"How did you know?" She asked languidly as she held Tara to her side. Tara smiled, and trailed her fingers up and down her arm.
"I didn't, not until you came into my room, and looked like you wanted to ask me something. I saw something in the meeting, but you gave it context when you were unsure. Thompson isn't unsure, and without words to speak. But Daria is someone completely different. That hidden woman, correct?" She nodded and kissed Tara's chest softly.
"Its what people expect from me. Strength." Tara smiled.
"And its why you've excelled at your chosen field." She smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I like this side of you too. Soft, and feminine, with needs and desires. Two sides of the same woman. Complex, and someone I'd like to explore in more detail." Daria frowned.
"You make it sound like an experiment." She said flatly.
"I didn't mean to make it sound like that. Its not. I didn't say investigate, or experiment on. Although..." She tweaked a nipple. "There are certain things I could test for. Such as a fondness for certain things." Daria lifted herself up on a elbow.
"Are you teasing me?" She was pushed down to the mattress and kissed harder this time. It was almost a punishing kiss, and it rekindled her desire.
"No, but only actions speak to you. So now I will act." Daria was not able to question her further for several hours. Tara had many things she wanted to know about this lovely woman, and how she would respond to specific stimulation.
They had a long time ahead to explore each other. If Tara had anything to say about it, much longer then the mission allowed.
"Sir, the course correction has been plotted, and will take several days to complete." The captain nodded.
"Well done. Any unexpected variances?" Thompson checked her readings.
"Negative, sir. I would suggest we check the telemetry of the probe that was sent ahead of us, just in case there is something about the portal we don't yet understand, like speed, or gravitational pull." He thought for a brief minute.
"Send a note to our resident expert, and have her reevaluate the information. Make sure she checks the speed at which the probe went through the portal. That may have been something they didn't look at, as the probe went through without problems. A full sized vessel is quite different from a probe. And check the velocity from the other side out and back in again. I want no surprises." She nodded.
"I'll send the request through now, sir. She'll have plenty of time to study the information, and help us not to fail." The captain smiled a slightly off kilter smile. He knew Thompson was sweet on the scientist, and that she slipped quietly into her room every night, but she was always professional when it was time to work.
He liked that in his subordinates.
"Good call, captain." She said quietly as she read the message. Going right to work, Tara lost herself to the information, and analysis. She was so lost in the work, she heard her stomach grumble only a few seconds before the door opened.
"He was right, I see. You would work long into the night before you came up for air, wouldn't you?" She looked up and smiled slightly.
"What time is it?"
"Eleven." Tara's eyes popped wide open.
"What! Oh damn! I missed lunch, supper, and....I'm so sorry, Dar....." She held up her hand to halt her apology.
"Not outside your room, remember? I brought you some supper, with the captain's permission to interrupt you, that way you could work as long as you wished." She put the plate in front of her. She looked up into her eyes. "Will I see you tonight?" Tara blushed slightly.
"Can you stay here with me? I'm onto something, and I need to see it finished before I shut down for the night." Daria sat down in a chair in front of Tara's desk, and stretched.
"Eat then. Between mouthfuls, can you enlighten me as to what you've found?" Tara gratefully swallowed the cooked rice with soya sauce, and cleared her mouth before she spoke.
"There is a definite speed increase before entry, with massive speeds at exit, but deceleration as well. I think that the portal uses the gravity of the gas giant to create the portal, but once it reaches the other side, the gravity well of the other one either isn't as strong, or it acts slower then this one. It might be that Jupiter is larger, or they have more then one portal in operation, and that its taking some power from the gravity well." Daria frowned.
"Taking power? You mean it reduced the gravity well of a gas giant? Just how powerful is that technology?" Tara smiled.
"Very powerful. Not only is it able to stay in orbit deep within the atmosphere, and well within range of its gravity well, but its able to withstand the pull, and use it to its advantage. If we go through, we have to be sure we do not slack off on the speed, or try to reverse while in the portal. We may not have enough momentum to get to the other side, then slingshot back through, and still not have enough to get out on our side." Daria closed her eyes.
"I see. We would be a cork in the middle of two opposing forces. Stuck in the middle. What would happen if we get stuck?"
"Crushed? Pushed out of the stream and into the atmosphere of Jupiter? I don't know, but we should never want to find out. We may want to investigate that possibility with a probe, but not with a ship." Daria grinned.
"Agreed. That would mean the end of my stellar record. My entry procedures are top notch." She licked her lips on the inside, with just the tip of her tongue, and very discreetly. Tara colored lightly, and pushed another spoonful of rice in her mouth.
She was correct. Daria was really good at it.
"All preparations have been made. We've studied it for the last two months with greater and greater magnification, and we're ready to go through." Tara took a deep breath. "I think we should send out a probe, just to be sure, and to wait for us on the other side. When it gets through, it can send us a signal back, and we can use it as a beacon to follow." The captain thought for a moment.
"Is it necessary though? We may need that probe to explore that system in one direction, while we explore and do all the necessary tests before heading back through. I'm loathe to part with a probe we might need." Tara took a steadying breath.
"I wouldn't suggest it unless it could prove beneficial. The trip itself could be all we accomplish, but as long as we get through the portal, and back safely, this mission will be a success. No if's, or what if's. Just in one side, and back through, and we have successfully completed the mission. All the data we've collected up to now is really important, but the data from one side to the other is the most important. It will help us with new trips, new technology, and improvements to existing ones." The captain nodded.
"Correct. Exploration is a bonus, but not the mission." He looked over at his chief engineer. "Sampson. Prepare a probe for launch." He turned to Daria. "Thompson, slow us down a bit, and give the probe the time it needs for launch, and to traverse the portal."
"Aye, Captain." She smiled and fired the retro rockets. "Feels like we're getting set to open a treasure chest buried thousands of years ago! This is so exciting!" Tara smiled slightly.
"Lets just hope its not a bucket of bad rum, or poison." The captain took in her more somber mood.
"Is there something bothering you?" She shook her head.
"This is the greatest discovery of all time for humankind. It can do what our collective will cannot. I am trying to keep my excitement in check, just in case." He frowned.
"In case of what?"
"Were you ever given a prank gift? Its exciting, until you open the box. I just can't help but be a bit pessimistic about this, even though I know its potential." He nodded, and kept quiet for a few minutes. His response echoed inside the ship, and their hearts.
"If its such a great thing, then where are the builders?"
Friday, 30 November 2018
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
The Wolf Queen - Chapter 5 - Village Raid
"They seem to stay away from our area unless they are hunting for runaways." Eerika said in a low voice. "I wonder why." Calla jogged beside her on the path. The snow had not yet started to fall, but the chill of the season had already entered the air.
"It might be that they are afraid of the Blind Queen's forces." Eerika grunted. She didn't have such strong distaste for the Blind Queen as she did for the Blind King, but it was still there. "She closed her borders to this country years ago, which irritated my owner a lot."
"She should have invaded and removed the king here." Eerika said with a low growl in her throat. "If she had, the misery would have ended before it started to get really bad for us." Calla couldn't dispute her logic, so she didn't try. Life was miserable for them in this country, and if they were refused entry to the other country that was close, what were the women here supposed to do? Just lay down at die like their mothers before them?
As they got closer to the village, the air grew heavy, and smelled like an old manure pile. It was faint, but the scent of shit still lingered.
"I hate this place!" Calla growled angrily. She gripped her spear until her knuckles were white.
"What's our plan, Calla?" Eerika asked, unsure of what they should do first. Calla turned towards her, not used to the sight of such indecision in her lover.
"The gate guards should be killed, and the tower guards. They could raise the alarm quickly if we are spotted." Eerika nodded, and took a deep breath.
"Then we need to get up over that palisade, kill the tower guards, then drop down on the gate guards." She smiled as the excitement pumped her blood faster through her veins. Her muscled arm bulged as she gripped her sword. "Do you want the left, or the right?" Calla grinned.
"We'll have to be quick, love. Kill them, drop over when they look up, and make sure we hit them with either the shield on the way down, or the spear." Eerika nodded.
"Gut the tower guard with the sword, drop down and use the shield to halt your fall, and use him as a cushion. Then spear him to the ground. Got it." Calla disappeared to the right, which made Eerika swing to the left.
Though it was unpracticed, they visualized every step before it happened. But reality was quite a bit different then a hastily drawn up battle plan.
Calla used a close tree to climb up over the palisade, and was thankful for how truly lazy the men of the village were. She watched the man in the tower for a few seconds, and realized that he didn't care which direction he looked in. All he cared about was the next mug he would lift to his lips, and his pathetic excuse for a manhood.
Calla climbed the ladder, and quickly realized her mistake. As she poked her head up, the man there had aimed his gaze down.
"Who are you?" He asked gruffly. She thought quickly, and since her head was still attached to her shoulders, she knew he didn't expect an attack from a woman. She smiled saucily.
"I'm your entertainment sent by the mayor. If you're quiet, no one will ever know I was here." He smiled an evil smile.
"Can you keep quiet?" She nearly gagged.
"If you put something in my mouth, then you know I'll be quiet." He chuckled and dropped his leggings.
"Oh, I've got something for ya to stuff there alright." Calla nearly gagged again. The smell was horrid. She took one more step up, grabbed hold of his crotch, and smiled her own evil smile.
When he fell to his knees, she drove the bloodied blade up through his jaw and into his brain. She climbed into the tower and looked over at Eerika. She looked concerned, but Calla held up her prize. She covered her mouth to smother her laughter, then pulled her spear and pointed to the gate guards.
Calla smiled, lifted her spear, and took her shield off her back.
One. Two. "Three!"
Calla's fingers trembled as she wrenched her spear out of the gate guard's chest. It wasn't flawless, but it did work.
"We have to practice those kinds of maneuvers, love. I can't stop shaking!" Eerika nodded.
"My knees went weak when I leaped out of the tower. The shield did the trick, but I nearly soiled my leggings!" She looked up, then down at the bodies. "Lets drag them to the side of the gate, and pin them up with their own swords. If anyone sees them, they will be standing, and appear to be on duty." Calla nodded, and with some difficulty, she dragged her victim to the side of the gate.
"I think I need your help here, love. I can't carry him and pin him through as well." Eerika nodded, then frowned. She didn't want Calla to believe she was too weak, so she made a quick decision.
"I need yours as well. I can lift him, but holding him in place with only one hand makes it difficult. Grab his sword, and ram it through his chest. I'll wedge it into the wood." Calla nodded, picked up the fallen guard's sword, and smacked Eerika's bottom with the flat of the blade.
"I know you need me, love, so don't patronize me." Eerika smiled.
"I'm sorry. I forgot how proud you are." Calla smiled.
"I'm proud of you, and your strength. I may need help from time to time, but don't downplay your strength for me. I have my own kind of strength that you need from me." She drove the sword through his ribs and into the wood. Eerika changed the angle and drove it deeper into the log. "That should do it. Shall we go rescue a fair damsel, my lady?" Eerika chuckled, and drew her close.
"You scared me when you didn't appear right away." Calla smiled.
"We're women. They don't respect us, or expect us to try to kill them. I used his own weakness against him. We need to remember that. As long as they don't see us use our swords or skills, they will just believe we are slaves who might have escaped, or are on the way to our master's place." Eerika pursed her lips.
"Never thought of that. Don't rely on it too much though. Distractions are fine, but it may come back and bite you." She pulled her close. "If it ever does, just know that I will come for you. Every time. I'll kill any man who tries to hurt you, and who has hurt you."
"I know. Now lets go! We have some stocks to destroy!"
"Ginnie, be quiet! We have to save your sister!" A young girl was trailing behind her father, tears running down her cheeks, and her sobs easy to hear. "I said be quiet! Do you want them to hurt your sister?" Ginnie sniffled.
"No, father, but what are we gonna do?" He turned and growled at her.
"I should have left you back at the house! If you get us caught, I'll never be able to rescue her!"
"Father?" He heard a pitifully weak voice and felt a sadness shoot through him.
"Aura, I'm here. I'm going to take you away from here, that way your mother can rest easy." He turned. "Dammit, Ginnie! Shut up! You'll alert them to our presence!" He took the heavy pry bar and was about to use it on the lock when the door to the slaver's auction house opened.
"George, you fool. I told you before, she doesn't belong to you anymore." George lifted the bar defiantly, and gave an angry look to his youngest daughter. If she had stopped her bawling, he might have been able to sneak Aura away from this village. Now, he would have to fight.
"She doesn't belong to you either! I never agreed to sell her, and she is my daughter!" He shook his head.
"Fool. That bar won't save you, and I paid for that girl. You can have her back at the end of the month, just like the rest of the slaves. Broken in too." George lifted his bar in an overhand strike.
"You can't have her! Her mother already laid down because of the likes of you, and I won't let you have her!" George frowned as two heavily armed women appeared behind the two slavers.
"That girl doesn't belong to anyone!" Eerika ground out through gritted teeth. The slaver turned towards her, then back to George.
"Sorry, George, you leave me no choice, and now you'll never have her back." He stabbed forward, and ran the blade into George's stomach, but saw him smile. The slaver looked down. A spear now poked out through the center of his chest.
"Neither will you." He willed himself to speak with the last of his strength, and looked the two women in the eyes. "Save my girls. Please." Eerika nodded, and watched the second slaver draw his sword and turn towards them. He didn't have any respect for women, or how dangerous they might be. Until now.
"You shouldn't have done that!" He said as he tried to make himself appear larger. The problem was that Eerika towered over him, and was much more muscular. He shouldn't have taken his eyes off of Calla though. She may be smaller, but her rage for the slavers was just as great as Eerika's.
"Don't even look at her, you filthy pig!" Calla rushed forward, her shield taking him out of his defensive stance, then drove her spear up through his middle and out through his collar bone. She then drew her sword quickly and ran it across his throat. The gurgle made her smile as he fell away from her.
The smile dropped from her lips as she heard a whimper to their side. The slavers now forgotten, Eerika picked up the pry bar, knocked off the lock, and helped the young woman to straighten up.
"Can you walk?" Aura tried, but fell quickly.
"I'm so cold!" Eerika swept her up into her arms.
"Love, grab their things. I'll have to carry her home." She looked at the girl who had finally stopped her tears, but was obviously in shock. "What's your name?"
"Ginnie." She said softly.
"Ginnie, I need your help. Your sister needs your help. Pick up whatever Calla strips off those two, and help her to carry it. We need to get home, to our home, before the others come to look on these two animals." Ginnie nodded slowly, and did as she was told. Calla smiled softly.
"I hope Fae can help her, and herself." She smiled at the young woman, then blinked. "Oh, before I forget, there is something Fae needed done!" Eerika nodded, put Aura down near her sister, then took her ax and smiled.
"Time to make some firewood!"
"You're back? I didn't think....who's this?" Fae stood near the door, her features full of worry, but calmed and became full of concern as she saw the young woman in Eerika's arms.
"Its Aura, and her sister, Ginnie. We found her in the stocks." She didn't shrink back in fear, but instead went to the fireplace.
"I'll get her some stew. That will warm her up." Calla smiled. Sometimes, if you had a spot to focus on, and not your own trauma, that one spot could end up being a place she propped herself up on until she was able to stand on her own.
"I didn't know you could cook, Fae. Um, when were you able to make bowls?" Fae smiled.
"I didn't look for swords in that cellar of yours. I wanted to find dishes, spoons, forks, and pots. I used a bit of sand and water to scrub the tarnish off, rinsed them, and made a nice stew from some of the root veggies, and meat. I also used a bit of the salt to add flavor. Was that alright?" Calla smiled.
"Its a big help, Fae. Thank you. Just watch the salt levels. Its all we have until we find a source. It must be close though. Salt is expensive, and heavy. It would be easier to cart it from here, rather then transport it and store it here, then cart it elsewhere for buyers." She turned and frowned slightly at the actions of her lover.
"Why are you undressing her?" Fae asked in alarm, and watched Eerika strip off too.
"She's too cold to get heat from inside herself. She'll need to absorb my heat for a bit until she warms up." She put a fur about her shoulders, and shrouded Aura with it. "When she saps my heat, you girls will have to take my place. When she starts to shiver, she should be warmed up enough to eat that stew." Aura looked around.
"Stew? I haven't eaten in almost a day! Father kept us fed, but once they took me from him...." Fae closed her eyes.
"I see. I'll feed her while she stays under the furs." She pinned Eerika with a hard stare. "Are they dead?"
"Both her slavers are. And the stocks have been turned into just another pile of splintered firewood." Fae felt a warmth go through her as she fed Aura a spoonful of stew at a time. Her skin was pale white, lightly freckled, with such light blonde hair, she wasn't sure if Aura was one of those sky spirits the old women used to talk about. When the fur accidentally slipped, she felt something she's never felt before.
Desire.
"It might be that they are afraid of the Blind Queen's forces." Eerika grunted. She didn't have such strong distaste for the Blind Queen as she did for the Blind King, but it was still there. "She closed her borders to this country years ago, which irritated my owner a lot."
"She should have invaded and removed the king here." Eerika said with a low growl in her throat. "If she had, the misery would have ended before it started to get really bad for us." Calla couldn't dispute her logic, so she didn't try. Life was miserable for them in this country, and if they were refused entry to the other country that was close, what were the women here supposed to do? Just lay down at die like their mothers before them?
As they got closer to the village, the air grew heavy, and smelled like an old manure pile. It was faint, but the scent of shit still lingered.
"I hate this place!" Calla growled angrily. She gripped her spear until her knuckles were white.
"What's our plan, Calla?" Eerika asked, unsure of what they should do first. Calla turned towards her, not used to the sight of such indecision in her lover.
"The gate guards should be killed, and the tower guards. They could raise the alarm quickly if we are spotted." Eerika nodded, and took a deep breath.
"Then we need to get up over that palisade, kill the tower guards, then drop down on the gate guards." She smiled as the excitement pumped her blood faster through her veins. Her muscled arm bulged as she gripped her sword. "Do you want the left, or the right?" Calla grinned.
"We'll have to be quick, love. Kill them, drop over when they look up, and make sure we hit them with either the shield on the way down, or the spear." Eerika nodded.
"Gut the tower guard with the sword, drop down and use the shield to halt your fall, and use him as a cushion. Then spear him to the ground. Got it." Calla disappeared to the right, which made Eerika swing to the left.
Though it was unpracticed, they visualized every step before it happened. But reality was quite a bit different then a hastily drawn up battle plan.
Calla used a close tree to climb up over the palisade, and was thankful for how truly lazy the men of the village were. She watched the man in the tower for a few seconds, and realized that he didn't care which direction he looked in. All he cared about was the next mug he would lift to his lips, and his pathetic excuse for a manhood.
Calla climbed the ladder, and quickly realized her mistake. As she poked her head up, the man there had aimed his gaze down.
"Who are you?" He asked gruffly. She thought quickly, and since her head was still attached to her shoulders, she knew he didn't expect an attack from a woman. She smiled saucily.
"I'm your entertainment sent by the mayor. If you're quiet, no one will ever know I was here." He smiled an evil smile.
"Can you keep quiet?" She nearly gagged.
"If you put something in my mouth, then you know I'll be quiet." He chuckled and dropped his leggings.
"Oh, I've got something for ya to stuff there alright." Calla nearly gagged again. The smell was horrid. She took one more step up, grabbed hold of his crotch, and smiled her own evil smile.
When he fell to his knees, she drove the bloodied blade up through his jaw and into his brain. She climbed into the tower and looked over at Eerika. She looked concerned, but Calla held up her prize. She covered her mouth to smother her laughter, then pulled her spear and pointed to the gate guards.
Calla smiled, lifted her spear, and took her shield off her back.
One. Two. "Three!"
Calla's fingers trembled as she wrenched her spear out of the gate guard's chest. It wasn't flawless, but it did work.
"We have to practice those kinds of maneuvers, love. I can't stop shaking!" Eerika nodded.
"My knees went weak when I leaped out of the tower. The shield did the trick, but I nearly soiled my leggings!" She looked up, then down at the bodies. "Lets drag them to the side of the gate, and pin them up with their own swords. If anyone sees them, they will be standing, and appear to be on duty." Calla nodded, and with some difficulty, she dragged her victim to the side of the gate.
"I think I need your help here, love. I can't carry him and pin him through as well." Eerika nodded, then frowned. She didn't want Calla to believe she was too weak, so she made a quick decision.
"I need yours as well. I can lift him, but holding him in place with only one hand makes it difficult. Grab his sword, and ram it through his chest. I'll wedge it into the wood." Calla nodded, picked up the fallen guard's sword, and smacked Eerika's bottom with the flat of the blade.
"I know you need me, love, so don't patronize me." Eerika smiled.
"I'm sorry. I forgot how proud you are." Calla smiled.
"I'm proud of you, and your strength. I may need help from time to time, but don't downplay your strength for me. I have my own kind of strength that you need from me." She drove the sword through his ribs and into the wood. Eerika changed the angle and drove it deeper into the log. "That should do it. Shall we go rescue a fair damsel, my lady?" Eerika chuckled, and drew her close.
"You scared me when you didn't appear right away." Calla smiled.
"We're women. They don't respect us, or expect us to try to kill them. I used his own weakness against him. We need to remember that. As long as they don't see us use our swords or skills, they will just believe we are slaves who might have escaped, or are on the way to our master's place." Eerika pursed her lips.
"Never thought of that. Don't rely on it too much though. Distractions are fine, but it may come back and bite you." She pulled her close. "If it ever does, just know that I will come for you. Every time. I'll kill any man who tries to hurt you, and who has hurt you."
"I know. Now lets go! We have some stocks to destroy!"
"Ginnie, be quiet! We have to save your sister!" A young girl was trailing behind her father, tears running down her cheeks, and her sobs easy to hear. "I said be quiet! Do you want them to hurt your sister?" Ginnie sniffled.
"No, father, but what are we gonna do?" He turned and growled at her.
"I should have left you back at the house! If you get us caught, I'll never be able to rescue her!"
"Father?" He heard a pitifully weak voice and felt a sadness shoot through him.
"Aura, I'm here. I'm going to take you away from here, that way your mother can rest easy." He turned. "Dammit, Ginnie! Shut up! You'll alert them to our presence!" He took the heavy pry bar and was about to use it on the lock when the door to the slaver's auction house opened.
"George, you fool. I told you before, she doesn't belong to you anymore." George lifted the bar defiantly, and gave an angry look to his youngest daughter. If she had stopped her bawling, he might have been able to sneak Aura away from this village. Now, he would have to fight.
"She doesn't belong to you either! I never agreed to sell her, and she is my daughter!" He shook his head.
"Fool. That bar won't save you, and I paid for that girl. You can have her back at the end of the month, just like the rest of the slaves. Broken in too." George lifted his bar in an overhand strike.
"You can't have her! Her mother already laid down because of the likes of you, and I won't let you have her!" George frowned as two heavily armed women appeared behind the two slavers.
"That girl doesn't belong to anyone!" Eerika ground out through gritted teeth. The slaver turned towards her, then back to George.
"Sorry, George, you leave me no choice, and now you'll never have her back." He stabbed forward, and ran the blade into George's stomach, but saw him smile. The slaver looked down. A spear now poked out through the center of his chest.
"Neither will you." He willed himself to speak with the last of his strength, and looked the two women in the eyes. "Save my girls. Please." Eerika nodded, and watched the second slaver draw his sword and turn towards them. He didn't have any respect for women, or how dangerous they might be. Until now.
"You shouldn't have done that!" He said as he tried to make himself appear larger. The problem was that Eerika towered over him, and was much more muscular. He shouldn't have taken his eyes off of Calla though. She may be smaller, but her rage for the slavers was just as great as Eerika's.
"Don't even look at her, you filthy pig!" Calla rushed forward, her shield taking him out of his defensive stance, then drove her spear up through his middle and out through his collar bone. She then drew her sword quickly and ran it across his throat. The gurgle made her smile as he fell away from her.
The smile dropped from her lips as she heard a whimper to their side. The slavers now forgotten, Eerika picked up the pry bar, knocked off the lock, and helped the young woman to straighten up.
"Can you walk?" Aura tried, but fell quickly.
"I'm so cold!" Eerika swept her up into her arms.
"Love, grab their things. I'll have to carry her home." She looked at the girl who had finally stopped her tears, but was obviously in shock. "What's your name?"
"Ginnie." She said softly.
"Ginnie, I need your help. Your sister needs your help. Pick up whatever Calla strips off those two, and help her to carry it. We need to get home, to our home, before the others come to look on these two animals." Ginnie nodded slowly, and did as she was told. Calla smiled softly.
"I hope Fae can help her, and herself." She smiled at the young woman, then blinked. "Oh, before I forget, there is something Fae needed done!" Eerika nodded, put Aura down near her sister, then took her ax and smiled.
"Time to make some firewood!"
"You're back? I didn't think....who's this?" Fae stood near the door, her features full of worry, but calmed and became full of concern as she saw the young woman in Eerika's arms.
"Its Aura, and her sister, Ginnie. We found her in the stocks." She didn't shrink back in fear, but instead went to the fireplace.
"I'll get her some stew. That will warm her up." Calla smiled. Sometimes, if you had a spot to focus on, and not your own trauma, that one spot could end up being a place she propped herself up on until she was able to stand on her own.
"I didn't know you could cook, Fae. Um, when were you able to make bowls?" Fae smiled.
"I didn't look for swords in that cellar of yours. I wanted to find dishes, spoons, forks, and pots. I used a bit of sand and water to scrub the tarnish off, rinsed them, and made a nice stew from some of the root veggies, and meat. I also used a bit of the salt to add flavor. Was that alright?" Calla smiled.
"Its a big help, Fae. Thank you. Just watch the salt levels. Its all we have until we find a source. It must be close though. Salt is expensive, and heavy. It would be easier to cart it from here, rather then transport it and store it here, then cart it elsewhere for buyers." She turned and frowned slightly at the actions of her lover.
"Why are you undressing her?" Fae asked in alarm, and watched Eerika strip off too.
"She's too cold to get heat from inside herself. She'll need to absorb my heat for a bit until she warms up." She put a fur about her shoulders, and shrouded Aura with it. "When she saps my heat, you girls will have to take my place. When she starts to shiver, she should be warmed up enough to eat that stew." Aura looked around.
"Stew? I haven't eaten in almost a day! Father kept us fed, but once they took me from him...." Fae closed her eyes.
"I see. I'll feed her while she stays under the furs." She pinned Eerika with a hard stare. "Are they dead?"
"Both her slavers are. And the stocks have been turned into just another pile of splintered firewood." Fae felt a warmth go through her as she fed Aura a spoonful of stew at a time. Her skin was pale white, lightly freckled, with such light blonde hair, she wasn't sure if Aura was one of those sky spirits the old women used to talk about. When the fur accidentally slipped, she felt something she's never felt before.
Desire.
The Portal - Chapter 1 - The Giant's Eye
"Sir, I think you should see this!" The scientist looked up from his laptop, a deep frown on his face.
"Didn't I say not to bother me?" His assistant smiled.
"If you don't want to see an artificial structure in the atmosphere of Jupiter, that isn't man made, then I'll go talk to Watkins. I'm sure she would love this." As she was about to step away, her boss got to his feet.
"Wait a fucking minute! Did you say 'artificial'?" The smile grew wider. Tara turned away only to hear footsteps that quickened to a jog.
"Al, put it up on the big screen." Tara said as she reentered the room.
"You got it! I can't believe it! We were only scanning the red spot...."
"Al, screen. Now." Her boss entered the room. "Enlarge." The red spot appeared, then was focused on a certain area. "We almost missed it in the vastness of the storm. If it wasn't for that black spot in the center, we would have." Dave looked at the screen, and even with the new telescope's enhancements, they could barely make it out. A black disc, surrounded by dark metallic material, with something even more odd then an artificial structure.
"Tara, is that what I think it is?" She smiled.
"We're not sure, sir. We can't get a good enough angle on the telescope to see right into the center. It might be the glint from the sun, or a reflection." Tara smiled. "Or that center might just be empty space, and that pinpoint of light might be a star." Dave looked dumbfounded.
"But that would mean....." His mind refused to comprehend what her own did almost instantaneously.
"Yes, sir. It might not be a ship, or a station. It might be a portal, or a bridge to another star system." He leaned back against the door frame.
"So....what do we do now? We don't have the resources to explore this further!" Tara rolled her eyes.
"We have SOP's, sir. I've already informed our liaison within the government of our discovery. We should be hearing from their offices within twenty four hours." She looked up as someone knocked on the door. "Or sooner."
"Who built it?" She was asked in the very first question. The astronaut was serious, so she didn't take offence. This was a common question she answered in every single press conference, and meeting with government officials since she discovered the portal. Her former boss was unable to adapt to the situation, but since she was, she was appointed by the government as the head of all further studies, and investigations of the portal.
This meeting with the team of astronauts who would be in the first manned mission to the portal was the next logical step.
"No one knows. Is it the beginning of a network, or are the two we found the only ones in existence? We know, from the probe we sent through, that there is one other portal. Its the way back. But we don't know if our portal is the end of a network, the beginning of it, or a branch. We don't know if this was a unique setup, if its a commercial gateway, or a military one. We only know two things. They exist, and they work. We don't know how." The astronauts didn't look impressed.
"So, if we get to the other side, and we can't find any other portals, and that one malfunctions, we are stuck there." She nodded.
"Correct. Our technology level only allows us to go there. We can't send through rescue operations, repair the portal, or even power it. If it wasn't in operation, we wouldn't even be able to see it. The portal somehow either negates the atmospheric disturbances, or is powered by them." Another astronaut put up his hand. Tara didn't know their names, but she should try to memorize them. She would be spending the next two years traveling to Jupiter with them, so the least she could do is try to be friendly.
"Is it causing the red spot storm?" Tara smiled. A good question.
"It might be, or maybe the red spot storm is the sign that this gas giant is the right place to put a portal. Our scientists have theories on the storm, how long its been spinning, and how long it will last. They've been wrong on the last part several times already. Maybe the portal is the reason why." She took a deep breath. "As we approach Jupiter, and the portal, we'll be able to observe, and check our readings to figure out what really is going on at the portal. At the time of entry, and exit." She smiled a wide excited smile. Her lips refused to stop trembling.
"This is the greatest discovery of mankind ever! Proof of intelligent life that isn't human!" Another hand shot up.
"So where did the creators of this portal go? Why haven't they been around to introduce themselves?" She shook her head.
"Another great question, but I have no answers for you. Some disaster, war, or genetic condition that removed them from our system, and maybe all systems. We just don't know. There are many theories, and no real answers. That is where we come in. We are the tip of the tip of the spear." A quiet voice spoke, but all heard her low ominous words.
"Or the sacrificial goats."
"So, what is the potential here?" The NASA director asked her point blank. It was the day before the ship was to leave Earth's orbit and head for the largest and most dangerous part of their space. The gas giant known as Jupiter.
"If I were to make a guess, sir, endless possibilities. Derelict vessels or stations. Unlimited resources. New technology. Industry off planet even! If our society were to become a space faring race, most industry would be groomed to support that, which would mean rapid economic growth, wealth, and the removal of pollution from off our planet." The director frowned.
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Think about it! Resources out there would need to be acquired. If its already out there, there is no reason to bring it back here. Just refine there. Industry would adapt, and change to follow where the resources were being mined. Its a simple approach, but our planet could recover if we halted our industrially driven economy. The only way to do that now and not harm our economy would be to do it elsewhere. The planet could be completely agrarian based! It would supply the agriculture needs, while space provides the industrial needs." The director nodded.
"Alright. I'll send a report to Washington. The environmentalists will love it, and so will the industrialists." After Tara left the room, a wide smile broke out on the director's face. "And NASA will be poised to be at the head of the line in all things. Heavy funding, ship design and manufacture, colonization, scientific exploration, and even military dominance. The funding diet is over!"
"How much do you think they invested in this?" Lieutenant Thompson asked over the mics. This was setup for internal communications only.
"The whole wad, Thompson. Every dime they could scrounge went into the design and manufacture of this ship, and its up to us to make sure its not wasted." She rolled her eyes.
"Captain, could you loosen up a bit? We have this in the bag!"
"Keep it in the bag, Thompson! I had direct orders that this has to succeed. That portal is the key to the future." She frowned.
"Which future, sir? NASA's?" He shook his head.
"No. Everyone's future." She turned her head, but could barely see the edge of his uniform. This was launch day, and they were strapped in for the ride into orbit.
"Did that come straight from the director?"
"No. The only voice who really matters. The big desk." Thompson straightened up in her seat.
"Understood, sir. If you heard it from him, then there is more at stake then I know."
"Correct, Thompson. A lot more. A real briefing will occur once we are underway. The scientist, Tara, will show you what that briefing means the closer we get." The lieutenant shivered in her seat.
The President. That means a series of possibilities. We are alone. We are not alone, and things will get a bit friendly, or things will be very unfriendly.
"Geri was right. We are the sacrificial goats."
"We've just been watching, and doing course corrections until now." Tara said to the assembled astronauts. The first ones to ever come out this far. "However, over the next six months, the ship will head to an alternate heading, then swing back towards the planet. Its to adjust our trajectory, and make sure we are heading right towards the disc in the super storm on Jupiter. That will also allow us to either verify the center, or at least get more clear imagery of the object." She looked over at Thompson. The lieutenant was professionally cold, but she had reasonable questions.
"So we still don't know if this is real or not?"
"No, its real. We could tell it was built, and not a natural phenomenon before we left. They wouldn't have invested so much capital if it was just a flight of fantasy. We can also see individual panels on the structure and some depth. However, we have no idea how it works, what its fueled by, or what it actually does." Sampson, one of the engineers, raised his hand.
"So what does the brass expect of us?" She smiled.
"At the very least, we need to verify its existence, how its built, and if we can get any useful technology from it. Its surviving deep within the atmosphere, shearing away the layers of atmosphere above it, and not being crushed by the gravity. That is powerful technology that we could use." Thompson's eyes lit up for only a brief second, which drew her attention slightly. She tried not to make it obvious as she wasn't sure what it meant.
"Any other questions?" The captain stood up. "Alright, get ready to go to our next stage, then we can relax like we have been for the last year. Keep it easy though, people. These are close quarters for a long period of time. If you need assistance, remember to talk to your superior officer for help. Dismissed."
"Do you have a minute?" Tara lifted her eyes from the book she had in her hands. Thompson had just stepped into her room, and closed the door. Unlike the movies, or missions to the red planet, Mars, this ship had a few separate crew cabins, cramped as they were, but there were still some privacy when needed.
"Of course, Thompson." She tilted her head.
"My name is Daria." Tara smiled slightly.
"I know, Thompson, but I wasn't aware you wanted me to use your first name." Daria blushed a bit.
"Well, I wanted you to know that I'm impressed at how you handle yourself." Tara frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?" Tara slid to the edge of her bed. The air felt heavy, and slightly awkward. There was also something there she didn't expect.
"You...well, you can talk to the men and the women equally well, and not try to dominate, or submit to them." Tara smiled slightly.
"I see." Daria blushed a bit brighter.
"What I mean is....oh boy, this is difficult. I mean, you treat everyone equally." Tara smiled softly.
"Of course I do. They are people, not men or women. Just like I treat you with respect, and do not push you around when you ask me questions, or treat you like you're stupid. You're a person to me." Daria frowned slightly.
"A person? Just a person?" Tara stood up, walked right up to her, and pushed her against the door frame. She laid her lips right on Daria's, and kissed her softly, then pushed it to a much firmer kiss. By the end of it, Daria murmured at the way she was dominated, and the attention she was given.
"No, but you've never made it this obvious before." Daria blushed.
"I never...I mean..." Tara kissed her again, pulled her away from the door, and guided her to the bed. She pushed her down on it, and turned up the heat.
"I hope you understand, Daria, out there, you are Thompson. In here, you are mine." Daria moaned as she was dominated, and kissed like she had never been kissed before. Daria liked to be dominated like this for only one reason. Her strength of character and refusal to bow down in her work life took its toll on her personal life. All of her previous lovers preferred her to be dominant, but she wanted to be treated and loved like she was a woman. Only Tara had seen that about her, and right now, alone with her in her room, she felt like a woman.
All Daria could think of now what how pleasant the next year was going to be, and the following two years on the return trip. If this first night was any indication, it would be an incredible trip.
"Didn't I say not to bother me?" His assistant smiled.
"If you don't want to see an artificial structure in the atmosphere of Jupiter, that isn't man made, then I'll go talk to Watkins. I'm sure she would love this." As she was about to step away, her boss got to his feet.
"Wait a fucking minute! Did you say 'artificial'?" The smile grew wider. Tara turned away only to hear footsteps that quickened to a jog.
"Al, put it up on the big screen." Tara said as she reentered the room.
"You got it! I can't believe it! We were only scanning the red spot...."
"Al, screen. Now." Her boss entered the room. "Enlarge." The red spot appeared, then was focused on a certain area. "We almost missed it in the vastness of the storm. If it wasn't for that black spot in the center, we would have." Dave looked at the screen, and even with the new telescope's enhancements, they could barely make it out. A black disc, surrounded by dark metallic material, with something even more odd then an artificial structure.
"Tara, is that what I think it is?" She smiled.
"We're not sure, sir. We can't get a good enough angle on the telescope to see right into the center. It might be the glint from the sun, or a reflection." Tara smiled. "Or that center might just be empty space, and that pinpoint of light might be a star." Dave looked dumbfounded.
"But that would mean....." His mind refused to comprehend what her own did almost instantaneously.
"Yes, sir. It might not be a ship, or a station. It might be a portal, or a bridge to another star system." He leaned back against the door frame.
"So....what do we do now? We don't have the resources to explore this further!" Tara rolled her eyes.
"We have SOP's, sir. I've already informed our liaison within the government of our discovery. We should be hearing from their offices within twenty four hours." She looked up as someone knocked on the door. "Or sooner."
"Who built it?" She was asked in the very first question. The astronaut was serious, so she didn't take offence. This was a common question she answered in every single press conference, and meeting with government officials since she discovered the portal. Her former boss was unable to adapt to the situation, but since she was, she was appointed by the government as the head of all further studies, and investigations of the portal.
This meeting with the team of astronauts who would be in the first manned mission to the portal was the next logical step.
"No one knows. Is it the beginning of a network, or are the two we found the only ones in existence? We know, from the probe we sent through, that there is one other portal. Its the way back. But we don't know if our portal is the end of a network, the beginning of it, or a branch. We don't know if this was a unique setup, if its a commercial gateway, or a military one. We only know two things. They exist, and they work. We don't know how." The astronauts didn't look impressed.
"So, if we get to the other side, and we can't find any other portals, and that one malfunctions, we are stuck there." She nodded.
"Correct. Our technology level only allows us to go there. We can't send through rescue operations, repair the portal, or even power it. If it wasn't in operation, we wouldn't even be able to see it. The portal somehow either negates the atmospheric disturbances, or is powered by them." Another astronaut put up his hand. Tara didn't know their names, but she should try to memorize them. She would be spending the next two years traveling to Jupiter with them, so the least she could do is try to be friendly.
"Is it causing the red spot storm?" Tara smiled. A good question.
"It might be, or maybe the red spot storm is the sign that this gas giant is the right place to put a portal. Our scientists have theories on the storm, how long its been spinning, and how long it will last. They've been wrong on the last part several times already. Maybe the portal is the reason why." She took a deep breath. "As we approach Jupiter, and the portal, we'll be able to observe, and check our readings to figure out what really is going on at the portal. At the time of entry, and exit." She smiled a wide excited smile. Her lips refused to stop trembling.
"This is the greatest discovery of mankind ever! Proof of intelligent life that isn't human!" Another hand shot up.
"So where did the creators of this portal go? Why haven't they been around to introduce themselves?" She shook her head.
"Another great question, but I have no answers for you. Some disaster, war, or genetic condition that removed them from our system, and maybe all systems. We just don't know. There are many theories, and no real answers. That is where we come in. We are the tip of the tip of the spear." A quiet voice spoke, but all heard her low ominous words.
"Or the sacrificial goats."
"So, what is the potential here?" The NASA director asked her point blank. It was the day before the ship was to leave Earth's orbit and head for the largest and most dangerous part of their space. The gas giant known as Jupiter.
"If I were to make a guess, sir, endless possibilities. Derelict vessels or stations. Unlimited resources. New technology. Industry off planet even! If our society were to become a space faring race, most industry would be groomed to support that, which would mean rapid economic growth, wealth, and the removal of pollution from off our planet." The director frowned.
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Think about it! Resources out there would need to be acquired. If its already out there, there is no reason to bring it back here. Just refine there. Industry would adapt, and change to follow where the resources were being mined. Its a simple approach, but our planet could recover if we halted our industrially driven economy. The only way to do that now and not harm our economy would be to do it elsewhere. The planet could be completely agrarian based! It would supply the agriculture needs, while space provides the industrial needs." The director nodded.
"Alright. I'll send a report to Washington. The environmentalists will love it, and so will the industrialists." After Tara left the room, a wide smile broke out on the director's face. "And NASA will be poised to be at the head of the line in all things. Heavy funding, ship design and manufacture, colonization, scientific exploration, and even military dominance. The funding diet is over!"
"How much do you think they invested in this?" Lieutenant Thompson asked over the mics. This was setup for internal communications only.
"The whole wad, Thompson. Every dime they could scrounge went into the design and manufacture of this ship, and its up to us to make sure its not wasted." She rolled her eyes.
"Captain, could you loosen up a bit? We have this in the bag!"
"Keep it in the bag, Thompson! I had direct orders that this has to succeed. That portal is the key to the future." She frowned.
"Which future, sir? NASA's?" He shook his head.
"No. Everyone's future." She turned her head, but could barely see the edge of his uniform. This was launch day, and they were strapped in for the ride into orbit.
"Did that come straight from the director?"
"No. The only voice who really matters. The big desk." Thompson straightened up in her seat.
"Understood, sir. If you heard it from him, then there is more at stake then I know."
"Correct, Thompson. A lot more. A real briefing will occur once we are underway. The scientist, Tara, will show you what that briefing means the closer we get." The lieutenant shivered in her seat.
The President. That means a series of possibilities. We are alone. We are not alone, and things will get a bit friendly, or things will be very unfriendly.
"Geri was right. We are the sacrificial goats."
"We've just been watching, and doing course corrections until now." Tara said to the assembled astronauts. The first ones to ever come out this far. "However, over the next six months, the ship will head to an alternate heading, then swing back towards the planet. Its to adjust our trajectory, and make sure we are heading right towards the disc in the super storm on Jupiter. That will also allow us to either verify the center, or at least get more clear imagery of the object." She looked over at Thompson. The lieutenant was professionally cold, but she had reasonable questions.
"So we still don't know if this is real or not?"
"No, its real. We could tell it was built, and not a natural phenomenon before we left. They wouldn't have invested so much capital if it was just a flight of fantasy. We can also see individual panels on the structure and some depth. However, we have no idea how it works, what its fueled by, or what it actually does." Sampson, one of the engineers, raised his hand.
"So what does the brass expect of us?" She smiled.
"At the very least, we need to verify its existence, how its built, and if we can get any useful technology from it. Its surviving deep within the atmosphere, shearing away the layers of atmosphere above it, and not being crushed by the gravity. That is powerful technology that we could use." Thompson's eyes lit up for only a brief second, which drew her attention slightly. She tried not to make it obvious as she wasn't sure what it meant.
"Any other questions?" The captain stood up. "Alright, get ready to go to our next stage, then we can relax like we have been for the last year. Keep it easy though, people. These are close quarters for a long period of time. If you need assistance, remember to talk to your superior officer for help. Dismissed."
"Do you have a minute?" Tara lifted her eyes from the book she had in her hands. Thompson had just stepped into her room, and closed the door. Unlike the movies, or missions to the red planet, Mars, this ship had a few separate crew cabins, cramped as they were, but there were still some privacy when needed.
"Of course, Thompson." She tilted her head.
"My name is Daria." Tara smiled slightly.
"I know, Thompson, but I wasn't aware you wanted me to use your first name." Daria blushed a bit.
"Well, I wanted you to know that I'm impressed at how you handle yourself." Tara frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?" Tara slid to the edge of her bed. The air felt heavy, and slightly awkward. There was also something there she didn't expect.
"You...well, you can talk to the men and the women equally well, and not try to dominate, or submit to them." Tara smiled slightly.
"I see." Daria blushed a bit brighter.
"What I mean is....oh boy, this is difficult. I mean, you treat everyone equally." Tara smiled softly.
"Of course I do. They are people, not men or women. Just like I treat you with respect, and do not push you around when you ask me questions, or treat you like you're stupid. You're a person to me." Daria frowned slightly.
"A person? Just a person?" Tara stood up, walked right up to her, and pushed her against the door frame. She laid her lips right on Daria's, and kissed her softly, then pushed it to a much firmer kiss. By the end of it, Daria murmured at the way she was dominated, and the attention she was given.
"No, but you've never made it this obvious before." Daria blushed.
"I never...I mean..." Tara kissed her again, pulled her away from the door, and guided her to the bed. She pushed her down on it, and turned up the heat.
"I hope you understand, Daria, out there, you are Thompson. In here, you are mine." Daria moaned as she was dominated, and kissed like she had never been kissed before. Daria liked to be dominated like this for only one reason. Her strength of character and refusal to bow down in her work life took its toll on her personal life. All of her previous lovers preferred her to be dominant, but she wanted to be treated and loved like she was a woman. Only Tara had seen that about her, and right now, alone with her in her room, she felt like a woman.
All Daria could think of now what how pleasant the next year was going to be, and the following two years on the return trip. If this first night was any indication, it would be an incredible trip.
Tuesday, 27 November 2018
The Wolf Queen - Chapter 4 - Fae
"Why are all these things in good shape? I've heard that underground is damp, but that place is as dry as an old bone!" Calla said in wonder as they carried several furs up into the cottage. Tonight would be one of the most comfortable nights for sleeping they had ever experienced.
"I'm not sure, love. I did scrape a bit of the dirt away from one of the walls, and it looks like it was sealed with tar." She sighed softly, and put her armload of goods on the floor near the fireplace. It was a copper pot, a copper tea kettle, a skinning knife, a saw, a two handed draw knife to peel logs and do finer woodworking, and a bobbin for making rope. "When I first got here, this place felt like it held its breath. That's when the wolves started to come around. Not before. There were bird droppings, but no deer came to eat the root veggies, or the fallen apples." Calla thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"I can't understand it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true." Calla had brought up an armload of rolled furs on the first trip, and went back down for two spears, two swords, and two wooden shields. She sighed as she sank down onto the fur pile, and smiled. "We have to start to train tomorrow. Neither of us can hit an ancient oak tree, let alone take out a deer or wolf with a bow. And bows are ideal when trying to kill from the shadows." Eerika smiled softly.
"Do we have to talk about killing tonight? Its just us right now, and it may not be that way for long. If we go hunting and raiding, we'll steal away some of their slaves, and that means no alone time anymore." Calla grinned.
"Then what are you doing standing up there then?" She crawled up onto her knees, grabbed Eerika about her muscular thighs, and pulled away her new fur leggings. Eerika's eyes narrowed and her breath caught in her throat.
"Where did you learn to do that?" She said softly before her knees weakened and Calla was able to pull her down to the pile.
Both ladies learned two things that night. Neither of them knew what real sex was until that night. And that it could also be good for both of them.
"How did you do that?" Eerika asked in amazement. On her third shot, her arrow sank deep into the tree she aimed at.
"I....don't really know. I saw how it went wide, looked at my hands on the second shot and realized that I was moving my hands while I released the bowstring, like I wanted to throw the arrow instead of letting the bow do it. I directed it wide." She looked at her shot, then frowned. "It still went quite low though. I think the arrow falls as it is flung by the bow. I have to aim higher." Eerika watched as she drew the bowstring back, then aimed a bit higher. Her hands stayed still after she released the string, and the arrow flew to the tree. It hit a little bit to one edge, but was nearly at shoulder height for a wolf. Then she shook her hand.
"I think we need to wear some sort of glove. I wonder if those two fingered gloves were meant for archers." Eerika nodded.
"Maybe. But we should look for something to protect your arm too. Look. The string has already scratched the inside of your wrist." Calla felt her arm.
"It hurts too. So we keep practicing, and we need to use those spears! If we can figure out how to fight with spears, that will keep those swordsmen off balance!" Eerika smiled.
"Just like your...." Calla shook her head.
"He was never my father, just my owner! A real parent doesn't do that to their children! Mom didn't, and she hated him!" She growled. Eerika put her hand on Calla's shoulder.
"We'll fix it, love. We'll kill as many slavers as we need to, and that is in order to rescue as many slaves as we can. We can't get them out quietly, or their owner will look for them. We'll have to kill them." Calla nodded.
"And we'll have to kill all of them in that village. Or that mayor will call for the Blind King's aid." Eerika growled. For some reason, just the mention of him made her livid.
The Blind King. The one who made a law that said women were not people, but property. Property can be sold, bought, or stolen. That is what that law did. It enslaved all women of his realm, and made them hate to be alive.
"When do you think we should go out?" Eerika bit her lip. It was nearing on the winter months, and they still had a bit of preparation to do. The roof was finally fixed so it didn't leak anymore, but they needed some more firewood. She looked around the cottage.
"Its finally home, Calla. A bed, a table and chairs, cooking pots, and a supply of meat and veggies down in that cellar. We finally have a home." She closed her eyes. "I'm not sure we're ready to defend it, let alone defend ourselves if we go out against them." Calla got up and put her hand on her shoulder.
"If we don't go after them, they will come for us. Not today, or maybe not even this year. Some day, they will stumble upon us, and either enslave us once again, or kill us when we aren't ready for them." She looked at their bed, and sighed sadly. "How many of them don't have a safe bed to sleep on? How many of them go to sleep with the whip putting them there? And the girls not yet a woman?" Eerika nodded.
"I know, Calla. I can still feel that place. A sore on the land. It smells like they do. Sour, and reeks of body odor that they don't even care to clean away." She sighed sadly. "We'll go out and search the woods tomorrow. Its half way through the harvest months, and only two more before the snows hit. We could use the extra help to dig up the root veggies we might have missed, and pick some of those apples to preserve in honey." Calla smiled at how she made it seem practical to start saving a few of the captives in that evil place.
It wasn't heroic in Eerika's eyes to save those women. It was practical. They had to do it, so it should be practical.
"Come on. Supper is finished. We'll have something to eat, then snuggle under the fur." Eerika's cheeks flushed red. Every time Calla suggested that they snuggle, things became heated and passionate between them.
Calla didn't have hero worship in her eyes anymore, but she did see Eerika as a heroic figure. The woman she loved so very much was a powerful and amazing woman. Almost mythological.
"Run yourself out finally?" The girl looked up, and pushed herself away from the tree. The chill in the air has sapped a lot of her strength, and the lack of real clothes just helped to drain more of her body heat.
She even slipped a couple of times, forced herself to her feet, only to run deeper into the woods, and further away from the village. The slavers and their laughter followed her, striking her just as surely as the whip they carried.
"Why did I run?" She said to herself. "There's no way they are still alive, and now I'm going to pay for this feeling of hope!" She fell against another tree, and smiled. "But it felt really good for a while." She started to giggle as they approached her.
"Get the rope. I think she's lost it, and I want to be back in the village before they try to sell our other girls." He laughed, but frowned and looked down. "Don? What's going.....holy...." He saw a spear sticking out through the chest of his comrade. A face appeared behind Don.
"He can't answer you now. He's busy being judged for his evil deeds!" She said, anger etched in her features, as well as glee at the man's death. The glint of metal flashed overhead.
"Well said, love. But he's not the only one." An extremely tall and powerfully built woman stepped out of the shadows, her ax raised overhead. The force of the impact drove him to the carpet of leaves, and the slightly manic eyes of their slave glared down at him in immense satisfaction.
"Ugh, these things just don't bathe, do they, love?" Calla pulled her spear out of the slaver's back, and smiled.
"Calla? Is it really you?" Calla came closer.
"Hi, Fae. I'm glad we came this way and found you. Although it wasn't difficult considering they didn't try to cover their laughter, or tracks. We could have slipped in front of them before they noticed us." Eerika nodded, and gently scooped for cold woman up in her arms.
"Grab their stuff, love. Let the wolves choke on their stench."
"Eerika? Can you get her some food while I sort through her belongings?" She smiled and nodded. She turned her head slightly so she could hear the conversation.
"My belongings? I only have the clothes on my body, and these aren't very good anymore." Fae shook her head sadly. "I wish I had grabbed something! Anything!" Calla chuckled. "What's so funny?"
"These are your belongings. You have one bow, one boot knife, a dagger, a short sword, two pairs of boots, two shirts, but the blood stains will have to be cut away and mended. And washed. Ugh, men never bathe, do they? Bloody pigs. And two pairs of pants, two belts, two belt pouches, and....yes, a few coins. Not a bad start, Fae." She frowned.
"I don't understand."
"Its something we discussed before we found you. Whenever we find a slave that wants to be free, and we kill their slavers, all the property on their bodies now belong to them. Its a simple way to give you something to start out with." Fae bit her bottom lip.
"Start out where? I have no home, and that little bit of coin won't buy my freedom. They would only sell me again if they found me." Calla sighed softly.
"Do you think we went to the trouble of saving you only to turn you over to them again? You'll stay here, with us. You're not a slave any longer, so if you don't want to stay, you don't have to. We would like you to stay though. Right, Eerika?" She came back with a slab of wood that had several pieces of roasted meat on it.
"She's right, Fae. You're safe here, with us. You're home." Calla sighed. She knew what those words would do, and she was right. Fae started to cry, and found powerful arms lift her up, put her on the log framed bed, and two warm bodies melded to her, for comfort, and strength.
"So...what happens now? Do I pay....what did I say?" Fae said in surprise, and fear. Calla had become angry at her words.
"You're free, Fae. You don't pay us for that freedom, either with your body, or your coin." She said coldly, and sat up. "Me and Eerika have had sex together, but that doesn't mean we're going to press you for sex." She shivered, then felt Eerika's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be angry, love. She doesn't understand yet. Just let her experience what being free is like before you get angry at her for not understanding." Calla lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Fae. She's right. It will take some time, and you'll make mistakes, but the wonderful thing about mistakes is that you can learn from them. And not get whipped for it either." Fae's eyes opened wide.
"Really? No pain?" Calla turned towards her, and smiled.
"No pain. Eerika's been here nearly a month, and I came here four days after that. We haven't slept so well in our lives! But...." Calla's eyes turned sad.
"What? What's wrong?" Eerika felt that sadness, and knew what she was about to explain.
"Now that the pressure is off, all that evil is going to come out. When it does, you won't be able to stop yourself from being mean, or hateful, or frightened." Fae sat up and hugged her.
"You can't stop it?" Calla closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Its inside you. We can't stop what we have no control of. What you don't have control of. All we can do is stay close, and help you when you need us." But Calla had no idea just how bad it could get. She knew her own mind, but not the mind of someone who has endured over a decade of abuse.
The tapestry of the mind was a fragile thing. There was no way to tell what damage was done until it started to unravel, and she tried to repair herself.
"So this is what you went through." Calla said softly as she gently held Fae, let her find her calm, and eventually cry herself out. "I didn't know it would be this hard, not being able to find the things that hurt her because it was her own mind's responses to the past."
"And she isn't finding her feet, love. If anything, she's getting worse. Maybe she should sleep alone for a while." Calla frowned.
"Does it bother you that much?" Eerika shook her head.
"I think we are making it worse for her. We support her, let her cry, and show that we are there for her. She's never had that. Is that making her rely on us when she should rely on herself?" Calla frowned.
"I don't know. I didn't go through what she did. When I started to become a woman, and he started to 'train' me, my mom laid down. Then it was only me and my thoughts. It was all I could do to not lay down myself." Eerika laid her hand on Calla's shoulder. "Don't worry. I don't want to lay down anymore, other then to sleep." Eerika smiled softly.
"Then you had it worse then she did, love. We were sold when we were sixteen, or a bit later. You were younger then she was." Calla shrugged.
"I'm not counting years. Besides, look at her. She's almost vacant inside." Fae lifted her head.
"The stocks! They're going to put me in the stocks! I'll never be free!" Calla growled. Though she had responded, it was to what was inside her head, not to Calla. She kept reliving her life in that hell, put in the stocks to be sold, and shown off for eager buyers.
"I hate those things! They display us like meat, to soften us up for our new master, often whipping us to show how much we cry out in pain!" Fae nodded, while Eerika struggled to control her temper. Just the thought of Calla being whipped put her hackles up, and made her want to kill someone.
"I don't want to go back! I got out of the stocks just before I ran! If they find me, I'll go right back in!" Eerika couldn't stand to listen to anymore. She stood up, picked up her ax, along with a shield and spear. She couldn't wait to bury the ax in someone's skull.
"Love? What...."
"Fae? Can you cook something for us to eat? We are going to go raid that village, and destroy those stocks!" Fae's eyes filled with life, and hope. This time, it wasn't the hope that she would escape. It was the hope that she would never have to go back.
"I'm not sure, love. I did scrape a bit of the dirt away from one of the walls, and it looks like it was sealed with tar." She sighed softly, and put her armload of goods on the floor near the fireplace. It was a copper pot, a copper tea kettle, a skinning knife, a saw, a two handed draw knife to peel logs and do finer woodworking, and a bobbin for making rope. "When I first got here, this place felt like it held its breath. That's when the wolves started to come around. Not before. There were bird droppings, but no deer came to eat the root veggies, or the fallen apples." Calla thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"I can't understand it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true." Calla had brought up an armload of rolled furs on the first trip, and went back down for two spears, two swords, and two wooden shields. She sighed as she sank down onto the fur pile, and smiled. "We have to start to train tomorrow. Neither of us can hit an ancient oak tree, let alone take out a deer or wolf with a bow. And bows are ideal when trying to kill from the shadows." Eerika smiled softly.
"Do we have to talk about killing tonight? Its just us right now, and it may not be that way for long. If we go hunting and raiding, we'll steal away some of their slaves, and that means no alone time anymore." Calla grinned.
"Then what are you doing standing up there then?" She crawled up onto her knees, grabbed Eerika about her muscular thighs, and pulled away her new fur leggings. Eerika's eyes narrowed and her breath caught in her throat.
"Where did you learn to do that?" She said softly before her knees weakened and Calla was able to pull her down to the pile.
Both ladies learned two things that night. Neither of them knew what real sex was until that night. And that it could also be good for both of them.
"How did you do that?" Eerika asked in amazement. On her third shot, her arrow sank deep into the tree she aimed at.
"I....don't really know. I saw how it went wide, looked at my hands on the second shot and realized that I was moving my hands while I released the bowstring, like I wanted to throw the arrow instead of letting the bow do it. I directed it wide." She looked at her shot, then frowned. "It still went quite low though. I think the arrow falls as it is flung by the bow. I have to aim higher." Eerika watched as she drew the bowstring back, then aimed a bit higher. Her hands stayed still after she released the string, and the arrow flew to the tree. It hit a little bit to one edge, but was nearly at shoulder height for a wolf. Then she shook her hand.
"I think we need to wear some sort of glove. I wonder if those two fingered gloves were meant for archers." Eerika nodded.
"Maybe. But we should look for something to protect your arm too. Look. The string has already scratched the inside of your wrist." Calla felt her arm.
"It hurts too. So we keep practicing, and we need to use those spears! If we can figure out how to fight with spears, that will keep those swordsmen off balance!" Eerika smiled.
"Just like your...." Calla shook her head.
"He was never my father, just my owner! A real parent doesn't do that to their children! Mom didn't, and she hated him!" She growled. Eerika put her hand on Calla's shoulder.
"We'll fix it, love. We'll kill as many slavers as we need to, and that is in order to rescue as many slaves as we can. We can't get them out quietly, or their owner will look for them. We'll have to kill them." Calla nodded.
"And we'll have to kill all of them in that village. Or that mayor will call for the Blind King's aid." Eerika growled. For some reason, just the mention of him made her livid.
The Blind King. The one who made a law that said women were not people, but property. Property can be sold, bought, or stolen. That is what that law did. It enslaved all women of his realm, and made them hate to be alive.
"When do you think we should go out?" Eerika bit her lip. It was nearing on the winter months, and they still had a bit of preparation to do. The roof was finally fixed so it didn't leak anymore, but they needed some more firewood. She looked around the cottage.
"Its finally home, Calla. A bed, a table and chairs, cooking pots, and a supply of meat and veggies down in that cellar. We finally have a home." She closed her eyes. "I'm not sure we're ready to defend it, let alone defend ourselves if we go out against them." Calla got up and put her hand on her shoulder.
"If we don't go after them, they will come for us. Not today, or maybe not even this year. Some day, they will stumble upon us, and either enslave us once again, or kill us when we aren't ready for them." She looked at their bed, and sighed sadly. "How many of them don't have a safe bed to sleep on? How many of them go to sleep with the whip putting them there? And the girls not yet a woman?" Eerika nodded.
"I know, Calla. I can still feel that place. A sore on the land. It smells like they do. Sour, and reeks of body odor that they don't even care to clean away." She sighed sadly. "We'll go out and search the woods tomorrow. Its half way through the harvest months, and only two more before the snows hit. We could use the extra help to dig up the root veggies we might have missed, and pick some of those apples to preserve in honey." Calla smiled at how she made it seem practical to start saving a few of the captives in that evil place.
It wasn't heroic in Eerika's eyes to save those women. It was practical. They had to do it, so it should be practical.
"Come on. Supper is finished. We'll have something to eat, then snuggle under the fur." Eerika's cheeks flushed red. Every time Calla suggested that they snuggle, things became heated and passionate between them.
Calla didn't have hero worship in her eyes anymore, but she did see Eerika as a heroic figure. The woman she loved so very much was a powerful and amazing woman. Almost mythological.
"Run yourself out finally?" The girl looked up, and pushed herself away from the tree. The chill in the air has sapped a lot of her strength, and the lack of real clothes just helped to drain more of her body heat.
She even slipped a couple of times, forced herself to her feet, only to run deeper into the woods, and further away from the village. The slavers and their laughter followed her, striking her just as surely as the whip they carried.
"Why did I run?" She said to herself. "There's no way they are still alive, and now I'm going to pay for this feeling of hope!" She fell against another tree, and smiled. "But it felt really good for a while." She started to giggle as they approached her.
"Get the rope. I think she's lost it, and I want to be back in the village before they try to sell our other girls." He laughed, but frowned and looked down. "Don? What's going.....holy...." He saw a spear sticking out through the chest of his comrade. A face appeared behind Don.
"He can't answer you now. He's busy being judged for his evil deeds!" She said, anger etched in her features, as well as glee at the man's death. The glint of metal flashed overhead.
"Well said, love. But he's not the only one." An extremely tall and powerfully built woman stepped out of the shadows, her ax raised overhead. The force of the impact drove him to the carpet of leaves, and the slightly manic eyes of their slave glared down at him in immense satisfaction.
"Ugh, these things just don't bathe, do they, love?" Calla pulled her spear out of the slaver's back, and smiled.
"Calla? Is it really you?" Calla came closer.
"Hi, Fae. I'm glad we came this way and found you. Although it wasn't difficult considering they didn't try to cover their laughter, or tracks. We could have slipped in front of them before they noticed us." Eerika nodded, and gently scooped for cold woman up in her arms.
"Grab their stuff, love. Let the wolves choke on their stench."
"Eerika? Can you get her some food while I sort through her belongings?" She smiled and nodded. She turned her head slightly so she could hear the conversation.
"My belongings? I only have the clothes on my body, and these aren't very good anymore." Fae shook her head sadly. "I wish I had grabbed something! Anything!" Calla chuckled. "What's so funny?"
"These are your belongings. You have one bow, one boot knife, a dagger, a short sword, two pairs of boots, two shirts, but the blood stains will have to be cut away and mended. And washed. Ugh, men never bathe, do they? Bloody pigs. And two pairs of pants, two belts, two belt pouches, and....yes, a few coins. Not a bad start, Fae." She frowned.
"I don't understand."
"Its something we discussed before we found you. Whenever we find a slave that wants to be free, and we kill their slavers, all the property on their bodies now belong to them. Its a simple way to give you something to start out with." Fae bit her bottom lip.
"Start out where? I have no home, and that little bit of coin won't buy my freedom. They would only sell me again if they found me." Calla sighed softly.
"Do you think we went to the trouble of saving you only to turn you over to them again? You'll stay here, with us. You're not a slave any longer, so if you don't want to stay, you don't have to. We would like you to stay though. Right, Eerika?" She came back with a slab of wood that had several pieces of roasted meat on it.
"She's right, Fae. You're safe here, with us. You're home." Calla sighed. She knew what those words would do, and she was right. Fae started to cry, and found powerful arms lift her up, put her on the log framed bed, and two warm bodies melded to her, for comfort, and strength.
"So...what happens now? Do I pay....what did I say?" Fae said in surprise, and fear. Calla had become angry at her words.
"You're free, Fae. You don't pay us for that freedom, either with your body, or your coin." She said coldly, and sat up. "Me and Eerika have had sex together, but that doesn't mean we're going to press you for sex." She shivered, then felt Eerika's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be angry, love. She doesn't understand yet. Just let her experience what being free is like before you get angry at her for not understanding." Calla lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Fae. She's right. It will take some time, and you'll make mistakes, but the wonderful thing about mistakes is that you can learn from them. And not get whipped for it either." Fae's eyes opened wide.
"Really? No pain?" Calla turned towards her, and smiled.
"No pain. Eerika's been here nearly a month, and I came here four days after that. We haven't slept so well in our lives! But...." Calla's eyes turned sad.
"What? What's wrong?" Eerika felt that sadness, and knew what she was about to explain.
"Now that the pressure is off, all that evil is going to come out. When it does, you won't be able to stop yourself from being mean, or hateful, or frightened." Fae sat up and hugged her.
"You can't stop it?" Calla closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Its inside you. We can't stop what we have no control of. What you don't have control of. All we can do is stay close, and help you when you need us." But Calla had no idea just how bad it could get. She knew her own mind, but not the mind of someone who has endured over a decade of abuse.
The tapestry of the mind was a fragile thing. There was no way to tell what damage was done until it started to unravel, and she tried to repair herself.
"So this is what you went through." Calla said softly as she gently held Fae, let her find her calm, and eventually cry herself out. "I didn't know it would be this hard, not being able to find the things that hurt her because it was her own mind's responses to the past."
"And she isn't finding her feet, love. If anything, she's getting worse. Maybe she should sleep alone for a while." Calla frowned.
"Does it bother you that much?" Eerika shook her head.
"I think we are making it worse for her. We support her, let her cry, and show that we are there for her. She's never had that. Is that making her rely on us when she should rely on herself?" Calla frowned.
"I don't know. I didn't go through what she did. When I started to become a woman, and he started to 'train' me, my mom laid down. Then it was only me and my thoughts. It was all I could do to not lay down myself." Eerika laid her hand on Calla's shoulder. "Don't worry. I don't want to lay down anymore, other then to sleep." Eerika smiled softly.
"Then you had it worse then she did, love. We were sold when we were sixteen, or a bit later. You were younger then she was." Calla shrugged.
"I'm not counting years. Besides, look at her. She's almost vacant inside." Fae lifted her head.
"The stocks! They're going to put me in the stocks! I'll never be free!" Calla growled. Though she had responded, it was to what was inside her head, not to Calla. She kept reliving her life in that hell, put in the stocks to be sold, and shown off for eager buyers.
"I hate those things! They display us like meat, to soften us up for our new master, often whipping us to show how much we cry out in pain!" Fae nodded, while Eerika struggled to control her temper. Just the thought of Calla being whipped put her hackles up, and made her want to kill someone.
"I don't want to go back! I got out of the stocks just before I ran! If they find me, I'll go right back in!" Eerika couldn't stand to listen to anymore. She stood up, picked up her ax, along with a shield and spear. She couldn't wait to bury the ax in someone's skull.
"Love? What...."
"Fae? Can you cook something for us to eat? We are going to go raid that village, and destroy those stocks!" Fae's eyes filled with life, and hope. This time, it wasn't the hope that she would escape. It was the hope that she would never have to go back.
Sunday, 25 November 2018
The Wolf Queen - Chapter 3 - A Treasure
Eerika smiled fondly at the young woman who worked beside her throughout the afternoon. She looked tired, but she dragged fallen trees she could manage, and though there were some she couldn't, she still tried to move it, just like a relentless wolf on the hunt.
Unfortunately for Eerika, she pushed her away with that chill in her eyes, and that doubt in her heart.
As the day wore on, and as Calla looked to her for guidance and approval, a bit of disquiet settled on her. A small doubt began to take root in her heart. Did she behave towards Calla as the slavers had to them? Did she use these methods to force her to work, even if she didn't use a whip?
"Eerika? Is something wrong?" When Calla's hand slipped into hers, her presence momentarily pushed it away. But it wouldn't stay silent, and her demeanor changed because of it.
"No, nothing's wrong. We just have so much work to do." The doubt now bloomed, and she felt a sliver of dread in her heart.
What if I drive Calla away from me with the way I treat her?
Unfortunately for Eerika, she pushed her away with that chill in her eyes, and that doubt in her heart.
Calla sat beside her on the stone, quietly chewed on freshly roasted wolf meat, and stayed silent. She put the boots she had finished earlier on Eerika's feet, but turned away when she went to thank her. Eerika felt eerily cold because of it. Her Calla was already further away then she could bare, but had no idea how it happened.
While the fire burned in the fireplace, and they laid beside each other, Calla did not snuggle up to her side like she did the night before. She turned away. This made Eerika feel more alone then she had while back at the village.
It wasn't long before her sense of unease filled the room, and Calla moved away from her entirely. The space between them was so pronounced, it snapped within her like a twig underfoot.
"Calla, what's wrong?" She turned towards her, and saw the shimmer of tears on Calla's cheeks. That did something that her will could not do all day. She closed the gap between them, scooped her up in her arms, and held her tightly. "Please, don't cry. I'm sorry." Calla leaned into her.
"Why? Why did you push me away?" She asked miserably. "I love you." Eerika felt her middle clench something fierce, but a chill went through her as well.
"You love me? Is this because I saved you?" That was gratitude, and Eerika wanted nothing to do with it. Calla shook her head.
"I know you would never hold that over my head, or try to use it against me. I love how strong you are, how gentle you are, and how concerned you are about me. But why did you push me away?" She turned her tear stained cheeks into her chest, and let Eerika's strength cradle her against a truth she may not be ready to hear.
"I didn't want to be like the slavers. I didn't want to force you to do something just because I gave you approval, or a smile." Calla frowned.
"Well, that's just stupid." Eerika rocked backward in surprise.
"What...."
"I was looking for approval! I wanted to know if I did it right, or wrong! I've never had approval before, and when you gave it to me, it felt so right! I liked to see you smile at me! I would do anything to see that smile aimed at me! It makes me feel warm, and wanted." She trailed off. "Wanted, in a good way. Not dirty, like back there." Eerika sighed sadly, and held her tighter.
"It looks like I did what I didn't want to do. I didn't want you to feel like you were a slave, or push you away, and I did those very things." Calla inhaled her scent.
"A slave? We're working together! Has any man ever done that? We chopped the wood! We harvested the fields, worked like dogs in the sun while they laid about, and ordered us around! Or they whipped us when we moved too slow. You worked with me! How could you ever see yourself as one of those things?" She punched her in the chest.
"Ow." Eerika said softly.
"That didn't hurt you." She said in a low voice. "But you hurt me." Eerika sighed sadly.
"I did. I am sorry, love." Calla looked up at her, and gave her a smile that took the loneliness away so fast, she could scarcely believe she had felt it in the first place. Then she wrapped her arms about Eerika' neck and hauled her down for a kiss.
"Don't do it again." Eerika sucked in her breath. There was a spark in Calla's eyes she had never seen before. An angry spark that made her desire, and respect her even more.
"I won't, love. Never again."
Calla frowned as she looked around the field, and her eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Eerika!" She smiled as her partner came outside.
"What's wrong?" She asked quickly, her ax in her hand, and ready to use.
"I forgot to tell you something! I found a door in the ground near the back of the house yesterday!" Eerika tilted her head slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?" Calla shrugged.
"I was distracted! Anyway, its back here!" She walked around the back, and swept some moss and dirt away from a wooden door that was recessed in the side of a jut out of the cottage foundation. Eerika frowned, and gripped the handle.
"Its rotted away. How is it that the door managed to stay upright? The wood is soggy, and punk." Calla giggled.
"That's what the old women say about the men in our village!" Eerika grinned, and pulled the pieces away from the stone. "Holy....its a stairwell!"
"Its pretty dark down here. I don't think it would be safe to go down like this." Calla bit her bottom lip, then smiled.
"Hold up a minute. I'll go get a torch." She rushed off, which left Eerika to stand there, a frown on her face.
"A torch? We don't have torches." A few minutes later, Calla reappeared with two lit torches.
"I learned that if you wrap a thick stick with fabric dipped in fat, it will act like a torch. The fat will make it light quickly, but the fabric acts like a candle wick. It will stay going until the fat and fabric is burned away." Eerika smiled, took one of the torches, and walked down the now lit stairwell. Calla stayed near the top with her torch so she would know the way out. A minute later, Eerika came to the bottom of the stairs.
"Calla? I think you should see this."
"I can't believe it! A horde of goods! Swords, spears, shields, leather armor, torches, furs, salt, and even tools! Lots of tools!" Eerika smiled at her partner's excitement, but that smile fell as soon as they pushed open the door to their cottage. A slimy voice spoke to their side.
"I knew I would find you somewhere!" Calla turned a deathly shade of white as she turned to the voice. "Do you have any idea how much gold you've cost me?!"
"No no no no no!" She backed away as soon as the hand reached out for her.
"Do as your told, you whore!" Eerika turned livid.
"Don't touch her!" She yelled in rage, but when the man turned his sword to Eerika, he saw something he had never seen before. Not only did he face an extremely large opponent, but now, his slave turned on him in absolute insane fury.
She screeched as she dashed forward, her spear held in a death grip, and she drove it through his chest, right out the back, only to break off as it hit the stone of the cottage wall. Eerika could only watch in dumbfounded silence as her timid partner grabbed a hammer she had dropped, and started to pound on his body with reckless abandon. By the time her rage played itself out, the body was no longer recognizable.
And neither was Calla.
"He was my father." She said woodenly as Eerika took a piece of fabric and gently wiped away the blood and viscera that had caked to her front. She had carried Calla to the porch, dragged his body out by the slavers, and filled a bronze basin with water from the nearby stream.
"I could see his face in my nightmares every night. He raped my mother every night, and started to do the same to me when I came of age. He stole her from a neighboring village when she was barely a teenager. She laid down not long after he started to rape me. The slave lord, the so called mayor of our village, found out that he had broken me in, and decided he had enough fun. I was sent to the auction house, and was there for only three months before I escaped." Eerika kept herself calm, but only barely. The one she wanted to kill was already dead, and though she was proud of Calla for doing so, she needed to kill someone else now.
"I hate them. I hate them, Eerika." She nodded and continued to wipe away the blood. "They made me feel fear my whole life. I'm still afraid I'll wake up and be right back there in that slave house. Or back in his house. Not here. Not at home." Eerika smiled, which made Calla frown. "What?"
"You called this home." She nodded. "Then we'll have to defend this home, won't we?" Calla's eyes took on some life again.
"You mean it?"
"After we are done figuring out what we have down there, and seal it back up so only we know of its existence, we'll start training, and scouting between here and the village. I want to know all the paths. What ones they can take to our home, and how to protect ourselves if they ever try to come here." Calla leaned in to her front, and held on to her waist.
"What then?" She smiled at the answer.
"Then we'll start raiding that village and put as many of them to the sword as we can. Its time for them to understand what happens when you back a wild animal up into a corner." Calla grinned evilly.
"They bite back."
"I won't, love. Never again."
Calla frowned as she looked around the field, and her eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Eerika!" She smiled as her partner came outside.
"What's wrong?" She asked quickly, her ax in her hand, and ready to use.
"I forgot to tell you something! I found a door in the ground near the back of the house yesterday!" Eerika tilted her head slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?" Calla shrugged.
"I was distracted! Anyway, its back here!" She walked around the back, and swept some moss and dirt away from a wooden door that was recessed in the side of a jut out of the cottage foundation. Eerika frowned, and gripped the handle.
"Its rotted away. How is it that the door managed to stay upright? The wood is soggy, and punk." Calla giggled.
"That's what the old women say about the men in our village!" Eerika grinned, and pulled the pieces away from the stone. "Holy....its a stairwell!"
"Its pretty dark down here. I don't think it would be safe to go down like this." Calla bit her bottom lip, then smiled.
"Hold up a minute. I'll go get a torch." She rushed off, which left Eerika to stand there, a frown on her face.
"A torch? We don't have torches." A few minutes later, Calla reappeared with two lit torches.
"I learned that if you wrap a thick stick with fabric dipped in fat, it will act like a torch. The fat will make it light quickly, but the fabric acts like a candle wick. It will stay going until the fat and fabric is burned away." Eerika smiled, took one of the torches, and walked down the now lit stairwell. Calla stayed near the top with her torch so she would know the way out. A minute later, Eerika came to the bottom of the stairs.
"Calla? I think you should see this."
"I can't believe it! A horde of goods! Swords, spears, shields, leather armor, torches, furs, salt, and even tools! Lots of tools!" Eerika smiled at her partner's excitement, but that smile fell as soon as they pushed open the door to their cottage. A slimy voice spoke to their side.
"I knew I would find you somewhere!" Calla turned a deathly shade of white as she turned to the voice. "Do you have any idea how much gold you've cost me?!"
"No no no no no!" She backed away as soon as the hand reached out for her.
"Do as your told, you whore!" Eerika turned livid.
"Don't touch her!" She yelled in rage, but when the man turned his sword to Eerika, he saw something he had never seen before. Not only did he face an extremely large opponent, but now, his slave turned on him in absolute insane fury.
She screeched as she dashed forward, her spear held in a death grip, and she drove it through his chest, right out the back, only to break off as it hit the stone of the cottage wall. Eerika could only watch in dumbfounded silence as her timid partner grabbed a hammer she had dropped, and started to pound on his body with reckless abandon. By the time her rage played itself out, the body was no longer recognizable.
And neither was Calla.
"He was my father." She said woodenly as Eerika took a piece of fabric and gently wiped away the blood and viscera that had caked to her front. She had carried Calla to the porch, dragged his body out by the slavers, and filled a bronze basin with water from the nearby stream.
"I could see his face in my nightmares every night. He raped my mother every night, and started to do the same to me when I came of age. He stole her from a neighboring village when she was barely a teenager. She laid down not long after he started to rape me. The slave lord, the so called mayor of our village, found out that he had broken me in, and decided he had enough fun. I was sent to the auction house, and was there for only three months before I escaped." Eerika kept herself calm, but only barely. The one she wanted to kill was already dead, and though she was proud of Calla for doing so, she needed to kill someone else now.
"I hate them. I hate them, Eerika." She nodded and continued to wipe away the blood. "They made me feel fear my whole life. I'm still afraid I'll wake up and be right back there in that slave house. Or back in his house. Not here. Not at home." Eerika smiled, which made Calla frown. "What?"
"You called this home." She nodded. "Then we'll have to defend this home, won't we?" Calla's eyes took on some life again.
"You mean it?"
"After we are done figuring out what we have down there, and seal it back up so only we know of its existence, we'll start training, and scouting between here and the village. I want to know all the paths. What ones they can take to our home, and how to protect ourselves if they ever try to come here." Calla leaned in to her front, and held on to her waist.
"What then?" She smiled at the answer.
"Then we'll start raiding that village and put as many of them to the sword as we can. Its time for them to understand what happens when you back a wild animal up into a corner." Calla grinned evilly.
"They bite back."
Friday, 23 November 2018
The Wolf Queen - Chapter 2 - Calla
"No! Please help!" Their laughter rolled over her like a heavy wet garment, draining more of her strength as she ran on through the forest.
"Look! There's a house! Maybe they'll help ya, girlie!" The two men laughed, their torches kept the way ahead lit up, and their victim on the run. When they opened the door to the slave's auction house, she had barreled out the door, and passed them as fast as she could run. With barely enough food to keep an adult going, they knew this slave would run out of energy quickly.
"Help! Please help me!" She pushed on the door and nearly fell through the doorway is it opened with only the barest of pressure.
"You've no where else to run to, girlie. Time to pay up for all this effort." She turned her head away and curled up in a ball.
"Almost." She whined pitifully. "Almost."
"Hey, its my turn! I paid for her!" His friend growled.
"And I kept her in sight! You wait your turn, George!" George bumped into him. "Listen! I said...." He pushed him away, but his eyes opened wide in shock as his friend fell to the floor. Then he turned. Against the wall was the largest woman he had ever seen. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl as she lifted her ax overhead.
"You're in my house!"
"You dare?" She snarled as her dagger went into George's side, between his ribs, and up into his lungs. He barely registered the pain as the strength went out of his legs, and he fell into his companion.
"Listen! I said......" Eerika growled and lifted her ax high.
"You're in my house!" The sound as her ax cleaved though his collarbone was nearly as satisfying as the surprise in his eyes when he fell to the floor. Eerika turned quickly to the door as she ripped her ax out of his now lifeless body. When no one else came through her door, she pushed it closed, and latched it shut. She looked at the girl who still cowered in fear.
"Is there anyone else out there?" She snapped out quickly. The girl didn't reply. "Is there anyone else out there?" Eerika stepped closer, which made her lift her eyes. They opened wide as she took in the carnage around her. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she launched herself at Eerika. She tried to step backwards, but the small body hit her in the middle. Her arms wrapped around her waist, and all Eerika could hear were the same words spoken softly, over and over.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you."
"You look starved right to death, girl." She said softly, leaned down and pulled off the first man's belt pouch. "Ugh, why don't these things ever bathe?" She asked in disgust. "Here. There might be some food in it. Look through it and see if there is anything we can use to survive." The girl took the pouch tentatively, and opened it.
"There is some jerky!" She pulled it out and held it out to her. Eerika shook her head.
"Eat it. The least these pigs can do is feed you. Hm, you're not wearing any shoes. And mine are nothing but footwraps." She pulled off the leather boots they wore, and grimaced. "My feet are bigger then theirs, but if I cut out the toe, I can at least wear it." She looked at the girl. "What's your name?"
"Calla." She smiled at her softly.
"Can you alter these boots for me?" Calla looked at them slightly off kilter, and nodded.
"My father taught me to work with leather. At least he let me watch. If they had a leather vest, I think I could even make you a good pair of boots. I would just need a knife, a hammer with small tack nails, and some wood to make the sole." She sat forward, and took one of the boots. "Can you let me see one of your feet?" Eerika frowned slightly, but sat down and held out her foot.
"Yeah, it looks wide enough for your foot. I can cut down the back of the boot, cut off the cuff, and use the leather to make a strap. That would hold your foot in the boot. It would also allow your heel to come off the back." She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure if it would be better then letting your toes out the front. Is that other pig's boots larger?" Eerika chuckled, and checked his feet.
"They look a bit larger. Hm, let me check." She pulled one off. "Can you check it for me?" Calla held the boot to her foot, and smiled a bit.
"You'll need to wash the leather to get his stench out, but if I cut the top, it will expand enough to allow your foot in comfortably. Its just a matter of adding slits and straps to close the top." She smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen a woman wear boots before." Eerika smiled. "Should we strip these pigs of anything valuable?" That brought out a laugh from her.
"Yeah, we'll do just that. Keep chewing on that jerky." Calla got up on her knees.
"I'll help! I need to help." She lowered her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I have to make myself useful."
"Useful? Just eat that food, Calla." She looked at Calla who also looked at her forlornly. "Alright, help me strip this one, and I'll drag his body outside. Then you can strip the other one down, and I'll put his body with the fat one. We can hunt the wolves that come to chew on their bones in the morning." Calla tilted her head slightly.
"Hunt the wolves?" Eerika nodded, and cut a piece of meat off the roast in the fireplace. She handed her the meat and watched her tear into it hungrily. When she swallowed it, and ripped another piece off, Eerika smiled.
"That's what you're eating. Wolf I killed yesterday. If you can stomach it now, then it won't be hard later." Calla looked at the bone, tasted the meat in her mouth, then sank her teeth into it for more.
"Real meat. And I didn't have to beg." Eerika glanced over at her, and smiled softly.
"I know. Enjoy that feeling, Calla. I've known it for the last few days, but it is a wonderful feeling." She reached out and put her hand on Calla's cheek. "We still have a lot of work left to do, so save whatever tears you're holding in right now. You can cry when you sleep tonight without a whip on your skin." Calla sniffed, but smiled.
As she went to work, separating the clothes, their weapons and tools, and anything valuable they could use, Eerika smiled softly.
You are trying to be brave, but when you can sleep without the master's whip on your back, or have to fill his demands for your body, you will cry then, Calla. Of that, there is no doubt.
As she continued to watch her as discreetly as possible, an undeniable urge to protect this young woman flooded through her, as did the anger in her soul for the ones who would dare to harm such a lovely young woman.
Eerika dragged the first body out the door, and put it about twenty paces away from the house. Before she left it, she kicked it in the head.
"No one will touch my Calla ever again!"
"We only have one fur for now. The other one is on the pole and almost ready." Calla nodded, then tilted her head. "That means we might have to snuggle to stay warm." Calla blinked, then giggled.
"Oh, I guess that never crossed my mind! You think I might get upset about that, don't you?" Eerika blushed a bit, and nodded. "I'm not. I hoped I might find you out here, but I wasn't sure." She smiled a bit shyly. "Besides, you know what we had to sleep with before, and you smell much better then those." Eerika chuckled.
"I'm not so sure now. I did have to touch them. Why don't men ever bathe? Ugh!" She laid down on the fur that was still too short for her frame, and found a small body pressed right against her side. "Calla?" She looked up at her and smiled.
"You're nice and warm, Eerika. And you do smell nicer then them. I don't mind snuggling with you." Eerika laid her head back down on a small bundle of dried rushes, and heard a sigh from Calla's lips. Eerika looked down as her arm went over her middle, and held on tightly. "This must be a dream. I'm not hungry. I don't hurt from the whip. And I'm sleeping beside someone who isn't forcing me to have sex." She laid her head against Eerika's chest and smiled.
"It must be a dream."
"Calla!" She held her tightly as the small body shivered, shook, and screeched in fright. "Calla! Its alright! I'm here! I won't let anyone touch you ever again!" Calla looked up at her with unfocused eyes, and slowly, she could see the recognition come into their depths.
"Eerika?" she asked fearfully. "Am I back with them?" She looked around, and held on to her middle even more tightly. "I thought.....it felt like I was back there! It felt so real!" Eerika nodded, and sighed.
"I woke up like that the first two nights, Calla. You're like a tree that was weighed down for a snare, and the rope was cut. You'll be alright. I won't let anyone touch you ever again." Calla looked up at her, hope in her eyes, and something else. She quickly reached up, pulled Eerika down, and kissed her warmly. When she released her head, she smiled shyly. "Calla, you don't have to do that now." Calla frowned.
"I know. I did it because I wanted to." She looked at her. "Was it wrong?" Eerika took a long slow breath. She felt that kiss down to her toes. It was nothing like what she experienced with Kalfren, the only man to ever make love to her gently, but it was good. Really good.
"To tell you the truth, Calla, I do not know. We've never had a choice before." Calla smiled and snuggled in to her side again.
"This time I did."
Breakfast was a simple selection of berries, a slab of reheated wolf meat, and nearly ripe apples. To both Calla and Eerika, it was a feast.
"We'll need to search this area thoroughly today, Calla. With your help, we might be able to find more root vegetables that will help carry us through the winter. If you find any deadfall, drag it over to the woodpile, and we'll chop it up for our firewood store." Calla nodded, and snuggled in to her side. It was the safest she's ever felt, and the happiest. Being in Eerika's company felt like heaven, even if it would be hard work.
"Oh, I need to fix our boots so we won't hurt our feet! Do you have a knife?" Eerika smiled, and fetched one of the daggers that were on the slavers.
"Keep this with you. Its yours now. They both had bows, so we each have one, and though one had a short sword, the other had a spear. Did you want to use the spear?" Calla thought for a moment.
"I don't know how to use either." She answered honestly.
"We'll learn. Get to work on our boots while I go get us some more wood for the fire." Eerika took the ax, something she had grown accustomed to, and closed the door behind her.
Calla happily worked away at the leather, sliced the tops so Eerika's foot would get in, then put in slits so that she could thread some leather strips through and hold the boot onto Eerika's foot. She managed to get both finished, and Eerika had not returned.
"Eerika?" She picked up the spear and went over to the door. "Eerika?" She pushed it open in a hurry, gripped the spear with both hands, and went outside. Eerika had a big smile on her face, and a bloodied wolf over her shoulders.
"Look who I found eating the pig! Poor thing would have been glad to be put out of his misery after eating that foul side of pork." Calla giggled.
"Well, then I'll have to make sure that when I carve that sucker up to throw away his stomach." Eerika shook her head in amusement.
"You'll be too busy to carve him up, Calla. We'll let him bleed out, and later tonight, I'll cut it up." She smiled fondly at the girl. "You're not my slave. Remember that." Calla's eyes looked hurt.
"I know that! But I just wanted to help! You've already saved my life from those slavers, not once but twice!" Eerika frowned.
"Twice?"
"Lena told me that it was you who killed those men in the auction house. She also told me that you wanted her to go with you." She cleared her throat, and wiped away her tears. "When I learned you wanted to help her, I knew there was something different about you. That's why I tried to escape. If I had nowhere to go, or to try to get to, then I wouldn't have bothered. I would have just laid down." Eerika rushed forward, and held her fiercely in her arms.
"Don't you ever do that to me!" Calla smiled, and leaned in to her chest. Eerika was a really tall woman, much taller then most men as well, and her strength made Calla believe that maybe they really could survive out here, all alone. Just the two of them.
"Then let me help you. Just like you helped me."
"Look! There's a house! Maybe they'll help ya, girlie!" The two men laughed, their torches kept the way ahead lit up, and their victim on the run. When they opened the door to the slave's auction house, she had barreled out the door, and passed them as fast as she could run. With barely enough food to keep an adult going, they knew this slave would run out of energy quickly.
"Help! Please help me!" She pushed on the door and nearly fell through the doorway is it opened with only the barest of pressure.
"You've no where else to run to, girlie. Time to pay up for all this effort." She turned her head away and curled up in a ball.
"Almost." She whined pitifully. "Almost."
"Hey, its my turn! I paid for her!" His friend growled.
"And I kept her in sight! You wait your turn, George!" George bumped into him. "Listen! I said...." He pushed him away, but his eyes opened wide in shock as his friend fell to the floor. Then he turned. Against the wall was the largest woman he had ever seen. Her lips were pulled back in a snarl as she lifted her ax overhead.
"You're in my house!"
"You dare?" She snarled as her dagger went into George's side, between his ribs, and up into his lungs. He barely registered the pain as the strength went out of his legs, and he fell into his companion.
"Listen! I said......" Eerika growled and lifted her ax high.
"You're in my house!" The sound as her ax cleaved though his collarbone was nearly as satisfying as the surprise in his eyes when he fell to the floor. Eerika turned quickly to the door as she ripped her ax out of his now lifeless body. When no one else came through her door, she pushed it closed, and latched it shut. She looked at the girl who still cowered in fear.
"Is there anyone else out there?" She snapped out quickly. The girl didn't reply. "Is there anyone else out there?" Eerika stepped closer, which made her lift her eyes. They opened wide as she took in the carnage around her. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she launched herself at Eerika. She tried to step backwards, but the small body hit her in the middle. Her arms wrapped around her waist, and all Eerika could hear were the same words spoken softly, over and over.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you."
"You look starved right to death, girl." She said softly, leaned down and pulled off the first man's belt pouch. "Ugh, why don't these things ever bathe?" She asked in disgust. "Here. There might be some food in it. Look through it and see if there is anything we can use to survive." The girl took the pouch tentatively, and opened it.
"There is some jerky!" She pulled it out and held it out to her. Eerika shook her head.
"Eat it. The least these pigs can do is feed you. Hm, you're not wearing any shoes. And mine are nothing but footwraps." She pulled off the leather boots they wore, and grimaced. "My feet are bigger then theirs, but if I cut out the toe, I can at least wear it." She looked at the girl. "What's your name?"
"Calla." She smiled at her softly.
"Can you alter these boots for me?" Calla looked at them slightly off kilter, and nodded.
"My father taught me to work with leather. At least he let me watch. If they had a leather vest, I think I could even make you a good pair of boots. I would just need a knife, a hammer with small tack nails, and some wood to make the sole." She sat forward, and took one of the boots. "Can you let me see one of your feet?" Eerika frowned slightly, but sat down and held out her foot.
"Yeah, it looks wide enough for your foot. I can cut down the back of the boot, cut off the cuff, and use the leather to make a strap. That would hold your foot in the boot. It would also allow your heel to come off the back." She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure if it would be better then letting your toes out the front. Is that other pig's boots larger?" Eerika chuckled, and checked his feet.
"They look a bit larger. Hm, let me check." She pulled one off. "Can you check it for me?" Calla held the boot to her foot, and smiled a bit.
"You'll need to wash the leather to get his stench out, but if I cut the top, it will expand enough to allow your foot in comfortably. Its just a matter of adding slits and straps to close the top." She smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen a woman wear boots before." Eerika smiled. "Should we strip these pigs of anything valuable?" That brought out a laugh from her.
"Yeah, we'll do just that. Keep chewing on that jerky." Calla got up on her knees.
"I'll help! I need to help." She lowered her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I have to make myself useful."
"Useful? Just eat that food, Calla." She looked at Calla who also looked at her forlornly. "Alright, help me strip this one, and I'll drag his body outside. Then you can strip the other one down, and I'll put his body with the fat one. We can hunt the wolves that come to chew on their bones in the morning." Calla tilted her head slightly.
"Hunt the wolves?" Eerika nodded, and cut a piece of meat off the roast in the fireplace. She handed her the meat and watched her tear into it hungrily. When she swallowed it, and ripped another piece off, Eerika smiled.
"That's what you're eating. Wolf I killed yesterday. If you can stomach it now, then it won't be hard later." Calla looked at the bone, tasted the meat in her mouth, then sank her teeth into it for more.
"Real meat. And I didn't have to beg." Eerika glanced over at her, and smiled softly.
"I know. Enjoy that feeling, Calla. I've known it for the last few days, but it is a wonderful feeling." She reached out and put her hand on Calla's cheek. "We still have a lot of work left to do, so save whatever tears you're holding in right now. You can cry when you sleep tonight without a whip on your skin." Calla sniffed, but smiled.
As she went to work, separating the clothes, their weapons and tools, and anything valuable they could use, Eerika smiled softly.
You are trying to be brave, but when you can sleep without the master's whip on your back, or have to fill his demands for your body, you will cry then, Calla. Of that, there is no doubt.
As she continued to watch her as discreetly as possible, an undeniable urge to protect this young woman flooded through her, as did the anger in her soul for the ones who would dare to harm such a lovely young woman.
Eerika dragged the first body out the door, and put it about twenty paces away from the house. Before she left it, she kicked it in the head.
"No one will touch my Calla ever again!"
"We only have one fur for now. The other one is on the pole and almost ready." Calla nodded, then tilted her head. "That means we might have to snuggle to stay warm." Calla blinked, then giggled.
"Oh, I guess that never crossed my mind! You think I might get upset about that, don't you?" Eerika blushed a bit, and nodded. "I'm not. I hoped I might find you out here, but I wasn't sure." She smiled a bit shyly. "Besides, you know what we had to sleep with before, and you smell much better then those." Eerika chuckled.
"I'm not so sure now. I did have to touch them. Why don't men ever bathe? Ugh!" She laid down on the fur that was still too short for her frame, and found a small body pressed right against her side. "Calla?" She looked up at her and smiled.
"You're nice and warm, Eerika. And you do smell nicer then them. I don't mind snuggling with you." Eerika laid her head back down on a small bundle of dried rushes, and heard a sigh from Calla's lips. Eerika looked down as her arm went over her middle, and held on tightly. "This must be a dream. I'm not hungry. I don't hurt from the whip. And I'm sleeping beside someone who isn't forcing me to have sex." She laid her head against Eerika's chest and smiled.
"It must be a dream."
"Calla!" She held her tightly as the small body shivered, shook, and screeched in fright. "Calla! Its alright! I'm here! I won't let anyone touch you ever again!" Calla looked up at her with unfocused eyes, and slowly, she could see the recognition come into their depths.
"Eerika?" she asked fearfully. "Am I back with them?" She looked around, and held on to her middle even more tightly. "I thought.....it felt like I was back there! It felt so real!" Eerika nodded, and sighed.
"I woke up like that the first two nights, Calla. You're like a tree that was weighed down for a snare, and the rope was cut. You'll be alright. I won't let anyone touch you ever again." Calla looked up at her, hope in her eyes, and something else. She quickly reached up, pulled Eerika down, and kissed her warmly. When she released her head, she smiled shyly. "Calla, you don't have to do that now." Calla frowned.
"I know. I did it because I wanted to." She looked at her. "Was it wrong?" Eerika took a long slow breath. She felt that kiss down to her toes. It was nothing like what she experienced with Kalfren, the only man to ever make love to her gently, but it was good. Really good.
"To tell you the truth, Calla, I do not know. We've never had a choice before." Calla smiled and snuggled in to her side again.
"This time I did."
Breakfast was a simple selection of berries, a slab of reheated wolf meat, and nearly ripe apples. To both Calla and Eerika, it was a feast.
"We'll need to search this area thoroughly today, Calla. With your help, we might be able to find more root vegetables that will help carry us through the winter. If you find any deadfall, drag it over to the woodpile, and we'll chop it up for our firewood store." Calla nodded, and snuggled in to her side. It was the safest she's ever felt, and the happiest. Being in Eerika's company felt like heaven, even if it would be hard work.
"Oh, I need to fix our boots so we won't hurt our feet! Do you have a knife?" Eerika smiled, and fetched one of the daggers that were on the slavers.
"Keep this with you. Its yours now. They both had bows, so we each have one, and though one had a short sword, the other had a spear. Did you want to use the spear?" Calla thought for a moment.
"I don't know how to use either." She answered honestly.
"We'll learn. Get to work on our boots while I go get us some more wood for the fire." Eerika took the ax, something she had grown accustomed to, and closed the door behind her.
Calla happily worked away at the leather, sliced the tops so Eerika's foot would get in, then put in slits so that she could thread some leather strips through and hold the boot onto Eerika's foot. She managed to get both finished, and Eerika had not returned.
"Eerika?" She picked up the spear and went over to the door. "Eerika?" She pushed it open in a hurry, gripped the spear with both hands, and went outside. Eerika had a big smile on her face, and a bloodied wolf over her shoulders.
"Look who I found eating the pig! Poor thing would have been glad to be put out of his misery after eating that foul side of pork." Calla giggled.
"Well, then I'll have to make sure that when I carve that sucker up to throw away his stomach." Eerika shook her head in amusement.
"You'll be too busy to carve him up, Calla. We'll let him bleed out, and later tonight, I'll cut it up." She smiled fondly at the girl. "You're not my slave. Remember that." Calla's eyes looked hurt.
"I know that! But I just wanted to help! You've already saved my life from those slavers, not once but twice!" Eerika frowned.
"Twice?"
"Lena told me that it was you who killed those men in the auction house. She also told me that you wanted her to go with you." She cleared her throat, and wiped away her tears. "When I learned you wanted to help her, I knew there was something different about you. That's why I tried to escape. If I had nowhere to go, or to try to get to, then I wouldn't have bothered. I would have just laid down." Eerika rushed forward, and held her fiercely in her arms.
"Don't you ever do that to me!" Calla smiled, and leaned in to her chest. Eerika was a really tall woman, much taller then most men as well, and her strength made Calla believe that maybe they really could survive out here, all alone. Just the two of them.
"Then let me help you. Just like you helped me."
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Kahlindha The Priestess
An excerpt from an ongoing novel - The Wolf Queen
Samina cradled her large belly in the
water, smiling as her baby moved within her. Her sister rose up out
of the water beside her, a smile on her own lips.
“Soon, Samina, you will be a
mother.” She laid her hand on her sister's cheek, and smiled
sadly. “Mother would be so proud of you.” A lone tear trickled
out of the corner of her eye.
“When will she return, Sibylla? I
miss her so much! I can't hear her song anymore, and I want my girl
to grow up hearing her mother's song!” Sibylla shook her head.
“I don't know, sister. She left to
fix the wrongness of men, but its been decades now.” She sighed.
“She could hear the cries of the Orja women echoing throughout her
forests, and she tasted their blood seeping into the soil. She could
not bear to feel their pain any longer.” Samina looked down at her
belly and hugged her child within her.
“What will happen to us?” Sibylla
smiled.
“What has always happened. We will
live, give birth, and listen to what our mother taught us. She is
Maapera Aiti still, and her heartbeat sustains her people even now.
Can't you hear it?” Samina shook her head. Sibylla cupped her
chin.
“Listen, sister. Listen hard.
Someone out there sings her song, and even now, they call to her.”
Samina closed her eyes and really listened to the forest. She was
unable to return to the water during this stage of her pregnancy.
Her baby had to be born above the water until she was ready to return
to the depths with her mother, and her people, the Merenne.
She listened, and was ready to cry out
in frustration, at the loneliness she felt being above the water
where her sisters could not stay long, and at not being able to hear
what her sister obviously could.
Then she heard it. Low and evenly
spaced, a deep beat that resonated loudly through the forest. It
must have been quite a distance away, as the woods muffled most of
the sound.
She laid over onto her side, and put
her ear to the ground. She frowned in confusion.
“Not mother?” Sibylla shook her
head.
“A woman. That way. She calls for
mother.” Samina looked around, and contemplated a journey into the
forest, but away from the safety of her sisters, and their strength.
She wasn't sure she should risk it at this late stage of her
pregnancy.
“Its safe, sister.” Another body
jumped into the water and sighed. “A good distance off though.”
She smiled as she dipped below the surface and swam a few dozen yards
this way and that. When she came back to the surface, she was
smiling. “Wow, that feels so good!”
“Janikka? Where.....” The
Merenne smiled serenely.
“You should see her, sister! She's
gorgeous! Deep black hair, dark stone eyes, and her skin is kissed
by the sun! She sings mother's song each night, and is singing it
now. I checked the path, and its safe.” Samina smiled, and hugged
Janikka when she swam up close to her.
“Thank you, Jan. I'll be back in
the morning.” Samina hugged and kissed her sisters warmly, and
after walking a short distance towards the sounds of her mother's
song, she looked back to the waters she called home. A dozen more
heads appeared in the slow moving water, and waved to her.
Samina walked the unknown path, and
though she felt fearful as she walked away from all she's ever known,
she knew the forest, and its moods. There was no malice, or anger in
its branches and leaves tonight.
There was excitement!
Samina stepped into the small
clearing, and was immediately taken aback by the scene before her.
Janikka did not do justice to the woman.
There, before a large hollow log with
a deer skin stretched over top, a muscular woman beat out her
mother's song, a discordant set of heartbeats that slowly moved into
time, and finally, became perfectly in time with each other. The
first beat was strong and powerful, followed by a weaker note. The
third beat grew stronger, but so too did the fourth, although still
weaker then the first and third.
Her left arm beat the powerful one,
while her right beat the weaker one. Closer and closer, the beats
started to overlap, and the second beat grew stronger the closer it
got to beating in time. A tuneless mewl started to emanate from her
throat as she continued to drum out her song, and the sweat showed on
her arms, shoulders, and legs.
Samina started around the fire in the
center of the clearing, and became more acutely aware of the drummer.
A necklace of sun bleached wolf's teeth hung from her neck, while a
similar one was woven through her hair. A wooden pendant carved in
the shape of a wolf's skull hung just above her forehead. Her hair
was intricately braided, and whipped back and forth as she continued
her song, and picked up the tempo.
When finally the notes were one on top
of the other, and perfectly in time, the drummer began to howl at the
top of her voice, like a wolf under a full moon. Her powerful voice
split the peaceful mood that had fallen onto Samina's nerves, and it
sent a shiver straight through her heart.
She sat down heavily on the soft sand
behind the drummer, and looked up at her in wonder. The beats slowly
pulled away from each other, losing power, and becoming more
discordant the further apart they grew. The howl turned back into
the mournful mewl she first started with, until the song finally
ended, and tears were running down both Samina's cheeks, and the
drummer's.
“Oh! I didn't see you there!”
The woman, who now looked like a priestess, had only just turned away
from her drum when she caught sight of Samina. Her next words caught
her off guard for only the briefest of moments.
“You sing to Maapera Aiti.” The
smile that spread over her face was wide, and welcoming.
“Yes, I sing to the Earth Mother.
Her song has been gone for so long, but she told me long ago that she
would come to me if I sing to her. So I sing.” Samina cocked her
head.
“She said to you? You are Orja, are
you not?” The woman's lips twisted into a wry smile.
“We used to be the Irti. Freed from
the cruel hands of the Raaka's of the old lands, and under them, we
were the Orja. The slaves. Now, once again, women are the Orja in
our own lands.” The woman knelt down in front of her, her muscular
legs rippling with strength. She smiled warmly at Samina.
“But you are of the Merenne, aren't
you?” Samina nodded. “What are you doing up here? Where are
your sisters?” Samina patted her belly.
“It is my time. My child will soon
be here. They can only leave the river for short periods of time,
but being aiti grants me power to leave while she needs me up here.”
The woman frowned.
“I didn't know that. Forgive me.
I've forgotten to introduce myself. I am Kahlindha.” Samina
smiled.
“Samina.” She looked up at the priestess. "Do you feel it?" Kahlindha nodded.
"I have for the last year. The excitement in the forest was almost as it was over thirty years ago. She's coming home, Samina. I don't know when, but she's coming home." Kahlindha lifted her eyes as two fur clad figures strode into her clearing. It was still late summer, so the fur was unusual. One woman was extremely tall, while the other was just about Samina's height. She stayed real close to the taller one.
"Hi." Kahlindha gulped as the taller woman spoke. She felt the power in her voice, and a rumble deep in her chest. The younger woman stepped forward.
"We heard your song in the forest, and decided to investigate. Its getting late. Would you mind if we sleep here this evening?" Kahlindha gulped again as the taller woman dropped a wolf carcass on the ground.
"I....I...." She swallowed a lump in her throat. She was face to face with someone who could physically kill a wolf without damaging the skin.
"We found some food outside your camp. I think he was hunting you and didn't notice me behind him." The younger woman giggled.
"I don't know how you do it, love, but you manage to outsmart those wolves every time. Maybe Ginnie is right." She shook her head.
"No, you're the Wolf Queen, love. I just kill wolves. And men." She drew her close, and smiled down at her. "You're a part of my heart." Kahlindha cleared her throat.
Its her! Its her! They are here! Aiti is here!
"I-if you don't mind, I can skin that wolf and chop it up for a roast." She cleared her throat again as it clogged up at the possibilities. "I have killed several over the years that thought I would make a good meal for them. I'll have to go on the prowl tomorrow and see if any others would like the opportunity to become my bed fur." The younger woman giggled.
"You sound just like Eerika! Come on, I'll help." She turned towards the much taller woman. "Why don't you set up our bedding, love. No tent though. Its still too warm for that." Eerika smiled, and put down her pack near the drum. She looked at the still seated woman, and tilted her head quizzically.
"Is something wrong?" She asked gently. Samina shook her head.
"No...no, nothing is wrong. I guess you just surprised me." Eerika smiled and knelt down beside her.
"May I?" She asked, and Samina nodded. She laid her hand on Samina's belly, and smiled widely. "She's excited, and healthy." She leaned down and laid her ear on Samina's skin, another smile on her lips. "I hear....Leta....strange. I've never heard a name so clearly before. Its like I can feel her eyes on me from out here." Samina's cheeks became wet with tears.
"Only our Elders can hear the names of our girls within the womb. And our Aiti." Eerika tilted her head.
"Mom?" She nodded. "That's not surprising." Then she sighed sadly. "My own mother laid down when I was quite young." Samina frowned.
"Laid down?"
"She means that her mother laid down to die." Her lover put her hand on Eerika's shoulder. "Its the best way for us to die in this evil world. The will to live drains away over the years, and when they've had enough of the evil, enough of the abuse and slavery, they lay down where ever they want, close their eyes, and die." Eerika put her hand over hers.
"Calla's mother died when she came of age, and was taken away." Eerika took a deep breath. "You should be wary, child." She said softly. "Men of this country have been corrupted. Keep your daughter far from them." Calla gripped her shoulder firmly.
"We'll fix it, love. I know we will." She smiled, but it was a shadowed one. Those eyes have seen some horrific things. Samina could feel the truth of it.
"I hope so, love. Really, I do."
"What are you doing, love?" Calla smiled.
"What I do every night, Eerika. I'm listening to your heart beating. Its strong beat lets me sleep. I keep hearing another beat though. Softer, but closer to your stronger beat now." Samina's eyes opened wide, and she sat up. "What is it, Samina? Did you hear something?"
"No, I think I felt a chill in the air." Eerika smiled.
"Come on then. Calla would be upset if you were too afraid to get close and get warm." Samina smiled, moved the fur she slept on close to the tall woman she was almost terrified of, and snuggled in close.
"Do you mind...if I..." Calla smiled.
"Put your ear here." She motioned to the center of Eerika's chest, nestled in her cleavage. "She's a little more well endowed then us, but its easier to hear her heartbeat up here." Samina blushed lightly, then laid her ear on her chest. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she heard a very familiar beat.
"What's wrong, Samina?" She turned her head and looked up at Kahlindha.
"Come. Listen." Kahlindha frowned slightly, and looked down at Eerika. She only smiled and nodded. Calla made some room for her on her side, and snuggled in to her back as the priestess laid her ear against Eerika's chest. She put her hand over her mouth and started to cry.
"Its true! I've heard it at last!" She whispered. "Its been so long since I've heard it!" She stood up quickly.
"What's wrong?" Kahlindha looked down, her face streaked with tears, but her smile wide and happy.
"Nothing! I just feel like celebrating! No wonder the forest felt so excited!" She went to her drum and started to beat out her song, but moved the beats closer together, and the tempo was excited from the start.
She beat it out in time to Eerika's heartbeat, but instead of the sad mewl near the beginning, she started with a low excited wolf's whine, that moved into the full howl as she put everything she had into the song. Her sun kissed skin glistened with sweat as she swayed to and fro, her hair braids whipped back and forth as she howled again and again, until finally, she fell to the sand, and her song ended abruptly.
She laughed triumphantly, and in glee. She held her arms out to the sky, and shouted loud and long.
"Aiti! The Earth Mother has come home!" She turned over, and her eyes became completely white. The priestess was now blind. Calla shivered, and snuggled in to Eerika's side, while Samina felt a strong arm hold her close. It was a comforting embrace she was once very familiar with.
"The Earth Mother has come home! She shall have a Queen for company down through the ages, one whose heart beats and thinks like her's does. The other piece of her heart. The Blind King and the Blind Queen have forgotten the Earth Mother, and though she is a loving Vahti, she can not forgive their blind disregard for the people they have sworn to protect. In her name." She lowered her face to the sand once more, and smiled. When she lifted her face, her eyes were back to normal again.
"Finally, she has come home."
"I have for the last year. The excitement in the forest was almost as it was over thirty years ago. She's coming home, Samina. I don't know when, but she's coming home." Kahlindha lifted her eyes as two fur clad figures strode into her clearing. It was still late summer, so the fur was unusual. One woman was extremely tall, while the other was just about Samina's height. She stayed real close to the taller one.
"Hi." Kahlindha gulped as the taller woman spoke. She felt the power in her voice, and a rumble deep in her chest. The younger woman stepped forward.
"We heard your song in the forest, and decided to investigate. Its getting late. Would you mind if we sleep here this evening?" Kahlindha gulped again as the taller woman dropped a wolf carcass on the ground.
"I....I...." She swallowed a lump in her throat. She was face to face with someone who could physically kill a wolf without damaging the skin.
"We found some food outside your camp. I think he was hunting you and didn't notice me behind him." The younger woman giggled.
"I don't know how you do it, love, but you manage to outsmart those wolves every time. Maybe Ginnie is right." She shook her head.
"No, you're the Wolf Queen, love. I just kill wolves. And men." She drew her close, and smiled down at her. "You're a part of my heart." Kahlindha cleared her throat.
Its her! Its her! They are here! Aiti is here!
"I-if you don't mind, I can skin that wolf and chop it up for a roast." She cleared her throat again as it clogged up at the possibilities. "I have killed several over the years that thought I would make a good meal for them. I'll have to go on the prowl tomorrow and see if any others would like the opportunity to become my bed fur." The younger woman giggled.
"You sound just like Eerika! Come on, I'll help." She turned towards the much taller woman. "Why don't you set up our bedding, love. No tent though. Its still too warm for that." Eerika smiled, and put down her pack near the drum. She looked at the still seated woman, and tilted her head quizzically.
"Is something wrong?" She asked gently. Samina shook her head.
"No...no, nothing is wrong. I guess you just surprised me." Eerika smiled and knelt down beside her.
"May I?" She asked, and Samina nodded. She laid her hand on Samina's belly, and smiled widely. "She's excited, and healthy." She leaned down and laid her ear on Samina's skin, another smile on her lips. "I hear....Leta....strange. I've never heard a name so clearly before. Its like I can feel her eyes on me from out here." Samina's cheeks became wet with tears.
"Only our Elders can hear the names of our girls within the womb. And our Aiti." Eerika tilted her head.
"Mom?" She nodded. "That's not surprising." Then she sighed sadly. "My own mother laid down when I was quite young." Samina frowned.
"Laid down?"
"She means that her mother laid down to die." Her lover put her hand on Eerika's shoulder. "Its the best way for us to die in this evil world. The will to live drains away over the years, and when they've had enough of the evil, enough of the abuse and slavery, they lay down where ever they want, close their eyes, and die." Eerika put her hand over hers.
"Calla's mother died when she came of age, and was taken away." Eerika took a deep breath. "You should be wary, child." She said softly. "Men of this country have been corrupted. Keep your daughter far from them." Calla gripped her shoulder firmly.
"We'll fix it, love. I know we will." She smiled, but it was a shadowed one. Those eyes have seen some horrific things. Samina could feel the truth of it.
"I hope so, love. Really, I do."
"What are you doing, love?" Calla smiled.
"What I do every night, Eerika. I'm listening to your heart beating. Its strong beat lets me sleep. I keep hearing another beat though. Softer, but closer to your stronger beat now." Samina's eyes opened wide, and she sat up. "What is it, Samina? Did you hear something?"
"No, I think I felt a chill in the air." Eerika smiled.
"Come on then. Calla would be upset if you were too afraid to get close and get warm." Samina smiled, moved the fur she slept on close to the tall woman she was almost terrified of, and snuggled in close.
"Do you mind...if I..." Calla smiled.
"Put your ear here." She motioned to the center of Eerika's chest, nestled in her cleavage. "She's a little more well endowed then us, but its easier to hear her heartbeat up here." Samina blushed lightly, then laid her ear on her chest. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she heard a very familiar beat.
"What's wrong, Samina?" She turned her head and looked up at Kahlindha.
"Come. Listen." Kahlindha frowned slightly, and looked down at Eerika. She only smiled and nodded. Calla made some room for her on her side, and snuggled in to her back as the priestess laid her ear against Eerika's chest. She put her hand over her mouth and started to cry.
"Its true! I've heard it at last!" She whispered. "Its been so long since I've heard it!" She stood up quickly.
"What's wrong?" Kahlindha looked down, her face streaked with tears, but her smile wide and happy.
"Nothing! I just feel like celebrating! No wonder the forest felt so excited!" She went to her drum and started to beat out her song, but moved the beats closer together, and the tempo was excited from the start.
She beat it out in time to Eerika's heartbeat, but instead of the sad mewl near the beginning, she started with a low excited wolf's whine, that moved into the full howl as she put everything she had into the song. Her sun kissed skin glistened with sweat as she swayed to and fro, her hair braids whipped back and forth as she howled again and again, until finally, she fell to the sand, and her song ended abruptly.
She laughed triumphantly, and in glee. She held her arms out to the sky, and shouted loud and long.
"Aiti! The Earth Mother has come home!" She turned over, and her eyes became completely white. The priestess was now blind. Calla shivered, and snuggled in to Eerika's side, while Samina felt a strong arm hold her close. It was a comforting embrace she was once very familiar with.
"The Earth Mother has come home! She shall have a Queen for company down through the ages, one whose heart beats and thinks like her's does. The other piece of her heart. The Blind King and the Blind Queen have forgotten the Earth Mother, and though she is a loving Vahti, she can not forgive their blind disregard for the people they have sworn to protect. In her name." She lowered her face to the sand once more, and smiled. When she lifted her face, her eyes were back to normal again.
"Finally, she has come home."
Irti – free
Paastaa Irti – liberated
Orja – servants, slaves
Aiti - mom
Vahti - Guardian
Maapera Aiti - Earth Mother
Monday, 19 November 2018
The Wolf Queen - Chapter 1 - Escape
This is a rewrite of a book I have not yet finished, but can't find the original draft. Its entirely fictional, Hellenistic era fantasy, where gender makes you a villain, or a hero. A twist of the old all female Amazon tribe fantasy.
Eerika didn't look back as she ran through the forest. Her wild and angry eyes held a depth of emotion that would be difficult to fathom if you were not familiar with her life. The story was told in the scars that crisscrossed her back, and parts unseen.
The blood on her dagger had dried over an hour ago, not long after she plunged it into the heart of her tormentor, and started this frantic journey to escape the savages of this country. The ones known as men.
The branches whipped at her face and arms as she ran, and tore through some of the remnants of her clothing, but she took little note of it. She's known worse.
The moon above lit her path, which let her run long after her energy had waned, but her rage had not. Only when her reserves had been fully used up did she find a clearing. The anger that sustained her had run dry only to inflame once again when she saw a stone cottage near the middle.
"Grr." A feral growl rumbled from her lips when she considered who might be home. Her dagger sliced the air in defiance, and she stepped forward.
Kalfren looked around the room in shock. The mayor was already ahead of him, his own face now clear of emotions in spite of the broken and gutted bodies. He quickly stepped outside.
"Guards! Secure the area! Search for anyone who's not supposed to be here!" Kalfren closed his eyes, but opened them when he heard a whimper. He looked around the room and saw a young woman curled up in a ball. Her face was puffy from the beating she took.
"Well, Kalfren, it looks like they stole your property." He looked over to the badly abused girl and shook his head. "She must have been too badly damaged to steal. You can have her this month since you already paid for Eerika." Kalfren grimaced. This girl was not what he had in mind.
"Thank you, sir." He gently picked the woman up and carried her to his small modest home. The mayor snorted and shook his head.
"Poor fool is too soft. These slaves need a firm hand!"
Kalfren closed his door and gently set the woman on his bed, then tended to her wounds. Through swollen eyes, she looked at him with suspicion. Men were never gentle with women, their property. Then he did something that did shock her.
"Are you hungry?" She looked up at him, her eyes betrayed her emotional state. She was nearly broken.
"Are you toying with me?" He sighed softly.
"I take it that means yes." He turned away from her and started to make a simple meal for them both. He didn't have much, and he stretched his earnings each time he made the attempt to purchase Eerika for the month, but he felt it was worth it. If she had a month's rest as often as he could give it, she would survive. "Please, eat it." He took her a bowl of hearty vegetable stew, and some bread. She looked up at him.
"What do I have to do for it?"
"You need to eat." She took the bowl gingerly, watched him carefully until she had taken a few mouthfuls with no repercussions, then swallowed it greedily. When she had finished, she looked at him with a measure of interest.
"I'm ready now." He shook his head.
"No, you're not. You need some rest. Go to sleep. No one will touch you tonight." She cocked her head, not sure if she should believe him or not, but decided to obey. She laid down slowly, and closed her eyes. She opened them again when he laid a fur over her.
"Why are you crying?" He asked softly. "You're safe here."
"Because I would never have known how kind you were if Eerika hadn't killed those men! I would never have known if I had gone with her! Why didn't I go?" Kalfren started to smile.
"She did it?" She nodded. "Then she's free." She looked up into his serene eyes, and saw his smile. "I'll miss her, but I'm glad she's finally free." She reached up and took his hand.
"Please." It was all she said, but Kalfren could hear the plaintive tone.
"This will be your first night when you aren't forced. Enjoy it." She let his hand go, and snuggled down into the fur. It was her first night with him, and he had not done anything to her yet.
She would enjoy this night immensely.
Eerika pushed at the door tentatively with her hands. She didn't want to wake the occupants, but she didn't need to worry. The telltale signs of neglect were obvious. The edge of the door crumbled in her hands, and the rusted hinges tore away from the rotten frame. It was still a heavy half log door, and it would keep most animals out, but would not secure the inside from the out.
Her dagger led the way as she walked inside. The moonlight pushed through openings in the roof, and showed her how empty it was. Except for a few rotten furnishings, a table, chair, and collapsed bed frame, the room was practically empty.
She put the door back in its space as best she could, and made sure the cottage was empty. Her half starved body was gripped by a deep weariness that pushed her to the floor. With her back against the wall, Eerika closed her eyes, and fell into a fitful slumber.
One of the first where the whip did not fall upon her flesh, nor did she hear the mocking laughter as she cried out in pain. Though Kalfren had been kind to her every time he could manage to afford to buy the time to spend with her, he was still a man.
And men were the enemy.
"RRRRAAAHHHH!!!!" Eerika woke up with a roar on her lips. She lashed out with the dagger in her hand, but only struck empty air. Her hands were not bound, and for the first time in nearly three decades, there was no man around to make her beg for food. Her belly gurgled, and complained heavily. She hadn't been fed the day before, but she was used to such deprivation.
Her eyes adjusted to the bright light that now streamed through the holes in the roof, and the cracked glass in the window. The first thing her eyes lit upon was an important item. A rusted old firewood ax.
Clang. The sound of the dagger striking the blade was music to her ears. It was still solid in spite of the years of neglect. Even the handle was good and solid. She smiled, the first happy one in many years. That was when she inhaled the first free air she's ever breathed, and her stomach growled louder. There was a familiar scent in the air.
"Berries!" She pushed the door away, ran out to the bush, dropped the ax beside her, and started to pick and stuff her mouth as quickly as she could. They were early season blackberries, and beside this thorny patch, blue gold. "Blueberries!" It was a paradise. She looked around the clearing and could see old fruit trees that had gone wild, and some old apple trees that had unripened apples hanging from the branches.
That was when she started to cry. The Creator had provided her more food in a short period of time then her village gave her for the last couple of months.
That was the price of being a woman in this country. Women were not people. They were things, and property. She spied her ax on the ground, and growled.
"Never again."
It was not the hardest she's ever worked, but this was necessary to her survival, and she did it for herself. Eerika cut saplings that were close to the cottage, and ripped them away from the foundation. Though they were good to hide the building, she didn't want to ruin the mortar that was still strong in spite of the years of neglect.
She stripped the branches, and wove together a small framework that could cover her windows, and protect the cracked glass from further damage. It was also a good way to block the light inside the cottage, and not let others see it if they were in the woods nearby.
"My door." She said proudly. "My very own door!" She smiled wide as she put some cut logs side by side and lashed them together with some strong supple roots. She would need to learn everything from trial and error, but considering how they learned before, this would be easy. Then she heard a growl.
"I can't stop now!" She said to her stomach. "I have so much to do!" Then she heard another growl, and turned around slowly. Not more then twenty paces away stood a lone wolf. Her stomach growled again, and with a smile, she put the ax over her shoulder. She turned the handle so the blade would not be the weapon. Her stomach growled again.
"Soon." She licked her lips in hunger, which only delayed the wolf for a few seconds. Hungry prey were not often easy to kill. But the wolf overcame its own unease and ran right at her. With thoughts of how good that fur would feel, and roasted wolf meat over her fire, she growled right back at the wolf.
Now the only question is who was hungrier.
Eerika looked at the roof above, the last remnant of the sun fading from the sky, and the smell of freshly roasted meat rose from the fire. Her door was finished and in place. It was strapped to the iron hooks that were used like hinges, and tied there with strong roots. The bottom scraped the bare stone, but that would only sheer the pointed ends flatter over time, and cut down on the draft. She would stuff it with moss tomorrow.
She used the dagger to cut the meat off the carcass over her fire, and tasted it tentatively. It was medium, with the juice still seeping from the meat, and it was the best tasting food she's had in many years. It was hers, she didn't have to beg for it, or perform any filthy task to get it. Even the gamy fats tasted extremely good to her starved body.
"You were a heavy beast, old wolf, but you will keep me alive for a while. Thank you." She didn't shed any tears as it would have eaten her, but she was thankful for the food.
"And thank you for your fur. That will keep me warm in the winter months." She had already put the skin over a log, and scraped it carefully to remove as much excess fat as she could. She didn't have a proper place to tan the back side of it, so she knew that it wouldn't last for years, but it would last at least a season or so. That would be enough until she could get a shallow pit dug and soak the skin in the oak bark necessary to tan it. She knew she could use the brain of the animal, but she needed this skin now, not in a week or two.
Even as she ripped the meat off a leg of the wolf, she knew food, water, and preparing this cottage for winter were her main goals. This year was about survival, not comfort.
Up until a week ago, she didn't want to survive. Now, she wanted to live.
Eerika concentrated on the things she would need the most. A chair, table, and furniture were not the most direly needed things. Right now, they were luxuries. Food was most important, and something she could store that foraged food, and water she could collect.
Firewood was also necessary. In order to supply herself with enough firewood, she decided to go further west of her cottage, and stay away from the north eastern part of her property. The north east was the direction she ran from, and didn't want to draw attention to herself.
Eerika collected and chopped firewood, foraged for berries, and pulled up wild root vegetables that grew near the cottage. The feel of it being an old farm were getting stronger, as was the unease she felt in her heart.
The air felt heavy, burdened with the unknown, and a malevolence that grew thicker as her day wore on. It grew dark earlier in the evening then she expected, and just as she collected a bundle of swamp rushes. The reeds could be split like tall grass, and bundled together to fix her roof. If there were enough layers, it would be fairly water-tight in the winter ahead.
The unease grew stronger as the night fell. She latched her door shut, and gripped her ax something fierce. The dagger was tucked into her belt made of woven supple roots.
"Grr." She growled deep in her throat, and her lips pulled back in a snarl. She heard the cry of a girl, and the black evil laughter of those who pursued her. "Slavers!"
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