"Of That Which Is Savage"
A Yahgahn Fable and Love Story
It has been told to me by my ancestors that long ago, a scant time after Chaos and Order as Shao'Kehn and Ahndahn got married, and a scant time after Shao'Kehn multiplied Herself, the two married Deities - who were adolescents still - were quite content with life and with one another.
In truth, the two had already visited all the the Faces of Shao'Kehn that there now were and would ever be. Having completed this task in a mere twelve years as Deities reckon time (eons as we mortals know it), they settled down again, back to their contented, shared happiness.
Yet despite all appearances, all was not well with Shao'Kehn. For something weighed heavily on Her soul and mind, a dark secret She kept
from Her consort. This secret had settled inside her like a colony of carniverous insects making food of Her heart ever since She and Ahndahn had started their twelve year journey together. Now that they had stopped without Her revealing Her secret to Ahndahn, the imaginary insects seemed to eat faster and harder at Her entrails.
Finally, one day She'd had enough. She still could not bring Herself to tell Ahndahn, but She knew She had to meet this secret Face of Hers
in person. Though She was always connected to all of Her Faces, seeing what they saw, feeling what they felt, hearing what they hear, tasting what they taste, She knew there was much to be gained from an outside perspective.
So it was that one night, Shao'Kehn waited until Ahndahn was asleep, then snuck out of bed and out of the onyx castle altogether. Utilizing
the bridges between worlds, She went from one to another until She found what She sought - the world where Shao'Rahk lived.
Shao'Kehn had no problem with Shao'Kord, Shao'Sahn, Shao'Grii'Lah, Shao'Mor'Shain, or any of Her other Faces... it was only
Shao'Rahk that She disliked. But dislike Her savage side as She did, She still felt Shao'Rahk as much as She did the others, so when Shao'Kehn laid eyes on
the dark forest where this secret Face lived, it looked at once both familar and alien to Her. Apprehensive, She went into the forest.
The place was dark and foreboding. This was to be expected at night, which it was, but Shao'Kehn knew it was thus in the daylight hours as
well. Using Her secret Face's memories as a guide, Shao'Kehn quickly found Shao'Rahk's territory, but there was no sign of Her other Self.
Shao’Kehn smelled Shao’Rahk long before the other was anywhere near being seen to Her, and the stench was overwhelming. Shao’Rahk could not be any closer than half a mile away, and already Shao’Kehn was retching and vomiting, the unpleasant taste of sick assaulting Her tongue and Her nose. Far from being further sickened, though, She welcomed the smell and taste of the sick, for it hid the horrendous odor of Shao’Rahk.
To say that Shao’Rahk smelled like a charnel house would be akin to saying that a bubbling, decomposing corpse smelled “a little off-putting.” Shao’Kehn actually saw small animals suffocate to death in their own vomit as Shao’Rahk got ever closer.
Then, as the stench got so ghastly that Her sense of smell seemed almost to shrivel and die, Shao’Kehn saw Shao’Rahk.
Shao’Rahk was so utterly filthy that She gave new definition to the word. Not only covered in dirt and sweat, Shao’Rahk had blood – both dry and fresh – on Her, as well as foul-smelling muck, gore, and smeared feces. Her hair was long, completely knotted up, and dripping with blood, mud, multicolored slime, and old food. Maggots crawled on Her skin and in Her hair, and Her body even sported rather large fungal fruiting bodies, none of which looked pleasant. Shao’Kehn could not be sure, but there also seemed to be mobile slime molds growing on Shao-Rahk’s filth.
Squatting naked on the ground, Her filth acted like clothing, so thick it was. In Her teeth – which were black, yellow, green, and red – was an unidentified small mammal, paralysed but still twitching feebly, blood matting its fur as it struggled in vain against the crush of death.
If Shao’Rahk noticed Shao'Kehn at all, She gave no indication of it. Despite a wild, hungry, and savage look in Her eyes, Shao'Rahk just squatted there in all Her putrid glory. In fact, She looked like She was thinking very hard about something---
Without warning, a wet, black, malodorous turd flopped on the ground between Shao-Rahk's legs. Far from being many shapely turds, it was one long shapeless black blob that kept coming like it would never end. Shao'Rahk strained at it so hard that the animal in Her mouth gave one last death cry before being crushed mercifully in the merciless Face's strong jaws. All the while, Shao'Rahk grinned and closed Her eyes, as though taking a shit was better than sex. The smell from the pile was powerful enough to restore Shao-Kehn's sense of smell and then, just as quickly, overwhelm it anew.
Prior to their twelve year journey together, Shao'Kehn had told Ahndahn that Her multiplication of Herself had made one Self for every one of Her passions "and more." Together, they had seen a great many "and more"s. But seeing Shao'Rahk turn around and sniff the huge, shapeless, lumpy turd... Shao'Kehn knew this one to be the mother of all "and more"s!
Just when Shao'Kehn thought that She had seen it all, Shao'Rahk used Her bare hands to split the pile of crap in two. The first pile She smeared all over Her body with the glee and enthusiasm of a regular person taking a deeply cleansing shower. When this was done, She turned Her attention to the second pile, dropped the animal in Her mouth, knelt down on all fours, and began to eat Her own shit, and finger Herself with Her shit-covered hands.
Shao'Kehn was now retching harder than ever, but She had run out of anything to puke. Shaky and weak, She knelt in Her own vomit, but could not muster the strength to recognize that She was doing so, much less to care about it.
When Shao'Kehn managed to shakily lift Her head, Her eyes were immediately assaulted by Shao-Rahk's naked, filthy buttocks, from which wet black dung still dripped onto the savage's inner thighs. Using a nearby tree for support, Shao'Kehn got unsteadily to Her feet. Trying to look anywhere but at the sickening feast before Her, Her eyes settled on a gaping wound on Shao-Rahk's left shoulderblade. Not surprisingly, it was very infected and oozing puss and whitish-grey fluids, as well as having maggots and other horrible creatures living in the necrotic tissue.
"That must hurt," She said aloud to Shao-Rahk.
Wheeling around, Shao-Rahk's feral eyes stared into Hers, growling and baring shit-encrusted teeth, a little of the fresh meal of shit dripping from the corners of Her mouth.
"Here," Shao'Kehn said, brandishing a bottle of pure alcohol, "let Me disinfect that for You."
As She walked closer, Shao'Rahk backed up, using all four limbs for moving as easily as a cat or dog might. Suddenly, Shao'Rahk roared loudly, startling Shao'Kehn into spilling some of the alcohol on the wild one's hand. Though even the whole bottle could never hope to clean off the filth that hid the hand beneath it, Shao'Rahk screamed as though She'd caught on fire. Which, Shao'Kehn mused, would have made Her smell nicer at least.
Watching Shao'Rahk run away into the woods on all fours, Shao'Kehn could not help but think of Ahndahn.
"Now I am sure of it," She bellowed sorrowfully aloud. "Now I am positive that I can never, must never tell Ahndahn! For how could She ever love Me when She could not love ALL of Me? If I cannot love all of Me, who could?"
And, once more obliviously kneeling in Her own vomit, Shao'Kehn began to weep...
...while, unbeknownst to Her, Ahndahn stood listening a few trees away. Silently, Her own eyes welled up with tears. She had been woken when Shao'Kehn had tried to sneak out, and had followed to see what troubled Her Love so much. And now, She too was crying. Not because She thought Shao'Kehn or even Shao'Rahk unloveable, but at the thought of the pain Her Love was going through. To be so unsure... it was unthinkable to Ahndahn. She would have to tell Shao'Kehn in the morning how much She loved Her.
But... no. No, Ahndahn thought. Shao'Kehn is of fire, and fire does not trust words. Fire trusts, fire believes only actions. Ahndahn would have to do something to prove Herself to Shao'Kehn. But what?
Taken by a sudden urge, Ahndahn came out from behind the tree and walked over to the weeping form of Shao’Kehn.
Startled out of Her skin as She was, Shao’Kehn quickly recovered and buried Her head, sobbing, between Ahndahn’s clothed breasts. Ahndahn ran Her fingers through Shao-Kehn’s hair for a time, but then pulled gently away and smiled at Shao’Kehn.
“I have a gift to give to Shao’Rahk,” She said.
Shao’Kehn tried to ask for an explanation, but Ahndahn just shushed Her and stepped back.
Without further warning, Ahndahn stood naked in the forest before Shao’Kehn, smiling softly. Then, in a move both shocking and sweet, Ahndahn transformed into Shao-Rahk’s identical twin (if Shao’Rahk could be said to have an identical twin). Then, on all fours, Ahndahn ran off after Shao’Rahk.
It is said that for an entire day, Ahndahn and Shao’Rahk played together, both delighting in filth and vileness, both reveling in the freedom
of unrepenting savagery and stench. It is said that they evenb play-fought and mated, grinding into one another while laying in a bed of animal intestines, before returning to their normal lives the next day.
And from that day forward, it is said, Shao’Kehn and Ahndahn became ever closer, knowing that nothing could end their love for one another… or for themselves.