It was like the annual celebration of the Great White Tiger. White and light hued flowers decorated every house, every road just as her hair and dress. They walked through the village every while women sung cheerfully for her. The men stomped with their feet on the ground to rhythm. Chief Mkaia walked in front of her leading the march. The chosen of the Great Tiger was almost shorter than her. Well it wasn’t the chief that was short on average, Mntui was long legged. It certainly helped her on the contest. Still the chief was a seasoned warrior, she or anyone in the village would not dare to challenge him in combat.

Besides the bride were her parents as all of they strolled on without any haste. After them were her sisters and brothers walking in pairs with the princes. The line was closed by the queen dressed in a bright colourful long attire, and a huge headdress decorated with even vibrant stones. She was waving her hands around urging everyone to sing louder while she almost shouted the song on the top of her lungs.

Prince Taob was hard to miss as they got closer to the village center. It wasn’t his fine clothes giving his presence away though. Mntui was considered tall among the women of the tribe, and there were even shorter man than her, but the ebony prince stood tall with a heads length above every one. An obsidian statue among the circling white tigers. Mntui had to suppress a giggle on the thought that at the same time the other wedding was held. Did their prince looked the same way among the allied tribes people? It was most likely he stuck out like a sour thumb with his features among the Black Raven.

They stopped arriving before the tribe’s elder shaman. Mnuti stood before the prince and they both bow their heads closing their eyes. As the shaman started chanting everyone fell silent. The old man leaned on a staff. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to stand without it. He chanted and prayed for a blessing on the newly wed and their future ahead.

And as the prayers changed each other becoming a whole seemingly never ending, there was a moment where Mntui could swear she felt the Great Tiger’s presence. She felt her muscles lighting up with power. She didn’t mind at this point if she had to run the gauntlet again to be here. Or just for fun.

Taob on the other hand got nervous at the unfamiliar power circling around him. But he kept still, he was ready to accept any punishment or what so ever for trespassing on foreign land. Or at least he thought himself to be. In the end there was no divine judgment smiting down on him.

The shaman shouted with strength no one would expect from him. He lifted his staff up standing only on his own feet. Suddenly he fell silent and grabbed both of their hands pushing them together. The couple’s fingers hugged each other gently and they looked at each other somewhat hesitant yet smiling.

The whole crowd burst out in applause. In the uproar Taob took that last moment they had for only themselves. He tore out a feather shaped adornment made of black hued metal from his clothes and put it in Mntui’s hair. The woman smiled even brighter at his actions but then the flood of villagers tousled them away.

After that Mntui could not decide where the ceremony ended and the celebration started. It lasted all night, for some even after dawn, with everything such event needed. Foods, drinks without lack, music, dance, and great mood.

It wasn’t the day after the prince and his new wife, along with the prince’s honor guard, could begin their journey back to raven territory. Some of Taob’s men had hangover even then. It took three days to arrive at the main village of the Black Ravens. Halfway they were suppose to meet prince Raff’s caravan…