The Sisterhood of the Lioness allowed only the strongest initiates to join the ranks of their most honored warriors: The Pride. The hunt was the final task of five days of trials the initiates faces. Walking the gauntlet of the established warriors was the last part of the hunt.
Sabit took a slow, deliberate step between the first of the two warriors. The sharp whistle of their switches cut through the air. Each blow delivered a stripe of stinging pain to the exposed skin of Sabit’s arms and legs. Her face set in stern expression, Sabit betrayed no hint of pain in her visage. She held to her stately gait, giving each of the Sisters ample opportunity for their blows.
As Sabit gritted her teeth at the torment, she held the eyes of each of the Sisters as she passed. Perhaps it was a show of defiance, or respect. Perhaps she imagined gutting them with the horns of the ibex she bore on her shoulders. Whatever the cause, her gaze did not falter.
Once she reached the end, Sabit laid down her burden. The ibex carcass hit the ground at the same moment the bell rang announcing sunset. Before Sabit stood a pair of plain wooden doors bearing no ornament other than the crude yellow line in the shape of a lioness’s roaring head. The last knell of sunset still hung in the air as those doors burst forth.
The chief huntress of the Sisterhood had arrived.
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Wayfarings of Sabit: Sisterhood of the Lioness is copyright (c) 2017 by Michael S. Miller. All rights reserved. New chapters post every weekday. You can support this and other stories on Patreon: https://patreon.com/michaelsmiller or http://ipressgames.com/fiction/