55

There is an uproar. People jumping over the tables, knocking chairs to the grounds in an effort to escape to safety.
The Black Shuck is the mother dog, it gives birth to all Noddon's Jungles, it has black shaggy hair, red slit eyes and is as tall as a horse. It resides in the darkest reaches of the Evil Forest. It is some kind of ghost, a being which haunts the forest because it has unfinished business with the living. If ya hit it or speak ill about it, ya're inviting seven years of extreme bad luck and even death. It is malicious.
There is a foul smell. Someone has vomited. Mama. Queen Mother. At least they have more than my father in common.
Once a year the Jungles leave for the Evil Forest to witness the birth of their siblings. What's puzzling is that there is no other Black Shuck besides the mother. How the mother dog comes to be with children is of great mystery.
The dining hall clears really fast.
I look at Stone doubtfully. "Yellow eyes, ya say."
He nods.
Shit.
When Black Shuck's eyes turn yellow she brings death.
I don't pretend to be calm as I leap out of my chair and cross the room, full-tilt, to the door. "Papa, make sure the Queen and Mama are in their rooms. Do that now. All the Elders follow me to the front door."
Kaseke is at my side immediately.
"Run for safety," I say.
I barely notice the people I bump into, completely ignoring cries and shouted obscenities of the couple I roughly shove out of my way as I speed down the hallway and unto the grand hall.
"I'm where I should be," Kaseke says. He's doing a valiant job of pretending that this is like any normal dog, that its visit the same as a relative's, but his voice catches at the very end and his hands shake.
I don't argue. It'd be useless. He's too determined. "Fine, follow me, all of ya."
"Who would be stupid enough to awaken the beast?" Kaseke asks as we reach the grand hall where Black Shuck already waits. She barks at me. Vicious.
She's here for me? How can that be? I've never gone anywhere near her part of the forest. Let alone speak her name. I'm too scared of Black Shuck to even think of doing anything that might set her after me. I don't need any complications.
My father enters the room. He leads a herd of armed soldiers. They carry electric swords.
These are man made swords with electricity infused in them. These are my inventions. I built them with Tech's help.
"Kill it," Papa roars, gesturing to the Black Shuck.
The soldiers get into position. Somewhere deep inside me, a wave of pressure is trying to break free.
I marshal my thoughts. "No. No," I say hastily, disbelieving. "If Black Shuck dies, the Jungles (who are barking and howling outside) will tear through Noddon, killing us all."
My father knows this.
The Black Shuck stalks towards me and brings its face to mine. It sniffs twice, growls and then darts down the hallway, up the stairs and disappears out of sight.
My heart pounds like I've done miles in a marathon.
Wheeling around, I give chase, fumbling up the stairs, after the Black Shuck's fading footsteps. It's stupid and reckless but what choice do I have?
Its smell is suffocating. I think I'm about to faint. It smells of the rotten flesh it eats. The bodies of the Initiates that die on the arena are deposited in the Evil Forest where the Black Shuck feeds on the decomposing flesh and waters on the blood.
Just as I enter the hallway the Black Shuck sniffs at a room and tears inside. A dead feeling settles in my chest.
That's Mama's bedroom.
It isn't here for me at all. It's here for Mama and since I look like her and share part of her DNA, I probably smell a bit like her as well. That's why it was all up in my face.
I dash after it, push the door aside and spill inside.
Mama has fainted. The Black Shuck is standing over her, waiting with barred yellow teeth. Papa reaches the room first and then his army.
He motions for the men to attack.
"What are ya doing?" I ask in disbelief.
"Don't ya see? It's gonna kill her," Papa says, pointing. "I won't allow that."
I stare at him. He stares right back.
"We can't kill it." I can't quite believe Papa's being real, that he's real. "We can't anger those Jungles and risk thousands of lives."
The Black Shuck's brownish saliva is dripping into Mama's open mouth. She wakes up to a full mouth. Like someone has been pouring water in it. She dry heaves. But it's already too late. The second she came to, she swallowed.
Yikes. My whole body crawls. And I gag too.
"What do we do?" Kaseke asks. He doesn't wait for an answer and Mama screams, he launches himself at the Black Shuck. Though brave it is the stupidest thing he's ever done.
Black Shuck moves just in time before Kaseke's sword can pierce through her stomach. Kaseke stumbles and falls and the Black Shuck uses its rattling tail to throw him across the room. Kaseke's back hits the wall, the sword flies out of his hand and he lands with a resounding thud. Knocked unconscious.
Now the beast is advancing toward Mama, angrier than it was before. I fling myself between them. It growls viciously. Move out of my way.
The Black Shuck eyes me warily.
"Mama how did ya offend it?” I ask at last but my voice cracks.
I hear Mama push her back against the wall and stand up, and I wonder if she’s so heartless that she'll leave the room while the Black Shuck is here. But then I see her crouched over Kaseke, slapping him lightly, begging him to wake up. I want to beg to and I send a short one to Leza. Keep my brother safe, ja?
“I would never,” she says fiercely.
I feel as though she's just spit on me. "Now is not the time for yer lies."
The Black Shuck runs toward me. I wait until it's too close and slide to the floor, military style. The beast hits it's head on the wall and it falls to the floor but it's back on its feet before I can think of an escape plan. It's long dirty paws claw at Mama's cheek.
The scars are so deep. She rolls to her knees, giving it great advantage and it yanks her tiny neck between its sharp teeth. Mama's black blood is like poison on the white tiles. She doesn’t try to fight, instead she smiles up to the heavens.
This is what she wanted, for the Black Shuck to come here, for it to kill her.
I draw my sword and cut my own hand. The scent of red blood makes the beast fling her aside. It turns for me. Growling. Wetting the floor with its saliva. I close my eyes and turn toward the heavens. D'ziko I'm sorry.
Shots ring out.
The Black Shuck whimpers and I open my eyes. It isn't dead. It isn't even bleeding but now it protects me from the shots.
"Stop," I scream. "Stop it. Stand down, I say."
They do. And the Black Shuck sways and falls on its side. It whimpers. Linking its wounds. They don't heal. Why can't it heal itself? It's saliva is what's been keeping it alive for nearly two decades.
For several minutes, i just sit here, waiting for the breath to stop tearing in and out of my lungs.
"It wasn't here to bring death," I realise. "It was here to report it's own death. The Black Shuck is dying and Mama ya had something to do with it."
And I realise something else too, when papa and his army began throwing their swords at the beast, one of those knives must’ve come to my direction. One of those swords would've killed me and the Black Shuck believing I'm the Goddess, put its life at risk for me. It wasn't coming at me to attack but rather to protect.
Mama sags back against the wall. "I'm so sorry."
"Why do ya want me dead so badly?" My breath comes more and more quickly. "ya did something to the Black Shuck so it'll come here to kill ya. ya want it to seem like ya weren't behind it. ya don't want to kill me yerself. ya know that if ya die and so will I."
Mama claps a hand over her black-painted mouth. "That's not true."
"Stop denying it." My breath whooshes out of me as though she's kicked me in the stomach. "What kind of mother hates their own child. What kind of person can be so cruel."