The Rite.

"Fucking hell, I'm back to square one. What will that idiot achieve by going back there? The tribe leader is probably dead. He's definitely going to get himself killed, Murphy's Law strikes again," Jay muttered, his voice laced with frustration.

He just needed someone familiar with the area, someone to help him survive. He'd taken a huge risk, nearly gotten himself killed, and all he got was this cryptic package. Frustration simmered, but with nowhere to direct it, Jay focused on the bundle.

The thick cloth piqued his curiosity. Unfolding, Jay's eyes widened. Nestled within the soft padding of what seemed like cotton were six pristine white eggs, each the size of a large hand. "Why... Why are there bloody eggs in here?" Jay stood there, his mind unable to form a coherent thought. "Why are there eggs in here?" he repeated, bewildered. Rulf had handled them so carefully, Jay assumed they were something precious, like gems.

'To be fair, eggs need to be handled carefully... No, what am I doing? What are these? What am I supposed to do?' Jay's mind raced with questions. Observing the eggs for a while, an instinct, primal and powerful, flared within him. It urged him to protect these fragile spheres, even if it meant at the cost of his own life. Jay hurriedly covered the eggs back and took deep breaths. "What the fuck was that?" Jay thought, alarmed, returning back to his senses. Suddenly, a memory surfaced, triggered by the sight of the eggs and the strange reverence Rulf had shown them.

The Whitefang females, he recalled with a sigh, were oviparous. With their robust physiques and potent immune systems, they conceived only once a decade. This coincides with a sacred rite, vital to the Whitefang apes.

The rite? The reason Whitefang apes have strong bodies is that upon their birth, the warriors carry the eggs to a certain location seeking the blessing of the supposed "Great One" for robust and disease-free offspring. "This seems mad shady," thought Jay.

Reaching the Great One, however, was a mystery. The details remained hazy. Once the warriors are out, those eggs that are fated will perceive a connection, resonating with the warrior and guiding them to their destination. Upon returning, no memory of the location remained. Talking about it was strictly forbidden and considered taboo.

The way to differentiate blessed eggs from the unblessed was through a visible transformation – the blessed ones turned translucent, while the others remained white. The blessed eggs would hatch into future warriors, while the others performed menial tasks.

The animosity between the lizardmen and the apes stemmed from this very ritual. The lizardmen actively hunted the egg-carrying warriors, a devastating blow to the apes' low population and slow reproduction cycle.

The ritual period was sacred yet perilous for the tribe. "So the vice leader must have spilled the beans to the lizardmen about the warriors' departure time," Jay pieced together. "He lowered the barriers, and the outcome..." he trailed off, frustration lacing his voice. "For fuck's sake, give me a break, man."

'So, what now? How should I proceed?' Rulf, though useless, had provided a water pouch. Hunger wasn't a pressing concern. Returning to the tribe was too risky. As much as he wanted to abandon the eggs, he couldn't. Jay attempted to walk away from the eggs, but his body refused to comply, as if under some binding spell.

Stuck with the eggs, he looked at the sun, it was almost evening. Jay thought, 'I cannot spend the night here; I need a place. Hmmm, a cave; let's find a cave.'

He secured the eggs to his back, mimicking Rulf's method. His old spear was chipped from the fall and the throw, so he claimed a sharper one from a fallen lizard. He broke the shaft to a manageable length and swung it to check the weight and balance. "Perfect," he muttered under his breath.

Just as Jay was about to depart, his whole body thrummed, and an ethereal voice echoed in his mind, beckoning him. Breathlessly, he said, "Yes." The voice resonated deep within his soul, and he instantly grasped its source. He lurched back, collapsing to his knees and panting, saying, "Great, as if I didn't have enough on my plate."

He felt a warmth emanating from the eggs. The connection with the Great One, established through the eggs, had summoned him. 'Why, though? I thought these did not catch the eye of the Great One or whatever the fuck that was.'

He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, Jay found the world transformed. Entire forest was drained of color, everything was monochrome, except for a single, vibrant path leading away from him. He knew this was the way. Refusing the ethereal voice could have dire consequences, he innately understood.

"Here goes nothing," he sighed. "I just hope nothing weird happens now." As if on cue, growls erupted from the nearby trees. What emerged looked like wild dogs, but much bigger. They were blood-red with green spots, had cruel black eyes, saw-like teeth, and were salivating. It was a pack around 8 to 10 strong. The stench of blood and death had attracted the scavengers to the area.

Jay felt like crying, nothing but a single thought thundered in his mind: RUN.