The Apsara and the Rakshasi

Chapter 1

author's note: i haven't written creatively in 3 years pls don't crucify me

also i am a hindu indian so most of this should be pretty accurate but it won't be 100%

also x2 pls lmk if there's any mistakes, i wrote all of this on not very much sleep

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"Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ Suvaha Tat-savitur Vareñyaṃ Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt," Yamini sings with her hands folded together, sitting on her knees on the ground. She had woken up shortly before and had bathed in the nearby lake before then heading back to her family's pooja room.

Her family's house was just big enough for the four of them—her, her mom, her dad, and her sister. It was in the middle of a dense forest which made it well hidden. The house was made up of three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a powder room. However, their house didn't have an area to bathe in so they would go to the nearby lake instead. While there was a nearby village for rakshasas and rakshasis, her family preferred to be more isolated, hence the house in the middle of a dense forest.

Her family may have been made up of rakshasas and rakshasis but that didn't mean they couldn't pray, it's not like all of them are evil and oppose the gods and goddesses. Rakshasas and rakshasis may be shapeshifting demons but that doesn't make them all automatically bad.

"Yamini, beta, come here please!" her mother called from the kitchen. Yamini got up and quickly made her way to the kitchen, "Yes, maa? What do you need?"

Yamini looked very similar to her mother—both of them had tan skin that was typical for north Indians, the same long eyelashes, and the same sharp facial features. She had inherited her short stature from her mother as well. As for what she inherited from her father, her hair colour was a lighter orange and white much like her father's whereas her mother had darker orange and white hair. She also got her eye colour—black irises with yellow scleras—from him.

"Could you please go hunt for food? Your father has already gone to the village for work and we don't have much left. Your sister needs to eat." "Of course I can, I should be back before noon." Yamini responded. "Thank you. Please be safe, my child," her mom said, kissing her forehead. "I will maa, don't worry. I love you and I'll see you soon. Jai Shri Krishna." "Jai Shri Krishna, I love you too."

Yamini made her way out of her house and straight into the forest that surrounded it. The part of the forest that her house was in had been cleared out to accommodate for it.

She didn't spend too much time locating her prey, she was a tiger rakshasi after all, and tigers have a strong sense of hearing. She quietly shifted into her tiger form to make it easier to catch the big deer she had been keeping her eyes on.

Once she got close enough, she pounced. She tackled the deer to the ground before biting its neck to kill it. She made sure it was truly dead before carrying it back to her house using her mouth.

"Maa, I caught this deer for us. We should have enough food for the next few days now." It helped that she, her mother, and her father fasted for a couple days in a week. These fasts would involve eating only once a day, which her younger sister was far too young to do. Her mom greeted her at the entrance, "Thank you, beta. This deer should last us around a week." Yamini gave a small smile in response and then said, "No problem, Maa. I'm going to go bathe in the lake again. I have dirt and the deer's blood all over me and my sarre. I'll have to wash it while I'm there too. I'll be back soon." "Okay, see you soon," her mom said while tucking some of her hair back. Yamini smiled and then went to grab a different saree, a maroon one this time instead of another pink one, to wear after bathing before leaving the house again.

The lake was quite covered by a barrier of trees and other sorts of foliage. It was not a spot most people found without walking very deep into the forest because of how hidden it was. Yamini arrived at the lake a few minutes after leaving her house. She quickly removed her dirty saree and placed it to the side, deciding she'd wash it after she bathed.

She carefully washed the dirt and blood off her face and body before grabbing her saree from where she had left it and washing it carefully too. While washing her saree, she heard footsteps from somewhere fairly close to the lake. This put her on high alert, 'What if it's a human?' She thought to herself. 'I know that humans have been spotted more often around the forests and nearby villages.' Humans would often try to catch lone rakshasas and rakshasis off guard to attempt to attack or kill them, even in the forests and the nearby villages despite those places being supposedly safe.

Someone appeared from the trees, a woman, clearly celestial considering the golden glow radiating off of her. The woman had curly black hair and was wearing a lot of jewelry with a purple saree.

'An apsara...' Yamini thought, 'I didn't think there were any apsaras around here...' The apsara saw Yamini and immediately turned around after giving a quick "Sorry." 'That was weird.'

Yamini finished washing her saree and then put it on a rock to dry a bit while she draped the other saree around herself. She picked up the other saree before heading back to her house. Once she got back to her house, she hung up her saree on the indoor drying rack that had been made out of tree branches. By this point, her father had returned home already. "Jai Shree Krishna, baba," she says, hugging him. "Jai Shree Krishna, Yamini," he says, hugging her back. She pulls away, "Have you seen or heard about any apsara coming around?" He asked her, confused, "No, why?" "Oh um...no reason." "Okay..." he looked at her skeptically.

"Lunch is ready!" Yamini's mother called from the kitchen. Yamini and her father walk to the kitchen and sit down on the floor mats where her sister is already sitting. There were banana leaves that were used as plates laid out on the mats. They all put food onto their banana leaves and then put their hands together in a quick prayer before they all started eating.

They were eating a wild boar that had been killed around a week ago, seasoned with red chili powder, salt, and turmeric. It was the last bit of food they had before starting on the deer. They finished eating quickly and Yamini helped clean up before going to take an afternoon nap.

'I wonder if I'll see that apsara again tomorrow...' she thought before drifting off.

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mantra at the start: gayatri mantra for peace, joy, grace, prosperity

pooja: the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals

rakshasi/rakshasa: shapeshifting demons, however they aren't always evil

beta: a nickname for your child

apsara: celestial being, known for being beautiful, they do have shapeshifting abilities