The Hunt

2. When an Amera Asks You to Go on an Adventure, You Go

"Hop on. And hold on tight. I will not tell you twice nor will I turn back for you if you fall off," Sana murmured, opal eyes soft yet excited.

Meridia nodded and watched with bated breath as Sana turned away from her. Her back muscles flexed under the afternoon sun, Meridia observing with wide, curious eyes as white fur sprouted over her entire being, longer on her legs and face and lengthy tail. Hooves grew from where feet and hands were. A rounded, white snout replaced her features. Sana had become a deer before her very eyes, standing tall and pale beneath the sun-soaked canopy.

Meridia gaped, hands reaching out and stroking the fur hesitantly. Sana was soft, warm. Like how sunfruit sinks so softly and sweetly between your teeth and warms your belly up on cold winter nights. It reminded her of home.

Taking a deep breath of courage, Meridia gingerly grabbed hold of Sana's neck, swinging herself up and over until she was settled on the deer's back. She heeded the God's advice, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around the Amera's neck, hands latching onto her own upper arms so as not to press on the creature's windpipe.

Sana chuffed out, pleased.

"I am ready," she whispered, thighs tightening around Sana's ribs to hold herself steady. It was an odd sensation to feel Sana's beating heart and the rise and fall of her breath between her legs. It reminded her of a horse, but it was somehow different in an unexplainable way. The surge of energy that came off Sana was more on the same level as the Carader, and how it made one's head dizzy like too much wine did, but also heightened one's senses at the same time.

And suddenly, they were flying through the forest, Sana leaping up and over the embankment and through the wild brush. Meridia yelped, tightening her grip on herself and snuggling in closer to the God.

No one would believe this back at home. She could hardly believe it herself. She had never heard of the Carader leading anyone but humans to their fate, but she supposed that the Carader led anyone they wanted if it brought them their destiny. Not only that, but she had never known of anyone who had ever ridden on the back of an Amera. It was never even speculated that such a thing could happen. Wise Woman Anok never talked about such a thing, and therefore, no one in the village ever even concocted such an idea. Meridia was the first. And although she did not quite know or understand the reason, she would never question the judgment of the Carader. They knew what they were doing, twisting the threads of fate into tapestries of stories and tales amongst their own people. They were storytellers as well as guides. She trusted them wholeheartedly, as did the rest of her village.

Sana took them up the mountain, gliding through the plants. The world around them was but a flash of vibrant and silvery greens and rich browns converging into one. Meridia's wet hair was quickly dried, curly amber locks flying behind her in the breeze. Her loose-fitting clothes ruffled in the breeze, and they, too, dried off with the quick air. She shivered with the cool air around her and unconsciously snuggled deeper into the warm Amera below. Sana chuffed, sounding pleased.

Meridia had never traveled this fast anywhere, and it was exhilarating. Wind harsh against her face, eyes stinging with tears and dryness, but still, she reveled in the sensation. If she were braver, she would splay her arms out to feel the wind head-on. But the risk of falling off Sana's back was too great, and Meridia did not want this adventure to end so soon.

She could feel those ropes of muscle coiled beneath snow-white skin ripple with each jump, each flex between her thighs. A powerful creature, to be sure. One as old as the forests themselves, and one who thought Meridia to be worthy of such an honor as to ride upon them.

As they approached a rather large thicket of black thorns off in the distance, Meridia was horrified to discover that Sana was not slowing down. In fact, she was actually gaining speed.