Werebear

Ritual

Starlight and Sniff burst into the room and stopped in their tracks when they saw Alewidne standing over us. I had not responded to her presence but was clinging to Twinkle-Toes.

“What has happened?” Sniff asked hesitantly.

“He has succeeded,” was Alewidne’s simple reply.

“He…What? The ritual isn’t supposed to happen until tonight. How…?”

Alewidne turned to him and stated, “We must act under the new moon. It has already risen. This evening will be too late.” Looking around, she asked, “Where is Stephan?”

Sniff was trying to make sense of what she had said. He answered her distractedly, “He was planning to be here at suppertime.”

“He will be here shortly.”

Sniff looked inward. I knew he was trying to contact Stephan. He became agitated after a moment and looked to Alewidne in dismay. In answer to his unasked question she gestured toward Twinkle-toes and repeated, “He has succeeded.”

“I don’t understand.” Sniff seemed lost.

“He has broken the power of the beast. The beast no longer holds sway over him or any of his minions.

“But I wasn’t...” Sniff began.

“Stephan’s hold over you was founded in the beast’s power. Now that the beast’s power is broken Stephan has also lost that power. He will be here soon.”

As she spoke Sniff’s cell rang, it was Stephan. In the stillness of the room we could all hear his panic. “I’m on my way! What the hell just happened?!”

Sniff was too shaken to explain. All he could say was, “I can’t…Just get here as fast as you can.” After hanging up, he turned to Alewidne and asked, “What must we do?”

“Prepare for the ritual. It will be most effective at noon.”

“Of course, why didn’t I think of that?”

Sniff turned to go but Starlight stopped him. “Wait a minute, could someone explain please?”

“This is my fault,” Sniff was berating himself. “The new moon always rises at sunrise and sets at sunset. I was assuming that the ritual should take place at night because we usually associate the moon with a dark sky, but of course that’s all wrong. The darkest moon will occur when the sun is at its highest on the day of the full moon. How could I have forgotten something so basic?” As he rushed out, he added, “I’ve got to gather the community fast! We haven’t got much time.”

Starlight joined me in holding Twinkle-Toes on the sofa. Through his sobs he managed to ask, “What’s the point? If the bear’s power is already broken, why bother?”

“The ritual was never about breaking the beast’s power. Even Stephan never understood this.” She remained calm

“Then what’s the point of the ritual?” Starlight’s grief was turning to anger.

“It is to bring the beloved back from the abyss.”

We were both caught short. “What?” Starlight looked at her in disbelief, but she maintained her serenity.

She reached over and caressed Twinkle-Toes cheek. “He is not dead, but he is not here. He is in the abyss, a place between life and death.” She stepped back and explained. “He has not been here since the beast took him under the full moon. He has been with the beast all this time. While the beast remains bound, his minions may walk with their bodies, but their hearts remains with the beast. You might think of this as their souls. The real battle was always within the beast. The last bit of himself that your beloved had not given to you was the part the beast was holding. When he broke free, he created a way for all the men held captive to escape and the beast’s power was broken. Once freed from the beast the souls of these men must find their ways back to their bodies. But that is a dangerous journey, and it can rarely be completed without help.” She turned to the door. “Bring the boy, we must be ready.”

When we reached the stone circle the community had already begun to gather. Sniff was filling the basins with water, while others were gathering flowers and herbs to make a cleansing bath. Still more men were gathering firewood and kindling for the fire pits. As we laid Twinkle-Toes in the circle one of the charms in the tree above us whistled in the breeze and I realized the significance of the setting. The whistle made the presence of air tangible, the cleansing baths were essentially pure water, the stone circle represented earth, and the firepits brought the fourth classical element into play. The orientation of the water bowls and fire pits was not exactly following the shore of the lake or the layout of the nearby buildings, and I was suddenly sure that they must align with the four cardinal directions.

Alewidne had encouraged us to move quickly, but she had remained behind, following us slowly, from a distance. Most of the community had never seen her and didn’t even know she existed. She kept herself hidden until Stephan arrived. By then Sniff had brought out smudge sticks and crystals, and everything seemed set.

Stephan entered this flurry of activity in confusion. “Why are we…?” Then he caught sight of Twinkle-Toes. Stunned, he whispered, “Oh my god.” Sniff quickly pulled him aside and began to fill him in. “I never expected this. I thought…”

Alewidne was suddenly beside him, “How little you know of yourself or of the beast who resides in you.”

He looked at her in bewilderment. “But I can’t hear them. They’re all gone.” His grief was obvious.

“Isn’t that what you always wanted? Unlike the bear’s minions, yours were not taken against their will, they were never your slaves, only companions. When their connection to you was severed, they were already in their own bodies.” He looked confused. “I will explain in time, but for now we must prepare. It is almost noon.”

She approached the gathering of men who surrounded Twinkle-Toes. Many of them backed away. While she had a solid body and a human appearance, she was clearly unusual. Sniff stood beside her and announced. “This is Alewidne. She is a wise woman with great power and knowledge. Please give her the respect you would give me and do as she asks. We do this to recover our companion and brother, Twinkle-Toes. Keep him the center of your hearts as we move forward.” Everyone seemed to relax, and she moved to the edge of the stone circle.

Looking at Twinkle-Toes, then looking at the group, she announced, “He must be naked. You all must be naked.” As they began to remove their clothes, she moved to the tree trunk and backed up against it.

Starlight and I removed Twinkle-Toes’ clothes before removing our own. Sniff appeared as I removed my pants and handed me the key to the cock cage. “you might need this,” he said with a grin.

Once we were all naked, Alewidne pushed herself against the tree, allowing her back to melt into it and her clothes to morph into something like bark. A collective gasp arose, but everyone held their ground. “The journey into the abyss is dangerous. It is easy to get lost. The one who enters may never come back. It must be entered willingly and with love. Who here is willing to make that journey to save the beloved?” Alewidne’s words hung in the air as everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

I stepped forward and offered myself. “I am.”

“Do you do this willingly and of your own accord?”

“I do.”

“Enter the circle.” After a pause, she closed her eyes and raised her arms toward the branches of the tree. To everyone’s surprise, they bent down to reach her outstretched hands, spiraling around her wrists and forearms. There was a distinct rustle in the woods that surrounded the clearing, as branches began to sway, even though there was no real wind. They reached out from tree to tree until the whole forest seemed connected. “None of us are truly alone. We all carry within us the teachers and friends who have influenced us, the ancestors who have gone before us and the generations that will come after us.” Looking at me, she added, “The seeker needs to remember this.”

Then looking at the gathered men, she continued, “Are there any here who are willing to act as his anchor, so he may find his way home once he has retrieved the beloved?” Starlight stepped forward immediately, then, one by one, the others fell in behind him, sensing that this was their moment.

Finally, she turned towards Sniff. “You are his chosen father, not the father of his body, but the father of his spirit. What will you offer?”

“I offer my seed to mark his body as the body of my chosen son, the son of my spirit. May this offering be a beacon in the void, a guiding light to bring them both home safely.”

“Very well.” She motioned for him to approach Twinkle-Toes and begin. He knelt beside him in the circle and began to stroke his cock. She then nodded at me. “The time has come. The seeker may begin his journey.”