Tribal Bonds Ch. 05

Hello Readers! This is Part Five of a Six-Part story. All six parts are written and will be posted in order. It takes place in the same universe as my "Sultanah" series, but you don't need to read any of that to understand this story (but you really should read it). In Part 1, Kedi was sold into slavery along with a member of a rival tribe, Cilek, but the slavers were seemingly attacked by ghosts. In Part 2, Kedi wakes up surrounded by warrior women who may be ghosts, but are certainly kinky. In Part 3, Kedi learns about the Hayalet and is seduced, in more ways than one. Please, please, please let me know what you think! In part 4, Kedi witnesses a Hayalet wedding and peeps at the wedding night.

Chapter 5: A New Member of the Hayalet

"Oh Kedi, good, I was looking for you," Orospu said, beckoning me over with a casual flick of her hand. She was sitting at a table in the square in the center of Daire. There was dozen women around her. Some sitting, some standing. They all turned to look at me as Orospu called out to me. A week earlier, that might have made me uncomfortable. To have been the center of attention among the Hayalet. To have all of these women know who I was.

However, after climbing out of the crawl space underneath of Sonraki, Damat, and Daha's bed, covered in my own seed, things had changed. Despite my fears, the newlyweds were not enraged that Cilek and I had eavesdropped on their first time together. In fact, they seemed sort of pleased that they'd put on a show and that we'd enjoyed it so much. They helped us out and gently teased us.

The story spread throughout the village rapidly. It seemed, almost, like the news beat the five of us out of longhouse as we walked to the wedding feast. Despite the gentle reactions of the brides, I still felt embarrassed and humiliated as I heard the buzz of gossip race through the crowd. Everyone at the wedding feast turning to look at me. I desperately wanted to run to Orospu's longhouse and to hide until it was time for me to leave the village. But there was no escape, there were eyes on me everyone.

Soon, members of the Hayalet walked up to me with sly little smiles on their face. I braced for humiliation and taunts. And, I suppose, I got more than my fair share of teasing. But I was surprised to find that that teasing came off as...good-natured. People I'd seen, but never spoken to before came up to ask me if I'd enjoyed the little show. And, when I stammered, soothingly told me about the first time THEY had been caught peeping on someone else in the village. Soon, I was flooded with humorous stories, some even more humiliating than mine. The women laughed about this story and, before I knew it, I found that I was laughing with them. People brought me food and drink, sat me tables, and told shared their lives with me.

Part of me knew that this was dangerous. I'd already seen that I found the Hayalet women to be pleasant. That it was dangerous to spend too much time with them. But the fact that they did not find me to be some sort of pervert but instead, felt that I had passed through some sort of rite of passage was such a relief. I felt so grateful. What's more, it was hard to continue to present an attitude of prickly disinterest when the whole town had caught me masturbating. They knew I was intrigued by them, and I didn't have any way of convincing the otherwise. And so I stayed at the wedding feast and had a good time. A great time even. Far better than any of the feasts I'd had with the Buz.

And it had continued over the coming days. The teasing died down as the next little piece of gossip fluttered through town (evidently, some of the wives of the late Olu were sleeping with Alti, an unmarried Cadilar and the daughter of Diger, an while they waited for a new wife). But by then, I knew half the people in the village. I would exchange pleasant conversation with all of them. They came up to me in the street and talked to me. I couldn't have ignored all of those people if I wanted to. And I didn't.

Still, I managed to set a few boundaries, to protect myself. To protect my identity as a member of the Buz. I never went to the tavern at night, when some of the women (including Cilek) would go and drink. I knew that I was on the knife's edge of my self control. If I allowed myself to lower my guard, even a little bit, then something would undoubtedly happen that I would regret. I reminded the women around me as often as practical that I was a Buz and that, despite the fact that I liked their village, I would be returning home soon. And, most importantly, I did not sleep with anyone. I masturbated at least twice a day, to control my urges. And I avoided anything that even appeared to be a come on.

And so, as Orospu called out to me across the village square, I felt totally comfortable. I knew, or at least recognized, all of the women standing around them. And, because I had been following my rules for several weeks at that time, I was confident that I had found the right balance to survive as a Buz among the Hayalet. Friendly, even warm, but distant. I walked across the square and sat down across from Orospu.

"Yes?" I asked, "How can I help you?"

"Winter will be upon soon," she said and I felt the cool, late fall breeze over the palisade wall and nodded. She was right, it was getting cold. And that meant that the patrols would be heading home soon. And another patrol would be heading out. With me. To return to the Buz. I didn't know what I felt about that.

"Yes," I said, "Snow should be coming soon to the mountains."

"You know a good deal about the snow. About the winter," Orospu said. It was not a question. It was a statement of fact.

"I suppose," I said, unsure as to what they were getting at.

"And the Buz are a warlike people," she said.

"To be sure," I responded quickly. I resisted my natural urge to be rude, to ask what this had to do with anything. I respected the Hayalet. I would treat them with respect. Orospu looked around the table at the other women, as if to gauge them. A few nodded, most shrugged. Orospu smiled and turned back to me.

"The next patrol that goes out will be the last one for the winter. After that, we will build our winter defenses and wait for spring," Orospu said, "We don't want anyone to be stranded in the valley, if the mountain passes become blocked with snow or ice."

"That is wise," I said, shrugging.

"Yes well..." Orospu started.

"God's wounds! Stop beating around the bush!" Otuzbes said brashly, "We Hayalet are proud warriors. But we are not so proud that we believe we have nothing to learn. Orospu would like to ask you about any particularly effective defenses that the Buz have developed for winter quarters. Or winter warfare in general. But only if you are comfortable sharing." The words rushed out of Otuzbes mouth. Orospu sighed loudly.

"Yes," she said after a long pause. Otuzbes shrugged and looked at me as well. All of the women were looking at me. And I realized for the first time what was happening. This was a council of war. Or, at least, defense. And these women, these warriors, they wanted my opinion. They wanted my expertise.

For a moment, I couldn't speak. I looked at them with my mouth agape. My heart was thrumming in my chest and my hands felt wet. This was...everything I had ever wanted as a member of the Buz. To be seen as a warrior. To have my opinion, as a member of the tribe, considered and honored. I had never truly hoped to know what that sensation would feel like. And now it was here. And overwhelming. The women were still looking at me.

"But again, you do not need to share what you aren't comfortable sharing. We understand your allegiance to your tribe," Orospu said, perhaps more to break the silence than to reassure me. But I smiled and nodded my head. I knew at that instant that I would share absolutely anything and everything that I knew. I sat down at the table, leaned in closely so that I was in the middle of everyone.

"First things first, the snow and ice creates unparalleled opportunities for camouflage..."

* * * * *

The only woman in Daire that I did not get to know, in at least some way, was Geri. I was not sure, anymore, if I was avoiding her because I still did not trust myself or if it was simply because I felt ashamed for shunning her and didn't know how to stop. Whatever it was, I was shocked the day after the 'council of war' when Geri approached me in the village square. I saw her walking towards me and tried to nonchalantly ignore her. Usually, she would turn away when she saw me, whether because she was angry or because she respected my privacy, I did not know. But that day, she marched across the square and sat down across from me. I kept my eyes on the table, unsure of what to do.

"I am to marry Cilek," she said simply. No one else was near by. She was clearly talking to me.

"Marry?" I said, equally confused by the fact that she was speaking to me and by what she said.

"My sisters and I are to marry Cilek. I figured that you would want to know, given your feelings about Cilek," Geri explained. I finally looked up at Geri and shook my head.

"Cilek is a Kabile girl," I said and now Geri shook her head.

"Not anymore," she said, "Or, at least, not in an hour or so," Geri said.

"What?" I asked.

"The ceremony," Geri stated, as though I should know, "They didn't tell you? All Cadilar are permitted to witness it. Perhaps they thought you were not interested."

"Geri, what are you talking about?" I asked.

"Orospu and the other Cardilar are performing the rebirth ceremony. In an hour or so, Cilek will be reborn as a Hayalet Cadilar. And next week she will marry me and my sisters. And children will be born to us," she said. For a moment, I pictured Cilek, in my mind's eye, mounting Geri. Cilek's cock slipping slowly into Geri's cunny, pumping her seed into Geri's mouth. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I didn't know what I felt. Jealousy...arousal...anger...confusion. It was impossible to pick apart. I looked at Geri again, saw the beauty of her body. The innocence and allure of her face.

"Geri, I..." I began to say, but she raised her hand.

"Kedi," she said and I stopped speaking, "I did not tell you so that you would do something. Don't say something now, if you don't intend to follow through." I realized that any word I said would constitute some sort of a promise. I didn't know what the promise would mean, exactly. But I knew that part of me desperately wanted to say...it. Whatever it was. But something held me back. The Buz blood in my veins. I opened and closed my mouth without speaking.

"The ceremony is in Orospu's longhouse. Go watch," Geri said after a long moment. I could not tell if she was angry or relieved or nothing at all. She simply rose from where she'd sat and walked away. I watched her as she turned down an alley and disappeared. I sat for a moment, my body vibrating with tension that I could not resolve. I could not even think of Geri. The spot in my mind was too sensitive. Instead, I rose without thinking, and walked quickly towards Orospu's house. In a moment, I'd thrown back the skin covering the door and walked inside.

It was dimly lit inside and it took me a moment for my eyes to adjust. In that brief moment of blindness, I wondered what I was doing in this place, what I hoped to achieve. I had simply gone because Geri had told me to go. And I would stay for the same reason.

Slowly, the shapes in the room began to take form. Eventually, I could see everything just as clearly as day. There were fewer women in the longhouse than I'd expected, for a ceremony. I had expected something sort of like the wedding. But there was no crowd. A dozen or so women in the cavernous longhouse. I remembered something Geri said, all of the Cadilar were permitted to witness. Evidently, the women were not permitted.

And then I began to recognize the women in the longhouse. Some of them were standing on a platform that had apparently been built over the fire pit. That explained the darkness, the home was lit only with torches around the outside of the longhouse. Cilek and Orospu, of course, were standing on the platform. There were three other Cadilar standing up on the platform with them. They were all of the youngest, married Cadilar in the village. In their twenties and thirties. Damat was among them. I knew the others by name, Ilk and Uc. They were all beautiful, though Uc might have been the most beautiful Cadilar in the village. And the most buxom.

Sitting around the platform were all of the other Cadilar from the village. Or, at least, all of the adult Cadilars. No children were present. Some of the Cadilar were old widows or, at least, women who had 'retired' from active marriage. Others were middle aged women. A dozen or so, in all. The oldest women sat in bed along the wall. The younger women sat on the floor in front of the platform. In addition, I saw Alti. She was, at that time, the only unmarried Cadilar of marriageable age living in the village. Diger, her mother, was the Cadilar who had been housing Cilek. Alti was the one who was rumored to be sleeping with the late Olu's wives. Sleeping with Geri and her sisters.

It was Alti who saw me standing in the doorway. When my eyes adjusted, I saw that she was looking me. She was sitting by herself, maybe ten feet away from her mother, who was sitting with the middle-aged women, watching. Alti beckoned me over, smiling. I had talked to her a couple of times. She was sweet, if a bit soft and naive. But I felt a flush of jealous at her, thinking of her with Geri. Still, she was the only person who had acknowledged my presence. And I did like her. The jealousy passed and I walked quietly across the room and sat next to her.

"You have to take off your robe," Alti whispered as I settled in next to her. I had become so used to the fact that the Hayalet were often naked, that it had not even registered that everyone was nude. I felt a bit embarrassed by my breach of good manners, and stood up silently and removed my robe. I threw it behind me as the cool air touched my skin. The fire would have been nice. I sat back down next to Alti. I noticed her body now, lithe and youthful. Her breasts were very small, her arms and legs long and jangly. Her face was cute, in the Hayalet way. She looked younger than her years, though tall.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up," Alti said to me. Her eyes continued to face forward, watching the women on stage. She spoke in a very low whisper so that no one else could hear. I followed her lead.

"No one told me it was happening," I said. The corners of Alti's lips turned up in a wry smile.

"Perhaps Orospu thought you'd not be interested," she said.

"What does that mean?" I asked. Alti raised her eyebrows but didn't look away from the women shuffling around awkwardly on the stage. I saw a book in Orospu's hand, she kept stealing glances at it.

"Well, Cilek is becoming a Hayalet. And you don't like Cilek. Or Cadilar becoming Hayalet," she said.

"I never said there was anything wrong with Cadilar becoming Hayalet. I just said that I am, and will remain, Buz," I said. It was an automatic response. I no longer felt a surge of pride or determination when I stated my intentions. In fact, I rarely thought about the Buz. But I had staked a position. And now I was wedded to it.

"Maybe she thought you'd be upset because this paves the way for Cilek to marry Olu's wives. Omuzlar," she said and then after a long pause, "Geri..." she smiled more broadly. I felt my cheeks go red. Did everyone know that I felt...uncomfortable around Geri? I couldn't respond. I sat for a moment in silence, my cheeks hot, watching Orospu and Cilek silent on the stage.

"What is going on?" I asked, grasping at a reason to change the subject. There did not appear to be much of a ceremony going on. I heard Alti snort slightly.

"We haven't initiated a new Cadilar in this village since the last time it snowed in August. No one remembers any of the steps. Orospu is trying to learn it at the last moment, to make sure that Cilek doesn't change her mind," and then lower, "And so I don't get any of Olu's widows pregnant." I bit my lip. That confirmed the rumor. Alti was sleeping with Olu's wives. Geri... My cheeks reddened to crimson. Embarrassment or jealously or something else, I didn't know. Luckily, Orospu bailed me out.

"Cadilar of Daire!" She said suddenly in a grandiose voice. Damat, Ilk, and Uc quickly moved to the back of the platform, side by side facing towards me. Their breasts and soft cocks bouncing as they moved. Orospu and Cilek stayed in the front. Cilek was grinning stupidly. She was the only one on the stage with a hard cock.

"We are gathered here in the sight of the Gods to perform the Rite of Initiation, the rarest and most sacred ceremony of the Hayalet. I have consulted the Ancestor Book and I have determined that it has been 67 years since a Cadilar has been initiated into the Hayalet, and 106 years since a Cadilar has been initiated at Daire. We are all deeply privileged to be here to witness this event." Cilek made a slight squealing sound and bounced on her toes. Orospu smiled indulgently and then glanced briefly at her book. I felt strange, looking at Cilek soaking up the attention of the crowd. I couldn't explain the feeling.

"Is there any person here who is not a Cadilar?" Orospu asked, looking around the longhouse. No one made a noise. There as no one else present, "Is there any person here who in not of the Hayalet?" She now asked.

"I am not," Cilek said loudly, raising her hand and bouncing again, her balls slapping on her thighs. The room was silent for a moment. I felt a hard jab in my ribs and saw that Alti had nudged me. Eyes all over the longhouse were on me. My heart quickened, and my eyes dropped.

"I am not," I said, barley above a whisper.

"Is there any person here who would now choose, of their own free will, to join the Hayalet? To bear our burdens and share in our joys?" Orospu asked. Orospu was looking at me as she spoke. I couldn't meet her gaze.

"I do!" Cilek said quickly. Orospu turned back to her, and smiled.

"Is there any person here who would sponsor this stranger as a member of our tribe?" Orospu said, pointing to Cilek.

"I will," a voice to my left stated. I turned and looked. Diger had risen slightly, raising her hand. Cilek mouthed "thank you" across the room and Diger nodded slightly.

"Who is in favor of admission of this stranger?" Orospu asked.

"She must be tested!" All of the Cadilar, stated in unison. Orospu nodded and turned to Cilek.

"Not every Cadilar is worthy to be a member of the Hayalet. The Cadilar of Daire have decided that you must be tested. Are you willing to be tested?"

"Yes!' Cilek said quickly.

"By tradition, the Initiation Rite contains three ordeals. The ordeals of Obedience, Fruitfulness, and Devotion. Are there any Cadilar here who would be peers of this stranger? And who would put her through the Ordeals?" Orospu asked. In unison, Damat, Ilk, and Uc stepped forward.

"We will," they said at the same time. Orospu nodded at the three young Cadilar and then turned back to Cilek. She stared at her for a moment. Then spoke in a lower voice.

"If you fail to complete any of the ordeals, you will be denied initiation into the Hayalet. And you will be cast out of the village. This is your last chance to remain a stranger. Will you attempt all three ordeals?"

"I will complete them," Cilek said with total conviction. I was impressed by her forcefulness.

"The Ordeal of Obedience!" Orospu said loudly. Damat stepped forward, in front of Cilek.

"The Hayalet have no classes. We are all equals in the eyes of the Gods. But, nonetheless, there are times when any Cadilar must lead. And when any Cadilar must follow. In times of war, we must obey our generals. In times of harvest, we must obey our farmers. In times of festivity, we must obey our elders. You are an initiate. It is now your time to obey the members of the tribe, and it is our time to lead. Will you accept our leadership without complaint, without hesitation? Will you do your duty as a Hayalet?" Damat asked in a quavering voice that grew stronger as she spoke.