Crouching Tiger, Hidden Snake
When a demon hunter named Xu Xian faces an especially dangerous problem, help comes in a most unexpected form...
The first chapter of a loose adaptation of the Chinese fairy tale, Legend of the White Snake.
Be sure to comment and make what you thought of it known ;)
Long ago, the serpent god Xiangliu and his two daughters lived in the heavenly realm of Tian among the dragons. For centuries, they lived in peace and harmony. Until one day, Xiangliu came to desire more than what he had. So during a lunar eclipse, he sought to steal a Dragon Pearl from the Temple of Tianlong, king of the dragons, and use its magic to become a dragon himself. But a Dragon Pearl cannot be taken. It can only be earned through feats of great bravery and selflessness.When he found out about Xiangliu’s plot, Tianlong was furious. He cast out Xiangliu and his daughters from Tian and stripped them of their godhood, rendering them demons on Earth. But things might’ve been far more different if Tianlong hadn’t punished them. Xiangliu assumed human form and fought his way to become a ruthless warlord of China, dubbing himself The Dragon Emperor. And so, now he waits for the next solar eclipse for his chance to steal it again…
***
Xu Xian walked through the streets of the city of Hangzhou. The young man was clad in light armor, with a bloody sword in one hand and the reigns of a large brown draft horse in the other. The horse pulled along a wooden sled carrying the dead bodies of three unusual tigers. First of all, they were massive, easily a third bigger than most tigers. Their black-striped fur was blood red instead of orange, and the tips of their tails and hackles smoldered with dying fire. People stared at the unusual sight with shock and astonishment. Xian stopped in front of the city hall, where a red-robed bearded man stood.
“Well it took you long enough.” said the robed man.
“Well, hunting tiger demons takes time,” said Xian. “I said hunting demons is my profession, and I did my job. Hand over the money like you promised.”
“Yeah, about that,” said the robed man with a wincing face and a point of an index finger. “We now know that they have an Alpha in the forests just outside of the city. So… no money until it’s dead.” Xian sighed and dropped his head in irritated disappointment.
“Here, take these to do whatever you want with them,” said Xian as he handed the horse’s reins to the robed man. “Stuff them, cook them, I don’t care. I’ve got an Alpha tiger demon to kill and money that should’ve been mine now already to earn.”
Xian made his way through the lush green forests just outside Hangzhou, just as the official had said. By the gods, was he angry. What kind of person gives you a task, then heaps on an extra one once you think you’re done? He slashed his sword through the brush, searching the ground for any sign of his quarry. He came to a clearing and saw a trail of fallen trees and pawprints the size of Imperial shields. Judging by their size, Xian figured he was definitely dealing with an Alpha, alright. No matter. He’d faced bigger demons before and came out on top… most of the time, that is.
***
The white snake slithered through the forest, happy to finally be rid of her pursuers, at least for the time being. Her white scales gleamed in the sunlight, each of them as big as a dinner plate. Slit-pupiled blue eyes scanned the lush landscape as her giant form stopped at the edge of a cliff. Cold wind blew in her face, and with it came two alarming scents: tiger demon and human. Knowing just what was going to happen, the white snake swiftly slithered down the cliff.
***
(Khan’s Arrival In The Lair/Baloo And Bagheera Save Mowgli by Nitin Sawnhey)
Xian had found his quarry drinking from a river, staining the water with the blood of its most recent kill. The giant red tiger, the size of a large house, was different from the others not only in size but in appearance: its whole dorsal side was engulfed in flames, and a pair of goat-like horns adorned its head. Xian crouched and crept his way behind the demon, his sword drawn. He could practically feel the weight of the gold in his pockets already. But his thoughts turned from hope to despair as the wind changed, blowing his scent at the demon he was poised to kill.
“I know that smell,” hissed the tiger demon in a deep feminine voice. She turned to Xian, towering over him with eyes literally blazing. “You killed my sons.” The fact that the demon was talking didn’t faze Xian. He’d killed talking demons before. A demon was a demon.
“Look, I’m sorry,” said Xian. “Nothing personal, but they were killing livestock and humans. And seeing as though you were their Alpha, I’m going to have to kill you as well.”
“You humans are all the same,” snarled the Alpha, unsheathing her claws as she crouched to spring. “Killing demons and spirits, destroying wild places. We only kill your livestock because there isn’t enough game in the wild to sustain us. Go ahead, kill me. But I’m not going down easy!”
The demon leapt at Xian with a thunderous roar, but Xian swiftly dodged her pounce, running up her left front leg as she swiped at him to try and brush him off. Xian ran up her neck and jumped off the top of her head, falling and driving his sword deep into her left eye. The demon let out an agonized roar as she thrashed around, swinging her head and clawing at her face. But Xian held firm, his years of experience hardening his body to combat creatures such as this. Her screams hurt his ears and soul, but just as his body had adapted, so did his mind and heart. But the demon bashed her head against a nearby cliff face, knocking Xian loose as he hit the hard surface. He fell to the ground, dazed with a deep cut on his forehead. He slipped in and out of consciousness, seeing the half blinded demon stalk towards him with a wicked, bloodthirsty grin. All those years of hunting and avenging… for nothing.
But from the demon’s blind side came a giant white cobra, biting into the tiger’s neck with a hiss and knocking her to the ground. Still latched onto her neck, the cobra coiled around her body to keep her relatively still. The cobra looked into the tiger’s red eyes with eyes of blue, seeing anger and fear and heartbreak all at once. The great snake could feel her frantic heartbeat.
“I’m sorry,” sighed the cobra in a soothing female voice. She plunged her fangs deep into the tiger’s neck, injecting venom that peacefully slowed her heart to a stop. “Be with your sons.” she said softly as she uncoiled from the now dead demon. Her sights then turned to the wounded human laying near the cliffside. The last thing Xian saw before unconsciousness claimed him were white scales and blue eyes…