Rise of the Dragon Sovereign

Chapter 4: The Proving

After returning to the village, Ward discovered that his assumption had been mostly correct; the other raiding parties had successfully come back having driven off the human invaders and brought back some prisoners and captured equipment.

"Aw, humans have the best stuff," Scarlet told Ward, "Their footwear are useless, but most of their clothes and armor are viable, and their weapons and tools are pretty good."

"Okay," Ward said distractedly,

"What's on your mind?" She asked

"We captured a lot of humans," I said, "What's going to happen to them all?"

"Well that's up to the chief and the elders to decide" Scarlet said, "if they're not cooperative, or present an active danger to the tribe we'll release them into the wilderness, let the ancients decide their fate."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked, "What if they come back with more humans?"

"Not possible, humans don't know their way around this place like us," Scarlet boasted, "Besides, there are other ways of dealing with them."

"Such as?" Ward asked

"Some will be traded to other tribes," Scarlet said, "some that have value will be kept... made part of the tribe."

"Made part of the tribe?" Ward asked, that sounded familiar

She hesitated a bit before telling him, "The shamans have this ritual, that can transform an outsider into one of us."

"What?" Ward exclaimed,

"Don't ask me, I don't know how it works," she defended, "but yes, the shaman will turn a few of these captives into kyn to join the tribe. It's said to be an intense process that strips the of everything they once were." Scarlet informed me, "I've heard that it was popular during the reign of the previous chief, he liked to keep these outsider kyn as slaves,"

Ward studied her, she looked uncomfortable, like this was something she tried not to think about.

"The same thing happened to your mother, didn't it?" He asked

She gave him a sharp look, then let out a sigh, "Willa told you? Yeah, my mother used to be a human that was captured and turned. I don't really know how I feel about it."

She looked at the line of humans being led away with cold eyes, "Anyway, the conversion doesn't happen quite as often anymore, and at least they're given the choice to become a part of the tribes, though the conversion doesn't work on elves."

"So the rest will just be traded to other tribes," Ward asked

"Yep," Scarlet said, "we don't really have much use for slaves here anymore, but slave wives and husbands are still popular in some tribes."

"I don't get the point of taking a slave as a wife," Ward said, "I only want women who would join me willingly,"

Scarlet blushed, "Damn, you sounded so cool just then, it really impressed me."

Ward noticed that her tail had coiled around his waist, and the barb at the tip hovered dangerously over his crotch.

"Careful, I don't want to be accidentally castrated," he warned her

"Don't you trust me?"

"I do, but this is my manhood we're talking about,"

"Well, I don't know about 'manhood' just yet," Scarlet teased, "you still have to earn the right to call it that."

"You've seen it, I think it qualifies already," Ward boasted, "it just needs to wait for the rest of me to catch up."

As the clock counted down, the initiates went through their own preparations for the upcoming Proving, Representatives from nearby tribes ventured to the village for the proving, as the proving could only be done around one of the Sacred Pyres.