Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 72: The first blessing

The first morning waking up in their new home was quiet.

The sense of awe at having a place to stay that they can call their own was still fresh in their minds. Standing together, everyone was eager to start the day.

Xeno stood before the pack, his frame silhouetted by the dawn. His face was unusually solemn.

"Our first day in a new home. This is the place we will build. Today we hunt. We claim the land as our own." His gaze drifted to Visha. "After the hunt, our priestess will perform a tribal blessing for us and the land that belongs to us."

The group split into two. All the males, including Krag, will participate in the hunt. It is both a way of bonding and a step in letting the animals know that predators have entered the caldera.

Shifting, they went to look for prey. They moved stealthily among the trees and foliage. Their targets are the deer-like creatures Xeno had noticed when he first arrived. He noticed they had a specific grazing ground.

There were a large number of them, showing they are not usually hunted and live a relatively peaceful life. To Xeno, it was an easy hunt, but a hunt nonetheless.

As they approached the grazing land, the group split into three. Krag, being the strongest, would hunt his own. Cato and Fil were together, and Xeno and Uri were together. A large number of hunters would cause the prey to become alert too quickly.

With muscles coiled, they stalked closer. Eyes focused on their own prey. They circled, getting ready to pounce. They watched as the six-pronged deer lifted its head, observing its grounds. Possibly aware that something was watching.

Movement stopped, and they waited. Before long, the creature started grazing again.

The moment they were close enough, they pounced. The first set, Cato and Fil, were the ones to move first. Their attack triggered the other six-pronged deer to scatter. They moved quickly. Massive paws swiped at the neck of the deer.

The creature let out an agonized cry, stopping only when Fil sank his teeth into its neck.

Krag’s kill was simple and fast. A swipe of his claws and the creature fell.

Uri and Xeno sprang forward. Uri’s tail coiled around the deer, stopping it from moving while Xeno went directly for its neck. The snapping sound was audible, the spray of blood catching his fur.

While the males were hunting, the females went foraging. Visha used her Commune skill to find most of the plants nearby. The species here are different from what Willa knows. Chi doesn’t know much about the plants and herbs either, so Visha was the leader for their foraging group.

Kit and Nimo played close by.

Closing her eyes for a moment. The world whispers, and she listens. She quickly catalogues the plants and herbs in the area. She walked towards a small, unassuming herb. Seeing its attributes, she knows this fern can help stop bleeding.

She rubbed her fingers over the fern, thinking she could come back later to get some. What she needs to do now is get things to eat. Herbs will wait for later.

Pointing to a small bush with round berries, she said, "This one. We can eat these."

Chi walked over, looking at the shimmering blue berries. She didn’t hesitate popping on into her mouth. Her eyes lit up as she tasted it. "It’s so sweet!" She took off a few more, throwing them into her mouth before starting to put them in her basket.

Willa and Visha, used to her antics, didn’t say anything, shaking their heads.

The bush was filled with berries. They didn’t take them all. Opting to take a few and look for other things to eat.

They found carrots and lettuce. They also found melons. Though when Visha saw it, her lips couldn’t help twitching.

She thought she was used to the fact that most things on the Beast Continent were oversized, but seeing the giant melon in front of her, she had nothing to say.

They could only cut it off the vine and roll it back to camp.

When they arrived, the males were also there. They could see Fil washing blood off his body by the stream, which meant they had arrived not long before them.

They hadn’t skinned the animals yet, waiting for Visha to come. She would perform a blessing for the pack. The foraged goods and the hunted goods were placed together.

They surrounded a small hearth, which had not yet started to burn. There was a space for Visha to stand.

In preparation for the blessing, Visha gave Uri and Xeno instructions to start a fire. She prepared the plant ash and water. She gave the water to Chi along with instructions and a claw to Willa.

"Gather around," Visha’s voice drifted to everyone. Uri and Xeno flanked her. She nodded to Uri and Xeno, who walked to the hearth and started the fire together.

She reached into a bowl, taking out ashes which she then used to make a circle around the fire.

Uri and Xeno stepped back, joining the pack, leaving Visha the only one standing with the hunt and foraged goods.

There was no sound save for nature’s symphony.

"This land has given us its first life. We take life with respect and give strength back to the land. We will protect it, and it will protect us."

The crackle of the fire was heard in the silence. As Visha paused in her speech, she knelt slowly.

"Great land," she began, her voice steady, "You have welcomed us. We do not ask for your bounty without offering our thanks in return." She got up slowly, reaching to her left where Chi stood with a bowl of water.

After taking the bowl, Chi stepped back. Visha walked, sprinkling water on the fruits and deer, moving from left to right. "With water, we cherish the life given."

Making her way back to the spot, she knelt she faced the fire. Kneeling, she placed the bowl of water beside the bowl of plant ash. Standing once more, she turned to her right, where Willa stood with the claw.

She bowed, arms outstretched, before standing straight. Once again, she slowly went down on her knees, placing the claw beside the bowl with plant ash.

The water, plant ash, and claw were pushed closer to the fire. Not disturbing the circle of the plant of ash Vishe previously made.

Still kneeling, Visha spoke.

"With this offering, we promise to be steady, unyielding guardians. We will live in balance with the creatures of the land. We will not take without giving back. We claim this land not as conquerors but as respecters of its nature. May the Beast God watch over us and bless our pact. Bless our home. Bless our hunt. Bless our pack and tribe."

As soon as the last words were spoken, the fire grew, spreading towards the items in front of it, enveloping them completely. Before long, the fire shrank in size. The water, plant ash, and claw were missing.

The air hummed as a kaleidoscope of colours circled the pack.

They could feel it; their offer had been accepted, and the land had accepted them.

They could now confidently call the caldera their home.