A Paladin's War Ch. 13

"It is a gift," he answered, setting his pack down at his feet. His stomach rumbled, but all that was in the pack were a couple of those hairy-shelled fruits from the desert oasis where he'd encountered Sadani, and he was hungry for something more filling. "From Aros."

"He is your god?"

Aran nodded. "He is. Do you worship a god?"

Serefi looked around the clearing. "My god is all around us," she replied. "The land, the trees, the sky. Life is given and taken according to her whims." She paused. "And we pay homage to Ranada, the Mother of Beasts, for without her, we would not exist."

That caught Aran's attention. Ranada was a Titan. A lesser one, but still powerful. "I have heard stories of Ranada," he said carefully. "She is one of the world guardians."

Serefi showed no reaction to his words, perhaps because she was hiding something, or maybe they just meant nothing to her. "She has many names, I am sure. It is said one day she will return to us, to lead us again, though I doubt it is true."

Aran wondered how much he could tell Serefi, and how much he couldn't. He felt conflicted. He was here to help, wasn't he? He found himself telling her about Vasuda, and Sadani, and what he knew about the others. Serefi listened with interest, asking questions now and then. They were interrupted when the leopard padded back into the clearing, dragging a stag carcass by the neck. The stag was massive, the antlers on the lower side of its head carving through the undergrowth, but the leopard was almost as big, and strong enough that the stag appeared an easy burden.

The huge cat - Jali - stopped in front of Aran and unceremoniously released the stag's neck, letting its head flop to the ground. She watched him expectantly, yellow eyes glowing in the night, for all the world like a housecat that had brought him a mouse as a gift, except the cat was a giant leopard, and the mouse was a prime buck. Beside him, Serefi studied him as if working something out. After a few moments, Jali shifted back into her human form. She seemed annoyed as she folded her arms over her breasts.

"Well?" she said curtly. "Is this not enough?" She gestured at the stag between them. Its neck was punctured cleanly, two holes leaving dark, wet trails over pale fur.

"It's plenty," Aran assured her. "Thank you." The women continued watching him.

"Are you not going to eat?" Serefi enquired. Aran blinked. Of course. They eat their meat raw. He stifled a grimace. It was going to take him some time to dress the carcass, and more time to prepare a fire. His stomach rumbled in complaint as he sighed and got to his feet, rolling up his sleeves and drawing his belt knife. Jali tensed, and the two across the clearing turned sharply toward him, but they all relaxed as he knelt by the stag and began to work. Elaina had taught him how to butcher. It seemed a lifetime ago now. Serefi watched with curiosity as he stripped the skin, exposing the flesh beneath.

"What are you doing?" Jali demanded hotly. "You are ruining it!" Aran gave her a patient look and kept on. A small crowd gathered after a few moments, some fascinated, some offended, as he separated meat from bone. There was far too much here for just him alone, so he set aside enough cuts for himself and offered the Druids the rest. They dragged it away eagerly and set to, kneeling down on all fours and eating it like animals. Aran shook his head. The gizzards he put in a pile nearby; he would bury those later. Well, that had been his intention. No sooner had he completed the sloppy pile of entrails than a couple of Druids scooped them up and took them off to the cave.

"For the younglings," Jali said when she saw his expression. She was squatting on the other side of the stag - what was left of it - from Aran, her elbows on her knees.

"Are there many?" he asked her, trying to ignore the sounds of the feast happening nearby. It was almost enough to put him off eating. Almost.

"More than a dozen, now," Jali replied in answer to his question. Something about her tone made that seem important, but he didn't get the chance to enquire further. One of the Druids - Ronan - rose from the circle around the carcass, his hands full of bloody flesh, his mouth and chin wetly dark. He went to Serefi where she was still perched on the rock and offered her the flesh. She eyed him for a long moment before accepting, reaching out and taking it from his hands. It was the heart, Aran realised. She bit into it like an apple, her eyes locked to Ronan's. The other Druids all watched the exchange, frozen where they were. Something significant was happening.

Serefi stood, still chewing. Then she shoved the heart at Rohan's mouth, mashing it roughly on his face. With a growl, he bit down, tearing a piece free. The other Druids hooted, roared and yipped. Aran wished he knew what he'd just seen. His eyebrows rose as Serefi lunged at Ronan, leaping at him and wrapping long limbs around his lean body. Between one moment and the next, they were on the ground, Ronan on his back, Serefi atop him. They began to rut right there, only a few paces away.

Aran looked askance at Jali. She pulled her eyes away from the display nearby. He couldn't tell in the dark, but he thought her cheeks were flushed. "Serefi has accepted him as her mate," she explained, settling herself so her knees were on the ground, spread wide apart. She kept her back straight, arms locked with her hands on her thighs. The pose pushed her chest forward, drawing attention to her pale breasts. His eyes dipped lower, over her flat belly to the narrow strip of light hair just above her sex. She saw him looking, and her lips curled. "It has been a long wait. Ronan will be glad. He has pursued her for almost two summers."

Aran tried to ignore Jali's body language. He did not know the ways of Druids yet, but he knew when a woman was offering. Other Druids began to pair off at once, and soon the clearing was filled with grunting, purring, and the slapping of flesh.

Sighing again, Aran stacked the meat on the flat rock to keep it off the ground and met Jali's hot stare. It would seem his stomach was going to have to wait. Standing, he pulled his shirt off. Jali licked her lips. He still had work to do here; Maharad had strings tied to the rest of this clan yet, but he was in no shape to help further until he'd restored his energy, and he wouldn't be able to do that until he could cook the meat. And he couldn't do that until this celebration - he thought that's what it was - had run its course.

"I am low on energy," he told Jali as he stripped off his boots and pants. Was he getting distracted here? No, his gut was telling him, as strange as this was, this was where he needed to be.

"I do not care," she replied, turning around and crawling a short distance away. She presented herself on all fours, her tight rump held high, the plump lips of her sex easily visible. "If I fuck you to death, it will be a good death," she said over her shoulder. Aran's body hummed with arousal as he got in position behind Jali, grasping her slim hips firmly. His hands were still bloody from the butchering, but Jali did not care.

All around them, the wild mating continued. To his left, Serefi and Ronan were still at it, her firm body glistening with a sheen of sweat as she rode her new mate. To his right, the hulking bear-Druid was mounted behind the white-haired woman, vigorously hammering her with powerful thrusts that clapped like miniature thunder. She growled like a wolf, yellow eyes flashing as she threw herself back on him. Up ahead, the woman who had been the black bear was astride a tall, lean man. Aran thought he'd been the tiger. Her ebony skin shone brilliantly in the moonlight as she undulated her thick, solid body as if trying to grind him into the ground. She was not a fat woman, just big. The man gripped her mammoth breasts as if holding on for dear life.

Just as Aran pressed the head of his cock against Jali's slick sex, a loud voice pulled him up short. "No!" All heads whipped to Serefi, who was lifting herself off Ronan. His erection slapped wetly against his middle as it came free of her body. Her eyes were on Aran. "He is mine first, Jali!" The two women stared at one another for a long moment, and for a heartbeat Aran thought Jali might push backward, impaling herself on him, but she relented, instead crawling over to the pair in front of her and settling herself over the tiger-Druid's face. She did shoot one more look at Aran that promised she would have him later.

With a predatory smile, Serefi positioned herself on all fours, facing Ronan. He growled deeply as her head dipped over his waist, and he tangled long fingers in her hair. He eyed Aran. "She wants you to fuck her, healer," he said in a hard voice. "I suggest you obey."

Aran had been in stranger situations, but not many. Even the vala memories that occasionally offered him insights had shown him few things this bizarre. Still, the experience was exciting, if visceral. He moved to Serefi and got to his knees behind her. Her skin was silky, her body smooth and firm. He entered her easily, sliding all the way to the hilt in one stroke. Her moan was muffled, but he heard it. Her inner muscles massaged him, pulling at him, reluctantly letting him withdraw and welcoming him back with each thrust.

She pushed back insistently, wanting more. He gave it, and soon he was rutting as wildly as the others, losing himself in the animal pleasure. A haze settled over his mind, blurring his thoughts. He could have pushed it away, but he let it be, allowing himself to experience the moment here, with these creatures, so wild and unabashed. When Serefi was satisfied, Jali was there, ready for what she'd almost had before. The others followed, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups of two or three.

At his full ability, he would have used his vala to increase their pleasure, to add to the experience, but as he was, he let things be, let them unfold naturally. The Druid women took what they wanted from him, using him for their pleasure until they were sated. There was an odd sort of honesty about it he could appreciate. His final partner was the dark, round bear woman, her body tremendously curved and soft, yet he felt the firm muscle underneath. She rode him savagely as the sky began to turn grey with the dawn, until finally she fell to the side, exhausted. When Aran rolled over and mounted her, she spread her thighs readily and received him, using her thick legs to lock him into her body. In the way of the Druids, he chased his pleasure without thought, acting only on instinct. He let himself go when he was ready, shuddering as he erupted inside her.

When his vision cleared, he lifted his head off the woman's pillowy breast and looked around at the other Druids, all of them standing in a ring around him. He hadn't noticed them until now. How long had they been there? Pushing himself to his knees, he looked down at his lover. She smiled and sat up, then caught the back of his head in one hand and pulled him into a hard kiss. Somehow, the act was much more intimate than anything that had just happened.

He stood, pulling her up with him. The sky was slowly changing from grey to orange. The Druids stood there around him, silent, their eyes intent. Then, a shadowy haze appeared, shimmering, exuding from them like steam from sweaty skin on a cold night. They all drew a deep breath, except for Serefi, who watched in wonder. There was no haze around her. The shadow lifted, then gathered above their heads, coming together in a cloud, only just opaque. Then, it dissipated, vanishing.

Aran blinked. Had he just seen that? He'd certainly felt it. Maharad had just left the entire clan willingly. He had questions, but who to ask?

"We are freed," Jali said in wonder. Her words were echoed by the others. "You have saved us, healer!"

"Our young will grow strong!" crowed Ronan, his face exultant. Aran smiled. He was happy for them. No one deserved to live under Maharad's shadow. It was worse than death. Suddenly his legs were no longer supporting him. He was falling. Someone caught him, but when he tried to see who, his eyes didn't seem to work properly. He needed to sleep, so he closed them. Yes, sleep was a good thing.

*

Aran awoke in darkness, lying on something soft, yet hard. Grasses, he realised as he felt around. He thought he was in a cave. The darkness was not complete; there was a light coming from somewhere in the near distance. A shadow crossed that light, blocking it for an instant. He'd blacked out from exhaustion. How long had he been unconscious? A smell reached his nose. It made his mouth water. Freshly cooked meat!

"I have food for you, healer," Jali's voice said from the darkness. Aran sat up carefully as she knelt beside him. His senses were a little blurry, but there was just enough light for him to make out her pretty features as she placed the sizable pile of meat down on the ground. He took a piece right away, biting off a big chunk. He groaned happily as hot juice exploded on his tongue. "I do not know the ways of this 'cooking,'" she went on as he chewed ravenously, "but Cullough has spent time with Humans, oddly enough."

"Thank you," Aran murmured around a mouthful. "It's perfect." In truth, it was a little overdone, but that was beside the point. Where and when had this Cullough spent time with Humans?

"The others almost attacked him when he made a fire," she said. When Aran looked confused, she added, "We don't like fire."

He nodded, understanding. When you lived in the wild, fires were the worst thing imaginable. He remembered working with Elaina in the summer, clearing the forest around the Chapel of dry underbrush and tinder to reduce risk of fires. Thinking about her made him absently check the knot of sensation in his mind that was her. She felt focused, confident, though the distance made it hard to tell much else. "I will give him my thanks. Which one is he?"

"He is the big one. The bear."

The light dimmed again briefly as Serefi entered the cave. She squatted easily beside Jali, looking Aran over. "Are you well, healer?"

"Better every minute," he said around a mouthful of venison. "How are your people?"

"We rejoice in our freedom," she replied, "but we must be moving. The clan cannot stay in this jungle any longer. It is a place of darkness." Aran continued eating while she laid out her plans to take the clan south and west, perhaps crossing the mountains in a search for a new home. Jali rose smoothly. She said nothing, but gave Aran a look that bordered on fondness before going outside.

"There is a war coming," Aran told her gravely as he reached for another piece of meat. Sadly, he realised he'd eaten it all. Still, there had been enough there to sustain him for a while. "You've seen the storms, felt the earth rumble. The strength of the Druids will be useful."

Serefi studied him, green eyes glowing softly in the low light. "So, this is your price, healer? We must fight for you?"

Aran shifted to a kneeling position, so he was looking her in the eye. "I do not command a price, but you will be fighting sooner or later, whether you like it or not. And not for me, but for yourselves, for everyone. Armies are gathering in the west to meet what comes. I can find you and your people a place in those armies. Your chances of survival will be much better."

Serefi looked scornful. "Armies of who? Men? I think not, healer. Men have done nothing but hunt us, hurt us. Our heads decorate their houses, our teeth lie on strings around their necks!" Her reptilian eyes blazed.

She had a point; Humans had been decidedly unkind to the Druids throughout history, but there was fault on both sides. There always was. "Yes, armies of men," he replied. "And Orcs, and Dwarves, and Elves. Even the Oron'noroth are moving. They all have put their differences aside for a greater cause. It is widely thought that your people are evil, innately corrupt. I now know that to be a lie; Maharad began it, a thousand years ago, twisting the minds of your ancestors and driving them to fight alongside Morgeth." A flicker of recognition crossed Serefi's face at the mention of Morgeth. "But you are now free of that twisting. In fact, he never completely had you. You fought back because you chose to, proving you are stronger than your ancestors."

"You... know much, healer," Serefi said slowly.

"I will need your strength, Serefi," Aran continued, "when I fight Maloth, Morgeth's only son. Through him, I fight Maharad."

Serefi looked shocked. "She had a son?"

"Yes," Aran said grimly. "And a daughter. We share the same lineage. Darius-"

"Sunblade," Serefi finished for him in a whisper, eyes wide. "You are his descendant?"

"I am." Part of him wanted to assure her he was not going to make the same mistakes as his distant ancestor, that her people were safe with him, but he quieted that part, instead waiting for her response.

A great bestial roar came from outside the cave, vibrating the rock beneath him. The noises that followed were the unmistakable sounds of animals fighting. Aran was moving in a flash. In two blurring strides, he was out in the daylight, blinking against the brightness as he skidded to a halt. The clearing was a frenzy of snapping teeth and slashing claws as huge beasts did battle against one another. The other clan had found them.

Wolves and bears, big cats and serpents writhed and struggled in a deadly melee. A massive black ape came sailing out of the trees to land heavily on the ground. Jali leaped for him, spotted forepaws extended, but the ape took her in the head with a savage punch, sending her flying. She cartwheeled twenty feet and flopped limply onto the ground like a rag doll.

Taking a deep breath, Aran opened his vala to surround the clearing and beyond, a hundred feet out into the jungle. He was not fully rested yet, but he was much stronger than a few hours ago. His sword was still leaning up against the rock near the cave mouth. In two heartbeats he had it in hand. Friend was easy to distinguish from foe as the vala made clear the dark aura that surrounded the invaders.

Serefi slithered out of the cave in her snake form, her body so wide Aran could not have gotten his arms around her. She was fast, her body winding toward the battle. The ape spotted her and thumped his broad chest before thundering forward, running on his knuckles. In a heartbeat, Serefi coiled her body and struck, wrapping herself around him, trying to squeeze him to death. He beat at her with fists like boulders, but she held strong.

Elsewhere in the clearing, Serefi's Druids were being overwhelmed. Jali was still down, though Aran could sense her heart beating. The grey wolf - Ronan - was pinned down by a bigger wolf, black as midnight, who had him by the throat. One of Serefi's bears was down. The brown one - Cullough, Jali had called him - was on his back, overpowered by a tiger and a panther, their teeth and claws drawing blood from beneath his thick brown fur.

Aran blurred forward, leaping onto Serefi's green-scaled coils where they wrapped around the ape. He was not gentle as he had been with Serefi, nor was he preserving strength. Smacking a palm down on the ape's head, he shoved his vala into the beast. Doing it this way might kill the Druid, but there wasn't time. The tendrils were deeply rooted and had been left to fester a long time. Perhaps too long. Still, they retreated, and a moment later, the ape's eyes rolled back in its head, and it went limp.

Wasting no time, Aran vaulted to his next target, spearing Oroth into the ground and landing beside Cullough, who was trying to keep a tiger's jaws away from his throat with one foreleg while a panther savaged the other one. Before they could react to his presence, Aran put a hand on each cat's head and pushed Maharad out of their souls. They collapsed at once. The big bear rolled to his feet slowly, but Aran had already moved on. He worked his way through the corrupt Druids as fast as he could, but even that wasn't fast enough to save Jali. In the space of two heartbeats, another enormous brown bear barrelled out from the trees and leaped on her helpless, unconscious form, his massive jaws seizing her neck and snapping it with a twist of his head.