The beginning of the end.  It came like the shadows of the night, stealing into your cave unseen and unheard.  You jumped up suddenly to see the shadows everywhere dancing on the walls of your cave and begging at your feet, and you wondered where they came from and when they arrived.  You could not tell when the day ended and the night began.  So it was with the beginning of the end.

In retrospect I think the end began the day the monster dropped out of the sky.

It was the day we hid in our trenches while the storm lashed mercilessly and the flame trees shivered around us.  There was a sharp crack and one of the bamboo trees crashed to the ground.  It was a bad omen.  My mother drew us closer to her bosom apprehensively.

When the rain clouds parted, the sun always sparkling most brilliantly after a storm, returned to smile at our cold feet.  I saw my father peering into the distant sea.  For a while I thought he was dazzled and dazed by the sunlight glittering on the rippling waters.  However, slight gleam in his eyes and the twitch in his ears betrayed the unease clouding his vision.  What was it that so absorbed his attention that he failed to notice the flies settling on his rump?

I was intrigued.  The thick canopy of tree tops and undergrowth of bushes restricted my view of the sea.  I wished I could climb onto that rocky throne to survey the distant waters.  Just once.  Just to sit on the throne once.  But not while the king was there.

Presently the king stirred.  He flicked his head and rose from his throne.  Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, his muscles rippled effortlessly, his mane shook to life and a new will and purpose repossessed his eyes.

He climbed down from his throne with purposeful strides, and as he moved, it seemed as if the whole jungle held its breath.  Even the leaves and bushes seemed to part respectfully at his approach to open a path for him to glide through.

I jumped onto the rocky throne.  For just one moment I revelled in its lofty grandeur and basked in the sunshine that played on its ancient hieroglyphics.  For just one moment.  I dared not stay too long.  Already, one of my aunts was frowning at me.

But in that one moment, I caught a glimpse of the monster.  It was a giant cobra holding its head high above the waters.  It was a sea dragon gliding with menace across the waters.  It was a phoenix with a pair of half-folded wings flapping behind its head.  It was all of the above and more.  It was a terrible spectacle.

What manner of creature was this?  Where did it come from?  I did not know.  It must have risen from the depths of the misty mountains of the gods and flown across the seas.  Perhaps the storm had interrupted its flight and it had touched down, not on land, but on the water.  It hesitated at the mouth of the river to the south of our hill, took a deep breath and glided up the river.

Why had it come to our island?  I had to find out.

I dashed through the jungle, skirted around the flame trees, tore through the undergrowth of bushes and lalang to the foot of the hill.  For a moment, I was at a loss.  I could not see the monster any more.  I had no idea where the monster might land.  I headed for the river to follow it downstream, brushed aside the palm leaves and looked.  I was surprised.

The monster had glided upriver till it had reached the palm trees and had remained motionless with its wings fluttering in the wind to dry like a butterfly.  The creature was huge.  Perhaps too huge to walk on land.  Instead, smaller creatures, lean and scrawny, and perched precariously on two legs were clambering onto its back or alighting on the river bank.  My heart took courage.  If the huge monster could not come on land, we were safe.  Its minions could not be stronger than my father, the king.

As I drew nearer, I watched the aliens worm their way through the forest swinging their arms like excess appendages, sometimes tripping and falling over the uneven path.  But one amongst them caught my attention.  His body was wrapped in brilliant colours and the rest of his entourage fussed and tripped themselves over him, clearing the overhanging branches for him to pass through, glancing at him now and then for confirmation that they were going the right way.

This was a prince amongst the aliens, I mused.  But while I marveled at his bright colours, I was intrigued that he had no obvious attributes to place him above the others.  He was neither stronger nor quicker than the others.  In fact, he was the opposite.  His eyes looked dull and tired, as if he had been lazing too long on a rocky throne of his own.  Every so often, the others had to stop to let him recover from the exertion.

I was so absorbed in observing the aliens that I completely forgot about my father.  I did not notice him until the aliens came to a halt amidst a sudden commotion.  My father was standing on a rock directly in the path of the alien entourage.  He roared a low menacing rumble and the aliens’ eyes were seized with fear.

‘Lion!  Lion!’ they shouted to each other in their confusion, jumped into action and rushed forward to protect their prince.  The prince stumbled backwards in an ungainly way, mindful only of his own safety.  What strange power bound the others to this alien, I could not fathom.

Encouraged by their fear, my father drew himself to his full height, magnificent with his crown of fire.  Dreadful was the sight of the muscles that rippled from his shoulders to his rump.  Still watchful of the aliens, he lept onto their path with a roar so terrible that the earth shook.

The aliens trembled and cowered at his wrath.  But their fear belied their cunning.  Within seconds, their arms were glinting with talons and claws, unsheathed from their various hiding places, talons so large and claws so sharp that they might have sprouted from the limbs of the giant monster left behind on the river bank.

My father was taken by surprise.  He hesitated.  How could these weak, tiny bodies sprout such evil-looking armour?  For once in my life, I worried for my father.  For once, I contemplated the possibility that he might have met his match.  He was not invincible after all.

The aliens took a few steps forward, brandishing their giant claws and talons.  My father stood his ground.  He would not retreat.  This was his territory and he was here to defend it.  He was king.

But even as I watched I gasped in horror as one of the aliens arched his body backwards and with a mighty jerk, one of his giant claws flew into the air straight at my father.  My father jumped aside quickly.  But I could see the shock and dismay on his face.  Within moments a cluster of giant claws and talons flew into the air and try as he would, my father could not dodge all of them.  Two of the flying talons pierced his broad shoulders and my father roared in anger and pain.  He was bewildered.  As he backed away, the aliens pressed forward to encircle my father, while new claws and talons seemed to sprout from their arms.

My father was trapped with his back to the rock.  If he turned his back to the aliens to climb the rock, he would be pierced and sliced to pieces.  He roared.  And in that roar I could hear a cry of panic and fear.  Another cry.  Another talon found its mark.  My father’s golden coat was splattered with blood.

I had to do something.  I had to save my father.  But how?  How could my untrained and undeveloped body turn the tide of the battle?

The prince!  I glanced at the prince.  He had fallen behind his entourage.  He was unarmed.  His brilliant colours shimmered in the sun.  He was vulnerable.

Something snapped in my mind.  Without a moment’s hesitation, I rushed into the battle.  The countless hours spent watching my mother take off for the kill.  The numerous times when I had sunk my fangs into smaller prey.  Instinctive reflexes unlocked in my mind and I flew straight at the prince.  He heard my battle cry.  He turned his frightened eyes towards me.  His heart turned cold.  And he screamed.  I flung myself at his shoulders and brought him to the ground.  He screamed as I bared my teeth and snarled right at his face.  But I was not strong enough to pin him down and he scampered out of my clutches.

His scream brought an instant reaction from his entourage.  They shouted with great urgency.  Their prince had fallen!  They rushed back to sweep their prince to safety.

I fled into the jungle.  With their attention divided between my father at the rock and my fleeing presence, the aliens attacked neither of us.  While the aliens formed a protective circle around their prince, my father slipped around the rock and disappeared into the jungle.

When I looked back from a safe distance, the prince had regained his composure. He had climbed the rock to survey the jungle around him and his entourage arranged themselves around the rock as if to guard him.

‘What’s the name of this island?’ the prince demanded impatiently from his new rocky pedestal.

The aliens murmured amongst themselves and shook their heads.

‘Then I shall build my city on this island,’ the prince declared proudly with the sun shining brightly on his face, ‘and I shall call it the Lion City.’

L