Mngwa Read online

spot. Lambent green eyes were fixed right on her, and its teeth were bared in a cold predator’s sneer. She gasped in shock. The winds were still cold. This was the scant edge of its territory. She didn’t understand what it wanted.

  When it leaped, she figured it out.

  It wanted her.

  She had somehow earned its disdain.

  “No!” Mayasa screamed, dropping her belongings and diving sideways. Those sickle-like claws cut parallel gashes into her leg, and she cried out in pain, but she wasn’t about to waste time. Quickly scrambling to her feet, putting as much weight as she could on her good leg, she sprang towards her spear. Wawindaji Pepo was right behind her, grasping for her thighs and snapping its teeth. Her fingers closed around her spear, and she pulled it backwards just in time for the butt of it to cram into Wawindaji Pepo’s mouth. The cat choked, backing up and pawing at its muzzle in pain. Mayasa stood and leveled herself into a good position for defense. She didn’t want to kill this animal. She wanted to grab her things and head back.

  “Why do you attack me?” she demanded. “What did I do wrong?!”

  She got no answer. Just the predatory circling motion of an angry big cat. Mayasa’s head reeled; she knew it was driving her away from her belongings and she couldn’t let that happen. She stood her ground and brandished her spear threateningly, hoping it would stay put. It worked. Wawindaji Pepo took a confused step back and lifted his lips further, not pleased by her bravery. It swiped at her experimentally, and when she still didn’t back down, it let out an ear-straining yowl.

  Mayasa shouted and jabbed the spear forward into its nose.

  The sharpened stone tore into its face, and the creature reared back, letting loose another roar of displeasure. Mayasa slowly bent to scoop up her belongings, and it took the chance to leap one more time.

  Mayasa’s luck ran out. Its teeth snapped around her forearm with a violent crunch. She screamed and slammed the spear repeatedly into its paws, but all it did was sink its teeth in deeper and shake its head, breaking the bone.

  Finally, she knew she had no choice. Breathing past her pain and leveling the spear’s point at its throat, she stabbed it forward with all the strength she could muster. Wawindaji Pepo let go after that. With a bloody, pained gurgle, it fell to the floor. Its eyes glazed quickly, and its breath came in watery gags. Mayasa’s leg throbbed and her left arm was now useless, but she still forced herself to her feet and killed it quickly. Animals were not supposed to suffer unnecessarily. It was sad and wrong.

  She looked down at her handiwork. Unlike the pride of killing the mountain antelope, this brought her no joy. She could not take it back with her, and here this beautiful creature would lie, food for scavengers and starving birds of prey. Mayasa had killed to survive, and it was not a good feeling at all.

  Clearly, she had somehow offended the guardian beast. Why else would it attack her on her way home? The wind still blew frigid, though, which confused her. Surely if she had worn out her welcome, it would have sent the warmer winds to let her know. Mountain hunters had always been warned before. She knew men who had come down saying they could not complete their hunt because they were not gifted with cold winds, even during the most frigid months.

  She just didn’t understand.

  Mayasa lifted her belongings with great suffering, biting back tears of pain as she slung the weight over her shoulders. It hurt. It hurt so very much. Both her body and her soul throbbed with pain. Her body for obvious reasons, as the wounds gaped and dripped tiny spatters of crimson on the rocks beneath her. Her soul, however, suffered for the useless death. Not to mention her shame and fear at having killed the guardian of the mountain. What would her tribe do? Would she be forever cast into shame? Wawindaji Pepo stopped the storms from destroying them…but then, if it were a guardian, perhaps it would return? It made sense, really.

  Mayasa sighed. It didn’t much matter now. What was done was done. She simply had to return home and tell everyone how she came to be wounded so. Truths were not always pleasant. The mountain was left in solemn silence.

  Long after Mayasa left, something else slunk over to Wawindaji Pepo’s body.

  And it lifted its head skyward and wailed for the loss of its mate.

  ###

  What is a mngwa?

  Though the legend is ancient, first noted in a song which mentions it stalking alongside the lion and the jaguar, belief in this creature widely and strongly persists even today. According to African lore, the mngwa is nothing but trouble. It is a large feline with dark fur and striped markings. Highly skilled nocturnal hunters, they can pick villagers right out of their beds without being noticed by anyone else. They are also crafty, being nearly impossible to track. The most reliable sighting thus far was reported by British colonial official Captain William Hichens in the 1920s.

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  Allison Graham is a zoology major who lives in the middle of nowhere with a house full of pets and a love of the fantastically unbelievable. A longtime cryptozoology and mythology fan, she started The Bestiary Tales as a way to connect with fans and remind people of the long-forgotten creatures which so many of our ancestors feared, worshipped, or respected.

  She loves anime and manga, singing, drawing, costuming, watching elimination-based television shows like Project Runway and Masterchef (she knows nothing about fashion, but fancies herself a pretty good cook), and, of course, studying up in her vast and baffling mythology library.

  She would like to point out that anyone curious about her artwork, attempts at poetry, and costumes should visit her DeviantArt - she loves new watchers and friends! Anyone who wishes to talk about the Bestiary Tales, ask about her sources, and even suggest new creatures for upcoming stories is welcome to reach her via Facebook. Just remember, the internet is hard to come by where she lives - if she doesn’t respond for a long time, it’s not you, it’s low service and terrible bandwidth.