Anne knew she should be afraid. Knew deep in her bones that things could go incredibly bad for her if things didn't happen the way they had for the past 100 years, but she also knew she was far more excited than afraid. Her time had finally come, and she knew her followers would keep her as safe as they could. She had prepared for years, all the deep control techniques that allowed her to control every muscle of her body and theoretically should bring the beast to orgasm instead of letting her be devoured. But it was just that - theory. Anne had never had sex before. She was the virgin high priestess of the moon, and tonight was the night of the beast.
The Blood moon of the lunar eclipse was here, and though she couldn't see it through the heavy blindfold, she could hear the way the crickets song increased. There was an electric fire to the air that made her skin prickle, and the crackling of the old fashioned torches threw heat onto her bare arms. The cold of the autumn night made her shiver just as much as the anticipation for the event, and she was glad of the heavy silk robe she wore over her lithe form that trailed along the grass behind her. The blades tickled her bare feet as the procession moved along, and she was very grateful for the strong arms keeping her upright and moving so she couldn't stumble and upset the ceremony taking place even now.
The silent procession was the start of the ceremony. Moving from the edge of the forest along the well-tended pathway, the priests and priestesses dressed in red gowns carried ancient torches crafted when the beast first appeared over a century ago. The white-garbed virgin in the center was always a trained and willing sacrifice, one of the many priestesses, and she was led in the silent procession for well over an hour through the darkening woods, timing their arrival to the sacred glade to be an hour before the eclipse. The heat of the lanterns and the scent of so many in the woods was a draw for the strange wolf-like beast that claimed this forest for his, but the reason why he only appeared to claim his sacrifice during one of the rare blood moons was still something of a mystery. He prowled every evening, this was fact, and killed any who entered the forest after dark, but this special ceremony was devised those 100 years ago to quell the bloodlust and keep the wolf from entering the town itself. It seems to have worked as well. The few times the ceremony failed, there was a slaughter of men and women in the town itself that plunged the whole populace into the deepest despair and terror imaginable.
Many had attempted to rid the forest of this beast or to protect the populace of the town from its terrors but they had all failed. Armies had swept the woods from end to end, finding no sign of it, and the one time the army had stationed itself in the town to protect it after a failed ceremony they had all fallen sick to the point of death before being slaughtered by the beast. Government funding for beast eradication now went into providing the temple with all the funds and willing volunteers it needed to conduct the ceremony of the blood moon, and any other spells and ceremonies of protection and appeasement needed to keep the people safe. Anne herself had overseen 3 other blood moon ceremonies, all successful, and was well trained in the occult arts of protection and warding needed to keep the beast happy and far, far away.
The rustle of robes seemed to part and flow away as Anne sensed they entered the clearing. A final spike of adrenaline sent her heart racing as the 2 priests on either side of her stopped her in what she knew was the center of the clearing. A hush fell, and they all stood silent, waiting for the song of the caller-bird. Not 30 seconds later the distinct and otherworldly chuckling trill floated into the clearing, followed by others, a whole flock of the strange black birds with their white-tipped crests fluttered into the clearing and settled into the big brass bowl of fruit and seeds 2 burly priests carried with them. The noise marked the start of the ceremony, and with their arrival the priests and priestesses around the edge of the clearing started to beat their cymbal sticks onto the ground, setting a shimmering clamorous beat that drove Anne's heart even faster. With the sound of clashing metal and the chuckling voices of the caller-birds, Anne was walked to the northern edge of the clearing and turned to face the center. Her blindfold was finally removed, and she blinked and squinted, eyes watering with pain at the sudden light after being in darkness this whole time. The torches blaze stabbed at her retinas and she fought the urge to cover her eyes with her hands.