Blood for Blood

Looking out onto the waters from his canoe, Taima sighed, waiting for his adversary to surface.

"You'll need this," Nitis handed Taima a bow. "It's the only thing powerful enough to damage it. Conventional weaponry's futile."

"What's its components?"

"Mammoth tusk makes the body, and thunderbird heartstring for the string."

"How'd you get thunderbird heartstring?"

"With a plethora of bison to feast upon in the southern areas, they tend not to migrate, but this one came further north. It was found impaled on a mammoth's tusk near some tar pits. Thing's eyes were bigger than its stomach."

"Pride cometh before the fall. Thank you, my friend."

"Avenge our friends, family, and free our land from this tyrant."

Erupting from the waters, breaching the lake's glasslike calmness, Taima's canoe had just grazed the dragon's fang. Thankfully, his hull gained no holes, nor was there a corrosive venom eating away at its integrity.

Drawing his bow, he thought, "I have no arrows."

"You won't need arrows with this. It's too powerful."

"How do you know?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." He let loose.

A torrent of air struck the serpent's hide, breaking through its underbelly's scaly flames.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" The ventilatious viper hissed.

"Taima! He who crashes thunder! Who are you?" He drew again.

"I am Gaasyendietha, from Cetus. I hear the mating call of your home's leviathan, Jörmungandr. His lover drowned. I'm to comfort him. We shall beget! For I rule the heavens' waters as he reigns them below the sky, and our children shall rain over all."

"Then you should've been breeding instead of feeding," Taima loosed the string.

Successive volleys struck Gaasyendietha, and upon pulling further back, the wind storms cracked her with lightning, clapping thunder. "Go back to your stars." With that final concussive blow, Taima knocked Gaasyendietha back towards her constellation.

Gaasyendietha's blood birthed new beings. One landed behind Taima. Nausea striking him, he turned, firing a blow that split Seelkee's head perfectly in two, the lightning cauterizing its wound.

The recoil launched Taima over mountains. Before crashing, a bed a red lichen grew on the plateau, cushioning his fall.

Awaking, the spirits of his friends and family bowed to him, thanking him for removing their consumer from this world. They departed for the Moon's Land.

Yet, Taima's work wasn't done.

Ogopogos, Memphres, Cressies, Mussies, Caddys, and Seelkees were born. Taima's hunt had just begun.

***

Thavien's Token:

This microfiction has been long overdue. This 400 word story was meant to be the 2nd part of a challenge that Donna Fox and I had given towards one another. She provided me with a plethora of sources to choose from to base my microfiction on. I hope that You've enjoyed it as well.

Her first legend that I provided her with developed into this wonderful top story.