The Hunt For Self: Episode 8

The Hunt For Self: Episode 8
The King of The Jungle

..:: Shadow Demon the tiger crept up the jagged mountain path as the rain pelted down and crashed against his face. The wind rustled through its coat and made the climb to the summit that little bit more difficult than usual; slippery ledges lined the path up, but that didn’t bother the Predator of the Jungle. Nothing had bothered him for a very long time, in actual fact. ::..

..:: Well, almost nothing. ::..

..:: Despite his status as the jungle’s premiere predator, the tiger had to build his lair on top of the highest mountain in the land. Image meant everything to him; he had to be seen as the true Predator of the jungle. That’s why Shadow had embarked on a mission of boundless terror and killed every animal that posed even the slightest threat to him. ::..

..:: And after every kill, he trotted out the same reassuring words to himself. ::..

- Shadow The Predator –
“There can be no doubt about it now, I am the undisputed Predator of the jungle!”

..:: Only this time, as he retired to his lair for the night, content that he had cemented his legacy as the jungle’s top cat, an old voice greeted him and shook his very core. ::..

† Johnny Styles †
“Predator of the jungle?”

..:: Scoffed the lion, offering a deadly stare in the tiger’s direction. ::..

† Johnny Styles †
“I think you’ll find I have always been the real Predator of this jungle, Shadow.”

..:: Shadow tottered backwards, unsure of his steps for the first time in a long time and gasped awkwardly. He peered on at the enormous golden mane of the creature in front of him and slowly raised his head to face up to eye level. The lion shot him a vile look of disgust that jammed into his face like a sharpened spear. Rocking his head upwards, the real Predator of the jungle unleashed a battle roar unlike no other: the noise crackled around in the skies overhead like thunder rumbling and forced the entire jungle to move under the weight of its power. ::..

† Johnny Styles †
That’s how it’s fucking done

...:: Thought the lion. ::..

- Shadow The Predator –
“Johnny? I wasn’t expecting to see you back anytime soon. I thought you were gone for good.”

† Johnny Styles †
“Well, here I am”

..:: Proclaimed the intimidating lion. ::..

† Johnny Styles †
“And now, what I want to know is, what are you going to do about it?”

- Shadow The Predator –
“Umm”

..:: Mumbled Shadow. Styles began to pace towards him with a certain intensity in his demeanor. ::..

..:: The pretender to the throne struggled to formulate a response to thwart the real returning Predator. The words jammed in his mouth like bullets in a misfiring pistol. Shadow’s fear of Styles had served as the true motivation behind his endless killing spree: he constantly sought to prove that he was superior to his predecessor and would leave no rock unturned until that goal was achieved. ::..

..:: Now, coming face to face with his nemesis, he found himself staring down the barrel at the perfect moment to seize his vindication. His entire reign as Predator of the jungle had acted as a prologue to the power struggle that was about unfold... ::..

..:: And yet he couldn’t help but wonder whether he was in over his head. Confidence leaked from his eyes like a punctured drain pipe. ::..

† Johnny Styles †
“This is where it ends, my friend”

..:: Said Johnny, spreading his mane and preparing for battle. ::..

† Johnny Styles †
“Once and for all.”

..:: The two beasts that stood at the top of the food chain circled each other knowing that closure in their quest for supremacy was close at hand. As dominant and as fearless as the two almighty creatures had been at the peak of their powers, they knew that, by the end of it, only the strongest of them would survive. ::..

..:: The Conclusion beckoned to them and begged for the tale to finally draw to and end ::..



..:: The writer wanted his hero to go out in style. Death was inevitability for Styles and Shadow and so glory was the only thing left for him to chase as his story rolled to a conclusion. The epic conflict between Shadow and his creation had stood the test of time, but with such great pressure placed on his shoulders to come up with an ending that would do justice to the feud, he began to struggle. ::..

..:: Picking up his pen, he decided to jot down the first thing that came into his head. ::..

Lions. Tigers. Jungle battles for supremacy.

..:: Suddenly, he shook his head, screwed up the piece of paper and sent it flying across the room. ::..

- Author –
“I’ve had enough of that”

..:: He muttered to himself. ::..

- Author –
“Let’s do something a little more original. This needs to be special.”

..:: He sat there silently in careful thought for several minutes waiting for the proverbial light bulb to light over his head. Finally, his brain sparked into life. ::..

Batman. Superman. Titanic struggle for power.

..:: His pen crashed against the paper once more... but, as soon as it did, he had a change of heart and immediately rubbished the idea. Squashing the paper and curling it into a ball in his hands, he aimed for the bin once more; a rim shot bounced out and forced an exasperated sigh from the writer. ::…

..:: Frustration reigned supreme once more. ::..

- Author –
“Jesus Christ”

..:: Moaned the writer once more, banging his head against the wooden desk in front of him robotically. ::..

- Author –
“Think. Think. Think! You’ve managed to come up with a compelling tale for this guy for the better part of a decade now and, here you stand, at the end, running out of metaphors for him. Seriously, what the fuck?”

..:: And then, suddenly, the stupidity of the situation crashed against his head like a bullet to the brain. ::..

Running out of metaphors.

- Author –
“Why the fuck do I have to hide behind a metaphor? This character can stand on his own two feet.”

..:: After all, this wasn’t Shadow Demon’s story he was penning. This was the real deal. ::..

..:: With one final nod of the head, the writer smiled safe in the knowledge that the story’s conclusion was close at hand. It had been a long and, at times, treacherous road, but one that was undoubtedly paved in glory. Throughout the entirety of his lifetime, Style’s name had long been associated with victory... ::..

..:: Now, with the end at an ever looming cloud on the horizon, the writer would do his best to ensure this would not change ::..



..:: Johnny Styles sat meekly with his arms folded on his favorite park bench. He often ventured to this particular seat as it offered a fantastic view of the world. Gazing down at the small town below, he watched on as people scuttled about their daily lives. Watching had become a hobby of his as the years had progressed; he had always been fascinated with human nature and seeing how other people react to different situations. ::..

..:: This, of course, was mainly due to the fact that he considered himself different to everyone else.::..

..:: Peering out at the sweeping canyon in front of him, the people below looked like tiny black dots. Inhaling deeply, Johnny soaked up a moment of contemplation as he sat in silence and allowed the meandering breeze to dance through his hair. His return to wrestling had been a non-stop rollercoaster and had left him breathless. Now though, finding an eventual moment of solitude, he pondered over things as his mind was set racing; naturally, the first thing that popped into his head was the most obvious. ::..

My time is running out, this could be my last shot at redemption

..:: He thought to himself. ::..

..:: Through his whole career, he has been faced with hurdles. From his time in JWF and the screw job from Joe Santiago, to his time in NLWF where his own son (maybe not by blood but by love) turned his back and created and ego bigger than anything SB ever had. And now here is another hurdle. Shadow Demon, someone who he thought was over-rated. Someone who shouldn’t even be looked upon as a legend. ::..

..:: To Johnny Shadow was nothing more then a clown with a serious case of Bipolar ::..

..:: A gigantic beam of sunlight thrust itself upon him, spreading warmth to the fresh grass that lined the park and forcing Johnny to cover his eyes slightly. The sky was painted a refined, perfect blue color and was devoid of any clouds. His skin tingled as the sun licked at his arms playfully and sent a nourishing, warm feel through his body. ::..

..:: Rocking backwards and slumping against the bench, he closed his eyes and sank into the moment. ::..

What a beautiful day to end a legacy

..:: From the Ashes presented him with the opportunity to find closure in his career. Of all of the tussles that he had encountered during his time as a professional wrestling, his matches with Shadow Demon were the most memorable. Neither man had ever earned the definitive upper hand, but Sunday presented him with an opportunity to do just that. ::..

A chance to win the battle. A chance to end the war

..:: Whichever way he looked at it, this was his one chance to beat the best from both past and present.::..

..:: His past was littered with title reigns, curb stomping victories and champagne parties. Consolidating his position at the top of the company whilst he had held the world title was never a difficult thing for him to do; in his prime, he was untouchable. Now, though, decaying and crumbling from within, Styles was a shadow of his former self... but he still believed that he was the best ::..

..:: Staring down the barrel at a new challenge, Johnny rose from the park and nodded somberly. He had been set the task of resurrecting his once proud name... ::..

..:: A name that once struck fear into the hearts of every wrestler around the globe... ::..

..:: A name that would eternally edge above Shadow Demon’s in the pecking order... ::..

..:: A name that defined itself in the clearest possible terms: Johnny Styles ::..



So, we’ve been here time and time before.

Win a match. Lose a match. Whatever-the-fuck-a-match. I’ve been in professional wrestling long enough now to realize that my encounters with Shadow Demon are the stuff of legend. There will always be greater meaning to me in facing Shadow than the mere matter of a win or a loss. It simply runs deeper than that.

Two absolute giants of the wrestling world square off again and, more importantly, you’ve got two guys who basically live to outdo the other. Fuck all of your Patriots-Colts football games. Fuck all of your England-Germany soccer matches. The duel between Johnny Styles and Shadow Demon tops the lot. This isn’t a rivalry based on sport. It’s a rivalry based on existence itself.

Neither man would be the same without the other. We’re like the previously separated, squabbling Siamese twins of the wrestling world.

Over the years, I’ve trash talked Shadow into the ground and watched as little red flames have popped out of his ears. I guess that’s one of my main strengths in this tussle; I possess the ability to remain calm and focus on the task at hand whereas Shadow seems to take my jibes personally and get all emo about the situation. Fuck that. This stems far beyond a personal rivalry. This is everything to me and I will do all in my power to come out on top.

You see, that’s always been your problem, Shadow. You’ve always been too afraid to say the offensive things and, essentially, get your hands dirty. You’re far too much of a cock sucking choir boy with a penchant for morals to engage in any foul tactics. That’s why you usually end up second best though; you fail to realize that we’re at fucking war, bro.

You’re a soldier not a homosexual clown with the desire to ram the nobility of our sport down everyone’s throat. We fight in fucking cages sometimes for God’s sake. Where’s the nobility in that? Our battles appeal to the lowest common denominator in society. There’s no fucking honor in any of this.

And that’s why you’ll never come out on top on this crusade against me... you never really did understand the rules of engagement.

So, as we stand here on the thresh hold of yet another epic encounter, I want you think back now and consider all of the beatings I’ve handed out at your expense. I’ve thrown more punches at you than Jay Hawk has received blowjobs from Alison. The chances are I’ve caused you more injuries than you’ve had night’s sleep, but the same applies to me too. We’ve walked down this path so many times, Shadow, but as time has progressed, I’m able to see that nothing ever really changes at all...

And that’s certainly going to be the case in this match. I pick up my three count. I continue onward with my legacy. You retreat with your tail between your legs and once again are left to dream of what it would be like to be my superior...

But, rest assured, that’s all you will ever do, Shadow, because you’re never coming close to matching what I have achieved in my career.

Buckle up, kid, because the real deal is here to bring more of the same. You’re about to be taught a painful lesson in what it’s like to come up against someone of true quality. You might have bashed around a few wannabes in my absence, but I’ve returned to reclaim my throne and sadly for you, I guess this leaving you trailing in my shadow...

But I suppose you should be used to that by now, right?