The story of Kito-Katso

Kito-Katso was a vampire in the Northern Hills. No one knows where he came from. But, legend has it that he was born in an egg wrapped in the finest silk. He grew up to be one of the greatest bats that ever lived or died.

He sided with the rats early in his life earning him the title ‘Dog’s Might’. Not everyone was convinced of his methods, but no one ever questioned his might. One most occasions, he would find support from his bat brethren at the drop of a dropping. He picked up these skills on the fly and at night. His youth was known as the Golden Blackswan period of the Pleading Kingdom. The kingdom flourished with overflowing granaries and unending fun. He would go for a hunt with a hundred billion bats every evening and return home alone. This was a regular feature in the kingdom and the batlings treated this hero as their God.

Things got better with every passing night, until one day it rained and the world turned upside down. Kito-Katso tried everything he could to calm down the bats, but nothing helped. They revolted against him as if it was his fault that it rained.

Kito-Katso flew, flew in shame. He flew at day, he flew at night until one day he reached the Northern Hills. This was the place rumoured to be the panacea of all of life’s ills. Cautiously, Kito-Katso entered the hall which guarded the Hills. He felt shrill sounds on his back that almost killed him. He fell to the ceiling and there he lay motionless. 

Several days had passed before he opened his eyes to the rays of the moon. He felt alive, only in a different way. The shrill voices were those of dogs, he knew to be from the Kingdom. They must have come to harm him he felt. Kito-Katso tried to stand up, but could not. He saw that his shoe laces were tied. He knew this was a trick of the wretched dogs. With one forceful movement of both the wings, he took off. He knew neither sky nor land, he flew so high he lost sight. He untied his shoe laces and threw away his shoes only to find that his feet stinked. He dashed towards a body of water and went to its bottom before he came back. He felt better, unlike the last time he touched water.

Then he heard the laughter of the dogs. The dogs came marching in on water and stood in front of him. They bent their tails and flew away. Kito-Katso could not believe what he just saw. He never believed his neice when she said dead dogs have their tails bent. But, he is seeing it in front of his eyes as the dogs flew away.

The miracle suddenly told him the story of his life and the death of his Kingdom. The Pleading Kingdom was of bats was at once turned into the Pleading Kingdom of Vampires by the rain and the magic of the Northern Hills brought him back to life. He could now see why water felt painful the last time he touched it.

The bats still speak of the evil King who turned into a vampire. Kito-Katso is now used to the unpleasant red of the water. As for me, I still think that the dogs shouldn’t have fooled Kito-Katso.