[Nilpaurion Felagund]

My version of the Wargish Ainulindalë would be delayed a while, as I have come across a very interesting manuscript containing a prophecy of Argwë concerning the last days of Arda. In the meantime, I found this old entry in my journal, and I guessed it would be prudent to share it with you.

August 10, 2005.

Having been caught in a typhoon, I drowned in the ensuing floods and died. Immediately my fëa was taken to Mandos, and then, having been reclothed in a new hroa, I went on to Valinor. During that time dear Kath was on a holiday in Spain, and I watched over her in thought. She was in Antequera at that time, wandering through unusual limestone rock formations. I was fascinated by this sight, and I asked Aulë how he had carved the rock into such marvellous shapes.

'I know not,' he said, 'for I have not made them. You must ask Mandos, from whom none is hidden.'

I took his counsel, and I returned once more to the Halls of Mandos. There I asked Námo about the origin of the strange rocks. Surprisingly, his tale was tied to the Wargs, and how Men have ever misunderstood them.

'No doubt you have heard of the tale of the Kyuubi,' he said.

'Yes,' I answered. 'I have read of him in the tapestries of Vairë.'

'The Kyuubi was not the only one of his kind. He had a brother, the Kitsunë, who was not turned to evil. In the guise of an old man, he wandered the lands east and south of the Blue Mountains, giving aid to the villages of Men who have tried to live their lives free from the shadow of the North.

'One day he came to the village of Suna, which was then assailed with a great drought. By his arts he called forth rain, and the fields of the people of Suna was filled with growing things once more. They thanked the old man, and he was given a place of honour in the village. They asked him to stay a little while with them.

'During that time Thangorodrim had been broken, and all the evil beasts of Morgoth that had not fought in the War of Wrath fled far from the wrack of tha battle. There came to the south the most dreadful of Morgoth's creatures, save the Kyuubi. He was the Shukaku, a racoon of great stature, and whose body was covered with sand.

'The people of Suna saw his approach, and they were seized with fear. They asked Kitsunë to help them; and there before the entire village of Suna he revealed his true form. With a few strides he met the Shukaku in the forest near the village, and there their dreadful battle began. They fought with tooth and claw, and the great tail of Shukaku was caught in the nine tails of Kitsunë. The ground shook terribly as the two exchanged blows. Finally, Kitsunë had succeeded in defeating the beast of the North. Taking once again his human form, he returned to the village. He had not expected the welcome that would be given him.

'The villagers, discovering his true form, seized him. They had ever feared the Wargs, for they had hearkened to the lies of Morgoth, thinking that these great beasts worked for the ill of Men. Outside the village they stoned him to death, and in his last breath he returned to his true form, destroying the village of Suna as he did so.

'As the ages passed his body slowly rotted away, leaving his great bones behind. These eventually became the great limestone hills that you have seen today.'

Then Mandos concluded his tale, and I was silent, for my mind was filled with thoughts.

I have found a few photos relevant to the tale:

• Antequera
• Shukaku
• The Battle