71 The Squirrel-kin Tribe!
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The tribe of Squirrel-kin was located to the southwest of the Devil Forest, unlike the other tribes, Squirrel-kin were only a single tribe instead of several separate ones.
Amongst Beast-people, Squirrel-kin only had females in their species and required to mate with males of other similar species to reproduce, such as Humans, Elves, Dwarves, other Beast-people, and, if they are compatible, with Demons as well.
Whenever Squirrel-kin entered in mating seasons, they would invite several males of different tribes that lived near their territory to pass a night with them. This was often referred to as a festival by the local tribes, and young men would often have their first sexual experience with this inviting tribe of beast-women.
What was most attractive about their invitation was that it was only a night, without any responsibilities held whatsoever, as Squirrel-kin would raise their own children by themselves. Although there were males that wanted to be responsible for their children, they were rare, but not unwelcomed in the tribe… of course, they would have to adapt to a matriarchic tribe where the women ruled over men.
Due to the special capabilities of Squirrel-kin, it was often rare for them to give birth to children of the species of the men they mated with. Their children, even when mating with a bear-kin beast-person would most of the time be a squirrel-kin.
This effect was even more strengthened when they received the blessing of their Heroic Goddess, Ratatoskr, the Messenger Squirrel Goddess. As long as they kept a shrine for her an offered their prayers to the Goddess, their fertility rates would always be high in mating seasons, with an almost 100% chance for their offspring to always be Squirrel-kin, making their race prosper through the sheer amount of numbers conceived each mating season, which happened eight to ten years.
Like most beast-people, Squirrel-kin had strong and vigorous bodies, filled with vitality, they would mature quite fast, reaching adulthood at six years of age and being allowed to go hunt with their families. However, for mating seasons they could only be allowed in when they reached twenty years of age and were recognized as adults by the whole tribe in a small ceremony.
Just like Rabbit-kin, they lived for around two hundred years, reaching mature bodies at the age of six, and slowly maturing into youthful mature women at the age of twenty. From that point onwards, the more children they had, the more voluptuous and attractive their bodies would become and would remain like this for the rest of their lives. This is why squirrel-kin grandmas remained as beautiful and seductive ladies until their last days.
Their appearances varied depending on the region they lived in, but the Squirrel-kin that inhabited the Devil Forest had tanned skin, almost as brown as the Rabbit-kin, but with a clearer tone, but that could still be considered chocolate-skinned.
Their hair and fur were brown, with black stripes, they would often have short hair, but those with long hair would often be women above forty years of age. They had small squirrel-like ears atop their heads, alongside a large and fluffy squirrel tail in their backs.
Just like most beast-people, they had long and strong claws, and from their knees and below, their legs would be covered in brown fur and their feet would be those of squirrels, which gave them amazing agility and the ability to climb trees with ease.
One of their qualities was their large cheek pouches, capable of storing a large amount of harvested seeds which was one of their food sources. Although they shared many traits with squirrels, they also consumed meat, and proactively hunted prey, way more than Rabbit-kin.
Due to this, Squirrel-kin would have stronger hunters with more developed fighting skills than Rabbit-kin, often being superior to them.
If any male that had once mated with a Squirrel-kin woman wanted to be responsible for his child, the man would stay at the mother's house, which was often shared with her mother, siblings, and their children. As most women hunted, the men would have to take care of the children instead while the women were out hunting.
Although this behavior was rare, as men in Squirrel-kin tribes were not common. In such cases, mature women that had reached six years of age would take care of the younglings, and because of their sheer amount, they would take turns while learning how to hunt and raising children. Because of this, Squirrel-kin would often be raised by many mothers, and usually, never find out who is the real mother unless the mother herself admits it to her child.
Because entire families help each other while raising children, they grow together, and fights between family members are incredibly rare. Squirrel-kin women have a strong sense of bond and family, and it is hard for them to hate each other.
Today, the Squirrel-kin tribe was conducting a small ceremony, praying to their Heroic Goddess, Ratatoskr, and to Roneas, the Dark Goddess of Emotions, who was the one that raised Ratatoskr's mortal soul into godhood by granting her a bit of her divinity in the age of Ragnarök.
The chief of the tribe, the Squirrel-kin Shaman Ismene was leading the ceremony. Her body was mature and voluptuous, with generous breasts and wide hips, her beauty was also outstanding, and her long black hair demonstrated that she was a mature woman in the Squirrel-kin tribe, surpassing the fifty years of age.
Due to her age, talent with magic, experience in hunting, and knowledge in medicine, she was selected as the next chief by the elders of the tribe, who held greater authority than the chief, and selected the new one when the previous chief joined them after reaching around one hundred years of age.
"Oh, lady Ratatoskr, we had brought you the blessings of the forest," said Ismene, revealing a large leather pouch filled with fresh seeds of all shapes and sizes, alongside the corpses of recently hunted monsters such as Giant Demon Rats and Blade Horned Rabbits, which she offered to the large altar inside the shrine, which was located inside a giant tree where the Squirrel-kin had settled down for many generations.
Ismene was the only one allowed to glance at the altar while kneeling, while the rest of the tribe was obediently kneeling while resting their heads in the ground, closing their eyes. The scent of aromatic herbs filled the shrine.
"May your blessings aid us once again in our next mating season, just as fruitful as our recent one, lady Ratatoskr," said Ismene, shaking accessories that covered her entire body, which emitted dinging sounds.
"Oh, lady Roneas, Goddess of Emoti-"
"We are getting attacked!!!"
Suddenly interrupting such a sacred ceremony, a young Squirrel-kin girl on her five years of age entered the sacred shrine, freezing everyone who was in the middle of the ritual.
The elders of the tribe reprimanded the young girl.
"Amelia! Just because you are the daughter of the chief, it doesn't mean that you can simply come in here and interrupt our sacred ceremony!"
"That is a right little lady!"
"Wait… did she said that we were being attacked?"
Amelia jumped with her little body around, angered by the aloofness of her elders.
"That is right, that's right! Hurry! Orcs, Lizards, Dogs, and small green people came armed, and began to storm the village while all of you were praying!!!"
"What?! An attack from monsters?! But since when have they been so aggressive?!" said an elder.
"Ah! Now that I remember, a few days ago, the Rabbit-kin were attacked and captured by the Lizardmen, could it be?!"
"I'll go, the rest go grab on your bows, spears, or clubs and follow me!" shouted Ismena, leaving her gracious and serene personality aside.
"Wait, Ismene!" shouted an elder, trying to stop the chief.
Ismene quickly left the ceremony as she was the first one to rush outside of the village.
Ismene raised her staff as she left the large tree where ceremonies were done, beginning to conjure the magic of the Fire Attribute, she rushed at immense speed by using her fast movements.
There, she saw large and burly pig-faced monsters, dog-headed lycanthropes, humanoid lizards, and green-skinned little men grabbing on the young women who had no strength to resist, and putting them inside large leather pouches as if they were mere goods.
"Hey, you fiends! Fire Storm!" she shouted, conjuring a small storm of fire that penetrated the wind itself, clashing against an Orc who was then set immediately on fire.
"Bugyaaaaaa…!"
Ismena released different fire attacks, which she moderated in strength and intensity so the fire would not spread outside of the bodies they hit.
One after another, Orcs, Goblin, and Kobolds were burned alive, while the young girls ran away inside the shrine.
"Ismene, let us help you out!"
Several Squirrel women emerged from the shrine, wielding different weapons, and attacking the invaders fiercely.
However, as Ismene and her group slowly began to put a large dent on the raiders, a giant eyeball appeared from within the Orc, Kobold, Lizardmen, and Goblin army.
"W-What is that?!" said a huntress, bewildered.
The eyeball floated above the air and glanced down below; its large pupil then began to shine in a crimson light.
Flash!
A laser was fired from within its eyeball, strong enough to vaporize the squirrel huntresses with ease!
"No!!!" shouted Ismena, conjuring a spell that could destroy such a fast projectile was impossible, she rushed towards the distracted huntress as pushed her to the side.
The ray of crimson light approached her sight, blinding her for a few seconds!
"Ngh���!"
Clash!
However, a large floating shield made out of a green and silvery metal appeared out of the blue, protecting Ismene. The crimson laser was then blocked and reflected in the sky. The floating eyeball glanced at the origin of the shield that had flown to protect the squirrel women it was about to vaporize.
"A shield…?" said Ismene.
"Phew, we almost didn't make it," said the voice of a cheerful and youthful woman in her mid-twenties.
Ismene glanced at the origin of the voice, and knights wearing a gothic-styled tight full armor set with dark and crimson colors, wielding a copper spear, was floating in the middle of the air while a toddler his two years of age with scarlet red eyes and silky black hair was resting in her arms.
"A floating eyeball… that's a Gazer," said the toddler, through a voice that resonated inside the minds of everyone present.
"Indeed, we were right about the one controlling everything being a Gazer it seems… though this is a small fry, there must be a Gazer King around," said the knights.
"Ah, hello, my name is Ervas, we have come to give you a hand," said the toddler, floating towards Ismene, who was baffled by seeing such a young boy floating in the air while being coated in an immense amount of Mana.
'A floating toddler? And that woman… that feeling of lingering dead… an undead?' thought Ismene.
"H-Hello…" she said.
"Griishiii! Don't dare interrupt my conquest, lowly demi-humans!" roared the Gazer, opening its pupil wide while revealing several eyeballs over the tentacles it had below its spherical body, pointing them at the toddler and the knights. Crimson light converged from within them as they fired red lasers.
Flash!
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