I hate school…especially math…F is for fantastic right?

Thank you to everyone who has been reading up to this point. It means a lot to see those reviews or list added notices. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

Okay, here we go!

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"His spouse shall be-"

"- Spirit-Talker."

The silence was deafening. Cherry-Blossom, who had stood up in the short pause before my name, whipped her head around so fast I thought it would go flying. Which probably wouldn't be a bad idea…

I was brought out of my very pleasant thought by a scream. "WHAT!"

Everyone turned towards the red-head. "You are going to let that little…worm- that weed- MARRY HIM! Why don't you choose someone worthy of such an honor?"

If the silence before was deafening, this one was ear popping. I felt bad for her parents, for the embarrassment it would- was bringing them and the rest of their family.

Willow-Wind looked at her as if she hadn't been yelling at him. "And who do you think of when you speak of someone worthy?" Her face turned the same color as her hair and didn't say a word. "It is the will of your superiors and the caretakers of those that are involved. It has been decided." He turned to the rest of the crowd. "We will meet in the clearing at midnight." With that, he left.

I tried to ignore the glares of outright hatred on the villagers' faces. As Little-Horn guided me to his hut, I glanced at my soon-to-be mate. With my heart below my feet, I saw that his face was white and stuck in an expression that made my heart break. Horror.

The world around me blurred, my mind blank. He sat me down on one of the fur piles and knelt before me. Took my hands into his warm ones. "Is this what you were so worked up about before?" Nod of head. "You do know that it wasn't my decision, right?" I nodded again. "Okay. Now, let's get you prepared." He slowly got up off his knees and headed out the door.

A few minutes later, he came back, his arms full of plants. "What are those for, ji-ji?" I asked, my brow crinkled in confusion.

"You've never been to a hand-fastening, have you? Stupid question, I know." He set down his load on the furs and started to sort them out: ivy- enduring love (a wish for a successful hand-fastening), lily- symbol for purity and virginity, baby's breath- innocence, iris- wisdom and faith, and an acorn- life and immortality. He took the ivy and a comb, separated my hair and started to braid my hair, entwining the ivy in the braid. At the top, he stuck the lily in the cross of my hair, tying it in place with the ivy stems. Baby's breath was dotted in small bunches, like beads, throughout the braid and around my head. After he finished with that, he paused and spun me around to face him. "Each mate is allowed to choose one flower for themselves."

I didn't need to think "Peony." He nodded in understanding. He knew what it meant; he was the one that taught me. Peony. Shame.

Little-Horn took one and tied it to the bottom of my braid. "Do I have to go?" I asked, begging with my eyes to let me stay.

"I am sorry, Little-One. I wish I could do this for you, but you are the one who has to. "He took my arm in his hand and led me to the door to his personal rooms,. ""You don't have anything nicer do you?"

"No." I shook my head, knowing that he couldn't see it. "These are the nicest things I own."

"Thought so." Carefully, he stripped me of my tunic and handed me a faded purple one. It had blue beading and embroidery around the cuffs, neckline, and hem. It was old. And absolutely beautiful. "This was my mate's tunic. I wore something similar when we were hand-fasted. I think he would like it if you would wear it tonight."

With a smile, I replied, "I think I will." I slipped it over my head, mindful of the flowers and Little-Horn's work, settling it around my knees. My leggings were the next thing to go, replaced by smooth black ones. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do to stall, so we headed to the aforementioned clearing. Even though moon-high wasn't for a while, many people were there, including Red-Hawk.

He was handsome in the faint light, wearing red embellished with orange, marks of a hunter and warrior. His eyes flashed with anger, glaring at Shallow-Creek, and turned that glare towards me after my presents was made known.

"Ah, there you are!" The Elder turned away from my soon-to-be mate and headed towards us. "You are early. We weren't' expecting you to show up until just before moon-high." He reached for my shoulder, but I cleanly avioded his hand by stepping away. Awkwardly, he let it fall back to his side. "We though you would still be getting ready, all prettied and all. Isn't that what brides do?"

Anger flared in my gut, but Little-Horn's hand, which was still holding my arm, kept me grounded. "As you are aware, Elder, I am not a female. There is no need for me to get all 'prettied up.'" The spark of rage in his eyes satisfied me in a basic, primal way. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to speak to my future spouse." With a quick peck on the cheek, I left Little-Horn to deal with the idiot. My footsteps softened as my emotions cooled.

Red-Hawk's shoulders tensed as he heard me heading towards him. I stepped lightly around his back to look at him face to face. Opening my mouth to speak, I was cut off before my apology could escape my lips.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I do not appreciate being forced into his bonding with you." His eyes hardened to stone. "I don't care who you slept with in order to get them to choose you as my mate. Just know that besides having to share furs, I don't want you near me."

Shell shocked and unable to speak, I just nodded to the unasked "Do you understand?" He returned the motion and walked away. My eyes burned.

To stop myself from crying, I stared into the woods, not blinking. The cool breeze hit my eyes and I allowed it to dry the tears. How dare he…how dare he presume the worst when he doesn't even know me. All he knows are the rumors. Things that aren't even close to the realm of true. Mother…why can't you interfere just his once? I must have jumped a dozen paces when Little-Horn snuck up behind me.

"He'll come around." I just gave him a small, sad smile and let myself be led to the center of the clearing where everyone had gathered.

A stone had been covered with a dyed fur (a pinkish-red) and decorated with Forget-Me-Nots and Frangipani. True Love. Protection and shelter. How ironic.

No, what was really ironic was Red-Hawk's floral choice: candytuft. Indifference. Though, somehow, I am not surprised that was his choice. It wasn't like he wanted to bond with me.

Making sure not to look the hunter in the eye, I stood next to him by the altar. Willow-Wind called Our Mother's faces once more to the circle and had the fire bowl placed in the center. He lit the candles representing the elements, first wind, then water, earth, and flame. We picked up the candles of our elements- mine was water, his earth- and had us light the fire bowl, which contained white sage, mint, sweet grass, and oil.

Once the fire was burning, the old man called my Sire and Shallow-Creek, who was acting as a guardian for Red-Hawk, up to the altar to tie a sash around our interlocked hands. As soon as the two men reached us, he said, "Shallow-Creek, take this sash and bind your charge to his mate." The Elder's hands were cold. "Bone-Talker, take this sash and bind your son to his mate." My Sire smelled of beer and cheap liquor, swaying on his feet, his eyes out of focus.

I didn't know how long it took him to know the silken fabric, but it was longer than the time Shallow-Creek spent. What really surprised me was that he managed to tie it at all.

Once the men were back in their spots in the crowd,, Willow-wind began to recite the spell that would officially bind us as mates. "Zbgure, xrrc lbhe puvyqera va lgne urneg nf lbn wbva gurve serr fcvevgf sbe nf ybat nf gur crevbq bs nybggrq gvzr rkvfgf."

The entire clearing was filled with voices as everyone joined in, except for Red-Hawk and I. Well…I was laughing, quietly of course. Only three people here knew what the chant in the Old Tongue meant, and I was one of them.

Under my breath, just loud enough for the hunter next to me could hear, I translated. "Mother, keep your children in your heart as you join their free spirits for as long as the period of allotted time exists."

The last part was the bonding rings. Yellow-Feather passed the metal rings over the fire bowl, then placed them on our left biceps .I was now sent away like a pot of meat and bound to a man that hates my guts. As soon as the ceremony was over, the two of us were ushered to Red-Hawk's hut, our hands still tied together. I would live there from then on. And the closer I got, the more fearful I became.

The hut was one of the buildings I walked by every day to get water. Somehow, knowing my surroundings helped me calm just a bit, though I could tell it had the opposite reaction from my mate. The interior was as neat as the outside, much cleaner than I was expecting from a warrior who was living on his own.

My heart nearly stopped when he shut the door behind us.

ɲżöØöżɳ

I am sorry for not updating sooner. Now that school is over, I can update and write a whole lot faster. :) I have also updated the bios with some of the history and background. It should help explain why some males are able to bare and carry children.