A Para-fable (Complete Version)

Before the farmer's son could stop him, Lemuel, now fully awake, ran to the fire and grabbed one of the flaming pieces of wood. Then he turned towards the fast-approaching figure of the mounted Laoakan, waving the torch madly and shouting at the top of his voice.

The horse suddenly reared, his forelegs clawing frantically against the blackness of the night sky, for greater than his fear of the wolves was his fear of fire! Laoakan let go of the reins and kicked himself free of the saddle just before the stallion's legs gave way; its mighty heart had finally beat its last.

Laoakan fell near the stallion, seemingly helpless.

"Help me!" he cried, as the wolves closed around the stallion. Their fangs bared, they began to pull at the flanks of the dead horse, tearing at its flesh.

The alpha female jumped atop the exposed belly and bit down on the soft flesh; Laoakan heard the crunch of the massive jaws as the she-wolf began pulling at the lifeless heap, mere inches away from him.

"Help me!" he cried again.

Suddenly, the wolves turned away from their feasting. Shouting and waving the torch and long sword, Lemuel and Calmando, ran to the fallen rider.

"Keep them away for as long as possible, Lemuel, while I help Laoakan," Calmando said.

"You do know we'll regret this, don't you?" the governor's nephew shouted back as he kept the wolves at bay with the torch.

Calmando did not reply, he laid his sword down, grabbed the assistant's arms and managed to pull him behind a near-by outcrop. Laoakan moaned. Calmando released the assistant's arms.

"Where is the pain, Laoakan?" Calmando asked.

The assistant only moaned louder and passed out.

"I don't think I can hold them off any longer, Calmando," Lemuel's voice rang out above the noise.

The wolves had come closer again, snarling and baring their fangs. Suddenly, the juvenile male lunged.

Lemuel managed to hit its snout with the flame of the torch. It yelped loudly and retreated behind the stallion, its tail between its legs, but it did not run off -- he could hear its growls of distress as it climbed atop the carcass.

By now, the two females had positioned themselves at opposite ends of the dead horse.

Calmando retrieved his sword and quickly ran back to Lemuel, he knew the pair was about to attack. He grabbed the saddle blanket from the stallion and quickly wrapped it around his left arm. With the long sword in his right, he stood beside his friend.

"Just remember to never turn your back on them," he said.

The younger man nodded. Philosophy had been one of his favorite classes under Matang Lawin and Lemuel had sometimes wondered about the reason for his own existence, his path in life and the manner of his eventual death; but being torn to pieces by a pack of wolves to save Laoakan never entered his mind.

The alpha female suddenly emitted a long howl -- and the two younger wolves attacked.

Lemuel faced the younger female; swooping down on her with the lit torch; she wheeled around and managed to elude the flame, but Lemuel quickly swung the stick the other way. The searing heat struck her full on the face, immediately blinding her. She yelped in pain and ran off clumsily into the dark.

The juvenile male leapt from the horse, its red eyes fixed firmly on Calmando. The farmer's son raised his left arm as the beast struck, the wolf's jaws clamping shut just below his left elbow.

A vicious tug of war ensued, the male was young and inexperienced but he was, by far, the strongest of the three. He bit down even harder on Calmando's arm, at the same time pulling and shaking his head violently, intent on gnawing through the thick cloth.

Calmando could not use his sword, the beast was too close, there was no room for him to draw the blade; instead, he struck the crazed animal on the head with the pommel. The blow hit the wolf at the top of its snout, the beast immediately released Calmando's arm, this was all the farmer's son needed.

Holding the sword with one hand, he swung the blade back in one graceful arc, slicing across the juvenile's neck. There was not so much as a whimper from the beast, its jugular vein was cut clean through -- blood squirted through the deep gash and quickly matted the coarse fur around the neck.

Lemuel was turning back towards the dead horse when he heard a growl behind him.

The alpha female had caught him off guard. She lunged at him, knocking the torch from his grasp, he was now weaponless. He would have to wrestle her bare-handed.

Crouching down low, he prepared for her second onslaught. The she-wolf gave a low growl and leapt; knowing that she was aiming for his windpipe, Lemuel crossed his arms in front of him.

Magdalo reached the camp just as the female was about to lunge at Lemuel's throat. With a cry, he ran towards them, his staff held in front of him. The sound drew the she-wolf's attention.

She jumped clear over the governor's son and ran towards the hermit instead. This old man would be an easier prey, he would not be as strong as the other two.

Magdalo ran towards the alpha female. He saw her sudden burst of speed, he knew she was about to leap. Then he remembered the dream he had.

He quickly dropped to his knees, pushed his staff into the ground and held it tight before him.

"I need you, Magdangal," he whispered.

The she-wolf gave one blood-curdling howl and jumped into the air -- and fell, lifeless, impaled on his staff -- with Calmando's sword buried deep in its side.

Calmando ran up to the hermit. They embraced and began to laugh. Soon they were dancing around like the clowns in the travelling shows that stopped by the Great Market every few weeks.

"What a tale to tell your children and your grandchildren, eh?" Magdalo gleefully cried.

Calmando could only nod wordlessly, grateful that they had all escaped with their lives. He turned to call out to Lemuel, but he was not there.

They ran to the outcrop, hoping to find the Lakan's nephew tending to the assistant, but Laoakan, too, was nowhere to be found.

Instead, there were tracks that led up to a small hill.

"All you have to do is sign it, Lemuel, and you both go free. Look, I'll even give you two a few minutes to discuss it, but you do know that there is only one outcome, yes?"

Laoakan removed the gag from Mariquita's mouth. After checking the ropes that bound them, he led the donkey into a copse of young trees.

Lemuel and Mariquita knew better than to trust Laoakan. The assistant probably had earmarked the place where he intended to bury their bodies, once he got Lemuel's signature.

"I'm sorry, Mariquita," the Lakan's nephew said, "I should not have let Magdalo persuade me to go to my uncle."

"We both know the power that comes with being Lakan is the only one strong enough to defeat Laoakan and the greed of the Maharlikas, Lemuel," Mariquita answered, "there is nothing to be sorry about, you did the only thing you could do."

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The young she-wolf stopped in its tracks and sniffed; it had not totally lost its eyesight, but seeing only ghostly grey outlines covered with a dark mist was a liability, especially for a predator like her. But what she had not lost was the strong power of smell that was the legacy of her ancestors. She craned her neck, moving her neck from side to side to better focus on the scents she had picked up.

Yes, the odors were definitely prey, a pack animal and...a man...she took a few steps forward, stopped and sniffed the ground in front of her again, the scents were directly ahead. But there was now another smell that floated above those of the preys'...it was different...it was new...it was powerful...and it beckoned her to follow.

She hesitated; dare she risk a second dangerous encounter in one night? She had no recourse, with hunger gnawing at her insides and the unknown force calling to her, she had to obey.

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Calmando and Magdalo were also following the trail of footsteps they found. It was clear that Laoakan had overpowered the thinner Lemuel, an arm-lock across the neck could render a man unconscious, and Laoakan was an expert wrestler.

As they descended from the hill, the trail changed; there were now two, even three, different sets of footprints and the slight indentations on the sandy ground showed that someone had been sitting there for quite some time.

"Laoakan brought the donkey," Calmando said as he recognized the hoof prints of a small pack animal

The hermit nodded then he realized that the multiple sets of prints were all headed in one direction.

"They're going to Green Forest."

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Laoakan stretched his arms above his head and sat up, the soft grass under the young trees proved to be quite comfortable. As he rested, his thoughts drifted to what he would eventually do to the school once he secured Lemuel's signature on the second letter he had forged, the first one was the certificate deeding the school, its land and High Mountain to him with Matang Lawin's forged signature.

And once he presented the second deed to the Lakan, the ageing ruler would have no choice but to choose a different heir, for the document was Lemuel's false abdication letter. Of course, the Lakan would be forced to choose someone from the greedy Maharlikas, who could not wait to sink their teeth into Green Forest; with all that power, no one could stop Laoakan; there could not have been a better ending to all his scheming.

He stood up and walked to the small lake of clear spring water beside the copse, he bent down and scooped a handful of water into his mouth; he was about to scoop a second one when he felt the hair on his neck rise, a pair of red eyes were staring at him from behind a bush. Before he could draw a breath, the young she-wolf leapt at the assistant, clamped its jaws and teeth into the man's neck and bit down hard, Laoakan could not even let out a scream.

Frightened, the little donkey ran back to the clearing where Lemuel and Mariquita were.

The she-wolf shook the assistant twice, before releasing him; his lifeless body fell on the banks, an apt ending for Laoakan, whose name meant the man from the lake.

Hearing the cries of two more humans, the she-wolf quickly retreated back into the dark bushes...and her new alpha.

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"You can come back anytime and you'll always be welcome, Magdalo," Calmando said as the hermit prepared to leave.

It was a month since Lemuel was installed as Lakan, and the three of them, Calmando, Mariquita and the hermit beamed with pride and a hint of sadness, as they watched Lemuel chant the Oath of Office along with six babaylans, to ensure the gods' favor.

Instead of spending on a grand feast with the Maharlikas, which usually accompanied the new ruler's installation, Lemuel used the money to buy bread, rice and corn which he ordered distributed to the general population of the capital city. The greedy members of the nobility were appalled, but there was nothing they could do, the old Lakan had chosen Lemuel and to challenge a Lakan's edict was to challenge the gods themselves.

"Why must you go?" Mariquita asked.

The hermit did not answer right away; instead, he looked at the Plains of Medero

"I've spent more than twenty years roaming the Medero, I'd like to see what lies beyond her borders," Magdalo answered.

Calmando smiled and shook the hermit's hand. Magdalo turned away and walked down the path.

Summer was ending on High Mountain, and though it would take time, both Calmando and Mariquita knew the small school by its foothills would rise again.

The farmer's son took the hand of the mayoress' daughter and led her to join the other students.

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The young she-wolf ate her fill of the rabbit meat that was always left in front of the den she had sniffed out beside the copse of young trees; above her, a falcon circled the blue sky of Green Forest, its sharp eyes continually scanning the horizon for any danger. As the new alpha, Green Forest was now his home, and its inhabitants -- his new family -- he would always protect them.