Homeland (Healergirl & MdG)
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: MdG on 02-02-2014, 23:53:10</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-02-2014, 23:53:10</strong>
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				With Aeryn and Eshalu from: http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=164376.msg8185681#msg8185681 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=164376.msg8185681#msg8185681)<br><br>-------<br><br><strong>Eshalu - a half day from the Caern, at the Wet Karst</strong><br><br>The trail wended between the vast roots of daughter-trees of the First Growth. There moss grew thick, clinging like a dense, verdant mantle on the gnarled wood. <br><br>Just-sunset. Ahead, the sinking sun was the deep purple of an old bruise, the last feeble rays struggling against the oncoming night. Behind the clouds, the River of Stars had begun to gleam, eclipsing the waning light of day. <br><br>Eshalu hastened her pace, moving with the ease of a dancer over the slippery web of ancient roots. Fresh blood was scribed on the trunks of the dryad-breathed trees. Signs of a recent sacrifice. This time it was not the interloper of a rival clan, but the blood of humans scouts form the South. Prisoners whose lives were offered to appease the spirits of the ancient and most bloodthirsty of the forest spirits. Dryads whose trees had roots long settled since the Night of Time. Theirs were the old ways. Theirs were the stories the Loreweavers used to tell Eshalu when she was girl, credulous and curious, huddled with her Lodge-sisters under a blanket. <br><br>But they were real. She had seen them come out a night when the Blood Moon eclipsed her silver sister. And only the sacrifice of the interlopers would appease them. <br><br>"Their danger grows distant with the coming of night."<br><br>Eshalu cast a sidelong glance at the silver-haired novitiate ranger who had been her guide deep into the karst. <br><br>"Your camp gives off no light?" Eshalu queried, sliding after her guide down a narrow defile that led to a place where two freshets met, pooling into a gully overgrown with dense ferns. <br><br>"We brought the human beneath a nest of roots. Faenahl communed with the naiad of the karst, who showed her the way to this place our Foremothers knew before the Starfall." <br><br>"Then you have done well, little sister." <br><br>"They fear the dark, is it not so?"<br><br>Inquisitive, violet eyes peered back at Eshalu. She knew the girl held great promise as a ranger. Though her hair was still short and spiny from when it had been shaved at her initiation into the Lodge, her movement was swift, silent, and meaningful. She knew the land and walked it soundlessly, like a panther, barefoot so she could feel the trail. Hers was the Way of the Bow. The Way of silence and long days spent immobile atop high branches waiting for her prey. In these times she would have to learn quickly - or be reclaimed into the Great Mother's embrace. <br><br>"They do not fear the night. They fear the things that walk at night. Even if they have lost one of their own, they will not start tracking until dawn." <br><br>Balancing herself on the shaft of her spear, Eshalu eased herself further into the karst. The smell of vegetation was dense, the sound of their voices drowned by the trickling curtains of water flooding a stony basin nestled in the shallow ravine into which they had descended. The mist spray left cold, moist trails on her leather jerkin. <br><br>Her guide parted a curtain of water-soaked vines and they slipped into the womb of a cavern. Eshalu's eyes adjusted swiftly to the darkness. Only the occasional bioluminescence of fleshy, earthy Lightspore mushrooms broke the warm, textured greyness before her.<br><br>The ground was flooded with a shallow current that reached to Eshalu's ankles. They followed the current upstream, the musty scent of cold, wet stone soon superseding the heady aroma of tight-packed black soil and vegetation.&nbsp; <br><br>"Who of the Clan is with you?"<br><br>"Only Sharal. Merali took Huralu back to the Caern after she was wounded by a human flat-bow."<br><br>"Foolish girl, was she out in the open?"<br><br>"She was not," the novitiate said, a little defensively. "The wind bore the quarrel against her. It was not her day to hunt..."<br><br>"We are few. They are many. They have metal armour and smoke-bows. This is not like defending our territory from other clans of the People." Eshalu reached out and placed her hand on the novitiate's shoulder. "Aruil - sister, you were born under the star of prophecy and see the Near-Worlds. You must always remind our Lodge-sisters that this is no game."<br><br>Aruil turned. She clasped her ancestral longbow in both hands with the half-nervous, half-sanguine eagerness only a young ranger could show. "This is our hunt and I have brought our clan a human. That is a great trophy." She paused, long fingers dancing apprehensively on the elegant arch of her bow. "I would offer you a cutting of her hair..."<br><br>"Sharal hunted, too, did she not?"<br><br>"She did," Aruil smiled, "we would <em>both</em> offer you this token. And it would be for you to decide how to show us favour."<br><br>"So it shall be. But I should see your quarry first."<br><br>"You instructed us not to sacrifice those we found with a certain colour and cut of robe." <br><br>"I did. Humans have clans, too, and not all would see us come to harm."<br><br>Aruil remained silent, perhaps for fear of saying something that would betray her inexperience. "We are close now," she said at length. <br><br>In the distance, Eshalu detected a the lambent radiance of a glowstone and a foreign, but not entirely unfamiliar scent. <br><br>Aruil leading the way, she stepped through another veil of leaves into a circular cavern chamber, the damp walls shimmering like crystal in the suffused light.&nbsp; &nbsp;
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>03-02-2014, 16:03:20</strong>
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				<strong>Aeryn Sunlight<br>With no real idea where she is.</strong><br><br><br>"Get up."<br><br>A boot nudged her ribs,&nbsp; accenting the Words.&nbsp; Elvish.&nbsp; A tonal language, to a much greater degree than Imperial standard.&nbsp; But this situation did not call for nuance.&nbsp; She rose fairly smoothly to her knees, and waited there, her wrists still bound behind her, another cord pulling her elbows together. Not quite painfully.<br><br>The Magna Sophia Sister glanced around.&nbsp; No other human's present. dead or alive.&nbsp; Well, her absence from the main column would be easily explained.<br><br>What was left of it.&nbsp; And greatly assuming she would need to explain it.<br><br>The magnitude of the unfolding disaster was beginning to appall her. The irony of being so closely caught up in an event she had worked very hard to bring about did not escape her.&nbsp; The Frontier Lords had needed no encouraging to launch themselves across the very tenuously defined border, the hard part had been the maneuvering to prevent Imperial support - Although with the throne's increasing attention on the large island of Dra Sirdu, the Empire was nicely overextended at the moment.<br><br>Frankly, telling mostly the truth about Elven capabilities and intentions had been all that was required. The general consensus among a certain tyupe of nobleman was that Societa Femina Magna Sophia were all a bunch of conniving bitches in dire need of a man to teach them a&nbsp; lesson. the Sophies thought the elven girl-boys were tough?&nbsp; Well, let's teach them botha&nbsp; lesson in what Real Men can do!<br><br>&nbsp;Not all nobles, of course.&nbsp; Those smart enough to pay attention to what the Sophies were telling them were mostly the sort the Society didn't want involved in this bloodbath anyway.<br><br>Lucky them.&nbsp; It was like making sausage, really, best not observed closely.&nbsp; Aeryn had gotten to know and rather like a number of people who were probably dead now.&nbsp; Or soon would be.<br><br>The soldiers... they could look out for themselves.&nbsp; But like any Imperial army, or human army for that matter, there had been a large number of camp folowers. Doubtless they had tried, were trying to change allegiances.&nbsp; Business as usual after a battle lost.&nbsp; it worked with other human soldiers, of course.<br><br>It wouldn't work with Elves.&nbsp; Who furthermore, so far as Aeryn could tell, didn't have a tradition of slavery.<br><br>The spirits the Elves worshipped/worked with - human scholars, even the information hounds of the Society&nbsp; were unclear on the exact relationship - would grow fat indeed on the bounty the Invasion was providing.&nbsp; Which would make things very exciting if the empire tried a revenge countermove any time soon.<br><br>Magna Sophia was working very hard to prevent that.<br><br>The Elven ranger - a very young one -&nbsp; was scared.&nbsp; That scared Aeryn.&nbsp; A captive with a frightened keeper could easily end up&nbsp; with her throat cut.&nbsp; She swallowed hard, wishing she still had her narrow spectacles.&nbsp; Might as well wish for her crossbow and poignard, and a running start while she was at it.&nbsp; All with her pack, along with her customary field clothes.&nbsp; The expedition leadersihp had pretty much insisted she dress more formally.&nbsp; But if she had been dressed more like human light infantry, she would likely be dead now.&nbsp; Like most of the scouts and skirmishers now were.<br><br>Someone was coming.&nbsp; the human couldnt hear the approach, but the young ranger wound her off-hand her fist in Aeryn's long dark brown hair, and twisted her around on her knees to face the newcomers.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-02-2014, 16:45:49</strong>
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				"She has not struggled - much," Aruil said, "I think she understands a little of our speech." <br><br>Eshalu followed. She stood unblinking in the dull firefly light of the glowstone. Even before she looked Aeryn in the eyes, the human woman's scent conjured up memories. A welling of images in her mind - some rich and textured when accompanied by some physical sensation, other smoky and grey from where the nuance of the human tongue had confused her. In that instant her memories took shape before her, focusing her reminiscence on Aeryn. Movement, action, sound, taste, smell. All were vivid and unmistakable. <br><br>She crouched on one knee to fix Aeryn's gaze. Her eyes bore into Aeryn's, unmoving. She sought recognition in each motion - the way the eyelids blinked, breath was drawn, lips moved.&nbsp; <br><br>Eshalu lay down her spear on the ground and rose. She turned to Sharal, the prisoner's guard. "Untie her. little sister."<br><br>Sharal hesitated for an instant. It was natural enough for one of the Way of the Blade to be wary of interlopers. Wiry and hard-limbed where Aruil was lank and elegant, she was a ranger who relished close confrontation. Born under the Blood Moon at her midsummer peak, the novitiate's hair and hard leather jerkin reflected that augury; the dark red of an arterial flow. She had probably expected Eshalu to order the sacrifice of the captive, not release her. <br><br>"Come, quickly." Eshalu insisted, "her clan wills us no harm."<br><br>Sharal cast Aruil a furtive glance. Eshalu noticed. "Look at me, little sister, not at her. You did well to capture the human, but we have few friends amongst those who are not of the People and I think she is one of them."<br><br>Sharal stood over Aeryn and drew her curved obsidian knife out of its scabbard. She pressed down hard on Aeryn's back to force her to bend over and sliced open the thick hemp rope, leaving the human scholar's wrists free. Then she knelt and released the bindings round Aeryn's knees and ankles. <br><br>"The Great Mother has cleared our paths to cross again," Eshalu greeted Aeryn in Wood Elven, before reverting clumsily to the awkward, half-remembered sounds of human speech. "This place is safe. Those two are young, but they are good rangers. They will not kill without cause. You have been well?"&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>She knew Aeryn would find the speech of the People difficult. The human scholar had often asked her when they still travelled together of the finer details of Eshalu's language. She would then draw pictures she said represented sounds and meaning. But that must have been a poor substitute for listening. Eshalu knew of no sound one could learn from a drawing.&nbsp; &nbsp;
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>03-02-2014, 17:31:07</strong>
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				<br><br>Eshalu!<br><br>Aeryn kept her face black, her Court face, she thought of it.&nbsp; But Eshalu had stated matter of factly that elves could discern moods by scent.&nbsp; Well, Aeryn was sure she scented of relief, as well as a somewhat fading fear.<br><br>"Bloodthirsty kids is what they are."&nbsp; In Human, of course.&nbsp; " You might advise them more pointedly about the security implications of&nbsp; &nbsp;some humans understanding more elvish than their captors might want to believe."&nbsp; She looked askance at the younger rangers.&nbsp; "In particular, hearing them discuss celebrating my sacrifice wearing naught but the stain of my death brought quite an image to my mind."&nbsp; She very pointedly did not run a nervous finger over her throat when she said that.<br><br>She stood up easily - although she moved with some care.&nbsp; Pressing her hands together and bowing to Eshalu.&nbsp; Not quite the greeting given as though she were Eshalu's Battle Comrade, or equals-lover.&nbsp; Closer to that of one given by the senior ranger's Girl.&nbsp; An error, or an acknowledgement of her ambiguous status?<br><br>Sharal and Aruil were clearly startled by such knowledge of&nbsp; proper&nbsp; etiquette.&nbsp; eshalu might have been.&nbsp; Clearly, Aeryn had been studying for her current assignment.<br><br>Switching to elvish, and although she was clearly speaking with some care, she was understandable,&nbsp; "Ia m wearing suitable boots, although my clothing is not really field ready.&nbsp; I was carrying my field gear, but I have no idea where it is now."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-02-2014, 18:43:45</strong>
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				Eshalu drew closer and took Aeryn's hand in her own. She remembered that this was a gesture of affection for humans. Aeryn would insist that they walk hand in hand - viable perhaps in a human settlement, but impractical in the wilds. Eshalu inhaled. The scent of Aeryn's dark hair, her skin. It had been so long since she had seen a human so close who wasn't bleeding. She contemplated Aeryn for a few, silent moments and then leaned forward to capture Aeryn's lips in a warm kiss of greeting. <em>She tastes the same. It is her</em>. <br><br>"Have no fear. I remember you, and all you have done for me."<br><br>Aruil and Sharal watched intently, curious and bewildered at the same time. <br><br>"She has some knowledge of our customs," Eshalu said in Wood Elven, "and unless she raises her hand against us, she is our guest." Turning to Sharal, "Did you take her travelling pack?"<br><br>"We left it where we took her in the Dying Grove. If you wish to make haste, we can be at the Caern before dawn, but the human will not keep up with our pace. We should rest here and leave before light. There is an underground stream beyond this cavern, we can follow it until we emerge by the Black Boulders. From there it is half a day's trek back to the Lodge."<br><br>Eshalu addressed Aruil, "And you, sister?"<br><br>"She is right. You and I have run for most of the day. We are in no danger and should conserve our strength. We have food and can draw fresh water from the source."<br><br>"Then we have decided," Eshalu agreed, "the human woman you took captive is Aeryn and she is of a human-clan that has no quarrel with the People. I have known them to be hospitable and they like to hear stories of us. After my initiation I travelled beyond the First Growths into Human lands, and from there into the great sea in one of their giant canoes. She was my guide and protector. And I would show my gratitude by bringing her to our lands and under the shade of the canopies of the Mother's Grove."<br><br>Aruil approached Aeryn with the effortless grace of a sylph to inspect her new human guest. Her swift, dexterous fingers tested and prodded the fabric of Aeryn's robe round her shoulders, perhaps trying to remind herself that human textiles and musculature were not too different from her own. "May the Laughing Cascade bear you on your journey, human-sister. We trust in Eshalu's wisdom. I am Aruil of the Lodge of Rangers and my companion is Sharal, who is my sworn sister by initiation, for we were born in the same Cycle, though under different stars."<br><br>Sharal remained diffident, her hands firmly clasped on the hilts of the two, curved halfmoon blades sheathed by her side.<br><br>Aruil continued her examination, skimming the soft, tan skin of Aeryn's throat "I am happy that we have found a new guest, Aeryn," her tongue struggled with the unfamiliar consonants when she pronounced the scholar's name, "but now I have no trophy to offer Eshalu," even by Elven standards, the swiftness of her fingers and the precision of her gaze were striking. Each incremental touch was precise and efficient by instinct rather than by thought, "I was to offer a strand of your hair," Aruil's violet gaze skimmed over Aeryn's features, those deft fingers threading through Aeryn's scalp. The touch was light, airy. "But now Eshalu will be disappointed."<br><br>"I am not," Eshalu interjected, "in time you will find another worthy trophy. There is no shame in a younger ranger receiving more than she gives," then, reverting to the human tongue, "there is much which we must discuss and you should eat and drink. I...<em>apologise</em> for our lack of hospitality."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>04-02-2014, 16:15:34</strong>
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				Aeryn returned that brief kiss gladly.<br><br>"What we have done for each other, you mean.&nbsp; What you have done for me, kept me alive on a very strnge island for us both."<br><br>Body language differed greatly from Elf to Human, it could not be otherwise.&nbsp; But the young ranger's aproach had a different feel to it than before. Forcing herself to remain still under that touch still took effort.&nbsp; &nbsp; A more curious, sensing, questing touch this time.<br><br>"We were not well-met, but we are better-met now, Aruil and Sharal."&nbsp; She didn't even try to hide her relief when the younger ranger finally stepped back.&nbsp; It was sinking in to her that if elves really could detect human moods by scent, as well as each others', certain human social graces would be considered hypocrisy, at the least.<br><br>No wonder the handful of attempts at negotiations between Human and Elven representatives had collapsed.&nbsp; There had been a communications channel in play that Human diplomats had not even considered possible.<br><br>"Apologize?"&nbsp; Aeryn found herself fighting not to laugh.&nbsp; "Compared to what has happened, is happening, and will happen to the rest of the column , I have been through little to complain of."<br><br>She eyed Sharal thoughtfully, the ranger seemed more than a bit on edge.&nbsp; &nbsp;She spoke again, in slow careful Elvish. "If you, Sharal, would do me the great favor of retrieving my pack So that I can wear clothing more easy for.." she stumbled a little bit, "...better suited for woods travel, I would be thankful."&nbsp; That would give the woman time to gather her poise before confronting again a human whose status had changed.<br><br>She pushed her hair out of her face, then&nbsp; tied it in a quick topknot.&nbsp; Reaction.&nbsp; Relief and weariness, her fingers were trembling noticable.&nbsp; "Eshalu, I would love to rest, truly rest.&nbsp; I, I am about to drop in place."&nbsp; She grinned slightly.&nbsp; "If I remember, your field and travel rations contain energy-rich substances that humans handle very poorly as food."&nbsp; The Elven tolerance for&nbsp; and ability to digest what were to Humans quite potent animal and plant toxins had been and was endlessly fascinating to the Naturalist in her.<br><br>She sank once more to the ground, but sitting smoothly crosslegged,&nbsp; murmuring in Human "I am not completely unarmed, the youngsters did not find the small blade I carry in the lining of my left boot."&nbsp; A token of trust, if the way she had returned Eshalu's kiss had not made that plain.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-02-2014, 16:58:25</strong>
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				At the mention of Aeryn's concealed weapon, Sharal and Aruil exchanged bemused glances. Eshalu was conciliatory, sensing the need to salve wounded pride, "It is good for a woman to remain armed and we have nothing to fear from those who would offer their assistance. <br><br>That left the matter of Aeryn's travelling pack. "You took Aeryn captive not far from here?" Eshalu asked. <br><br>"We did," Aruil replied and Sharal motioned her assent. <br><br>"Sharal, I would let you loosen your limbs, you should go on the Clan's behalf and retrieve it. She has things of importance which you left in the wilds. Are the ways clear?"<br><br>Fiercely war-painted Sharal met Eshalu's gaze for a defiant instant, signalling a sense of mild irritation at being made a human's errand-girl. It was a moment of ritualised protest. She knew better than to defy the wisdom of a senior ranger. There was no other sensible solution. Both Eshalu and Aruil needed rest from their trek. <br><br>"The ways are clear and humans are unaware of the paths the dryads reveal to us. They cannot see the ley-lines and cannot navigate by starlight. I will go and return."<br><br>"Do not expose yourself. You should return if you are spotted. And remember what the Mistress of the Blade taught you. You should never engage a human in metal-armour in combat from the front. Always strike them unaware, at the flank or from behind. They have great strength, but little subtlety."<br><br>"The night has fallen. Shalu walks with me," Sharal said and stepped out of the cavern. Her footfalls were almost soundless, echoing like drops of water losing themselves in the rich burbling of the underground stream's current. <br><br>Aruil crouched low by the two richly patterned blankets she and Sharal used as bedding and loosened the strings of a leather travelling satchel. She took three dense, leaf-wrapped parcels smelling strongly of rich, aged elk-fat mingled with the acidic twang of dried berries. "These are good for a huntress," Aruil illustrated, slowing the naturally fluid cascade of her speech in the hope that Aeryn would better understand her, "if your cycle bleeds we have lynx-blood mixed with a little red silt. We do not have rations with us which the druids prefer," she ventured, reaching for the Elven caste which she thought was likely the best fit for Aeryn, "tuber paste grows musty in this humidity and is best eaten warm. But while there is food, you should eat."<br><br>Aruil unwrapped the leafbound parcel, revealing a glistening, ivory layer of fat interspersed with congealed blood and long, red striations of berry paste. She began to nibble it slowly and methodically, hydrating each mouthful under her tongue before chewing and swallowing.&nbsp; <br><br>Eshalu sat cross-legged by Aruil's side and drank deeply from her waterskin, before offering it to Aeryn. "You should eat the leaves, too. They quicken the blood and clear the head. You will need less rest."<br><br>"I have some <em>ishiin</em> moss I gathered before dawn. I will steep it in water and it will be good to drink tomorrow," Aruil told Eshalu, the corner of her penetrating eyes occasionally darting to observe Aeryn's reaction. <br><br>"You have learned much from the druids. But the pain is tolerable. It did not slow my pace today."<br><br>"The bruising was mature and there was no blood and no putrescence,"Aruil agreed, but I would wash the wound again. There is an underground reservoir beyond this cavern. There the water runs clean. We should bathe before leaving, lest our scent draw attention."<br><br>Eshalu grimaced. Aruil had reminded her of the dull, throbbing pain in her hip. "A beast you call an Elasmotherium," she told Aeryn, "- a big male - charged my patrol three nights ago. It struck my side. We brought it down, but it was the presence of humans that unnerved it. Normally they know when we are not on the hunt and do not fear us when our bows are not pointed at them. But the Mother's Web is disturbed by the interlopers." 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>04-02-2014, 18:19:23</strong>
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				Shalu.&nbsp; Not the first time Aeryn had heard that, and always spoken with some revrence.&nbsp; Aeryn pondered this briefly.&nbsp; Eshalu, from Shalu?&nbsp; Heh.&nbsp; Very interesting.<br><br>"Speak naturally, Aruil, I think you for the courtesy, but I understand your tongue far better than I can speak it."&nbsp; And she could, long practice in tiresome talks and negotiations and meetings had given her an ear for nuance.<br><br>An intial careful nibble at the offered food wa fallowed by steady progress at engulfing it.&nbsp; It very much was what she needed.&nbsp; She took a slug of water from the offered skin, then did as Eshalu&nbsp; bade her.&nbsp; The leaves were quite bitter, a familiar tinge.... they still had far to go, she would need the boost.<br><br>The scholar darted a sharp glance at the older ranger.&nbsp; "Ishiin moss. We had cause to use that on Dra Sirdu."&nbsp; She nodded emphatically as she rose to knees, bunching up her robes so as not to have them in her way and shuffled over to Eshalu, fingers darting down her friend's side....&nbsp; No flicker of feeling on the ranger's face.&nbsp; But Aeryn knew her well, caught the signs.&nbsp; "Your hip, not just your side."&nbsp; A slightly firmer press, Eshalu betrayed nothing, but..... "A bone bruise, guaranteed, not just a flesh wound.&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; Yes we will bathe, and you will let me examine that wound of yours."<br><br>Anotgher slug of water to was down the remnants of the trail meal, and she squatted on her heels, ready to move.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-02-2014, 22:08:28</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Aruil watched Aeryn's examination of Eshalu's wounded side intently. She betrayed her surprise that a human would take such interest in field medicine. "You are knowledgeable," she noted, "I thought humans thought it proper to leave their dead where they fall. That is why your warriors wear metal, is it not? Because they fear that once broken their bodies cannot be mended?"<br><br>"She will tell you much, if you are ready to listen. Aeryn is respected by her people for the lore she imparts. She weaves the stories of humans, though they carry it in pictures they draw on the skins of animals and beaten wood pulp."<br><br>"Transient things," Aruil breathed, "the spirits do not speak to them."<br><br>"Perhaps they don't listen." Eshalu finished her ration and rose. <br><br>Though her hip throbbed with a deep seated, angry ache, she kept her stance composed. It was her duty to show Aruil that pain could be vanquished. A huntress had to be the mistress of her own body and only then could she begin to master the art of the blade, or the bow. <br><br>"Come, the scent of the trail is heavy upon us," Aruil led them down a wide, low passage off the side of the cavern chamber. There the groundwater flowed into a small, rustling fount spouting water into a deep, natural basin. The waters stirred with rippling eddies that glistened like black tar in the shadows. Only the solitary glowstone in the adjoining cavern provided a feeble, crepuscular light. <br><br>The rangers disrobed with swift, effortless movements, like stripping of a second skin. But that was the artistry of Elven crafts. The ornate leather jerkin, breeches, gloves and boots of a ranger were invariably fine, hard leather - both light and durable. For Eshalu, the skin had once belonged to a wyvern - a heavier choice favoured by rangers who took point in combat and relished encounters at close quarters. For Aruil, the deadly lurker in the trees, the cut was lighter and more form-fitting. The skin of a snow leopard painstakingly tinted a striking shade of verdant green, and finished so as to give the impression that it was fashioned from falling leaves, their veins and edges crafted and rendered with keenly observed detail. <br><br>Eshalu was the first to step in the pool. The flesh around her injured hip was swollen, the bruise a dark purple core with layered brown and blood red blotches. She lowered herself in the water, the hard, defined muscles of her thighs and belly tensing, and then relaxing until she sat submerged to the waist. <br><br>The water was freezing cold - a few days upstream it had been meltwater and the stony channels of the karst had done little to warm it. But it was welcome relief, numbing the pain and invigorating her tired limbs. She began to wash with hard, thorough strokes over her skin, sweeping away the dense layer of sweat. She never understood why humans used scented soap or unguents when bathing. For her, the purpose of the exercise was to banish all scents that might betray a ranger to a predator or enemy, not introduce new ones.<br><br>Aruil hesitated for a moment, watching Aeryn. Shorter and leaner than Eshalu, pale skin drawn tight over her ribs and hips, her musculature was understated, but evident and her arms were unmistakably those of an archer. Her features were sharper and more angular than Eshalu's, with razor cheekbones, and an elegant, boyish chest betraying only a tantalising hint of femininity. Fat, taut nipples the colour of alpine strawberries pebbling in the cold air. <br><br>"She is still smooth," Eshalu said, gently teasing, "one day she will bear the scars of the hunt."<br><br>"I follow the Way of the Bow. My hunts are over before my prey sees, hears, or smells me."<br><br>"So it is, but always remember that the best planned hunt can be unpredictable. Even the Mistress of the Bow has fought hand to hand on many an occasion."<br><br>"It is so," Aruil boasted, "I am very familiar with each of her scars." She stepped into the water and settled by Eshalu, barely making a sound.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-02-2014, 03:21:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn had been giving some thought as to how to answer Aruil's gibe about human warriors."Human's do not heal as well, both in speed and fullness of recovery, as Elves do, but that is only part of not why our best&nbsp; warriors wear metal."<br><br>The light was fading, she stepped with care, trying to match Eshalu's footsteps.<br><br>"Fighting styles are different.&nbsp; Elves duck and dodge.&nbsp; Humans can fight that way, but you Elves are much better at it."&nbsp; As many skirmishers have discovered over the last few days, was her grim thought.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Humans, noble humans, those who are most likely to have advanced and lengthy training in the profession of arms?&nbsp; Stand and take it.&nbsp; That is how they fight. Defense is important to be sure but many follow the technique which holds that the best defense is a rain of blows.<br><br>Aeryn gave the young ranger a pointed look.&nbsp; "Many of your warriors have found out just how good a way of the blade such fighting is.&nbsp; Even in this current defeat, I saw Knights and men-at-arms in formation punch through more than their number of Elven warriors.&nbsp; Brave men, brave males those Elves... but very male in that they tried to stand toe to toe with enemy males who were larger and better armored.&nbsp; Madness."&nbsp; She smiled wryly at Elashu.&nbsp; "Male pride I suppose, but they soon learned to wait until you Rangers disrupted human ranks before closing in."<br><br>She pulled her robes over her head - similar in cut to those worn by religious orders, but much less restrictive of movement.&nbsp; There was a chill in the air, the water.... looked damned cold.&nbsp; She sat down, pulled off her boots - the sturdy sensible field boots of a field naturalist, not the soft slippers of a Nun - and unrapped her breechclout.&nbsp; Settling into the water on he other side of Eshalu.... she dipped a toe in, winced, then entered quickly, yipping when very cold water reached very tender bits.<br><br>She felt Aruil's eyes on her, openly curious.&nbsp; It didn't bother her, one thing Sisters learned fast was field modesty while bathing.&nbsp; Aeryn was slightly embarrassed, but mainly because she knew that her time out of the field had made her soft.&nbsp; Even by human standards.&nbsp; Certainly by Elven standards.&nbsp; Even with the toughening she had achieved during the invasion, she suspected that although slim by Human standards, she was voluptuous in the eyes of elves like Aruil.<br><br>Her own eyes were on Eshalu, and in professional concern.&nbsp; Mostly.&nbsp; It had been almost two years, after all.&nbsp; That burising was a bad as she feared, she pressed carefully at the edges snapping "Be still!" When a brief protest was attempted.&nbsp; Worrisome.&nbsp; To look like this after three days, with Elven healing.... worrisome. but not too serious.&nbsp; The woman had taken worse hurts.<br><br>Aeryn had seen them.&nbsp; "When Sharal gets back with my pack, I have some things I can do.&nbsp; But you are healing well."&nbsp; A jaundiced look at her old lover.&nbsp; "Glancing blow indeed, which is what you tried to imply, no don't deny it."<br><br>She smiled at the teasing, "Aruil will earn her scars, I have my own."&nbsp; She did, a few from too-exciting moments of he field work, but only two real combat wounds, a hands-breadth long slash on her lower right ribs.&nbsp; A puncture from an arrow in the front of her left tigh.&nbsp; Not quite through the big artery in the leg.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-02-2014, 13:32:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You are right," Eshalu agreed, "I have endured much worse." She stretched in the water. It was bracing enough to flush the accumulated fatigue from her body. There was nothing to compare to an invigorating cold bath, though humans had a predilection for warm water, which, among the People, was a therapeutic luxury and only enjoyed when a long trek to a natural hot spring could be made. <br><br>But nothing compared to the delightful surprise of seeing Aeryn's body again. She felt she knew each part of it - knew the shape of every curve, the outline of each muscle, the taste of her mouth, her skin, her sex. She had not coupled with a human since she and Aeryn had parted ways and there was no denying her exotic allure. Something forbidden to the People, though it was the hidden ambition of many of her lodge-sisters to find a worthy human warrior when on walkabout in lands outside the First Growth. That always made for a good, and often embellished, story. But Aeryn was so much more than a mere story. She was there in flesh and blood, perhaps an instrument of the Clan's salvation. <br><br>For Eshalu Aeryn was a welcome and familiar sight, but to Aruil the human sage presented a trove of physical curiosities. The dusky tan of the human's skin and especially the dense, dark thatch of hair between her thighs were unlike anything she had ever seen before. "How...curious," Aruil said, both fascinated and a little bewildered, "but yes, built like a druid. You should have eaten more before - put on weight, the leaves turn and the fruit grows heavy. It will be a cold winter. If you do not run with the rangers, how else will you keep warm?"<br><br>"Humans eat several times a day," Eshalu clarified, "they do not hunt or gather their meals, but rather have others bring them food."<br><br>"That is hardly satisfactory - a ranger must hunt and a druid must gather." With that, Aruil edged closer to Aeryn, "you should be pleased that Eshalu shows you favour, she is a generous and successful huntress. She has taught me much. So we share this bond, human-sister, we both know the delight of Eshalu's caress." Even while she spoke, she studied Aeryn with the scrutiny of a falcon circling her target, "Your blood pulses a little faster, your heart beats a little harder, your pupils widen -" Aruil's skimmed her fingers over the length of Aeryn's throat, following the line of her carotid, "yes, faster."<br><br>Eshalu chuckled, "Foolish girl thinks she has a leopard spirit in her and like an overeager kit she needs something to occupy her curiosity." <br><br>"And you so often indulge me," Aruil smiled.<br><br>Eshalu ignored her and plunged her head in the water and reemerged, her short-cropped flaxen hair clinging tight to her cheeks and pointed ears, "She was born under the Silver Moon, and the druid who eased her mother's birth channeled Irauil, She of Many Faces. A trickster spirit who taught the People how to craft traps and snares and imitate the calls of birds."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-02-2014, 14:50:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn bought some time to think by dunking under, came up spluttering as she swept hre long hair back.... and bought a little more by musing.&nbsp; "I should be a lot colder.&nbsp; Hypothermic by now.&nbsp; But no.&nbsp; I wonder.... your rangers use this stream often for&nbsp; bathing.&nbsp; I wonder if I am not colder because the spirits here know you do not wish me incapacitated."&nbsp; Um.&nbsp; The Elven term she had used was actually better translated as 'unable to perform', now that she thought twice about it.<br><br>And when she had dunked under, her toes on one foot had brushed aainst Eshalu's calf, and lingered when she came back up, stroking lightly.&nbsp; And the woman just sat there placidly, a slight smile n her face, while her eager young...cohort, pupil,&nbsp; devoured the Human with her eyes.<br><br>That light touch could become maddening, the technique familiar.&nbsp; Oh yes, no doubt Aruil had learned much indeed from Eshalu.&nbsp; "I am very pleased, and very grateful for Eshalu's favor."&nbsp; Oh Goddess of Wisdom, that light touch on her throat, it was getting very hard to talk.&nbsp; And Eshalu just...smirked.&nbsp; Aeryn knew Elves had a far more cavalier attitude towards such things than humans, and she herself had been by no means chaste, she had lain with other women the past two years.<br><br>She compared her own slightly rounded belly,&nbsp; her moderate in humans terms bosom to the barely-there bosom, the lean hardness of Aruil. Was the senior ranger really going to just sit there grinning while her&nbsp; baby-butch apprentice fucked her first human?&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Smirking bitch.&nbsp; Just a little pissed off, Aeryn raked short toenails along the instep of Eshalu's foot.<br><br>"She is indeed a trickster."&nbsp; Goddess, her voice was actually shaking. Herr tips were hard enough to cut glass, and not just from the cold water.<br><br>Which felt a lot less cold, now.&nbsp; Aeryn had the magical sensitivity of the average rock, but her talent for observations empirical deduction made up for that to an amazing degree.&nbsp; The fact that she was incandescently aroused rather than shivering to death told her much about how the local stream Naiad felt about what was going on.<br><br>In that small and shrinking corner of her mind that could still think, anyway.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-02-2014, 15:45:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu exhaled softly when she felt the contact of Aeryn's foot against hers. Familiar skin, warmth in the invigorating cold of the water, the rake of a fingernail, almost tickling the sensitive sole of her foot. It quickened her blood. "The naiad of this karst welcomes us. She stirs the waters and loosens the rocks when interlopers pass, but she is happy to hold you in her icy embrace. She may require an offering, but our Caern has known her since before the Starfall. Her memory is long and she has seen countless rangers come and seek refuge and solace in her caverns."<br><br>Aruil pressed close to Aeryn, her big, swollen nipples pressed against the softness of Aeryn's fuller breasts. Her lips parted, like she was tasting the air. The young ranger's touch moved higher, tracing the unfamiliar shape of Aeryn's jaw, higher towards her ear. <br><br>Eshalu observed, with a satisfied smirk. She wanted to tell Aruil that human ears were not sensitive like an Elf's, but decided that it was best for the girl to discover such things for herself. The situation was certainly amusing. The rituals of courtship and intimacy of humans had always confounded Eshalu. Now Aeryn was confronted with Aruil's attentions, which were not quite of the level of formal courtship, but a nuanced greeting, showing both trust and reciprocal respect through touch. The detail, since Eshalu had deduced that humans preferred exclusive bedmates, was probably lost. But then again she knew it was never wise to underestimate Aeryn's scholarly perception. <br><br>Aruil craned her neck a little, her breath kissing the skin of Aeryn's throat. Her touch slid lower, trailing the slope of Aeryn's breast, feeling the ripe stiffness of the dark peak of the human sage's nipple. <br><br>"You see now the water is warmer," Aruil breathed, her tongue flicked out, sweeping up a few droplets of water from Aeryn's throat. "You taste strange. Different. It is...pleasant." <br><br>Edging forward, she felt the softer, yielding flesh of Aeryn's belly against the hard, lean muscle of her thigh. Very different indeed. Peering down, meeting Aeryn's gaze, she paused. Droplets of water streamed from her spiny, silver hair. "She watches us," Aruil said at length, "she says it is the first time a human is welcome in her embrace. She is pleased and asks that we bring her an offering when she first freezes over." She spoke looking <em>through</em> Aeryn, addressing the water itself. <br><br>Eshalu knelt behind Aruil. She felt her breath quickening, a tightening sensation in her chest. She dipped a hand down the hard expanse of her belly, calloused fingers tracing the plump lips of her sex. She sighed. There would be time. She needed to be on alert, even in shelter. Her crescent shortsword lay sheathed on the pool bottom before her. If danger came, she knew the naiad would alert them. Or alert Aruil, who could see and hear the spirit world. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-02-2014, 18:49:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn's mind was not quite spinning, but she was holding her self control by her fingernails.<br><br>The water was suddenly no longer cold at all.&nbsp; Not that Aeryn could pay much attentin to that, not with smooth taut flesh against her bodom, strong fingers tracing hr jawline.&nbsp; She shivered.&nbsp; Eshalu had taught this one well.&nbsp; In many ways, it seemed.&nbsp; She held still, arms outstretched beside her, hands clenching at the edge of the stream bed.&nbsp; Not sure what was going on, the touch was not quite aggressive, certainly not neutral.<br><br>The puff of breath at her throat, the very very precise lap of tongue that scooped up droplets of water without more than grazing skin.&nbsp; that beautiful taut thigh against her soft belly.&nbsp; Aeryn ran fingertips through Aruil's silver hair.... it felt young, not like an older Human's hair of the same color.<br><br>She more sensed than saw Eshalu come close, felt the stir in the water.&nbsp; reached past Aruil, arm skimming cheek, her fingertips brushing the older Ranger's lips, just grazing them.<br><br>Threesomes were so...emotionally charged with humans.&nbsp; She had seen strong relationships in the Society blown apart by them.&nbsp; Elves were different.&nbsp; She wondered how she would handle that.&nbsp; How she would handle it the first time she found Eshalu with another woman.<br><br>Shit.&nbsp; Thinking that&nbsp; elves were different was one thing.&nbsp; Seeing it, feeling it?&nbsp; Then she would know.<br><br>She leaned forward, slowly, kissed Aruil, just a brush of lips.&nbsp; "What offering would be suitable?&nbsp; I have stones for a sling from far streambeds.&nbsp; Would that be suitable?"<br><br>Oh dear Goddess, the scent of her.&nbsp; Not as good as Eshalu's, no other woman was.&nbsp; I have fallen quite hard for her, the scholar reflected.<br><br>But that didn't stop her from kissing the Elf against her, pressing lips, flicking a tongue tip between them.&nbsp; Felt lean strong arms enfold her, not like Eshalu would have done.<br><br>This one was young, impatient.&nbsp; The older ranger knew she was stronger than Aeryn, leashed her strength.&nbsp; This young one semed to feel the need to prove herself.&nbsp; She had no scars as Eshalu did, just smooth skin over hard muscle, not even as much body fat as Eshalu.<br><br>And nothing like her patience.&nbsp; Aeryn grunted as she was pressed back hard, pulled her hand back from the older Elf to enfold the younger, caging her, surrounding her, but not hindering her from whatever she wanted to do to the human woman. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-02-2014, 20:03:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aruil's lips met Aeryn's. An exploratory kiss, inviting Aeryn's tongue into her mouth. She relished the textured slickness of Aeryn's lips, the heat and rhythm of her breath. She moved her thigh between the human woman's and was met with the unfamiliar sensation of crisp, damp hair shrouding the entirely familiar warmth below. <br><br>"How unusual," Aruil whispered, before bringing her mouth back down to devour Aeryn's. She had a youthful, impetuous hunger, wanting to savour her newfound conquest. <br><br>She allowed herself to be drawn tight against Aeryn and only broke their kiss to press her lips firmly in the hollow of the human woman's throat, tracing wet, lingering trails on the human scholar's collarbone. Lower, her tongue lapped the slope of Aeryn's breast. Back arched, crouching over her lover like a panther, she wrapped her lips around Aeryn's delicious stiff nipple. A graze of teeth and then a circling tongue, patient, this time, seeking not only to taste, but to understand. An unfamiliar body becoming a familiar one, the taste and scent no longer alien to her. She observed Aeryn's reactions to her touch, adjusting her movements to meet the scholar's need. <br><br>She took Aeryn's hand in hers and brought it to the sharp point of her ear, shuddering when she felt the cool water and warm skin graze her. <br><br>"I can hear your heart thunder," Aruil whispered, "what do you yearn for?" Artful, archer's hands explored the contours of Aeryn's body. The slight curve of her belly, the flare of her hips, nimble fingers trailing the curve of her bottom, skimming the deep valley between. Full and fleshy and not the unyielding muscle of a lodge-sister.<br><br>"For an offering a weapon is good," Aruil said, pressing a warm kiss on Aeryn's sternum, "she feels the strength of the hands that wield them. But you are not a warrior. You should give something of <em>yours</em>, that comes from the path the stars chose for you. She watches, she sees. I have seen her in moonlight and her skin is like dark water and her hair blue like night."<br><br>She clasped her hands on the dusky cheeks of Aeryn's bottom and started to ease the scholar out of the water. Her lips followed the water level, grazing the scholar's navel with her tongue. "Her caress is cold like this water, her eyes bottomless like polished obsidian." She now squatted on her heels before Aeryn, the sharp lines of her shoulderblades in stark relief against the tight-coiled muscle of her back and biceps, water lapping around her narrow waist. <br><br>Eshalu watched, one hand on the pommel of her shortsword and the other between her thighs, noncommittally teasing the hood drawn tight round the little bud of her clit. She was in no hurry. Aruil may have given in to the boundless curiosity of youth, but Aeryn was not just an honorary lodge-sister to Eshalu. It was proper for she and Aeryn to take their pleasure at their leisure. Back at the Caern she would let the embers of her passion blaze after being denied Aeryn's touch for too long. <br><br>For now, it pleased her to see Aruil approach the unknown with such energy. The younger ranger had been positioning to be Eshalu's girl for two seasons and that she had met with Aeryn's favour was certainly a good sign. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>06-02-2014, 14:11:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Feral.&nbsp; Primal.&nbsp; That's what Aruil tasted like.&nbsp; The thigh Aeryn was beginning to ride was smooth skin, no scars to be felt, hard muscled sliding beneath.&nbsp; Similar to memories of Eshalu, nothing like the soft, fine-bred noblewoman she scholar had last lain with.&nbsp; It was really getting hard to think, her Elvish was out of practice she didn't catch what Aruil said when the kiss was briefly broken.&nbsp; Very briefly.&nbsp; And the youngster did know patience after all, her eyes lifted to Eshalu, who was watching them intently.&nbsp; One hand down between&nbsp; her legs, the other under water offside, probably holding a weapon.<br><br>Goddess of Wisdom, that was a hot image.<br>Aruil commanded her full attention then, and Aeryn carfully traced a forefinger along the rim of that loveliy ear, very very gently running a nail inside it, then outside along the rim again, the sensitive skin near the skull., then down to the lobe, gently strokng it between finger and thumb.<br><br>Oho, Aruil's control cracked, just a little.<br><br>Good.<br><br>Oh wow, she was supposed to think about a gift, now, during this?&nbsp; &nbsp; IF she ahd been weariing her spectacles, then cold stream or not, they would ahve been fogged.&nbsp; "Y-yearn?"&nbsp; She was feeling very much like prey as she was lifted out of the water, set n the edge of the stream.&nbsp; One leg lifted a bvit, pressing her soft sigh agaist Aruil's junction.&nbsp; No bush, just smooth cntact.&nbsp; Warm wet contact.&nbsp; She felt the elf stiffen slightly, a slight hiss of breath. <em>Play me like a flute, will you?</em>&nbsp; A trace of smugness in her thought.<br><br>Which vanished as the ranger shifted, with the touch of lips and tongue on her belly.&nbsp; Moving lower.&nbsp; Aeryn felt hersilf give a low chokinng sound as her hands drifted to Aruils shoulders, pushing downwards very gently.&nbsp; Shifting slightly,&nbsp; pulling a leg up out from between Aruils, spreading for whatever the younger Elf wanted to do to her.<br><br>She knew Eshalu was there, watching, that damned smirk on her face.&nbsp; But she wasn't aware of it.<br><br>Not really.<br><br>&nbsp;<br><br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>06-02-2014, 14:59:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aruil took a long drawn out moment to examine the juncture between Aeryn's thighs. The hair fascinated her, but the scent of desire below - it was unmistakable. Deft fingers traced the dense thatch of dark hair, easing into the swollen, warm flesh beneath, spreading Aeryn's lips. At last a familiar sight. Aruil knew exactly what to do from there. Aeryn's flower was spread before her, inflamed with the scholar's passion. Aruil inhaled and licked reverently around the outer lips, just skimming, tasting, feeling wet velvet beneath her tongue. Her fingers dipped lower, arcing round the pulsing heat of Aeryn's channel. <br><br>"Your taste is pleasing," Aruil said - her voice was a hiss. It was still perplexing. Whether Aeryn wanted to be licked, or fucked, or both was still a mystery to her. She was only disappointed Eshalu did not join them. There was a thick heat spreading in her loins that only Eshalu's hand could coax to satisfaction.&nbsp; <br><br>Spreading the lips of Aeryn's sex, Aruil began to lick at a languid, unhurried pace, seeking the sweet geography of the scholar's sex with each flick of her tongue. Once she had tasted her fill, her strokes became more focused, lavishing wet attention round the angry bud that now stood proudly from its hood. She lapped at an unhurried pace, focusing on reading Aeryn's responses to each pattern she would weave with her tongue. <br><br>She looked up from her work, violet eyes seeking Aeryn's gaze. <br><br>Then she returned her eager tongue to work. Soon. The human was wet. Wet for her. She would show Aeryn. Though she was smooth, she could fuck like a huntress. <br><br>So she eased Aeryn's back against a slab of slick, smooth rock, and slipped two tensed and lightly arched fingers into the scholar's sex. Wet, silken walls parted. In rhythm with her licks, Aruil began to move her fingers, exploring at first, and then building a steady beat of thrusts. The muscles in her biceps and forearms were drawn taut with the effort, her movements precise rather than forceful, She withheld the full fire of her passion, knowing Aeryn was not a ranger and may not have been ready for the unbridled physicality of her own coupling with Eshalu. <br><br>Behind her, Eshalu mastered herself. The vision of Aruil kneeling in front of her, her sex and the tight valley of her marble-hard bottom exposed and the familiar curves of Aeryn's reclining body. She wanted badly to join the two writhing forms. To fuck Aruil with her hand until the girl's throat was hoarse from crying out, to taste the fertile wellspring of Aeryn's sex, and to lose herself for the whole night with her face between the scholar's thighs. But no, soon.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>07-02-2014, 15:16:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn was actually grinding her teeth by the time Aruil finally licked her.&nbsp; Later she would marvel at the self control of one so young, but for now....&nbsp; resting against the rock, stroking those smooth strong shoulders, watching that silver head move slightly, arcs of pleasure trailing with each movement.&nbsp; She could sense Eshalu's teaching at work, but Aruil was very much building Aeryn's fire with her own cookbook.<br><br>Those lovely eyes were a joy to behold when the young ranger lifted her gaze, but that didn't prevent a whimpering moan of protest when the licking stopped.<br><br>Archingh her back, tossing back her head to thump against the rock lightly, hands clenching to dig short nails into shoulders when she felt fingers enter her.&nbsp; Take her. She tried to speak in Elvish, imploring Aruiil not to stop, hips moving with no control from her mind at all.<br><br>Approaching&nbsp; her peak, not even teetering on it, just going over, body locking up, channel muscles slamming in a wet vise on the fingers within her.... then sagging back down with a soft choking moan.<br><br>Pulling gently to bring the young Elf up for a wet long hot kiss.<br><br>And finally remembering Eshalu was there, glared at the woman over Aruil's shoulder.&nbsp; Half glared.&nbsp; She was far to warm to be truly angry.<br><br>Licking Aruil's ear, murmuring&nbsp; "Very well done, strong young sweetling.&nbsp; Now what may I do for you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>07-02-2014, 16:03:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aruil reveled in the sensation of Aeryn's sex contracting round her fingers. The spasms of wet velvet and the scholar's cries. Sublime. She kept lapping, kept fucking until Aeryn invited her up. She kissed back, this time furiously, the human woman's earthy essence thick on her tongue. <br><br>When Aeryn's lips grazed her ear, tongue flicking to leave wet warmth on the sensitive skin, Aruil gasped. A lusty, satisfied exhalation of breath. The human was a fast learner. She nuzzled Aeryn's neck, teeth nipping at the scholar's earlobe, her jawline, lower to her throat, leaving just a little redness on the tan skin. <br><br>"I did well?" Aruil said, with the satisfied smile, "I see why Eshalu is so admiring of you." Drawing Aeryn into her embrace she ran her fingers through the scholar long, dark hair, wet like kelp, "Now I know your smell, your breath, your heart, your taste. And I don't forget. You are welcome in my company, human-sister."<br><br>She took Aeryn's hand and brought it to the juncture of her hard thighs, pressing palm and fingers to the fat, swollen lips of her sex. She was sodden, her folds heavy with nectar. "Eshalu watches over us," Aruil murmured into Aeryn's ear, "all that we give to her. How many times has her hand been sheathed in here?" She helped three of Aeryn's fingers inside her slick channel. A choked sigh. "I have stopped counting." She was loose, instinctively accommodating, showing the flawless muscle control of a ranger who had mastered her body.<br><br>"But I will leave you with this," she continued, easing Aeryn's fingers out of her once more, leaving only a slick of her nectar on the scholar's fingers, "the first peak you must give belongs to Eshalu. It is an offering due to her not to me. But then you may have me, if you want me. I would certainly have you." <br><br>Aruil drew back and stepped out of the pool, her smile teasing and enigmatic. She set about washing her equipment and Eshalu's, scrubbing the leather thoroughly in the water with a hemp cloth.<br><br>Eshalu eased herself out of the basin, lavishing an affectionate caress on Aruil's back. The girl's hips undulated under Eshalu's touch, like she was expecting more. The older ranger gave a gentle laugh, "Easy girl, your patience will soon be rewarded." She had met Aeryn's glare with intense anticipation. If only her human lover knew how her need raged inside her. Anticipation would make for a raw release and they would make up for lost time soon enough.<br><br>Sheathed shortsword in hand, Eshalu motioned for Aeryn to return to the main cavern. "Sharal will return soon. I would apply Aruil's tincture to my wound and then, if we can, we should rest. I will take you to our Caern and there I will arrange for you to speak with those who need your counsel on the affairs of humans."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>10-02-2014, 14:43:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn gave little grunts with each np.&nbsp; Oh, this one was fierce.<br><br>And so brusque.&nbsp; Very much wanting to take her time getting to Aruil's lins, but the Human didn't resist when her hand was seized and placed right where it was wanted. So be it.&nbsp; Three fingers bunched together slid in.&nbsp; "Hers are longer than mine."&nbsp; Aeryn curved her fingertips in the slight hook that Eshalu had taught her, being very carefull with her short nails.<br>And was truly shocked.&nbsp; Staring at Aruil.&nbsp; Morther of mercy, the selfg control the young ranger had just displayed.....<br><br>That caress Eshalu stroked along the young ranger's back, Aeryn found herself smiling, slowly sucking her fingers clean, one by one as she watched their play.<br><br>Oh well, back to business.&nbsp; She nodded as she lifted out of the water, padded back to the entryway.&nbsp; And within moments, Sharal was there with the human's pack.&nbsp; Had Eshalu heard the approach, or was her judgement of how long the retrieval would take so keenly good?<br><br>Very interesting, and impressive either way.<br><br>"Sharal, I truly thank you."&nbsp; Aeryn gave the returning ranger a half bo, falling back on Magan Sophia courtesy to one who had done her a service.&nbsp; Smiling inwardly at the frank curiosity in those eyes, she quickly opened her pack, ulled out a small towel to run over her heair, they fished out a comb ran it through her wet locks a few times, then bound it up in a tight high Bun.&nbsp; And sighed very happily as she pulled out some real traveling clothes.&nbsp; A clean breechclout, oh utter bliss, She wound it around her hips, between her thighs quickly, tucked it in place.&nbsp; inen trousers and tunik, wide leather belt.&nbsp; Clean socks.&nbsp; Purrr.&nbsp; She tugged her boots back on, rose, wrigglng her feet to settle in.&nbsp; <br><br>Loose fitting clothing that covered and protected against briars,thorns and insects.&nbsp; She considered the rolled up soft leather jerkin....&nbsp; No.&nbsp; She left the light body armor as it was. Left her crossbow unstrung, the crosspiece unmounted.&nbsp; But she did check the weapon over, opening the case to reveal a light crossbow similar to, but very much better made that the flatbows used by human skirmishers.&nbsp; The quarrels in their own small case were of the same high quality.&nbsp; She did hook the Poingard to her belt, a heavy dagger not quite large enough to be a shortsword.&nbsp; Another weapon that was very high quality, but no jewels or flash at all.<br><br>The small knife was still in the lining of he left boot.&nbsp; Good. eshalu knew about tht, but so far, hre companions ahd not found it.&nbsp; Or thought to look.<br><br>A bit of money, a few jewels,&nbsp; a mrror.&nbsp; Iron rations for travel, assorted small sensible things no sane woman went in the field without. Her field surgury kit, but not the full load of medical gear and supplies she was used to carrying - the men who&nbsp; were in command the invasion had been appalled at her willingness to get her hands bloody in the field hospitals.&nbsp; A nurse they could understand, but a high-status woman doing field surgury?<br><br>And her journal, her writing kit. All was there.<br><br>Her Society robes, she rolled up and tucked away.&nbsp; Clean them, ditch them, she wasn't sure what to do with those.&nbsp; But she felt very much better now.<br><br>And of course, Sharal had watched with interested silence the whole time.<br><br>Aeryn smiled ruefully.&nbsp; "More sensible for the outdoors, but if I had been dressed like this when you found me?'<br><br>Sharal just snorted and drew her finger across her throat.&nbsp; A bit of remaining hostility there.&nbsp; Maybe some new hostility.&nbsp; Aeryn wondered if Sharal could smell Aruil's excitement on the human.&nbsp; Not mere jealousy, not if Aeryn had bbeen an elf, but a Human, what did the other young ranger think of that?<br><br>Oh well.&nbsp; She settled down on a rock, pulled out her journal and writing kit, then began catching up on her entries.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>10-02-2014, 15:22:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The air in the cavern was heavy with damp, but under it, Sharal could detect the familiar scents of Eshalu and Aruil's desire, and an earthier, alien note. They had coupled, that much she knew. Which was convenient for Aruil. Becoming Eshau's girl had been the archer's single-minded fixation since her initiation and showing affection for the older ranger's human-sister was bound to earn her credit. Still, Sharal trusted Aruil's judgment. She'd always been the clever one.&nbsp; <br><br>Sharal regarded Aeryn with the observant, wary gaze of a bird of prey, watching the scholar dress. She was less immediately curious than Aruil and if there was one truth she knew it was that she liked her women Elven. But Aeryn had given her the phantom of a second thought. The human woman carried herself with a poise and dignity which were appealing. She may have been human, but she was not prey. <br><br>Eshalu followed Aeryn out. "How were the paths?"<br><br>Sharal looked grim. "I have seen the short-haired wolves the humans collar and hold on chains looking for scent. We cannot stay here long. We should be on the move. The Black Boulders are sheltered and the overground paths to them impossible for the intruders to traverse in numbers in which they will feel safe. We should take our leave now."<br><br>"So it is. We will follow the cavern path the naiad has shown Aruil."<br><br>Aruil returned shortly bearing clean equipment. She and Eshalu dried themselves off quickly with a small hemp cloth, but the thought of setting out with damp skin and wet hair did not trouble them. They dressed swiftly. Form-fitting breeches of soft leather that had the flexibility of second skin, light boots with soles textured for grip, and the high-necked, padded jerkins with hardened sections shielding the chest and throat. Aruil's jerkin was shorter-sleeved, and she wore a pair of archer's bracers, adorned with spiral and arrow motifs, propitiating a good hunt. <br><br>Eshalu drew up her spear and slung her yellow mantle across her strong shoulders, "If we are ready, we should leave now."<br><br>Aruil looked doubtful, inspecting the string of her ancestral longbow, "We have not tended to your wound."<br><br>"The pain is tolerable and the cold bath has numbed it well."<br><br>Sharal drew her blades. These were of the same starmetal the Elves used in all their metallurgy, and unlike Eshalu's shortsword, they resembled curved broadswords, being broad and having the weight and heft of falchion or machete. Ideal for close range combat in a heavily wooded environment. She led the way, taking point, easing the party through tight, dark passageways deep in the bowels of the karst. <br><br>They passed by a series of still pools, into which water poured from the high-vaulted ceilings. There, the attentive observer could detect a shadow. A vaguely humanoid form, shrouded in dark, wet strands resembling both hair and kelp, its features both Elven and primal at the same time. The shadow followed at a distance, losing itself in the reflections of the water where light was cast by bioluminescent fungi, and then reappearing a little while later, seemingly leading Sharal's brisk march. <br><br>Eshalu walked by Aeryn's side, spear at the ready. "We near the Black Boulders," she told her human companion, "I can smell the forest air above. The naiad has shown us the way."<br><br>Aruil spoke from behind them, her movement soundless, her breath hot on Aeryn's ear, "Yes, she is well pleased. You have given her a worthy offering. It is the first time she embraced a human since she first emerged in the Night of Time. She watched us couple and she will remember you the next time you pass through."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>11-02-2014, 14:59:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn jerked he head up&nbsp; from where she was bent over her writnig.&nbsp; "Dogs and houndmasters trying to pick up a&nbsp; trail?"&nbsp; She paled slightly.&nbsp; "No no.&nbsp; They, they have to withdraw, they must withdraw. This means they are trying to counterattack."&nbsp; She used a word that while emphatic, did not sound quite as harsh as Imperial standard, an expletive in her native soutehrn tongue, perhap.&nbsp; She visibly gathered herself under control.&nbsp; "They have no reinforcements coming.&nbsp; I am certain of that.&nbsp; They ... if they don't keep moving back to the frontier, they.... I am no warrior, but I have seen battles, campaigns.&nbsp; This is a beaten army."&nbsp; She shook her head angrily, closed her journal, tucked her writing implements back into their case, into her pack and slung it.&nbsp; Muttering still in that other human tongue.<br><br>Watching Eshalu dress brightened her mood, yes it did.&nbsp; But she was still far from good humor when the small group set out.&nbsp; "Let her be, Aruil.&nbsp; when she is taken by this mood-"&nbsp; &nbsp;literally 'when Shalu is upon her' - "there is no holding her back without binding her to something heavy."<br><br>Eshalu at her side was a comfort as they traveled, it helped get her back n the groove -woodcraft was coming back to her very quickly.&nbsp; She still jumped slightly when Aruil spoke.&nbsp; Saying mildly in Imperial "That one is very good."<br><br>Her eyes didn't dart around, she quarteed the view, missing very little, taking mental notes for later.&nbsp; No time to write anything down.&nbsp; The naiad had accepted her.&nbsp; Um.&nbsp; Hm.&nbsp; Reflecting on it.... she had been in the spirit's embrace as well as Aruil's.&nbsp; Hah.&nbsp; She was actually smiling now.&nbsp; And yes, she wanted to take Eshalu's hand as they walked, but knew better.&nbsp; Later.&nbsp; She stayed clear of the older Ranger's weapon side, in case she had to move and strike suddenly.<br><br>The scholar badly wanted her loaded crossbow in her hands,&nbsp; but she was sure that would push the limits of what Elves who did not know her would accept from a human.&nbsp; And besides, anything she shot at might&nbsp; be friendly.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-02-2014, 15:42:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The rangers moved at a merciless pace, weaving through the intricate network of caverns and half-submerged tunnels. At times the water rode high to the knee, and at others, it was simply a slippery slick on the stony ground, overgrown with tough moss. By the time the first gusts of fresh, night air breezed over them, they emerged under moonlight into the virgin heart of the forest. Overhead the silver and red moons loomed crescent,&nbsp; the milky celestial ocean flowing over the vault of the sky. <br><br>Sharal led the way up a steep incline of shattered rocks and roots shrouded in green moss. The going was tough, slippery, but the rangers moved with feline grace, scaling each tier of rock with precise, agile motions, arms and legs straining, but holding firm. They exited the karst gully and found themselves in the presence of a wide circle of black standing stones, the colour of polished obsidian, gleaming in starlight. The People, for whom history was the accumulation of lore and stories told by the Loreweavers and preserved by friendly spirits, knew the place to be immensely ancient, the stones carved and erected by unknown hands before the Starfall. <br><br>Eshalu walked in silent reverence, taking a moment to contemplate her reflection in one of the stones. It was a natural, perfect mirror, the surface polished so that there was no distortion in shape or proportion. <br><br>"Not long now," Aruil said. Her face was streaked with sweat and muddy water from the steep climb, but she was pleased that they had made it this far undetected. "This place is impassable, unless one follows the ley-lines and knows the paths the dryads open up. No human we have encountered of this metal-clad clan have had the Sight, or, if they did, they never learnt to master it. You, human-sister,may be the first human ever to set foot here." With that, Aruil clambered up the roots of an ancient, wide-trunked tree. Her ascent was swift and soundless, climbing and vaulting from branch to branch with the ease of a child. <br><br>Eshalu pointed out their path to Aeryn, "Aruil will go ahead and cover our trek from the canopy. She will be able to see if any approach and warn us. From the canopies, she will have her vantage and can strike with her bow without being seen or heard. Now follow me, we are close."<br><br>The forest path was dense, the soil rich and black, the undergrowth full of plants and riotously coloured mushrooms nourished by the autumn rains. The scent of stone, soil, and live wood filled the air with a heady, sylvan perfume. Sharal still led from the front, occasionally cutting down a low-hanging branch to allow Aeryn, less adept at ducking and weaving through the undergrowth, to pass through. The canopies were so dense in the deep forest that they almost drowned out the moonlight. <br><br>"You are right," Eshalu told Aeryn, "human patrols would be foolish to follow us here. There is nothing here that they would want. It would take many seasons to cut down these trees and dig the vast gardens from which you grow your food."<br><br>In the distance, lambent orange lights flickered from the branches of a grove of colossal trees. Around them, dyed cloth banners strung between branches swirled in the breeze. Here and there off the path, small piles of painted bones and skulls emerged from under the roots of the largest and most ancient of the trees. Little altars inhabited by fireflies and in some cases illuminated by a spectral, faerie flame. To the left of the party, a small pyramid of human skulls painted red and black garlanded with freshly-picked water-lilies. Occasionally something moved behind and <em>within</em> the trees, contemplating Aeryn with tangible suspicion.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>11-02-2014, 20:20:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Obsidian.&nbsp; By Magna Sophia herself... those dolmens were Obsidian.&nbsp; Getting here had been a grueling hell, Aeryn had badly needed the trailblazing Sharal had done for her.<br><br>The place itself took what little of her breath remained away.<br><br>Age, inexpressible age, that was the feel of the place.&nbsp; And ths was not, she was suddenly aware, the truly deep forest&nbsp; The pile of skulls, human, not elven and very fresh.<br><br>Not as many as Aeryn had expected, though.&nbsp; The very deep forest sanctuaries, the spirits that dwelt there.... were coffles of human prisoners en route to those places even now?<br><br>Part of her wanted to be sick.&nbsp; Her face was calm, she was writing and drawing furiously in these scant moments of rest, recording everything.<br><br>It kept her from thinking too much about her own hand misdealing cards to ensure human disaster in what the border lords had considered a no more than a bloody game, really.<br><br>Nobody was playful now, that was sure.<br><br>She knew she was being watched.&nbsp; There were birds here, squirrels, ground animals.&nbsp; But not everywhere, they stayed out of a line, a path between Aeryn and a vey very old tree.&nbsp; And when she moved, that zone of emptiness moved as well, connecting her and... whatever was watching her.<br><br>Not judging her.<br><br>The Elven leaders she would meet would do that.&nbsp; A great victory for the Elves, the greatest n the bloody border conflict.&nbsp; But not a bloodless victory, by any means.<br>That freshest pile of skulls.&nbsp; Aeryn stood before it, not saying a word.&nbsp; Head slightly bowed, very still,&nbsp; Elven still in fact.<br><br>You killed us, those skulls whispered.<br><br>I did, her soul answered.<br><br>So.&nbsp; A choice then?&nbsp; Not at all quickly, she reached down and pulled the small blade from her left boot, not concerning herself with whether Sharal or Aruil saw her.&nbsp; She drew it lightly across the base of her thumb, just a small cut.&nbsp; Enough for a drop or two to fall on the skulls.<br><br>An apology to the Dead?<br><br>A declaration of allegiance to whatever....thing dwelt here?<br><br>She herself was not at all sure why she did what she did.&nbsp; Just that the why was not that simple at all.<br><br>Something... tickled at her.&nbsp; Marked her?&nbsp; No not that, exactly.&nbsp; &nbsp;Something had become aware of her.&nbsp; Something that she might well have not wanted to know she existed.<br><br>That old tree, Aeryn looked it over very keenly.&nbsp; It certainly didn't belong here, didn't match the other trees.<br><br>Very old growth indeed.<br><br>No runes, nothing so obvious, not on the Obsidian slabs, certainly not on the bark of any of the trees, especially not the old one. Marked by blood, maybe.&nbsp; Death.<br><br>She realized that her fists were clenched, her knuckles white.<br><br>Someone was behind her.&nbsp; Eshalu.&nbsp; Not saying anything.&nbsp; What was there to say?&nbsp; There had been heated promise In Eshalu's eyes.&nbsp; A promise Aeryn suddenly wanted fulfilled very badly indeed.<br><br>Aeryn had known the moment she stepped across the border that she might not leave Elven land alive.<br><br>She wondered if "might" had just become "would".<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-02-2014, 22:30:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Eshalu - finally at the Caern</strong><br><br>When Aeryn's blood streaked the bleached skulls, the wind seemed to shift. Eshalu paused, her gloved hand resting on the human scholar's waist. "Quiet, look." <br><br>A shade moved between the trees and in and out of them, treating wood and soil like water. There was a presence and it was powerful. Taller than Eshalu, clearly female and Elven, but with something primordial and terrifying to it. A glimpse of the skin evoked the colour of bark, but it was smooth, glossy. And were those wild verdant strands leaves to the breeze or hair? A whisper of air, not the wind, but not drawn from mortal lungs either. It was pleased. It welcomed. A gift had been given and an offering made and it had been accepted. <br><br>Eshalu felt a rush of cool air behind her and a wet, vegetal scent. Fingers like metal nails grazed her back. She stood still. "Don't move," she breathed into Aeryn's ear. From up ahead Sharal watched with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. <br><br>Eshalu felt a sudden rush of force ensnare her, immensely strong arms wrapping round her waist. A primal taste on her lips. Something wet and insistent on her ear and long, cold fingers under her jerkin, in her breaches. She exhaled sharply, holding Aeryn in place. "Don't turn around. You are not ready to see," her voice was breathy with an almost girlish anticipation. <br><br>If the great dryad had wanted to take her there and then she would gladly have spread for her, her sex angry and wet against the leather of her breeches, each straining muscle of her back held in place by the power of the spirit's presence. Her hips tensed. <em>Take me.</em>Fuck<em>me</em>. She held her breath and the wind whispered. Tinkling. It shook the wooden chimes that hung from the low branches overhead and sent the ceremonial banners fluttering. <br><br>Quickly as it had come, the presence was gone. Returned to walking behind the trees, teasing laughter suspended in the wind. <br><br>"Come," Eshalu said at length, her sigh half-disappointed and half-relieved, "the Keepers of the First Growth will not allow you to come to harm. For now." <br><br>Ahead the fires of the Caern became better defined, showing an intricate network of faerie-lights like glowing strands in a spiderweb radiating from a central abode built high in the canopy of a tree so vast that, when they approached its trunk, its girth seemed to take up most of the horizon. Pictograms dedicated to spirits of the hunt, the moon, and the night adorned the trunks of the satellite trees which, though towering in their own right, were eclipsed by the mother-growth. <br><br>The ground at the base of the great tree had been cleared, and ladders of thick hemp rope led up into the illuminated canopy. <br><br>Off to the side, whispers gathered. Something darted swiftly in front of Aeryn. Slender and Elven, wearing a light fabric tunic and breeches. A girl - not quite a woman and too young to be an initiated ranger, with wild hair the colour of blood. She stared for a moment at Aeryn, her eyes a decidedly fae shade of green. <br><br>Eshalu was gentle but firm, "The Mistress of the Blade will be disappointed if you are tired tomorrow - go rest, little sister." <br><br>The girl cast a swift glance at Eshalu and back at Aeryn. She was diffident, defiant. Then she withdrew into the shadows, never turning her back on the human scholar. There was an excited exchange of barely audible, but fierce whispers. "<em>I told you I am not afraid,</em>" the first voice was sanguine, but the second was softer, more measured, "<em>You still need to bring me a trophy...</em>"<br><br>"Still playing," Eshalu said, she tried to hide the regret in her voice, "they will learn soon. These are times for fast learners."<br><br>She motioned for Aeryn to seize the rope ladder. "You are at our Caern, now. This will take us up to the Outer Lodge where we can take food and drink. Hold tight - I will follow behind you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>12-02-2014, 16:08:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The scholar was utterly motionless.&nbsp; Keenly aware of the hand on her side, just above her hip.<br><br>And when.... She.... revealed her manifestation, no need to write this down, describe it, draw it.&nbsp; The sight, the scent, the presence was seared onto her memory as with acid.<br><br>Something that could not possibly have fit n the close space between her and Eshalu, was there nonetheless.&nbsp; Aeryn fetl the Elf go briefly rigid.&nbsp; Felt her mood shift, felt the passion.&nbsp; Even through glove and clothing, that touch of the Ranger's hand on her waist burned on her skin.<br><br>"No harm for now."&nbsp; Aeryn didn't relax, stayed keyed up, observant, watching and listening.&nbsp; For now.&nbsp; Humans thought of Dryads as flighty, tempermental.&nbsp; No.&nbsp; Nature was never still, never in balance, always in motion, changing, cycling.&nbsp; What was right for now was wrong for later, almost always.<br><br>For a wonder, Aeryn spotted the Elven girl before she chose to appear.&nbsp; The clumsiness of an impatient child.&nbsp; Or perhaps she had a boost to her senses, a lingering blessing from the Dryad?&nbsp; Time would tell.&nbsp; "A very wild child."&nbsp; Murmured quietly to Eshalu after the girl had vanished.&nbsp; "I could have taken her.&nbsp; The woman I was when I left Dra Sirdu could have, would have shot her down while she still felt hidden and unobserved."&nbsp; In Elvish, she realized suddenly.&nbsp; Oh my.&nbsp; She was thinking in Elvish?<br><br>She had never managed to do that before.&nbsp; Wordlessly, she climbed the ladder.&nbsp; Still with a faint fear of heights, a thankful fear, whatever had been done to her when her blood was accepted went only so far.<br><br>Thank the Gods.&nbsp; Even so, the pictograms pulled at her, drew her.&nbsp; Later, she would take her time to examine them.&nbsp; Not now. She scurried up to the top.&nbsp; A waiting area, ahd the feel of a Society chapterhouse waiting area and entry way.&nbsp; but very different structure, architecture of course.&nbsp; Food and drink, Goddess yes, she needed those.&nbsp; Eshalu flowed up the ladder and over onto the landing.&nbsp; the wy she moved, held herself.. whatever the Great Dryad had awakened in her was still there, oh yes.&nbsp; It had been two years.&nbsp; Aeryn could wait, would wait a little more.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>12-02-2014, 17:00:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The ladder's ascent reached into the first tier of mighty branches, each wide enough to comfortably accommodate a human or Elven walker. At the center, carved out of the living wood of the trunk of the tree, there was a landing. Eshalu led the way inside and they stepped into a narrow antechamber near the heartwood of the tree's core. One passage wound upwards, towards the higher reaches of the Lodge, while the others were smaller and tighter, leading into a multitude of small rooms, each facing the exterior and radiating from the core like the spokes of a wheel. The walls and floor were of living wood, firm, but a little damp and distinctly organic. The smell of leather, metal, and fresh picked flowers mingled with a rarefied note of burning dried herbs. <br><br>Aruil had already made it onto the landing and was there to greet them with an Elven woman who was certainly no ranger. She was shorter than Aruil and clad in a loose, gauzy sarong, iridescent like a butterfly's wing. Her torso was bare, her breasts full and heavy, lying elegantly just above her distended belly. She was clearly with child - warding and fertility pictograms had been scribed in green and red paint over her tan skin. A riotous profusion of amber and wooden bracelets, necklaces and anklets adorned her. Like Aruil, she was silver-haired, but she wore hers long and braided and adorned with wildflowers. Her eyes - so blue they almost seemed black - were fixed on Aeryn. <br><br>Aruil motioned for Aeryn to step forward, "Fasiriel is of the Lodge of Druids but attends to the Lodge of Rangers, she would greet you in person."<br><br>The druid extended her hands, palms outstretched- the nails on her index fingers were long and sharp and decorated with swirls of red paint - the same patterns Elves sometimes carved on their flint or obsidian knives, "Human-sister, you are welcome. The Dryads of the First Growth are pleased with your passing and that is unusual. I think it a good sign. Before setting out, Eshalu told us an ally might be joining us. I sense no ill-will in you and so you must be a guest amongst us, and treat this Lodge as your home. I will speak of your arrival to my Lodge-Sisters. We will meet again after the Dawn-Greeting ritual in the Great Hall of this Lodge. There is much we would learn from you. But for now, you should make yourself comfortable and rest."<br><br>With a nod in acknowledgment to Eshalu, Sharal accompanied Fasiriel down the narrow passage,winding round the core until they disappeared from view. <br><br>Aruil lingered for a moment. "If you have decided, Eshalu, we should speak."<br><br>Eshalu sensed the anxiety in the younger ranger's voice and was keen to reassure her. "You should change and set down your bow. We will talk."<br><br>Aruil complied, moving soundlessly into her chamber.<br><br>Eshalu led Aeryn round the core of the tree, past the fluid carvings of the exploits of the huntresses of times past wrought into the living wood. Each chamber was small, the entrance guarded by an ornate fabric flap that was far too light and airy to allow for human notions of privacy, but rather designed to let the natural light from the windows in each chamber filter through into the passageways at the core of the tree. Some chambers were wholly obscured by fragrant, narcotic smoke, while the occupants of others went about their evening business: talking with Lodge-Sisters, sharpening blades, fletching arrows, sleeping, coupling, cuddling. Communal life laid bare and freely shared with all, with no malice or secrets. <br><br>"Here," Eshalu motioned for Aeryn to slip under a fabric curtain embroidered with the image of a fleet-footed Elven huntress preparing to strike a smilodon with her spear, "this is where I rest." <br><br>Like the others, her chamber was small and circular, with an oblong window letting in silver and blood-red moonlight. Bedding was provided by an ornate blanket, a reed mat, and some hemp cushions on the floor. A low worktable stood by the window, bearing a number of wicked, triangular spear-heads and a curved blade of silvery metal with no pommel. To the side, a replacement jerkin hung on a stand, together with finely worked breeches, leggings, boots and gloves - enough to keep her well equipped should any of her precious, bespoke gear be damaged. The only sings of luxury were a few well-selected hunting trophies: a wyvern's wing and tail, a snow leopard's skin used as a rest for shallow wooden bowls bearing water perfumed with iris petals.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>15-02-2014, 16:09:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn fought not to stare, but she was certainly paying very close attention to the Druid.&nbsp; She had enough control despite her near shock to geeet Aruil, she would have considered herself unforgiveabley rude not to have.<br><br>But the sight of a pregnant Elven woman?&nbsp; Remarkable.&nbsp; Unprecedented?&nbsp; If any human had seen such a sight before, and she was willng to consider that she was the first to do some in at least some years.... it had never been recorded.<br><br>The Scholar matched the greeting gesture, extending her own hands palms out.&nbsp; CLose, but not quite touching palms or nterlacing fingrs.&nbsp; that was a more intimate step, she strongly suspected, perhaps among true Lodge sisters.<br><br>"Fasiriel, thank you.&nbsp; I am eager to meet, to talk, to learn all that you and yours will favor me with teaching me."&nbsp; Well.&nbsp; How about that?&nbsp; Aeryn studyed the Druid as she left, center of gravity not quite what the woman was used to, but she moved&nbsp; gracefully nonetheless.<br><br>And Aruil... could not have been more plain about what she wanted to discuss had she announced her intentions with bonfires and signal trumpets.&nbsp; Aeryn was grinning as her eyes, her ears, her nose took in what was around her.&nbsp; Not that different in some ways from a Sociey chapterhouse.&nbsp; Even less privacy, though.&nbsp; Those curtains were far less muffling of very unmistakeable sounds from inside some chambers.&nbsp; What this meant about Elven thinking about so many things... she would ponder that later.&nbsp; Arrival at Eshalu's chamber riveted her attentio to here and now.<br><br>Very much like the woman.&nbsp; Almost exactly what Aeryn had expected, in fact.&nbsp; Especially that embroidered doorway curtain.&nbsp; A bit more fine than others she had noticed.&nbsp; Even the communal Elves had marks of social status.<br><br>"This place is very much you, Eshalu."&nbsp; A slow circle in place, taking in everything, smiling softly.&nbsp; The Human unslung pack, carefully setting in on the floor near the stand of clothing.&nbsp; A small messenger bag came off ehr shoulder, was set carefully on the worktable, disturbing nothing..&nbsp; "Your place.&nbsp; A place of rest.&nbsp; Recovery."&nbsp; She carefully withdrew two very narrow ironwood rods from the hairbun they secured, shook it out over her shoulders., set the pins down by her bag.<br><br>"I haven't known peace in a very long time."&nbsp; Her fingers rested lightly n the worktable.&nbsp; Trembling very slightly.&nbsp; She noticed, and pressed a bit more firmly.&nbsp; Glanced over her shoulder at the Ranger.&nbsp; Aeryn's eyes were far from haunted, but were troubled. "Seeing slaughter is one thing.&nbsp; Arranging slaughter that I will see is another."&nbsp; She bent down, unbuckled boot straps, stepped out of them.&nbsp; They fit well, her feet came free easily.&nbsp; She rolled down her socks and tucked them into her boots.&nbsp; Then straightened.&nbsp; Her arms hung loose at her sides, her fingers relaxed.&nbsp; But her toes clenched against the smoothened wood of the floor.&nbsp; Aeryn forced them to relax.<br><br>The heat, the tension that she had sensed in Eshalu when the Great Dyad had aperared, much the same was building in herself now.&nbsp; She stripped.&nbsp; Not slowly, but not at all quickly.&nbsp; Unbuckling her belt, draping belt and poignard over her pack.&nbsp; Pulling her linen tunic up and over, revealing a near-sleevelesscotton shirt beneath.&nbsp; Undoing the toggles on her linen pants, slowly stepping out of them.&nbsp; Folding both garments over her belt and pack.&nbsp; Nipples dark and very taut under the light undershirt.&nbsp; Fingers hooked in her cotton breechclout, slowly unwinding it, pulling it free.&nbsp; Settling it on her pack, soon followed by the shirt.<br><br>And nude, the skin of her body not notably lighter than the exposed skin of her face, her neck, her hands,&nbsp; she knelt.&nbsp; Wrists crossed behind her back.&nbsp; "Will you give me peace, Eshalu?&nbsp; I need it.&nbsp; Any way you will give it.&nbsp; I need it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>15-02-2014, 22:27:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu sensed a hint of nervousness in Aeryn. That needed to be dispelled. "You are our guest. This place should be yours like it is mine."<br><br>The moonlight was dim, but Eshalu saw clearly. She saw Aeryn undress for her, revealing familiar curves and tan skin she had so longed to touch. She remain composed but her heart pulsed in her chest. She felt a tightness there, mirroring the tightness in the pit of her belly. She had dreamed of Aeryn in the days of their absence and the trek back to the Caern had only inflamed her desire. She felt herself wet and swollen against the leather tightness of her breeches. <br><br>She stood motionless and admired Aeryn's form, kneeling, submissive. Offering herself. A thickening heat - anticipation building in her loins. She unstrapped her jerkin and pulled it off. Her berry-pink nipples were hard - standing fat, swollen and eager from the compact mounds of her breasts. She stepped out of her boots, corded muscles in her biceps and back straining. <br><br>Slowly she approached Aeryn. She felt the familiar ground of the living wood of the Lodge beneath her feet. It was comforting. This was her home and it filled her with pride to be sharing it with Aeryn. <br><br>She threaded her hands through Aeryn's long, dark hair. "I had almost forgotten how beautiful your hair is when you let it loose. It is an uncommon colour for us. Dark like night." <br><br>Moving her hands to the waistband of her breeches she loosened the hempen strings and eased them down and off. A slick of wetness stained the leather, the fleshy mound of her sex hairless and damp. She could smell herself. The musk of her desire. <br><br>Eshalu carefully laid her jerkin and breeches on the floor by the stand and approached Aeryn from behind, embracing her, hands clasped round the human scholar's soft belly. <br><br>She kissed Aeryn's dark hair. <em>Her scent - how long?</em> Cradling Aeryn's chin, she lavished a hot, furious kiss on the scholar's lips, her tongue hungry, desperate to recapture that taste she had thought lost.<br><br>Strong arms held Aeryn in place, fixed and kneeling in Eshalu's embrace. "I missed you so much," Eshalu breathed, her kisses trailing down Aeryn throat, leaving hot, slick trails, "I wanted you so badly in the cavern. It burned in me - heat, fire, desire - to watch Aruil <em>lick</em> you," she used the Elven term for Aruil's technique - the human language of intimacy could be so crude, imprecise, "how I wanted you, how I missed the taste of your mouth, your skin, your sex. I never knew I could find such release in the hands of a human. So many times I took my pleasure thinking of you, remembering your voice, your scent."<br><br>She spoke between kisses, holding Aeryn tight, feeling the human woman's blood pulse, listening to her heart beat, her breath quicken. She kissed the base of Aeryn's neck. "Don't move," she said in the Human tongue, her voice thick with desire, but still commanding, "and don't touch yourself. I will give you all you need. All we both need."<br><br>Eshalu's deft, calloused fingers trailed up Aeryn's belly, cupping her soft, full breasts, fingernails teasing the stiff, dark peaks of the scholar's nipples. The ranger kissed Aeryn's throat, teeth bared, almost predatory. Then lower, nipping at the outline of Aeryn's shoulder, lips parting, her tongue wet and insistent, licking down Aeryn's spine, following the hard path of bone. <br><br>Lower, her fingers drew tight on Aeryn's nipples, tugging gently. She could feel heartbeat and the movement of breath through Aeryn's back. Lower still, "Bend over, spread your thighs, but keep your hands behind your back." Her voice was hiss. The need burned in her. Liquid lightning in her loins. <br><br>She crouched behind Aeryn, skimming kisses over the joined hands at the base of Aeryn's back. She paused, taking the scholar's thumb between her lips, suckling hungrily. Her taste was maddening. <br><br>Those strong hands now gripped Aeryn's hips, easing her head down against a cylindrical, green hemp pillow. Thumbs traced the crease of Aeryn's bottom. Eshalu's lips were now on Aeryn's sacrum - a wet kiss, a half-bite. <br><br>Eshalu swallowed. Aeryn's scent was beyond sublime. The wet, earthy perfume of her sex now tantalisingly close, the rich musk - the scent of her bottom. She dipped her tongue lower, skimming the deep crease between the dark globes of Aeryn's buttocks. A shudder of electricity coursed through her loins. <em>Too long</em>. <br><br>With the thumb and forefinger of each hand she parted the globes of Aeryn's bottom, her lips settling on the tight, puckered star between them, with just a downy whisper of dark hair crowning it. She extended her tongue - teasing. A quick wet flick. The taste was intoxicating. <br><br>"Don't move," she repeated.<br><br>She settled on her hands and elbows behind Aeryn and began lavishing insistent licks on the taut little rosebud, applying a steady pressure. The scent of Aeryn's sex enveloped her, overwhelmed. It mingled with the aroma and taste of sweat, of leather, of metal. Eshalu steadied herself. There would be time. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>16-02-2014, 02:16:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Meeting Eshalu's gaze during the.... inspection, knowing full well the impact she was having on the Ranger.&nbsp; Oh yes, that made her feel a bit smug.&nbsp; The hands in her hair- Smugness fled, she didn't shiver, but her breath grew a bit shaky for a time.&nbsp; grew ragged when Eshalu disrobed.&nbsp; She didn't have Elven senses, but she caught her lovers scent.&nbsp; Oh yes indeed.<br><br>Long missed, a key that turned locks in her mind, her loins, her soul.&nbsp; Wrists no longer quite crossed behind her back, one wrist gripped by the other hand.&nbsp; Tightly.&nbsp; Craning her neck back to meet Eshalu's kiss, the Elven Woman's taut tips hard against her back, strong hands on her belly.&nbsp; Aeryn did shiver now.&nbsp; Not with cold.&nbsp; Not at all with cold.<br><br>Those strong arms.&nbsp; Aeryn felt long stored tension, the anger, the dismay, the horror begin to drain out of her.&nbsp; "I wanted you.&nbsp; I, when Aruil and Sharal caught me, separated me from the column, I, I knew I was going to die."&nbsp; Trophies.&nbsp; Aruil's fingers, her tongue, they had taken trophies of a sort.&nbsp; From her body, not from her soul.&nbsp; "W-watching you as Aruil l-licked me-"&nbsp; She was in no mental state to speak Imperial, let alone Elvish. She began speaking in her native tongue, a more musical babble to Eshalu's ears&nbsp; than neighboring Human dialects."-I could tell, I saw how aroused y-you were.&nbsp; I w-wanted to give you what Aruil was giving me."<br><br>Speech fled under roaming hands, drifting lips, commanding teeth.&nbsp; She didn't move, her grip locking on her wrist as she fought to keep her hands behind her back.<br><br>And Oh great Goddess, obeying the command, the pull on her nipples, bending down, giving little whimpering moans as warm liquid force possessed her tight little pucker.&nbsp; Her teeth digging into the pillow, as the muscles stood out in her arms, her shoulders as she fought for control.&nbsp; fought to obey.&nbsp; To keep still.&nbsp; She failed, i part.&nbsp; She kept on a tripod of her knees on the floor, her forehead resting on the pillow, neck arched slightly so her clenched teeth lifted the pillow slightly as her breath harshly rasped around it.<br><br>This was the peace Aeryn wanted.&nbsp; She didn't have&nbsp; to worry, to plan, to decide.<br><br>All she had to do was feel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>16-02-2014, 03:25:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu tensed her tongue, pressing hard against the tight ring of muscle, coaxing it, easing it ajar. Divine. The taste of earth, sweat, and sex. She could have spent all night that way, face nestled in the yielding softness of Aeryn's bottom. She had heard Aeryn speak those strange, musical words before. Another tongue. Something ancient and primal. Like their coupling - since the day of Shalu the Night Huntress and Mihruul the Firebringer and their unquenchable passions. <br><br>The ranger exhaled and arched her back, her lips moving towards her prize. Between the slick juncture of Aeryn's thighs that wonderful tangle of hair. So exotic - a shroud hiding Aeryn's treasure. Dark pink lips, glistening and swollen, fragrant with the sea-salt tang of desire. She had never forgotten the taste. Not for a moment. <br><br>She traced her fore and middle fingers down the fertile valley of Aeryn's sex, spreading the inner lips, feeling swollen, wet flesh under her touch. She didn't need to look. She knew Aeryn. Knew each crease, each petal - the shape and hardness of the impertinent little bud at the core of the scholar's pleasure. Her touch was slow, unhurried. Rediscovering. <br><br>She tasted. A few exploratory licks to the basse of Aeryn's sex, at the sodden entrance of her channel. A human musk. Rich and thick on her tongue. Her passion thrummed in her belly. Her breath quickened, hot on the spread nether lips. <br><br>Eshalu rose to her knees, holding Aeryn's hips tight. She pressed her sodden sex against the curve of the scholar's bottom. A throaty sigh. She arched her back, pushing hard, feeling friction build, leaving thick, wet trails on the tan skin. She leaned forward, covering Aeryn, big nipples thrust against the scholar's back. <br><br>Her breath was fierce in Aeryn's ear, "Feel how wet I am. This is all for you. If only you knew how I burned when Aruil was tasting you." She enveloped Aeryn, never once putting her weight on her lover, but simply relishing in the sensation of skin on skin, the undulations of their hips harmonising, moving in unison, Aeryn's interlocked hands pressed to her hard, muscled belly. <br><br>She nuzzled Aeryn's hair, a cascade over the dusky expanse of her lover's back. Dipping a hand between her own thighs, she slicked her fingers with the nectar of her passion and brought them to Aeryn's lips, "I was wet with need when we left the cavern - all this time thinking of you, my need burning," she nipped Aeryn's earlobe, teeth sinking into the pliant flesh, "and when the Dryad answered your offering, I wanted to be taken by her. Bent over a log and fucked like an impudent girl until my throat was raw from crying out and I wanted Sharal, and Aruil, and <em>you</em> to see."<br><br>Two fingers streaked with Eshalu's come parted Aeryn's lips. "This is my offering to you," she kissed Aeryn fiercely, cheek pressed on the textured surface of the cushion. <br><br>She sat up and with firm, but tender strength she eased Aeryn onto her back. Kneeling between Aeryn's thighs she met her lover's gaze. Eyes blazing. The heart of sapphire. Her chest rose and fell - the controlled, laboured breathing of an athlete. <br><br>"Keep you hands behind your neck, you can use anything but them." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>16-02-2014, 14:50:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh Ashtarte!"&nbsp; Sinking very deep in feral pleasure, that preemptory, entering tongue was pushing her mind down into her cultural past as well as itself inside her.&nbsp; So long, it and been soooo long&nbsp; Eshalu had not been the only one with dreams of absent longing.&nbsp; She didn't quite lose ehr min dbut by the time Eshalu's soft lips, her warm tongue moved on there was very little left in her skull of the cooly observant scholar and diplomat.<br><br>Thankfully not.&nbsp; All that was left of Aeryn wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the wet friction of Eshalu's sex on her body, to move with it, to gasp for air in time with it.&nbsp; And still keeping her hands now locked together behind her back, spreading her fingers as best she could to stroke Eshalu's hard belly.<br><br>Bliss.&nbsp; Not quite mindlessly turnng her head to meet the Ranger's touch, parting her lips to greedily suck and lick at the scented remnants on the stronger woman's fingers.&nbsp; A flashing vision before her mind's eye of Eshalu bent over a log, being taken, being fucked from behind by that Presences, while she herself held her lover's wrists, kissing her wetly and hotly.<br><br>And a wheeling world as she was gently, inexorably turned onto her back, panting, staiing into those burning eyes, a shocked cry at how good it felt, how wonderfully good to b kissed and licked by this woman, babbling that the ranger hadn't forgotten a thing, not a thing about what the Human loved and craved.<br><br>Legs tensing, feet lifting up on her toes, then legs pullling back so that thighs folded back alongside her body, stroking Eshalu's shjoulders with her toes, the balls of her feet, stroking down her back, to her rear, that tightly muscled wonderful rear.. running her feet down&nbsp; with insteps against the curve&nbsp; taut legs, feelng the smoot gliding muscles underneath, toes brusing lightly at Eshalu's own feet.... then slowly back up.<br><br>A scrape of short nails on wood as her hands balled into fists under the small of her back, no matter,there was room, her back was arching as her neck curved back, head across the pillow, sightless eyes rolling up in her head.<br><br>Whiteout.<br><br>She had gone over her edge, wasn't sure, didn't care how long it took her to come back&nbsp; becausefor now, she had nothing to worry about.&nbsp; Nothing to think about.<br><br>Except Eshalu.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>16-02-2014, 16:17:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu gave a contented moan at Aeryn's caress. She captured Aeryn's ankle and guided the human scholar's foot between her thighs. A sharp exhalation from her lips. Firm pressure parting the dew-slick folds, she gyrated her hips, spreading her wetness, and then drew Aeryn's foot upwards, over her belly, between her breasts, toenail scraping the smooth, pale skin of her throat, until the tips of the scholar's toes were beneath her parted lips. <br><br>The ranger's eyes bored into Aeryn's. It was a moment of absolute contact. Two bodies becoming one. She suckled on the big toe, a teasing pressure, her teeth skimming the skin. A playful little rasp, then her tongue trailed down the delicate arch of her lover's foot, tasting her own nectar, leaving the skin glistening. <em>Perfect.</em> <br><br>She leaned Aeryn's calf on her shoulder and parted the woman's dusky thighs. With two tensed finger she entered Aeryn. One firm, demanding thrust parting the wet folds, slipping deep into the damp core of her lover's sex. She positioned her thumb at the very base of the hard bud of Aeryn's clit, pressing, not too hard. Then she began to fuck Aeryn in earnest. Languid, circular strokes, the pads of her fingers pressed deep onto the walls of Aeryn's channel, biceps pumping. <br><br>How she'd missed it. Missed the sound of Aeryn's voice, the reactions of her body, the comforting heat of her sex. Something in her wanted to take Aeryn like she would Aruil - lusty and merciless until the mewling girl submitted to the power of her hand. But no - not yet. Aeryn surely wasn't ready for that intensity. <br><br>Eshalu gritted her teeth, leaning forward she captured Aeryn's lips, feeling the heated breaths on her tongue. Yes the scholar was close. She could feel the approaching peak in the scholar's sex, tights walls massaging invading fingers. <br><br>"Look at me, let me see you," Eshalu growled, "and see me. When you have taken your pleasure. All that I am, all that you see before me will be your to do with as you please. There is nothing between us here. No time. No distance. My fingers, my tongue - they are a bridge between us. With them we become one."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-02-2014, 15:26:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It took effort to focus her eyes when she cme back.&nbsp; Eshalu was worth it, of course. Tthat adorably unruly mane of light hair... something would have to be done about that.&nbsp; Later.<br><br>For now?&nbsp; Aeryn shifted, lifting up and bracing on one leg, rolling Eshalu over onto her back.&nbsp; Straddling hips, bending down to rest n her forearms, long almost blacrk air tented over the ranger's face for a long kiss.&nbsp; Very long.&nbsp; Moving slightly above the Elf, her hard tips trailing across the Ranger's bosom, nudging bery-red nipples with dark brown tips.<br><br>Then lifting up, sitting, hands gliding across her lover's shoulders, fingers probing, circling, massaging gently but firmly.<br><br>Looking for new scars.&nbsp; Finding some.&nbsp; Bending to kiss the discoveries, then rising up again as he hands moved to upper arms, teasing and soothing the straplike muscles there.&nbsp; Carefuly working around the elbows, pressing mre firmly at the forearms, fingers drifting over skin, soothing muscles.&nbsp; Relaxing it.&nbsp; Lacing fingers, hands palm to palm for a moment, then taking each Elven hand in both of hers in turn.&nbsp; Carefully working on fingers, pulling on them very&nbsp; gently, rubbing them from nails to webbing, one by one, pinkie to thumb.&nbsp; Pressing into palms with her rolling thumbs.&nbsp; Kissing each as she was done.<br><br>Eshalu blinked lazily, lookng very much like a great cat might look, basking on a tree limb, gazing at the forest floor beneath.&nbsp; Aeryn lifted up, turned around, straddled again, but facing hr lovers legs.&nbsp; Those thigh muscles, she leaned into her work, using more pressure, a lot more.&nbsp; She made very sure not to put her weight on Eshalu's bruised hip, that still worried her a little.&nbsp; But from body down strong thigh to knees, long smooth continuous palm strokes tenderized muscle, soothed skin.&nbsp; Bending knees to lift calves, fingers coaxing and probing, eachin turn.<br><br>Doing her best to turn Eshalu into jelly.&nbsp; Leaning forward onto her elbows,cupping a heel in her palm, the ball of the foot in her other, pulling back to stretch and loosen muscles and tendons.&nbsp; Working on the toes much lke she had the fingers.&nbsp; Nipping at the woman's instep, flicking her tongue along the very sensitive skin.&nbsp; Each foot in turn.<br><br>And very slowly kissing her way back up a foot, from toes to ankle, then from ankle along iner calf up to knee as she shifted backwards, saying low to the ranger's body.&nbsp; Kissing inner thigh so very slowly as she back up up, curling her forearms under Eshalu's thighs, pulling them apart.&nbsp; Licking the tender crease where thigh joined body.&nbsp; First one, then slowly along the other.&nbsp; A slow wet sliding kiss on the tender skin between Eshalu's channel and her puckered star. SLiding a hand up the elf's leg, resting a finger lightly on the pcker, just giving her something to feel, that was all. Brushing, then nudging the hooded pearl with her chin as she settled in, sliding her lips, her tonge all around eshalus opening, across the opening.&nbsp; In her opening.&nbsp; Lips pressed hard, tongue stretching in as far as she could reach, licking inner walls. Moving her jaw slightly, so Eshalu would feel her chin just where the elven woman wanted it mose, tongue-fucking her.<br><br>And the scholars short nails... her other hand dug, very slightly , raked, not qiute gently along smooth skin, over now-tensing muscles.&nbsp; They were both breathing faster now, in time with each other.&nbsp; Aeryn felt her loevr build, tense, begin to grind automatically.... and didn't tease, disn't stop, didn't slow.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>18-02-2014, 00:23:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was an odd sensation at first. Eshalu's need tamed by Aeryn's attentive, knowledgeable touch. That touch, so reassuring, so expert, brought the embers of her desire to a slow, but escalating burn. Her heart still pulsed, thrumming in her chest, but it had slowed now. The pace was leisurely, almost languid. And Aeryn's touch was sublime - a perfect fusion of skill and delicacy.<br><br>Eshalu let herself go, surrendering her muscles to Aeryn's attentions. The massage felt divine, unwinding her weary limbs, allowing her to focus on the renewed intimacy of her human lover's touch. Her body felt light, almost immaterial, Aeryn weightless above her. And when Aeryn began to knead her calves and the soles of her feet she let out a contented purr, like a hunting cat being groomed. <br><br>The dull throb in her hip had subsided. She was only distantly aware of it. Aeryn's caress did much to soothe it - to put the wrenching twinge of pain out of mind. She knew the human scholar had always been attentive, but this was no mere observation. Aeryn <em>understood</em> her body and it seemed she knew enough of Elven physiognomy to impress even a druid.<br><br>Now if only Aeryn would rub her down like this after each patrol or hunt. <br><br>Then the escalating sensation of Aeryn's tongue between her thighs, in her bottom lapping - tasting. The sensation of a finger pressing on the tightly knotted pucker was agonising. She wanted more. She wanted Aeryn inside her. <em>Just take what is yours.</em> Still nothing could prepare her for when she felt Aeryn reach her sex, spread her, taste her and then fuck her. The impact was immediate and it set the molten heat in her loins ablaze. <br><br>Her human lover's tongue was upon her again, parting the slick folds of her sex, slipping deeper insider her. <br><br>Eshalu's eyes rolled in her skull, thighs tensed, hips moving back and forth in rhythm with Aeryn's tongue. Her breath was ragged and she sighed, half-gasping, teeth gritted in anticipation. She needed it so very badly.<br><br>Then, when Aeryn's fingers entered her, she felt a delirious spasm deep in her loins. A choked gasp. She thrust back, begging, no, <em>demanding</em> Aeryn take her - fuck her. She lost herself in the moment. Everything else became irrelevant. All she wanted was Aeryn. Her peak built, stoked by each thrust of her lover's fingers. <br><br><em>Soon, oh so soon.</em> Eshalu sat bolt upright and seized Aeyrn wrist, drawing the scholar's fingers deep inside her. She brought the base of Aeryn's palm to bear against her stiff little bud and ground her sex furiously against the smaller woman's hand. <br><br>The fire blazed for an instant, and then all flowed into a single point of limb-loosening pleasure. Eshalu held Aeryn's hand in place, eager for the human woman to feel the fierce contractions of her sex. <br><br>She exhaled sharply, her delirious moans lost between fierce kisses on Aeryn's lips and throat. She didn't move. She held herself in place, rocking her hips against Aeryn's fingers. <br><br>"I missed you so much. I missed <em>this</em>. I missed <em>us</em>." <br><br>Her heart hammered in her chest and she held Aeryn tight, grinding absentmindedly on the human woman's hand. "I am glad you kept your skills well honed."&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-02-2014, 01:31:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Why, thank you."&nbsp; The words were always nice to hear, but their bodies had already spoken so much more eloquently.&nbsp; Aeryn rose up on an elbow, trailed her dark locks across Eshalu's bosom, then settled back with her head resting where her hair had just swept. One hand still idly toying between the Elf's legs for a longer moment, then wiping&nbsp; fingers on the outside of the covering.&nbsp; Finishing the clean-up of her fingers&nbsp; with her tongue, grinning slightly.<br><br>She fished around for a bit, found a small clean cloth and tenderly wiped Eshalu's mound clean.&nbsp; "I... feel better than I have felt in a very long time."&nbsp; Her dark eyes went very grave for a moment.&nbsp; "Knowing that you survived the attack helps a lot.&nbsp; Even more than knowing that I survived it, now that it is winding down." <em> This time.&nbsp; Hopefully for a long time.&nbsp; Enough of that.</em>&nbsp; She was relaxed enough that changing that trail of thought was easy. For a change.<br><br>Peace.&nbsp; Well, she was certainly feeling peaceful.&nbsp; The Lodge seemed to be at peace as well, slight commotion, some activity, but most within seemed to be settling down for the night.&nbsp; Most.&nbsp; Some were standing guard even here.&nbsp; Or preparing to set out into the night.<br><br>Not Eshalu, though.&nbsp; Aeryn wriggled, snuggled in even closer if that were possible.&nbsp; "So much still to do.&nbsp; People to talk to.&nbsp; Things to see, to learn.&nbsp; But not right now."<br><br>Right now, all she had to do was make sure this sleeping mat didn't go anyplace.&nbsp; Or Eshalu, for that matter.&nbsp; Just lying there, her breathing, her heartbeat matching time with her lover.&nbsp; Hypnotic.&nbsp; Aeryn never knewt when sleep took her, but it didn't take long at all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>18-02-2014, 13:10:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu's breathing steadied. The heat inside her still burned, but the blaze had subsided. She took Aeryn into her embrace, kissing, nuzzling, reveling in the sensation of the human's skin, the familiar rhythm of her breath. She stretched on the sleeping mat, careful not to put too much weight on her injured side. Their scent was still rich and heavy in the air. <br><br>She drew the densely patterned blanket over them, cradling Aeryn's head between her breasts. Silence. Just breathing. Allowing herself to slip into a state of wakeful rest, time became liquid. There was the familiar to-and-fro of her Lodge-sisters passing in front of the curtain. Half-understood words. The subtle change in the light. The passage of the night was compressed, something she observed, senses on alert enough to detect and react to any sudden sound or movement, but otherwise at rest. She lay immobile and let Aeryn sleep. Humans needed silence and stillness and she feared that the Lodge might be too alive with activity for her. <br><br>Unlike humans, the People observed no cycle of day and night. Patrols and hunts took place at the right times, their keen eyesight enabling them to pierce the blackest darkness. Activity never ceased.&nbsp; Eshalu had found human life too regimented. She had disliked being constrained to set meal-times, or having to retire before or after a certain time of day. <br><br>Dawn had extended the first lazy tendrils of light through the window of her chamber when the druids began their morning rounds. A slender junior druid, her silver hair intricately braided and her face painted with woad and ochre to flatter her wide, expressive eyes brought two large bowls of fresh water, one sprinkled with crushed herbs and flower petals and the other cloudy with a lye preparation. <br><br>Eshalu carefully slid out from under the blanket so as not to disturb Aeryn's rest and padded to the entrance of the chamber. She drank thirstily from the first bowl and proceeded to wash her face and scrub her body down with a&nbsp; rough hempen cloth from the other.<br><br>The painted druid peered into the Chamber, "I thought I detected a different scent. Fasiriel told me about the human-sister. I will bring her water, too." With that, she disappeared down the passage. <br><br>Eshalu reached for a flint knife on her workbench and cut a length of resinous twig, smelling strongly of aniseed. She chewed thoughtfully on it, sliding the sap-slick tip in each gap between her teeth. The resin numbed her tongue. <br><br>A sound caught her ear. She could hear it over the insistent caws of the carrion crows who nested in the lower canopy. Aruil was nearby. Sighs and whispers. Something was afoot. <br><br>The ranger resolved to deal with it later.<br><br>She cast a quick glance at Aeryn and smiled. Human sleep still bewildered her. Taking a deep, empty wooden bowl from the side of her workbench, she squatted to relieve her bladder. A monotone pattering. By the time she had finished, the druid had returned with Aeryn's water. She flushed her mound down with water and decided to rouse her human guest. There was much to be done.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-02-2014, 15:46:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn awakened to a light touch. She blinked sleepily, but her eyes cleared very quickly.&nbsp; "I didn't feel you rise."&nbsp; Well, that was trust, was it not?&nbsp; Stretching hugely, smiling slightly.&nbsp; Searching for, using the same bowl to relieve herself that her lover had used.Then stretching in earnest, pulling each knee up to her chest, rotating and flexing her feet, spreading and curling toes and fingers, rolling her shoulders.&nbsp; Rising, staying on the balls of her feet, right hand held in a slight grasping gesture. Moving at first slowly, then quickly, in a&nbsp; knife-fighting drill, Eshalu recognized the basic form at once.<br><br>Quite good for limbering up in the morning after a night of deep rest.&nbsp; She had thought she had seen,, yes, the aniseed twig, the knife.&nbsp; She cut her own short length, began cleansing her teeth, her tongue.&nbsp; She hefted the knife, smiling at Eshalu.&nbsp; The woman's own work, the scholar had watched with awe on the island of Dra Sirdu as the Ranger had worked flint in the field.<br><br>Drinking deeply of her own scented water, washing quickly and thoroughly, no stranger to simple baths herself.&nbsp; And very much refreshed, feeling clean, she gave Eshalu a soft kissas she ran a simple horsehairbrush though her unbound hair.&nbsp; "Good morning, beautiful.&nbsp; I feel wonderful.&nbsp; I've missed you too, so much."<br><br>A new day.&nbsp; She opened her pack, shook out her Society robes, carefully hung them on a rack to air out.&nbsp; Some travel stains, not too bad.&nbsp; Elves wouldn't put the same premium on spotless appearance as Human leaders would anyway.&nbsp; Elves would expect her clothing to look as though she actually did some work in it.&nbsp; Work.&nbsp; Hm.&nbsp; She nodded at her robes,&nbsp; as she settled crosslegged to check her crossbow, opening the case to mount the crosspiece, check the bolt grove with a quarrel for hitches and hangups.&nbsp; "More formal today, or should I don my field gear?"<br><br>A flash of red hair at the doorway, that Elven adolescent from yesterday darting away a fraction too slowly.&nbsp; "Now, how did that one get up here?&nbsp; New blood?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>18-02-2014, 21:27:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"We are not to hunt, nor go on patrol. You should choose clothing you find comfortable. I know that for your people dress is important - that is how you know whom to speak to and how to speak to them, and whom to follow. But here it is not so. You should feel at ease." Eshalu smiled and kissed Aeryn, "The new sun greets you well - I never thought I would awake with you again. It is a gift of the Great Mother that I have."<br><br>The morning was cool - pleasantly so. A dry, autumnal wind in the air. The fleeting scent of ripe fruit collected and fermenting in earthenware jugs in the lower levels where the druids prepared ritual food, drink, and narcotics.<br><br>Eshalu chose a light, green tunic and secured it with a thin leather belt from which she hung a sheathed obsidian dagger. It was a little unsatisfactory, but skintight breeches would only inflame the pain in her bruised hip. No matter, she would have a druid look at it when they went into the communal hall. She turned to Aeryn with a slight grimace, "This makes me look like a girl," she complained. Still, the tunic was loose enough round her hips and thighs to provide some relief. <br><br>When the novitiate streaked across the entrance of her chamber, Eshalu had to suppress her instinct to chase the girl down. The Mistress of the Blade was probably tracking her, wanting to know why she hadn't presented herself with the other followers of that Way for bladecraft practice. <br><br>"She is neglecting her training and is looking for someone to take her hunting or on patrol. But no one will. It is too dangerous with interlopers afoot. They say she has promise, but she is strong-willed. Now that she is young that is a great advantage - the other novitiates in her initiation cycle think her a leader. That is why they encourage her to defy the Mistress of the Blade. But if she is ever to lead a band of rangers, she must learn to master her impulses. Aruil speaks highly of her, but I think it is the girl's quick, clever hands she likes best."<br><br>With her flint knife, she cut a few strips from a pile of thick, triangular leaves that had been dried in the sun until they were the colour of dull brass. She placed two of the strips under tongue. The familiar sharp, bittersweet flavour spread in her mouth. The reaction was immediate. She felt her blood quicken. The <em>jesh</em>-herb honed her mind and eyesight, preparing her for the day ahead.<br><br>"When I, too, was a novitiate," Eshalu continued, offering Aeryn a strip of the <em>jesh</em>-herb, "I shared a chamber a little larger than this one with five Lodge-sisters in my initiation cycle. After so many seasons of sharing everything together, it was difficult to go on walkabout. I could not rest well in the first days I spent away from the Caern. I had grown accustomed to the beating of their hearts, their breathing, the scent of their hair. But now, when we form a band together, we hunt and fight as one. We are like a pack of she-wolves," Eshalu's smile turned enigmatic, a little sanguine. <br><br>The hunt always called to her. That was her path to walk. It had been written in the stars and the spirits had decreed it to be so on the day of her birth.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>19-02-2014, 17:33:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn found herself grinning like a fool after that kiss, those words.&nbsp; Well.&nbsp; And watching the Ranger dress, hearing her complaint about being thought a girl...<br><br>"Oh, but you have been a girl.&nbsp; For me, once."&nbsp; The first night they had spent in the Port Respite Chapterhouse, in fact.&nbsp; Ropes had been involved.&nbsp; The Scholar felt&nbsp; her body heat go up at the thought.&nbsp; She hadn't understood then what it had meant, not fully, for the Elf to submit to her that way, that night.<br><br>She understood quite a bit better now.&nbsp; Following Eshalu's lead, Aeryn chose to forgo her own linen trousers, settling for her tunic and belt.&nbsp; And lightsandals, her feet were not tough enough to go barefoot.&nbsp; She left the small knife in hr boot, the poignard in her pack, looping a reasonably size utility knife on her belt.&nbsp; A tool, not a weapon.&nbsp; Her writing kit and medical kit went into her messenger bag, her hair she tied back in a simple ponytail.&nbsp; She paused for a moment, thinking, and put a few small wrapped objects from her pack nto the shoulder bag.<br><br>There was a mild ruckus from elsewhere in the Lodge, the blood-haired truant had been brought to bay it seemed.&nbsp; "Now who does that kid remind me of?"&nbsp; Smiling, not quite looking at the Ranger.&nbsp; Maybe it was the herb that quickened her blood, maybe it had help from Eshalu's smile.&nbsp; Aeryn had seen traces of that smile on her lover's face in the het of battle.&nbsp; A different smile, but similar, in the heat of... other things.<br><br>Quick, sure hands broke the crossbow down, stowed it away.&nbsp; She gave the bolt she had tested the action with a long&nbsp; thoughtful look, then stuck it in her messenger bag.&nbsp; Rising to her feet, she settled herself in place, tugged the strap of her bag a bit, ready to face the day.<br><br>A day with Eshalu. Great Goddess, it had been so long since she had last received that blessing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>19-02-2014, 23:03:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"A girl does not surrender herself to her woman because she is a girl," Eshalu said, a flash of that delightful night at the Chapterhouse flashed in her memory, "it is important that a woman teach her how to couple, so that she learns in time what she likes best. I can give myself to a novitiate like I gave myself to you and it is but a game. Humans make intimacy so rigid - unbending, like iron."<br><br>Eshalu led Aeryn out of her chamber and into the narrow passageways leading to the centre of the tree. Light had flooded in, caressing the contours of running images sculpted into the living wood. They had been obscured by night, but, by day, they illustrated with elongated, stylised figures, the rhythms of life: childbirth, hunting, sacrifice, the ritual defleshing of a ranger killed during a hunt and the stacking of her bones under sacred, painted stones. <br><br>They followed the passage back into the landing and then proceeded upwards, deeper into the tree's canopy. That path brought them to a long, rectangular hall with a hearth dug in the middle and fireproofed with black granite shards. Hot embers of charcoal sprinkled with crystallised flecks of dried resin sputtered, emitting a blue aromatic smoke.<br><br>Two irregular oblong windows let in some light, but the sun was partly shaded by the dense foliage of the canopy surrounding the hall. A few rangers sat on reed mats at various places, discussing the day's hunt. Fasiriel knelt by a stone altar at the far end of the hall, laying flower garlands before bas-relief images of the tutelary spirits of rangers. Her junior, who earlier had brought Eshalu water, sat cross-legged a little distance away, working a heavy pestle in a bowl full of thick paste. <br><br>Aruil sat under one of the windows, wearing only her breeches, her slender, muscled torso bent over her ancestral longbow as she put the finishing touches on polishing the impossibly ancient heartwood. She was quick to catch Eshalu's eye. <br><br>A small hunting party off to Aeryn's side took a quick glance at her, and returned to their conversation. They sensed no threat and knew Aeryn to be Eshalu's guest. For so long as that was so, the human would be an unusual but welcome addition to the Lodge. <br><br>"This is Lower Hall, where we can gather and make offerings to the spirits. We are free to come and go in the way we please, here. Nowhere is forbidden to us. Not even the chamber of the Mistress of the Lodge. If you would speak to Fasiriel, you should go to her. But there is a matter regarding Aruil of which I would speak to you. You know I have great respect for your counsel and though you are still not familiar with the ways of the People, your mind is able to learn much and learn it swiftly."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>20-02-2014, 14:50:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The mention of Iron made Aeryn think about how Eshalu's muscles had tensed like smooth iron bars against her bindings.... which was a seriously distracting thought that could lead to a long delay in the start of the day.<br><br>The light brought relief and revelation to those wonderfully intricate carvings, studying those as they passed helped steady the Scholar's mind.&nbsp; And lower her blood pressure.&nbsp; Very pragmatic depictions of daily life, all facets.&nbsp; Beautifully done, but as practical for instruction of the young as anything in a Human church done up in stained glass.The Lower Hall was even better, Aeryn watched Fasiriel and her apprentice with keen interest, after a nod&nbsp; and word of greeting to Aruil and the&nbsp; hunting party.&nbsp; The once over inspection from the hunters made the human feel remarkably like a lamb in one of those 'lamb lying with the lion' exhibits so popular at the Imperial Court.&nbsp; The lamb had to be replaced fairly often, of course.<br><br>She was thirsting to politely quiz the pair of Druids, or just sit closer and watch them intently.&nbsp; That bow of Aruil's was certainly worth closer study as well.&nbsp; But that quick glance Aruil shot Eshalu, something the younger Elf probably fondly imagined as covert, and the older ranger's request for counsel?"<br><br>"Of course, Eshalu.&nbsp; I will listen carefully, and advise you to the best of my ability, you know that.&nbsp; Ask me anything."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>21-02-2014, 15:11:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu took Aeryn to to the firepit. They remained under Aruil's gaze for an instant longer and then the archer returned to her work, lovingly oiling the supple wood of her bow with a thick, russet liquid that smelled strongly of fermented nuts. Out towards the altar, Fasiriel intoned a hymn to She Who Walks Astride the Roots, to the dryads of autumn - buxom and wide-hipped, their breasts swollen with precious fertile sap, to the approaching Long Night. The novice ceased pounding and set down mortar and pestle. She rolled a thick ball of the tuber paste between her hands and placed it as a first fruits offering before the garlanded altar. <br><br>Eshalu's gaze was focused on the crackling embers. The hunting party stole furtive glances, their chattering surreptitious now, doubtless discussing Aeryn - and Eshalu. <br><br>"It is reckoned that it is my time to accept a girl. But this is not the love certain heroic human males practise with younger boys. In our tongue the word <em>etriel</em> is important. It signifies a bond between rangers, which helps bring a younger initiate into the full realisation of her potential. It is the way knowledge is passed down and stories remembered. I may take many before the Great Mother reclaims me, but I have great fondness for Aruil and she for me." <br><br>The ranger paused and the glowing orange embers crackled, spitting sparks. Fragrant smoke enveloped them, a piny, resinous scent. In the smoke, the light assumed a blue tinge, like it was dawn again, even though the sun had long since extended his stride over the heavens. <br><br>"But matters are not so simple. I could have her body whenever she wished to give it. A ranger's girl will follow her fancy, though it is her mentor's duty to guide her passions. These are desires of the heart, which we never deny ourselves or others. I would choose Aruil because she sees in the future a world where we no longer pretend that humans do not exist, or that they are so distant they might as well be of the Far Realm. Once eyes are opened, they are not easily shut."<br><br>Eshalu extended her arm towards the far window, into the distance and to the form of another Lodge distinguishable from the vast canopy stretching out in the distance, "There are others who think differently. My blood sister would recommend Aruil be taken by another, from a Clan in the deep south, near the Waist of the World. They have suffered much from human incursions and few of their sacred groves now stand. Their lands are now sites for the human forests of stone and dead wood. They bear a great burden, and their mournful anger knows no compromise. Now their emissary is with us, too, and she has taken a great liking to Aruil. She is wild and dangerous and a young girl is easily fascinated by her. Aruil has great promise to be a leader one day. If she learns and agrees with their ways, I fear this Caern will be doomed."<br><br>That was the simple truth and Eshalu knew it. In the fullness of time, the humans would win. With superior numbers, armour, and the ingenuity of the bizarre contraptions they brought with them. She would not do what other Clans had done - go willingly and adopt the human ways, but neither would she stand in a hopeless struggle and watch trees old when the Starfall was but beginning felled by the onslaught of interlopers. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-02-2014, 18:39:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A gentle touch on Eshalu's hand.&nbsp; "Of course there is more to your feelings for Aruil.&nbsp; I can see it, I am sure that other Elves see more."&nbsp; And this blood sister.... closer still to the Ranger.&nbsp; Well, Aeryn would cross that bridge when she faced it.<br><br>The scholar listened with quiet intensity, but no real surprise to the brief summary of affairs in the far south.<br><br>"The Society knows much of that.&nbsp; The southern Elves have a problem your people locally do not: The Human expansion they face is much more lateral, more along the line of the waist, not so much as towards the pole, like here.&nbsp; So the Humans&nbsp; do not to have to change their ways so much to fit a new climate.&nbsp; Their crops do well in elven lands.&nbsp; That is critically important, so important but so hugely obvious that perhaps even most human farmers do not see it.&nbsp; As a result, humans in the far south can more easily hold what they take.&nbsp; Much more easily."<br><br>A wild and dangerous emissary.&nbsp; Aeryn found herself reflecting on how wild and dangerous eshalu herself ahd lookd the first time the human had laid eyes on her.&nbsp; to here her lover describe another so....&nbsp; her grip tightened on Eshalu's hand.<br><br><br>"Keep Aruil here, by any means you can.&nbsp; The Far Southern Elves face a very clear and impending rapid doom.&nbsp; I will tell your councils this, and will do so in the face of this emissary herself if need be.&nbsp; More so, I will tell them why I think this to be true."&nbsp; &nbsp;That would not be hard.&nbsp; Aeryn had herself led the committe whose report&nbsp; guided Society policy towards the Elves.<br><br>Presenting her position would not be hard.&nbsp; But this was not a forensic debate before familiar Society judges, the Elves just did not see the world as Humans did.&nbsp; And the emissary, how would she react to such words from a human?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>22-02-2014, 18:45:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu remained immobile, staring into the patchwork of dark coals and lambent embers, seeing winding serpents of fire form and fade. Serpents breathing the blue smoke, shrouding the chamber, filling her mind with a low, sibilant call. <br><br>"Your counsel is valuable. And I will seek to do that which you have proposed. Aruil and many like her are the key to the Clan's future. But the druids are close to the spirits. Close enough to hear the cries of the trees whose dryads have been felled, the naiads whose rivers have been dammed, the sylphs now choked by the fires of human forges. It is painful for them and they have sympathy for the fierce stance taken by our sisters to the South."<br><br>Eshalu had intuited that the Magna Sophia was not one in thought when it came to the plight of the People. She had seen looks of fear together with curiosity. A visceral distrust, which she knew many of her own Lodge-sisters shared. There were two ways of living that were not only different, but opposed. Humans mastered, often at great cost, but just as often with success. The People adapted. Perhaps those who had chosen to forsake the Way of the Spirits and started life anew in the grey and terrifying settlements of humanity were simply yet another test of survival. Just like the Starfall had been in the times of legend. <br><br>Perhaps, she liked to think, it would only be a matter of time before those born with the Sight among the humans began to hear the voice of the spirits of stone, or the forge-fires, and of the vast gardens planted in unnatural, straight rows. Or so she hoped. <br><br>Eshalu took Aeryn's hand, and led her to where Aruil sat, "Come, then I shall speak to her."<br><br>Aruil sat up from her work and lay her bow down on a wide, embroidered hemp cloth, stained with dark polishing oil. A coiled length of wyvern tendon lay to the side, ready to string the bow. The heartwood of the bow glistened in the fragmented sunlight. Its form was elegant, essential, with only subtle inlays of elasmotherium horn for decoration. <br><br>Eshalu knelt at Aruil's side and kissed her. Long, wet, and lingering. Eshalu smiled and sat back, leaning on one side to keep her weight off her injured side. Aruil's pale skin was slightly flushed, lips parted, her muscled torso rising and falling a little faster. She licked her lips. Tasting Eshalu. Her gaze caught Aeryn's. A little trace of playful malice in her eyes. <br><br>"So Eshalu has spoken of her doubts? I, too, am torn. Marat of the Clan of the Fire Mountain Lake has taken great interest in me. She once said I was too pale to be a warrior - her Clan lives and fights where the Sun is brighter and burns so hot the scrubland sometimes takes fire in summer. But I proved her wrong. She is strong, like Eshalu, and she can teach me many things. The ties that bind our Clans would be strengthened." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>04-03-2014, 15:02:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"How could the Druids be otherwise?&nbsp; They quite literally....<strong>feel </strong>the distress of the land, do they not?"&nbsp; Aeryn hugged the woman, laid her head on a smooth shoulder.&nbsp; her own mind a whirl, planning, thinking... and not only about what she must say very soon before a gathering of very powerful and suspicious people.<br><br>The Elves of the far south.... those who did not stand and fight, would be on the move.&nbsp; The Empire had no territories that far south, but it did have trading stations, political and commercial interests.<br><br>Oh Hell.<br><br>Aruil, that was a pressing matter for the here and now, she cleared her mind, ordered her thoughts, mastered her feelings.&nbsp; Mastered....&nbsp; <em>How very human of me,</em> she reflected.<br><br>That wonderfully made bow was a distraction, she focused on that while the Elves kissed.&nbsp; Considering how very intimately Aruil had kissed her earlier, heh, amusement subdued envy, with no trouble at all.&nbsp; <em>OH yes, she does that to me, too, youngster.</em>&nbsp; Aeryn met Aruil's gaze with placid good humor.<br><br>"She has much to say on this subject.&nbsp; I will say only that there are many ways to strengthen the bonds, the union between peoples, think carefully about what is said by your seniors, and consider the length of your journey, how long you will be gone.... and what may transpire here while you are absent."<br><br><br>edited for spelling.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-03-2014, 20:00:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu observed Aeryn's reactions with keen interest. She had always known the human to be observant, but Aeryn was obviously not just learning but beginning to <em>understand</em>. That was vital. Rangers were the face of Elven clans to the outside world and many of the better travelled ones had enough familiarity with human customs to know the difference between malice and an innocent mistake. Druids would be a tougher proposition. <br><br>"She has wise words," Eshalu said. She embraced Aeryn from behind, hands settling on Aeryn's thighs. That drew a knowing smile from Aruil. <br><br>The younger ranger reclined, cross-legged, against the wall of living wood, "There are those of the Southern clans who think they must move north. The Old Growths have fallen and the spirits in many place are now silent. They would salvage what seeds and cuttings they have and bring them to a new place."<br><br>Eshalu turned grim, "It is cold here. Some of their trees cannot endure frost for long. Their dryads would become thin, and wan and pine for their ancestral groves. If they choose to abandon their Caerns, theirs will be a long and painful trek. But it is better that they come to us, here where the wards are still strong, than we go to them. "<br><br>"It is safe here," Aruil said, reassuring herself rather than Eshalu, "for now. But no Clan can survive in isolation. We should learn from each other. I wish to learn."<br><br>Behind them, Fasiriel had concluded her morning ritual offerings and sat a little distance away, watching intently. She had the knowing eyes of one who was used to seeing past the illusory surface and into the subtle planes beneath. Her apprentice stood behind her, pretending to inspect the long row of earthenware jars full of pounded tuber meal, but really trying to steal a better look at Aeryn - or perhaps Aruil's finely muscled torso.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-03-2014, 02:02:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Aeryn leaned back slightly against Eshalu, the warmth, the contact was far from distracting, it was soothing, steadying as she rested her own hands atop the Ranger's.<br><br><em>I have your back</em>, said the Elf's hold<br><br><em>I know</em>, said the Human's touch.<br><br>Pain and rage, barely leashed, Aeryn didn't have to see this southern Elf to know what she would find in the emissary's eyes.&nbsp; She saw it in Aruil, as that young one talked with her mentor.<br><br>She was acutely conscious of Fasiriel's regard. Of the apprentice Druid as well, but Fasiriel was the key, here and now. "Eshalu is accurate in her assessment."&nbsp; A very carefully chosen phrase, as emotionally neutral as her command of the People's speech would allow.&nbsp; "Southern plants will not survive here without massive effort by the tenders.&nbsp; Southern animals.... may do better, but the winters will be like nothing the People of the south have ever faced, back for many many generations."&nbsp; <em>How many are listening, how good are their memories, will their intent allow them to accurately relay what i am saying?&nbsp; Goddess, the People are a consensus society, I might fail right here, right now.</em><br><br>"Aruil, there is a cost to action.&nbsp; Doing one thing means one cannot do another, no matter how desirable either&nbsp; may be.&nbsp; The Society's theorists call this an&nbsp; opportunity cost."&nbsp; She was very much speaking for Fasiriels's benefit now.&nbsp; "Do not decide now.&nbsp; Do not decide quickly."&nbsp; her minds eye was filling with another scene of slaughter, but this time of the Elves.&nbsp; Moving out of their jungles, moving north onto the savannah grassland.<br><br>Cavalry country.&nbsp; And the Elves had no cavalry.<br>&nbsp;<br><br><br>&nbsp;<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-03-2014, 19:38:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Your words are wise, as always," Eshalu said, giving the nape of Aeryn's neck an approving nuzzle. It remained to be seen if Aeryn's pondered judgement had made headway in Aruil's thoughts. She knew the younger ranger's natural curiosity could cut both ways. Aruil wanted badly to understand humans better. Her intimate inspection and discovery of Aeryn's body was proof of that. But the same curiosity would tempt her to embrace the fiery and, perhaps, ultimately futile rage of the Southern Clans. <br><br>Aruil sat in contemplation. "I will reflect," she said at length, "but I thank you, human-sister. Your counsel is knowing and I sense you wish me and the Clan well." She returned to polishing her bow, but not before her eyes met Eshalu's once more. It was just an instant, to exchange affectionate glances. <br><br>With the sun climbing higher in the sky, the midday patrols began to make their way out of the hall and down the tree, while the night patrols returned, freshly bathed after cleansing themselves of their prey's blood, and ready to be fed. Fasiriel's apprentice handed out bowls of purple tuber paste garnished with pounded nuts, and ewers full of a translucent yellow and slightly sour-smelling liquid fermented from the first pressings of buckthorn berries. There was no meat yet. The winter could be a difficult one and the day's hunt would be dried or smoked, though even in lean times there would be enough left over for a hearty stew later in the day. <br><br>When she was satisfied that Aruil's business with Eshalu was, at least for the moment, settled, Fasiriel rose and approached them. Though her pregnancy was advanced, she walked with poise, her steps precise and measured. Not the feline grace of a ranger, but the confident movement of a woman at one with her body. <br><br>Easing herself to her knees, she settled by Eshalu's side, facing Aeryn, the breezy fabric of the sarong pooling at her thighs. Her anklets and bracelets jangled melodiously. The assortment of materials - bone, wood, resin - was not random. It was clear that Fasiriel had studied the best way to ensure her jewellery emphasised and responded to each motion of her limbs. Now that her breasts were heavy and swollen, she wore fine beaded necklaces, hardwood alternating with resins, to draw attention to her maternal physique. It was power. Inside her lay the future of the Clan - its single most important resource. <br><br>Fasiriel smiled, purple-painted lips curling, though her eyes remained distant and enigmatic. She was looking through Aeryn's skin, seeking to see something below. <br><br>"You slept well," she said, her voice serene, "I am told humans are unused to sleeping close to the ground." She paused and placed her hands on Aeryn's shoulders. The touch was warm and light, like the kiss of a breeze. "You are beginning to feel welcome here, that is good. But I detect some tension in you."<br><br>Her hands moved higher, to feel the pulse at Aeryn's throat. The experienced touch of an expert healer, "So tell me, human-sister, what troubles you?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>06-03-2014, 15:26:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;A slight bow of he head, a soft press back against the lips on the back of her neck.&nbsp; A slight fall of dark hair across her face that&nbsp; would have hidden her thoughts from other humans, with Elves, she was not so sure.&nbsp; She nodded slowly but firmly at Aruil's decision, but said nothing.&nbsp; <br><br>The best diplomats knew when to stop talking after all, knew when they had gotten all they could gain, for now.<br><br>Movement in the Lodge, and perhaps outside this chamber as well.&nbsp; Youngsters crowded close, she doubted she would have heard adults as they slipped away.&nbsp; Word would spread, faster than wildfire. <em> I have helped Eshalu, Aruil's decision to remain will reflect well n&nbsp; her as a Mentor.&nbsp; Now comes the gatekeeper to higher councils, I think.</em><br><br>Fasiriel had that kind of self-assurance, yes.&nbsp; Aeryn had never believed for a heartbeat that the woman had 'just happened' to be present.&nbsp; those eyes... penetrating to the bone, Aeryn had that same look in her own when investigating, cleaning up some mess or the other for Magna Sophia.&nbsp; Being on the receiving end was something she had not felt in quite some span of&nbsp; years.&nbsp; The voice was soothing, assured. In control.&nbsp; the touch at throat's pulse points... an excellent way to read hidden reactions, oh yes.<br><br>This Druid was a very, very dangerous woman.&nbsp; No lies, not even shadings of the truth.&nbsp; Fasiriel would know.<br><br>&nbsp;"What troubles me?"&nbsp; She scholar actually laughed.&nbsp; "Would you like a list?&nbsp; Fnding Eshalu again, finding more peace than I have known in two years, The thought of losing her on some mad expedition to the far south is, is to much."&nbsp; She realized she was gripping Eshalu's hands very tightly.&nbsp; the druid's touch, that voice, those eyes....&nbsp; Aeryn's composure was melting away, her control slipping.<br><br>No matter, this was not a court, either of Law or Royalty.<br><br>"Internal politics within Magna Sophia.&nbsp; We must stand united outwardly towards the other powers in the Empire.&nbsp; We, we have a window of opportunity to guide Imperial policy towards the People in the wake of this disaster.&nbsp; If, and I stress <strong>if</strong> the Society does not get the blame for this.&nbsp; I do not think such is likely, we were very vocal in our opposition, and made no secret of why we opposed it."&nbsp; She shrugged.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Those who hate us will hate us regardless.&nbsp; And many of them are dead now in any case.&nbsp; Those who would replace them will need time to consolidate their acquisition of power.&nbsp; We will not give such time&nbsp; to them."&nbsp; She had never broken eye contact with Fasiriel, and now her gaze hardened slightly.&nbsp; "At this point, I am honestly unsure if my return to the Empire will be of benefit or not."<br><br>Her hands were caressing the Rangers hands and forearms now.&nbsp; "It is no secret that I have lain with this woman.&nbsp; Not common knowledge, not even within the Society, but there are those who are, well, upset that I have done so.&nbsp; They question my objectivity.&nbsp; They do not dare to question my advice, my guidance,&nbsp; I have been right and they have been wrong.&nbsp; &nbsp;But there are those who want to challenge me."<br><br>Tears.&nbsp; Not sobs, her voice was controlled.&nbsp; But tears flowed openly, dripped from her face.<br><br>"The Disaster I caused.&nbsp; I caused, not the Society.&nbsp; I could not have done it without help from them, but it was my plan, my execution.&nbsp; My hand closing the gates of vital support for land-mad frontirr Nobility."<br><br><br>"The prospect of talking to your higher councils troubles me.&nbsp; I, I have not a plan, not at this point, more of a hope.&nbsp; The momentum of events, if the lid can be kept on the pot of this frontier war for a human generation, well, habits of peace are hard to break."<br><br>the scholar shivered, heached behind her, reached behind eshalu to clasp hands beind the woman, and pull her closely.<br><br>"Justice troubles me.&nbsp; I am not a traitor... quite.&nbsp; This was not an Imperial action, those who attacked you acted on their own, without sanction or support.&nbsp; This time."&nbsp; Her eyes had lost focused, her gaze sharpened on Fasiriel again.&nbsp; "But that would not have mattered.&nbsp; Expansion against the People is not, I firmly believe, in the Empires extended interest.&nbsp; I would have acted as I have even in the face of orders from the Imperial throne itself."<br><br>Peace.&nbsp; The peace of confession.&nbsp; It brought clarity, her mind was at ease, but her thoughts were racing, planning, composing, preparing what she would say to those in what passed for centralized power among the People.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>06-03-2014, 16:31:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fasiriel focused on Aeryn's eyes, feeling the pulse of blood under her fingers. Pressure, intensity rising, and then descending when the scholar finally released her burden. The outpouring of emotion did not faze the occupants of the hall. If anything it reassured them to see that humans were not so divorced from their emotions as was commonly supposed.<br><br>Eshalu observed with approval. It was best to let Aeryn speak. She needed to show Fasiriel and the Lodge of Druids in general that she was sincere. The human fixation on building intricate tapestries of winding, imprecise words they called an 'argument' did little to appeal to the psyche of the People. But Aeryn had conveyed sentiment - a heartfelt conviction that Fasiriel would find easy to understand. <br><br>"Your words are welcome," the druid said, the sharp, long nails of her thumbs traced the tan skin of Aeryn's throat, following the jugular and the carotid, "I have always believed that humans have nothing to gain here. The spirits of the land are strong, the trees dense, their roots deep. This is not a place they can make home. But I know some thirst for war and take pleasure in bloodshed and capture of my kin."<br><br>Fasiriel paused, "But you do not. I think you are a little like me. You prefer to listen rather than to speak. But you do not have the Sight. The spirits of this place are worried. The dryads tell of the fall of their sisters on the borderlands between your Clans and ours. We cannot be deaf to their cries."<br><br>The druid's airy touch trailed down Aeryn's tunic, inspecting the curve of the scholar's breasts, her belly, before settling on her hips. Wide for an Elf. She smiled and took Aeryn's hands into her own, bringing them to rest on the taut swell of her belly. Warding glyphs stained the pale skin red and violet, "This one must be born in a world where <em>she</em> can still hear the voices of the land. Too many of our kin who have taken your ways have been lost. Those who have the Sight cannot use it. When I speak, I speak for her."<br><br>Fasiriel's apprentice finished the meal round by bringing a large, shallow bowl full of tuber paste, with the oily garnish of pounded nuts, together with a ewer of fermented buckthorn juice and a small bowl of water for Aeryn to wash her face. <br><br>Eshalu drank from the ewer and passed it to Aruil, "Aeryn's clan, alone among the humans I have met, bears us no ill will. They have loyalty to their kin in the same way that we have loyalty to the People, but the future they see for themselves does not involve the destruction of our lands and the dispersion of the People."<br><br>Fasiriel tilted her head and a curtain of intricate silver braids fell by her bare shoulder. <br><br>Her apprentice understood the signal. She knelt behind her mistress and began kneading the exposed shoulder with deft, firm strokes, thumbs pressing deep into the muscle. <br><br>"Humans are plentiful and so there are plentiful voices," Fasiriel purred - the apprentice knew her art well. Massage was a crucial skill for a druid, especially a junior druid, in the Lodge of Rangers. "It is good that you have lain with Eshalu. She is the wellspring of many pleasures and one can learn so much from coupling. Yet if your clan disapproves of you finding delight in Eshalu's embrace, why would they be well disposed to us? I, unlike Eshalu, have never left the First Growths and know nothing of human customs. It is difficult enough for us to manage our relationships with other Clans from lands where they have different spirits and different customs, yet we know nothing of how to form friendships with human clans, or even if such friendships could be trusted." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>07-03-2014, 15:56:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, my clan as a group does not disapprove!&nbsp; Not even a large number within the Society.&nbsp; but there are factions, groups, cliques, rivalries.&nbsp; Jealousies."&nbsp; Aryn's dreamy smile - the touch of the Druid had been almost hypnotic - became briefly shark-like. "No one has spoken&nbsp; or would dare speak ill of Eshalu, or my time with her, not to my face."<br><br>Slowly stroking her lovers hands and forearms, relaxing once more.&nbsp; "Our friendship can be trusted.&nbsp; I can be trusted.&nbsp; Others in the Society who work with me closely can be trusted.&nbsp; And the number grows every day.&nbsp; We are winning, we are the upcoming leaders. "<br><br>She took a small drink, then washed her face.&nbsp; The cool clean scented water on her face, the warm tuch behind her, she was almost purring now.&nbsp; Very relaxed once again, but speaking with regret, some sadness.&nbsp; "The border.... what can be done?&nbsp; We can, the Society can and will move into the social power vacuum on the Imperial side of the border.&nbsp; We will buy the notes of debt the Nobles used to finance this venture of theirs.&nbsp; The depredations on your territory will slow, we hope to stop them, but no promises on that."&nbsp; Human eyes locked on Elven eyes again.&nbsp; "What you have lost in the past will not be retaken by you. The Imperial Court will not allow it.&nbsp; Any counterattack by the People will be met with a response by the Imperial army, twice&nbsp; times larger than what you just faced, and much better led and organized.&nbsp; And if you win, the next attack will be even greater, and follow hard on the heels of the first."<br><br>Her arms lifted, her hands reached back behind her head, to stroke Eshalu's mane of hair.&nbsp; The Ranger had not liked hearing that, not at all, Aeryn could feel the coiling tension in the other.<br><br>"The sight..... I regret that I do not have it.&nbsp; Not even a trace.&nbsp; But not having it has saved me, at least once.&nbsp; I was, on one memorable occasion, the only member of my party left standing when a creature lashed out with Spiritual power.&nbsp; I neither saw, felt or heard whatever it did.&nbsp; And I shot it dead when it revealed itself physically."&nbsp; Another flash of that small-shark smile.&nbsp; "Aruil has contempt for flatbows.&nbsp; Don't , youngster, don't ever despise them.&nbsp; They can be clumsy and slow to load, even the light ones like mine, yes.&nbsp; But a well made crossbow will shoot straight and true, and always strikes very hard indeed."<br><br>Hands again flowing across, resting on a rounded belly, the Scholar smiled in pure joy at the feel of movement within.&nbsp; "This is why we all do it, Fasiriel.&nbsp; The future, our daughters, building what we hope will be a better world for them.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-03-2014, 12:15:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu pondered Aeryn's description of the reality of the Clan's predicament. Fasiriel couldn't understand. She never did understand. Some druids learned the ways of the Hunt, and some accompanied rangers and fought by their side with great skill, but they often came to live in the Lodge of the Rangers and fell outside the inner circles of the Lodge of Druids. Fasiriel had never been on a hunt in her life, much less a raiding expedition. Eshalu had known her since she was a girl and she had always sat satisfied and not a little pampered, happy to receive the attentions of her favourite rangers. <br><br>Fasiriel had missed the nuances of human social relations in Aeryn's explanation. It was necessarily so since human concepts like 'nobility' and 'jealousy' were, at best, poorly translatable into the Elven speech. But she did react instantly to Aeryn's appeal to future generations. Taking the human scholar's hands and holding them firmly against her belly, she leaned forward, until the tip of her nose almost touched Aeryn's cheek. Scent, rhythm of breath, frequency of eye movements, she saw and remembered. <br><br>Then she spoke, "So it is. The Great Mother tasks us with handing over our wisdom to those who follow. I will take your message to my Lodge. They are most eager to ponder over all that you have brought to us. Your presence here is a blessing, human-sister, and I hope it will remain so. We will ask you to cross over into our Lodge in time. But sacrifices have to be made and auguries cast. We would first consult the great dryad, guardian of this Lodge's tree. You may have...sensed her presence, even though she does not readily choose to reveal herself to those not of this Clan. Until then, human-sister, please enjoy your hospitality."<br><br>Fasiriel rose and made her way back to the altar. Fragrant smoke wounds its way through the hall, almost glimmering in the sunlight. <br><br>Aruil seemed perturbed at Aeryn's mention of flat-bows, "There is no art in them," she remarked, "how do you feel the arc and weight and course of the arrow if you do not even draw the string and feel the curve and tension of the wood?"<br><br>Eshalu chided her, "You say you wish to learn, so listen, girl."<br><br>Aruil gave a playful grin, "Such an impatient girl. But I give you little reason to complain."<br><br>Eshalu stretched out on a reed mat and Fasiriel's apprentice had begun to attend to her bruised hip, pulling up the light fabric of the ranger's tunic to reveal the angry, dark whorls of damaged tissue. With practiced, soothing strokes, the apprentice druid applied a thick, brown paste smelling strongly of camphor. Though she felt a sharp, lancing throb, Eshalu remained still, one arm draped around Aeryn's waist. <br><br>"You have my gratitude for trying to make Fasiriel understand," Eshalu said, "she sometimes thinks the Sight gives her wisdom which can only be learned."<br><br>A new hunting party came through the hall. Up towards the altar, through the smoke, a tall ranger approached, her muscled torso naked and smeared with two thick lines of blood so dark it seemed black. Her head was shaven save for a single braid of red hair, the bare scalp marked with intricate black and crimson war-paint. The ranger embraced&nbsp; Fasiriel and kissed the druid's swollen belly. Gentle laughs and a whispered exchange. Fasiriel reclined against the altar, leaning against the nook where offerings were placed to Arumileth, the Spear Maiden. The ranger knelt before her. Fasiriel smiled and, for an instant, glanced back directly at Aeryn. The gauzy curtains of her sarong parted. A mewling sigh. The ranger's shaven head nestled under the full swell of Fasiriel's belly, between her undulating thighs. <br><br>"It was a good hunt," Eshalu remarked, "a huntress who strikes down a terror bird and claims its heart-blood is difficult to resist. You should eat."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>08-03-2014, 17:39:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>"Thank you, Fasiriel, for our welcome, and for carrying my words to your Lodge."&nbsp; Well that was one immediate problem down, now just scores more do go.&nbsp; But for a wonder..... she found herself relaxingg even more.&nbsp; Um.... the smoke?&nbsp; something about it, not harsh and biting, very subtle, what was it?&nbsp; It was very soothing whatever it was.<br><br>Perhaps too soothing, her normal caution was nowhere near the reins for her tongue when she responded to Aruil's sour grapes about crossbows.&nbsp; "I will shoot against you sometime.&nbsp; Perhaps tomorrow, if we both have time.&nbsp; <em>What the hell am I saying? </em> "You will win, I am sure.&nbsp; but some of what I have to show you and any watchers you invite will surprise you, I think."<br><br>Aeryn cradled Eshalu's head in her lap while the apprentice tended to that nasty bruise n the ranger's hip, watching with professional concern, her fingers idly tracing along her lover's scalp in time with the movements that worked that very interesting paste into the bruise.&nbsp; The sense of relaxation spreading through Eshalu was infectious, it was the most natural thing in the world to dip her head, tenting her dark hair across that Elven face, and kiss her lover so lingeringly.&nbsp; "You are welcome.&nbsp; I have seen the like, valued researchers and scholars who have never left a Chapterhouse save to travel from one to the other in their lives, and never gone into the wild.&nbsp; They know so much, are very valuable... but not in any sort of crisis to be sure.<br><br>Then memory flashed across her mind.&nbsp; <em>Oh.&nbsp; Oh my.&nbsp; I've smelled something like this before, not exactly but oh my the temples back home used something like this when.... oh dear.</em><br><br>The two-legged wolf who entered the room had a presence which hit the human woman like&nbsp; a hammer.&nbsp; But the sudden spike of her desire was not for the newcomer, oh no.&nbsp; She nestled&nbsp; even more snugly against Eshalu.<br><br>"Eat?"&nbsp; She repeated, almost glaring at Eshalu.&nbsp; Eat.&nbsp; Elven vocabulary was very specialized, but Eshalu had not used the People's term for the oral attentions that one woman could give another.&nbsp; She had used a human word.&nbsp; &nbsp;And Aeryn was damned sure Eshalu had a good enough command of Imperial to know what she had just implied Aeryn should do. But that look Fasiriel ahd given her.... Aeryn wasn't watching the slight movements of the returning huntress's head between Fasiriel's soft thighs.&nbsp; She was watching the Druid's face, her rapid depening breathing, the building exultation in her half closed eyes.<br><br>A much softer expression than the fierce hot joy&nbsp; on Eshalu's face when strong hands full of dark hair moved Aeryn's head right where the Elven woman wanted the Human's mouth to be.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>09-03-2014, 12:39:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu parted her thighs, fingers curling tight in Aeryn's dark hair. "Like that," a breathy sigh. She inhaled the haze - a resinous, pointed perfume. Her sense heightened. She could smell sweat, and blood, and a different, metallic tang from the weapons of the huntresses. It was divine. Aeryn's tongue sliding between the dampening folds of her sex, parting her, finding the stiff little pearl at the peak of her sex. Her nipples were stiff, tenting the fabric of her tunic. <br><br>The apprentice continued her work on Eshalu's bruised hip, but her breath had quickened, lips parted. She stared longingly at Aruil. The younger ranger wore a teasing grin, long fingers already under the waist of her breeches, strumming her own passion. <br><br>Eshalu gripped Aeryn's scalp tight, her hips undulating against the scholar's mouth. Every flick of Aeryn's tongue sent a pulse of wildfire surging through her loins. She had forgotten the pain her hip, a dull throb now neither unpleasant nor particularly distinguishable from the deeper, needier tension knotting in her belly. <br><br>The moment the apprentice finished her work, Aruil pounced, seizing the young druid and drawing her into a fierce, wet kiss. Aruil stripped off the girl's sky-blue chiton in one expert, sweeping motion. The apprentice's body was smooth and slender, but had none of Aruil's hard definition, each muscle encased in a layer of soft flesh. Her assortment of ritual jewelery was less impressive than Fasiriel's, but was still an impressive collection of bracelets, anklets and toe rings, some wards, some simply gifts from admirers, standing in contrast with her pale skin. <br><br>The lank ranger broke the kiss and whispered into the apprentice's ear, before running her tongue down its pointed length. Out of Aeryn's sight almost soundless movement ensued. Aruil crawled over to Eshalu, looking ever more like a jaguar on the prowl, the wiry muscle of her torso drawn tight over her ribs. She pulled her breeches down and off and gleefully settled the fat mound of her sex on Eshalu's lips. <br><br>For her part Eshalu didn't waste a moment. The hot, salty musk of Aruil's sex was just irresistible. She released Aeryn's head and clasped her hand on Aruil's bottom, so hard and sculptural it would put any male human to shame, nails digging deep, leaving read marks on the skin. Through the rich smokiness of the haze, the rich, earthy scent of desire spread like a hypnotic pall. <br><br>The apprentice hovered behind Aeryn, graceful fingers tugging up the hem of the human scholar's tunic. She unstoppered a small wooden flask sealed with a tar rim and drizzled something warm, viscous and very slippery into the deep crease of Aeryn's tan bottom. <br><br>Aruil looked back, wickedly at Aeryn while Eshalu's calloused hands lay a couple of hard, playful strikes to the younger' ranger's buttocks.<br><br>In the distance Fasiriel gave a satisfied grunt, followed by rapid gasps. It was obvious that after a good licking, a hard, cathartic fucking was in order. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>09-03-2014, 17:48:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Sweet Sophia. </em> That was just about the last rational thought Aeryn had for quite a while.&nbsp; &nbsp; Forearms under her lover's thighs, hands curled over and gripping pulling slightly apart, just enough to nestle her head in close, dark hair spread over pale hips and thighs.... and the&nbsp; sight of Aruil riding Eshalu the way the two of them had ridden each other.<br><br>Aeryn slid her hands up Eshalus flanks... rested her hands lightly on Aruils' feet, her fingers stroking the tops, kneading the soles with the pads of her thumbs...&nbsp; occasionally scritching the skin with her thumbnails - just a bit longer than Eshalu's, but much shroter than eithr Druid.<br><br>Feeling the building tension in both women.&nbsp; Glorying in it.&nbsp; The touch of that thick almost gelnn the valley of her rear was not a shock, it was too warm, the hands that worked it into very tender skin too knowing.&nbsp; And when slickened fingertips probed at her back door..... her mind went white.&nbsp; She adored being touched back there, but penetration....&nbsp; no, except when she permitted it from Eshalu.&nbsp; But this time.... the smoke maybe.....<br><br>She could see much.&nbsp; She could her everything.&nbsp; She could take in the scent of everyone.&nbsp; It had to be the smoke, she should have been beyond babbling incoherency, her mind driven to a totally whiteout blur when a long finger slid into her puckered star.&nbsp; She managed to give a little back to the junior druid.&nbsp; Stroking the woman with her feet, oanguidly, feet still not hard from the trail caressing soft skin.&nbsp; Pampered skin, as the older ranger had called it.&nbsp; And the silken touch of what she knew was silver hair o the backs of her legs, her hips, her rear, and warm wet lazy kisses on the small of her back.<br><br>Different sounds, faster rougher tempo from Fasiriel and the huntress&nbsp; harsher gasps from the huntress, from both of them.<br><br>Such lovely red slap marks on Aruils ass.... Aeryn longed to kiss them, soothe them, but her mouth and tongue were busy, right where the Human wanted them to be.&nbsp; It took her a moment to realize the woman behind her hadmoved, was straddling a human lower leg, the heel of a human foot against her Elven mound.<br><br>Hair trailing across he hips and upper thighs, not so languid kisses on her lower back, long nailed hands gripping her lower thighs, starting to dig in slightly.... and that warm wet slippery friction on the heel and sole of her foot while she was taken in the rear and licked the woman she....loved. <br><em><br>Blame that thought on the smoke.&nbsp; Deal with it later.</em><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>09-03-2014, 21:59:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu ground her sex on Aeryn's lips, while her tongue worked frantically on Aruil. They seemed to move in rhythm. The apprentice grinding her sodden sex on Aeryn's foot, leaving thick, wet trails, driving a finger into the welcoming, silken sheath of the human's bottom, Aeryn licking her, Aruil riding her mouth and she, Eshalu, with her strong hands gripping and slapping, hard, on Aruil's stone-hard bottom. They were one. A harmonious whole. <br><br>The apprentice's kisses moved up the arch of Aeryn's spine, until her tongue was wet and hot in the human scholar's ear, "It is our duty to take of our rangers. Aruil is teasing Eshalu and she will get a good fucking for her efforts," she deliberately used the most vigorous Elven term for a woman taking another with her hand, "we will make sure Aruil is ready and I will let you choose whether you want to tongue her sex or her bottom." She curved her finger in Aeryn's bottom, pressing down, while her nimble thumb circled the entrance of Aeryn's sex. A wicked chuckle, "We make sure our guests feel welcome."<br><br>Eshalu's sharp gasps were exhaled into the wet, velvety flesh of Aruil's sex. A rich, all encompassing perfume of salt and female musk. Delectable. She was close, grinding herself on Aeryn's tongue, bucking her hips so ferociously she almost threw off the scholar's attentive tongue. Then she felt Aeryn's fingers slip inside her, a tense, thrusting motion, building to an inevitable, furious release. She gave a feral snarl, her sodden channel caressing Aeryn's fingers with the waves of her pleasure. <br><br>She gave Aruil's bottom one last hard, stinging slap, "Get off girl, and spread for me."<br><br>Aruil complied, her face and chest flushed, almost panting in anticipation. <br><br>Eshalu sat up and grabbed Aeryn's dark mane, pulling her lover up to meet her lips. A frantic kiss, sucking the breath out of the scholar's mouth, demanding more of her own taste, more of the human's tongue.<br><br>The apprentice ground herself frantically on Aeryn's foot, easing out a few more jolts of eye-rolling pleasure, before Eshalu's mouth covered hers. <br><br>Eshalu held both Aeryn and the druid close, her passion ablaze. She alternated between kissing each, licking the apprentice's delicately pointed ear, nuzzling Aeryn's throat. She was a huntress now, unbridled, seizing her prey, taking what was hers. Her eyes met Aeryn's and for a moment they spoke of an uncompromising, irresistible desire. <br><br><em>This is who I am. This is what I do. I am a huntress, mistress of the forest.</em> She was beyond feral. She was truly wild. A Bacchae of an ancient and dangerous cult older than humans dared imagine.<br><br>Drawing Aeryn close, Eshalu tore the tunic from her body. Familiar tan flesh. Those curves she had worshiped time and time again with her hands and with her tongue. No, she would not treat Aeryn like a human anymore. Now that she was in the Lodge, she could no longer be an outlander. "You and Shuliel should make sure the foolish girl is ready for what awaits her. She will know what it is to pull the tigress's tail."&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>10-03-2014, 18:13:59</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn had never felt she had done well, on the very few occasions she had... flroliced with more than one woman.&nbsp; It had been hard enough to lick another who was licking her... so distracting from her attention to pleasing someone.&nbsp; Later, she would decide the Incense had a far more subtle affect than she ahd first thought.&nbsp; She certainly wasn't concerned about that now!<br><br>Human ears had not the preternatural sensitivity to touch&nbsp; as Elven ears ahd, but, but tht hot tongue,, flickering with speech as that finger oh-so-delicately hooked inside her back door, flexing in time with that teasing thumb while Eshalu filled her every other sense....<br><br>She should have been a weakly thrashing pillow queen by this point, not an active lover in her own right.<br><br>Oh Goddess, that hand in her hair again, pulling her up for an eager kiss, a hot promising kiss... and the youuger druid so close to her, both of them in Eshalu's embrace, , holding each other... for a moment, only for a moment, for Aeryn wnwrapped herarm from the Shuliel, found Aruil's hip, firmly tilted the young ranger on her side.<br><br>And froze for a moment, pinned by those eyes, that hot, harsh stare of the predator.<br><br>That same stare she had seen years ago, in another forest, not as wild, but dangerous&nbsp; beyond her measure.&nbsp; For she was hunted, hunted and soon to be caught, if not for Eshalu.&nbsp; Don't pay attention to them, not now.&nbsp; Pay attention to me, the stare had commanded it.&nbsp; Even more than the hands pushing her back against the trunk of the tree had commanded it.<br><br>A sound from low and deep in her throat, just as primal as that gaze, not a challenge, not a submission.&nbsp; A response, an acceptance.&nbsp; Her grip tightened on Aruil's hip&nbsp; as she leaned in and Kissed Eshalu.&nbsp; Hard, very hard.&nbsp; Scooting down, breaking that kiss, pulling the young&nbsp; Ranger's leg up, biting her inner thigh, not very lightly, then licking the sensitive crease where thigh met body, then higher, mouth trailing across hairless mound.&nbsp; Not lapping at the younger woman'st back door.&nbsp; For Eshalu?&nbsp; She would do that till the cows came home, even for Shuliel.&nbsp; But not this arrogant cub, not yet.&nbsp; <em>Tomorrow, heh, if she wins our shoot, and I suspect she will, we will see...<br></em><br><br>Shifting again, adjusting posiiton, giving Shuliel room to attend Aruil, their heads occasionally brazing, even buming lightly as the Human moved nestling in to explore set scented folds with her lips and tongue....even her teeth, a light nip here and there.&nbsp; And not letting Aruil lick her in turn, pinning one arm with a calf, another with a foot, the leg extended across that hard-muscled body.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>10-03-2014, 20:08:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Aruil's breathy sighs filled the hall. She raised her hips, inviting Aeryn's tongue into the parted wetness of her sex. She was strong and flexible enough that she needed no help to keep herself open, her long, slender thighs taut with effort. Shuliel devoured the tight, pink rosebud between her sculptural buttocks with unrestrained delight. Ah, but Aeryn, now the human woman knew what she was doing - that hot, teasing tongue skimming the hood of her little, engorged bud. Still, the furred, musky crevasse of Aeryn's sex was just out of reach. She had learned what delights lay beneath the dense thatch of black hair. The intoxicating, exotic taste of human sex. Fragrant, wet, and just out of reach of her hungry lips. <br><br>Eshalu circled round. Aruil might have enjoyed play-fighting with Aeryn, but the older ranger had other designs in mind. Seizing Aeryn's leg, she released the scholar's weight from Aruil's body. One hard slap on those soft, tan globes and Aeryn's sex was within reach of Aruil's questing mouth. She caressed Aeryn's leg, bringing the foot still damp from the juices of Shuliel's passion to her lips, licking the sole and each toe clean, before passing over again suckling each toe in turn. <br><br>Releasing Aeryn, she retrieved Shuliel's vial and smeared a hand with the nutty oil. A faint scent of a tropical bark, like cinnamon with a richer, haunting note. The Clan's druids had to grudgingly admit that their Southern cousins had a better recipe for this kind of oil. <br><br>Eshalu took her position kneeling just behind Shuliel, admiring the sublime contrast of Aeryn's dusky skin and full curves, grinding against Aruil's hard and pale androgynous frame. "You should leave her to me, Aeryn" Eshalu said, her voice thick with desire, "you can ride her face and take your pleasure there or Shuliel will be delighted to help you."<br><br>Shuliel gave a sultry purr of approval, muffled by Aruil's bottom. She could have - and on occasion had - stayed until sunset with her tongue up Aruil's ass, such a wonderful contrast to the delightful pillowy softness of Fasiriel's. But now Eshalu meant business. The apprentice sat up and eased Aeryn from Aruil's sodden sex. A pink flower in bloom, the plump mound parted. Aruil was ready. Shuliel kissed Aeryn again, hungry to taste Aruil's sex. The taste of a ranger, "Watch this," Shuliel murmured, nuzzling the scholar's throat, "Eshalu has such...power."<br><br>Once Aeryn's weight had lifted off her, Aruil spread, hands locked in the crook of her knees, hips raised, thighs spread. Shuliel absentmindedly plucked at Aruil's big, hard nipples, tugging the rose-pink peaks which now seemed taller than the barely perceptible mounds of the silver-haired ranger's breasts. Her attention was focused on Eshalu. <br><br>Like a she-wolf on the prowl, Eshalu moved in. Aruil gritted her teeth, "I need it," she half-snarled, "I need you."<br><br>Time seemed to slow for an instant. Smoke now pervaded every corner of the hall and the attention of its occupants was now evenly divided between Fasiriel and Aruil...and Aeryn. From afar, whispered comments were exchanged. Curiosity. Marvel. Musical laughs. At least the wild girl with the blood-red hair had found something to occupy her attention, this time between the thighs of a wiry, green-haired archer who was observing intently from behind the firepit. <br><br>Eshalu leaned forward and entered Aruil with three bunched fingers. One clean stroke. Merciless. Aruil grunted and bucked her hips. Eshalu began thrusting, biceps straining, loosening Aruil up. A fourth finger, Eshalu's thumb strumming the hard bud of Aruil's pleasure. <br><br>"Watch," Shuliel murmured, tugging one of Aruil's nipples hard, "it begins." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>11-03-2014, 21:40:26</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Yipping slightly as Eshalu slapped her, forced her to move... yipping again - in a different way as Aruil's tongue finally was able to give her a slow but eager lick an Oh heavenly Goddess counterpoint to what Eshalu was doing to her foot, her toes.....Kneeling astride the young Ranger's head, caging Aruil between folded legs, forcing herself to raise up a little, just a little so as not to put her full weight down.<br><br>She wanted Aruil to be able to move her head a little after all.&nbsp; &nbsp;bracing against Shuliel, Arms about Shuliel, the young druid with one hand on Aruil, the other on Aeryn's breasts....&nbsp; Aeryn stared through a fringe of Silver hair, and the druids touch, her softer being brought up memories of pampered women of Nobility who had eagerly welcomed into their beds an exotic Society explorer.<br><br>Power.&nbsp; They were.... Eshalu's girls.&nbsp; All three of&nbsp; them right now, no denying that.&nbsp; If the Human had not been seeing the way Aruil, that brash young killer who had brought her to bay in the forest, just.... allowed this to happen to her, Aeryn would not have believed it.&nbsp; That hard body jerked as it was entered, lips peeling back from the teeth in that close-cropped head, young Ranger locking eyes with the Senior who was fucking her.<br><br>Aeryn was sure she peaked during this, maybe more than once.&nbsp; She couldn't be sure.&nbsp; Didn't care.&nbsp; She did dimly know that she had fingers between Shuliel's lgs, was giving back as well as receiving from young ranger and druid.... but she was kissing Eshalu across a taut young hardbody.&nbsp; That was what really mattered.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>11-03-2014, 23:38:38</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu returned Aeryn's kiss with blazing intensity, and then brought the scholar's mouth to rest on Shuliel's while she busied herself with Aruil. The younger ranger was frantic, her whole body a conduit for Eshalu's ferocious fucking. Her back was arched, mouth buried in Aeryn's spread sex, her mind too far gone to focus on her licking, instead just glorying in the silken moisture caressing her lips. Deep, earthen scent of human sex mingling with the pheromone-streaked scent of sweat. <br><br>Aruil gripped her knees tighter and rocked her hips back on Eshalu's hand. She groaned, almost helpless. Wanting everything Eshalu could give her. She did not need to ask. Eshalu withdrew her fingers to the knuckles and slid her thumb tight against her palm and pushed in again. One long, elegant motion, until the entrance of Aruil's sex kissed her wrist. <br><br>The younger ranger gasped into Aeryn's sex. She bucked her hips and Eshalu slapped her hard bottom twice with her free hand. Admonishing her. Aruil relented, but, her thighs and belly were drawn so taut her muscles seemed to struggle against the skin. Leaning her feet on Eshalu's shoulders, she allowed the older ranger to rock in rhythm with the movement of her hips, setting the pace of their furious dance. <br><br>"Look," Shuliel murmured into Aeryn's ear between kisses, her fingers strumming the human scholar's clit, "see how she controls her muscles. How willingly and easily she takes Eshalu's hand. That is a skill best learned from a druid." The apprentice ducked down and began to suckle on Aeryn's dark nipples, leaving the scholar's view unobstructed.<br><br>Eshalu fucked Aruil mercilessly, claiming all that was hers, but giving so much more in return. They ground together - Eshalu's hand and Aruil's blooming sex - until the silver haired ranger exhaled sharply and cried out her peak, drowned in Aeryn's sex. Her thighs and sex convulsed, but Eshalu held on, forcing Aruil to keep spread, keep open. <br><br>Then silence interrupted only by hard breathing. Aruil relaxed and Eshalu slowly withdrew her hand slick with the nectar of the younger ranger's passion. Aruil slumped back, while Eshalu licked her hand. Shuliel joined her, helping the senior ranger clean off while bringing herself to a swift, intense peak with her fingers. <br><br>Aruil stretched luxuriantly, still recovering from her thunderous peak. <br><br>Eshalu leaned back, smirking, "That is your reward for teasing a ranger, girl."<br><br>Lazily skimming Eshalu's belly with her toes Aruil gaze seemed far-away, "I am always in need of your firm guidance." She sat up, the wood beneath her stained with her wetness and Shuliel's oil, "I will take the human-sister up on her challenge. Today, after noon, at the Circle of the Bow."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>12-03-2014, 16:48:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Steadying herself on Shuliel,, she made sure Aruil had room to breahte... and the woman needed it, she was way past babbling incoherency.&nbsp; Aeryn looked, she didn't need to be told... and touched, reaching past the Druid to stroke the young Ranger's belly.&nbsp; Taking&nbsp; in the sense of that sculptured muscle flowing under the skin.&nbsp; She always thought of&nbsp; Eshalu as liquid steel encased in flesh, but this young one., she didn't have her mentor's literally inhuman grace of movement, but she&nbsp; would have more raw power when she came into her own.<br><br>That soft mouth attending ehr breasts, smooth lightly callused fingers on her folds, slipping inside her ahannel, the sight of something so primal....&nbsp; Aeryn had been claimed by Eshalu this way, on occasions when they had found security and realative safety after a vicious fight.&nbsp; Part of the human had always been, well, frightened by the intensity.&nbsp; Aruil was glorying in it.<br><br>they were all glorying i it.&nbsp; &nbsp;A very rosy afterglow, the air heavy with the remnants of the smoke and the smell of clean sweat and passion.&nbsp; A nice gentle cross breeze, but that didn't explain the hairs that stood along the back of Aeryn's neck.&nbsp; <em>Today?&nbsp; Is it after midnight?&nbsp; Goddess, how long have we been at this?&nbsp; </em> Aeryn studiedEeshalu carefully.&nbsp; <em>Did she spend, I, damn, too much going on, I'm not sure.&nbsp; but an Imperial Army cavalry sergeant told me once that sometimes she didn't, stored up the power, the energy for later.&nbsp; </em>Well, that was a daunting thought.<br><br>She settled downo n the mat with her lover after the others left - which was not quickly, kisses, enbraces, jokes and laughte maade a long good-bye.&nbsp; And there was some chatter in the halls.&nbsp; It seemed that her performance was being critiqued, from what her limited hearing could pick up.<br><br>Her command of the People's speech seemed to have gotten suddenly better.&nbsp; <em>Hm, a side effect of the ritual they had all been a part of, perhaps</em>.&nbsp; But she wasn't really&nbsp; thinking about that, or even what would unfold after midday.<br><br>Right now, she was thinking only of how good it felt to fall asleep in Eshalu's arms again after so long apart.<br><br>**************************************************<br><br>The practice field was much what Aeryn expected.&nbsp; Form followed function after all.&nbsp; As lpng as she expected, for shooting distance.&nbsp; Not as wide, but practice would be on a more individual basis for the People,&nbsp; not en masses like for a Human army.<br><br>The spectators... not a crowd, but not a handful, either.&nbsp; Rangers of course, Druids... some of the druids were male.&nbsp; Interesting.&nbsp; And.... she realized with a jolt that there were male Waariors present.&nbsp; They looked very androgynous, by human standards.&nbsp; She really couldn't pick them out by their facial features.&nbsp; But their&nbsp; higher centers of gravity from the way they moved....<br><br>Yes.&nbsp; Men.&nbsp; Hostile males, from the way some of them looked at her.&nbsp; Warmer stances on the part of the rangers.&nbsp; Well, Eshalu vouched for her after all. The Druids, the male Priests, varying degrees of sentiment from coolness to acceptance.&nbsp; Coldness at best from these Warriors.&nbsp; She approached one, whom she judged the most senior.&nbsp; "I am Doctor Aeryn Sunlight."<br><br>He didn't quite spit on the ground.&nbsp; "I don't share my name with Humans."<br><br>The scholar nodded and stepped b ack to her shooitng position, busied herself with her gear.&nbsp; She was dressed for combat.&nbsp; Her hair up in plaits across her skull under a light leather open faced helm, light leather jerkin, her best boots, along with her usual field wear of linen tunic and trousers.<br><br>She kept the Warriors in view while she got ready, studying them.&nbsp; Trophies.&nbsp; Some standards from the Expedition.&nbsp; Many bore weapons taken from fallen Humans.&nbsp; A few wore superb helms with long neck pieces and cheek guards,&nbsp; open faced save for nasal guards.&nbsp; She recognized them, only one unit in the invasion force had sported those.&nbsp; A crack mercenary outfit called Dolo's Dragons.&nbsp; The unit Aeryn had been trying to make her way to after the Command group had been overrun.<br><br>She didn't see the Dragon's standard, though.&nbsp; Well.&nbsp; They had been at the top of her short list of formations that would punch their way out and escape, after all.&nbsp; Which explained why these Warriors were here.&nbsp; If they had gone toe-to-toe with Dolo's Dragons, they would be desperate to learn more about how Human's fought, for the same reasons they would not give their names to any Human.<br><br>She made sure they had a good view as she uncased and assembled her crossbow, a quick matter of slapping the bow into a curved slot at the end of the stock, and carefully snugging it down nto place with two heavy screws. <em> Screws... I have seen nothing like screws in any Elven handiworwork.<br></em><br>She nodded in acknowledgement as Aruil took her place and limbered up, preparing to string her greatbow.&nbsp; Thinking hard about what to do next.<br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>13-03-2014, 01:27:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Legend had it that Seanine, the Moonbow, who had first taught the People the art of hunting with bow and arrow, had devised the Caern's archery range by coaxing the druids of the grove to uproot their trees and clear an uncommonly straight path from forest floor to canopy. There, generations of disciples of the Way of the Bow had learned their craft, striking targets at the distant horizon fashioned from hemp and jute. There, in the late afternoon sun, a group of rangers and druids had gathered to share in a communal drink of the potent, narcotic <em>jeth</em>-nut beer the Lodge of Druids brewed to celebrate athletic events. <br><br>News of a human visiting the Clan in peace had spread swiftly. A small contingent of males from the Lodge of the Sun had arrived to observe proceedings. They strode with imperious pride, their torsos bare and finely muscled, with wide shoulders and hard pectorals, their biceps shrouded in the intricate patterns and colours of war: red, cerulean, and black. Like their female counterparts, they wielded bows, spears, and blades, depending on the path into which their auguries had been cast. Some wore breeches of masterly craftsmanship, and others leather loincloths bordered with dark-coloured beads, hanging over the curve of, for now, resting phalluses. <br><br>The presence of males seemed to both unsettle and excite the druids present, who exchanged curious whispers between themselves. The rangers of Eshalu's lodge, though, treated them like their own, exchanging stories of successful skirmishes or hunts, or simply describing their latest romantic conquests. And those, too, were on show. With the male warriors came a small contingent of boys - slender, but tautly muscled. Among them, the vainest wore multichrome feathers in their hair, and great necklaces of amber and iridescent beads. They walked with unnatural grace, mindful of every languid motion of their limbs. <br><br>Beside Aeryn, Aruil prepared, stringing her bow with seamless motions which spoke of muscle memory rather than any conscious act. Beside her, in the moss grown soil, were planted arrows tipped with razor-sharp flint. Because she was neither hunting nor on skirmish, she wore only her tight-fitting leather breeches, seemingly impervious to the occasional gust of cold wind that stirred the canopy far above them. <br><br>Behind them, Eshalu observed. The bruising in her hip had subsided enough for her to don her beloved leather jerkin and breeches again. Shuliel was chiding her, reminding her that she should give herself time to heal.<br><br>There was little hurry to start the event. Those present treated it like a social occasion, a rare opportunity for the male and female lodges to step beyond the taboo boundaries that separated them. For a couple of green-haired rangers of the Way of the Bow, it was also the opportunity to see if the omens were right. Fasiriel was present, and they would be watching to see if the spirits of the place indicated that the druid's unborn daughter would be destined to take up a bow. <br><br>Eshalu explained, "Fasiriel is a good mother. Before taking this child, she had already given birth to a strong daughter. That is very important to us. If the child is weak, we must return it to the Great Mother."<br><br>Some of the males watched Aeryn, but remained diffident. They seemed slow to admit the same curiosity Aruil and Eshalu had shown. Shuliel was unsurprised, "They fear humans, because the spirits see everything by light of day - and that leaves little room for the shadow where doubt exists and questions are asked," her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "but I know some have seen human cocks - and lust for them." She cast her glance furtively to her side. There, by the side trunk of a tree, a tall, golden-haired male ranger reclined, his loincloth set aside, while a younger, dark-haired boy knelt before him, happily suckling his full erection. <br><br>Aruil was clearly the most concerned with the contest at hand. She cast a quizzical glance over Aeryn's crossbow, unsure of how such a thing would work. "Let us say that the first to put three arrows in the far target is the victor? And it will be for the victor to decide her prize."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>13-03-2014, 16:00:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn was very very glad Eshalu was there.&nbsp; And Fasiriel as well, any friendly face was a treasure right now.&nbsp; "I&nbsp; am sure she is a wonderful mother, in every sense.&nbsp; How could she not be?"&nbsp; The dark haired youth, attending to the olger man...&nbsp; &nbsp;such was a matter of academic interest to her only, but the boys' dark hair... very unusual for an elf.&nbsp; <br><br>"The victor chooses, fair enough.&nbsp; But..."&nbsp; <em>Bloody hell, that thing is a long way off!</em>&nbsp; "You are familiar with this course.&nbsp; If you will permit me to get the range?"&nbsp; She flipped her crossbow in her grasp so the top faced down,&nbsp; then nestled the string - a braided cord of human har - much of it her own - in the double-pronged hook hanging from her belt, set her fight foot in the stirrup at the end, and pushed smoothly.&nbsp; The harsh clack as the string caught on the cam at the end of the quarrel slot was clearly heard in the sudden silence.&nbsp; Practiced motion drew a bolt from the case also at her belt as she unhooked the weapon and flipped it again in her grasp, slid&nbsp; bolt into groove, and fluidly threw the weapon up to her shoulder sighted for ten heartbeats... and shot.<br><br>"I cannot reach that."&nbsp; But there was a stirring among Warriors and Rangers, a People's bow with the span of the crossbow would never have flung an arrow so far.&nbsp; "The mid-range target, if you please."&nbsp; <em>I have a prayer of hitting that.</em>&nbsp; She had loaded her weapon again as she talked, turned and faced the watchers, holding her crossbow over her head at an angle, the tp facing the Elves.&nbsp; "Perhaps the greatest advantage of the crossbow.&nbsp; it is loaded, and ready to shoot, with no further effort on my part after setting the bolt in place.&nbsp; It can be carried like this for some time.&nbsp; Perhaps as long as it&nbsp; takes for the sun to move the width of two fingesr through the sky before strain on a well-made string becomes hazardous."<br><em><br>I need something closer.&nbsp; There.</em>&nbsp; Another fluid shot - she had long practice with this crossbow - and a post twenty paces downrange shuddered, bits of bark flying as a rook took off from the top squawking angrily.&nbsp; A not quite dead-center shot, the bolt protruding two fingers width from the far side.<br><br>None but the heaviest-pull Elven bows could have done that.<br><br>"The other great advantage.&nbsp; Power.&nbsp; I load with the nimbleness of my hands, but with the strength of my legs."<br><br>Once more she loaded, and spoke as she loaded.&nbsp; Something that was damn difficult to do when drawing a bow.&nbsp; "Think carefully about this.&nbsp; Shooting at Imperial Soldiers, armored soldiers unlike the half-equipped levies you just destroyed.&nbsp; At a range where your arrowheads fail against their armor....their bolts will tear your flesh."<br><br>She faced the midrange target with crossbow at her shoulder, lightly gripping the trigger lever with her fingers, thumb across the top of the stock, with one hand, extended hand cradling polished wood just behind the bowspan.&nbsp; Cheating a bit, yes, using badly needed time to judge range and windage, taking aim.&nbsp; <br><br>"I am ready."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>14-03-2014, 00:30:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Up close, Aeryn's crossbow proved to be a great attraction. The rangers who followed the Way of the Bow showed special interest, circling round Aeryn to examine her stance, and the crossbow's shape and movement. Its mechanism remained a source of great doubt. They were not accustomed to asking why things worked the way they did.<br><br>With her first shots Aeryn certainly showed them the potential of the weapon. Its size had made it look like a child's bow. A gift given to a young girl destined to be a ranger so she could hunt birds and squirrels before she came of age on the night of her first cycle and was presented with a longbow. But the force with which the squat bolts were projected seemed fascinating. Aeryn exerted no great effort in firing, yet the bolts struck with a deadly force. <br><br>"It is said it is the sorcery of humans," Shuliel said. <br><br>Eshalu corrected her, "Aeryn told me that they carve pieces of metal so that they lock together and, in locking together, they move when touched like a game of tiles and so unleash their hidden power."<br><br>Aruil remained unfazed. She had seen human crossbows in action and though little of suck trickery. "If you wish for the mid-range, you may begin with that, but I would see you shoot for the furthest target."<br><br>To illustrate her point she took an arrow out of the ground and drew the string of her longbow. She did so instinctively, her long, languid limbs moving with a grace the came before thought. It was a motion that was natural to her, like breathing. Her biceps tensed, her torso tightly coiled with effort. She pulled the string to her ear, feeling the wood of her ancestral longbow strain. The arrow was nocked, its serrated flint tip gleamed. She made a triangle with her eyes, mentally envisaging its flight path. <br><br>Breathe. <br><br>She exhaled and released. The arrow pieced the air and strucke the wooden post of the mid range target, landing in the wood with a resounding thud. There was no pause. She seized the next arrow, aimed and shot, the arrow swerved a little, disturbed by a sudden breeze. The arrow deviated off its planned path by an increment, and landed at the far edge of the outer target. A bit lower than what Aruil would have wanted. She needed to increase the tension. <br><br>She inhaled, closed her eyes, and exhaled. She drew a third and arrow and strained her biceps hard, infusing the string with all the tension she could. Too much. When she released the arrow streaked true, but struck the upper margin of the far target, embedding itself in the tight weave of jute.<br><br>Laughter echoed from a trio of senior archers. Their leader - tall and with long, verdant hair and clad in a leather jerkin of sublime elegance, shaped in the perfect likeness of iris petals - gave Aruil a conciliatory kiss on her pointed ear, "You are improving, girl, but neither of those were killing shots. Sometimes it is not enough to feel and see the shot, it must come to you."<br><br>"It was the wind," Aruil sniffed. <br><br>"She needs to consult the spirits more intimately," a sun-bronzed male ranger with a leonine mane of golden hair called, "Fasiriel, you should tell her the way to master the winds is through a sylph's cunt. I know she fucks well, but how will she fare with the Mistress of the Boreal Gusts?"<br><br>Fasiriel smiled at the bawdy suggestion, while Aruil shrugged in resignation and shot the male ranger a lighthearted glare of disapproval, "All talk. One day we'll compare trophies and see who has shot more killing blows," turning to Aeryn, she stretched luxuriantly, releasing the accumulated tension in her shoulders, "so, human-sister, show us what your sorcerous flat-bow can do."&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>14-03-2014, 03:19:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn shot the moment Aruil pulled her first arrow from the ground.&nbsp; A weapon custom made for her, with bolts to match, a flatter trajectory.&nbsp; She hit the midrange target.&nbsp; It shook visibly, the quarrel sinking in almost to the fletching.<br><br>But now Aruil's Greatbow shone.&nbsp; Speed.&nbsp; Three arrows, three shots, three hits in the time it took Aeryn to cock her flatbow, set a bolt and begin to lift it to her shoulder again.<br><br>She had already lost when she shot a second time.&nbsp; But she had been watching Aruil's arrows, had a feel for the wind.&nbsp; And bolts didn't catch the wind like arrows did anyway. She didn't quite miss the very extreme range target, her bolt kissed it hard enough to tear the jute wrapping, carry a bit of hemp stuffing downrange.<br><br>"I lose."&nbsp; She said calmly.&nbsp; Far more calmly than she felt.&nbsp; The good-natured&nbsp; laughing condescension of the older rangers appalled her. <em> Aruil, great Goddess, that youngster is phenomenally good.&nbsp; And they casually dismiss her skill?</em>&nbsp; &nbsp;<em>The implications of that are unsettling to say the least.&nbsp; Well, the chilling precision with which Eshalu handled a spear should have warned me.&nbsp; She would never tolerate&nbsp; anything less than superior skill in any weapon her apprentice chose to learn.</em><br><br>"Gather round, see this if you would.&nbsp; I'm going to show you wht is in this."&nbsp; And she broke down he weapon, all the way.&nbsp; Unscrewing and unshipping the bow.&nbsp; &nbsp;"hair, my hair in part, not gut.&nbsp; very very strong, very elastic, and not very vulnerable to soaking with water.&nbsp; It is not a good idea to get this wet, but that is not so dire with your gut-string bows."&nbsp; Unscrewing and removing the trigger and string release.&nbsp; And she became utterly certain the People had no screws at all.<br><br>That... wasn't very surprising, when she thought about it.&nbsp; Why would the People need them?&nbsp; A crossbow had few moving parts, really.&nbsp; Nothing like the clockwork automata coming into vogue at the Imperial court.&nbsp; but the trigger bar, the fulcrum on which it swung, the hook et engaged and released that held back the bowstring in tension....&nbsp; the People ahd nothing like it.&nbsp; And they didn't like it, not at all.<br><br>Well, they didn't have to like it, didn't even need to use it.&nbsp; But they had to know about it, understand it, not just stick a crossbow on a wall or in a shrine as a trophy.<br><br>The Ranger apprentice dismissed crossbows.&nbsp; Well, her elders did not, they were very thoughtful as the gathering broke up.&nbsp; Some of them anyway.<br><br>The bawdy jokes abounded.&nbsp; Mostly suggestions about what might be demanded of the human loser.&nbsp; She gave a glum look at Eshalu, who had hot amusement not just on he face, but n her whole bearing.&nbsp; <em>You got yourself into this</em>, Aeryn could hear her lover's laughing voice in her head.&nbsp; So she stuck out her tongue at Eshalu, who just laughed and scooped up Fasiriel and Shuliel and headed off to... someplace she would much rather be going than wherever Aruil had in mind, that was certain.<br><br>Oh well.&nbsp; Time for formal surrender.&nbsp; "You have won.&nbsp; This one acknowledges full&nbsp; defeat.&nbsp; The terms of the wager were service provided by the loser as determined by the winner."&nbsp; She doffed her leather helmet,, knelt and unlaced her boots, stepping out of them and standing in bare feet.&nbsp; A quick work of unbuckling her light leather body armor....and she was clad only in linen tunic and trousers with breechclout unerneath, standing with feet slightly apart, wrists crossed behind her back, head bowed.<br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>14-03-2014, 15:09:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The good natured jibes at both Aruil and Aeryn continued. Eshalu stood off to one side, smiling knowingly, while Aruil stretched, her great bow held behind her shoulders, the ornate leather gauntlet and bracers so deeply oiled that they seemed to gleam in the sun. Behind Aeryn, Fasiriel gave Shuliel an urgent glance, and the silver-haired apprentice was swift to intercept Aeryn before Aruil could think too long over what prize she would exact from the human scholar. <br><br>"you have all the time to think," Shuliel said, smiling sweetly while helping Aeryn to her feet, "but perhaps our human-sister would like to make herself comfortable first."<br><br>Aruil seemed disappointed, "At this very moment?"<br><br>Shuliel struggled to hide her urgency, "The time may not be right just yet for you and Eshalu to be seen in the company of a human by our other visitors."<br><br>Fasiriel's authority was required to intervene, "We will visit you later, Aruil," she said, "but let us take our guest with us and we will think of how best to present her to those who may not take well to her presence."<br><br>Eshalu remained silent, but understood that if news of an archery contest spread too widely, the emissary of the Clan from the far South would take notice. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation. It was delicate enough with Aruil involved, but she did not want Aeryn dragged in to a complex vortex of rivalries and resentment. <br><br>With that, Fasiriel and Shuliel discreetly accompanied Aeryn away from the archery range. It was rare enough a social event for male and female rangers to exchange hunting boasts that their presence would not be missed. <br><br>They followed a path some way from the shade of the greatest trees at the centre of Clan's Caern, and ventured into a densely grown grove of wild fruit trees. These had not been organised in rows in a way suggesting organised agriculture. Instead, the trees were ancient, and had been allowed to grow haphazardly, with little in the way of a path between them. Some were tall, bearing elongated seed pods which emitted a faint, spicy scent. Others were wide and squat, with vast silvery trunks, the branches heavy with orange skinned drupes, and others still were vast, thorny bushes overgrown with dark berries in a riotous assortment of shapes and colours. <br><br>"We will not be followed here," Shuliel said, "this is one of the places we tend. It is no place for a hunter."<br><br>They proceeded through a moss-grown burrow that had been dug into the ground and covered with a fabric flap embroidered with scenes of fruit being cultivated, harvested, and fermented in pots. The slope leading down was steep, but Fasiriel maintained her balance with measured grace, even if it was obvious that she would have been far more nimble had she not been with child. <br><br>Inside the burrow it was dark, but dry. The ground was beaten earth and the air awash with an overwhelming scent of fermenting and dried fruit. It was almost intoxicating in its own right. Aruil left the flap open to allow some sunlight to filter in for Aeryn's sake. Earthenware jars sealed with wax were arranged in pits dug into the burrow floor. At the centre of the chamber, a long, low workbench had been arranged, covered with flint knives and fruit stones. <br><br>Fasiriel eased herself down on a reed mat and Shuliel invited Aeryn to do the same. Then the apprentice fetched a ewer and dipped into a jug of clear, green liquid, and served them the acidic liquid, smelling of gooseberries, in wooden bowls. "It is weak now," Shuliel explained, "the harvest has just gone and this is a fresh batch. After the first frosts it will be stronger, and only rangers will have the stomach for it." <br><br>Fasiriel took the opportunity to stretch her legs out. Shuliel retrieved a small flask of balm from the belt holding her chiton to her waist and began to rub the older ranger's ankles and calves. The motions were brisk, expert, stimulating bloodflow, easing the tension from the muscles. The older druid reclined and drank, "I feel this one heavier than the one I bore before. I sense she may be a blademistress one day - strong of arm and shoulder," she paused for a moment, and then turned to Aeryn, "I will help you. But you must trust me to guide you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>14-03-2014, 16:46:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The disappointment on Aruil's face was downright comical.&nbsp; Which was good, because it softened the blow of realization.&nbsp; <em>I have been so very foolish.&nbsp; Magna Sophia, if a member of my team had been so clumsy in regards to lines of social authority with a newly met culture, I would have her in tears by the time i finished chewing her out.</em><br><br>She followed along with the Druids, giving Eshalu a quick glance.&nbsp; Her lover was smiling, but the senior Ranger was clearly thinking hard and fast. Aeryn's hand made brief motions.&nbsp; A code they had worked out together based on a mix of ranger hunting sign signals and Society hand talk.<br><br>I messed up.&nbsp; I will be far more careful.<br><br>The orchard, for want of a better word, helped settle her mind into her normal analytical groove.&nbsp; Horticulture, not agriculture.&nbsp; Gardening, not farming.&nbsp; Confirmation of what she had suspected from long talks with Eshalu.&nbsp; She tarried a little, eamining the trees...&nbsp; new to her, and from the look of them, not something Humans would think to cultivate.&nbsp; The naturalist in her was enthralled by the grove.&nbsp; <br><br>Her inner Alchemist was entranced by the contents of the burrow as she sank down cross legged onto the mat, accepting her portion of the brew.&nbsp; "Weak?"&nbsp; Well, Rangers were a hardy sort, she knew that well.&nbsp; This was quite enough for her.&nbsp; She had already been reminded how essential it was to keep her head clear, after all.<br><br>"I do trust you, Fasiriel.&nbsp; You and Shuliel both."&nbsp; She wasn't merely drinking now.&nbsp; She had cupped one of the senior druid's heels in the palm of her hand, was pressing lightly, then with more firmness on the ball of the foot, flexing back the toes just a little to stretch muscle and sinew of foot, ankle and calf. " i am very very sorry, my challenge to Aruil was foolishness, and not just in terms of our relative skills."&nbsp; The same to the other foot, slowly but firmly, then working her thumbs against the sole, from heel, along instep, to just behind the toes, gently pulling on the toes....&nbsp; gentle attention given to one foot, then the other, and back and repeated.<br><br>"I am aware, belatedly that this is not just a matter of your Clan Seniors, who have yet to sniff over a potentially dangerous interloper like myself.&nbsp; This Emissary from the far South?&nbsp; I am used to contending with such.&nbsp; But they were and are human, the... the rules of behavior are different."&nbsp; She thought a moment, and the massage she was giving Fasiriel, well, that was as soothing to her trail of thoughts as it was to the Elven woman's feet. <br><br>&nbsp;"So.&nbsp; Am I likely to receive a physical challenge from this wild and dangerous woman, as Eshalu calls her?&nbsp; A trial by combat, an expression of the spirits and their blessings of our respective vieews? i would lose, assuming i were so foolish as to accept."&nbsp; A horrible thought struck home. "I... wait, would, if i decline, would, would Eshalu have to step in&nbsp; as, as my sponsor, as one who vouched for me?&nbsp; Oh hell."&nbsp; &nbsp;Aeryn was going as white as her olive skin would allow.&nbsp; "Then I will accept.&nbsp; i will have to."&nbsp; <em>And do my best to cripple this Elven bitch, because Eshalu will go for the throat as soon as she can.</em><br><br>The scholars hands were not shaking, she was rock-steady.&nbsp; She always was when contemplating or confronted with dire peril.<br><br>"So.&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp; I need guidance and I need it very badly."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>15-03-2014, 11:21:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fasiriel luxuriated under the combined touch of Aeryn and her apprentice. She drank deeply from her bowl and set it down. <br><br>"Rangers enjoy the hunt, but we are not beasts. We do not solve our disputes by challenge. If it were so, there would not be many of us left. We seek answers all can share. But that does not mean that there are some who have greater openness to those answers than others. Though we do not like to speak at length before seeking counsel from the spirits, many in my Lodge have different ideas of how our Clan is to meet its destiny."<br><br>Fasiriel chose an ebony periapt from the array of pendants hanging from her neck and shook it, pouring a trail of fine, red dust on the back of her hand. She inhaled swiftly and sharply, her eyes lidded and her breath quickening.<br><br>Shuliel explained, "<em>Maelir</em>-root, it eases the flow of blood and clears the mind, opening it to hear hidden voices. She can feel the child grow in her and know what she needs. That is how she knows she will give birth to a girl."<br><br>The older druid entered into a trancelike state. She clasped her hands to her belly. A jangling of bracelets. It took her a few moments to steady herself. She smiled, "It hits hard, but clears my thoughts." Her amber eyes bored into Aeryn, "You should undress. Those who would not have you here need no reminding that you are a human."<br><br>Shuliel took her cue and fetched a parcel of fabric wrapped with hemp cords. A selection of druid's tunics and chitons, "You should be less conspicuous. If you seem to accept our ways, your message will not be dulled by the fact that your are human," she unwrapped the parcel in front of Aeryn, "choose what you wish - these are all for work in the orchards, so they should be loose enough for you."<br><br>The apprentice then retrieved a smaller, oblong box made out of hard, dark heartwood. Inside was a vast array of bracelets, anklets, necklaces, and rings for both fingers and toes. Most were fashioned out of different kinds of hardwood, some coloured with plant dyes, bone, or ivory, though some of the more striking pieces were amber, or simply opalescent stones found in some distant, secreted riverbed. <br><br>"These are important," Shuliel said, "a ranger gifts another huntress weapons or trophies, but, if she wishes to court a druid, she must fashion something artful for her. Without these, they will think you too inexperienced." She offered her wrists up to Aeryn's inspection, revealing the intricate carving of a smilodon-hunt carved on the ivory of two matching bracelets. "So one of the People knows that a great huntress has shown me favour, and here," she illustrated reaching for a hardwood pendant carved in the stylised likeness of an Elven woman's sex, "this is from Aruil, for fertility - and protection."&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>15-03-2014, 16:29:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>&nbsp;<br>Aeryn's sigh was heartfelt and unhidden.&nbsp; "Forgive my ignorance of your ways.&nbsp; I have learned much from Eshalu, but I have so much vastly more to learn from you."&nbsp; Not speaking at lemgth, right, Aeryn had already concluded the People would have no patience for that.&nbsp; Their communion with the Spirits would make much Human style exposition of facts in detail rather moot, after all.&nbsp; &nbsp;She was already mentally editing her style of approach for the coming discussions.<br><br>She was snapped out of her planning reverie by the sight of that powder, watched keenly as it was carefully snorted, noting the precision with which the dosage was laid out.... <em>Hm.&nbsp; &nbsp;Oh Dear.&nbsp; There is no way I will be able to avoid something like that at some point and I am not at all sure how my human body will react to it.&nbsp; Oh Dear. </em> But aloud she said, "Does this have any affect on the unborn baby, is she more aware of the mother's mind in turn?"<br><br>Practicalities.&nbsp; The security of this safe place had lulled her a bit.&nbsp; Mention of her alien garb brought her mind back to the looming difficulties she faced.&nbsp; "Yes of course, you are right."&nbsp; She rose smoothly and stripped down, unbelting and pulling her tunic over her ehad, slipping her trousers down... and after some thought, skinning out of her breechclout.&nbsp; Chiton first, then tunic and she flexed her bare toes against the ground.&nbsp; Her feet had toughened greatly but.... she fished a pair of light sandals out of her kit, slipped them on her feet.&nbsp; That would do.<br><br>The finery reminded her of some things....Her scant human jewelry, no that would not do at all.&nbsp; But...&nbsp; Rings for toes and fingers, a&nbsp; braided anklet of long tough grasses, a bracelet with a carving of a Saurian warrior&nbsp; -all done quickly in the wilds of Dra Sirdu.&nbsp; Simple things.&nbsp; Only a few.&nbsp; But all by Eshalu's hand.&nbsp; She seldom wore them in human lands, but they never left her person if she could help it at all.&nbsp; &nbsp; The small case she took them from was the finest she had been able to find, of imported Teakwood from the far side of the world.&nbsp; The hinges and fastening clasp of sterling silver.&nbsp; &nbsp;The pieces themselves wrapped in imported silk, raw and undyed.<br><br>The only things she owned that she would fight until death to keep.&nbsp; Not even her magnifying spectacles were so precious to her. Aeryn made sure that those pieces had pride of place in her display, accepting only a few ornaments from Shuliel.<br><br>"I am a visitor here, and althugh it is wise not to rub the noses of others into my humanness, they will know I am a stranger to your ways.&nbsp; This will do.&nbsp; And I thank you very much for the finery.&nbsp; I will take very great care of it, and return the loans."<br><br>"Aruil has a lovely deft touch with wood.&nbsp; I confess... I am a bit surprised at her artistry.&nbsp; She has a good eye and hand for that."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>16-03-2014, 20:57:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shuliel agreed earnestly with Aeryn's assessment of Aruil's skill, "Most archers have a very fine skill with the scalpel - holding the hands steady for long stretches of time lends itself well to the art of carving and," she added with a knowing smile, preening just a little, "she modeled it after me."<br><br>Now that Aeryn was dressed in an unmistakably druidic fashion, complete with mementos of Eshalu's, which spoke of their adventures on the accursed island of Dra Sirdu, Fasiriel seemed satisfied. "A great improvement. Eshalu told stories upon her return from walkabout of her exploits. She slew some Cold Ones, or at least their distant descendants, who in our memory exist only in the farthest reaches of times. We know of a forgotten shrine of theirs not far from here, but we leave such places be. The spirits are too alien there, too angry - though I fear some of your own people may stumble upon it and, driven by their desire to acquire metal, disturb that which should be left to lie undisturbed."<br><br>Shuliel grimaced at the mention of the shrine, the stories she remembered from when she was but a novitiate resurfacing in her mind. <br><br>Fasiriel turned to happier topics. "You have good hands and you tended to me well," she said, unwrapping a dried leaf full of half-dried berries, the juice forming a thick, gelatinous caul over the crushed fruit - she took a handful and ate, before passing it to Aeryn, "a druid's role is to ensure rangers are able to hunt and protect the Clan. That is why we spend much time teaching our apprentices how muscle, bone, and blood are knitted together, though you appear familiar with such things. Know that tending to rangers, whether grooming or massaging them is vital to earn their favour and prove your good intentions to the Clan. In that, you have already done well. You helped Eshalu take her pleasure in full sight of the Lodge of Rangers and that will be remembered."<br><br>"Now, when it comes to our herbs and elixirs, I do not know the effect they would have on humans - but you have reacted well to all that you have taken so far. The dust I took is used in our ritual. In answer to your question, it bridges the space between minds in different states of being. My child's mind is still in becoming - she cannot know me the way I know her, but she feels me and knows her mother watches over her."<br><br>Shuliel went to the workbench and feteched a shallow bowl carved from walnut wood, "We should make our offering to the dryad of the Fruited Grove," she reminded Fasiriel. <br><br>"So we must," she agreed, before returning her attention to Aeryn, "but remember, be wary of Ushiel. She is Eshalu's blood-sister and has the most astounding Sight this Clan has known in many generations. She was born blind, but it is said that before she could be sacrificed to the Great Mother, she let out a cry when the flint knife was raised. She sees <em>beyond</em> - it is a powerful and dangerous gift."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-03-2014, 18:42:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn quirked a quick smile. "Oh, I 'm sure that submitting to her close examination, by sight or by touch to aid the carving was no trial.&nbsp; For either of you."<br><br>The chiton/tunic combination was comfortable and surprisingly warm.&nbsp; Although had she not found favor with the Great Dryad, Aeryn had little doubt that the odd crossbreeze and the like would send cold gusts howling up her garments.<br><br>"The Coold Ones were an occasional problem, but not the greatest on Dra Sirdu.&nbsp; There was just so much ancient work there, Magical, Spiritual,&nbsp; and Mundane engineering. I think the entire island is one great trap for the unwary." <em> And the Empire is starting to wade hip deep in the morass.&nbsp; There's a thought.&nbsp; Keep it to myself for the moment.<br></em><br>"A Cold One shrine?"&nbsp; She was on the alert at once, eyes shining as she unconsciously adjusted her spectackes lower on her nose - a habit and sign that she was plunging deep into thought.&nbsp; "I am uncertain whether the cold Ones were the greatest power on Dra Sirdu in olden times... but I would very much like to see this shrine.&nbsp; In broadd daylight, and with great care, of course.&nbsp; Mid afternoon or mid morning, certainly not at high noon, dawn or dusk.&nbsp; Certainhly not midnight.&nbsp; And not at the start of any phase of the Moon. Goddess knows what might be semi-awake at cardinal points of the day or Lunar cycle."&nbsp; She let it drop, there was more than enough on her plate, her curiosity as a Naturalist could be slaked later.<br><br>The berries were delicious.&nbsp; Very potent from partial, perhaps a hint of Boysenberry.&nbsp; A mouthful, then she passed the leaf to Shuliel.&nbsp; "I am a surgeon, among other things."&nbsp; It took her a moment to hunt out and decide on the proper Elven word.&nbsp; Refined Sculptor of Flesh, and Ham Handed Butcher were both very close in etymology to what she settled on.&nbsp; "And massage, a soothing touch, is always plesant and helpful.&nbsp; Both for she who gives and she who receives."&nbsp; She grinned.&nbsp; "I've tended to Eshalu after more than one fight, to be sure.&nbsp; And she to me."&nbsp; Grooming... brought to mind the too-few occasions when her lover had consented to having something done with her wild mane of hair, nothing more than brushing after a good washing.&nbsp; The Ranger kept her hair scrupulously clean, but her shaggy mop was a stylstic mess, even by Aeryn's utilitarian standards.&nbsp; Someting would have to be done about that...<br><br>Beet red, the Human was sure her face was glowing for a moment at the reminder of ...&nbsp; &nbsp;Saved by herbology, one of her first loves as a scholar.&nbsp; &nbsp;If Elven children had direct experience, knowing experience of attention from their mothers, concern by their mothers to go with emotional feelings from so early an age, the implicatons for family strength were profound, to say the least.&nbsp; &nbsp;"I will defer to your judgement in matters of such preparations.&nbsp; And many other things as well, Fasiriel.&nbsp; Another Dryad...&nbsp; of the grove, not in the grove.&nbsp; Interesting, a heirarchy among Tree Spirits wasn't someting a lot of Humans gave much thought to.&nbsp; Fascinating.<br><br>Switching mental trails was a hallmark of the superior troubleshooter that Aeryn in fact was.&nbsp; Mention of Ushiel... a name to go with a relationship mentioned earlier.&nbsp; "Blood sister.&nbsp; A bonding, a ritual pairing when they came of a certain age?&nbsp; Or are they in fact sisters by natural blood, of the same mother?"&nbsp; <em>Wary?&nbsp; Of a true Seer?&nbsp; Goddess yes, I will be wary.&nbsp; And she will know that I am wary,&nbsp; and why, and hah!&nbsp; En garde, Ushiel.</em><br><br>"Oh yes.&nbsp; There have been reliable Human Seers.&nbsp; They did not meet with good ends.&nbsp; An honest appraisal of the results of foolsih decisions is often unwelcome in Human councils of power."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>18-03-2014, 00:31:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fasiriel was bemused by Aeryn's questions, but she clearly recognised a kindred mind in the human scholar - someone interested in they 'why' of things, "I know little of your ways," she admitted, "but those of the Clan who have been on walkabout in human lands have told me that you place a great weight on kinship by birth. We believe that bonds developed by experience are of greater importance, but being born of the same mother is a bond that has great power. Ushiel and Eshalu have the same mother and because Ushiel is wise and take special interest in her blood-sister, Eshalu treasures her counsel."<br><br>Fasiriel reclined, leaning on her outstretched palms, back arched. Shuliel attended to her with precise, elegant movements, suggestive of a ritual dance. The apprentice kissed the hollow Fasiriel's throat and then carefully took a fat, dark nipple between her lips and began suckling. Fasiriel sighed. A long, satisfied exhalation, eyes lidded. Her apprentice's lips clamped tight on her nipple, cheeks hollowed, arms wrapped tight round her belly and back. <br><br>"So it is," she hissed, cradling Shuliel's head in her hands, "our curious human-sister, wishing to see what should remain hidden. And what do you know of the Cold Ones. I am not persuaded that their hunger is slaked. Somewhere in their prisons of stone they still lie, still hunger, just like a serpent can dwell in the cold embrace of the karst until the spring returns. Ah, but you know it is a place of power and humans are always drawn to that. If your curiosity cannot be slaked otherwise, I may know one who knows some of the secrets of that place."<br><br>Shuliel now crouched directly in front of Fasiriel, cheeks swelling a little. She released the stiff peak atop Fasiriel's swollen breast and released the milk from her mouth into the wooden bowl. She then turned her attention to Fasiriel's other breast. <br><br>The senior druid was quick to explain, "Our Clan thrives thanks to the fertility of the dryad of the Fruited Grove. We offer her our thanks. She is one of the friendliest dryads - those bonded to fruit trees are always happy to share their bounty and walk among us. She reveals herself easily."<br><br>Fasiriel seemed absorbed in a blissful trance while Shuliel nursed hungrily at her breast. "Soon," she said, "you will see."<br><br>Shuliel emptied her mouth in the bowl, her lips streaked with warm milk. Bearing the offering in both hands, she spoke to Aeryn, "See, a druid's milk is powerful. It nourishes the next generation of the Clan - it is life, giving strength to those who will follow. It is a powerful offering. Powerful like blood. Are you ready to see?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-03-2014, 17:43:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"This does not make things that much easier for me.&nbsp; Sisters, good sisters are very protective of each other."&nbsp; Aeryn was dubious about the relative strength of social and blood bonds.... but that was a very Human way of looking at things, and the People were not Human.&nbsp; She simply nodded, let that matter drop.&nbsp; For now.&nbsp; <br><br>"I know something of them, I have met and talked at some length with a living Cold One Matriarch.&nbsp; I have learned not near enough, of oucrse.&nbsp; Alas, going back to Dra Sirdu is a problem.&nbsp; For a host of reasons."&nbsp; Eyes staring at nothing inn particular as she thought.&nbsp; "I... not soon, and only after careful preparation, would I want to venture to this shrine, as you call it.&nbsp; I am well aware of the dangers of sticking my hand in such a hornet's nest.&nbsp; On the Accursed Isle there was a&nbsp; complex of caverns and perhaps artificial tunnels guarded by a Giant Spider/construct which&nbsp; Eshalu and I briefly examined.&nbsp; After we defeated the construct."&nbsp; Aeryn actually shuddered at the memory of that fight.&nbsp; "I was unable to determine just how extensive that warren had been.&nbsp; Only that is very old, and despite the age, parts are still active."&nbsp; She nodded slowly.&nbsp; "Yes.&nbsp; I&nbsp; do&nbsp; want, no, I need to talk to the one you speak of."<br><br>And once again her mind changed trails.&nbsp; The attention,the technique displayed by Shuliel, not so erotic this time.... Oo, a very ilntimate offering indeed!&nbsp; A dryad who sought such offerings would be quite different from that great wild presence she had encountered earlier.&nbsp; "Oh yes, very eager, I-"<br><br>She stopped speaking abruptly.&nbsp; The light had changed.&nbsp; Not brighter so much, but.... warmer?&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; Something was here.&nbsp; Or more active now, enough for her to sense it.&nbsp; Kind of.&nbsp; Not directly, this had not the raw power of the Great Dryad - life and blood drinker that it/she was.<br><br>But what it was doing, how the presence of such a being could not help but change the world around it in many little ways, yes, Aeryn was picking up on that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>19-03-2014, 12:17:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Come, then," Fasiriel invited. She rose and led them out of the fermentation cellar into sunlight. The arms of the fruit trees extended far and wide, some laden with fruit, others freshly picked, so that each cultivar was picked at the right point of ripeness. Beneath the ground was soft, rich and dark. They walked in single fine, almost in procession, through the fruit grove, until they reached an ancient medlar tree with twin trunks intertwining, its orange-brown fruit hanging heavily from its branches. <br><br>"She will come," Shuliel said reverently, "she moves between trees like fish move in water. This growth is old. When the Clan first settled this Caern this tree was here. One of the few. The others grew in time, but this one is bound to this place from before the People had memory of it."<br><br>Fasiriel extended her arms, eyes closed, greeting the tree and the morning Sun. Shuliel raised the bowl of Fasiriel's milk with both hands, chanting softly. Something ancient - a distant relation of conversational Elven, but infused with older words. Words whose meaning was hidden to all but the druids, who recalled them with the aid of the spirits. A cool morning breeze shook the branches of the tree, drifted through the leaves and it sounded like satisfied laughter. <br><br>The senior druid stepped forward and nicked her thumb with a flint knife, drawing a shallow welling of blood. She pressed her hands to the bark of the tree and traced the outline of a conjuring glyph with her blood on the bark: a starburst and two concentric circles. The wind shook the tree again. Shuliel's chanting ceased and she emptied the bowl onto the tree's roots. A trickling sound as the warm fluid kissed and wreathed the bark so dark is was almost black. <br><br>There was movement not between the branches but <em>in</em> them. Something taking shape, breaking free, emerging from an earthen womb. At first there were just glimpses - a serenely beautiful fae visage, not quite Elven, but certainly very far from being human. Long hair, like leaves, like moss, but deep red and gold wreathing her naked body. The colours of autumn and of the fruit harvest. Tan skin and a full, voluptuous frame. Wide-hipped and heavy breasted, with columnar thighs and a full, yet firm belly. A scent of ripe fruit and dried flowers filled the air. <br><br>It - no, she - moved without a sound. Smiling. Not severe, not demanding of blood and flesh like the Great Dryad, but protective. Of her grove. Of her people.&nbsp; <br><br>Then laughter rang out, that seemed to emerge from the tree itself until the dryad of the grove finally chose to manifest in front of Fasiriel. She kissed the silver haired druid's mouth warmly, but her eyes - dark like ripe cherries - looked straight at Aeryn. Shuliel stood aside, still slightly in awe of the presence that spoke of the deepest connection with the land. An embodiment of fertility and of the latent power of the land. <br><br>The dryad cocked her head and spoke, "Your offering is taken with gratitude, druid and tender of my grove," her voice was maternal, but otherworldly and authoritative at the same time, "this one comes from afar and I have not seen her kind, though they have spoken of it. You are not the first who is not of the People to come here, but I rarely present this face to visitors. I have much to do here. Tell me, you who are not of the People, have you enjoyed the fruits of my grove? Are you satisfied with my presence?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>19-03-2014, 15:32:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn was more than pleased.&nbsp; She was entranced.&nbsp; Her only immediate reply was a slow wordless nod.&nbsp; Memories were erupting from the depths of her mind.&nbsp; Memories of small idols found in ancienta ncient graves in the homeland of her youth.&nbsp; &nbsp;Too round of belly and hip to be true seemings, exagerations of folk memory.<br><br>But the essence was the same.&nbsp; "I.... know you.&nbsp; I know what you are.&nbsp; I-"&nbsp; Old memory, a much younger Aeryn, a small girl wandering out of direct sight of her parents for perhaps the first time.&nbsp; Finding an old shrine, unearthed by recent wind and rain, maybe.&nbsp; Faint carvings in rock sensed more than seen.&nbsp; Maternal.&nbsp; Protective.&nbsp; Wise.&nbsp; Very very very old.&nbsp; An awakened, unquenchable thirst for understanding, for knowledge.&nbsp; This finding was what had set her on the path that led her to Magna Sophia, becoming the woman she was today.<br><br>No, this was not an incarnation of Magna Sophia.&nbsp; Too maternal, too warm.&nbsp; Wise, but without the cooler semi-detachment of the one she almost worshiped.<br><br>The Gods were distant.&nbsp; Invoked as justification for what people wanted to do.<br><br>Spirits of the land were intimate, in every meaning of the term.&nbsp; Reasons for acting,&nbsp; and active agents executing their own will.<br><br>Aeryn found herself in a crisis of faith, of sorts.&nbsp; First had been the...entities of Dra Sirdu.&nbsp; Alien, harsh, but paler remnants of ancient powers.&nbsp; Second had been the Great Dryad.&nbsp; Sheer potent presence shining through whatever haze clouded or guarded the Scholar's mind from magical effects.&nbsp; And now this.&nbsp; Third time the charm, perhaps.<br><br><br>She felt herself steadying.&nbsp; Old training took hold.&nbsp; But even the dawning realization that she had fallen to her knees was not enough to cause her to rise.&nbsp; Not right away.&nbsp; But the feel of Elven eyes on her, more than just those of Fasiriel and Shuliel, that helped push her to her feet.<br><br>"I have no formal offering to give you.&nbsp; Only my own understanding, my acceptance of who and what you are."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>19-03-2014, 22:28:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The dryad of the grove smiled. Lips the colour of ripe plums curled enigmatically, "It is good that you have seen us before. I have sisters, older than I, and they say that those of your kin, those not of the People, once knew us, too. Knew how to call us and how to speak to us. We love and protect all those who tend the earth and who nourish it. The People have kept our memory, and still know the old words to speak to us. I fear, though I do not know, that your kin may have forgotten."<br><br>She approached Aeryn, the roots of the great medlar tree and the earth parting before her. A sweet aroma of ripe fruit, "Remember what you have seen. Perhaps then others will remember, too. Nothing is forgotten - all things exist in the songs of the spirits. The memory of the land." The dryad extended her arm and pointed to an oblong standing stone covered in warding glyphs, surrounded by a ritual circle of smaller stones. The wind and rain had weathered the great central stone, leaving its edges rounded, but the glyphs had recently been scribed, and the stone itself wreathed with dried flowers. The shrine lay nestled in the roots of a plum tree. <br><br>"The shrine there is of the People, but not of this Clan. I cam to be here before the Starfall and the builders of the shrine have long since been forgotten in the minds of all but mine. I still remember them and they tended to me when I was young. Now I am grateful to them, and bear their memory and sing their songs and tell their stories to the druids of this Clan, so that they might never be forgotten." <br><br>Fasiriel cupped the dryad's hip, fingers skimming over the full, fat curve of her bottom - the tan skin a golden brown, "Will you show our guest your favour? Your blessing carries great weight."<br><br>The dryad gave a soft chuckle, "Of course," she said with lusty mirth, "there is no good in having blessings that are not to be bestowed." With that she cradled Fasiriel's cheeks in her hands and kissed the druid deeply, "come, yes, peel the fruit and find the flesh and juice beneath."<br><br>Fasiriel fell to her knees before the druid, trailing wet kisses over the ample swell of the dryad's belly. <br><br>Then the dryad addressed Aeryn, "You who are not of the People. Would you receive my favour? If you do, you will bear my mark and this land will know you and understand that you are not an interloper, but welcome here."<br><br>Shuliel cast her gaze over at Aeryn. She knelt beside the dryad, the now empty wooden bowl between her knees, a flint knife in her hands. "With your acceptance, the ritual can begin," she said. The scent of ripe fruit was overwhelming, a thick, dense perfume. <br><br>Fasiriel's mouth was too busy between the dryad's fleshy thighs to say anything at all. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>20-03-2014, 14:51:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"They have.&nbsp; We have forgotten, all but remnants of lore."&nbsp; Something to change, and change quickly.&nbsp; &nbsp;The stones, they were... Later.&nbsp; <em>Remember this?&nbsp; How will I ever forget it?&nbsp; The scent of fruit, of growing life, of woman....</em><br><br>And the eyes.&nbsp; Aeryn was losing herself in them.&nbsp; Deep knowledge, deep time.&nbsp; Receive a blessing?&nbsp; Without hesitation, yes.&nbsp; Aeryn flowed forward, not kneeling, standing, one hand caressing Shuliel's head, the other encircling the Dryad's waist, pulling them close, and closer.<br><br>The kiss awakened another memory.&nbsp; A barely adult Aeryn, on her way home for a last visit before the Scoiety took her away from her old lands for many a year.&nbsp; Spending a night that became two then three at a homestead in the hills.&nbsp; A middle aged farmwife, full bodied, but hardened by farm work.&nbsp; Endlessly patient with a half-child who didn't know as much about a woman's body as she thought she did.&nbsp; And the husband..... Aeryn would be hard-pressed to name another man whom she had ever truly welcomed between her legs.&nbsp; Worshipers of a very old God, very old indeed, not quite Ashtoreth.&nbsp; Something like this dryad.<br><br>Aeryn was nude, not quite forgetting how she had shed tunic and chiton, all in her mind now was the feel of skin to skin, breasts against breasts, goldne brown flesh molding to olive toned.&nbsp; The hand on Shuliels head entwining, gripping in silver hair, a leg bracing against Fasiriel's back, as the human pulled them all tighter together into a hotter whole.<br><br>Marked.&nbsp; Even her blunted sense of the Hidden World could feel it happening, a mark entwining with, but not melding with the mark of the darker and Fiercer Great Dryad.<br><br>The touch of a soft, but powerful hand on her rear, lifting her up, a leg pushing between her own... and she was riding a heavy thigh with a trail of wet slippery friction, sharing a kiss with this creature out of time that grew hotter and wetter.&nbsp; Some had taunted her for her dislike of sloppy kisses... there was nothng neat about what was happening in the grove, though.&nbsp; Aeryn could sense Shuliel kissing her leg, the leg not trapped between the Dryad's, thighs, Elven nails lightly scoring on her foot.<br><br>Her fist in that silver hair had to be painful, it hadto be.&nbsp; The same for the short nails she was drawing down the Dryad's back... had that one been remotely mortal.&nbsp; Was this what had been boiling Eshalu's blood that night long ago when after evading a hot pursuit she had thrown a Human against the trunk of a tree so long ago and fucked her senseless?<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>20-03-2014, 23:43:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The dryad's embrace was all-encompassing, drawing Fasiriel and Aeryn closer to her full, pliant flesh, heavy breasts crowned with heavy, blunt nipples. Fasiriel raised her head and nursed hungrily at those vast breasts, drawing forth a thick, amber sap - a dense, immensely rich taste poised between sweet and sour, like the the half-fermented apotheosis of all fruits. She drank greedily and then arched her back, nestling her face between the dryad's breasts, lost in an ecstatic dance, old like the eternal rhythms of coupling and childbirth, feeling and listening for a heartbeat that was the thrum of the earth itself. <br><br>The dryad's hands clasped Aeryn's dark hair - strong like the hardest bark, but gentle, easing the human woman's head lower to the fat swell of her sex, parted, and wet. The smell of ripe fruit became overwhelming, earthy and sweet at the same time. The wetness between the thick folds of the dryad's sex was viscous, like dew clinging to the flesh of a ripe tropical fruit. It was the scent of woman mingled with the essence of the land itself. <br><br>Shuliel embraced Aeryn from behind, guiding the scholar's mouth to the dryad's slick sex. The blade of the flint knife skimmed Aeryn's shoulder. The cool flat of the blade pressed on olive skin. "It will not hurt," she whispered, "I will draw blood but it will not heart - now lick. Drink to your heart's content." <br><br>Fasiriel writhed, locked in a trance with the dryad, her full, pregnant belly leaning on Aeryn's side. The dryad caressed the curve of Fasiriel's throat, long fingers latching onto one of the druid's nipples, squeezing gently and then tugging, drawing froth a trickle of white fluid. The rich scent of milk mingled with the already thick layer of scents in the air. <br><br>"Ready?" Shuliel breathed.<br><br>Without waiting for an answer, she slipped Aeryn's chiton off her shoulders, letting the fabric pool at the human scholar's waist. With the deftest stroke, she slid the blade against the skin, etching a glyph on the human woman's flesh. It was winding, serpentine, but unseen. As promised, there was no pain. The knife was sharp, the wound shallow, and the dryad's aura intoxicating.<br><br>Shuliel whispered into Aeryn's ear, her breath a hot hiss, "See how Fasiriel has lost herself? She hears the dryad's mind. She is attuned because she is with child. For now she is like a dryad - she is the embodiment of creation. A shard of the Great Mother. Now give yourself to her. Take all that she offers, all that Fasiriel offers. Their fertility is powerful. It will infuse the symbol I have drawn with you with meaning and purpose."<br><br>The younger druid spoke through gritted teeth, "I cannot surrender myself - there must be one who remains on this plane, so that the ritual may be ended. But if only you knew how much I yearn." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-03-2014, 15:32:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn drank.&nbsp; The nectar of the Dryad - and it was nectar, what seeped from that being's opening was nectar in purest form.&nbsp; Her mind drank as well, and more deeply.&nbsp; The sigil so delicately cut into flesh....the human went rock-still for a moment, then felt herself opening and unfolding, a bloom of a wild giant rose in her head.<br><br>It was hard to pull back, so hard.&nbsp; but she did it, and gave Shuliel a kis, hot and hard and deep, arm around the apprentice, hand cupping a silver-haired skull, holding tight.&nbsp; Breaking the kiss to nuzzle fasiriel's flank, , craning her neck to run her tngue alng the cleft i the older Druid's bottom, and sinking down on her back, urging the Dryad to sit, clasp the human's head in heavy thighs.&nbsp; Looking up, watching Fasiriel suckle, feeling Shuliel's stroking her legs, the inhumanly hard but soft Dryad fingers gripping the back of her dark haired head, holding her right where her mouth was wanted to be.<br><br>Going into whiteout.... not of passion, not of release, her mind going white from just, just too much, too much of everything.....<br><br>That Glyph burned&nbsp; Not her body, but her mind, her soul.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>22-03-2014, 17:07:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Stay still," Shuliel instructed. She unslung a leather pouch from her belt and measured out a handful of ash and mineral dust. This she placed on Aeryn's fresh wound. It stanched the bleeding, creating a thick paste smelling of iron. She rubbed the ash into the wound, letting it fill into the broken skin, "This is the mark of this grove. It will leave a scar in the shape of glyph and all who see it will know that you were welcomed here."<br><br>Above them, the grove dryad sighed, her voice musical like the rustling wind. She gloried in Aeryn's tongue, her sex wetter than was natural for any human or Elven woman, full and damp with the overabundance of the autumn harvest. Fasiriel sank lower and fought with Aeryn's hungry mouth to taste the dryad, three sets of lips kissing frantically. Shuliel was up behind Fasiriel, tonguing her mistress's ass. She slipped two tensed fingers under Aeryn's chiton and between her thighs and entered the human scholar. She fucked Aeryn while her tongue remained busy between Fasiriel's pale buttocks. <br><br>The dryad towered above them and the earth seemed to move to accommodate them. The firm embrace of snaking roots wrapped round Aeryn's ankles and Fasiriel's thighs, holding them in place. This was the dryad's true embrace, the land shaped by her thoughts. The roots clenched tighter. <br><br>Fasiriel turned to face Shuliel, her eyes hooded with lust, "Fuck me girl, I need it," she snarled through gritted teeth, almost bestial. Her head dropped down, pregnant belly tenderly embraced by the soft soil. She parted her thighs, assisted by the whispering roots, and spread the firm globes of her bottom. The fat mound of her sex was sodden, the pink pucker of her bottom slick from Shuliel's tongue and winking. <br><br>Shuliel's breath was laboured, "We must stop soon, your offering is powerful. The Mistress of this Grove hungers for more than we can give."<br><br>Sure enough droplets of Fasiriel's milk had dripped into the soil, much to the delight of the dryad, who now ground her sex on Aeryn's mouth. She looked down at Shuliel, her gaze hungry. "Will you not slake your mentor's thirst?" A deep, resonant laugh, "If you cannot, I will take her."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>24-03-2014, 15:49:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				That powder stung like hell.&nbsp; Aeryn shuddered as it set into her fresh cuts.... Shuliel's soothing touch certainly helped.&nbsp; Losing herself in pleasing the Dryad helped more.&nbsp; And with Fasiriel beside her, the two of them cheek to cheek, stealing occasional kisses with eatch other and returning to the Dryad's nether mouth, and then Shuliel's hand.... Oh who cared abut a few small cuts compared to all that?<br><br>She went cold/hot/icy/fire inside when roots curled around her, secured her, but, but-<br><br>But nothing.&nbsp; too much, too much knowledge, too much sentaiont.&nbsp; to much....information of all sorts.&nbsp; Too much to think about.&nbsp; So she felt, just felt.&nbsp; Felt what she did, what was done to her.&nbsp; Let her arm around Fasiriel, holding her tight holding her head up, the other hand snaking under the Dryad's thigh, still licking at those wet folds, not even thinking of stopping.<br><br>But she was thinking of danger.&nbsp; Their growing danger.&nbsp; A small corner of her mind even now was alert and watchful - a trick that Eshalu had taught her.&nbsp; This ritual offering could kill them.&nbsp; The ultimate offering given freely to this Dryad,&nbsp; &nbsp;If they did not stop&nbsp; soon.&nbsp; She never knew how she found the strength to pull her head back, her face wet and shining and gasp out.<br><br>"We will, we will do it.&nbsp; We will f-fuck her."&nbsp; Even now, Aeryn almost had to force herself to use that word.&nbsp; Aeryn&nbsp; settled down, snugging down beside Fasiriel, close against her, pulling the older Druid's leg across her open, spreading her wantonly to give Shuliel room to do whatever the younger Druid wanted to do.&nbsp; And lowered her face, tenting dark hair over Fasiriel, kissing her, long lingering, hot.&nbsp; One hand between the woman's head and the ground, the other hand roaming across&nbsp; milk-heavy breasts, sliding down a pale belly to take a fistful of silver hair and guide Shuliel's mouth right where Aeryn was sure Fasiriel wanted SHuliel's lips to be.&nbsp; Trusting the younger Druid to know wht to do with her hands.<br><br>Not losing herself, beginning to recover control.&nbsp; Keeping control, of herself and, and the two Elves now.<br><br>The sigil in her flesh, it didn't burn, not exactly, but she could feel something in it, through it, flowing from Fasiriel to the Dryad of the grove.<br><br>Aeryn herself being the damper in the flue of flowing essence.&nbsp; &nbsp;Hopefully enough of a shield to save them all. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-03-2014, 23:28:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"So it is," the dryad sighed and her breath was deep, now the powerful bellows of the wind streaming through the treetops. The earth had become warm and moist, full of life. They seemed to be embraced by it. The dryad lowered herself on her haunches, squatting, thighs parted, a thick droplet of nectar falling onto the ground. Fasiriel lapped hungrily, exchanging fierce kisses with Aeryn. <br><br>Shuliel knew it was time. The balance between ritual and sacrifice was thin. The earth always hungered. Wished to reclaim what belonged to Her by right. A force greater even that the Dryad, which did not feel or think the way mortal beings did, but hungered - a deep, primordial hunger that knew no distinction between humans or the People. <br><br>The apprentice yelped when she felt Aeryn's fingers thread through her hair. Her mouth settled on the tight pucker of Fasiriel's bottom and she licked furiously, three tensed fingers parting the pregnant druid's folds, fucking her. <br><br>Fasiriel grunted, her eyes rolled, intoxicated with need. Her mind was overwhelmed by the wild and dangerous nectar of the dryad, filling her with an ecstatic, pained desire. Shuliel fucked her with precise, elegant strokes, the way she had been taught to please a woman with child without disturbing the pregnancy. <br><br>Fasiriel's cries were ragged and fierce. She seized Aeryn, wild eyed, sharp nails pressing close to the tan skin of the human scholar's throat. The dryad had enveloped them in her flesh, heavy breasts and belly before them, big, dark nipples leaking nectar. But the dryad's face no longer smiled. They had awakened a deeper, ancient hunger in her. <br><br>Shuliel was too lost in the delights of Fasiriel's bottom and sex to notice, but there had been a subtle change in the land. Not satisfied with an offering of milk and coupling, it yearned for something else. <br><br>Like a woman possessed Fasiriel fixed Aeryn. The dryad held them in place, on all fours before her like supplicants. Just a nick. The long nails of Fasiriel's thumbs, sharp enough to cut through sheaves of herbs and peel hard fruit...to slice the veins of sacrificial victims open. A split second. A split decision. Fasiriel kissed Aeryn furiously and then cried out, her peak overtaking her. <br><br>The dryad gave a languid chuckle and ran her strong fingers down Fasiriel's arched back, "So close, perhaps another time. My elder sister would have driven you to sacrifice, but perhaps my fondness for you has made me soft." Then she spoke to Aeryn, "Ah, human sister, not this time. I know your mind is open for knowledge and there is so much you could have learned in my embrace."<br><br>With that, the roots began to recede, and the dryad withdrew, melding into the bark of the medlar tree. She sank back into the bark as though she were sinking into mud. <br><br>Fasiriel collapsed and rolled onto her back, panting furiously, her skin and sarong streaked with soil, milk, and the dryad's nectar. The aroma of sex and fermentation was heady in the air - the perfume of a sensual cider-press. Shuliel sat back, a relieved smile on her lips. <br><br>"We came close," the apprentice told Aeryn, a little apologetic, "the dryad of the grove likes to play, but she would never have desired your sacrifice. Or so I think..."<br><br>Fasiriel, though, seemed satisfied. "Now you bear this Grove's mark, human-sister. None will dispute that you have the land's favour, though how your own Clan will see it, I do not know. Some among you think this dark sorcery, but perhaps you will instruct them otherwise."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>25-03-2014, 14:54:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Moss,leaves, even her own chiton.... Aeryn used what she could find, gently cleaning Fasiriel, thinking very hard.&nbsp; "I will not be the first of the Society's field workers to be so marked.&nbsp; But yes, this is different."&nbsp; Very different, the sigil, the scars were ehaling very fast ndeed.... in a way.&nbsp; &nbsp;The scabs had toughened, the Human could feel her blood pulsing beneath them... they would not leak, though.&nbsp; Interesting.<br><br>Learning.&nbsp; Much was learned, perhaps more than the Dryad thought.&nbsp; <em>These beings are not gods, exactly, not even the most powerful.&nbsp; But still.... puckernuts.&nbsp; There will be hell to pay for this.&nbsp; </em>But she found herself&nbsp; smiling.&nbsp; A (mostly) bureaucratic fight like what was looming.... she relished the thought.<br><br>She was still smiling as she tied her hair back, dressed, checked her ornaments, her finery.... Arming for battle with the deliberation of any Knight.<br><br>She gave a sidelong glance at the Druids.&nbsp; &nbsp;Hm.&nbsp; Mother, Maiden.... Crone?&nbsp; It struck her that the original meaning of Crone had been "female scholar", like the male Sage.<br><br>Hah.&nbsp; Let her opponents in the Society chew on that one.<br><br>The dryad had withdrawn.&nbsp; Her physical manifestatin, anyway.&nbsp; her essence was still very much present. Offering a hand, Aeryn drew Fasieriel to her feet, gave Shuliel a critical once-over.<br><br>She had been a babe in the woods long enough.&nbsp; &nbsp; "I still have much to learn, but it is time to start pulling my weight."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>26-03-2014, 00:25:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fasiriel seemed positively gleeful, "All ready now, soon your human blood will be nothing but an accident of Fate - you bear the blessings of the spirits of this place and that alone entitles you to be heard." She rose and led Shuliel and Aeryn back towards the Lodge of Rangers. The Sun was high in the sky, beginning to sink towards the horizon where it would settle for the night. <br><br>Shuliel was quick to inform Aeryn, "Now that you bear the sign of the dryad of the Grove, the rangers will no longer think you a curiosity. They believe that we are the source of all good counsel and wisdom. It will take some time for them to understand that a human can also speak on behalf of the Mother, but it is not your blood that is important. Now, that which matters is the mark you bear."<br><br>They traversed the fruit-grove, and scaled the rope ladders back into the Lodge. There, the narcotic smoke had thinned out, replaced by a soothing, floral scent, rich with a languid sweetness. The hunting parties continued to come and go, fierce rangers, grim-faced after a difficult and unsuccessful chase, or triumphant from having felled a great quarry. <br><br>Eshalu sat near the altar, spinning a tale of her adventures in Dra Sirdu and the lands of humans. A small group of novices, among them the blood-haired tearaway Aeryn had seen upon her arrival at the Caern, listened, enraptured. A couple of junior huntresses, full-fledged rangers from the look of their bespoke leather cuirasses, observed at a distance, perhaps thinking themselves too sophisticated to sit with the fawning novices. One, shaven-headed, her scalp painted with red and violet warding glyphs, caught sight of Aeryn, scanning the scar on the scholar's shoulder. A look of curiosity soon melted into familiar acceptance. There was no fear or suspicion, simply a moment of bewilderment and nothing more. <br><br>Shuliel was quick to remark in hushed tones, "If you remind them of a druid, they will treat you like a druid. They will never forget you are human, but you have opened doubt in their minds. And through that space you may enter into theirs."<br><br>Eshalu spotted Aeryn, acknowledging her with a bemused glance, before returning to her tale, "And the Cold Ones were upon us and they were vast, scales hard like metal, blades black like obsidian. They hissed like so -" and she affected the bellow of an enraged Saurian, "and approached with hunger in their eyes..." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>28-03-2014, 15:16:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>&nbsp;Aeryn adjusted her garb slightly, pulling the tunic and chiton slightly open at the top.&nbsp; Showing more skin than usual for her.&nbsp; Making sure the sigil was plain and clear to the sight of all.&nbsp; Fasiriel's good mood was infectious,she found herself grinning in turn.<br><br>The walk back to the Ranger Lodge was not a long one, but to her, it was eventful.&nbsp; She saw things, heard things, even smelled things differently.&nbsp; There was an edge she had missed.&nbsp; It was an exaggeration to say that every single plant had a Dryad,but every plant had...something.&nbsp; Those things knew her, knew she could sense them now.&nbsp; Interesting.&nbsp; Aeryn recited a passage from an old scroll.&nbsp; Old magic,&nbsp; but a simple charm.&nbsp; Nothing.&nbsp; &nbsp;<em> Well.&nbsp; I am not a spell weaver of a sudden.&nbsp; That is a relief.<br></em><br>It took&nbsp; a time for the rangers to notice there was more of a change in the Human than her appearance.&nbsp; And when notice came, she relaxed inwardly, sighing slightly,&nbsp; which sparked a half smile and a nod from Shuliel.&nbsp; <em>A gap into the minds of others is al I have ever needed.&nbsp; Still, this is a match fraught with pitfalls that faces me.</em><br><br>Eshalu was in her element, Aeryn didn't disturb her, did nothing to break the weave of the tale.&nbsp; Listening.&nbsp; &nbsp;Feeling.&nbsp; Remembering.&nbsp; She found herself tapping a sandaled foot, matiching cadence with her lover's words, chanting softly, human speech, alien to those young ears. which bolstered the alienness of Dra Sirdu itself in their perceptions.&nbsp; Their understanding.<br><br>"Hunger for our lives."&nbsp; Aeryn's voice was very clear, but soft, her speech simple, but the simplicity kept her command of the Peoples speech flawless.&nbsp; "I had time to reload for a second&nbsp; shot.&nbsp; &nbsp;Reliyan&nbsp; the Mountain Elf needed time to craft a spell for battle.&nbsp; Eshalu gave us that time."&nbsp; Aeryn's eyes met Eshalu's, bored into them.&nbsp; "None of them could stand against her.&nbsp; None but one.&nbsp; And that one sacrificed his novices to break off battle with her."&nbsp; Aeryn blinked, broke her eye lock with Eshalu, smiled at the novice rangers.&nbsp; "Even then, I think Eshalu would have had him.&nbsp; Alas, he bounced me off a tree.&nbsp; She checked her pursuit for a moment, to see that I still breathed.&nbsp; He fled, fled like a&nbsp; gecko whose branch had been shifted by a child."<br><br>She held up on hand, the simple bracelet with a carving of a saurian warrior adorning her wrist.&nbsp; "This one.&nbsp; This is a very good likeness of that Champion, who dared not face her to the end of things."<br><br>An exaggeration, a simplification of a very complex situation... but no need for these young ones to know that.&nbsp; "I have&nbsp; no doubt that Eshalu saved my life that day.&nbsp; Again."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>29-03-2014, 11:18:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The attention of Eshalu's rapt audience followed the split in narration seamlessly. Aeryn's presence appeared to trouble them less. For the young ones, she had been a challenge - a very obvious alien intrusion into their close-knit world. But their response to her storytelling betrayed a certain creeping familiarity. She <em>looked</em> like druid, had the same <em>feel</em> of a druid - and though her speech gave her away, it was not much different from the variations of the People's speech they had heard from Clans to the South or the far West. Indeed, Aeryn's command of their tongue may have been more intelligible still, for she had learned to speak their words fluently from Eshalu.<br><br>Eshalu smiled when she caught Aeryn's gaze. There was an instant of pleased recognition, and then a little surprise that her lover's transformation had been perfected so thoroughly by Fasiriel. <br><br>"Know there are great spaces outside this Caern, places dreamed by the spirits of other lands," Eshalu told her audience, "but not all in those places are hostile to the People. A huntress must know who will band with her and who would prey on her. Here the Way is clear and you know the land well. Outside, you have to be less certain."<br><br>Fasiriel went to Eshalu and spoke to her alone in whispered tones. The novices protested, demanding to hear more, but they were silenced by a stern glance from the druid. They feared what was said of her - that she could draw up shadows in the night, and make them move to enter dreams and seed misfortune for the following day. <br><br>Shuliel took the opportunity to speak to the wild, blood-haired novice. She brought her, still, diffident, her eyes a deep forest green, burning with a leonine ferocity, to Aeryn. "This one knows the way to the shrine of the Cold Ones near the Caern. She stumbled upon it, though it is forbidden for rangers to go there, and she is the only one reckless enough to go. She can take you if you wish to glean the knowledge there, but no one else must know."<br><br>The novitiate ranger looked to Aeryn. She was lank, wiry and with time would probably become sturdier and broader shoulder than Aruil - or even Eshalu. With her razor cheekbones and pointed chin, she had something of the fae in her, feral and untamed and vaguely reminiscent of the depictions of warrior-spirits on the Lodge walls. There was something stringy in her musculature, more she-wolf than feline, and she moved with an air of natural dominance. <br><br>Fasiriel interrupted them, calling to Aeryn, "Come now, human-sister, you should attend to Eshalu - who has run a long patrol while we were away." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>29-03-2014, 14:47:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn was glowing under that regard.&nbsp; She knew that she had Eshalu's respect, but so seldom was the huntress seen to be taken at least momentarily aback.&nbsp; Yes, she felt a little smug.<br><br>The way Fasiriel got the novices in firm hand, heh, oh that brought back memories.&nbsp; And a flash of some regret, teaching Society novices was something she truly enjoyed, but had few chances to do.&nbsp; Although she worked less in the field and wild, more in the keeps and courts these days, her paths were&nbsp; as a rule still far too dangerous for those who knew not where to lay their feet.<br><br>Still.... human young and Elven young had much in common.&nbsp; It was surprisingly easy to pick out those who would listen more closely, watch more intently than others even in this select group.<br><br>And this wild young redhead.&nbsp; "Why am I not surprised that you would know of such things?"&nbsp; The youngster looked remarkably unrepentant. Well, Aeryn had not been either, at that age.&nbsp; No matter the scolding she might receive for prowling about old old places.&nbsp; She winced internally.&nbsp; Or the switching, for that matter.<br><br>"Very well.&nbsp; You know the land, the ways of the People nearby.&nbsp; You know best when and how we could go to this place untroubled by others.&nbsp; And by untroubled, I most certainly also mean by whaever entities and powers still slumber in this Shrine.&nbsp; I think you were lucky not to awaken anything. Am I clear?"&nbsp; Green eyes challenged her, oh yes they did.&nbsp; Aeryn found herself smiling - a smile that showed a hint of not precisely friendly teeth in return. <br><br>"I am Aeryn Sunlight.&nbsp; what is your name, young woods-runner?"&nbsp; A flash of anger in those eyes, that Aeryn had not called the girl a young huntress.&nbsp; <em>This one will be difficult, but the best students&nbsp; always are.&nbsp; Hah.<br></em><br>And another flash of anger when Aeryn nodded and turned away to see to Eshalu.&nbsp; But controlled, controlled.&nbsp; An effort that doubtless cost much, to be sure.<br><br>"Hmmph.&nbsp; Well, you have cooled down now, that is good."&nbsp; The Human had collected a basin of cool water, but the cloth she dampened andused wiping away dried sweat and surface grime from face, neck and shoulders, hands and forearms, that cloth was one of her own, finely woven cotton, not jute or flax.&nbsp; Very aware that she was being watched, and judged by those watching.&nbsp; Tsking slightly as she pulled that shaggy mane of hair back wrinkling her nose.&nbsp; "I will have to do something about this, and soon. "<br><br>That got something of a laugh, soft snickers.&nbsp; Obviously there was a constant battle along these lines between Druids and certain favorite Rangers.&nbsp; The sidelong look Eshalu gave her was one of pure Noblesse Oblige, but those lovely eyes went skyward for a brief moment.&nbsp; Aeryn knelt, and began washing the Ranger's feet - the Ranger had gone barefoot the moment she entered the lodge.&nbsp; Hm.&nbsp; So did many of the Druids.&nbsp; She slipped out of her sandals, set them close by.<br><br>the water was too cool for Aeryn's choice, but Eshalu didnt seem to mind, simply watching as the Scholar carefully worked the cloth between Elven toes, wetting and patting dry - then fininishing by unbinding her hair, letting it down... and giving her lover a final dryng pat down with her long dark tresses.&nbsp; Sneaking a quick kiss on each big toe as her hair was tented down.<br><br>A brief massage, fingers and thumbs kneading calf muscles, fingers stroking behind knees up under leggings, then hands flowing over leggings on thighs, brief but not perfunctory as Aeryn sought out and soothed knots of strain - and even for veterans, there were always sore points after a patrol.<br><br>Then Eshalu's hands, one after the other, soothing and stroking fingers, thumbs rolling against palms.&nbsp; There was talk, chatter, laughter among the others of the People present.&nbsp; But those two junior huntresses in particular?&nbsp; Aeryn knoew every motion she made was observed and judged. far more cooly than by the Novices impressed still by her alienness.<br><br>Finally, to that hair.&nbsp; Oh, where to start?&nbsp; Aeryn sighed as she pulled a comb and brush out of her belt pouch - and that got a real laugh.&nbsp; She kept things simple, softly brushing, starting at the ends, working her way closer to the skull slowly.&nbsp; hardly a proper job, any Noblewoman's maid would have been whipped for such hasty work.&nbsp; but she did the most she felt that Eshalu would tolerate.&nbsp; She never got around to using the comb, later perhaps.&nbsp; But there was a shine to Eshalu's hair when Aeryn was done, and the simple single heavy braid she fashioned down the Ranger's back, well, from her lovers raised brow... an indulgence, to be sure.<br><br>Stepping back, examining critically.&nbsp; "You look presentable.&nbsp; Which will not last past&nbsp; your first dive through the brambles, I have no doubt."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>30-03-2014, 19:35:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The novice did not seem to move from her wary detachment from Aeryn. Her eyes were <em>on</em> the human scholar, not looking at her, but upon her. That look, combined with the sharp, fae lines of her cheeks and nose gave her the appearance of a mildly curious falcon trying to decide whether the target she observed was too big to be prey. She stood poised - a melee fighter's stance, slowly conquering her fear of the unknown. <br><br>"I am Nishul and no place is forbidden to me," she said with defiance, "some places fade out of memory and are forgotten, but cannot forever be lost so long as I find them again."<br><br>Shuliel was taken aback - the power of the taboo imposed on those that had been the holy places of the Cold Ones, or of others, and there were others, who came before the People, was great. There were places where even the spirits of the land feared to inhabit, leaving it to older, incomprehensible forces. "Nishuul is brave," the young druid said, "but if you must go beware of that which lies beneath. Novice rangers have gone there before, though always before their initiation, when they are bound by the spirits of the land to the Clan's taboos. Some have never returned and it has become a test of skill and courage to locate the ruined shrine and places like it and bring back some artifact to prove that one has been there."<br><br>Nishuul swept her fiery hair from her forehead. It was shaggy and unkempt, the shades of red decidedly warlike, from fresh arterial blood, to the deep, near-black, garnet of a healing wound, "All that is found there is of great power and, because it is forbidden, much sought after items for courtship," she loosened the strap fastening her high-necked, sleeveless jerkin to her chest and peeled back the fine, green tinged leather to reveal a black pendant hanging from her neck. It was vaguely oblong and held by a thin, knotted cord of recent Elven make. The object itself was alarmingly dark, though, seemingly drawing in and deforming light cast upon it, so that it projected shadows on Nishuul's pale, still unblemished skin. <br><br>"See?" The novice said, "These things are precious, their stories long lost. If you wish to see more, meet me after dark at the base of the Lodge. I will guide you."<br><br>With that, Nishuul returned to her loyal novitiate cohorts. <br><br>Eshalu, for her part, exulted in Aeryn's attention. That had drawn the watchful eye of both druids and rangers, who approved of the scholar's efforts. In keeping with Fasiriel's prediction, Aeryn's visible contribution to the well-being of the Clan had far greater persuasive force in showing good will and good intentions than any words she could speak. <br><br>Under Aeryn's expert, soothing touch, Eshalu felt the heaviness and tension in her legs melt away. "It was a good patrol," she explained, "game remains plentiful and we came across no incursions from either humans or other Clans close to the First Growth. The trees remain impassable to them, and the karst that guards the approach out towards the setting sun closes its way to all but those who have found favour with its guardian spirits. I do not know whether they will persevere into the coming winter. Forage will be scarce and the ground will be icy and treacherous. I cannot believe they will be able to move or fight in metal armour. Perhaps they will pull back to even ground."<br><br>Her unspoken concern was a different one. With the continuing and unassailable human presence covering the outward ring of the approaches to and from the Caern, trade and communication links with other Clans would be disrupted. And it was a dangerous time for the People to be disunited. The last thing they needed was a conflict between Clans in the face of the looming threat to all of them. That she could not discuss out loud - at least not in front of the druids, who were keepers of the peace among the People. But there had been incidents of reckless hot-blooded skirmishes, usually instigated by overeager male hunters in claiming prey or a favourite boy, and that could not be repeated. <br><br>Still, Aeryn's attention did much to soothe her spirit. The human scholar's combing and taming of her wild mane was hypnotic. She had never braided her hair, though there were rangers who did to defy an opponent to seize them by it. But for now Aeryn's work seemed curiously...satisfactory. A bit too tidy, and not fierce the way she would have preferred, but something different nonetheless.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>31-03-2014, 16:10:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Time to think.&nbsp; Fussing over Aeryn gave her that much needed time.&nbsp; And was fun and diverting in itself of course.&nbsp; Afterwards, sitting slightly apart in the Lodge's common hall, Aeryn rested a hand on Eshalu's and said quietly.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Human matters, those are a bir of a relief to contemplate, actually.&nbsp; I shall deal with those first.&nbsp; No, the Empire will not launch a winter campaign, Armies do not do well in the field in wintertime.&nbsp; And if the frontier is quiet, well, there are always other loud demands on Imperial attentin.&nbsp; the next two years, perhaps three will be very quiet.&nbsp; Maybe five or more... but that will require an active Society powerbase closer to this border, and I think we can gain one."&nbsp; her hand tightened on the ranger's.&nbsp; "And by quiet, I mean very quiet.&nbsp; Not even the&nbsp; skirmishing that occurred last year.&nbsp; The local hotheads are mostly dead now after all."<br><br>Now for the meat of it.&nbsp; Aeryn took a deep breath, and began.<br>&nbsp;<br><br>"Young&nbsp; Nishuul - and I am not sure I pronounce that right - is taking me to the Cold One Shrine after dark.She says, and has shown me such - that young novitiate rangers go there often and bring back artifacts as Courtship tokens.&nbsp; I am sure you know of this practice, and Shuliel knows as well.&nbsp; She did not seem all that concerned, other than by the general defiance of taboo."&nbsp; The humann odded at Shuliel, who was eating a light mid-day meal with them.&nbsp; &nbsp;"I have been given, if not permission, well, I have not been forbidden from going.&nbsp; And I have to go, I have to see this place."&nbsp; She shook her head, and she had paled slightly under her tan.&nbsp; &nbsp; "Removing objects, presenting them to another in&nbsp; a Courtship Rite... using items of unknown power and provenance in a ritual way?&nbsp; I cannot possibly express how dangerous I think this is."<br><br>She took Shuliel's hand in her other hand.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Don't look at me that way.&nbsp; No, I cannot use magic, even now after the blessings and sancions I have received.&nbsp; I can feel it to a much greater degree, sense it, but not use it.&nbsp; However, and this is key, I understand it, how it works.&nbsp; Using symbols, correspondences, shaping what is to an image of what the worker of ethereal forces thinks should be, even if that worker is long dead."&nbsp; A smile, and a kiss for Eshalu.<br><br>"I know what you might be thinking, love.&nbsp; No, I don't want you with me.&nbsp; Nishuul may have others of her merry band with her.&nbsp; But...I do want you nearby.&nbsp; It occurs to me that these youngsters might think tromping through the Shrine precisely at midnight is a fine idea.&nbsp; I assuredly do not.&nbsp; And I have no intention of going below ground further than just inside the entrance to the warrens, if that.&nbsp; I don't need to see much to decide if this local working is of the same style as what i saw on Dra Sirdu, and simply knowing that much will be enough for now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>01-04-2014, 13:26:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Having Aeryn fell so familiar, so druid-like, was comforting to Eshalu. It vindicated her decision to bring the human scholar to the Caern. That the spirits of the land had granted a human favour was a rare occurrence and Eshalu knew that Aeryn's eagerness to assimilate to, or at least understand the ways of the People, was a powerful statement that the relations between Elves and Humans did not always have to be defined by strife or conflict. <br><br>Now they sat a little apart from the daily bustle of the Lodge's hall, and Eshalu was pleased that Aeryn no longer attracted looks of hostility or fear, but of warm curiosity. "Nishuul is reckless, but the practice of finding taboo places is ancient. For novitiates, it is a show of courage and the artifacts they occasionally uncover there are unlike anything the People have seen. It is only natural that they hold great power in courtship rites. They are a great show of a ranger's prowess. But you are right, those artifacts contain another, greater power. There are forces we would not disturb and that is why the shrine of the Cold Ones is under a taboo."<br><br>Eshalu became pensive, drawing Aeryn closer, so that they would not be easily heard, "When I was younger, I too visited that place, and it is one of loss. If there are spirits there, they are of a different kind, from at time before the Starfall and before the creation of the People. They do not thin, or speak like us, but have in them the essence of the Cold Ones. I would happily observe from afar, but I am forbidden by custom to enter that place. I have taken the taboo upon myself when I first became an initiated ranger. If you must go with Nishuul, be wary and hold back her recklessness lest she come to harm. In her may be an important story in this Clan's future, and I would not stop it from being told."<br><br>Shuliel came by and offered them violet tuber paste and bowls of autumn berries stewed with a little game-bird. "Nishuul will do what she wills," the young druid said, "but she walks the paths of the Ley-Lines very well and has good instinct in detecting places of danger. But be wary of her inexperience. The Clan's customs say that Eshalu may only enter a place under taboo if you or Nishuul are in mortal danger. Life is more precious than the good-will of the spirits of the Cold Ones."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>02-04-2014, 14:54:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn had plenty of time to think, to plan.&nbsp; Not in detail, of course, to omuch depended in what she might find.<br><br>She took the warnings about Nishuul to heart.&nbsp; Her first inclination was to wear her accustomed field gear for the foray.... no.&nbsp; She kept to what she was wearing, she would need the air of authority to keep the redhead and her possible cohorts in check.&nbsp; She did wear he spectacles, though.&nbsp; AShe might need them for minute examinations and well.... there was a minor charm on them, they did seem to give her lsightly clearer vision at nigh even if she didn't look directly through them.&nbsp; She did carry her boot knife at the small of her back.&nbsp; She regretfully left her Poignard behind.&nbsp; She would have liked the comfort of the weapon, but she doubted that any trouble they might face would be of a great physical nature.<br><br>In any case, the weapon would remind Nishuul of her humanity, and Aeryn was fairly sure she would need every shred of authority she could muster.<br><br>She did wear her boots, not sandals.&nbsp; If she had to run, 'twas best to do so in good familiar footwear.<br><br>At the appointed place and hour, Nishuul appeared.&nbsp; perhaps Aeryn spotted her a heartbeat before the young Elf wanted to be seen.... perhaps not.&nbsp; The journey was a short one, and interesting in many ways.... Elven settlements did not shut down after nightfall the way heman holdings did, but traffice dropped off fast the nearer to the Shrinie they came.<br><br>She held up her hand when they reached the outskirts, intently studying the place. <br><br>Grim.&nbsp; Alien.&nbsp; Not cold and still... there was something there.&nbsp; Not the spirits she was becoming accustomed to sensing,&nbsp; but something.&nbsp; She wasn't yet certain whether it was the same as those ruins entered on Dra Sirdu.<br><br>But she did not like this place at all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-04-2014, 21:16:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nighttime in the deepest woodlands of the First Growths was heavy, like a pall of shadow, the light of the stars and moons suffused and part obscured by the vast canopies of the trees. At the site of the shrine, the ritual pillars had long since broken into heavy fragments of dark, glassy stone, the edges weathered by centuries of wind and rain. At the centre of the clearing lay a spiral well dug into the ground where no moss would grow ringed with ornate, stone trenches. The well spiralled downwards into the ground, the slope gentle and the opening large enough to accommodate a creature larger than any human or Elf. <br><br>Though plant and animal life had colonised every part of the surrounding forest, it was strangely absent here. The ground was the hard remnant of what once must have been perfectly polished, reflective stone. It preserved its brilliance from an ancient, forgotten time, and each time the clouds parted, it reflected starlight with the clarity of a mirror. <br><br>Nishuul sprang upon Aeryn, seizing the human scholar's hand. The novitiate was clad in a sleeveless jerkin of black leather, with matching breeches. Two curved, half-moon blades lay sheathed at her side. Though she was young, she walked with the poise of one who knew to defend herself in a scrap. Her, lean, wiry physique suggested she'd acquit herself very well in a knife fight. <br><br>"See," the novice whispered, her breath misting in the cool air, "this place is older than the oldest of the stories of our loreweavers." She stood still, pupils dilated, already adjusted to the darkness, her dark lips curled in a knowing smile. The pleasure of tasting the forbidden. "We must enter the shrine. There is nothing left here - anything of interest has long gone. If we go down, we will enter into the first chamber - there are carvings there, all made of stone, though I do not know the creatures or the rites they represent."<br><br>She led Aeryn to the side of the well, peering into the trackless darkness beneath. Only the sound of flowing water could be heard from deep within its recesses. <br><br>"There is a stream flowing inside," Nishuul explained, "its banks are worked stone and it follows the outer perimeter of the first chamber. No one knows where its source is. Now, if you descend further, beyond the first chamber, there are places where there are big eggs made of stone. The Cold Ones left artifacts in the presence of those eggs. Some create light or cast shadows and seem to hold a dark star within them. Those items must have held great power once...now, if you are ready, follow me. Perhaps your people remember the stories of the Cold Ones better than ours."<br><br>At a distance, from the heights of a treetop canopy, Eshalu watched with Aruil. They had both seen the place before, but it was said that Nishuul had explored deeper than any other novice in living memory. Eshalu remained convinced that someone must have encouraged her. A druid, perhaps, to circumvent the taboo the Clan had placed on the shrine. Or someone else entirely. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>23-04-2014, 15:20:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aeryn held Nishuul's and for a long moment.... gauging the youngsters alertness, excitement, mental and emotional state.... sure of herself but very alert, good.&nbsp; The human let go, pivoted slowly, examining everything.....&nbsp; Kneeling to run a fingertip along the stony material - she was not sure it was actually stone.&nbsp; Bending, kneeling to sniff it, even taste it briefly.&nbsp; Well.... stone,&nbsp; just stone. <br><br>And listening.. no large animals nearby, and not even small ones is the... facility, that was a nice neutral word.<br><br>Not even the sound of insects, in fact.&nbsp; Rather alarming, that.<br><br>Nishuul swarmed down the well like monky... Aeryn followed with greater deliberation, taking a last look around, and flashing hand signs over her head for Eshalu to see, pointing at the pole star, twisting slightly to reflect the motion of the stars.<br><br>Basically:&nbsp; &nbsp;If I'm not up and out in an hour, something is badly wrong.<br><br>Then dropping out of sight, to a chamber much as Nishuul described.&nbsp; the soft light... she ahd seen it before.&nbsp; and the carvings as well.<br><br>On Dra Sirdu.<br><br>&nbsp;Well, no real surprise, and she gave the carvings a raking inspection.&nbsp; Memorizing them as she ahd ben trained to do, copying them wuld come later, if possible.<br><br>She was particularly keen to note any possible wardings like those tripped in a certain overgrown garden on the Accursed Island... saw nothing like that here.&nbsp; She could spend a month in this room alone, she was sure.&nbsp; Oh well, time was not hers.... <br><br>She entered the second chamber, with the great stone eggs, and went stock still.&nbsp; "Puckernuts!"<br><br>Wardings.&nbsp; On the eggs themselves - which was probably why the place had not been drenched with blood and fire by enraged elders making damn sure that no more younger Elves would suffer and die in this place.&nbsp; Those eggs had no real interest for Elven young.<br><br>Human children would probably have tripped the safeguards with petty vandalism... but not Elves.&nbsp; Not those chosen and trained by Rangers and Druids, anyway.<br><br>The chamber had been picked clean of portable items though.&nbsp; Hm.<br><br>Another chamber, also bare of loot that would catch the eye of an adolescent... a third chamber, moving much more quickly than she wanted to, Great Sophia, she could spend a decade in this place, it had to be huge from the faint echoes she was hearing....<br><br>Echoes.<br><br>What? <br><br>&nbsp;She glanced at Nishuul, saw alertness, but no alarm.&nbsp; Cavern sounds, perhaps, literlly the Gods knew what might be down her.&nbsp; She nodded.&nbsp; "Nishuul, this is enough for now, we need-"&nbsp; Her voice didn't trail off, her speech stopped dead.<br><br>One of the great stone eggs was missing.&nbsp; Not one easily seen, sheltered by others, but... missing.&nbsp; A big one.&nbsp; She walked over slowly, and after a moments thought, struck a spark, lit tinder for a moment of examination of the marks where the egg had rested....<br><br>This was recent.&nbsp; No way to tell exactly, sheltered underground like this, but.... not much dust.&nbsp; Less than a season.&nbsp; <br>"Nishuul."&nbsp; Fighting for control.&nbsp; "Have any of your fellow novices bragged of toting out one of those eggs?"<br><br>"Those dead things? Stone, cold stone."&nbsp; The redhead was scornful openly of the thought.&nbsp; And maybe just a little afraid of the ovoids, Aeryn caught a hint of that in the girl's tone.<br><br>Echoing sounds again, not louder, but different, and Nishuul's ears almost literally pricked up.&nbsp; Aeryn didn't hesitate.<br><br>"We need to go.&nbsp; Now.&nbsp; No, you go first Nishuul."&nbsp; She gave the novice time to clear the chamber, took a deep breath... and coldly, deliberately, shifted an egg to the midst of the opening that led deeper into the facility.<br><br>She felt, just felt something stir, begin to gather.&nbsp; She herself was moving very fast for the well and what she&nbsp; fondly hoped was safety.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-04-2014, 14:01:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I hear it," Nishuul breathed. She was behind Aeryn, her movements light and swift, but propelled by a furious urgency. "No one would dare take those eggs back to the Caern. Some say they still contain Cold Ones - not dead, but asleep. Like serpents who slip under water or underground to escape the frost of winter."<br><br>They darted back into the first chamber, and were greeted with filtering rays of moonlight piercing the cloud cover and illuminating the passage upwards to the surface. <br><br>"Listen," Nishuul, hissed, drawing Aeryn tight against a wall. The stone was black, smooth, and cold. Like granite polished by ages of wind and rain. Something stirred. Moved, breathed, and animated the blackness behind them. "Do not move too abruptly. I do not know what it is, but if it is a Cold One it may not know what we are. They disappeared long before the People came to this place."<br><br>Nishuul drew herself up tight against the wall, her wiry frame arched, and taut, pulled ready like a bowstring. She caressed the pommel of her curved blade. Her breathing quickened, pupils dilated and adjusted to the darkness. She gripped Aeryn's wrist tight with her free hand. Desperate for contact - something to reassure her that she was not alone down there. <br><br>With the Cold One. <br><br>There was a sound like rumbling. Not a roar, but a low, almost bovine bellowing. <br><br>Nishuul exhaled. A ragged expulsion of breath. She began moving, guiding Aeryn, slowly, deliberately towards the staircase leading up. <br><br>"Do you know what it is?" She whispered. <br><br>Each step brought them closer to the light. Nishuul was careful not to make a sound, to ensure that their shadows lay submerged in the darkness. She imagined that if whatever it was that hid deep in the shrine approached them, it could smell them. Perhaps a thin, long tongue flickering out into the darkness, tasting the humidity, finding the scent of alien flesh. However terrible the thing, if there was a thing at all, was in reality, it paled in comparison with the image forming in Nishuul's mind, fuelled by the terrified cultural memories of a cruel and unfeeling dead civilisation. <br><br>"This place," Nishuul continued, "where they brought their young. A nest like a mother raptor bringing her chicks food..." <br><br>Her hand felt clammy. Cold sweat streaked down her face. She could do it. She knew she could hold her cool. She had been there numerous times before. And there had always been stories of something forgotten deep inside there. Perhaps it was a mere guardian. It did not hunger, but simply protected the ritual site from intruders which were now quite different from those the builders had once envisaged. If a Cold One saw one of the People, or a human, would it even know what they were? <br><br>"Stay close," Nishuul murmured, "and don't let go." It was for her sake as much as it was for Aeryn's. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>24-04-2014, 15:14:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I think I know what it is."&nbsp; That deep bellow, alien and yet familiar in memory.&nbsp; Anger and surprise.&nbsp; "Very large, so female, I think. A mortal, well, material and physical watcher that ran afoul of the wardings I triggered and and focused in the doorway. We have a little time while it stuffs the warding spirit back into the proper bindings, but not much.&nbsp; She will kill us just because we are here, with the eggs."<br><br>In no hurry at all to let go of Nishuul's hand, no less scared than the elven youngster.&nbsp; maybe more so.&nbsp; A lot more so.<br><br>Aeryn had once literally talked her way out of being killed and eaten by a Saurian Matriarch, even forged an alliance of sorts with the huge entity and her brood.<br><br>But his one, so old, no even remotely plausible reference points for quick communication.... assuming the Matriarch was still sane in the first place.<br><br>Silently moving with Nishuul, very silently, thank Sophia they were not in the woods....&nbsp; A pulse of power behind them, sound of hide on stone, a dry hissing - in a cadence, not random noise.<br><br>"Go, go , climb I will be right behind you, Nishuul, shut up and climb, now yes before me,&nbsp; oh Blood and Martyrs, no heroics!"&nbsp; &nbsp;That was yelled, very loudly, echoes blasting through the chambers and up the well<br><br>Movement behind them, it was coming, a brief thought of the sigils the Matriarch had taught her... but even if this guardian recognized the signs, emblazoning a foreign Martriarchs emblem in what was probably a creche could not possibly be a good idea right now.<br><br>Nishuul was scrambling over the lip, Aeryn followed, hoping she saw, really saw, not just wishing she saw movement, an arm reaching down for..<br><br>Her booted foot slipped, dropped down.... and struck hard against something that gave a little, something that pulsed breath not as hot as is should have been on her leg.<br><br>She shoved against vast bulk, maybe maybe too big to fit up the well maybe , it was moving up, acted as a springboard as she launched out of the well shrieking, absolutely shrieking like a girl&nbsp; "RUN RUN RUN!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>24-04-2014, 18:17:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nishuul inhaled deeply, straining to banish the terror accumulating in the pit of her belly. There was movement in the darkness and, when the shadows gave way enough for her keen eyes to pierce the blackness, she saw glimpses of wildly coloured feathers. Hues she had only seen in the feathers traded by the Clans from beyond the Southern rim of the Salt Lakes. Something between a lizard and a gargantuan, furious bird of prey. The size of the thing struck dread in her. She scrambled up the stairwell, her crescent blade drawn. It was a pathetic gesture of defiance. Even sharpened starmetal would have little effect on something of that size. <br><br>"If we come away from the eggs, perhaps it will leave us be." Nishuul whispered with hope rather than certainty. <br><br>The thing rumbled. It was no roar and Nishuul had been expecting a roar. No, this was something low, booming, and visceral. A sound incubated deep in the creature's immense body and released with cold intensity. And it was swift. The sound approached, seemingly from all sides. <br><br>Nishuul's hand trembled for an instant, gripping the pommel of her crescent blade tight. There was sweat on the palm of her hand, sweat on her fingers. Her heart thundered in her chest. It was close. She ran, moving as one with Aeryn, desperately seeking the light and the scent of fresh air far from the forsaken mustiness of the shrine. <br><br>Something was behind her. She could feel the air move. She lashed out, blade gleaming. Slices of feather flew. For an instant she saw its eyes - vast like lanterns in the darkness. There was no anger in them, no fury. Just a cold, reptilian hunger. Jaws snapped and Nishuul lunged forward, propelling Aeryn against the walls of the stairwell for an instant, before she regained her balance, seized the human scholar and scrambled upwards. <br><br>She did not look back again until they reached the lip of the well and dashed out towards the forest. <br><br>In the distance Eshalu saw the dark figures fly across the clearing. Something vast stirred in the well, almost too big to exit it. She ran, moving to intercept Aeryn and Nishuul. Whatever it was, it would not follow them out into the forest. It was a guardian and would not abandon the things it had protected since before the Starfall. <br><br>Eshalu met them at the edge of the clearing, spear at the ready, eyes wide with alarm. Nishuul paused to catch her breath. Not for too long. She'd always been the best sprinter in her group. <br><br>"I saw it," Nishuul panted, delirious with relief and a perverse satisfaction, "a real Cold One. Like the one in your story." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>24-04-2014, 23:56:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"GGiiigghhkkkff!"&nbsp; Was Aeryn's first attempt a speech as she braced wobbling against a tree, holding up&nbsp; one finger on each hand as she hauled i n breath after breath.<br><br>Finally, gasping out&nbsp; in elven&nbsp; "Dra Sirdu.... markings....same...."&nbsp; Stopping to reach into her carryall, haul out a stoppered flask, popped the cork, the scent of very potent winter brandy reached Eshalu's nose, which was a sign of just how rattled Aeryn was, she seldom touched the stuff. <br><br>&nbsp;She touched the flask quite heavily.<br><br>Glaring at Nishuul, slurred human words among which were "Idiot child"&nbsp; and "Damn fool fucking hero complex" tumbled out of her.<br><br>&nbsp;Nishuul was bright eyed, flushed, up on the balls of her feet, ready to go back.&nbsp; Aeryn was ready to brain the kid.<br><br>The human calmed down.<br><br>Anger helped her regain focus, she closed her eyes, fought for calm detachment, got it, opened her eyes, showing an aspect that to&nbsp; &nbsp;the Druid and the novice seemed&nbsp; cold and remote.<br><br>"Very big, Eshalu.&nbsp; A matriarch.&nbsp; Different markings, but the same species, and the inscriptions on the walls, the eggs, the same language as on Dra Sirdu, I am sure of it.&nbsp; And shie is alive, truly alive, not magically shifted into half-life. Something down below sustains her, she came from lower levels.&nbsp; But."&nbsp; A searing look at Nishuul, then a more thoughtful glance at the adults.&nbsp; "The wardings on the upper levels, including the topmost level right under the staris, those are still active.&nbsp; Despite that, someone other than Novices has been down there, and has taken at least one egg from the creche."&nbsp; <br><br>Resting her head back against the tree for a moment... feeling a stir in the trunk...the sense of a&nbsp; soft hand on her cheek, another at her hair,stroking her, soothing her.&nbsp; Oh Goddess, that helped.&nbsp; "Somebody who knew what they were doing, they had to, they defeated the wardings that guarded the eggs."<br><br>Giving Nishuul an icy glance that should have speared her to a tree, but just glanced off of brash cockiness.&nbsp; "All right.&nbsp; Out with it.&nbsp; Somebody gave you charms, they had to.&nbsp; You took everything portable out of the upper chambers, you and those before you.&nbsp; But the deeper you go in there, the more likely you are to trigger a defensive response.&nbsp; Fine.&nbsp; What charms do you use to conceal your forays, and who the hell taught them to you, gave you the amulets and talismans to anchor them?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>25-04-2014, 14:22:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu drew Aeryn close, supporting her human lover with the firm gentleness of a ranger's arm, "I heard it. The same rumbling from Dra Sirdu. Perhaps the territory of the Cold Ones once spread wide, beyond the salt waters," she paused for an instant, contemplating the implications, "everywhere." The Cold Ones she had seen in Dra Sirdu had been less threatening than she had expected from the tales she had been told. Perhaps they were nothing but a sad remnant. The Cold Ones must once have been strong and very great indeed if they had built centres of power over such enormous distances. <br><br>Eshalu cast Nishuul a reproving glance, "And you, girl, did something foolish. You know that you must run when combat can only end your life. Do you think drawing your blade would have done any good against the Cold One? You should not be reckless with the vital spark that the Great Mother has given you."<br><br>Nishuul was unfazed. "I learnt the wards in the first two chambers. That is the only way to know if anything lies deeper in there - find the wards, and know how they can be set aside." She smiled, lips parted, revealing the curve of her incisors. Something hungry in her gaze. The chase had energized her. She flexed the muscles of her left arm, the athletic muscle straining under pale skin. A trickle of blood welled, seeping down the woad whorls of war-paint daubed on her biceps. <br><br>"The wound is not from the Cold One," Nishuul said, her eyes darting from Aeryn to Eshalu, "there were sharp stones in the walls - like obsidian. Looked like knives." She dabbed the blood with her fingers and brought them to her lips. Her smile broadened. "You should have seen me, in there, the Cold One behind me. Bellowing. It was swift, but not swift enough for me."<br><br>Eshalu caressed Aeryn's shoulder, holding the scholar close, feeling the rise and fall of exhausted breaths. The familiar scent of Aeryn hair, "Is it like the human sister said? Were you given charms?" Eshalu mulled over the implications. Deliberately dancing close to the line of taboo was dangerous and likely to offend the spirits of the Caern. <br><br>Nishuul sheathed her blade. One arcing motion, impressed in muscle memory. She loosened her sleeveless jerkin and opened it up. A series of jagged ideograms had been painted in a vivid carnelian dye on her belly. "It appeared in my dreams and the dreams took shape. When I awoke, this was upon me. The spirits told me it was a ward of great power. Strong enough to get me deep into the lair of the Cold Ones." Her eyes bored into Eshalu's. "See, I have entered where none of the People have gone. I will have many stories to tell." <br><br>Nishuul stepped forward. She was long-limbed and poised - a little gangly, but like a cheetah at rest. Her torso was hard, her nipples swollen in the cold night air, rising and falling with her controlled breaths. <br><br>Eshalu remained stern, "You are certain it appeared in your dreams, that the ward was the work of the spirits?"<br><br>"I know my dreams."<br><br>"So you should know when it is a trickster spirit speaking to you." Eshalu already had a trickster in mind and she was certainly not a spirit. <br><br>"Is that so?" Nishuul stood before Eshalu, a full head shorter but with an arrogant, wiry strength. Her eyes were raised, defiant. <br><br>Eshalu remained motionless, but she saw. The blazing eyes of a huntress and those cheekbones sharp like blades, all shrouded by that wolfish mop of blood red hair. She knew the rush well. The sensation of a hunt. Why being a ranger was inimitable. No other being was more alive than a pouncing leopard or a swooping falcon. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>25-04-2014, 15:14:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Eshalu's hold was the best tonic Aeryn could possibly imagine.&nbsp; She deeply regretted braiding that wild mane, burying her face in her lover's hair would have been the perfect way to shut out the world right now.&nbsp; One arm tight around the ranger, the other straight down her own side, hand clenching and flexing as she thought.&nbsp; <em>Blood, Nishuul shed blood in a place of power. </em> <br><br>"Dreams.&nbsp; Puckernuts.&nbsp; This unknown agency is careful, very careful."&nbsp; A murmured comment&nbsp; as she very reluctantly stepped away from Eshalu, between the two not quite arguing Elves.&nbsp; Something in the older Elf's eyes... Aeryn caught something she was sure even another Elf might have missed, so she raised her hands, one palm out to each of the two.&nbsp; "Enough.&nbsp; Stand down, we will&nbsp; settle this later.&nbsp; Nishuul, go, your friends will want to hear this tale.&nbsp; Spare no detail.&nbsp; None."&nbsp; Resting a hand lightly on Eshalu's chest, just above a breast.&nbsp; Well, the heel of her hand&nbsp; was...&nbsp; "Let her go."&nbsp; A moment while the young firetop put some distance between them.<br><br>"Al right.&nbsp; You have an idea who is behind this."&nbsp; Stepping close and holding tight to smooth coiled power, nuzzling lightly, whispering "And you are not really surprised by the thought."<br><br>Thought.&nbsp; It was really hard to think.&nbsp; She pulled away, rpped to one knee wih her chiton bunched up, unbuckled her boots and slipped into her lighter strapped dandals, a more proper footwear for a Druid.&nbsp; And that was a mistake,&nbsp; because changing clothes in even a minor way changed her habit of thought from field alertness to a more open and relaxed state of mind.<br><br>Her hand sought Eshalu's, took it drew it to her lips, kissed it.&nbsp; Sucked two fingers slowly into her mouth, slowly drawing them back out, kissing the tips.&nbsp; Aeryn wasn't shaking any more.&nbsp; She was burning.`<br><br>Command, self command.&nbsp; She was nothing without it.&nbsp; So she made herself stand, her boots buckled together now and slung over her shulder.&nbsp; but still holding tight to her lover's hand.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>25-04-2014, 23:15:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu watched Nishuul scamper through the undergrowth. When the apprentice was out of earshot, she finally spoke her thoughts, "Nishuul is young and she is so eager for adventure that she must have been an easy target for a druid who knows how to walk the world of dreams. They say that when the People rest, part of us slips into the world that stands next to the waking world, halfway between this world and that of the spirits. A druid with a strong Sight can enter this world with ease when she sleeps and can walk it of her own will, even where all others must ebb and flow as if carried by a tide."<br><br>Eshalu paused and turned her eyes towards the starlit vault of the sky, "My blood-sister's Sight is the most powerful my Clan can remember. She is well known for interpreting dreams and casting auguries and it would not surprise me if she could walk the Dreamlands with ease. If that is so, and she has sent Nishuul here, there must be a reason. She would never come herself - a druid always respects the taboos imposed by the spirits. But the power of this place is great and my blood-sister's curiosity has always driven her."<br><br>It was a troubling thought. Eshalu did not know what her blood-sister hoped to find here. She had told the stories of Dra Sirdu, spoken of the Cold Ones and the mortal danger they could pose. Why sift through these abandoned shrines and recklessly disturb spirits that had long since been forgotten? Then it occurred to her. Nishuul's pilfering of artifacts from the site might have had a purpose. A constant flow of items taken from the shrine in a way which did not breach the prohibitions of the spirits. That was a troubling thought. <br><br>"Did you see the object Nishuul held in the palm of her right hand?" She focused to conjure up the exact image in her mind. Nishuul had distracted her deliberately. The girl had sheathed her blade, and engaged Eshalu's focus with her eyes, her body, distracting attention from something long, sharp and black she had held in the palm of her right hand in plain sight, but practically invisible. It was a deft and bold display of sleight of hand, but Nishuul was cocky enough to think she could pull it off, especially since she could always rely on the assumption that Eshalu's usually keen perception would be blunted in the absence of imminent danger. <br><br>"I think she took something with her. I do not know why or for which purpose, but we should speak to the girl again tonight. Then, tomorrow, I should introduce you to my blood-sister."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>26-04-2014, 17:13:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;"Oh, I well know the power of curiosity."&nbsp; Feeling just a bit guilty, why else had she gone into those ruins at night with a damn fool kid... she shut that trail of thought down.&nbsp; The competence of the blood-sister was no surprise to Aeryn, being Eshalu's kin, of course she would be good at her work, very good.<br><br>"Young heroine's right hand, give me a moment."&nbsp; Aeryn bent her head slightly, eyes open but unfocused, a trained observer and witness replaying her memories.<br><br>"Her blood... her minor hurt was no accident, the took that working the blade lose."&nbsp; The scholar's head snapped up, eyes widening, then going hard.&nbsp; "No.&nbsp; Not a blade.&nbsp; A talon, I think. Not obsidian, but very hard and sharp.&nbsp; And it has tasted her blood, she carried it out of her own free will."<br><br><em>I have the favor of powerful Dryads now, a Druid's senses.&nbsp; Use them.</em>&nbsp; She glanced down at her hand, a small smear of dark... Nishuul's blood,&nbsp; a trace left when they had gripped hands in that dark danger below.<br><br>Her raging burnng Need ebbed, not going away, but tamped and channeled.&nbsp; Linked to what had happened down below, linked to a soft subtle pulse no longer on the direction NIshuul had taken off on.&nbsp; "She is being clever.&nbsp; Almost but not quite on a true line straight back to the Lodge, but ground level.&nbsp; That dense undergrowth where we first saw her, where we heard her talk to another."&nbsp; Turning in place, staring into the distance.&nbsp; "She is not alone... but is confident, happy, she is.... boasting of her adventure to her little claque of followers."<br><br>She blinked and snapped back to the world as felt by her body's senses.&nbsp; "Yes, we need to talk, we need, I need to get that thing, to isolate it.&nbsp; I know how, I have done such before, I have what I need in my shoulder bag."&nbsp; And Aeryn smiled, a smile which was genuine, but held at best a twisted humor in it.&nbsp; "I do want to meet your family, Eshalu, your blood family, but this is not how I pictured the first conversation developing."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>26-04-2014, 19:15:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Then we should away," Eshalu moved with urgency through the closed ranks of ancient trees. She was almost certain her blood-sister had a hand in sending Nishuul to the Cold One shrine, but she still did not know what, if anything, could be gained from sending her. Any artifact taken from the site was alien, tainted by hostile and long forgotten spirits. At best they were tokens of bravery used in courtship. <br><br>"You <em>see</em> her - then you have gained some of a druid's Sight. The spirits of the Caern favor you - for now. Remember, they are fickle." Eshalu noted, hastening her pace - though she did not say it, she wanted to leave the site of the Cold One shrine well alone. She was bound by the taboo in a way neither Aeryn nor Nishuul were and had no intention of drawing the ire of the ferocious of the Caern's dryads. There had been stories told on cold, moonless, and windy nights of the ultimate price the taboo-breaker would pay: the Wild Hunt, where the hunter would become prey and the Moon Huntress herself pursue the transgressor across the length of the forest. <br><br>Eshalu moved up ahead, occasionally looking back to make sure that Aeryn's flanks and rear were clear of any threats. She felt like she was stalking, even though she had not seen any prey, nor was she on a hunt. There was something in the air&nbsp; - heavy and foreboding. he had seen it in the way that Nishuul licked away her own blood. The sight of the dark, crimson fluid welling from the hard muscle had made a visceral impression. It had made her...hungry. <br><br>Aeryn's contact had simply inflamed that sensation. She adored the scent of Aeryn's hair, her skin, the curl of her lip and batter of her eyelids. All things she observed. Filled her with need she could usually control. But the rush of the hunt was different. It was a force in itself - raw and primal. A deeper rooted urge to chase, run, kill, fuck, absorb. <br><br>"My blood-sister is called Lyuril and it may be best if I introduced you. She has great influence over the Lodge of Druids - her Sight and her wisdom are renowned. But if she sent Nishuul without the girl knowing what she was doing, she may not think we seek answer to why Nishuul's dreams brought her to the shrine."<br><br>Eshalu kept a pace she knew Aeryn could follow. When they returned to the Lodge of Rangers, she moved swiftly back into her quarters. The night's activities proceeded apace and a group of rangers was gathered in a room two doors down from Eshalu's to observe the ritual war-painting of a newly blooded initiate. <br><br>In Eshalu's room there was only the deep shadow of a moonlit night. But something amiss. Eshalu blocked Aeryn at the entrance with her arm. A silhouette darted out from behind the window, squawked, and fluttered through the canopy. <br><br>Eshalu took a measured breath. That scent. Blood. She could feel the chase all over again. Almost like a shadow herself in the darkness, Nishuul rose and faced the older ranger. <br><br>There was silence until Eshalu spoke, "You were looking for something?"<br><br>"I was," Nishuul advanced. She had fastened the obsidian talon to a knotted green and red hempen cord and slung it round her neck like a pendant. <br><br>"Did you find it?" Eshalu stepped forward to intercept the novitiate. <br><br>"I have."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>27-04-2014, 01:45:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;"Very Fickle, I know."&nbsp; Erratic, flighty, impulsive to the point that relying on them&nbsp; instead of treating them as specialized tools in the kitroll was tantamount to messy suicide.<br><br>She kept those feelngs to herself, of course.<br><br>Aeryn felt odd.&nbsp; Focused on the task at hand.... preternaturally aware of...everything.&nbsp; the wind, the small and not so small creatures nearby<br><br>Eshalu.&nbsp; Very aware of Eshalu.&nbsp; The way the ranger coursed back and forth like a predator, and that was not at all an analogy.&nbsp; The Elven woman was vibrant with her own power, her presence.&nbsp; Aeryn's progress through the night forest&nbsp; was the focal point of a protective web, she felt it about her... and a claiming web, growing tighter.&nbsp; One thing the human had never allowed herself to consider was what kind of future, what kind of life they might make together.&nbsp; But now, a small part of her mnd was considering it now.&nbsp; And one of the hugest weights on the scale of consideration was...<br><br>"Lyuril."&nbsp; Thinking very fast for a moment.&nbsp; "Lyuril did not, I think, know what she was doing - in the purest sense of the term.&nbsp; She could not have known what she was possibly rousing.&nbsp; She has never seen, heard, smelled, felt the presence of Cold Ones as you and I have."&nbsp; She didn't even thnk of them as Saurians, the Society term, she was sinking very very deep in Druidic headspace, her thoughts turning down paths as Elven as it was possible for a human mind to follow.<br><br>A price of her new found senses.<br><br>"Lyuril has kept distance between herself and her catspaw, and this distance gives us time and space to, to plan."&nbsp; She had almost said, to act.&nbsp; No no, she would not, would never put Eshalu in that posiiton.&nbsp; Not ever.<br><br>But perhaps that particular pair of dice was being thrown for her.&nbsp; Drawing up short at Eshalu's outflung arm, eye tracking the... owl, she decided, what particular species she would not hazard a guess.<br><br>She was far too busy studying Nishuul to worry about the messenger en route to Lyuril.<br><br>"No." After a long moment of careful study&nbsp; she found herself fighting the urge ro rise up&nbsp; on the balls of her feet, draw the small steel blade at her belt in the small of her back.&nbsp; &nbsp; Instead she dropped to one knee in the doorway, unslung her carryall and began extracting packets of salt and sage, sticks of charcoal, small jars of blue woad and thin red clay.&nbsp; And began drawing sigils and signs between the uprights of the doorway frame, not Imperial, not Elven, the old, very&nbsp; old wardings of the hills of her home, incscribing a barrier upon a square of fine doeskin leather that she had scraped and cured with her own hands.&nbsp; Gambling for the moment that a Cold One spirit would not think to try to scramble out the window and take to the air.<br><br>"I think you&nbsp; did not find it, Nishuul.&nbsp; It found you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>27-04-2014, 17:13:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I am <em>chosen</em>," Nishuul smiled, teeth bared, "so you too know the Way of the druids - it is little wonder you were able to see so deep inside the Cold One shrine. No, but now that place knows who I am and I carry with me proof of my skill."<br><br>Eshalu remained immobile. Nishuul walked up to the older ranger and nuzzled her throat, lips pressed against the leather neck of the jerkin. "Just so - the other novitiates know of my exploits. My stories are with them, haunting their dreams."<br><br>The room felt warm. A pulse of awakening echoed through Eshalu. Something ancient and wild ensconced in the core of her soul. She felt she should be hesitant, unsure of what was happening, or how things <em>should</em> transpire. But that was her conscious mind thinking - behind that, her body acted. She skimmed Nishuul's fiery mane with her nose. Wild, disheveled strands like blood and magma, smelling of the forest, of Nishuul, of the hunt. A hint of blood. Live and pulsing. <br><br>Nishuul's voice dropped down low, a soft, sibilant whisper, "And you call yourself a huntress? You do not seem to know how to catch your quarry." She stood on tiptoe, sharp teeth skimming Eshalu's jawbone, moving higher, taut wiry body pressed against her, melting together. Nishuul's sharp eyes, like those of a bird of prey, locked on to Aeryn from over Eshalu's shoulder. Knowing, and just a little taunting. <br><br>Something gave in Eshalu. It was a disturbingly easy transition. From a sense of fierce protectiveness for Aeryn, a guard instinct well-rooted in each ranger's mind, to another aspect. That which did not protect, but sought ought and destroyed the threat. Her mentors had said that there were two sides to every ranger: the Keeper and the Huntress - the Warder and the Raider. Two souls bound up in one. But how fragile the line between them. <br><br>Eshalu seized Nishuul's hair, fingers digging into the girl's scalp, baring her throat. The younger ranger gasped - a light and ecstatic exhalation. Eshalu half-kissed, half-bit her, furious, frantic. Wet. Need. Heat. She thrust Nishuul over the workbench and metal and wood clattered over the floor. Whipping round, she fixed Aeryn with eyes that were not quite hers anymore. Those were the eyes of a huntress from the times before the Starfall - one who ran with Shalu under bloodstained moons. <br><br>She stripped her jerkin off, each muscle in her torso tense and then fluid with the vigour of her motions. Nishuul's breath was ragged, she leaned over the workbench, desperately seeking to unstrap her jerkin. Eshalu pounced upon her, held her down, and unwrapped the tight-fitting, crimson hellkite-leather from her skin. There were no words, just frantic breathing - sudden bursts of ferocity. <br><br>Nishuul mock-struggled, helpless against Eshalu's bulk, but giving a good enough account of herself to show the sleek power the future promised. <br><br>Eshalu pulled Nishuul's head up by her hair and sank her teeth in the sharp point of the girl's ear. Nishuul's mouth curled - agony and ecstasy. Her voice was strangled, "Eshalu - I need it. It burns in me."<br><br>"It will hurt, girl."<br><br>"Now. <em>Please</em>." Nishuul fumbled for the waist of her breeches, desperately trying to pull them down.<br><br>Eshalu saw red. Saw prey. Felt the rush. She met glanced behind her shoulder, the eyes of the huntress boring deep into Aeryn. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>27-04-2014, 19:07:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh it most certainly does know you!&nbsp; Yes, you are&nbsp; chosen, but chosen for what, Nishuul?"&nbsp; It was like talking to a wall, it really was.&nbsp; Aeryn didn't sigh, never took her eyes off the redhead.&nbsp; She and Eshalu had been long apart, so long.&nbsp; but they had been in battle together, knew what each other would do, could do, often before it was even an impluse to be done.<br><br>Aeryn kept herself the focus of Nishuul's eyes.&nbsp; The young one was fast and deadly oh so very very good at her craft.<br><br>But not truly blooded.&nbsp; that mattered so much.<br><br>Aeryn had killed, in hot&nbsp; blooded battle.&nbsp; And once in cold deliberation.&nbsp; To say nothing of how utterly lethal she knew Eshalu could be.<br><br>Aeryn was wondering just how few heartbeats Nishuul had remaining when Eshalu just... changed, like reversing a cloak.&nbsp; That ferocious stare hit the scholar like, not a hammer, twin spears slamming her to a tree.&nbsp; Burning eyes, the eyes she had seen filled with fury and tenderness, and now eyes she didn't know at all.<br><br>But she knew what they commanded.<br><br><br>Aeryn obeyed.<br><br>She stood smoothly, kicking off her sandals, undoing her belt, letting belt, pouch and knife fall to the floor, hauled both tunic and chiton together up and over her head, hair tumbling down around her loose as she yanked out small wooden dowels.&nbsp; But holding her square of doeskin in her hand, the only scrap of leather or cloth she had on her, padding silently to the grappled pair - but across the workbench from them.<br><br>Reaching tentatively for the obsidian talon... no not yet.&nbsp; Placing the doeskin on the workbench, then taking Nishuuls shoulders, running her hands down sleekly powerful arms, taking hold of the wrists, and pulling the younger Elf's hands over her head, pinning them to the bench whispering against an ear covered by a fall of red hair, "We'll see what kind of hold that talon has on you."&nbsp; Nuzzling aside red hair, softly kissing an ear, setting teeth in it, hard, then pulling back.<br><br>Need.&nbsp; want.&nbsp; heat.&nbsp; Boiling in her.&nbsp; Nishuul had almost gotten Aeryn killed.&nbsp; Or that talon had. Setting her teeth into the cord the talon hung from, drawing on it, tugging the knot that secured it from behind Nishuul's head, undoing the tie with her teeth.. and yes, licking the younger woman's skin.<br><br>"Fear, rage, want....&nbsp; I can taste it on you, and I can feel something else in you.&nbsp; You young idiot."&nbsp; Her teeth pulling the talisman - Aeryn was becoming sure it was no mere defensive amulet - free and dropping it in the center of the inscribed doeskin square.<br><br>Nishuul wasn't really heeding anything but what Eshalu was doing to her by now, the heaving and writhing against Aeryn's grip on her wrists was not really an effort to escape, to fight.<br><br>Eshalu?&nbsp; Primal vibrant power just boiled off the woman.&nbsp; Aeryn opened up, relaxed, unfocused her eyes, tapped into that rush of sensation.&nbsp; Felt something or&nbsp; someone starting to react, far too late.<br><br>And struck hard, twisting her body, bending to kiss the doeskin's corner closest to her, to their captive.&nbsp; Nothing changed to the eye or the ear or the nose, but she could feel, and was certain any druid or mage would feel a pinching off of a tiny bit of reality.<br><br>Folding the doeskin once, twice around the talon, sliding it away. while one hand pinned Nishuul's now-crossed wrists above her head.<br><br><br>The redhead was making some remarkable noises now.<br><br>Not all of them from pleasure.<br><br>Aeryn was a gentle lover.&nbsp; Always before, anyway.&nbsp; There was nothing gentle in her now.<br><br>Nothing close to gentle about the way she and Eshalu kissed above Nishuul's form, kissed&nbsp; hard enough to mash the human's lips against her teeth and draw blood.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>28-04-2014, 13:46:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nishuul snarled - a satisfied hiss when she felt Aeryn's teeth sink into her sensitive ear. She thrashed. Eshalu held her down. Her hands were busy at the waist of her breeches, but Eshalu was impatient. What she wanted was secreted tight against the leather. The scent of Nishuul's arousal burned in her nostrils. It was intoxicating. <br><br>The stubborn leather came down to Nishuul's knees and the girl obligingly spread her thighs. Eshalu enveloped Nishuul in a predatory embrace, fingers finding the younger ranger's tiny breasts, tugging hard on big, swollen nipples. Nishuul arched her body, muscles straining, pushing back on Eshalu. Her musk lay heavy in the air - a raw and primal scent mingled with leather. <br><br>Eshalu's calloused fingers traveled down Nishuul's hard belly to the sopping folds between the girl's thighs. Eshalu opened her up - not gently, far from it. She slid three fingers into Nishuul's sodden sex, feeling the resistance fade with each forceful thrust. The hard athletic curve of Nishuul's bottom undulated against Eshalu's bared belly. A deep crease and between it a perfect, berry-pink whorl. So different from Aeryn's darker rosebud with its crown of fine hairs, but almost as tantalising. <br><br>"Hold her down," Eshalu told Aeryn, her voice thick with lust. <br><br>She slicked the fingers of her free hand with a little spit and nestled two fingertips against Nishuul's pucker. <br><br>The girl kicked and Eshalu pushed in to punish her. A furious growl and she was thrusting back, grinding her hips against Eshalu's hands. The heat burned in them both. A blaze that animated the like a forest fire. <br><br>Eshalu arched her back and kissed Aeryn again, ferociously, tasting blood. "Do what you like with her - this arrogant kit is going to learn how a ranger fucks."<br><br>The older ranger pushed her weight on Nishuul and bit the nape of her neck. They scrambled, kissing frantically, the muscles of Eshalu's arms straining with each thrust. She had four fingers in Nishuul's loosened cunt, folds spread taut around the pale invading hand, and two spreading the gloriously hot passage between Nishuul's buttocks. <br><br>Nishuul's moans were incoherent, some pained, some deliriously joyful. She was wreathed in a fine sheen of sweat, her body moving as one with Eshalu's. A dangerous, sensuous dance. The sensation of her capture echoed in the weave of the Caern. It pulsed through the subconscious of the druids in the Lodge of Rangers - the feeling of surrender, the delicious, limb-loosening sensation of being possessed, spread, explored. Nishuul could feel the pulse echo through the stone of the obsidian artifact. And it magnified her need. <br><br>Eshalu withdrew her fingers from Nishuul's bottom, inviting a disappointed sigh. Not for long. The older ranger leaned forward and breathed on the pouting rosebud, embracing it with a wet, hungry kiss, tongue pressing in. Nishuul's delectable, raunchy, earthy taste. <br><br><em>Soon, brash girl, soon</em>.<br><br>She seized Aeryn's dark mane and kissed her human lover again, all the while fucking Nishuul's sex. "I will teach this one a lesson I know you will like," she growled, and only then realised that for all her desire to consume Nishuul entirely, her lust for Aeryn burned deeper still. It was greater than desire, greater than affection. It was a bond a ranger could share with only a select few. But it certainly helped that every part of Aeryn filled her with a tingling, needful longing. <br><br>****<br><br>In the Lodge of Druids, shrouded in a diaphanous silver shift and adorned in amber and silver pendants and bracelets, a milky-eyed druid greeted the return of her beloved birds of prey. Long nails painted blood-red with symbols of sacrifice caressed dark feathers. She sat up, languid, sharp nails skimming her weirding stones. She felt. She knew. All things were brought together by the Weave. She let the vision unfold before her, reaching under the gossamer fabric of her shift. She stretched, languorous, and watched.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>28-04-2014, 15:22:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Workbenchs have eyelets, stanchions... Aeyrn fished some cord out of a niche in the bench and briskly secured Nishuul's crossed wrists, her hands shoving down hard on the redhead's shoulders,&nbsp; Red hair.&nbsp; Aeryn's hands coiled in that hair, tightened, forcing the head to be still.&nbsp; raging eyes glaring at the human... blinking closed as Aeryn bent to kiss each in turn, kiss the forehead, the nose.... lock lips with that sistorted panting mouth, drinking hungrily in the kiss, both of them were as Aeryn raked short nails along Nishuul's flanks, from her armpits down to her hips.<br><br>A kiss interrupted by a divinely painful tug in her hair, and a long hot wet kiss with Nishuuls scent of desire and fear&nbsp; on Eshalu's lips, savored and welcomed and...<br><br>Shared.&nbsp; An audience, oh my, she could sense channels opened to her, other Druids - and yes, she was thinking of her self as one of them nowin the very hot heat of this moment at least - not joining in but listening and feeling.<br><br>Learning.&nbsp; What Nishuul had done was now becoming at last officially known to a wide circle of Druids.&nbsp; Not all of whom would be any means were pleased by the young Novice's adventure.<br><br>What Eshalu and Aeryn were doing with their young captive - and captive she was - was not rape.&nbsp; But it was certainly a sort of discipline.&nbsp; A cleansing of outside influence.&nbsp; burning it out of her, like physical fire burned a physical body.<br><br>Eshalu was the fire and strength, Aeryn was the tongs that held the spiritual billet to be worked, the eye that guided the blow.<br><br>Blow.&nbsp; Hot puffs of breath on Aeryn's inner calf, then her thigh... she was kneeling on the workbench, astride Nishuul's face, caging that red head between her legs as her hips settled down, nestling her folds against eager lips, a sweeping, tasting tongue.<br><br>The nails of one hand grazing Eshalu's belly, hand dipping down to her lovers sex, fingers exploring wetness, heat, silky tightness. The other hand cupping the back of her lover's head, twisting in&nbsp; hair, pulling her in for a longer hotter kiss.<br><br>Linking them all<br><br>Aeryn could see it.&nbsp; That trace of cold stealthy wrongness lurking in Nishuuls spirit, left behind by that talisman, waiting to rejoin the obsidian thing , feed from it.<br><br><em>Oh no.&nbsp; Got you. </em> A joined peak, the release of three women was the fuel for the cleansing fire which burned that stain away.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>30-04-2014, 13:41:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Even in the war, naked heat of her desire, Eshalu reveled in Aeryn's complicity. They were joined - huntresses both, devouring their prey. It was a red haze - a relentless flurry of action, movement, release...not quite yet. <br><br>A hard slap on Nishuul's flank, drawing the girl's attention to what happened next. Eshalu left a slick of spit on her free hand and thrust into the girl's pouting rosebud with three fingers held flat. Nishuul bit down on her lip so hard she drew blood. "Like that, <em>please</em>!" It was the opening of a new boundary for her, the sensation of being so fully taken and possessed. <br><br>Confronted with the dark, velvety folds of Aeryn's sex crowned by the unfamiliar thatch of dark hair, Nishuul could only lick, savouring the human's musk, disappointed only that she could not touch the cunt she now hungrily tasted. Her technique was frantic rather than skilled and not yet refined like Eshalu's, but she was eager to please, animated by the reckless energy of an adolescent lover with more passion than poise. <br><br>Eshalu fucked Nishuul's sex and her bottom with frantic strokes, feeling the power of her thrusts separated only by the narrow membrane between them. All of Nishuul was hers. The girl's chocked cries were suffocated in the silky kiss of Aeryn's sex. <br><br>But how Nishuul cried out. She struggled, rammed her hips back in encouragement until her throat was raw from crying out. She reached her peak twice before Eshalu desisted, leaving her tied to the workbench, panting and defeated - and spread, her sex sopping and open, the swollen folds parted, the crease of her bottom slick and her pucker loosened. <br><br>The older ranger sprang on Aeryn, kissing, needing. She pulled down her breeches and the leather that had until recently sheathed her sex was soaked in cloudy nectar. She needed air and the sudden contact with the night breeze was delightful like a sylph's kiss on her inflamed flesh.<br>&nbsp; <br>"Do not untie her - she stays here until dawn. I wish for the Mistress of the Blade to find her like this. So she knows the little whelp has finally been taken by a ranger." <br><br>Nishuul purred at the suggestion. She had ceased struggling against her bonds and lay across the workbench, thighs submissively spread, her breathing ragged. The thick scent of her desire filled the room.<br><br><br>****<br><br>The caracara perched outside Lyuril's window screeched. The druid shifted, jewellery jangling, attuning her mind to the Weave and to the call of the ancient obsidian claw. Eshalu was enjoying herself. Good. With the human no less. Eshalu had always had interesting tastes and she had known Nishuul to be her type - a bit more flesh, muscle, and fight than Aruil. But this human-druid...how strange indeed. Fascinating, even. <br><br>Lyuril reclined on a thick cushion filled with dried, medicinal herbs. Shuliel braided the strands of her silver hair behind her. A diligent, but unremarkable girl. A good Sight, but nothing like hers. Lyuril knew she was very much unique in that way.&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>30-04-2014, 15:23:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yeeep!"&nbsp; A startled, delighted sound as she was swept up in Eshalu's hold, not giving a moments further thought to Nishuul.&nbsp; Eagerly slipping off the workbench, flling to her knees with a rapid sliding kiss down the ranger's body. Wanting to tease, just a little, but a hand on her shoulder, another twisting in her hair, a leg hooking over her shoulder, calf and foot tight against her back.<br><br>Her head guided right where her mouth was wanted to be.&nbsp; Where Aeryn wanted it to be.&nbsp; Eshalu wasn't leaning against the bench, poised and perfectly arrayed on one foot, bracing only slightly against the kneeling human whose hands were gripping hard at her lover's buttocks.&nbsp; She could feel Eshalu building fast.<br><br>She could feel Nishuul, gasping, recovering, in some pain.... but content.<br><br>Others outside the room waitiing for...their turn with Nishuul?&nbsp; Yes.<br><br>A pulse from her doeskin warding anchor, a hint of frustration from whatever was in that damned talon.<br><br>Nails biting into her shoulder, the grip in her hair becoming divine as she felt her lover's ironwood control starting to crack, felt those sleek hips begin to move in a way not directed by the will of the mind, but the body.&nbsp; Her own nails raking Eshalus's rear, almost in her crevice.<br><br>A pulse fro the sigil scar on her shoulder, not just sensation from the skin of Eshalu's leg, something else, directed to something close by.&nbsp; Purposed, not random, kicked off by an element of her will?&nbsp; Worry about that later.<br><br>Right now, her world was the altar between an Elven woman's legs, and her worship was eager and loving.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>01-05-2014, 13:47:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu lost herself in Aeryn's touch. They became one again and it felt like the human scholar's mouth belonged on her sex, each lick round the hood of the tight bud of her clit sending sharp jolts through her loins and belly. How she burned. She threaded her fingers through Aeryn's hair, drawing her lover closer. Dark hair kissing the hard muscle of her thighs, draped over her, and the delicious arch of Aeryn's back, the slope of her shoulders, and the burning sigil inscribed on the dusky skin. It was perfect. <br><br>The ranger yearned to hear Aeryn's breathing, the enthusiastic little sounds she made when she tasted her Elven lover. With Aeryn immersing herself in the wet nexus of her sex, Eshalu became frantic. She tugged on her stiff nipples with calloused fingers, pressing herself hard on Aeryn's mouth. <br><br>She raised her eyes and watched a procession of rangers enter her room to ravish Nishuul. The strong, broad-shouldered rangers of the Way of the Blade took the girl mercilessly. Strong, battle-scarred and war-painted, with shocks of red hair flowing from bared, tattooed scalps they fucked Nishuul's sex and bottom with hard tenderness, licking and spreading the novice until she could take a warrior's hand&nbsp; Then they watched squirm, grunt, and cry out her passion with each forceful coupling. Then, when each warrior withdrew,a little gasp, almost like she felt empty, met with the short, sharp burst of air from her loosened cunt or bottom. <br><br>The willowy rangers of the Way of the Bow and their golden-haired sisters of the Way of the Track were less aggressive, preferring Nishuul's eager mouth and their own pleasure, while the blood-haired warriors often wanted nothing for themselves at all, satisfied with having initiated Nishuul to new dimensions of pleasure. <br><br>Eshalu saw and reveled in the sight. They had broken open her stores of <em>jeth</em>-nut oil to slick their entry into Nishuul and that bittersweet, earthy scent now mingled with the aroma of sweat and sex and the autumnal musk of the girl's opened bottom. They came and went and Eshalu found her peak so violently she felt she was raptor in flight, descending on her prey. She sank down and took Aeryn into her arms, lavishing wet kisses on her human lover, tasting herself, melting into her. Held her tight. <br><br>"I need you," she panted, "don't leave. Not like before. You can have a place here. Your wisdom could strengthen the People."<br><br>The night carried on and Nishuul remained tied to the workbench. Eshalu grinned. The girl would be very sore the next morning. But she had done well enough. <br><br>So she left Nishuul there to rest - at least until she was roused by a ranger returning from a late night patrol. Eshalu watched, half-resting, sometimes watching, but always cradling Aeryn to her, easing the human scholar to rest on her clavicle, tight in her embrace. It had been a good night.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>01-05-2014, 15:43:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dreams.&nbsp; Lucid dreams,&nbsp; Nishuul panting and sobbing and the soft laughter and grunts of those who took her.<br><br>The closeness, the heat, the scent of the woman she was cuddled against.&nbsp; Protected by.<br><br>And not wrongness, not outright malignact, but something very alien and old.&nbsp; Contained for now<br><br>A presence..... something in the core much like Eshalu.&nbsp; The blood-sister.&nbsp; regarding the human briefly, amused.&nbsp; Well, Aeryn was satisfied with that, better to be regarded with amusement than real concern by one the human simply did not know how to respond to, react to.&nbsp; Yet.<br><br>And thinking, long and hard, drifting in and out of deeper sleep, thinking.<br><br>"I won't leave."&nbsp; Spoken hours later as pre-dawn began to shine in the sky.&nbsp; "I- I need you Eshalu.&nbsp; I will stay."&nbsp; She had almost said a very dangerous word, even among humans, a bear-trap of a word especially now that the new fashioned romantic poetry was taking off among troubadours, all that high-born flowery notion of courtly lo-<br><br><em><br>No, don't even think it.&nbsp; If Humans could not agree on what it means, how do&nbsp; an Elf and a Human agree on what it means?</em><br><br>Slowly stroking Eshalu's leg with a foot, instep sliding neatly along the leanly muscular calf.&nbsp; "There will be ways to communicate with the Society, there will be contacts.&nbsp; I will stay, I am.... yours."&nbsp; A deliberate use of a flexibly&nbsp; singular or plural possessive in Elven, exact meaning dependent on context... and context was very ambiguous right now.<br><br>Aeryn disengaged slowly, with kisses, and rose, padded over to the still-bound Nishuul, released her fromher bonds.&nbsp; Steadied the younger ranger on her feet, shooed her out of the room with a pat on her rear and tugged the curtain across the opening. A, a patrol, she decided, not&nbsp; a hunting party passed by as she did, the older rangers nodding quietly to her, a younger ranger, possibly on her first formal real patrol staring almost rudely at Aeryn's bush.&nbsp; From the look in the youngster's eyes, she had heard of this feature of human women, but had not believed it until she had seen it.<br><br>Aeryn was grinning as she turned away, humming to herself as she collected a basin of cool clean water, a soft rag and began bathing Eshalu, then herself, preparing for the day.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-05-2014, 14:21:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu proceeded with her morning ablutions, eager to rinse off the previous night's excesses with the fresh water proffered through her chamber door. She drank and shared a quick meal of pounded sweet drupes and nuts with Aeryn, before dressing in her full ranger's attire. The bruise on her side had almost healed and she felt it did not burden her to don her breeches again. She knew Aeryn had always been fascinated with the speed of her recovery from physical wounds. All Eshalu knew was that it was that way and no other - a ranger's body was a tool, which could be sharpened and perfected to perform its purpose. <br><br>"You let her go," Eshalu said, a knowing smile on her lips, "you were too soft on her. She will now boast that she escaped and outwitted me."<br><br>Eshalu stretched, her movements unhurried and languid. She looked over Aeryn's shoulder. "It is a good thing that you received the druid's mark. It will enable you to pass easily into their Lodge. Some druids think it taboo for outsiders to enter close to the heart of the Old Growth. But now that you bear the blessing of a dryad, they will not bar you from entry. Even if your blood is not of the People."<br><br>She paused, thoughtfully chewing on a split twig, sucking out the mildly numbing, aniseed-scented sap, "Earlier you said you were mine. How can it be? Nothing belongs to anyone. Not forever. All that we have we hold so that others might have it. I know humans think of the holding of things differently, and that some hold others, and call them '<em>slaves</em>', but I do not claim to own you. We simply are. Together. You are like a Lodge-sister to me. The same web that binds me to this Lodge now binds me to you. But it is a shared bond - that is why Nishuul freely coupled with you last night. All that I share, she shares, because we are of the same path."<br><br>She cocked her head to one side, curiously, expecting Aeryn not to understand even if it seemed very obvious to her. "In time, you will know. But I am glad that you will stay. I know that if I say that I share my body and soul with you, and long for you to share yours, you will understand. Now come."<br><br>Eshalu led Aeryn out and into the canopy of the tree housing the Lodge of Rangers. Rope bridges had been thrown across the branches, garlanded with strands of brightly coloured fabric and knotted, votive banners fluttering in the wind. High above, a bird of prey screeched, looped a pass, and then disappeared back into the canopy. They walked across into the canopy of an adjoining tree, the rope bridge rocking in the breeze. Eshalu was unperturbed by her position so far above the forest floor - her balance flawless, each step adjusting to the shifting position of the bridge.<br><br>Across, on the other side, a spiral corridor had been dug into the living wood. This lead them downwards into a darkness smelling of fresh cut herbs and a wispy, white smoke that emitted a light floral scent. The interior of the Lodge of Druids resembled a communal workshop. A wide, oval chamber sat in the middle of the tree trunk, where groups of druids busied themselves preparing poultices, elixirs, dried herbs for burning, sharpened sacrificial knives, and mixed dyes for body painting. The work was accompanied by the hum of the long, ornate flutes the druids played to invoke the favour of the spirits, and contemplative, melodious singing and chanting. Quite different from the clang of weapons, and the playful boasts of the Lodge of Rangers. <br><br>The druids were subtle in their observation of Aeryn, but piercingly observant nonetheless. They saw the mark, recognised its significance, but still whispered among themselves. <br><br>Eshalu led Aeryn to where Fasiriel knelt on a reed mat, pounding the husks of spindly, long-bodied insects with a granite pestle and mortar. She raised her eyes in greeting, and kissed both Eshalu and Aeryn on the lips. She continued her work. It was so familiar to her that she did not need to look down. <br><br>"You have come to see Lyuril," Fasiriel said, "a brave move."<br><br>"Where is she?" Eshalu queried. <br><br>"In her chamber - with the weirding stones."<br><br>"Has she seen anything?" Eshalu was concerned. Lyuril could spend days communing with the spirits and sometimes the older ones spoke in voices too strange for mortal ears to comprehend. <br><br>"She speaks sometimes and we interpret. But she feels the Weave is coming asunder. I fear this one," Fasiriel caressed her swollen, painted belly, "will be born under red moons. She will come soon, I feel it, and called to take up the Blade."<br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>02-05-2014, 19:55:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"She won't be boasting when she sits down for the next two days, rapid Elven ranger&nbsp; healing or no."<br><br>Dressing with soe care, her citon and tunic and belt of course.. the small steel knife on her hip, not the small of her back this time.&nbsp; Her sandals, a small leather bag with bone and loop fasteners, not metal slung cross body on the hip opposite her knife. And a few small additions to the personal ornaments Eshalu had made for her.&nbsp; &nbsp;Mementos from home, things that Imperial Artisans would have scorned as rustic.&nbsp; She kept them close ,seldom wore them.<br><br>Deciding to stay n the People's lands changed some things.<br><br>The sigil on her shoulder was a huge change, she traced fingertips along the mark, pensive for a moment.&nbsp; "How can I be yours... how can I not be yours?&nbsp; That is just one of the things, the devilments of life, Eshalu.&nbsp; I am not of the People, I don't think, act, feel as one of the People.&nbsp; Although the distance is not a great as it was a scant few days ago.&nbsp; Mixed signals, basic inability to agree on what even common words mean..."&nbsp; She grinned a bit ruefully, stole a quick kiss from the Ranger.&nbsp; "Not so great a confusion as our time together on the run when we were first together, but it will never fully go away."<br><br>Aeryn shrugged, putting her hair up in a topknot - but letting a few tendrils hang down on either side of her face.&nbsp; "We are not slaves to the other."&nbsp; A dirty half-grin.&nbsp; "Well, maybe sometimes, when ropes might be involved."&nbsp; &nbsp;Serious again.&nbsp; "Common to all the lodge....&nbsp; I, I can't say I understand that.&nbsp; Not yet, not now.&nbsp; But yes I will, I will have to grow to understand it. And yes, I understand you, Eshalu.&nbsp; Lead on."&nbsp; Almost beaming, not smiling, but in a mood almost bubbly, for her.<br><br>The bridge was a bit of a challenge for the Human.... but hardly worse than the rigging of a ship, Aern fell back on those memories, wishing she had more experience to draw on, to be sure.&nbsp; It wasn't as bad as crossing between two ships by a line. Not quite.<br><br>Aryn found herself shfting her mental footing as she entered the Druid Lodge, eyes ears and nose keen as alays, and certain that her knew and recent.... education caused her to catch things she wuld have missed not long ago.<br><br>Spirits abounded in the place.&nbsp; The compounding of poultices, potions, sachets of herbs were all familiar to her.&nbsp; The free giving of a bit of themselves to&nbsp; these preparations by the spirits, that was new.&nbsp; And explained so much.<br><br>Judgement.&nbsp; the Scholar had expected it from her new sisters and ppers, was used to such.&nbsp; She was ahrdly a social outsider, but she ahd not, from very early in her time with the Society, had a true home House.&nbsp; Well, she did now.<br><br>Moving lightly through the room to Fasiriel, returning the kiss lightly, eyes flicking about the room, considering the flint and obsidian blades she say in use,&nbsp; realizing....&nbsp; "My knife is a tool I will not abandon, but it will not be suitable for many of my new tasks.&nbsp; I will need another to wear with it, Fasiriel."&nbsp; A slight smile. "Which I suspect i will have to fashion myself, yes? Otherwise it can hardly be said to be truly of me for ritual usage."&nbsp; Spoken softly but clearly, and felt a subtle shift in the way these women regarded her.<br><br>"Riven weaves, red moons.... weaves can be reformed.&nbsp; Blood moons can be dimmed."<br><br>Weirding stones.&nbsp; &nbsp;Aeryn's face was a pleasant blankness, but her mind was springing from shelf to shelf in her library of memory.<br><br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>02-05-2014, 23:37:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"We will visit her, then," Eshalu said. She rose. <br><br>Fasiriel returned to focus on her work. "Human-sister, you speak kindly," she said to Aeryn, "but if my child is born under a warrior's star, it is her Fate - the Great Mother's will. She will be strong. Her stories will be told. The People in the times before the Starfall were often in conflict. Clans fought each other, for the game had dwindled and the trees grew short and stunted under the faded Sun. But it was in those days that the greatest of the spirits were flesh, and Shalu and Faral and their sisters first wove their stories."<br><br>Eshalu led Aeryn down a narrow passage deeper into the tree's core. Votive banners streaked the interior of the Lodge of Druids and they passed a succession of shrines carved into the living wood. The images of spirits were carved in relief. Some had a readily recognizable Elven form, but others bore an alien countenance with wild eyes, exaggerated features, and elongated limbs. The half-remembered cultural memories of another time. <br><br>"Here," Eshalu whispered, with trepidation. She led Aeryn through a low corridor decorated with a dense array of beads and ritual knots. They waded through, and finally came out at the other end into a small, oval chamber, wreathed in dark blue smoke. No sunlight filtered through, for the windows had been shut up with a dense patchwork of dried and woven reeds. Instead, a single pool of oil burned in a low, granite basin, casting a phantasmal glow. <br><br>Seated cross-legged at the centre of the room was Lyuril. Her long, silver hair elegantly braided, she wore a loose and translucent gossamer robe of the same colour. The resemblance with Eshalu was evident in the pronounced cheekbones and fine, pointed chin, but her eyes were milky-white. She had none of Eshalu's hard musculature. Instead her body was soft, at least by Elven standards - elegant, but pampered, her thighs and belly full, and her breasts high but rounded and prominent under robe. What was striking in the low light were her nails - long and sharpened and painted, like ritual obsidian knives streaked with red and purple dye. Red and purple streaked her face, ringed her eyes, giving her the appearance of a Fury, or a vengeful spirit.<br><br>"Welcome, human sister," Lyuril's voice seemed to come from two place at once. She sat up, her hands skimmed a bowl of clear water standing by her side. Though she may have been blind her motions were effortless and knowing. She saw something beyond the physical world and it certainly was not darkness. "I ask only that you not disturb the weirding stones."<br><br>She pointed with a long fingernail to the array of opalescent, multichrome stones embedded in black, volcanic sand contained in a low, granite basin in front of her. With that long, lethal nail she traced a pattern in the sand around a stone the colour of a firefly on a summer's night. The stone glowed, hummed and pulsed. <br><br>"I am pleased that my blood-sister has come to visit me," Lyuril continued. <br><br>Eshalu settled by the druid's side and kissed her on the lips. "The human-sister has come from afar. She seeks your wisdom."<br><br>Lyuril chuckled. Behind her, a screech from the silhouette of a bird of prey perched on a workbench. "Do not mind her, human-sister. We do not keep animals captive the way your people do - she is wild, but she enjoys my company, just like I enjoy hers. It sees this world keenly, and I do not see it all."<br><br>Lyuril paused and cupped Eshalu's face, "Blood-sister, I detect a new scent on you. The scent of a human. I have known it before. When others returned after coupling with humans. Knowing something new is always such a fine thing."<br><br>Then, the druid turned to Aeryn. "I see you. Even if I do not. Your material form in this world is but a projection of your spirit in the Umbral realms - those that exist besides this one, deep in the Weave. I see you there - the light of your spirit and it is closer to ours than I would have expected. The dryard of the orchard marked you well. Come here, let me feel your material form." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>03-05-2014, 01:52:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fate.&nbsp; fatalism literally.&nbsp; Aeryn had encountered that before among human.s&nbsp; &nbsp;Her only response was&nbsp; to turn a light hand along Fasiriel;s shoulder, saying nothing as she followed Eshalu.<br><br>The shrines, the carvings, old, old, old.&nbsp; And anchors for the spirit.&nbsp; But not hers.&nbsp; Aeryn was, in a word, slightly spooked by the descent into the sanctuary.&nbsp; there really was no other term for it.<br><br>"Thank you, elven sister.&nbsp; I would never disturb the tools of another's craft."<br><br>Power in those stones, not raw, retrained, leashed.&nbsp; but vital.&nbsp; Linked?&nbsp; Linked.&nbsp; To Lyuril.&nbsp; The Druid didn't move like a blind woman.&nbsp; Not here in this place, anyway.&nbsp; But the way Lyuril held herself, the tilt of her head, yes.&nbsp; Blind to normal sight.<br><br>"We have met, your companion and I."&nbsp; Spoken rather dryly, slowly advancing, eyes taking in everything about her in this place, her air was up and clear of her ears, keen for every sound of movement.&nbsp; the scent from the lamp, faint as it was, masked most cues she might have picked up by smell... no matter.<br><br>Aeryn was in the presence of dangerous power and she damned well knew it.&nbsp; &nbsp; Keeping herself under control, watching, waiting, observing.&nbsp; The things she did best, after all.<br><br>The very close presence, standing with feet slightly apart, arms held out from her sides, giving Lyuril freedom to touch, examine as she would.&nbsp; The light touch of a soft hand on h face, her throat, her bare shoulders, then gliding over her clothes.<br><br>Those eyes, standing so close and yet there was no hint of pupil or iris.... just unblemished milky white.&nbsp; Not even the faint red threads of blood vessels.<br><br>A touch so much like Eshalu's, but without the feral strength, the calluses of weapon play and work.<br><br>A graze from those hard nails along the lne of the pulse in her throat.... thrilling in every sense of the word.&nbsp; Chilling.<br><br>It didn't escape her notice that the patterns gracing Lyuril's nails were close to the pattern the Seer had marked in the sand around the stones.&nbsp; The patterns on, in the stones themselves.... Yes.&nbsp; Related, yes.&nbsp; The human tamped down her challenge.&nbsp; This was Lyuril's place, Lyuril's ground.&nbsp; But....<br><br>"Young Nishuul is fortunate to be alive.&nbsp; And very fortunate to still be her&nbsp; own person.&nbsp; She found what called her, more than what she was sent for."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-05-2014, 11:04:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After inspecting Aeryn thoroughly, Lyuril sat down, cross-legged, observing her weirding stones, seeing something that needed no light or physical form to discern. She had felt a human's material form before when so many thought druids to be insular, never daring to look beyond the Caern. It was a polite fiction maintained to give the rangers a sense of primacy. The truth was that few were subtle enough to grasp the workings of the Lodge of Druids. <br><br>"My thanks, human-sister, for tolerating my inspection. Once I have felt with my hands, I seldom forget. But your material form seems quite different to the way I see you. This is unusual - your spirit has changed in some way. Curious, but not unheard of. Humans have come and gone before you. All have struggled to understand our ways, but you are well on your path."<br><br>She picked an ochre coloured stone from a leather satchel and cast it onto the volcanic sand. It skittered and came to rest between two blue stones that resembled raw lapis lazuli. All things change. Even stones change, with time. I have a stone here, that I rarely take out. It gives off light, and makes those who come into contact with it ill. Some things left deep in the Earth are best left untouched, is that not so?"<br><br>Lyuril traced a new pattern onto the sand, ringing the ochre stone, "The girl Nishuul? She is strong. Foolish and headstrong, but many stories will be told about her. You enjoyed her, and so did my sister - and half the Lodge of Rangers." A fresh scree came from the silhouetted bird of prey, almost as though it were agreeing with Lyuril. "I have not had that pleasure myself. I prefer my lovers to be seasoned - and open to new experiences."<br><br>The druid chuckled to herself. "Human-sister, we are all fortunate to have life. Have you seen any others who were blind, or lame, or deaf in this Caern? When I was born, the druids saw immediately that I did not have sight of this world. I was placed on the shrine of the Mother deep within this tree - a place where most are forbidden to go. There they drew an obsidian knife to return me to the Mother. They only let me live when I cried out and gripped the blade of the knife." She opened up her palm to reveal a faint scar, "I saw it and understood its purpose, even without seeing it. All druids have the Sight, but few can see the Weave and the shadow worlds without taking herbs and entering into a trance. I can."<br><br>Eshalu interjected, "Nishuul went to a place of taboo."<br><br>"Not taboo for her," Lyuril corrected, she gave Eshalu's blonde mane a soothing caress and drew the ranger in her arms, raking a long fingernail down the length of a pointed ear. Eshalu exhaled and huddled closer to Lyuril. The druid's touch had a curative quality - it melted away tension, fear, nervousness. Lyuril raised her blank eyes to Aeryn. She looked like she had tamed a tawny lioness, cradling it like a kitten in her arms. "Nishuul went because she was able to go. That place has great power and she was drawn to it. The young will always have strange ideas." <br><br>Lyuril dipped into one of the pockets of her herb-satchel and drew out a fat, squirming grub. She raised it to her purple-painted lips and bit down with sharp teeth. The contents of the creature squirted into her mouth. She shuddered - a sudden muscular spasm - and drew a quick succession of breaths before she forced her heartbeat back under control. <br><br>"I would offer you one, human-sister, but you are unaccustomed to this unfortunate creature's secretions. Its effects may be...unpleasant for you. I find it helps me focus my Sight. Now tell me, human-sister, what do your people know of the Cold Ones?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>03-05-2014, 15:30:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was something pro forma about that touch.&nbsp; Intimate, not dismissive, but something of an actress playing a role in the way Lyruil examined her.&nbsp; Not an examination, Aeryn realized.&nbsp; A show, for Eshalu.&nbsp; Much as the easy arrogance in the druid's manner as she draped her arms around her Ranger sister was a show for Aeryn.&nbsp; I have her, mine, you cannot have what we have.&nbsp; Aeryn had far too much self control to grind her teeth.<br><br>Well no,&nbsp; Blood sisters had, potentially anyway, something no other women could match.<br><br>Interesting that Lyuril was clearly so much less... communitarian was the human word she settled on -&nbsp; &nbsp;than the norm which Eshalu implied existed, a norm bolstered by her own observations.&nbsp; Well, people who considered themselves special often also considered themselves unbound by rules.&nbsp; And Lyuril, her talents and skill were indeed special.<br><br>"You are very kind.&nbsp; I am well aware that I have much to learn.&nbsp; My knowledge of the physical natural world is, if I may say so, profound within the limits of my experiences.&nbsp; The spirits, I have been able to deal with them indirectly, almost always n hostile terms..&nbsp; The Dryad of the Grove has indeed opened my eyes to a new world.&nbsp; Imperfect, not as clear a sight as yours and never will be of course."&nbsp; <em>And you make no mention of the Great Dryad I met first.... interesting.&nbsp; Waiting for my boast, holding back an arrow in your quiver, or you simply don't know?&nbsp; I wonder.&nbsp; Spirits have their secrets from physical entities, legend, lore, and direct study&nbsp; all confirmethat.&nbsp; Very interesting.</em><br><br>"There are things far too dangerous to be disturbed without good reason, and perhaps not with one's own hands.&nbsp; Directly.&nbsp; Nishuul, as you say, has an eventful life ahead of her.<br><br>Studying the new pattern emerging before Lyuril, not understanding it, but committing it to memory.&nbsp; All of it, the lay of the sand, the stones, their positions, color and markings. The order n which they were laid down - her best guess on many of those.<br><br>Eshalu was watching them both silently, but alert to everything, their postures, their movements, the undercurrents in their voices.&nbsp; <em>Yes my dear, this is a duel, slower to develop than a knife fight and no not as deadly. </em> She hoped.<br><br>Open to new experiences..&nbsp; Well, that was what being a field Scholar was all about.&nbsp; And of course Eshalu wasn't reacting to that not very subtle offer/challenge made right in front of her the way a human would have which threw Aeryn just a bit off balance.<br><br>Ice ran down Aeryns spine.&nbsp; Lyuril knew much about humans indeed.<br><br>But not the Saurians.&nbsp; Or she would not be doing&nbsp; something Aeryn considered so damned stupid.<br><br>"The Cold Ones.&nbsp; &nbsp;What do we know, truly know?&nbsp; Very little.&nbsp; We can infer much more.&nbsp; They had vast power, and their reach and spread across this world was much broader and more firm than most even suspect in the wildest legends.&nbsp; Worldwide, all places.&nbsp; There is no p lace,&nbsp; no region where we have looked where we have not found at least indirect sign that the Cold Ones were there in strength. Dra Sirdu, we think.&nbsp; I think, was the center of their power long ago."&nbsp; She frowned. "The island, the webs of power, the lines and tracings just don't match up quite right, as though the island itself has moved over time.&nbsp; &nbsp;I do not see how such a thing is possible, no sudden or violent movement, it seems to have&nbsp; been very slow.&nbsp; Very very slow.&nbsp; But faster than the movement of Ley lines, for want of a better term for such."<br><br>"Of their lives, their culture?&nbsp; We have learned much recently.&nbsp; They are only remotely like us in thought, they are not exactly reptiles, but their thoughts, their feelings are so alien from anything with fur or hair. Birds.... there seem to be some hints that they can be birdlike in some ways they react."&nbsp; Society researchers were swarming into Dra Sirdu.&nbsp; It struck Aeryn suddenly that she had a conduit for knowledge that Lyuril lacked.<br><br>"This facility, this creche that the young of the People have plundered is alive, active, far from dead.&nbsp; And it is becoming more wakeful now."&nbsp; <em>Which may be what Lyuil wants.&nbsp; Oh hell.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-05-2014, 17:26:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eshalu was swift to detect a sense of unease in Aeryn. Did she think Lyuril to be a rival? Perhaps, but to Eshalu that was an impossible dilemma. Her training was to act and think on a different level. Druids could become so absorbed in the world of the spirits and in the stories of the past they would lose track of the present, and of the immediate demands of the material world. That is why rangers were needed to protect them, and occasionally drag them back into the light of day. <br><br>Still...Lyuril's touch was indulgently soothing and Eshalu was comforted by the familiar scent. Fragrant resin, the fabric, the polished, aromatic woods of Lyuril's beaded necklaces, the smell of her skin, her hair. All very tactile - letting her slip into a carefree reverie. <br><br>Lyuril nuzzled Eshalu's hair and kissed the tip of her ear. Then, turning to Aeryn, "We of the People are children of the Forest. Our world is all that we can see, or hear, or feel. Humans, I know, have a great gift. You can understand that which you cannot feel and grasp things which you cannot see, or even fully imagine. That is great knowledge, with which the Great Mother has blessed you. So I know of your artefacts - those that move on their own accord, those that can predict the motion of the stars, or make an object appear closer than it is, or show quantities that are uncountable. I have seen many of your trinkets in time and they fascinate me. But my Lodge Sisters have little interest in such things. They cannot understand them. I, myself, struggle to see them the way you do. Perhaps I never will. But I know this knowledge is valuable and it is why your people have encroached onto these lands - because you can."<br><br>The druid scratched another symbol onto the dark sands before her, linking the ochre stone to the adjacent blue stones. The stones vibrated, the symbol linking their resonance, so that they hummed together, like different notes on a flute. "All things have a spirit and these stones are deeply bound to the strands of the Weave. I can see far with them - and catch glimpses of what was or that which is to come. The secretions of the <em>shurmyl</em>-grub quicken my mind, and enable me to see the images with greater clarity."<br><br>"I have seen fragments of the dreams of the Cold Ones. But I know that your account is true. They had great power and knew how to shape life to their will. They hunger for warm life - consider us prey. But we know how avoid them and I have seen the wards that can seal the shrines up again. The warriors of your people do not. I do not take awakening that which is meant to sleep lightly, but we may have no choice. The Caern cannot fall. I have heard your people have done grave things to the Clans in the South and I cannot see the same visited on my own Clan."<br><br>Eshalu sat up, eyes boring into Lyuriel's blank gaze, "You would awaken the Cold Ones? After the stories of them I have told?"<br><br>Lyuriel dipper her head submissively, and kissed Eshalu's throat and shoulder, "You have always trusted my wisdom."<br><br>"If the Mistresses of our Lodge knew..." Eshalu was certain that none of the senior rangers would agree to this, much less in the male Lodge, where a current of distrust towards the most powerful druids had always run deep. <br><br>"We are one in this Clan - all I do is for the good of the people."<br><br>Eshalu whipped round, seeking Aeryn's counsel, "Do you think this wise?" It was not a huntress's task to mediate on such matters. She felt confused, longing for the certainties of the hunt and wilderness she knew so well. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>03-05-2014, 22:20:19</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><br>Eshalu was so adorable when she settled down like that.&nbsp; The sight did much to put Aeryn back into a good humor, which&nbsp; she badly needed.&nbsp; This was no time to allow strong feelings to sway analysis&nbsp; Not at all.<br><br>"Because we can, yes.&nbsp; Not because it is wise.&nbsp; &nbsp;It is not wise, a point the Society is driving home in Imperial ruling circles."&nbsp; Aeryn cocked her head slightly, staring off into space.&nbsp; "So, what could the Cold Ones grasp that is so obvious to them, unthinkable, perhaps literally, to Elf and Human?&nbsp; I do wonder about that, there were hints..."&nbsp; She trailed off, shaking her head.<br><br>"Stones have spirits."&nbsp; She said that slowly.&nbsp; "Alien spirits, some of which yuo can talk to.&nbsp; Others just too alien for any meaningful interaction.&nbsp; But those."&nbsp; She nodded to the weirding stones.&nbsp; "Are clearly useful, to sense whatever is in them, work with them."<br><br>Lyurils threat/warning was no surprise at all.&nbsp; Aeryn betrayed no reaction whatsoever as Eshalu roused from her bliss.&nbsp; Simply stood, and listened with racing thoughts as the blood sisters argued.<br><br>Until she was directly dragged in.<br><br>"No, Eshalu.&nbsp; I think it is&nbsp; insanely dangerous."&nbsp; Locking eyes with Lyuril.&nbsp; "Yes you know the wards.&nbsp; Yes you can weave them into your own bindings.&nbsp; But you did not create these wards.&nbsp; Tell me, Luril, would any spirit weaving of yours be useful turned against you?&nbsp; Or would you have some way, some flaw built into the fabric that only you knew about that you could exploit against anybody who tried to use your work against you?"<br><br>Aeryn stared off into space again, thinking.&nbsp; "These wards are not seals of confinement imposed from without, they are barricades for defense erected from within.&nbsp; Barricades that can be unlocked, dismantled&nbsp; by those who are protected, protected by these wards, not imprisoned by them."<br><br>"It will not work, Lyuril." Dark human eyes again locking with light Elven Eyes.&nbsp; "The world has changed.&nbsp; The world is colder, the air... perhaps... less rich?&nbsp; Yes, there are hints.&nbsp; These northern lands are not Dra Sirdu.&nbsp; &nbsp; The Cold Ones will not have the power they once had, but they will have enough to become a third force, their own force added to this conflict, not any ally of yours.&nbsp; Certainly not a pawn."<br><br>Glancing at Eshalu.&nbsp; "Let the Mistresses decide.&nbsp; &nbsp;Some of them know what I and the Society have done, are doing, will do to end ths war. So tell them Lyuril's plan, that&nbsp; Lyuril thinks she can win it."<br><br>&nbsp; Again studying Lyuril.&nbsp; "I will gladly speak before any council, lay my thoughts, my feelings, my perceptions&nbsp; and judgements down for their consideration right beside yours, despite being a human outsider.&nbsp; I accept the disadvantage, the handicap"&nbsp; A deliberate use of the same term for the perceived flaws in newborns that sent them to the knife, not their mother's arms and breast.&nbsp; "The fact that they have no idea what you are doing, Lyuril, tells me that opening the way for the Cold Ones is nothing that any of the People but you will think&nbsp; is wise."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>03-05-2014, 23:15:01</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Lyuril seemed taken aback by Aeryn's observations on the Saurians. Still, the human scholar spoke with enough self confidence to be taken very seriously. She was careful to hide her hand - the true extent of her trepidation at releasing something over which she knew she would have no control. If Aeryn had calculated correctly, she would know it was a move borne out desperation. A very level-headed acknowledgment that whatever it was that drove human learning to ever deadlier heights could not be matched by the People. <br><br>"Your counsel is pondered," Lyuril said, skimming her long nails over the vibrating stones, "the Sight is not knowledge. It is means to understanding, but the images I see are broken, like shards of ice. But know that I have heard the last cries of the Cold Ones. You have merely seen their abodes. Their shrines of stone, their eggs and their last remnants, perhaps, but you have never seen their dreams. These are terrifying. Because they saw the world in different...colours. You will never know it, but their dreams are fearful things."<br><br>Eshalu seemed reassured by both Lyuril and Aeryn having kept their discussions calm. But there was one very practical matter she now needed to know. "How did the Cold Ones fall into torpor?"<br><br>Lyuril pressed the pad of her thumb down on the ochre stone. It thrummed and hissed, leaving a spiral pattern on the sand. "I do not know. It may be that the world changed. A cataclysm greater even than the Starfall that opened up the seas and stretched the ley-lines, like the human-sister said. All I know is that those that survived chose to sleep if they could."<br><br>Eshalu pondered that thought. Something must have occurred in the intervening time. Save for the matriarch, the Cold Ones she had seen on Dra Sirdu bore little resemblance to the monstrous reptiles of legend. It made what still hid in the Cold One shrine near the Caern all the more terrible. If the first Cold Ones still lived there, sleeping rather than dead, there would be no telling how powerful they would be. Even if the weather of the present time made them lethargic, the People would simply be prey for them. <br><br>"I am certain," the ranger said, "that the Lodge of Rangers will advise against unbinding the Cold Ones. But you should have proposed this to them, and not used Nishuul to set aside the taboo."<br><br>"You care for Nishuul and so do I. I was with her in dream and I knew she would not come to harm," Lyuril rose and took Eshalu's hands into her own, placing them on her hips while she affectionately nuzzled the ranger's throat, "come now, do not think ill of my intentions. We must act to preserve the People. I will let my counsel be known to the Mistresses of your Lodge, and I encourage our human-sister to speak to them, too. But know that the Lodge of Druids favours my idea. I am confident that the wards, once broken, can be put back in place. At most, we would have a few Cold Ones released into the forest, but winter is close and they will soon return to their torpor. Especially after they have fed. Now, we should also speak of the question of Aruil..." <br><br>Eshalu sank into Lyuril's embrace. The druid's speech and breathing were hypnotic, making her forget for a moment that they were separate bodies. "You continue to oppose our joining?"<br><br>"Only because we cannot maintain our separation from other Clans."<br><br>"I will fetch her then, and we will resolve this."<br><br>"So you should go. I will meet you in your Lodge. But you, human-sister, you should stay for a moment."<br><br>Eshalu motioned for Aeryn to comply. <em>All is well,</em> her eyes said, <em>I trust her</em>. The ranger departed through the smoke and back up towards the canopy of the tree. <br><br>Lyuril poured a dark, bitter-smelling liquid into two low wooden bowls and offered one to Aeryn. "It is not too strong - it is a tea of mushrooms picked by night hear at the very base of this tree. It will clear your mind."<br><br>The druid drank deeply. "The Cold Ones have many secrets. I have interest in the ability of the large females of their ruler-caste to produce fertile eggs with no male. When the winds grew cold, the males of their warrior-caste died, but the Cold Ones sustained themselves, even if all their males are now sterile. There is so much we could learn from them, if we could only hear their dreams."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>04-05-2014, 15:34:29</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Trust.&nbsp; Aeryn certainly did not trust Lyuril.&nbsp; But she trusted Eshalu"s judgement.&nbsp; "Go, we will continue to talk."<br><br>Accepting a bowl of the mushroom brew, sniffing it, tasting it, swirlng it around in her mouth, on her tongue, then drinking more deeply.&nbsp; But not all of it, or even most.&nbsp; She could feel more.&nbsp; Just....more that was the best way she could describe it&nbsp; Staring at the weirding stones, certain that she could not have created the pattern fashioned by Lyuril... but reading it.&nbsp; Not as completely as the other, but reading it.<br><br>"You do not want Aruil to stay.&nbsp; You want her to go south.&nbsp; There is much to be said for this."&nbsp; Not looking at Lyuril directly.&nbsp; "The human kingdoms further south are not as good at war as the Empire."&nbsp; &nbsp;A ghost of the smile.&nbsp; "Or they woud be empires.&nbsp; And Aruil , what she knows about how tthe Empire fights, she could teach."&nbsp; And draw effort away from this Caern, to a degree.<br><br>All Lyuril did was for the Caern and Clan, she had&nbsp; said so herself.<br><br>All this&nbsp; gave Aeyrn time to think very carefully about what the Druid had just said.&nbsp; Time to order her mind.&nbsp; Because Lyuril was edging close to somethng that certain very secretive women of the Society had long worked for.<br><br>"Fertile eggs without the efforts of a Male, yes....&nbsp; Some animals do this, we are sure of it in the Society.&nbsp; A measure in extremis, taken in dire need.&nbsp; However, not a true, successful in the long term substitute for the participation of a male in the... process."&nbsp; Aeryn locked eyes once more with Lyuril.&nbsp; "Not yet."<br><br>Dreams.&nbsp; Aeryn could hear something, meaningless babble, no not quite.&nbsp; There was order to what she, what her spirit-self heard, saw, felt, smelled.&nbsp; She couldn't understand it, not really.&nbsp; Not all of it.&nbsp; but enough of it.<br><br>Alien.&nbsp; Not cold, not malignant, but alien.<br><br>A world growing colder, the air thinner in a way.&nbsp; And a long orderly retreat underground.&nbsp; Not just here, other places.<br><br>Those holdfasts, many of them, most of them lost.&nbsp; Natural forces, looting by interlopers - not all of them&nbsp; by Humans or Elves or- Goblins?&nbsp; Interesting possiblity, that was.&nbsp; But long ago.&nbsp; Maybe.&nbsp; <em>Goblins?&nbsp; Goddess, I hope that was long ago!</em><br><br>Matriarchs quickening their eggs without a male's seed?&nbsp; Yes, that was real.&nbsp; She could see it.<br><br>And maybe something more could be learned, maybe it wasn't just a wild dream,&nbsp; maybe a newborn babe laid on her belly, a babe with Eshalu's cheekbones and chin, Aeryn's own dark eyes-<br><br><br>"I think it might be done."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-05-2014, 16:33:58</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"It can be," Lyuril pondered the thought, "it <em>must</em> be done. Our mating rituals are time-honoured, but they have slowed our growth. There is much discussion to determine who in the male Lodges will provide seed and who in the female Lodges will bear the child. Those of the People who may consort freely with both males and females have no such concerns, but they rarely produce children born under the right stars. But if we had means to free ourselves from the bounds of the old rituals without breaking the taboos that bind us to our Lodges, then we will have started upon the right path to save the Caern."<br><br>Lyuril poured herself another cup of the dark, bitter liquid and drank. She rose and walked to a stack of objects, their identities unclear under the tight leather or hemp fabric wrappings. The druid clearly did not navigate by physical sight, but rather from a mixture of memory and an undefined sixth sense, that enabled her not only to know the exact location of objects, but to handle them with an ethereal dexterity. If she did not see the object itself, she saw its reflection on other planes of existence well enough to manipulate them in the material world. <br><br>Lyuril searched, but spoke to Aeryn while she did, "If a ranger or a druid could bear children freely, our Clan would be strengthened. In times at the very borders of memory, it was forbidden for rangers or druids to bear children outside of the ordained rituals. Game was scarce and the conflicts between Clans too great to bear the birth of many new warriors. They would have continued to take what the First Spirits ordained should be left alone. But we now live in difficult times and we, the People, must adapt, just like yours have done. Do not think I do not admire you. Some here see humans with contempt, for they rarely have the Sight, and do not know the ley-lines, or the ways of the Great Mother. But we are all the Great Mother's children, we all live and die by the same laws."<br><br>Lyuril retrieved a pair of hemp-cloth wrapped packages and set them down before Aeryn. She settled on the floor, directly in front of Aeryn, sitting cross-legged, "I will help Aruil to decide how she should choose. You may play a part in that, too, for I wish for nothing less than a rebirth of our People on the same scale as we were refashioned after the Starfall. This means binding ourselves to other Clans," her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "binding ourselves to humans."<br><br>"I have heard of the offspring some humans have forced upon those of the People whom they have hunted and taken. Their potential is wasted because you do not know how to raise a child of the forest. But things could be different. I hear from certain humans who have seen this Caern before you and from the wilder stories in the Lodge of Rangers, that among some of your human-clans women who couple with one another do so with a surrogate of the phallus, and take each other as males do among themselves or with females. This practice is difficult for us to understand and some think it taboo, but I know Eshalu and her Lodge-sisters used to enjoy sneaking into the male Lodge and watching them couple with their lovers, fascinated with the forcefulness with which they take each other, and their hard bodies glistening with sweat..." Lyuril paused - if she had not seen and relished it herself, she had seen it in the twilit dreamlands.&nbsp; <br><br>"The truth is, this is not unlike our fertility rituals, where the male seed is brought to rest in the mother's body. But the dreams of the Cold Ones have guided me towards an artifact that would bind and reproduce female humours as though they were male, and dispense with the need for their seed."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>04-05-2014, 22:26:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Old ways survive because they are useful.&nbsp; but times change.&nbsp; I have already noted that this land can easily bear more of the People than it does, even if your ways of hunting, tending edible plants changed not at all, there is, well, fat on the land, even leaner times would give more support than the People draw uon."&nbsp; The brew was giving Aeryn a faint sense of what Lyuril used to search, enough to want more.<br><br>No.&nbsp; She was no Elf, more of the mushroom liquor could have, would have unguessable aftereffect.&nbsp; No.<br><br>Focusing her apparent attention to the items Lyuril finally brought forth was an excellent way of hiding other reactions.&nbsp; What happened to some of the children of Elven and Human parentage was closely held indeed.&nbsp; "Such children are rare, even given the often cruel treatment of Elven captives.&nbsp; The differences between us are far more than our ears and bone structure."&nbsp; <em>Even given solving the problem of quickening a child of two women without a man, this is another trial with any child I might have by - never mind.</em><br><br>"Yes.&nbsp; Dildos, we call them.&nbsp; And that does answer one question I had about Eshalu, thank you."&nbsp; And yes, Aeryn&nbsp; was quietly vastly amused By Lyuril's obvious enjoyment of such a sight.&nbsp; "I personally have little interest in the natural part in question, regardless of what is being done with it to whom."<br><br>And suddenly she was not amused at all, was alert and keen as any good knife edge.&nbsp; "An artifact.&nbsp; Only one? One is not enough.&nbsp; We will need to replicate it, duplicate it. "&nbsp; Hope, wild hope, she fought it down.&nbsp; "In the normal course, we would need to take such a thing apart to see how it worked.&nbsp; And if there is only one, we would not dare to do so.&nbsp; But&nbsp; I think, with aethereal senses to guide the craftsmen-"&nbsp; Women.&nbsp; Aeryn had several artisans and specialists in mind, none of them male.&nbsp; &nbsp;"-it can be done. without risking the artifact."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>04-05-2014, 23:40:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"So we understand each other," Lyuril seemed satisfied that Aeryn had been drawn into her plan - she needed allies if she we was going to propose the difficult idea of using the lost wisdom of the Cold Ones, "and you may wish to see this first." <br><br>She unlaced the patterned hemp-fabric of the first parcel to reveal a shard of smooth, black stone, of the same glass-like consistency of the black boulders not far from the Caern. She passed the pane of glass between her hands and then held it above the ochre stone on the weirding-pit. The obsidian thrummed with its hidden resonance, the blackness giving way to long, winding patterns of red and blue light crisscrossing its surface like channels of water. <br><br>"The Cold Ones, like humans, set their ideas and dreams to symbols. I know your word-drawings represent sounds, but they did not use their voices to speak in the same way we do. I cannot understand the meaning of these symbols, but from the last dreams of the Cold Ones I know that their symbols showed ideas. You can only see these symbols because the stone has become attuned. I have <em>always</em> seen them. They too must have had the Sight, and seen into the worlds beside this one," Lyuril traced a nail to follow the path of a stream of red light, "then, one day, the stone spoke to me. Its spirit entered my dreams and I knew...those were fearful dreams, but now I know..."<br><br>With that Lyuril set down the stone and unwrapped the second parcel. Inside was a thick, polished wooden shaft fixed to a leather harness. The shaft was ridged and inscribed with fertility symbols. It seemed very much living, pliant almost - the soft, flexible wood of a sapling kept fresh. <br><br>"This," the druid said, smiling broadly, "is the fruit of my work. The leather phalluses some of the rangers brought back from their walkabouts were impractical in delivery. Living wood has the internal channels necessary for our purposes. And I have bound a larval dryad to it - to keep the wood live. Your artisans may find it difficult to replicate this aspect, but for now we must know whether it will give what is expected of it."<br><br>She handed the dildo to Aeryn, "At the base of the shaft is a nub, which takes root in its bearer, opening a sensory link between bearer and mother when they couple. When the bearer attains her peak, her humours are mingled with sap and conveyed as seed into the mother and, if her cycle is fertile, so quickening conception. It has not yet been tried, though. And that is why you will help me in this task. If we are successful, I will ensure that Aruil not only stays here in the Caern, but I will help her convince the Southern Clans that they will never recover their ancestral homelands and that they have much to gain by joining with us. They will harry your kin no longer and will serve to strengthen our Clan."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-05-2014, 17:01:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Writing.&nbsp; Saurian writing.&nbsp; "I don't know them either, not really.&nbsp; But I will learn.'&nbsp; &nbsp;The spirit realm, the Aethereal sight, so much context that she had been missing in her earlier study, now so clear to her.&nbsp; Aeryn wanted that Obisdian pane, wanted it as much as what she knew was coming next.&nbsp; Almost.<br><br>The wooden phallus.&nbsp; Not a simple dildo, it was so much more.&nbsp; Aeryn held it carefully, studied it intently.&nbsp; Smooth as if varnished, but not varnished, not sanded, ot polished.&nbsp; Well, the Dryad bound within wouldn't let it harm a woman, that was not what the thing was made for.&nbsp; Not at all.<br><br>"Oh, mundane workers could never duplicate your binding.&nbsp; But, and I mean no disrespect at all, I am sure the physical material design can be improved.&nbsp; this is - "&nbsp; Aeryn hesitated.&nbsp; <em>How the hell do I translate prototype into Elven, even most human's don't grasp that idea, not really. </em> "This is a first trial.&nbsp; But you seem to have thought of the practical difficulties, shall we say."&nbsp; Was that just a hint of a blush in Lyuril's cheeks?&nbsp; Maybe.<br><br><br>"The mother may not be the only one who must be fertile at the time of use, mixing humours may not be enough.&nbsp; I... there will be only one way to tell. but it may be that the wearer must be in her season as well for a child to quicken between the two."&nbsp; Staring off into space a moment, thinking hard.&nbsp; "If so... not as flexible, not as efficient as with a male.&nbsp; But Nature has had a very long time to work on the problem.&nbsp; This is miraculous.&nbsp; Lyuril, we, the Society has worked on this for a century, we have nothing like this, nothing even close."<br><br>It took a moment for Lyurils rather declarative statement of intent for the Southern eEves to break through her reverie.<br><br>"Ah....&nbsp; This migration you speak of."&nbsp; <em>How to explain how daft I think this notion is....</em> "How are they going to get here?&nbsp; The southern kingdoms are in the way, less if they can travel by sea, but there is the Imperial navy to consider, if they go by land, yet more Kingdoms in the way, and Imperial armies will face them either way eventually.&nbsp; For every ten of the Southern People who sets out,&nbsp; one will arrive.&nbsp; And that is a very optimistic judgement. And of those who arrive, how many will adapt to the cooler climate? So...."&nbsp; <br><br>Aeryn went pale, whispering in Imperial&nbsp; "How exactly did the Saurians hold their world wide empire together?&nbsp; They were very centralized, more so than even humans, the further you get from the center of power, the more lax control becomes but they were the same, the same art, the same writing, everywhere...&nbsp; "<br><br>Recovering her poise, switching back to Elvish.&nbsp; "The Cold ones had a way to move from place to place quickly.&nbsp; Small groups, critical shipments, nothing of bulk or great numbers, but quickly when they felt the need.&nbsp; We find it.&nbsp; Find what they used, turn it to our own purposes.&nbsp; We can't save all of these wild Southern People.&nbsp; But we can save many....and the ones we want to save the most, perhaps."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>05-05-2014, 18:57:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lyuril looked upon Aeryn's inspection of her artifact with open satisfaction, "Just so. Both bearer and mother must be at the fertile peaks of their cycle. In time, the cycles of the inhabitants of each Lodge will align. Not always and not perfectly, but enough that, should there be need, many could choose to bear a child at short notice. The purpose of the bound larval dryad is to animate the artifact - it is a living thing and it will respond to both bearer and mother and be a bridge between the two. All unions are the will of the Great Mother, so we seek her blessing."<br><br>When Aeryn's talk turned to the fate of the Southern Clans, Lyuril seemed bemused. "The People are no strangers to hardship. If they must adapt to colder climes they will - with guidance, of course. But the path of their flight has already been plotted. We know the ley-lines to be channels of energy. They are the veins and arteries of the Great Mother, but the Cold Ones knew how to walk them to bend spaces in the material world and make two places one, if briefly. We have long known that by walking the ley-lines a long journey could be shortened because the walker could step <em>sideways</em> into a shadow world. But the Cold Ones knew better. I would be able to gather the Southern Clans here." <br><br><em>And they would owe their salvation to this Clan - to me</em>.<br><br>Lyuril smiled and tapped two sharp, painted nails to Aeryn's throat. "Do you know why I grow all my nails long, where other druids sharpen one or two? For the same reason that some rangers grow their hair long. It is a boast - a show of our art. The ranger challenges the opponent to seize upon her, knowing full well that she will be faster. I cannot please a lover with my hands, but I need not, because my mouth is quite sufficient."<br><br>The druid parted her lips and extended her tongue. A bead of amber glistened in the lamplight. "It is the Southern Clans who pierce their bodies. We do not - but I find that so...limiting," Lyuril chuckled, "you share my spirit. you do not fear my artifact, but glory in its possibilities. That is the gift of you humans. Rangers think themselves fearless, but they fear the world outside the wilds, even if they will not admit it. I will extinguish that fear."<br><br>Lyuril leaned forward and pressed the nails of both forefingers on Aeryn's temples, running her nose over the scholar's forehead, her hair. "I know," the druid's whisper grew fiercer, "you think of the endless possibilities. Oh, you would bear Eshalu's child, would you not? Imagine that, your belly full with a child strong, and proud, and beautiful like Eshalu, binding you forever to her. That is important, for humans...such a child would be born under good stars. Perhaps she would be a great huntress - or a keeper or lore like you? But think of it," her voice was now a hypnotic hiss, "a part of Eshalu, growing within you. The forerunner of a new generation, neither of the People nor human, but ready to forge a new world."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-05-2014, 21:24:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her eyes stayed on the phallus, the obsidian plane, her face&nbsp; obscured by har falling across....&nbsp; And listening to every word, every nuance.&nbsp; Not needing the Sight for this. <em> It won't be that simple, </em>she did not say aloud.&nbsp; &nbsp;<em>Neither plan, neither endeavor.&nbsp; But that's why you want me.&nbsp; To make your grand visions work.</em><br><br>Thought slowed as those long hard nails touched her throat.&nbsp; Right over her pulse, which was hammering of a sudden.&nbsp; Perhaps a woman could be pleased by those nails - if she was of a certain mood.&nbsp; Staring at that amber bead as thought stilled, save for the thought of a memory of a dancer's silver-pierced tongue tracing wet fire across her folds, thought of what amber imbued by a spirit might do.<br><br>And nails at her temples, in her hair, the pulse of breath on her skin, thought fled as Lyuril wove those images, images Aeryn kept locked down, had never dared to let out, tortured by her knowledge of her&nbsp; own peoples efforts and failure to give what this Druid was promising her.<br><br>Aeryn suddenly realized that she was taller than Lyuril, who had seemed to tower over the human from the moment they had met.&nbsp; But no, Aeryn had to tilt her head back, face turned up when she kissed Eshalu, just a little.<br><br>Now her face was down, head tilted down.&nbsp; Because she was kissing Lyuril.&nbsp; Hard.&nbsp; Up against a&nbsp; wall hard, shoving against the woman hard, shedding her belt, her sandals, her tunic, her chiton.&nbsp; Peeling Lyuril out of her garments, mouths lcoked together and sweet Sophia that kiss, that pierced tongue was everything, just everything she wanted and&nbsp; what would that mouth be like at her breasts, her belly, oh goddess yes between her legs.<br><br>Legs.&nbsp; Pale legs, unmarred skin, Lyuril almost never left the tree.&nbsp; A leaner version of the human noblewomen Aeryn had lain with, soft of body.&nbsp; And like many of those women, ar from soft of spirit or mind.&nbsp; Aeryn found herself on her back, , head caged by pale legs astride her, as Lyruil knelt above her, her breasts slick and wet from Aeryn's mouth, smiling down.&nbsp; Not gently.&nbsp; Not tenderly.&nbsp; Certainly not lovingly.&nbsp; Riding, riding out her peak, sighing, lifting up turning around, settling down again, Aeryn's head lifting, eager to kiss those folds again, then giving a shocked cry of surprise and pleasure, head falling back with a whimpering moan.<br><br>Because Lyuril was using her mouth to show how it was done.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>07-05-2014, 14:42:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lyuril straddled Aeryn, fusing with the darker human woman, mouths grinding against wet folds, locked in nether kisses. The druid's nail scraped down Aeryn's spine, leaving reddened trails. Not quite enough to draw blood, but enough to remind the scholar of the lethality of a druid - the instrument of sacrifice to the spirits of the forest. Lyuri's tongue thrummed between the slick folds of Aeryn's sex, the amber bead caressing the edge of the tight bud that was the focus of the human woman's pleasure. Careful, little glancing blows, just teasing the rim of the hood. With each tap the bead stirred - a visceral little vibration animated by the spirit inside. <br><br>She could not see, but she knew by touch and by scent how to guide her lips and tongue, discovering the contours of Aeryn's sex, feeling, remembering. It was not her first taste of a human woman. Far from it. Rangers thought druids insular, closed off, just because they did not seek the thrills of walkabout. But Lyuril had explored at her own pace and the humans who had the skill and instinct to make this far into the lands of the People were strong, seasoned. No ranger had taken her with the same merciless, hungry force of the tall, hard-eyed human adventuress. No Elf had made her ache like that, but still cry out for more until her throat was raw.&nbsp; <br><br>Lyuril took her pleasure lustily, one peak, the beginnings of a second perhaps, enough to tighten and then loosen the muscles in her back and belly. "I taste like Eshalu," a whisper, half-snarled, "just so, I <em>know</em> I taste like Eshalu. But this you will not have done with her - not yet. We will crown our pleasure with the first use of the artifact."<br><br>The druid slipped out of Aeryn's embrace. She cast aside her disheveled tunic and seized the phallus, offering it with both hands to Aeryn. "It begins," two fingers dipped into the fat mound of her sex and brought a strand of thick, cloudy nectar suspended between sharp nails, "and we will soon know if my vision will come to pass." Her smile was knowing, triumphant. "If my visions are true you will soon have what you want. Eshalu's child in your belly. That I promise you - I...we can make it so. But first, we must know."<br><br>Lyuril lay back, hips raised, thighs parted. Her anklets jangled softly, her sex spread and molten with arousal. Streaks of turquoise and crimson ritual paint wound elegantly down her back, her sacrum. <br><br>"I know you are inexpert, but is this to your liking?" Lyuril crooned, "Or would you prefer me on my belly? You may take me however you wish."<br><br><em>All the way I foresaw. So soon. But how I long to see how Eshalu takes her.</em> 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>07-05-2014, 16:19:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A brief moment of angry refusal began to form, then ebbed as Aeryn understood what Lyuril wanted.<br><br>"Well,"&nbsp; She murmured, turning the phallus over in her hands, smoothing out the straps.&nbsp; "Inexpert, but not completely unknown to this."&nbsp; It had been years, literally, since the last of the very few times she had worn one of these.&nbsp; She slowly rose to her feet, staring down at the spread and commanding woman supine before her.&nbsp; Stepping into the closed leg loop, belting the other fast against ehr hip.&nbsp; Settling it snugly into place.&nbsp; Very snugly.&nbsp; Very warmly.<br><br>In fact... it fit like a glove.&nbsp; It certainly didn't feel like any leather phallus she had worn back in the day...<br><br>Warmer, shifting against her.&nbsp; Within her?&nbsp; She felt the nub at the end almost flow as is moved within her opening, just a little.&nbsp; Kneeling vetween Lyurils legs, a hand on ach ankle, slow sleeping guiding caresses up to the elven woman's hips, then down to her toes, again and again.&nbsp; Leaning forwar,d bracing on hands as they kissed, lowering herself down, murmuring&nbsp; "Yes you do, both mouths taste like hers, your skin like hers"&nbsp; <em> But not the same, no no, her taste, her scent is better.</em>&nbsp; But Lyuril's was good, better than good....<br><br>The first touch of wooden phallus against the elven woman's opening was a shock.&nbsp; A very warm wet pleasant shock that flooded her mind, enveloping her mind as warm wet smooth tightness enveloped the phallus.<br><br>Because Aeryn could feel it.&nbsp; Feel the thick hardness eagerly welcomed and snugly held<br><br>For a moment, a brief moment while thought was still possible she felt a trace of sympathy for males, no wonder they were so obsessed with entering women.&nbsp; And Lyuril's arms and legs wrapping about her, her own arms sliding between floor and Lyurils's back, taking her weight on knees and elbows, alternating hard wet kisses with panting gasps, her face buried in the woman's hair, atop he with their nipples hard against each other's skin.<br><br>A rapture new to both of them, from the little shudders, then larger shudders, the jerky gasps, the bite of those long nails nto her back and flanks, she knew that Lyuril had expected nothing quite like this.&nbsp; Aeryn certainly hadn't.<br><br>A rival in the Society had once described Aeryn Sunlight as being able to balance an account book in her head while releasing hard enough to break a tooth.&nbsp; An exaggeration of course.<br><br>Still, she knew part of her mind was filing this all away, a small part, she would dissect it later.&nbsp; With a warm glow to be sure.<br><br>More than a glow now, a white hot wet heat every patch of skin touching and touched by Lyuril was aflame, Ad they were peaking together, no... all three of them were, the dryad merging and melding with both of them, mingling with them.<br><br>Aeryn's hand gripped Lyurils's long hair, pulled her head back, yanked it back and Aeryn's teeth fastened on the point of Lyuril's shoulder&nbsp; and bit down, bit down hard, HARD as she, all of them exploded.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Homeland (Healergirl &amp; MdG)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MdG</strong> on <strong>08-05-2014, 15:16:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lyuril met Aeryn's initially haphazard thrusts with her hips. They settled into a rhythm - motions, breathing, kissing, all moving at its own vivid pace. Legs wrapped round Aeryn's waist, Lyuril invited the phallus deep insider her, parting her folds, sending jolts of effervescent need through her loins. It was an unfamiliar sensation. She had been taken this way by humans before, but with lifeless phalluses of leather or ivory. This was different - the artifact spread into her, expanding, growing easing itself to the form of her channel with each thrust. Preparing for the inevitable...<br><br>Lyuril exhaled sharply when she felt Aeryn's teeth bite down into her skin. It left a deep red welt, almost drawing blood. <em>Soon,</em> Aeryn rode her and she felt the jolt of release vibrating through her sex, caressing the textured wood within her. She knew it. The shaft's sap had been released inside her. She could feel liquid heat, burning with the potential for life. She heard the larval dryad, felt its satisfaction - the pulse of awakening deep inside her. <br><br>She slipped out from under Aeryn, a disappointed sigh escaping her lips when the phallus finally withdrew from the spread channel of her sex. The surface of the wood was damp, the rounded tip slick with a viscous, amber fluid, smelling of fresh sap. <br><br>"The dryad is the conduit - the spark of life," Lyuril said "and you felt it." She did not move, but lay, lost in the haze of her passion, absentmindedly strumming her hard nipples - the thought of the artifact working the way she had imagined excited her even more than her coupling with Aeryn, "but you will soon taste it, Human-sister. Imagine how Eshalu will take you - ah, with such force." The human scholar had some experience, but Lyuril had a special predilection for rangers and warriors who took what they wanted. <br><br>She skimmed the welt on her shoulder with the pad of her forefinger, "You did well. But we do not have the physique to couple like Maenads. I have known warriors of your kind - always in search of metal, adventure. Strong women with hard jaws and broad shoulders and oh so strong. The thought of coupling with a druid of the People excited them so...one was so fierce she gave me leather to bite down on when she took my bottom with a leather phallus. Held me to the forest floor and fucked me like a boy...never did I feel agony and ecstasy meld so seamlessly. Ah, but you and I are alike. You wish to know the People and I wish to know yours. But of course, you must aid me in convincing Eshalu of our...plan. Of your plans with her..." 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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