Vishri has to perform the Ritual of Protection for her village, but is it really a Ritual for Protection?
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A/N: Hi ya all! This is my first time submitting, so be gentle haha. Please, comment below on what to improve and such so that I can incorporate them in my writing. Thanks in advance!
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Draconic Ritual
Vishri felt restless. As she followed the gloomy narrow path between the tall huge trees, that discomfort kept worsening. Every time the gossamer fabric of her flowing robe caressed her bear skin underneath, she would shiver inexplicably. That reaction was more obvious whenever the same thing happened to her heaving breasts.
'
Am I ill?
'
This made Vishri worried. She wasn't cold, so why did she keep shivering like that? Yet, at the end, she could only calm herself and regulate her pounding heart and erratic breathing.
Tonight was the most important night for her village. Tonight, she was going to perform the ritual of protection for her village, so becoming sick at this moment was unacceptable. She had lives in her hands. Failing here meant letting them die, so Vishri had to lift her foot and continue forward no matter what.
At the end of the path, the gnarl trees that blocked the view ahead parted and showed the eighteen-year-old girl a clearing. A tall cliff, bathed in the silver light from the moon above, stood there mightily. On its foot, a rock outcrop in the shape of a dragon's head protruded, and in its open maw was her destination.
That was the protector's temple where the ritual would commence.
Legends say that the protector was the guardian spirit of this mountain, the forest, and the surrounding lands. Back then, only wild beasts walked this long stretch of wilderness. But because of a severe famine, the ancestors of the present villagers left their former homes and happened to pass here by chance.
At that moment, half of their number had already died because of starvation. A quarter of them strode the boundary between life and death, while the rest had no energy left to continue their journey. The whole village was facing total extinction.
With that dire situation, their ancestors made a blood pact with the protector. In exchange for their servitude, the protector would bestow them blessings to survive and thrive in his domain. The nature spirit agreed, and from then on, both parties established the ritual of protection and honored it until now.
Vishri paused at the entrance of the cave in hesitation. But then, she recalled what the chief elder had solemnly said to her before she left. "Remember Vishri, you are the hope of the village. Don't make Lord Protector mad and follow all his instructions. We want his protection, not his ire. The lives of your family, friends, and the village are all in your hands."
Unconsciously, she whispered, "I understood, chief elder. I will fulfill my duty as my mother, my grandmother, and my grandmother's mother did for generations."
Vishri firmed up her resolve and then entered the dark cave. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of gold eyes with slitted pupils watched her every move from the darkness amidst the dense vegetation. Since she began her journey from the village, its unwavering gaze had never once left her.
The interior of the cave was spacious. However, a pool of water almost occupied all of it. She could only stand on the narrow strip of land between the cave's entrance and the edge of the pool. On the walls, burning torches drove the shadows away, which became a source of comfort for Vishri.
The girl approached the edge of the pool. When she was about to kneel, she paused, then hesitated, and finally, she knelt down and closed her emerald eyes in a praying posture. The golden gaze reappeared just above her in the depths of the cave's shadows before it refocused. With obvious familiarity, the slitted pupils followed the contours of her youthful body under her thin robe as she prayed.
There was appreciation and recognition in those eyes.
Outside, the night deepened, and the moon reached its peak. It was time. Vishri moved to stand. Hands on the knots securing her robe, her delicate fingers began to unravel them. However, another bout of hesitation hit her at the moment she finished.
She knew what would happen next. Robe fisting against her bosoms, she looked down at her feet. She stayed like that for some time before she finally straightened up. She took a deep breath before she let go of the garment, which exposed her naked body to the cool air.
Soundlessly, the robe fell from her shoulders. Her white skin glowed under the orange light from the burning torches, and the golden gaze turned molten. A subtle scent began to rise from the owner of those gazes and crept down to the cave floor unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Vishri dipped her toes into the still water, and its surface rippled centered from those dainty toes. She waded to the center of the pool where the water level reached her thin waist and then submerged her whole body in it. It was a symbolic action that meant purity, cleanliness, or untainted.
As she rose out of the water, rivulets of water traced down her curves. A glittering droplet from her platinum hair fell to her slender shoulder. It travelled down to the swell of her left breast before it reached her pink nipple. Vishri dunked herself again for another six times as per the ritual and then stopped. That was when she noticed the strangeness appearing in her body.
Sometime during the ritual, her body started to heat up. Her muscles were tightening, and an indescribable sensation was growing in her middle. Every time a breeze blew from the outside, she could feel her breasts getting full and her nipples getting erect. There was also a peculiar urge to close her legs tight and rub them together.
She touched her flushed skin.
'
Why am I blushing? Oh no, am I really ill?
'
Vishri could no longer hide the worry in her face.
From out of nowhere, a pair of scaly hands, tipped with sharp claws, snaked around from behind her and cupped her full breasts. The sudden touch startled her. The silver scales on those hands glittered under the light like polished metal. The initial contact between her burning skin and the cool scales made her mind blank and legs weak. Fortunately, a strong arm looped around her waist and held her against him before she completely fell.