Chapter 21: Orapele, Jadah and the Near Miss

As one might guess from his name, Orapele Devourer of Obscure Things, happens to enjoy eating quite a bit. In part however it is his nature, for Orapele is a damyne, a being born of emotion and the flows of magic. Damyne come in many forms but all have horns, a whip-like tail and red eyes.

Once upon a time, Orapele had been a mere imp, mouthless, yet feeding on a particular emotion, feeling or mood. Perhaps it was hunger? Perhaps it was something more exact, such as the yearning for a strange new taste.

Orapele cannot be said to be a unique being, as in the worlds and dimensions that exist, there is countless beings of ravenous and particular tastes. Indeed you could call it a type.

Wandering through the darkness of the canyon, Jadah saw neither horn nor barbed tail of Orapele. She had however been spotted and though the crunching sounds of eating did not stop, a pair of red eyes stared at her hungrily.

In short order there was a gobbling wet smacking sound as the space between Jadah and the owner of these eyes was devoured… along with the sound of it being spat out! Bear in mind that chewed up portions of space are not a pretty sight. Jadah of course was alerted by this point, but it was so sudden that she had not the time to react!

A scream ripped its way from her throat as teeth closed in on her.

She did not die.

She was not torn to pieces and eaten.

Instead the mouth stopped and backed away. When Jadah opened her eyes, a pair of crimson eyes met hers. Then it was as if part of the darkness had colour poured into it. Orapele’s body started to appear, it had not turned invisible, but through chameleonic effect had appeared to do so.

A head like a skull, hot pink skin tight over it. Descending from this eight feathered tentacles arranged to give the appearance of a robed figure. Individual feather occasionally flashed this or that colour. Sprouting from the back of the skullhead was a long thin tail that ended in a bony spoon like protrusion. A pair of forked horns stood up from the skullhead proudless.

The massive teeth that had menaced Jadah were not visible anywhere, only pink teeth of the skullhead. Orapele’s second mouth was hidden amid his tentacles and that mouth did not conform to reasonable ideas about dimensions of objects.

Orapele was clearly not yet a damyne lord or even a noble, for those damyne have a more humanoid from. Orapele was not far off from forming a damyne egg to metamorphose into a lord or noble though.

The damyne’s mouth, the one on its head, clacked open, the inside of it was like an ravenous abyss.

“Good day to you little witch cat. Sorry for scaring you. I thought you were some kind of rare clothed tasty animal. Not a person. If you were a dead person I could eat you. Would you mind telling me when you might die? Hmm perhaps I have already eaten something like you. Could I lick you to make sure?”

The jaw did not move and these words simply spilled out in a monotone voice.

Feeling a little shocked still and with a mind stuffed with objections to a few things Orapele had said, she still had the presence of mind of answer Orapele.

“No, I think I should very much like not to be licked… or eaten, thank you.” Jadah objected.

How Jadah managed to remain polite could be considered the work of the flows of magic.

“Oh, dreadfully sorry. So when might you be dying?” Orapele asked again.

Calming herself Jadah replied.

“I hope not to die anytime soon, and I mean no offence but I would prefer if my corpse was not eaten, I might need it if nothing else”

All the vigour went out of Orapele’s tentacles like balloons losing their air. This turn of events was a bit of a blow to him.

“It is fine. I ask too much. I will eat more of these drowsy rocks, there is still a few I’ve not had. The breath of them was quite tasty too.”

Crunching sounds issued forth from beneath Orapele’s tentacles and he moved to leave.