VS.
Arena:
Author: ShinGojira14
Word Count: 5,314 words
Posted: October 14th, 2020
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Lake Tazawa, Northern Japan
A volcanic caldera turned a shimmering veil of H2O over the span of nearly 2 million years, it was a true testament to the works of time and the inevitable cycle of death and rebirth. Life began as a geothermal colossus with a rumbling series of veins full of fiery magma, a volcano that eventually blew its top and released its excess searing heat that ended the lives of all that it touched; upon its death, however, it transformed into something new. As its molten lifeblood slowly ebbed away, its once trademark volcanic shape gradually receding and morphing into a brand new landmass, it changed. Having begun as a tower of deathly heat and noxious fumes, in death it was subsequently reborn as a beautiful haven of greenery, water, and most importantly, life.
The mouth of a barren monolith of ashen desolation and volcanic rock, once upon a time; now, it was a beautiful body of water that both supported and lay surrounded by an entire ecosystem of life. At 423 meters max, it was the deepest lake in all of Japan, and a popular vacation spot for residents. Tazawa Ski Area overlooked the watery veil, but on this cloudy autumn morning there were strangely no residents setting foot on this eons-old soil. For today, the lake was left entirely at peace.
But, through its long history, the lake was rumored to hold an eerie secret.
Some of the oldest of legends tell that at the deepest, darkest depths of the watery crater, there exists a Great Spirit- a powerful guardian who at all costs, must never be disturbed from its slumber unless absolutely necessary. And, the oldest of Japanese men and women claim, should anyone carelessly wake the Great and Powerful Spirit from its sleep and intrude upon the home it allegedly guards so fiercely... ... ...
Woe to all the arrogant souls who dare invoke its divine wrath.
*****
A youthful screech pierced the cool morning air.
Craggy, maroon scales glinted with the thinnest layers of atmospheric water as a large, yet young reptilian body bounded about through the endless hills of multicolored trees. Decently-sized spines running down the back of the quadrupedal animal, the creature was a Varanopode, a species of prehistoric reptile that lived throughout the Mesozoic Era- but while this lizard was a giant to the residents of the countryside, size could be deceiving.
At only 10 meters tall and weighing 60 metric tons, this was a small and infantile Varanopode. A child no older than a few months, an offspring born in the warmth of the previous spring. Carefree, excited screeches left the reptile’s jaws as he crawled about through the mountains, occasionally leaping playfully at the flocks of fleeing birds as if they were butterflies. For a time, the scaly youth simply crawled about exploring this beautiful territory, enjoying bounding and rummaging about the forests for as long as his immature mind desired. But as the minutes passed by and more energy was expended from his small body, the creature grew thirsty, and decided to lumber to the nearby Lake Tazawa for sustenance.
Chirping happily as he pushed aside the trees to walk upon the shores of the shimmering lake, the reptilian toddler took a moment to gaze in wonder upon the watery mirror and its surroundings. So much beauty to be found, as far as the eye could see! Never in his relatively short life had the little Varanopode seen such color! Leaves colored in shades of red, gold, bright green, even orange all intermingled with one another to create an organic tapestry of rainbow colors that spread all across the hills; while every now and then, the wind blew upon the fallen leaf litter to create little airborne puffs of the deceased plants, looking as if the wind were coming alive through the detached leaves. Some blew around and past the saurian cub, who took a moment to chirp and swipe playfully at them as they passed, before turning back to the lake he so desired.
With closed eyes, he dipped his lower jaw beneath the liquid veil with a ripple that spread all across the lake in minutes, and began to drink. Gulp after gulp of fresh, frigid water flowed down his gullet and into his little stomach; the carefree reptile inhaling as much water as he liked to his heart’s content until his stomach was full and cold from the refreshing drink. Letting out a growling sigh, he retracted his head from the lake. Rising up on his own two legs, the infant screeched his little cry to the cold morning air, almost like a makeshift rooster call. Falling silent, he listened curiously to the fading chorus of his own echo, fascinated by the repetitive hearing of his own voice.
A tiny vibration in the earth, so slight and so suddenly it would’ve all but gone entirely unnoticed by most creatures. The lake, having fallen still after a few minutes of the little lizard’s drinking, rippled ever so slightly in response.
Then all was still again.
The Varanopode ceased movement for a bit, curious. But as the land remained still and serene, the youth brushed it aside and began to ponder over what to do next. After ten seconds, he decided simply to wander around the lake’s edge, to scope out more of this beautiful monument to nature.
In the darkness of Lake Tazawa’s watery depths, two magenta orbs lit up the near-blackness.
It started as another light rumble, a ripple in the lake’s surface accommodating it. At first, the immature reptile paid it no mind, simply attributing it to his own footsteps. As the infant continued to wander around the lakeside, however, a new phenomenon made him stop in his tracks- all had gone silent. No birds, no animals, nothing. It was as if the entire mountain range had suddenly grown afraid and held its tongue for dear life.
And then, with the tiniest breeze, a sound unlike any the Varanopode had ever heard in his life began to enter hearing range. It was distant and faint, yet very near at the same time. Low whispers in the windless air slowly began to grow in volume clarity, evolving into a choir of ghostly chanting in a language entirely beyond the young lizard’s comprehension. But, every alien word the invisible voices spoke was always the same, a repetitive mantra that voiced the most revered- yet feared- name of Lake Tazawa. A name rarely spoken since the days of ancient Japan.
“Varadaki... ... ...Varadaki...!”
Before the baby could comprehend exactly where those noises originated and what they meant, the water rippled again with a bell-like chime. As the little reptile peered at the water’s surface and the chanting grew ever more deafening, two purple lights suddenly shone to life beneath the aquatic veil. The Varanopode jumped back in shock with a screech.
And the eyes turned and looked right at him.
The water began to froth and boil violently like the volcano it once was, the spiritual chanting having suddenly come to a complete halt as a regal entity that the island of Japan hadn’t seen in 12,000 years rose from the bubbling mass of water with a howling ululation that sent near-paralyzing chills of terror down the saurian’s spine.
The new arrival sat tall and mighty on a snow-white reptilian body weaved in the posture of a great lion, with longer forearms and large paws ending in claws like meathooks. Tall, pointed spines ran down the beast’s dorsal region in a single row. Glowing, pupil-less magenta eyes shone with a terrifying otherworldly light that seemed to pierce the young Varanopode’s very soul, fixing him with a glare that seemed as if it were judging him. As if he had done something wrong...?
The infant was taken aback by this creature’s appearance, for it looked almost identical to him! It almost resembled the mature version of his species, and yet there were enough notable differences that pointed to the fact that this creature was something else.
The Great Lake Spirit had awoken, his phosphorescent eyes scowling down upon the youthful lizard before him. His eyes were full of scorn, his claws slowly digging into the underwater soil he stood upon with anger. The infant tri-phibian couldn’t do much as twitch; he was all but paralyzed with terror in the presence of this angry entity. He couldn’t bear to do much as look into those eyes, for even averting his gaze he could swear he saw tiny, wispy shapes swirling deep within those carmine red orbs.
The baby nearly jumped out of his scaly skin when the Legendary White Wind Monster Varadaki lunged forward and unleashed a wrathful wail that sounded like a cross between the roar of a lion and the howl of a wolf, surrounded by the crescendo of a thousand ghostly screams. Only then did terror finally give way to survival instincts, and the baby screamed in terror and began to bound away as fast as his little legs could carry him. But nearly as quickly as he widened the gap between him and the great Varadaki, the enraged spirit suddenly glided right over the immature Varanopode on two great flaps of skin attached to his limbs, landing right in front of the burgundy hatchling. With a swift turn, he faced down the youthful saurian with a wolfish growl.
With a fearful yowl, the baby tried to run to the side, but with a graceful leap the ghostly guardian blocked his path. No matter where the young lizard tried to go, the vengeful spirit landed in his path with the grace of a hunting serval. The infant screeched in fear as he realized there was nowhere to run, and the Great Lake Spirit began to stalk towards him like a hunting big cat. The beastly wraith growled an otherworldly drone as it neared, eyes illuminated with contemptuous fury. The youth had disrupted his long slumber for no reason whatsoever, and now punishment would have to be dealt.
The White Wind Monster roared another spiritual scream as he loomed over the terrified hatchling, who cowered back with another fearful cry as the spirit raised a paw... ... ...
A howling shrill that rattled the mountains and shook any and all leaves off the trees of Japan made the guardian spirit jolt, his claw lowered as he looked up beyond the hills. The infant raised its head upon hearing the roar, and a tiny spark of hope lit up within the bowels of blood-freezing terror. The reverb echoed mightily across the mainland, so far that even those in Japan’s capital city of Tokyo could hear it. But as the echo began to fade away, the musical, ghostly chanting from before began to fill the air once again- but this time, they spoke a new word. One spoken not out of reverence, but fear.
“Bara, Baradagi... ... ...Ba, Ra, Baradagi, Baradagi!”
The ground began to tremble, vibrating repeatedly under Varadaki’s paws. The tremors were growing stronger by the second, causing the saurian spirit to sit back up for a better view. And the magenta lights that substituted for eyes didn’t take long before they caught sight of something massive lumbering into view from behind the tallest mountain; something powerful, something imposing, something... ... ...unbelievable. An entity which stood up on two legs upon reaching the top, and bellowed forth another terrifying shrill. Howling with fury, beating its chest like a silverback gorilla.
The child’s father had arrived.
Spreading his limbs to reveal flaps of skin akin to a flying squirrel, the new arrival screeched and soared off the mountain, landing upon the next before breaking into a bounding sprint. The Great Lake Spirit took a step forward with an echoing growl, while the invisible spirits began to chant fearfully louder. The Great Mountain God Baradagi was angry!
The giant reptile landed before the lake-dwelling ghost with a bass rumble, trees snapping like twigs from his descent, and all at once the chanting came to an abrupt halt. The White Wind Monster gazed upon the great beast with his character-less eyes, sizing him up. The two goliaths were similar in many ways, but the Great Mountain God distributed many differences. For one, he was bigger- MUCH bigger. He was a Varanopode, but unlike the immature hatchling whom Varadaki pursued, this creature was a full-fledged adult. Towering an impressive 90 meters on his two great legs, his body rippled with impressive muscle that matched that of the lake spirit, his back adorned by an impressive array of dorsal spines. His fierce brown eyes were the exact opposite of that of whom he faced; the eyes of Varadaki were mystical lights of pure divine wrath, shining with the souls of the thousands that made up his internal being.
But while the eyes of Varadaki were mystical in nature, the eyes of the great Baradagi conveyed something far more chillingly primal. Something far more ancient than even the oldest human spirits. His roar was a cry from a bygone era, from a time when giants stalked the earth. A relic of the prehistoric age. But despite their feral fierceness, those eyes shone with a righteous wrath that rivaled that of the Great Lake Spirit, a certain aura of protectiveness that met the ghostly gaze of the guardian with fearless resolve.
“Baradagi,” the spirits continued to chant, “Baradagi, Baradagi!”
For thousands of years, the beast before him went by a name; one even older than his own, a name widely feared amongst the village natives of Katami River in Siberia. A name chanted in song and pleas as a means of appeasement whenever his wrath threatened to reach a boiling point. Baradagi, the great God of Mountain. However, as centuries passed by, the beast went by another name, one uttered by the modern tongues of the 20 and 21st centuries:
Varan.
Varan spread his arms and roared a screeching threat towards the saurian spirit that so strangely resembled him. When Varadaki curled his lip in a snarl and reverberated another ghostly moan, the adult Varanopode ran forward and knocked his head against his chest, sending him careening away from the infant. Screeching in relief, the baby bounded straight to his father’s side, the mighty tri-phibian bending down to nuzzle his son with grumbles of relief.
Then his eyes turned upwards to lock with those of his spiritual doppelgänger.
Clasping one arm around his child, Varan gently pulled him out of the way, nudging him towards the trees to take cover. The little Varanopode crouched low as he backed into the undergrowth, eyes fixed on the two reptilian lookalikes as his father began to circle the Great Lake Spirit. Varadaki sat still, his feline stance unbroken as he watched the prehistoric beast stalk around him with animalistic fury seething in his narrowed eyes. His soul-filled eyes piercing through Varan’s very being, examining him with the same judgmental stare he had given his offspring. Varan felt an odd, uncomfortable sensation prick at him, a feeling he didn’t know how to asses, but it frightened him not.
Varan hissed a fierce warning to the reptilian phantom, his last. A warning that went unheeded when the souls of the deceased screamed for punishment through Varadaki’s gaping jaws, the specter stepping in the direction of the frightened infant.
The Great Lake Spirit could’ve sworn he saw something snap when Varan suddenly lunged into him like a frenzied German Shepherd; the fight was on!
Varan lunged in for a bite, but a swipe across the face from Varadaki’s paw sent him reeling. First blood had been drawn, but Varan returned it in kind; with a swing of his tail, he clocked the spectral quadruped across the face. It didn’t take long for Varadaki to regain his regal composure, staring through his prehistoric adversary with looks that intended to kill. But had such a concept been a reality, the stare Varan gave the reptilian spirit would’ve burnt him to a smoldering corpse and sent his soul straight to the afterlife- if he even had one to begin with.
Rearing up on two legs, Varan screeched and stomped towards his ghostly doppelgänger, who howled wolfishly as he jumped to meet him like a big cat. Smacking their muscular upper bodies against one another, snapping and clawing at each other all the while pushing their sheer physical prowess in a battle of pure might, the saurian gods dueled like colossal Japanese Sumo Wrestlers. The ground and water alike trembled and thundered as their massive weight crashed time and time against it, each trying their hardest to out-muscle the other.
Varadaki howled menacingly into Varan’s face, lashing out once more to claw the Great Mountain God across the throat. As Varan screeched in pain, Varadaki lunged in and clamped his sturdy jaws tightly upon his neck. Legendary fangs pierced Mesozoic flesh and drew streams of blood that poured down the thrashing lizard’s neck, a hollow echo growling from within Varadaki’s throat all the while Varan roared and stomped about in a rage. Like a hunting tiger attacking a water buffalo, Varadaki kept his mighty jaws clamped upon the tri-phibian’s neck, attempting to exert enough force to cut off his air supply and thus squeeze the life out of him. But Varan switched methods- with savage ferocity he began to claw and slash away at Varadaki’s underbelly. At first, his talons did little but rake sparks across the gargoyle’s tough skin, but as he kept up the pace he began to see lines of red form on the marks.
Varadaki’s jaws squeezed harder.
Varan decided enough was enough. Abandoning his original plan, the great Baradagi grabbed hold of his enemy’s jaws with his clawed hands, and with strength that genuinely surprised the Great Lake Spirit, began to gradually pry them apart. Varadaki tried to exert more pressure, but Varan was pulling apart equally as hard. At the very moment the guardian’s teeth exited the saurian’s skin, Varan struck. Yanking the spirit by the face and forcing his jaws shut, Varan released a dominant screech as he shoved Varadaki into the shallow water with a mighty splash!
Varan reared over his fallen opponent in an attempt to take him while he was down, only for a claw swipe across the throat to make him recoil. Regaining his composure, Varadaki reacted just as Varan tried to swipe him back, catching the offending limb in his jaws and biting down hard. The prehistoric behemoth bellowed at the top of his lungs as the thick teeth began to crack the bone, responding by smashing his brow into Varadaki’s face. One blow staggered the spectral custodian, the second forced him to let go with a cry of pain. Bending low with a defensive howl, Varadaki swiped a warning at his prehistoric rival, warning him not to come any closer. For a moment Varan held still, curling his lip in a bass snarl as he stood eye-to-eye with Varadaki. Magenta wrathful wisps met timber prehistoric orbs in a death stare that was every bit as primal as the battle they engaged in.
Then they leaped towards one another with a bodily CRASH! And the wrestling match re-started.
The two saurians grappled with powerful brutishness, once again abandoning all thoughts of dodging or outsmarting each other and intending solely to topple the other with sheer physical, bestial power. Claws gripped monolithic flesh in stone-crushing grips, fangs snapped and rent bleeding gashes to stain the ground a shining crimson, and roars that shook all dust off the oldest crevices boomed through the mountains as two colossal gods pushed and shoved against one another with all their masculine prowess at their disposal. Like testosterone-fueled Komodo Dragons in the breeding season, they fought and fought with seemingly no hope of stopping.
Varadaki’s foot reared up off the ground as he prepared to step back- just as Varan gave him a rough shove backwards. Tripping up off his feet, Varadaki could only howl in surprise as he was sent toppling to the ground with a mighty thud!
Varan bellowed as he tackled him like an enraged tiger, his own jaws now clamped down upon the stone-hard scales of the spirit’s neck. Varadaki wiggled and thrashed about, his claws reaching up to pierce deep into the triphibian shoulders and rake down to carve deep lacerations, but Varan continued to exert more jaw strength. Shaking his head like a rabid dog, he tried to push his fangs deeper and deeper into the Great Lake Spirit’s tough flesh, all the while Varadaki slashed and scratched into his body with relentless fury in an attempt to dislodge him.
Angered, the Great Mountain God Baradagi summoned his mighty strength and pushed up to his hind legs, yanking the White Wind Monster up off the ground with him. Then, with a downward swipe of his head, he slammed Varadaki to the ground in a massive spray of dirt and soil. But as he began to strain in preparation for another go, Varadaki lifted another claw and swiped in the direction of-
Varan let his grip go just as the claws managed to slash him across the face, one of the spirit’s claws managing to cut a bloody swath mere inches from his left eye. A screech of pain yowled from Varan’s jaws as he recoiled, giving Varadaki the time he needed to swipe him upside the chin with his head, knocking him flat on his side. Varan groaned as his lower jaw throbbed with pain, straining his leg muscles to push himself- and his eyes widened when Varadaki came charging at him, head lowered to ram into his vulnerable underbelly. Reacting quicker than he thought himself capable of, Varan reached out just in time to clasp the White Wind Monster by the sides of his head, holding with all his strength as he stopped him dead in his tracks. Then, with a powerful shove, he sent the wraithlike gargoyle hurtling backwards with a bewildered scream.
Rolling over to plant all four limbs in the ground and sprawl on his belly like a crocodile, Varan boomed his own prehistoric war cry and began to crawl rapidly towards his spectral doppelgänger. Varadaki hissed a demonic snarl as Varan leaped like a big cat, ready to bring his jaws down upon his enemy’s neck when the wrathful ghost suddenly leaped right off the ground, soaring into the air on his gliding membranes! Varan growled angrily as he spat out nothing but a mouthful of wood and bark, all the while Varadaki continued to glide in circles around him. But Varan didn’t stay on the ground; spreading his own limbed membranes of skin, he too kicked off the ground and powered himself into the air.
And not a moment too soon.
His paws spread like a hunting eagle, his body curved in an arc, Varadaki had changed targets- he was powering straight towards the Varanopode hatchling, who screamed fearfully as the vengeful spirit neared him in seconds. But just before Varadaki could land his powerful paws upon the terrified toddler, his old man slammed into the spirit from the side with a savage roar, tackling him out of the air and landing with a mountain-rattling quake.
Landing in a heap, they instantly clawed and bit at one another like angry felines, Varan’s eyes seeing nothing but molten white in his pure rage as he attempted to mutilate his son’s attacker. When it seemed they were too evenly matched in their tooth and claw melee, Varan curled his hand into a fist and clocked the Great Lake Spirit across the jaw as hard as he could, actually managing to crack a tooth. As Varadaki loosed a wolf-like howl laced with ghastly screams, Varan bellowed his signature roar as he assailed the gargoyle-like beast, beating him in a maddened rage with his bare hands. As his next fist flew towards the guardian, however, Varadaki lunged and bit down on the appendage. HARD.
So Varan retaliated.
Bellowing fiercely, the prehistoric lizard lunged with a claw and jabbed it straight into the wispy orb that was Varadaki’s left eye. The souls of the deceased screamed in loss through his gaping jaws as the ghoulish guardian let go of the Varanopode, who seized the chance to have at him on the spot. Clamping his jaws down on the side of the lake spirit’s neck, he grabbed hold of different sections of Varadaki’s upper body as he pinned him to the ground in a death grip, all the while he continued to build compression to his bite. As the White Wind Monster struggled and howled, kicking about with his lower body, Varan’s teeth continued to clash against Varadaki’s stone-like scales in a battle of physics that almost seemed to last for minutes when in actuality it only lasted a good thirty seconds. The strongest teeth aided by the sturdiest jaws fought against skin as hard as diamond, one’s goal to force the armor to give in and pierce the flesh beneath while the other to fortify against the ivory daggers until they either gave up or cracked under stress.
Eventually, an outcome had to be reached.
Varadaki’s once seemingly impenetrable hide finally gave way and Varan’s teeth pierced deep into his ancient flesh, drawing rivers of blood and a howl of pain. But even as Varan continued to bite through the guardian’s neck, that wasn’t the end of it; with a rough swing of his head, he smashed the White Wind Monster to the ground in front of him. Before Varadaki could recover, the Great Mountain God Baradagi grabbed him by the neck and base of his tail in his clawed hands. As the Great Lake Spirit tried to struggle, Varan put all the pressure he could into his arms as he began to lift- which included his wounded forelimb. Roaring in equal parts terrible agony and tremendous effort, the unbelievable monster stood to his full 90-meter height and lifted the White Wind Monster clear over his head- then, with yet another strain of his upper body muscles, he threw the great Varadaki forward!
The one-eyed guardian landed on the other side of the lake with a mighty impact that rushed several trees and kicked up a massive cloud of dirt and bark; when the debris cleared, the ghostly guardian lay completely still, looking much less the fearsome warrior he had been mere moments ago, much more an inanimate statue that seemed to lie lifelessly amidst the leafless autumn trees as if it had never moved at all to begin with. Varan watched him intently for a full minute, heaving and panting as he regained his breath all the while. But no matter how long he waited, no further movement came from the Great Lake Spirit.
Snorting wisps of vapor from his massive nostrils, Varan stood to his full height and roared a cry of victory that echoed across the island of Japan, beating his chest with his hands as a statement of power.
A small, cooing chirp from behind made the mountain god land back on all fours and turn about face, just as he saw his offspring slowly peek his head out from above the trees; his tiny body still trembling like a frightened fawn. A gentle grunt from Varan told him it was okay, that he was safe now, and the infant slowly began to crawl out of his hiding place with gradual, shaky steps. Grumbling softly, Varan lowered down to nuzzle his son’s small form as the child returned the gesture in kind while uttering a happy squeak. As the reptilian father rubbed his sturdy skull against his progeny’s burgundy scales, the infant’s shivering slowly came to a stop, as Varan grumbled gentle reassurances to his stressed child.
Suddenly, the loud cracking of trees and the booming of footsteps caused the little Varanopode to duck under his old man’s larger body, and Varan whirled around with a fierce snarl as, sure enough, Varadaki rolled over and crawled back on all fours with an elk-like bugle.
However, as Varan stood tense, glaring daggers at the injured guardian, no attack came. The magenta-eyed spirit simply stood there, staring back at the saurian parent with his one remaining eye, his expression all but unreadable. For a tense long moment, nobody moved. Only a suspenseful staring contest as two giant reptiles waited for what felt like a silent eternity for one to make a move of any kind. Then, in a moment that made Varan tense further, Varadaki suddenly began to lumber forward. Cleanly, swiftly taking to the water, the reptilian gargoyle glided through the lake like a giant alligator as he swam towards the great Baradagi, who stood to his full height and curled his upper lip in a snarl while his son hid behind his leg. It didn’t take long for the wrathful wraith to reach the shore in front of him, wading out of the water like the divine monolith he was as he soon stood before the prehistoric reptile.
And then, out of nowhere, he stretched one paw forward to clasp the ground... ... ...and bowed submissively before the Great Mountain God Baradagi.
For a bit, Varan simply towered over his yielding adversary while he curled his tail around his nervous offspring, eyes narrowing when the statue-like beast raised his head just by an inch to look him in the eye. Suddenly, he lunged down and roared as loud as his lungs would allow into Varadaki’s face, making the ghost jolt ever so slightly as he lowered his head in clear acceptance of the mountain god’s request.
If you ever come near my son again... ... ...
As the prehistoric beast’s terrifying bellow of warning echoed across the mountainous landscape, the Great Lake Spirit loosed a final ominous rumble and began to back away, head still bowed and body still lowered as he crawled backwards, towards Lake Tazawa. Without even raising his head once or even looking back, Varadaki the White Wind Monster receded back into the lake from whence he cane, sinking deeper and deeper away until his body was entirely submerged in the rippling veil of H2O, the sole magenta light of his remaining eye fading out of sight as he vanished without a trace, seemingly as quickly as he had arrived.
The Great Lake Spirit has returned to the depths to rest once more.
Varan didn’t know what had triggered the saurian ghost’s sudden change of heart, what had triggered him to turn from fight to flight, but at this point he didn’t care. Standing up and raising his arms high, Varan released a final cry of triumph to let all within hearing range know of his power- and thus to never come within his eyes’ view of his child. As his bellow of victory came to an end, Varan reached down to gently clasp his scaly cub in his hands. Lifting him off the ground, he allowed his son to leap onto his shoulder, repositioning himself so he was looking over the base of his father’s neck. With his pride and joy safe and in tow, the Great Mountain God Baradagi spread his membranes and kicked off the ground, gliding away from this strange place and towards the mountains they called home. His child had wandered a little too far from home today to play- it was time to take him back before they wandered into another mishap.
Gliding powerfully on the winds as the magnificent titan nature designed him to be, Varan loomed over the forests below as he flew swiftly into the distance, himself vanishing too out of sight from this ancient lake.
His little cub could maybe wander about these lands when he was older- he had seen enough excitement for one day.
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