Among many beasts, there is only one beauty

✿ Chapter 1.2.1: The ceremony. ✿

I ended up falling asleep fairly quickly, I guess I was tired from the travel. All the information from yesterday was too much, my life changed in an instant. This morning when I opened my eyes and saw the animal pelt on the ceiling, I could barely believe it, it wasn't a wet dream, I was still here.

Fuck, that means I have to face the sexy demon animal from yesterday. Or whatever he is. I look around, and I see that I am alone in my tent. Lucky me! I stretch in the bed and move around for a bit. My body is sore from sleeping in this cot all night. I decide to wake up after lounging around, massaging my eyes and muscles for a couple of minutes. I open the door to my tent, and who do I see? Speaking of the devil, here he is, pacing around like a lunatic.

He has something in both of his hands: A coconut that is open at the top in one, and a dress and some sort of jewelry in the other one. It's made from soft and plush animal fur, it's whiter at the bottom, but almost black at the tips. That's an interesting choice of clothing for a hot summer day in a tropical area, but I'm guessing that it is coveted for it's color and rarity.

He notices me after a couple of seconds and hands me the clothing. "Go put it on, I will go and tell Fang that you are awake. So that the preparations can begin" I look at him with other eyes. Yesterday, under the moon and the torches, I could see that he was well-shaped. But today, god-damn it. He looks handsome and like he goes to the gym four hours a day. He is muscular, but has almost no percentage of body fat. Around 10% based on the anatomy books at uni. Of course, that is impossible. Where is he going to go? Planet fitness? No, it's because he hunts for sustenance and eats without oil or salt, that makes him not retain liquids. I look down, and I see that he has four marks on his lower belly, drawn across his hip. Two in each side of his pelvis, pointing downwards. That's hot, I wonder if it is a tattoo.

He catches me eyeing him for too long and laughs. "When you can take your eyes off me, of course, my lady" I look at his face and fuck he is gorgeous too, I wasn't mistaken about that either. With the sunlight shining on his hair, I can see more clearly the intricate patterns of his braids. He has them sown with thread. I wonder why he doesn't cut it. It's frayed on the tips, but it's obvious that he takes care of it. He laughs again and I snap out of it.

"Sure, I'll go change now" I stutter as I extend my hand. He scoffs and hands it to me. "Try to not take too long princess, and put this on your head" It's like a crown made from bone pieces that are shaped like flowers. It looks well-crafted and intricate, to be fair.

I go inside the tent again and feel like I can breathe for a minute. I inspect the clothing and figure that there is a skirt and a top. The first one ties through buttons on the back of it. Meanwhile, the top has a halter-neck and ties in the front with a clasp made from a pearl, and some thread forming a bow. I awkwardly put it on, having to hop to put on the skirt. And tie the top multiple times, for it to cover me correctly. Lastly, I place the crown on my head. Oh, how I wish I had a mirror to look at myself now. I pinch my cheeks to give them a rosy tone, and I bite my lips as well. I let out all the air, trying to relax. Furthermore, I can't, too nervous. I am about to become a member of the tribe, I hope I can be of some assistance. I feel like they treat me like their savior. Better live up to their expectations. I slap myself lightly to wake myself up and sigh loudly, opening the tent door.

Once I do, I can see that the village has changed overnight. I wasn't paying too much attention before, okay? The path between my tent and the bonfire is covered in flower petals, ranging from shades of pink to red. "Just relax and grab onto me, okay?" Cheng says, and I nod along. I walk calmly with the guidance of Cheng by my side, he hands me his arm, like a true gentleman.

He has changed clothes too, wearing now a black leather skirt that is long and full. He has placed straps of the same material, drawing a cross on his bare chest, and has two large bear paws painted in red in the side of his arms. Like someone was grabbing him. I wonder where they came from. He also has a necklace dangling from his neck, it has some symbol engraved on it, and it's made from a coconut shell.

I look around me as I grab his arm, and I can see everyone dressed to the nines, they have the same necklace too, but with different engravings. This must be a very special occasion for the village. Didn't the woman say that this happened once every couple of centuries? This must be a once every ten generations experience. Even the kids are here. Dividing the people and us are vases filled with even more flowers. This must have taken all morning, I wonder how much I slept.

Every couple of steps we take, he drops some coconut water on the floor, in front of my feet. While chanting some words in an ancient language that I can't comprehend. I guess that he is blessing the floor as I walk on it. I look in front of me, and we are approaching a creek that it's close to the village. On the other side is Fang dressed in full white feathers, flowing with the breeze as it is made to be a long dress. The only color that she has is that of the part of her hair, and a red line drawn on her chin.

When I am about to cross, Cheng warns me: "Be careful not to trip, it means bad luck". I walk as calmly as possible, but to be fair is pretty easy. The bottom of it is mud, so it's hard to slip on it. Once we reach the middle he says "Look towards the people and tilt your head back. It's going to be a bit cold. But don't react" I do as I'm told, and I don't move. The water is warm like soup, I think he just doesn't like the sensation of it.

I look back at him and once he finishes, he is holding the coconut upside down now. I think he baptized me with it. Once we reach the other side and I get out of the water, I can see another person. He is dressed in poor-quality leather, no wonder I didn't see him. He is as small as a fifteen-year-old boy. And is clearly malnourished. He is holding a bag of utensils that overflows.

Fang looks at me directly and touches me with her hands. They are covered with red paint, now I have the same markings as Cheng. She then opens the coconut in two halves and hands one to the teen beside her. She grabs the other one and mixes the herbs that she had in a little bag on her waist, with whatever moisture was left on the coconut. The paste turns into an orange color, and she paints my hairline with it. While Cheng holds the bowl. Once the ritual is done. She extends her hand and holds mine. Cheng is following us closely behind, while the other male remains working on the coconut with his tools. We walk for a couple of steps, while holding hands.

When we have our fingers interlocked, she screams "Mother!" and the teen boy starts hastily working. Cheng joins us, and we form a big circle, they start chanting songs until the teen boy appears again in the middle. He hands Fang the necklace and leaves the same way he came. My necklace is different from everyone else, the others look like a slab of coconut with a simple symbol engraved. Mine is shaped like a four-point star. Fully white, covered in seashells.

As she puts it around my neck, she starts giving a speech. Fang's voice carries across the gathering, her words filled with reverence and hope.

"Today, we welcome our savior, the one who will bring balance to our world. With this necklace, we bind you to our tribe, to our future. May the spirits guide your path and bless us all with your wisdom."

The surrounding crowd erupts in cheers and applause, their faces beaming with joy. Fang stops their cheers by raising both of her hands. Silence occurs, you could hear a needle drop. The only sound is the one from the breeze and creek.

"She is the mother of the earth. She will bring peace and prosperity!" She screams. The villagers start chanting "Mother" in unison and softly. Everyone is doing it while they bow on their knees, even Cheng and Fang have lowered their gazes, and are now holding my hand indicating me to cross the creek. I look down too, but Cheng stops me before I can do it. Once we do, the people on the other side form circles around us, leading us to the big fire pit. When we reach it, they start dancing and singing around me, while I'm in a hug sandwich between Fang and Cheng. At least the hottie is holding me from the front, I can look at his face and relax.

When the song comes to an end, everyone drops to their knees, and they start cheering.

"Let's feast until dawn!" Screams Cheng at the top of his lungs, there is an uproar amongst the tribe.