Chapter 18: Chapter 17 – Bloody Vultures

Pulling on her grass skirt, Nolkonoe glanced over her shoulder to see Charlie embroiled in the arms of the Chiefess as she insisted on washing his privates. As she did this, he tried to scramble away, but soon gave up as he felt the warms lips of the Chiefess press against his. Smiling at him, she flicked her hair over her shoulders. These were one of the few times the women would ever force themselves upon anyone. The two were marking him, leaving their scent on him to ward off those who may of have done him harm.

A few giggles went up from the bush line. Glancing over, Nolkonoe felt her heart begin to race as she saw the black fur ears and wagging tales from the bushes. Turning to look at Charlie. Oh, thank God, he hadn’t seen them. Rushing over to the bush line, she began to angrily whisper and quality borate the girls.

“What do you think you are doing?” She muttered down at the girls, her hands on her hips as she said this.

“What do you mean?” One girl answered back innocently. Her tall wolf ear draping alongside the other girls.

“Your ears! Your tales! What if he saw them?” Nolkonoe said, glancing over her shoulder to see if he had seen them yet.

“We were listening to your conversation with him, and we thought we would help by showing him our true forms,” the first girl answered back.

“Yeah! If he saw us, then he would understand that we only dominate men or women to show who is in charge and dominant. Unlike that bastard Region Lord, he isn’t worthy to dominate us!” A second girl said.

Nolkonoe shushed them as she again glanced back to see if Charlie had noticed. She wouldn’t, no, she couldn’t allow him to know that their tribe quite often forced people into sexual situation as it was pack instinct to show dominance. She couldn’t tell him that the reason they hated the Region Lord for doing it was because he wasn’t one of them, and thus was just a rapist, not like the dominance traditions of the tribe. The reasons for them forcing someone to have sex was out of tradition and dominance, not malicious like the Region Lord.

This was logic outsiders tended to disagree with, as probably would Charlie. So, it was best for the time being to not tell him the full truth, and only present to him what the tribe and his people both saw as evil. Also, the fact that they were demi-wolves was something that Nolkonoe wasn’t sure how he would react to.

“Leave it for a while. Only in three days when the leaders of the tribe do the dominance ritual where we shall forcefully take him into the pack will you be allowed to show your true forms,” Nolkonoe said back to the girls.

Each nodded and disappeared back into the brush. Glancing over her shoulder again, she saw that Phukomeia now held his arms by his side while the Chiefess placed loving licks and kisses onto his neck and face. Again, signs of dominance and affection. Not at all meant to be seen as something harmful to him. Smirking, she couldn’t hold her instincts back anymore. Getting onto all fours like the wild beast she was, she stalked up behind Charlie. Placing her teeth onto his neck, she growled.

“Oh shit,” he said, jumping slightly under her bite.

“Relax, I won’t hurt you. Just remember when you are deciding on who to help, that we only ever do this out of a place of affection for you,” Nolkonoe explained as the Chiefess gave off a little growl at her. The Chiefess’s way of telling her to not get to comfortable with him.

“I see…but why?” he said as the Chiefess continued her ritual licking and kissing of his neck and now upper chest. Laughing slightly, Nolkonoe responded.

“Simple, we have a long relationship with you. We imprinted on you a long time ago my little one. When your father had visited our tribe with you as a child, we had each imprinted on you as a member of our pack. That’s why were are so much more forward with you than we would be with other men. Most men would usually turn down our advances and that would be it, but with you…” she gentle licked the side of his face before nibbeling his ear lobe.

“You are too special to us to let go,” Nolkonoe finished as she joined in with toying with him. Charlie had lost track of what she was saying halfway through her sentence as Phukomeia began to massage his scalp and the Chiefess began to gently kiss him again.

Eventually the women released him, finished their bath, and left the pool. Once dressed, the women swarmed Charlie again. The Chiefess stood back annoyed, but willing to allow what was to happen next.

“Charlie, my adorable little pup, we have an offer for you today, to help you make up your mind,” Phukomeia said as she stood close enough so he could feel her breath against himself, but not close enough to touch physically.

“Indeed, we wish for you to spend a day with the Vultures. Learn our ways of life, learn why we commit our evils,” she said, wanting to be able to explain their lives to him in hope he would understand why they did what they did. All in the name of vengeance, honour, and sacrifice.

Charlie took a few steps back from the women, going into a professional mode.

“So, this is basically your way of saying you want to try and convince me to see your side of things. Lets try and be professional about this,” Charlie said, his eyes focusing on the two Vulture girls. The two women smile, and even the slightly confused on what they were saying, Chiefess smirked at the sudden seriousness on his face.

“Good, looks like you’re ready. Come, I’ll show you what you shall be doing for the day, but first there are some people I would like you to meet,” Nolkonoe said, gesturing for him to follow her as she turned and began to strut off with the Chiefess and Phukomeia behind her.

Not wanting to be left behind, Charlie quickly jogged after them. All walked jungle for a while, passing several women on their way to bathe in the river. Keeping close to the side of Nolkonoe, all four soon got back to the village. The Chiefess hugged Charlie, gave him a kiss that lasted for a little too long, and eventually, reluctantly handed him over to Nolkonoe. But not before having Nolkonoe and other Vultures in attendance who had followed that they would not lay a hand on him in a violent or sexual manner.

After the women swore, they watched as the Chiefess left to do her tribal duties that day. The second she was out of sight, the women pounced. Their hands grabbed his arms and legs. Hoisting him upwards, they caried him above their heads.

“Oh fuck,” Charlie muttered, reluctant to the fact he was starting to get used to this way of acting done by the women. To avoid admitting embarrassment, he kept his eyes locked onto Nolkonoe, so he didn’t see all the laughing native women staring and heckling him as he was carried through the village.

They arrived back at the Vulture compound. This time though they moved past the houses that first greeted them as they entered. The moved past the house where the sacrifice had taken place, and they moved deeper into the inside of the compound. Soon enough they reached a large tribal tent made from sticks and cloths. Entering the hut of red and white cloth, he was taken along the Nolkonoe to a large wooden throne adorned with feathers and furs.

Nolkonoe sat down on the chair. Charlie was plopped onto a pile of furs next to her. The women that had carried him in quickly left the room. Nolkonoe and Charlie were now left alone in the room.

“There is something I wish to show you,” Nolkonoe said before calling something in her native tongue. Several women moved into the hut. Their bodies riddled with scars and blemishes. White paint smothered across their skin. Crisp and shard pieces of hair were only barely hidden by their longer, untouched hair. Corded grass skirts that hung around their wastes were cut and scorched.

The five women knelt down in front of them.

“These are five of my warriors. They were scent out in a group of eighteen, they are all that remain," Nolkonoe said, her eyes sinking with pity as she looked down at the women. Charlie straightened his back.  Looking down at them, he stared into their eyes. Each had stares that seemed to have no goal, they just simply looked forward. A thousand-yard stare.

“Why were they sent out?” Charlie questioned as he looked further into the mindless eyes.

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“It was about two weeks ago and because of a food shortage. Their job was to find food or become food. They were attacked by nomads. Thirty in total from what they estimate. Only recently based of the meat of the Desert Crawlers and food rations from your people have we been able to get over the famine. There were eight who had returned safely, but three had to be sacrificed so that the tribe may eat,” Nolkonoe looked down on the women. Raising a hand, she wiped the beginnings of a tear from her eyes.

“Don’t you hunt on the Region Lords land? Why resort to such drastic measures?” Charlie said, wanting to see a more peaceful solution to what they were saying.

“We can’t afford the tax he has implemented. For five years it has been like this. Us having to go far beyond our lands for food, buy food at great prices from your people, face vicious monsters that would probably kill us, or…” she gestured a hand towards the women, “eat our own,” Nolkonoe’s eyes didn’t change, as if this was a usual sight. Charlie bit his bottom lip. Slight tickles of blood started to appear. So the cannibalism was caused by him and his taxes… Another crime that added to Charlie’s roster of reasons to hate him.

“I see…” he muttered, get only a glance of the dire situation they were now in.

“Each here have seen their sisters, friends, mothers, tortured and slaughtered by the raiders and despite their pain,” Nolkonoe took out a long knife and placed it to the neck of one of the women.

“In two days, the food given by the merchants will run out, and the meat of the Desert Crawlers shall have become rotten. When that time comes, these five shall face the roasting spit and become sacrifices for the tribe. But they don’t have to be…” Nolkonoe stood from her chair. Gesturing macabrely for Charlie to follow. Rising from his seat, he followed her.

Moving outside, Charlie immediately saw the large stone altar set at the centre of the compound. Fifty, maybe sixty or so women all dressed in the white paint (except for their faces, as was custom) and wielding large war spears stood around the altar.

“We plan to launch a counterattack as we hear the raiders will have food for us. What I ask you is are you willing to help us? We don’t exactly need your help, but I wish for you to see our lives first-hand before you decided whether or not the evil, we have committed is compared to that of the others,” Nolkonoe said as she walked him to the altar, her knife still in hand.

“We only do what we do out of either vengeance or necessity,” Nolkonoe took the knife and shoved its handle against Charlie’s chest. Shakily he took the knife from her.

“Two days it will take, but we shall take our vengeance. Bring forward the sacrifice!” Nolkonoe yelled. The women cheered as her words were translated. Phukomeia marched out of the hut in which the enemy warrior was sacrificed. Two women followed her, both holding a young woman in a murky blue paint was struggling in her arms.

She was dragged to the altar. The women spent no time in pinning her to the altar. Now seeing the woman up close, Charlie could now see the different coloured parts of her skin. Not paint, but her skin.

“This is one of the raiders we captured alongside the man when we freed the five in my hut. You see those different colour patches of skin? Well, those are where she has carved off the flesh of enemy warriors and sowed in onto herself,” Nolkonoe informed him.

Looking at the trembling boy, she saw the look of hate and fear starting to form in his eyes. Looking up the Charlie, the woman started to spit and scream what he could only assume to be slurs and threats at him. Naturally he stepped back as he saw her sharpened, knife-like teeth. He could see what she meant now by these people were not humans but monsters. Seeing Charlie was starting to understand the brutality a little more, she saw an opportunity to make him commit.

“What she is saying is that she wishes to commit a blood hawk on you,” she said as she was handed a bowl by Phukomeia.

“Bl…Blood hawk?” Charlie asked out of morbid curiosity. But in reality, he didn’t want to proceed further in learning about the brutality of this woman and her raider tribe.

“They bind their victims, and then slowly slice open their back. They then peal out their skin to make it look like you have a pair of wings. Finally, they then leave like that until you die, an agenizing and slow death. See what I meant now? We are no where as evil as these people. So, when the question is asked of who the lesser evil is, that would defiantly be us,” Nolkonoe said as she walked around to the other side of the woman. Placing the bowl down, she had Phukomeia escort Charlie to the side of the woman.

“Raise your knife and show us that you are worthy to help us, show us we can rely on you, show us you are a warrior,” Nolkonoe demanded as two women held him still. Phukomeia then helped him to raise the knife above the chest of the woman.

“Isn’t there a better way? Why would killing this woman change anything?” He tried to plead, not wanting to see where this was going.

“We kill her to prevent further evil for being committed by her. She is a monster; you have seen that. She shall pay for her crimes with her blood!” Phukomeia said as she tightened her grip around his wrist. The two women by his side kept him still as Nolkonoe prepared a knife of her own. Charlie started to whimper as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. Nolkonoe nodded to the two women. They let him lose as Phukomeia embraced him.

“I…I’m, oh GOD! I’m so sorry!” Charlie cried as Phukomeia embraced him tighter.

“Its alright, its alright, we’ll look after you. We just wanted you to feel what we must feel,” Phukomeia explained as she placed soft, yet loving kisses onto the side of his face. Moving her face to look him in the eyes, she placed another kiss onto him.

A thud, cracking of bone, and tearing of flesh filled his ears as Phukomeia embraced him. The women around him cheered, and from over his shoulder he saw the women from the hut crying as they screamed and pumped their fists in the air. This sacrifice meant so much to them… Looking to the altar, he watched as Nolkonoe filled the bowl she had with blood.

The warrior women in white formed a semi-circle. Moving around the circle, she painted each woman in the blood of the sacrifice. Each woman was given two stripes on each cheek before the wings of a bird were crudely drawn on their chest and back. Another woman then placed three large feathers into their hair. Once all women were painted, Nolkonoe moved over to Charlie. Phukomeia moved around him. Gently wrapping her arms around his back, she allowed Nolkonoe to approach him.

“Will you join us? Will you help us take revenge on both the Region lord who has driven us to cannibalism and the raiders who have summoned our warrior spirits?” Nolkonoe said, her eyes locking with his. He was seventeen. Far too young for this. Yet maybe it was the subtle aura given off from the Chiefess’s mark, or maybe It was something else, but Nolkonoe could feel a strong spirt coming from him.

Nodding, Charlie met her gaze.

“I’ll help you, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t get blood on my clothes…” Nolkonoe smiled at his words. Her adorable puppy was slowly turning into a wolf. Or maybe just a little bigger of a puppy as she saw him wipe a few tears from his eyes.

 

 

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