The Sacrifice

Chapter one

Oriana's hopes died when three days later she opened the doors of her house to meet a large retinue of women and men willing to use force to drag her into the forest. She could not say a word, her throat had suddenly closed and it did not allow her to let any sound pass. She stepped to one side of the door, allowing them to pass as the tears rolled down her cheek. There was no point in begging or resisting, she would be dragged into the forest anyway, and left in the open until the beast arrived and devoured her, even if that implied that she was taken unconscious to the point of sacrificing her. Oriana still remembered the last girl that had been taken from her town; she could still see how they dragged her body languid of her through the streets. And Oriana preferred to face everything awake. Perhaps it was her hope, her absurd hope that whispered to her that if she stayed alert enough time she could face anything, even survive.

The same old women who had once been in her house to tell her that her parents could not be saved, were now in charge of purifying her for the rite. Oriana could not help thinking, even sarcastically, that those healers were not even close to what their title said, on the contrary, they were announcers of death.

The three women stripped her naked and bathed her, then they began to cover her with oils that a human could smell in the distance, she was sure that the beast could smell her before she set a foot in the forest. Finally they dressed her, and Oriana hated, as she had done every time she saw one of the young women walking or being dragged into the forest, the dress that they put on her body. It was so translucent that it was practically the same as walking naked. She hated it because it was not enough for them to bring them to a certain death, but they must also humiliate them in the process.

As soon as they finished their work they tied her hands and led her out of the house. One of her best friends approached her with tears in her eyes. She hugged her and then placed a wreath of flowers on her head. It was a show of respect and appreciation for her sacrifice. As soon as she released her she found herself in a long path of people. Many she recognized, some of them were neighbors or friends, and others were completely strangers. They all formed a corridor to the forest, which was not far from her house. At least in that, her agony would be short. As soon as she started walking, the people who formed the road to her death began to throw flowers at her bare feet. Flowers just as beautiful as her, flowers equally forced to die prematurely, in her maximum splendor.

Oriana walked keeping her head high, and somehow managed not to even cry. She entered the forest when the sun was setting on the horizon, marking the start of the winter solstice. As soon as she set foot in the forest the flowers stopped falling at her feet and the people dispersed silently. Three men along with the reapers were the only ones who kept walking with her. They marched until they reached a clearing in the woods where a post was fixed. They tied her already gagged wrists to the top of the post, forcing her to keep her arms extended upward. They said goodbye to her with only a nod, leaving her completely alone in the forest.

Oriana remained motionless and silent for hours. She could see in detail how the light was extinguished so that then the moon began its slow rise in the celestial vault. When impatience began to draw to her body and the position of her arms became painful, she heard noises from the other side of the clearing. She remained completely stiff as she watched as a huge wolf came out of the forest.

The beast, she thought.

But then another wolf just as huge appeared, and then another, and another. Oriana couldn't tell if she was more scared or confused. All her life she had been told about the beast, in the singular, and now, in front of her she had an army of beasts. She couldn't help laughing sadly at herself, at her stupid hope. She never had a chance to survive.

She resigned himself to die, and thought that it was a better fate anyway, she no longer had anyone in this world, and perhaps if she died she would meet his family again. But then, the first beast that had come out of the forest shifted into a man... a slim man and... completely naked.

"I claim her" said the man.

At that three more beasts transformed and stood naked before her as men.

"I claim her".

"I claim her."

Oriana couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing, she couldn't believe even though the beasts continued to take human form in front of her and saying the same absurd words. In the end there were nine men who remained standing, and they all looked at her as if she were the last prey on earth.

"I claim her"

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Hello! I hope you liked it. And I want to say that English it's my second language, so it would really help me if you could correct any mistake that you find