Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

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Devara’s hands slowly began to loosen.

Only moments ago, every muscle in his arms had been straining with enough force to tear the leopard’s jaws apart, but now that strength began to leave his fingers as his eyes remained fixed upon the frightened creature.

The leopard was still struggling beneath his grip, its paws scraping against his arms, its body twisting desperately, yet Devara no longer saw an enemy before him.

He saw a mother.

His grip finally disappeared from its jaws.

The leopard’s mouth snapped shut as it recoiled, breathing heavily, while Devara remained motionless upon the branch.

His chest rose and fell as he stared at the animal, and then, without warning, an image from his childhood surfaced in his mind.

His mother Ganga.

Then another.

His mother Bhudevi.

He remembered being a child, long before kingdoms, wars and divine battles had become part of his life.

He remembered running through Ganga’s realm, laughing as the waters welcomed him, splashing through her celestial rivers while she watched over him with the patience only a mother could possess.

He remembered the warmth of Bhudevi’s embrace, the countless times she had allowed him to play across her vast realms, never once allowing him to feel that the world around him was something he needed to fear.

They had protected him when he was small.

They had fed him, watched him, comforted him and taught him.

Even when he had been reckless, even when his divine strength had gotten him into trouble, they had never abandoned him.

Devara’s eyes slowly shifted toward the three tiny cubs emerging from the bushes.

A thought struck him.

’If I kill their mother... what happens to them?’

His gaze traveled across the forest.

The beauty of this place had already proven to be nothing more than a veil hiding countless dangers.

Carnivorous butterflies waited among the grass.

Blood-covered rabbits hunted other creatures.

Strange serpents prowled between the trees.

Flowers released corrosive pollen.

Predators lurked in places where an unsuspecting creature might lower its guard.

This was not a forest where three helpless cubs could simply survive on their own.

Without their mother, they would be exposed.

They would wander.

They would become easy prey.

One predator would eventually find them.

And then another.

The thought of those tiny bodies being hunted because he had killed their mother made something inside Devara tighten.

His expression changed completely.

He looked at the leopard again and finally understood the desperation behind its attacks.

She had not been fighting merely to defend her territory.

She had been fighting because there were three lives behind her that depended entirely upon her survival.

Devara lowered his gaze for a moment.

"If I had killed you..."

His voice became quieter.

"...they would have died too."

The leopard watched him cautiously.

Devara glanced at the cubs once more.

One of them had moved close to its mother’s foreleg and was rubbing its tiny head against her fur.

The mother immediately lowered her head and nudged the cub gently, as though reassuring it that everything was all right.

Something about the sight reminded Devara of his own childhood.

He had been protected because someone stronger had chosen to protect him.

Now he was standing before a creature whose children needed exactly the same thing.

A faint smile touched his face.

"You were only doing what any mother would do."

He stepped away from the leopard, giving her enough distance to make it clear that the fight was over.

The leopard did not attack.

Instead, she remained beside her cubs, watching Devara with wary eyes.

Devara looked toward the deeper forest where the golden horse was somewhere waiting.

The rules had forbidden him from using weapons or a mount, but they had never said he had to kill everything that stood in his path.

And perhaps that was another part of the test.

He had already learned that this forest hid danger beneath beauty.

Perhaps now it was teaching him something else.

Strength was not always measured by how easily he could destroy something.

Sometimes it was measured by whether he could choose not to.

Devara took another step backward.

"Stay with your cubs."

He paused before turning away.

"I will not hurt you."

The leopard continued watching him.

Devara then turned toward the forest and began walking away, leaving the mother and her three cubs behind.

For a few moments, there was only the sound of his footsteps fading among the pink leaves.

Behind him, the mother leopard remained still.

Then one of the cubs let out a tiny, innocent meow.

Devara smiled faintly without looking back.

Somewhere in the depths of the forest, the golden horse waited.

But Devara had just made a decision that mattered more to him than winning the contest quickly.

He would not become the predator that orphaned three cubs simply because killing their mother was the easiest way to clear his path.

Devara continued deeper into the strange forest, his senses constantly sweeping across the surroundings as he moved between the enormous trees.

The pink leaves above him allowed only fragments of the golden sunlight to pass through, painting the ground with shifting patches of light and shadow.

Even after his encounter with the leopard and her cubs, he remained cautious.

He had learned by now that anything in this forest could hide something dangerous beneath an innocent appearance.

Then he heard it.

A distant neigh echoed through the trees.

Devara stopped instantly and his eyes widened.

"A horse..."

The excitement in his voice was impossible to hide.

After everything he had gone through, after fighting through the strange creatures and dangerous plants, he had finally found what he had been searching for.

The golden horse.

Devara immediately increased his pace, weaving between the trees as another neigh echoed somewhere ahead.

He followed the sound, his footsteps becoming quicker until the forest suddenly opened before him.

Devara emerged onto a small cliff.

He stopped at the edge.

Below him stretched a magnificent lake.

But it was not an ordinary lake.

The entire body of water appeared to be made of liquid gold.

Golden ripples moved across its surface whenever the breeze touched it, reflecting the sunlight in such a brilliant manner that Devara had to narrow his eyes.

The lake seemed almost alive, its surface glowing from within rather than merely reflecting the light from above.

Mist floated above the water, shimmering like powdered gold.

Devara slowly looked around.

And then he realized he had found an entire gathering of celestial horses.

There were horses of almost every fantastical form imaginable.

A group of white unicorns stood near the edge of the lake, their single horns glowing faintly as they drank from the golden water.

Nearby, several magnificent pegasi grazed peacefully, their enormous wings folded against their bodies.

Some had feathers as white as clouds, while others possessed silver, blue or even faintly violet plumage.

There were enormous warhorses with muscular bodies and burning eyes, elegant celestial stallions whose manes seemed to contain tiny sparks of light, and smaller creatures that looked almost like ordinary horses until one noticed the strange patterns of divine light running beneath their skin.

Devara’s eyes moved from one animal to another.

"So many..."

For a moment, he simply stood there, taking in the sight.

But then something caught his attention.

Movement.

The surface of the golden lake began to ripple.

Not from the wind.

Something was moving beneath it.

Devara’s expression changed as he leaned forward slightly.

The ripples became larger.

Then the golden water parted.

One horse stepped out.

Devara’s eyes widened as another followed and then another.

A whole group of golden horses slowly emerged from the lake.

They did not simply drink from the water.

They had come from inside it.

Their hooves touched the shore one after another as golden droplets rolled down their bodies and disappeared into light.

Their coats were not merely yellow or golden in color.

They possessed the deep, radiant sheen of refined gold, with faint streams of divine energy moving beneath their skin.

Their manes flowed around their necks like liquid sunlight.

Their eyes burned with intelligence.

Their bodies were larger and more powerful than the other horses surrounding the lake, their muscles clearly visible beneath their gleaming coats.

Every movement carried an almost royal dignity, as though they knew exactly what they were and had no reason whatsoever to prove it to anyone.

The other celestial horses seemed to give them space.

Even the unicorns and pegasi quietly moved aside as the golden herd emerged from the lake.

Devara stared as his excitement slowly turned into fascination.

’So these are the golden horses.’

He had expected something extraordinary after hearing the rules of the contest, but he had not expected this.

One particularly magnificent golden stallion stepped ahead of the others.

It was enormous, with a broad chest and powerful legs. Its mane flowed freely in the wind, while a strange golden symbol shimmered upon its forehead. It lifted its head and gave a deep neigh that echoed across the lake.

The sound rolled through the forest.

Several birds immediately took flight from the surrounding trees.

Devara smiled.

"Now that’s a horse."

The stallion suddenly turned its head.

Its eyes met Devara’s.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Devara could feel something different about this creature.

It was not simply strong.

It was aware and it was watching him.

Devara slowly stepped away from the cliff and began making his way down toward the lake.

The golden stallion remained completely still, its gaze following every movement.

Devara’s smile faded into a focused expression.

The second challenge had finally begun in earnest.

He had found the horses.

Now came the difficult part is he had to catch one.

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(Author note:)

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