Anja's Sacrifice
by Enigma

Part 1

Anja awoke from a fitful sleep, she stared at the sun and the now dawning morning knowing that this day would be like no other. Today the proud jungle queen would allow herself to be captured by one of her mortal enemies. As Anja rose and stretched her thin muscular body towards the new day she shuddered to think of all the torments and tortures that she was sure were in store for her. Looking below she quickly maneuvered down from her small tree house to the river below.

As she moved naked along the bank she would have impressed anyone who saw her. She had a small athletic frame, a runner’s body with small perky breasts with small rosebud nipples, and a muscular bottom. Her face was beautiful with sparkling brown eyes all topped with a mane of silky black hair. She stared briefly at her body before she jumped into the crystal clear water and began to swim. Her mind was clouded with the thoughts of her fate later that day, when she would soon be taken prisoner by one of the most dangerous tribes in the jungle.

The Wakambas were a tribe of head hunters and slave traders that lived down river; they worshiped primitive gods in nature and their religious ceremonies involved torture and human sacrifice to their gods. Anja had done battle and with them many times when Wakambas raiding parties came to abduct slaves from the peaceful villages. Anja had been forced to kill several of their warriors, one of whom was the husband of their evil witch doctor, Mala. Mala had sworn revenge against Anja, and Anja was filled with dread at the thought that soon she would be in the clutches of the evil redheaded demon. Her ability to cause pain and suffering was well known throughout the jungle.

Anja had learned that the Wakambas tribe had been experiencing the terrible drought for some time. Mala had told her people that the only way to end the drought was to sacrifice Anja. The Wakambas had kidnapped the children of a Silent Valley chief and threatened to kill the children unless Anja agreed to exchange herself for the children and become their prisoner. Their demands had been quite clear, even detailing how Anja was to be tied and what clothing she was to wear. She would be forced to dress as a slave, not the mighty protector of the Silent Valley and the Upper Lands.

Anja stared at the tiny loincloth that she would be forced to wear and sighed. Anja heard the drums from a far distance and knew that it was time. She tied a fiber rope around her hips and pulled a narrow piece of goatskin through her crotch and under the rope. It was very tiny. and as she looked behind herself she saw that barely covered her round muscular bottom. Anja pulled a small leather top over her breasts and realized that this was the beginning of her humiliation.

She stared at the tops of the jungle trees and tried to eat small bites of fruit. Her stomach disagreed but she knew that she probably would not have food for some time.

* * *

Anja moved slowly down the path to the large clearing near the river. As she walked, she thought of her life as the de facto queen and protector of the Silent Valley and Upper Lands. As a child she had been taken in by the shaman of the Silent Valley people and raised as her daughter. When she turned 16 she was transformed by a magical rite; she now had the strength of three grown men she and was as fast and as able to jump as a jungle cat. Anja’s body now healed itself almost instantly. If Anja was cut, bruised, or burned, she would still feel the pain but her body would heal almost immediately even though the pain did linger. This made her ideal to assume the role of the protector of Silent Valley the Upper Lands.

As Anja entered the clearing she saw Golit, the father of the abducted children, standing with the coil of rope and an animal yolk. Anja sighed again; this is how the Wakambas had ordered her to be bound, yoked like an animal. Golit had shame in his eyes as he started to bind the jungle queen.

“Bind me tight,” Anja said proudly, “as I want no reason for the Wakambas to injure your children. They are watching us now.”

Golit whispered in Anja’s ear. “Remember, the Wakambas will never kill you unless you ask them or beg them to, that is why they torture their victims until they can’t stand the pain anymore. I hope you can hold out, you are truly the jungle queen.” Golit stepped back “We will sing songs about your valor, Anja, queen of the jungle.”

Anja's arms were arms were out to her sides, bound to the yolk at the wrists and elbows. Once Anja was tightly bound Wakambas warriors appeared at the edge of the clearing. Anja instinctually began to struggle in her bonds. Their leader called out: “On your knees, jungle queen!”

Anja, who had never knelt before her enemy, slowly fell to her knees keeping her head high. Anja smiled as she saw Golit’s children run to his side, then they all vanished into the jungle. Alone and surrounded by the Wakambas warriors Anja shouted out: “Wakambas warriors, cowards, and stealer of children you will never break the spirit of Anja, the jungle queen!”

The Wakambas warriors laughed loudly as they tied a rope around Anja’s neck.

Their leader mocked her. “You, the jungle queen, now dressed as a slave and soon begging to be sacrificed to our god, will be silent!” With that Anja was gagged with a leather strap and pulled forward. As they started down the path along the river, the leader of the Wakambas warriors produced a small thin split bamboo cane; with it he struck Anja on her round bottom and the back of her thighs. The pain shot through Anja like an explosion.

The Wakambas leader shouted, "You are a sacrifice, you will walk as such. You must walk on your toes like a goat, if we see your heel prints in the sand you will be whipped!”

Anja groaned and began to walk on her toes down the river path. The Wakambas warriors watched and laughed as Anja pranced down the path; Anja’s tiny loincloth bounce up revealing Anja’s tiny round bottom and making it an inviting target for the Wakambas warriors’ canes, small whips and spear tips. As Anja pranced down the path she kept her head high knowing that this was just the beginning and always looking for a way to escape.

* * *

When they stopped for the night, Anja’s legs were sore but her bottom was in agony. It had been whipped, caned and poked with the points of spears the entire day.

Anja hoped that she would not be forced to sit; she soon realized that that would not be the case. Anja was forced to kneel as the yoke was removed; her wrists were quickly bound in front and tied to a long rope. This rope was tossed over the tall tree limb and Anja was pulled onto her toes. The Wakambas leader appeared in front of her and with a toothy grin. “Mala has forbidden us from breaking you,” he said. “She wants that pleasure for herself. But she did not say we could not torture you.”

Anja groaned as Wakambas warriors grabbed her legs and began tying ropes around each of her ankles. A piece of bamboo about three feet long was tied between her ankles, spreading her legs. Anja’s leather top was removed and small leather strips were tied around each of her perky nipples. Anja’s body was then hoisted up by her wrists until her feet were about two feet off the ground. A wicker basket was tied under the bamboo spreader bar attached to Anja’s ankles. Each of the free ends of leather strips tied to Anja’s nipples was tied to the handle of a smaller wicker basket left to dangle from her chest.

Anja groaned under her gag as the men left her hanging and began to gather river rocks. Anja watched as her captors gathered stones from the bank of the river; large and small stones, each man making his own pile and marking each stone. Anja could only imagine what they were planning to do but was sure that she would suffer.

Anja watched as the men gathered wood and started a fire. The Wakambas leader pointed to the fire calling to her, “Fire is my Mala’s favorite way to break a sacrifice; you will spend much time in the fire, jungle queen!”

Anja shuddered, thinking about being tortured with fire, could she hold out? Anja held her head high, 'I will not break,' she thought. The Wakambas men broke out in laughter, watching her defiance.

Anja’s body was slick with sweat, her wrists and nipples throbbed as she watched the Wakambas eat and drink around the campfire. Soon the leader pulled out two colored dice, this caused all the Wakambas man to stare at Anja and laugh. Anja watched as the men began taking turns rolling the dice. She did not know the game but soon found that she was a main part as one of the men rolling the dice stood up, and to the cheers of his comrades he picked up the large river stone from his pile, walked over and, with a smile, placed it in the wicker basket between her ankles. The pain was intense as the Wakambas man walked back to the game.

The game went on late into the night. Anja had three large river stones in the lower basket before one of the warriors rolled the score to place a smaller stone in one of the baskets dangling from her nipples. This pain was like an electric jolt to her body then becoming a dull throb. When the game finally ended, Anja had eight river stones stretching her body and four smaller stones in each of the baskets stretching her nipples. Anja was in agony; her body was stretched to the breaking point. By the morning she was completely numb and when she was untied the feeling coming back into her stretched body was almost as agonizing as the torture she experienced during the night.

Anja was led to the riverbank, and there she saw two canoes, connected with a bamboo platform. Anja was pulled up and tied spread eagle on top of the platform, then the warriors paddled down the river with their prize.

Anja baked in the hot summer sun as they floated down the river toward the land of the Wakambas. She fell into a fitful sleep dreaming of fire and pain. She woke to the sound of drums and shouts as the canoe pulled up to the bank. A large group of Wakambas had gathered on the riverbank and crowded around to look at Anja. Anja was not untied, but the whole bamboo platform was removed from the canoes and she was carried towards the village. Anja’s mind raced, understanding that she was being carried as a sacrifice.

Upon their arrival in the village, Anja was carried around the entire village like a trophy for all to see. When they came to the center of the village, she was quickly untied then retied to a wooden post while a crowd gathered around. Anja watched as the crowd parted to reveal Mala.

Mala walked forward towards Anja and smiled. She had fiery red hair in short dreadlocks and sported numerous symbols and runes showing that she possessed great magic. Anja lifted her head proudly and this caused Mala’s smile to broaden. “Good,” she hissed in Anja’s ear. “You are very strong, it will take a long time to break you; that makes me very happy. You took from me and now I’m going to take from you. I’m going to take your mind, your body and your spirit!” Mala laughed. “You will spend much time in my fires, jungle queen.”

At this Anja’s confidence faltered but she kept her head high. “You will not break me,” she stated clearly.

Mala turned to the crowd. “She is the reason why the rain does not fall, she is the reason why the gods have abandoned us!” she shouted. “Anja’s pain will bring the gods' blessings. Anja’s torment will make things as they were before!”

With this the crowd cheered, thirsty for Anja’s blood.

Mala raised her hands and the crowd instantly fell silent. “Warriors, men of the Wakambas; you may enjoy the suffering of the jungle queen, but the gods have decreed that no man would torture Anja, only the women of the Wakambas will break the jungle queen.”

As the crowd erupted in cheers again, Anja thought, 'I must be strong.'

Anja was left unmolested and bound to the pole in the center of the village the entire night. At dawn she woke to the sounds of villagers passing her and laughing. Anja struggled with her bonds trying to break free, but there was no escape for her, and she soon saw a small group of women coming toward her.

The group surrounded Anja, and their leader put a rope around her neck and pulled it tight, cutting off her air. As Anja gasped for breath the other women untied her body from the pole and quickly re-tied her with her hands behind her back. The rope around her neck was loosened and she sucked in a large gulp of the air as she stared at her captors. The women captors laughed and giggled as one pulled on the rope around Anja’s neck and the others shuffled her forward. After a few steps they all stopped, Anja cried out as she felt an explosion of pain on her bottom and toned thighs. Anja quickly realized that one of the women was whipping her with a leather strap.

The woman holding the rope frowned at Anja. “Sacrifice, were you not told how to walk?” she demanded.

Anja realized what she must do, and began to prance in place, lifting her knees up high and only stepping on her toes. Anja felt the humiliation redden her face as the woman whipping her perfect round bottom stopped as all the other women laughed and mocked as they watched the proud jungle queen prance like a little pony.

The woman holding the rope smiled. “That’s better,” she said. “Now come.”

The beautiful Anja was led through the village, her amazing legs prancing up and down. The group of women led Anja to a bridge near a raging waterfall. The woman with the rope stopped Anja in the middle of the bridge and turned to her captive as the other women crowded around. “This is the bridge of death,” she said. “No sacrifice has ever returned after they’ve crossed it. This caused all the women to begin to laugh and giggle again. Still prancing in place Anja, queen of the jungle, wearing only a tiny skintight goatskin loincloth, bound and dressed as a slave, lifted her head high as she was lead forward across the bridge to an unknown fate.

As the group came to the other side of the bridge one of the girls behind Anja said, “This is the sacred plateau of our gods above the great scar.”

Anja, confused, noticed that there were three buildings around a sort of square smaller than the village square with three poles in the center. As Anja reviewed her surroundings she shuddered as she saw that all three poles were adorned with human skulls.

The girl behind her continued: “Only Mala and the leader of the tribe are allowed to live here; as our chief was called by the gods, only Mala lives in this sacred place now.”

“Mala,” another girl added “And now you of course!” This started all the girls to start giggling again.

Anja stared at the evil glee in all the women’s faces. Their looks and the sound of these girls’ giggles and laughter pushed Anja’s mind toward panic at the thought of what was in store for her here in this place. As Anja was led forward she noticed three women kneeling beside something on the ground. As Anja drew closer, she saw sturdy wooden posts sticking out of the ground and between them dozens of thin short spikes. This caused Anja to pull back from her captors.

Anja’s captors reacted immediately; the girl pulling on Anja’s lead rope stopped and quickly tightened the noose around Anja’s neck stopping her air again. As Anja fought for breath, the girl behind her whipped Anja’s bottom with a leather strap and the others pushed Anja forward. Anja choked and her ass burned as they arrived where the other women knelt. Anja was forced to her knees, and as black dot exploded in her vision Anja noticed that there was in fact four wooden stakes sticking out of the ground. Each stake was about 8 inches tall arranged in pairs about three feet apart, slightly sharpened on top. Between the stakes there were dozens of small razor sharp needle-like spikes. Even as she gasped for air Anja recognized that these were the thorns of the scorpion tree. They were highly poisonous; when a person was even scratched by these spines it causes an extreme and intense burning sensation that grew in intensity until treated. It was akin to having white hot metal placed under your skin and left there. The pain caused by the thorns of this plant had caused many a strong man to die of heart failure.

The older of the two women kneeling looked at Anja then at the girl with the rope. The girl loosened the rope causing Anja to cough gulps of air. “Jungle queen, I am Telo the elder,” the older woman said. “You are to be a sacrifice for our gods and this is a great honor. Our gods demands that the sacrifice begs to be sacrificed.” She looked into Anja’s eyes. “The gods demands that a sacrifice experiences torment and agony before their death so that they might beg for death and an end to their suffering. The more pain they can experience, the more worthy they are as a sacrifice.”

Telo looked up and down Anja’s muscular body kneeling before her. “Most sacrifices don’t last more than a day, but the strongest may last for two,” she said. This caused the surrounding girls to giggle again. ”But Mala thinks you are very strong and believes he will last many days before you are begging for the mercy of our gods.” Anja stared into the woman’s gleaming eyes. “If the pain becomes too much and you wish it to stop, beg for death, cry out so that all my hear and maybe our gods will hear you.”

Anja stared back at the woman. “I will not break.”

This caused a large smile to erupt on the woman’s face and all of the women to start laughing. Telo looked around at the others and shouted: “Prepare the sacrifice!”

As Anja was being prepared her torment was explained. This would be a test of Anja’s strength, to see if she was worthy to be sacrificed. Anja was untied, then lifted and turned face-downward, then forced to place her palms on one pair of the slightly sharpened stakes. She did the same with her toes, and Anja realized the simplicity of this torture; they were using her own body weight and muscle failure against her. Anja’s wrists and ankles were tied to the stakes. Tiny strings were attached to her nipples. These strings were tied to a ring anchored to the ground amongst the spikes. This preventive Anja the relief by lifting her body up and moving the muscles in her arms and shoulders. Now she was forced to stay in the same position, spread out over poisonous spikes for the duration. After Anja’s bonds were double checked all the women, talking amongst themselves, filed away. Only one of the younger girls stayed behind. Sweat began to spring up on Anja’s body as she attempted to prevent herself from touching any of the poisonous spikes. Anja attempted to slightly raise her bottom up to take the strain off her legs and hips.

The young girl guarding Anja watched this display with amusement. The Jungle queen’s round bottom wiggled up and down invitingly as she attempted to relieve the pressure on her straining leg muscles. As the girl watched this display she pulled a leather strap from her belt and waited for Anja to raise her bottom again. When Anja did her young tormentor began strapping the jungle queen’s derriere and sensitive thighs. Now smiling, the girl waited and every time Anja’s lifted her bottom in the air she would whip it with the leather strap until Anja lowered it again.

Soon another girl from the village joined Anja and her tormenter. She sat down between Anja’s spread legs and, producing a long very sharp stick, she commenced to poke Anja’s inner thighs and her thinly covered crotch.

Anja yelped more from surprise then from pain; this torment reflexively caused Anja to raise her round bottom to pop into the air, causing the girl with the leather strap to whip her. This torment went on with the one girl poking and prodding Anja’s barely covered, most sensitive region, while the other girl relentlessly strapping her round bottom. Two additional girls appeared, one began poking the soles of Anja’s feet with another sharpened stick, and the second produced a thin bamboo cane and began caning Anja’s calves. Anja groaned in frustration and agony but she would not cry out. More women appeared to torment Anja with sharpened sticks. As Anja struggled they poked at her breasts, her sides, and her underarms. Anja’s ordeal continued through the morning with women coming over the bridge from the village to torment the jungle queen.

Anja’s ass had become the focal point of most of her tormentors; her loincloth had been pushed up, exposing her round muscular cheeks for all to see. The group around her waited in anticipation for Anja to be forced to raise her bottom to relieve her staining muscles. When her ass would rise, several women on both sides of her body would begin strapping and whipping her bottom and caning her thighs all while chanting and cheering. Anja was in agony, her bottom and thighs were on fire and the muscles and her legs and arms were shaking, straining and fatiguing quickly. During midday the women left Anja struggling alone except for her vigilant guard who waited patiently behind her to punish Anja’s bright red bottom for any infraction.

Sometime later, Telo appeared in front of Anja’s face. She placed a small bowl of liquid on the ground directly under Anja’s chin. “You must be thirsty, sacrifice,” she said with a smile and a gleam in her eye. “So I brought you something to drink.”

Anja was unbelievably thirsty but knew her tormentor was attempting to trick her.Anja knew that if she lowered her head to drink she would impale her breasts on the waiting spikes below. Anja was forced to stare at the liquid just inches below her face as she was tortured for hours in the hot afternoon sun. Finally, as the day wore on, and she was driven by thirst Anja attempted to lower her body until her breasts were just barely above the painful spikes. Anja’s muscles strained and shook but Anja knew that even a scratch from the poisonous thorns below would cause her agonizing and debilitating pain. The queen of the jungle lowered her chin as far as she could then extended her tongue toward the liquid below just to get some much needed moisture in her mouth. With all her might Anja strained her tongue forward, its tiny pink tip just breaking the surface of the liquid in the bowl. Anja’s immediately jerked back as a foul acidic taste permeated her mouth. This motion caused her bottom to rise eliciting half a dozen swats from her ever vigilant guard. The taste was awful and she tried to spit it out but the lack of moisture made it impossible.

The older woman laughed at Anja’s distress. “Sacrifice, I never said this was water!” she laughed mockingly.

Anja defiantly stared at the woman and groaned in frustration but then clearly said in a dry voice “You will never break me."

Telo stared into the eyes of the jungle queen. “We have not even started trying to break you.” With this, the woman dipped a dirty cloth in her hand into the liquid below Anja’s face. She then grabbed Anja’s nose, forcing Anja to open her mouth. The Wakambas woman stuffed the foul liquid-soaked cloth in Anja’s dry mouth and secured it with a thin leather strap.

The foul liquid overwhelmed Anja’s senses, causing her eyes and nose to burn violently. Anja’s head bucked up and down, her tongue tried to expel the horrible foreign object from her mouth. Anja groaned as her nose burned and tears fell from her eyes. This reaction again caused her shapely bottom to rise into the air to receive six lashes with a leather strap. Anja closed her eyes crying to herself about the agony she was suffering. How long could she last, will the jungle queen really fall, would she be broken and sacrificed?

Anja was brought back to reality as she felt the tugging at her strained nipples. She saw that Telo was untying the strings tied to her breasts from the loop at the ground. Anja let herself believe briefly that maybe this torment was over but her spirits were quickly dashed when she saw that the woman was not releasing her tortured breasts but was in fact tying the ends of the strips to a longer rope. Another women kept the rope taut, not allowing Anja a reprieve as Telo dragged the thin rope about 10 feet out from Anja’s tortured body. Smiling back at Anja she tied the end of the rope to what Anja could see was a large meaty animal bone.

Another of the Wakambas women led a large dog into Anja’s view, and the jungle queen understood her new predicament. The older Telo moved back in front of Anja as another girl held the rope attached to Anja’s nipples taut. The older woman leaned close, taking the rope in her hand and pulled it forcefully, causing Anja to wince.

“Now the fun really begins, sacrifice,” Telo whispered in Anja’s ear. Telo continued to tug on the rope, tormenting Anja’s nipples. “Some of us have made a bet on how long you will last before you pass out or beg for mercy. I know Anja the jungle queen is proud and strong so I said that she would last until after dusk.”

The woman leaned in closer, tugging harder on Anja’s nipples, causing Anja’s firm breasts to move closer to the poisonous thorns below. “If I win I will allow you to rest tonight. Mala returns tomorrow night and I understand that she’s had the men of the tribe constructing some very nasty torments for you; you will need all the rest you can get,” she said with a broad smile. The woman leaned back, letting go of the rope, and stared into Anja’s bloodshot pain-stricken eyes. “If I lose,” Telo said, taking hold of the rope and yanking it hard, causing Anja to yelp. “I will have you tied upside down with your legs spread to each side, as far as they can be stretched and then my girls and I will cane your crotch and inner thighs the entire night.” With that, Telo gave the rope another hard yank, let go and kissed Anja’s sweat drenched forehead. “Be strong, jungle queen.”

When the dog was released, it made a beeline for the bone; the dog first attempted to carry the bone away, but finding it was tied, the hungry dog began tugged and pulled on the bone, trying to get it free. This produced a tug of war between Anja and the large dog with her nipples in the middle. Anja fought with all of her might to not have her body forced on the diabolical spikes below her, this effort of course caused her bottom to rise up. Her guard behind her had replaced the leather strap with a large thin cane; when Anja’s bottom rose the girl smiled and raised the cane over her head and brought it down with all her might on Anja’s round bottom. The pain exploded in Anja’s body like a million flashing suns, radiating out from her battered bottom. Anja bit down hard on the foul tasting rag in her mouth, her mind was racing but her strength of will came forward, Anja would hold on.

The tug of war continued until dusk. Finally, As the sun disappeared, the dog ran forward then changed direction, snapping the rope back. This dramatic jerk on the rope, along with the fact that Anja’s strength was gone caused Anja to be pulled down and impaled on the scorpion tree spikes. The exploding pain along with Anja’s fatigue caused her to black out immediately. Her last thought was that she did not break.

* * *

When Anja awoke she felt very disoriented and sore. Every muscle in her body ached and her nipples burned. As she blinked and tried to focus, she realized that everything she was seeing was upside down. Anja looked up and realized that she was tied upside down between two of the three poles in the center sacred square. She looked around, noticing it was dark and there was a campfire burning nearby. Her legs were pulled into splits tied off at the top and bottom of the poles, her wrists were tied behind her, pulled back away from her body and secured to the pole in the rear. Anja struggled but found that escape was impossible. Telo came into Anja's field of view and smiling, sat down cross legged in front of her. The woman was eating from a bowl she was holding. Anja defiantly stared at the woman. “Do the Wakambas women not keep their word?” she demanded. “You told me that I would rest if you won your bet. I did not succumb to your torment till well after dusk.”

Telo placed her bowl down and leaned close to Anja’s upturned faces. “I said if I won the bet I would not cane your crotch and thighs all night and I would let you rest. This is true,” Telo continued. “Because of your strength, I did win the bet.” Telo produced a large knife holding it so Anja could see it. ”This is my prize.” Telo placed the blade to Anja’s exposed left nipple and started flicking it with the knife tip. Anja winced, but she stared defiantly at her captor.Telo continued: “So I will not torture you tonight, jungle queen.”

Telo stopped teasing Anja’s nipple with the knife and leaned back. “But Nama, who lost the bet to me, has decided that she and her daughters will torture you tonight.” Telo leaned back towards Anja and began to flick Anja’s right nipple with the knife blade. “They will not use a cane,” she said, “but leather straps and whips instead.” She smiled, circling Anja's nipple with the razor sharp blade. ”Also, I believe that they intend to light torches and let them burn under your feet.” Telo leaned back again and put away the knife. “So I have kept my word to you, jungle queen.” With a broad smile, the woman rose to her feet. “Enjoy your night, the real torture begins when Mala returns.”

Anja’s heart fell as she realized she had been tricked and that she would be forced to suffer throughout the night. Anja hung and waited as a tiny trickle of blood ran from her nipple.

The villagers began to gather, sitting down and eating in front of the tightly bound proud jungle queen. At once everyone’s eyes looked up and Anja followed their gaze to between her spread legs. Frustration and shame reddened Anja’s face as she noticed that her tiny loincloth was pulled tight, and the way her legs were spread caused the very small garment to be stretched, barely covering Anja’s sex. Above Anja's exposed crotch stood a frowning woman holding menacing whip-like object in her hand. Anja recognize it as the thing white men used to sharpen their knives and razor blades and in some instances discipline their children. This one was much shorter than the ones she’d seen before.

The woman glared at Anja shouting, “Sacrifice, you cost me my best hunting knife; for this you will pay!” As Anja started to speak, two younger girls stepped forward on each side of the woman, her daughters. They too had leather straps in their hands. The woman shouted to the crowd that Anja’s pain bring favors from their gods. As she spoke, the crowd cheered, and she raised the strap and brought it down directly on Anja’s thinly covered crotch.

Anja yelped. Having never been whipped there before, Anja was unready for the extreme pain that the angry women’s strap caused. The woman continued to whip Anja’s crotch while her daughters began whipping up and down the inner portions of Anja’s muscular toned legs. This savage beating went on for over an hour before they stopped. The jungle queen was passing in and out of consciousness from the unbelievable agony caused by the beating. When Anja’s tormentors stopped their assault Anja believed that maybe they were finished with her. Her spirits were dashed when a new group of women took up station and continued the beating of Anja’s barely covered crotch and sensitive inner thighs. After another hour the jungle queen finally slipped into blackness as she passed out from her brutal torture.

Later, her unconscious body was released and retied to the center pole in the square where she remained for the rest of the night.

* * *

Anja awoke to find herself surrounded by the same party of women that had come the morning before. Anja was relieved to see that Mala was not with them.

One of the girls gave Anja of a small pottery jar of a clear liquid. Anja was distrustful of the wicked women but was incredibly thirsty. She touched her tongue to the liquid and to her relief it was water; Anja gulped the water greedily until it was gone. Anja did not even resist when her hands were unbound from the pole and retied behind her back. The jungle queen ached all over and her crotch and thighs throbbed. The rope was retied around her neck and without prodding Anja began lifting her knees high and walking on her toes. Anja pranced in place with her head held high. The Wakambas laughed and spoke amongst themselves as they watched the beautiful and defiantly proud jungle queen.

Anja was led through the square to the front of one of the huts. There she saw several women standing around a large pot and three long wooden poles lashed together at the top making a frame. Anja shuddered, her mind racing as she thought about what these evil tormentors had in store for her. Anja was immediately pushed down onto a grass mat as the women began removing large pieces of wet animal hide from the large water-filled pot. As Anja looked on, bewildered, the women began to wrap the wet skins tightly around Anja’s body, starting with her ankles and working their way up her body. Two women were busy sewing the hides together. Anja soon found herself cocooned in the wet sticky animal hides.

Anja attempted to struggle but found she could not move at all. As she lay wrapped and being sewn, she watched the women who bound her go into the nearby hut and emerge from inside carrying large pieces of metal, which looked like they had been salvaged from the crashed airplanes and broken vehicles found throughout the desert and jungle. All of them had been polished until they shone in the bright sun. After the women had sewn shut all of the hides, Anja was lifted up and held standing in front of the elder Telo. As Anja stood, unable to move, a long thick rope was tied around her ankles then slowly wound around her entire body. When they reached her neck the rope was tied off and wound back down around her body again to her feet there it was tied off around her ankles.

The older woman smiled at the struggling jungle queen. “Yesterday,” she said. “We tested your strength; today we test your stamina. Anja, proud jungle queen, we will soon see how much stamina you possess and if you’re worthy to be a sacrifice to our gods.”

Anja was raised up in a dozen hands and flipped upside down. She was hoisted and tied to the center of the three wooden poles and left to dangling there. The women began placing the polished metal around the cocooned jungle queen so that they acted like mirrors reflecting the sunlight onto Anja from all angles. Telo leaned down on one knee and stared into the upside down face of Anja. “Enjoy the embrace of our gods, sacrifice, and remember if you wish to die, just call out."

Anja’s eyes grew wide with understanding: she would be left hanging upside down in the blistering sun the entire day, and as the skins that she was cocooned in dried they would shrink, squeezing and constricting her body much like a giant snake. The shiny metal plates were placed strategically to reflect the sun’s energy all around her body to reduce the drying time, thus increasing the squeezing. Anja groaned in frustration and trepidation.

The women, smiling, walked away, leaving Anja alone to her fate.

End of part 1

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