The torches of the Thunder God Pyramid's temple burned for an entire night, only gradually dying out at daybreak. That night, that bright smear of firelight, was branded deep into the eyes of tens of thousands of Totonac, leaving behind fear and memories carved into the bone!
Yet the terrifying torches did not stop there. Guided by the chieftain's personal guards, dark-green figures advanced through the firelight with grim killing intent, appearing one after another at the heart of the city-state, at the residences of every God-descendant, headman, and priest. Then cries of panic and terror, and the brief, fierce sounds of battle, echoed through the whole city-state, only to fall silent and vanish soon after. Vanishing with them were one revered tribal leader after another, and every tribal warrior who dared to resist.
"Thunder fell, and flames swept through the mountain forest. A hundred beasts fled, and deadwood burned to ash! Yet in the dreadful wildfire, tiny ants huddled together and hid deep underground. The ants on the outside died, scorched black, but the queen within survived. She hugged herself tight and waited for the great fire to pass, waited for the charred forest filled with food and free of natural enemies..."
Snake Mother Chieftain Miawa wore a feather crown and a chieftain's short robe as she sat cross-legged at the top of the pyramid, watching the flames and destruction below her feet. Her feet were bare, her calves exposed, her short robe fluttering, tracing a soul-stirring curve, while a holy smile rested on her face. The former Snake Priestess lifted her head, short hair drifting, feeling the warmth and blaze of the firelight in the night wind. She could not help hugging herself tight, like a young girl warming herself by a fire on a winter night.
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