Chapter 2

Bran and Ong led Cela toward the sacred life stone in the center of the clearing. Cela's arms were tied behind her, but the bindings were only ceremonial; she could break free if she wished. But of course, she had no wish to escape; her sacrifice to the Wind God was vital to the wellbeing of her tribe. Only after the Wind God accepted her would he free the land from the frost magic so life could begin anew.

Cela was nervous, but she wasn't really afraid. She had seen the Ceremony to Awaken the World more times than she had fingers on her hands. This was the first time, though, that she was the central performer, chosen by the priests of the tribe during the last great shining of the night disk.

Cela had previously participated in two Choosings, but had been passed over both times. Each time, the young one who was chosen had ... She didn't know exactly how to form the thoughts, but that young one's scent had changed only a few days earlier. This third time, Cela knew she would be the one chosen, because she could smell herself! And the males were more interested, as well.

'They could probably smell me, too, ' she decided. Bran and Ong were certainly treating her differently – repeatedly touching her and rubbing their hands down that odd protrubance that sometimes leaked smelly liquid out of their bodies. When some of the smelly fluid got on their hands, they rubbed it off onto her, making her stink even worse. She hadn't noticed this when observing earlier ceremonies, but then, she hadn't been this close to a Chosen One before.

'That's because this time I AM a Chosen One!'

But she still wasn't frightened. The Wind God would clear the air of her scent when he devoured her. He would take her, consume her completely, and make her into a new image. She would lose all her body hair, which was not necessarily a bad thing, since it was impossible to keep clean when everything was frozen and when the fire disk passed over, bringing brightness to the land as it did after each dark time, her fur often became matted and smelly, and it itched terribly. She still couldn't figure out how the underside of her fur could get wet before the outside did, but it often happened.

The only thing that worried her about no longer having fur was that the previous Chosen Ones got very cold when the frost magic filled the land and made the water hard. During the worst times, the dwellers would come and cover them with their tiny bodies and glowing wings.

Basi was a previous Chosen One. Cela had kept her company several times after she had coupled with the Wind God, to help with the caring of her new baby. She and Basi quickly became familiar with each other, even though Basi could no longer walk. Cela treated with Basi as though she was a revered elder of the tribe, and Basi thought of Cela as her little sister. They were both ecstatic when Cela was chosen as the new sacrifice.

"Just don't do what I did when faced with the magnificence of the Wind God," Basi implored her as they watched her strangely hairless, naked daughter playing on the floor of the cave.

She was referring to the incident in which she had lost the use of her legs. Terrified of something she didn't understand, Basi had ripped loose her ceremonial bindings and fled across the clearing, closely pursued by a swarm of several dozen dwellers, their iridescent wings glistening in the morning light.

Treed, frightened, and surrounded with dizzying flutters of tiny wings, Basi slipped and fell from her swaying perch, breaking her back when she struck the ground. Despite the fact that her back was broken and she was no longer perfect in shape or form, the Wind God accepted her as his Chosen, consumed her, reformed her, naked and hairless, and gave her a child.

However, the plantings did poorly during the warm season as there was very little rainfall, and tribe members knew it was because the Wind God took pity on an unworthy sacrifice and had accepted her as a Chosen one. To placate the Earth Goddess, the Wind God's mate, the elders of the tribe who had chosen Basi were sacrificed to the great dragon of the night sky, whose magnificent purple wings could often be seen after sunset as he swept across the sky devouring the stars.

In the morning, where those tribal elders had been staked to the Earth, only scorch marks remained. When the frost magic came again, the Wind God showed favor by holding back the fierce icy winds, and the tribe only lost three members to the icy cold during that time.

Cela allowed Bran to tie her bindings to the stake he'd just pounded into a large crack in the Sacred Stone. Once she was 'helpless' with her arms stretched over her head, Bran grasped her young breasts and squeezed them until she grimaced.

Ong, older by several seasons, slapped Bran's hands away. "Before you spoil female, remember priests who chose Basi. Night Dragon you might meet, but maybe not like much."

"You worry too much, old man," Bran accused his elder. "The female's legs and arms work and she is not with child. I only take what she would not give me before."

"Cela is daughter of Lamar, the eldest, and you are only a fire tender," Ong growled. "When you bring back your first kill, the daughter of an elder will join with you, of her own will."

"I would have Cela, before she is taken by the Wind God!" Bran spat back. "It is her fur that will be burned away, and I would take some from her so that not all is lost."

"I will not be lost, Bran," Cela interrupted, gazing down at him from her position on the Sacred Rock. "I will become ... changed ... Changed by the touch of the Wind God. Other Chosen Ones say that they are the same, inside, even after the touch of the Wind God. Only the skin is changed, and the Wind God gives us children who are like the Gods, themselves."

"Naked, hairless and helpless?" Bran argued. "How are they like Gods, Cela?"

"That is enough!" Ong commanded. "You know as everyone does that the hairless ones are different. They see..." The word 'solution' didn't exist in his vocabulary, but he did the best he could to explain, even though Bran had always regarded the hairless younglings – the children of the Wind God – as repulsive and unnecessary to the welfare of the tribe. "There are better ways to do the things we do. The Chosen Ones' children often show us. Better ways to hunt, better kill sticks, better ways to plant seeds..."

Bran terminated the discussion by grabbing a handful of Cela's soft body hair and yanking it out by the roots. He turned away before Ong could protest, leaving Ong alone to placate the upset young Chosen One. After a time, Cela was left alone to bask in the morning sun, her eyes closed against the brightness while she waited for the Wind God to come for her.

It was dark and Cela was hungry. This was the second day she'd been staked out here, and the Wind God had not come. The evening breeze was still fair, but she knew, from personal experience by now, that she would be shivering from the cold by morning. Earlier, Ong had brought her water, which she greedily sucked from the goatskin until she choked. Ong had also put his thing inside her and, while she reveled in the warmth of his body, she didn't enjoy his touches like she did when she touched herself.