Jungle Freakn' Bride (2 page)

“Your mother is already planning
the bridal feast.”

By the gods, couldn’t a man have a moment to process the concept he’d soon lose his freedom?
Apparently not. “I don’t have anything packed
,
o
r the bride price.
I’ll leave in the morning.”
Acat shrugged as he stalled.

His father thrust a
jingling
woven sack
–
heavy with the dowry –
at him. “
Already done.
You wouldn’t want to waste time. We all know what happened to your uncle
s
when
t
he
y
delayed.”

Everyone knew
that sad tale
. Uncle Chac
and Ekahau
thought to make the gods dance to
their
tune and t
ook their
time collecting
their
bride
only to discover her already married and pregnant
by
someone else when
t
he
y
finally arrived. Some said you could still see
them
haunting the village in cat form in the hopes one day the husband would die and
t
he
y
could claim
their lost
bride.
Personally, Acat would have made the inconvenient husband suffer an accident
, a deadly one
.
He always did believe in acting instead of moping.

“
I’m going. Just let me gather
a few
supplies first.
If I’m fetching my bride, then I’ll need some extra items.
”
Such as
a jug of the fermented wine that only his aunt Emetaly brewed strong enough.
He’d need it to deal with whatever hysterical female the fates chose for him.
Sometimes tradition sucked, an American expression that totally suited the situation.

Striding through the village, the raucous shouts of young boys trailing him,
he reflected on the rituals still taken so seriously
by his people
in this modern day and age.
Raised to believe in gods and tradition, it took modern schooling to open Acat’s eyes to the fact a whole different world existed outside of the village
– a
world very different from what
mattered in the jungle.
A world
based on science and
an explanation for everything
, explanation
s
that didn’t use the words
magic
or
belief
.

Outside the jungle, it wasn’t gods or a smell that led to people getting mated. Love brought
a man and a woman together
, or lust or friendship initially. Then, if true affection endured or developed, a couple made the commitment to stay together in something more permanent.
A
t
least, that was how the movies
and books
portrayed it.
Acat rather liked the simple concept of it,
though,
enough that he dated every chance he got. Not his fault none made his inner jaguar sit up and take notice. But he kept trying. And trying…

How men and women got married in the modern world was
not the
only eye opening difference. T
he
biggest shock was in the
villages
and cities
, women mated with only one male at a time. One. Not two like the curse demanded of his people
, a curse no one could deny
.

Long ago,
or so legend claimed,
the jealousy of a pair of warriors led to the death of a maiden
,
which in turn
,
invoked a curse on their people.
From that moment on, for any hope at happiness and children, matings required two males
and a stolen bride.
Sometimes, Acat wondered if there was a scientific explanation for why
his people were cursed in such an odd way
,
b
ut his questions
were
met with shocked stare
s
.

H
is people clung to archaic traditions,
senseless rituals
that claimed the gods alone chose who tribal member
s
would join with. They let something as
superficial
as a smell decide their fate. It didn’t always turn out well.
Acat
knew firsthand of some friends who’d initially entered
the
ma
ting game,
happy
and smug, only to grumble about the demands of their brides
, t
he restrictions placed on them
,
a
nd in some cases, the harangues they put up with.
And yet
in spite of their complaints
, Acat could grudgingly admit they didn’t seem discontent with their lot.
But he didn’t dare ask
if they loved. Men just did not ask other men about that.
Love wasn’t supposed to matter
,
o
nly the good of the tribe and the will of the gods.

Outside the jungle
,
though, Acat found it hard to hold onto the tenets he grew up with.
Outside the village, women didn’t just
exist
to serve their husbands
. T
hey worked and lived independently. They owned property. Voted. Had opinions. Choices.

Raised in a male
-
oriented society, the adjustment in thinking proved jarring and
Acat
didn’t always succeed in hiding his
misogynistic
views. Odder, some women enjoyed his chauvinistic ways – usually to his erotic delight.

However, he would never marry a modern woman.
Such a female would never fit in with the tribe. He’d seen what the ladies in the city expected out of life and their m
e
n.
Living in a rustic village with little contact to the outside, it was a recipe for disaster.

But forget other women. If, and that was a big
if
,
G
randfather proved correct, and he actually found a woman to marry
–
his
supposed
bride
–
then his roaming days were over.
He and Chaob would share
one
woman for the rest of their lives.

Some might question his willingness to obey
, t
o let something like a vague proclamation from a man who smoked an interesting blend of herbs decide the course of his life.
It never occurred to him to do otherwise.

Despite his fascination with modern
society
,
Acat would never sever ties
to the tribe
, nor go against tradition
.
I am Luunnaa Xtaabay, a moon ghost, and I will do as the gods command
.
With his father acting as his alpha,
his other father his beta,
and his grandfather
as
shaman,
they
wouldn’t let him eschew his responsibilities, and Acat didn’t want to let his friends and family down.
Still
,
though,
there were times when superstitions and ancient ritual drove him ape
-
shit. Like now.

While he couldn’t deny
G
randfather’s uncanny ability to find brides for the tribe males, Acat ha
d
to wonder how much of it was the gods speaking and how much just an eagerness on the part of warriors to find a woman and settle down.
Because of
some kind of genetic problem –he didn’t necessarily believe in the ancient stories of a curse –
something in the air, water, or their very genes,
ensured their tribe didn’t birth females
.
Or hadn’t until recently. But that single girl child was only one
in the hundreds of years since the problem first manifested.

Acat tried to argue that perhaps modern science could locate a reason why. He didn’t get far with that argument. Besides, even he couldn’t deny that marrying outside their population was probably best given he’d studied enough to know inbreeding was not something anybody wanted.
Still
,
though
, to send warriors on a
quest to find mates, women strong enough to handle them and their alter egos
?
I
t seemed crazy. This
kind of decision
was for life.
‘Til death
do us part
.
How could
anyone want to leave that choice to chance or something as ephemeral as smell?

And why do I seem alone in my doubt?
Men chafed to reach their twenty
-
fifth year of life, eager to settle down with a female so they wouldn’t have to travel just to indulge in some companionship of a more genteel variety.
Not so
for
Acat. In his role as lia
i
son between modern and old, he got to enjoy the wares of women any time he liked
,
a
ny flavor too.
But the gods – via the conduit of his grandfather – sought to put that to an end
.
Sigh.

Chaob took the news better
than he had
.

“Aieee! About time.” His warrior friend since swaddling days slapped his leg in delight. “I was wondering when ou
r
turn would come. I was beginning to think the gods would never find a woman who could put up with your ornery attitude.”

“I am not ornery,” Acat groused.

“And I’m short and fat.” Chaob snickered. “Cheer up, I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you expect.”

“No, it will probably be worse. Aren’t you worried we’ll end up with a shrew or a maiden scared of her own shadow?”

“Nope, because I have faith, my friend. And so should you.”

Acat
couldn’t prevent a snort of derision. “
I hope you have enough faith for both of us.”

Despite his doubts, he didn’t dare contravene a direct order from his alpha, nor did he wish to disappoint not only his family, but his tribe. Misgivings or not, he set off with Chaob and the other chosen warriors on the bridal trek.

On sleek paws
,
he bounded through the trees, Chaob
his
silent shadow.
Despite Chaob’s gleeful enthusiasm, Acat
wondered if his closest friend
shared some of his angst.
They had
,
after all
,
both tasted the same modern conveniences. Did Chaob lie to Acat and himself in an attempt to pretend all would work out
?
I should have asked.
Or beaten
an answer
out of him.

Curious about it, Acat
broached it at one of their resting spots while the others hunkered down to rest
,
leaving him and his beta on watch.

“Do you think we’ll actually find a bride?”

“If the gods will
it
.”

A light
shove
to his friend’s arm didn’t budge him. “Don’t feed me that crap.”

Chaob chuckled. “
I think we’ll find some women, chosen by the gods or not, bring them back to the village, fight, fuck
,
and grow fat as we watch our cubs grow.”

“
You make it sound
like
so much fun
,” Acat replied with a mouse of distaste.
“
Aren’t you worried
w
e’ll end up
with
some simple
-
minded village girl?
”

“
You’re next in line as alpha
.
T
he gods won’t choose someone weak as
our
mate.”

“I hope.”

“Okay
,
let me rephrase that. We won’t choose a simple
-
minded girl.”

“What happened to the gods
’
will?”