Ribbontail: Enter Emalia
Chapter 39: The Rhythm and How it is Broken

Author's Note: Please read my artist's comments before continuing. :3
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Part of Ribbontail had expected the next day to have been a hectic one. That voice in the back of her mind told her to expect danger, distress, and much much confusion. Yet the going actually proved to be smooth. She and her friends were rousted by the Tintonian Lion before the sun had risen, and even by then the Inkkuku tribe had their camp torn down and packed up.

After sitting half-asleep through a lecture from the lion summoning, Ribbontail, her friends, and the Inkkuku tribe were all off.

The Inkkuku monkeys were bizarre traveling companions. Almost three score in number, they pattered and scampered along in a haphazard swarm, hooting to one another and playing as they traveled along. The primates seemed content to leave Ribbontail and her friends alone, although there was the occasional jest from an impish tribesman.

Ribbontail, PuppetRibbontail, and O’liday stayed at the head of the mass with the Tintonian Lion. They were speaking to him about the Inkkuku homeland.

“So um...” O’liday meowed as he stretched across Ribbontail’s shoulders, “So Tintonian dude, what’s Tinto like? I’ve totally never been there before.”

Feeling it necessary to follow up on O’liday’s remark, Ribbontail added, “I’ve never been there either. Is it a jungle, or swamp, or...?”

The lion turned his big head and blinked slowly, saying, “It is satisfactory. Jungle lands for the most part, more marsh and mire around the eastern borders. Although I must remind you that we are not headed for Tinto. Our camp is in the Cadead Swamp.”

O’liday scratched an ear. “So dude, then why do they call ya the ‘Tintonian’ Lion?”

Snorting rather drearily, the Tintonian Lion turned his pink eyes down to O’liday.  “That’s none of your business. I shall only tell you if Ribbontail wishes it.”

O’liday mumbled and patted Ribbontail’s shoulder for permission, but before the girl could say anything Tintonian Lion slowed to a stop. He turned his face to the sky, and promptly Ribbontail and all the surrounding animals followed suit.

Mtume, the tribe’s avian messenger, came drifting in from overhead to flutter before his master’s face. “Moy sh’irja! E ha’uza shi’eshu-”

The bird stopped in midsentence as though remembering his manners, and spoke then in Ribbontail’s language.

“-Sorry lord. I say, I see watering hole near here, and the river too. Yeeg! River we looking for, yes. No see bridge yet, know it be downriver some.”

With a slow nod the Tintonian Lion turned swiftly to the surrounding monkeys, translating in their choppy and slurring native tongue. At that very instant the tribesmen fell to a great whooping and cheerful commotion- for after a whole day of uneventful traveling, Ribbontail assumed, it would surely be rewarding to get some water.

The strange procession continued on at that, Ribbontail and her friends in the front with the Tintonian Lion, and the mob of Inkkuku monkeys straggling loyally behind. Ribbontail couldn’t help but ask the spirit-lion, “What’s the deal with the ‘river’? Why are we looking for it?”

“To take a dip, clearly,” O’liday meowed before Tintonian Lion could answer, “It’s dry out here dude.”

The Tintonian Lion shook his head at this, brushing aside a stone as they passed it. “Partially. The river leads directly into our territory, and we use it as a guide of sorts. You follow the river carefully and you end up at our camp, with careful timing and navigation. Hush! Do you hear it?”

Falling silent, Ribbontail and her two friends paused and all trained their ears on the surrounding lands- most of which was hidden entirely by the tall savanna grasses. Ribbontail nodded briskly when she at last heard the distant din of a river. She could not tell where the sound was coming from, but the Inkkuku tribesmen did: in an instant the monkeys were scrambling ahead, romping down the path in a mass of hoots and squeals.

“My people love water of all kinds,” the Tintonian Lion chuckled as they watched the mass of monkeys dive into the nearby bush. “Come, they know the way.”

Ribbontail, PuppetRibbontail, and O’liday all hurried after the spirit as he tore through the grasses after the monkeys. The source of the sound was closer than Ribbontail had imagined; just as they began their pursuit, they broke through the tall grasses and found themselves stumbling head-and-paws over one another.

Stopping, Ribbontail found that it wasn’t a direct river that the Inkkuku had run to, but a massive watering hole of sorts. To the left and straight ahead its grayish surface stretched, with a waterfall and a sheer rocky cliff to their right. Besides the mass of Inkkuku monkeys rollicking in the shallows they were not alone; somewhere in the distance Ribbontail saw a herd of elephants, but not before seeing the water buffalos and antelope.

“This is a...watering hole?” Ribbontail whispered to O’liday and PuppetRibbontail. It was breathtaking indeed, this rocky clearing they now stood in.

“It is,” the Tintonian Lion answered for her, “Considering you were raised among city-dwellers, I assume you’ve never been to one? Come, it is nothing to worry about. Stay in the shallows with the Inkkuku and you are safe.”

Ribbontail hesitated then, having no reason to actually go near the waters. Yet O’liday was tugging at her fur, clearly inviting her to come along with him. “C’mon dude, let’s ditch this drag and go run in the water. You look like you can use a soaking.”

“Um... no, I’ll stay here with the Tintonian Lion,” Ribbontail mumbled to him, brushing him off lightly. “Take Puppet, I’m sure she’d enjoy the water.”

Hopingly Ribbontail cast a glance at PuppetRibbontail. The skeletal guardian seemed to perceive Ribbontail’s hopes entirely and got up, nudging the feliulf as she followed her master’s orders faithfully. Over to the water’s edge the two then hurried, and in a matter of seconds they were caught up playing among the mass of Inkkuku monkeys.

It was very interesting to see PuppetRibbontail play- she had been commanded to enjoy the water, and that was precisely what she was doing.

The goddess’ cheer was interrupted when the Tintonian Lion sidled up next to her and sat down, his massive form dwarfing hers. He purred, though this time it sounded more grave than merry.

“The river that spans from this watering hole,” he said as he gazed down at Ribbontail, “We will follow it as soon as my people are finished. Daughter of the Cunning, I wish for you to stay as close to me as possible.”

Ribbontail flicked her eyes up at him. “Why? What’s going to happen?”

“The Wesi, I am sure that you remember who they are. This side of the river belongs to them, and if they see us certainly you will be in danger.”

For a moment Ribbontail paused, then she nodded. Danger was something she didn’t wish for. “Can’t we just cross the river or something? If THIS side is theirs then the other one... won’t be as dangerous?”

The big feline nodded, turning to look away at O’liday and PuppetRibbontail as they fell crashing in the shallows, playing rowdily with an Inkkuku warrior. Then he sighed. “That is what we will do. Downriver there is a means of crossing the river, we will use that. It is too dangerous to cross now; the river is to be used only in case of emergencies.”

Ribbontail paused, ears tucked, before nodding. “O...okay. I’ll stay as close as possible. Thanks for the warning.”

At the edge of the watering hole Ribbontail and the spirit turned, surprised at the sudden sound of squealing monkeys. The distant family of elephants had moved to this side of the watering hole. Some amused and some distraught, the Inkkuku and their playmates were scrambling to get away from the lumbering visitors. Ribbontail laughed, having never seen an elephant so close before. The Tintonian Lion just stared.

“Very well. We must leave as soon as possible; now is the ideal time,” the Tintonian Lion droned. Without any further warning the beast flowed to his feet and prowled forward, barking out commands to the Inkkuku monkeys.

There was a procession of discouraged hoots from the monkeys at this, but in a matter of moments every tribesman had filed away from the water and was at attention before their protector. The lion paced about slurring in their native language- and Ribbontail and her two friends, newly rejoined, stood and watched with interest.

In a perfect- though childishly hesitant- manner the Inkkuku warriors all lined up, weapons and packs slung over backs. The primates were ready to continue on.

The Tintonian Lion turned to Ribbontail and her two friends, cocking an ear. “Shall we go now, Daughter of the Cunning?”

Ribbontail turned and gazed at PuppetRibbontail and O’liday, who were still rather fascinated by the family of elephants. They finally turned and nodded to the goddess. “Yeah,” Ribbontail said as she shifted, “I guess we’re ready to go.”
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“Okay okay okay, like, hold on I got one...” O’liday hopped along between Ribbontail and PuppetRibbontail, nudging them each as he fabricated another joke. “How do you get a hippo to do whatever ya want?”

Letting out a sigh, Ribbontail turned and let her eyes stray to the river that raged to their right. Thunderous, tremendous, raging waters stretching into the horizon, looking almost like an expanse of blood in the reddening sunset. “I don’t know, O’liday. How?”

“You use HIPPONOTISM. Hahahaha!”

O’liday fell to a great laughing. In the darkening light Ribbontail glared playfully at her feliulf friend, smirking. Behind them the mass of Inkkuku warriors squeaked and chattered amongst one another; perhaps they were trying to figure out what the cat was talking about.

“Nice,” was all Ribbontail could say before Mtume materialized from overhead and hovered before them. The bird stuck out his tongue.

“HA! You hear dis fool, lord? He make joke as bad as sun it hot!”

In his usual detached manner, the Tintonian Lion grunted. The whole evening the spirit had been oblivious to O’liday’s constant jokes,  prowling wordlessly at the head of his followers and newfound allies. But at that very moment the big beast slowed to a stop, the crowd behind him halting as well.

“Look ahead, there is the bridge. This is where we cross,” the kingly lion declared. Then in his native tongue he said to the Inkkuku, “Dha’o za’rejashu’o eshi uha’ouja. Wo sha’rishi’shi ha’oro.”

Ribbontail looked up to see just what it was that he was speaking of. Indeed there was a way to cross, but it was no bridge. Across the width of the great, roaring river was a series of massive gray stones: flat, tall, and black in the darkening evening. The hulking stones ran right across the water as though they were the remains of some ancient dam.

“That doesn’t look safe at all,” Ribbontail thought. Gulping, she asked aloud, “Is this it? We’re supposed to cross this way?”

The Tintonian Lion turned slowly, blinking his pink eyes at the wolf. “This is the bridge. It is the safest way across.”

“What if we fall? Those rocks look slippery,” whined Ribbontail.

“...And slippery,” added O’liday.

PuppetRibbontail nodded in agreement.

As though surprised, the Tintonian Lion flinched and frowned. “Daughter of the Cunning, do you fear crossing the river? I did not know that gods could feel fright, even a god-child such as yourself.”

All of the three young ones shifted where they stood.  As they hesitated hoots and low whoops sounded behind them, and at last the Inkkuku began filing out ahead of them. Ribbontail watched with fascination as the first monkey leapt onto the closest stone, alighting upon it and bounding off onto the next. The boulders were few and far, but the graceful animals began to spring across one-by-one. They made it look like a game!

“Come daughter of the Cunning,” the Tintonian Lion invited, “You and your friends may pass now, if you wish. My people will make sure you are safe.”

There was most certainly no turning back now. Clenching her jaws and bracing herself, Ribbontail crawled to the edge of the river and stared at the first rock, tall and black like some big animal. It was bigger now then ever before, and between it and Ribbontail swirled the hungry river.

O’liday trundled up and patted her side. Ribbontail could barely hear his voice as he mumbled some advice to her, “Keep your head up and jump with your hind legs, dude.”

A knot forming in her throat, Ribbontail took her final steps back from the bank of the river. Then she drew in a sharp breath, pursed her lips, and threw herself from the shore. Like a stone Ribbontail landed on the first rock, and as soon as she hit it she made a mad scramble to right herself. Safe and shivering at the apex of the big black rock, Ribbontail turned and saw her friends. The congratulations were expected: a thumbs-up from O’liday and a nod from PuppetRibbontail, and a great whooping from the Inkkuku monkeys.

“Daughter of the Cunning!” she heard the Tintonian Lion call above the river’s roaring, “Do continue! We are all waiting on you now!”

Ribbontail nodded. There had to be at least fifty stones stretching into the distance ahead of her, and she’d be holding the others up. Trying her best to not look cowardly, she braced herself a second time and flung herself onto the next boulder. She hit the second stone in a similar ungainly manner. Like before she clambered to the top of it, this time looking back to see Puppet and O’liday make their first leap.

Here was a rhythm she could handle.

Throwing herself from one boulder to the next, scrambling to safety, and continuing on- this was the effortlessness that Ribbontail loved. It was a surprisingly simplistic progression and after the first few boulders Ribbontail felt quite comfortable with it.

Yet just as she had landed atop the seventh or eighth boulder, there came a great commotion from the bank. It was not a playful kind of ruckus typical to these monkeys- this howling was dripping with fear and loathing.

It was when the monkey before her called out that Ribbontail grew fearful. “Wesi! Wesi!” it wailed, throwing its paws to its face, “Edshi dhao Wesi!”

Aghast, Ribbontail spun around. Along the distant bank she could see, through the evening crimson, that the Inkkuku were no longer the only monkeys on the shore. From upriver thundered a second crowd of monkeys, weapons raised and battle cries screeching.

She watched in grim astonishment as the newcomers charged the Inkkuku. There was instant chaos as the two tribes converged, a mass of shrieks and howling. From her post on the river Ribbontail felt fear fix her to the spot. In her terror she saw hundreds of things happen at once: O’liday bounding past her and continuing on to his own safety, monkeys tearing and clawing at one another, bodies and weapons flying...

Then unexpectedly she heard the deafening roar of the Tintonian Lion, and she realized that he was calling out desperate orders. “Di dhao wudor!” he raged, and at that the Inkkuku began to fling themselves into the river. This was their tactic: the river was their safety.

Ribbontail turned but hesitated right there, her dread of the river just as great as the Wesi. She couldn’t even think of jumping into those harrowing waters. Whimpering, the helpless goddess shrank back and watched as the Wesi turned their attention to her.

She was the new target.

Arrows and spears flew at her and she tried her best to dodge, teetering and slinking back and hiding as best she could. Just as she turned to finally leap to safety, though, a great lancing pain wrenched through her. She had been caught by an arrow right in her thigh, and she howled at the sudden pain.

The fumbling wolf didn’t realize that the Tintonian Lion was at her side then. The spirit seemed to materialize from nowhere when he bellowed to her and her friends. “Little Guardian, feliulf- do as I say and get in the water! Daughter of the Cunning-”

A spear whizzed by and caught the lion’s shoulder. He reeled and roared, jerked out the weapon with a hooked claw, and sent it flying back at the crowd of Wesi.

“-how well can you swim?”

Ribbontail shook her head and turned to the arrow in her thigh, letting out a doleful wail. It was all she could do.

What happened next was totally unexpected. Like liquid the Tintonian Lion moved, wrenching Ribbontail into his powerful jaws and into the air. Then the two hit the raging waters, just as the next wave of weapons came raining from above.

Together the Tintonian Lion and Ribbontail cannoned into the depths of the river, those raging waters exploding all around them. Here the distraught Ribbontail recalled her first encounter with OmenBeast, and her heart thudded against her chest as she flailed helplessly. Before she had been powerless in the wrath of the rivers, but now she was held fast by the teeth of a spirit creature.

Kicking and wriggling frantically, the young goddess tried to break free from the pain and the restrictions. She wanted to flee on her own. But the great lion held her tight in his jaws, and in time Ribbontail simply gave up and went limb.

One-by-one the features of the world faded. First it was the muffled sounds of the pursuing Wesi, then the howling of the waters around them, then the pain that lanced through her body, then the very sensation of being tugged along underwater like a ragdoll.

With one last feeble kick, the world around her became a whirling, swirling mass of nothing.