When next I opened my eyes, it was to feel surprisingly refreshed. I hadn't even realized that I felt all that drained in the first place. But I awoke quickly, and not groggy in the slightest, my eyes just snapping open as if I had only blinked. For a split second I actually thought that maybe I hadn't slept at all, till I remembered my strange dream conversation with a god and the fact that the quality of light filtering into the room seemed different.
Then it hit me: I'm the land god...
What the hell! There just had to be some mistake. Who in their right mind would make me in charge of anything, much less a freaking god? Maybe these 'True Gods' Aeros spoke of were not in their right minds. Or maybe they were bored, and thought that making a woman who, till yesterday, couldn't even control her own bowl movements, into a a god was super funny. They must have a really great sense of humor. They made me- a human- the land god to a country of monsters.
I jumped to my feet- still a novelty to be honest- and began to pace in my little room, ringing my hands and trying not to panic. This was all too much! I never asked for this in a literal sense! Watch what you wish for!
"Miss Enna? Are you awake?" Spoke a voice from the other side of my tent flap. I saw a set of reddish paws at the door.
"Ah, yes, sorry." I said awkwardly. I hurried for the door and pulled it open, stepping out into the hall.
I had not expected to walk out into a little crowd of foxkin. But that is what happened. I was surrounded by about ten of the little fox faced people, among them being Elder Brax and his daughter Brixie. And all of them were looking up at me with open mouths, their round eyes even bigger than I remembered.
"It is true..." Breathed an older foxkin that I did not recognize. He- She?- was about as tall as Brax but had long, grey hair that looked odd with her silver dusted, red fox fur.
"Um, sorry, but why are you all crowded here?" I asked, alarmed. Did something happen while I was asleep?
"It appears that my hunch was correct." Answered Brax, nodding his head while the others gathered began to whisper amongst themselves.
"I'm afraid I have no idea what it is you are talking about?"
"Here." Said Brixie, and she held out what appeared to be a small hand mirror in her equally small paws. Her eyes were wide and kind of awestruck. Did I have drool on my face? Because that would not surprise me at this point.
I took the tiny object from her, and raised it up to my face. There were two things that I noticed at nearly the same time. One: My hair, reflected in the mirror, had turned a creamy white color. And two: the hands clutching the mirror were glowing faintly. Huh?
"You are, our new land god..." Smiled Brax, and he brought his paws together at chest height then bowed slightly to me. Suddenly all the foxkin gathered were doing the same.
"Ah! No, that's not- Ummm." I really wasn't sure what to say. I did know that I wasn't too comfortable with them bowing to me, however.
"I understand you must be confused." Said Brax kindly. "Come, let us all settle in for a chat, shall we?"
Brax got the other foxkin in order pretty quick, and, before I knew it, there was a flurry of activity around me. Brixie took my hand in her paw and pulled me farther down the hall while Brax ordered that tea and a meal be prepared.
Brixie led me into another room down the hall. It was about the same size as the one I had slept in but was much homier. There was a low, wooden, bed piled with furs, what looked to be a wooden dresser, two chairs, also draped with animal pelts, near a window that was letting in a gentle breeze. On the walls were yet more furs and a few bone ornaments. Against the dresser leaned a bow and quiver of arrows that Brixie scooped up, clicking her tongue in annoyance. "Ozzie is always leaving his things around..." She said.
"You and he share this room?" I asked, standing near the flap awkwardly.
She shook her head. "We did, but he is grown now and has a room of his own. But that does not seem to stop him from leaving his things all over the place." She sighed. "Boys."
I chuckled and watched as she pulled open a drawer at the bottom of her dresser. Brixie pulled out an ornately decorated wooden box. It was of some sort of light colored wood and had a small, golden latch. She stood and brought it over to the bed, waving me over at the same time. As I approached she unlatched the lid and lifted it, revealing some kind of iridescent copper colored fabric within.
Brixie reached in and pulled out the silky fabric and held it up to the sun light streaming in through the window. "Its beautiful." I said as the fox lady looked at it fondly.
"Yes." She said with a smile. "It is made from a silk only made by the moths that live deep in the mountains. Before Aeros abandoned us it was rare but obtainable. Now, with the goblins refusing any sort of trade with us, it is all but impossible to get. But once upon a time there were many of these about. This was my bonding shawl when I took Ozzie's father to be my mate... He died in a goblin attack when Ozzie was very young."
"I'm sorry..." I said truthfully. I never even had a boyfriend to loose, much less a husband. I could only imagine the pain that loss must have caused the strong willed woman standing before me.
Brixie shook her head, flashing me a sad smile. "It is the way of this world. He left me a very stubborn and willful son before he passed, so I am very grateful. Now... Now I would like to give this to you."
I was shocked. "No. you just said it was rare... and your wedding dress too! I couldn't possibly-"
"It is tradition for a mother to pass this on to her daughter, usually during a monumental point in her life. I have no daughter, and will have none either. It would be wasted here, in this box, collecting dust till I pass on and Ozzie sells it to another woman so that he may provide for his future young. Please, I wish you to have it." She held out the cloth and I hesitated a second before taking it. I assumed it was to be worn similar to a kimono back on earth as it looked mostly like a thin, shimmery blanket. "On a foxkin it is meant to be quite long, trialing on the ground. On you I think it will be about knee height. Better than that sheath you are wearing now at least. And much more fitting for a land god."
I swallowed hard, not entirely comfortable with that title even if I was beginning to accept the truth of it. But, mostly what I felt right now was gratitude. I got to my knees so that I was on eye level with the foxkin and culched the fabric tightly. "Thank you." I said, and felt my eyes begin to burn.
A kind and gentle expression crossed Brixie's foxy face. She raised a paw and wiped a tear off my cheek. "I have only heard a little of what your life was like before coming here Lady Enna, but I can tell that you have lived a difficult one. In a moment, you will be sitting In front of a bunch of fuddery old foxkin, all of them flustered and hoping to sway you in one way or another. I understand you do not know anything about the job thrust upon you, just know that you do have allies here. I see your kind heart."
Tears flowed freely but I did not sob like a baby as I wanted to. That was just too embarrassing. The truth was that, except when I was very small, I never received any gifts. maybe my family, and what few friends I had- mostly hospital staff- did not see the point in getting anything for a woman who could not even move. What use would I get from anything they might give me? but, it was a lonely thing, knowing that I was not thought of, even in that simplest of ways.
"Hush now." Brixie chuckled. "I agree, you need some color in that pale complexion, but red and splotchy is not flattering on much of anyone. let us get you presentable, then we will settle in for tea, yes?"
"Okay." I hiccoughed rather pathetically.
Brixie expertly got me wrapped up into the light fabric, even though I had to be on my knees for most of the wrapping. I was right that it was similar to images of traditional Japanese cloths I had seen. She tied it closed around my waist with a gold spun cord that was arranged rather like a corset tie around my middle. That done, Brixie pulled my now much whiter, and much longer, bangs out of my eyes with a copper and gold ribbon, loosely tied at the back of my head.
She stood back to examine her hard work. "Lovely." She smiled, clapping her paws together. "Now you look like a proper young lady."
"Are you sure this is alright?" I asked, smoothing a hand over the copper cloth in admiration. Despite it being so thin it was quite warm. My breasts were covered well, but the fabric hung loosely on my shoulders, leaving them mostly bare, and the sleeves were long enough that they would cover my hands if I let them. They must have been near unmanageable on a foxkin like Brixie. The end result was quite lovely, if a little nightgown like, on me. "Isn't this only supposed to be worn during a mating ceremony?" I almost called it a wedding again.
"No, not only. Traditionally it is warn by a woman on her mating day, and on special days there after."
"Then don't you still need it?" I didn't mention that it would be odd for me to wear it if i had never been married- er, mated.
Brixie shook her head. "It is not uncommon for women who have lost their mates to stop wearing their shawls. They carry memories, after all. The more wealthy women- in the past at least- may buy a new one to wear."
"Thank you Brixie, I will cherish this." I said, and I meant it too. This was the most heartfelt gift I had ever been given.
"Then I am glad." She gave me one last look over before clapping her hands together and announcing, "Alright! Time to get out there and face the music then. at least we will have some good food and tea while we listen to that group of blowhards, yes?"
I chuckled, and accepted the Foxkin's hand as she helped me to my feet. As we made our way back to the common room I could hear the other foxkin speaking in hurried whispers. I stepped out into the large room and saw that there was a fire burning in the pit still, and there were about a dozen foxkin seated on pillows around it. Everyone of them grew silent when I walked in and followed me with their eyes as Brixie led me to the far end of the room, where a pile of furs had been set up. Around the make shift seat were bowls of berries and apples, woven baskets of bread and, somewhere, I could smell some kind of meat cooking. Oddly, my mouth watered but I felt no hunger or thirst. In fact, I had not eaten anything since coming here. I did not even drink my tea yesterday. Did being a land God mean I no longer needed nourishment?
"Lady Enna," Said Brax, getting to his feet from where he had been sitting to the right of the place they had set out for me. He bowed then gestured for me to take my place of honor. "Thank you for joining us. Please, sit, and enjoy the harvest with us."
"Um, thank you..." I said nervously and Brixie led me to the furs before settling herself on the pillow to my left.
"Not to worry." She whispered, leaning in toward me. "They won't bite." Then she winked before sitting back comfortably and accepting a clay cup from a young Foxkin girl.
The girl then approached me and bowed, offering me a cup as well. I took it with a quiet thank you, causing the girls eyes to widen before she flashed me a bright smile and skipped off to get more drinks for the others.
I watched Brixie take a sip and decided that meant that I could too. It was, indeed, a tea- sweet and milky and a tad bitter too. It was defiantly palatable and, seeing as it was the first thing to touch my palate in nearly two decades, heavenly. I smiled and blew on the beverage before taking another sip.
Brax nodded, pleased, before taking his seat and addressing his people. I noted that of the dozen or so people gathered, most seemed to be older. Maybe these were the head honchos of the community? That would make sense. I would imagine that a new land god appearing would be big news after all.
"As you can see," He said. "My hunch was correct. Lord Aeros has moved on and Lady Enna has risen to take his place as the land god of out country."
There was a moments silence before one of the surrounding foxkin got to her feet. She was short but not appearing to be as old as Brax. Maybe a little older than Brixie though. She had a fringe of dark hair and deep brown eyes. "But this is a human." She said, her voice softer than I would have expected. "How can a human be the land god for a country of monsters?"
Her words were not delivered with any heat, but I could almost feel the worry and anxiety rolling off the woman. She doubted my ability to guide and nourish this nation. I could sympathize, as I doubted it too.
"Brin... Look at her." Sighed Brax, waving a hand briefly my way. "You know as well as anyone that only the land Gods emit that glow."
I looked down at the hands grasping my cup. They were still glowing. It was not a bright glow, and I highly doubted that I would light up a room. It was more like an ethereal glow, like a very dim glowstick. It was a little off putting, but also feint enough that if I wasn't focusing on it I could almost forget it was even there. So glowing people were gods hu? Not that that explained the sudden hair change.
"yes, but-"
"She may have been born human, but Lady Enna is, without a doubt, a land god. Who are we to question why one is made a land god. Our only job is to be grateful and lend her aid with our support and prayers."
"We are a nation of monsters Brax!" Snapped a male foxkin, jumping to his feat next to Brin. "How in the world can a human lead us-"
"You are well aware, Orvil, that it is not Lady Enna's duty to lead us at all." Hissed Brax at the other male. He was among the youngest gathered here, with bright red fur and gold flecked green eyes. He had a thin scar on one of his ears, and the tip of the other was missing.
These people did realize I was right here, didn't they? I mean, they were the ones who set up this glorified throne and prepared this feast were they not?
"Brax is correct." Said a woman to my right. She didn't stand, instead she sat and sipped her own tea. She was small, even for a foxkin, with blue grey eyes and very pretty russet fur. "What any of us think or even hope is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, Lady Enna could vanish from our side right now and we could not do a thing about it. Her job, as our god, is simply to exist as a conduit between us, our energies, and the land. Her race, or even her motivation are of no concern to us."
"Luxa, you must feel some trepidation over this?" Worried Orvil. He did sit, however.
"I feel only gratitude." Stated the proud Luxa. "I may not be of as many years as some of us gathered here today, but what years I have lived have been dedicated to the worship of our land god. Long has Lord Aeros been deaf and blind to our plight, and he was a monster. A great dragon who lorded over us all. Yet, have you ever heard of him, even once, sitting down while we all- lowly foxkin one and all- belittled his great position." She glared around the room, paying special mind to Orvil and Brin. Did she say that Aeros was a dragon?! "I think not. Lord Aeros had no responsibility over us than what he chose, and the same now goes for Lady Enna. It is we, who have responsibility over her."
"You expect us to baby a god?" Growled another man, but I did not catch who he was amongst the crowd.
Luxa sighed when it looked like Brax was about to snap again. "Lady Enna is clearly new to this world, you fool. Surly it is as obvious to you, as it is to me, that she was summoned here just as many of the human heroes are. Teaching, and babying, are two very different things."
"You knew I was not from here?" I asked, interrupting the argument and immediately feeling like I was in the spotlight.
"Elder Brax explained to us, last night, about your appearance before young Ozzie, while you slept. He repeated the things you said, and I thought it rather obvious from that." Said Luxa gently, her hard eyes turning kind when they landed on me. "I am sure this is all very confusing, and sudden, for you Lady Enna. We monsters do not know much about the world you hail from, except that the humans best at killing our kind come from there. I ask that you forgive the ignorance of those here." She said with a small bow of her head. "The truth of the matter is that you did not inherit a land full of monsters. You inherited the land alone. It is us who should find ourselves grateful if you allow us continued use of it."
I waved my hands in the air in desperate refusal. "Oh no! I would never kick you out of your homes!" I said, the very thought pretty repugnant. "I wouldn't even know how. So you needn't worry."
"I am glad to here that Lady Enna, but the fact of the matter is that you are the land lord and we are but your tenants."
With that announcement Luxa grew quiet, and the rest of the foxkin grew thoughtful; no doubt mulling over what their priestess said. As uncomfortable as I was with my new role, I was appreciative of her words. I did feel a little of the burden lift off of me. But knowing my own personality, I knew that I wouldn't be able to be one of those hands off gods that Aeros mentioned.
"My main purpose for calling this meeting, Lady Enna, was to ask for your support." Sighed Brax, glaring at the dissenting ranks amongst his people. "Luxa is correct in her thoughts. No matter what any one of us think, it will not change the fact that you are the land god. As such, I ask that we be permitted to continue living under your care. It will be to you that we direct our prayers, so that you may breathe new life into our forest."
No pressure! but what could I do but agree? From what I've been told so far, that is just what a land god did. Not directing energies to the land would be like a fish not swimming.
"mmm." I said, trying hard to not let my fear and worry show. "I'm afraid that I am quite in the dark about all of this. You have all assumed correctly that I come from another world. Till yesterday I was just the weakest of humans... I'm not even sure how I got here much less what being a land god truly entails. But, I can say that I will do my best. Even if I could go back home, I wouldn't want to." I may not have asked for this life specifically, but I did view it as my own prayers being answered. I got to my feat, looking down on the surrounding foxkin, all of which looked up at me. "I ask that you please look after me during this time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and hope we can continue working together from now on." I said, giving them a bow.
There was a flurry of whispers and when I looked up the foxkin had all lowered themselves into bows of their own. Flustered, I blushed and sat back down.
"We are honored lady Enna." Said Brax, raising his own head.
I watched as the group slowly settled into a more comfortable discussion. The very demeanor seemed much more relaxed and tension free. they began discussing more mundane things like the year's harvest, and where the best hunting grounds were at the moment. Pretty soon the young foxkin girl brought me a new cup of tea and I sneakily munched on a few berries. I may not get hungry any longer but it was a real treat to be able to eat all the same.
"-Our real issue is with the goblins." Sighed Orvil, after some time, drawing my attention back to the conversation. "They are getting more and more brazen."
"Indeed." Agreed Brax. "And now that Aeros is truly gone, they may become even more of an issue..."
"Why do you say that?" Asked Brin, looking worried and confused. Through the conversations I had been listening to, I learned that Brin was in charge of the foxkin who went gathering in the forest, while Orvil was in charge of hunting.
"Because the goblins are steadfast in their worship of Aeros." Stated Luxa.
"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, the first time I had spoken in a while.
"No, but it does pose its own issues. They were very proud of the fact that Aeros favored them over other races in the forest. It made them cruel and arrogant. I worry that they will not take Aeros' passing very well, at all. They may even try and claim that he is still around, and that you, Lady Enna, are but an imposter."
"Can someone pretend to be a land god?" Asked Brixie with a raised eyebrow.
"Certainty not easily. But another land god might be able to if they wished to expand their own territory."
"Wait, that's a possibility?" I asked, now very nervous. I had no way to defend my claim on this land if some with ill intent decided to take it from me by force.
"It has happened before. But I rather doubt the other gods would want to risk it. As it stands right now, the Monster Nation of Aeros is just not worth the effort. It is an over grown, poorly kept, wild land with dwindling resources and countless waring monsters running amok."
"That does sound rather unappealing, doesn't it?" I said rather sadly.
"It does. With any luck, under your guidance, this land may grow to be its best self one day. But right now, it is a shambles."
"Then the goblins would be fool if they thought that." Said Orvil.
"Fools?" Asked Luxa cynically. "You underestimate the devout, Orvil. What you see as foolish, they will claim to be loyalty. If it means they can cling to the fact that they are the top of the food chain, I am afraid that they may never believe that Lady Enna is here to stay."
Before anyone could respond to those ominous words, some one cleared their throat at the entrance to the hut. I, along with the others, looked up to see three foxkin standing there holding large trays piled high with what looked, and smelt, like meat. My mouth started to water, and I didn't even bother thinking about what poor animal I was about to consume. It smelt good.
"Sorry Elder." Said one of the servers. "But the meal is ready now."
Brax chuckled. "Not at all. Lets put all this serious talk aside and eat! This is a celebration after all."
Many of the others smiled and cheered. I watched as foxkin poured in, many carrying food while others just came in to say hello to their families that were present.
"It is a rather impromptu party, lady Enna." Laughed Brixie as people got to their feet and the serious atmosphere of just a moment ago vanished, replaced by a festive one. "But I hope you enjoy it all the same."
I laughed happily. "Yes!"