literature

The First Priestess: Part 14

Deviation Actions

Wonderwig's avatar
By
Published:
970 Views

Literature Text

The New God




“Return to us!” The God Whisperer bellowed from the top of the slope. She raised her arms to the river and looked toward the jungle. Many of the villagers gathered behind her, including Fallen Tree and Dark Water. The smell of burning wood was strong in the air, and the echoes of trees crashing down reached their ears. The sky had just begun to brighten, but the rising smoke from the jungle had already caught the golden light of dawn.

The crowd shifted tensely as falling ash began to build on their shoulders. They could see the red glow of the fires through the trees, and it was growing brighter as if the flames were coming closer. By now everyone knew what had happened between Jaguar Claw and Red Spear, and that the hunters had chased after Sunflower and Standing Deer in the jungle.

Soon the red glow became golden, and smoke and embers began to waft through the trees. God rays gleamed in the smoke, and some of the villagers backed away.

“Show us the good deed we have done!” The God Whisperer cried, raising her hands higher. She didn’t know what had caused the fire in the jungle, but she was sure the mighty gods had a hand in it.

A silhouette of one of the hunters appeared in the light, followed by another and a third. The shadows of the trees on the crowd moved as the light seemed to come closer, and the light felt warm, like letting the sunlight wash over their faces. The villagers covered their eyes, and the hunters emerged from the tree line, guarding a figure standing between them.

The God Whisperer looked down, and Fallen Tree and Dark Water unshielded their eyes.

Sunflower emerged, cloaked in yellow flames, and at places her body transmuted between flesh and fire. The hunters stood by her side and raised their spears to The God Whisperer and their loved ones in the crowd.

Most of the villagers gasped, some screamed, and even The God Whisperer was stunned. She saw the flames, but despite her entire life’s desire to witness the power of the gods, she forced herself to reject what was right in front of her eyes.

“What happened in there!? Where is Jaguar Claw?” The God Whisperer yelled stubbornly, but her milky eyes glared with the brightness of Sunflower’s light, and she could only see her. She lowered her arms and her hands trembled.

Sunflower stepped into the river, and a hissing cloud of steam erupted at her feet. She continued forward, and more steam billowed and filled the air. The hunters followed her, their spear tips poking through the haze, and Sunflower looked up at The God Whisperer, her eyes like two glowing goals.

The God Whisperer trembled. Yes, it was clear now. She must’ve told the story at least a hundred times, the story of a girl who chased the Sun, and who the Sun turned into a god.

Sunflower’s yellow flames leaped upwards like snakes, and she said in a deepened voice, words that seemed to come from the darkest depths that all men have, “You will find Jaguar Claw in the jungle, next to my mother. Go and find your son. The gods will have no pity on you.”

The God Whisperer cautiously descended the slope, shaking like a leaf, and with her arms curled like a wounded animal’s. She stepped into the river and gave Sunflower a wide berth. Her mind was dazed. The gods are here, she thought, and they’re real. The crowd watched as she was swallowed by the mist, and they heard her entering the jungle and walking toward the inferno.

Sunflower looked at the crowd and approached them. She walked with her back straight and her chin defiant. Fallen Tree and Dark Water watched her anxiously, feeling the heat on their faces. When she reached the edge of the river her flames became smaller, and she climbed up the slope. The mist started to clear, and the hunters crossed the river too.

At the top, Sunflower’s fire disappeared, and she stood alone. The entire crowd looked at her. Whispers fluttered between them like a plague, but then Dark Water approached, the woman who had given Sunflower her sunflower. She got on her knees and Sunflower looked at her. The little girl’s fists were clenched, and she had solemn, wide eyes that could gaze for a hundred years.

Dark Water reached out to her, gently touched her arm and said, “I’m sorry.” A tear rolled down the woman’s face, and Sunflower leaped forward to hug her and began to cry loudly. The night was over, but the day had just begun.

Fallen Tree put an arm around his wife and sighed deeply. Earlier someone helped him move Red Spear’s body where The God Whisperer wouldn’t get it, and maybe when the fires died they could get Standing Deer’s body too. Jaguar Claw and The God Whisperer could rot in the jungle for all that they’re worth. Even Jaguar Claw’s wife didn’t seem to mind that he was gone.

The hunters told everyone what had happened, and that when Jaguar Claw ordered them to murder a child they wouldn’t. Many of the villagers cried that the gods would destroy them now, and as the fire and smoke spread all day that looked to be true, but on the second day it rained, and the village was spared.

Without The God Whisperer, many stories and traditions died with her, but they still had Sunflower and her amazing powers to inspire new faiths. The God Whisperer’s hut was given to her, but instead she chose to live with Fallen Tree and Dark Water, and they loved her like their own daughter.

Seasons changed, and the temple lay abandoned. Fallen Tree became reasonably adept at leading the hunters, and eventually there would be newborn children who could see the panther’s toy too. Sunflower never aged, and it seemed that she would stay a child forever. She still couldn’t sleep, and she still couldn’t eat, but she had all the time in the world to discover what the panther’s toy was, and whether it was worth her parents’ deaths.

Many years would pass, and the stones of a new temple were laid over the old one. Someday, at a very old age, after an entire generation of villagers had passed, Sunflower would trust the panther’s toy to the next priestess.
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In