NOVEL WEB Chapter 039: The Nine Sisters Tribe
I hold Nugund’s hand and it helps me to calm down slowly. When my sobbing finally stops, he helps me stand up. I peck his cheek and hug him; we do all this in silence – words are unnecessary here and now.
After a while I am able to finally look closer at the mass of Tribekin. I’m immediately surprised that most of them seem to be kids, but it makes a lot of sense actually – most of adults probably have better things to do right now… then again – sex, of all things, seem to be one of them. Still, there are some adults here and there, most of them carrying weapons; I guess they must have been on guard duty. Most of them seem to be Softkin, although there are also many Smoothkin; but the biggest surprise are the few members of other species I notice.
The person that stands the most is a tall, muscular Human man in his early thirties; his facial features, floral patterns of tattoos on his dark skin and scent bear a striking resemblance to Chieftain Yuras; in fact, now as I look – and smell – more meticulously, I notice the similarities between him and a number of kids in the crowd. It makes my mind instantly conjure pictures of that boulder of a man getting steamy with multiple women – and it makes me feel a complex mix of emotions: there is curiosity, fascination, embarrassment, and even envy! Especially the last one gives me a pause – have I always been so… lustful?
My musings don’t last long; they are interrupted by the very object of them. “Oh! And this here is Kora, a daughter of Goddess Alaranna and Goddess Zoraya! And I confirmed her power myself!” I hide behind Nugund, suddenly getting very shy and self-conscious – only partially because I’m wearing just a fur wrapped around my body – as tens of pairs of eyes turn to me; I did not expect the pure and excited gaze of tens of amazed children to affect me so much. “And that reminds me, Sarhum” he turns to the Human man. “Call everyone to the meeting – all Elders, Witches, Taborites, Vodyakin and the others; you know!”
“Yes, father” the man accepts his command, simultaneously confirming my suspicion; he then throws a glance at me and nods, before turning back and quickly departs, issuing his own orders to a few adults on the way. He strikes me as a more stoic and serious person than the Krolsun.
“Is Goddess really your mommy?!” As I stand here paralysed by sudden attention and commotion, a high-pitched, excited voice calls out to me. I look down to see a small Lisithun with silver fur and big, blue eyes, filled with adoration; if that wasn’t enough to identify him as Pola’s son (Rad, if my memory serves me right), then his smell – not to mention her holding his hand – would be enough to recognise him.
“I… Err” I swallow to moisten my parched throat and to calm down my nerves – with little success. “Umm… That’s what some say” I finally answer – in a somewhat dodgy way; it doesn’t feel good, so I quickly explain. “The truth is, I’ve never met my parents in this life…”
“Uoh! Really?!” That, weirdly enough, makes him even more excited. “That’s a bit like me! I haven’t met my dad, too – but I’ve heard he’s really cool!” As I struggle to find a comeback to his statements, other kids start talking simultaneously… and I freeze, suddenly realising I have no idea how to deal with them! It dawns on me that I’ve been hospitalised forever and I’ve never really interacted with children face to face in my past life – not even when I was younger!
“Kora! Let’s go!” The voice of Yuras is a lifeline I needed to shake off my torpor. I still feel anxious and agitated, but I muster enough energy to move; it helps that Pola and Nugund are close by and give me support – even Olka, surrounded by her siblings, smiles at me. I clutch at Nyx tighter – and it also helps to calm my nerves. Carried by their encouragement, I proceed through the gates, into the camp.
Unfortunately, my bravado doesn’t last long.
As soon as we enter the camp proper, I am assaulted by a cacophony of sensations. The clutter – no longer distant – makes me dizzy. The hordes of people staring at me makes me uncomfortable – and some of them are even catcalling me! But the worst is the smell – the sheer, overwhelming mass of information I pick up inadvertently, causes my head to start hurting again! And the further we go, the worse it all gets.
I realise it’s not the kids I have troubles dealing with. It’s the crowds.
I feel as in daze, all the details of what we pass by slipping out of my mind as soon as they appear there. I am aware that my lovers are talking to me – and even of the concern in their voices – but I have no idea what they say. Still, the knowledge they are here with me is enough to keep me going, despite my heart beating in my throat and the frequency of my breaths trying to match my pulse. I feel as if I’m going to faint.
Luckily, we arrive to the clearing and stop there; it must be our destination. The crowd thins out and it allows my thoughts to clear a bit. I look around, agitated – thankfully, I notice a good spot. I grab Nugund, Pola and her son and carry them to the corner between two tents, as swiftly as gale. I put my friends down and tuck myself behind them, with my back to the walls; then I nuzzle the Lisitha, inhaling her scent. I stay that way until it calms me down enough for me to notice that my hands – and my whole body – are shaking.
“Here, take this” I don’t jump only because I recognize Olka’s voice. I look up and see her holding a bowl with some sort of steaming liquid; I feel like I’m on a verge of tears.
“I… I… I c-can’t” I manage to push out. “M-my h-h-h-hands…” I struggle to even speak, but she gets me and smiles warmly. Then she puts the bowl to my lips and helps me drink it.
I feel coldness spread through me; not an unpleasant one, like that time with the bear – it is calming and relaxing instead. Even my flames chill out, absorbing it rather than fighting it. When the bowl is finished, my nerves are slowly getting soothed; soon I feel much better, my shivering subdues, my mind clears and the sensations from the surroundings get dimmer. I blink and smile to reassure my friends who are watching me with worried faces.
“Feeling better, darling?” A new voice, hoarse and elderly, startles me. I turn towards it and to my surprise I see a short Beaverwoman, crooked with age and leaning on a staff; her wise and kind eyes are brown with a slight purple sheen, and the same is true for her fur. She wears some clothes, but they are lost under numerous talismans, mostly made from bones, and a literal mountain of pouches; they are the source of a strong herbal odour intermixed with her own scent so thoroughly I cannot fully separate the two. Finally – but most importantly – magic seeps off of her.
“Ah!” I notice I’ve been staring at her in silence and blush a little. “Y-yes! Did you make that… potion? Thank you very much!” My flustered words of gratitude solicit a wide grin and a croaking laughter from her; it calms me in a strange way.
“That’s good to hear” she comments cheerfully and ruffles my hair; it feels unexpectedly nice. “My apprentice here was really worried about you” she moves to tousle the embarrassed Olka. “You must be a really nice girl to get her to like you so much” she cackles and I know that if the Risitha was able to blush she would be beetroot red right now.
“Now, I am sure your story is a fascinating one – but I am also sure we are going to hear it soon” declares the elderly Bobala as her laughter subdues. “I still have a few words to exchange with little Mara, so I’ll leave you alone for now” and thus she turns away, urging the young Lynxgirl to stay with us.
“So… who is she?” I ask as she slowly trudges through the much smaller crowd.
“That was Baba Tika, the second oldest Witch in our tribe” chimes in Nugund. “Only Baba Yaga is older, but that’s not a fair comparison” he shakes his head and everyone else nods. I tilt my head, confused.
“Why? Is she immortal or something? Is that even possible? Or…” I flood my friends with questions, but stop when they start chuckling; I look at them in confusion – then at the little Rad, who seems to be as bewildered as me.
“It’s nothing” says Pola between laughs. “It’s good to have you back – we were all seriously worried about you” she abruptly turns more serious and caresses my cheek with a sad smile. “I’ve seen Kin and others getting scared, or anxious in a crowd, but… not to such an extent as you – although I believe that your recent head injury is at least partially to blame, and you need a long rest – but hey!” Her smile brightens again. “Now that we are here we can have some fun later!” I blush, knowing exactly what kind of fun she has on her mind. “It will take at least a few days to prepare an attack on the dragon – so we have plenty of time! I even already know who I should introduce you to…”
“I hope we are among those people, dear sister!” A cheerful sounding, feminine voice suddenly calls out to us and we all look that way. Slowly approaching us is a pair of Lisithi, a man being lead by hand by a woman, both seemingly in their early twenties. Their looks – beautiful silvery fur in particular – and smell make it easy for me to realise they are my Moonberry’s younger siblings she mentioned in passing a few times. That, but little Rad referring to them as aunt and uncle also helped.
As the family reunites, I manage take a closer look at them. While the sisters appear very similar at the first glance, subtle differences start being noticeable when they hug each other; my lover is slightly taller and curvier – especially her bust is about 2 cups bigger – while her sister is a bit more muscular and her tail appears to be longer. Besides that, their fashion sense is very similar, the biggest difference being the anklets + bracelets set Pola has.
Not wanting to stare at them too long, I turn my attention to the man; what strikes me immediately is that he is blind – and it doesn’t look like it’s a fresh injury. Despite that, he radiates self-confidence and self-assurance. He’s also quite attractive, which is accentuated by his flamboyant attire (topless pants and a lot of jewellery – even his nipples and navel are pierced!) and the fact he’s clearly well-groomed. And the way he smells… His scent is different from the raw, masculine musk of Nugund, being enhanced by perfumes clearly matched to enhance his natural fragrance; I can’t help but get slightly aroused and fascinated by it.
“You like what you see and smell, don’t you?” He asks me with a playful grin, shockingly similar to that of his older sister’s; I blush at his callout, suddenly getting shy and self-conscious; however, he isn’t finished yet. “Well, the feeling’s mutual – Pola’s always had a good taste in women – but I think you might be the best one yet; your Aura is truly exceptional! I hope we can get acquainted closer pretty soon!” He laughs merrily while I'm partially flustered, partially flattered and partially confused; I’ve been hiding my Aura, haven’t I? “But we are getting too ahead – so let’s start from the beginning: I’m Miro of clan Linar and this is my twin sister, Mira” he gestures towards the woman, who smiles – friendly, not lecherously – and waves to me. “And what is your name?”
“I-I’m Kora…” I manage to utter only the beginning of my own introduction, but words get stuck in my throat. There’s a powerful presence approaching – and everyone can feel it. The idle talks all abruptly stop, replaced by the air of anticipation.
I look to the source of the waves that swept over us, to see an old, short, haggard and hunched Beastwoman, leaning on a long staff. Her appearance confuses and baffles me and I cannot link it to a single species: at first glance, she appears to be some sort of a Ratkin, but her large, deer-like antlers, her long, bushy, raccoon-like tail, her yellow, cat-like eyes and violet sheen to her dark fur, all baffle me to no end. She wears a dark cloak covered in various trinkets made from various materials… with a substantial dominance of bone and stone.
She appears physically weak and fragile, but it’s an obvious false first impression – something in her gaze, her bearing and an aura of authority she commandeers makes me believe her to be even more frightening in a fight than Chieftain Yuras the Boulder. That, and the fact that everything on her radiates magic – especially her staff, which even has its own Aura.
To my unending shock and terror, she notices my gaze – and gazes back. Her eyes drill deep into me – it’s as if she’s peering directly into my soul. I feel judged and it’s… uncomfortable, to say the least. I break into cold sweat when she notices my collar – seemingly recognising where I got it from – and narrows her eyes; luckily for me, her attention finally turns elsewhere… and I think I know who she is.
“Is that woman… the rumoured Baba Yaga?” I whisper, still shaken by the experience.
“She is” Olka quietly confirms my assumption. “But be quiet now; the Grand Council is about to begin!”
