Cave Fables -- An unofficial writing contest

Oh, I love this thread!
My writing skills are not up to par, but I want to contribute.


The Horse and the Fox.

Wandering through the caves in search for food, a Horse found a small pear tree which mysteriously grew out of the rocks next to a pool of murky water.
Seeing that the fruits were still green, there he sat waiting for them to ripen.

Passed there a Fox who was also looking for food, and seeing the tree and the Horse he collapsed groaning, “Oh poor me! I should not have eaten that pear!”.
Thinking that the tree was tainted by the murky water, the Horse snorted and walked away.
Sneered the Fox, and he quickly ate all the unripe pears.

 

The First Dippy
Tock.
A worn torch revealed faces in it's dim fire. A man asked, "Where's Spears? We need to vote on the time ideas, and move the people to higher cave passages. The flood is rising."
A woman shrugged. "He's always distracted, but he'll show up. The water is rising at a certain rate, and we have three days to move. I say we use the old candles to keep track."
Tock.
A second man spoke. "The candles break. My idea is the sand-glass, but you have to keep it balanced and steady."
The first man knocked a cave beetle from his shoulder. "My idea is the song. We've counted to see how long it lasts. Pass the singing from one person to the next."
Tock.
"What is that noise? Where's Spears?"
The woman complained, "I've been hearing it for two sleeps. I hope it's not new trouble."
Tock.
The people moved toward the sound, and nearly ran into Spears. Spears looked as if he'd had no sleep. "Sorry I'm late. I've made a time mechanism, but the thing is big and awkward. I was trying to rig something to carry it."
Tock.
"Spears, what is that noise?"
"What noise? Oh, come here, I'll show you. You can see the time device also, and see what you think."
The group arrived at a small wooden device. It could be seen standing in the water by a flickering torch. Two thin sticks held up a segmented tube, with a balanced point. A trickle of water from a stalactite filled the tube, altered the balance, and the tube tilted to pour out the water. When the tube fell back, the small rock that weighted it hit with a loud 'tock' sound, and the cycle repeated.
The elder looked with amazement. "Is that your time device?"
"What? No. That's to keep the creatures in the cave away from me while I sleep. The time device is over here." He began to move toward a large device with gears and weights.
"Spears, does this noise on this water-catcher happen at a regular interval?"
"Yes. We can't take running water with us though, so it won't work for what we need."
"We heard it all the way from the other caverns," the second man declared.
Tock.
The woman nodded. "I heard it through two sleeps, from my chamber."
"Seriously?" Spears seemed impressed. "My family built these to scare away animals from eating everything in their gardens. I can make it louder."
They all agreed. The water-catcher was fitted with a different stone, and clacked very loudly against the rock at regular intervals. The people were able to move to safety from the flooding in time. One person was overheard to say as they looked back, "Who knew one of Spears' dippy ideas would work so well?"

------​

Morale: Who you are in the light helps you in the darkness. Or: Small things can make a big difference.

 

The Lost Traveller

Within the caves, a group of survivors known only as the Dwellers of Bert once let in a lost traveller called Adon. They fed him all they could and let him sleep amongst their people for fourteen rests, but just before the next, Adon climbed upon the largest boulder around and gathered everyone he could to surround him. He started off by telling them how much he had appreciated their kindness for letting him stay with them and looking after him, before revealing the true news and telling of how he was secretly a god in man’s form who had chosen the dwellers out of their kindness to lead a new golden age of glory where they would become the lords of a new land, this pleased the poor, unsuspecting dwellers who listened generously as he preached on about how he was an all-powerful, immortal being that was capable of anything imaginable and more. He also boasted that if anyone dare lay even one bony finger upon him they would never see their lives again and he would gain no remnant of the attack. So confident of their total obedience, that he even dared them to throw rocks towards their new god and see the attackers die in a holy burst of dust. The legend has it that every man, woman and child in the immediate vicinity eventually threw rocks at Adon from down below his boulder and soon left his beaten, bloodied corpse alone, and it stayed there for fourteen rests before a pack of travelling cave rats came across his deathly body and ate him piece by piece. And so, that is why no one in the whole of Britannia trusts a man called Adon, and sequentially, why no mother has ever named their child the same as the foolish mock god since.

 

The Mice That Fought

Two lone mice that travelled together within the caves, had gotten lost for what felt like several days. They soon realised their rations would not stretch far enough and that both of them would surely die of starvation if it was partitioned any more. It was then decided by the two mice that all the rations and impressive gear, including a powerful mouse-sized sword and a tiny spear, would be left to the one who was the best in knife combat, and so they set a brawl amongst their selves to see who was more worthy of the gear and rations. So they both got a fair chance, they both used one of their blunt knifes that was used for cutting meat and cheese instead of regular weaponry. They stood across from one another with the gear in centre and charged to the other mouse. After a quick knife fight, one of the mice was stabbed through the heart and fell down to his breathless death, but the standing mouse soon came tumbling with him after the crumb sized wounds he gained got fatal. Luckily, a rat that had been following them for quite some time now had come out of the shadows in which he was lurking and grabbed the gear for himself before running off. The rat lived a long, adventurous and full life, in which he often used the gear to get himself out of a deadly situation and he always thanked the two idiot mice who killed each other for their own survival gear.

Please Note: I have not yet backed SotA and while that makes me uneligable for the contest... dang it, I just wanted to post here.

 

The Little Kveykva

There once was a boy named Lorik who lived in a small village not far from the river. Lorik was simple minded and knew not how to make his own destiny, but to only follow by the examples of his friends. Like many young boys, he feared something other than his own shadow…he feared not having one. One day he was playing by the river with his friends until they noticed a young blind girl playing with her doll by the rocks. One of his friends decided to take her doll and passed it to another boy. As they taunted her while watching the girl wave her arms around crying for her doll; they passed the doll around until it ended up in Lorik’s hands. As his friends cheered him on, Lorik walked over to a nearby cave and threw the doll inside while he watched as it rolled down further into the cave until it disappeared. A nearby Woodsman who was chopping trees heard the cries of the blind girl and ran to her aid. Lorik and the boys soon realized this Woodsmen was the blind girl’s father. Lorik’s friends who were frightened of being punished, told on him and said he was the one who threw the doll inside the cave. As punishment, the Woodsman told Lorik he is to go retrieve the doll for his daughter. Lorik was mad at his friends for posting blame on him. However, Lorik was afraid of the dark and didn’t want his friends to know. Lorik yelled “fine!” as he puffed his chest and ran inside without a moment’s thought. As soon as Lorik went down further inside the cave, he could see nothing and realized he was lost. Lorik started to yell for help and soon thereafter the yelling turned into crying. After what seemed eternity, he felt something touch his shoulder. Lorik started to scream and then he heard his name whispered in his ear. He realized it was the young blind girl and she had come to help him. She told Lorik to grab her hand and follow her. Lorik refused and asked her if he can’t see his way out of the cave how could she. She explained that every day she lived in the dark and not by choice. She explained that she listens and feels her way through life instead. She asked Lorik again to follow her, close his eyes and to not say a single word. Soon after walking for a few minutes, Lorik could start to feel and hear the wind. As he walked more while holding the blind girl’s hand it got stronger. The girl then asked Lorik to open his eyes and he could see that not only had she got them both out of the cave, but had retrieved her own doll as well. Lorik asked the Woodsman what his daughter’s name was and he said she is my little “Kveykva”, which means “light” in Viking.

 

Mole and Snake

Once there was two friends, Mole and Snake. Mole was a plain looking fellow who had a squeeky voice that made others giggled when he talked, so he pretty much kept to himself and kept himself busy by working. Snake was the opposite. He avoided work whenever he could, but his looks and his mouth also made people giggle (especially the ladies), just not for the same reason as Moles' did.

As they entered the twilight of their life, Snake and Mole sat together in front of a fire telling stories about their past adventures. Mole's stories were always trumped by Snakes who did the same thing but faster or better. But Mole had a few stories he knew Snake could not beat.

"At the end of each day, my family eat and sing songs and play together." he said.

"There is no one waiting at home for me. I always went out and found fun when I wanted it." quipped Snake, "But now we are old, it is hard to find fun these days."

"When I need something I can make it myself or trade with someone to get it." mused Mole.

"I could talk someone into giving me anything I wanted." said Snake almost spitting the words out, "But my mind and tongue are not what they used be and now I just do without."

"When I die, I know my family will mourn but I will live on though them in how I taught them to survive and prosper." said Mole calmly.

"Bah, I do not have a family to waste time teaching. And..." Snake paused and thought for a moment, "You'll mourn me when I am gone wont you Mole?"

Mole smiled as he got up from his chair and stoked the fire.

"Of course I will Snake, of course I will".

 

PATH OF THE AVATAR

One fine summer day, Duke Garen and his men were riding to Castle Britannia for a meeting of the Great Council. In the Harudan Forest, their caravan came to a sudden halt.

"Why have we stopped?", he asked one of his guards.

"My Lord, our path seems to be blocked by a smashed cart in the middle of the road and an injured man lying next to it.", replied the guard.

"Have your men move the obstacles to the side of the road!", commanded Duke Garen, "I will not be late for my meeting!"

As the Duke's guards were about to comply, the Avatar rode by on his white steed.

"What is going on here?", asked the Avatar.

The badly injured old man struggled to his feet and said, "Please help me, kind sir! I am Joseph, a farmer. I was traveling to Brittany to sell my wheat when I was assaulted by brigands. They beat me up, smashed my cart, stole my crops, my horse, my gold, and even my clothes!"

The Avatar dismounted and cast a healing spell on the farmer. Then, he removed a set of clothes from his saddlebag and gave them to the farmer to wear. The Avatar also gave the farmer half of his own gold to help compensate him for his losses.

"Thank you, kind sir!", said the grateful old man.

"Here, take my hand!", said the Avatar, pulling the old man up onto his horse, " I will take you to Brittany where you can file a report with the sheriff. Perhaps he and his men will be able to bring these brigands to justice!"

"Avatar, why are you wasting your time with this peasant?", asked Duke Garen, "Lord British will be very displeased if we are late for our meeting!"

The Avatar admonished him. "Duke Garen, we have an obligation to help our neighbors!"

With that, the Avatar and Joseph rode off.

Later, after Duke Garen and his fellow Council members took their seats at the table, Lord British entered, flanked on either side by the Avatar and his adviser, the mysterious prophet Nystal. He looked very displeased.

"Duke Garen, I understand you came across a farmer in need on your way here, but failed to render assistance. Is that true?", asked Lord British.

"Yes, my Liege.", replied Duke Garen.

Nystal 's appearance suddenly changed - into that of Joseph, the farmer! The Council members gasped in astonishment.

"That was a test to see if you were worthy of this appointment.", said Lord British, "You failed miserably! Remember, we are here to serve the people! Duke Jobin will be appointed Minister of Finance instead."

"But sire...", protested Duke Garen, as he stood up.

"Take you seat!", commanded Lord British. A very disappointed Duke Garen sat down.

Remember, children, although the Avatar is no longer with us, we honor him by striving to follow his path, for those who lead a virtuous life are rich beyond compare...

 

Bowstring that Binds Us All​

There once lived two master archers, bowyers, and lifelong friends. They were renowned as the greatest of their trade in the kingdom. No matter who challenged them, none could make a finer bow or hit a target more precise.
One morning, a traveling skald visited their home a small village that resided in a beautiful meadow. This skald sang with a voice so beautiful that the gods wept when they heard it, and both friends fell deeply in love with the kind and gentle skald.
Each of them set about making the most magnificent bow, so that they might win her love. Unfortunately, they’re bitter rivalry led them to make only weak and brittle bows that could never be held by any.
While their rivalry ruled them they did not even notice the young skald had left on her next journey. Many years past without hide or hair of the sklad's whereabouts, but she did return to the village a very much older woman and the friends were much older men.
Seeing their discord created between them because of their love for her the skald offered to take both of them as her husbands. They were both so very happy with their rivalry at an ended, together the friends crafted a magnificent bow in celebration of their new found love between the three of them and named it ….

 

Empty the Pit

In Deep, Dark, Dank Cave, An Elder With Full Bowels.
To the Fecal Pit, he Went. Oh, the Odour so Foul.
Poor of Sight, Being He. A Torch, he Brought, to See.
Came Flashing Flame, and a Sound of Thunder,
Never Again, he, Did Tribe See.

 

He felt a hand on his shoulder. William looked peered through the darkness at his brother Logan as the two walked through the pitch black caves. It had been two days as far as they could tell since the cave-in where their colony had setup camp after arriving in this new world and the last of their makeshift torches had burned out about an hour ago.

“Logan”, said William, “We’ve been searching for an exit for days now. I’m tired and I’m weak. We’ve had no food, we’re quickly running out of water. We’re never going to make it out of here. I’m scared.”

Logan tried to see his brother through the inky blackness that surrounded them. He knew that William was likely correct but sitting around and waiting for death had no appeal to him. He grabbed his brothers’ shoulder and continued to walk, stepping carefully and keeping his hands on the wall and keeping William occupied with moving rather than thinking.

“It can’t go on forever”, replied Logan. “There has to be something ahead. We’ve not been traveling downhill so we’re not going further into the ground and the mountain has to eventually end. It’s just a matter of finding it.”

For another day they walked, though minutes seemed like hours and hours seemed like eternity when Logan came to a complete stop. Something was different about the way they heard the sound of their footsteps reflecting off the walls. Logan turned to William and was about to say something but he lost his footing and fell down into the unseen pit in this cavern.

William sensing the sudden movement managed to grab his brother before he fell into the void and struggled to pull him back up. Logan could feel his hands slipping from his brothers’ grasp and couldn’t find a solid perch to place his feet. Fear suddenly hit him as he thought to himself that this may be the end.

Determined, William pulled with all he had and fell backward as Logan came up from the pit. The two of them lay on the dirt trying to catch their breath.

“Looks like I owe you my life”, said Logan. “Thank you, brother.”

William stood up and reached into the darkness grabbing Logan’s shirt and pulling him up to his feet. “Let’s make sure it’s not in vain”, he replied. “Let’s get out of here… a little more aware this time.”

The two carefully made their way around the pit and found another path on the other side continuing through the mountain caves.

Even when things are dark, never give up hope and rely on each other to get you through.

 

The Cat and Canary

A Cat and Canary lived deep inside cave.

"Deeper, Let us explore!" exclaimed Cat.
"Why go deeper? Curious Cat."

But Cat would Persist.
Being his good friend, Canary finally agreed.

Deeper and deeper they went, until cat found dead Rat.
Cat pawed at the corpse, curious of it's fate.
Canary, grew impatient and trudged on ahead.
Cat noticed now, that he was alone. "Wait for me, Canary!"

After a moment, Cat caught up with his feathered friend.
"Why do you lay there, friend? Too tired? Too Scared?"

Silence.

"Canary?"
He gently pawed his little friend.
"Oh, No! First Rat, now Canary! I must find out, what killed thee!"

Deeper and deeper Cat ventured. Never again, to return.

 

BEWARE THE ECHOLESS CAVE

Many a creature and man both hath told
an unknowable chamber, somber and cold

But in it not one soul begins to describe
For those who have entered, returned not alive

Yet whispered between the most eldest of kin
There's but one way to tell, thou is close to this den

Nearer and nearer its magic it looms
The faintest of voices, it drains and consumes

When scouting lost caverns both far and nigh
Pipe thee a melody, and await its reply

If ones voice is unanswered withdraw in such haste
For it's likely thou hasn't much time left to waste!

BEWARE THE ECHOLESS CAVE

 

Mushrooms and Men

There is as much variety in the kingdom of mushrooms as there are personalities in woman and man. They may be fluffy and purple, sticky and green, or basically anything in between. Just as you can be stalwart, he can be dastardly, or she can be whimsical. But a single division can be made within both species which transcends all the like. Mushrooms, like men are either good, or bad. When picking mushrooms or choosing companions be wary of outer appearance and cautious of enticement. Choose wisely which fungus you allow to touch your tongue, and mind you whomever you keep in close quarter. For the wrong choice in either plight may render you helpless or dead.

 

One thing that has always fascinated me about Aesop's fables is how they often contradict each other. In The Monkey and the Dolphin, for example we are thought not to prentend to be what we aren't, but The Wolf in the Sheep Skin had a great deal of success doing exactly that.
In that spirit, I will try to contradict the morale of my previous fable with...


The Old Man and the Fox

When the Winding River went dry a long time ago, an Old Man set forth to the Inner Caves, searching for water. Having filled a leather pouch with some water that was slowly dripping down from a stalactite, he was a-coming back to his settlement when he came accross a Fox who was running with his tail between his legs.
"Whence, comest thou o Fox?", inquired he, "And why in such a hurry?".
"Alas!", quoth the Fox, "Kobolds ambushed me in the dark passage behind. Barely, I got away with my life!".
"Say'st thou so", frowned the Old Man, "One thing I learnt from life: trust not the sly Fox!", as he thought the cunning animal must have been hiding great treasure in the gloomy corridors behind.
So he ventured into the passage where sure enough he was ambushed by Kobolds, who made a meal of him.

 

Demon of Compassion

In the days following the cataclysm a sect arose to rule the people. Their ways were strict. They sacrificed law breakers to the Spirit of the Mountain in a river of magma in the deepest of caverns. Such sacrifices were not pleasing to the Spirit, but as they were lawbreakers the sacrifices were tolerated. During this time a small red haired girl was found. She lived a rough life never fitting in, but she was always happy to help others when she wasn’t causing mischief. The leader of the sect hated the little girl for her happiness and the happiness she brought others. The redhead was none too fond of the sect leader either with his scowling face and unending rules. She avoided the leader as much as possible until one day he sought her out. He offered her some sweets as a peace offering. Sweets were a true luxury in the caves and only the wealthy or powerful had them. She immediately ate a sweet and smiled.

The land trembled as it had not since the days of cataclysm. The magma churned and bubbled. She heard a deep rumbling voice. “Forgive me child for I have failed you”.

The redhead opened her eyes to see an old man with a full long beard the color of magma standing next to her. “What happened? Where am I?” she asked.

With barely constrained anger the man answered “The corrupt sect sacrificed you to me. They drugged you and threw you into the magma. Your mortal life has ended.” His rage growing, “An innocent such as yourself should never have been sacrificed.” His voice softening, “I cannot return your mortal life but I can grant you a boon. Ask of me child and it shall be yours.”

The little girl looked up into the old man’s eyes thoughtfully, “I want good people to have help and not be lonely.” Her eyes open wide, “Oh, and don’t let those mean sect people hurt anyone ever again.” The old man smiled proudly and nodded.

“GRANTED!” The earth quaked and the magma surged upwards.

No time had passed since the little girl was sacrificed. The surging magma consumed the sect members present and filled their chambers as a small girl with hair and wings of flame flew forth. The sect members not consumed by the magma screamed in fear and ran for their lives spreading tales of the wrathful demon.

The people of the Mountain were first terrified of the demon but soon learned the little girl with hair and wings of flame brought only compassion and kindness. As other worlders joined the people of the Mountain, they shared stories of the demons and angels of their world. Over many years the Demon of Compassion became known as the Angel of Fire.

Morals: Government handouts come with hidden costs, Don't take candy from mean sect leaders, Don't piss off a redhead, and power corrupts.

 

Twenty four hours left! If you haven't entered yet, or if you've only done one fable, get those creative juices flowing and start writing!

 

The beast and the betrayer

A Halfling approached me with tales of gold and riches beyond my wildest dreams, if I provided him protection while returning to his cove within the tunnels. “Dwinder is my name, and if you lend me your arms traveling past the dangerous main halls, I will show you how to enter the trove of treasures the survivors speak of!” he said excitedly. I've heard of the trove of treasures, but was unsure of its existence as some believed it to be a myth. If it didn't exist, what harm could come in a little adventure with a harmless halfling such as this? I felt the small risk could be worthwhile. After all, it would be best for my family of four to gather wealth in preparation for the rebuilding of New Brittania once we could populate the surface again. Soon I bid my wife and children farewell for an adventure promising both wealth and security.

We traveled for over an hour but the further we delved into the tunnels, the more my intuition told me something didn't seem quite right. “Just how far is this trove of treasures of which you speak?”
“It's not far now, not far! Follow me and be ready with your arms in case we are ambushed!” Dwinder quickly replied.

Soon we came upon a dark and remote area, unlit by the torches that frequented the main halls. I was lost and he knew it. Without warning the cave wall to my right burst open, knocking me down and showering me with rocks and dust to reveal a beast that frightened me beyond the ability for rational thought. It was a minotaur, nearly twice as tall as myself and three times that of the halfling scoundrel who led me here. The minotaur yielded a heavy battle axe, gazed upon me with a snort and then turned to the halfling with a commanding glare. “This is the keeper of the treasure you want!”, Dwinder yelled. The minotaur, seemingly confused by the statement stood still, breathing heavily through his large snout. “What are you waiting for? Dispose of him and I will lead you to his treasure, all of it!”. The last word barely escaped Dwinder's mouth when the minotaur swung his mighty axe and felled the halfling without resistance. Still dazed by my fall, I gaped at the gruesome display of the dead betrayer and then looked up at the great beast. “GO NOW HUMAN. THE LITTLE ONE WILL BETRAY NO OTHER AND HAS TRICKED ME FOR THE LAST TIME”. I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the dark corridor, trying to find my way back to my family whom I left in haste for false promise of treasure. I was not sure why Dwinder did what he did but I am sure he had is ill-gotten reasons. Self serving greed can lead to a path of destruction.

 

The Gargoyle and the Unicorn

In the underworld city where the Gargoyles live, Balhur was ready to prove his might after becoming the age of a hunter. He was excited to go on his first hunt to prove himself to his family and the entire colony.

After meeting with the Gargoyle leaders his task was to track the mystical Unicorn and bring back it’s horn. Gargoyles used the horn for healing purposes. Balhur agreed to this hunt and away he went into the woods alone.

Balhur felt fearless as he trampled through the grass. After a few hours of hunting, Balhur saw in the distance a unicorn drinking. He rushed through the grass and trees hastily. Because of the noise, a human scouting party discovered Balhur and went after him with their magic blasts and crossbow bolts. Balhur ran as fast as he could away in fear while being hit. For a young gargoyle this was more than he expected.

A unicorn saw the gargoyle in trouble in the distance and ran as fast as she could towards the gargoyle and the humans. The Unicorn ran interference to distract the human scouting party. It worked! The human followed the Unicorn instead of Balhur.

Balur was safe and returned to the Gargoyle city to tell his adventure. Balhur told the Gargoyle leaders, “Unicorns are not our enemy, and they should be treated with respect. If it was not for that Unicorn, I would not be here.”

 

The Turtle and the Bat

The Turtle now lived in the bottom of the cave, where the trickles of water formed a pond and the stringy moss grew. It was not as nice as the food had been above ground, but it kept him alive.
The bats had always lived in the caves, and while slightly annoyed at having to share, they mostly had the cave ceiling to themselves.

One day, there was an earth slide and a Bat was knocked from its perch into the cool pond. The other bats mourned the loss of one of their own, but all was not lost, as the Turtle pulled the Bat to the safety of the shore, who once dry flew back to a new perch.

Weeks later another rock fall created an avalanche that filled the pool with mud and stones. It covered the turtles food and was quickly removing the remaining water.
The Turtle wailed "What is to become of me? I will starve."
The Bat heard his cries and asked "What about the other pond? On the other side of the ravine?"
"What pond and what ravine?" asked the Turtle.
"It's a short flight away, it is cool and dark like this one used to be. The ravine is a deep nothing, even I have not flown to its bottom," replied the Bat.
"I cannot fly," stated the Turtle.
"You are not so big that I and my friends could not carry you, if you held onto a stick in your mouth and we carried the stick," suggested the Bat.
"What if you drop me in the ravine?" asked the Turtle.
"Then you will surely die," stated the Bat.
"Then I think I will stay here," replied the Turtle.
"Then you will surely die, of starvation. You're only hope to avoid death is to hold on tightly and for us not to drop you," stated the Bat.
"I will think about it," replied the Turtle.

Two weeks passed and the Turtle was now week with hunger.

"Bat, Bat ... I must away, there is no food. Will you and yours please carry me to the new pond?" pleaded the Turtle.
The Bat and his family carried a strong stick down, which the turtle grabbed with his mouth. They carried him up and started across the ravine.

The Turtle looked down in terror at the inky darkness, but in his weakened state could not hold on and fell to his death.

 

The contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered. We’ve got a lot of talent in the community!

I’ll probably have a winner picked some time tomorrow, after I’ve had a chance to read through all the entries a couple times.