2 Chapter 2

Inside an old mud hut, a toddler was laying on the ground napping this was me.

By the way, it's only been about two months up until about two weeks ago I couldn't even walk but now I can it's crazy I'm only a couple of months old but I'm already as developed as a four-year-old child.

I can only assume it's because my people mature faster than normal because my mom isn't surprised by my growth in fact it seems completely normal to her.

I've learned a lot about my tribe and the world I live in we'll not a lot but I know enough, for one thing, my name is Moa nothing else all my tribesmen have one very short name it's strange but I guess they do this for convenience it's easier to remember one short name then multiple long ones.

My tribesmen aren't very smart but they are a tough and resilient people they are large and stronger than any normal human and for good reason too we live in a nightmare forest it's hot as balls and full of monsters.

Poisonous plants and bugs are everywhere and we struggle to survive every day it's no wonder my people are so tough and vicious.

I'm too afraid to even step outside because of all the monsters well that and because of my fellow tribesmen.

They are scary as fuck all of them are at least nine feet tall some of them are even thirteen feet tall and they're so violent and aggressive.

Also just as I feared they are cannibals whenever one of us gets sick or too badly injured the rest will swarm and eat them.

They even eat babies luckily I'm too old for them to want to eat anymore but I apparently found out for the first week I was born my own father tried to eat me that's why my mom was watching me so closely and had so many fresh wounds on her body.

She was constantly fighting my cannibal dad to keep me alive and all the tribesmen do this whenever a baby is born the mother must protect it from the father until they can walk.

At that point, the father will stop trying to eat his child because it's already too old and lost most of its newborn flavor.

At least that's what mom told me oh by the way they have their own crude language it was very easy to learn most of it is just grunts and snarls anyway.

I also learned we live in an archipelago of small islands that are divided amongst four different tribes they are the green cap, the white fang, the azure backed, and the blood beasts but we collectively call our selfs the Mua-ta.

I was born in the green cap tribe which specializes in camouflage and ambush hunting we are the second weakest tribe out of the four.

The weakest tribe are the azure-backed they specialize in fishing so they aren't good at fighting or hunting.

The strongest tribe are the blood beasts they are a warrior tribe of giant savages they are gargantuan and violent even by the Mua-ta standards.

Then there are the White fang they are hunter-gatherers not much stronger than my tribe but they are constantly fighting the blood beast so they have to be more aggressive than my tribe and have more combat experience than my relatively peaceful tribe.

The world I was reborn in is violent and dangerous I hate it and what's more among my tribesmen I'm very weak I'm always getting beaten and pushed around by the other kids in the tribe.

Oh God it's grade school all over again if this keeps up I'm gonna die I can't take it anymore I started to panic and as I was doing that my mom entered the house and said something to me.

"Come Moa we go to ceremony for the choosing," She reached down and picked me up and walked me to the center village.

"Wait what choosing," I said in the crude language of my people I was scared and confused I'd never heard of this ceremony before I hope I don't get killed or eaten.

"It only happen one out of many year to see if one of young spawn are the chosen by the great Pugna,"

Wait who the hell is this great Pugna is he this people's God or something I think I heard a hunter talk about a Pugna before.

I remember now he was praying before he went off to hunt this Pugna is the Mua-ta God but wait this ceremony is to see if you are chosen by Pugna what does that mean.

"how they choose the chosen and what happen to see how chosen is chosen," God this language is just awful I sound like a five-year-old.

"Young spawn drink blood broth if roar is heard you chosen if not die,"

Oh okay wait what did she just say die what the fuck are you going to make me drink poison or something what is this blood broth.

I was really scared now but it was too late to try to run we were already here there are at least a hundred tribesmen all surrounding a shaman who was churning a large cauldron full of thick red soup.

It kinda looks like tomato soup to be honest oh but dear lord does it reeks of blood it's suffocating and the heat it's emitting is ridiculous it's burning so hot I can feel my flesh melting from here.

Wait how come there are only three other kids here there are at least a dozen in the tribe wait I recognize these kids they are the weakest boys in the village.

Oh God, I understand now only the weakest young boys participate in the ceremony that's why no one cares if we die because we're pretty much worthless no I'm gonna die let me go you bitch.

"Attention ceremony begin now!!!" yelled the old shaman as he took out four bowls and scooped out some of the blood broth he then gave them to the parents to have us drink.

The first boy drank it then after about a minute later his body began to swell up and turn a bright red and his body radiated intense heat as the boy clawed at his throat as he vomited a torrent of blood out his mouth.

He continued to suffer for several minutes until he went limp and died his fiery engorged body turned pale and gaunt as he died it was a very gruesome and painful death.

the same thing happened to the other two kids now I'm all that's left and it's my turn so I guess this is it I'm gonna die sigh just two chapters I thought I'd live longer but c'est la vie but if I have to die why should it be so painful and gruesome.

My mother forced me to drink the scalding broth it tasted putrid like hot rotted flesh it was like drinking liquid fire.

My body began to expand growing to twice my original size and turned a shade of bloody red.

Every cell in my body burned with intense indescribable pain I tasted iron and felt hot bile in the back of my throat it took everything I had not to puke up blood.

I writhed around on the ground my mind had gone completely blank at this point I had no idea how long it had been or even if I was alive or dead.

The only way I remained conscious was by repeating the words "I want to live," over and over again in my mind.

Finally, after an eternity of suffering my body began to cool down and return to normal this was followed by an ear-splitting roar but I was alive at least I think I'm alive but I didn't care anymore I was so tired that I ended up falling unconscious.

All around Moa the Mua-ta were in a frenzy finally after more than a hundred years there was a chosen one and he was born in their green cap tribe.

What Moa didn't know is the Mua-ta chosen is considered the avatar of Pugna the Mua-ta God of battle and hunting.

So naturally, the chosen is the strongest Mua-ta in all of the four tribes what Moa drank was an ancient elixir that in legend is said to awaken the blood of Pugna that flows through the veins of all of the Mua-ta.

The ceremony only takes place once every ten years four young boys are chosen to participate usually they are the weaker ones of the tribe because why would they sacrifice their stronger young.

The odds of dying are extremely high this is the reason why the worthless ones of the tribe are forced to take part however there hasn't been a chosen one in over a hundred years so no one believed that Moa the weakest and most cowardly boy in the tribe was the chosen one.

But the proof was right in front of them Moa was alive if he wasn't chosen he should be dead but nope he is alive and breathing.

They all heard the warcry of their God and the shaman and some veteran hunters saw the image of their God appear above Moa the was no mistaking it the chosen had appeared.