Preface: Lupercalia was a violent, sexually charged, and pagan festival that celebrated fertility, health, and purification. Valentine's Day is based on that festival and it sort of took it over. This story is based on the Lupercalia tradition that V-Day is based on. <3
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Valentina raced her twin friends Grace and George to the forest's edge on the far side of the field. The sun had just set, which meant it was time. It was Lupercalia, and the Hunt was about to begin!
"Joseph is coming for me," Lora announced as soon as they arrived, joining them as they hugged and laughed. "He told me so! He said to wait for him and he showed me the mask he made of the dog!"
"I saw it," George laughed. "It looks more like a raccoon than a dog! Emery is coming for me," he smiled joyously.
"We know," everyone groaned. It was common knowledge that Emery had approached George to ask him 'questions'. Since that had happened, Emery and George had spent a lot of time together, though no one had actually seen them holding hands or stealing kisses. Even Grace said they only sat close at the table to read books together and smiled at each other a lot.
"So it really does mean he's the man and you're the woman," Cindane offered snottily as she moved closer. "Since you're over here and he's over there."
"Or I want him to do all the chasing," George grinned, unbothered by the girl who had been bullying all three of them since they were young. "I'm guessing you'll be going unclaimed again this year?" he teased. "How was it last year? Having to spend the whole night and day waiting for someone unrelated to you to come and take your hand? Molly told me you didn't even hide, you sat next to the trees right here and smiled at every man who ran past you, all hopeful and sad and..."
"Shut up," Cindane snarled. "The only reason that happened was because David couldn't make it back on time! He was stuck in Benson with the late snow!"
George and Grace both snorted with laughter since everyone guessed that David had done that on purpose. He could have made it with a small amount of effort, but he hadn't tried because he didn't want to. It wasn't a month later that he'd left Tarran and not come back. His father said he'd joined the guard regiment and was in training.
"Anyway, it won't happen this year! Mr Quince asked me if I was going to be here and what color dress I would be wearing!"
"So he could avoid you, blind old bat that he is," George murmured to them, but Cindane was meant to hear it as well. "They deserve each other!"
Cindane moved away from them, scowling angrily.
Fawn moved closer, blushing as she glanced at George fearfully. She had had a crush on him until two years ago when he announced to everyone that he liked boys and it was thought she still did the way she always looked at him. Valentina couldn't fault her for that, George was a beautiful boy. The twins were both stunning.
"Val?" Fawn asked softly.
"Hi, Fawn!" Valentina smiled at her, glad she had joined them. A lot of people thought she might be too shy or too afraid to do it. "Glad to see you here! Who are you hoping for tonight?"
"Um... Sam asked me to come and said he would collect my hand so long as I didn't run and make him chase me. Val?"
"Yeah?"
"I know Grant is going to come to collect your hand."
"Yeah?" Valentina agreed, smiling patiently. Everyone knew that. Grant and George were two of her best friends, along with Victor who was coming for Grace. They planned on spending the night in the woods around a bonfire.
"Um... I heard Brand and Abe talking today. Abe is going to keep Grant busy while Brand comes for you. Abe even told him what color dress you'd be wearing and where you might hide."
Valentina looked across the long field to her brother Abe, who was grinning and talking to Grant and Brand both, twirling his cat mask on his finger.
"Why would he do that?" Valentina asked, a bit stunned and also excited. Brand liked her? He wanted to catch her hand in the Hunt and spend all of Lupercalia with her?
Her heart began beating a little faster as she felt herself blushing and trying not to smile. She'd had a secret crush on her brother's best friend for four years, not even her brother or friends knew about it.
"Heard him say he was ready to get married now that he had his farm set up," Fawn went on. "And Abe said you would probably be amenable to it. So... just... if you are amenable? Now you know. I didn't want it to catch you off guard, especially if you weren't amenable. Give you the chance to hide if you wanted. Brand and I never got on well, he teases too much, but he's an ok brother I guess. I've not come to warn you off or anything or say a bad thing, just warn you so that you knew."
"Thank you, Fawn. I'm very glad you let me know!" Valentina smiled, pulling her into a hug.
Fawn blushed but smiled and didn't object when Valentina hooked her arm through hers and kept her with their group.
Trinity moved closer a few moments later, pointing. "It's about to start!" she whispered.
They all looked and saw all of the young men lining up and putting their paper masks on as Village Council Katherine made her way to the little stand in the field.
Valentina already knew she would give a long speech about the traditions of the Hunt and Lupercalia and what it meant to the village. Her parents joked that she'd been giving the same speech before the Hunt on Lupercalia since before they had done it themselves.
It wasn't a real Hunt anymore, just the tradition and the motions. The young men (or women who liked women) would line up on one side of the field, and the women (or men like George and Emery who liked men) would line up on the other on the forest's edge. When the signal was given, the men would chase or 'hunt' the women who would run into the forest and hide or keep running. If they avoided being 'captured' until morning, then they were free. If they were captured, then they had to spend the entire next day of Lupercalia, the day of love, with their captors. Their captors were supposed to do something fun and special for them, set up a surprise, or even an elaborate marriage proposal. At the end of Lupercalia, all of the men who successfully wooed their captives could take them to the Council Hall and be married right then.
Her father said that there was a time when it was a real Hunt. The men would chase the girl they wanted, and on that special night, there were no laws. They claimed their wives the old ways, by consummating right there on the forest floor. For centuries it was done that way to honor the old gods.
Technically, it could still be done that way. The old laws still stood.
Now was a more gentle time, though, and everyone agreed that this way was much more fun and less terrifying. No one had done it the old way since before her grandparents had celebrated.
The only real traditions they kept were the masks and the chasing, the rest had been turned into a festival rather than an actual hunt. You caught your partner's hand, and that was that. Once your hand was taken, you were theirs for the next twenty-four hours and if they loved you, they had to do everything in their power to get you to agree to say yes to their proposal.
Not in a situation like Valentina was in, though. Where she and her friends had just planned a large party in the woods to drink wine, play music, dance, and have fun. Several others were going to join them as well.
Now she wasn't as sure, though, as she looked across at Brand. He was on the end with her brother, Abe, and Valentine's friend Grant. He saw her looking and nudged Abe as he pointed. Abe looked at her too as Brand lifted a hand, waving at her.
Unable to suppress a smile, she lifted a hand as well.
"So you like him too?" Fawn asked quietly. "You want him to catch your hand?"
"I probably won't run from him," Valentina grinned and squeezed Fawn's arm with hers. "Hear him out, at least."
"I will like calling you sister, you've always been kind to me when not everyone is," Fawn told her softly, blushing as she gave her a ghost of a smile.
Valentina laughed and hugged Fawn again. "Everyone likes you, Fawn! You're just so shy and hard to know is all! You should come with us to the bonfire, you and Sam! It's not that far into the forest and we will all be..."
Valentina trailed off at the sudden commotion across the field, confused.
Village Council Katherine was still talking, either not noticing that something was happening or ignoring it as she told the story she'd told dozens of times for dozens of Lupercalia's.
"What's happening?" George asked worriedly as they watched all the men on the other side of the field, turned and looking into the village where they couldn't see from where they were.
"It's not another fire is it?" Lora asked worriedly.
"No," Valentina shook her head as she looked above the tops of the houses. "No light from flames and no smoke. It's something else."
There was shouting from the village, then yells towards the field moments before a long line of men strode towards the far line. None of them had paper masks, they all wore large, heavy animal skulls to cover their faces, and it was terrifying. Shoving the local men aside, they all lined up, facing the women and the forest. Rams skulls, wolf skulls, mountain lion skulls, bear skulls... but the largest among them, the giant who stood in the very center, was wearing a massive stag skull with a rack on it that was wider than Valentina was tall. His sculpted chest was on full display, like most of the rest of them, he was wearing no shirt despite the cold. Most of them, including the stag man, had black tattoos all over their arms and chests. Who would do such a thing?
"Who are they?" Lora asked, sounding terrified.
"Must be from another village," Grace told her, gripping Valentina's free arm. Fawn was hugging her other arm already, also terrified.
The men were surely something to be afraid of as they bellowed and roared like wild animals.
Village Council Katherine kept talking like it didn't matter.
"I'm running," Grace whispered. "Really running."
"We go to our spot," Valentina agreed. "Fawn, follow me. Actually, follow Grace and George. You too, Lora. My legs are short and I'm slower, but stay with them. We have a spot they won't find us. I'm going to cut to the ravine where I won't be seen as easily and circle around to come up that way, alright? George, make sure they're all safe!"
"Are you sure?" George asked, sounding afraid as well.
"Those men... they aren't here to be nice," Lora whispered. "Look at them!"
