The first sensation she felt was cold. The second was happiness.
Sky Eyes felt happiness so intense it was almost unbearable. After her long arduous misery, she was going to live, and had the attentions of a god. Still lying down with her eyes closed she blushed, smiled. Now she knew what everybody went on about. Sky Eyes rubbed her bite wound gently. Where is he?
She got up slowly, stiffly. The cold had seeped into her body, and she was sore in places she never knew she had. She blushed again. The fire was dead. Prodding the hearth she found only a few weakly glowing embers. Yawning she looked at the sky, it was an overcast morning. Having her clothes in tatters didn't help either. She prodded the ashes again, brooding. She thought of remaking the fire, despite how exhausted she was. She wondered again where what happened to the god.
It was funny; she worried about a perfectly mundane thing as cold, as well if her divine lover would return to her. As the weak light grew stronger her happiness faded and her anxiety grew, he's never coming back.
Her mouth twisted in disappointment. She guessed it was to be expected. He was a god wild as the wind. Why would he want her? She sighed and kicked a few pebbles out of the cave, then meandered casually out. Hoping maybe he was there, he wasn't, but Club Foot was.
"Uuggh oh" she said involuntarily. He was just a broken pile now, dragged and dumped out of the cave like refuse. Sky Eyes simply stood there in horror. To her surprise a wave of pity overcame her. She fought off tears.
Yes he was a boor, and possibly dangerous, and uncompassionate, yet, Sky Eyes looked at his deformity; he was an outcast just for being born different, like her. She just hoped his afterlife wasn't as bad as this one. The woman looked carefully over the remains. Hopefully whatever was in his head didn't escape when he died. Uneasy she left his corpse.
What will I do now? She thought. Thankfully she was alive, but what now?
She started by eating the cold rabbit. No use wasting it. Maybe she could find some clothes, tools, and set off on her journey again. Although chances were slim to none of her being adopted or accepted anywhere.
First she would bury Club Foot. She didn't think he deserved not to have a proper funeral, although his customs were probably different from hers.
A small part of her disagreed. After what he wanted to do to her last night! Well, she blushed a third time. In a strange way he got his wish. Her mind tried to wrap around that bizarre idea.
A crow was "caw-caw-cawing" as he landed on Club Foot's corpse.
Sky Eyes gasped as he started picking at it, and swiftly chased it away. Soon more came though, hovering and eyeing the body greedily.
The woman looked around helplessly, she knew she had to dig a grave soon, but she didn't have the tools. Still she didn't want his spirit haunting her. She started poking around the cave.
She found a filthy deerskin tunic that she shook thoroughly before putting on. Spears, which Club Foot must have kept only out of pride. Several snares and fishing lines, as well as some roasted quail.
"Ah!' She cried as she uncovered several well made flint knives. These were very useful, and much better than her worn down yucca knife. After some more digging she found a basket (obviously made by a woman from another tribe) filled with musty old blankets and a sling whose leather was just beginning to rot.
Hmmmm, Sky Eyes thought. These were all useful, if not directly helpful to her burial problem. She looked at the finely made spear and sling, realizing with a sinking feeling that she had no idea how to use them. She wasn't a hunter after all. Those would have to be grave goods then.
Stepping briskly outside, her eyes fell on four or five crows eating the corpse. Feeling uneasy she shooed them away again. They hopped away and cawed insolently, she thought their beady black eyes showed distaste.
Sighing at the futility of it she wandered past the lip of the cave and ambled into the little valley. She wondered about the god, why he wanted to mate with her, she gave her small secret smile, where he was now. Sighing again she wondered, hoped if he was coming back.
He's not going to come back; she tried to prepare herself mentally for disappointment. She felt disappointed anyway. Now she knew why women giggled together in corridors and bought aphrodisiacs for their husbands from the medicine woman. Her marriage wasn't unpleasant, at least until the very end, but in comparison it was dull, so passionless. He had married her because he didn't have a very high status, and no one else wanted the woman rumored to be a witch.
At least she wasn't dead. He didn't want to eat her. Now she could live her life now. Have a future, with a bit of luck.
Wrapped up in her thoughts she almost tripped.
She looked down. She was standing a small depression. Sky Eyes kicked some earth up with her foot. It was soft. Looking around she could see it would be a perfect grave for poor Club Foot. To her joy she even saw a pile of misshapen stones near the edge. All she would have to do was turn them over. The woman started to race back to the cave, wanting to finish the unpleasant chore quickly.
The "god" circled above, watching his new found treat, taking off on a run. A bolt of anger shot through him as he thought she was trying to run away, but that quickly evaporated once he realized she was merely returning to the cave. He smiled, her potential wasn't fully realized. But it would be. Maybe right now?
Sky Eyes saw Club Foot with a cloak of some twenty crows now. She stopped a few feet away, downwind from the smell. She had time to think: "How am I going to-?" Before she felt something big and heavy shove her to the Earth. Her mind flew into panic again. At first she thought it was cougar, then a strange man, then-
A feeling of warm bliss and relief flooded over her as she realized it was the god. He was sniffing her hair, licking her face. He pushed himself on top of her.
A small tingle of worry entered Sky Eyes heart, maybe he didn't want to, maybe he would kill her this time. That worry was soon obliterated by the ripping sound of the tunic.
"Oh-ohhhhhh" she moaned slowly as he slowly entered her. He was pushing the stolen organ slowly, rotating his body, sniffing and listening to the chorus of moans. He finally ended his probing and began a long series of slightly increasing thrusts. He didn't turn Sky Eyes over.
She laid flat on the ground, moaning softly. Like a wild animal she thought. He continued to hump her slowly, his weight pressing down on her.
To her own surprise Sky Eyes began to giggle, almost uncontrollably. The laughter seemed to spring from a well of relief, giddiness, happiness, as well as physical pleasure. The god heard her and chuckled in response, she heard the deep, odd laugh as he leaned forward to lick her face.
As he pressed her into the Earth and she strove to press her body back into him she felt him lift her legs slightly at the knees. He increased his thrusts.
There was a single blissful moment where they both came, only slightly ruined when Sky Eyes accidentally inhaled a lungful of dust. She coughed, moaned, choked, and then moaned again.
The god howled with laughter as he extended a clawed hand to her. "Huh-huh-huh-huah-ha-hah-ha" he mocked openly at the dust on her face. Sky Eyes spit and sputtered but accepted his hand. She giggled again despite herself.
"Next time I'm choosing the position."
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The funeral didn't go as planned.
Realizing she couldn't perform it naked she looked for more clothes. However all she found were blankets. So she merely sliced a hole in one and made a crude but functional poncho.
The god helped carry the corpse to her chosen spot. Glancing at its horrible (she admitted this to herself) ancient face she could tell it honestly had no idea what she was planning. He gazed at her curiously as she ran back to the cave.
The spears, sling, knives, blankets, baskets and the quail, (she wouldn't eat them and he needed the food for the afterlife) she gathered in one big awkward handful and set them in the grave.
The god's expression changed as he realized what she was doing. He seemed to lose interest, but diverted his attention to the knives and spears. With no respect he chose the finest spears and knives to be rescued from burial and looked at them admiringly.
Sky Eyes sighed in frustration. How to tell a god what he just did was sacrilegious? After some thought she decided she didn't have the right, and continued with the funeral. For good measure she exchanged the flint knife she took for her old yucca one.
The funeral hardly got more serious
The god seemed bored. He kept sniffing her at inappropriate moments, then nudging her and nuzzling her, as if he wanted to draw her attention away. Sky Eyes tried to ignore the distractions and conduct it, but realized she didn't really know all the ceremony, his tribe's ceremonies were probably different, and she didn't even know his real name.
She felt her pity rise again as she realized he would have to be branded as "Club Foot" in the afterlife. She finished the ceremony quickly as possible and began piling on rocks and dirt. To her surprise the god shrugged and helped her. The crows cawed in what seemed to be protest. The woman gasped in awe as they landed without fear onto the god's shoulder.
For a god, he seems ungod-like is some ways. She thought true he was certainly unusual, but he trod on the surface on the Earth, he wore old rags, and he had desired a woman like a man.
As if reading her mind the god slowly grinned and came forward. Sky Eyes had a brief vision of Club Foot doing the same, before he quickly pounced on her again. She cried out and tried to roll or squirm away. He merely adjusted his weight and grunted in the effort. Thankfully he didn't rip off her makeshift clothing; thankfully she was wearing nothing underneath.
The thing that disturbed her the most however, was the outrageously irreverent act of making love on top of a freshly created grave. She tried to protest, tried to persuade him, but he was too far gone. After a while she was too.
One more thing I'm guilty of
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This was pure heaven.
No, not the mating with a god, although that was wonderful also, but Sky Eyes loved what he did next even more: He took her flying.
The woman, clinging to the god as tightly as she dared, peered over in mounting excitement at the swiftly rushing landscape. It was heaven. A little scary, but heaven, no other way to describe it.
Sky Eyes closed her eyes for a second, savoring the moment. This was the fulfillment of a long held childhood wish. She could hardly believe it was happening.
The crows tried to follow, but were swiftly and easily overtaken. Sky Eyes smirked slightly. As much as she loved birds, she didn't like these crows. They gave her a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The god was slightly surprised at the woman's reaction to this rather mundane activity. The monster realized how novel this must seem to her, a poor little Earth bound creature. He could see the wonder and delight in her eyes and sought to increase it. As well as play a few tricks.
Sky Eyes shrieked as the god playfully loosened his grip. She gasped when he dove so low the tips of his wings skimmed the Earth, felt her ears pop as he shot upwards swiftly. Her heart was in her mouth.
He's-Just TEASING ME! She thought in terror and delight. Her dream had almost become a nightmare, and then slid back into a delicious dream. The woman laughed, drunk on her own giddiness. It was a beautiful dream. Her god smiled at the sound.
The flying dream soon spiraled again into a nightmare.
He set her down in an old corn field, ostensibly for mating again. She blushed like a bride and unloosed her hair (her braid was coming apart anyway) She played the proper woman as he approached, lowering her gaze modestly.
He smiled somewhat distantly, felt her hair and sniffed but left her alone. The woman lifted her head curiously as he made an open palmed gesture that implied she should wait. Sky Eyes watched him run off in confusion.
The more time that passed the more it seemed like a dream. The buzzing insects emerged, lulling her into a hypnotic state. She sauntered casually into the withering rows, flecks of golden corn wafted lazily through the air.
As part of the dream her divine lover seemed to tread less on the ground then to walk above it in his swift running. His rags seemed to have transformed into a long handsome brown and crimson coat. She gazed in wonder at his actions. The image of him standing out darkly in the cornfield as he ran at a supernatural speed, then her mind focused. He appeared closer, and closer, while simultaneously traveling slower and slower.
Sky Eyes watched as the world became impossibly slow, she could see every sweeping gesture of his body as he cut across the field, every piece of shredded vegetable matter that flew around him, every dust particle he churned up, she him flick his hand casually and something shiny flew from it. For some reason the smile began to fade from her face.
Something swift caught her eye.
At first she thought it was a deer, whose brown hide helped it blend into the field. She saw the helpless prey animal zigzag hopelessly; she heard it squeal as the shining object struck it.
The monster-god yanked the animal up from the field, shrieking in triumph. Sky Eyes felt the smile slide completely from her face
It wasn't a deer, it was a man.
The god had him by the hair. His stupid ugly face was twisted in terror. Sky Eyes heard him squeal again as the god pulled a glinting stone axe seemingly by magic from underneath his coat. She heard the strangely familiar sound of meat being butchered.
It was like everything that was familiar was warped into horrible wrongness. The god screamed; a triumphant sound and twisted into what reminded Sky Eyes of a victorious hunters dance. He was like a man who just captured a fine animal. Sky Eyes felt something warm and wet splash across her face. She could smell blood.
That coat he's wearing… She caught sight of it and understood instantly. Flecks of blood were flying from it. Its "hood" had an empty horror filled face with empty eye sockets. He's wearing human skin. He justripped it off a man. She thought logically, neatly. The woman started going numb.
He saw beautiful blue eyes peering at him through the mass of golden brown corn. He turned to her in grinned in savage triumph and started towards her, dragging his victim. Sky Eyes peripheral vision disappeared, all she could see was his grinning maw, once again red with blood.
Her foolish vision of him as a benevolent friend and lover suddenly crashed with current reality. Still numb and now going into shock Sky Eyes turned dizzily on her heel and tried to "escape" by walking calmly away. When the god-monster caught up to her, puzzled, he saw her shaking and could smell fear. Sky Eyes felt the extremely unpleasant sensation of adrenaline over her entire body. Rivers of sweat rolled down her thighs and she started to gasp badly for air.
The monster still held her arm, but Sky Eyes sank uncontrollably to the Earth. He let her go, reluctantly it seemed, and returned to the freshly slaughtered man.
She curled up into Grandmother Earth and watched the monster god do horrific things to a corpse. To combat tunnel vision and the sudden vertigo and dizziness she shut her eyes tightly. Her heart stuttered and pained. Her stomach seemed to cramp in sympathy, she resisted the urge to vomit.
Her eyes snapped open in what seemed like a second later, but Sky Eyes knew it had been hours. The sun was starting to dip low, and where once had been corpse, there was only red- tinged moist bones. The monster sucked and licked one, then casually tossed it away, picking his teeth. He glanced at Sky Eyes.
The woman no longer felt so strange or ill, but she did suffer from an odd exhaustion. She felt wrung out, and an unpleasant lingering tingle of fear remained in her limp body.
The monster got up from squatting over the bones and walked over to her, examining her inquiringly. Throughout the meal she was on the ground, curled up and panting softly. It was curious, but she didn't try to run away so he let her be.
Now she lay in the plowed corn field, gazing up at him with those peculiar eyes. He smirked and settled himself over her. He started licking her face, then all over. Sky Eyes gave a weak slight smile. It was almost funny what he did; now he was bending down, in between her legs. It was wonderful, as always.
It wasn't when he came back up, still savoring her taste in his mouth, sniffing her passionately and enveloping them both with his long overcoat.
Sky Eyes gave a small cry, like a bird in distress. Sensing rebellion her god pushed her more firmly into the field. It wasn't so bad Sky Eyes thought as the mating began. She loved coupling with him, the "coat" was semi-wet and congealing. It seemed to dry in the waning sun and tighten around them, bringing the "god" and the "witch" even more closely together.
The blue eyed woman did not resist. She allowed the god to do what he wished. The world became surreal and dreamlike again. Sky Eyes was aroused, but disturbed, in love but disgusted. He mind felt like a whirlpool of confusion.
Presently he finished. Coming with a final thrust and a grunt, he gazed into her big solemn eyes, and smelled a hint of fear. He lifted her easily off to the ground and took to the air again. His woman finally favored him once again with a smile. She looked at the bones becoming smaller and smaller as she once again left the Earth. Crows began descending on them. She did not want to bury them.
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Swiftly, they reached the gods house. He lived in a cave, just like Club Foot. However it was smaller and better hidden. It was also much cleaner.
Sky Eyes followed him quietly, but happily in, then stopped dead.
All around the walls were skin and bones. Bones (she knew somehow they were human) swirled in patterns around the cave walls. Dried out skin hung like tapestries. There were spears in one corner, knives in the other. Old blankets, clothes, feathers and beads and other normal things we scattered here and there.
The monster saw the woman mouth twist upside down in distress. She backed out of the cave, like a frightened animal that's caught a bad scent. He grabbed her wrist and tried to bring her back in but she moaned in anguish and didn't stray from him, so he let her camp outside. This surprised him, as humans generally liked and felt safe in shelters, no matter how flimsy in reality.
Night was falling. The woman shivered and he gave her a blanket. She shivered some more and he lit a fire. Soon afterwards he left for hunting, making a very elaborate gesture that clearly said stay here! Sky Eyes nodded to show she understood, blushing when she remembered how she disobeyed last time.
His hunt was over quickly, and he returned before it was totally dark. Sky Eyes kept her head down when he brought in a corpse. The god had punched his victim and knocked her out, then strangled her to finish her off, carefully spilling no blood.
He liked her dress. He rubbed the fabric between his fingers, some sort of woven plant matter, it was stained red with ochre; the color reminded him of dried blood. Sewn into it were hundreds of funny beads that he had never seen before. They were tiny cowry shells, traded hundred of miles inland to a nomadic tribe passing through the area. This woman was simply unfortunate enough to catch his eye.
Carefully removing the dead woman's dress and shoes he presented them to the Breeder. She looked at him in polite curiosity, and then gasped as he shook out the bundle and the shells chimed together; she ran her fingers over it.
Overcome with astonishment and gratitude Sky Eyes bent to the ground and poured dust onto her head, showing proper reverence for a god. She noticed for his bizarre looking feet tapping the ground in eagerness. He picked her up from the ground and handed the bundle to her.
Sky Eyes excitedly took off the make-shift poncho and kicked off her old moccasins. She admired her new found finery. The god smiled, showing his teeth as she walked around haltingly, the shells chinking gently together. The dress seemed oddly warm.
As if a dam had burst, Sky Eyes suddenly broke the solemn silence over the trauma she witnessed by thanking him profusely then launching into an endless stream of happy chatter and questions. In her giddy, manic state she never noticed the monster bringing flesh to his mouth, or the fact that he never answered her. Sky Eyes felt her mind run a mile a minute, unable to contain such excitement and happiness. Normally she never gushed but the monster didn't seem to mind.
When she finally fell asleep he looked down at her figure. She was so unusual; her eyes alone made him stop and stare. She quickly accepted him into her and life and into her body, eagerly giving pleasure as much as she received it. However her smiles disappeared when he hunted and killed. She seemed to overcome that though.
He had listened to her cheerful chatter, smiling slightly at the happy tone in her voice, regretting he didn't understand a word of her language. Uncharacteristically, he had a whimsical visual metaphor of the Breeder as a chirping bird. Going on and on in a sweet voice he didn't understand.
He leaned over and sniffed her face, then her body. She wasn't pregnant, yet, despite how many times he had tried. She would be fertile soon enough though, he promised to himself.
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Sky Eyes awoke from the cool ground. She yawned and gazed into the ashes of the fire while rubbing her eyes. She tried to remember her dream; it had been a good one…
The god came sauntering over, she was dismayed to see he wore a woman's skin and was dragging back more corpses. He winked at her before entering the cave.
It disturbed her so much. He could be gentle, even kind to her, yet he attacked other people with a savageness Sky Eyes couldn't imagine in her worst tribal enemies. Then to do such inhuman things as to eat and skin them?
He's not human. She reminded herself sternly. She couldn't think of him as human, it was against his nature. Her mind wandered back to the dream. The details came flooding back.
It was an odd dream; she only remembered pieces of it, like broken pottery shards. Once she dreamed she had four mighty arms, like Spider Woman, except two of which grew out of her back and helped her fly. She dreamed of being curled up and sleeping in the womb of the Earth then being joyfully born. She dreamed of sitting atop a stalk of corn, growing supernaturally fast from the field. She had ripped off her skin/husk stretching her arms in ecstasy to the sun. Sometimes she was watching the god, sometimes she was the god.
Sky Eyes didn't remember the nightmares, horrid as they were. Nor did she remember the monster, who had run to her when he heard her screaming. She had awoken from them, and quickly fallen back to sleep.
The god walked out the cave again. Sky Eyes approached him and slyly asked for his name.
The god looked blank. The woman realized for the first time, he may not even speak a human language. Still, she whispered to him:
"I think I know who you are; you are The One Who Walks In The Rows, Our Lord The Flayed One, and Son of the Corn Mother." She pointed to him and said "Xipe Totec". The "god" realizing he had just been christened, decided to indulge her. To humans all things must have names. "Xipe Totec" he repeated and was rewarded with a dazzling smile as well an impromptu ceremonial song and dance. Enraptured, he interrupted her joyous singing and pounced on her to the ground. She abruptly stopped in surprise.
He trailed a tongue over her cheek, relishing her delicious taste, as well as accidentally leaving a trail of blood from a previous victim on her copper skin. She kissed him, gingerly ran her tongue over his rows of teeth, and did not alarm when she tasted blood, thinking it was her own.
His jaws ached to bite off the bold intruding tongue, so to prevent that he carefully disengaged from the kiss and let his taste buds swiftly explore lower and lower.
Sky Eyes gasped and barely repressed a yelp of pleasure
He smirked at the sound and so was surprised when she pulled away. He licked his teeth and whined in disappointment and tried to grab her again. However she had other plans, with a serene smile on her face he saw her bend her spine. Her head dipped low and he felt himself being taken gently into her mouth.
He jerked in surprise and the Breeder stopped to gaze up at him with anxious blue eyes. To signal his consent he ran his fingers through her hair, entangling. She continued onward, using her hand as well as her mouth. He smiled in slight amusement at the idea of him being in a human's mouth.
The monster god didn't hate it, far from it he was enjoying himself immensely, but as he grew longer and harder (and licked the last of her taste from his lips) he hastily withdrew himself and clambered back onto top of her.
She chirped out some question he didn't understand. He wished he could answer but the only words of her language he knew was the name she gave him. He didn't want to waste himself, she still wasn't pregnant yet.
The two nuzzled and kissed. He forced his long tongue into her mouth, tasting his own flavor in her. He licked the roof of her mouth playfully. Sky Eyes giggled slightly, and accepted him inside of her with a happy sigh.
She still couldn't believe how much fun it was, after such a platonic, loveless marriage. It was like living in one of the many ubiquitous myths she had been raised with; stories of gods mating and ensuring fertility. Nature deities dragged into the underworld and returning every year as thinly disguised attempts to explain the passing of the seasons.
The whole world felt blessed. When hunger and fatigue finally drove them apart Sky Eyes slept and she dreamed. She dreamed that when they mated corn grew in abundance and rivers filled with sweet water and silt.
Later she dreamed she was inside a corn stalk again. However she didn't bust joyfully from the husk. She was suffocating in human skin. A flayed skin was covering her and smothering her.
While she was struggling to escape some men appeared to her. She didn't recognize them, but they were in various horrible states of dismemberment and decay. One of the men became clearer. Half of his mouth was torn open and it gave the appearance of a twisted sneering smile. He grabbed Sky Eyes and shook her. She struggled to get away in terror.
She knew who he was, and the realization twisted her stomach shut. It was the young man she had cut open with her knife during her panicky escape. Xipe Totec must have later killed him.
He was yelling, screaming at her, but all his words sounded mashed together, as if he spoke backwards. His eyes were big and wild. Sky Eyes tried to run but the other dismembered men circled around her, and the human skin she was wearing was too tight, she struggled and struggled…
When the god came back the woman was quiet and solemn again. She refused to look at the meat he brought back. Tears ran silently down her face
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The next few days passed leisurely. Sky Eyes continued to live with her god-lover, and they were endlessly fascinated with each other. Communication was a big problem, but they were rapidly overcoming that. She pointed to herself, saying her name, then to the sky, calling it by it's name, then to her eyes, giving him the word for those, then to herself again. He understood instantly and licked her face. Then pointed to her eyes and raised an eyebrow in question. Sky Eyes made a gesture of cradling a baby, which he didn't understand. Then she took a stick and drew a passable picture of baby then pointed to herself, which he did understand. Apparently she was just born with those eyes. Sky Eyes looked forward to the day when she could relate the tale of her divine ancestry.
Pictures were another way of communication. Her drawings were okay and his were excellent. When the days wore on and Sky Eyes became hungrier and hungrier (recoiling in shock and horror at the human flesh he offered her) she could steal corn from local fields but that was always risky, and made her feel guilty for theft, so she went to the god for help and drew a recognizable picture of a deer. He nodded and flew off.
Sky Eyes husband often brought her strips of dried deer meat for her and her mother when he was lucky or feeling magnanimous. It was all always a rare special treat that Sky Eyes loved and the only thing she really begged her husband for. Usually she lived on a corn/ vegetable diet, supplemented by the occasional fish.
As such she was stunned with god returned with a whole deer-a buck nonetheless-over his shoulder and dropped it simply at her feet, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
Crying with joy at the bounty she tried to offer him the choicest parts, which he instantly refused, a look of horror and disgust that was clearly a parody of her early one (she had to laugh at that) she didn't no where to begin butchering she had so much meat.
The god helped, easily sawing off limbs and flaying skin. Sky Eyes mirth dimmed a little, uneasily watching him butchering the animal. It wasn't that he was unnecessarily brutal or cruel-quite the opposite. She saw the same cold casualness in him that she saw when he dealt with humans. She realized a human and a deer weren't that different to him. The woman ate until she was full in silence, thinking.
The contradictions were always there. He could be enormously generous to her, like with the deer, and yet evil and cruelty we're obviously a part of his gruesome nature. He ate nothing but people, and did twisted things like take their possessions and wear their skins. Sky Eyes wondered why she was so special; it was probably her unusual eyes, which he liked looking at. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of him turning on her…
Still as horrifying as he was, she found herself genuinely likening him, maybe even loving him. He was like the fulfillment of every childhood wish, and he gave her endless pleasure and whatever she could ever wanted. Her dreams reflected this reality. She dreamed of love and fertility then visited the spirit world and was harassed and frightened by his victims. Her nightmares were becoming more frequent, they were starting to cause her to lose sleep.
She tried to justify it to herself. He was a nature god. Nature was sometimes cruel. According to the legends of Xipe Totec his cycle made the corn grow and his sacrifice of skin was like the corn losing its outer layer. Without the sacrifice mankind would starve. Without death there was no life.
Still the nightmares continued.
To distract her mind during the daylight hours she made herself scarce when he made his kills, covering her ears if she could hear screams. She made her hands busy, living with the god gave her the luxury of being idle as a queen, but she enjoyed honest work even more, as she had her whole life.
She preserved the deer meat and its skin. She gathered tubers and berries again and fished occasionally. When the god heard her whistling her bird songs when she worked he immediately stopped and demanded more, so her whistling became a source for major entertainment for them, with her teaching the god to do so. He also enjoyed her singing, but didn't dance for him much, as that was a communal activity and as such she never learned to do it properly.
Sky Eyes observed him carefully and saw that he didn't wear his human skins all the time, often he took clothes from his victims and wore those. But they were all ancient, moldering or stiff-with-filth rags that Sky Eyes hated. She sewed new ones for him, which he could do only crudely. She also wove fine baskets to hold his belongings, which he could do not at all.
He was all very delighted with all she did for him, and showed his appreciation frequently and abundantly.
As a result Sky Eyes tried more and more to earn appreciation. The clothes she affixed with beautiful patterns of beads, feathers and designs. He didn't like their showiness but the artist in him loved them so he usually wore them. She even found Golden Eagle feathers in an abandoned nest and ran excitedly down to give to him. He didn't understand the symbolic importance but saw the eagerness in which she presented them to him. He let her touch his long trail of coarse white hair in fascination and weave in the feathers in the style of her tribe. He saw her look on approvingly when she was done, and even he had to admit he looked more passably human then he did by wearing rags and skins. His prey allowed him to move closer before running away in a panic, he noticed. To Sky Eyes he looked more like a god more than ever.
Still, as useful, and amusing, and pleasurable as he found her. One thing eluded him. She still didn't become pregnant. Sky Eyes never learned of his desire and it never occurred to her that she had the potential. However "Xipe Totec" found himself more and more anxious as the days went on. If he failed in this task he would have to sleep again. The only chance he would have was to awake and hope he found her again. He began trying harder and harder, much to Sky Eyes delight.
The god shook his head listening to her whistling as she gathered firewood. He still had time, and if he failed, he still had an important use for her. She was a key to the cliff dwellers.
Sky Eyes kept her head down over her work. Her whistling was shrill, seeing a woman decapitated then casually given her deerskin leggings wasn't something she wanted to see. She trembled, closed her eyes, and prayed silently.
Please no more nightmares.