Vishri has to perform the Ritual of Protection for her village, but is it really a Ritual for Protection?
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A/N: Hi ya all! This is my first time submitting, so be gentle haha. Please, comment below on what to improve and such so that I can incorporate them in my writing. Thanks in advance!
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Draconic Ritual
Vishri felt restless. As she followed the gloomy narrow path between the tall huge trees, that discomfort kept worsening. Every time the gossamer fabric of her flowing robe caressed her bear skin underneath, she would shiver inexplicably. That reaction was more obvious whenever the same thing happened to her heaving breasts.
'
Am I ill?
'
This made Vishri worried. She wasn't cold, so why did she keep shivering like that? Yet, at the end, she could only calm herself and regulate her pounding heart and erratic breathing.
Tonight was the most important night for her village. Tonight, she was going to perform the ritual of protection for her village, so becoming sick at this moment was unacceptable. She had lives in her hands. Failing here meant letting them die, so Vishri had to lift her foot and continue forward no matter what.
At the end of the path, the gnarl trees that blocked the view ahead parted and showed the eighteen-year-old girl a clearing. A tall cliff, bathed in the silver light from the moon above, stood there mightily. On its foot, a rock outcrop in the shape of a dragon's head protruded, and in its open maw was her destination.
That was the protector's temple where the ritual would commence.
Legends say that the protector was the guardian spirit of this mountain, the forest, and the surrounding lands. Back then, only wild beasts walked this long stretch of wilderness. But because of a severe famine, the ancestors of the present villagers left their former homes and happened to pass here by chance.
At that moment, half of their number had already died because of starvation. A quarter of them strode the boundary between life and death, while the rest had no energy left to continue their journey. The whole village was facing total extinction.
With that dire situation, their ancestors made a blood pact with the protector. In exchange for their servitude, the protector would bestow them blessings to survive and thrive in his domain. The nature spirit agreed, and from then on, both parties established the ritual of protection and honored it until now.
Vishri paused at the entrance of the cave in hesitation. But then, she recalled what the chief elder had solemnly said to her before she left. "Remember Vishri, you are the hope of the village. Don't make Lord Protector mad and follow all his instructions. We want his protection, not his ire. The lives of your family, friends, and the village are all in your hands."
Unconsciously, she whispered, "I understood, chief elder. I will fulfill my duty as my mother, my grandmother, and my grandmother's mother did for generations."
Vishri firmed up her resolve and then entered the dark cave. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of gold eyes with slitted pupils watched her every move from the darkness amidst the dense vegetation. Since she began her journey from the village, its unwavering gaze had never once left her.
The interior of the cave was spacious. However, a pool of water almost occupied all of it. She could only stand on the narrow strip of land between the cave's entrance and the edge of the pool. On the walls, burning torches drove the shadows away, which became a source of comfort for Vishri.
The girl approached the edge of the pool. When she was about to kneel, she paused, then hesitated, and finally, she knelt down and closed her emerald eyes in a praying posture. The golden gaze reappeared just above her in the depths of the cave's shadows before it refocused. With obvious familiarity, the slitted pupils followed the contours of her youthful body under her thin robe as she prayed.
There was appreciation and recognition in those eyes.