Intended Ch. 05

Sala sighed blissfully as Jakal's lips feasted on the smooth skin of her throat, her eyes closing as she relaxed under his touch. His hands caressed her back before moving down to the full curves of her buttocks, and she gasped with unexpected delight when his fingers slipped into the split between them.

To her disappointment he broke away. Climbing into the furs, the man locked his intensely blue eyes with hers and with an inviting smile beckoned for her to join him. As she crawled onto the platform, he helped position her so that her bent legs straddled his head as he lay on his back.

Placing his large hands on her waist, Jakal pulled Sala's upright body straight down until the dewy petals of her fragrant womanhood opened before him. Closing his eyes as he drew in her intoxicating aroma, he shifted his hands to the top of her thighs and tasted her sweet nectar.

Arching her back when his tongue made contact with her swollen folds, the woman moaned softly and cupped her breasts, stimulating her nipples in the space between the thumb and forefinger of each hand.

Her breathing grew irregular as her mate nibbled and licked her trembling sex. When his tongue finally reached her button, her body bent backwards; Sala attempted to brace herself with her arms only to find them giving way. Jakal reached up his strong hands just in time, holding her arms and body upright as he brought her ever closer to the end.

"Ohhh Jakal...mmm...my love," she breathed, gently undulating her hips until her muscles stiffened and toes curled when the wave swept her away.

After regaining control of her limbs, she straightened out her body and lay on top of his, kissing him passionately. Groaning, she licked his face clean of her juices and purred as her lips and tongue grazed the line between his neck and shoulder.

The woman slid a hand between their bodies and felt the heat of his rigid manhood, lightly stroking the leaking tip with her fingers. Lifting herself up, she sheathed him with one hand and with the other she parted her lips.

Lowering herself onto his thick organ, they moaned in concert as their bodies joined together. Propped up with her hands on either side of Jakal's head, she stared into him with half-lidded eyes, her skin flush with her need for him.

Their eyes locked together, without a word Sala gripped his shaft within her and slowly rocked her hips forward until only the head remained inside. Just as slowly she rocked back, accepting him fully again. She repeated these movements over and over until he groaned, his eyes rolled up helplessly.

Picking up speed, the rippling muscles of her sex clasped his member, massaging his length within her steamy passage. Soon her groans matched his as she thrust her hips harder and faster, grinding herself against him. Their breaths jagged, they gasped and grunted as they lost themselves to the sensations of their communion. Suddenly interlocking their fingers, the couple reached the top and jumped off the edge together, bodies throbbing and shaking as one.

Sala and Jakal had just cleaned up after a late meal when a cold stream of air entered the dwelling. Looking up, they saw the leather flap lift as one by one their friends slipped quietly inside.

While everyone settled in comfortably around the fire, Sala filled cups with a hot, fragrant tea before taking her place between her mate and her closest female friend.

"Sala," Nefa began, her lips trembling as she took her friend's hand in hers, "thank the Spirits you are safe. I have been so worried about you."

The woman squeezed her hand and kissed her. "I so am sorry to have caused you so much worry, my dear Nefa. I have missed you as well. But please know I would not have left the Camp if were not for a very important reason."

And with that Sala once again shared her story. Many times she reached for Jakal's hand, finding strength and comfort in his touch. The man picked up the thread as the narrative shifted to include them both. They spoke at length about falling in love and how the woman eventually revealed her secret to the Light-Eyed One; in keeping with the Fox Clan's spiritual leader's advice, they did not disclose the circumstances under which the conversation had occurred.

Finally, they told their friends about formulating a plan to prevent the Spiritwalker from claiming Sala against her will, and their intentions to expose the crime he had committed against her.

As when they divulged this information to the two Traders, silence fell upon the group as the women struggled to reconcile what they had been told by their shaman with their friends' version of events.

"I do not understand how this can be," Essa, Ritol's mate, stated slowly, her brow wrinkled in confusion. "He could share furs with most anyone; why would he take it from you?"

"It is not about pleasures of the body, Essa," Jakal pointed out gently. "It is about stealing another's spirit by wounding the body."

"But I still do not understand why he would do it at all."

"Do you remember after Sala disappeared how the Spiritwalker told everyone she left because she had a sickness of the spirit?" Belak asked. He lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. "I believe it is he whose spirit is sick."

"Why you, Sala? Why do you think he chose you as his Intended, why did he choose to hurt you?" Yaja wanted to know as she hugged her sleeping baby more closely to her.

"I believe there are at least two reasons, Yaja, perhaps more," the woman answered. "First, he caught me watching him during a ritual when all of us were supposed to be traveling to the Spirit World; he knew I had not consumed enough of the sacred beverage and was very angry I dared to spy upon his secrets.

"It might also be a way of punishing Mala's spirit. He hated my mother's mother; I think he resented her close relationship with the old Spiritwalker. Even though her spirit has moved on to the Other World, a piece of her remains within me. Perhaps the Spiritwalker sees it too, and by hurting me, he thinks he can also wound her.

"But I also think your mate is correct," she added, her voice barely audible. "I, too, believe his spirit is sick."

"You said you wish to expose what he did to you," Nefa commented, "but you did not say how you are going to do it."

"We do not yet know how we will prove to the others what he has done," Jakal admitted. "You know he is powerful, very clever. But that is where all of you come in, if you are willing."

"Please speak."

"Sala and I intend to be together as much as possible. I do not think he will dare to harm me directly because of my status in the Clan; however, I am concerned he may try to harm my mate. There will be times when we cannot always be together. When those times occur, we would ask if at least one of you, but preferably two of you, stay in Sala's company until I return to her side."

"Also, we have reason to believe that the Spiritwalker may try to harm me through more hidden means," Sala added. "One way might be through poisoning my food or drink. I plan on consuming only that which we have prepared ourselves or that which we can be certain are safe. If all of you can keep a watchful eye for anything which might seem strange or out of place that would be very helpful to us."

"We would also ask of you to open your eyes and ears to things you may hear or see which might indicate what he is doing or plans to do," Jakal continued. "Of course, please be careful and discreet about your observations. We do not wish for anyone to come to harm because of us. Sala and I would rather leave than allow that to happen."

The women gasped at the thought of them leaving, especially the Light-Eyed One; if he left, the luck of the Travelers would surely abandon their Clan.

"We know we ask much of you, our friends," Sala noted, "and we understand if you do not wish to assist us directly. What we would most appreciate is to know that you support us. Belak and Ritol have offered their support; will you as well?"

Without hesitation Nefa nodded. "I wish you had told me sooner, beloved Sala. I will always support you. I will do anything I can to help you both."

The other two women sat quietly for a moment. At last Essa spoke.

"I do support you, Sala and Jakal, but I must confess I am fearful of the Spiritwalker's magic. I am willing to help you; I will be with you, Sala, whenever you need me, and I will take care to make sure your food and drink are safe. But I do not know if I feel comfortable spying on the Spiritwalker; Ritol and I wish to bring a child to our hearth, and if he curses us I fear I will never have children."

"We understand, Essa," Sala replied, smiling at her. "We appreciate your support and whatever you feel comfortable doing."

"I understand Essa's hesitation," Yaja admitted. "I share it. But what he did to you was wrong, Sala. I support you both and will do what I can to help you, but as Jakal suggested, I wish to be cautious. If our spiritual leader can harm you in the way he has, I fear bringing his wrath upon my family. I hope you can forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, Yaja. We will not ask you, any of you, to do anything beyond what you feel is safe for you or your family."

"We thank you all for your support and your friendship," Jakal concluded, smiling appreciatively as he looked at the faces around the hearth. "It truly lightens our burden to know we are not alone."

With the return of the sun came the thwacking of bones. Sala and Jakal jumped, jolted from their slumber. Once they recognized the source of the noise, they looked at each other.

"I thought we had pulled in the bones," the woman mumbled, a little annoyed to be roused in this manner their first morning home.

"When the others left the night before, they must have slipped forward," her mate speculated sleepily.

Thwack!

"Please! A moment," the man called, rolling off the platform and snatching their clothing.

After dressing quickly, the couple stumbled into the living area and pulled up the flap. Sunlight streamed in, temporarily blinding them. They heard a voice before they could see the person behind it.

"The sun has returned, Light-Eye. Did you dream well?"

Adjusting to the brightness, their eyes focused and saw three women before them, beaming excitedly, all holding containers of deliciously aromatic food and drink.

"Thank you, we did," he replied, noting a brief tightening of their faces upon hearing the word "we". The females craned their heads to see past the flap and discovered the runaway inside his dwelling.

No matter, they thought. Sala may have shared his furs this last night, but she cannot do so every night.

"We have brought dishes for your morning meal," one of the women explained cheerily. The bodies of all three leaned forward expectantly, hoping for an invitation.

Jakal glanced back at his mate, who nodded and gave him a smile of approval. "Thank you for your kindness, our friends. Please," he welcomed, lifting the flap higher, "join us."

Before long, the Tracker's residence was packed with more than ten women of varying ages, all of them bearing gifts of food, drink or both. As the couple previously planned, the man tasted everything before his mate; this was accomplished easily enough as their guests were primarily interested in whether the Light-Eyed One approved of their dishes, not his companion.

After everyone had eaten their fill, the visitors left one party at a time until only the original group remained. Adjusting her stance to emphasize the generous curves of her hips and the shape of her enormous breasts, one of the women gazed at Jakal with sultry eyes.

"Now that you have safely returned to us, Light-Eyed One, we wish to celebrate. Allow us to demonstrate our joy by providing you pleasures of the body."

The man flushed. It wasn't the first time he had received, or even accepted, such a proposition. But now, as Sala's mate, somehow it seemed awkward, out of place.

"Thank you, Veba, for your kind offer," he began, looking at each of them with his compelling blue eyes. "It would be an honor to share bodies with all of you; however, I have already made a previous commitment with another."

Their faces fell. Veba's eyes flashed, only for a moment. "And would that other be our Clan's runaway?" she asked sweetly through clenched teeth.

Sala was taken aback by the question. Her mate had gone very much out of his way to graciously save face for them. For the woman to push the matter further was a little discourteous.

"If you mean Sala, yes it is."

"Perhaps the day after this one, then," she suggested, this time more forcefully.

Jakal hesitated. In keeping with Keta's request, he did not wish to arouse suspicions about his relationship with Sala, but Veba was leaving him little choice.

"Again, I am honored by your generosity," he answered slowly, "but I have already made a previous commitment."

This time she did not suppress her irritation. "Well, perhaps another time, then," she returned, flipping her long hair as she spun around.

Shortly thereafter, baskets and gathering pouches in hand, the three women gossiped as they crossed the Camp on their way to collect edibles.

"Why would the Light-Eye wish to spend more time with Sala; has he not been in her company enough?"

"Well, the Spiritwalker said she has a sickness of the spirit; perhaps her illness has affected him as well."

"Ditil claims he saw them wearing pendants of the sacred bond when they first arrived."

"Is he certain? I saw them after they spoke with the Clan Leader and they wore no pendants."

"I did not notice it myself, but Ditil is not the only one to make such a claim."

Though the rest of the Camp were too busy with their own work and private discussions to pay any attention to the three speculating females, one individual listened intently as they passed.

In recent days he had taken to his spiritual retreat, contemplating his current situation. To his great chagrin, the Spiritwalker had not anticipated that the Light-Eyed One might himself disappear when he sent him to locate and return with his Intended. After a time, certain the young Tracker must have been overtaken by the female's charms, the shaman angrily ordered Sedon after them both.

Now he was faced with three missing members of his Clan, including both of their Trackers, one of whom was their Camp's sole Light-Eye, as well as his own future mate. Over time, his people's questions grew bolder as they started to recognize that he himself was connected with the absence of them all. The Ceremonial Hut provided him a respite from their probing inquiries as well as the opportunity to consider his next move.

Due to the structure's distance from the rest of the settlement, the Spiritwalker had not been aware of the couple's reappearance the night before, despite the uproar. The only comfort he now received from this...humiliation was that he learned of the news privately.

After the women's voices faded into the distance, the man, overflowing with fury, flung the bowl in his hand at the opposite wall, knocking over carvings and scattering containers about the floor, spilling their contents. Clenching his fists until the knuckles lost their color he thought, they will answer for their insolence, their disobedience. Although he could not harm Jakal directly due to his position in their Clan, the shaman knew one way he might exact revenge on them both; Sala must suffer the highest punishment of all.

Though reluctant to emerge, dreading a confrontation with their spiritual leader, the couple recognized that if they were going to expose the man's crimes, they could not accomplish it by hiding from the rest of the Camp. Sooner or later they would have to face him.

They did not have to wait long.

"Keta needs to see you in our dwelling immediately," Mifir informed them gravely. From the way he looked at them and the tone of his voice, the pair knew their Leader was not the only one awaiting them there.

When they arrived at the residence, Keta summoned them to come in. Giving each other's hand one last squeeze, they entered.

Upon sight of the Spiritwalker, Sala's body quaked with fear and revulsion, his burning black eyes piercing hers and clutching them within his grasp.

Though all their spiritual leaders used tattoos and body ornamentation which signified their status, the young woman was convinced the man before her used his to intimidate and assert power over his people. If that indeed was his intent, at this particular moment his aim was exceedingly successful.

The tattoo all Spiritwalkers bore consisted of two curved parallel lines under each eye. The first thick black line started at the temple and traced the cheekbone before terminating just before the bridge of the nose. A second contour was repeated a short distance below the first. Connecting the two curves, at the midway point below the eye socket, were three smaller lines drawn at varying angles which together formed two small adjacent triangles.

The larger, concave lines symbolized the Spirit World and their own, while the three short lines joining them represented the ever-flowing connections between the two realms. The triangles stood for the space the Spiritwalkers occupied between the concrete and the mystical, bridging the divide in service of their people.

These were familiar markings, something Sala had, since childhood, come to associate with comfort and wisdom. It never occurred to her to see them as anything other than a sign that its bearer was a sage individual, someone to whom a person could turn for insight and counsel. But on this man, the body art took on a menacing quality; it seemed to emphasize the sharpness of his stare, drawing one in to be devoured by his malicious spirit.

As far as personal adornment, Sala had noticed some time ago, back when she first started observing him closely, that the shaman's primary amulet, the one bearing the talisman of the Spiritwalkers, was beaded solely with wolf teeth. The charm, carved of ivory, was flanked on either side with thirteen sharp canine fangs, one pair for every moon cycle, before switching to incisors and molars. She suspected the charm itself would have been formed from the bone of a wolf had he not inherited one already carved of ivory.

This piece was not the only one he wore containing the teeth and bones of predators. His wrists, arms and neck were covered with pendants, amulets and strings of beaded jewelry, and in virtually all these materials predominated. To possess a full string of wolf teeth alone... The young woman wondered how he managed to trade for so many, and how many were simply slaughtered to satisfy his vanity.

To their astonishment, the spiritual leader smiled as the two mates joined them before the hearth.

"Jakal. Sala. I only just learned the news of your safe return. Thank the Spirits you are unharmed."

Though his words and tone held only gratitude, Sala could see that his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Noticing they had not responded to the Spiritwalker's greeting, Keta spoke up. "Sala, have you and Jakal nothing to say to our spiritual leader?"

"Apologies, Clan Leader," Jakal replied. Looking straight into the man's eyes, he addressed him coolly. "Thank you for your greeting."

Keta went on. "The Spiritwalker has shared something with me I think both of you should hear."

"While deep in my meditations, the Spirits advised me, three days before this one, that a pairing between myself and you," he revealed, tipping his head toward the young woman, "is ill-matched. I am afraid I must sever the bond, Sala, and choose a more...suitable mate."

Though the revelation should have brought her relief, Sala remained apprehensive.