Legend of Trelkoara: The Serpent of Sex

Chapter 7- Madness of the Moon

Trelkoara sat on his throne, plotting. He had cast his sense out, and his minions had been traveling through the jungle the entire day. Now the ancient city was surrounded by his eyes, his ears, and his nose. Not one bit of the night’s proceedings would escape his gaze, and he fully intended to revel in for some time to come. Looking up, he smiled to himself as he watched the full moon crest the horizon and begin to rise. Soon, very soon.

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Mikul watched as the moon rose over the temple. Soon the ceremony that ushered in the new month would begin. It had been a long tradition of marking the calendar by the full moon, and even though they now used the Roman calendar, the ceremony had remained. They had opened it to the public initially, but there had been a backlash after several parents had brought their children. It seemed that some people still found nudity to be a problem, even if it was for religious purposes. After the first few incidents, one of which was still talked about, it had been decided to return the ceremony to a more private nature.

Already the youths had begun to file into the middle of the temple. They all wore simple grass skirts, though even the girls went bare-chested this night. After the offerings were made the celebration would begin. Mikul had fond memories of the times he had spent down amongst the revelers. He had met his wife at one of the ceremonies, as was common amongst the Nukatani. For as the month renewed itself, so should the spirit. And what better way to renew oneself then by starting a new journey in life? Now, of course, he no longer participated. He was far too old for the excitement, and even if he had the choice, he had found it more enjoyable to sit back and watch the festivities. Let the energy of youth take the stage this night. He had spent his time in that square, and now it was time for the next generation to create new memories. He relaxed against the cool stone wall of the Sun altar. He knew many of his peers preferred the Moon altar on this night, but he enjoyed the solitude. He hadn’t felt comfortable around people since his wife had died several years ago. Now the only company he could tolerate were the strangers on the tours he led, and his children and grand children. He looked forward to the birth of his first great grandchild, as the birth was expected in the next few months.

Down below, the drums began to sound. They echoed through the jungle, a solid repetitive rhythm which managed to keep pace with the beating of one’s heart. It stirred the blood, and made on eager to participate. Despite himself, Mikul felt a faint yearning to dash down the temple steps and join the celebration. He glanced up, and noted the moon was almost at its zenith. As it neared its peak the drums picked up their pace, their beat stirring up the crowd below. Mikul watched as the crowd slowly parted, allowing the train of offerings through to the main altar in the square. The first few plates were sparsely covered with grasses and other simple plants. The farther back one went, the grander the offerings became, until the last plant, a potted sapling, was placed on or around the altar. These offerings were made in honor of the plants on which all life depended, calling for the moon to grant the blessings of long life and growth.

The next train was similar to the first, but this one contained either slaughtered or caged animals. The situation of each animal depended on its role in the wild. The carnivores and scavengers were all caged, while those animals that served as prey were offered up either cooked or decoratively slain. The final offering was a large black panther, the cat prowling around the inside of her cage. Either once in a while she let out a hiss or growl as she passed through the crowd. Those who she snarled at bowed to her, accepting her blessing for the next month.

Finally, the panther reached the altar, where she was placed atop the pile of offerings, as befitted her role as mightiest in the jungle. She looked out at the crowd and let out a mighty roar. Mikul smiled at the good omen, and hoped they managed to find this particular cat again for next year. She seemed to determined to deliver as much good luck as possible. Once the offerings where in place the priests led the crowd through a series of chants and prayers, mostly ones seeking good fortune and health from the gods that watched over the island. As the sounds of the last prayer began to fade away the musicians on the walls began to play. Soon the crowd was dancing to no particular order, everyone out to simply enjoy themselves tremendously. Mikul got up to go get himself something to drink, when he noticed the large snake curled on the altar. It was staring down at the celebration, as if it was waiting for something to happen.

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Back at the hotel, Jason and Eileen were cuddling next to one of the small ponds that had been built around the property. Shadow was in his favorite spot, a tree hanging above their heads. He was idly chewing on a snake he had caught earlier. Jason looked up as a small piece fell to ground below. The couple was listening to the sounds of the party coming from the jungle, enjoying the music as it floated across the island.

“Is it just me, or does Shadow have a fondness for killing snakes?” he asked. Eileen looked up at the panther. Shadow glanced down at her, and then went back to eating the snake he had caught.
“Maybe they are just easier for him to catch.” Eileen suggested.
“Nah, I saw him catch something with fur on it yesterday after you went to bed. And I’ve seen him stalk a few birds now and then.”
“Maybe he likes the taste then?”
“Eh, it’s possible I guess. Just one more mystery to deal with.”
“So what do you think is going on over at the city?”
“Sounds like a good time to me.”

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Mikul returned to his place at the altar, and was semi-surprised to find he snake where it had been before it had left. He had never known one of the creatures to remain so close to humans for such a long period of time, at least while not asleep. He wondered what it was doing, but decided he wouldn’t let it bother his watching of the celebrations. He resumed his position, and began to enjoy the show.

Down below was a frenzy of activity. There was little in the way of sexual taboos in the Nukatani culture, the result of having been isolated from the rest of the world and the treatment of the people by Trelkoara prior to his entrapment. Incest was hardly worried about, as if one went back far enough, every one was descended from the survivors of the original tribe. No matter how the situation was examined, every one was already related. True, there had been a few feuds here and there, but that never really stopped anyone. Marriage had been a rather lax state of affairs prior to the arrival of the missionaries. If a man and a woman felt they cared about one another enough, all they had to do was move in with each other for the period of a year. After that, they were considered man and wife. There was no limit to the number of wives a husband could take, and the more wives a man had, the greater his prestige amongst the community. Divorce was treated with roughly the same guidelines. As long as there was a valid reason, be it there was no more to the relationship, or the man could not provide for his wives, or anything similar, it was allowed. While children had their individual families to go home to, they were raised primarily by the village itself, and where thus exposed to just about every view of life there was. As they grew older the teens were encouraged to experiment. Indeed, about the only thing frowned upon was homosexuality, as bisexuality was seen as more enjoyable, while heterosexual couples were capable of producing children.

The celebration was taking its usual course, and already couples and groups were forming or moving to more private areas. Mikul began to recline against the wall. It was a warm night, with a full moon and plenty of stars. He could always return home later if he wished, but there would be nothing wrong with sleeping under the stars that night. It was something he did often, but no one minded when he did. He was after all, the keeper of the temple and its legends. He had just closed his eyes when the first scream pierced the air. He scrambled to his feet and looked down into the courtyard, where all chaos had broken loose.

Due to the free spirited nature of the celebration, it wasn’t uncommon for people to switch partners. All one had to do was wait for a turn, and possibly ask if a couple looked to be a bit serious about the arrangement. Occasionally one might hear no as an answer, but those times were incredibly rare. The important thing to maintain though was that all of the night’s activities be consensual. Mikul couldn’t quite tell what had happened from his perch, but it seemed some one had forgotten that rule. He could see several people lying on the ground, some twitching, others disturbingly still. Those who weren’t on the ground seem to be involved in a no hold bars brawl. He could see several blades flash in the torchlight, and hoped that this didn’t turn out worse then he feared.

It had started rather innocently enough. A girl had been entertaining her boyfriend while he returned the favor, when another boy asked if he might join them. The couple was too caught up in their passion to let another in, and they declined. For some reason, this seemed to drive the other boy berserk. Before anyone knew what had happened, he had driven a knife into the young couple. Not far away, the girl’s brothers had been talking with their own partners, when they heard the screams. Turning around, they saw their sister covered in blood, and the boy holding the knife. They didn’t even hesitate in charging. They knocked over the people who weren’t fast enough to get out of their way, which resulted in several other fights breaking out as people were jostled in their mad charge. Much like a wave of dominoes, the rage passed through the crowd, which soon began to tear itself apart. More then a few of the boys had brought their knives with them, as juggling the sharp blades was a popular way to impress the girls after the official ceremony. Now those same blades found a darker purpose, as their wielders succumbed to the uncontrollable madness.

Mikul watched in horror as the carnage continued. By now the ground was beginning to turn a horrible shade of crimson, as the blood began to pool around the great seal. The crowd surged towards the doors, spilling out into the streets of the city. Small fires broke out as the mob surged through the streets, shattering store fronts as they passed. As it passed through the city the crowd drew a larger following, until every resident was either a part of the riot, or hiding behind their doors and windows. Mikul sat there in shock as he watched his people destroy themselves.

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Below ground Trelkoara hissed with delight. His spell had worked perfectly, turning the powerful of emotions of the celebration to his own uses. The Nukatani, the only group capable of stopping his return, was now in shambles, hardly a threat to his scheme. Soon he would rise, and the world would tremble at his name once more.

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A/N: Yeah, this one is going to close down long before the Cheerleaders is. Anyway, hope you folks are enjoying it, and please leave a few thoughts on your way out!