Cerisse climbed onto her horse. Behind her were the two honor guards. With the traditional robes on, and her hair down in waves of black, the tribe matriarch was ready for the ceremony.
The members of the tribe lined up along the main thoroughfare of the village. Mothers held babies and fathers hoisted children on their shoulders, cheering for their leader. When they returned home they would spend some time in prayer, supporting their matriarch from afar.
The outskirts of the village turned into dirt roads, and from there turned into jungle. It took the three of them a few hours to ride to their destination. Cerisse slid off her horse just before the ceremonial clearing, a guard coming over to take its reins. She glanced up to the sky, seeing the sun begin its nightly dip.
"You may leave me now," she said to her guards. They nodded, turning to leave. They would return to the village, but come back at the morning.
She listened as they rode off, until she could no longer hear the hoof beats. The dying sun warmed her as she disrobed, her nakedness glistening with the anointing oils.
The ceremonial clearing was a little further on, so she walked. When she reached the clearing, she sat cross-legged and began her prayers. She prayed to her predecessors, the matriarchs who had come before her. Even though she had already done this numerous times, and had come to enjoy it, she still said those prayers, asking for support and guidance. As she said her prayers, the sun set and the sky darkened.
When she heard a steady rustling of trees and branches, followed by a soft thumping on the ground, she knew the time had come.
The first few times she had done the ceremony, Cerisse had been too nervous to do anything but let him take the lead. Now that she had done the ceremony many times, she was confident enough to stand, turn around, and greet him.
So she watched as he clomped into the clearing. This ancient creature walked on four legs and was almost as tall at the shoulders as Cerisse standing up. Dark blue fur covered him, spiky and rough. Although he never talked, only expressing himself with grunts and huffs, whenever she looked into those yellow eyes she sensed an venerable intelligence. This was no normal animal, no relative to the loyal dog or dutiful horse. This was a creature born at the beginning of the earth, born from myth, full of some ancient magic.
The beast recognized her, snorting as he approached. Cerisse lowered herself to her knees, and when the beast reached her she ran a hand along his head.
"Greetings," she said. His tongue came out, to lick at her. She knelt, staying still, as he began to bathe her with his tongue, cleaning her. The smooth tongue ran along her shoulder, down over her breasts, and when it reached her belly, she shifted. Cerisse moved slowly, turning to go on her hands and knees. He moved along with her, Cerisse shivering as the tongue reached her genitals, slathering along her folds.
The beast continued bathing her, his tongue moving up through her folds, over her backside, up over her back. When he was satisfied with her cleanliness, he began to circle her. She stayed there on her hands and knees, waiting for him.
He huffed while circling her, sometimes coming closer, Cerisse watching out of the corner of her eyes. She could see his cock rising. He kept circling, until he was back behind her. Cerisse peeked over her shoulder and locked eyes with the beast. An ancient intelligence gleamed in those eyes, and Cerisse became aware once again of her place in the tribe's history, as one of many matriarchs that had submitted to this creature. She was only one in a long line of many.
Still waiting, Cerisse slid a hand down to stroke her slit. She was wet, ready for him, but he would take his time as always, perhaps enjoying the view of a female before him. When she hung her head, peering behind her, she could see his cock, hanging down. His broad feet shuffled as he finally began to move forward. Cerisse was stock-still as he moved over her, his furred stomach inches from her back. She could see feet above and on either side of her head, his breath blowing her hair up off her face. When she turned her head, the beast was staring at her.
He moved again, and she could feel his cock poking at her. She took a deep breath, waiting.
The beast pressed forward, and with a wet pop slid inside her. The matriarch groaned, already feeling her lips stretch around just the head. Even with the anointing oils and the intense preparation that came before the ceremony, it was always a struggle at first. The beast was patient; he stayed like that, the head just inside her wetness.
She practiced the breathing techniques her mother had taught her. They were similar to the ones practiced by woman in childbirth, intended to keep one as calm and relaxed as possible. The beast sensed her nervousness as always, and leaned down to lick at her upper back. The physical gesture was meant to be a signal of intimacy, of the beast recognizing her sacrifice and graciously accepting it. While this was important for the village, it was also important for the beast, for soothing his lustfulness, his burning animalistic rages that had for so long terrorized the village.
It had been Maresika, that legendary matriarch, who had first discovered how to tame the beast. For ages before Maresika's time, he would come out of hibernation for some time and wreak havoc, eating livestock, destroying farmland, killing many a brave hunter. No amount of warriors thrown at him could land a killing blow. Even when wounded, he would escape, and come back the next year healed and just as strong. One year, during Maresika's time as matriarch, she had been out hunting him, when he cornered her. Instead of charging with her spear, she had been struck with an idea, an alternative to violence.
