the Tale of Sky Eyes

She gathered the corn necessary for breakfast, and offered a quick prayer of thanks to Grandfather Sun.

She knew she had much to be thankful for, the corn crop was good this year, hopefully no one would starve. She had seen that, felt hunger pains, and heard of famines that wiped out whole villages. The woman quickly gathered the needed corn and headed swiftly back to her pueblo.

Later in the pueblo, Sky Eyes ground corn while her elderly mother slept; she loved this chore, as it allowed her to think unbothered.

She thought about the pueblos, who stood carved into mesas and canyon walls. She often had to rock climb or use rope ladders to move about her town. Long ago, the stories went, the ancestors descended into this area, the corn was abundant, the rain was plentiful, and they carved their homes to protect themselves against enemy tribes.

It largely worked, her tribe survived, all her life, and her mother’s life, and her grandmother's life they never felt the sting of enemy raids, of vicious inter-tribal warfare.

However Sky Eyes worried, they couldn’t build against the weather; either the rains or snow came, or they didn’t. And if they decided not to, then people starved.

She thought back to the old legends, of this place being so plentiful The People’s numbers swelled, of the food that could feed them all. The oldest woman in the pueblo, a woman so old her granddaughter was having babies, spoke of past times where the tribe didn’t have to worry and pray if the rains would come or not, the gods guaranteed it, yet lately everything seemed… drier. Sky Eyes wondered if the gods were angry.

Who knows what the gods think. They were barely comprehensible. Gods can be wrathful or benevolent; they could create mankind out of clay and corn, or they could utterly destroy him. Maybe the gods would decide to withhold the rain this year, which means next year no corn.

Sky Eyes thought a lot about the gods. Next to her mundane world lived a whole pantheon of invisible, ancient, powerful deities and spirits. They had to be prayed to, appeased and occasionally sacrificed to. They utterly controlled her life, everybody’s life.

She thought of Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Earth - all humans originated from her womb underneath a lake. Spider Woman, who helped create mankind and taught women to weave, Mother Corn who loved mankind too, fed him with her own flesh.[or 'who loved mankind enough to feed him'?] The death god, the rain spirits who looked like men with wings, the moon goddess, whose pale sons were gods who came from the east, and Xipe Totec, “Our Lord the Flayed One”; he resided in the field, he tore off his own skin like humans tore off the corn’s. Some said he was vengeful, but he rarely showed his face to mankind. Ancients to the south, ones who built great stone cities and pyramids, were said to offer this god, or gods like him, human skin.

Without even thinking about it, she immediately presented the corn meal to her. The woman knew her mother’s stomach would be empty when she awoke.

“Ahhh, Sky Eyes,” her mother murmured. Sky Eyes felt a huge swelling of love, nobody else in the tribe, nobody else in the world cared for her. She was her mother’s first child, her only child when her father first got a good look at her. And although this may have been her husband’s pueblo, she was happiest when he was gone. Happiest when it was just her and her mother.

Her mother ate the corn meal greedily; Sky Eyes busied herself around the dwelling. She lit the kiva and set the rest of the meal to cook. They would have it for their midday snack.

When her mother finished she eyed the extra corn warily, and repeated one of her favorite maxims; “only the fool takes more than he can eat.” Sky Eyes grinned apologetically and gestured to the extra corn which she was beginning to prepare. “I had to pluck some extra, for when he comes back, Mother.”

Her mother said nothing, but Sky Eyes got the impression she wanted to give a sarcastic snort, or roll her eyes. Her husband was rarely home now. She noticed, jealousy pricking the back of her eyes, that he was spending an inordinate amount of time with the curvy thirteen year old who had so spectacularly proved her fertility with twins.

As if she was struck with physical pain, Sky Eyes wrapped her arms around her midsection and climbed to the roof of their pueblo. Gazing out at the rising sun, she continued to think about her life, the gods; she wondered why she was created the way she was. She hated being different, it made her miserable - she knew what everyone thought about her, what they whispered. She wondered about her ultimate fate, what would happen if her husband left, or bought a second wife, when her mother would die, if the rains would come, if the corn would grow.

Sky Eyes did feel a physical pain in her empty body. She wasn’t a seer, despite what some people rumored, but she had a feeling, she felt something was coming; something was going to change, soon.

To cheer herself, she practiced her bird whistles; she loved birds, and rarely ate them. When she was small she had fantasies of flying, of leaving the Earth like a bird or a goddess.

Thinking of birds made her think of that odd shadow. It was the second time she had seen it. She wondered if she should tell anyone, the elders or her mother at least. She thought against it, whatever this was, this strange bird was better off as a secret. A secret that would unwrap itself slowly. A delicious secret.

Sky Eyes immediately straightened herself and then sat completely still, listening.

“This is the story of your ancestors,” her mother said, combing her hair, “You have somewhat different ancestors than everybody else, maybe that’s why-" her mother abruptly stopped; Sky Eyes gave a sad smile.

“A long time ago, generations and generations ago, pale gods came from the east, sons of the moon goddess.” Sky Eyes knew this story, but she kept silent. Her mother continued “These gods were fierce, they rode on dragons across a body of water so vast no man could ever hope to swim across it.”

“These gods attacked people, they raided villages, took the women captive; they fathered god-children who looked like them. They had shells, and weapons that smashed stone and glinted in the sun. However over time these gods lost their power - they disappeared, back into the sea, some said because of a great freeze. But their children remained, spread across the land, everywhere. You know where you great-grandfather came from Sky Eyes? He was a tall man. He came from another tribe in the east, very far away.” Her mother sighed and finished combing out her daughter's hair, checking for nits.

“When you were born we were overjoyed; I lost three children before you. I wasn’t disappointed you were a girl, I knew you were a blessing.” Her mother began braiding; despite hearing these stories many times before Sky Eyes still waited with breathless anticipation. “The midwife, that idiot saw your face and screamed, wailing about curses and witches, I rose up from my birthing mat and slapped the stupid woman, then I demanded to see my daughter.” Sky Eyes hid a smile, from birth her mother was her only defender.

“Of course I was shocked when I saw you, who wouldn’t be? But,” she added, “I saw it as a mark of specialty. You are special, Sky Eyes.” Sky Eyes said nothing.

“Some people thought you were blind at first, but when you grew, I saw that your eyes were completely clear, and beautiful.” Her mother sighed, “So many people were alarmed by you, I still don’t know why - they call you a witch, cursed, but I have never seen you do an evil thing in your life.”

Sky Eyes knelt down in front of the tightly woven water basket, gazing at her reflection, looking at her braids. Her mother resumed, “You are special Sky Eyes, touched by the gods.” Sky Eyes looked at the reflection in her face looked into her own eyes.

“And with the gods is your destiny,” her mother promised. The woman kept looking at her own eyes, different from everybody else’s. Her tribe, every tribe, every person - dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair. She looked like them. Except her eyes were blue.

There was a huge commotion. Sky Eyes quickly ran towards the gathering crowd. There were screams, shouts, wails of grief. She ignored the hiss of “witch!”; it was from a boy. Too young to know any better.

A knot was forming in her stomach, she tried to peer over the crowd. The wailing was coming from one woman, the chief was shouting orders, people were howling in shock and disgust. The person in front of her, looking sick, Sky Eyes stepped forward, and immediately stepped back.

It was a man, or used to be a man. He had been completely destroyed; she gaped in shock, not even a cougar-mauling could do that…

His terrified blood-stained companion could only babble. They tried to speak to him ask him what happened, but he was too deep in shock. Sky Eyes could smell urine.

Using her well-honed skill of disappearing when something bad happened, Sky Eyes melted quietly away.

Sky Eyes was weaving. There was a big communal sewing and weaving circle. Sky Eyes wasn’t invited, and she wasn’t really part of the circle.

Still she worked, and she sat near enough them to listen to their songs, stories and gossip. Even though she didn’t speak, she could pretend to be a part of them.

Invariably the women turned their conversation to the recent killing. They analyzed every detail. It was a whole hunting party that went missing - the sole terrified survivor brought back some of the remains of his brother. Struck dumb by terror, he was now resting, soon he would give his account to the elders. The whole pueblo was rife with rumor and speculation.

“The Oldest One, my grandmother, told me it was a demon.” A young woman nursing an infant said matter-of-factly. “The demon who returns in the spring, when the corn is full.”

Another woman cut in, “How can that be? The only person who died when the corn was full last year was a still born infant. Where was the demon then?”

The younger woman answered, “The Oldest One told me, ‘this demon only returns very briefly and after many years; he selects his chosen few and drags them to the underworld - nothing can stop him in getting what he wants.’ She also claims to have seen him return at least two other times.”

The other women made various noises at that, a few concern lines etched into their faces, some of them held their children closer. The Oldest One’s granddaughter did too.

Sky Eyes felt a twinge of envy as she gazed at the fat happy baby, suckling contentedly. She felt empty…

The Oldest One’s granddaughter caught her looking, she gazed directly into Sky Eyes' pale blue irises. The woman blushed and focused on her weaving. The nursing mother shuddered and looked away.

“Hysterical,” replied another. “They had to wrap her up and carry her home, she was crying so hard.” She sighed. “They were quite fond of each other, it’s a shame her last image of him was that.” Everybody nodded grimly; the whole pueblo had seen the corpse.

As the day wore on Sky Eyes finished her weaving, producing several fine baskets for use or trade. She started yawning, wondering whether she should finish one more or return to her pueblo. The circle of women had broken up and started to drift apart. She decided to return to her pueblo, her mother probably missed her.

Practicing her bird whistles she gathered her baskets and stacked them carefully, balancing some on her head. She failed to notice the women glaring at her, or the woman running to her until she slammed into her. Sky Eyes gasped in surprise and dropped her goods; she would have begun yelling if the woman hadn’t started screaming first.

“HE TOOK MY SON, HE TOOK HIM!” she was wailing. She beat the ground with her fists, stirred up the dirt violently and yanked out her hair. The other women began to gather. Sky Eyes sat there in shock.

The woman was sobbing; “the demon took him,” was all she could say. She began the grief chant, the death chant, shrieking it as though she were in agony.

Sky Eyes quietly gathered her fallen baskets, her mind screaming at her to retreat, but she stayed and listened.

“How can that be, you were indoors…in your home,” one woman asked. At those words a slow chill came through the women, and the men who were gathering. Soon it seemed like the whole tribe had congregated, drawn to the screaming tragedy, as humans always are.

The grieving mother choked out her story. She walked in to find the demon holding her squirming son; she screamed and tried to fight it off. It looked at her with eyes of fire, and jumped out the window, her son still in its arms. Sky Eyes suddenly remembered who this woman was; her son had called her a witch.

“You must be mistaken,” one man stubbornly insisted. “Nothing has gotten into the Pueblo since our ancestors built it.” The woman turned on him in a rage.

Sky Eyes considered, feeling frightened. If this demon god can get into a pueblo, her pueblo, ANY pueblo, it seemed nowhere was safe.

Soon an argument was breaking out. “Maybe this demon could scale walls, appear at will.” Sky Eyes shook her head, thinking of the shadow.

“He can fly,” she said quietly, but instantly drawing everybody’s attention. “He has wings, like a bird.” She spoke with absolute certainty.

Later on the way home, the widow struck her across the face, hissing, “witch.”

Sky Eyes stayed inside her pueblo all day. She told her mother she was sick, which might explain the rolling feeling in her stomach. A sense of inevitability was dawning on her.

To her surprise, her husband had returned last night. She immediately made him something to eat. She hoped he had a present for her, dried deer meat was her favorite, but he had nothing and he ate in silence. He seemed to be gathering his courage.

Sky Eyes looked surprised. “I-I saw him” she admitted, although that wasn’t exactly truthful.

Her husband's eyebrows flew up his face. “When did you see him?!” he demanded again.

Sky Eyes was beginning to feel even more nervous. “Well, I didn’t actually see him,” she stammered, “but I saw his shadow as Grandfather Sun was rising.” She looked dreamy, “He can outfly an eagle!”

Her husband licked his lips looking horrified and nervous, he finally blurted out “You spoke to this demon?” Sky Eyes was shocked, “No, no I just saw his shadow!” she insisted.

Her husband jumped up unconvinced, “Do you know what they say?! What they say about you?!” Sky Eyes felt tears burn her; she lowered her head in shame. Her husband began shouting, “Is it true?! Is it true?!”

Sky Eyes broke. “No it’s not true!” she screamed. “They’ve been saying that all my life! IT’S. NOT. TRUE!” She broke down into sobs.

For the first time ever, Sky Eyes interrupted him, “Who cares what they say?” she screamed in fear, “they’ve been ‘saying it’ since I was born! Since you married me!” she glared at him, letting that accusation go by silently. But her anger abruptly ceased, as it always did. “Please,” she begged still kneeling, “you’re my husband, I-“

“I wouldn’t have been if I had known you were a barren woman!” he spat bitterly.

Sky Eyes twisted in agony, shame and grief flooding her, she whimpered. “Please, please,” she cried, “It’s not too late,” she began begging again “we can still try; there’s still-" Her husband abruptly, angrily turned around and stomped out of the dwelling. Sky Eyes cried the whole night, knowing he wasn’t coming back.

She cried, then slept; when she awoke she realized how foolish she had been. When she awoke she jerked in terror, gazing out the window, realizing she should have kept a vigil against the demon with wings. Thankfully her mother was still there, sleeping peacefully.

The outcast rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning. Still keeping an eye on the brilliant blue sky outside, she tidied up; the pueblo was messy. She found some cold corn cakes and acorn bread for breakfast and gently set them next to her mother.

Sky Eyes lit the kiva, and using a knife made of yucca fibers, flayed and de-kernelled the corn. She gave the customary chant to the Corn Mother, but her mind was elsewhere. She thought of the demon, of the Pueblo, how he penetrated their defenses with ease. A husband that won’t come back, what would she do? This was his home, she brought her mother here when she married him, and no other man would have her. Everybody knew she was barren.

It was a fairly good match. They worried her oddness would prevent her from ever marrying. She reflected, if it wasn’t for her oddness she might have been accepted, happy. If her eyes were normal her lack of fertility could be tolerated, or the other way around, but now it seemed the whole world hated Sky Eyes. She did not go out to pick the fresh corn, or trade for her baskets. For some reason she clutched her yucca knife tightly. She did not look at the window, but at the door. Her mother didn’t stir.

Quietly, without tears she began praying. To Spider Woman who helped create mankind, the Moon Goddess who was her ancestor, Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Earth, to the god of the dead - she begged him not to take her to his kingdom, to Coyote and Raven, because she needed cleverness; even to the vengeful corn god who rose and died and wrought havoc upon mankind.

They came much later; Sky Eyes was shivering in fear. Realizing she was still clutching the knife, she hid it carefully in the roll of her shift. She wrapped her arms around herself. Crying.

They dragged her out screaming. Too cowardly to confront her on their own, they became a mob, the whole tribe! They grabbed her; hit her with sticks, spat on her. Their cries of “witch, witch!” ringing in her ears.

The accusations were too numerous and ridiculous to counter effectively. The Widow and Brother accused her of killing and mutilating that man. The Mother claimed she had snatched her son, The Oldest One’s granddaughter accused her of cursing her baby, and she showed the crowd an infant red and deathly still with fever. They all lobbed accusations of misfortune and death upon her.

There was a slightly more formal hearing. The elders heard the accusations, Sky Eyes bound and trembling before them.

One older woman claimed she saw Sky Eyes throw on a Coyote pelt and become one, as witches are know to do. She protested that she merely killed the coyote and displayed its skin as a warning to others. The crowd hissed at her in disgust. The litany continued: it was becoming drier because of her, there was less corn, less game, their good hunters were being killed, she had consorted with the demon, caused miscarriages, encouraged enemy tribes, refused to give her husband children, her unnatural eyes had put curses on all those who looked at them.

Every time she had protested, tried to defend herself, the accusations were simply piled on; by the end she was helpless, screaming or crying in anger pounding the ground in frustration. It didn’t matter how unreasonable their accusations were, it all boiled down to being different. As the crowd gradually quieted, the elders debated on a punishment.

More voices shouted out, Death! Torture! The widow she screamed that what was done to her husband should be done to her. Sky Eyes paled at the memory of that corpse, she screamed back that it wasn’t her, it was the demon - the crowd shout back: who controlled the demon? She screamed her innocence once more.

“You sit in the demon's shadow, under his wings,” an elder insisted. “You encourage him to-“

There were collective gasps at the rudeness of this behavior. Everyone turned to see the Oldest One, being carried on the back of one her grandsons.

The crowd felt mixed, she had interrupted their bloodlust, but she was the eldest and wisest of the tribe, even if she was so weak she barely left her pueblo anymore.

“The demon is not controlled by this woman.” She patiently explained. “No more than the rain is caused by a bird, this demon; I should say god,” she sighed, “appears after twenty three springs, for one moon. He comes whether there are witches or not.” She finished and sat patiently on the floor.

The crowd seemed stunned. The elders were silent. Sky Eyes could feel the beginning of a throbbing relief in her head.

“Nevertheless” an elder continued, “this de- god is terrible luck, and particularly vengeful, our tribe is shrinking, and his slayings are not helping. She is a barren witch who curses us with bad luck. I-”

The Oldest One interrupted, “This vengeful god is bad luck, “she agreed, “but so is a drought, which comes on its own, in cycles, just like him.” She insisted. “Sky Eyes is no more responsible for this god’s appearance than she is for the sunrise.”

Emboldened by her defender, Sky Eyes begged her wisdom would get her though this. “Oldest One, “she begged, “you know the legends, the ones my mother tell, they say my ancestors were those pale gods, from the east.” She felt like fainting. “Please, Oldest One, you know I’m not a witch! I’m just, I’m just -different.” She concluded lamely.

Now all eyes turned to the Oldest One, waiting for her response. Before she could say or do anything however a voice jeered out.

“Oldest One!” cried the Widow, “your memory is long, tell us what happened to Sky Eyes' father!”

Sky Eyes looked nervously, the Oldest One licked her cracked lips. She whispered, reluctantly, “He was killed.”

The Widow didn’t stop prodding, “by?” she demanded. “It was shortly after she was born wasn’t it?”

There was roar at those words. Accusations flew thick again, the elders screamed for silence.

The Brother of the dead man pushed forward. “Elders, please let me speak!” he begged. They granted him permission, reluctantly.

He paced in front of Sky Eyes, who glared at him; he shuddered, but began to argue.

“What the Oldest One says is true, the demon - I mean god, has come before, and probably will come again,” the crowd shivered collectively. “He is, I can attest to this myself, a force of nature,” he looked sad. “Nothing can stop him, I’ve fought him, begged him, even offered myself to him,” he shook his head, “he still killed my brother. Horribly.”

The Widow began wailing, for one moment, Sky Eyes felt pity for them. Then the Brother continued.

“Although she does not control the demon god, her evil bring illness and misery to us, there is no doubt about that,” he nodded to The Oldest One’s granddaughter, “and although gods can't be controlled, they can be influenced, we do it all the time, with prayer and sacrifice, this makes them happy,” there were nods all around, “but she”, he pointed to the trembling woman, “angers them. She draws bad gods to our tribe and may cause good ones, like the rain gods, to fly away. When her father rejected her, he was killed, when her boy,” he gestured to the grieving mother, “called her a witch, he was killed. This demon-god is outraged our tribe harbors a witch, and his anger is great.”

“What are you demanding?” asked the Oldest One, the Brother gave a small respectful bow before her.

“She claims her ancestors are those violent gods who were light as moon beams.” He said. “If her ancestry is truly divine, why not give her back to the gods?” he asked. He then turned to Sky Eyes and gave her a mocking bow.

The crowd looked puzzled; the elders demanded what he meant. He grinned savagely. “Sacrifice her,” he ordered, “Give her to the demon god.”

She was being marched, her hands were tied behind her back, one of the warriors had a rope around her neck. Several others and an elder escorted her; one carried a long pole sharpened at one end.

She was gagged because they were afraid; when they had pronounced her sentence she convulsed - she didn’t really remember it but she had screamed, cursing them with a voice like death.

She cursed them to the grim underworld; she cursed them all to enemy tribes, to a horrible death, to be eaten, to be cannibalized, to be struck by lightning, for the Pueblo to turn to rubble. She cursed her cowardly husband - too afraid to even defend her at her trial - to impotence. She screamed their babies would fall out dead, that their tribe be exterminated; they would fall so low that not even the vultures would pick at them.

She had heard shocked gasps, the Elders had all gone pale; the men grabbed her and stuffed the gag into her mouth. She fainted after that.

The Brother assured the others that once she was dead, her evil purified by the god, this curse would disappear. There was still fearful muttering. A witch’s curse was a terrible thing.

Now she was gagged, dehydrated, being forced to march miles safely away from the Pueblo, to be fed to a hideous god.

Her stomach rolled, she prayed to him, begging it would be quick. She looked for his shadow.

Around midday, she was drenched in sweat; she was forced off the mesa and into some rolling plains below, the elder ordered a halt.

“Here.” he ordered, and the warriors immediately dug a small pit, when that was done, they carefully lowered the pole, sharpened end first, into the ground. Then they buried it.

Sky Eyes was pulled harshly up from the ground, her ropes used to tie her to the stake, and then they all promptly retreated. Sky Eyes wondered why here? Then she noticed the dark stains on the ground. She let out a low moan through her gag. This is where the massacre took place.

The heat continued to grow worse; she thought she might faint again. The world grew blurry. She began to welcome death at the hands of this god, it might even be quick.

And with the gods is your destiny; her mother’s words proved to be more prophetic than she realized.

The dry feeling in her mouth was still there, but it no longer burned, it was just a dried-out cottony feeling. Using her lips and tongue she tried to work off the gag; it was feeling looser. She tested her wrists against her bonds, and was rewarded with muscle pain.

Straightening herself, she looked cautiously around, no sign of the god, or anything else for that matter. Squinting, she observed the sky, no god there either; Grandfather Sun’s position told her it was well beyond midday.

Sighing she continued to push off the gag and leaned back onto her stake. Her sweat was starting to cool.

I have to escape, she thought dizzily, and tried to reason: if the god didn’t get her thirst, or hunger or wild beasts or enemy tribesmen would. She tugged at her wrists. Still tight. She could move about somewhat around the stake, even bend her knees and sit down, but she was stuck to it. She tried wiggling the pole, maybe if given enough time - days - she might have been able to shake it loose, but she didn’t have that time. She continued struggling.

With a shake of her head, she managed finally toss off the gag, it hung limply around her neck.

Sky Eyes looked around once more, an odd feeling of being watched coming over her. She began to tug more desperately on the ropes.

In what seemed like a great deal of time later, she began panicking; it was not yet night, but the barest hint of dimness was beginning to fall across the land. Soon she would be trapped and blind, she tried calling out.

She made the noise of a woman in distress, it was enormously risky but in her desperation she figured anything was better than this. Even if she attracted a hungry god or animal, death was preferable to waiting.

Still giving a high pitched wail she heard it, a soft subtle sound. She stopped and gasped, but heard nothing, she began crying again. The unfortunate woman struggled not to let tears fall down, knowing I would only exacerbate her dehydration.

When she heard the noise again she was able to pinpoint the sound, it was behind her, a thrill of dread running through her, she turned around. She saw nothing, she decided to use words.

“Please,” she begged, “if you are a man or a god or a demon, or even an animal, please untie me, or at the very least kill me to set me free. Please,” she whimpered.

Instantly she knew what it was. Cheeks burning, she cursed the warriors who must have remained, for what she didn’t know, probably to insure she died properly. Any noise immediately ceased.

Sighing once more, she leaned back onto the stake and eased herself to the ground. Her mind was oddly blank and calm now, waiting for slaughter, accepting the inevitable. She continued to flex her wrists and shut her eyes.

The “god” hadn’t been to this spot in days, he saw little need for it. He had slaughtered a hunting party, they never saw him coming. He left one man alive; who he could clearly smell was related to one of his other victims. The man held out his hands in a supplicating gesture and babbled something. The “god” ignored him, satisfied with is prey.

He very much doubted he would find anything here again, the blood from his last hunt was still there for humans to see, however, he wanted to sniff around those cliff houses again. He heard it before he saw, or even smelled it. It was the noise of an animal in distress, he could smell human.

Now excited, and drawn irresistibly towards Sky Eyes like a moth to a flame, he saw an odd sight. A woman was tied to a long skinny stick in the ground; she was the one who was crying, now apparently done. She closed her eyes and leaned back on her pole, her wrists still struggling. He could easily see from his vantage point other humans who thought they were hiding, a group of young men and an old one. They kept their eyes steadily on the woman.

The monster did a quick mental assessment. No, there was nothing like this in his memory, very rarely he saw animals tied up then killed in an apparent religious rite. He only saw humans tied up when they were war captives, tied up and marched off to be slaves, but never to a stick, just left there. Waiting.

Then he had a flash of insight: Of course! This must be some sort of trap, a silly one, but a trap none the less. He goes for the helpless tied-up human; the others jump out and try to kill him. He smirked.

Circling around once more he planned based on smell; the men, some of them at least, were definitely prey, no doubt about that. One was really too old to use; the woman, well, she smelled interesting, definitely worth checking out. He would do the bait last, she wasn’t going anywhere.

Her blue eyes snapped open, awoken by the terrible screams, twisting around she could clearly see the source. The warriors had abandoned their hideout, running around like frightened birds. Wondering what was happening she quickly stood up.

It would have been funny if it wasn’t so horrifying, although she couldn’t quite see what was happening; she stood on her toes, the screams were starting to infect her with fear. She could now hear wails of pain also.

It was a man, biggest she had ever seen, he was wearing rags, he was chasing the warriors, killing them - no...

Men don’t have wings; his were still half opened as he killed lazily. Sky Eyes subconsciously tugged on her ropes. She saw his face, his face was opening.

Nooooooo, she wailed silently, it’s the god! Changing her mind instantly she began to struggle. No, no please don’t kill me, god.

It was as useless attempt as her previous ones, in her haze of panic she nearly strangled herself on the rope trying to get away. She saw men being killed, some trying to run others trying to fight, both were proving useless.

She saw the hateful old elder, the part of the group that wanted to kill her, kneel and plea to the god. He casually knocked him out of the way.

Sky Eyes might have given up then, fainted, when she felt something sharp jabbed into her belly.

The yucca knife! She had forgotten about it, it was still hidden in the fold of her dress. It would easily cut through rope; it was almost sharp as stone. She quickly realized her limits; she couldn’t just reach in and grab it. She decided to shake her dress loose.

It came out easily falling to the ground. She squatted and tried to grab it blindly. In her panic, she dropped it twice. Near tears, she managed it on the third time, and immediately began sawing herself loose. She could hear the screams of the dying, smell their blood.

Awkwardly she jumped up, she only needed to really cut halfway, with the strength born of fear she broke free on her own. She began to desperately kick and toss off the remaining bits of rope.

Involuntarily she turned around. She wanted to scream, it was horrid, and the god was winding down its massacre. Unexpectedly he shot a look to her, and then literally did a double take, staring straight into her eyes. She could only look back in paralyzed horror. Mouth open and still dripping with blood, he started towards her.

Sky Eyes snapped out of her frozen shock, running for her life in the opposite direction. She didn’t look back; sure the demon-god was right on her heels. Her heart was going to explode and her lungs were on fire.

Then - “Ahhhhhggg!” she screamed, and something slammed into her. It was one of the few remaining warriors, his eyes were wild and he kept knocking into her in panic, impeding her progress! The demon was right behind her!

In a blind rage Sky Eyes lashed out, catching the idiot in the mouth with the yucca knife. Now his eyes bulged at her, staring with blank horror into her icy blue ones. “Son of a Whore!” she screamed a curse at him, before ripping the knife through his cheek. He screamed and fell before her. She stepped over his body and ran, and kept running. She didn’t look back, she didn’t know if the demon-god got the young man. She didn’t care.

Sky Eyes collapsed to the ground. For a moment too tired to even think, then she immediately looked behind her, no vengeful god howling for her blood. She looked all around, even checked the sky for good measure. She had escaped…

She immediately fell into the stream, drinking greedily, never having been so thirsty in her life. She drank till the burning was gone, only pausing to pant in exhaustion. She drank till her stomach felt like a ripe gourd melon, nearly bursting.

The woman got up, and panted slowly, then immediately looked around again, she wanted nothing more than to rest, just lay down and sleep, but she knew she couldn’t. Despite the calm she knew he could be lurking, hungry for her flesh. Setting off on a jog she continued to run.

So hungry, and this tasty little morsel was right in front of him. He was curled up in shock and fear. Felled by that woman.

He had ignored her, saved her last thinking she couldn’t run, then he saw her loose. Then he had to stop stare in surprise. The woman was staring back at him with wide fearful eyes, in a color he never saw before!

He had to get closer, had to examine her more minutely. Maybe even use the unusual eyes.

Predictably, she bolted, ran in a completely opposite direction. No problem, he set off after her. Then he saw her confront, fight another human, she had stabbed him. It wasn’t a deep wound, but he fell to the ground in terror, not used to dealing with vengeful gods and witch's curses. He was positive this was the end, too scared to move.

Now the monster stood before the callow youth, debating if he should eat and store the corpses in his lair, or chase after the fleeing woman. The man at his feet was babbling, praying to the angry god. He felt a twinge of hunger. He could always pick her scent and catch her later.

Sky Eyes was sure it was a scream. A distant horrible one. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed forward.

She was by a small creek, in a small niche in the rock. It wasn’t a proper cave, but it was far better than nothing.

Despite her fatigue she had constructed a very crude lean-to. She drank from the creek. She managed to shove down a few sour sumac berries she knew were edible. She thought about building a fire, but there was no time to gather wood and tinder before the sun fell, and she had no fire-rocks with her. Besides, it might attract the god.

Sky Eyes whimpered and cowered in her rude shelter, clutching the yucca knife, reliving the horrible things she had seen. She thanked Grandmother Earth for the haven, poor as it was, she prayed to all the gods in thanks and pleas, except one. She didn’t want her prayers to draw him too her.

Predictably, the woman didn’t sleep, having never faced the total darkness alone. She heard coyotes howling and thought she heard an owl hoot. That was a bad omen. So she began to think, weigh her options; she had absolutely no place to go. The tribe she was born into grudgingly tolerated her, but now the whispers that had surrounded her all her life had boiled up into angry shouts, nearly killing her.

She couldn’t help but cry when she realized she was cut off from her mothers forever. Her birth mother and the Corn Mother.

She couldn’t hunt, she could only get corn if she raided someone else’s fields, and that could get her killed. Maybe another tribe could take me in, intertribal adoption wasn’t unheard of, but that was risky too - they might decide to kill her outright, if not for her old tribe affiliation, then for her oddness. And even if they did she wouldn’t be useful as a wife because she was barren, she would be an outcast in that society too, little more than a slave.

Squeezing out a last few tears she curled up for warmth, chanting silently to Moon Goddess, begging her pale ancestor for protection.

When she awoke again, it was already morning; she gave another quick scan, offered her usual prayer to Grandfather Sun and took a quick dip into the creek. She did not take off her dress, she felt vulnerable enough without being naked.

The only pause in her day was when she grabbed nearby river rushes to weave a crude but functional basket. She filled it with the rest of the berries, two fire stones she found up stream, and her yucca knife. She thanked Spider Woman silently.

As she walked on she realized what being cut off from the Pueblo really meant; there was no signing, laughing, gossip, no human voices at all. There was no corn she could lazily pick and eat. She was completely alone, only relying on herself. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. After a while she enjoyed it, no hostile stares or accusations anymore.

It’s still so dangerous, though; there was the god, wild animals, and enemy tribes. If those didn’t get her, she could fall to starvation, or disease, or even a simple accident. No one would be there to help her. Still, she continued to push on.

It wasn’t dark yet, but she could see it was getting there. She rested by a pond, drank and washed the dirt and sweat from herself.

Sky Eyes was in good spirits, no sign of the demon, or anything else harmful: no people, no predators. She once saw a bobcat slink shyly away in the bushes; she knew she was too big and healthy and strong for it. She felt elated.

She ate some of her berries, wondering what else she would find for food. The woman had seen acorns, but she had no proper way of preparing them. Then she saw the glint of small silver fish, resting in her shadow. She laughed in delight.

Sky Eyes stared, wondering if she could possibly catch one, she stuck her hand into the pool. Instantly in a silver cloud they darted away. She felt disappointed, but something about what her husband mentioned came back to her, you had to be still.

She stopped her hand from moving. Sure enough the fish came darting cautiously back, she tried to grab one, her hand was slow - the fish were not. Twice more she tried this, and then gave it up as foolish. She never heard of anybody catching fish with bare hands, it was impossible. Regretfully, she turned to her basket.

Her basket…she stared at it. It was not waterproof, it was far too hastily made for that, it had lots of small holes, almost like a net, she considered.

Carefully removing everything and setting it on a flat rock, she dipped the basket into the pool, the fish darted away, and then casually swam toward it again. Already they forgot it was there. Then to her surprise some fish swam into it! She saw a berry was left inside, lodged in one of the small cracks of the basket. Some fish began to nibble curiously on it.

Jerking her arm up she yanked on the basket, tugging it with all her might, the water made it heavy, fish began to dart out in panic. Some were small enough to swim through it. They practically flew out. One fish was too big and too slow.

Sky Eyes shrieked in triumph. She did it! Sky Eyes the mighty hunter! She gigged at that silly thought, delighted with herself, proud. The fish flopped helplessly, she smashed it with rock.

It gaped at her with sad stupid eyes; she felt a twinge of pity. She thanked the fish’s spirit for its sacrifice and once again thanked Spider Woman for teaching women to weave. Then using her yucca knife she cleaned and gutted it.

She held the gutted fish in her hand, should she risk a fire? Or choke it down raw? She scanned the sky. No sign of the demon god all day, maybe she lost him. Inhaling deeply, she gathered some tinder and a few scraps of wood. It would be a small fire. She struck her fire stones.

The smell of sizzling fish was wonderful. It wasn’t that big, about the size of her hand, but it cooked quickly and tasted delicious. She loved the fish eyes and greedily sucked them out.

When she was done she curled up and sighed, a nice warm full feeling emanating from her belly. She found no shelter, I should keep the fire going… but she felt tired, almost lazy, she yawned, the sun was beginning to set. Reluctantly getting up and stretching, Sky Eyes began to hunt for more wood.

Sky Eyes reacted with instant instinctive terror. Turning around swiftly as the bobcat she scanned all horizons, maybe it was nothing, just a bird, then she saw it.

It was in the west flying rapidly, maybe it was just the bird, but it circled closer. It was the demon god, spiraling in circles. Dropping lower then shooting upward. He looked like a vulture, her stomach twisted around the fish. She wondered if, like a vulture, he was looking for carrion. He wheeled in a wide arc, circled lazily and came closer. She thought she could almost see his eyes on the ground, looking, searching, searching for her!

Sky Eyes reacted in a swift panic, she ran, then remembered her belongings; she tried to run again but remembered the fire. Fortunately she was clear-headed not to throw water on it. Water made steam. She scooped shovels of earth onto it, blessing herself for making it so small.

She ran, Grandfather Sun’s rays made his shadow appear longer than it already was. It stretched across the Earth, spurring her on faster.

Sky Eyes stopped, panicked. Then dithered slightly on the spot, she could keep running, or -

A childhood story came back to her; she could hear her mother’s voice, the clever rabbit who outwitted the coyote by hiding in the thorn bush. She decided, as long as her clothes or hair didn’t get stuck.

Cautiously inching her way in, she squeezed underneath the bush, brushing aside the thorns that caught in her skin. Thankfully, there was a small opening she could squeeze into, if she made herself very small.

Sky Eyes cowered in the bush, hoping to stay hidden. She thought she saw his shadow once or twice…

Fortunately she was not found. But unavoidably she could not sleep either, any small movement poked her skin, and as it grew dark every shadow and noise seemed to be him. She closed her eyes and tried not to whimper.

So there was no warm fire, or feeling of safety. She couldn’t leave her thorn haven for anything, not even to relieve herself. Whatever sleep she could manage was just so filled with nightmares that it seemed little different than reality, she couldn’t even scream.

At least the moon was waxing, the moon goddess shone benevolent light upon her descendent, although she thought she saw - or dreamed - a shadow occasionally flitting across her face.

Her eyes seemed half opened already; her whole body was so stiff, even unclenching her hands was an effort. Her first coherent thought was wondering why he was tormenting her. She tried to sit up, and then was reminded of the thorns. Stupid she said sleepily to herself and untangled her hair. The bush trembled.

She paused, wondering if she was being irrational, it was probably just her, but with the hideous god demon, nothing was certain. She forced herself to sit completely still, more still than she thought possible. She heard nothing unusual.

So slow it was agonizing, she made her way out of the thorn bush, scratching herself every inch she crawled. She was filthy; she reeked of dirt and urine. She clutched her basket and yucca knife. The whole process made slower by her desire to look and listen. Sky Eyes saw or heard nothing unusual. Torn, that’s how she felt, literally and figuratively, she wanted to run, but eased out cautiously. Her skin was scratched up.

When she finally did get out, she did not run, she walked quickly and carefully, keeping low, maybe the demon wouldn’t see her from the air.

The woman pushed herself farther, harder than yesterday. She had gotten lazy, she had been imprudent. Sky Eyes knew the demon was much faster than her, she remembered his massive wings. She had to keep going, go farther and faster than ever before, in the slim hope she could shake him.

She only paused to wade across another pond, drinking then washing the filth off. Looking ruefully at the fish she regretted not having the time to catch one. Instead she stuffed a handful of berries into her mouth and continued onward. She hoped the water washed away her scent. It cooled her from the burning sun, she did not mind. She thanked Grandfather Sun; he had warned her about the demon, exaggerating his shadow so she could see him.

Sky Eyes continued on, jumping at any unexpected movement and continuously scanning the sky. She had no idea where she was going.

When she had time to think she thought of heading south, for some reason the idea vaguely appealed to her. The big gleaming cities and pyramids she was told about, and she remembered a strange southern trader with facial tattoos, and a colorful talking bird on his shoulder. He had looked into her eyes and babbled excitedly, with no fear. Maybe she could find acceptance in his tribe, whoever they were.

However the indistinct plan proved difficult to put into practice. She did not travel in a straight line, but constantly zigzagged, dodging boulders and arroyos and other natural formations. When the day was once again was ending, she realized she was heading east, the sun was behind her back.

I’m going home, she thought dizzily. She had the weird idea her strange ancestors would greet her in the east. She imagined everybody had blue eyes there.

The hunger was almost too much. A day’s march on nothing but a handful of berries. She felt shaky and almost delirious. She decided to stop, find a safe place and finish off the rest of her berries, when she saw it.

It seemed like a shadow at first, which made her instantly wary, but after only a seconds observation she saw smoke, a steady stream rising over a tiny valley.

Heedless of the danger, she immediately ran toward it, dreaming of filling her belly. Of kindness and companionship. Hunger and loneliness had clouded her judgment.

The smoke was rising from a cave, her joy increased, a safe dry place for the night, like a Pueblo. She clambered over boulders and scrabbled up. She peered inside cautiously.

Something burst from the cave, yelling. Sky Eyes screamed and retreated, cowering. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. She stared wide eyed at the cave dweller.

His hair was wild and unkempt, he looked dirty, he smelled dirty, but he looked well fed. Sky Eyes could smell something cooking. It seemed delicious. He barked something at her. It took her a while to understand, his dialect was rough sounding. He told her to go away.

“Please,” she said to his retreating back. He ignored her and limped back into his cave. She tried to clear her voice, hoping he could understand her. “Please, I’m very hungry.” She begged. She stepped cautiously into the cave.

“Please let me have some,” she said desperately. He glared at her. She pointed at the roasting rabbit to emphasize her point.

Sky Eyes looked at her basket. He had fire stones; she needed her yucca knife, so she scooped up the last of the berries and offered it to him. With shockingly bad manners he scooped them up and swallowed them whole, without even chewing - like a duck, she thought with disgust.

But she was happy, this meant rabbit for dinner, she sat down in exhaustion and began tearing meat off the still hot animal. Her manners just as bad as his.

The strange man stared at her; he gave his sneering smile and spoke again. “You’ll starve to death.” She blinked and looked up, not knowing if she heard correctly. “What did you say?” she asked politely, in her clearest voice.

He smirked and gestured to the rabbit, “You only eat that you starve, no matter how much you eat, and I’ve seen it.” He pointed to some roasted quail. Sky Eyes shook her head. “I don’t eat birds.”

He looked bewildered, “wha-?” he demanded. Sky Eyes shrugged, “I like birds, they’re like my relations, so I don’t eat them.” She paused, “especially quails, they make me laugh.” She took another bite of rabbit. The man sneered again and shook his head.

She ate about half the rabbit, feeling wonderfully full, and then gingerly set it back on its stake.

Sky Eyes studied him quietly from a lowered head, as a proper woman should. She got a bad impression. His cave was filthy, he was filthy. He limped around muttering to himself and barking out strange things to her she could barely understand. She looked down and noticed one of his feet was deformed. Club foot.

She wondered how she could stay here. She had nothing else to trade. And she doubted it would be from the kindness of his heart. But she didn’t get up and leave. She wondered where the demon was.

Suddenly he was in her face; she smelled rank breath and saw missing teeth. She hastily scrambled back.

“What’s wrong with your eyes!?” he demanded in his weird dialect. He even waggled his hand in front of her, as if to test if she was blind.

Sky Eyes drew back in annoyance, and before she could stop herself, she demanded, “What’s wrong with your foot?”

Club Foot’s eyes grew wide and owlish, as if shocked. Then they narrowed to slits, and he began pacing again, muttering angrily.

Sky Eyes mentally kicked herself. She was not endearing herself to this man. The woman sat half in - half out of his cave. She sensed something was wrong with him, but the sky outside was darkening rapidly, vengeful gods lurked about. And she was tired, and cold. She edged in closer.

“This is my cave, mine.” He spat at her. “Ever since exile it’s been mine.” He sighed bitterly.

Sky Eyes instantly perked up. He must have seen the sympathy on her face, he continued. “I am a great hunter, no one is better than me with a sling, with a net, with a snare. My father is a chief, I come from the oldest line of hunters and warriors and leaders,” he boasted to the stranger. The woman digested this, thinking. He was obviously good enough to catch all this game, it was probably the only skill he had. With his foot he wouldn’t be able to hunt bigger swifter game, let alone fight. His birth must have been a huge disappointment to his family.

He saw her eyeing his deformity, and he began cursing her angrily. She averted her eyes and looked into his. He was pulling at his hair and muttering. She voiced a question cautiously. “You’ve been alone a long time, haven’t you?” He ignored her.

Sky Eyes edged in closer, and tried to establish a bond with him, hopefully he would allow her to stay for at least the night. “I’ve been exiled too,” she said in her clear voice. She gestured to her unusual eyes. “Maybe we can be friends?” she added hopefully.

Sky Eyes found him both frightening and odd. It seemed like a spirit possessed him. He often had violent outbursts of temper, with her barely understanding his curses. Every time he did this she would back away, edge out of the cave, and then slowly return when he began to ignore her. It was unnerving and exhausting. She just wanted to sleep, but she didn’t know if she was welcome to stay - yet he did not physically attack her or chase her away.

When night was beginning to fall, and she was nodding off, Club Foot abruptly turned on the strange woman who attached herself to him.

He didn’t take it. “What tribe before then?!” he demanded, looking at her eyes suspiciously.

The man screamed the name back at her. Howled it in outrage. Too late Sky Eyes recognized him as an enemy tribe member. Despite his exile status, he seemed fiercely parochial. She tried scrambling out of the cave.

He threw her disdainfully back in the cave. Sky Eyes inhaled deeply. Despite her fear of him, her fear of the demon was greater.

“Please let me stay,” she begged. “Let me stay in your cave, I won't be a burden.”

“Coward,” he spat, “Pueblo dweller.” He said this as an insult. He shoved her back again. “What good are you, eh? What good are you?!”

Sky Eyes struggled to remain calm. “I-I can, ummmm,” she looked around the filthy cave, “clean!” she said. “Cook, um sew, weave.” She was becoming more confident. “I make fine baskets, gather more berries, and roots for you.” She promised, guessing by the way he had devoured her berries he was starved for something other than game. “I can fish,” that was stretching it, but not a lie. “I grind corn.”

He exploded again. “No corn!” he gestured to the valley behind him. Sky Eyes reassured him, “I can grow corn too!” she argued.

Club Foot shook his head disdainfully, “Pueblo dweller, no seeds.” But he urged, “go on.”

Sky Eyes blinked, she was running out of assets to list. So she just pleaded some more. “I’m an exile like you, and outcast.” He stepped closer. “I can help you, please.” she begged. He closed the distance between them and grabbed her, but not harshly.

The woman closed her eyes as she felt his hands running over her. He was greedy, with no finesse. She guessed it was to be expected, but she hoped she could avoid it. She could live here, tolerate his oddness if he tolerated hers. Indeed, she was grateful he didn’t just kill her. She thought of her husband, her vows to him, but he had left her, probably remarried already.

So she decided to allow him; she would be fed, and have a fire every night, maybe even protected to a degree. Living as the lonely tribeless wife of an equally lonely crazy outcast. She wondered if she should tell him if she was barren before he started.

However, before he could start, she heard a familiar noise. She snapped open her eyes and looked behind her. The starlight from the outside was extinguished by the silhouette of a dark figure.

Sky Eyes began to panic. Club Foot was far too preoccupied, he tried to hush her. She managed to choke out a warning.

He saw her disconcerting eyes looking in horror behind him. He tried to turn, but was far too slow.

Her screams echoed off and out of the cave. She saw Club Foot being savagely grabbed and pulled away from her, the firelight distorting the already nightmarish vision, and the cave exaggerating and echoing their shrieks and snarls.

Sky Eyes felt her knees go weak. Club Foot may have not have been fast, but he was strong; still the demon was clearly stronger. He was being ripped apart like a corn husk. Rallying her last shreds of strength, she fled screaming past the horrific fight, she thought she saw the god’s head turn, before he re-focused on his still struggling victim.

The terrified woman stumbled, still screaming. She felt her sore body bounce sickeningly on the rocky hill, before sliding down to a stop. She sobbed, and did not move.

Get up! she screamed to herself. Her muscles churned; she staggered upward and tried to check behind her. The screams had died down. The god was standing at the mouth of the cave, she couldn’t see his face, but she could see his hands. It was a full moon, and she saw the light glinting off the blood.

For a moment, the two stared at each other, then without waiting to be chased again, Sky Eyes promptly turned and ran off, hard as she could.

He smiled slowly. He was well fed right now, the sky was clear; the wind blew into his face. The monster sniffed deeply, yes he could smell her, she was still running ahead, very frightened, his smile grew wider.

He had tracked her. It was easy enough, but her scent was getting stale after nearly two days. However he was able to tell by other signs, foot prints, trails, he found her crude little lean-to, smelled it carefully and tossed it away.

The second day he had found where she had slept. He ran his fingers through the ashes of her fire. He could smell cooked fish. Then he tracked her to the thorn bush. Carelessly ripping it up he saw the indentation of where her body was. He could smell her fear, and dried urine. He carefully sniffed the few strands of her hair remaining in the thorns.

Now he had tracked her to this tiny uninhabited valley. The fact that the area she was wandering in was so sparse of humans had helped. If he understood correctly, the people who lived in the cliffs and the people close to them disliked each other. This area was a sort of a no-man's land.

He saw and smelled the smoke. Waiting carefully, he eventually saw the woman leave, then return to the cave. Then do this several more times. Finally a man jumped out and shoved her ruthlessly back in.

Mystified, and aided by the darkness, the monster began to explore the cave. He heard noises, they sounded angry. He assumed they were fighting already.

No, just the opposite - he mused, but he couldn’t tolerate that either. He moved toward them, sniffing loudly. The woman cried out, the man turned. In his homicidal frenzy, he noticed her leaving, but he focused on his killing. The man fought like a rabid animal - he wasn’t worth eating.

Now he stood on the brink, watching his quarry slip away. He was well fed, he could smell her. The “god” was slowly drawing to a conclusion. Maybe she is… He wasn’t totally sure, but he felt fairly certain.

She was so tired. More than anything, she just wanted to lay down and sleep. To give in.

But she knew she couldn’t, the god was sure to be after her, but she knew she was reaching her physical limit. Sky Eyes pushed herself further.

Suddenly he was in front of her. Not too close, at a fairly safe distance in fact. He was standing sideways to her, leering.

Instantly she turned and ran again, panicking. She set off in other direction. Away from him, not towards the cave. She shuddered, thinking of Club Foot.

She hadn’t gone too far, when to her shock she saw him in front of her again. He sat casually on a boulder, smiling at her. She fled again.

Is there more than one? the woman thought, terrified. That would be the epitome of horror, a group of angry gods. Sky Eyes gasped and slowed, no he’s just quick. That made more sense; she slowed to a walk, checking timidly behind her. He didn’t seem interested in chasing her.

Sky Eyes stopped completely, peering out in front of her. Sure enough, he was there, but he seemed to be ignoring her. He saw her but he walked away.

She caught her breath, thinking. He was visible in the moon light, his silhouette standing out eerily. A seed of hope took root in her heart, maybe he doesn’t want me. No, that didn’t make sense, why would he chase her all this way then? She shook her head, reaffirming her belief in the incomprehensibility of the gods, but she still had hope. Maybe he just doesn’t want to kill me.

Feeling better than she had in days, the woman stepped carefully further down the valley. He continued walking around, almost at random. Now very curious, and against her better judgment, she followed him.

The god was still very far away, if he turned on her, she would have plenty of time to turn and run, and she knew if she started trying to run in the opposite direction again, he would be waiting there. He was a god.

Still, it made her feel uneasy. He wants me to follow him? Where? He was still determinedly ignoring her; she slowed and increased the space between them. The god strode on. Sky Eyes began to wonder why he walked on the ground like a man, why he did horrible things, where the hell he was going.

Quietly and continually checking on his position, Sky Eyes fell behind. She was still descending further into the valley, but veering away from him. Hopefully she wouldn’t find him waiting.

The monster checked over his shoulder, when he no longer saw her, he took to the air. She was trying to escape, and trying to hide, her scent rose up to him. He folded back his wings and dropped. If he had landed on her, he would have broken her neck. Instead, he plummeted to the Earth right next to her.

Sky Eyes screamed, and tore off running before she even fully comprehended what was happening. The monster laughed and took to the air again.

Now only held together by adrenaline, Sky Eyes began to panic again, thinking there really was more than one, or he just appeared wherever he wanted to. She barely had time to wonder this before he came bursting out from the right.

The monster was enormously happy, not having had so much fun in years. He swooped down to her once again, causing her to stumble forward. She spun around, looking everywhere desperately. Every shadow, every bit of movement could be him. He was everywhere and nowhere. Her whole body trembled, more than she thought possible, tears poured from her eyes, he could be anywhere…

The woman twisted around as fast as she could, she only made it half way before she felt a pair of incredibly strong hands grab her. She screamed, but was soon brought in close to the demon's face. She whimpered. He began sniffing. Now she was just like the other hapless victims. She let loose a stream of worthless pleas, kicking helplessly. He licked her tears away.

The god pulled her to the Earth; he smelled her face, neck, breasts, all over. He drew a deep shuddering breath over her lower body. She saw his eyes grow wide; he licked his lips and let out a long sigh, a loud “ahhhhh” sound.

Then he ripped off her deerskin dress. The woman let out a small shriek, more in shock then anything else. The demon licked away at her scraped skin. I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, she thought slamming her eyes shut. She tried to steel herself, hopefully it would be quick.

Sky Eyes felt like her eyes would explode out of their sockets. She managed to shakily raise herself up to see if she was hallucinating. There was a god, kneeling patiently on the ground in between her legs, running his tongue over - she blushed. The demon winked at her and continued on.

Her breath was coming up in shallow gasps, not really believing. But something was blossoming inside of her. She felt oddly warm; the demon pulled her legs open wider. Sky Eyes moaned. She began to worry vaguely about those vicious teeth she saw earlier, but the physical sensations began to drive all thoughts out.

The tension began to build in her, Sky Eyes gasped deeply, trying not to moan or scream. The god began to speed up as he lifted her pelvis up slightly, like when her husband drank soup from a bowl. She felt a long tongue withdraw and run over, he found a soft spot in her.

This time, Sky Eyes did shriek, unable to control it. The demon-god gently ran his tongue over the minute button that he had nudged out. Sky Eyes screamed again in ecstasy. Now ruthlessly exploiting it, he worked even more rapidly. The woman sobbed in complete, wonderful surrender, her body convulsing against her will. The demon god often teased her. Slowing down, then speeding up, playing her as skillfully as an instrument. Sky Eyes prayed it would never end.

Then suddenly she came. Her body convulsed once more, however this was far more powerful. She felt her legs jerk uncontrollably in the god’s powerful hands, he buried himself deeper into her. Her body felt like it had come undone as a powerful wave crashed over her, and she released herself into his mouth. She gasped in shock as much as she did in pleasure.

The god didn’t seem to mind; in fact, he seemed to become excited. He groaned and pushed his tongue in once more, desperately licking and sucking. As if he loved the taste of her. Sky Eyes simply lay there quietly in shock, enjoying the sensation.

When he was finished, he rose up from his position, still running his long tongue over his lips. He leaned forward and hovered over her. He sniffed the air between them, Sky Eyes wondered if she would be killed now.

The god smirked as he looked into her wide eyes. He held her face and twisted it around, observing from every angle. She wondered what was happening, why he was inspecting her. Then she realized, her unusual feature had caught the gaze of the god himself. She looked into his eyes; they were a shade of light brown.

Why couldn’t she just be normal? She blushed again and tried to close her lids; the demon let out a harsh call of complaint and shook her head. Sky Eyes opened them again. Now he was just inches away from her studying her closely, she tried not to blink.

He leaned forward and began sniffing, his nose above her right eye. When he was done he moved to her left. He’s smelling my eyes? The woman was bewildered. He stopped sniffing. Shakily she tried to raise herself.

Instantly, the demon was on her again, pushing his weight over her again. She resisted the urge to squirm in discomfort. He was on her, licking her face now. She felt a clawed hand drift lazily from her arm to her breast; she started to struggle for breath again. Seeing this, he toyed with it some more. Sky Eyes felt her back arching; his body was rubbing against hers now, mounting her fully.

She wasn’t really surprised, she understood what he wanted. She signaled her willingness by pressing more of herself to him. The demon moaned. Sky Eyes smiled.

But the demon also seemed to become agitated, he rubbed against her more, licked her face. Then stopped. Then started again. He finally got off of her, growling in frustration.

The woman felt fear again. She must have done something wrong. Would he be angry, would he kill her?

Abruptly he picked her up; his eyes were wild, lustful. It scared her a little, never having seen anybody look at her like that before. She jumped in surprise as his wings flew open, and gazed in shy astonishment at them, real wings. Then he took off.

Sky Eyes screamed as the Earth tilted away dizzily from her. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel elated. Who wouldn’t? Flying! she thought in a happy alarm.

Before she could get over-excited or frightened however, they arrived at their destination. He had taken her back to the cave. Sky Eyes' smile vanished.

Club Foot was still there, but the fire had dimmed. She could still see though. She shook her head and tried to back away. The god pulled her in. He looked greedily at her, and rubbed against her some more. She began to feel little afraid again, looking directly at the results of his anger; she prayed this god was not like Spider Woman, she didn’t want to be eaten afterwards. Or during.

The demon followed her gaze to the corpse. He grinned, and pushed her down again, hovering over her.

She watched in astonishment as the god sniffed the body, and then stuck a hand to it. I don’t like this. She grew even more uneasy. The god reached down and held up a bloody mass, gulping it down. He did this once more. She squirmed away as he grinned at her.

Something was stirring underneath the rags he wore. Sky Eyes knew what, but something was different. In sudden bold curiosity she pushed them aside. He growled as he thought he saw eagerness, but the woman was gaping in shock.

What had once been the unfortunate man’s was now his. She watched as it grew swiftly as a vine from a nest of messy white hair. Everything. All of it. Exactly like a man’s except it matched the god’s odd skin color. Sky Eyes was completely frozen. Staring.

With out hesitation the god mounted her again. She flew into a panic. He growled and pinned her down.

“It’s a dead man’s!” she screamed in near hysteria, while trying to wriggle away. The demon snarled in rage, wrestling with her to hold her still. He continued to smell and lick her passionately. She screamed and tried to fight. The god bit her.

The woman gasped in surprise and pain. It wasn’t fatal, or even deep. He ran a tongue over the wound languidly.

Nothing in my life, in my dreams, she thought wildly. How to deal with...? He seemed angry at her refusal; I don’t want to be killed, the woman thought in terror.

She remembered something her mother told her about, something women could do. She told it to Sky Eyes when she married. If her husband ever got angry or even violent there was something she could do that would almost guarantee to calm him down, but she had never done it before. Never needed to.

Slowly, with trembling hands she lifted the god’s raggedy loin cloth. Her hand easily found what it was looking for; she wrapped her shaky fingers around him and rubbed gently, gradually. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

Sky Eyes continued to caress him, growing more confident with each stroke. Teasingly, she sped up her movements, and then slowed. Just as the god had done to her. He howled with pleasure. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride, she stroked him faster.

Suddenly he grabbed both her hands and pinned them down. For a moment she was horrified, thinking she had done something wrong. He continued to look at her with a burning hunger. He pushed himself into her.

Sky Eyes inhaled deeply, for a moment trapped in the unrealness of her situation. The moment was shattered by the god’s thrusts. She gasped again; he spread his wings and beat them furiously. It reminded her of the frenzy of a bird mounting its mate. The animalistic lust began to stir that wet heat within her again.

He sniffed her again, bending down to smell all across her body. Whatever he smelled began to excite him more. He moaned, then drew a long wet tongue over her skin. Sky Eyes felt her heart throb faster. He then removed his hands from her arms, running them languidly down her body, exploring. Taking note of the reaction he received when he ran them over the soft mounds of her breasts. She felt her flesh rise as his claws scraped gently over them.

Next he lowered his hands down to her legs, scraping his claws lightly over them again. Sky Eyes could feel her muscles tense in excitement again, knowing what would happen next.

The god-demon grabbed her thighs suddenly, lifting her whole lower body up to meet his. He rubbed himself against her tiny pearl again. Sky Eyes could only try to suck in more air, and could only manage an “oh!” of surprise. He grinned, encouraged, and began to plunge himself in more deeply. The woman held onto her god, feeling like she would fly off the face of the Earth.

Nothing in my life, she thought dizzily again, pleasure obliterating any coherent thought. The demon continued propelling himself into her with a raw passion she didn’t think imaginable. She clung to him more tightly and screamed her pleasure loudly for what seemed the first time in her life.

“Ohhhhh god,” she prayed to him. He lifted her body to him once more and she felt the first oncoming wave of pleasure wash over her. She felt her body convulsing, squeezing him eagerly. In response she felt a burning flood her. The god’s wings snapped open and beat in another frenzy; god seed, she thought in awe as her mind returned to her. He finished with a grunt, and then dived down again. Desperate for the taste he worked so hard for.

Sky Eyes felt him licking her hungrily again. Obviously he didn’t mind his own taste, either. Another wave of unrealness washed over her. Mating with a god, her old life in the Pueblo seemed years and years ago.

Her body reminded her, none to gently, that she had just spent the last two nights and days in sleepless adrenaline-soaked terror. Her arousal settled and her hunger filled, she began to rapidly drift off. She thought the demon wanted more, he nuzzled her face and tried to open her unusual eyes. But she was too far gone. A sleep washed over her so deep it almost felt like fainting.

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 what happened to the god.

It was funny; she worried about a perfectly mundane thing as cold, as well as 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.

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.

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, wondered where he was now. Sighing again she wondered, hoped 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. She could live her life now. Have a future, with a bit of luck.

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 newfound 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.

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 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 on the god’s shoulder.

For a god, he seems ungod-like is some ways. She thought, true, he is 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.

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.

He set her down in an old cornfield, 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. In confusion, Sky Eyes watched him run off.

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 than 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 saw him flick his hand casually and something shiny flew from it. For some reason the smile began to fade from her face.

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.

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 just ripped 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, 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 pounded. 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 a corpse, there were 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's not 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. Her 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.

Swiftly, they reached the god's house. He lived in a cave, just like Club Foot. However, it was smaller and better hidden. It was also much cleaner.

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 were scattered here and there.

The monster saw the woman's 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 hundreds 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 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 makeshift 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 had 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.

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 of 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 as an impromptu ceremonial song and dance. Enraptured, he interrupted her joyous singing and pounced on her, knocked 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 was not alarmed 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.

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.

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 and vegetable diet, supplemented by the occasional fish.

As such, she was stunned when the 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 know 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 were 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 liking 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 want. 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.

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 while 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 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 than 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 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.

Xipe Totec checked on her quickly, as he always did, but he was starting to wonder why she screamed when there was nothing threatening her. Or why she moaned and jerked in her sleep, her eyes rolling beneath her lids.

Sky Eyes ran her hands carefully down her face, for one horrible moment thinking her tears were blood. She collapsed in relief when she saw they were merely tears. She sobbed once and wiped them away.

”Caw-aw-aw-aw-aw-aw!” a nearby crow cawed mockingly, as if laughing at her distress. The woman felt her fear dissolve instantly into rage and she chased the crows away. They squawked in protest and circled lazily back, oddly unafraid of humans. Sky Eyes flew into a greater rage, ripping up rocks and clods of dirt to hurl at them. She screamed obscenities at them.

The god watched his woman with amusement, but grew uneasy when he caught a whiff of stale fear. There was nothing here to be afraid of, no wild animals or wild humans to scare his tame one. All there was were crows, and they were nothing to be afraid of.

However, Sky Eyes was afraid of the crows, deep down inside she knew these were not normal crows. Although they wouldn’t let her hold them, they came closer to her than any normal bird would. They circled above her and around her audaciously, cawing annoyingly. Then they hopped onto Xipe Totec’s shoulder, glaring at her with what seemed distaste, cawing at him, as if asking their god-master why this woman wasn’t dead yet.

Sky Eyes tried to tell herself she was being ridiculous, they were just crows, she had always liked birds. Now these crows were making her feel sick and afraid. They were the messengers of the god, she assumed, they were not only supernatural but probably hostile as well. She had seen them eat flesh.

She could feel their beady eyes on her. She was beginning to think they were eyeing her with hunger. Last night was the worst, she had dreamed - she blinked back tears - she dreamed she was dead. Deep beak gouges adorned her body. Blue eyes hanging by strings were carried in the crows’ mouths.

It was the most terrifying vivid nightmare she had, and that was saying something.

More and more people appeared to her in her dreams. She saw the hunter who the god tore up, whose widow and brother condemned her to him, as well as the man in the field, wearing his own flayed skin. She saw Club Foot; a putrid reeking mass eternally picked at by crows, only recognizable by his deformity, and many, many others.

They all spoke to her. They had the same glaring, accusing eyes as the crows. Sometimes their eyes looked at her in desperation. Some had tried to talk to her, but the words were always garbled and incomprehensible. She felt like she understood some words though.

She tried to work off the nightmare, which possibly wasn’t a nightmare, the bright sun helped, but the crows didn’t. She shivered.

She tried to chase them away, but they kept coming back. She kept reflexively covering her eyes. They cawed at her.

In the dream, she was dead and broken. She could see her own corpse lying unceremoniously on the ground, blood trickling out of her mouth. A few flies buzzed here and there, she hadn’t decomposed yet. Sky Eyes didn’t know how long she stared at her own demise.

Then the crows came, plucking out her eyeballs. She could clearly see them hanging like bright blue berries from their beaks. Before she awoke, she thought she felt their little black talons on her face. That’s why she woke up screaming.

The rest of the day she was quiet and cross, ignoring the god’s suggestive nudges, and finally driving him to hunt with her tired sighs. As soon as he left, she regretted her attitude, but the lack of decent sleep and her conflicted feelings were driving her crazy.

Sky Eyes wandered from the cave area somewhat aimlessly. She liked the god, he was kind and attentive to her, yet she was disgusted and repulsed by his grotesque actions. Even now she knew he was plotting or doing something terrible, yet she did absolutely nothing to discourage or stop him, or even take steps to remove herself from his presence. She just sat there, trying to ignore the fact that people were being brutally killed.

The woman tried to reason with herself, he was a god. Maybe she had no right to judge or criticize him, being a lowly human being, even if she did have supposedly have divine ancestry.

Maybe that was it, maybe as a human she shouldn’t be living with him, nevermind actually mating with him. Nevertheless, it felt so right and good being with him, as opposed to being in a loveless marriage and a tribe that barely tolerated her. Still, on some level it felt wrong. Very wrong.

Sky Eyes meandering came to an abrupt halt at the edge of what she thought was another arroyo, then she peered down and saw that it was a cliff. She steadied herself as she realized she could have very nearly walked off. It was a very sheer drop into the valley below.

She merely stood at the edge lost in her thoughts, an eagle soared below her and back to its cliff nest. Returning, no doubt, to a nest full of chicks.

A slight cramp shot up through her loins, through her pelvis and up her spine. She closed her eyes in annoyance and gritted her teeth. Great. How many days would it be? Two? Three? Just one more thing to worry about. She wondered if she could use the old rags she saw lying around in the cave.

Suddenly she realized the significance of it. She smiled slightly, no wonder she was so irritable! She was always like that before she bled - well, the nightmares weren’t helping either - but now she had understood her behavior. She wondered if the god would understand. Sky Eyes giggled slightly, even Xipe Totec had to face some realities when living with a woman.

Feeling relieved, she turned back. Still smiling slightly, she meandered back to the cave. His vocabulary had improved enormously in the past few days, he learned very quickly. Language was sort of like a toy they could fashion endless games to amuse themselves with. Of course, they could communicate even better now, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to him about blood yet.

Maybe if he’s god he would already know, already understand, especially a cycle-driven god like him. Maybe she wouldn’t have to delve too deeply into it. If he’s a god.

Sky Eyes blinked. No, she knew he was a god, didn’t she? There was no 'if'. She began to feel uneasy; that suggestive voice came from nowhere, she had a nasty feeling it wasn’t hers. For some reason it reminded her of the nightmares. She shook her head and returned to the cave, he was already there shoving bodies wrapped in skins into his lair. Sky Eyes carefully looked down.

He grabbed her chin and moved her head up, admiring her unusual feature. The woman smiled back, then pressed her nose against his in an apologizing gesture. He rubbed his long nose against her, and as well as breathing in her scent. It was a mutual silent sorry. A wordless gesture of forgiveness for a wordless spat.

As they mated once again. Sky Eyes felt as ecstatic and happy as she did the very first time. However this was the first time doubt entered her heart. If.

Later that day, he grabbed her unexpectedly. She jumped in great alarm, angry at being so startled, but she had no time to tell him off, for they were soon in the air again. All angry thoughts were driven out.

Naturally she was delighted, seeing what birds must see, an old dream of hers. This time she was less frightened, leaning out to look at the ground rushing by below, watched as the few people beneath them turned away at their shadow, the air whipping by her face, yet loosening her hair gently. At one point he even let her ride on his back (not for long, since that interfered too much with his wings). Sky Eyes felt like a bird, a goddess, the Queen of Heaven.

At one point they passed clouds. One was low-lying and heavy, moving slowly and lazily as a fat goose in the air. Excited she tapped the god's shoulder and pointed to it. He shrugged and gained altitude, flying towards it. He always granted her harmless requests, and this one seemed the most harmless one of all.

What fun! I’ve always wanted to see inside one, the woman thought giddily. She almost felt like a little girl again, all her silly whimsical childhood wishes were being belatedly granted.

It turned out clouds were very wet, and very cold. It was nothing more than flying through thick mist. They came out thoroughly soaked. The god didn’t seem to mind, probably because he was naked and dried quickly. Sky Eyes sat miserably cold for the next few minutes. It was more than a little disappointing.

Her mind wandered, if she didn’t know he was Xipe Totec, she would have said he was a rain god, one of the men with wings who carried water down to the thirsty Earth. He didn’t bring rain, which was obvious, in fact it did seem to be getting drier, but she never heard of any legends of Xipe Totec actually having wings. To clear her head of the doubt, she looked down again.

The territory looked familiar, she realized in half a second this was her territory, or her old tribe’s territory in fact. She was just seeing a bird’s eye view of it.

Sky Eyes felt her heart sink. She didn’t really know what to think, she didn’t know if she still hated them, or if she wanted to see them all dead. The woman thought back to her curse and was suddenly horribly embarrassed by her outburst. True they hated her, and some wanted her dead, but she wasn’t dead she was alive and largely happy. She really didn’t want to see them again.

They circled and landed atop the cliffs the pueblos were built on; the tribe said they were unscalable.

A bad feeling was rolling in her stomach. Why was she brought here? She started getting upset. Seeing the look on her face the god sniffed her and checked her carefully. “Hurt?” he asked in her in his deep raspy voice. Sky Eyes shook her head.

Xipe Totec gestured to the Pueblos beneath them. Sky Eyes taught him the word “Pueblo”. “Pueblo.” He repeated. He pointed to the chimneys with smoke rising gently from them. She explained their purpose best she could and taught him the word “kiva”. He drew pictures in the dust, and she realized they were partial floor plans of the entire dwellings, at his request she filled in the rest and corrected his mistakes. He asked how people got in and out of these dwellings, and she explained the rope and the notched tree trunks they used for ladders. He nodded and absorbed the information.

Sky Eyes bad feeling grew worse. She didn’t know exactly what he was going to do, but she had a general idea, and it alarmed her.

She started to plead, surprising herself by begging him on behalf of her treacherous people. He didn’t listen, merely affectionately licked her face and scaled down the wall like a lizard.

Sky Eyes felt another panic attack coming about. She sat down very fast and struggled to breathe, when she thought she had some control, she began to panic with indecision again. Torn between the love she had for her god and the tribe she was born into. She knew what would happen. The whole community was designed to repel a human invader; they were helpless against the god. He would trap them inside, penetrate their defenses, cut off their only means of escape, he would leave them totally vulnerable.

The Pueblo wasn’t designed to accommodate people traveling from the very top into one of the dwellings, but Sky Eyes had grown up here. She knew how to climb and navigate the treacherous rock.

Still, it was difficult; she had to slowly climb down, feet first. Keep three limbs on at all time, she repeated her earliest instructions to herself, do not get trapped. The wall down to the first dwelling was sheer, practically vertical; she only survived by finding the minute cracks and hollows to support her weight.

It was tedious and slow going. One careless lurch or loose rock could have been the death of her, and it was excruciatingly difficult to get her body in though the window without falling and breaking her neck. Still, she managed to swing her weight forward neatly through the opening, and fell into the dwelling unharmed. By then she could already smell smoke.

He detected many nice ripe scents emanating from these cliff dwellers, and he could get a few of them if they strayed out of their protective rock dwellings, or if someone carelessly left a child alone in a room, but he didn’t like being in there. He felt trapped in the rooms and narrow corridors, places so tiny he couldn’t stretch his wings or even his arms out. It would easy for him to get caught in some narrow chokehold, with a dozen spears harassing him. By then, all the good prey could have escaped.

He shook his head in wonder as humans constantly created tiny cramped spaces for themselves. Like ants in a hill.

Now, thanks to the invaluable advice from the Breeder, he knew what he could do. He blocked some of the kivas, it would create smoke, which would affect his sense of smell, but also created invaluable panic. The cliff people were scurrying around already.

They had no place to go; he had knocked down or destroyed their means of escape.

A tide of alarm gradually swelled into a flood of terror, as rumors and sightings spread through the Pueblo. The demon-god was here. He would kill and eat them all.

She didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t know why she was here. Honestly she couldn’t tell you her feelings about the whole situation. But it started to feel wrong, very wrong.

I could die in here, she though wildly, be killed or suffocated. Still she raced through the Pueblo, perfect memory allowing her to navigate through fear and smoke. She paused to cough, clearing it from her lungs. She had no real plan.

Sky Eyes followed the screams, which were rising up from everywhere it seemed. In one place she slipped and landed in gore.

Wailing with fear, horror, and disgust, she got up and ran away blindly, the panic of the herd was getting to her.

Then she realized, her mother! She didn’t know where she was or if she was even alive. They could have killed her for bearing a witch, or thrown her out. After all, she had nowhere to go, she would just be a burden until she died. All she had was Sky Eyes.

Her eyes stung with smoke and tears. Maybe the god killed her. Maybe she was being eaten now.

No, she couldn’t allow that to happen. She had to find her, stop him, they could live together like always, she couldn’t abandon her, her mother had been the only person in the world who cared for her.

Sky Eyes ran to her old pueblo, but doubts nagged her mind again. It had been her husband’s place after all. Maybe he would have been unkind and thrown Mother out after his “witch” wife had been gotten rid of. But she had nowhere else to go.

She found another corpse, this one with its heart removed. She heard a baby wail in the distance.

Then her old tribe mates suddenly began streaming past. She tried to stop, but their panic overwhelmed her and they brushed past without seeing her. The stream of people soon turned into a flood. She thought she saw the Oldest One’s granddaughter running by, clutching the wailing baby she was accused of putting a curse on. The outcast yelled and they paid no attention. She tried calling her mother’s name, but in her heart she knew she was not in this crowd, she had been far too old to run.

A man knocked his shoulder against hers, she grabbed him in desperation, “Please I’m looking for-" then stopped. It was The Brother.

Their eyes locked together, and she saw the unimaginable fear in his grow larger. He began screaming and wailing: “The witch! The witch!” he shrieked in agony. The crowd finally seemed to see her and shrieked in unison.

It was probably the most terrifying moment in her life, surrounded by a mob that hated and feared her beyond reason. At least there was some organization to their paranoia before; she had actually been given a trial. Now they were desperate and panicked and the gods knew what they would do. Sky Eyes felt her knees quake in fear.

The mob seemed torn: wanting to run, but wanting to dispatch this evil in their midst. Sky Eyes pressed herself into the wall, trying to disappear.

Before anything could happen though there was another shriek, and all heads turned towards a dark figure crouching low atop one of the roofs, barely visible in the waning sunlight. A low growl emanated from it.

The crowd now all jumped back instantaneously, like a hand that touched a hot cooking stone. The witch no longer mattered, what mattered getting out alive. Xipe Totec jumped directly in front of her, screaming menacingly. She watched in shock as his head started to writhe. The bony claws that encircled his skull suddenly stretched out in a grotesque spectacle.

The effect on the crowd was incredible. They stampeded in deafening hysteria. Even Sky Eyes nearly sank to the ground in fear. There were too many people and not enough space, the woman could see and hear people being trampled, some clambered down the cliff wall, others just jumped in desperation. She knew the monster god had gotten them in this spot. For a moment even she could smell the fear. The god began choosing his victims.

Those who lived or escaped, and were brave enough to look back, saw the angry demon guarding the witch. They moaned in realization that Sky Eyes' curse had sprung to life and wrapped itself around their necks, destroying them all.

Tears blurred her eyes at the desperate, brutal scene. Still she raced to her husband’s pueblo.

Sky Eyes' husband hid, cowering like many others who had not joined the crowd and cringed in their pueblos. Hoping against hope the vengeful demon would pass them over, or that the smoke and fire wouldn’t kill them. He clutched his good spear. His panic and horror was far deeper than the others, a feeling in his gut told him it was because of him. He thought the vengeful demon-god was coming after him.

As if to confirm his worst thoughts, he heard the violent pounding of footsteps, only slightly muffled by the heavy rock floor. It didn’t sound like the stampede, which was already dying down, it sounded like it was coming towards him. He whimpered and shoved himself into the corner. Where his new wife was, he didn’t know. He had lost her in the crowd when he doubled back.

A dark figure stood in his threshold, he positioned the spear. It was far too cramped of a space to aim and throw, the horror would have to rush at him. He felt his guts shrivel at the thought.

The figure stumbled forward; he cried in alarm and raised his spear, suddenly a soft, hoarse voice called his name.

He froze, for a moment thinking his wife had returned. He was right, he was wrong.

Sky Eyes stepped forward again, searching for her mother. When she could not see her, she cried in anguish. Her husband’s blood froze in his veins at the sound and sight of what he was sure was his dead wife. Her face was smeared with pale ash and dust. She was covered in gore and her voice damaged from the smoke. In his terrified state he was sure she was a ghost in the moonlight, covered in her own blood, howling from beyond the grave. Sky Eyes' ghost would demand vengeance.

“Where is my mother?!” she cried out. Her husband trembled and said nothing. He didn’t want the old woman in his pueblo, and although it was considered a rude gesture to an elderly person, the tribe accepted his decision, considering what had happened to him. Most felt pity that he had been married to a witch. (Even though he knew Sky Eyes hadn’t been a bad wife, just a barren one.) So he gave that impression and allowed the council to evict the old woman, he didn’t know where she was now.

Sky Eyes tore at her hair in anguish and frustration, “Where is my mother?! Where is my mother?!” she shrieked at him repeatedly. “Mamma!” she screamed in desperation into the empty pueblo. Her husband clutched his spear and jabbed at the angry spirit. “S-s-stay b-b-ba-a-ack,” he bleated.

Sky Eyes was sure her eyes were ice grey at this point. “Tell me where she is, traitor! Coward!-” she spat out a flood of angry curses. In truth she was just desperate. She badly wanted her mother.

He gaped in horror at the apparition with the flashing blue eyes that haunted him and gave him nightmares. He had always been afraid of Sky Eyes. Now he knew it. His fear spilled over into desperation as he jabbed the spear at her. She dodged, but he lunged and caught her again in the chest. It was a very shallow wound, but nonetheless she screamed in pain.

Feeling triumphant and less afraid, he sneered and moved forward. Irrational fear was morphed into hatred that was finally unleashed and given to murder. Sky Eyes clutched the shallow wound over her heart. She knew she would be killed now.

Before she could scream, or even react, she saw her husbands eyes widen in horror and shift his gaze behind her. “AH-h-h no! No!” he screamed as something shot past her with speed of a diving eagle and plowed into her husband, knocking him to the ground.

She knew it was Xipe Totec; she could see him in the dim light on top of her shrill, panicking husband. He sniffed him thoroughly, thoughtfully. Her husband babbled worthless pleas as he saw sharp awful teeth, the ugly demonic head, and noticed, oddly enough, the Golden Eagle feathers of status on the demon’s head. The demon withdrew a sharp obsidian blade with a carved bone handle. Before the man could even panic about that, he neatly cut off his deer skin leggings. The nice ones Sky Eyes made for him.

Her husband threw her of look of mixed horror and pleading. Sky Eyes merely shrugged dispassionately, watching the whole scene with neither fear nor regret, nor horror, nor sadness, nor anger, nor vengeance. It was just something that was happening.

The demon paused, sniffed. He made a small sound, a small “ahhh” of appreciation.

Then he bent down and removed her husband’s genitals in one neat, savage bite.

The whole Pueblo was in total chaos, many dead or dying, or like her husband, wishing they were dead. She must have tried looking for her mother, she knew she screamed for her, but she did not find her, the god had spirited her away to a safe location.

Sky Eyes really felt nothing; she was numb to the whole experience. Later her emotions would catch up with her, but for now she felt nothing but a vague dissatisfaction. She wanted her mother; she wanted - weirdly enough - to go home. To be someplace familiar.

He pushed her to the ground gently, sniffing intently. She saw his eyes roll upward in joy, sniffing the air around her passionately. He climbed on top of her.

At that moment Sky Eyes didn’t want it. She squirmed and pushed him and protested, trying to wriggle out of his grip. She really just wanted to be left alone…

Using the same obsidian knife he cut off her torn bloodied clothing, he licked the blood, dirt and gore off the flesh that suddenly rose in response to the cool night air. He could taste a sort of burning heat inside of her and he liked it, he liked it immensely, he allowed himself to taste in between her legs again. Savoring the sweet tang from her.

Sky Eyes tried again to squirm away, she felt her backlogged emotions starting to be released by his attentions. She felt like crying, not because of the god as she loved him, but because her home was gone, and she wanted to see her mother, and a whole lot of confusing things her mind couldn’t sort out right now.

The god was having none of it; he pushed her down and asserted his claim over her again. “Mine,” he growled softly in her language, Sky Eyes suddenly felt a thrill of possession, knowing he was claiming her again. Her mind drifted back to her husband, and what the god did. It was like with Club Foot, he was using her husband on her, her mind tried to wrap around the concept. The god mounted her and began thrusting. I guess he’s my husband now, the thought thrilled and disturbed her.

It didn’t feel too different from their normal sessions, however when he released himself in her, (his wings beating rapidly) she could feel something odd. She couldn’t really describe it, but it was like her soul was changed. That was the closest way she could express the feeling.

The god licked her clean, then smelled her all over, he raised his head and uttered a long primal howl into the night, at the waning moon. The sound gave Sky Eyes a not-unpleasant tingle and raised the hair on her arms. The surviving pueblo dwellers heard it and shuddered.

She was pregnant and she didn’t even know it. The god hid her in a safe hollow, and ordered her to stay. She nodded, still stroking her stomach and wondering what was so different.

Sky Eyes slept awkwardly in the hollow, while the “god” raided the Pueblo and took whatever bodies, parts and possessions he needed. Since his wings could only carry so much, it took several tedious trips. No matter, the people would stay away, and he had to prepare for the long term. His cycle was finally broken.

The survivors looked around with dull, haunted eyes. People dead, people mutilated, people not killed by the monster god but merely trampled or killed by stupid human mistakes. A few survivors peeked out from their homes and joined the rest, gazing numbly at everything.

To their surprise their home wasn’t destroyed by fire. A few kivas had been blocked, creating smoke and further panic. The Pueblo was largely intact, but its spirit was gone. People really didn’t want to live there anymore. Their home had become a death trap, a slaughterhouse.

The dead were hastily buried, broken bodies tucked underneath floors. Most grabbed what they could and left, pausing only for the all-important task of disposing of dead loved ones. Some loved ones were never found. Some wished they hadn’t found them.

The young mother with twins ran down in horror, screaming that her husband had been castrated. He was lying dead on his floor, blood everywhere. The mother screamed it was Sky Eyes, Sky Eyes' curse came true. The Brother screamed at her to shut up. There was a sudden epidemic of bad posture among the men of the Pueblo as they hunched over, protecting their valuables as they thought about that poor man’s fate.

The Brother, more or less de facto leader now, drafted five cringing men to handle his burial. They all realized during the internment his genitals were nowhere to be found. They left his pueblo quickly.

The Oldest One’s granddaughter and her baby survived, looking and tired but relieved as she tried to persuade her grandmother to come with her. The old woman moaned and shook her head. She was too old, too much of a burden. The young, strapping grandson that usually carried her was gone. They never found him.

“It’s the end, it’s the end of us, can’t you see that?” she asked. “I’m done for.” The crowd cringed. The old woman began wailing and singing the death song, surprising them all with a traditional death dance. However she collapsed soon afterwards. They buried her next to the Pueblo.

When all was said and done, people left quickly, spreading themselves out to relatives in neighboring Pueblos, telling tales of vengeful demons and witch's curses. Many left wondering what happened to certain family members. Most left broken, smashed corpses in their home. Hundreds of years later a radically different culture would send its archeologists to the abandoned Pueblos, probing the dismembered bones in fascination. They would concoct theories of tribal warfare, genocide and cannibalism, but for now the Pueblo stayed empty.

The greatest mystery of all was Sky Eyes' mother. Her clothes and shoes were neatly folded and stacked. All her possessions were left behind in the hovel they exiled her to. There was no body, no blood. It was as if she had disappeared.

Some said the demon got her, others said Sky Eyes came back for her. Still others said she had died and disappeared in shame, which is what they would have done. However the rumors soon became quiet, as it became forbidden to speak of Sky Eyes.

Still, she wouldn’t die. She stayed written in their hearts. They hated her still of course, but deep down they knew they largely brought this on themselves. They didn’t share their shame and horror with the younger generation. They kept their lips sealed, and the name of Sky Eyes died with them.

The Brother gathered a few remnants. The mother with twins, the Oldest One’s Granddaughter and her husband and baby, his beloved brother’s widow, (who was badly injured and might not survive), and several others were going with him. They hoped to found a new Pueblo somewhere, away from demons.

The Brother watched his small band set out, they were the last to leave. When they all trailed somberly in front of him, he gathered his spear and followed them.

The first few days afterward were sort of a blur. When she awoke, she was inside his cave, her former tribesmen were hung from the walls and ceiling, looking down at her. It was not an auspicious beginning to her new life.

Sky Eyes did consider this her “new” life. It was like being reborn; all the senses were overwhelmed by all the new things. Her old home was no more. This was her home now, her life.

Everything seemed indefinably different somehow; it was very hard to explain, even to herself. The night of the massacre seemed to be a line of demarcation, a clear line between her old and new life. And now, she silently admitted this to herself, she had always wanted to go back somehow, be accepted. Now that was impossible.

The days wore on, and the god’s interest in her did not wane. Nice as it was, Sky Eyes felt she was losing energy. She would leave baskets half woven, clothes half-sewn. The god never seemed to mind. He would bring her the clothes of dead women (which she tried not to think about), then nudge her to get up and teach him more words, or something else new.

Sadness began to take root in her, she didn’t know why. Her hands stayed idle, and she let her food go to waste, much to the god’s obvious disapproval, her feet grew soft. Sky Eyes whiled away her days by gazing at clouds and waiting for her god-husband to return, reminiscing about her life.

It made no sense, her behavior. Once she was sitting on the ground teaching him how to play a simple childhood game with pebbles in the sand, and before she realized it she was crying copiously. Ashamed and taken aback, she ran off.

Sky Eyes found herself at the cliff again, watching the eagle returning to its nest with prey, and drying her tears. She pondered about what had just happened. After a long period of thought she decided she was depressed about what he had done, as much as she thought they deserved it. The woman also realized she missed her mother terribly. Her mother had taught her to play that game. All the children spit at her when she tried to join in.

All her life she tried to show control, like her mother taught her. Now she felt like a basket with frayed edges. She always hid her true self, her disappointment at her barrenness and her general unhappiness at her life, by keeping her head down and focusing on her work.

When she went back home she came to the god and simply told him “Pueblo.” Sighing, he picked her up and flew her to her old territory. Flying was still good, still new…but different, like everything. The woman did not ask to pass through any clouds. She sat in solemn silence, her eyes lowered.

The whole place was shockingly empty, she had never seen it like this before, never even imagined it. The desolate Pueblo only increased her melancholy, and Xipe Totec’s actions irritated her. He kept his hand on her arm, or grabbed her hand. She wriggled her fingers slightly as her hand went numb, it practically disappeared into his. He growled reflexively and yanked her closer.

“Mother, mother,” she called out, wandering through the empty Pueblo. Her voice echoed sadly in the empty rooms. The god sniffed the air and shook his head. Sky Eyes sensed the place was full of ghosts. She broke free from his grip and scrambled down the Pueblo wall, he quickly followed her.

Outside, the sun was setting and the wind was howling, making angry WHEEEE-EEE sounds as it whistled through rocks. A few crows cawed ominously. Sky Eyes shivered. To her, the whole world looked desolate and abandoned, for a moment she could easily believe she was the last human alive. She called for her mother again.

As soon as she did she saw some figures in the distance. Her heart racing she called out to them. She heard a shout in an unfamiliar language and saw spears; these were all men, strange men. Instinctively terrified, she ran away. The woman turned and ran to the god, who gladly herded her away.

The whole trip had been pointless, and left Sky Eyes feeling even bleaker than before. That night as she cringed in the enveloping darkness, she cried for her mother and heard horrible screams come from the god’s cave.

“Not a god! Not a god!” they screeched in worse anger than ever. She felt her body be carried, ripped apart. Her nightmare was reaching a climax. She opened her mouth to scream, she was in the abyss-

The dream abruptly ended. Sky Eyes felt herself being shaken awake. They were still there, though. Thousands of angry invisible ghosts surrounded her, whispering their curses and orders and pleas. All she could do was curl up and cry.

It was pure torment now. She tried to distract herself. She worked but never finished. She made love to her new husband and cried. The fresh deer meat tasted like ash in her mouth. What little food she did eat soon came rushing back up.

Her former tribe was the worse. She could see what her curse did. It utterly destroyed everyone, even those who didn’t deserve it.

She cut her hair off so it was a ragged circle around her face, which she rubbed with ash. She wore dirty clothes. She was a woman in mourning. Sky Eyes acted like a woman who lost her family, who was taken and disgraced by an enemy tribe. The ghosts were still not appeased.

The woman watched as people were slaughtered in front of her. Her teeth ripped her lips and tongue open in her attempt not to scream. Her nails tore at what was left of her hair and skin. Still they were slaughtered.

She did not know any of them, did not recognize their language, but she could see the agony on their faces. She could hear the torment in her voice. Without knowing how or why, she knew what they were saying. Pleas of mercy, cries for their mother. When they grabbed her they were begging for help. Sky Eyes could do nothing. The worst part is that she knew they would be in her dreams that night, swelling the ranks of the army of the dead.

She had tried not to sleep, but the ghosts chased her into the daytime. Once, when it rained, she was forced inside his cave. Surrounded by his furs, artwork and the beautiful baskets she made for him, she watched the skins and bones and bodies dance in the flickering light created by the burning of foul-smelling fat she knew was human.

I will not fall asleep, I will not- but dreams came to her anyway. The dead people came to life and howled at her. She covered her ears and wept, sobbed for hours on end.

Throughout all of this, the god remained the same. Never did he attack, injure, or even raise his voice at her. He nudged and smelled and licked her constantly. He invited her to sex or fun or companionship, and seemed only disappointed when she failed to respond. He grinned bloody grins at her as he killed, the spirits got angrier and each passing day.

It seemed like their anger physically manifested itself. She looked at her torn skin, her clawed scalp and the bruises on her body in a vague wonder, forgetting she had inflicted these on herself. Even Xipe Totec was growing uneasy at her random fits. He smelled her quietly and bound her down, wondering what she was doing, hoping she wouldn’t hurt the precious cargo within her.

Sky Eyes didn’t sleep anymore. Her blue eyes stared wide open every day. Heavy shadows grew underneath them. They saw crows and other birds soaring, they saw Grandmother Earth rushing to embrace her. She spoke whisperingly of these things, as her eyes stared out blindly.

The god twisted his mouth uneasily, he only understood about half of what she said, but it still made no sense. Humans were a mystery, her behavior incomprehensible. He wished she would be more enjoyable, but his nose never lied, something was wrong, she was sick.

It made sense, she looked sick, acted strange, smelled odd. It didn’t immediately frighten him, because the sickness didn’t smell pervasive or terrible, as it did in those who were truly dying; he figured she would recover, she just needed extra help.

He chose his “help” very carefully. A young woman and a male companion walked made their way carefully through a forest. The woman hummed and sang softly to herself, he paused and listened for a moment (the Breeder had stopped singing for him), the young man leaned on his spear. His eyes wary and alert.

She chanted to some spirit in thanks as she gathered berries. It was necessary but had to be done quietly, as her companion needed to watch her.

It was all so silly, she thought. She was arrogant, ripe, drunk on her own youth, and nothing would happen, nothing would kill her. As long as gave reverence to the gods and her companion looked out for her she would be fine. She hummed/sang happily.

He could smell her, the healthy young animal smell within her. The companion actually smelled more promising, but this wasn’t about him. The young woman walked on obliviously.

He needed to be silent, because the young man was alert. They were all alert to his presence now. No huge obstacle.

She had time to scream. Once. Her young man came running to her in an instant, he had time to see her basket shatter and hear her scream fade away into the sky. There was absolutely nothing he could do. He wailed in agony.

He found the Breeder by the cliff. She went there often to stare out into its abyss. The Breeder seemed almost mesmerized by it. It was her favorite spot; she went there often when he went hunting. He saw no harm in it.

Her unusual eyes were wide as she beheld the struggling, screaming woman. Sky Eyes recognized her tribal tattoos; the strange woman threw herself at her, babbling incomprehensibly. Sky Eyes shook her head, she didn’t know her language.

Xipe Totec withdrew his obsidian knife, Sky Eyes fled in terror, as she usually did. This time however the god grabbed her. What is he doing, she thought in terror. He sat on the ground calmly, holding the struggling woman with his feet, and holding Sky Eyes easily in one hand.

As expected the knife came down, slowly. It wasn’t a stab or a thrust aimed at anything vital, it was a slice.

The woman’s eyes bulged out in shock. Sky Eyes could see the disbelief written on her face. She could hardly believe it herself, but what happened next was unimaginatively worse. She saw him grinning as he held the strip of fresh meat to her. Sky Eyes screamed in terror and tried to jerk violently away. He held her patiently and forced the flesh into her mouth. He held her nose and mouth shut until she swallowed, nearly passed out.

“Xipe Totec” held both struggling women easily as he sliced up one and fed her to the other. Part of a breast. The soft underside of an arm. Her full cheeks. The god carefully picked out soft delicious parts to feed to his Breeder. He ignored the women’s terrified shrieking - one of pain, the other of disgust - and continued to feed the blue-eyed woman scraps as patiently and diligently as a mother bird. It was an image amplified by his occasional chewing of the flesh and forcing it via the mouth down Sky Eyes' throat like a perversion of a kiss.

The woman finally, mercifully, seemed to be dying when he cut her open and began feeding Sky Eyes choice womanly parts. (Appropriate enough given her condition, he reasoned). He even fed her tidbits of heart. Not too much, enough to make her feel better. Sky Eyes was nearly passed out anyway.

She didn’t remember being carried back to the cave, or the woman being fed to the crows. All she knew is that her stomach was burning, churning to pass up that most taboo of foods. She was tainted now, beyond evil, totally beyond redemption.

She was in the Spirit World, again. The army of the dead were all there, and all menacingly silent. Sky Eyes trembled.

He spoke to her seriously. “Daughter, I want you to run, run away from the demon as far and as fast you can.” Sky Eyes shook her head, more in confusion than anything, he grabbed her arm with broken fingers, his gaze frightened her. “I was returning, he killed me, your demon killed me.” His grip hurt and Sky Eyes struggled. “He’s not a god, he does not - can not love you, you must run,” he ordered.

Sky Eyes crawled out slowly (not looking up at her father’s skin), she crawled outside, it was windy. Without knowing why, she began to run. She ran screaming, fleeing into the wilderness. Anywhere but here.

As she ran she stumbled, then fell, but still struggled on. Her knees were scraped open and thorns had dug themselves into her palms. She cried in pain, but mostly misery. She finally fell for the last time. Sick and confused.

The vomit was coming up before she realized what was happening. The vomit was thick and red, mixed with blood. Whether it was her blood or the woman’s, she didn’t know. It poured out in successive painful waves, the most horrifying sickness she ever had. It burned her throat, came up through her nose. Sky Eyes howled in pain.

“MAMMA!” she screamed. She knew it must have sounded childish. She didn’t care. She wanted her more than anything in the world right now. She needed some one to talk to, someone who actually cared about her, who had her best interests at heart. All she had now was venom and confusion and pain.

She didn’t know where her mother was, she didn’t visit her in the Spirit World, maybe she died and wasn’t buried properly. Ohhh, what if she was eaten? What if the god wanted to feed her mother to her? Sky Eyes rapidly grew sick again. She vomited one last time and rocked back and forth whimpering, “mamma, mamma.” The woman tore at her own skin and pulled out what was left of her hair.

Sniffing, she stumbled along, still murmuring for her mother. She didn’t know what to do, so she just ran like they ordered her to, like they were commanding her now. She was so confused.

Maybe it was a bad spirit; maybe it had escaped from Club Foot’s head and entered hers. That’s what if felt like. Maybe she really was a witch whose hatred conjured up death and destruction. Now she knew it would destroy her. She kept running, trying to escape. She ran to her favorite spot.

“What do I DO!?” she screamed to the nothingness around her. Her voice seemed to echo back.

A vision slowly appeared to her: a soaring eagle. It was soaring to the heavens.

All her life she wanted to be a bird, to fly, to escape the miserable world her difference had caused her. What seemed like a nightmare evolved slowly into a dream, but every second the dream threatened to turn back into a nightmare. Sometimes it did, but her world would try to fool itself into thinking all was love and happiness again. Inevitably it would return into the nightmare. Now the nightmare wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t end. She just wanted to wake up.

Love and passion turned seemingly into hate, beauty into ugliness, birds became evil crows, and wonderful clouds turned into cold mist, flying had turned into falling.

The god that wasn’t a god but something far more unknowable and mysterious saw it happening. He didn’t realize it until it was too late. Even his wings couldn’t stop it. In one heartbeat he knew it was over.

Still he spiraled down to her rapidly. She lay broken on the valley floor. She wasn’t quite dead yet. Her slender legs stood out crookedly, some ribs poked through as she wheezed her last breath. He saw her unusual eyes gaze at him before she sputtered something incomprehensible. The woman didn’t explain her actions, or even attempt some last clichéd declaration of eternal love. He heard her death rattle. Her blue eyes glazed over.

He really couldn’t understand it. What? Why? He had no answers. He prodded her body gently; no answers issued forth from it.

The monster didn’t cry or scream or do anything else to indicate grief. He hunched over her, sniffing occasionally. She continued to stare blindly at him in death. There was a bit of blood on her chin. When the crows came he shooed them away.

He tried and failed to comprehend. Humans were innately self-destructive after all. That’s all the explanation he had. He had liked her, he really had, but she was dead and gone, and that was that.

He hovered over her like this for an hour, keeping away the greedy scavengers and not eating. After an hour he smelled, or just sensed that their last connection was gone. What was inside of her was dead too, gone forever. As such his bond with her died, too.

Smelling her slowly, he came to her eyes. They were very pretty, her best feature. Gently he pulled them out, the optic nerves snapping. With one gulp he swallowed them both down. To his surprise, the world didn’t look much different through them. Maybe they seemed more sensitive to bright light, but no major differences.

The rest of her was not innately useful. She had grown appallingly thin and weak. He picked over her bones for dinner, then left. The crows descending on what was left of the woman known as Sky Eyes.

He had to prepare; with his offspring gone, his cycle had resumed. He could feel his old adversary - sleep - crouching in the near future, waiting to capture him. He had to prepare his spot, and then sleep until another generation was ready.

Sky Eyes died and was largely lost. Whispered, distorted rumors still spoke of witches and gods, but she had died unlamented by humans. Her body corrupted and her bones turned to dust, until she was finally blown away.

She had died without knowing her greatest wish had been fulfilled. That wish died with her.

The monster returned, generation after generation, as he had for an eternity. Terrified stories and legends accompanied him, now speaking of a demon with eyes that could strike a man dead. Eyes that glowed in the sun and captured the sky within them. Those few left who had remembered Sky Eyes trembled and went white with fear.

The tribe of cliff dwellers that his Breeder was born into continued to be hunted and eaten. He found no more breeders within them though. The bad luck he brought eventually became just a small taste of what was to come. A massive, terrible drought and aggressive nomadic tribes to the north eventually drove them southwest, and he never saw or smelled them again. The same drought eventually sent him to farther east, where prey was more plentiful.

It was a very long time before he saw eyes like hers again. Until then, he largely forgot about her. Breeders were that rare. When he saw suicides and sacrifices and the same mindlessly destructive human behavior, his mind drifted back to those few short happy months, and how they ended in insane terrified confusion. When he learned what a nightmare was he thought of her, but she had largely faded from his memory.

This memory comes back to me like all others. I can see the warning signs now. I see them in my newest breeder. I know I must stop this. I don’t understand how and why, humans are silly and foolish and disparaging, especially to themselves. But I won’t allow this. She is mine. Any woman who smells like her is mine.

You want to read the story this came from, don't you? Of course you do.

The Tale of Sky Eyes Copyright 2007 by CleverNickname
Reprinted by permission
~plagarists will be flayed alive~

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