A/N: I started this about a year ago and forgot about it completely. It's only going to be two parts long (if I can ever finish the second half...)

Warning: There's some uh… interactions between Kinni and the creature in the next chapter so if that squicks you, I suggest you turn back. Other than that, it's just my usual 'yay-sexy-times-and-if-you-stand-on-your-head-you-can-kinda-see-a-plot' deal.

X

Kinni embraced his sister tightly, the hood over his face obscuring the tears building up behind his brown eyes. Her grip was just as restricting around his waist, and after many minutes the two siblings were still locked together, neither wanting to let go. Just outside their tiny home the entirety of the village had gathered, impatient but waiting.

"It's getting late," Kinni muttered into Naita's soft hair, "you should go."

A quiet sob was the reply. Kinni extracted himself from the girl and held her at arm's length, trying his best to disregard the broken look upon her face and how hard her shoulders shook. She was just so young, as the rest of them had been, bright eyed and full of life. Innocent. How anyone wanted to rid the world of such sweet, loving girls, he would never understand.

For her, he tried a smile, but even he knew it looked forced. "Everything will be alright. You will live and the village will prosper. No one will ever know. I promise."

Lips trembling and lashes sticking with tears, Naita looked up at her brother with loss and fear. It'd be the last time the two ever saw one another again. Kinni lovingly brushed stray strands of hair from her face before cupping her moist cheek, putting on a brave face for the both of them.

"No fear, little sister. No fear."

She nodded as he stepped away and drew the hood lower over his brow so there was nothing left but shadow. With his back turned from her, he listened as Naita retreated to the back of their dwelling, where all her belongings were packed and waiting for her swift exit. He wanted to send out a quick prayer for her safety, but there was no time.

Upon opening the rickety door he saw how restless the rest of their village waited. Hands were clenching into loose fists and mouths were beginning to settle into irritated frowns. As per usual, Kinni didn't say a word to them and meekly stepped towards their elder, a man as ancient and mysterious as the beginning of time. His diminished form was bulked up with robes denoting his position of power.

Nobody tried to peer up into his face, nobody tried to whisper to say that it'd be alright. The whole atmosphere was cold and detached. How utterly amazing, since not a day ago people were smiling and laughing, as though there were not a care in the world. Even the sky, which had been sunny and pleasant reflected the eerie mood. Dark storm clouds were swiftly gathering over the horizon; if they hurried now, they'd reach the mountains before the first drop.

Without a word, the elder snatched his gloved hands and swiftly tied his wrists together with biting rope. The wizened hands were rough with callus and strength, and on the last tug of the knot Kinni prided himself on not wincing or grunting. He waited patiently as another length of rope was expertly tied through the loops between his palms, forming something of a leash to tug him along, in case he decided to bolt. Kinni wryly smiled. Even disguised, he wouldn't dare dream of disgracing his entire family by acting like a coward.

The walk to the mountains was a somber one, the only sounds being the dredging of feet in hard soil and the cold, dry swirl of wind whipping across their faces. The entire time, Kinni kept his head down and eyes focused on his bare feet. Their mother's favorite bracelet about his ankle flashed before his eyes with each step. He wondered if she'd be proud of him for doing the right thing.

It was the right thing, wasn't it? An innocent life saved, their village soon to be blessed with a warm spring, plentiful crops and good luck. His thoughts went out to his sister, whom he hoped had made good progress. She was the only thing left in his life that he cherished. Her life was all he cared about, his own wellbeing less important. He knew that the gods would be pleased with him. Self sacrifice was always the greatest thing in the world, a universal language that all creatures understood.

Abruptly, the ground became less clear and flat. There was no sign of grass, no sign of any wild life having crossed. Rocks became more abundant and the upward slope was steep enough to cause their party to march much more slowly. The air became thick and stagnant with smoke and debris. Behind him he could hear the choking and huffing of the village's finest. It smelled like sulfur, and death. It'd be a long while before the elder stopped, the number of times he'd led young girls to their doom hardly having any negative effect on his body. He tugged Kinni to him and undid the rope acting as a lead; the one around his wrists remained undisturbed. For the first time, he spoke.

"I am truly sorry child." His voice was deep, melodic, and depleted of sympathy. A rehearsed speech, nothing more. "But may your blood be the life source of our crops and the future generation." He grabbed the youth around the upper arm and steered him a short way away from the others, towards where he knew to be the mouth of a cave. He tried not to think about how high up they were and that any wrong step could make him tumble off the side of the mountain. Though, a plunge to his death would be more pleasant than what awaited him inside.

As soon as he was done being led, the old man hurriedly retreated, leaving Kinni alone to deal with the consequences of their ancestors. He could feel the freezing draft of the cave envelop his body, pushing through the folds of the cloak to chill him to his very bones. He raised his head a little now that everyone had scrambled back down to earth like chattering cowards and let his eyes wander about the ominous darkness. He knew he was supposed to be terrified of the beast within, but he could only feel resignation, an odd sort of peace that caused a wry smile to touch upon his dried lips.

A small part inside was cheerful, however, cheerful that the plan had actually worked; being twins had certainly proved useful for Naita's survival. He let his mind briefly flit to her, remembering her happy smiles and gleeful laughter as their played through the fields when they were children, blissfully unaware. She was safe, and he was content.

With his head now held high against fear, Kinni walked into the musty cave.

For a long moment it was just quiet besides his calm breathing and the shuffle of his dirty feet on the cave floor. Once he made it in deep enough that darkness enveloped him from all sides, leaving him feeling suspended in time and space, nearly weightless, a hungry growl issued from deep within the mountain's core. It almost sounded like the earth was shifting on itself, but Kinni knew better. He'd heard it before, every ten years from inside the safety of his home and his mother's secure arms. He froze. The growl grew in volume. Underneath it, he heard the slithering of a heavy tail echoing about the walls, the press of wicked talons into the dirt. It was coming and there was nothing he could do about it except wait.

The creature dragged itself like some unholy serpent of the sea. Kinni couldn't see it but he could definitely feel its presence once they were in proximity of one another. He swallowed thickly, eyes straining to catch at least a glimpse of his doom. It hissed and paused, its eyes sharp and watchful in the darkness. For a long moment it studied Kinni, unmoving except the slow swish of its tail in the musky air. Kinni knew it was just sizing him up, wondering how fast he'd bleed out and if his meat was tender. He waited for a roar and hurried stomps, for sharp claws to pierce his jugular and add his still beating heart to the pile.

Then it began moving again, its size impressive and intimidating as Kinni could vaguely make out an outline. Its great and angular head moved from side to side almost questionably, supported by a long, thin scaly neck. Once close enough, it cautiously sniffed at his face, its breath riddled with smoke and brimstone, the force of it causing the hood to flutter about the edges. Kinni held his breath, his heart pounding like a battle drum. It moved closer, promptly circling him. For a moment, Kinni wondered if their plan wouldn't work. The creature had taken girls for as long as anyone could remember. Clearly it would know right away that he didn't look or smell like a girl. He swallowed. Was it in vain? Would it go on a rampage then, destroying the village until it got its sacrifice? Was everyone going to die?

The tense moment passed with the creature pressing its nostrils against his privates, smelling his muscular scent, and if he knew he wasn't seconds away from dying, Kinni might've laughed. It pulled away from him after its extensive check out and observed Kinni again with faintly luminous golden eyes. He could see intelligence there, giving credit to the legend. Mesmerized by them, Kinni became unaware as the mighty presence of the beast gradually faded, replaced with less intimidation and morbid curiosity. He only snapped out of his stupor when a warm, rough hand slid over his face, carefully feeling out his features.

On instinct, he flinched and pulled away. The eyes blinked and the hand returned, pushing away the hood to persistently feel out his cheeks, chin, brow, and nose. He stood stock still as another hand wandered across his shoulders, feeling his muscles and the flat plane of his stomach beneath the heavy layers of clothes. He closed his eyes, feeling his breath come to him shortly as the hands attempted exploring every inch of his body, lingering for a long time between his legs, tightly gripping his genitals as though making sure he were really male. Then finally, seemingly satisfied with their findings, one hand grabbed his bicep and began tugging him forward, the yellow eyes turning away abruptly.

Confused, Kinni let himself be lead again, deeper and deeper into the cave until it became brighter. He didn't have time to ponder on what the light source would be as his eyes instantly adjusted and fell on a back.

A human back.

His eyes widened in shock as they roved over the expanse of it, covered in old scars and scratches. The person leading him was bare of clothing, filthy with muck and grime, limbs chiseled and muscles defined. Long, light hair brushed over their shoulders, giving him pause to determine their gender, until after they reached a certain point and a place of habitation, when the unknown person turned their head, fixing him with bright golden eyes.

It was a male, approximately his age, their face youthful but offset by the grim line of their mouth. He knew, however, that the person wasn't completely human, as along with the unearthly and painfully familiar eyes, a pair of horns protruded from the crown of his head, short but deadly sharp. When their eyes made contact, Kinni fought around the lump in his throat.

The being grunted when his legs locked and he couldn't be moved any further. When it became apparent that nothing would happen, the yellow eyed man let go of his arm, and after one quick look, used a sharp fingernail to neatly slice the rope from his wrists. Kinni rubbed them, keenly aware of how sore and bruised they suddenly felt. He lowered his eyes to check on them, finding them darkened and raw. Lean hands wrapped about his fingers, prying them lose to work off the gloves designed to keep the sacrifice from being tainted by mortal touch. The whole situation felt like a strange dream, and all Kinni could do was stare and blush as a rough tongue lapped at the red marks about his wrists, the eyes half lidded and smoldering.

It was in that instant that Kinni could see how attractive he was. His features were smooth and desired, his hair brushing about the soft fuzz of his gaunt cheeks. The horns, golden and curving upwards like the depictions of the sun god's, added to his ethereal beauty, outlandish and strange to behold. Even though Kinni knew what he was, he could only feel a faint desire building up in the pit of his belly, slowly gathering in his loins. He had always preferred the company of another male, though no one ever knew of his secret; he could never risk it for fear of what would happen to him and indirectly his dear sister. But now with his death looming ever closer, he allowed the forbidden feelings to wash over him, fill his pores and speed his heartbeat.

He was then reminded of the other's strong sense of smell when bright eyes dimmed and flitted downward, his tongue still licking away his hurts. He found himself willingly falling into a trance-like state, uncaring of his current situation. However, it was easily broken as the man dropped his hands to grab at his privates again, causing him to groan, his eyes looking about the surrounding area in a feverish pitch, only to land on a fresh pile of bones laying in the corner.

Sense struck him fast and he pushed away from the creature in human form, horrified at what almost occurred. The other stared at him in surprise and confusion, his bare body unashamedly showing the results of his desire. For whatever reason, he seemed in the mood to mate with him rather than eat him; he wasn't sure which one was worse.

He took a step towards the sacrifice. Kinni scrambled back, sweat quickly accumulating in the palm of his hands. His back abruptly hit a damp wall, his hands instinctively reaching behind to feel along its smooth surface. He could run, but he wouldn't be able to get far; the beast's shapeshifting abilities would give the extra push needed to recapture him. Being sacrificed was something he had prepared for. Being made into a demon's bitch wasn't.

Kinni dug deep within to find some semblance of confidence as the creature tilted his head to the side and took another unsure step towards him. At the sound of his voice, he stopped.

"Hurry and kill me, beast. I will not allow you to touch me in that way again."

There was no comprehension in the face.

"Kill me," he repeated, baring his throat, "carry out your fell deeds."

Golden eyes narrowed and the line of the mouth drew down further. Kinni wondered that even if he didn't understand his language, he could at least understand the tone of his voice. The shifter turned away, showing an impressive silhouette against the cave walls. He seemed to be thinking hard, then with a quick glance at the sacrifice, effortlessly shifted into his ghastly form.

With a rumbling growl, he took charge.