Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

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Devara remained crouched behind the bush, keeping his body completely still as he continued watching the rabbits.

He had already learned not to underestimate anything in this forest, and after witnessing those innocent-looking creatures hunting another animal, he was curious to see what else might be hiding among the trees.

The rabbits had gone back to their feeding, seemingly unconcerned about anything around them.

A few were still chewing on pieces of flesh while others hopped around the remains of their prey.

Then, all at once, their ears twitched.

Every rabbit stopped.

Devara noticed the change immediately.

The rabbits lifted their heads almost simultaneously, their noses moving as they sensed something approaching.

Their playful movements disappeared, and their bodies became tense.

Devara followed their gaze.

Something was moving through the grass.

A long, slender body slowly emerged from between the plants.

It was a python.

Its scales were a beautiful light green, almost blending perfectly with the surrounding vegetation.

The snake moved silently across the ground, its body sliding through the grass while its tongue flicked in and out as it searched for something.

The rabbits immediately panicked.

The same creatures that had moments earlier been tearing apart another animal suddenly scattered in every direction.

They didn’t try to fight.

They didn’t stand their ground.

They simply ran.

Devara’s eyebrows rose.

"Interesting."

The rabbits disappeared into the grass, hopping as quickly as their little legs could carry them.

The python raised its head and followed.

It moved surprisingly fast for its enormous size, weaving between the trees and pursuing the fleeing rabbits.

Devara watched the scene with growing curiosity.

"So even those things are afraid of something."

One rabbit suddenly changed direction, trying to escape around a tree.

The python followed the movement almost immediately.

Another rabbit attempted to hide beneath a bush.

The snake’s head turned toward it.

Devara leaned slightly forward.

The forest had suddenly turned into another strange little food chain before his eyes.

The rabbits were predators when they had the advantage.

Now they were prey.

The python wasn’t particularly large compared with some of the creatures Devara had already encountered, but the rabbits clearly knew better than to challenge it.

Devara remained behind his bush, watching them disappear deeper into the forest.

He couldn’t help thinking about Vishnu’s warning again.

’Danger hidden inside beauty.’

Even the creatures here seemed to follow the same rule.

The blood-covered rabbits looked harmless until they hunted.

The beautiful butterflies fed on brains.

The delicate white flowers released corrosive pollen.

And now a pale green python had turned those terrifying rabbits into frightened prey.

Devara slowly stood up.

"I suppose the forest has its own rules."

He glanced in the direction the python and rabbits had disappeared.

Then he carefully continued along his path.

He still had a golden horse to find.

And judging by everything he had seen so far, he had a feeling that the horse might be the most harmless-looking creature in the entire forest.

Devara continued deeper into the forest, this time taking considerably more care with every step.

After witnessing the strange food chain of the place, he had decided that avoiding the wildlife altogether was the better option.

He couldn’t use Rudhirabhra or any other weapon during this stage anyway, and there was no point wasting time fighting creatures that had nothing to do with the actual challenge.

He moved quietly between the sandal-coloured trees, occasionally stopping whenever he heard rustling nearby.

His eyes kept moving from the ground to the branches above, making sure he wasn’t about to step on another poisonous plant or walk straight into another creature’s hunting ground.

For several minutes, nothing happened.

Then a few leaves suddenly fell from above.

They landed on Devara’s head.

He stopped.

"...What?"

Devara slowly looked upward.

At first, he saw only the thick canopy of pink leaves.

Then two bright eyes appeared between the branches.

His expression immediately changed.

"Not again."

A massive pink leopard suddenly launched itself from the tree.

Its body came down directly toward him, claws extended and jaws open.

Devara reacted on instinct.

He threw himself sideways just as the leopard landed where he had been standing a moment earlier.

THUD!

The creature’s paws struck the ground hard enough to scatter leaves and loose soil in every direction.

Devara rolled across the grass and quickly came back onto his feet.

The leopard turned toward him.

Its pink fur blended almost perfectly with the surrounding forest, making it nearly invisible among the coloured vegetation. Only its eyes had given away its position.

Devara stared at it for a moment.

"You were sitting up there the whole time?"

The leopard lowered its body, preparing to pounce again.

Devara immediately raised his hands.

"Listen, I don’t want to fight you."

The leopard’s tail flicked.

Devara glanced around.

"No weapons. No unnecessary fighting. I have a contest to win."

The leopard clearly wasn’t interested in his explanation.

It suddenly sprang forward again.

Devara sidestepped at the last instant, allowing the creature to fly past him.

He grabbed a nearby branch for balance and turned as the leopard landed several metres away.

It spun around almost immediately.

Devara sighed.

"All right. So we’re doing this."

He took a defensive stance.

The leopard began circling him slowly.

Devara watched its movements carefully.

He couldn’t use a weapon.

He couldn’t simply kill the creature.

And he couldn’t afford to spend too much time here.

Somewhere in this enormous forest, Kandarpaasura was searching for the same golden horse.

Devara’s eyes narrowed.

"I really hope you’re not planning to make me chase you around the forest."

The leopard crouched.

Devara immediately recognized the posture.

"It is."

The creature sprang.

This time Devara didn’t dodge sideways.

He jumped over it.

The leopard passed beneath him, and Devara landed behind it without touching the animal.

He immediately ran.

"Sorry!"

The leopard turned and began chasing him.

Devara increased his pace, weaving between the trees.

He wasn’t running away out of fear.

He simply didn’t want to waste time fighting a creature that wasn’t part of the trial.

And somewhere ahead, hidden beyond the pink forest, the golden horse continued running, completely unaware that two contestants were tearing through its territory trying to find it.

The pink leopard let out a deep roar that echoed between the sandal-coloured trees.

Its eyes remained fixed on Devara as it lowered its body and suddenly sprang toward him, both forelegs stretched forward with its sharp claws exposed.

Devara quickly moved to the side.

The leopard’s claws passed dangerously close to his chest before the animal landed and immediately spun around.

It didn’t give him even a moment to recover before it attacked again.

This time, Devara decided he would stop simply avoiding it.

As the leopard lunged, Devara stepped forward instead of backward and reached out with both hands, intending to catch it around the shoulders and hold it down without seriously injuring it.

His fingers touched the leopard’s body.

And immediately slipped.

Devara’s eyes widened.

"What?"

The leopard’s entire body was covered in a thin, slippery substance that he hadn’t noticed earlier.

It wasn’t ordinary sweat or water.

A transparent, almost oily layer coated its pink fur, making the animal extraordinarily difficult to grip.

The leopard twisted its body and slipped straight out of Devara’s grasp.

Devara stumbled forward.

The animal landed behind him and immediately turned around.

Devara looked at his palms.

They were covered with the same slippery substance.

"You have got to be kidding me."

The leopard roared again.

Devara wiped his hands against the grass and watched it carefully.

"So that’s another trick."

The leopard crouched once more.

Devara narrowed his eyes.

Its claws weren’t the only thing he had to worry about.

Even if he managed to catch it, its slippery body would make holding onto it extremely difficult.

The leopard suddenly charged.

Devara waited until the last moment before stepping aside. As it passed him, he reached for its hind leg.

His hand caught it for barely a second.

Then the slippery coating made his fingers slide straight off.

The leopard landed several metres away and turned around.

Devara stared at it.

The animal stared back.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then Devara let out a quiet laugh.

"All right. I understand."

He rolled his shoulders and lowered his stance.

"You don’t want me to catch you."

The leopard’s tail flicked.

"Fine."

Devara looked deeper into the forest.

"But I don’t have time to keep playing with you either."

The leopard growled.

Devara smiled faintly.

"Let’s see which one of us gets tired first."

Devara quickly realized that trying to overpower the leopard wasn’t going to work.

Its body was too slippery to hold onto for more than a second, and every attempt to grab it only gave the animal another opportunity to strike.

His eyes briefly moved toward the ground.

Then he noticed the loose sand scattered beneath the trees.

A small idea came to him.

Devara crouched down, scooped up a handful of sand and waited for the leopard to make its next move.

The animal charged.

Devara stepped aside at the last moment and, as the leopard passed him, flicked the sand directly toward its face.

The effect was immediate.

The leopard stopped and began sneezing violently.

"That’s better."

Devara didn’t waste the opportunity.

He turned toward the nearest tree and quickly began climbing, using the rough bark to pull himself upward.

He reached a thick branch and hauled himself onto it, looking down as the leopard continued sneezing below.

For a moment, Devara thought he had finally bought himself enough time to escape.

Then the leopard stopped.

It slowly raised its head.

Its eyes met Devara’s.

Devara’s expression fell.

"You’re still coming after me?"

The leopard placed its front paws against the trunk.

Then it began climbing.

Devara stared.

"You can climb trees too?"

The leopard steadily pulled itself upward, its claws digging into the bark as it followed him without hesitation.

Devara looked toward the branches above.

Then he looked down again.

The leopard was already halfway up.

He shook his head.

"This forest really doesn’t like letting anyone leave."

Devara quickly moved along the branch, searching for another route while the leopard continued climbing behind him.

He couldn’t use a weapon.

He couldn’t waste time fighting.

And now even climbing a tree wasn’t enough to escape the creature.

Somewhere in the forest, the golden horse was still running.

Devara sighed.

"All I wanted was to find one horse."

He glanced back at the approaching leopard.

"Why am I fighting an entire zoo instead?"

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(Author note:)

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