The Joining

The morning of my partnering ceremony dawned cloudless and cold. A light frost covered the ground. Geani told me that winter came earlier up in the mountains than it did down near the ocean. I looked outside my tent for a minute, then closed the flap. I didn't want my daughter Tryla to get chilled.

I woke Tryla for her morning feeding. As I rocked her, I thought back to what Geani had told me yesterday about the ceremony. After Trrl had left, Geani returned to rehearse my part and to tell me about the actual ritual.

"After the pledges, Raol will announce that you are partnered," Geani explained. "You must sit perfectly still as the feast is laid out. You are to meditate on the path that you and Trrl have chosen." I decided not to mention that I hadn't exactly chosen this path. "Then, before anyone may eat, the mating must take place."

"You mean everyone has to wait for us to come back from... mating before they can eat?" I asked. I knew that I would be expected to consummate the relationship with Trrl, but I didn't want to do it when everyone knew what we were doing.

"Come back?" Geani looked confused for a moment. "No, no. You must mate before the eyes of the village and in front of the pledging fire, while the gods' attentions are on you."

I stared at her with my mouth open. "In front of the entire village?" Looking away from her, I shook my head. "I - I can't." Geani leaned over and touched my arm. "Why? All the partnered couples have done so."

"Everyone watching, looking at us..." My voice faded off. Already I could feel my cheeks burning.

"Don't worry," she said quietly. "You will be able to share your first joyous moments together with the village. It is glorious. Believe me." She sat up straight again. "Now, let's go over your pledges once more."

Tryla finished nursing and wriggled, bringing me back to the present. I cradled her, looking into her golden eyes. "My sweet Tryla," I whispered. "I do this for you. You are my reason for living. Everything I do is for you."

Yawning, Tryla closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. I nestled her back in her sleeping furs and went outside to get some breakfast of my own.

Geani and Kirin, as well as a few Acini women, met me on the way to the village's central cooking fire. They fussed over me, chattering in Acini about how best to bring out my "beautiful eyes" with the flowers I would wear. As we ate, I started to feel a bit excited about my ceremony. But then I remembered Trrl's betrayal and the act we must perform in front of everyone, and I fell to silently staring at my food.

While we were eating, Poula joined us. She was Geani's daughter, a Mrha. When I first met her, her strange beauty struck a chord within me. She was a few years younger than I, but carried herself with a very becoming grace and poise. Her features seemed more Vulponi than Acini. She had dark forearms and lower legs, and her ears were jet black. Her fur was red, with mottled dark spots, like the Acini and Tryla had. Her muzzle was pointed and decorated with long whiskers. And like her mother, her tail was luxuriously thick.

"Good morning," she said, sitting down next to me. She touched my knee lightly. "Ralya, I am very happy for you. This will be a joyous day for you to remember always, I am sure."

I tried to smile at her, and looked away. "Thanks, Poula."

She squeezed my knee and leaned closer, whispering to me. "You must not be worried about the mating. It is a beautiful thing, to see two people express their love for each other in front of their friends and families," she purred softly.

Surprised, I glanced at her. I had not told anyone of my misgivings. She smiled. "I think you will enjoy it," she said. Before I could say anything, she stood and left.

It was as if she had read my mind. Mrha like her were supposed to be the messengers of the gods. I wondered if there was a kernel of truth in the myth.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparations. I was bathed, combed, and dressed by the women of the tribe. Before I realized it, a crown of delicate yellow blossoms was set on my head and I was led to the edge of the village.

A large bonfire sent sparks into the frosty blue evening sky, and the entire tribe was gathered before it. All of them were looking at me. All of them, that is, except for Trrl. He was staring at the ground. Raol, the chieftain, and Trrl stood at the front of the crowd. Kirin and Geani led me to stand next to Trrl. Even when Raol began the ceremony, he kept his eyes on the ground.

"We call upon the gods to be with us now and to bless this circle," Raol intoned. "We call upon the spirits of the dead to give us their wisdom and to keep us safe this joyous night. We call upon the Unknown to surrender its battle for this night and give us peace, so that we might celebrate the joining of these two souls." He closed his eyes and held his arms up to the sky. "Keepers of the Sky and Guardians of the Land, hear these souls who have come here to be joined."

Trrl spoke. His eyes were still fixed on his feet. "I, Trrl, son of Lorn, am here. I give my soul freely to be joined this night."

Geani had drilled me on the Acini used in the ceremony over and over until I could recite it forwards and backwards. Even so, I had to concentrate. My voice wavered as I spoke. "I, Ralya, daughter of Ramoa, am here. I give my soul freely to be joined this night."

"This female, Ralya, has given us the gift of a Mrha to cherish," Raol continued. "We thank you, Keepers of the Sky, for sending us another of your messengers to guide us." Raol lowered his arms and opened his eyes.

Poula and Jason, the village's two adult Mrha, stepped out of the crowd. Poula held the bowl that she was carrying up to Trrl's lips, and he drank deeply. She murmured something to him, and approached me.

I took the bowl from Poula and drank. It tasted like honeyed wine, but it had a faint bitter aftertaste. When I handed the bowl back to her, she murmured, "A gift of the Summer Prowling is yours this night. May it make your joining more joyful."

While I was puzzling over these words, Jason handed me a cloth to dry my lips. Geani had told me of this portion of the ceremony, but not what it meant. I had forgotten to ask what the Summer Prowling was.

I felt Raol's hand on my shoulder, turning me to face Trrl. Finally, he was looking at me. His green eyes looked directly into mine, but I could not see any emotion there. He looked as though he wanted to be someplace else. He looked how I felt.

Raol tied my hands to Trrl's with a strip of leather that had been dyed red. "We join these two souls in the sight of the village. We join these two souls in the sight of the Keepers of the Sky and the Guardians of the Land. We join these two souls so that they might face the Unknown together for eternity. We join these two souls so that one might draw strength from the other." Raol paused for a moment. "Do either of you have anything to hide?"

"I, Trrl, have nothing to hide from the soul to which I will be joined," said Trrl. His paw closed on mine tightly as he spoke, but his face was still. I hoped he had nothing more to hide from me. Our wedding clothes were designed for the next step in the ceremony. So that our hands could stay tied, Trrl's tunic and my dress were laced across the shoulders, rather than up the front or back. Jason stepped behind Trrl and unlaced his tunic, letting it fall to the ground.

I had become rather lightheaded during the last few minutes. Distantly, I wondered what kind of wood they were burning in the bonfire. As Trrl suddenly became naked in front of me, I looked at him admiringly. He was a very beautiful creature. He was slim and well muscled, and his fur was glossy. His tail twitched behind him, curving almost to the ground.

My cheeks became hot as I realized that I was staring at Trrl's sheath. No, I was hot all over. What was wrong with me? "I, Ralya, have nothing to hide from the soul to which I will be joined." Poula began unlacing my dress. Soon I would be as exposed as Trrl.

I tried to think of something else. When had I started to become lightheaded? Trrl's green eyes, staring into mine, muddied my thoughts. One shoulder was free, and Poula started to open the laces on the other. I concentrated. When was it? The breeze shifted, and suddenly I could smell Trrl instead of the fire. His wonderful, heart-pounding musk. The laces were almost loose. When was it? I gasped silently. Of course. It was after I had drunk the wine. There must have been something in it!

My dress dropped to the ground.

The fire heated my left side until it felt that my fur should be on fire. The chilly night's air cooled my right side so that my fur stood up. But I was warm all through. Trrl's expression never changed, except for a slight widening of his eyes.

With my hands tied to Trrl's, I could not cover myself. I could feel every eye in the village on my naked body. My old village was open about sex and matters of the body, but over the centuries we had picked up the humans' mores about nudeness. You covered yourself in public, especially among mixed company. I knew that it was just conditioning that I was reacting to, but I could not help feeling very vulnerable and exposed. I realized that I had tucked my tail between my legs to cover what I could. Firmly reminding myself that I was in another world now, I lifted my tail. Let them look.

I certainly looked at Trrl. He was magnificent. He was the embodiment of everything a male should be: strong, confident, virile. His eyes were roving over my body possessively, examining everything. I wanted him to look. He stood with his legs at shoulder-width, apparently not caring who looked at his most private areas. His penis was emerging from its sheath, slowing growing before my eyes.

Something in the back of my mind was shouting,"You've been drugged!" But I no longer cared. The heat that had been building in my body seemed to be pouring out of my body. I felt as though I should have been on fire. I wanted Trrl. I wanted him inside me.

Activity around me roused me from the trance that I had fallen into. The villagers were laying out the joining feast. I could smell mutton and venison and succulent rabbit, but over everything I could still smell Trrl. His eyes locked on mine once more, and his hands squeezed mine tightly.

Suddenly the movement around us stopped, and I was aware once more of the eyes upon me. I did not care. Raol stood beside us once more, and laid his hands on ours. "Now let us share in the joy of these two souls joining together." He lifted his hands away.

As soon as Raol lifted his hands away, I found myself falling to the ground. Trrl had hooked his leg around mine and tripped me. I fell backwards into the soft grass, and Trrl landed on top of me, his legs on either side of mine.

Our hands were still tied together, but I wanted to throw my arms around him. I made do with stroking my fingers across his face and his whiskers. I shifted my hips to position my tail more comfortably beneath me, and I could feel his hardness rubbing against my stomach.

Trrl leaned down close over my face. His lips were nearly touching mine. "Ralya, I love you," he whispered harshly. He was panting and trembling. "Know that. I love you with all my heart."

I opened my mouth but discovered that I couldn't speak. The only sounds that I managed to make were low-pitched growls. So I pressed my mouth to his and kissed him.

His tongue slid inside my mouth. I opened my eyes and saw that he was looking full into my eyes. The only thing that I saw there was love.

It seemed like a moment suspended in time. Trrl and I were locked in a kiss, and the rest of the world was miles away. And then, with a roar of noise and sensation, we were thrust back into time. The villagers were chanting a song, and deep drumbeats reverberated within me. Trrl drew away from me for a moment, then thrust forward, driving himself deep within me.

The next few hours passed in a blur. I simply remember the villagers cheering, and coming up to kiss us after we were through. In fact, the rest of the evening was fuzzy. My body seemed to sing, to pulse with light and sensation. There was feasting, and dancing, and singing. Not unlike a Lupani marriage ceremony, I remember thinking.

I woke the next morning slowly and luxuriously. The sun had been up for some time, but the tent's walls muted the light. I felt warm and delightfully rested.

Turning my head, I saw Trrl lying on his side. His head was propped on his hand. Trrl smiled when he saw I was awake.

"Sleep well?" he asked in Acini.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Married. Joined forever. My husband. I opened my eyes again and nodded.

"I love you, my wife," Trrl purred softly, stroking my cheek. As this male who had seduced me, got me with his child, and tricked me into marrying him caressed me, I felt something inside me break. I buried my face in his chest fur, sobbing.

"Ralya?" he asked, worry tingeing his voice. "What's wrong?"

Still hiding my eyes from him, I shook my head. I choked on the words, but only because I meant them. Completely.

"I love you, Trrl."