(Chapter revised 6/29/2015).

Warning: This story contains graphic depictions of violence in later chapters. Discretion advised!

Hello to all, and welcome to my story. This was quite the experience to write and develop, and I hope you all enjoy and leave a review and/or favorite.

Deceitful Things

Beware the Jabberwock, my son,

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch

Beware the Jubjub bird,

And shun the frumious Bandersnatch

-Jabberwocky excerpt, "Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There"

Prologue: Curiosity Killed The Cat

Five months before...

Mount Grintovec, Kamnik Savinja Alps, Slovenia

December 20, 2021

5:45 pm

Lawrence Van Hellscream let out a grunt as he dug his stick into the ground, keeping himself steady as he felt his boots sink into the mud that was buried beneath the snow. Flakes and ice crystals whipped at his face like twigs from a tree, his grey-streaked blonde locks lashed in his face, and his goggles were fogging up. The former administrator dug his chin into his jacket in a attempt to get a bit more warmth. Looking up at the hill above him, he tugged hard on the cord that was keeping him from falling straight down the mountain. Nodding in defiance, he dug his pickaxe into the wall of ice for support and climbed up.

"Sir! Don't you think it's a bit unsafe to keep going in this weather!" A Scottish voice called from behind him.

Van Hellscream sighed in exasperation as he looked back towards his crew, who were a good few feet away from him.

"Nonsense!" he yelled back, "We're almost there, you'll all be good another few more yards."

With that, the fifty-year-old explorer continued trekking up towards the peak. However, Van Hellscream's crew was less than confident, and with their captain's comment came a chorus of whines and groans.

One such a man, an Aussie between his twenties and thirties, rubbed his arms and complained to his mate next to him, "What the bloody hell's he talking about? We'll become popsicles before we'll make it another two feet in this weather!"

As if to make a point to prove his statement true, a large gush of wind blew by, sending chills down the spines of all six men and nearly knocking them over.

The man's accomplice, a gentleman with a large nose that was currently bright red, hollered at the top so his mate could hear him, "What do you expect? The man's a total loonie. Why else would we be up here in the dead of winter freezing our balls off?!"

On cue, Van Hellscream appeared close to the ledge of the hill again, cupping his hands around his mouth and thundering, "Come on, ya sissies! You're gonna miss out on the discovery of a lifetime!"

With half-hearted nods, the men continued up the mountain. The Aussie man, while climbing up the ledge of the steep hill, called back to his companion.

"What exactly is this big discovery he's goin' on about?"

"Some kind of creature of some sort, who knows? Van Hellscream finds any excuse if it means getting some kind of proof to exploit the monsters, don't ya know?" The hook nose man responded from below as he struggled to get up, "Probably gone mad, I tell ye'."

"Very mad, indeed!" Van Hellscream called out, overhearing the the duo's conversation, "Come along now, boys, no time for useless chitchat! We're almost there!"

With that statement, he continued forward, waving his hand as he continued towards the large snow-capped mountain that stood tall like the Eiffel Tower. With a roll of their eyes, the crew continued forward. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Van Hellscream all urged them to a stop at the side of the mountain, in which a strange symbol was carved into the side.

"That's it?" The Australian man asked, "We came all the way up here for a picture?"

Van Hellscream chuckled, shaking his head at the young man's little faith.

"Oh no, my boy, of course not. It's what on the other side of this 'picture' that we came here for."

To prove his point, Van Hellscream reached into his pocket and brought out a strange amulet, a tarnished gold chain with dozen broken purple stones attached. Raising his other hand with finger in the air for emphasis of patience, he brought the chain towards the symbol. A few of the men raised an eyebrow, not impressed by the action, but Van Hellscream continued to grin like a madman, keeping his charm only a few inches away from the faded markings.

All of a sudden, the amulet and the symbol began to glow. Despite their broken and faded appearance, the stones began to glow the brightest purple, lighting up the dark area of the mountain for a span of well over the mile. The symbol began to glow a light violet as well, several unseen gems like those on the amulet illuminating as well, the faded lines shining a bright gold, irradiating Lawrence's dark green eyes. The men stood back, and before anyone could guess, the rock shifted and disappeared to the right, sliding like the door of a van.

"What did I tell you, gentlemen? Seeing isn't always believing," Van Hellscream remarked, a sly grin stretching from ear to ear as he walked into the passageway. "Well then, no need to stand by, let's come on in."

Flabbergasted, the men silently shuffled in one-by-one into the passageway-the mountain itself.

It was a breathtaking sight. Considering that the crew was in one of the largest mountains of the country, the room they were standing in was hollowed out like a cavern of some sorts. To add to the surprise was the lighting- several lit torches cast throughout the cavern engulfed it in a warm yellow light. As Van Hellscream continued to walk in his typical arrogant fashion, he glanced over to see the mouths of every one of his crew hanging open, all of them looking at the massive size of how big the scenery was.

"...I'm sorry, what are we looking for again?" one of the men asked in a dazed manner, looking very far away in his amazement. Van Hellscream scoffed and rubbed his knuckles on his jacket.

"To answer your question, lads, some artifact of ancient value. During my voyage to Europe, a good man had given me a map of this location, telling me of great wonder that lies here...he said it was astounding enough that it may just be the next wonder of the ancient world!" he answered, though the crew didn't seem to be paying much attention to the blonde man's speech, still a bit dumbfounded by their new-found discovery.

But one of the men, a short scrawny boy that was not much older than a college freshman, found his bewildered state interrupted when he heard a sound coming from inside the cavern.

A strange noise, like a growl of some sorts.

"Sir, do you hear that?" He called as the noise was made again, this time loud enough to echo through the walls. Van Hellscream, as well as the rest of his team, stared at the ceiling, silence following to try and find the source of the noise.

"Rrrrrrwooaaaarrr..."

A few of the men jumped when they heard the sound echo again, this time coming from the wall next to them. Van Hellscream, intrigued, walked over the wall and put his ear right next to the rock, raising one finger to warn the men to be quiet.

Again, the sound echoed, this time in a very loud fashion.

Van Hellscream lifted his head, feeling around the rock for several seconds, and seeming to be pushing on the rocks.

"Sir, what are you doing?" A member of the team asked.

"If my predictions are correct, and this cavern is hollow..." Van Hellscream trailed off, pushing on a stone.

FWOOSH!

A large section of the wall flung open, the floor suddenly turning with it, carrying all seven members of the team to the other side. They tumbled forwards, thrown off balance by the sudden change in motion. Van Hellscream looked around, surprised that his hypothesis was actually correct. So there was something hidden within!

"S-s-sir...w-what is t-that?" someone questioned in a timid voice.

Van Hellscream looked behind him to see the guy that spoke up was pointing forward, his face deathly pale and his eyes as large as a squid's. The old blonde turned around, trying to follow the finger's direction, when all of sudden, his eyes landed on a sight...something that even someone like Van Hellscream, researcher to monster culture, fraud peace maker, and former administrator to monster and human relationships, had never seen before.

There were two chains hanging from the ceiling of the cavern, the dim lighting of the torches on the back wall making their gold coloring shine. They were particularly thick and stretched for a good fifty feet before coming to the ground, where they wrapped around some sort of creature.

Some sort of monster.

Van Hellscream, after staring dumbfounded at the sight for several seconds, finally gained enough courage and began to step forward.

"Sir, no!" one of the team members hissed in a low voice, as if out of fear for waking the creature, if the creature was even alive.

"Mr. Hellscream, please, don't!" Another whispered.

Their cries fell were fruitless, however, as the green-eyed bloke made his way towards the creature. Closer and closer, he edged towards the strange being, until he was standing only a mere foot away from the beast. He knelt, almost nose to nose with it, before grabbing the creature by the chin. "

What are you?" he quizzed to nobody, tilting its head this way and that. It looked like a full blooded werewolf, but there was something off about it. Something that told him this wasn't quite like the furry frenzies he'd come across throughout his years of living. It was a dark creature, its entire body covered in coal black fur, matted hair falling in its face as its mangy ears rose up from the top. Except for faded tatters that were probably once pants, the creature was nude, its thick muscles exposed.

Startling milk blue eyes shot open.

A shocked cry escaped Van Hellscream's throat as he stumbled backward, but not before he sliced his finger on one of the creature's long needle-like incisors. He fell onto his rump, while the rest of the men looked back in horror as the creature brought its head up, a long slobbery tongue sliding out of its mouth and licking away the fresh blood.

It leaned forward, its acid breath filling Van Hellscream's nostrils. Too late did he realize the amulet flying out of his hands and onto a symbol behind the horrid beast, glowing with the same lavender light that it had on the doorway, floating as if being held by a ghost. And, with increasing terror, the rest of Van Hellscream's team watched as the chains fell to the floor, freeing the creature's massive arms and allowing it to stand up completely straight. It was a good six- almost seven feet tall, and stared at Van Hellscream with large doe eyes that were far from innocent.

A smile itched the way towards the edge of the creature's mouth. Van Hellscream felt sweat on his brow as the brute's teeth were exposed, all pearly white and very, very pointy. With a quick growl that would be recognized as the beast's growing blood lust, it leaped at Van Hellscream. The six men screamed, clawing at the rock wall and trying to get to the other side. It was all in vain, however, as screams of terror were drowned out by the chilling sounds of breaking bones, tearing skin and flesh, and maniacal laughter.

Blood splattered the stones, and slobber dripped from the beast's mouth. With a deafening roar, it screamed out in insane laughter, a grin across its wet muzzle.

"IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE FREE!"

What do you think? Reviews and suggestions welcome.