Appearing in "The Moon of the Fear-Bulls!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- King Phobotauros' Horned Guard
- King Phobotauros (General Elam)
Other Characters:
- Frank Lloyd Wright (Mentioned)
- Tribal Villager (Unnamed)
- Cretans (Main story and flashback)
- Erakes (Death)
- Snake Priestess (Unnamed) (Only in flashback)
- King (Unnamed) (Only in flashback)
- Bull-Priest (Unnamed) (Only in flashback)
Races and Species:
- Crocodiles
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Panthers
- Leopards
- Buffaloes (Mentioned)
- Elephants (Mentioned)
- Parrots
- Snakes (Only in flashback)
- Cows (Only in flashback)
- Gods of Earth (Mentioned)
- Phobotauros (Main story and flashback)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
Synopsis for "The Moon of the Fear-Bulls!"
Shanna slays a crocodile that tried to attack game warden Patrick McShane who was pinned under a fallen tree. Later, she complains that construction of her new house (“Frank Lloyd Wright’s last design”) has been delayed by crew unwilling to venture so far into the jungle.
Suddenly a local arrives to inform Shanna and Patrick that a rampaging cape buffalo has destroyed his village. Accompanied by Ina and Biri, Shanna takes off in pursuit, following its trail for hours. After narrowly escaping death after falling into a spiked elephant trap, Shanna is rescued by a group of Greek-speaking, white tribesmen. When her rescuers are attacked by a second group wearing bull masks, she helps them fight the attackers off. They then lead her to their home, which is a replica of the ancient Greek city of Knossos, and Shanna recognizes their culture as Minoan.
Fortunately Shanna took ancient Greek in college, and is able to communicate with the Minoan settlers. They narrate how they were driven from Crete by invaders and ended up penetrating deep into Africa, where they established a new Knosses. A local cape buffalo was captured to serve as the center of their religious bull cult, but when it was sequestered with two females, all three somehow gained a supernatural glow, and their offspring became supernaturally-powered Fear-Bulls, immensely large and powerful and capable of emitting Fear-rays when threatened. Recently, the Minoans’ bull-priest became insane and unleashed all the Fear-Bulls to subjugate the populace and took over kingship for himself.
Just as he finishes the story, the usurper king’s horned guards come upon the rebel band, and Shanna once again fights alongside them. This time they are outnumbered though, and Shanna is forced to stand down. She is brought before the king, who reveals himself as General Elam, the recently-deposed dictator of the “West African Confederation,” who intends to use the Fear-Bulls to regain his political power. He implores Shanna to join him, but he refuses. She is imprisoned, but shadowy figures promise to aid her the following day during the ritual bull dance.
The next day in the arena, the rebels launch their attack. Leaping on the back of a fear bull, she directs its Fear Ray (triggered by her leopards) toward the king and his men, leaving them open to a lethal attack from the rebels. As the rebels celebrate their victory, Shanna and her leopards leave to return home.