Tull

[Joe Schmoe]

A story of a slavegirl set in days gone by
By AmbrosiaCaress and myself

Snatching the gourd up after another loss, Tull gave the other gambler a menacing laugh while his other hand swept up the three white boned dice.

Slapping them back in the dead dried hollow plant, covering the opening with his hand, he gave it a hard long shake. The rapid hollow tumbling inside it was drowned out by his superstitious ramblings, "come on, come on, share with me your adventure, look up on me with favor Pheramia"...his God of Chance...Lady Luck.

He pounded the shaker down onto the table, letting the dice settle.

Looking at the other guy he slowly lifted the gourd from the table. The other fellow only smiled.

Tull's opponent pulled in the pile of money from the center of the table. "It just isn't your night tonight", bragged the other fellow as he eyed the last of Tull's small stack of coins.

The massive man was almost broke and in a very sour mood, pushing what remained into the middle of the table.

With casual confidence the gambler swept up the dice and began his turn. The gourd hit the table as Tull jumped up, leaning over the table with a long dagger pointed to the man's neck, taking hold of the gambler's other hand with his.

The dagger swung down wedging itself into the table, severing the man's hand.

Blood went everywhere as the wounded man grabbed his arm crying out.

Tull pried open the dead hand as a bone tumbles from it.

"You filthy cheat! You cheated me out of everything I have, you black blooded bastard!"

Tull's locked fist hammered the side of the bleeding man's face, sending him to fly off of his stool, landing on the floor out cold.

"Steal from me, you piece of dung", he said with contempt to the unconcious man as he scooped all of the money from the table into a bag. Grabbings his knife he looked at the girl that had been tethered to the other man's belt during the game.

The blade easily cut her tie to the man. Wrapping it around his hand Tull yanked on it. "You're part of the winnings tonight slut. On your feet!"

Turning he headed to the door with her in tow before she could gain her feet. Rising...stumbling...falling...crawling...rising, she tried desperately to follow him out of the hut.

Outside he dragged her to his horse then turned to face her. He deftly wound the leather lead around his paw, reeling her in to him. He towered over her, the crown of her head barely reaching to his shoulders as he looked down on her. His speed and strength took control of her has he latched onto her wrists, gathering them in his hand and wound the end of the leash around with the other.

From his bag, on the back of his horse, he took a long band of leather. He pounced on her, wrapping the band around her open mouth then tied her off.

He picked her up effortlessly and threw her over the back of the horse then climbed on himself. His heels flicked at the horse's flank. The horse lunged off into an instant gallop to quickly leave the hut and the wounded man behind. He pushed the horse hard under clouds of stars that filled the black and blue night sky.

Tull left the road and cut his horse through the span of woods. They stayed moving. Crossing streams, digging up the side of hills and sliding down others, constantly dodging countless trees. The night was still early and they will be traveling on through it.

Pulling the horse in a bit he then gave it the reins, letting the beast find it's pace. The bound girl in his lap rocked to the horse's rhythm.

In for a long ride his hands settled on the girl's back as they lightly held the reins.

As they rode he didn't utter a word.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

Exiann

~ The leather bound leash snaked from the collar that tightly embraced the column of her throat to the belt of the Gambler, who at the moment, seemed locked in a battle of pure will and luck with the other, rather large and ugly brute.. but she paid no attention to the bone dice that scattered before the 2 men... well.. at least she *acted* as if she were not paying attention.. in reality, she watched aptly, finding the game interesting.. but her golden hued eyes remained hidden beneath a veil of silken lashes.
She dared to glance from the face of her Master, to the one of the Brute and back again... she was very observant, and could see the blood beginning to boil under the Brute's harsh exterior.. see His anger building.. even tho her own Master seemed oblivious.. She knew.. just from watching that each time the Brute lost, He was getting more .... frustrated to say the very least...

At one point, Exiann............... which was the name graced her by her previous Master and one that her current Master allowed her to keep, even tho most of the time he simply called her *girl* or *slut*.. which Exi hated, but dare not challenge............. Exiann tugged on the leash brazenly, trying to urge her Master to take his winnings and leave the game, before the Brute got more upset, before things turned... ugly... but her Master had dismissed her with a wave of His hand, and when she tugged again, she was backhanded, not hard, but enough to cease any reactions from her... So quiet she stayed, quiet and watching..

Exiann was well trained.. at least she thought she was... things were about to change, and she would find out that *well trained* had a meaning all it's own, depending on the Master... but that had not happened yet.. even tho she could feel the tension in the air.. the forboding chill that seemed to shiver down her spine..

Exiann, which again was not the name she were born with, was rare in this particular part of the world, where Brutes such as the One who was even now gambling with her Master, were the ruling party. Most of the females that she had seen on her travels in this part of the realm, were dark haired, dark featured, no less beautiful, just common... where as Exiann had silken smooth skin, the color of sweet cream.. and eyes that shone with the golden light of the sun, a stunning golden hue.. But most striking about the kneeling slave girl, nearly naked save for a midnight black halter top and a matching silken shift that lay across her hips, barely concealing her.. the most striking about her was the cascading fall of her fire red hair, that spills over her shoulders and down her back.. even the other girls who had seen her, both slave and free alike, had fawned over the rare jewel that she was..

Exiann had been birthed to free parents, she herself was free from most of her young life.. as she grew up... It was not until she were 16, when her parents were slaughtered by marauders, that she was enslaved, by those same marauders.. the Leader.. she still remembered his name.. Thelden... claiming the frightened, screaming, beautiful, girl... She had still been with Thelden, whom she had grown to... love?... was it love? Or just, resignation and acceptance....no.. it was pure survival of the the brutal.. training she had received from Him... She became His dancer, and an accomplished dancer she was.. His lover, no.. Thelden loved none.. He possessed... she became His slave, a pet to Him... She was now 20... and had still been with Thelden when she was used in the gambling game that he had engaged in with this same Gambler.. 4 moon cycles ago..and lost to said Gambler...

It seemed this Gambler always won... and at the moment, was still winning...

Until now..

The Brute erupted in anger, sailing across the table and attacking the Gambler.. blood spilling as a limb is severed...

"You filthy cheat! You cheated me out of everything I have, you black blooded bastard!"

Exiann jerked back as the Brute swung a meaty fist into the screaming Gambler's face, knocking him cold, blood spurting everywhere.. the scent heavy and nauseous...

"Steal from me, you piece of dung", Grabbing his knife he looked at the girl that had been tethered to the other man's belt during the game.
The blade easily cut her tie to the man. Wrapping it around his hand Tull yanked on it. "You're part of the winnings tonight slut. On your feet!"

For a moment, she stared at Him... not believing what was happening, until she is yanked.. with a yelp from her.. not quite making it to her feet.. and pulled.. stumbling..along behind the huge brutish man..

*part of the winnings??* He.. He was STEALING her.. and just from looking at Him.. she knew that He would NOT be returning her... No.. this was NOT happening.. but infact it was..

Bound quickly, she had a breif moment of thinking about fighting.. but that.. would get her killed... she was sure of it... and fight HIM?? That would never work..

It all happened so fast.. wrists bound with the same leather leash that had tethered her to the Gambler.. collar still tight about her throat.. thrown over the back of a horse and the Brute climbing on.. she slung like a sack over His lap then as He settles, urging the horse into a racing gallop.. she could only see the ground, passing quickly by... this was not good... not good at all...

The motion of the horse, as it slowed, allows her body to undulate slightly over His lap.. she had closed her eyes against the swiftly moving ground... otherwise she was afraid she'd be sick.. and that was the last thing she needed... closing her eyes had helped... she slowly opening them now that the horse was not racing over the ground..

Should she talk to Him?? Her mind was racing.. His hands resting on her bare skin of her back, thick fingers touching, exploring just a little over that smooth flesh that showed..

He said nothing.. but Exiann could not stay silent.. her fear getting the best of her...

"where... where are You taking me?" she asks quietly.. her body tensing, in case He strikes her in anger for talking.. ~

Exiann: http://photobucket.com/albums/a360/AmbrosiaCaress/?action=view&current=nude04.jpg

 

[Joe Schmoe]

"where... where are You taking me?" she asks quietly.. her body tensing, in case He strikes her in anger for talking.. ~

He said nothing, he did nothing but sat tall on his horse as the distance grew under it's hooves. To him, right now, she was nothing more than cargo. He knew where he was heading and it was of no concern for a slavegirl. He said nothing.

Hours passed as they sliced through the dense woods till they broke free and the canopy cloaked sky now lit up with countless stars. They were taking higher ground. The incline pulled at the girl, bringing her body to rest heavier against him. The bend of her waist perched over his lap.

A click of the man's tongue sent the animal into a lope as it dug in, taking the hill. The bounce of the horse jostled her hard as dirt and stone scattered from the hooves. The abductor sat easy and rode in synch with the horse's rhythmic gait. The higher they rode the wider the horizon grew before them as the first sign of dawn began to erode the edge of night's blackness. Stars waned to gradually fade away all together.

The terrain became more visible as Tull guided his horse knowingly to a determined destination. Rounding a towering rocky outcrop he spotted what he was looking for. A cave was concealed naturally by brush and gnarled stunted trees that clumped together. Unless aware of it's existence, one would easily pass by none the better of knowing it was there. The horse was lead along the rock wall where a gap became revealed between it and the scrub that surrounded the mouth of the cave.

Horse and riders entered into the cave together till it was reined to a stop by the man. Tull fingers dug into the woman's hair and pulled her from his lap to fall hard on the ground as if she was just a sack of grain.

After dismounting he removed the crude saddle, a bag of all of his possessions, bed roll and bridle from his horse and set them along a wall then turned to the captive woman.

"Get over here."

He was a massive man. Square jawed, thin lipped, a clean shaped nose with eyes that shows strength and determination deep within the blue orbs. His hair was shorn at the shoulders, wavy, thick and black as pitch. He was tall, wide shouldered, broad chested, thick armed and ham-sized hands, standing on trunk-like legs. His arms bulged with muscular chunks. His chest and stomach and back were plated in thick muscles. His torso tapered to flared hips set on thick powerful legs. He was a man among men.

"Get over here!"

As soon as the girl got within reaching distance he grabbed the leash between her bound hands and thin neck, yanking her close to him and up onto her toes. Her face was tilted by the hand on the lead, pushing her chin up so he could look at her. His eyes burned with no nonsense and intolerance to anything that would defy him.

"I am going to release you from your bonds but do not think for a moment escape is an option for you, slave. You are mine. Understand that and know it well, you...are...mine. If you even think about escape I will beat you within a inch of your life. If you try I will hunt you down like a wolf after a lamb. When I catch you, and I will catch you, you will regret it, praying for only a beating. I will not remind you again."

She suddenly felt the cold harsh blade of his knife against her throat then the confining leather leash fell from her. He grabbed her hands as she rested now on the soles of her feet. The large blade plowed through the leather wrappings as if they were not there and she was freed.

"Gather some wood. I want a fire. We will eat when you have it going. Now go!"

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ No answer, no words, no acknowledgement, nothing. Exiann knew she was in deeper trouble than she originally thought. For that moment, she wished she were back with the Gambler.. even tho she found him to be a drunk slovenly man, he at least spoke to her, well sometimes... but he had to be better than this brute..

The ride continued, her back hurt from being arched over His lap for so long, her head hurt from hanging down, her torso hurt from being pressed against His roped, muscular thighs.. As the horse turned uphill, she found herself pressed into Him even more and allows a plaintive whimper to slip from her parched lips.. She was scared.. sore.. thirsty.. and still, they rode... deeper into the night. Further away from everything she knew.. what little she did know.. for a moment she wondered if the Gambler survived his encounter with this... man.. this.. barbarian.. but her thoughts were interrupted when she realized the horse had stopped...

With a hard yank of her hair, she is sent sprawling off the back of the horse, hitting the ground hard, her breath knocked from her... head spinning.. she lays there, trying to stop the cave from whirling around her.. her long flaming red hair veiling her face...

"Get over here."

She did not move right away.. as much as she knew she should have.. as much as she knew she did not have any choice.. but she just could not, still struggling to regain her breath...

"Get over here!!"

She shot a look at Him then, a look of pure fire, almost brighter than the hair on her head that fell down her back in flaming waves... her eyes peircing.. hateful... wanting to slice Him to ribbons.. yet knowing that was impossible...

Exi managed to get control of that hatred.. that dangerous emotion.. before any words sprung from her mouth, that indeed would have been fatal.. so silence was all He got.. as she lifts to her feet to approach Him... Normally.. she would have crawled to the feet of the Master.. but she did not trust this Barbarian and feared a hard kick that could break a jaw...

Pulled to Him, forced to her tip toes.. her body stretching like a lithe supple feline stretching before the morning sun.. His thick finger under her chin, bringing her head up.. her eyes to His.. golden meeting those deep blue hues...

"I am going to release you from your bonds but do not think for a moment escape is an option for you, slave. You are mine. Understand that and know it well, you...are...mine. If you even think about escape I will beat you within a inch of your life. If you try I will hunt you down like a wolf after a lamb. When I catch you, and I will catch you, you will regret it, praying for only a beating. I will not remind you again."

Exi slowly swallowed and nodded her head.. "yes.. Master" came from her lips.. snaking out as much as she did not want to say it.. but knowing she had too.. she knew what she was...

The kiss of steel was felt against her throat and she stilled.. ceasing even her intake of breath, as leather leash and collar fell to the ground with the precise slice of His blade... the leather that bound her wrists soon follow... she taking a deep breath and stepping back from Him...

"Gather some wood. I want a fire. We will eat when you have it going. Now go!"

Exi nodded, but said nothing more.. she taking a deep breath, fingers lifting to touch her bared throat.. She turns from Him.. at least He had not.. mauled her or anything.. something she was afraid of.. she wanted nothing to do with the Brute... but for the moment, had no choices.. she would gather what He wished... being that she had no idea where they were... she dared not try and escape at this moment... She had escaped Thelden once, in the past, early after He took her... she had nearly been beaten to death... and it took her many weeks to recover and loose the horrible bruises.. it was not something she cared to relive...
But...
No matter the memory... as she exits the cave, already her thoughts were turning to running... not now... but eventually... she would run... but for the moment she decides to see what would happen with this new... Master.. of hers...

The wood was easy enough to gather, there were plenty of dead trees and limbs scattered about the harsh terrain.. She was strong for her size... being only 5'6" and 120 pounds.. but she had learned to use what strength she had.. and to always push to do more... so when she returned she had a good size armload of wood... she dropping it off to the side of the cave, figuring the fire would be toward the middle, to heat the entire cave evenly... she had also taken the liberty of gathering the stones needed to start the fire.. and some dried grass for kindling... she was quite adept at starting a fire ... with her slender fingers and quick movements..and a mere moment later..in the mid of the cave, the fire flickered to life.. the flames accenting the color of her hair and eyes as she steps back... head and eyes cast down... the warmth felt good and she shivers slightly as the heat began to slither over her like the warm caress of a tongue.. ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

As the girl went about her order Tull busied himself with separating and securing the small wealth he had taken from the, now one handed, swindler. This would do him well in the coming months ahead. He dug a hole and buried it then marked it with stones before going back to his bag and closing it up. They were close to his own home but he did not want to be riding in the open with the money he had and a slave weighing him down. He would come back for it once he had secured the slave at his place.

He took the weapons and set them aside. They were the kind of his people; the wide long double edged blade of steel, his long dagger and a bola-like weapon for capturing but if thrown at the head it can kill as well.

He could hear the coming and going of the slavegirl as he sorted his items till finally the walls lit up by the fire she created. He turned with his gear in his arms but stopped in midstep as he looked at the woman. He had glanced at her in the hut but it was not the feel of flesh he was there for, he was there to gamble. She had been hid partially by the table and her Master and as the game began his attention never once when back to the slave. He had taken her as an afterthought to show the man that underestimating Tull was very costly. This was the first real look he had of her. Now he actually saw what he had taken. The woman was not of this area and her exotic beauty was breathtaking. Her body enticed men to take their pleasure from her. Her face was the vision artists dreamed of, more exquisite than any he had even seen. That hair, that hair of red hues was as if she was on fire too.

His face broke into a smile as he realized this woman was worth twenty fold the money he had just buried. He smiled also at the thought of the enjoyment in bedding the slave. He already looked forward to mounting the feminine beast.

Joining her near the fire he fished out the goat bladder water-skin, uncapped it and squeezed out a long deep drink before tossing to the feet of the slavegirl. Rummaging through the bag he pulled out the cloth rolled food of flat bread and dried meat, the staple when he traveled. Breaking of chunks from both he handed a small share to her then sat cross legged to eat in silence by the warmth of the fire.

"Sit. Eat."

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

"Sit. Eat."

~ She had felt His stare.. His eyes.. as that gaze roamed over her, almost feeling as if, devouring her.. Exi manages to keep stilled as she stood there... not wanting to give Him the sheer satisfaction of seeing her tremble.. fear was a dangerous emotion to show to others, that and hatred, and she felt both..

The skin thrown to her feet, a command to sit and eat. Exi was not hungry, not really, but damn she was thirsty. She does not hesitate to reach down and grasp the skin, standing once again and bringing it to her parched lips, her head tilts back and she takes a long deep drink.. letting the cool water flow down the dry column of her throat... the fluid sending a refreshing sensation thru her.. she had to stop herself from drinking it all, that was how thirsty she was..

He had told her she could sit, so sit she did. At first she considered moving away from Him, and sitting opposite with the fire between He and she.. but she did not want to piss Him off, she already knew He had a hell of a temper.. so she settles where she was, coming down to her knees and sitting back to her heels.. The skin was set aside, again she did not want to drink the last of His water.. that would not be a good thing.. and anyways, now that her beast of a thirst was quenched and quieted, her belly proclaimed that indeed she was hungry. It had been a while since she had been allowed to eat..

She dared a glance at the Brute as she reaches for the dried meat and bread He offered, she grateful for the food, and for the small fact that He was going to allow her to eat on her own, and not have to be fed from His hand. That was something Thelden had always insisted, that she eat from His hand. He had said He liked the feel of her soft lips and moist tongue along His fingers and palm.. More often than not a feeding like that turned into a ... mounting of her... for Thelden's pleasure of course...

"thank You" ... she hesitates... "Master"... With a soft sigh she told herself that she had to stop with the thoughts of escaping this Brute of a Man.. that she had to deal with what life had given her... she was His slave now, mattered not if that was right or wrong.. in this world, maybe even moreso in HIS world, females were seen as nothing more than pleasure for Men... some were free, as her own mother had been, but even that was for the pleasure of men, or a certain man. Her father had been a wealthy merchant, that was what had attracted Thelden and the marauders that had killed her parents, her mother his childhood friend. He had taken her as his mate and companion to save her from being enslaved... Exiann had no such saviour...

With a slight shake of her head, she casts back the thoughts of her parents.. Thelden.. even the Gambler... again looking to the Brute who sat near her at the fire.. the brief thought of escape reared it's ugly head.. and a soft confident voice whispered back *all in due time..all in due time*... Where would she go if she ran? How would she survive? Maybe.. Maybe this Brute was not so bad.. again He had yet to paw at her.. the Gambler, and Thelden, had wasted no time in using her, Thelden mounting her and taking her virginity in front of His men, that was something he did often as much as Exiann hated it.. the Gambler had wasted no time in collaring her, leashing her, and dragging her to his room to do the same.. over and over again that first night. This One, He had not, at least not yet. Maybe He would leave her be, use her for only cooking and the like. Maybe she would get lucky.... maybe...

She ate a little of the food, the water having filled her belly... then just sat and enjoyed the feel of the fire.. daring to shift and stretch her legs out before her.. leaning back on her arms.. she stretches.. the warmth was relaxing... and He had not demanded that she stay kneeling... her back arches, long flaming red hair sweeping along the stone gray floor as she relaxes.. a low moan involuntarily slipping from her lips... she looking like a subtle feline.. lithe and sleek and supple... stretching before a hunt... her breasts strain slightly at the flimsy material that caressed each.. nipples visiable beneath the dark silk... the wrap that clung to her hips, gliding down to mid thigh, slips upwards, baring more of that supple, and oh soo smooth flesh to His eyes.. her head canting back, now bared curve of her throat moving slightly as she breaths, her chest accompanying that motion... lips, now moist and dark pink, parted as she again moans so very low ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Tull slowly chewed the dried meat as he blatantly stared at the girl. Part of him could not believe the luck in taking something as rare as this beauty, another part knew that one in possession of such a prize would always have to be on his guard. Any man who laid their eyes on her would want her and some would do what they could to have her. This brought a slow exhaled sigh from him as he thought of the cumbersome burden of warding others off. He had more important responsibilities than fighting off hawks waiting to sink their talons in and fly off with the beautiful song bird.

He never took his eyes off of her while still never saying a word to her. He was deep in thought as to what to do with her. Slaves were one of the castes in his world yet he had never owned one himself. He was not, by any means, a wealthy man, a merchant or a skilled craftsman nor a warlord so slaves were a commodity that was always out of his reach. He knew he could sell her and fetch a handsome sum, but truly how handsome he did not know. He had no idea the worth of a slave, let alone one as exceptional in looks as this one.

He could trade her. He and his comrades were always in need for supplies and weapons. One of the reasons he stayed out of sight in his travels was because he was part of a rebel faction striving to do away with the Warlord that came and conquered this area and more. His people were under the yoke of this powerful and greedy tyrant. Many taken from villages to be enslaved for his pleasure, cruelty and work. Tull's village had lost every women of worth and all men of strength and stamina, save but a few, and they remained in hiding. Families were slaughtered to coax them out, at first with success, only to find themselves slowly crushed by one rock at a time piled upon them or arms and legs bound between two draft horses then pulled apart or coated in tar and burned alive. This only tempered the resolve in the people to resist and fight and kept those still free and able to fight in hiding.

There was a price on Tull's head because he lead a band of guerillas that became a constant irritant to the Warlord. The past many moons the numbers under his leadership grew till he was near the strength of a small army. He lived for one goal now, to dispose of the Warlord and free his people.

The sun slowly rose as more daylight crept into the depths of the cave. They had ridden all night and after eating Tull felt the fingers of sleep tug at him. He needed rest and now was the time for it. After a good sleep it would be getting close to dark and then they could head out and make haste to the simple hut hidden in the hills on the outskirts of his village. He was to meet up with his men when the new moon rose and that was only a few days from now. That was when he decided that to double back for the cache of coins would be time wasted so he would risk taking her and the loot in one trip when it was dark enough. Now, he only wanted sleep.

Tull stood and walked over to pick up the strap that had been cut free from the slavegirl. From it he cut two straps and turned to return to the slave. She was pure seduction as she knelt stretched back in a smooth arc. Every contour of her body was shown clearly by the firelight and he fought the surge of desire to rape her there in the dirt.

He came to her.

"On your feet!"

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

"On your feet!"

~ she had dared close her golden hued eyes in her relaxing stretch, and her own thoughts, having been racing thru her mind, had shadowed the sound of Him approaching... so when His voice thundered at her from so close, she was startled.. her eyes snapping suddenly open... blinking up at Him... in a swift and graceful motion, she shifts, her legs gliding under her to lift her to her feet... the soft silk that she wore, that barely covered her supple skin, fluttering back into place over her hips... A shake of her head sent the stray tendrils of her firey mane back over her shoulders to veil her back in crimson...

"yes... Master".. this time there was no hesitation in the word.

She too felt, exhaustion... between being taken... that horribly long and uncomfortable ride... gathering wood.... her own thoughts tormenting her.. which was always a hindrance to her... Exiann was not like alot of slaves, many of which were perhaps not the most intelligent creatures... most only knew of sex.. and beatings... they did one to avoid the other... obviously... occassionally there were dancers and serving slaves... a bit more.. intelligent... but again, the training that most went thru, and most were born slaves... a free female like her own mother was rare... the training was ment to break a slave's own will... turn her into nothing more than a well behaved... very sexual.. animal...
Exi was far from that... she was exceptionally intelligent and willful.. Theldon had liked that about her, it was one of the things he, instead of trying to break, had nurtured in her... Theldon was a smart man himself... the Gambler had no idea of her... wiser ways... Exiann had decided that sometimes being an *intelligent* animal was not always a good thing... so she kept that aspect of her as hidden as she could.. So... in many cases... her own mind was of a hindrance to her...she was always thinking.. always planning.. always trying to stay one step ahead of what was expected... it was how she survived in this brutal world... and that world had just gotten more brutal for her....

Sleep beckoned the very tired slave, but still she rose to her feet as commanded... letting her eyes touch His face for a moment before lowering... she wondered if He were considered handsome where He was from... she wondered just what attention she would draw.. especially here... again her thoughts already racing ahead of her...

She could see the tiredness in His eyes as well... exhaustion was a hard thing to hide... Her eyes came to rest on the leather straps He now held in His hands... was He going to bind her wrists? or perhaps hobble her by binding her ankles... unsure.. she offered neither at the moment... letting her hands rest just behind her.. crossed at the small of her back... her head up.. but eyes finally lowering to His feet where they rightfully belonged....

"You wish to bind me for sleep... Master?" she asks.. not wanting to upset Him.. but wanting to know how He wished to do this so she could in turn present Him with her wrists.. or ankles... or even throat if He wished to leash her somehow...

Now was not the time to try and run... it was best to.. bide her time and catch Him off guard.. if escape were an option... Exiann did not know if it was... freedom.. was that really an option for her anymore? There went her mind again, thinking... she had tried escape once.. Theldon had nearly beat her to death when he caught her... she had been planning to run from the Gambler.. the man was a drunk... she knew once she was gone she would be free... but the man was shrewd and kept her bound to Him almost constantly.. and when not.. she had been chained to a bed... or hogtied... the oppertunity had not presented itself yet... and now... she was with this Brute... maybe now would be the time... but then again... slavery had become her life now....

Shaking her head slightly, not meaning to.. but doing it anyways.. to cast back those thoughts.. the silken tips of her long mane lightly dancing at her hips as she does so... she stills herself.. taking a deep, calming, breath... ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

"You wish to bind me for sleep... Master?"

When she had risen to her feet he caught the first close look of her eyes. They were none like any other he had come to see in anyone. Small disks of sunlight, though weary and heavy from her ordeal, showed clarity behind them. They stood out against the her surrounding skin tone and more so with the backdrop of her hair of a thousand shades of red.

Her face was flawless, sensual symmetry that only the most devoted and masterly sculptor could even come close to capturing. The demure form and line of her nose spoke of a well bred lineage. Her lips were like plump fruit, if bitten, would drench the mouth with it's sweet juices. Her cheeks bones gracefully rose to accentuate the slight hollows below. But is was her eyes that held his wonder.

A simple curt nod was her answer.

"Turn."

Obeying she pivoted and in only a few seconds her wrists were wound by the strap of leather then cinched tight enough to hold her yet free from biting into her skin. He was no fool. He knew that if he were to sell or trade this alluring beast the price would be more if she remained unmarred.

He took up his bed roll and flipped it open where the ground was flattest and free of anything uncomfortable.

He took hold of her shoulders and settled her onto the well worn blanket then picked up the water-skin and headed out of the cave.

He skidded on loose pebbles and stones as he descended the rise till he found the welling of water from underground that filled a small rocky basin. He took to his hands and knees and with cupped hands drank deeply from the small crystal clear pool. His thirst now quenched, he submerged the skin, rolled out the air then allowed it to draw itself full. Once done he doused his face and scrubbed it as clean as he could then took to his feet to return.

Heading back from where he came he gained one foot for every two taken in the loose gravelly incline. The sun was climbing high and all he wanted now was to get some sleep then hurry back to his hut, his village and his men.

Just as he reached the brush before the mouth of the cave he saw a cloud of dust off in the distance. Concealing himself in the thickness of the scraggly covering he watched the specks before the dusty cloud grow and take shape.

Eight men on horseback were thundering across the plain edging closer and closer to where the rise held the cave that Tull stood near. Crouching, he watched as his lips twisted into a snarl. The shields displayed the colors and crest of Runyin the Warlord.

Three had bodies, dragged by ropes, behind them as two others carried women thrown over their lap. Even from this distance he could see the bodies in tow were lifeless, pummeled by the ground into a slow agonizing death. One in the lap still kicked furiously till she fell roughly from the galloping horse. The drop brought them all skidding to a stop to turn back and surround the squirming struggling girl. As one cut free the dead bodies at the rope's end the others circled the girl.

She had found her feet and began running as best as she could with her hands bound behind her. One man easily caught up to her and yanked her back off her feet by her flying hair. Her screams raced over the land and climbed the rise like a shockwave to pierce the ears of Tull. Tull's finger dug hard into the water-skin as the savagery played out before him.

The woman was dragged by her head of hair back to the waiting group and thrown to the feet of one. He clearly was the leader of the marauders. His boot struck the side of the girl, causing her to curl into a tight ball as the bodies of the men showed their laughter. One picked her up by her hair again only to be sent spinning back away by the fist from the leader, as she was held, to crash to the ground. Her screams suddenly ceased.

One by one they in turn took to raping the girl as Tull fought to keep down the rage that threatened to explode in him. He could not save the girl. Not with him so out numbered. All he could do was fume and promise revenge for her and their people as the men took their twisted pleasure in the slow death of rape and sodomy. Once they had taken all they wanted from her the leader spoke something and motioned to her. One of the men knelt behind her and in an instant it was over. She toppled to the ground battered and broken as the life flowed from her neck to pool under her.

Tull waited till they had mounted and rode off before rising from the brush. It would be hard now for him to sleep as the whole scene repeatedly played out in his memory. The rebel was white hot inside when he returned to the cave and the slavegirl. His jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth. His look cut through her as if by a keen blade, though the fury was not meant for her. His breathing was slow, deep and steady as he knelt before her.

Opening the bladder, "drink".

He squeezed water from it passed her parted lips to fill then overflow her mouth till she turned her head from him to stop.

Setting aside the skin he pulled his weapons within reach then pushed the girl to the side of the bedding then took the other strapping and bound her ankles together and laid her down.

"Sleep."

He stretched out, keeping her between him and the back of the cave, then rolled over facing the mouth of their enclosure, pulling the thin material he used as a blanket over them. He just laid there looking out into the day for a long time as his mind kept seeing the horror that had taken place.

The man was seething inside.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ her eyes were caught in His for a moment, a rarity for her.. since slaves dared not meet the gaze of a Master.. not unless allowed... but He did not strike her for her brazen stare.. her golden hued eyes searching deep blue for signs of Who He was... the Man... the Barbarian.. and the Master.. behind the gaze...

"Turn."

She moved as the last of the word slipped from His lips.. turning before Him, so that the smooth plane of her back, as well as the rounded curve of her ass were facing Him.. her hands still resting just above... she knew He would bind her, as soon as the word left His lips... and as He did so, the deep red tendrils of her hair tickled lightly at His fingers.. the leather tight, but thankfully not cutting into the skin at all...

She settled into the thin bedding.. as He clenched the water skin and made His way out of the cave... She licking her lips, she was thirsty once more.. and the idea of fresh water was extremely appealing...

Settling a bit, she closes her eyes.. awaiting His return.. did she dare ask His name.. or tell Him what she was called? In truth neither mattered... He was Master to her... she nothing more than another animal to Him.. that was the way it was here.. swallowing hard, she took a deep, resigned breath....

It felt like hours in the cave alone while He was gone, even tho she knew it was only minutes... until she heard that haunting, chilling, fading, scream.. her head comes up, she looking out the cave entrance.. where ever it came from it was at a distance.. and the scream, was female.. Had her captor.. her Master.. caught another????? Exiann knew she *should* stay where He left her.. but the scream haunted her, and she gets to her feet, silently stepping to the cave entrance, peering out.
The cloud of dust was fading... but she saw it, from the vantage point of being up high, thru the stand of trees that hid the cave from any low down.. unless You knew it was there.. Silently she stood... she could see the form of her Master.. His back to her.. just below where she stood.. hiding and peering out as well, He a little closer, but looking past that same stand of trees...

Her eyes widen as she focuses in on what is happening.. her breathing quickens... she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.. she took an involuntary step back.. she remembering being raped before a gang of men... but nothing as brutal as what she was watching.. her beating had been... but that was by one man... and not with the intent to kill her.. even tho He almost had.. what she was seeing.. the woman raped... sodomized... by that gang.. and she knew.. the slave... would die... that was what they were doing.. torturing her.. raping her.. to death.. even Exiann could see that.. were these.. HIS PEOPLE??? She hazards a look to Him.. just as the slave was slaughtered, when He moved.. so did Exi... she was back on the bedding before He came in... she trying desperately to still her trembling... and thanking the gods she had NOT tried to escape to meet that band of ... killers...

When He entered.. Exi could feel His rage.. His anger.. but.. were these not His people?? She wondered to herself.. a little confused... but then again.. He had not raped her... yet.... and that thought indeed did make her tremble...

"drink".

The water was sooo cool.. sooo refreshing.. as the liquid flowed past her pinkened lips, sliding down the supple column of her throat as she swallowed... He allowing her to drink her fill as He tilted the skin... when she could take no more she turns her head slightly aside.. whispering "enough" with a soft gasp... a lacing of cool water gliding down her chin... the bare skin of her throat.. and over the silken clad curve of her right breast, the cool touch awakening the nipple beneath, which peaked against the dark and now damp.. silk....

He set aside the water, and easily bound her ankles with the other strap of leather... tight.. but not painfully so... It was then they both lay on the sparse bedding... the fire still warming the cave... the daylight streaming in.. and the images of what was seen... haunting them both... Exiann was exhausted... but every time her golden eyes closed... she saw that slave girl.. even tho it had happened from a distance... that made it no less horrifying...

He was facing away from her.. toward the mouth of the cave.. she laying behind Him.. at first, she was staring at the opposite wall of the cave, but with a soft sigh, she shifts to her other side, to face His back... He tensing as she moved... then relaxing.. well... not really relaxing.. Exiann could see the tension in His shoulders... she could almost feel His anger still bubbling beneath the surface.. when He had come in the cave.. He had shot daggers into and thru her.. with just His eyes... if she had not seen what He had.. she would have thought it was because of her... but she knew.. deep inside it was not... but again.. were these not His people??? This was HIs realm...

"I saw them" she whispers finally.... "why... ?" was the next word out of her mouth, unintentional.. but she really wanted to know.. why would a gang of men find torture, rape, and death... so appealing.. but she already knew the answer to that... there were always men like that in the world... always.. Thelden had been one.. she had just been lucky that he had been struck by her beauty... she wondered what made men like that tick.. and was HE one of them??? ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

"I saw them" she whispers finally.... "why... ?"

He was gradually slipping into the world of dreams after lying there for a long time just staring out beyond the entrance to the cavern. This brought him back fully awake.

He sat up in a flash and grabbed her, his fingers dug deeply into her flesh, sitting her upright. The fire of hatred still smoldering in his eyes as he barked at her.

"What do you mean you saw them!? Use your brain slut. I know you have one. If they had seen you we both would have been dead."

His nostrils flared as he breathed, his lips were thinned and his eyes narrowed by his anger.

"If you bring trouble my way I'll get rid of you. I'll give you to the first peasant I see so you toil the fields the rest of your life."

Again his jaw flexed as he held his fury from being unleashed on her. He fought with himself and slowly brought his rage of what happened out of the cave under control.

"Do you recognize those men or who they are in service with? Tell me all you know or I will take it from you. Speak girl!"

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ Exi had not expected this reaction when she spoke.. and a lesson was about to be learned... He rearing up and grabbing her.. hard enough to hurt... her flesh already bruising under His gripping fingers...

"What do you mean you saw them!? Use your brain slut. I know you have one. If they had seen you we both would have been dead."

"Master" she snaps back, a little harsher than she ment to, but He was hurting her... "they could not see me, I was in the shadow of the cave entrance, and could see thru the stand of trees.. for them to see me, they would have looked upwards, into the sun, and KNOW the cave is there.. and I gather that this is NOT a place that YOU advertise.. Master... I heard the scream.. ppplease Master.. I'm sorry.... "

His anger scared her.. but she should have known better given His earlier outburst with the Gambler...

"If you bring trouble my way I'll get rid of you. I'll give you to the first peasant I see so you toil the fields the rest of your life."
Again his jaw flexed as he held his fury from being unleashed on her. He fought with himself and slowly brought his rage of what happened out of the cave under control.

"Trouble?? " she repeats... "Trouble??... You call cutting off a man's hand, and stealing His property not bringing trouble onto Yourself?? " she shut up then.. realizing she was letting her own... personality... out.. and that would get her killed right here and right now...
She turned her head away and down... the whole of her form trembling.. when He had grabbed her, the silk that had been covering her breasts tore, the material was flimsy as it was, and the rip left her bared to Him... the dark feather like blackness falling away.. as her head turned away from Him... long tendrils of her hair spill over her shoulder to veil her breasts momentarily in the shadow of fire...

"Do you recognize those men or who they are in service with? Tell me all you know or I will take it from you. Speak girl!"

"NO... NO.." the words came out harsh.. but when she manages to speak after that.. she gained control of her voice and the tone.. "nnnno Master... They were too far away to see clearly... they reminded me of.... " she pauses... taking a needed breath "Thelden's band.. my first master... but I have no idea if that was them, the distance was too great... Please... Master... forgive me.. please..."

 

[Joe Schmoe]

He threw her back down on the bedding, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession as he glared at her.

"Bah! Your....Master....slave...was nothing more than a fancy thief. He should be grateful it was only a hand, MY money and...and a common...slut...he lost!"

He laughed.

"Trouble? Do you really suspect that worm would give me trouble? If he so much as stand up to me I would break his pathetic spineless carcass in two like a dried twig. Trouble...he is no trouble!"

He leaned over her on his hands, "those men, you so brazenly went to investigate, they are trouble. More than you know."

A thought overtook him bringing him to sit up, looking pass the wall ahead as his mind began to click. He spoke to no one but in response to his thoughts, "Theldon...Theldon. I have heard of that name before, but where?"

Coming to no conclusion he shook it from his mind, turning his attention back to the girl lying on the bed.

"You test me, slave and I suggest you do not again. You speak with a tongue and tone like that again and you will find your mouth swollen and bleeding, if not gagged. You do not speak to me in that manner again. You do not raise your voice again or I will cut you down to size before you can blink those pretty little eyes of your's girl. You seem to forget, I own you slave."

He reached over and pulled the rent fabric back over the bared breast. Now was not the time for his lust to surface. He will take her in the proper place and at the proper time.

"Now sleep!"

Tull resumed his place beside her as a far too vague memory pestered him. In time sleep vanquished those thoughts and claimed victory.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ Exi fell back on the bedding.. fully expecting to be beaten.. and in fact her body tensed for it.. as her breath was knocked out of her... His words ripping from His lips.. oh she had pissed Him off alright.. and she knew then she was lucky He was not snapping her neck...

He leaning over her... His form menacing.. large.. overwhelming...

"those men, you so brazenly went to investigate, they are trouble. More than you know."

She almost said something.. almost challenged Him again.. she had never left the cave... she had only watched.. but she dared not... her eyes staring up at Him.. filled with fear... of Him.. and of the men He spoke of... after what she saw.. her fear of them did not need to be reminded...

Swallowing hard... she fighting to keep her form stilled... "I understand.... MMMaster... "

"You test me, slave and I suggest you do not again. You speak with a tongue and tone like that again and you will find your mouth swollen and bleeding, if not gagged. You do not speak to me in that manner again. You do not raise your voice again or I will cut you down to size before you can blink those pretty little eyes of your's girl. You seem to forget, I own you slave."

She could only nod... and deep inside.. for whatever reason.. Exiann felt a deep sense of shame... even as a slave she strived to please... knowing that was the only way to truely survive... that and think one step ahead.. and this day.. she had done neither... and as He threatened her.. she realized that she had walked a fine line and was lucky that He indeed was showing her mercy in not ... accenting His words with a punishment for her actions and tone...

"Now sleep!"

"yes.... Master" she again answered.. as He covered her once more... before laying back to the bedding... she curling up facing away from Him.. her body quaked.. her thoughts.. like always ... racing...

Those men.. those marauders.. were they NOT His kind? Perhaps outlaws then.. but wasn't that what He was? and Thelden... she had heard Him murmer his name... Did He know.. Thelden...

It was those thoughts that haunted her as she fell asleep.. whispering a last "I'm sorry Master" to Him... not knowing if He heard over His measured breathing or not...

At some point during the day.. as they slept.. the fire went out.. and Exiann.. in seeking warmth... shifted.. and curled up against the large body of the Barbarian... her softness pressed against Him as she slept... her dreams finally ending to allow her a more restful sleep... even tho her arms ached , as did her legs.. bound and not able to stretch out.. ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

When Tull woke it was already dark outside and darker in the cave. Looking over his shoulder he saw the slavegirl was fast asleep.

He rose and left her to her dreams and began to prepare for the ride back to his village. His weapons situated once more on his person he gathered the bridle and set the bit in the jaw of his horse and fastened the harness over it's ears. He spoke softly to it as he did. His life depended on the beast and he treated it well. He glanced at the girl then lead it out into the darkness.

Together horse and man traveled down to the watering hole where Tull had earlier filled the water-skin. He allowed the horse to drink it's fill. He would push the animal hard again tonight to make quick time back to his village. The problem was that there wouldn't be any woods to hide within. It was wide open plains before them. His village sat just at the edge and the next set of woods and hills behind it. Over half a night's ride.

This last stretch is where the roving bands of Runyin's men patrolled or brought fear. Villages and travelers were always under constant threat of Runyin's cutthroat scavengers taking anything and anyone of value. These thugs were nocturnal predators, using the cover of night to intensify the terror they spread.

Tull was not just anyone. He also took to the dark of night well.

The rebel entered the deep darkness of the cave leaving the horse at the mouth. As much as light was needed he could not afford the luxury, fearful of giving away their location. The further in he went the more the slave materialzed before him. Vague in the darkness, she first took on the appearance of an apparition that solidified once he was up close to her.

He squatted down and removed the bindings on her then took her by the arm and helped her to her feet as he gained his.

"Ready the bedding, grab the water and food. We are leaving."

He left her to do as ordered and saddled up his horse. She came with all he had instructed her to get and Tull tied down his provisions.

"Drink and drink deep. We will not be stopping for any reason tonight."

As she did he broke off a chunk of meat then drank from the skin as well. Biting off a chunk he fed the remained to her. Her lips were warm, full and moistened by the water but he could not enjoy them as he wished. He had time, if they made it across the plains safely.

Stepping into the stirrup he mounted up and motioned for her to stand near. Leaning he latched on to her upper arm and swept her up and onto the back of the horse behind him.

"Wrap your arms around me."

Her wrists found themselves tied together again by the leather strap. She was now securely bound to the rider. A click of his tongue set the horse to move out of the cave and down to the plains.

Tull scanned as far as he could see under the night sky, his ears intently listening to detect any sound that would give notice of anything out there. Satisfied it was clear his heels thumped the flanks of his horse and they were off.

He knew his bearings and guided the animal in a direct path to their destination. The horse was in full gallop and Tull tried to coax more speed from it. They were crossing dangerous territory.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

Exiann

~ She had fallen into a deep sleep, the exhaustion finally getting to her. She was sooo deeply within the world of dreams that she never felt Him lift and leave the bedding. His shifting weight not even enough to arouse her from her exhaustion.

Her dreams, which often plagued her nights, whether good or bad, had not even come to her this night. She had fallen asleep to frightened from His temper, to shamed at her actions, and to exhausted, for her mind to even calm enough to dream.

She did not awaken until He and the horse entered the cave once more, and He in turn awakened her with a pull of her arm to her feet, she blinking up at the large Barbarian... He had cut free her leather bindings , and the ability to move her arms once more, as well as her legs, felt damned good..

"Ready the bedding, grab the water and food. We are leaving."

"As You wish" she answers, stepping back from Him.. she took a moment to stretch, arching her back, fingers tumbling thru her long mane of red to send it flowing down her back.. legs parted.. she rolling her hips just a little to loosen up... she then bends, gathering up the bedding.. rolling it tightly and tying it off with deft movements of her fingers...
That set aside.. she wraps what little food had been left, the water skin, she noticing it was filled now.. taken in her arms.. checking the fire with a glance, she pauses to quickly gather a few rocks to place over the fire, to make sure the embers were out ... Turning then.. she approaches Him... handing Him the food and water.. then the bedroll... As He secures everything to the horse, she works to tie off her problem silken top, so that at least it covered her breasts, if not barely...

"Drink and drink deep. We will not be stopping for any reason tonight."

Where was He taking her? The question ran thru her mind, but had no answer, and did it even matter? She could not run right now, not with that horrible band of marauders out there..

She took the skin from Him and tipping her head back, she brings it to her lips. The cool refreshing water flowing over those lips and down the supple column of her throat. SHe did not drink as much as the night prior.. and quickly gives the skin back to Him... with a soft "thank You Master"...

He offers her then, some dried meat, but from His own hand this time. Exiann lowered her eyes and head as she steps closer to Him, reaching to take the meat from His fingers with a brush of her still cool, still wet lips. Yet already, as her lips caress His fingers, the heat was beginning to warm the soft skin... Taking the offered, she eats.. her rumbling belly finally quieting... she having not even realized it indeed was rumbling until that very moment...

He then mounts the horse, and a moment later she is pulled up and onto the back... thank the gods He was not going to make her ride over His lap again, bound up like a sack of potatos...

"Wrap your arms around me."

Doing as He wished, she presses into His back, her arms coming around Him, and quickly she is bound, the leather tight about her slender wrists... Shifting just a bit closer to Him, her barely concealed, silken wrapped breasts now against His back, nipples hardening under that pressure .. each breath the slave girl took allowed those heavy curves to move against Him... and.. as the horse began to move, it was not just her breasts that moved against His back, the rocking of the horse translates into a seductive roll of her hips, back and forth gently, her parted legs allowing the very warmth of her core... to brush and undulate against His own hips... and heated she was... the warmth was moistened... and carried the scent of mating... Exiann could feel the sensations as well as He.. and she did her best to keep silent and stilled... if she could.. even as the horse increased it's urgent gallop over the plains... even she knew it was NOT good traveling in the open... over the plains like this... where those marauders had killed that poor slave...

Exiann clung to Him.. as the horse moved, suddenly very aware that if anything happened... bound to Him or not.. if anything happened to drive her off this horse.. He more than likely would leave her there for the others to find.. rape.. torture.. and kill... ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Tull's horse was in full charge as the plains swept pass them in a blur. All that was heard was the pounding of hoof on hard-pack ground and the steady huff of the horse's deep breathing.

All was good so far but Tull did not dare allow the feeling of false security relax him. He remained on constant guard. The threat even made him impervious to the seductive feel of the slave's body against him. The pace and rhythm of the gallop brought her body to rub solidly against him. Breasts pressing into him, flattened by her being tethered around him as they lean over the horse. Her body forming to his shape, grinding hard into one another by the steady rocking in the saddle.

Not even an hour in their flight over open ground, Tull saw something materialize in the distance. He knew what it was, the smell of burnt wood, cloth and death was already stinging his nose.

Just a nudge by the reins guided the horse to thunder off its arrow straight course to head for the source of the odor. The closer they came the more the form of destruction developed till it was recognizable under the night sky.

They came upon it. Tull brought the animal to a stop, just looking at the last of the smoldering embers that told of a wagon that had been burnt.

He untied the slave girl from him, slipping the leather thong into his belt then dropped from the saddle. Reins in hand, he walked around the scene, surveying the destruction. The two ox were still in their yoke, but long dead now, as the vultures took to the air when Tull approached. Belongings were scattered around everywhere. Everything that had been crammed in the wagon was in total ruin. The scavengers left nothing of value that could be taken on horseback.

Tull knew that this was where the earlier riders had come from. A few paces away he found the evidence of where the men of the wagon had been dragged off in the direction of the cave where he and the slavegirl had witnessed the rape and slaughter of a poor girl.

That was when he heard the feeble moan. Dropping the reins he quickly scoured the wreckage to find the source. Slinging everything he got his hands on, searched franticly for the dying person but found nothing.

There it was again!

He caught the direction it had come from this time. It was not in the burnt ruins but out beyond his sight, in the darkness. He strained his ears to catch another, if it was not too late. Then it came to him, further out from him and were the wagon was.

He took off in a run to where he had pinpointed the sound. That was when he spied the small fallen form.

"Water! Bring the water!"

An arrow protruded from the side of the girl, who clung to a small dagger. It appears they had shot her while in pursuit causing her to fall from the wagon, leaving her for dead.

He lifted her to sit her up when she lashed out.

Her eyes flew wide open as her scream split the night. The blade she had sank into the bicep of his arm as he cradled her. He only grunted and gritted his teeth.

The slavegirl came with the water-skin to see the young girl with the arrow in her as well as Tull with a knife in his arm.

"Give her some water. Not a lot, Just wet her lips. Then go and fetch some cloth. Go!"

Tull gently laid the child down then yanked the blade from his arm. The pain of it brought a sweat to break on his brow but he made no sound. Blood began to run from the wound but paying no mind to it Tull's attention was on the arrow in the girl's side. Grasping it where it entered her body, he held it steady while his other hand snapped it off just above his fist. She cried out before falling unconscious.

The slavegirl had returned and Tull put her to work. "Tend to her wound. I have to make sure her screams did not alert anyone. Get her ready to ride as I check. Make haste slave, time is of the essence."

Tull rose then walked the perimeter, far enough out to look deep into the night covered plains, listening for approaching horsemen.

They had just begun and now he had another worry.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ the burned out shell of the wagon came into view.. the scent of death... fire... pain.. permeated the entire area... and as the horse came to a thudding stop, Exiann let her eyes roam over the carnage.. a overwhelming sense of sadness came over her.. had that poor girl that she had seen from the distance while at the cave.. had she come from here? Was this what remained of her family? Had she been free? Exiann had mistakenly assumed the girl was a slave being raped and tortured... that in and of itself a horrible act... but from what she saw now... the girl was free... having been ripped from her family.. perhaps.. and then raped and tortured and slaughtered... she shivered at the thought.. what had that girl gone thru even before??

He cut her free and slid from the horse.. Exiann following, her bared feet coming to rest on the still warm ground.. Pushing back her flaming red hair with a sweep of her fingers ... she muttered to herself "why... "

She heard Him, as He searched the area.. she pausing to say a soft prayer over the wagon itself and any who may be trapped within still.... that was when she too heard the soft moan... her head snapped up... eyes scanning the area.. alive.. someone had survived???!!!

He found the girl first.. her scream tore into the darkness..

"Water! Bring the water!"

Exi was already on the run to the horse, she grasping the water skin.... she was at His side in an instant.. her eyes widening first at the condition of the young girl.. a wicked looking arrow protruding from her side.. then her eyes saw His own wound.. a small dagger lay embedded in His arm.. the poor thing had attacked HIM....

"Give her some water. Not a lot, Just wet her lips. Then go and fetch some cloth. Go!"

"shhhhhh it's ok... " she purred softly to the terrified girl... using the sound and tone of her voice to try and calm her.. Exi began to hum gently.. a lullaby... as she brings the skin to the girl's parched lips... "drink.. baby.. drink" she croons as she hums... the soft melody relaxing the girl, who stared up at Exiann as if she were her own guardian angel... Exi slowly let the girl taste the cool water... giving her just enough to take away the horrible thirst...

Exi had heard her Master's command, but now that she had the girl, who, after He had gripped the arrow and broken it off, passed out after screaming.. she had the girl cradled against her.. she did not want to move.. or upset the young one's comfort.. reaching down, Exi rips at the silk that slung to her hips, ripping it free... the girl moans slightly and shifts a bit, and Exi took that moment to examine the wound a bit more thoroughly... the arrow head was buried deep, but to Exi it looked as if it were in muscle and hopefully not the soft kidney she new was beneath.. the wound seeped.. but if the arrow was pulled out, fresh blood would flow.. that would not be good.. not here at least.. it would be better to leave the arrow embedded for now... Exi leaned down to scent the wound.. she smelled no poison nor infection, at the moment at least.. but the wound would need to be cleaned and closed and dressed...

"Tend to her wound. I have to make sure her screams did not alert anyone. Get her ready to ride as I check. Make haste slave, time is of the essence."

"Yes Master... I can dress the wound so that the arrow stays as it is... but it needs to be removed, the wound cleansed, and bound properly as soon as possible. There is no infection yet, and I smell no poison... I think perhaps it is embedded in muscle and not the softer organ beneath.. "

She looked up at Him.. she had not meant to rattle all that off, but she wanted Him to know that she knew what to do.. healing was a talent she had.. at least basic healing.. she had no clue of the herbs or plants in this part of the world... but that would have to wait until they were in a safer place and she could explore and gather what was needed...

Using the dark silk, of both her top and bottom, she tied a length around either side of the arrow.. to help secure it in place.. she then uses some of the water to clean the wound a bit, and let the coolness numb it ... but she dares not bind it directly.. for the pressure would cause too much pain... the girl groaned softly, as she finally began to come too... but Exi decides it would be better if she slept.. so, gathering the girl in her arms ever so gently, Exi sings again.. a soft lullabye.. at the same time.. as she hums in the girl's ear, Exi uses the one shiney thing she had in reach, the small dagger that the girl had sliced Tull with... holding the handle, Exi sways the dagger before the girl's eyes...

"Just relax little one.. just relax... no pain... no fear... only sleep.... yesss.. that's right.. watch the silver .. back and forth... back and forth.. close your eyes... " these words were mingled with her soft humming.. of that same calming lullabye.. she almost effectively hypnotizing the girl.. Exi knew it was nothing more than the power of suggestion to a very weak and tired mind... and the girl fell into a deeper sleep...

"She can travel now.. Master.. I think it would be best if she rode, straddling the horse in front of me, I can hold her to me.. and in turn You be behind me.. to control both of us..."

She turned those golden eyes up to Him... She was completely naked now... her silk used to bind the wound.. for the moment it mattered not that she was bared.. Exi's thoughts were centered on the poor girl...

"Is there a Healer where You are taking us? She needs a Healer... or... I can take care of her once we are someplace safe... Master"

She spoke more like she was in control than a slave.. but Exi knew that right now, to save the girl.. that did not matter.. they had to get moving... and fast... ~

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ Exi paused in her words... coming to her feet, having laid the girl down now that she was actually asleep, and deeply.... her eyes focusing on the wound in His arm...

"Let me tend Your wound... please" she whispers... already reaching for the water skin.. she had no more silk left, but knew that in His leather bag, He had at least some kind of change of skins.. she could use that to bind His arm... ~

"Please Master" .. she dared not even approach Him without His permission... even to treat Him.. ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Tull believed that they were spared, at least for now, so his attention went to readying the girl for travel. It would be hard on her, more so in her weakened state. But it must be done or she would die here.

Tull did not like the prospects that were laid out before him. They still had hours to ride and there wasn't anywhere, between here and his village, they could stop. The only cover they would have was the night sky over them and that didn't bring any satisfaction to the man. This was the time the two-legged wolf packs took to prowling.

Tull came back to where the slavegirl was nursing and comforting the small girl.

"She can travel now.. Master.. I think it would be best if she rode, straddling the horse in front of me, I can hold her to me.. and in turn You be behind me.. to control both of us..."

"Yes, that is the only way we can. I am afriad it will be hard on her though. She has lost a lot of blood and she will bleed more with the pace we have to take. Keep the water with you, incase she needs it.

She turned those golden eyes up to Him... She was completely naked now... her silk used to bind the wound.. for the moment it mattered not that she was bared.. Exi's thoughts were centered on the poor girl...

"Is there a Healer where You are taking us? She needs a Healer... or... I can take care of her once we are someplace safe... Master"

"There was one the last time I was there. I cannot say for sure now. Nothing is for certain anymore...nothing." His face reflected the frustration and deep rooted anger he kept subdued.

Exi paused in her words... coming to her feet, having laid the girl down now that she was actually asleep, and deeply.... her eyes focusing on the wound in His arm...

"Let me tend Your wound... please" she whispers... already reaching for the water skin.. she had no more silk left, but knew that in His leather bag, He had at least some kind of change of skins.. she could use that to bind His arm... ~

"Please Master" .. she dared not even approach Him without His permission... even to treat Him.

He looked at the bleeding arm. It had been forgotten while he kept watch and planned the remainder of the night's journey.

He nodded to her.

Pulling the the leather thong from his belt he held it out to her.

"It will need to be tied off. We need to hurry girl."

The longer they stayed here the more their chances of a safe crossing would be in jeopardy. Now it was not only his life and the life of a slavegirl but he had been handed a weak wounded child in desperate need of a healer.

He spat on the ground in disgust and anger at the savage cruelty that plagued the land then took a slow deep inhale to try to compose himself.

The slave made quick and efficient work of patching Tull's arm. As she did, that was when he took notice she was completely bare now. He knew before she was stunning. Her cover had been futile is hiding the fact. But now he saw it first hand and it was a powerful stimulant. Every aspect of her screamed a woman of good blood and for the first time he wondered about her past. It would not suprise him if she was from a family of high status. Women come to be in chains for as many reasons as there are stars and he suspected it was because of her beauty...and here he was, a rebel with little background save hunting and fighting owning such a specimen of female flesh.

His bloodline was nothing one could brag about, other than it came from hard working honest people. The only wealth he ever came close to was the coins he now had bagged on the horse and that was not only for himself. Sure he would keep as much as what was needed to support himself but most would be used to aid the cause he and his men backed.

Once she had finished he watched her return to the girl. The slave was pure sensuality. Even now, under duress, she moved with a grace and seductive serpentine fluidity that beckons a man to mount her. He threw off such thoughts and went to get his horse.

Once he was with the two he informed the slave, "it is time, We have to go now."

Tull hoisted the slave up into the saddle then gingerly lifted the sleeping wounded child, placing her in the slavegirl's lap. A painful whimper broke from her young lips as she was taken by the woman. He slung the waterskin over the head of the slave then stepped into the stirrup to seat himself behind the two. His brawny arms flanked the slavegirl and he kicked the horse into a gallop.

Hour after hour they sped over the open ground. Each moment that passed brought a little more faith in the rebel that they would make it safely. The horse was frothy with the sweaty foam by it's relentless exertion. The wind swept pass them on the warm cloud covered night, it grew muggier the further they went and he knew a storm was somewhere off in the distance. An easy rain would feel good to horse and riders but he did not want to get caught in a downpour. It would only make the child suffer more than she already is.

Far ahead the sky began to light up. Thunderclouds were displaying their power as lightning illuminated them, to far off to hear any of the thunderclaps. Tull had no choice. To reach his destination he had to ride directly for the growing storm.

It was not long before the first heavy drops of rain began to fall. It brought relief, for now, to them. The wind had begun to pick as the tempest loomed before them.

A bolt of lightning streaked above them, as if renting the sky, beginning the downpour. It came upon them in sheets of stinging blinding rain. The wind was now a gale driving the deluge even more and they were trapped in it. No shelter for miles around, out in the open to be subjected to the onslaught of nature. Another blinding flash lit up the night, that was when Tull caught sight of other riders.

Unsure if friend or foe he shouted to the slavegirl through the howling storm, "grab the mane and hold on!"

He steered the horse to angle away from the other horsemen, praying under his breath they had not seen them yet. As if a cruel joke from the Gods, lightning began to dance raggedly through the clouds continuously. He kicked his horse hard, trying to spur it on to go even faster. Another jagged bolt streaked above them as the rolling booming report from thunder pounded their ears.

That was when they spotted Tull and his attempt to flee.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

~ she sat in front of Him... her legs curled about the torso of the beast beneath... the girl.. still asleep, in her arms... Exi wrapping herself around the injured young one as best she could.. to keep her warm.. protected.. and calm...

She could feel His powerful body behind her.. as well as the strength of the horse beneath... as they rode.. swiftly.. over the darkened plains... Exiann had no idea where they were or headed, but at least He seemed to...she cast a quick glance down to the girl in her embrace.. He had been so very kind and gentle to her.. something Exi had no expected to see from Him after the little display with the Gambler... and even herself...

Her thoughts drifted to the events leading up to this moment... kneeling at the Gambler's side... He attacking.. dragging her with Him... slung over His lap.. the cave.. the slaughter of the girl that both had witnessed... His intense anger... the ride over the plains.. finding the injured girl..

She paused there.. Exi had felt the heat of His eyes, raking over her now bared form.. as she had moved to bandage His arm.. and secure the girl... she was used to men.. males.. staring at her... but it never ment she had to like it... but that was the way it was... she remembered Thelden telling her she had a body that men would kill over if given the chance... and a talent for the sheer act of pleasure... that made killing a viable option... shaking her head slightly at the thought... she turns her attention back to the girl, who whimpers slightly as the rain begins...

Exi had seen the approaching storm... but dared not question His riding into it... that was His choice... the brilliant flashes of lightening.. the growling of thunder preceeded the torrents of rain that suddenly began to fall.. She drew the girl closer... trying to sheild her as best she could from the driving rain.. thick cold rain.. that soaked them all... the storm building around them.. a howling beast that hunted then... wanting to devour them... She did not see what He did.. having closed her eyes as she struggles to keep the girl close to her...

"grab the mane and hold on!"

Exi's head shot up.. and as another strobe of lightening split the air, she saw what He did, in the distance, riders.. a band of riders... but the vision was momentary.. at least to her... as the rain and gloom closed in around them once more..

Exi leans forward more, the girl held by her arms as well as her legs as she tightens her hugging of the small form..fingers tangling onto the wet mane of the now fleeing horse... her body moved with the animal.. the curve of her ass rolling against His lap... the rain only making her skin all the slicker... the swell of each breast swayed with the motion of the horse.. shielded at the moment by the girl...

The horse, guided by the Barbarian, hurtled thru the storm... Tull seeming to want the animal to go faster... she hung on, to the horse and to the girl, trying to fight back her own fear... wishing she were anywhere but on that horseback... wishing she were back with the Gambler.. or Thelden... or better yet.. wishing she were home... ~

 

[Joe Schmoe]

A shot over his shoulder showed the riders were indeed coming for them. In fact, they were gaining on them. Tull's horse was winded from the night run and now it had three on it's back.

This brought a quandary to the rebel warrior.

They were still more than an hour from reaching his village. He could push the horse harder till it eventually kills itself running or they would get overtaken. Either prospect was not good. Each meant they would soon be upon the three anyway. There was only one option for him that meant they, the two women, could see another day.

"Take the reins! Take them, now!"

The slavegirl had no choice, as he handed them over. Once they were in her hands she felt the man slide off the backside of the horse leaving the two alone in the saddle as the horse still sped over the rain soaked plains.

Tull hit the ground hard, rolling head over heels to spring to his feet. Putting his back to his distancing horse he faced the oncoming charge of the horsemen. There were three, "not such bad odds", he told himself. He braced himself in a battle stance as he yanked his bola from his belt. It sang through the winds as he whirled it over head, waiting...waiting...waiting, till they had come within range.

He threw the weapon as hard as he could for the closest target. The tethered stones rapidly spun through the air. Before it reached it's mark Tull had already pulled his sword free, readying himself for the others. The closest horse toppled over, throwing it's rider when the bola wrapped and tangled itself around the animal's front legs, sending it crashing to the ground.

Tull ducked under the sweep of a rider's blade then spun on his heels as his sword sliced through the back leg of the passing horse. The massive man's hand yanked the long bladed dagger from it's sheath, hurling it on it's way. Just as the rider from the entangled horse found his feet the dagger penetrated through his heart and he was dead before he hit the ground.

Shouting his warcry, Tull raced to the other fallen man even before his knife had done it's task. His sword came down as the rider raised his arm in defense, only to lose it as the blade swept through to plunge deeply into his chest, snuffing out his life.

The last rider brought his horse wide to circle the man hell bent on slaughter then slid to a stop. He looked to Tull only for a moment then dug hi spurs into his horse, leaving the warrior behind. He went after the two on Tull's horse.

The standing warrior never hesitated. Dashing to the entangled horse he stooped, grabbed and yanked his dagger from the dead man's chest without breaking stride. The bloody blade cleared the wrapped leather straps from the horse's legs and Tull jumped into the saddle before the horse had fully gained it's legs. The flat of Tull's sword blade struck the horse's hindquarters hard, putting the beast and it's rider in chase after the last renegade.

His heels kept jabbing at the horse as the race to see who overtook who continued through the ebbing storm. The rain had let up from it's torrential downpour to settle into a steady rain. The thunderous lightning had now moved off taking the strong winds with it. The only thunder heard now was of horse hooves over the surface of the plains.

Inch by inch Tull closed the gap between him and the rider ahead. Foot by foot the predator was gaining on it's two female prey. The horse the slavegirl rode was tiring and Tull knew it would soon fail to stay out of reach of the pursuing cutthroat, giving the marauder the advantage over the warrior that was on his heels.

He kicked his mount hard and a short surge by the horse brought it close to the man ahead and Tull lunged from his saddle. Flying from one beast onto another the warrior crashed into the other rider, both falling off as they grappled with each other.

The two struggling men landed hard, Tull's sword jostled from his grip as they slid across the muddied ground. Rain and mud covered, neither could gain an edge over the other while they wrestled, fought and rolled in the muck.

Tull was kicked free from the other man, who claimed his feet. Sword in hand, the rogue lifted it high above his head and stepped in for the killing blow. Tull's boot sank deep into the crotch of the man, bringing him to collapse like a house of cards as all the air in his lungs rushed out in a torturous groan. Tull took to his feet like a cat and locked his hand in the man's soaked stringy hair, his thick clenched paw drawn back behind his shoulder like a stretched bowstring.

Flesh ripped, bone shattered and blood splattered as the mighty warrior's knuckles buried themselves in the kneeling man's face. A primal cry ripped from the standing warrior's lips as he pulled the battered man to his feet. Tull's bloodied hand latched on the other's throat and in an instant it was ripped from him.

Standing there panting heavily as rain slowly washed the horrific mess from him, he tossed aside the lifeless carcass of the last remaining threat.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

"Take the reins! Take them, now!"

~ It was a damned good thing that she had grown up riding horses.. when He slid off the back.. she took complete control of the racing animal.. one hand wrapped about the body of the girl.. the other guiding the horse to greater and greater speed... she knew the beast could travel faster now that it carried only the weight of her and the child.. and as Tull turned to face the enemy, she, the girl, and the horse, disappear into the dark shadow of the storm.. the rain, still falling in raging torrents, as shielding as a curtain of steel to the naked eye... they were gone...

or so it seemed...

Exiann's quick mind assessed this situation rather quickly... He had sent her and the girl on, in order to keep them safe... Exi thinking that it was not her, but the young one He was protecting.. at least that was how she saw it.. she was nothing more than a slave.. if it had only been the 2 of them.. the smart thing to have done would have been to leave HER for the oncoming enemies.. and ride on to safety...

Her mind continued to race as fast as the horse under them did... she could not hear the life and death fight going on behind... the storm was too loud, and the distance growing as the horse ran, even tho the poor beast was winded... This was her chance to escape.. her chance to be free.. or at least free of the Barbarian... but what of the little one.. Exi shook her head.. no.. she would not leave the young one... nor would she leave the Barbarian when He was risking His life to keep the child alive.. If He survived that is... If not.. She would just have to make a decision at that time.. if that time came...

She heard hooves a moment later... her own horse was slowing... having spent most of it's energy... she did NOT want to see the animal collaspe... so instead.. as the rain and wind finally began to subside... she looked to see just where they were... There was very little cover.. the forest that bordered this particular plain was too far to try and make... A bit closer was an outcropping of rocks... and some trees as well... it was there that she headed.. at least that was cover... turning the tiring animal.. they quickly hide within that rocky, sparse area... she pulling the animal to a halt... She had heard a distinct *THUD* behind her just as they had turned... The horse quieted.. and Exiann slipped off.. the girl, semi-conscious, was laying against the neck of the animal, it's mane making quite a soft pillow... Exi slips off the animal's back.. the bedroll opened and used to cover the girl.. she was safer on the back of the tired horse.. so Exi did not move her... instead she moves away quietly, letting the animal and girl rest.. peeking out from behind where she hid.. the rain still fell... but less torrential.. less stinging.. the wind as well was passing as the storm rolled away... taking the depths of the tempest with it... leaving them with the gentler leftovers.. which was fine with Exi...

Another horse came out of the weather.. galloping.. yet not at full speed... It had to be one of the Raider's horses.. yet there was no rider... The horse stopped at seeing another person.. and Exi easily approached the well trained animal.. Swinging up into the saddle, her mind again entertained the thought of going.. running.. now... but a shake of her head sent that thought away... She had to see what had happened with the Barbarian... she could not and would not abandon the child ... so running now was no longer an option...

With a quick kick to the sides, she turns the horse and heads back the way they had come... naked... soaking wet... long red hair her only protection against the chilling rain... she rode.. and it did not take her long to come upon the scene of carnage and death... Death by Tull's hand... She had passed another horse during her ride. This one she had also managed to capture.. she confiscating any supplies from the saddle bags.. she then free'd the animal of it's makeshift saddle and bridle.. and sent it on it's way... She knew then she had to be close to whatever had happened... and it was apparent to her that at least one rider had been in pursuit of her and the child...

She reins in the horse just as Tull throws the twisted and broken carcass of a man aside... Blood still soaking His hands and chest.. the rain washing it away ... Exiann looked from the Warrior to the dead man... the man's face and throat were mangled.. the body broken.. her eyes going back to the Barbarian once more..His war cry.. a howling... just fading into the storm... the sound send a shiver thru her.. but she manages to quell that chill at the moment... she was still several feet away... watching silently... when she did speak.. she kept her voice soft.. only loud enough for HIm to hear.. not wanting to attract any more attention.. what if there were more of them...

"who.. were they? The same ones we saw earlier Master?"

 

[Joe Schmoe]

"who.. were they? The same ones we saw earlier Master?"

A kick to the worthless body, "Aye, one in the same but now no one, just dead rabid curs waiting to feed the vultures and maggots now."

Tull went from man to man, confiscating any weapon or money he could find on the corpes. Resources were in high demand and he was not about to allow anything to get back into the hands of his enemy, not when his men could use them. Bundling them in a sash taken from one of the dead men he tied them down on the horse then found, cleaned and sheathed his sword. A short hop over the rear of the horse seated him behind the slavegirl.

He took the reins from her, lead the trotting horse in a small circle to look over the scene that had played out earlier then turned his sight to the horizon. At the edge of the storm clouds stars began to twinkle as a gentle rain patted the ground. Nothing of any thread could be seen.

His voice was serious and anxious, "where's the child?"

The horse was immediately sent in the direction she pointed. This was wild country. A feeble child on a weary horse was prey for anything, man or beast and it worried him. His wide body leaned, pressing the slavegirl to the neck of the horse and they left the dead behind, hooves slinging mud.

It was not long till they reached where the slave had guided him. He reined in the horse upon entering the small thicket and found the girl still in a deep but troubled asleep upon the exhausted horse. Pulling up beside it, Tull snatched up the slavegirl then swung her over to sit behind the child.

"We're not stopping! Take her and hold on!"

Tull took up the reins to their horse and lead them over and around the rise then raced across the last of the open space. Only when he reached the fringes of the forest that stood up against the vast plains did he slow down. A look over the back of the horse finally brought the broad shoulders of the man to relax. The threat was now over. Only one worry plagued him. He knew that Runyin's men would find and follow their tracks left in the mud. Tull only hoped that they would lose the trail inside the forest though he knew that the nearby village would be targeted in the search for who ever killed the Warlord's men. And they will search.

Bringing the horses to quickly thread through the thickening trees, they continued on toward their destination. It was very dark in the woods but he guided the horses easily through the familair terrain as fat heavy water drops fell upon them from the foliage above. The only sound heard was of the rustling trees around them and the soggy stomp of hooves on the sodden undergrowth.

Then another sound came to reach their ears. The faintest of sounds that grew and grew the deeper they went in the woods, till it became a enveloping roar.

They reached a break in the endless trees, cut by a winding whitewater river. That river, with it's loud rushing water, now stood before them

When they came to the bank of the river Tull wasted no time and put the horses into a run and followed it upstream, crunching stone under hoof along the way.

When they rounded the next bend, the beginnings of a sleeping forest village came into view. For the first time tonight they were now truly safe...for now.

Tull was back home.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

"Aye, one in the same but now no one, just dead rabid curs waiting to feed the vultures and maggots now."

~ His voice carried a cold hard edge to it.. and Exiann visably shivered... after seeing Him, covered in blood.. the mangled body of a dead man at His feet... hearing His haunting howl of... triumph... of war.... Exiann found herself feeling... fear... a deep seated fear.. of this man that she now had to call Master... yet... when she saw Him with the child... The Barbarian showed a great deal of gentleness...

She watched from atop the horse as He rummages thru the borken bodies... then a moment later and He swung up behind her.. His hands coming around her naked form to take the reins from her...

"where's the child?"

Exiann pointed... "safe.. Master" she whispers as she indicates the direction.. He urging the horse to turn.. and a moment later... they took off in a run... His body lowered down over hers... pressing her to the animal's back.. she could feel the strength of Him over her...

The child, thank the gods... was still asleep.. and safe.. with the winded horse... Exi knew if she were not.. more than likely Exi herself would have suffered the same fate as the Raiders that He had slaughtered...

"We're not stopping! Take her and hold on!"

She was lifted to the other horse... Exi wrapping herself around the child.. the bedroll keeping the young one warm and somewhat dry at least.. He taking the reins and leading them....

Exi was able to concentrate on the child, and with a soft hum she sang to her... wanting to keep her asleep.. relaxed.. and calm...

They traveled again for what felt like hours...Exiann was completely lost, she had no idea where they were... but as a village came into Site, she saw Tull's form on the other horse visably relax... this leading Exi to believe that perhaps.. this was home...'

Where He relaxed, she tensed... as they entered the area.. already she could feel eyes on her... and she wondered just what was going to happen to her... would He keep her? sell her? She felt so alone... so lost at that moment.. a feeling she did not like... She showing her... fear.. and uncertainly.. with her fingers gripping the horse's mane tightly... tangling within .... IF He had wanted to kill her, He already would have done so.. at least there was that... not that that little thought provided too much comfort.. there were *worse* things.. than death... ~