That’s my King Part I

I sat against the hard rock in the blackness my back rested uncomfortably against the cave wall. My feet were blistered and bleeding. I could hardly remember the details of my flight. On minute I had been walking through the long golden field and the next I was running for my life. I don’t know what had caused me to flee but I felt an evil chasing me. I heard a snap of a twig and a fear filled my heart and I took of running.

It had been dusk when I left my hut. The sun was setting over the rolling hills of oceans of long grass and grain. My intentions had been to just climb the hill and watch the sunset. The hues of the orange, and pink and even some green greeted my eyes with a brightness that left me feeling filled with peace. Oh how glorious and great the master artist was how awesome were his strokes of pure colors. The sun gently fell between two hills almost centered perfectly as if it had been stretched and painted onto a canvas. I had finished watching the sun go down and as the first star appeared in the greenish blue sky I headed back home. The brisk air, and cool breeze were welcome as the hot day had left my body hot, and sticky from perspiration. I hummed a gentle tune as I continued walking down the old worn path. This was a familiar journey one I made quite often.

About halfway home a dark cloud passed in front of the moon, the stars were blotted out and a blackness encased my night. The path was familiar so I didn't need a light however the stillness, and aloneness of the night make my skin tingle. I heard a twig snap behind me. The sudden interruption of my rather quiet night caused me to jump and I turned around as quickly as my body would allow. I stood still in the night my heart thumped against my chest I swallowed nervously and waited. Nothing… I turned around and began walking again. The wind picked up a bit and blew through the grass. It hissed as the grain rubbed back and forth on each other. I felt like I was not alone but all I could do was keep walking. I had heard of dangerous animals that lived in these parts but I had never encountered anything before so I never felt the need to take any weapons with me. I thought of all the stories I had heard as a kid. Of the wolves, and the lions, and hyenas that roamed the area. The stories of farmers being snatched away from their fields or the shepherd taken from their flocks. The children being taken as they walked to the well and as I searched through and processed my thoughts my mind began to get the better of me. What would happen if I met a creature, I wasn't armed what could I do, would it kill me. But my thoughts were interrupted by what I had been fearing.

My breath was taken from me, I couldn't even feel my heart beating, my pulse quickened though that I was sure of and my blood froze. There in front of me were two beady eyes the reddest eyes that I had ever seen. This creature was the stuff nightmares were made of. It was like I was looking into the face of hell.

It stepped closer and snarled. Its hot breathe forced clouds of moisture to be seen in the air I tried to move but couldn't. At that moment the moon came out again and then my eyes saw what I didn’t even think was possible. There in front of me stood the biggest wolf I had ever seen in my life. Its fur was pure black darker then midnight so dark it even put to shame the darkness around me. It was huge!. Its shoulders must have sat almost 6 feet tall and its long slender body coursed with thick muscles. There was going to be no chance for me. It opened its mouth and its yellow teeth stained with its meal from early morning stood out like daggers. Its red tongue hung out from his mouth and he licked his wicked lips. He snarled this time and I smelt its breathe, my stomach turned inside out and my body felt violated from the stench. Like sulphur its smell crept into my nose and clung to the inside filling my mind and thoughts with its evil. It felt like death so dark and fierce was this beast.

I turned and ran I knew there was no hope in me escaping but I had to at least try. The rocky outcropping to my right was my best option if I could get there maybe I could find a cave and get back far enough where he couldn't reach me. A second hadn't even passed before the wolf jumped and snarled and swung at my feet barley missing by an inch. He dug his claws into the ground and ripped up a chunk of grass almost symbolizing what was going to happen to my body. His back legs pushed hard and his muscles strained and as his claws dug into the ground the chase began. I had gone about 10 feet when I felt his hot breath on my neck and then pain. More pain then I had ever experienced before shot through my leg. His long yellow claws ripped though my skin and flesh like a dull dagger cutting through meat and as his claws dragged down my calf infection was almost immediate. I fell hard to the ground and my face hit the dirt. I turned onto my back and he stood over me. He opened his mouth and saliva dripped from his mouth and landed on my chest. This was it, I was a goner.

I closed my eyes and as I did I heard the soft patter of another set of paws hit the ground. They were quiet at first but then they suddenly grew louder. I opened my eyes and saw that the wolf had heard them too. His ears were up and he was scanning the area around us. For a second I thought he had forgotten me but then he looked down again. I stared into he eyes and felt chills go down my spine but it sure wasn't from the cold. He raised his right paw and his claws gleamed in the moonlight and just as he was about to strike another large shadow collided into him and sent him flying. The beast that now fought the wolf was large about the size of a half grown elephant. But It moved so quickly I could not tell what it was. Snarls and growls filled the air, dust was churned up as the two animals fought back and forth. Every branch in the vicinity was shattered, no piece of grass stood straight as this fierce duel waged. Claws swung and fangs snapped as some attempts hit their targets. More growls then a yelp the sound of a heavy object slamming into the ground as one beast threw the other. The sounds of the battle began to fade from my ears. Then blackness overtook me my last thought before passing out from the pain was which animal was going to have a meal out of me.

Now I was in a cave the events from earlier blurry in my memory. I had no Idea how I had gotten here and why I was now sitting. I reach down to my calf and felt my skin, no trace of a scar not even any blood. I was confused I tried to remember what had happened but the events escaped my mind. I couldn’t remember anything. A howl broke the silence of my thoughts, and it was in turn answered by many others. My mind raced there could not be more of the wolves I wouldn’t stand a chance. One already proved to be way more then any one man could even dare to stand up to. I stood and stretched I braced myself for pain but my body felt fine. No pains, sores, or aches I was completely whole. I took a step forward and my foot stepped onto something that was definitely not rock. It was soft and as I lifted my foot I heard something move. I got down on my knees and felt in the blackness for what I had just stepped on. Nothing was there the only thing in my hand was dirt from the floor. I began to crawl forward on my knees and then I bumped my head on something. I put my hand up onto what had just hit my head and I froze. My hand rested on something very soft, something very warm, and something very alive.

The fur under my hand was smooth and soft, it almost resembled silk. It was course between the fingers and about a foot long. But for some reason I did not feel fear like I had when I had encountered the wolf. I felt strangely calm despite the circumstances that I was in a cave with an large animal and I had no idea what it was. It moved again and my hand slipped off of what ever was in the cave with me and fell onto the floor. I moved forward again in an attempt to grab what I had just previously felt, and then in the silence I heard something. It was a soft humming sound. I listened closer again and this time I realized what the noise was. It was the sound of something purring. Then I heard another sound that caught me completely off guard. A voice in a very gentle quiet, yet strong whisper

“Travis”

“Yes” I replied

“Do you know who I am?” the voice was strong yet calm

“No I don’t, who are you?”

“ I have been with you since you were born, I have watched every step you took, and watched you every time you fell down, I have seen your tears, and enjoyed watching you smile, I know your fears, your achievements, your weaknesses and you strengths I am the Great I Am” and with that a soft glow emanated from the bottom of the cave floor. The shape turned and as it did I saw who and what had been talking.

It was a great lion, instantly I realized that this was the shape that had saved me from the wolf. This was the creature that saved me from the darkness, this was the blur that had struck my pursuer down with a lethal blow. This was indeed the mighty the Great I Am. His mane flowed down to the ground gold and beautiful it was. It glimmered as some strands of the mane appeared to be gold thread. His eyes were a dark brown like the bark of an ancient oak tree. They were so deep and piercing I only held his gazed for a moment before I dropped my head. His jaw line however terrible and fierce it was, was set firmly in place held back in a very kingly manner. His red pink nose crowned the top of his mouth and long grey whiskers poked out in every which way. A big red tongue licked his dry lips and it was sucked back into a enormous mouth guarded by great white incisors. White hairs hung from the bottom of his jaw and this completed his facial features. His shoulders were almost touching the ceiling of the cave a great 10 feet tall. They were broad and sinewy tough from constant use. He was sitting on his butt and his white chest heaved as he breathe in and out. His back legs hunched beside his hips and his strong slender back arched beautifully. His great tail swept back and forth stirring up dust constantly moving like a pendulum in a clock, at the end of his tail was a great tuft of thick hair, perfect for completing the balance he needed when he ran, and jumped and climbed.

Again he spoke “I know the darkness that haunts you, and the wolf that tries to devourer you but I have something to ask of you” The lion turned towards me and stared at me with his big deep brown eyes. “The wolves are out there they will seek to devourer you, you must go back to your home but know this I will be with you every step of the way. Even though sometimes you will not see me you must trust that I will be right beside you. I am not asking you to do this alone but I am asking you to do it with a little faith knowing that I will watch over and protect you. Will you do this?”

I looked into his eyes so kind, so majestic, so peaceful. The light in the cave was growing now so brightly my eyes started to water. I held his gaze this time and asked

“Will you really be there, will you be right behind me cause sometimes it sure feels like you have left me to fend for myself!” My eyes started to water not only because of the light but from tears forming in my eyes. “Will you really be there like the light at the end of the tunnel?” His eyes penetrated into my body searching, looking, finding, seeking, longing, hoping, trusting these emotion flooded through me as his eyes penetrated to the deepest darkest and blackest parts of me. Then I felt something in my heart break. Like an egg smashed onto a floor light exploded inside of me and shot through all the darkness, all the doubts, all the worry and the fear. I would believe this lion, I would trust in his words, I would choose to have faith that he was right there behind me.

“There is one thing about your question that deeply disturbs me” the lion said “you asked if I would be the light at the end of the tunnel, this is a wrong question as not only am I the light at the end of the tunnel but I am also right beside you in the blackness, you only can’t see me because your eyes haven’t gotten accustomed to the darkness and I never want them to either you just have to believe that I am there”

“Why don’t you just show yourself in the darkness, why don’t you just become a light to guide us to the end?”

“If I did that there would be no reason for you to trust in me, no reason for you to hope for something greater, if I got you out of every mess, every tight spot you found yourself in you would never learn you would never grow. Just like the wolf who cut you in the night if you fall and are harmed I will make a way for you to escape, I will prepare a secret place where I will strengthen and nourish you. I give you the choice to keep running until you reach the light or stay still and be consumed by the blackness. Just know I Am and always will be there.”

“OK” I said “ ill do it, ill go back home and face the darkness, the wolves outside, ill take them on with you at my back” The lion laughed and the walls of the cave shuddered under the power in his voice.

“Good” He smiled “I would expect nothing less of the young man who now stands before me” He turned and crouched down low to the ground, the muscles in the back of his legs bulged under the full weight of his body, he growled and then jumped and with that he was gone.

The light from the cave began to fade so I took a few steps to wards where the lion had left and rounded the corner of the cave. As I saw the opening of the cave the light completely went out all I was left to look at was the dark sky speckled with a few stars at the mouth of the cave.

I stepped out of the cave the clouds had all left and a sliver of moon hung from the sky providing little light for me to see but still enough for me to make my way down the cliffside. It was indeed the outcrop of rocks that I had been headed for before the wolf had grabbed me and took me down. My feet slipped under the loose shale and I began to slide down the cliff. Out of the darkness a massive paw caught me and stopped my weight in a second and then was gone. I heard some shale clinker down to the bottom of the rocks as the lion moved away. I regained me footing and began to descend once again down the steep cliffside slowly and carefully inching my way to the bottom. Aaawwwwwooooooooo a wolfs cry pierced the night sky it was close, painfully close I cringed then remember the lions promise. “Not only will I be the light at the end of the tunnel but I will be in the blackness beside you the whole way“. The thought floated through my mind so I kept going focusing on the lion and his giant eyes, the eyes that knew the blue prints to my heart and soul. I grabbed a rock and suspended my weight and then reached my foot out onto a ledge. I pushed off the rock and then I was standing on what I thought was close to the bottom.

I looked over the edge and now the moon provided no help I couldn’t tell how far it was down to the ground below and the from out of no where the lion was there again. His hot breath fell upon my shoulder his brown eyes seem to glow in the darkness. The moon outline his silhouetted kingly form and the gold of his hair gleamed softly in the moonlight.

“What are you going to do now?” He asked in almost a playful tone

“I don’t know” I replied “I can’t see the bottom and I don’t even know how to get down, what do you think I should do?” I turned and look over my shoulder and the wind playfully tossed hair from his mane into my face. I brushed them off and he replied

“Sometimes the only thing one can do is take a leap of faith” I looked at him my eye brows wrinkled in puzzlement, did he actually expect me to jump off the side of a cliff, surely he meat figuratively and not literally, Although the very though of throwing myself off of a cliff side seemed strangely exhilarating.

“What do you want me to..” and that’s when I felt a slight push on my back, his head had nuzzled up against me and before I could say anything he said

“And sometimes on that leap of faith it requires a helping hand” and he pushed me forward. For a second I thought I had regained my balance I swung my arms in an attempt to move myself backwards but it was to no avail. I fell foreword and my heart leapt I was going to die. The wind blew upwards through my hair but gravity pulled me down, down towards the ground I must have fallen twenty feet but then. Whooomp! I landed in a pile of hay. I lay still in the pile breathing heavily, that kind of adrenaline rush can’t be good for you I thought as I stood. I slid down the side of the pile and landed softly on the ground in the long grass. I turned to look at the pile I had landed in and it looked like I had been prepared for me. That’s when I caught side of those big brown eyes right beside the haystack, but before I could do anything he sprinted to wards me and flew past me. As he flew by me a gust of wind hit me kinda like the draft of air you feel when a semi flies buy your small car at over 100 Km an hour. But this was no small draft the wind hit me square in the chest and knocked me over onto my back. I didn’t hurt when I fell but I was kinda begging to notice a pattern with this lion. He wasn’t the boring, serious type but loved to play around it reminded me of a little kid the way he bounded and moved everywhere.