The Dryad and the Woodsman

They didn't mark the days or nights, until one evening, as they were making love, he noticed the rain. As he filled his wife with his seed, she softly smiled up at him. "Our tree will make us sleep now. The life growing inside me needs our energy." She pulled him down and kissed his eyes closed.

***

Over the next weeks, they slept together, only waking long enough to relieve themselves and to take some of the food Elmira had made for them and kept fresh in the icebox. Layn didn't fight it as he held onto Elmira as the world spun.

Then one bright spring morning, Layn woke up, completely refreshed. He stretched hugely, hearing his bones crack. Without knowing why, he felt like he needed to consume his wife's nectar. It didn't matter to him that they both were naturally ripe. As her eyes started to flutter, he leaned down and started sucking her nipples, making her moan.

Without stopping, he kissed and licked every inch of her and she laid there splayed out for him, her eyes wide. When he reached her core, he didn't hesitate and he put his mouth on her. It was the first time in their loving that he had done this. His mind burned as he searched out her moist lips and the hard protruding button of her core. Latching on to it, he sucked, licked and nibbled as his wife's body jerked and writhed.

He kept feeding until his wife, with an unknown strength, pushed him away. "No more... You need to stop for now. I can't take any more." She pleaded. "Let us go bathe." She said, directing him to the bathroom.

"Yes my Love." Layn said and followed her like a lost puppy. All he knew was that he needed her like his life depended on it. Once they were in the waters spray, Elmira turned on him and said. "My turn...!"

As she washed him clean, letting the soap slip, she went down to her knees and looked at his hard manhood under the light of the spring sun shining in the window. She didn't hesitate as she engulfed him. She knew there was now weeks of his seed built up and she needed it to feed her. She sucked him, with long and slow motions. She stopped only to lavish attention to the nerve filled crown, as Layn grabbed her head to steady himself.

She felt the pulse at the base of Layn's member and held pressure there until she knew he could take no more. With a swift move, she released the pressure and swirled her tongue over the inflamed gland. Not knowing what to fully expect, she was surprised by the purely animalistic growl from Layn as he grabbed her head and thrust himself into the back of her throat. How she didn't gag, she didn't know. She did swallow instinctively and that sent him over the edge.

She had to swallow as fast as she could so none of his seed could escape. She kept pumping him even after his legs started shaking and his breath only came out in short gasps. Not until she knew she had taken all of his seed, did she let go. As soon as she did, Layn slid down the wall and moaned under the now cold water.

Elmira looked at him and smiled. "Our tree is awake. It is time to plant." She smiled wider. "Not in me. I am already carrying the fruit of our labor. The ground needs tending, not my womb."

"Really...? You're pregnant? Already...?" Layn gasped as the implications hit him in the gut.

"I told you Love, you couldn't make me more fertile when we sealed our bond under our tree. It is what God intended lovemaking for, you know." She smiled again, and then groaned. "We have to get busy. There is much to tend too. Plus Mr. Mason just crossed onto our land."

"Great, I don't have the energy to move, let alone get dressed." Layn panted as he watched his wife stepped up to her dress and it slithered around her.

"So, what do you think? Like this?" She asked as the neckline plunged, showing plenty of cleavage, almost to the nipple line. "Or like this? The gap closed and went up to her neck.

"This is no time to be teasing me woman. I don't have that little trick up my sleeve. I'm hungry." He said in defeat.

"Yes Love...." She smiled and teased as she tossed him some clean clothes. "He will be at the door in less than five minutes."

He was still barefoot when the knock on the door came. "Hello..." Layn said as he opened the door.

"G'day to you. I was wondering if I could have a word." Cob said and wiped his work boots on the grass mat.

"Come on in." Layn said and opened the door farther. When Cob's eyes went large at seeing Elmira, Layn made the introductions. "Cob Mason, this is Elmira Greenbrier, my affianced bride."

"Greenbrier huh... Your land is north of here. I didn't know any of the Greenbrier's had survived in these parts." Cob said appraisingly. "You work fast young man." He added in an aside to Layn.

"Good day to you Mr. Mason. Trust me when I say, I have known of Layn for many years. I am part of the reason he moved here." She smiled demurely. "I am fixing some breakfast, would you care to join us?"

"Thank yea, a cup of coffee will suffice." Cob sad and bobbed his head politely.

"How can I help you Cob?" Lay asked offering him a chair at the table.

"I came here hoping to settle the price on the land my boy damaged, but now I know it won't be enough." Cob said and sighed.

"Tell me the offer and we can dicker from there. I'm not out to ruin you, but I need enough to plant new seedlings so the ground don't erode away." Layn said, looking at Elmira.

"If you two are getting married, then I also owe you for the trees Jojo took off your land without your leave." Cob said looking at Elmira.

"What if you created more of a buffer between our land and the others?" Elmira said, looking into the man's mind and heart. "Give us the track of land to the far road. That way we can close it off completely. It's only about twenty acres and would cost far less than paying for three generations of the Oaks Jojo has taken in their prime."

"Oh, you barter hard, Lass. That will cost me dearly. I don't know if the family would go for it." Cob shook his head while he pondered the idea.

"We are getting married on Easter day. You can make it a wedding gift and we will call it even." Layn said, trying to make the pill easier to swallow. "Then just keep Jojo off our land and we all can be happy." He finished.

"My boy is away with the in-laws, making his own way to pay me back. He won't be home for a year or more. Maybe they can knock some sense into him, or get him married off."Cob sighed sadly.

"I hope he comes home a better man." Layn said sincerely.

"You really mean that don't you?" Cob asked astonished.

"Yes I do... we do. I'd rather live in peace than be feuding with my neighbors." Layn smiled.

"Then it's done then. I'll see to it and you'll have the deed to that land on the day I see you wed." Cob said, coming to his decision. He spit in his hand and offered it to Layn, who returned the gesture. After he walked Cob to the door, Elmira handed him a towel to wipe his hand on.

"That is a mighty powerful word bond you just created. You just increased our lands by twenty more acres. The animals will be pleased." She said as her dress slipped to the floor. "Eat now; you are going to need your strength."

By the time Layn got to his food, it was cold. Smiling, he went to the fenced off area, and decided to start planting the kitchen garden. Going into the shed and barn, he combed Roan and strapped him to the hoe. He smelled the rich earth as it turned over as he prepared it for seed.

Elmira grabbed the trimmer and started cutting back the berry vines, making sure she let some arch the fence to feed the animals that walked through the yard. Layn caught her swaying motion out of the corner of his eye and he was instantly consumed by the urge to have his wife. As the horse got close to the gate, he released him.

Without hesitation, he pulled her up and kissed her. He didn't care it was in the middle of the day and that anyone could see them if they approached. He needed her. They fell down to the fresh turned earth and within a second, he was buried inside of her. He grunted and rutted like an animal. He was completely devoid of thought as they gave and took, until they were both covered with the dark earth that was under them.

He screamed out his release when she started contracting around him. Even when he had stopped coating her insides; he kept thrusting until his arms refused to hold him anymore.

"We'll have to put a shower out here if you keep this up." Elmira sighed. "Don't think you'll be tracking this mud into our cottage." She scolded him. "You've made our tree happy. I hope you can keep up. I'm afraid it will be this way until she blooms. I warned you about the bond and spring." She smiled at his confused look.

"These urges I'm feeling are from your tree?" He asked as soon as he could breathe normally again.

"Our tree Love... You bound yourself to her the same time you bound me. Although I never knew it could so much. Spring is usually a frustrating time for me. I had all these urges but no one to live them out with."

"That is why we slept so long isn't it?" Layn asked as he started moving inside of her again, feeling his erection return.

"Yes, it was our trees way of trying to protect us. She was confused at first when we mated. She was used to being in a deep slumber and we woke her with our loving. My mother tried to explain it to me, but I didn't know what she meant until now. If you keep that up, we'll never get this garden planted." She moaned as her body responded to the soft smooth penetration.

"I can't stop it now. My need for you burns in my mind." Layn said as he felt her legs wrap around him.

"Then let me make it quick." She breathed, her body also on fire.

"How..?" Layn begged as he continued to plunge into his lover.

"Take my nipple.... Follow me." She gasped as instinct took over. She moaned as she felt Layn's lips on her nipple. Her channel contracted on the warm invading organ. She heard Layn gasp and she put her mind and magic into their loving. It was enough. They crested together and sighed as their bodies found release.

Before they could relax together, Elmira told her husband. "We need to get up now before our tree can send more ripples our way." She pushed at his chest as she forced him out of her. "There is a way to make it better." She said as she picked up her fifthly dress.

"How..." Layn looked the other way as he felt his pulse rise again, knowing he couldn't, not again, not yet; no matter how he burned.

"I will tend my valley while you tend the cottage. It will be frustrating, but it will give you some much needed rest. When it gets too bad, Roan will bring you to our tree." She said with a firmness in her voice that made Layn wonder who she was trying to convince.

"But, I don't want to be away from you." Layn demanded.

"Neither do I, but we must. For the sake of the baby if nothing else...." Elmira said, touching Layn's face. "Look at us. Right now you are thinking about laying with me again, even if you do not have the strength to get hard. I'm thinking that you could consume me again until you could. It effects me too Love. I never realized just how much until today. We don't even care we are covered in dirt and muck."

"All we need is a bath." Layn started to say.

"Why...? The rain will cleans us in a few minutes. You don't think a cold bath would help. Its spring Love, the plants thrive off cold rain. You will only nourish it." Elmira spun away and whistled. "I will send him back as soon as I am safe. Our tree is still budding." She almost cried.

Layn had to fight the urge to follow his lover as she jumped bareback onto his big horse. "I love you my Fae-Woman...!" He called out as his horse bound out of sight.

His pulse beat with the rhythm like the pounding hoofs of a horse, until he jerked up and felt something snap inside him. Taking a deep breath, he looked down and saw how dirty he was.

He was thinking about taking a bath in the water trough, but as he took a step in that direction, the sky opened up with a quick, heavy, spring shower. Pulling his mucked covered clothes out of the mire at his feet, he tossed them over the fence so the rain could start cleaning them as well.

***

At first, he was angry when Roan didn't return right away. Then after he fell in bed, exhausted, he started seeing the wisdom of what his wife had done. The next day, when the big horse did show up, looking for his feed trough, Layn fought the urge to jump on him and find his wife.

He spent the day planting the seeds for the garden. With every seed planted, he thought again of making love to his wife, until that is all his mind could see. He fought the vision; knowing it was the tree sending it to him.

Over the next week, as he tried to keep his mind on the planting he needed to get done, his nights were filled with visions of his wife and the physical relationship they enjoyed. He fought it as long as he could, but after seven days and nights, he needed his wife like he had never needed anyone before.

Taking out his horse, he scarcely had him saddled, when he jumped up and gave him his head. "Go find her..!" He ordered and held on for dear life. He could feel her as he came closer to the tree. He knew she would be waiting for him as Roan crashed through the surrounding brush.

As soon as he saw her, he was jumping off the horse and tearing off his clothes. He eyes were consumed by her naked glowing beauty as she waited for him. They had enough presence of mind to make it to her bower, before they clamored together, completing the connection that sent pleasure through their bodies.

They loved under the tree for hours, each bringing the other to new heights in their lovemaking. They tried everything their minds could grasp and a few things that they knew the tree had sent them. It was late and the full moon was shining when they finally cuddled together and slept.

The next morning, after a long slow languorous lovemaking session, Layn was surprised by the blooms that met his eyes and nose as they exited from under the tree. Their tree had almost red blooms as the other Elms in the valley had white and pink tinted tiny flowers stretching into the sun. He could hear the faint buzz, which he realized were the bees busy at their task.

"Only one more day, then our tree will give us some rest. She will bloom out the rest tonight. Are you up for it?" She asked with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"Does this happen every spring?" Layn asked astonished.

"Some years to a greater or lesser degree." Elmira answered happily. "But I think our tree is responding since we are both bringing fruit this year." She came up and hugged him close. "I think we need to swim in the creek. Let the bees do their job in peace, it makes the honey sweeter. There will be many saplings from this year's seeds. Soon I must start looking for our daughters Tree."

"Are you sure it will be a girl?" Layn asked, rubbing his hand over her quickened womb.

"I'm not sure. I know I have to look, or if she is born without her sapling, she will die. If it is a son, he will be born in the cottage where he was conceived. It is the way of things. Balance has to be maintained."

"Won't her tree be on your land... in your valley?" Layn asked, wondering how a Dryad was born.

"No Love, when we joined, our land joined too. It could be anywhere on our land, waiting for me to find it. They have to meet as soon as she is out of the womb, or they both might get sick and die." She smiled at him to take the fear off his face.

"Does it happen often?" He asked wrapping her protectively.

"It happens... I don't know how often. I was... am, an only child. My mother waited until almost too late to find her mate. Even trees have a set reproductive cycle. My mom was well over six hundred years old when she finally met my father." She sighed as she walked with him, taking them to her favorite bathing hole.

"I'll be glad when we can go home to the cabin tomorrow." Layn said and sighed.

"If Roan comes back by then." Elmira said with speculation.

"Why not...?" Layn asked looking down at his wife.

"It is spring for him too. There is a farmer a few miles away with a mare in heat." She smiled as she offered herself to him by the bubbling creek.

***

It took them a week to make it back. And another week to set the cottage to rights since Layn had left the door open. On the third week, Layn put Elmira in his truck and headed into town. They stopped at the local paper to announce their wedding. Then they set about finding a church to be wed in.

Elmira dismissed the Catholic church out of hand, for their confusing beliefs. They finally found a small out of the way church, where Elmira said the minister was open minded enough to get it done. When they entered, they were met by a young woman.

"How can I help you?" She asked politely.

"We're looking for the vicar. We need to be wedded on the Spring Equinox." Elmira said boldly.

"Ohh... Poppa... There are people here to see you." She blushed and bobbed, heading to the back of the church. "Poppa...!"

"Yes... yes what is it?" A rumpled middle aged man said, exasperated by the interruption.

"This couple would like to get married on Easter." She said, used to her father's moods.

"You don't say..." He scratched his head.

"Hello sir," Layn said and offered his hand. "Yes, we would like to formalize our vows."

"Formalize... that is an interesting way of putting it. Come this way." He showed them into his cluttered office. "Why would you say formalize?" He asked as they sat down.

"Because in God's eyes we're already bound." Elmira said. "We expect our first fruit come this fall. We were snowed in when we bound ourselves. This just formalizes the occasion." She didn't flinch at his intense appraisal.

"It is usually prudent to wait until after the formalities to practice reproduction." He said with a bit of censure in his voice.

"We followed all of God's laws... now we are following man's. Of the two, I follow God's first." Elmira countered.

"Look sir, not to be offensive, but we are not children playing about. We are both adults in their prime. We made this union of our free will and will honor our vows. We just want to make sure all the legalities are met. We are both land owners and we don't want any confusion."

"Are you both free to make these vows?" He asked and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I haven't made any introductions. Please excuse my lapse." He stood back up. "I'm Father Markesan." He offered his hand to them.

"Hello Father, I'm Layn Wyman, and my bride is Elmira Greenbrier... I'm sure you've heard the names before." Layn added with a small smile.

"Good God, yes... I'm honored... Are you the descendant of the Greenbrier's?" He asked astonished.

"Yes, I'm the last, until my child is born. Yes, Greenbrier Hollow is my name sake. Laurel Greenbrier was the original holder of the title, over twelve hundred years ago. I am the latest and will pass it down to my daughters as is agreed in the original writ." Elmira talked like she knew the complete history of the area.

"And for a dowry...?" the father asked bewildered.

"Twenty acres of adjoining land, deeded on the day of our marriage by Cob Mason." Layn said unperturbed.

"Can you come to this a free man to pledges his troth?" The Father asked.

"I have a Decree of Divorce, from my first wife." Layn said.

"On what grounds?" the father asked quickly.

"Adultery.... Just to make it clear; she committed it, not me. I stayed faithful to my vows until the Divorce was final. I purchased my land and have made my home there ever since." Layn finished.

"Good... good; it seems everything is in order. Go to the town's recorder and bring me a valid license and I'll see to the marriage. Usually we would like to have you go through some classes, but you two seem to have everything already thought out and with the baby coming.... God's speed and we can talk again once you have the license." He said as he took notes on his big calendar. "Are you sure you want it on Easter... It would have to happen between services."