Civil Vicious

Chapter 3: The Beast And The Cage

Within a few days, the ringing in my head had stopped and the gash beneath my hair had clotted. One evening, an abundance of firewood was carried up the ropes to the top of the cliff.

 When she saw this, my companion quickly became giddy. She clapped her hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Today's the day, Friend!"

"What day?" I asked.

"You're ready to meet Kokegna, and he's ready to meet you."

The sun had set and the others started stacking the firewood into an enormous pile. They mixed clay and berry juice in bowls, making a runny paste that they used to paint their bodies and faces. I was instructed not to use any of the paint on myself, they said Kokegna wanted me to appear neutral and pure during the ceremony. 

When I asked what they meant by, "ceremony," they didn't answer.

Once the darkness of night swallowed the sky, a fire was lit. Enormous flames erupted into the air, casting long, sinister shadows on the rockface around the cave. The others cheered triumphantly and began thrashing their bodies as though they were mimicking the movement of the flames. In unison, they all started to clap their hands, keeping a steady beat. Some of the men picked up sticks and beat them together, maintaining a steady rhythm while the rest danced wildly around the fire, convulsing and contorting their painted bodies with feverish passion.

My beautiful Friend took me by the hands and pulled me closer to the fire. Her eyes stared intensely into mine, pulling me along like a magnet. As she led me toward the flames, I felt its incredible heat against my skin. Just when I thought I couldn't take the scorching sensation anymore, she stopped and started to dance like the others. Her eyes were fixed seductively on mine, then she swayed and contorted her naked body as the light from the flames silhouetted her. 

I stood still, totally bewildered, looking at her with both confusion and excitement. She grabbed my hands again and her eyes beckoned me to join her. 

Nervously, tentatively, I mimicked her movements and danced in the firelight. 

As the drumbeat's tempo elevated, my feelings of nervousness and insecurity melted. Energy surged through my body and my cares dissolved as I thrashed wildly around the fire. My senses became totally flooded with adrenaline. When the tempo reached its peak, I felt invincible. I felt more than human. 

Then, in an instant, the drumming ceased, and everyone stood still.

Far away, at the far edge of the cliff's shelf, I heard a terrible grinding noise cut through the abrupt silence. Two men were rolling a stone away from the rockface, revealing a hidden cavern emitting a dim firelight. From the small cut in the rock, out stepped a frail looking man. He unhunched his back and stood upright. I saw that the man was tall and very slender. Amidst the earie silence, he slowly shuffled his feet along the rocky floor and crept toward me. 

His features became clearer with each step toward the light of the roaring fire. The man was pale, his skin an ashen shade of gray. His face was accented by a long and crooked nose. The only hair that remained on his body was a handful of long, gray, wispy strands waving about his otherwise bald head. He wore only an animal skin around his shoulders. His lips were so thin that he practically appeared to have none at all. They were curled back in an evil grin which revealed two rows of crooked, jagged teeth.

"Welcome, child," the man croaked in a strained, coarse voice. He stepped so close to me that I could smell his rotting teeth. His eyes glowed yellow as the light from the flames cast dancing shadows across his face. "I have been eager to meet you since hearing of your arrival. Our Friend," he indicated the beautiful young woman beside me, "holds you in high regard."