles along his mouth crinkling. I gave a bewildered smile back at him and he chuckled “So you’ve met Teeny, then?” He’d asked, laughing at the name. The large Wyrm butted his knee gently, giving a quiet rasping noise that imitated laughter. It seemed like the pair had shared this joke for a good number of years. I’d nodded, gulping and trying to contain my amazement “I-yes..How did you find me?” I asked, the first of many questions popping into my mind.
The shaman looked down at his Wyrm lovingly “Well, old Teeny here...He’d been coming to this trap to release any Wyrms or other creatures that had fallen into this trap.” He’d said, pausing a moment to recall what seemed to be a distant memory “You see, the villagers of my tribe had set it years ago for Teeny but he was too smart for them. He’d never once been caught in it, but almost everything else has. So he’s learned to check it daily to release trapped creatures..such as yourself.” The shaman explained, giving me one of his crinkly smiles and continuing. “Teeny fetched me first and we traveled back here to find you, since of course...you were to meet me anyways. And what better context, you meeting Teeny and all..” He’d said. This was the part where he lost me. What context? What did he have to tell me that involved Teeny? I pondered this and he chuckled at the confused look on my face. “I better get to the point now, my dear..” He’d told me, standing up to walk over to me, his hands still cupped around something that seemed to be precious to him.
He began telling me the story of how his ancestors came to this land and after a while of living here had been noticing food going missing. Soon enough they’d trapped a creature that had been caught stealing food. It soon became known as “Wyrm”. They became a nuisance, so the villagers began killing them off. That had continued into today’s years. The meaning of killing them became lost in time and the villagers began fearing them because they had basically no knowledge of them and were just killing them senselessly and for sport. The shaman told me that now days, it was used as a right of passage for higher ranked tribe members. It was reserved for the higher ranked becuase by now, the Wyrm population was almost out. The shaman knew that these creatures meant no harm to anyone.
When he was a boy, he’d trailed along on a Wyrm hunting mission. After a Wyrm was killed, unknowingly to the villagers, it was a female with a nest nearby. The men had been too caught up in the kill to notice the small nest with a glowing blue egg in it perched a few feet up in the knothole of a tree. Though young shaman had seen it and taken the egg only because he knew that the mother could no longer care for it. He knew that he must keep it a secret even while it was an egg, because the tribe found Wyrm eggs to be a rare delicacy. The shaman knew better and kept it. The Wyrm that hatched out of that egg all those years ago was the Teeny that I knew today.
The shaman informed me that the Wyrm that was killed today was supposedly the last living Wyrm. The shaman told me that this was untrue because of course he had Teeny, and until today there was that one other Wyrm in existence that he’d encountered before. It was small..maybe six inches long at most. It was the one that had been leaving all the fur everywhere, the shaman told me. It was also the one that was killed today, he’d added solemnly. He’d then said with some sadness that Teeny was the last Wyrm remaining in this jungle.
This brought him to another story. He’d said, “Three days ago, I was out collecting herbs and Teeny had appeared in a nearby bush.” He paused, swallowing and taking a big, raspy breath. “He seemed edgy and I didn’t know why until he’d brought me to a place deep in the jungle, a place where no villager dared to go. I didn’t know why he was taking me out here until we happened upon a small clearing.” The shaman said, gathering his thoughts. “He slithered over to a mess of grass and twigs and curled around it. I proceeded forwards, jumping when Teeny let out a noise that seemed like a growl.” He said, chuckling fondly at the memory. Teeny rubbed against the shaman’s leg as a late apology. He smiled and proceeded. “It had really surprised me because Teeny had never growled at me before or anything of that sort. I edged over slowly, watching Teeny in case he made any sudden moves. I made it close enough to peek into the mess of leaves. I gasped and Teeny chuffed at me again but this time it was a softer sound.” He’d said, these memories definitely stirring up feelings inside of him. “Low and behold, there was an egg! A Wyrm egg!” He exclaimed, doing a little bouncing happy movement. I smiled, but not really knowing the significance of said egg. The shaman realized I was confused and explained, “Remember how I said that Wyrm eggs were a delicacy..?” He’d asked slowly. I suddenly gasped, realizing what this meant. “Anyways, eventually Teeny had let me take the egg...I’ve kept it safely with me ever since then.” He’d finished, clearing his throat.
‘A Wyrm egg! I wonder if it was Teeny’s..’ I thought, another ton of questions buzzing around in my head. “And this brings me to the reason I wanted to meet with you.” He’d told me, taking on a more serious tone “You see, I’m getting on in life..and so is Teeny. I don’t exactly have the energy to raise a Wyrm, and this one could mean life or death of the Wyrm species. I hadn’t a thought of what to do with it..well, until you arrived.” He said, looking at me knowingly. I could tell that he wondered if I understood where he was going. I was somewhat with him. The shaman had un-cupped his hands, revealing a small, glowing, blue egg. “You see, I’d contemplated giving it to someone in the tribe..but none of those dull people would be able to keep it a secret. It’s likely that five minutes after they’d would have been given the egg, they’d have eaten it.” He’d said, laughing a little..He took another raspy breath, “I’d like to give you this egg...to take with you.” He’d told me, my eyes as well as his were glowing and reflecting the light from the egg. I was speechless, all I could do was hold my palms open when he motioned for me to do so. He gingerly slid the egg into my hands. I could feel its warmth pulsating. It would shake every few seconds. The next few days went on in a blur. I had to return to the United States...It was my home. Despite that, the shaman had told me to take the egg with me. I’d dedicated most of my time to finding safe places for it and thinking of safe places for it at home.
Faster than I could comprehend, I was on a train to my hometown, sitting in a secluded corner of the compartment, cradling the egg. I’d kept it a secret...but I couldn’t stand to leave it hidden away for so long. This is the first time I’d taken it out since I’d left the jungle. As I was sitting in that little train car, staring, mesmerized at the little egg, it started to crack. I had begun running every possible worst scenario in my mind, close to tears and thinking that I broke it. All of these thoughts stopped when the egg chipped away, and a tiny baby Wyrm emerged.
Prologue
The following passages are a series of accounts I’d experienced while on a research mission to find out more about the elusive Wyrm. The basic information that I was supplied with was that they are small, furry creatures and are very elusive and that they come in many different sizes and colors. Not much else is known about them other than the fact that small villages in the Amazon Rainforest are said to have seen them, and even captured them. This is where my journey begins and where my life will be changed forever.
Day 1
I had arrived unknowingly on the outskirts of a village in what seemed to be the middle of the jungle. The jeep, that had driven me from the airport, dropped me off at a trail that supposedly leads to a site in the jungle to set up my camp. In all honesty I didn’t think I was getting anywhere. I was grumbling to myself about how well this trip was starting off, sarcastically of course, and hadn’t been watching where I was going. Soon enough, I’d triggered a trap and was hanging by my foot from a tree. Surrounding me much to my considerable dismay were twelve natives with spearpoints angled at my vulnerable areas..which was practically my whole body. I noticed some had particularly colorful things, for better choice of words, tied and hanging by a string to the ends of their spears on the wood right before the stone tip began...they were hard to explain. Particularly colorful fabric? It didn’t seem like it..‘Where would they get fabric in the middle of the jungle?’ I thought to myself. Then it hit me..it wasn’t fabric, it was fur!
Before embarking on this trip I’d studied a little about the people of this region since they were the ones claiming to have found a new species, a.k.a. the Wyrms. So these people captured and killed them? It seemed likely, noting the fur seemed to be special right of passage, sacred, or something similar among them because only one or two had it on their spears. From what I’d gathered, Wyrms were relatively harmless, but maybe we have a completely wrong picture of them. During my studies I’d picked up a bit of their language. I asked them in their own tongue if they would let me down and told them that I was a foreign researcher trying to get information on the Wyrm species. As soon as I’d told them that, they seemed to be afraid for some reason. They hurriedly let me down and told me, “Leave now, no information!” They’d said sharply. I saw the looks on their faces and decided not to push it, now that I knew that they were here I could come back at a later date.
As I was leaving in search of my campsite yet again, even through the thick trees, I could tell it was getting dark. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me; I swore I could hear someone following me. As I turned around, I saw a dark figure looming out of the darkness. I was too scared to do anything, just watched it walk, rather hobble, closer to me. As the figure got closer, I made it out to be a member from the tribe I’d just left behind, or so I’d thought. He seemed to be some sort of shaman; he smelled of herbs. His appearance distinguished him as well. I could see the years of experience and wisdom etched upon his face in every wrinkle. As the thought of him being a shaman registered with me, I thought, what would a shaman want with me? He seemed worried and stressed “You’re the reporter from the states, right?” He huffed, coughing a little. I nodded, still somewhat afraid to say anything. “Ask no questions..meet me back here in three days time.” I nodded again, noticing his voice seemed to be more stable now. He looked around as if to see if anyone had followed him. He then hobbled back off, disappearing into the mist. Well that was strange, I thought. What would a shaman want with me? Especially to have me meet him back here...My mind was too far gone into the land of exhaustion to bother about it tonight. I really needed to set up camp. On my way further into the jungle, I could’ve sworn my eyes were playing tricks on me. I kept imagining seeing little glowing things dart between the leaves of certain trees. I thought nothing of it until I roused myself up enough to notice that there was a little piece of fur in front of me on the ground. I bent over to pick it up, noticing it had a glowing sheen to it. ‘Peculiar..’ I thought, sticking it in my pocket to further analyze tomorrow. I continued on the path until I came to a flat area and a rotting picnic table to the side. There was some gravel spread upon the forest floor which I figured was a place to pitch my tent. I’d done it lazily, half asleep, and just sort of collapsed in there on my sleeping bag. It was far too hot to be in it anyway.
Day 2
I woke up to find similar poofs of fur, like the one I’d found last night, scattered around inside my tent. I guess I’d forgotten to zip the door and some jungle bird or something had gotten in. I picked them all up, examining them and petting them. They were really soft. I wondered if I could find the animal they’d come from, it would make a nice fabric. It than began to register with me that Wyrms were furry. I scrambled for a camera and a baggie. I photographed the bits of fur and then stuck them in little bags to be used as evidence. As I began combing the jungle for more fur, I’d found many more bits or fur. As I was nearing a small stream, my foot crunched on something. I looked down and to my dismay I’d shattered some type of egg. Though when I examined further, it was only a piece of an eggshell. It was brightly colored and pieces of it seemed to be leading somewhere. I followed the small pieces of shell until I came upon a little nest. A nest! Another solid piece of evidence! Perfect. I snapped some pictures and moved on. At the time, I didn’t realize it...but the nest and eggshell were extremely old.
By the time I was done scoping out one area of the jungle, it was getting dark so I decided to head back to my campsite. When I got back, there were more pieces of fur and my food was scattered everywhere “Oh come on..” I sighed, walking to my remaining food supplies before hearing a rustling. I stopped, frozen, and looked at the food bag. A few more rustles and then a flash, whatever had been rooting through my supplies was gone. I’d taken a quick picture and had only gotten a blur of something light colored. I figured it was a bird or something..that weird jungle bird again, until I found a chunk of fur in the supply bag. That little bugger was invading my campsite yet again! If only I was here when it did. After settling down from that encounter, I’d curled up in my sleeping bag. The climate had changed and it was considerably colder tonight. At the brink of slumber I thought with some strange excitement, ‘I meet the shaman tomorrow night’.
Day 3
On the third day, I woke up and found the same fluffy pieces of fur scattered around camp. Those Wyrms were mighty curious creatures. I smiled at the thought. While having breakfast, I heard some rustles in a bush nearby. I heard voices. Must be the villagers, I thought. Though I was sure it was them, I got up and peeked through the bushes where the rustling had originated. There were 3 men circled around something. I couldn’t see what it was because one of the men was blocking my view, but I knew it was an animal. It was making faint squeaking noises, seemingly scared noises at that. I didn’t want to speak up, for fear of getting speared through the eyes or something gory like that. Their spears, as I remembered, were tipped with some type of poison as well. One of the men moved just in time for me to see the spear pierce a small, furry creature. A loud death cry rang out and I winced, immediately realizing what it was. The men seemed to be happy, patting the man who stabbed the Wyrm on the back. I was thinking how cruel they were, until I thought...it’s their way of life and I wasn’t in a position to judge.
The cry of the dying Wyrm echoed in my head all day while I was searching for more evidence. I was finding the same things, fur chunks, egg shells, and abandoned nests. No hard evidence and I was getting frustrated. It was nearing dusk and I was heading back to my campsite, fuming about how I hadn’t found anything new today. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going and faster than I could yell, I was plummeting down a pit. I landed at the bottom with a dull thud, letting out a small cry. After regaining my composure, I realized that I’d fallen into a trap. I looked around. It was pitch black down here..who knows what else was in this trap besides me. It seemed to be forgotten. I tried yelling for help with no avail. It looked like I was stuck as well as missing my meeting with the shaman. I leaned against a wall, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them “Hello!?” I tried again, hearing the familiar echo of my voice bouncing along the walls of the deep trap. I wondered what the villagers would be trying to catch that was this big. Not a single thought registered. I hadn’t seen many other animals here. I yelled one more time before cutting myself off, hearing a slithering noise in the grass above.
What could it be? A snake? Probably...I stayed there, trying to breathe silently. I could hear and feel my heart fluttering faster than a humming bird’s wings. I clamped my eyes shut, not daring to look as I heard the rustling grow closer. When I dared to crack open an eye, I was face to face with a gigantic, monstrous creature. I had no idea what it was! Its’ head seemed...round, but it wasn’t as reptilian as a snake’s. It seemed somewhat dragon like but smooth and had a glowing gem on its forehead. I opened my other eye when I’d established that the creature wasn’t going to attack me. If it wanted to, it would’ve already since I was a sitting duck. It tilted its head, seeming almost as intrigued with me as I was of it. I examined the rest of it, wondering how it was able to get its head level with mine. It seemed like its body was wrapped around a vine hanging from a tree above..but that vine was at least six feet up! A snake wasn’t that agile and would probably be afraid of me. I noticed that its body seemed furry..Then it hit me. It was a giant Wyrm! The first one I’d seen..that was alive, that is. I let out a gasp and it blinked, moving its face closer to mine. I moved my head back and it moved even closer. Now I was pressed against the wall of the trap, staring cross eyed at this gigantic Wyrm. It sniffed me once, licked me, and began trying to wrap itself around me. I struggled at first but then I realized that it was long enough to pull me out! That’s what it was trying to do...what a smart Wyrm! As it pulled me up and out of the cave, I was petting it and telling it what a good little Wyrm...well, I’d corrected myself and said “Good big Wyrm” because it gave me a look when I’d called it little.
When we got to the top, the shaman was sitting on the root of a tree cradling something in his hands. The Wyrm uncoiled itself from me and slithered over to the shaman, curling around his feet. He looked up and smiled at me, the wrinkles along his mouth crinkling. I gave a bewildered smile back at him and he chuckled “So you’ve met Teeny, then?” He’d asked, laughing at the name. The large Wyrm butted his knee gently, giving a quiet rasping noise that imitated laughter. It seemed like the pair had shared this joke for a good number of years. I’d nodded, gulping and trying to contain my amazement “I-yes..How did you find me?” I asked, the first of many questions popping into my mind.
The shaman looked down at his Wyrm lovingly “Well, old Teeny here...He’d been coming to this trap to release any Wyrms or other creatures that had fallen into this trap.” He’d said, pausing a moment to recall what seemed to be a distant memory “You see, the villagers of my tribe had set it years ago for Teeny but he was too smart for them. He’d never once been caught in it, but almost everything else has. So he’s learned to check it daily to release trapped creatures..such as yourself.” The shaman explained, giving me one of his crinkly smiles and continuing. “Teeny fetched me first and we traveled back here to find you, since of course...you were to meet me anyways. And what better context, you meeting Teeny and all..” He’d said. This was the part where he lost me. What context? What did he have to tell me that involved Teeny? I pondered this and he chuckled at the confused look on my face. “I better get to the point now, my dear..” He’d told me, standing up to walk over to me, his hands still cupped around something that seemed to be precious to him.
He began telling me the story of how his ancestors came to this land and after a while of living here had been noticing food going missing. Soon enough they’d trapped a creature that had been caught stealing food. It soon became known as “Wyrm”. They became a nuisance, so the villagers began killing them off. That had continued into today’s years. The meaning of killing them became lost in time and the villagers began fearing them because they had basically no knowledge of them and were just killing them senselessly and for sport. The shaman told me that now days, it was used as a right of passage for higher ranked tribe members. It was reserved for the higher ranked becuase by now, the Wyrm population was almost out. The shaman knew that these creatures meant no harm to anyone.
When he was a boy, he’d trailed along on a Wyrm hunting mission. After a Wyrm was killed, unknowingly to the villagers, it was a female with a nest nearby. The men had been too caught up in the kill to notice the small nest with a glowing blue egg in it perched a few feet up in the knothole of a tree. Though young shaman had seen it and taken the egg only because he knew that the mother could no longer care for it. He knew that he must keep it a secret even while it was an egg, because the tribe found Wyrm eggs to be a rare delicacy. The shaman knew better and kept it. The Wyrm that hatched out of that egg all those years ago was the Teeny that I knew today.
The shaman informed me that the Wyrm that was killed today was supposedly the last living Wyrm. The shaman told me that this was untrue because of course he had Teeny, and until today there was that one other Wyrm in existence that he’d encountered before. It was small..maybe six inches long at most. It was the one that had been leaving all the fur everywhere, the shaman told me. It was also the one that was killed today, he’d added solemnly. He’d then said with some sadness that Teeny was the last Wyrm remaining in this jungle.
This brought him to another story. He’d said, “Three days ago, I was out collecting herbs and Teeny had appeared in a nearby bush.” He paused, swallowing and taking a big, raspy breath. “He seemed edgy and I didn’t know why until he’d brought me to a place deep in the jungle, a place where no villager dared to go. I didn’t know why he was taking me out here until we happened upon a small clearing.” The shaman said, gathering his thoughts. “He slithered over to a mess of grass and twigs and curled around it. I proceeded forwards, jumping when Teeny let out a noise that seemed like a growl.” He said, chuckling fondly at the memory. Teeny rubbed against the shaman’s leg as a late apology. He smiled and proceeded. “It had really surprised me because Teeny had never growled at me before or anything of that sort. I edged over slowly, watching Teeny in case he made any sudden moves. I made it close enough to peek into the mess of leaves. I gasped and Teeny chuffed at me again but this time it was a softer sound.” He’d said, these memories definitely stirring up feelings inside of him. “Low and behold, there was an egg! A Wyrm egg!” He exclaimed, doing a little bouncing happy movement. I smiled, but not really knowing the significance of said egg. The shaman realized I was confused and explained, “Remember how I said that Wyrm eggs were a delicacy..?” He’d asked slowly. I suddenly gasped, realizing what this meant. “Anyways, eventually Teeny had let me take the egg...I’ve kept it safely with me ever since then.” He’d finished, clearing his throat.
‘A Wyrm egg! I wonder if it was Teeny’s..’ I thought, another ton of questions buzzing around in my head. “And this brings me to the reason I wanted to meet with you.” He’d told me, taking on a more serious tone “You see, I’m getting on in life..and so is Teeny. I don’t exactly have the energy to raise a Wyrm, and this one could mean life or death of the Wyrm species. I hadn’t a thought of what to do with it..well, until you arrived.” He said, looking at me knowingly. I could tell that he wondered if I understood where he was going. I was somewhat with him. The shaman had un-cupped his hands, revealing a small, glowing, blue egg. “You see, I’d contemplated giving it to someone in the tribe..but none of those dull people would be able to keep it a secret. It’s likely that five minutes after they’d would have been given the egg, they’d have eaten it.” He’d said, laughing a little..He took another raspy breath, “I’d like to give you this egg...to take with you.” He’d told me, my eyes as well as his were glowing and reflecting the light from the egg. I was speechless, all I could do was hold my palms open when he motioned for me to do so. He gingerly slid the egg into my hands. I could feel its warmth pulsating. It would shake every few seconds. The next few days went on in a blur. I had to return to the United States...It was my home. Despite that, the shaman had told me to take the egg with me. I’d dedicated most of my time to finding safe places for it and thinking of safe places for it at home.
Faster than I could comprehend, I was on a train to my hometown, sitting in a secluded corner of the compartment, cradling the egg. I’d kept it a secret...but I couldn’t stand to leave it hidden away for so long. This is the first time I’d taken it out since I’d left the jungle. As I was sitting in that little train car, staring, mesmerized at the little egg, it started to crack. I had begun running every possible worst scenario in my mind, close to tears and thinking that I broke it. All of these thoughts stopped when the egg chipped away, and a tiny baby Wyrm emerged.
Well done!