The Lamb, the Lion and the Wind
In the beginning
was the Lamb, the Lion and the Wind.
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They were the
first life created by Elohim, the maker and supreme life force that transcended
the cosmos.
He appointed
them as viceroys of his Shalom, on earth. The Shalom was the surety of the
presence of Elohim. The Lion, the Lamb and the Wind held the representation of
Elohim’s Godhead: Elohim, the Light and the Spirit.
The Animal
Kingdom paid homage to the trinity of leadership appointed by the Creator. All
beauty in the Universe was fashioned by him. By him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether, thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Elohim and for
Elohim. No creature had set eyes on Elohim. However, the popular belief was
that he was mirrored in the trinity of the viceroys. He was Lamm the Lamb-
gentle, quiet, humble and patient. He was Liun the Lion-powerful, astounding
and terribly ferocious. He was Vuah the Wind; invisible yet present, soothing
yet vigorous. If one saw the trinity, one saw Elohim. If one saw the trinity,
one experienced Shalom.
However, one
day, a breach in the shalom occurred.
Vuah was greatly
incensed. No creature had seen her in such furor. The raging whirlwind storms that
had holed the mountains were proof. Never before had Vuah’s clouds gathered so
quickly. They were darkened with violence and threatened to destroy any
creature that cast face upon them. The air moved at terrible speeds and was
carrying a lot of debris from the mountainside. Liun summoned the council of
animals to an urgent gathering at the Oak tree of Eden.
The remaining
creatures were instructed to stay under shelter as the council of animals convened.
The council was represented by six creatures: Lupus, the wolf who stood for all
night creatures, Java the sparrow who represented all winged animals, Pronghorn
the deer who typified all forest critters, Drilos the crocodile who stood on behalf
of all water creatures and Mudric the mole rat who represented all insects and creatures
beneath the earth. The last member of the council had not yet arrived, Severus
the serpent. He served as the immediate aide to the viceroys and the head of
the council in the absence of Liun and Lamm.
“What is going on?” Mudric demanded, “The
surface world has lost control of its critters again, eh?”
“The surface world?” Pronghorn challenged,
“Can’t you see that Vuah is raging in the atmosphere? If there’s any blame to
cast, lay it in the right direction mole rat.”
Java did not
take the deer’s remarks kindly. She was about to speak when Drilos intervened.
“This is not an animal issue. Vuah rages. The
viceroys have summoned. They must explain to us the bid to call.”
“This is an animal issue,” Lamm said. The
gentleness in his voice was profound. That it was heard above the violent wind
was a wonder. Lamm was loud and clear.
“Then we must wait for every member of the
council before we begin,” Java said. “Our false assertions only fragment our
present unity.”
“Java is right,” Liun said. It was the only
thing he spoke until the real problem was unearthed.
“I’m sure it’s more surface creature problems,”
Mudric stated.
“Mudric,” Pronghorn addressed, “Your premature
accusations grow increasingly less…charming.”
“Mudric is right on this one,” Lamm said. A
silenced enveloped the council for brief moments.
“I knew it!” Mudric gloated. “You surface creatures
have a long way to go…”
“The Shalom has departed,” Lupus interjected. The
silence returned. It lasted several moments longer than the one before.
Lupus stepped
forward into the threshold.
“Where is Severus?” Lupus asked the viceroys. Silenced was the preferred mode of
communication in this unclear meeting. Lupus eyes remained locked onto Liun.
The Lion looked back but it was clear that his vision was beyond the wolf’s
position. Lupus turned to the council members. “The Shalom has departed.”
“What do you mean?” Drilos asked. “The Shalom
never departs.”
“Elohim would never leave us,” Java said taking
to the air. “The Viceroys are here with us, proof of his presence. Even Vuah
who by nature is unseen shows proof of her presence in the whirlwinds.”
“Can’t you feel it sparrow?” Lupus asked. “You
soar high above the earth. His Shalom descends from his abode on high. We can’t feel it down here. I doubt you
can up there.”
Java flapped her
wings vigorously and ascended above the Oak tree of Eden. In a few moments, she
was back. She perched on Pronghorn’s left antler. Her tiny eyes confirmed what
she felt. The Shalom had departed. Evil was palpable inside the council on that
day. Something had gone wrong- terribly wrong.
“Where is Severus?” Drilos asked. “We must
begin the meeting.”
As if awaiting
the crocodile’s cue, Severus, the serpent stepped in. His feet barely licked
the ground as he glided into the Oak tree chamber.
The Lion stepped
forth before the serpent was halfway across the threshold. Severus stopped when
Liun intercepted his movement. He looked at the tawny mane of the lion that
covered half his figurehead. There was authority in his form that was drawn deeper
than his appearance. This was the head of the viceroys, Liun.
“An unholy alliance, Severus,” Liun said to the
serpent. “What have you done?”
“What the viceroys should have done a long time
back, Liun,” Severus hissed.
“Severus, you served as a liaison to the
human’s weakness and Bel’s witchcraft.”
The council’s
murmur begged a confirmation from Severus. What was Liun saying? The serpent
marble-eyed Liun with a sinister smile drawn across his face. His expression
only confirmed Liun’s accusation but he wasn’t going to leave the council
guessing the veracity of the matter. Liun was right and so the serpent
confirmed it with his lips.
“Yes! I tricked the humans into eating the
fruit! And it seems that you are all-knowing, Liun. Just like Elohim you are
omniscient. If that is true, then you should know by now that Bel is the only
safe option for us. Elohim has betrayed us!”
Vuah’s intensity
grew with more passion and for the first time in all history, the great Oak tree
of Eden creaked, threatening to break.
“You went to bed with the devil, Severus,” Liun
warned. “You’ve courted evil but there is still chance. I offer you pardon, to
abdicate from the council and receive the mercy of Elohim.”
“I do not desire his mercy, I desire his
apology!”
“Serpent!” Drilos growled.
“Join me!” Severus cried turning to the
council. “Join me in a new age of freedom from the supremacy of the human, to
do as we wish. Free animals!”
“Fool!” Lupus interjected. “Whatever you’ve
done, you’ve retracted the Shalom.”
“Don’t be myopic in my offer, wolf. Bel will
give us a new Shalom. I have thought this through.”
“Have you thought through the fact that Elohim
demanded that all animals stay away from the abyss of Beelzebub?” Pronghorn
defended Lupus.
“For once, I agree with the surface creatures,”
Mudric said to Severus. “Accept Liun’s pardon and we shall sort this out as a
council.”
“Are you all so blind! I have made an agreement
with Bel on behalf of the council! No agreement made by this summit guarantees
the return of the Shalom.”
“That can’t be true,” Java cried,” Can it Liun?”
Liun sighed
heavily.
“Traitor!” Drilos cried.
“You will call me saviour, Drilos, you and all
the sea creatures.”
“We will fight to the death before we bow down to
you Severus!” the sparrow cried.
“Then arm yourselves for war,” Lamm gently
said. The council turned to the Lamb as if he had struck them out cold with the
news.
“Viceroy,” Java said, “I spoke in rash.”
“You spoke in prophecy,” Lamm responded.
“I don’t understand,” the sparrow said.
“So the lamb is omniscient too,” Severus said
in mock.
He glided to the
entrance of the Oak tree chamber and looked back at the council. On his right
and left emerged a horde of snakes. They drew nearer the entrance and it was
soon clear that they were numerous. Behind them was a large black mass wrapped
in a coil. The black coil came closer and grew taller. It stopped before the
Oak tree and revealed a set of bright slender eyes. Beneath the eyes, the black
mass slit open to reveal a fleshy pink mouth and a set of sharp fangs. The coil
grew taller and it was clear that it was bigger that the Oak tree in full
length. It was as wide as the trunk and had the appearance of a lizard’s skin.
Severus had brought an anaconda to the council. Between the anaconda and
Severus, stood the horde of snakes.
Vuah’s rage saw
its zenith. The Oak tree of Eden was ripped from the roots leaving Liun, Lamm
and the remaining five members of the council standing on an open-air threshold.
Vuah’s furor then died suddenly and all the whirlwinds ceased. A gentle breeze
was felt for a brief moment before Pronghorn spoke.
“Where is she? Where is Vuah?”
“She has departed to get back-up,” Liun said.
“Back-up for what?” Mudric asked.
“Was I not clear?” Lamm gently asked, “Arm
yourselves for war.”
The Lamb’s
statement was the spark that Severus needed. Immediately, the anaconda swirled
around the gathering of snakes and the council, creating a barrier. The council
was caged in. There was going to be a fight and nobody was leaving. Liun’s
growl was all the council needed to make the next move. Lupus charged at
Severus. The snakes responded to the attack and glided forward. A battle broke
out. Liun was already racing on the anaconda’s body heading for the head. Java,
in a clean swoop, lifted three serpents in the air and cast them outside the
anaconda barrier. It was of no use. They climbed back into the battle cauldron
and Java knew that she would have to hurt them to protect the council.
The war lasted
no few moments. When it was done, Pronghorn was limping from several injuries
on his hind feet. The snake fangs had sunk deep and had crippled his walk. Liun
held the decapitated head of the anaconda in his mouth. His mane was soaked in
blood but he had sustained no injuries. The decapitation of the anaconda was a
tough task. Underneath Drilos lay several trampled serpents. Mudric had sank
into the ground and buried some of the serpents alive that followed him in.
Java did what she knew she had to do. She hurt the serpents to protect the
council. Lupus was wounded but he seemed not to care. He had Severus pinned to
the ground with his claws, still alive.
“Kill him!” Drilos growled.
“No, don’t!” the sparrow said, “Look.” Java’s
attention drew the animals’ attention to their demise.
Lupus grabbed
Severus in his mouth not killing him yet. He turned toward the direction the
rest of the council and Liun stood and dropped Severus to the ground
involuntarily. He watched in horror as he witnessed the cost of the battle.
This couldn’t be! Severus’s death would surely be justified. Severus tried to make
an escape but Pronghorn was keen to nail him down with his good hooves. The
council stood still in screaming silence as they watched the body of Lamm,
soaked in blood, bitten, bruised, broken and dead. Mudric ran to the corpse and
nudged it severally, hoping Lamm would awake. Nothing. Lupus joined to assist the
mole rat. He tried to raise the Lamb’s body. It slacked and fell to the ground.
Lamm was dead.
“Kill the serpent!” Drilos growled.
“No,” Liun responded.
“But Liun,” Lupus cried.
“Nay, wolf.”
“He killed Lamm!”
Liun roared
thunderously asserting his decision. The animals cowered at his roar. The
viceroy had spoke; Elohim had spoken. It was then that the council realized
that the rest of the creatures had gathered. They were too late for the battle.
Lamm was gone. A wind began to blow gently around the battle scene. The wind,
albeit gentle, gathered the corpses of the dead anaconda and the serpents into
one pile. It was Vuah. She had returned. The gathering cleared the site and all
the animals saw the tragedy. A loud wail filled the air from every critter that
day. Even from the sea, the cry of the fish was audible. The Shalom had
departed; they could feel it. As the creatures wailed in anguish, Liun roared
above the cries. It was the most powerful of roars the animals had ever heard.
“Pick up the serpent, Severus.”
Lupus was about
to act on Liun’s command before Vuah overtook him. The wind gushed past Lupus
and Pronghorn and lifted Severus high in the air. Liun spoke.
“Cursed are you among all the livestock and all
the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly, Severus.”
As Liun said
those words, Severus screamed out in ear-splitting agony. As the animals
watched closely, they saw what was happening. Vuah was plucking out the
serpent’s feet. Few animals looked away from the violent punishment. Many
looked on. It is said that as many as witnessed the violent act of Severus,
turned out as wild beasts in the Animal Kingdom. And as many as avoided their
eyes from the act, became tame animals kept by mankind. When Vuah was done with
the punishment, it was a miracle Severus was alive.
“And you will eat dust all the days of your
life.”
As soon as Liun
finished those words, Vuah dropped Severus to the ground, a creature like no
other; a creature without legs.
Liun turned to
the corpse of Lamm. He dug his claws into the lamb’s body and ripped out his skin.
He turned to Java, the sparrow,
“Deliver this sheep skin to Adam,” Liun
commanded the sparrow.
He hurled the
skin in the air and the sparrow grabbed it. She was helped by a couple of
sparrows who had perched on the uprooted Oak tree at the battleground.
Genesis 3:21-23 “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam
and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, “The man has now become
like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not also be allowed to reach out
his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. So the
Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he
had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden
of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way
to the tree of life.”