Fan Fiction ❯ Illusia ❯ Illusia - Her Story 3 ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Serenitychan13 
Chapter 3: Chaos
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Suspense / Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Action / Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.24.2004 | Updated On: 04.15.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 194 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3: Chaos
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Suspense / Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Action / Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.24.2004 | Updated On: 04.15.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 194 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3
The loss of Grandfather Bear left every resident of Kerahneeah in complete emotional desolation. The birds no longer sang. The squirrels we had so often chased stopped their chattering. The foxes stopped trying to outfox each other and retired to their dens. The beavers even ceased being busy.
Aleut called a council on Kaishae, his high mountain in the North. Every creature under the protection of Kerahneeah had at least one representative of their species in attendance. In a cave deep in the side of Kaishae, Aleut sat quietly, in his human form, to wait for order. I sat one seat apart from Aleut, on his right. My mother was holding court in her palace in the Gerhanah River. Grandmother Eagle sat directly to Aleut’s left, also in human form. Everyone was looking uneasily at the empty seat to the left of Grandmother Eagle, for this had always been Grandfather Bear’s seat for all council meetings.
Aleut continued to sit quietly and wait for order.
“There are far too many!” said the otter.
“Even one is too many if you ask me,” agreed a fat skunk, a scowl on his chubby face.
“They will eat all the nuts!” cried a young squirrel, his bead-like black eyes bugging out of his head in childish fear.
“Hush!” chattered his mother, popping him sharply on the back of his tawny grey head. “We have plenty on the other tree.”
“They’ll cut down the trees!” moaned a beaver, slapping his tail on the damp cave floor. “Where’ll me and the missus raise the kits? And in her condition?”
Mrs. Beaver was expecting another litter soon. She and Mr. Beaver were already loaded down with young ones.
“Where will we goooooo-oh-oh!?” howled an old grizzled coyote, causing several bobcats and a mountain lion to stare at him in more than typical feline disgust.
“How will we protect the young ones?” whispered a young mother doe, shepherding her two new fawns under her long, spindly legs.
“We must leave Kerahneeah at once!” squawked a crow.
“SILENCE!” barked Aleut. “I have called a council. It will remain a council. I will not have this reasonable meeting become a free-for-all screaming contest!”
A wizened old raven came forward to address the crowd.
“We must listen to the wise Aleut,” she said, bowing her shining black head sagely. “He knows more about the situation than we do. We must not lose our heads!”
Pandemonium broke out at the words “lose our heads”.
Songbirds flitted about in all directions, shrieking their foolish feathers off. All manner of rodents: rats, mice, squirrels and chipmunks skittered around between the paws and hooves of the larger animals.
At the tickling around her paws, a wildcat lashed out in front of herself, her claws bared. A bellow of shocked surprise, injured dignity and outright pain was promptly ejected from an elderly bison as five long claw marks turned bright red on his now-tender backside.
Within a few seconds, the entire herd of bison was crashing out of the cave and down the mountain. They very narrowly avoided colliding with a herd of wild mustangs who were late for the council, but already the confusion had become a stampede!
“I must have complete SILENCE!” came Aleut’s voice in an angry roar and in an instant, the mob was still and utterly silent.
“Now listen. These humans have come to our world. There is no stopping them. But take heart, Kerahneeah has always been our home. We shall not abandon it now. So the humans are here, yes. The humans have weapons, yes. But they do not know Kerahneeah as we do.” Aleut bowed his head, his voice low but not yet a growl. “We were always here and we will always be here. The very spirit, the essence of Kerahneeah courses through us. This is our strongest weapon and our strongest defense. These humans are strangers. They are outsiders. We shall stay on our guard at all times. But otherwise, act as though everything is as it has always been.”
“I mean no disrespect, wise Aleut,” purred a large mountain lioness who slinked out from the shadows. “But should we not try to drive out these intruders?”
She tilted her head at him in a questioning manner, her huge green eyes narrowed. I am quite sure that Aleut found the gesture positively infuriating…
Aleut’s icy grey eyes gave the huge cat a hard look, like solid silver fire. The tawny lioness merely yawned, looking rather bored with the whole business. None of the felines of Kerahneeah really feared Aleut, though they held him in great respect. At least I think they did. You never can tell with cats…
“No,” said Aleut, who was very obviously fighting to keep his voice steady. “We are peaceful creatures. We do not seek war. But remember this, if nothing else. Should anything attack us, our vengeance shall be swift and terrible!”
“Yes… Of course…” The lioness narrowed her green eyes even more and bowed her head, turning back to the ledge she had been lounging on.
As the great cat retreated to the shadows, an ancient tortoise hobbled forward out of the huge crowd.
A hush fell over everything as the old one spoke in his husky whispering voice.
“I knew this day would come. The humans will only grow more powerful. Yet no matter how much power they possess, they will always want more. They will let nothing stand in their way. If things carry on this way, there will be nothing left of Kerahneeah but cold ashes and painful memories. Aleut is wise and powerful. We must let him lead us.”
As the ancient one moved quietly back into the masses, low rumblings began to echo throughout the cave.
“Yes, Aleut will lead us,” agreed the bears, the bison and the beavers, who chattered their long orange teeth in approval.
“Our young ones are safe once again!” cooed the mother doe, giving her fawns a nuzzle of affection.
“But what if something happens to Aleut?” cried an owl in his mournful tones, a tear in his huge golden eyes.
“Hissss… Don’t be sssuch a fool, unwissse old owl! Nothing can happen to our great leader!” hissed a very long, very thin blacksnake, with her onyx eyes flashing in the dim cave light.
“Yes, Aleut is immortal! He can never be harmed,” agreed a large swan. “Now can we please get on with this? All the dust in this dreadful cave will never come off my lovely white feathers!”
“Forget your feathers!” screeched a hawk, beating her four-foot wings and throwing her proud beaked head back. “This is WAY more important than your stupid ---”
The huge white bird arched her long neck back incredulously, her beak open in obvious outrage.
“Well I NEVER…!” retorted the now distinctly ruffled-looking swan.
“ENOUGH!” growled Aleut angrily. “This is a serious matter. I will not have my council disturbed by your foolish bickering. Swan! Lay aside your vanity. Hawk! Your intentions were noble but I will not have fighting amongst the creatures whom I am trying to keep in peace! Both of you can either leash your beaks or answer to her.”
He nodded his head toward Grandmother Eagle, who flashed the two offenders a fiery glare. The swan arched her graceful white neck, her elegant head hung in shame. The hawk folded her wings and lowered her hooked beak, the defiant gleam gone from her jewel-black eyes.
“Now,” continued the Supreme King of Kerahneeah. “Does anyone have anything reasonable to add? If so, voice and I shall ponder it.”
He looked around impatiently for any intelligent faces. As far as I could tell, he didn’t find any…
The loss of Grandfather Bear left every resident of Kerahneeah in complete emotional desolation. The birds no longer sang. The squirrels we had so often chased stopped their chattering. The foxes stopped trying to outfox each other and retired to their dens. The beavers even ceased being busy.
Aleut called a council on Kaishae, his high mountain in the North. Every creature under the protection of Kerahneeah had at least one representative of their species in attendance. In a cave deep in the side of Kaishae, Aleut sat quietly, in his human form, to wait for order. I sat one seat apart from Aleut, on his right. My mother was holding court in her palace in the Gerhanah River. Grandmother Eagle sat directly to Aleut’s left, also in human form. Everyone was looking uneasily at the empty seat to the left of Grandmother Eagle, for this had always been Grandfather Bear’s seat for all council meetings.
Aleut continued to sit quietly and wait for order.
“There are far too many!” said the otter.
“Even one is too many if you ask me,” agreed a fat skunk, a scowl on his chubby face.
“They will eat all the nuts!” cried a young squirrel, his bead-like black eyes bugging out of his head in childish fear.
“Hush!” chattered his mother, popping him sharply on the back of his tawny grey head. “We have plenty on the other tree.”
“They’ll cut down the trees!” moaned a beaver, slapping his tail on the damp cave floor. “Where’ll me and the missus raise the kits? And in her condition?”
Mrs. Beaver was expecting another litter soon. She and Mr. Beaver were already loaded down with young ones.
“Where will we goooooo-oh-oh!?” howled an old grizzled coyote, causing several bobcats and a mountain lion to stare at him in more than typical feline disgust.
“How will we protect the young ones?” whispered a young mother doe, shepherding her two new fawns under her long, spindly legs.
“We must leave Kerahneeah at once!” squawked a crow.
“SILENCE!” barked Aleut. “I have called a council. It will remain a council. I will not have this reasonable meeting become a free-for-all screaming contest!”
A wizened old raven came forward to address the crowd.
“We must listen to the wise Aleut,” she said, bowing her shining black head sagely. “He knows more about the situation than we do. We must not lose our heads!”
Pandemonium broke out at the words “lose our heads”.
Songbirds flitted about in all directions, shrieking their foolish feathers off. All manner of rodents: rats, mice, squirrels and chipmunks skittered around between the paws and hooves of the larger animals.
At the tickling around her paws, a wildcat lashed out in front of herself, her claws bared. A bellow of shocked surprise, injured dignity and outright pain was promptly ejected from an elderly bison as five long claw marks turned bright red on his now-tender backside.
Within a few seconds, the entire herd of bison was crashing out of the cave and down the mountain. They very narrowly avoided colliding with a herd of wild mustangs who were late for the council, but already the confusion had become a stampede!
“I must have complete SILENCE!” came Aleut’s voice in an angry roar and in an instant, the mob was still and utterly silent.
“Now listen. These humans have come to our world. There is no stopping them. But take heart, Kerahneeah has always been our home. We shall not abandon it now. So the humans are here, yes. The humans have weapons, yes. But they do not know Kerahneeah as we do.” Aleut bowed his head, his voice low but not yet a growl. “We were always here and we will always be here. The very spirit, the essence of Kerahneeah courses through us. This is our strongest weapon and our strongest defense. These humans are strangers. They are outsiders. We shall stay on our guard at all times. But otherwise, act as though everything is as it has always been.”
“I mean no disrespect, wise Aleut,” purred a large mountain lioness who slinked out from the shadows. “But should we not try to drive out these intruders?”
She tilted her head at him in a questioning manner, her huge green eyes narrowed. I am quite sure that Aleut found the gesture positively infuriating…
Aleut’s icy grey eyes gave the huge cat a hard look, like solid silver fire. The tawny lioness merely yawned, looking rather bored with the whole business. None of the felines of Kerahneeah really feared Aleut, though they held him in great respect. At least I think they did. You never can tell with cats…
“No,” said Aleut, who was very obviously fighting to keep his voice steady. “We are peaceful creatures. We do not seek war. But remember this, if nothing else. Should anything attack us, our vengeance shall be swift and terrible!”
“Yes… Of course…” The lioness narrowed her green eyes even more and bowed her head, turning back to the ledge she had been lounging on.
As the great cat retreated to the shadows, an ancient tortoise hobbled forward out of the huge crowd.
A hush fell over everything as the old one spoke in his husky whispering voice.
“I knew this day would come. The humans will only grow more powerful. Yet no matter how much power they possess, they will always want more. They will let nothing stand in their way. If things carry on this way, there will be nothing left of Kerahneeah but cold ashes and painful memories. Aleut is wise and powerful. We must let him lead us.”
As the ancient one moved quietly back into the masses, low rumblings began to echo throughout the cave.
“Yes, Aleut will lead us,” agreed the bears, the bison and the beavers, who chattered their long orange teeth in approval.
“Our young ones are safe once again!” cooed the mother doe, giving her fawns a nuzzle of affection.
“But what if something happens to Aleut?” cried an owl in his mournful tones, a tear in his huge golden eyes.
“Hissss… Don’t be sssuch a fool, unwissse old owl! Nothing can happen to our great leader!” hissed a very long, very thin blacksnake, with her onyx eyes flashing in the dim cave light.
“Yes, Aleut is immortal! He can never be harmed,” agreed a large swan. “Now can we please get on with this? All the dust in this dreadful cave will never come off my lovely white feathers!”
“Forget your feathers!” screeched a hawk, beating her four-foot wings and throwing her proud beaked head back. “This is WAY more important than your stupid ---”
The huge white bird arched her long neck back incredulously, her beak open in obvious outrage.
“Well I NEVER…!” retorted the now distinctly ruffled-looking swan.
“ENOUGH!” growled Aleut angrily. “This is a serious matter. I will not have my council disturbed by your foolish bickering. Swan! Lay aside your vanity. Hawk! Your intentions were noble but I will not have fighting amongst the creatures whom I am trying to keep in peace! Both of you can either leash your beaks or answer to her.”
He nodded his head toward Grandmother Eagle, who flashed the two offenders a fiery glare. The swan arched her graceful white neck, her elegant head hung in shame. The hawk folded her wings and lowered her hooked beak, the defiant gleam gone from her jewel-black eyes.
“Now,” continued the Supreme King of Kerahneeah. “Does anyone have anything reasonable to add? If so, voice and I shall ponder it.”
He looked around impatiently for any intelligent faces. As far as I could tell, he didn’t find any…