Faunus-Birth of a Ritual

Adhamh Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:32 am

Bearing a rifle, the tall man wandered into the taciturn forest, in search of his prey. Movement was seen through his peripherals and he rotated ninety degrees to his right and aimed at a pair of wolf cubs that wrestled playfully. With a frozen heart and an evil smile, he shot the wolves without hesitation. With no remorse, he ambled on through the forest in search of more creatures to satisfy his thirst for the hunt.
He came upon an expanse clearing, tall pines encompassing it. In the center was an injured wolf cub that mewled softly.

"Heh. Easy prey." He chuckled.

He cocked the weapon. As he did so, the wolf focused on the villainous being and at an unbelievable speed, it rose and bounded towards the man. In mid-run, the wolf began to grow and grow. It stood up on its hind-legs and stood erect like the man. The creature morphed into a nine-foot tall werewolf with shredded toga-like cloth and torn shorts. It bore two metal shoulder pads with claw marks etched onto them and two metal knee-pads with claw symbols on each. Ebony wings sprouted from the werewolf's back, releasing feathers into the air. A trio of long feathers hung from his shorts. Two gleaming gold bangles encircled his right wrist. His long and furry tail swayed behind him.

Frightened, the man released a barrage of bullets. Each bullet bounced off the werewolf with a pinging noise and flew into the trees nearby. The werewolf seemed to chuckle.

"Wh-What are you?!" Cried the man.

"Me? I'm the guardian of all wildlife. I go by Faunus." said he.

"You have killed many a defenseless creature. For those atrocities, I'm compelled to tear the life out of you, pitiful human."

The man snapped out of his stupor, dropped his rifle, and began to run. Behind him, Faunus's eyes turned crimson and his face savage. At a blazing speed, Faunus on all fours, sprinted through the forest and pounced at killer. Faunus tore at the body and blood decorated the forest ground and the nearby trees. The man shrieked as his life dissipated. The forest creatures were hushed. The cry drowned the silence of the forest and resonated into a nearby town.

The next day, the twenty-ninth of June, three immense wolves stalked into the town. Impulse, Adrenaline, and Haste. They frightened the townspeople and caused the local law enforcement to pelt them with bullets. Each and every bullet ricocheted off the magnificent beasts. Then, they spoke.

“The Great Guardian of Wildlife has asked of us to deliver two messages.” Spoke Impulse.

“First, this town is now his realm. It shall be renamed to his wish: Kingdom Animalia.” Crazed Adrenaline.

“Last, but most important, by the first minute of the final day of each month, all your meat must be assembled onto a pile in the town center. All pets must be let loose. And all must gather. Group yourselves by family and line up in alphabetical order by the pile of meat. Don't even attempt to escape, we will be be sentrying all possible exits. If anyone tries to leave, they will be killed immediately.” Cackled Haste.

At the stroke of midnight, Faunus wandered into the town and ambled into the center. The three wolves followed suit, licking their chops clean of blood and flesh. A few men had tried to escape. Clumps of families were huddled as they awaited Faunus words.

“First family in line, walk up to the pile and select one piece of meat, each. After you've chosen, devour it quickly. Since you've slaughtered poor creatures for it, you might as well use it.” Stated the god.

The first family stood bewildered for a moment and then did as they were told. After eating their meat, the family began to act oddly. The meat was laced with a magic placed by Faunus. The family grew crazed with primal energy and fought each other for the pile of meat. In the end, they killed each other.

Every five years, giving the remaining families enough time to procreate, Faunus returned to repeat the process.