Buffy & The Daughters of Gaia Ch. 03

He delighted in the totally different feeling it generated from sliding into a pussy. The way her arsehole squeezed like a tiny vice was great. She shuddered with the discomfort. As his cock slid further in, he suddenly felt the resistance give as she relaxed and he slid in a little quicker. That tough neck of muscle blossomed around his shaft and he buried himself deep inside her. When his hips rested against her buttocks, he paused and let her get used to his feel.

He felt a sense of elation when he looked down at her finely sculptured back. Her long brown hair hung across the upper part in drapes. His hands reached out and, starting from the base of her neck, drew themselves along the valley of her spine. She shivered under his touch and then slowly started to rock back and forth.

"OOO," he gasped, as he felt that tight muscle drag up and down his length. The contrast between the firm grip around the base of his cock, and the way his upper shaft seemed to enter into an open cavern felt glorious. He began to increase the momentum of the thrusts. Dawn gave a sharp intake of breath, and let it out in a long sigh.

"AAHH. That's it, Dawnie. Relax and take it. Oh, yeah! Relax and take it all."

His fingers tightened around her small waist as he began to thrust harder and faster. He could feel her arsehole soften as she got more used to his violation. Back and forth, he ploughed into her arse. Her butt cheeks began to make slapping noises as he bounced his hips off them. Beneath this, he could hear her moaning, very quietly. It no longer sounded like she was in discomfort, far from it. Little Dawnie was getting off on it!

As he thrust deep into her arsehole, he felt something flex and move under her lower ass wall. A bolt of pleasure shot through him when he realised she had pushed three fingers into her cunt and was frigging herself, rapidly.

Faster and harder he went, each inward thrust making her pant a gasp of pleasure. It was not long before he began to cum. His hot spunk splashed out into the depths of her bowels. Wave after wave jetted into her young body. With a shiver, he relaxed and slowly pulled out. He loved the way the little red hole slowly closed itself behind him. Exhausted, he rolled onto his side on the grass and lay there, panting.

The girls began to get up and drift to different parts of the glade. Anya gave him a little peck on the cheek, "Have a rest, Honey. We’ll only be a minute, and then we have one more surprise for you."

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"Well, I think Tinkerbelle is lost."

"Na-ah. It's just that Tara must have come to these woods by a winding path."

Buffy pushed a branch out of the way and looked around. Nothing but forest. Trees, trees and more trees. The tiny white ball of light threaded itself through branches and continued on its way.

"Look, Will, why don't we head back and get Giles to…”

Both girls heard a familiar voice cry, "But, you're not Anya!"

Bolting in the direction Xander's voice had come from, Buffy zigzagged around some large trunks and out into the clearing. On the other side, the naked Daughters of Gaia had Xander kneeling before a tree. Two of the girls were dragging a bound and gagged Tara from out of the woods.

"Hey!" Buffy called, racing toward them.

Megan looked at the Slayer and her form rippled into that of the dryad. With an upward gesture, she brought the roots of the nearby trees to life. They leapt from the ground in small clouds of dirt and coiled like snakes around Buffy. She gasped in pain as they tightened and tried to squeeze the life from her, pounding in vain against the wooden coils.

Willow stepped beside the thrashing tentacles. Without even looking in their direction, she placed a hand on one of the largest coils. Her eyes stayed focused on Megan.

"Hecate, Queen of Magic, heed your servant‘s call. Show your might to the world and take the life from these beasts!"

As if they had been electrocuted, the wooden roots sprang apart and retreated beneath the surface of the glade. Buffy landed on her feet and headed for the dryad. Again, Meg turned her magic upon her. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a green ball of energy arcing toward her. The Slayer cartwheeled to the side, but the bolt changed course and struck her. She was blown off her feet. Megan cast a bolt at Willow, who was walking slowly, but inevitably forward. The Wiccan casually batted it away with the back of her hand.

All five Daughters of Gaia fled back into the forest. As she disappeared into the woods, Meg called, "Awake, O Lurker in the Woods. Feed as you will."

Buffy paused to check on Xander and Tara, loosening the ropes of the witch and then started after the coven.

"No," said Willow. "You stay here and protect Tara. She'll need a couple of minutes of freedom to work the disenchantment. I'll deal with the witches. They think that they're using black magic? They're not. I'm going to give them a small lesson."

Then, without looking back, she disappeared into the forest after the witches.

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Buffy looked around in puzzlement. Protect Tara from what? Give her a few minutes freedom from what? She helped remove the last of her friends bonds. That was when the tree made an unpleasant creaking noise and the demon's face appeared. Silently, it issued the call.

"Now there's something you don't see every day," Buffy whispered.

"Yeah, unless you happen to be us," Xander added. Tara struggled to her feet and ran to the centre of the clearing. She took some powders from her pouch and began to mix them.

"Buffy! Xander! I think you should come over here, quickly! They're coming!"

The Spirit of Oak flexed a few of its massive branches. The ends curled around into claws.

Tara cupped the mixed powders in both hands and raised them above her head. Flicking her wrists in a tight circle, she let the powder spray free. It cascaded to the ground in an eight-foot arc around her.

“Thespia the Light, Guardian of the Faith, bring your will to bear. Grant me the strength to hold back the evil and repel the dark!”

Xander looked up in awe at the demonic tree. "Well, granted it's big, but things could be worse. There could always be more of them."

Suddenly, a screeching wail filled the air. The leaves of the trees in the clearing shook as things leapt from their upper boughs. They looked like something had carved chunks of wood and bark into what it thought men might look like. Crude wooden masks substituted for heads. Their hands and feet were roughly shaped, but ended in wicked, splintered claws. Dozens dropped to the floor of the glade. With an unearthly scream, they attacked.

Buffy spun toward Xander and shot him a black look. He held both his hands out, palm upward, and shrugged. "Tha... That's not my fault. 'Cause there's no possible way..."

The Slayer dodged a slicing talon. She grabbed the swinging arm and smashed it into kindling with her knee. "If we get out of this, remind me to have a long talk with you about appropriate phrases to use when you live near a Hellmouth!"

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At that moment, Anya appeared in the glade, near Tara. She cried with dismay as she saw the ever-increasing legion of homunculi descending to the clearing. Buffy quickly disappeared in a throng of the wood demons. The way lots of the animated creatures were being flung back out of the pack showed that she was holding her own, for now.

Xander was having less luck. He already had a ragged slash across his naked chest that was bleeding profusely. He had snatched up a thick branch and was clubbing the wooden men backward. He obviously could not keep back such large numbers for long; it was only a matter of time.

A screech to her left warned her of a homunculus leaping from the trees at her. As she turned, her face shifted into the scarred visage of the Vengeance demon. With a single punch, she shattered the creature into splinters.

"Anya, thank Thespia! You're the only one who can help save us!"

Anya ignored her and headed for her beloved Xander. Tara stayed in the centre of her circle and called again.

"Anyanka, listen to me. If you go to help him, he'll die. You have to help me. I need you."

The Vengeance demon flung another wooden man across the glade then spun on Tara. "What do you expect me to do? It's Xander!"

Tara nodded, fear filling her eyes. A homunculus ran toward her, but bounced back when it met the mystic circle. "The only way to stop these things it to cast a spell to disenchant The Spirit of Oak. It controls the Homunculi. It can make them at will. Go fetch me the supplies I need. Quickly! Then you can go and get Xander. Bring him into this circle and he'll be safe for a brief time."

Anya started toward Xander, again. "I'll bring him into your protective circle, and then I'll go and get your supplies."

"No. There isn't time. The circle's power is rapidly dissipating and I need some time to work the disenchantment! Fetch me the Baskin's weed and silver witch berry."

Anya cast a last look to where Xander struggled for his life. Then a whirlwind of air marked her teleporting away.

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The Daughters of Gaia regrouped. Nervously, they looked to Megan for orders. She seemed to have recovered her calm, but her anger still had free reign.

"That redheaded Wiccan bitch is in real trouble now! Our summoning ceremony gathered enough power to release The Spirit of Oak. Let him devour her and her freak-like friends."

A voice spoke up from the wood. "That's not going to happen. Buffy won't let it. I won't let it."

The five girls all turned to see Willow walk toward them. "It's almost over now. Tara will banish The Spirit of Oak and his woodland legion. I know she can do it. All that's left is to deal with you. That's my job. Submit, and you won't be harmed. I promise. Fight, and not even this," she gestured disgustedly at Megan, "Dryad, can help you. Trust me. We can all just leave now and sort this out at home."

The dryad lifted into the air and hovered a few feet above her coven. "Don't listen to her, sisters! She weaves lies to try to suck your power from you. Join together and kill the bitch!"

She dropped to the ground between Ruth and Jody, linking hands with them as Mary and Kim took hold of their other ones. In line, and as one, they lifted their arms to point.

Willow raised her hand in a plea for them to wait, "No, don't!"

Green fire leapt from the fingertips of The Daughters of Gaia. For a moment, the flames swerved in the air to avoid Willow. Gritting their teeth, the coven redoubled their efforts. Together their power was magnified. They let out a cry of triumph as the eldritch flames broke through Willow's barrier and exploded around her. Before she disappeared in the maelstrom, the witches could see her buckle to her knees.

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Faith was impatiently pacing back and forth when Anya swirled into being, behind the counter. The demoness began quickly plucking spell components from the shelves.

"What's going on?" the Slayer asked.

Turning to look at her, Anya was momentarily silenced by the sight of all the blood. "It's Xander! He's in great danger! The Daughters of Gaia have summoned a tree demon and a legion of Homunculi. Things aren't going well."

"What about Buffy?"

"Huh? Oh, she's there too. She's fighting the demons, but it's hopeless. She's far too outnumbered. Willow's gone all super witch and Tara's sent me back for supplies to help."

Faith strode around the counter, to stand beside her.

"Take me with you when you teleport back."

"But I can't!" Anya protested. "No human can survive the magics involved as I teleport. It will kill you!"

Faith grabbed the front of Anya's blouse and tugged her forward, until they were nose to nose.

"I'm not really just human, am I? I’m a Slayer. If that don't convince ya, look at it this way. Teleporting me to Buffy might kill me, but NOT teleporting me to her will definitely kill you. Got it?"

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Tara stepped back as the air in front of her twisted into a vortex and Anya appeared. The demoness released hold of Faith, and the brunette Slayer collapsed to the ground in agony. Frost coated her body and icicles had formed in her hair. As she doubled up, her breath came out in an icy blast. The blood that had flowed from her shoulder was frozen into a crimson river.

Shoving the spell components into Tara's hands, Anya ran toward Xander. He was swinging the fallen branch like a club and knocking back several wood demons at a time. More took their place. As she neared the melee, she was struck and knocked sideways by a homunculus. Its claws tore at her and ripped into her side. Angrily, she tossed it into the treetops.

Quickly, Tara sat down and began to work the spell components. She started the chant as she focused her mind. Another homunculus bounced back from the repelling field she had created. However, it got a lot closer to her than the others had. It would only be a minute before the barrier failed. Not enough time to complete the spell.

Nearby, Buffy spun in a circle. He foot swept round and sent a demon crashing through the wall of its fellows. As she fought, she let herself slip into the rhythm of the fight. Slayer's instincts took hold of her and her body moved with deadly precision. Fists slammed the creatures back and feet broke legs. Her elbow caught a demon in the face and its wooden mask flew from its shoulders, which caused its body to revert to a collection of branches and sticks that tumbled to the ground. With primal savagery, she tore into the mass of demons, but still more leapt at her. When she smashed one to pieces, its debris blinded her to another's attack and she was knocked to the ground. The tide of homunculi closed above her.

As she was pinned beneath a struggling mass, she saw a splinter talon slash for her exposed throat. Death loomed large. Just before the talon struck, it was gripped by a blood and frost covered hand. Faith snapped it off and batted the beast away.

"Hey, Bee. Dying on the job is not an option. Remember the rule. We win, they lose." With a few tugs, she freed her girlfriend.

Buffy knocked two demons back with a spin kick. She punched another to pieces and grimaced. "We win, they lose."

Faith threw a demon back into the crowd, flashing a grin of pure delight at the mayhem. "That's my girl! Now, let's plant these suckers back where they came from!"

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Tara was only at the mid point of the spell when she felt the barrier give. The next wood demon to try to attack her would have a free strike. It was quick in coming. With its horrid, banshee wail, the creature lunged at her. She could have defended herself. But if she had, the spell she was crafting would have been broken. There were no replacement components to try again. People would die if she stopped.

Tara had followed The Craft her whole life. Never before had she had to exert such self control to stay still and chant. The beast's wooden claws sliced down and pierced her chest. Just. No deeper than a scratch, before they flew backward. The homunculus sailed away into the legion of demons.

"Hey, bozo! Can't you see the lady is busy?"

Buffy set herself between Tara and the army of fiends. In front of her, Faith made an impassable barrier. To her right, a hole appeared in the throng and Anya pushed Xander through and stopped to cover his back.

Even in the midst of her meditation, a small part of Tara rejoiced. This was what life was about. Friends you could rely on. All her fear disappeared. She trusted them completely to buy her the time she needed. Murmuring the Ancient tongue, she continued with the disenchantment.

Around them, the number of wood demons grew and the battle got more ferocious.

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As the ball of green flame slowly diminished, the Daughters of Gaia recoiled in fear. Willow straightened up, unharmed. She looked at them with black, soulless eyes.

"You dumb bitches didn't listen to a word Tara told you. She warned you about Gaia's fickle nature, but you chose not to hear. Well, listen now. Gaia likes an easy path into this world. The stronger the magic wielder, the better for her. Therefore, she has deserted you because I wield power beyond anything that you amateurs can possibly imagine."

The dryad sneered at her, “You can’t harm me. I am one with nature. My power has no limits!”

The auburn haired witch cocked her head to one side and an evil grin spread across her face, "Wrong."

Summoning her power, she dropped her gaze and swept her hands before herself in a low arc as her hair billowed in an intangible wind. With a flourish, she closed her fist as if grasping something and pulled it upward.

A distant rumble sounded. The Daughters of Gaia looked about in terror. Suddenly, the earth before Willow lunged upward, as if struck by a blow from below. A second blow enlarged the hump to the size of a small car. The third time, it split down the middle. Instantly, roots and vines shot from the pit and coiled around the dryad. She screamed and struggled, but was pulled from her feet and dragged toward the hole.

"HELP ME!" she cried. "FOR GOD'S SAKE, HELP MEEEEE!"

Her fingers tore long furrows in the damp earth as she was dragged nearer the rim of the crater. Vines thrashed and coiled around her whole body as roots snaked over her face and wrapped her in a deadly embrace. With a violent jerk, she was yanked partially into the pit. Shrieking desperately, she grasped onto the edge and managed to cling to the jagged lip. Her eyes pleaded with her friends to help her, but they did not have time to react. More vines and roots rose above her struggling figure and hooked themselves around her shoulders, tugging her down.

Her scream echoed in the forest as she disappeared into the Hell-spawned fissure. With a rumble, the hole closed above her.

"Now," said Willow amicably. "Would any of you care to reconsider my previous offer?"

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Just when Buffy began to tire, she heard a quiet whisper from behind her, "Release."

A cool breeze blew out from the besieged circle of friends and swept across the glade. As it touched the homunculi, they ceased to be animated and tumbled into the piles of wood from which they were formed. When it reached the angry Spirit of Oak, the tree demon screamed in torment and slowly faded from the trunk of the tree it possessed. After the breeze faded to nothing, the group looked round at each other and grinned.

From across the clearing, Willow emerged and rushed into the arms of Tara. Kissing her cheek, she hugged the blonde girl.

"I knew you could do it, Baby! I'm so proud of you."

Her gentle eyes grew hard as she saw an ugly burn on her girlfriend's side. She cast a stern glance back into the woods, and then put her arm protectively around her lover as they began to follow the others to Xander's car.

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Buffy sat on the edge of her bed as she fixed the last bandage around Faith. The brunette was naked from the waist up. She showed no sign of embarrassment as Giles hovered in the doorway. He showed enough for both of them, keeping his back to the two young women. Buffy got up and slipped past him, "I need some more bandages. She's a real wreck."

Giles watched the doorway where Buffy had disappeared. She herself was a mass of wounds. His eyes remained fixed on the space she had left.

"Faith."

The Slayer eased herself back against the pillows and headboard, giving a small sigh of relief. "Yeah?"

"Anya told me what you risked for her." They both knew he did not mean risked for Anya.

Using a forget-it tone of voice, Faith casually said, "It was nothing."

Still with his eyes fixed on his departed Slayer, Giles whispered, "It wasn't nothing. And I won't forget what you did. Ever."

For a long moment, there was silence between them.