Kyeryong vs Lamassu

Somewhere in the woods.

"Ah... shit. I can't believe that Ayla really did this to me."

Tahni grunted, pressing her back to the base of a large beech tree.

"I'm sorry, Tahni."

The fellow standing before her pleaded. He was dressed in a long but smeared black cloak with an upturned collar. Tahni couldn't help but consider him with such huge contempt.

She traced her almond eyes down his cloak to the tunic hanging loosely under the preferably borrowed cloak. She didn't have no choice but to hover on the torn sandals of the fellow.

"Don't make it sound ridiculous, young man. The only thing I don't understand is how you knew Ayla and what the both you agreed upon or what she had promised you..."

She had looked back at his face. He stuttered,

"She was actually the one who ca--"

His tenacity of fighting the urge to complete that statement was fiery and he didn't hide it. He took a new route,

"Uhmm. I guess she has some supernatural power and eventually ran into me. She knew I love you and is ready to make us end up together... if that is a way of saying it --"

He seemed to be having a lot of problem with his words formation. He put the back of his left hand to his lips as though he would rub off the words.

"Ignore everything I said. I wasn't thinking."

She nodded and scoffed. She then leaned off the beech and made to walk away. He hurried to her and caught her left hand.

She spun around, her long sleek hair flaunted by the generous winds.

"What's this? I thought you wanted me to ignore all what you said. And if I did ignore it, what's the point of standing here?"

He let go of her and ran his left fingers through his hair, ruffling it in frustration,

"Oh, Joyo. What are you doing?"

He muttered.

"I'll help you."

Tahni seemed generous. They both were standing in the way. There was nobody from up ahead or from the opposite direction. All that kept them company were the chitters of crickets and the melodies of distant orangutans.

She resumed her stance,

"I love someone else. Ayla. I bet she knows that already but didn't want to hurt me. She's in love with my father, the king of your land. So, my heart is not a vacant space for some random guy."

"I'm not a random guy, Tahni. I've always loved you. Believe me. Since the time your father was the favorite poet of our land even up to the day you displayed your graceful moves before the former king on the birthday of his daughter who's now a fugitive. I've always admired you, but have been really scared and coward enough to hold back how I feel from you. But not again. I don't think I need the help of anyone to tell you how much I love you and would keep loving you. I just wanted you to know how I feel. You're not obliged to accept me. I once heard, 'Only know you love her when you let her go.' I love you Tahni. And I always will. Have a nice day."

He turned away from her and began to walk away briskly as though he had just broken a sacred law.

"You shouldn't had spoken that much. Foolish Joyo."

He cussed himself as he hurried down the path.

"You should had just waited for Ayla's plan. You would had earned her eventually. Earned her love."

He kept the pace of the argument on.

"No, it's fine. You did the right thing. It's good you're not the only one carrying the burden now. Thoughtful to had shared with her."

Then suddenly he stopped walking,

"What next now, what next? Is this the end of the ten years of admiring Tahni? No, it can't be. Should I just go back to her and keep pestering. Ah... shit. What am I supposed to do. Joyo, how dumb could ever b--"

A shriek came from behind him suddenly. Loud enough to have him choke on his words. He knew whose voice that was.

"Tahni."

His reflexes were swifter than his tongue. As he turned, firstly he flinched at the horrific sight. There was a giant white cock, the height of an average man, with pointy cum sharp scales stalking its feathers. It has the tail of a dragon, terrifying beaks and extra large and sharp claws which from distance looked like fangs.

Held in its edgy and sharp long dragonic tail was Tahni hanging in the air and screaming at intervals.

"Tahni!"

There was much vigor and rage to the pitch of that recent call as he charged at the large bird. Of course he had no idea what he was going to do when he gets there but he wouldn't just stand by and watch harm make a pawn of his lover. Never!

"Tahni!"

He called again as he watched the bird raise its large head in an attempt to peck her eyes with its terrifying beaks. His constant call distracted the bird as it looked in his direction. But he was lucky enough to get to them at once and with every ounce of strength in him crash against the bird which fell on its side, letting Tahni go.

But he suffered pores in few places in his shoulders and chests. The sharp scales had pierced him.

"Are you alright, Tahni?"

For a moment he ignored his own pain and rolled over to where Tahni was lying and sobbing. The bird had regained its balance and was making advances again.

He put his arm around Tahni's shoulders, holding her dearly into his side. While he was on his knees, Tahni was seated sideways with weak knees stretched.

"Stay still, I'll protect you with my life."

He promised as the bird got to them and raised its head up in the usual rite. As it brought it beaks down in great force, Joyo put his back in its way; to have his spinal cord crushed for the sake of love.

"Both of you move aside."

The was a thud behind them and the howling of crazed winds which accompanied it. They both turned to their back as the bird hesitated too.

There stood behind them roaring, a winged lioness with the head of a woman (a familiar woman - Ayla). On the human head were two layers of horns held in shape by a glowing flame which was tantamount to a standing blonde hair.

"Ayla."

Tahni muttered as Joyo helped her out of the way. They both now breathing heavily at the base of the same beech tree. Joyo yet wasn't ready to let Tahni go. He still held unto her passionately and with burning care.

"Come, Kyeryong."

The winged lioness called at the bird and the bird shirked and charged. But the lioness held the stance twas assuming without batting an eye. And as the giant cock got to it, with its dangling dragon tail, the lioness ducked its blow and slid forward, tilting a little bit sideways as it held the neck of the bird in its strong jaws, flinging its head in rage and muffled roar.

In defense, the bird whipped the lioness with thorny tail but the latter did well to hold its wings up as defense.

And in next than few seconds, the lioness already has the head of the bird in its mouth, and its body dropped on the eerie earth and immediately melted into a thick black fog, dispersing into the jumpy cum starved atmosphere; at first, the fog clouded both the lioness and the dead Kyeryong.

As soon as the fog was gobbled up by the apt atmosphere, instead of the lioness, there stood Ayla in her white fluffy gown pushing up the swells of her bounty boobs. Her cleavages making a clear call.

"Are you alright?"

Tahni called at her as Joyo helped her up.

"I guess I should be asking."

Ayla with a swelling smile hurried to her and hugged her. And as she let Tahni go, all Tahni pains were taken and wounds healed.

"He needs the same."

Tahni urged as soon as she felt the change.

"Let him treat himself. He deserves this for being disobedient."

Ayla dismissed and held Tahni's hand.

"Let's go."

She pulled Tahni with her and the latter followed suit without hesitation.

"What was that?"

Tahni argued as soon as they walked on.

"Kyeryong. A Corean creature believed to be a crossbreed of a Chicken and Dragon. In a mountain by this name,there is a pool in which the female Kyeryong dwells. Women shamans bathe in this pool to obtain magickal powers. Alyeong,the first queen of Shilla, was said to be the child of a Kyeryong."

She paused and continued again, this time with her arm around Tahni's waist,

"And the form I took was of Lamassu. It guards the gates of the Assyrian and Babylonian temples. It attacks all but the purest good or the purest evil. Its male counterpart is called Shedu."

Tahni halted and stole a side of Ayla's face,

"Thanks for the explanation, but you know that wasn't what I meant."

Ayla smiled, looking to her back at the tottering Joyo. Back at Tahni,

"There was no point healing him. He would heal eventually. The vanishing of the Kyeryong takes all the pain it had left. That's the law."

Tahni looked away from her to her back. Then she called,

"Joyo."

Joyo turned immediately. He seemed to be fine for real.

"Thank you."

She added and he shot a scrawny smile through the distance. She turned back and resumed the pace.

"He's such a nice guy."

Ayla caught up with her but Tahni sneered,

"Wasn't that all your plan? To make me accept his love. Your own excuse of refusing mine."