And so we continued…There were a few
Moments of awkward silence after Varence
Left…But his words haunted me, I had
To know, I just had to hear the story of
The Lion Men.
“Where did he go?” I asked her
Feeling like a mouse, I had never been alone
With her before, she had such a powerful
Presence.

“I stopped wondering on such questions
Ages ago,” she sighed calmly. “He’s
Probably taking some secret seat in the
Treetops somewhere watching those boss monkeys
Make deals and lies while they gamble
Lives as they hit sticks across the grassy hills
For hours.”

“What?” I asked with a laugh. “Hit sticks?”

“Yes,” she attested, “They make some
Sport of it, Varence told me. They ride
Around in little vehicles, stopping to
Take turns striking and swatting at the ground
While they gamble world affairs. It had
Some strange name…”

“Golf?” I asked her a little stunned.

“Golf! Yes, that’s it!” Ceres said, puzzled by the
Word. Struggling to understand. “Is there a
Ball involved in this…golf?”

I laughed again with a nod. “As a matter
Of fact, there is.”

“Why am I not surprised.” She said squeezing
Her eyes shut. “I do not think I am meant
To understand the games on this Earth…”

“What exactly do you mean…with this
Ball obsession thing?” I asked her.

Without hesitation she blinked, and with a
Playful smile asked, “Have you ever had
A pet?”

I laughed, that answer would be huge.
“Yes, lots…lots and lots.”

“And what is the first toy you give a pet?” She
Went on. “A Ball.”

Curious, I thought a moment. “So you’re
Saying, I – that we…the Earth, is
Someone’s pet?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Ceres
Answered plainly.

“It’s an interesting idea.” I replied.

“No, Bill.” She said. “It’s a fact. It probably
Sounds strange to hear…But that’s what
Varence was talking about…the Dark
Powers are showing how easy it is to
Play with you. And no doubt it’s
Associated with some sort of prejudice or
Other false myth…as though it’s for
The strongest or fittest…or some exclusivity
For the sexes, as in for men only, or some
Other nonsense.”

“I never thought of it that way.” I said
Thinking about it more. “From the perspective
Of an outsider I mean…from another world.”

“I apologize, it’s not my intention to offend
You in any way.” She said very sincerely, so
Kindly. Her entire manner had changed as
She sat looking at me, her eyes warm and
Caring, calm…trying to be careful with every word.

“You aren’t. Not at all.”

“Nor your friends either,” she said gently, “But
Sometimes you just have to say things. And
He’s right you know…The right ones will understand
And make the connections.”

“Of course,” I agreed, “With other worlds and
Cultures I see that.” There were a few
Moments of silence…my mind was going
In several directions. “I’m sorry it’s just…
The more I hear, the more I know…it’s like
The less I want to know. So much thinking,
That’s all I ever do it seems. And it feels like
The more I learn…the bigger everything gets…
And then there’s more to learn, it feels like
It never ends. It makes you feel small,
Humble.”

“That’s the path to True Wisdom.” Ceres said
With an inspiring smile. “That’s what we are
Taught.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” she said respectfully, “only a
Very arrogant person would expect to learn
Everything so fast, especially with regards to
The universe. It’s vast…nearly every concept
Limitless…That’s why I get angry…Bullies…
The Selfish Ignorant people that take advantage of
The weak or innocent…the young…or the ones
Who abuse animals…There’s no reason for it. It’s
Inexcusable.”

“True, so true.”

“But, you wanted to hear the Story of
The Lion Men…” Ceres nodded.

“Yes, please.” I answered.

“Actually it is strangely fitting,” Ceres said
Pausing briefly in thought, “The timing, I mean,
Like he said…For what I just said…The
Lion Men…” she kept pausing in thought.
She closed her eyes and breathed hard. “I
Should warn you it is no bedtime story. What
Happened to them…what they went through…
Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Yes, please.” I answered carefully.

She was about to begin when she caught her
Breath, paused again and looked at me
Curiously. “Have you ever seen them, the Lion Men?”

“Yes actually,” I answered. “A few
Years ago…It was before I started this.” I
Pointed to the notebook, referring to the posts.
“I began seeing…these strange apparitions
Of them.”

She tilted her head. “You did?”

“Yes.”

She was intensely fascinated. “What did you
See exactly, which ones? Can you tell me what
They looked like?”

“It’s strange,” I told her, “But they were
These shades of grey…First one came, he was
Huge…It felt like he was checking me out. Then
Another came and another. It felt like…”

“What?” She asked.

“Like they seemed to be bringing each other to
Come see me. Almost as if to say…you have to
Come look at this one.”

“Interesting…” she said thinking on my
Words.

“But the last one I saw…”

“Go on.” She urged.

“He was different. Not like the others.” I
Explained. “They all had this mystical quality…
Big, strong and impressive, but magical too. But
That last one was…”

“Yes?”

“Different. It’s hard to explain. It was like
There was some kind of absolution to his…
Checking me out.” I tried carefully to tell her
Exactly. “He really studied me. At first he had
This look of real doubt…Then his eyes lit up
And he stared and stared…and he kept coming
Back.”

“He saw what the Angel put in your head.”
She said.

“Yes, yes, I think so.” I answered. “He didn’t
Look like the others.”

“Tell me,” she said, “What did he look like?”

“He looked very old, but still strong.” I told her.
“Smaller than the others, but I sensed a lot
Of strength. He was pale grey…but the
Strange thing was…”

“Go on.”

“Well,” I tried to say, “I know it sounds weird,
But…He only had one eye. His right eye
Was gone. And there was this big ‘X’
Looking scar below it, and –“

“His mane was long, wasn’t it?” She said finishing
My words. “As was the hair on his chin?”

“Yeah!”

“And there were bones,” she said her eyes
Growing wide, “And claws woven into his mane…
Around his face.”

“Yes! Yes!” I exclaimed. “How did you know
That?”

“You saw him?” She said very seriously, her
Eyes wide with shock.

“Yes, that’s exactly how he looked. Why?”

She froze. She seemed paralyzed with something
I could not describe. Slowly her eyes met mine
And she said, “You know I was instructed in
The Tempe of the Lion Men. They, some call it
The Temple Divine because it’s a school that
Teaches the appreciation of Nature…On Tellus, this
Is where the Lion Men dwell…They find their
Peace there.”

“Dwell?” I asked. “They don’t come from there?”

“No.” She said. “No, they come from their homeworld.
As do all on Tellus. Few are born there.”

“Ok, so this Elder Lion Man I saw is…”

“He is the oldest I know of.” She explained,
Her shock turning toward admiration, she
She was sensing a revelation. “He never speaks, not
Ever. He never leaves the Temple…Ever. He is
The most mysterious…secretive…probably
Because he has seen the most. His name is Gar.
He doesn’t like humans…he doesn’t care for
Anyone other than his own kind.”

“But…” I told her. “I saw him several times.”

A strange silence.
“I believe you.” Ceres said honestly. “The fact
That he came to see…you…”

“Yeah?” I was getting nervous.

“Something very big is going on. Something so…
Important that it drew him out.” She said
Looking into a distance unknown. “You have to
Understand,” she shook her head, “I need
To explain this correctly…You see, the Lion Men
Were once a Very Proud and Noble race
Among the stars…The strongest, most
Majestic race to ever have existed…At least,
That’s how many of us see it…But then, as
Became the fate of many…they were
Conquered…and their magnificence was reduced
To shame…Then…They became a slave race.
A terribly tortured slave race.”

“A slave race?” I was shocked. “But they…”

“They were reduced to slaves,” she explained. “They
Weren’t always. They were so noble…noble and
Proud.” She sighed. “Some say it was their Pride
That defeated them, others simply say it was the sad
Fate of all great races.”

She swallowed, looking away, her eyes lost
In the aspects of emotions of the story. “Few Lion
Men will tell the story, but those that do
Always tell it the same…”

“In the beginning, there were Five
Races, Five that mirrored the Image, Grace
And Grandeur of the Creator in all aspects
Of his manner…Like a Star, five points,
Two arms, two legs, a head atop the crown…
His majesty and strength and courage in the form of the
Noble Lion Men…His Passion, his Faith and
Heart in the form of Humans…His Speed, his
Sight and Reflection of the senses in that of the
Mighty Hawkmen…His Fortitude, and Wit and
Stubbornness in the form of the Mighty Bull Men…
And lastly, but not least…His Stealth and
Relentlessness in the Great Dragon…”

“These were the original Five Great Races,”
Ceres said, her voice like a melody telling the
Lost tale of history. “They each had their corners
Of Creation and there was balance…But, as
Time would prove, Peace and Harmony could only
Last so long…”

“Within these Five Races’ Territories, there
Were sub-serviant races…Races which resented,
In part, and only in some territories, their place
As lower ranked races. And they sought to
Change things…any way they could.”

“In the Star System of the Lion
Men, The Sirians, were the Wolfmen…
They wanted Dominion over their space,
And endlessly fought the Lion Men for power.”

“The same was for the Serpent Race that
Dwelt beneath the Wiser Dragon…which was
Among the stars, the only Matriarchal Race…
In fact, all races in Reptilian Space were
Female dominated.”

“Ages and ages of battles for power…
Ages of bloodshed, the rise and fall of Freedoms…
Clans…It seems there was always
That thirst for power to be number One. No
Change seemed possible…until the day came
When…A serpent Queen connived her way
Into the Wolves’ Kings Den to forge an alliance…
And while they hated each other, they hated
Their superiors more…And so, together,
Forged an insidious alliance…One that
Combined the strength of their armies and
Science…that with its most amoral code
And cruelest malice defeated the Lion Men,
And the Dragon…which ultimately
Rendered the Dragon extinct…and the
Once noble Lion Men nothing more than
Brute slaves to do their manual labors…
And once this balance of power shifted…
The entire Universe would suffer…An
Endless array of worlds and races plundered…
And the Great Fall of all things began.”

I was mesmerized. Ceres took a breath
Before continuing…”You have to imagine how
Great the Lion Men were in the beginning…
Ten feet tall, of great size and strength…
The Noble Paschat, the Feline Race…yes, they
Were somewhat of a warrior race…but they
Did not kill for pleasure or sport…they took what
They needed, and respected Nature. They
Could be stubborn or pushy at times, but they
Did not deserve the horrible fate they suffered.
Their pride and strength was foremost in their
Families…Each family a clan, they were
Fiercely loyal…and came in a variety of
Sizes and colors…Some had stripes and spots,
Others were coated in gold or cream or
Grey or coal black…All were immensely strong,
Their bravery had no end…They knew
Nothing of lies or deception, it wasn’t their
Nature…They were honest and dependable.
Their endurance unmatched…And they
Were brilliant…They were in all aspects…
Magnificent…”

As I watched her pause, the admiration in her
Eyes, I had to ask. “But if they were so
Magnificent…And I’m not disagreeing with
You at all, because I’ve seen them, I know
This too…then how, how were they defeated?
What happened to them?”

Her eyes looked down, her expression sank…
“Everything has a vulnerability, a weak spot.”
She turned to me, her eyes begging me
To understand. “As I said their Pride…Their
Strength came from their family structure…
And that’s where The Darkness, their conquerors
Struck.”

“The Draconian Sirian Alliance were
Relentless in their schemes to conquer them…
Their plots tested on the Hawkmen…
It eradicated them…They were the first to
Fall. By conquering the Hawkmen they
Learned to absorb the strengths of other races,
Discover weaknesses…with their science they
Genetically modified themselves…their battle
Strategies were ruthless…”

“You see the Lion Men were keen, they saw
Every attack coming…every military tactic
That is. But like I said, the Lion Men did
Not understand lies and deception well…And to
This day hate liars…

“Their conquerors assumed the form
One could not recognize…The nature no one
Would suspect…” Ceres looked at me carefully,
A fear in her eyes. “They assumed the form…
Of Peace.”

“They cloaked themselves in deceiving
Smiles…Pretending to Surrender…Preaching
Words of Peace, and Love and Harmony they
Lulled the Lion Men into a False Friendship.”

“The Sirians and Dracs made a fake
Treaty of Peace with the worlds of the
Lion Men…Set up Embassies on their
Worlds…And silently…Slowly…wickedly
Moved in for the most evil manipulative
Game ever created…one they still practice
To this day.”

I saw what she was saying…The similarities.
My skin grew cold.

“Over the course of a generation they took
Their time to bend their minds, win their trust.
They flattered the Elders, gave them gifts…
Shared technology that made their lives
Convenient…So that the Lion Men grew calm…
Even lazy…

They pampered them with parties…
Spoiled the parents…all the while tempting
Their young…Preaching words of Peace and Love…
Relax…Don’t worry…Be Happy…Live Drink
Laugh…Have Fun…Enjoy Life.”

“And slowly they introduced the Poison.
They encouraged them to indulge…
Not to work so hard…Then implanted
Suggestions…which became concepts…
That evolved into beliefs…superiority…
Jealousy…prejudices…greed and hatred.”

I felt sick. There were too many similarities
To her words to things I knew and had
Seen throughout my life…on Earth. “But,
Those things…exist here.”

“I know.” She said with this awful sadness.
“I know.”

“Then what happened?” I asked.

“When the Lion Men were at the most
Comfortable state…completely unaware…too
Pre-occupied with these corrupt notions…Their
Enemies struck. And they were…horrible.
It was the worst ever.

Their ships swarmed them, their worlds
All at once…They slaughtered millions…took
The strongest as slaves…they took
Some for…medical experiments…And
Ate the rest.”

“Oh my God!” I was horrified. “That’s…that’s
Awful!”

“I know.” She said looking away. “And it
Got worse. They humiliated them. Tortured
Them. And took great joy in doing it. They
Made sure to leave nothing, no one behind so
That no Lion Man could escape or retaliate.

They created games of sport to torture
And abuse them…Arenas where the Men
And Women were beaten, raped, killed…
Devoured alive in front of millions. They
Forced their own people to watch…Anything
To break their Spirit.”

“And if that wasn’t bad enough…They
Genetically altered the Lion Men’s people so that
They could not reproduce naturally…Making
Natural reproduction, conception nearly impossible.
This way they could fully control their numbers
And breeding…They kept the Men
And Women apart…and only kept enough
Women alive for breeding…and only kept
The strongest Men alive to do their labors…
Thus truly making them a slave race.”

Silence. I was in shock. What horror
They went through I could only imagine…
As a sickening, terrifying feeling inside me
Grew, thinking of the world I knew…of.
The current state of Earth. “Is that
Happening here…right now, to Earth?” I asked.
She looked at me as though afraid to
Speak…Then there was a noise from off
To the side, and we looked…and there he
Was…standing there.

“It happened before.” Varence said
Watching us like a statue, his expression
Like stone. “And yes, it’s happening
Again.”

“But why?” I asked. “Why again?”

“It’s what they do.” Varence said plainly,
His eyes glaring.

“It’s an endless cycle with them…” Ceres
Said, in a deep sadness. “You must never trust
Conquerors, conquering is all they know.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, “Those Lion
Men that I saw weren’t slaves.”

“In time the Dark Kind grew bored with them,”
Ceres said, “You see, they used to take slave
Ships of the Lion Men with them to worlds
They conquered…for various reasons, sport, torture,
Pleasure…But after ages of power they realized
They had enough play toys, enough worlds to
Play with…That they could create their own
Slaves genetically…and decided to exterminate
Them.”

“How kind of them to finally release them
From an eternity of submissive abuse.” Varence
Added sarcastically as he stepped closer.

“In that moment there was a rebellion…
The Lion Men won’t tell us where…But we
Know,” Ceres said mysteriously, “They had a
Temple on Ancient Earth…A great Lion
Where they were permitted to worship their Gods,
Such as Set…it was where your Egypt is now…
The Egyptians built their civilization around
It after the cataclysm, the First Conquering…
It was in ruins however…so they reshaped it…
You know it as the Sphinx.”

“One ship of Lion Men escaped, led by
Gar, the Eldest of their Kind,” she went on,
“They made one great escape…fled into
The Stars…The Draconians chased them…
In a desperate choice they fled into a black hole…
And by chance…found Tellus. The Draconians
Did not chase them…Fortunately they found
This Sanctuary World of ours…where they remain.
That’s how Gar got his scar…in that Freedom
Flight…Over time they healed their wounds…
But they still are in limited number.”

“These are the Lion Men I saw?”

“Yes.” Varence said. “They have regained much
Of their spirit…But have not forgotten what
Was done to their race. They vow vengeance
On the Dracs, the Sirians…”

“But when they came to Earth, to answer
The cries of help they heard from your world…
They did not like what they found.” Ceres said.
“To them…They see your world as blind…
Wanting help, but not willing to work for it.”

“You mean they want someone to rescue them,”
I replied, “They really don’t want to change.”

“Yes.” Varence said.

“But this Peace and Love isn’t wrong, is it?” I
Asked.

“No, it isn’t wrong.” Varence answered. “But it’s
An excellent way for the Dark Ones to get in.”

“You have to be careful,” Ceres explained. “Watch,
Out for words like…The Collective…”

“Promises of Wealth…Freedom…Gifts.” Varence added.

“Of things like Channeling,” Ceres said, “Of
People claiming to receive messages.”

“Being told You’re Special.” Varence said.
“We want to save you.”

“They’ll save you…for their pleasure.” She told me.

Varence saw my distress and leaned closer.
“We have nothing to gain by telling you this.
In fact we take great risk.”

“Can’t you do anything?”

“Bill,” Ceres said softly, her eyes pleading with
Me, “We…I was not born on Tellus. My world
Was destroyed…My family, many people died to
Get a handful out…to escape…5 of my brothers
Died to get us off the planet in the Great Fall.”

“I escaped by chance,” Varence then said.
“Someone grabbed me as a boy and sneaked
Me on a ship to flee…Another desperate
Chance…Flying blind into space…to dash
Into a black hole…in the hopes of finding
A Storybook World called Tellus…That the
Dark Kind could not touch.”

I shook my head…”I don’t know what
You want me to do with this.”

“This process, of the Conquerors,” Ceres said,
“Takes time…A generation or two at least.”

“Ask yourself,” Varence said firmly, “When
Did this descent in your world begin” The patterns,
The clues…of a Dark Force at work…Your
Planet’s Word War II…it always begins with a
War or a plague, pestilence…”

“But World War II ended…” I began to say.

“I’ve watched your world for ages,” Varence said.
“World War II never ended…it merely
Changed its shape.”

“What?” I asked.

“Think about it.” He said. “The War ended?
The Iron Curtain went up. I know the story. You
Cut one head off a multi-headed beast…You
Didn’t defeat it…they fooled the world into a
Sense of false peace…while they continued
Their evil practice…Further experiments…
Everything continued…only in
Secret…more ruthless and cruel than ever…
Spreading everywhere…every country…”

“I can’t tell people this,” I said, “They will flip out!”

“No, you will tell them,” Varence instructed,
Almost shouting, pointing his finger, “You will
Write this, post this, and do exactly as I say.
No more games or wasting time. No questions. You
Will post it and then wait for what’s next. The
Smart ones will know what to do with this…
Let the rest whine and carry on, I don’t care.”

“What will that accomplish?” I asked.
“If all you said is true, then…”

“Knowledge is Power.” Ceres said.
“Remember all we’ve talked about, what
You know…what you’ve been through.”

“This has to stop.” Varence demanded.
“They want so much…all so fast…They want
Answers…The Dark Kind rule like Masters
Of the Universe for far too long.”

“For all you’ve done, for all who believe,” Ceres
Said in hope, “For all of us, what we’ve done…
For what we dare to dream and pray for and
Run to…Take a chance, Bill.”

“Let me worry about the details.” Varence said.
“Rest now for what’s next…Let them think, debate,
Doubt, believe, or whatever…It’s time.” He said
Strongly. “And now…you can stop writing.”

That’s all for now.

Valiant.

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