Manhood Rite

"Come on, Peter. It's time you began waking up earlier. Get up!" Zoe said as she rummaged through her pack.

"No mom. Not yet." He obviously couldn't get up now, being nude under the covers. He closed his eyes and pretended to be sleeping. Suddenly, with one fast motion, his mom pulled the covers off of him.

"I said get --!" her words stuck in her throat. "Why on god's Earth are you naked?" she demanded. She looked away noticing her son's nudity.

"I must have taken my shorts off at night," Peter tried to explain. "It gets so hot at night."

"Is that so?" said Zoe, suspicion creeping back into her mind. She didn't feel like confronting him any further. "Fine, get dressed and come to breakfast."

- Chapter 6 --

Another month went by. At first, Zoe was a bit cold towards Peter. She wondered if Peter saw her naked and that made her uncomfortable to be around him. At nights, she began wearing shorts to bed, and longer t-shirts that covered her well past her waist.

Peter also seemed to realize that what he'd done was wrong. Why did he have to look at his mom? He would have felt better if he only looked at Cili and Umani, or other women.

The boys didn't attempt another such mission, afraid that the women knew that they spied on them. They entertained themselves doing other things, like hunting for birds and tracking animals. Peter was now completely comfortable at being naked in front of his friends. The boys still joked often about his cock being white and skinny. They now referred to it as anaconda.

One day, as Tooki and Peter were lounging around the fort, Pompo climbed in breathing heavily.

"Guys!" Pompo took a few breaths. "My brother, Tomo..." Another pause. "He did it! He killed a boar!"

"No way! Way to go Tomo!" exclaimed Tooki jumping to his feet. "They're going to hold a Manhood Rite for him now."

Pompo and Tooki were very excited for some reason. Pompo's older brother was a few years older than them, and he hung out with the older men.

"What? What are you talking about?" asked Peter looking from Pompo to Tooki.

"Peter, if a Kilitoki kills a boar he becomes a real man. He will have a great ceremony held in his honor," explained Tooki.

Karo and Kuru arrived at the fort and were filled in on the news. They seemed excited as well.

"I still don't get it. What's the big deal?" asked Peter.

"The ceremony will be held in a few days and then you'll see," explained Pompo.

Peter would have liked to know more, but he decided he would just wait and see.

The killing of the boar was the only thing anyone in the village was talking about. The mood was festive and Pompo's brother, Tomo, walked around proudly, his chest puffed out. The head of the slain boar was impaled onto a long stick and was displayed in the center of the village for everyone to see.

Several days later Pompo addressed the boys at the fort. "As you know, tonight is my brother's Manhood Rite. They won't allow us to attend, not until we kill a boar. The ceremony will begin after hours, when they think we are fast asleep."

"But we have an idea, don't we?" winked Tooki.

"Yes, we do. We'll pretend to be soundly sleeping and when the ceremony starts, we will sneak out of our huts and watch the ceremony from the shadows," disclosed Pompo. "Does everyone know how to sneak out?"

Everyone nodded, even Peter. He could lift the flimsy wall in one corner of his hut. It would be just enough for him to climb under it.

"Good, then it's on for tonight. Listen for the drums. Get out of your hut, but don't go too far. Stay in the shadows and be ready to get back into your hut if anything goes amiss. We cannot be caught." Pompo made sure everyone understood what he was saying.

"Too bad your mother isn't like Peter's," began Tooki, but Pompo shot him a glance and he felt silent.

Peter walked home that night wondering what this ceremony was all about. It certainly seemed to be a big deal, but he didn't know why. He had witnessed a few strange ceremonies since he'd been here. The birthing of a child required the mother to eat monkey brains before she gave birth. Men would get ceremonially whipped on their birthday to remind them that every year is a struggle. And on certain days, the tribesmen ate raw meat instead of cooking it. What could be much worse than that, that they wouldn't be allowed to attend? Well, he would just wait and see.

Zoe and chief Koko'loko walked quietly through the village.

"Zoe, tonight is Tomo's ceremony as he earns his right to be a Kilitoki man," said the chief.

"Great. That should be fun."

"While it is fun and it is a celebration, it carries with it a very specific meaning. One you might find especially strange."

"Like what?" asked Zoe creasing her forehead.

"I would suggest you witness it for yourself. You can leave at any point during it."

"Okay," said Zoe not giving it another thought.

"Make sure Peter is asleep before you come out of your hut tonight."

"I can make sure of that."

"Good. When you arrive we will begin the ceremony."

That evening, when the women bathed, there was special attention to Pompo's and Tomo's mother. Several women washed her and put oils in her hair. She was older than Zoe, yet slim and strong.

"Why are they washing her?" Zoe asked Cili.

"It is for the ceremony," Cili answered.

Zoe nodded like she understood and continued her own bath. After they finished, the women led Pompo's mother back into the village and into the chief's hut.

As the darkness fell, Zoe sat reading in the hut. Peter was already in bed, under the covers. He lay facing the wall and Zoe couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. She waited for quite some time, until finally deciding that Peter must have been sleeping. Setting her book aside, Zoe made her way out of the hut.

Outside, one of the tribesmen was awaiting her. He barred the door to her hut with a heavy log and led her into the jungle where a large fire was burning.

"Ah, Zoe. You are on time," said chief Koko'loko sitting on a large leaf next to the fire.

"We're just waiting on a few more people before we begin," added Great Mother who was sitting next to the chief.

Once everyone was gathered and accounted for the chief gave the sign. Suddenly, a quiet drum began beating a steady rhythm. Several dancers began swirling and dancing around the fire. Next to the fire, Zoe noticed a platform raised a few feet off the ground. Tomo was laying on top of it, his hands and feet tied to the ends. Zoe gasped when she noticed that Tomo was completely naked. She quickly glanced away.

"Sit down next to us," said chief Koko'loko and Zoe complied.

They sat across from the platform as the fire cast a convenient light onto the platform, and Tomo. Food was brought out and Zoe busied herself eating and watching the dancers, who were nude, with paint on their skin. Her cheeks reddened as she noticed a few of the male dancers, their manhood swinging with the rhythm. After a few minutes, the chief spoke a word and everyone turned to look to the side. Several women, wearing masks, emerged into the clearing. The women formed a circle with one woman walking in the center. Every woman of the escort had ceremonial markings painted on them, except the woman in the middle, who was wearing nothing but a golden mask.

The chief motioned with his hand and they were served drinks, which were the equivalent of strong wine. Zoe didn't drink often, but since this was a big celebration she decided she would allow herself a little. She gulped down a mouthful to help her relax, since she was a bit tense at seeing all these nude people.

The escort of women in masks approached the platform. Zoe took another drink and could feel her tummy warm up in reaction to the strong drink. The masked women began to dance around the woman in the center and then backed away from her. Zoe looked at the woman and noticed that the woman was completely bare between her legs. Most of the tribeswomen had a nice coat of hair guarding their privates. However, this woman was as bare as a babe. Did she recognize the woman? Zoe couldn't be sure. She felt her brain buzz slightly -- the wine was beginning to affect her judgment.

To Zoe's amusement, the tied man had an erection. The nude, masked woman climbed onto the platform and positioned herself over the young man. Zoe fancied she knew what would happen, and she felt slightly guilty for watching this. Without a warning, the woman tore her mask off and flung it into the fire. Zoe froze. She couldn't believe her eyes. It's was Tomo's own mother positioned right above his stiff member. Zoe couldn't think clearly, so she took another big sip of her drink.

The next several minutes were like a dream for Zoe. She watched as Tomo's mother squatted, grabbed her son's penis with one hand and proceeded to impale it into her vagina. With great enthusiasm, the woman began bouncing up and down on her son's cock. There was something primal and animalistic in the way this mother was having sex with her son.

It all made sense to Zoe now -- the chief's warning, the way other women treated the mother. Her thoughts swam in her head as she watched the sexual scene across from her. She couldn't look away, not that she thought about it. It seemed like some unseen force was holding her down in her chair.

The scene took on a surreal image. The dancers danced more wildly around the fire, while the drum was a steady, dull sound. Even the fire seemed to burn brighter. Wet sex sounds were now reaching Zoe's ears as Tomo's mother milked her son's manhood. Clutching the cup tight in her hand, Zoe could smell it -- that peculiar scent of sex, woman's and man's juices mixing together.

Tomo's mother looked to be enjoying herself. She threw her head back as her round ass bounced off her son's thighs. Zoe saw the woman's breasts flap up and down, and her fingers claw at her son's muscular chest. Then Tomo let out several loud groans as he spilled his seed inside of his very first woman.

Zoe has never seen a real life sexual act before, especially one performed so vividly. She thought back to her own experiences, with the only man she'd ever been with, Peter's father. Every time they had sex it was always in a dimly lit room, and under the covers. This was a totally new experience and an eye-opener for her. She had seen a pornographic scene once, but it disgusted her -- the actors were bad at acting and there was no passion between them. However, this was different. There was passion. Not kind, loving passion, but primitive, cardinal passion.

Zoe came to her senses, realizing that the drum stopped beating. Tomo's mother was still sitting on top of her son. She was saying something to him, but Zoe couldn't understand. They looked to be having a normal mother to son conversation, but the fact that his prick was lodged inside of her vulva made this seem surreal.

Zoe shook her head to try clear it. She became acutely aware of the wetness between her legs. She blushed to herself, not believing this would make her aroused.

Finally, Tomo's mother pushed up and eased off the meat pole she was riding. Tomo's member was still stiff and covered with white gunk. Zoe realized that she was sitting intimately close to the platform throughout this whole scene. A distinct scent of sperm filled her nostrils and it almost felt like she could taste it. Zoe always had a keen sense of smell and overpowering scents gave her trouble. However, now Zoe found herself almost welcoming this strong scent.

"Kilitoki, your great son Tomo is now a man!" boomed the voice of the chief, snapping Zoe to attention. She turned and saw Koko'loko standing with his arms stretched outward.

"Go Tomo and be a man. This night is your sacred night," continued Koko'loko.

The masked women surrounded Tomo's mother once again and led her away. A group of men approached Tomo, untied him and proceeded to congratulate him.

Quite suddenly, the celebration was over and Zoe found herself staring at the empty platform. She shook her head again; she was definitely buzzed, maybe even drunk.

"What did you think?" asked the chief.

A thought passed through Zoe's mind: "She looked like she was enjoying it, but how can a woman enjoy such an act?" Instead of that she said: "It was unusual."

"Every culture has it's traditions. Some are often misunderstood by outsiders."

"I'm just shocked that such an incestuous act can be a tradition amongst you."

"We have our beliefs," the chief shrugged. "We believe that a man's first experience must be the same that gave him life unto this Earth." The chief walked over to the fire. "It is frowned upon in the modern society, but it really is just a great gift of life."

"Will she get pregnant?" Zoe suddenly realized that the sex was unprotected.

"It is her choice. Some women believe that great warriors are born during the Manhood Rite and they spend all night engaging their sons over and over again."

"You mean they are going to have sex again tonight?"

"Yes. Most likely. It is Tomo's great night. He is entitled to take his mother as many times as he wants until he finds a wife. Such is the tradition." The chief stared into the fire as his wife joined him at his side.

"Does that mean... does that mean that Nakibo..." Zoe trailed off afraid to say what she was thinking.

The Great Mother turned to look at her and smiled warmly, and Zoe knew.

"It's a mother's duty to ensure her son knows all of the ways of love before he finds a wife," said Koko'loko. "Usually within a month a man finds the woman he will marry. During that month, the mother and son will couple many times."

Zoe couldn't think straight. This was by far the strangest thing she'd ever heard.

"Isn't that barbaric?" she asked without thinking.

"Barbaric? Not at all. It's a beautiful thing when the woman who cares for her son the most introduces him to intimate life. In the old days, when many tribes rivaled for women, a man had to know the ways of sexual pleasure. Where would he turn if not to the only woman that loves him?"

Long silence followed. Zoe brooded over Koko'loko's words in her intoxicated mind. In a way, what he said made sense, but modern society dictated that incest was monstrous. Zoe sat starring at the fire, unsure of what was right anymore.

"Goodnight Zoe," she heard the chief say. A few minutes later Zoe looked around and found herself to be the only person around the dying fire. She breathed in deeply, remembering the sharp smell of Tomo's sperm. She got to her feet and swayed slightly -- she would have a headache in the morning. She turned and shuffled towards her hut.

"It's a good thing that Peter didn't see any of this. What would he think?" she thought as she walked. Little did she know that Peter was just now sneaking back into their hut, wide-eyed after what he had witnessed.

- Chapter 7 -

More months passed. It was now getting close to their year anniversary. Peter has turned another year older and he even chose to get whipped for his birthday. How could he not, if all of his friends got whipped? The whip hurt, but it never broke skin -- the Kilitoki were traditional, not brutal. Over the past year, Peter's skinny arms became knotted with muscles, his skin turned a light bronze color and he began growing hairs on his chest. He came to love his life in the tribe, he almost considered himself one of the Kilitoki, and he was even able to speak in the native tongue.

Peter and his friends became inseparable. Their fort was their second home where they often times discussed Tomo's ceremony. Since it was their first real witnessing of sex, it was an exciting topic. Some of the guys never knew before how exactly sex happened. And now, they fancied themselves experts. There was another such ceremony for another young tribesmen, but Peter didn't get to watch it since his mom decided not to attend it.

The day Nakibo arrived was the first day of the last month they were to stay with the Kilitoki. Nakibo and Zoe were talking about happenings at the EHA when Nakibo gave her the news.

"Doug wants to talk to you," said Nakibo.

"Really? What about?" asked Zoe

"He didn't tell me. He said he wanted to tell you himself."

"Same old Doug," smiled Zoe. It's been a few months since she had spoken to him -- she only went back into town several times with Nakibo to use the phone or the internet.

Zoe said her farewells to her son and the chief, and departed with Nakibo to the outside world. They would be gone for several days and Peter was excited. He could finally spend the night at the fort, something he's always wanted to do. He was hoping his friends would be able to stay the night or two there as well, since their mother's weren't as strict and protective as Zoe.

The first night that Zoe was gone, Peter told his friends he would sleep at the fort. Unfortunately, none of his friends were able to join him that night, so he ended up alone. It was quite scary to say the least. One can never realize what it's like sleeping alone, unprotected in a vast jungle until one experiences it. Peter woke up several times to animal sounds and thought of running like hell back to the village. But instead he would just pull the blankets over his head, hug his spear closer and try to fall back asleep. As expected, he received a lot of respect the next morning when his friends found him there sleeping.

"I'm definitely staying with you tonight," announced Tooki. "Mother hasn't quite agreed, but she didn't disagree."

"Me too," said Pompo, not wanting to be bested by Tooki.

Karo and Kuru remained silent, knowing very well that their mother wouldn't allow it.

"Alright, guys. We'll see when the night falls who is still at the fort," teased Peter. He wasn't sure that he could manage another night all by himself.

"I'll be here," affirmed Tooki. "The whole night."

The boys proceeded to gather a lot of fruit while quizzing Peter about how scared he was during the night.

Dusk arrived and Peter made a great show of going to sleep in his hut. He didn't want other villagers to know that he was sleeping at the fort. When he sneaked out later, he congratulated himself on getting good at it. He reached the fort and lit a small fire. He wondered which of his friends would actually show up. To his surprise, both Tooki and Pompo arrived one after another. Not surprising, Pompo was often spending nights at Tooki's hut, since his brother and mother would sometimes have sex at night.

"I told you I'd be here!" grinned Tooki.

The boys settled down and talked for long time. Peter's friends enjoyed it when he told them about his favorite TV shows. Peter tried to retell each episode to his best recollection. It was enough for his friends to swear they would go out and live in the modern world, like Nakibo.

"It's not that great," Peter always said to such remarks. "I personally don't want to go back."

Tonight, Peter's story was keeping everyone's mind off the sounds of a big cat nearby. None of them wanted to admit that they were afraid.

"Guys?" said Pompo. "You know what I was thinking?"

The silence told him that his friends were listening. "If we can make it through this -- sleeping in the fort, in the jungle, away from the village, then we can most certainly kill a boar."

"You're crazy Pompo!" said Peter from the dark.

"I'm serious. I've always been scared of boars, but not as much as I've been scared of pumas and leopards. If we can stick it out, with that thing out there roaring. What's a big bad pig?"

"I think Pompo has a point. We're big enough now," said Tooki. "I think we've got another mission for the Grass Warriors."

"But guys! We don't know anything about hunting. We don't even have real spears," Peter tried to be the voice of reason.

"Tomo said he'd give me his spear. I can ask him if he can get us some more," Pompo seemed to be possessed by this idea.