Goddess of the Forest

There once was a village located in the center of a mystical forest. Protecting the forest and its inhabitants was an ancient deity whom the villagers worshiped and gave tribute. This ancient deity was a goddess with unimaginable beauty who appeared human except for her animal like ears and tail and the beast like feet which contained the strength of a thousand men. Once a year the village would hold a festival to thank the goddess, in which she would grace the village with her appearance and joy would be had by all.

However, every few generations the goddess would not appear for the festivities, bringing misfortune and turmoil as the forest's deity was nowhere to be found. To prevent the devastation from occurring, the village would offer one of its own to the forest in hopes that the sacrifice's life would be exchanged for that of the deity's. Days after the sacrifice leaves the village the goddess would return. A celebration would then be held for the goddess and honor the life of the sacrifice which had been exchanged.

It was during the start of a new cycle when two brothers lived on the outskirts of the village. The elder brother, only in his teens, took care of his toddler brother after their parents had died some years before. Though life was hard for them both, they persevered. However, it was during this time that the goddess didn't show up for the festival.

The village grew into a panic as they worried about the oncoming misfortune that would soon wash over them if the goddess would not return soon. Like the many times it occurred before, the villagers drew lots to see who would be the sacrifice. By the devil's luck the younger brother was chosen to be the sacrifice. The elder brother refused the results and demanded that he take his brother's place as he'd have no reason to live if his brother was taken from him. With a heavy heart the village came to an agreement and the elder brother became the sacrifice. The village assured they would take care of the younger brother in exchange for the elder brother's bravery. Holding back his emotion the elder brother said farewell to his sibling and left the village with his head held high, knowing that his brother was in good hands and that his sacrifice would save the village.

Days passed as the elder brother journeyed through the forest. With no food he grew weaker and weaker as he continued moving forward, unsure of where exactly he needed to go to bring back the goddess. When he felt like he could travel no further he discovered a clearing in the forest. The clearing was bare except for a lone stump that sat in the center. The elder brother thought that would be a good place to sit and wait for his eventual end where he could watch the sun and stars.

When he approached the stump he saw something peculiar resting upon it. At first he thought it was a dead animal of sort until he slowly moved closer. What he saw came as a shock: it was the goddess! Except it wasn't, exactly. For you see, it was nothing but her skin lying on the stump, as if she had shed it and vanished, leaving behind an empty husk. He picked it up and held it in front of him. Running down the back was an open slit.

As he stared at the skin, he could hear a faint voice in his mind. “Please wear me,” it cried, “so I may continue protecting the forest that I love so much. In exchange I will give you my form and power.”

The elder brother pondered if this is what he was meant to do as the sacrifice.

“If I do so, will the village be saved?” he asked.

“Yes,” the skin responded.

A sense of hope had filled the young man hearing that he would be able to save his village. He shed his worn clothes and left them in a pile. He sat on the stump and opened the slit on the back of the skin. Carefully, he slipped on the beast like legs and feet. As he did, the skin would grip around his body, causing it to tingle. Once both legs were inside the skin he stood and pulled it up to cover the lower half of his body. The skin's silk skirt hung around his waist, flowing with the gentle wind as the soft, fluffy tail swayed back and forth. He pulled the suit further up and placed his arms into that of the suit's. With his arms held out, he stared at the gentle hands that were the complete opposite of rough, ragged hands worn by years of labor. When he lifted up the mask, the skin's hair drifted across his nose, which had a sweet scent to it. He moved the hair out of the way and then slipped the mask over his head, securing it afterward.

Once he was completely inside, he felt a bolt of pain shoot across his body. He collapsed onto the ground and screamed as the slit on the back of the skin closed up. The skin tightened around him as it morphed his insides so that it could become that of the goddess'. His screams rose in pitch until it sounded feminine. The ears and tail began to move, having become his own. His beast like toes wiggled as its claws dug into the ground. Sharp fangs grew inside his mouth while his vision suddenly became clearer than it had ever been.

Finally, just as quickly as the pain arrived, it vanished. The goddess collapsed onto the ground as she breathed heavily. She could feel the skirt around her waist and the top wrapped around her chest. The grass on the ground tickled her exposed thigh while the rough stump scraped across her arm. Sounds from miles around filled her ears. Her voice squeaked, causing her to grab her throat with her gentle hands. She ran her fingers through her hair and rubber her ears.

Hearing water in the distance, the goddess stood up and ran over to its source. A small stream ran between the trees, glistening in the sunlight that passed through the canopy of leaves. She knelt down and looked at her reflection. She studied her appearance, amazed by how similar she looked like the goddess she had seen at the festival every year. She thought that the village must still be in a panic and decided to return as quickly as possible. With incredible speed she darted across the forest. While she was excited to bring hope back to the village, she really wanted to see one person in particular. Though she was no longer the elder brother, it didn't change the way she felt about her once younger brother.

It took her less than a day to make it back to her old village. When she arrived the village quickly became overjoyed with her appearance. A feast was held that night for her and in honor of the young man who had sacrificed himself so that she may return. All through the night she was the center of attention, making it very difficult for her to get around. Despite the struggle, she managed to find the younger brother in the crowd. She approached him and knelt down to his eye level. Just as she used to, she rubbed the boy's head and smiled.

“Everything's going to be okay.”