Trickey #8
Short of breath and with your head whirling from the attack, you beat your wings wearily away from the harpies, leaving them far behind. Your fur is stained with your own blood but, thankfully, you are not injured too badly, so are able to continue flying at a steady pace. The landscape is changing swiftly and some stretches of grass pass below that do not look so dry and bleached of life, which gives you a little spark of hope that maybe you will be able to find some water soon. After a short while, you have to set down and you circle slowly, picking out a patch of greener grass that might be comfortable for a few moments.
Landing gently, you sigh happily as the cool grass soothes the sore pads of your paws. Dropping the satchel on the ground, you start as the loose flap falls open, the scroll and those three eggs rolling out. You sit down and prod the scroll until it unrolls, trying to ignore those eggs, which had been so mesmerizing before; it is no good in being hypnotized by them now - you have the next item on the list to collect.
"One gold key, guarded by the chimera," you read aloud, flicking your tail. "Where will I find that thing? What is it? What' a chimera?"
Jerking your head up, you chance that you see something slinking behind a pile of rugged rocks not too distant from you. The shape is slender, although you only catch sight of it for a split second; whatever animal it is, is too cunning to remain in sight for long and slips away like a snake. Slowly, you roll up the scroll, never once taking your eyes off those rocks, and push everything back into your pack, securing it across your back once again, so that you may have free use of your paws. You must investigate.
You advance slowly, stalking the rocks with your body hunkered low to the ground, imagining the lionesses of the Serengeti preparing to pounce upon an unsuspecting antelope. What's behind there? Is it something like the harpies? Will it attack? You are not willing to take any chances and the predator's stance seems to come naturally to you, every muscle in your body tense and burning for action. Snarling out a warning, you dart around the sharp, angular rocks and stop dead in your tracks.
It is a real beast that stands in front of you, it's head lowered and growling deep in its throat; the...creature is a cacophony of animals muddled together into one form, as if a child has put them together using clay, and it is absolutely terrifying. You whimper softly, looking over the lion head and front half with large paws, which is by far the least frightening of the whole ensemble. Upon the middle of its back is a goat's head, which turns to look at you, its eyes wide and fearful - the hindquarters of the animal are also like that of a normal goat with a soft, vulnerable grey coat. The tail, however...you shrink back from the tail, eyes trying to follow its quick, darting movements. It is a living, breathing, writing, hissing serpent... The tail is split into three cobras, staring at you with beady, calculating eyes: it is judging whether or not you are prey.
Now you know what a chimera is.
"What do you want here?" The chimera asks suspiciously, with his - for the pitch is too low to be feminine - lion head, pawing restlessly at the ground. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Written by Amethyst Mare on 06 July 2012
