THE PRINCESS

Mictecacihuatl was born into the Tzeltal clan, a tightly-knit clan of keetos that lived in deep in the dense woods of the Veta forest. Her father, Ekahau, was the tribe's leader, making her a princess. She was never destined to lead the clan herself, but upon coming of age she would find a mate who would assume her father's role and continue the legacy of the clan's leadership. Her mother was a gentle-hearted spectrum keeto who passed on when Mictecacihuatl was young. Her father, a thick furred and proud keeto of the glade, raised his daughter with a stern voice and a strict set of rules. However, he loved his daughter dearly, and Mictecacihuatl knew it.
Their tribe had a deep reverence for death and life, and the fine line that separates the souls of the living from those who have passed. Since she was young Mictecacihuatl has practiced these beliefs and taken part in the rituals and celebrations of her clan.

Mictecacihuatl has a kind heart but a stubborn attitude, and her clan's reverence and pity for her since her mother's passing has made her a bit spoiled. She loved her clan, though, and looked forward to one day taking her role as a matriarchal figure in the tribe.

Unfortunately for Mictecacihuatl, her destiny was far different than anything she ever imagined.

THE DEMON'S VISIT

She remembers everything from that day like it had been burned into her memory.

Her father's stern, commanding voice ("Micte, you owe it to your clan, we need food and you must do your daily chores just as everyone else,"), the softly falling snow that flitted through the trees.
She did what her father had asked, eventually, leaving the small hollow they lived in and searching for small animals and berries to sustain her clan through what would have been their harshest winter yet.

Then she heard it.

A sharp, piercing scream, sudden and startling in the silent snow. She turned to the direction of of the noise, straining her ears to listen for the source. She heard nothing but silence, louder than the scream itself. She was scared, and it wasn't the silence that scared her. It was the feeling. A deep, ugly feeling of fear seeping into her bones, her chest constricting and her body shaking. She felt like her insides had gone rotten. She was frozen, afraid, sick to her core and terrified.
The moment the feeling of fear let up she remembers tearing through the forest as fast as her aching and scared body would take her. She felt as though some force of the gods had carried her back to her tribe with such speed.
However, she did not return to her tribe.
She came back to thick, billowing smoke, heavy with darkness and rich purple orbs reeking with he most putrid scent she would ever smell in her lifetime. It smelled like death.
Everything was gone, and there was nothing left but this horrid, reeking smoke and a feeling of sickness in her body she feared would never leave. She was in a haze, paralyzed by shock, illness, and confusion, and everything seemed so surreal until her daze was broken by the sound of footfalls. The hair on her back stood up and her ears flattened as she turned her head, quick as lightning, to the source of the sound.
There was a massive telenine, black and blue and that hideous purple, walking slowly away from the clearing. She heard a sharp snap, and he bolted. What was he doing there? Why had he done this? Who was he?
She tried to follow him, but the smoke made her sick and heavy, and she stumbled out of the noxious gas and the empty clearing, her ravaged home, and walked as far as her legs would take her. Her body finally gave, and she collapsed in a heap in the soft snow, consumed entirely by nausea and misery.

--

Behind her was the demon.

He stared at her, took in the situation quickly, and determined it was not worth getting his hands dirty over a little princess. Dirty work was for fools like Orin.

But one day, he wagered, she would want revenge. It is in the nature of the soul to want to avenge those you've lost. And he knew souls better than anyone

When that day came, he had an offer for her.

--

She remembers her scattered thoughts as she drifted off to sleep. It was hard to think of the souls of the lost, their celebrations, their rituals, their traditions, her own beliefs... death was always a celebration, the leaving of this life after serving your tribe. Another journey of the soul, while your mortal family told stories of the life you had lived -- death was tied to honor, and the completion of the journey of life. All of her life she'd never missed her mother, she'd known where her mother's soul had gone and gave her respect and blessings during ceremonies. Her mother's journey had ended early, but she'd made her tribe proud. Death wasn't the end, it was a crossing over. No reason to cry, no ending, no terrible fate.

Wasn't it?

This hadn't felt like that. This hadn't felt like anyone had died their proper deaths, this didn't feel like a life ended with honor, there was nothing beautiful here. Where were her father's bones? Who would mourn with her? Who would light the small sacred candles? Who would love the dead? Had her father completed his journey? Had Patli? Had any of her tribe? Why did this feel like nothing but lonely, horrible loss?
She felt sad, ashamed, tired to the bones, and sick. The trees above her rustled softly with the wind, and the snow beneath her was icy and soft as ever. The world they lived in continued on. The world did not change for her loss. Would she?

She laid her head down and fell into the loneliest sleep she would ever experience in her life.

ABOUT

Mictecacihuatl (pronounced "meek-teka-see-wahdl") is a Goddess from Aztec Mythology. The name of her tribe, Tzeltal, is the name of the largest group of indigenous people in Mexico. The names Patli and Ekahau are Mayan/Aztec names as well.
The concept for her clan and her design were inspired by the real life holiday Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead and sometimes All Souls' Day. It is a religious celebration focusing on prayers for and memories of lost loved ones.

CREDITS

Overlay by Keshi.
Layout and coding by Charles.
Profile art by limekink
Chibi by Tigon
Background texture by remixatlantic