The Girl kneeled bravely on the Great Sacrificial Stone just outside the People’s territory. Naked, alone, awaiting death, the Girl tempered her rising terror with the knowledge that the years of careful training might save her. One Sacrificial Girl had lived for two years with the Tiger. Two years! He does not always kill them instantly. Perhaps he never kills them! Perhaps he sets them free in a distant land after they’ve served him dutifully. The valley is quiet now. Tiger is here. The People watch from the edge of the forest, from the trees, watch Tiger approach the girl-gift. They hope to appease Tiger and distract him away from alerting the other Cats.
The Cats had been gaining territory over the past 6 generations and were getting stronger. The People’s territory was now completely surrounded. A single battle with any family of Cats would mean the end of all People. Thankfully, perhaps, lay the fact that Tigers now possessed adjacent territory. Tigers are by no means push-overs in the Cat Kingdom, but in those days Tigers led mostly solitary lives and demanded enormous amounts of personal territory. Having only one cat to avoid rather than a pack is certainly advantageous. But what is particularly advantageous about living amongst tigers is their enormous vanity. People understand vanity quite well.
The Tiger approached his gift. He so did enjoy this whole ceremony, the gaze of the crowd and the quiet suspense as he encircled the girl-gift. He savored the horrified look on the pubescent girl’s face as he lunged and tore her apart. And the celebratory hollarings of the ape-things as he feasted upon one of their own—their own kind—but were assured free passage for the next twelve seasons. Damn. It’s good to be a Tiger.
In those days Tiger felt like a god of his territory. He never hunted for food. The mangy ape-things brought him nearly every meal, freshly killed. And the people offered him a sacrifice of their own kind every three years to appease... อ่านทั้งเรื่อง
