Chapter 1: An Island and it’s God
Jatha squirmed. The men who held him just chuckled and touched their crotches. A tear fell down the boy’s cheek as another cock was forced down his throat.
Jatha Thrathirum’s family were immigrants headed for the newly discovered sub-continent of Turland. The five master they had book passage on was packed with hundreds of other families just like them. People seeking freedom, adventure, opportunity. They had started out with such hopes.
That was five months before. After so long at sea everyone was tired, bored and the confined space of the large but not large enough ship was beginning to close in on them. They still had months of sailing to go, but even the sailors were beginning to fray at the edges.
Jatha’s parents had warned him to stay close in a ship with so many strangers. But the fourteen year old boy found it hard to sit still for too long. Against his family’s advice he had begun to explore the ship. He now spent his days scaling the railings and rigging of the vessel, much to the amusement of the sailors. They tolerated him at first and soon began to view the affably cheerful boy as the ship’s mascot.
Months at sea would make just about any man antsy though, and a few of the sailors had begun to notice how soft and innocent Jatha looked, with his supple brunette hair framing his face, and his small button nose, dimply infectious smile, and the way his form curved slightly in just the right places. He was almost feminine.
At first Jatha had thought their suggestive comments and occasional cupping and touching were just playful jokes. He had never thought of himself as being attracted to other males. Actually he had never thought of it at all. But then one evening a group of three sailors had grabbed him and carried him down in one of the storage holds. At first he thought they were just having a joke with him, but then they started to touch him and caress him in a manner that made him uncomfortable.
When the first penis appeared before him he gasped, “No, please! I don’t want to!” It didn’t matter to his captors. They had been so long without female companionship that even a somewhat feminine boy was just what they needed. Jatha’s mouth was held open as he was made to service the shaft of man meat. His delicate young lips stretched over it as it slid back and forth, forcing itself deeper into his virgin throat. When it finally throbbed out its seed he was forced to swallow all of it before another was shoved down his abused gullet.
His tears fell freely and apparently invisibly to the men who were taking advantage of him. As the second man came and filled him with hot liquid, Jatha felt a corresponding coldness form in his belly. A determination that spread to fill his being as the now soft member was pulled from his mouth.
Appearing to become pliant and willing he smiled up at them and reached for the third man’s rod. The man smiled back at him and moaned as the boy stroked his shaft, running one had up and down its length while the other slipped down to cup his balls. The man smiled enthusiastically at the boy they were using. His smile froze, however, and his lips parted in a scream as Jatha squeezed and twisted his scrotum. The men stared, momentarily shocked as their fellow crumpled backwards in pain, his hands reaching protectively for his crotch.
Taking advantage of their shock, Jatha bolted for the hatch that led to the deck. He barely cleared it before the men recovered and lunged after him. They chased him across the deck, but they were unable to catch the nimbler youth as he scaled over the railing to the back of the ship and began to make his way around one of the cabins. The sailors knew the ship well though, and split up as they tried to head him off. Jatha clung to the railing behind the cabin, feeling the spray of the ocean directly behind him as he pondered what to do next. He began to panic as the men appeared on either side of him and began to make their way to him. Looking around frantically Jatha could not find a means of escape. Looking down the wild ocean waves seemed to reach for him. He clung tighter to the railing, however, it was wet and slippery from the constant spray and as the men reached him, he kicked out, trying to fend them off. As his foot made contact with the sailor his other foot slipped on the slick wood. As he fell he tried to grip the railing but could not keep his purchase and he simply fell back into the cold water below. The ship kept sailing on. Even when his parents would realize he was missing , the captain would never turn around and search for one foolish boy.
As he bobbed in the waves, Jatha moaned. Great, what am I going to do now, he thought. He was stuck, floating on the largest ocean in the world with no land in sight. Fear crept into him, freezing his limbs. He began to sink, the water closed over his head making him splutter back to the surface. He rode the massive swells of the ocean, despair sinking into his heart.
Suddenly he felt something touch his leg. He screamed, his vocal cords ripping out a shrill girlish shriek. He was certain he was about to be eaten by some sea creature. But, just when he was about to start kicking in desperation, two pairs of flippers lifted him up, making it easier for him to breath and float on the ocean surface. He gasped in supreme shock as whatever strange creatures were attached to the flippers began to carry him forward in a direction he wasn’t even sure of. He tried to see what kind of creatures were helping him but all he could make out were dark blurry shapes beneath the water.
The creatures built speed until he was fairly flying through the surface of the ocean. They traveled all night and a good part of the morning next day until a very weary Jatha was deposited in the shallows of a beach. Looking back he finally caught of the creatures before they disappeared into the waves. They were sea lions. Jatha shook his head, too tired to wonder why sea lions would rescue him.
Turning back to the beach he found himself staring in wonder at what appeared to be the most beautiful island he had ever seen. Trees and other plants of every shape and color grew profusely at the end of the beach. He had little time to admire the beauty around him, however, as his eyes came to rest on an old man with a staff standing on the sand between him and the foliage, staring at him.
The old man didn’t just look old. He looked ancient. His long white beard flowed to the sand beneath his feet. His skin was dark and gnarled and he leaned heavily on the thick staff he carried. His eyes though, were clear and of an undefined color.
The two stood gazing at one another, ocean water washing back and forth past Jatha’s knees. Finally the old man lifted a gnarled hand and beckoned. Swallowing nervously, Jatha waded out of the surf and came to stand only a few feet from him.
The old man spoke in a deep throaty voice, “This is Vii, the most beautiful island in the Ros Sea. I am its god, Vintwa. Who are you, and how have you come here?”
Jatha gulped, Ros Sea? He had been in the Belnar Ocean. The man was looking at him expectantly, though so he shakily said, “My name is Jatha Thrathirum. I was bound to Turland with my family aboard a five masted schooner. We’re immigrants. I-I fell over board and a pair of sea lions, for some reason, bore me here. Did you send them?”
The old man shook his head, “No. Maybe they liked you. I know that they had no regard for me or they would have taken you elsewhere. Humans are not allowed on Vii.”
“But you are human,” pointed out Jatha.
Vintwa shook his head, “No, as I told you I am the god of Vii. I am certainly not human.”
Jatha shifted nervously, “What do you mean ‘god‘?”
The old man raised skeptical eyebrow, “I mean protector and guardian of this island. Have you no gods where you come from?”
Jatha shrugged, “Yes, but I’ve never met one and I’ve never known anyone who has.”
Vintwa shrugged, “Now you have met one, but the issue still remains. You are human, and humans are not allowed here. You must leave.”
Jatha looked nervously to the sea at his back, “But…how?”
Vintwa shrugged again, “I do not know. Swim, I suppose.”
Jatha’s lower lip started to tremble, “B-but I’ll drown! I can’t swim somewhere else!”
Vintwa shifted uncomfortably. He looked down at the trembling and soaked boy who had washed up on his shore. He was not a hard hearted god, nor was he cruel. But he also knew that the island would not tolerate a human presence, “That is your problem. I cannot let you stay on Vii for long. The island itself would rise up and kill you.”
Jatha began to sob. His exhausted body fell forward and he lay at Vintwa’s feet begging, “Please! I can’t go anywhere! I’m begging you! If you throw me off the island I’ll die anyway! Please! I’ll do anything! Anything!”
Vintwa gazed at the prostrate human boy at his feet and something twisted inside him. He had long lived alone on the island. It had, in fact, been centuries since another sentient being had stepped foot on Vii. He had gotten used to it, but the loneliness seemed to always be there, an almost unconscious weight. He realized he wanted Jatha to stay just as much as the boy. Besides, it would plague him for several more centuries if he tossed the boy into the sea and he drowned. He searched his memory for a solution. Surely as god of Vii he had it in his power to help Jatha. After all, what good was it being a god if you didn’t put your power to good use once in a while.
Jatha still lay sobbing at his feet as Vintwa asked, “Boy?”
Jatha looked up.
“Have you ever heard of the Fendie?”
Jatha looked up, his eyes widening as he nodded. The Fendie. A people who were so rarely seen in his homeland that they were considered close to myth and legend. A Fendie was a person who had taken on physical attributes of an animal. Or they were an animal who had been born with a close to human form and human intelligence. Many different theories existed but most agreed that the Fendie were a race of half-human, half-animal beings.
Vintwa smiled as he saw that Jatha knew of the Fendie, “Well, the Fendie are allowed on Vii. Since they’re not human, strictly speaking.”
Jatha nodded looking slightly puzzled.
Vintwa shifted uncomfortably again, “Well, how would you like to be one.”
Jatha looked even more confused, “Um, how?”
“Why, I’d transform you of course,” Vintwa gave the boy a bemused smile.
Jatha rose into a sitting position, “You can do that?”
Vintwa grinned fiercely and spread his arms in a grand gesture, “Of course! I am Vintwa! God of all Vii! While on this island there is nothing I cannot do!”
Jatha gazed in awe as the old man suddenly seemed to loom larger than he had been a moment before. His eyes blaze with a white hot light and his voice boomed across the beach and sea.
Jatha decided not to doubt him.
The though of becoming a Fendie, troubled him though. He would be leaving his old self behind and become something other than human. He liked who he was. What if he ever managed to get back to his family? What would they think about his change?
Jatha shook his head. He had no choice. If he stayed human he would never see his family again anyway. He looked up at the fearsome island god.
“Ok…Ok, I’ll do it. You can turn me into a Fendie.”
Vintwa smiled down at him, “Excellent! But in exchange for me allowing you to stay I will require something of you.”
Jatha gulped, “What?”
Vintwa’s smile became a little sad as he explained, “I’ve lived on this island alone for so long. It gets lonely. If I let you stay, you must promise to be my friend.”
Jatha suddenly felt pity for the god. Vintwa suddenly didn’t seem ancient or intimidating. Jatha could almost see him as lonely boy all alone on this island. Never a friend to talk to till now.
He nodded, “I promise. I’d be happy to be friends with you.”
Vintwa grinned back happily, “Good! I must leave now. But I will return later. Feel free to explore my magnificent Vii. The island will not harm you today. But I will have to transform you by tomorrow.”
Jatha gasped in amazement as the old man suddenly disappeared in a gust of wind. He looked about searching in vain for signs of him. Suddenly he heard a voice as if whispered from a passing breeze, “Consider what species you wish to be.”
Jatha gulped. Vintwa must really be a god, or a magician. In any case he now had very little doubt as to his power.
As he walked along the beach, Jatha considered the god’s parting words. What species of Fendie did he want to be? He had heard that theoretically there were as many subspecies of Fendie as there were species of animals. He could be anything: cat, dog, goat, snake, fish, camel. He could tell this was going to take some thought. He decided to take Vintwa’s advice and explore while he considered his options.
Vii looked to be a fairly large island. The beach stretched out of sight in either direction. Jatha started walking. He was exhausted but he needed to at least find some shelter before passing out. Wearily he plodded up the beach. He marveled at the varied vegetation that he could see through the jungle line. He also dreaded having to trudge through it. Their were so many colors. He could see birds of every description flying among the branches. He knew many of the species of both the plants and creatures, but there were just as many that he did not know. Trees with trunks colored a normal brown or grey as well as more exotic varieties of scarlet red, yellow, even blue. The leaves were even more varied in their bright colors. Bushes that seemed to come alive and respond to each other and the creatures around them. Almost as if they were intelligent. One creature, Jatha could see watching him from the treeline, looked completely foreign to him. It had orange fur, and a bear like head, but it moved close to the ground like a lizard. As tired as he was, Jatha could not help but gaze at all the beautiful things there were to see as he trekked across the sand.
After a couple miles he came across a large stream that was emptying into the ocean. He tasted the water and found it to be fresh. He drank his fill and rested on the bank. The sun beat down and it soon became uncomfortable to lie under its gaze so he struck inland along the creek bank. He figured if he was going to find shelter he would have a better chance deeper in the island.
As he trudged along he ran his mind over all the creatures he had ever heard of, as well as the ones he had seen from the beach. He couldn’t make up his mind there were so many types out there, but he determined to make a decision before Vintwa returned.
After walking several miles he was nearly at the end of his strength. He could tell by the light that the sun was sinking closer to the horizon so he stopped at a fairly large tree near the bank of the stream. It had large roots stick above the ground that stretched in all directions. There was another kind of tree nearby that had thick multicolored leaves nearly as long as his arm and was wide as his body. Breaking of a number of these he made himself a very comfortable mattress between two of the large tree’s roots. Then he collect some soft and pliable reeds from the creek and wove them into a large covering that would hopefully keep him warm and hide him from potential predators.
As he lay down in his newly made shelter he kept going over all the animals he knew trying to make a decision. As the last of the light disappeared and he drifted off remember a drawing he had seen once of a sun bear. He had heard that they spent most of their lives in the trees. His last waking thought was that he had always liked to climb.
The Island of Vii rumbled, knowing that a human slept within it. No human had ever lasted more than a day on Vii, and that would never change.
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