Obsidian Priestess

I wrote this for a summer camp. I didn't realize that I hadn't posted it so I am now. Hope you like it

 

I thought I was lost. Only moments ago, I was in a dense forest and the next moment I was here. "Ah…I'm so confused... I'm so thirsty, too!" I looked around. "Hey, I think that's an interesting place. Should I go see? A peek won't hurt."

I pushed aside the cloth that covered the large hut's door. The hut was much bigger inside than it seemed on the outside. The room was probably nine by twelve meters. Wooden beams were driven into the dirt ground and sticks knitted together to form the dark brown walls. Multicolored paint was spread on the walls to form elaborate godlike figures. Tables and chairs dotted the floor and across from me was a counter. Smoke rose from behind it.

Sounds of the sizzling fire were also heard. With the room about halfway full, people sat at tables and talked, some laughing. I could hear from somewhere behind the counter the sound of clinking glass. Scents of cooking, cigarette, and flowers mixed to form an intense tropical feel.

"Um…hello… W-welcome to Moe's C-café." I jumped a little at the quiet voice beside me. I turned to see a young woman not much younger than me. Blanche, as her nametag showed me, had wavy auburn hair that reached a little past her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless blue shirt and a simple gray skirt that hid her feet. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and diverted her eyes. "H-how may I h-help you?"

I smiled slightly. "I just need a drink, thanks." She glanced up at me and her emerald eyes met my obsidian. She gave me an interested glance that could've said, "What is she wearing?" I blushed a little at my thought. I knew I must've looked different with my dark green tank top and khaki pants. I noticed all of the women wore skirts.

"R-right this way," she said. I took a step, and felt a tug at my pants. Glimpsing down, I saw a young puppy chewing into the dark fabric. He had silky gray-silver fur with jet-black paws and chest. He had a powerful body and scars told of his skill. But his eyes glinted with playfulness. I bent down to pet him and he growled with happiness.

"Hey, what's his name?"

"Him? Oh, his name is Barney." She led me to the counter and I slid onto a stool. "Here is the menu. Call me over when you have your order." I glanced at the menu, raising my eyebrow in surprise. I saw it consisted of only tropical fruits and plants, no sign of meat.

"Wow, you either are a pretty special girl or you are a Goddess. Well, which one is it?" came a gruff voice. I gazed up and saw a man watching me. He was dark-skinned and had muscles from hard use. Raven-black hair was pulled back to reveal dancing cobalt-blue eyes, a beard, and a hooked nose. He wore a shirt that was stained with various cooking liquids and an apron over that.

 "What makes you think that?" I asked him, leaning forward.

"She doesn't have many friends, but she was so friendly to you," he said, nodding at Blanche's retreating shape.

"Really?" I said. I beckoned to Blanche and placed my order. Then I turned back to him. "So, what's your name?"

"Moe. This is my café. You?"

"Selene."

"Oh? That is interesting. Where do you hail from?"

I thought about that. "Somewhere far away."

"Here is your order." Blanche was back, holding my drink. "A mango smoothie, am I right?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, thank you." She smiled and hurried away.

I slurped the cool liquid, wincing a little at its sour taste from over-ripeness. Moe shook his head at me and leaned his large arms on the counter. "You really are amazing. In the two years I've known her, she never even smiled at a complete stranger like that. That's a special ability, my girl."

Reddening a little at the compliment, I shrugged and muttered, "I didn't do that much." As I drank the last of my drink, I saw a hooded person walk over. I guessed from the way he walked he was a man. He turned to Moe.

"Do you think she is her?" Moe asked, glancing up at the newcomer. The hooded head turned my way. I gazed back, unafraid of the person that lay underneath.

A nod. "Most definitely." The voice was smooth, deep, and undeniably male, confirming my theory. Pale hands rose up and lifted the dark hood. The man was so handsome that I could not help the quiet intake of breath. Forever-messy blue-silver hair fell into his ice-blue eyes. A straight nose contradicted nicely to the smooth curved chin. A braid rested on his shoulder and carried a ruby bead. A gold encirclet curled around his forehead. Dark blue paint snaked under his left eye in a complicated pattern. I saw he had a necklace that was in the shape of an eagle with a blue stone at its heart.

His piercing eyes connected with mine. "Welcome. We've been expecting you, Ashteh, Priestess of the Wolf God."

There was a pause. "Heh?" I said, tilting my head to side in confusion. "I don't get it. My name is Selene-"

He smiled, causing my face to redden. "Ashteh. Your name is Ashteh. Well, that is if you accept… You see, you are very important to us."

"How would you know that? I don't even know you or your name. I've only just met you-" I stopped as he put a thin finger on my lips.

He shook his head. "Very important. And my name is Reishu. But can you at least let me speak? I can explain.

"Our country in this forest has been having a two year drought. Crops have been failing and the animals have long since migrated away." I recalled the absence of meat on the menu. "We have done everything in our power to alter this fate. Searching, sacrificing, everything. Even with my help as the Priest of the Eagle God, nothing has changed. Until about a moon ago, I received a prophecy. And it was about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you Ashteh. The Gods told me of a midnight-haired woman with obsidian eyes. They said that it would be easy to identify her for she is not normal and carries the symbol of her power." He pointed at my neck.

I looked down. "This?" I asked, holding the wolf's fang.

"Indeed."

I narrowed my eyes at him. This must be some cruel joke. I thought. Who in this world would need me? I flinched a little as my mother's angry tone sounded in my ear. "You are not needed!" I bit my lip and glared at Moe then at Reishu. "Anything else I need to know before I leave this place?"

"Just wait." Reishu said. "We need to talk about you and your task. You want to know what to do, am I right?" I nodded hesitantly. He sighed and continued.

"Sevlos, the Wolf God, has agreed to lift the curse that caused these catastrophes. Under the condition that the named woman would become his Priestess. The Priestess before you had died around the same time the curse was laid, about a thousand years ago. A thousand years have passed. You must become the Priestess and save our country. Are you willing to accept?"

I couldn't think of anything to say. "Well, I don't know…"

"Please, we need you." Reishu took my hands in his. I glanced at Moe and he was watching me as well.

"I-I don't know… I can't do anything right… I might ruin…"

Reishu sighed and let go of my hands. "You don't need to decide now. Think about it. I will be waiting for your answer." He spun around to leave. After a few steps, he turned his head and said quietly over his shoulder, "You know, only you can do this. You are our last and only hope." As he walked away, I was speechless. I stood there in the now empty room, all else was not important.

I thought of the lush green forest reduced to broken limbs and dry grass. The sound of birds singing and other animals chattering. The aromas of exotic flowers and chilling clear waters to swim in. The kind people I had met on my way to Moe's Café, how they still managed to smile through their hardships. The feeling of being needed. The words "We need you" and "Only you can do this" flinted through my mind. Again my mother's voice sounded again. "Get out of this house! You are not needed or wanted here!"

But that was the past. I was needed here. Tears began to fall, surprising Moe as well as myself. "You are our last and only hope!" How can I turn my back to these people? I had finally found the place where I belong, after three long months of searching. A place where I can be me. The place where I am needed, welcomed, and loved. I would be crazy to turn this chance down. This is a chance of a lifetime!

"Wai-" Reishu had already gone out of the doorway. I reached into my pocket, threw down a dagger as payment, and raced after him.

Throwing back the cloth door, I spun my head back and forth searching for him in the setting sun. There! He was only a few meters ahead. "Wait! Reishu!" He faced me, and I could see a hint of a smile on his handsome face. Under the scarlet-gold of the setting sun, I took his hands in mine. His ice-blue eyes widened and I smiled.

"Well? When do I start?"

Author's Note

Sorry about how the names Blanche, Barney, and Moe are really different from Selene and Reishu. It was a requirement. Any suggestions?

Reviews

[Moribund Bunny]

I liked how you described the eyes. Obsidian, Emerald and Cobalt. Very descriptive characters as well.
It seems as if there was something that happened before this.