Wrath of the Gods
March 1, 2017-Shifter Realm, Second Dimension
March 1, 2017-Shifter Realm, Second Dimension
Soft morning light begins filtering into Ekki’s room as day breaks on Diei Adnexa, the Shape Shifter New Year. She rolls to the ground as gracefully as she would if she were in her True Form, anxiety fluttering in her stomach and excitement blotting out all coherent thoughts in her mind. The day has finally arrived.
She leaps elegantly to her feet, taking a deep, soothing breath as she stands up straight. Her feet slowly but purposefully march her across the small room so that she can pull apart the leafy curtains. Light suddenly engulfs the room, dancing over her tan skin and bathing her in its golden glow. She closes her pale brown eyes for just a second as the sunlight illuminates her wild, fiery orange hair before she regains her composure and remembers what she has to do.
She scampers back to the opposite side of the room and reaches under the bed, waving the dust bunnies aside as she delicately extracts a box made of carefully woven strands of bamboo. She hugs it tightly to her chest for a moment, a single tear escaping her eyes and staining her cheek as she remembers the pride on her grandmother’s face when she gave Ekki the box for her tenth birthday so that she could begin to celebrate the festival and honor their Deities in her own way.
“Thank you, Grandmother, and may you forever have the peace you always gave me,” Ekki whispers, just as she always has since her grandmother passed away four years ago in the same Sorcerer invasion that stole her father from her. She forbids any other tears to spill on what’s supposed to be the best day of her young life; moving with renewed purpose, Ekki places the box in the center of the room, fascinated by how the sunlight makes the dull, light brown wood appear almost golden in the early morning glow.
She Shifts into a variation of her Half Form that allows her to maintain her opposable thumbs as orange fur striped with black sprouts up from the skin on her arms and legs. Her ears shrink, becoming slightly more rounded as they turn furry to match the shade of orange in her hair, the only difference being the black tips. A tail extends from her back, thumping and swaying lazily against the hard floor, as her mouth and nose extend into a furry snout with a black nose. Desire buzzes through her body, begging her mind to allow it to go into its True Form, but she long ago learned to control her urges and forces them to be quelled.
Gingerly she lifts the lid on the box, running her hand along the contents inside. She places the green candle in front of her, removing a match to light it. Earthy scents fill the air as soon as the flame takes, and she breathes in the comforting scents that transport her back to her childhood and to her grandmother’s small house that always seemed to have a ceremonial candle or two burning; Ekki’s grandmother always told her that you never know when the Deities are watching over you, so you must always have a candle lit in their honor.
Next, she removes a stick of blue chalk and carefully draws a circle around the candle; it’s a simple task given the fact that she can see the faint outline of similar circles she’s drawn over the years in the same exact place, but she knows how important it is, so she forces her hand to remain steady. Finally, she takes out seven painstakingly crafted wooden figurines, each representative of one of the Deities most important to her grandmother. She hesitates before reaching back into the box and removing the last two, two that she’s never had to use, and it makes her blush to think that she’s finally of age, that her time has finally arrived. She gently adds them to the group on the floor and lifts the first two figurines for the ritual.
“I beg of you, my Almighty Deities, to gaze upon me with favor and offer me your protection, and also to give me the strength to protect myself and my family.” Ekki kisses both of the figurines, carved into the shape of a bear for protection and a boar for strength, and places them northeast and southwest on the candle’s chalk border.
“I plead of you, my Almighty Deities, to help me appreciate the lives of the living, and also to watch over the souls of those who have passed on into your land.” Ekki again kisses the two figurines that are next, a stork for the living and a vulture for the dead, before placing them on the northwest and southeast points on the circle.
“I pray to you, my Almighty Deities, to give me the wisdom of my ancestors, and also to preserve in me the innocence and naïveté of my descendants.” Ekki presses the next two figures to her lips, an eagle for wisdom and a gazelle for innocence. She places these on the east and west points of the circle before turning to the two that she’s been waiting to call upon all of her life and taking a deep breath to steady her erratic pulse.
“And now, my Almighty Deities, I ask that you help me through this moment I never thought would arrive. I ask that you guide me tonight, the first festival that I’m of age. Guide me to a Mate who will love me and teach me how to love him the way that he deserves.” Ekki hesitates for a moment before pressing a kiss to the last two figurines that her grandmother gave her, a fox for another’s love and a dove for her own. She slowly places them at the southern and northern edges of the circle, wishing that her nerves would leave her alone, if only for a few quick seconds so that she can actually enjoy this part of the day as much as she always does.
Ekki tenderly picks up the last of the figurines, running her thumb along the spine; this was always her favorite, and it’s apparent that her grandmother offered it the most care when carving it. “I treasure you, my Almighty Deities, and hope that you are watching over me today and have heard my prayers. I offer you a blood sacrifice on this, the day that we honor you, and trust that you will be loving enough to leave my family untouched and in good health for another year yet.”
Ekki takes a wooden stake, its sides carved with vines and dainty leaves, from the box and is once again shocked by how sharp her grandmother carved its tip. She cuts an X into her hand and squeezes her palm until the drops of blood splatter within the circle, outlining the candle. She forces a few more droplets to fall into the flame, sizzling as it makes contact. She picks up the little tiger figurine, representative of her race and true Deity, and presses it to her lips before gently placing it in the circle facing away from the candle towards the window, north like the dove.
She allows the candle to keep burning as she Shifts back into the unnatural body she spends most mornings in, standing and gazing curiously at her hand that’s already healed despite how deeply she cut into the skin. After placing the chalk and stake back in the basket, she gazes wistfully once more at the little figurines on the floor and turns away, leaving her bedroom and putting her faith in the Deities that her grandmother promised would always take care of her.
* * * * *
After bathing in an herbal bath with more ceremonial green candles burning around her, Ekki dresses in a simple but silky brown, ankle-length skirt that catches in the candlelight just right and flows around her when she moves. Her strapless red-orange shirt matches the highlights in her hair just right, and her golden bangles chatter as they bang together when she walks. Around her neck, she wears an agate gem, another gift from her grandmother for Diei Adnexa. She wets her fingers and runs them through her hair in a pitiful attempt to smooth it down, but it’s in vain. She shrugs, knowing her mother will fuss with it more than enough for the both of them.
Ekki’s assumption is correct. Now that she’s 16, her mother makes sure to pay special attention to her preparation for the festival. She struggles to tame Ekki’s wild orange hair that’s never been as smooth and sleek as her own black locks, and she triple checks Ekki’s outfit to ensure that she’ll catch the eye of any potential suitors that may look her way.
As Ekki prepares to leave, wanting to join the festivities before her mother and brother show up, her mother suddenly grips her arms and pulls her in for a hug, squeezing her tightly and smoothing the ponytail she had eventually tied Ekki’s hair into when she gave up hope of leaving it down. “I am so proud of you, my beautiful cub. I couldn’t be any more proud if I tried.” Ekki’s heart swells, but her doubts surge through her to her throat, and words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop them.
“What if I’m not good enough?” Ekki can hear the fear in her voice as she finally allows herself to ask the question that had been causing her stomach to flip flop all day. She closes her fists against her mother’s back, unsure whether she’s really ready. “What if no one chooses me? I’ll shame our entire family.”
“You will be chosen, baby. None of those Tigers will be able to keep their paws off of you when they see you tonight. Just promise me you won’t get too close to the duels, okay?”
Ekki nods. “I’ll stay on the sidelines with the other spectators; I promise.”
“Go on then; we’ll see you in about an hour.” Her mother releases her, gently nudging Ekki towards the door. Biting her lip, Ekki steps out; the smells of baked goods and gooey dressings and seasonings of the festival food hit her like a brick wall. Her nose twitches wildly as she sorts out the wonderful scents. Unsure whether she can stomach anything right now—and unwilling to risk it—Ekki makes her way straight for the town square where the sounds of claws clashing and roars rise above the jovial chatter of other festival goers.
The excitement surfaces again, and Ekki’s feet pick up the pace. She finds herself pushing her way through a rowdy crowd to stand as close as possible to the duels while still staying a safe distance away from the bloody, battling men fighting, trying to make sure that she’ll be among the first chosen by one of the potential Mates. Ekki allows herself to go a little further into her Half Form than she did this morning, this time allowing her hands and feet to Transform as well and for fur to spread across her face as she watches the various species dueling.
There are already a few Tigers circling each other, and Ekki forces her way further through the crowd so that she’s standing right in the front row. As she takes in the scene she notices that there are several other girls who became of age over the past year, and they’re also struggling to be as close to the action as possible. Ekki automatically eyes them suspiciously, her hackles rising as her potential competitors shift around restlessly. She has a feeling that before the night is over, she’ll have been in a few fights of her own.
The thought—and her slight bloodlust—thrills her, and her focus returns to the ring of fights before her as she licks her chops.
Her eyes are drawn to one duel in particular. She watches two tigers locked in battle; one of them is larger and clearly commanding the fight, his orange and black fur glinting in the fading sunlight as he lunges and latches his impressive canines around the losing contender’s neck. In one graceful movement, he twists his body so that he is firmly atop the other Tiger, keeping him flat on the ground. Seconds pass and eventually the smaller Tiger stops struggling, his eyes rolling back into his head as he loses consciousness. Just like that, the fight between the pair of Tigers ends, and the victor Shifts into a Half Form similar Ekki’s.
All of the girls who had been glancing at each other with murderous gazes suddenly tilt their heads down respectfully, waiting to see who the man will pick. Ekki follows suit and trains her eyes on the ground, knowing that men look for subservience in a Mate, but she can’t help it when her eyes flick upward to peek through her lashes. She only does it for a moment, but in that moment he catches sight of her, curiosity crossing his features, although whether it is at her boldness to look at him without permission or her disrespect for traditional Shape Shifter customs, she can't tell.
He looks her up and down, intrigued. She’s beautiful—in either Form, he can tell—and he could see the cool glares she was offering the other girls from the sidelines. He can sense something in her, a certain spirituality mixed with an underlying hint of audaciousness to be able to fight her own battles, and he respects that in a woman. Raising a brow at her, he leisurely approaches her, keeping her waiting as long as possible; he’s in control right now.
His dark green eyes pierce into her, and the black hair of his unnatural form looks silky enough for her to gladly spend her life being his Mate if only to run her fingers through it. She gulps around the lump in her throat. Surely he can’t be coming for her, a girl who had looked up out of turn. He must be going for one of the other girls in the circle surrounding the fights, especially with how long it’s taking him to get to her; surly she made a mistake in anticipating his approach. She chances another glance up and is shocked to find that he’s directly in front of her, close enough that her nose nearly brushes against his.
He leans down so that his furry lips are right next to her black-tipped ear. “I was almost afraid I mistaken foolishness for boldness when you looked back down; I’m glad I was wrong.” She almost melts on the spot at his rumbling voice that matches his powerful body. “Come with me,” he whispers silkily. It’s a command, not a request.
She nods obediently, willing to do anything he asks, and the pair Shift into their True Forms, nearly synchronized in their timing, and strut through the crowd that parts for them, impressed that there’s already been a pairing. The mysterious man beside her leads her around the festival and the two of them weave through food stands and bonfires surrounded by different species performing rituals, his tail brushing against her side occasionally and sending excited chills down her spine; she purrs whenever he touches her. They pass a group of rogue Half-Shifted Crocodiles on the outskirts of the festivities who are shamelessly eating meat. Ekki huffs at their audacious disregard for customary behavior; it’s an unspoken rule that you are never to eat meat regardless of which species it comes from, because in the end all Shifters are the same in their unnatural bodies, no matter what their True Forms are. In most everyone’s eyes, eating meat is a blasphemous act of cannibalism that should be punishable by death.
Done parading her around the festival to show her off and claim her as his, Ekki’s new suitor leads them away from the throng of Shifters and breaks off into a sprint once they escape the swarming crowd. Ekki easily keeps up, almost as if they are attuned to one another, as he guides her to the outskirts of town where the houses become sparser and the beginnings of a forest swallow them. He Shifts back into his Half Form, and Ekki does the same, sitting on her knees and smoothing her skirt back out as she gazes into her lap.
The stranger extends one claw and presses it against her chin, using it to tilt her face up to meet his eyes again as Ekki fights the lust that the feeling of his cool, sharp claw caused to rush through her. “I admired your bravado back at the square, but you’re looking away again. Why?” His voice is low and deliberate.
“It's what I was taught to do,” Ekki responds automatically, her cheeks flaring up with heat under his scrutiny.
“Then why weren’t you a good girl back there? Why’d you look at me out of turn?” He takes on a taunting tone of voice, but Ekki can tell it is all in good humor given the mischievous glint in his eyes and the half smirk on his lips. When she doesn’t answer he pulls his claw away from her, letting her breathe normally again, and paces back and forth in the small space of trees, his furry paws making grand gestures as he speaks again. “We both know what we have to do at these festivals. I duel a challenger to be seen as an appropriate suitor, and you stand there and look pretty. And when I've finish fighting, I look around, take my pick from the submissive girls who were daring each other to try taking one of the men before they had a shot just moments before, and take her somewhere to talk where she doesn’t speak unless spoken to.” He once again turns his piercing green eyes on Ekki, and it feels like he can see through her into her soul. “I get the impression, however, that you aren’t one of those girls.” He stares at her expectantly, hands clasped behind his back.
“I’m not; it’s one of the things my mother always tried to train out of me, but I just couldn’t ever listen. I have a question though. You knew that I wouldn’t be that kind of Mate, so why pick me?”
He tosses his head back and laughs a loud, hearty laugh. Ekki’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she likes the way it echoes against the trees, surrounding them with the powerful, rumbling sound. “I want a girl who isn’t afraid to get her pretty paws dirty. I want a Mate that can fight for herself as well as I can but who has just the right amount of spirituality to appreciate our Deities as much as I do, and you, beautiful, may just be that girl.”
Ekki looks him over, scanning his face for any signs of deceit but seeing only sincerity. “What’s your name? I’ve never seen you around.”
“I thought I was supposed to ask first,” he retorts, his eyes twinkling.
“I thought you didn’t want one of those submissive girls.” Ekki smiles innocently at him.
“Touché.” He grins at her, settling down in front of her again on his knees. “My name is Theo, and you’ve never seen me around because I was raised a few villages over. Three years ago, when I became of age, I lost at my battle and was forced to leave the festival to hide my shame; my family shunned me for my failure, so I decided to travel to Africa to go on a Werewolf hunt with a few friends who had also lost in their duels; it was a lot of fun while it lasted, but we eventually decided to come back to South America to try our hand here in this village. This time, I made sure I was ready and would be able to win my duel. It was almost unfair to the other guy; I spent most of that fight with my eyes on you, and I still crushed him in three minutes flat.” He winks, and Ekki flushes again as an unfamiliar warmth bursts in her stomach and spreads throughout her body.
The excitement flares back up in Ekki, all traces of anxiety gone. This is a man who she can take home, who her family will approve of. He’s powerful and strong and risky, and he’ll protect her; she’s already curious about where he’ll go hunting next and whether she can come along with him.
“So what’s the name of the girl I just told my most embarrassing secret to?” He moves closer to her, his body rippling with hardly contained animalistic energy.
“Ekki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She’s suddenly breathless. Ekki forces herself to breathe deeply, trying not to get ahead of herself. This Mating is not official yet.
“Ekki, a name as unique as the beautiful Shifter it’s attached to. So is this your first Diei Adnexa of age?”
Her blush spreads, and she’s grateful that her fur covers most of it. “It is.”
“Tell me, Ekki, were you nervous for tonight? Were you scared that you wouldn’t find a suitor and would have to wait another year? Were you afraid to shame your family as I shamed mine?”
His straightforward questions exhilarate her, so personal that Ekki’s throat constricts, and all she can do is nod; he moves even closer to her, his snout almost pressed against hers with their noses almost touching. She can hardly breathe again.
“And what now? Do you think your family will approve of your choice?” His voice is thick, and she knows he’s remembering his past misfortune; she can tell that he was as afraid of not being accepted as she was of not being chosen.
Ekki nods again, gently placing her paw on his knee. The couple Shifts back into their unnatural forms, and his lips are on hers before she can process what’s happening. It’s a passionate kiss and Ekki doesn’t pause to think that she has no idea how any of this works, she just relaxes as he eases her back onto the soft, spring grass.
All her life, women have told Ekki about this moment. They told her about how once you are Mated you lose all control over your urges and you give in to them, because that is the nature of things. Theo pushes her shirt up slightly to reveal her belly, and Shifts only one fingernail into a long, black claw, cutting a small X into the soft flesh like the one she carved into her hand earlier. He does the same thing to his fleshy palm and presses his hand against her stomach.
Their lips separate as they both gasp. Suddenly, the world around them fades away and all they can see is each other. She is startled to find that she can hardly feel where his hand is pressed against her, almost as if she can’t tell where she ends and he begins. She can feel her own lust mounting, but in the back of her mind, his primal urges of desire whisper to her as well, and she knows that she is now forever bonded to Theo.
He hovers over her, supporting himself up with his free hand as the thumb of the one on her stomach runs circles on her flesh that raise goose bumps. “You are mine,” he growls in a low voice. “From this day on, you belong to me, and I belong to you. We will hunt together, conquer together, and make love to each other until the day we both die.” And just like that, Ekki is officially Mated.
She nods and gently bites his neck. He growls again, and his lips latch back onto hers as if his life depends on it. Ekki is more than happy to oblige, and she even manages to turn them over so that he’s on his back and she’s straddling him for a few moments. She grips his wrists and holds them over his head. Her eye catches on the X he cut into his hand which has healed but left a scar, strange for Shifters.
Theo watches her patiently; she can feel his curiosity despite the obvious lust in his eyes. She slowly touches her stomach under her shirt, feeling the bump of the scar that formed where he cut her. She lifts the hand that he cut and presses his palm to her lips. He gently pulls it out of her grasp and cups her face, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. “From this day on, you belong to me, and I belong to you,” she murmurs, echoing his earlier words.
He flips her over onto her back again and presses a sweet yet urgent kiss to her lips. “Always and forever,” he whispers back with his lips against hers. They kiss tenderly, his hand still against her cheek so that she can feel his scar.
The air around them crackles with a sudden bout of electricity. Ekki attempts to sit up, but Theo’s weight prevents her from doing so. “Did you feel that?” She asks quietly, looking around, but the forest is growing darker, and even with her naturally sharp eyesight, she can’t see beyond a few layers of trees and underbrush.
“All I can feel is you,” he responds playfully, kissing her again. Ekki shrugs, allowing herself to become lost once again in his demanding lips. Suddenly, Theo tenses, and although his lips are still against hers, he’s no longer moving.
He’s no longer breathing.
Ekki opens her eyes, and horror fills her. Theo is still on top of her, but now he’s just dead weight, his skin turning from golden tanned to dark gray rapidly before her eyes. She yelps and pushes him off of her. His body begins to rot as if he’s been dead for years instead of seconds. She scrambles away from him as a horrible pain suddenly grips her in her stomach right where Theo bound himself to her. She clutches her belly, the scar burning her hand through her shirt. She begins shrieking and falls back onto the grass, her vision blurring as physical agony begins flooding her body, stemming from the scar on her stomach.
“Make it stop,” she begs to anyone who’ll listen as the air around her suddenly goes from the tentative warmth of early spring to the numbing chill of the heart of winter. “Theo! Make it stop!” Ekki doesn’t even recognize the anguish-filled voice that escapes from her mouth. She forces her eyes open again, and above her are hundreds of black, shapeless forms that squirm through the air, circling around her.
She suddenly realizes what the electric charge in the air was, what killed Theo. It was the Gods. She's angered them somehow.
Ekki attempts to sort her thoughts, struggling to understand what she did wrong, but her brain feels like mush, and it won't work with her while she's in so much pain. Still she goes back through the day, finding nothing about her prayers this morning or anything else about the ceremony out of the ordinary. She stares up at the shapes in the sky, tears stinging her eyes at her helplessness. "Tell me what I did wrong," she cries, brushing her wrist under her eyes to wipe the tears away. "Tell me what I did so that I can make it up to you! I'm sorry, my almighty Deities for whatever I've done to displease you, but if you just tell me what it is, I promise to repent in any way I can."
One of the shapes breaks away from the cloud, charging through the air towards Ekki. It's aimed at her chest, and her eyes widen as she falls onto her back and rolls out of the way. The blob swoops back through the air to join the others, and a swarm of them circle her, preparing to surge down to her.
Ekki screams again and forces herself to her feet, her hand still pressed tightly to her stomach. Her muddled brain realizes that while nothing can be done for Theo now, she can still warn her family. With the black blobs still blotting the sky, she scurries as fast as she can back through the houses into the center of town, stumbling and almost crashing face-first into several trees through the blinding agony. The cold presence follows her, and she struggles to outrun it.
She makes it back to the thick of the crowd where bystanders are watching the duels and the couples are pairing off. “Everybody stop!” Ekki shouts desperately at the top of her lungs, breaking through and almost tripping over two bloody bears tearing each other apart; almost everyone stops and turns to her, most of them looking irritated at the interruption.
Her mother pushes through the crowd, looking humiliated. “Ekki, what are you doing, baby?” Her voice is sharp, but Ekki doesn’t care; her stomach feels like it’s on fire.
“My Mate is dead!” Ekki cries, prying her arm away from her stomach and lifting her shirt enough to reveal the pulsing, angry scar that mars the smooth skin. “I don’t know what happened. There were these black…things in the sky, I think they killed him. I think they were the Deities; I don't know what we did, but something about our festival must have angered them. They are coming this way for us, and I don't think that they're planning on showing mercy! They almost killed me back there! Please, believe me! Everyone needs to get out of here now!”
Everyone stares at Ekki for a few long moments, taking in her tear-stained, distressed face and the mark on her body; the music stops and battle wounds heal as everyone wonders what to do. She looks around, terrified that no one will take her seriously and that she'll be sacrificed to the Gods for disturbing the festival.
Suddenly, a Grizzly Bear Shifter steps forward, anger on his face, but he isn't looking at Ekki. "It was those meat eaters, wasn't it?" He points at the village corner where the Crocodiles are still huddled together with blood running down their chins; they all look up at him, their eyes widening as they drop the evidence of their sacrilege to their feet. "They're the ones who angered the Deities!"
"Send them to face the Gods for their sins," one of the Tigers Ekki faced off against over Theo cries, standing next to the Bear. "They're the ones who sinned!"
A mob soon forms, the crowd quickly approaching the group of Crocodiles to sacrifice to the Gods; Ekki struggles to stay on her feet, the agony too much to bear. The temperature suddenly drops by several tens of degrees again, and everyone pauses to look up at the dark cloud moving rapidly towards them, the black forms trembling violently against each other. A few screeches pierce the candle-lit night as the shapeless masses kill friends, Mates, and family.
Ekki’s mother, who had been caught up in the mob, pulls away and closes the gap between herself and her daughter, gripping Ekki tightly and wrapping one arm around her waist to press her hand against the burning skin on Ekki’s stomach. Ekki turns and digs her face into her mother’s shoulder. “I don’t want to die, Mama,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “I don’t want to die.”
Despite her own horror, Ekki’s mother knows that her daughter needs her to be calm, if it’s only for the last few minutes of their lives. “Neither do I, baby,” she murmurs, stroking Ekki’s hair. “Hush, Ekki. It’ll all be over soon.”
Ekki nods, understanding the underlying meaning in her mother’s words: they’ll all be dead soon. Ekki’s younger brother scrambles over to them, the terror on his face mirroring that of Ekki and their mother.
They wrap him in their embrace, and through her unbearable pain, an even sadder thought pierces Ekki’s mind as she gently strokes her brother’s hair like her mother does for her. He only had two more years until he would’ve been out here, dueling for the right to a girl, whether it was a submissive one like the ones Theo turned down or a fiery one like Ekki. While her time with her Mate had been cut short, she still got at least an instant of the happiness that Diei Adnexa brings to the Shifters, but her brother will never experience that.
Ekki almost begins to cry for her brother, but before she can, an indescribable chill runs through her body, stemming from the base of her spine, and her entire being seems to become even colder than the surrounding air. She glances down in time to see one of black shapes dig its way through her chest and shoot back into the sky to join the others like an incarnation of death. Ekki tries to take in a breath, to gather the oxygen needed to tell her mother and brother that it doesn’t hurt, that it’s only cold.
Her mouth can’t seem to form the words, and she can see the skin not enveloped in their embrace is beginning to turn gray like Theo’s had earlier. The beginnings of their screams seem as distant as the world around her as she becomes weightless, and everything around her fades to black.
-Kaitlynn Rose
Soft morning light begins filtering into Ekki’s room as day breaks on Diei Adnexa, the Shape Shifter New Year. She rolls to the ground as gracefully as she would if she were in her True Form, anxiety fluttering in her stomach and excitement blotting out all coherent thoughts in her mind. The day has finally arrived.
She leaps elegantly to her feet, taking a deep, soothing breath as she stands up straight. Her feet slowly but purposefully march her across the small room so that she can pull apart the leafy curtains. Light suddenly engulfs the room, dancing over her tan skin and bathing her in its golden glow. She closes her pale brown eyes for just a second as the sunlight illuminates her wild, fiery orange hair before she regains her composure and remembers what she has to do.
She scampers back to the opposite side of the room and reaches under the bed, waving the dust bunnies aside as she delicately extracts a box made of carefully woven strands of bamboo. She hugs it tightly to her chest for a moment, a single tear escaping her eyes and staining her cheek as she remembers the pride on her grandmother’s face when she gave Ekki the box for her tenth birthday so that she could begin to celebrate the festival and honor their Deities in her own way.
“Thank you, Grandmother, and may you forever have the peace you always gave me,” Ekki whispers, just as she always has since her grandmother passed away four years ago in the same Sorcerer invasion that stole her father from her. She forbids any other tears to spill on what’s supposed to be the best day of her young life; moving with renewed purpose, Ekki places the box in the center of the room, fascinated by how the sunlight makes the dull, light brown wood appear almost golden in the early morning glow.
She Shifts into a variation of her Half Form that allows her to maintain her opposable thumbs as orange fur striped with black sprouts up from the skin on her arms and legs. Her ears shrink, becoming slightly more rounded as they turn furry to match the shade of orange in her hair, the only difference being the black tips. A tail extends from her back, thumping and swaying lazily against the hard floor, as her mouth and nose extend into a furry snout with a black nose. Desire buzzes through her body, begging her mind to allow it to go into its True Form, but she long ago learned to control her urges and forces them to be quelled.
Gingerly she lifts the lid on the box, running her hand along the contents inside. She places the green candle in front of her, removing a match to light it. Earthy scents fill the air as soon as the flame takes, and she breathes in the comforting scents that transport her back to her childhood and to her grandmother’s small house that always seemed to have a ceremonial candle or two burning; Ekki’s grandmother always told her that you never know when the Deities are watching over you, so you must always have a candle lit in their honor.
Next, she removes a stick of blue chalk and carefully draws a circle around the candle; it’s a simple task given the fact that she can see the faint outline of similar circles she’s drawn over the years in the same exact place, but she knows how important it is, so she forces her hand to remain steady. Finally, she takes out seven painstakingly crafted wooden figurines, each representative of one of the Deities most important to her grandmother. She hesitates before reaching back into the box and removing the last two, two that she’s never had to use, and it makes her blush to think that she’s finally of age, that her time has finally arrived. She gently adds them to the group on the floor and lifts the first two figurines for the ritual.
“I beg of you, my Almighty Deities, to gaze upon me with favor and offer me your protection, and also to give me the strength to protect myself and my family.” Ekki kisses both of the figurines, carved into the shape of a bear for protection and a boar for strength, and places them northeast and southwest on the candle’s chalk border.
“I plead of you, my Almighty Deities, to help me appreciate the lives of the living, and also to watch over the souls of those who have passed on into your land.” Ekki again kisses the two figurines that are next, a stork for the living and a vulture for the dead, before placing them on the northwest and southeast points on the circle.
“I pray to you, my Almighty Deities, to give me the wisdom of my ancestors, and also to preserve in me the innocence and naïveté of my descendants.” Ekki presses the next two figures to her lips, an eagle for wisdom and a gazelle for innocence. She places these on the east and west points of the circle before turning to the two that she’s been waiting to call upon all of her life and taking a deep breath to steady her erratic pulse.
“And now, my Almighty Deities, I ask that you help me through this moment I never thought would arrive. I ask that you guide me tonight, the first festival that I’m of age. Guide me to a Mate who will love me and teach me how to love him the way that he deserves.” Ekki hesitates for a moment before pressing a kiss to the last two figurines that her grandmother gave her, a fox for another’s love and a dove for her own. She slowly places them at the southern and northern edges of the circle, wishing that her nerves would leave her alone, if only for a few quick seconds so that she can actually enjoy this part of the day as much as she always does.
Ekki tenderly picks up the last of the figurines, running her thumb along the spine; this was always her favorite, and it’s apparent that her grandmother offered it the most care when carving it. “I treasure you, my Almighty Deities, and hope that you are watching over me today and have heard my prayers. I offer you a blood sacrifice on this, the day that we honor you, and trust that you will be loving enough to leave my family untouched and in good health for another year yet.”
Ekki takes a wooden stake, its sides carved with vines and dainty leaves, from the box and is once again shocked by how sharp her grandmother carved its tip. She cuts an X into her hand and squeezes her palm until the drops of blood splatter within the circle, outlining the candle. She forces a few more droplets to fall into the flame, sizzling as it makes contact. She picks up the little tiger figurine, representative of her race and true Deity, and presses it to her lips before gently placing it in the circle facing away from the candle towards the window, north like the dove.
She allows the candle to keep burning as she Shifts back into the unnatural body she spends most mornings in, standing and gazing curiously at her hand that’s already healed despite how deeply she cut into the skin. After placing the chalk and stake back in the basket, she gazes wistfully once more at the little figurines on the floor and turns away, leaving her bedroom and putting her faith in the Deities that her grandmother promised would always take care of her.
* * * * *
After bathing in an herbal bath with more ceremonial green candles burning around her, Ekki dresses in a simple but silky brown, ankle-length skirt that catches in the candlelight just right and flows around her when she moves. Her strapless red-orange shirt matches the highlights in her hair just right, and her golden bangles chatter as they bang together when she walks. Around her neck, she wears an agate gem, another gift from her grandmother for Diei Adnexa. She wets her fingers and runs them through her hair in a pitiful attempt to smooth it down, but it’s in vain. She shrugs, knowing her mother will fuss with it more than enough for the both of them.
Ekki’s assumption is correct. Now that she’s 16, her mother makes sure to pay special attention to her preparation for the festival. She struggles to tame Ekki’s wild orange hair that’s never been as smooth and sleek as her own black locks, and she triple checks Ekki’s outfit to ensure that she’ll catch the eye of any potential suitors that may look her way.
As Ekki prepares to leave, wanting to join the festivities before her mother and brother show up, her mother suddenly grips her arms and pulls her in for a hug, squeezing her tightly and smoothing the ponytail she had eventually tied Ekki’s hair into when she gave up hope of leaving it down. “I am so proud of you, my beautiful cub. I couldn’t be any more proud if I tried.” Ekki’s heart swells, but her doubts surge through her to her throat, and words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop them.
“What if I’m not good enough?” Ekki can hear the fear in her voice as she finally allows herself to ask the question that had been causing her stomach to flip flop all day. She closes her fists against her mother’s back, unsure whether she’s really ready. “What if no one chooses me? I’ll shame our entire family.”
“You will be chosen, baby. None of those Tigers will be able to keep their paws off of you when they see you tonight. Just promise me you won’t get too close to the duels, okay?”
Ekki nods. “I’ll stay on the sidelines with the other spectators; I promise.”
“Go on then; we’ll see you in about an hour.” Her mother releases her, gently nudging Ekki towards the door. Biting her lip, Ekki steps out; the smells of baked goods and gooey dressings and seasonings of the festival food hit her like a brick wall. Her nose twitches wildly as she sorts out the wonderful scents. Unsure whether she can stomach anything right now—and unwilling to risk it—Ekki makes her way straight for the town square where the sounds of claws clashing and roars rise above the jovial chatter of other festival goers.
The excitement surfaces again, and Ekki’s feet pick up the pace. She finds herself pushing her way through a rowdy crowd to stand as close as possible to the duels while still staying a safe distance away from the bloody, battling men fighting, trying to make sure that she’ll be among the first chosen by one of the potential Mates. Ekki allows herself to go a little further into her Half Form than she did this morning, this time allowing her hands and feet to Transform as well and for fur to spread across her face as she watches the various species dueling.
There are already a few Tigers circling each other, and Ekki forces her way further through the crowd so that she’s standing right in the front row. As she takes in the scene she notices that there are several other girls who became of age over the past year, and they’re also struggling to be as close to the action as possible. Ekki automatically eyes them suspiciously, her hackles rising as her potential competitors shift around restlessly. She has a feeling that before the night is over, she’ll have been in a few fights of her own.
The thought—and her slight bloodlust—thrills her, and her focus returns to the ring of fights before her as she licks her chops.
Her eyes are drawn to one duel in particular. She watches two tigers locked in battle; one of them is larger and clearly commanding the fight, his orange and black fur glinting in the fading sunlight as he lunges and latches his impressive canines around the losing contender’s neck. In one graceful movement, he twists his body so that he is firmly atop the other Tiger, keeping him flat on the ground. Seconds pass and eventually the smaller Tiger stops struggling, his eyes rolling back into his head as he loses consciousness. Just like that, the fight between the pair of Tigers ends, and the victor Shifts into a Half Form similar Ekki’s.
All of the girls who had been glancing at each other with murderous gazes suddenly tilt their heads down respectfully, waiting to see who the man will pick. Ekki follows suit and trains her eyes on the ground, knowing that men look for subservience in a Mate, but she can’t help it when her eyes flick upward to peek through her lashes. She only does it for a moment, but in that moment he catches sight of her, curiosity crossing his features, although whether it is at her boldness to look at him without permission or her disrespect for traditional Shape Shifter customs, she can't tell.
He looks her up and down, intrigued. She’s beautiful—in either Form, he can tell—and he could see the cool glares she was offering the other girls from the sidelines. He can sense something in her, a certain spirituality mixed with an underlying hint of audaciousness to be able to fight her own battles, and he respects that in a woman. Raising a brow at her, he leisurely approaches her, keeping her waiting as long as possible; he’s in control right now.
His dark green eyes pierce into her, and the black hair of his unnatural form looks silky enough for her to gladly spend her life being his Mate if only to run her fingers through it. She gulps around the lump in her throat. Surely he can’t be coming for her, a girl who had looked up out of turn. He must be going for one of the other girls in the circle surrounding the fights, especially with how long it’s taking him to get to her; surly she made a mistake in anticipating his approach. She chances another glance up and is shocked to find that he’s directly in front of her, close enough that her nose nearly brushes against his.
He leans down so that his furry lips are right next to her black-tipped ear. “I was almost afraid I mistaken foolishness for boldness when you looked back down; I’m glad I was wrong.” She almost melts on the spot at his rumbling voice that matches his powerful body. “Come with me,” he whispers silkily. It’s a command, not a request.
She nods obediently, willing to do anything he asks, and the pair Shift into their True Forms, nearly synchronized in their timing, and strut through the crowd that parts for them, impressed that there’s already been a pairing. The mysterious man beside her leads her around the festival and the two of them weave through food stands and bonfires surrounded by different species performing rituals, his tail brushing against her side occasionally and sending excited chills down her spine; she purrs whenever he touches her. They pass a group of rogue Half-Shifted Crocodiles on the outskirts of the festivities who are shamelessly eating meat. Ekki huffs at their audacious disregard for customary behavior; it’s an unspoken rule that you are never to eat meat regardless of which species it comes from, because in the end all Shifters are the same in their unnatural bodies, no matter what their True Forms are. In most everyone’s eyes, eating meat is a blasphemous act of cannibalism that should be punishable by death.
Done parading her around the festival to show her off and claim her as his, Ekki’s new suitor leads them away from the throng of Shifters and breaks off into a sprint once they escape the swarming crowd. Ekki easily keeps up, almost as if they are attuned to one another, as he guides her to the outskirts of town where the houses become sparser and the beginnings of a forest swallow them. He Shifts back into his Half Form, and Ekki does the same, sitting on her knees and smoothing her skirt back out as she gazes into her lap.
The stranger extends one claw and presses it against her chin, using it to tilt her face up to meet his eyes again as Ekki fights the lust that the feeling of his cool, sharp claw caused to rush through her. “I admired your bravado back at the square, but you’re looking away again. Why?” His voice is low and deliberate.
“It's what I was taught to do,” Ekki responds automatically, her cheeks flaring up with heat under his scrutiny.
“Then why weren’t you a good girl back there? Why’d you look at me out of turn?” He takes on a taunting tone of voice, but Ekki can tell it is all in good humor given the mischievous glint in his eyes and the half smirk on his lips. When she doesn’t answer he pulls his claw away from her, letting her breathe normally again, and paces back and forth in the small space of trees, his furry paws making grand gestures as he speaks again. “We both know what we have to do at these festivals. I duel a challenger to be seen as an appropriate suitor, and you stand there and look pretty. And when I've finish fighting, I look around, take my pick from the submissive girls who were daring each other to try taking one of the men before they had a shot just moments before, and take her somewhere to talk where she doesn’t speak unless spoken to.” He once again turns his piercing green eyes on Ekki, and it feels like he can see through her into her soul. “I get the impression, however, that you aren’t one of those girls.” He stares at her expectantly, hands clasped behind his back.
“I’m not; it’s one of the things my mother always tried to train out of me, but I just couldn’t ever listen. I have a question though. You knew that I wouldn’t be that kind of Mate, so why pick me?”
He tosses his head back and laughs a loud, hearty laugh. Ekki’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she likes the way it echoes against the trees, surrounding them with the powerful, rumbling sound. “I want a girl who isn’t afraid to get her pretty paws dirty. I want a Mate that can fight for herself as well as I can but who has just the right amount of spirituality to appreciate our Deities as much as I do, and you, beautiful, may just be that girl.”
Ekki looks him over, scanning his face for any signs of deceit but seeing only sincerity. “What’s your name? I’ve never seen you around.”
“I thought I was supposed to ask first,” he retorts, his eyes twinkling.
“I thought you didn’t want one of those submissive girls.” Ekki smiles innocently at him.
“Touché.” He grins at her, settling down in front of her again on his knees. “My name is Theo, and you’ve never seen me around because I was raised a few villages over. Three years ago, when I became of age, I lost at my battle and was forced to leave the festival to hide my shame; my family shunned me for my failure, so I decided to travel to Africa to go on a Werewolf hunt with a few friends who had also lost in their duels; it was a lot of fun while it lasted, but we eventually decided to come back to South America to try our hand here in this village. This time, I made sure I was ready and would be able to win my duel. It was almost unfair to the other guy; I spent most of that fight with my eyes on you, and I still crushed him in three minutes flat.” He winks, and Ekki flushes again as an unfamiliar warmth bursts in her stomach and spreads throughout her body.
The excitement flares back up in Ekki, all traces of anxiety gone. This is a man who she can take home, who her family will approve of. He’s powerful and strong and risky, and he’ll protect her; she’s already curious about where he’ll go hunting next and whether she can come along with him.
“So what’s the name of the girl I just told my most embarrassing secret to?” He moves closer to her, his body rippling with hardly contained animalistic energy.
“Ekki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She’s suddenly breathless. Ekki forces herself to breathe deeply, trying not to get ahead of herself. This Mating is not official yet.
“Ekki, a name as unique as the beautiful Shifter it’s attached to. So is this your first Diei Adnexa of age?”
Her blush spreads, and she’s grateful that her fur covers most of it. “It is.”
“Tell me, Ekki, were you nervous for tonight? Were you scared that you wouldn’t find a suitor and would have to wait another year? Were you afraid to shame your family as I shamed mine?”
His straightforward questions exhilarate her, so personal that Ekki’s throat constricts, and all she can do is nod; he moves even closer to her, his snout almost pressed against hers with their noses almost touching. She can hardly breathe again.
“And what now? Do you think your family will approve of your choice?” His voice is thick, and she knows he’s remembering his past misfortune; she can tell that he was as afraid of not being accepted as she was of not being chosen.
Ekki nods again, gently placing her paw on his knee. The couple Shifts back into their unnatural forms, and his lips are on hers before she can process what’s happening. It’s a passionate kiss and Ekki doesn’t pause to think that she has no idea how any of this works, she just relaxes as he eases her back onto the soft, spring grass.
All her life, women have told Ekki about this moment. They told her about how once you are Mated you lose all control over your urges and you give in to them, because that is the nature of things. Theo pushes her shirt up slightly to reveal her belly, and Shifts only one fingernail into a long, black claw, cutting a small X into the soft flesh like the one she carved into her hand earlier. He does the same thing to his fleshy palm and presses his hand against her stomach.
Their lips separate as they both gasp. Suddenly, the world around them fades away and all they can see is each other. She is startled to find that she can hardly feel where his hand is pressed against her, almost as if she can’t tell where she ends and he begins. She can feel her own lust mounting, but in the back of her mind, his primal urges of desire whisper to her as well, and she knows that she is now forever bonded to Theo.
He hovers over her, supporting himself up with his free hand as the thumb of the one on her stomach runs circles on her flesh that raise goose bumps. “You are mine,” he growls in a low voice. “From this day on, you belong to me, and I belong to you. We will hunt together, conquer together, and make love to each other until the day we both die.” And just like that, Ekki is officially Mated.
She nods and gently bites his neck. He growls again, and his lips latch back onto hers as if his life depends on it. Ekki is more than happy to oblige, and she even manages to turn them over so that he’s on his back and she’s straddling him for a few moments. She grips his wrists and holds them over his head. Her eye catches on the X he cut into his hand which has healed but left a scar, strange for Shifters.
Theo watches her patiently; she can feel his curiosity despite the obvious lust in his eyes. She slowly touches her stomach under her shirt, feeling the bump of the scar that formed where he cut her. She lifts the hand that he cut and presses his palm to her lips. He gently pulls it out of her grasp and cups her face, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. “From this day on, you belong to me, and I belong to you,” she murmurs, echoing his earlier words.
He flips her over onto her back again and presses a sweet yet urgent kiss to her lips. “Always and forever,” he whispers back with his lips against hers. They kiss tenderly, his hand still against her cheek so that she can feel his scar.
The air around them crackles with a sudden bout of electricity. Ekki attempts to sit up, but Theo’s weight prevents her from doing so. “Did you feel that?” She asks quietly, looking around, but the forest is growing darker, and even with her naturally sharp eyesight, she can’t see beyond a few layers of trees and underbrush.
“All I can feel is you,” he responds playfully, kissing her again. Ekki shrugs, allowing herself to become lost once again in his demanding lips. Suddenly, Theo tenses, and although his lips are still against hers, he’s no longer moving.
He’s no longer breathing.
Ekki opens her eyes, and horror fills her. Theo is still on top of her, but now he’s just dead weight, his skin turning from golden tanned to dark gray rapidly before her eyes. She yelps and pushes him off of her. His body begins to rot as if he’s been dead for years instead of seconds. She scrambles away from him as a horrible pain suddenly grips her in her stomach right where Theo bound himself to her. She clutches her belly, the scar burning her hand through her shirt. She begins shrieking and falls back onto the grass, her vision blurring as physical agony begins flooding her body, stemming from the scar on her stomach.
“Make it stop,” she begs to anyone who’ll listen as the air around her suddenly goes from the tentative warmth of early spring to the numbing chill of the heart of winter. “Theo! Make it stop!” Ekki doesn’t even recognize the anguish-filled voice that escapes from her mouth. She forces her eyes open again, and above her are hundreds of black, shapeless forms that squirm through the air, circling around her.
She suddenly realizes what the electric charge in the air was, what killed Theo. It was the Gods. She's angered them somehow.
Ekki attempts to sort her thoughts, struggling to understand what she did wrong, but her brain feels like mush, and it won't work with her while she's in so much pain. Still she goes back through the day, finding nothing about her prayers this morning or anything else about the ceremony out of the ordinary. She stares up at the shapes in the sky, tears stinging her eyes at her helplessness. "Tell me what I did wrong," she cries, brushing her wrist under her eyes to wipe the tears away. "Tell me what I did so that I can make it up to you! I'm sorry, my almighty Deities for whatever I've done to displease you, but if you just tell me what it is, I promise to repent in any way I can."
One of the shapes breaks away from the cloud, charging through the air towards Ekki. It's aimed at her chest, and her eyes widen as she falls onto her back and rolls out of the way. The blob swoops back through the air to join the others, and a swarm of them circle her, preparing to surge down to her.
Ekki screams again and forces herself to her feet, her hand still pressed tightly to her stomach. Her muddled brain realizes that while nothing can be done for Theo now, she can still warn her family. With the black blobs still blotting the sky, she scurries as fast as she can back through the houses into the center of town, stumbling and almost crashing face-first into several trees through the blinding agony. The cold presence follows her, and she struggles to outrun it.
She makes it back to the thick of the crowd where bystanders are watching the duels and the couples are pairing off. “Everybody stop!” Ekki shouts desperately at the top of her lungs, breaking through and almost tripping over two bloody bears tearing each other apart; almost everyone stops and turns to her, most of them looking irritated at the interruption.
Her mother pushes through the crowd, looking humiliated. “Ekki, what are you doing, baby?” Her voice is sharp, but Ekki doesn’t care; her stomach feels like it’s on fire.
“My Mate is dead!” Ekki cries, prying her arm away from her stomach and lifting her shirt enough to reveal the pulsing, angry scar that mars the smooth skin. “I don’t know what happened. There were these black…things in the sky, I think they killed him. I think they were the Deities; I don't know what we did, but something about our festival must have angered them. They are coming this way for us, and I don't think that they're planning on showing mercy! They almost killed me back there! Please, believe me! Everyone needs to get out of here now!”
Everyone stares at Ekki for a few long moments, taking in her tear-stained, distressed face and the mark on her body; the music stops and battle wounds heal as everyone wonders what to do. She looks around, terrified that no one will take her seriously and that she'll be sacrificed to the Gods for disturbing the festival.
Suddenly, a Grizzly Bear Shifter steps forward, anger on his face, but he isn't looking at Ekki. "It was those meat eaters, wasn't it?" He points at the village corner where the Crocodiles are still huddled together with blood running down their chins; they all look up at him, their eyes widening as they drop the evidence of their sacrilege to their feet. "They're the ones who angered the Deities!"
"Send them to face the Gods for their sins," one of the Tigers Ekki faced off against over Theo cries, standing next to the Bear. "They're the ones who sinned!"
A mob soon forms, the crowd quickly approaching the group of Crocodiles to sacrifice to the Gods; Ekki struggles to stay on her feet, the agony too much to bear. The temperature suddenly drops by several tens of degrees again, and everyone pauses to look up at the dark cloud moving rapidly towards them, the black forms trembling violently against each other. A few screeches pierce the candle-lit night as the shapeless masses kill friends, Mates, and family.
Ekki’s mother, who had been caught up in the mob, pulls away and closes the gap between herself and her daughter, gripping Ekki tightly and wrapping one arm around her waist to press her hand against the burning skin on Ekki’s stomach. Ekki turns and digs her face into her mother’s shoulder. “I don’t want to die, Mama,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “I don’t want to die.”
Despite her own horror, Ekki’s mother knows that her daughter needs her to be calm, if it’s only for the last few minutes of their lives. “Neither do I, baby,” she murmurs, stroking Ekki’s hair. “Hush, Ekki. It’ll all be over soon.”
Ekki nods, understanding the underlying meaning in her mother’s words: they’ll all be dead soon. Ekki’s younger brother scrambles over to them, the terror on his face mirroring that of Ekki and their mother.
They wrap him in their embrace, and through her unbearable pain, an even sadder thought pierces Ekki’s mind as she gently strokes her brother’s hair like her mother does for her. He only had two more years until he would’ve been out here, dueling for the right to a girl, whether it was a submissive one like the ones Theo turned down or a fiery one like Ekki. While her time with her Mate had been cut short, she still got at least an instant of the happiness that Diei Adnexa brings to the Shifters, but her brother will never experience that.
Ekki almost begins to cry for her brother, but before she can, an indescribable chill runs through her body, stemming from the base of her spine, and her entire being seems to become even colder than the surrounding air. She glances down in time to see one of black shapes dig its way through her chest and shoot back into the sky to join the others like an incarnation of death. Ekki tries to take in a breath, to gather the oxygen needed to tell her mother and brother that it doesn’t hurt, that it’s only cold.
Her mouth can’t seem to form the words, and she can see the skin not enveloped in their embrace is beginning to turn gray like Theo’s had earlier. The beginnings of their screams seem as distant as the world around her as she becomes weightless, and everything around her fades to black.
-Kaitlynn Rose