📦Journal Entry 6 - Delivering The Beast

After a short rest, I patched up my wounds and fashioned a makeshift eyepatch to cover my damaged eye. For now, my vision was down to just one eye, but perhaps after some rest and treatment, the other would heal. I stood up and surveyed the hidden jungle. It seemed quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves. How long it would stay quiet, I wasn’t sure. Plus, with my vision impaired and my body weakened, who knows what I wasn’t seeing. I needed to make my exit. The Dinosaur, bound by my rope, awaited its fate. The poison tipped spear had left the toxin coursing through its veins, leaving it weakened and subdued. It would be a difficult task to drag this beast back with me, but I had plenty more toxic herbs if the Dinosaur started acting up.

I made my way toward the cave, pulling the Dinosaur behind me. Navigating the narrow confines with the massive creature in tow was a tight squeeze. Yet, with determination as my guide, we emerged into the daylight—the hidden jungle left behind as we embarked on the journey back home. We headed westward, back toward the Forest in the same direction we came from.

The Dinosaur shuffled along behind me, no longer howling and roaring like when we fought. A silent companion. As we began to travel on the dry and rugged terrain, an idea came to me—what if we took a shortcut across the Salt Pans to expedite our journey to the lands of the Pieous? Normally, such a journey would be unimaginable for any Octopie, even myself. But the Dinosaur, with its speed and strength, perhaps held the key to crossing the vast expanse. If I could travel on the beast, I could travel at a pace unmatched by tentacles alone. And with the venomous toxins still coursing through its veins, perhaps now was the perfect time to test it out.

Approaching the creature, I attempted to mount it, a feat akin to taming a wild pig. I first made sure its jaw was tied shut and its claws were bounded by rope. Then I began to mount it on its side, climbing up its back. Surprisingly, the Dinosaur offered little resistance as I found a spot to sit in between the beast's hind legs. I was uncomfortable, but it worked. Grabbing the rope tied to its jaw, I pulled to the right, and the Dinosaur’s body followed suit. I pressed forward, and the Dinosaur began to move. We headed North, toward the Salt Pans, and I felt a thrill of excitement at this bizarre situation. Here I was, in the Volcanic Pits, riding one of the most mythical creatures in existence, heading straight to the home of the Pieous.

As we began to move, the pair of us gained momentum. I loosened the rope ever so slightly, allowing the Dinosaur to find its stride. Before long, it broke out into a gallop across the barren landscape, surging past the volcano and its exterior cliff walls. With the afternoon sun beating down on our backs, we headed to the Salt Pans at a pace faster than I had ever traveled.

The ride was fast and uncomfortable. My tentacles gripped the ropes strung around the Dinosaur’s body, blisters breaking out and my muscles tiring. By nightfall, we had reached the border of the Volcanic Pits and the Salt Pans. We paused, taking a moment to rest. But I didn’t dismount. I knew our best attempt to cross the Salt Pans would be before the sun rose again. Therefore, it was essential that we pressed forward and kept our time spent resting to a minimum. I reached for some of the food from my bags. As I began to snack on it, I leaned forward and offered some to the Dinosaur. One tentacle extended out, with food in hand, next to the jaw of the beast, while another tentacle loosened the rope that had kept its jaw firmly shut. It was a scary moment. The Dinosaur might use this moment to attack, with its jaw unburned from the rope and my entire body facing exhaustion from the ride. It’s eyes darted to the food, and then to my tentacle. I held my breath in anticipation, prepared for anything. The beast turned its head, opened its mouth, and with the gentleness of a puppy, it slowly took the food from my outstretched tentacle. It felt like we’d come to an understanding. I offered up some more of my rations and the Dinosaur chewed it all down. Once we both finished, I grabbed the ropes once again. This time, though, I left them loose on its jaw. Taming a wild beast requires trust, both ways. Still, it felt foolish of me to be so trusting of an animal that—only hours ago—was ready to chew me up. We made our move for the next part of the journey through the sandy deserts and dunes of the Salt Pans. The nighttime brought with it a welcome reprieve from the blistering heat of the day, but removed any chance we had of good vision. I could barely see even a few meters ahead, yet the beast seemed unburdened and proceeded through the darkness. We traveled at a breakneck pace, with the cold wind whipping across my face. The rhythm of the Dinosaurs' feet pounded the floor and its tail bouncing off the ground were the only thing punctuating the silent emptiness of the Salt Pans.

Finally, after a long night of fast paced travel, we arrived at the Rust Bowl, the home of the Doughbots and the Pieborgs. Here, we moved to travel via the coastal lands. These coastal lands offered very little in the way of beaches or scenic views, but I knew they would be abandoned. The Doughbots and Pieborgs were the Octopies that most feared the Oceans, especially Doughbots. It felt essential to keep out of sight and avoid any unwanted attention.

With the climate being less hostile and rations running low, we traveled at a slower pace through the Rust Bowl. For most of the trip, I stayed mounted on the beast's back, except for an occasional rest stop. After some time traveling, we arrived at the Three Vapours, the lands of the Pieous. I dismounted the Dinosaur and walked towards the imposing gates of the Pieous, with the beast in tow alongside me. This time, the Dinosaur walked next to me, with loose ropes and no fear of escape, rather than dragged behind me by force. As we arrived before the imposing gates of the Pieous kingdom, they swung open, and a group of heavily armored Pieous guards made their way out to greet us. The Dinosaur, faithful companion on this arduous journey, stood beside me. As they approached closer, it let out a primal roar that echoed through the air. I turned and offered a calming pet, tightening the ropes and securing the knots around its jaws as I did so. I can’t imagine the Pieous would be too pleased if this latest bounty ate one of their guards. As if a testimony to our new bond, the Dinosaur calmed under my touch.

As the Pieous guards approached, they drew their weapons and quickly surrounded the Dinosaur. With expert coordination, they dragged it through their gates under the menace of their blades.

A few of them stayed by my side as the rest escorted the captured Dinosaur. Turning their attention to me, the Pieous expressed their gratitude for the creature I had them, but their tone was one of urgency. I had expected to get paid and make my leave, but there was no coin in sight. They explained that just this very morning, one of the previously captured animals had escaped, plunging them into a state of emergency. They confided in me that they did not want to send their own scouting parties out to find the animal, as it would no doubt just worry the locals. They needed a more subtle approach. Or so they said. They tasked me with retrieving the escaped creature—dead or alive— and promised to double the bounty they owed me for the Dinosaur. Admittedly, I was hesitant. The bounty from the Dinosaur was already plenty for me. But they informed me that the escapee was the Arctic Wolf. Not too dangerous an animal overall, when it stays in the Arctic. But if the beast wandered into a Pieson village, hungry and scared, it could be a very messy situation indeed. A regrettable situation that I, intentionally or not, had created by first capturing the Wolf.

With no time to spare, I accepted the offer. Failure was not an option. As the Pieous stressed the urgency of the task at hand, I prepared to embark on yet another hunt, heading towards the Arctic Crust. This time though, I knew it would be an easy one, as I’d bested this beast once before…