Going Feet First Ch. 01

"You have shown your strength, Galen. The challenge is won."

"But I wasn't finished," he whispered, his left hand trembling.

"No, you have finished. And you've exceeded what we expected."

It felt like icy fingers entwined with his hands, a frigid chill soaking into his fingers that quickly warmed with the soft glow in his palms. The blood on his skin turned to mist. His mangled skin stitched itself together. Even the bandage on his arm came undone with the gouge in his flesh sealing shut. Every cut, scratch, scrape, and bruise on his body swiftly disappeared in a bath of ice and warmth.

Yet even as the last wound healed, the force holding the young Private did not let him go. The world around him instead went bright before his eyes, brighter that the noon-sun above him and nearly blinding him with a flash of white light. Seconds later, he found himself inside the Great Tree hovering just inches above the boiling cauldron.

"Next you face the challenge of the mind. You have proven its strength over your body, but can you pass the true test?"

"I can..." he mumbled in a drowsy state, "I can do this."

The elves began pouring into the room from the outside, mumbling and giggling amongst themselves as they watched the soldier hover over the pot. Galen found himself scanning through the women, their nude bodies no longer fazing him as he searched for the one elf he knew. Or at least, sort of knew.

He spotted Celia stuck in the back of the crowd, blocked off behind a group of girls who stood on tiptoe to watch their darling hero face his next test. Tanza emerged from the crowd then, still set with that proud look of hers as her white aura flared. She came forth and knelt down beneath him while closing her eyes. He didn't need to ask her what she was doing as her voice quickly filled his head once again.

"Let us begin your next test. It shall strain your thoughts, probe your cleverness and imagination, and put your sense to the test. Words may be your foe or your ally, use them wisely. Are you ready?"

Eyes focusing on Celia in the back, he verbally answered, "Yes."

Tanza grinned, drawing out a long exhale as her telepathic voice stated, "Let us begin with a simple question. Why is it shameful to bury a man living in the desert?"

Riddles? The test is of riddles? Galen thought for a moment, wondering why they would use such a method to test one's mind. And to bury a man living in the desert? What is shameful of it? So vultures wouldn't get him? Because his body wouldn't breakdown?

No, his gut said something else. Words would be his foe in this, or his friend. Shameful to bury a man living in the desert... Living... living... Living!

"Because he is still alive," Galen answered in his head while chuckling aloud.

"Clever boy. But that is one of three, and the second shall not be so easy. So tell me, if you know, what it is that your hand would sow, if it is with one's eyes that another shall harvest?"

Galen relaxed a moment, a small grin forming on his lips as he answered, "Writing. Or a drawing."

"Very clever, Galen. But are you clever enough? Two men watch a crossing of two paths. One path leads to death, the other leads to wealth. One man always lies, yet one forever tells the truth. You have one question to ask these men to find the wealth, what is it?"

Holding in his laughter, Galen had to wonder if this was a true challenge or not. "Were you to be the other man, which direction would you point to lead me to the wealth? Wherever they point, I would go the other way."

Light flashed before Galen, his mind going into a fuzzy state. Images of his youth flashed before his eyes. Baseball games, TV shows, long trips in the car across the prairies. His father behind the wheel with mother in the front seat. Talking, laughing. Acting as if nothing was wrong with the world. He was thankful now to have a riddler of a father, always testing Galen and his mother with his quirky questions and their unheard-of answers. Especially since those exact same riddles had been repeated to him now.

As her felt the presence of the elf intruding in his mind, he reveled in the memories of how they passed time away when they were together on their long trips through the country. It warmed his heart to relive these long-dead memories of a time long past. Enough so that he didn't mind the other that observed them alongside him.

"Wake up, Galen."

His eyes began to open, revealing to him... a world with no walls. No ground, no ceiling, just an endless sea of white.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice echoing all around.

"Your mind," Tanza answered.

Galen whipped around, but there was no other presence there with him. Only the empty vastness of his own consciousness.

"I can see your memories from here, Galen. I can feel your thoughts. You had an unfair advantage in the mental test, having heard our riddles before. But I will let it go as it is not as important as the final test. Besides, most others are not so keen or sharp-witted to answer all three questions but they were allowed to continue as they still proved pure enough."

"You I can see are quite intelligent, along with being well-practiced. Not only in riddles, but in many fields that require a strong intellect. Including war... I see the pain you feel for your lost comrades, the fear that others from your Company may have died back in your realm. But you quell these hindrances and focus on what's before you. That takes strength indeed. Take comfort in the thought that they may still be safe. Know that they are alive, and they will be so. And if they have slipped the bonds of mortality, know that they still live on if you keep them in your heart. So long as you remember them, they never truly die."

Tanza's voice moved; Galen turning about on his heel to follow it.

"Men of dark hearts would carry themselves in an abyss of darkness, yet you are filled with the light... You were willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of your friend. So easily would you give your life for others. Is it bravery? Heart? Yes, but there is much more to it... it is part of who you are. I see the why now. That is great of you, Galen. I am impressed. However..."

Below him, the sea of white began to change. Black wisps stretched out from his boots and rolled across a now-visible floor, tainting it black with streaks of red. This twisted darkness lashed out and screamed at him, a bloodied hand reaching for his boots. He stepped away from the gruesome appendage, turning as the voice once again changed its location.

"You are softened to the horrors of death, Galen. There is some darkness to be found in your spirit and fresh blood spilled by your hands, yet your heart is one of gold. A soul bathed in light. Do not allow this darkness to breed, Galen; do not lose sight of what you have inside. Do not corrupt what is in your heart and you shall never fail."

He gave a solid nod in the direction of Tanza's voice, "I won't ma'am."

"Then you have passed our trials, Galen. Return to us."

His vision pulsed with a flash of white, returning his mind to body and his body to the floor. All the energy that he had was sapped in that very moment to leave him motionless as two elven girls scooped their arms under his and lifted him up from the floor. A familiar hand lifted his chin, bringing his ocean-blue eyes up to meet Celia's cloud-white. He cracked a weak smile, and she giggled in return, pressing her lips against his in the moments before he passed out.

................................

"You are quite taken with him," Tanza stated as Celia pulled her lips away from the unconscious human.

The elvish girl swept a lock of her green hair back behind one of her ears, touching a tingly hand to her sparking lips as she turned to her elder.

"He is not like the others, Elder. You saw it yourself. There is an aura about him stronger than the one about ourselves. That, and he saved me from death at the troll's hands, I owe him my life."

Celia's gaze returned to her soldier and watched as her elven sisters removed some of the things he wore. Namely his helmet, boots, and jacket. They stripped the pieces away to leave him in just his olive drab pants and green T-shirt. One of the girls giggled as she pressed a finger into his chest to probe the muscle mass. Though he was nothing spectacular, the firmness of his upper body earned him an admirable series of coos and giggles as several of the other girls homed in and began to feel him all over.

"We will see where his heart lies after the feast," Tanza stated as the elven girls explored his body. "If you can still claim his heart as the others claim his body, I shall give you permission to leave. But only if you do not interfere, or take exception as he does what must be done."

"Of course, Elder. Are you... participating in the rituals?"

A smile on her dark lips, the telepathic elf placed a hand on Celia's shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek as Galen was carried out of the Great Tree. "It is my duty, and my pleasure. But do not worry child, I see that he is strong, his endurance capable. When the ceremonies are complete, I shall try to use my magic to ensure he is ready for you when your turn comes."

With that she stepped past Celia to join the others outside, leaving her alone to gaze up at the pod-like baskets suspended the entire way up the hollowed trunk of their home. Each one of those hanging weaves of vine contained a lush bed made from the furs of hunted animals and the fuzzy leaves that fell from the Tree's branches. Those soft beds were the traditional settings where the elven kind flocked when a man with a noble heart had proven himself. It was up there that his true final challenge awaited him before he was allowed to leave their village.

If he was to stay so pure of heart afterward, she could only wait and see.

...........................................

Before the entrance to the tree, a long table was set with wide plates of fruits several flowing trays of vegetables beside many more jugs of milk or wine. Cheese and breads, cakes and pastries, all sorts of delights made their way into what was quickly looking to be a marvelous lunch. Along the table, the forty-six elves took their seats with Galen placed in the high-backed chair at one end. In front of him being the only platter of meat present in the entire feast.

Sitting at the opposite end of the table from the still-sleeping soldier, Elder Tanza stood from her throne and raised a glowing hand toward him. Closing her eyes she began chanting something in elvish and he quickly began to stir.

The warm, familiar scent of venison filled Galen's nose, filling his lungs with life as his eyes began to open. The light of the sun was shining directly down from above to bath the base of the tree in light as a cool breeze blew against his cheek. All the pain in his body had gone, replaced by soothing sensation that waded through his muscles and tempted him to fall back to sleep. Sleep he desperately craved. At least until he finally focused on what sat in front of him.

Life suddenly pulsed in his veins as he locked onto the steaming plate of venison waiting to satisfy that hunger that began to burn in his belly. His mouth watered at the sight of it and he didn't even hesitate to reach out to grab it. Before he could place a single finger on the meat, however, a pale green hand reached out and slapped his knuckles.

"Neya. Neh kepa teyah ta sissa, Galen."

Confusion dominated the private's expression as he looked around and discovered himself seated before a mindboggling amount of food. The whole village was seated in front of them with the whole rainbow that was their eyes moving in between him and Tanza. Smiling nervously, he looked to the elf on his right and politely said, "I don't know what you said, but I think I get the message."

In the next moment, Tanza's voice rose over the whispers at the table, clearing the drowsiness clean from his head. Though her speech came in elvish, the fact that every elven girl at the table now had their eyes trained upon him rather than their elder likely meant that these strange words were to his distinction. As their elder came to the end of what she had to say, the elves broke out into applause while some raised their glasses to him.

"Galen Martin, you have passed our tests where dozens have failed. You have overcome body and proven your mind in our trials and have not only shown your soul to be one with the light, but unafraid to venture into the dark in the path of helping others. To this, we elves have readied a feast in your honor. To you sir, we toast. Together, we eat. Ona! Begin!"

Chaos ensued as hands crossed the table and food was passed around. Helpings were served, plates were filled, and without even asking, a goblet of wine was placed before Galen along with several plates of fruit and vegetables. He didn't even hesitate to dig in, shoving mouthfuls in at a time.

To think, before the smell of what these women had prepared for him had hit his nose, he hadn't even realized how empty his stomach was. The last real thing he had eaten other than his ration that morning was an egg and toast breakfast at the airfield before taking off on his final flight. But that meal had been lost after he woke from the crash, and the little ration food he had eaten wasn't enough.

The elvish girls who had placed themselves at his end of the table giggled at his savagery. In their musical language they joked and had laughs at his expense with only one of the women among them being an exception. Galen froze as she slapped a hand to the table and began to scold him in her own tongue, mimicking his rapid eating habits and giving a show of disgust before berating him with more unintelligible words.

The young man may not have understood what she said, but he recognized the rant of an angry woman who was a stickler for good manners.

"Hey, I ain't eaten in a day an' a half," he hastily defended with a mouthful of baked apple rolls. "An' this is th' best foo' I eaten since I left San Francisco!"

One of the elvish girls whispered into the ear of the scolding elf, obviously translating what he had just said. It only took a second for that elvish woman's frown to flip around. Word quickly circled the table and the elves began cheering, breaking out in applause as the scolding elf stood up and bowed to her happy diners.

"She cook food," whispered a voice.

Galen nearly jumped from his seat as Celia appeared at his side and settled in on the arm rest of his chair. The mouthful burying his tongue quickly slid down his throat as he tried to find the words to say but she just looked to him and smiled. Taking a cloth in hand, she dotingly brushed off a touch of fruit juice from his cheek and then tucked it into his lap.

Once again he was speechless, his whole thought process frozen by her presence. The only thing that could come to mind to do at that moment was move over in his seat and try to make room for her. She gave him a quizzical look, wondering what the man was doing before he finally asked, "Sit?"

Celia giggled as she slid off the arm rest and landed herself right in his lap. This move caught the eye of several of the other women at the table and drew plenty pairs of curious stares. For those that did not giggle or swoon, Galen noticed that they stared at the lady in his lap with a tinge of... jealousy? Why would they become jealous?

"Eat," Celia said in her simple manner as she brought the slice of a strawberry to his mouth.

With a faint chuckle, he took a bite of the fruit as his eyes remained locked with hers. One at a time, she brought more slices of the various fruits and salads to his mouth. She even went as far as feeding him a slice of venison, though it was clear in his eye that she abhorred handling the cooked meat, just as it was clear that the other tree elves did not have a taste for it either.

Not wanting to feel babied, Galen took one of the cookies placed before him and raised it to her mouth. She responded by nabbing one of the more exotic dishes on the table for him to try. With each little game they played together, with each passing moment spent with her in his lap, Celia caught more of the sly looks of approval cast in her direction from the elder and some of her sisters.

At the end of the day, even when everything was finished, she knew that this man would still be the one that she could call hers.

"Galen, have you had your fill?" Tanza questioned from across the table.

Swallowing what he had in his mouth and patting his stomach, he answered "I believe I have. Is that all to the feast?"

He couldn't help but wonder why the women at the table were smiling so wildly. Had he said something funny?

The laughter went silent as the elves raised their hands in unison toward the table. A soft chanting filled the air and the leftovers began to glow in a bright green light. In one sudden flash, it all disappeared. Plates, trays, fruits, cakes, all of it vanished with not even a crumb left upon the table.

Impossible... That's impossible, Galen thought, a deer in the headlights of what he just saw.

While the soldier tried to wrap his mind around their magic, the elves then rose up from their seats. Celia herself leaned back to give him one last kiss on the cheek before she stood up from his lap. That was the move needed to finally snap him out of his awestruck daze.

"Where you going?" he asked as the tree elves filed into the Great Tree and climbing the ramp up to the levels above.

"Come," Tanza ordered, "there is one last ceremony to perform."

"Alright..." Galen mumbled as he got out of his chair and circled around the table to follow the elven elder back into their home.

Pink flames now rose from the torches that lined the walls to go with the tulips that now bloomed along the vines holding up the bed-baskets above. The cauldron bubbled furiously in the middle of the tree and only became worse as Tanza drew closer to it. Not giving him the chance to awe or wander at what he saw, the elder took hold of his hand and swiftly led him up the ramp toward the first and largest hanging bed.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously as many elves peeked over the edges of their pods to watch him from above.

"How many elves did you see in the village today?" Tanza asked.

The answer suddenly escaping him, he guessed, "Forty or so."

"Forty-six," she corrected, "The elves of Atzla need fifty to keep the magic in this forest at full strength, so the trees may grow, so the animals may thrive, that the hunters of the tribes may keep balance. And with Celia's affection for you, I would not doubt her intentions to join you after you depart..."

"So what does this mean?" he asked as they stopped at that first bed.

Tanza cast him a devilish grin as turned her back to him and began to undo the belt of her robe. Sensing his jaw drop she chose to be very deliberate as she then slid it down over her shoulders, baring her violet back to him in full before glancing over her shoulder to catch his expression. Finding herself on the verge of laughing aloud at the look upon his face, she released the garment and let it hit the floor. Now in the full nude she stepped forward into her basket and settled in amongst the furs. The sight she revealed then made Galen's eyes damn near pop out his head.

Without any form of clothing on her, the young man was granted full view of her body. The shapely, pink-capped breasts she cupped so proudly together with her soft hands. The silky lips of her sex glistening as she spread her legs to allow him a better look at the pink bud crowning her labia. The elf playfully twirled a length of her black hair around her finger, passing him a seductive stare from her ultramarine eyes whilst licking her dark blue lips.