[Complete] Eroh has reached his seventeenth spring and has finally become a man. With manhood comes a gift: marriage to the woman he loves. But when a strange new woman from another world enters his life, he is stuck with the decision to honor his...
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It was the day of my manhood hunt, my third and final attempt, and I was trembling like a hoofling.
I put on my leathers: greaves, chest plate, bracers, and skirt. Each piece loosened by the weight I'd lost. Twenty pounds in two months. I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. My cheeks were less wobbly and more sharp. Chin unhidden from fat. Even my chest was less flabby and stomach less rounded. I should be proud of my effort, but all I could think about was Gagrit.
Father scolded me for a week, even though his tone told me he was impressed. The bruise around Lylef's eye healed from the enormous woman's backhand. But the scar on Gagrit's face would never heal. When I walked out with my leathers on, I looked upon my father and Lylef before turning to the mountainous guard. She stared at me through murderous eyes. Raising her swollen lips just enough to show the black in her mouth. The spear left a scabby, white scar that went from her lips to her right ear, leaving only the row of teeth on her left side. Appearing more hideous than she had before, if that were even possible.
"If you can do this to Gagrit, you can do this to a boar," Father said, pointing to her scar.
Gagrit made a strange, harsh grunt, and nodded.
"What's wrong with her?" I asked, eyes trembling. Never did I think I had the power to do such a thing. "Why isn't she speaking?"
"She can't ..." Father chuckled. "The spear cut most of her tongue. We couldn't save it, so we chopped the rest and removed it. Father shook his head. Lylef grimaced. Gagrit grunted, then opened her mouth far enough for me to see the fleshy, black nub that was left of her tongue. I gagged. "Damn shame too ... she had a beautiful voice."
I raised an eyebrow. "And cherish it always ..." I turned around and took a deep breath. Something warm touched my shoulder, and I jumped. I turned and found Lylef's golden-green eyes. They calmed my nerves. "Oh ... just you ..."
"Don't blame yourself." Lylef whispered. "You were only trying to protect me."
"I could've killed her ..."
"Would that have been so bad?"
I peeked over my shoulder at Gagrit. She hocked a slimy ball into her mouth and spat, leaving drool dripping down her lip. I corked my head and shook.
"I think the God's would've understood if I had." We looked at each other and I laughed and snorted. Lylef giggled.
"Come now, young Hoof Lord and Lady. We have a manhood hunt to do!"
The Manhood hunts were different in Boarwood then they were in HuntLoch. In fact, all of them were different depending on which village you were from. HuntLoch they used a bow to catch fish from the Loch; in Bronzebuck they'd shoot bows from their mount in the prairie; in Coldhollow they took to the trees to hunt animals from the top of the thicket; in Taurtine they'd go through the caves hunting great beasts; and finally in Boarwood we'd hunt in the Mudring that was surrounded by mud trees and riddled with boar.
