I don't think you need my company?"
"we need each others company, enemies or not . Talking to you makes me forget my pain."
I found the corner of her large eyes wrinkled with warmth, and her sorrowful eyes shimmer with a hidden emotion, she was trying very hard to hide.
"you want the company of a devil that is preparing you for death?"
"till the time comes, we are all we have in this lonely place. maybe when the time comes for you to kill me I will go willingly."
"what a cunning thing you are man. Which of the tribes do you come from? from your lean tall stature, I did place you among any of the northern clans."
"I wouldn't know, because I can't remember anything about me, except waking up to find huge jungle cats on my heels."
The woman seems to ponder over this comment for a while.Then said;
"you must be the out casted prince they whisper about. I stalked the maidens when they go to fetch water at the falls. In the dark cave, where they dare not venture into, their voices flows freely.
They gave you as an offering to the panther clan, because you bare the toothless sign. If you are able to elude the panthers' ferocity, and find your way back home, you will be worthy of the throne, and the love of your people as the chosen."
The whole truth begun to play before my eyes. The panthers wants my blood, not my meat. they could've easily pounce on me and eat my flesh, but they claw at me and licking my blood as I run, a terrible way to die nonetheless.
"you are few among those whose blood can subvert the curse of the Makilla."
"what does that mean?".
"it means the progeny of man and beast. When the power of the panther becomes great, they unleashed it on the humans who have inter breed and infested them with the curse by copulating with them in the wars of the north, against the; east, west and southern clans who wanted to put the north to slavery.
In high demand for warriors, the shamans of the north put this option before the kings and council of the north, to inter breed with the panther through a ritual that bonded the beast to men in the great war of the north that lasted for more than twenty years.
The use of the panther in the war changed the whole dynamics of the war and the north emerge victories," she paused and continued…
"after the war, men have no use of the panther that has come to be part of their culture and heritage. The panther gave birth to cads that where half human, half panther, and could shape shift.
This mixed blood is what humans called the curse, since the new generation of humans had no more regard for the panther.
This brought the antagonism between man and beast, and there must be a sacrifice, of any prince or male warrior who bore the toothless sign, sign of the panther.
The blood, or sexual union has the tendency to subvert the curse of the half breeds, so that they retain the ability to shift into man or beast, and not doomed to bestiality for all time."
She exhale, and wipe away her tears. The narration had taken its toil on her.
"and you are one of this mixed blood on the verge of turning?". She nodded silently as the tears stream down her face.
"what about those that were chasing me?".
"they have already turned, and all their anger and frustration turned to the people. Till they have the sacrifice from one who bares the sign, and is in alignment with the astrological laws, man and livestock shall have no peace on this lands."
"can the union or blood of the chosen bring those who have already turned back to being humans?"
"I don't know. But it mollifies them somewhat."
"from all that you have said, I don't think you want me dead. You need my blood…"
"I need nothing from you," she hissed angrily, I dead rather die, or turned to beast. Becoming human is not something I aspire to being. They cursed me, and I curse them," she spat venomously and stormed out of the cave.
*****†****†****†*****
Land Of My People
We created a boundary between us in the ensuing days that followed, as Makilla the fallen took care of me and brought me back to life.
My strength came back to me, and I was not lacking in vitality as the days gone by. We eat together, and swim together at the falls.
We talked less, and observed more of each other behavioral pattern.
"when is it going to be?" I mustered the courage to ask her one day, for I knew, I couldn't escape from the woman.
she is a panther after all. She is the panther that did save me from the tree. But she never turned in front of me, and deep down I seduce myself into believing she is not a predator.
"what do you mean?" she asked innocently, turning away from the fire we did made for the cold evening meal to fixed me one of her wiry glances that makes my lungs starve.
"the sacrifice?". "what sacrifice?"
"sacrificing me to your sisters who have already turned."
"you are free to go home, tootheless prince. tomorrow I will take you to a safe route that will lead you to the land of your people," she said reluctantly, and avert her eyes back to the fire.
I have seen those eyes before, and her perfume smell is something that makes my mine travel to places I don't know.
I have been dreaming of late about her. Thinking about that in the cold evening made my thing behind the breechcloth I wore inflamed, and aching.
It is around these moments that we always acted clumsily around the place confused. Is she hunted by the same ghosts like I am hunted?
"what if I don't want to go back." she paused at this comment and turned her head to look at me…
"but you have to go back to your people, after having survive the trial of the sacrifice. Your blood had spilled, and the pantheresses have had their fair share of it, they are appeased. There is no need living with me here inside this cold caves."
"it's never cold with you around, not when we wrapped ourselves in each other arms…".
She glanced at me again before averting her eyes back to the content in the pot on the fire.
She didn't know I am aware of what she did every night. She comes to cuddle me in her arms when I am shivering from the cold, but she makes sure she is the first to rise everytime. in fact, I have never felt safer and cared for until her...
"you are not safe with me prince. I have been controlling myself not to…" she stopped in mid-sentence, contemplating whether to continue.
"if your people find you here with me my life will be in peril, and life's will be lost because I will fight back. also, your honor and integrity will defame, for they will conclude you consorted with a fallen half breed who happen to be a witch…"
"you are an enigma, yes. But you are no witch Makilla. and even if you're, I don't think you are my enemy....".
"called my name again" she ordered. "Makilla".
"the way you called it made it sound funny." "yes, because of my missing tooth."
She laughs a strange happy laugh, that got animals scurrying for their life's.
we chatted openly afterwards, during dinner and throughout the night till it was time for bed and the awkwardness descend upon our nerves like fever.
The fire burns at one corner of the cave, warming and illuminating the space. we lay on our backs staring up the rocky ceiling.
We were close, but not touching. The touching always come when I am at sleep and shivering.
off late I did been faking a lot of shivering just to feel her warm softness on my body. I can't believe a soft creature like this woman could a threat to anyone. yet the outlawed her....
The silence was too loud and aggressive. The sound of our breath too troubling to induce sleep.
"I can't go back. I don't want to go; I want to stay here with you Makilla. I don't want you to turned and I will…".
"and you will what?". "I don't want to lose you. and what have you been controlling yourself not to do?"
"I am close to turning. And having you so close make me want to bite you." when I heard this, I sat and picked up the dagger we used to slaughter and skin carcass.
She sat up and looked at me in astonishment. "no don't do it, no…" she pleaded with her emerald eyes as I sliced my wrist open and drew closer to her.
Her fangs sprang alive as she fought to control herself, looking away.
"you saved my life Makilla, but that is not the reason why I am giving you this free offering. I am doing this because I don't know why I am doing it…".
she cried at this statement as I forced her to look my way,
"take it, or watch me bleed to death."
"oh, what a fool you are," she cried as I placed my bleeding wrist to her mouth and she drink hungrily.
Wave upon wave of erotic sensations wash over me as she drunk. She forced to stop when she sensed me weakening.
Quickly she plastered the cut with the healing soil in the cave mixed with her saliva.
What followed next, became an endless routine of passion and love making.
Her appetite for canal pleasure was infectious and inexhaustible. When we go to the falls to swim in the morning, we make love till is noon.
When we proceed to the farm, and work for a little while and go to rest under the vine grooves, we have sex till our organs felt sour.
And in the night, we talk, cuddle and tell each other things we never told anyone.
I did been lonely all my life among my people until her. now that I know what happiness stands for, I didn't want to lose it.
"by now your people will think you are dead; you have to go back." "only if you will come with me, makilla."
"I will not be welcomed".
"not if you are with me."
"your betrode is probably waiting for you."
"my bethrode is sitting with me now, looking into my soul with the most precious gems, sparking bright with blinding colors. Everyone will fall in love with you Makilla".
"stop speaking such nonsense. I don't want to dream. I can't afford to do that. but you make me dream of things I know I can never have."
"then stop insisting I should go, because I am going nowhere without you…"
....