The Mountain Beast.

The beast breathed heavily. In the cave he crept in, seeking for the treasure that was hidden by the great mountain beast. The treasure was once a gift of the gods to the village and yet the beast stole it way before his time. The beast is said to have lived over a thousand years. Yet, within a few hours, after years of attempts, he had conquered it.

His fellow students told him that his master had done all but only one thing. His master had mastered commanding the elements. With his sword, the master could call upon the roars of thunder and the strikes of lightning. With his sword, the master could call forth demons and banish them to the underworld. The master of the School of Six had mastered all that could possibly be mastered. Yet, with his greatness, the master failed only to master one thing. To tame the great beast of the mountain.

For years the beast lived in the mountain cave. It would wake up in awkward hours of the night and roar with pleasure. Pleasure unknown to the village below. The beast would stroll down the foot of the mountain occasionally. Usually, during these strolls, the villagers could smell its pungent odour. The odour was so potent that when inhaled by newborn babies, they would suffocate to it.

The villagers and the beast lived somewhat peacefully. The beast hardly if ever came to the village and the villagers hardly if ever went up the mountain. The local monarchy ordained the School of Six to be the guardians, the peacemakers and the mediators between the beast and the village. For even though the beast hardly troubled the village, its omnipotent presence raged fear throughout the countryside.

One day, the beast, out of boredom, decided to go eat all the pigs in the village. With childish laughter, the beast ran in the streets of the village, threatening all that opposed it. When this occurred, the students and the master of the School of Six were out visiting the neighbours, the Ordained Fellowship of the Eight. The beast saw the master and his students cross the river that separated the two schools. The beast saw this as his opportunity to have some fun with the poor villagers.

The moment the school returned, there was palpable sadness across the atmosphere of the village. The houses were in intact; the fences were solid and maintained respectable distances between neighbours. However, sadness as thick as cow’s hide clothed the faces of the villagers. One of the students realised that large footprints covered the village’s footpaths. As the students zoned in into their observations, the local priest arrived.

“The beast ate all the pigs. The people have nothing. We are poor and now we have nothing to trade with,” she said as tears began swelling around her eyes. She was recently ordained as a priest after 32 years serving as a nun in the local monastery. In her first official year of service as a priest, the Lord decided to take her joy.

“Fear not, this deed will not go unpunished. Students of Six, head to the school. Take with you a bag of rice and deliver it to every villager. Even the ones whose pigs were not eaten give each villager a bag of rice. Today is the day we retrieve what is rightfully ours,” said the master and concluded his statement with a stomp of his sword to the ground. He drove his sword with so much force, the ends of his cape rose from the ground. His students understood all too well that today was the day that he would tame the beast.