The Golden Netherworld

For a thousand and one years, the vacant lands treasured tales that others have lost on winds and mist. For millennials, the scorched grounds have raised the most treacherous creatures and the most daring. In these mysterious sands, only the brave, determined and steadfast dwell. Behold the golden desert!

The blazing sun breaks free of the night’s grasp on it and looks down on this section of the Earth. Roaring winds hoist pyrite sands upward towards the sun like blackguards forcing the sun’s subjects to bow. The sick white sky shirks away from the proud yellow queen as the royalty foretells her ire by sending shockwaves of heat to salute the dauntless animals who persevered her anger and rage for decades. A ray of white light travels through the sand particles, unimpeded by their small negligible presence.

One sand speckle stands up to the ray of light. There is a line, they say, that separates bravery from stupidity. It appears this sand speck crossed that line. In seconds, the light brown dot in the air turns to a charred black crisp, and the ray continues its pathway unhindered. It hits a tiny burrow below a sand top. A burrow of a slithering monster with rough scales and black pits for eyes. Eyes so black and dark, they absorb the Sun’s light with arrogance and vanity. The snake slithers upon searing sand, scales dragging on it without concern. Diamond-shaped patterns are etched deep within its long cylindrical muscular body.

Its triangular head pivots in a semi-circle, searching for any unfortunate prey to feed its starving stomach. Using its red-colored vision and forked tongue, the reptile picks up on a stormy desert rat. Ahh! It has been a while since this snake tasted rats. Indeed, it does crave them. Silently, it moves its powerful body sideways with a speed that rivals the white ray’s. Burrowing deep within the warm sand blanket, it waits. And waits. And waits some more. Minutes pass while the venomous reptile holds still in admirable patience.

The grey desert rat passes nigh to the snake, undoubtedly looking for lanky insects that crawl nearby. A second’s difference! That’s how long it would have taken the rat to escape the clutches of its inexorable predator. But it is too late: the black-eyed monster sinks its poisonous fangs in the rat’s little body. Crimson blood shines on the razor teeth of the scaly snake and coats the grey fur of the desert rat, clotting up locks of hair that were once free, soft, and smooth. Expanding its elastic jaw, the reptile gulps its breakfast hair and all.

Golden sand rises above the murderess, concealing her from view. Elsewhere, the sun emblazons the ground with blinding light and heat, eliciting a moan from the elite peaks. Ethereal curves decorate their tops as if drawn by a deft hand. Their serpentine path hugs the barren earth and caresses the pallid sky. A bird of prey claims these majestic tops his sanctuary.

A hawk! Fierce and lethal, the ebony bird spreads his wings and curves in razor-sharp talons, taking up into the air. The heat doesn’t bother him; on the contrary, it gifts him the ability to hunt and soar when his opponents are weak and vulnerable. Its serrated beak clicks once. Perhaps a mouse might be lying behind that stout cactus. The plant’s short spikes gleam in day’s light, warning the lithe predator away from it. No such luck then.

Below the dark green cacti, onyx insects shimmy up the blazing sand. Their shells mock the hawk with their hardness and shine. Three parallel strokes line the backs of each bulbous six-legged arthropod. The hawk yowls in despair. He is not used to passing his day without breakfast.

Folding his gracious brown-black wings behind his back and tucking in his head, the carnivore swoops in on a lone stone embedded on the golden sand. He perches himself there for a while, pondering where he can find a meal.

Hissing sounds before him. Instinctively, his wings flare, and his blade-like talons dig into the scalding leaden rock. His stance would have scared off any animal in this habitat. Yet this one does not give in an inch.

Unveiling her diabolic face and raising her unprecedented body, the top predator of the land faces the king of the skies. She forces her fearsome mouth open, spittle flying away, and bares two perfectly honed fangs dripping with pale venom. The hawk beats his wings once and, soaring above his rival, reveals his gleaming talons. Angling his head to show off his serrated beak, the bird of prey lets loose a shrill battle cry.

Cacti ostensibly spur on the deathmatch while the sun looks on with a sense of anticipation. Searing hot wind cocoon the feathered animal and a corona of orange sands bejewels the scaly reptile.

The two killers face each other, and by the time night shrouds the sky, only one of them will reign these golden lands.