Beauty and the Beast

9

His meditation was disturbed with the sound of her anklets. Or maybe the wild jasmine flowers that she wore over her hair bun.

He made no movement when he felt her sit down before him. She reached out and touched the long mane, realising that it is a bit coarse and huffed a bit.

"Being a beast is no excuse to be so dirty." She complained seeing the place in a mess. "How can anyone live with such filth around?"

He heard her moving around, clearing the place. "Tell me whatever you want. I'll do it in a minute." Garuda took over, showing his wings to prove a point that he is really fast.

"Oh... Would you get some water from the river nearby?" She asked.

Garuda took all the pots he could carry in his hands and flew off. Exactly a few moments and he was back.

"Chenchita..." Her friends showed up too.

"Lend me a hand. We'll at least make some basic shed here. Only Bhudevi knows how this one lives in caves and trees. Vanaras live in a more sophisticated manner." Chenchita told her friends. The hunters laughed at that.

"Oh, come on, pilla, he's halfway an animal. What else are you expecting? He's not really human or Vanara." One of her friends comments.

Garuda and Shesha didn't really appreciate the comments. But speaking up anything that would offend the Goddess would not sit well with their hope that she will accept Narayana.

Not that the 'beast' cared about the commentary.

The tribe then put together a simple structure. A modest construction. Narasimha opened his eyes and looked at it. A wave of affection formed inside his heart for them. People who had no necessity to do this for him had taken enough efforts to bring wood and other things to make him a modest shelter. They didn't have to do so but still did so for him without complaining or even asking anything in return.

"It is nice of you all to make a home for me. Is there anything you want?" Narayana asked them, feeling affectionate.

They looked at each other and chuckled. "Saami, anything we want is provided to us by the gracious Bhudevi and Arani Devi. What the forest doesn't provide, we don't desire." They answered.

Simple minded people, even if forest dwellers, have the deepest affection.

"I ask out of ignorance, Saami, but how come you roam around the forests with an eagle and a snake but still live on fruits and berries?" One of boys asked. "Don't you feel hungry? I feel hungry even after eating a whole deer." He patted his stomach to show. 

All of the hunters laughed out.

"Kanda, not everyone eats like you do, you glutton." They teased him, laughing at his expense. He rolled his eyes at them.

Chenchita patted Kanda's back. "It is alright, Kanda, do not worry about him. We'll surely together find enough food for him. Maybe Asura meat would fill his stomach."

"No!!!!" Garuda and Shesha shouted at the same time. Terror filling their face. The whole group of hunters looked in confusion.

"Actually, the last time Asura blood and meat filled his system, he went on a rampage, almost attacked the devas." Shesha explained. The memory was a nightmare. Something Shesha does not want to experience again.

"Alright..." Chenchita said, clearly weirded out with the outburst. "Temper is actually a bad enemy. You should control it." She added.

"How about you make sure I don't get angry?" Narasimha asked her, slightly teasing.

The reaction was fast. No, not from the lady herself but the surrounding people. "Just because we are being nice doesn't apply that you can take liberties with our friend. Careful. We're rather good at hunting." They warned.

"Hilarious you think that you're any match for him." Garuda added.

"We're willing to match up with anyone for one of our people." They added.

"Everyone, it is fine. Let us not start a fight here. Father sent us to take care of his needs here. It will not be acceptable to him if we start a fight here." Chenchita calmed down everyone.

The hunters took Chenchita away with them as they went to look for fruits and food for him. As they left, Chenchita turned and looked at him once.

"We need a better plan." Garuda decided.

For all he knew, it wasn't going to be very easy to win over her this time. Something suggested him that this some silly retribution for when he scared her with the vicious roaring earlier in this form. Something like "You can't be roaring like that at me. I'm not your enemy. I-" which would have been quickly cut off with roaring.

He chuckled looking at her. "Alright, then. If this is what you want to go through, so be it." He muttered to himself.

The Chenchus settled for a hunt. They had gathered considerable amount of fruits. Almost scanning the whole Ahobalam for wild fruits.

"Lost in thoughts?" Padma asked her.

"No..." Chenchita denied.

Padma smiled. "Honestly speaking, I'm very aware of the feelings. Even if you aren't going to acknowledge it, the signs are clear to me. The way every time we are moving away from him, you turn around and look at him. Whenever you see the Naga or the Suparn, you suddenly get all hopeful that he too has showed up."

"I don't want all that, Padma. My father is the chieftain and I'm his only child. Aja and I are the only people I trust this tribe with as a leader. If Aja and I don't pretend to be competing against each other, there are various people who would try to take over the position of chieftain. Especially, Gagan and his children. They've eyed the crown for long. The moment they're at the head, the sanctity of this tribe is gone. We have protected the forests, it's animals, it piousness and the Rishis who come to do tapasya here for long but the same cannot be said about them. If it falls to them, the city dwellers will soon come into the forest and destroy it's natural beauty to establish cities. We need forests. We have to protect them. Do you think Aja will be able to handle all of it alone? Because we always seem to be against each other, we somehow find out about who is wanting to divide the tribe. Or else, we wouldn't have ever known. Sure, he does makes me feel pretty with the way he looks at me but I always think back about the tribe and take a step back."

"We always have space for love, Chenchita."

"We are completely different people, Padma. He's the Protector of the Societies and we're forest dwellers. He's the Lord of Vedas and we're far away from even the 'a' of Vedas. We acknowledge the greatness of Vedas but we don't spend our lifetimes learning them. We are forest people. The forest is only our holy knowledge. Would that be the same for him? Today he is here, tomorrow he will go away somewhere else when needed. I cannot leave with him."

Padma patted my shoulder. "All I am saying is that love is as rare as a hyena not jumping on an opportunity for a free meal. When you get it, don't let it go easily." She passed ahead saying that.

Was it even proper for her to love a God? To even want him in a way that isn't prescribed? In a way that a wife would want her husband? Chenchita shook her head to clear those thoughts. How foolish was she to think that it is possible to marry a God?