lauravent69

The challenge-I was given a picture and must create a story to go with the picture. It can be as long as I want or as short as I want.

The year was 1850. John Warren and his best friend Timothy Johnson were on a hunting trip in the mountains of Tennessee. They had caught a glimpse of a buck on their last hunting trip that was the largest they had ever seen in their lives. Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they’d never believed that one that size existed. The buck was every bit of 500 pounds.

John and Timothy made their hunts more challenging by using spears. They relished each kill as it gave them a fantastic tale to tell others. They believed that anyone could kill a deer using a rifle but that it takes supreme skill to hunt using an archaic method.

Now the deer they were after had been given a name by the locals. Asgina Awi. The meaning; Devil Deer. The legend of this monstrous deer was that it was sent to torment hunters, that it was a phantom sent to punish hunters that took more than their share. The ones that hunted solely for sport. The ones that hunted and left the deer population dwindling. The ones taking food from the local Cherokee villages that heavily populated the area.

John and Timothy knew the legend. As far as they were concerned, it was hogwash. Nothing was going to stop these two from taking down Asgina Awl. Once they did, they could provide proof to quash the legend of it being a phantom. They would go down in history as the two men to have taken down the largest deer known to man not to mention doing so using only their homemade spears. What a story this would be.

Now the two had been tracking Asgina Awl for several days. The rumor was that the buck spent a lot of time close to Ayatas Gadawahi (Fire Lake). The lake got its name from the local tribe due to the way the sun reflected in the lake. It sat in a valley surrounded by the mountains. When the sun would rise, it lit the entire valley up, like fire.

They knew that this particular rumor was true. Asgina Awl was leading them straight for Fire Lake. This was going to be taxing to say the least. It was much easier for a deer to climb mountains and then descend than it was for a man.

It was a particularly treacherous mountain but the men finally made it to the top. They could see the valley down below and there was Fire Lake. The sun was setting and fast. It was time to set up camp for the night, get a fire going and get some food ready. They would need the nourishment as they knew they had to head down the mountain in the morning.

They sat quietly after their dinner, enjoying the night air and the sounds of wildlife. Other than that it was eerily quiet. The exhaustion was weighing on them both. This hunting trip was far more brutal than either had anticipated it would be. Both men dragged their aching bodies to their separate tents. It didn’t take long for either of them to drift off to sleep.

John hadn’t been asleep long when he was awakened by a sound and then sees a shadow cast upon his tent. His tent then began to shake. He grabbed his boots and threw them on running outside ready for a fight. His breathing was heavy and the blood was pumping. Nothing. Nothing was there. He looks all around and still sees nothing, he stands dumbfounded. He turned to head back into his tent when he is hit from behind and taken to the cold ground. He was stunned and it took him a minute to gather his senses. He looked up but all he could see was the creature’s breath. Its breathing sounded unlike anything he had ever heard. He worked up the courage to lift his head from the ground to get a look. He jumped up quickly. Looking and feeling completely bewildered. Nothing. There was nothing there. “What is happening to me?”

He decided to just sit by the fire for a while. He was now wide awake. There was no way he was going to be able to fall asleep, at least not for a bit.

He sat on the log next to the fire, looking all around at his surroundings. Trying to understand everything that had just happened. “The legend,” he quietly mutters. He shakes the thought off. “There’s no way. It’s not real.” He grabs his flask and takes a few swigs of bourbon. He hears a rustling in the brush behind him. He stands, slowly grabbing his spear that was resting on the log. “I see you…” There in front of him stood Asgina Awl. He wanted to call out to Timothy but knew it could scare Asgina Awl and send him running.

The buck stood there just staring at John. John’s heart was beating faster than it ever had in his entire life. His hands were sweaty and his breathing rapid. Asgina Awl let out what sounded like a primal scream. In all of his years of hunting, John had never heard anything like it. The fear took hold and he wanted to run. But where could he go? He was on top of a mountain in the middle of the night. Running into the wild would mean certain death. Deer weren’t the only wildlife in the mountains.

He stood his ground. Asgina Awl began inching closer and closer. He was standing completely in the moonlight now. John had never seen anything quite like it. He was an incredible sight and yes he was every bit of 500 pounds. He gripped his spear tighter ready for the fight of his life. Asgina Awl was now maybe ten feet from him. The buck lets out another scream and it pierces John’s ears. He drops his spear to muffle his ears from the shrill scream.

The buck charges towards John at full speed. John didn’t stand a chance. He didn’t have time to pick his spear back up to defend himself. Asgina Awl sent John flying and he landed hard just inches from the campfire. The pain was unimaginable. He looks up to see Asgina Awl standing over him. His eyes search for his spear. In the struggle his spear was broken into several pieces.  The large buck rears back onto his back legs and then comes down onto John’s ribs. John screams out. This was it. He knew this would be how he dies. He musters up what energy he can and screams out for Timothy. Timothy is there in a matter of seconds. Timothy is calling out to John and John finally hears him. He opens his eyes and sees his friend’s face.

“Oh Tim, be ready, he’s here, he’s going to kill me.” Timothy grabs John and lifts him to his feet. John stands there dumbfounded. He began examining himself. He was fine. No blood, no pain, nothing. “What the hell?” He stands there trying to figure out what exactly was happening.

Timothy and John sit down by the fire and John tells him everything. “You know John, we are both exhausted. Exhaustion can do crazy things to a man. I think you just fell asleep and it was just a nightmare.” Just then something catches Timothy’s eye. He stands up and walks over to the edge of the log and bends over picking up John’s spear. All three pieces of it. John looked at Timothy and Timothy at John. Timothy spots something else. John sees his fixed gaze and follows his friend. There, in front of them, was the largest hoof prints either have ever seen. A shrill scream cries out in the distance. Both men fall silent.

 Thank you to theeclecticcontrarian.wordpress for challenging me. Really made me think!!

I challenge the following people to use the picture below and create your own story.

 http://irevuo.art/2019/01/08/haters-will-say/

https://timelessclassics.wordpress.com/2019/01/11/illisions-of-luminescence/

https://lightmotifs.wordpress.com/2019/01/11/the-friday-four/

https://leafandtwig.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/tail-feathers/