Chapter 46: Horny
Mira and Jia Hao sat on the rock carved thrones meant for the lion king and his queen situated at the top of a large hill-like structure rock which gave a decent view of the pride land. Mira could see so many heads. So many faces of those who stayed below the hill and so much land in its vastness that she almost got sick. Her stomach churned.
Jia Hao reached his hand out of his throne handle and placed a hand on Mira’s. "Breathe." He told her. She swallowed and nodded then proceeded to take deep breaths. He always noticed these things so quickly and it was nice yet fascinatingly alarming. Like he saw right through her. Maybe way too much. She wondered if he saw enough to know she had a system.
[Don’t be gullible, host!]
Mira’s face flattened at that. She refocused her attention ahead.
The altar was right before them, it constituted of three small pillars surrounding one at the center, all the same height. A shaman, draped in white cloth and red paint markings on his face walked forward with a long, crooked staff in his hand. His eyes were plain white. He either was blind or had no pupils and it was eerie. The shaman’s disciples followed, all covered in white from head to toe, capes securing their bald heads. Each held a small wooden bowl in both their hands and walked in a circle. This seemed like a cult festival.
The shaman stood in front of three square shaped pillars which lined around a bigger, circle shaped one at the center, forming a blockade. From Mira’s point of view, she saw the pillar at the middle had markings. The shaman raised his staff and struck the center of the circle pillar. Immediately, drumming began.
Mira flinched at first. She did not expect the rapid change from eerie to melodious. The lion beast men drummed on bamboo pipes and the women played bamboo flutes, creating music so rhythmic it made her kick her feet.
"Enjoying yourself?" Jia Hao asked. His head was fixed at the ceremony unfolding but his attention was divided between her and it.
"It is so hard to be composed with such melody." Mira admitted. The anxiety she felt before immediately vanished. "I feel like dancing."
"Soon." Jia Hao worded. "Our children will be presented soon and we will be called to the altar. Once the naming and crowning is done, we can be as free as we want."
Wait what? The naming? She had not thought about any names. Nor had she thought about crowning. She knew these things would happen but she was so engrossed on healing and baby feeding and surviving being a mom that she barely considered these aspects.
"I did not choose names for my babies." Mira said.
"I chose them for you. I knew you were occupied and did not want to have you overly exert yourself."
Mira frowned. She pushed her back off the seat of the throne and turned to look at him. Unbelievable. "They came out of my vagina, Jia Hao. I BLED for them. You do not decided to make such decisions without me be me occupied or not!"
"I’m sorry."
Mira’s face blanked. He apologized. Just like that. Without even putting up a fight. He gave in so easily that she frowned. She expected an exchange of words or something.
At least give me a reaction to work with so I can rant, you lion! Mira thought.
"I could tell the shaman to not announce the names until after the ceremony so you can go through what I chose and we can make a decision together."
Mira’s eyes narrowed. Jia Hao was being far to understanding. It did not settle well with her argumentative nature. She let out a sigh, processing his words. "That would be nice." She replied. She rested her back back on the throne seat.
Jia Hao clenched his hand on her palm gently. "I am so happy that you are the mother of my cubs, Mira. I wouldn’t have it any other way." For the first time since the ceremony began and they were on that throne, Jia Hao looked at her. A smile plastered his face. His eyes doted on her like she was the best thing to ever happen to him.
Mira’s heart flipped. It pounded vigorously in her chest that she feared it would burst out. She also feared he could hear it.
It was strange. She was reacting in a way she had never done for any other man but the one she drafted a calendar for to lose her virginity to back on earth. Mira returned Jia Hao’s smile and looked away, her cheeks red. She knew he was still staring but she dared not turn to face him. Jia Hao’s gaze lingered on her a while longer before averting back forward.
Now Mira turned to face him. Her eyes traced his handsome face and all his features. Features that she loved. Her eyes rested on his lips and an instant replay of what he had done to her in his room clouded her mind. Her face flushed and she immediately faced forward. Her thighs pressed together. Her pussy began to make little heartbeats and heat brewed where her nerves vanished.
She was horny. One look at this man made her pussy pool with desire. And in the worst place of all places and at the worst time.
The music came to a halt. The six shaman disciples stood in front of the shaman with their bowls stretched out. The shaman dipped a hand in his cloak and brought out a white dove. The dove was bound at its feet with a thin vine and flapped its wings. The shaman held the dove upside down above the circle altar as slit it with the tip of his staff. Blood. It splashed all over the concrete as the flap of the dove’s wings came to a drastic halt.
The beast people cheered. Mira felt repulsed. She knew this was normal and she ate chicken and meat back on Earth but this felt brutal.
The shaman held the leaking dove over each wooden bowl stretched to him and let it drip in. He kept the dove on the middle altar and took each wooden bowl from the disciples one by one, surrounding the dead dove with it.
Mira watched carefully. She did not know whether to call this a carnival or a cult or some festival but this was definitely not a baby shower or naming. Not what she was used to anyway.
When all six bowls were set on the altar, the disciples backed away. One of them walked back with a blazing, wooden torch and handed it to the shaman. The shaman took it. Now he turned to face the throne where Jia Hao and Mira sat and pointed at Mira.
"Mother of the pride, please come forward." The shaman said, his first words since his entire display.
Mira’s brows furrowed. First, he slayed a dove and put it on the altar, spilled it’s blood and now he held a torch blazing with fire and called for her?
Oh, hell nah!