Today’s story is inspired by Manticore, by Lucas Graciano.
“You want me to spare you?” The beast sounded furious. Its claws racked at the rocks, reached for me. “After all you’ve done?”
I caught my breath. He couldn’t get in the small rocky hollow I had found in the hill. This had been my plan D, the worst case scenario. Plan A was to have the arrow in the manitcore’s side be between his eyes. He had dodged at the last moment. Plan B was the nets the creature’s spiny tail had shredded. Plan C was running before he spotted me, but I had failed to realize how well the creature could see at night. Plan D was to hide in the rock until he got bored.
It had been nine hours and he still wasn’t bored.
“Mistakes were made,” I said. “You were the wrong creature I was slated to find.”
“Lies!” The beast screamed at me. “I know of the bounty the river men have on my mane. I know because you are not the first hunter. Nor will you be the last.”
It clawed at a loose rock again. It had been working that one for a few hours. I pushed my sword out and trust it again at the paw, nearly hitting it this time.
“Stop that. I won’t let you in.” I honestly didn’t know if moving that rock might help the manticore further into the cave, but he was convinced now I thought it was important to keep him away from the stone. It kept him from noticing the real entrance.
“I will eat you, most of you. Then I will parade your carcass over the crown as a warning to the next hunter. Your bones will bleach in burning sun.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
He roared.
“So then what happened to the last hunter?” I asked.
“I ate him, and put the remains on the crown.” He reached for the stone again but pulled his paw back before I even raised my blade.
“I didn’t see him. Not a good warning if the next hunter doesn’t see it.”
The beast paused.
“No, It, it wasn’t. You are still here. I will not eat you! I will just kill you and leave your carcass on the crown!”
“For the crows? And why are you so obsessed about the crown? What crown are you talking about?”
“Here, above us!”
“Above these rocks? I can’t see up there. And no hunter’s going to try and get up there if they’re just going to shot at you.”
“I can easily see it,” he said.
“Well, go over by the pond, down there. That’s where I approached. See if you can see it from there.”
The manticore paused, then left the entrance of the cave. I didn’t budge as I listened to his large leathery wings striking the air.
“Yes, you’re right,” I heard his voice in the distance. “I cannot see it from here. I will eat you and leave your carcass here at the river bed as a warning to the next hunter.”
“Good luck to him,” I thought. I considered leaving, but thought better of it as the large wings came back.
“I will eat you and leave your body at the river” He said as he approached. He scratched at the entrance and then stopped. “Are you still in there?”
I could hear his claws scrapping at the ground outside the cave as if he was pacing or moving back and forth. He then reached his claw in again towards the rock, but I didn’t poke him with the blade. The rock fell with ease and the entrance opened just a little wider. I prayed to the forest this would work.
“You’re gone! A trick! A trick to get me to leave the cave!” His voice grew louder as his anger grew, and then I heard those large wings again.
I poked my head out of the cave and saw him heading towards the river town I had come from. They could keep their gold. This hunt wasn’t worth it any more. I headed the opposite direction as quickly as I could.
Nothing wrong with a fun romp through the world of fantasy, hunting monsters, and trying to not be dinner. On a side note when I read this story out loud during editing, I found myself rather painfully speaking deep for the manticore’s voice. If this one ever comes out in audio, know I suffered for the art.