Chapter 383 - 351: Guardian Of The Forest... Curse Of Indra...

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

Guys I hope you put more comments and power stones... Which will encourage me...

-------------------------------------------------

For the next several hours, peace became a forgotten luxury throughout the forest.

Roars echoed from one end of the woodland to another as the tigers, newly awakened after their long enchanted sleep, reclaimed territories that had once belonged to them.

Strangely, almost every tiger seemed interested in the same prey.

The forest had provided them with an absurd abundance of wild boars, and after years without facing their natural hunters, the boars had grown numerous, fat and recklessly confident.

Now that confidence was collapsing spectacularly.

Groups of boars that had once strutted through the forest without hesitation were suddenly running for their lives.

Some had previously chased deer away from feeding grounds, others had fought smaller animals for roots and fruits, and a few had even become bold enough to challenge elephants.

Now the moment a familiar striped figure appeared between the trees, those same boars scattered in complete panic.

Tigers burst from bushes, descended from rocky slopes and stalked through tall grass, concentrating almost entirely upon the overpopulated boars.

Their hunting instincts had awakened quickly, and the forest seemed determined to make up for several lost years in a single afternoon.

The other animals noticed the change almost immediately.

Deer remained cautious but slowly emerged from hiding once they realized the tigers were largely occupied with the far more plentiful boars.

Monkeys watched the chaos safely from the branches, occasionally shrieking whenever a tiger chased a squealing boar beneath their trees.

Even the elephant that had guided Devara earlier seemed noticeably calmer now that the creatures which had repeatedly challenged it had acquired considerably more urgent concerns.

Yet Devara did not remain behind to watch nature correct itself.

After speaking further with the forest spirit, he, Karna, Ashwatthama and the tribe leader continued deeper into the forest.

The spirit had revealed something important before they departed.

The forest had not always depended solely upon its natural predators to preserve its balance.

Long ago, before the current disturbance and even before the tribe leader’s grandfather had been born, this forest had possessed a protector.

A guardian.

According to the spirit, the guardian had once wandered freely throughout these lands, protecting not one species but the entire forest.

It prevented predators from multiplying beyond what their prey could sustain, protected watering places during droughts, stopped unnatural creatures from entering the woodland and even intervened when humans hunted far beyond what they required for survival.

The forest spirit had spoken of the guardian with unmistakable respect.

But the guardian had disappeared long ago.

And the reason had surprised Devara.

Indra.

The deeper they travelled, the more Devara thought about what the spirit had told them.

"She said the guardian was cursed by Lord Indra?"

Karna asked as they crossed a narrow stream.

"Yes," Devara replied.

Ashwatthama pushed aside a hanging vine.

"Why?"

Devara’s expression became complicated.

"Because Indra wanted it."

The tribe leader glanced toward him in confusion.

"Wanted it?"

"For Indra Lok."

According to what the forest spirit had explained, the guardian had possessed extraordinary beauty.

It was not merely beautiful by the standards of mortal creatures.

Its appearance was so magnificent that when Indra once descended into Bhulok and saw the creature protecting the forest, he became fascinated by it.

Indra had wanted to take the guardian back to Indra Lok, believing that such a magnificent being belonged among the wonders of the celestial realm.

But the guardian refused.

This forest was its home.

Every tree, stream, animal and mountain surrounding it was part of the responsibility it had accepted.

It had no desire to live within the luxury of Indra Lok, regardless of what Indra offered.

The rejection had wounded Indra’s pride.

And in a moment of anger, he cursed the guardian.

Devara’s face hardened slightly whenever he remembered that portion of the story.

"So Lord Indra cursed a creature whose only offense was refusing to leave its home?" Karna asked.

"That is what the forest spirit told us."

Karna released a long breath through his nose.

Ashwatthama’s expression was considerably less restrained.

"Wonderful."

Devara glanced toward him.

Ashwatthama continued walking.

"I am merely appreciating how often enormous problems seem to begin with someone powerful becoming angry after hearing the word no."

Karna almost laughed.

Even Devara’s lips twitched slightly.

But the amusement disappeared quickly.

Whatever Indra had done, the consequences had lasted far beyond the moment of anger that caused it.

Without its guardian, the forest had gradually become more vulnerable to outside interference.

For many years the natural balance had managed to sustain itself, but when hunters began targeting the tigers and the forest spirit responded by hiding them, there had been no greater guardian capable of recognizing the wider consequences and intervening.

Devara suddenly stopped.

Karna and Ashwatthama halted beside him.

The tribe leader looked around.

They had entered an extraordinarily old section of the forest.

The trees here were enormous, their trunks requiring several men standing hand in hand to surround them.

Thick moss covered ancient stones scattered across the ground, while enormous roots rose from the earth and intertwined with one another.

More strangely, there were almost no signs of wild boars here.

No uprooted plants.

No freshly disturbed soil.

No hoofprints.

Devara crouched and touched the earth.

The forest spirit had given them directions before they left.

Travel toward the oldest part of the forest.

Find the place where three ancient rivers once met.

Follow the stone markers swallowed by roots.

There, they would find what remained of the forest’s former protector.

The tribe leader looked around nervously.

"I have never been here."

Devara stood.

"Neither have the boars, apparently."

Ashwatthama pointed ahead.

"Devara."

Everyone followed his gaze.

Partially hidden behind enormous roots stood an ancient stone pillar.

Most of it had been swallowed by moss and vines, but something had been carved into its surface.

Devara approached and brushed away the vegetation.

The carving depicted a strange creature standing beneath a gigantic tree.

Around it were elephants, deer, tigers, birds, serpents and countless other animals.

None appeared frightened.

Instead, every creature faced the mysterious guardian.

Beneath the image was another carving.

Clouds.

Lightning.

And a figure holding a Vajra.

Indra.

Devara stared at the ancient relief.

"So this is the place."

A distant tiger roar echoed behind them, followed several moments later by the panicked squealing of yet another unfortunate boar.

Karna glanced backward before looking at the carving again.

"The tigers may reduce the boar population."

"But they cannot solve everything,"

Devara finished.

He placed his hand upon the ancient stone.

"If this forest truly had a guardian capable of maintaining its entire ecological balance, then restoring that guardian may be the real solution."

The tribe leader swallowed.

"But Maharaja, the spirit said Lord Indra cursed it."

Devara looked deeper into the ancient forest.

"Then first we find it."

His eyes narrowed.

"And after that, we find out exactly what Indra’s curse did."

The carving gave Devara another clue as he studied it more carefully.

The guardian depicted upon the ancient stone did not resemble an ordinary lion.

Its body possessed the powerful form of a great lion, with a thick mane surrounding its head and enormous paws firmly planted upon the earth, but from its back extended a magnificent pair of wings.

The wings were spread wide across the carving, almost covering the branches of the enormous tree behind it.

Around the creature were depictions of elephants, deer, birds, serpents and other animals, all gathered peacefully beneath its watch.

Devara slowly ran his fingers across the carving.

"A winged lion," he murmured.

Karna studied the image.

"So this was the protector of the forest."

"Apparently," Devara replied.

Ashwatthama looked toward the deeper forest.

"Then perhaps we should find where it disappeared to."

The three warriors continued forward, with the tribe leader following behind them.

The forest became increasingly ancient as they travelled.

The trees grew larger, their roots rising like walls from the earth, while the vegetation became so dense that Karna and Ashwatthama occasionally had to push branches aside.

Eventually, the ground began sloping downward.

The tribe leader noticed it first.

"We are entering a valley."

Devara continued walking until the trees finally opened into a massive rocky formation.

A cave stood before them.

Its entrance was enormous, large enough for an elephant to walk through without lowering its head, but much of the opening was concealed behind jagged rocks that had fallen from the surrounding cliffs.

Sharp stone formations protruded from the ground and walls like enormous teeth.

But the rocks were not the only thing guarding the entrance.

Snakes.

Hundreds of them.

They crawled across the stones, coiled around the roots and rested upon the rocky ledges.

Some were small enough to fit around a man’s wrist, while others were enormous, their bodies thick as tree trunks.

Their scales shimmered in shades of green, black, brown and gold whenever sunlight reached them.

The tribe leader immediately stopped.

His face went pale.

"Nāgas..."

Karna’s hand moved toward his weapon.

Ashwatthama also became alert.

The snakes raised their heads simultaneously.

Hissing sounds filled the area.

Yet Devara remained completely calm.

He stepped forward.

The nearest serpent lifted its head toward him.

For a moment, it appeared ready to strike.

Then something changed.

The snake lowered its head.

It slowly moved aside.

Another serpent followed.

Then another.

Within moments, a path began forming before Devara.

The snakes that had covered the entrance gradually parted, slipping away between the rocks and roots as though they recognized something in Devara that made attacking him unthinkable.

The tribe leader stared in disbelief.

"They’re moving away from you."

Devara glanced down at the serpents.

"They know I mean them no harm."

As he continued walking, the snakes kept retreating from his path.

Some watched him from the rocks, while others lowered their heads as he passed.

Karna followed immediately.

The moment he stepped forward, several snakes raised their heads again, but after seeing Devara continuing ahead, they remained still.

Ashwatthama followed next.

The tribe leader hesitated.

He had spent his entire life learning to fear these creatures, yet the sight before him was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

Devara turned around.

"Come."

The tribe leader swallowed and carefully followed them.

As the four men approached the cave entrance, the daylight gradually disappeared behind them.

The cave was completely dark beyond the first few meters.

A cold breeze emerged from within.

Devara stopped at the threshold.

He could feel something.

Not merely the presence of an animal.

Something ancient.

Something powerful.

Something that had been trapped or sleeping here for a very long time.

Karna looked into the darkness.

"Do you sense it?"

Devara nodded.

"Yes."

Ashwatthama narrowed his eyes.

"What is inside?"

Devara stared into the blackness.

"I don’t know."

He stepped into the cave.

Karna and Ashwatthama followed.

*******************************

(Author note:)

I hope you guys give me your opinion and idea’s.

-->

Don’t forget to review guys...