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The Gift

Richard's (SF) Storyline, Chapter 2.3

copyright comidacomida 2018

He blinked, raising his paws up to draw lines in his fur with the pigment on his fingers; only as he started his body art did I realize that he was completely naked. Even as he adorned himself with markings, the Jaguar continued looking at me, speaking. "The Prayer to the Seven Directions is a prayer of thanks... of appreciation. It is said with every direction that we give gratitude for what we receive. If you visit a place and are given gifts and treated well then would you not say 'thank you' even if you do not know who is responsible?"

I thought about that for a few seconds. "Well... yes, but I'd still want to know who my host was... I mean, isn't that part of religion?"

Balam's tail flicked on the carpet, and he leaned forward, reaching up to run his red-pigmented thumb across my forehead. "It does not have to be. Sometimes simply understanding what we have to be thankful for is enough."

I waited until he had sat back once again before I asked him about the last words he'd said in Mayan. "What does 'Oh Yum Hunab Ky Evam Maya E Ma Ho.' mean?"

The Jaguar made a displeased face but I could tell that it was not directed at me; he was having trouble providing a decent translation, and he prefaced his explanation accordingly. "I do not know all of the words for it in Spanish, but it means 'Everyone, greet mind and nature together.'."

I thought about his explanation; in Spanish 'together' is a different word for people and for things, so I knew right away that he meant that everyone was supposed to greet the union of mind and nature rather than everyone together was to greet mind and nature. It may seem like a rather unimportant distinction but, as the entire ritual was about giving thanks and understanding gifts, I figured it was important nevertheless. I changed directions in my questioning. "And... this ritual is used all the time?"

He reiterated his earlier statement. "At the start of a day, before important events, and to start other rituals."

I smiled, trying to offer a little levity to the conversation. "Well... it's more like the end of the day right now..."

He didn't seem receptive to the humor, responding with logic. "Then either this must be an important event, or we must be about to start another ritual."

Something about the way he stared at me with his gleaming Topaz eyes made me uncertain as to whether I was being chastised or the target of some kind of deadpanned humor. It left me uncomfortable. "Oh... well, I--"

He cocked his head to the side, continuing to trace lines in his fur with the red pigment on his fingers. He made several wavy symbols across the top of his chest before making what looked like brackets on his shoulders. "Which is it, Seer?"

His use of the seemingly official title I'd heard the spirits throw around caught me off guard. The moment felt strangely intimate considering we were alone and he was naked but, then again, we were discussing faith and rituals, so perhaps there was a reason for some degree of formality to it. Uncertain as to the Jaguar's intent, I sought clarification. "I... don't know. I thought you were teaching me about Mayan religion."

He inclined his head to me, one of the feathers on his ritualistic headdress (the only article of clothing he wore) bowing almost over his face. "Yes. Are you learning?"

"I think?"

He inched closer and, I realized that the movement almost looked as though he were a great cat stalking his prey. Rather than pouncing, however, Balam sat down directly across from me, so close that our knees touched and I was granted a completely unadulterated and unrestricted view of his body. He was well-toned; he was also lithe and wiry but with enough masculinity to his form that I could see his muscle definition beneath his fur. He apparently noticed my gaze. "Does my body make you uncomfortable?"

I'd always been able to appreciate the beauty of the human form, but even combined with a great cat there was something gorgeous in what I saw. His question was straight-forward and a little, well, as he put it, uncomfortable; regardless, I found no reason to lie. "You are... very handsome."

He continued looking at me even as his two red fingers continued tracing lines through his fur. Thank you."

And that was the end of the personal conversation. Rather than press the issue, Balam went straight into questioning me what I had experienced. "What can you tell me about the ritual I am about to begin next?"

I couldn't begin to fathom what he meant but, as I continued watching his fingers create red lines in his fur, especially when he made a circle around his belly button before going lower I suddenly recalled what we'd just discussed. "

I glanced at the candle to my right. "Well... you said red symbolizes the rising sun and fire. It is thanks for a new day."

He inclined his head again and I realized that the feathers didn't move the second time. He ran his paw through the white fur of his groin, coloring the entire area as he did so. "Yes, I did. What else?"

Balam was male but, I realized, he didn't have a penis in the traditional sense; like a jaguar he had a furry sleeve perched atop a fur covered scrotum. I was no zoologist, but I knew enough to realize that, like a human, if he were to be sexually aroused there would be more to it, which led me to realize that he wasn't 'excited' in that way. I quickly focused back on the question he'd asked. "Like we already discussed, it isn't dawn, so--"

He interjected. "A new day."

I paused at that. "Is there a difference?"

He leaned forward, raising his paw with a single finger outstretched. "Yes."

Although I was initially inclined to withdraw I remained where I was, seated cross legged directly across from him. Balam's finger went to my shirt then, to my surprise, passed right through it. I felt his sandpapery paw pad on my chest and the chalk-dust-like pigment as he applied it in several swipes into a series of lines I couldn't see thanks to my clothes. I waited until he was done before I asked. "Is this another ritual?"

The Jaguar nodded. "It is. You may take part in it, or you may simply sit and watch. Which would you prefer?"

It was a loaded question; I didn't even know what the ritual involved. My counter-question focused on that point. "What's involved? How could I say whether I'll be part of the ritual without knowing what I have to do?"

As if playing some kind of Q&A game, he answered my question of his question with another question. "What would you like to do?"

Was he flirting with me? He was naked, and obviously showing off his body, and he was touching me. I'd never really been good at that kind of interpersonal exchange; was I misreading something? Did his people even believe in romantic interaction between members of the same sex? Perhaps I'd entirely missed the mark and was way off base in my considerations. Realizing I had probably made a wrong turn mentally I decided to give up and start fresh. "I'm sorry, Balam. I don't think I understand-- it almost feels like you want to..."

He cocked his head to the side, regarding me with a sense of ceremony in his tone. "What does it feel like I want to do?"

I couldn't go through with finishing the thought so I returned to the first question. "What do I have to do if I take part in the ritual."

Balam's whiskers twitched and I saw his nostrils flare; I might have also seen the hint of a smile, but I could have been mistaken. "First, you must take off your clothing. This ritual is done without them."

I didn't really know what kind of an explanation I was looking for, but that was a pretty straight forward indication that my impression of the situation may have been accurate. Taking a deep breath, I--