A Wandering Spirit

"Do you want me to move closer?" asked Anna.

I nodded.

Anna slid forward dragging a trail of wetness over my torso. She spread her right leg outward, extending it off the bed, her foot resting on the floor. Angling slightly, her left foot arrived adjacent to my head. She bent her knee and pulled her leg toward her, causing her legs to spread, and leaving her pussy just centimeters away from my face.

I was unsure what to do next and wondered if there was some mystical lesbian thing expected of me. I thought back to my times with my former male lovers, but they tended to think of cunnilingus as an appetizer. Something to be finished as quickly as possible before moving on to the main course.

"This is my first time," I confessed to Anna.

"Don't be afraid," she replied.

My eyes were drawn to the magnificent curly hairs covering her mound, and I reached out to touch them. Thick and lush, spreading outward to places where I would never allow my pussy hairs to remain unshaven. My fingers explored the softness, stroking and scratching them softly.

"So nice. Definitely not faux fur," I laughed. Anna's pubic hair was much softer and more pleasant than what my body was lying on.

I threaded my right hand under Anna's upraised leg, wrapped it around her, and pulled her pussy closer. Anna shifted, leaning back slightly, revealing her pussy lips to me. I extended my tongue, and beginning at the bottom of her channel, applied a quick lick with the flat of my tongue. I drew in a breath halfway up. The smell was intense! So pungent, it stung my nose. I went back for a second lick, faster and deeper this time, then pulled back after I applied a quick flick of my tongue to Anna's clit.

I breathed in Anna's scent again and wondered whether I could continue. I tried to place the smell. A mix of feminine essence, wood smoke, a tinge of urine, and sweat. Somehow, both attractive and repulsive at the same time. Then, I realized where I was, and who I was with. For millennia, this was the way women smelled and tasted until others convinced them they had to smell like something else. A barrier in my brain instantly dropped, and I was drawn to Anna's wild and untamed smell. Her pussy wasn't a cup of decaf coffee, it was a doppio espresso! Something to be savored!

I dipped back down and resumed my licking with renewed vigor. Letting my tongue waggle back and forth as it passed through her soft folds, I spread her inner lips apart, drawing wetness from within. I stopped thinking about what I was supposed to do, and instead concentrated on those places on my own body where my fingers explored, and pleased me. All I had to do was locate similar places on Anna! I was filled with excitement as I began my search for Anna's most erotic and sensitive spots. Using a pointed tongue, I licked quickly, moving both over and in between Anna's soft folds, using every one of my senses in hopes that Anna's body would yield its clues.

"Ahhh. Just like that," gasped Anna.

Anna was getting wetter, and my tongue lapped at the salty-sweet nectar. Its unmistakable scent was merging with all the others. I paused long enough to whisper to Anna, "You taste so good!" I started to make small circles with my tongue, pushing and pulling her flesh, and pressing a bit harder against her, hoping the sensations would penetrate deeper. And they did.

"Om, Om, Om! Yes!"

Reaching Anna's clit, I found it within its sheath, so I circled the reluctant nub hoping to tease it from its hiding place. I let the tip of my tongue flutter across, causing it to swell. Covering the entire area with my lips, I gently sucked, pulling Anna's clit out and capturing it between my lips. Anna grabbed the back of my head and held me tight against her. She began squirming, and I felt her clit slide back and forth between my stationary lips. Anna took control, using small thrusting and grinding movements, as if her clit were a tiny penis, and my lips an eager and hungry vagina waiting to swallow it!

Anna was enjoying this, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"

Beneath my chin, I slid one finger up into her wet opening, slowly wiggling while moving it in and out. I added a second, and her inner muscles squeezed against the two intruders, releasing a gush of juices that ran down my hand and continued down my arm.

Anna placed a second hand behind my head, together pushing my face lower on her pussy, and forcing me to remove my fingers. I squirmed but Anna held me tight against her, then began grinding against my face, as if trying to force me even deeper into her. My nose became trapped between her swollen inner lips, sliding within her slick channel, going all the way from her opening to her clit. Anna's hips moved faster and faster, and I knew her orgasm was close.

I reached out with my hands, tickling and teasing Anna's inner thighs. Anna lost control, her movements became even more forceful. Her bum cheeks slapped down against me. She was panting hard, searching for air. Anna transformed into a wild beast, raw and untamed, but so had I. I matched my lingual efforts to Anna's, countering each of her movements with one exactly opposite. We fell into an oddly syncopated rhythm that further intensified her grinding. I was so tight against Anna's pussy that I felt her inner muscles twitch. My hands, no longer teasing, raked her inner thighs with my fingernails, clawing at her flesh in a frenzy. For a moment, I feared I would draw blood, but then raw lust consumed me, and I no longer cared! My efforts drew a yelp of pain, and Anna came to a sudden halt. Held tight against her pussy, I felt spasms rippling from deep within, and her orgasm hit with a loud guttural yell. A wave of satisfaction broke over me. I was so happy to be right here, in this position, one so intimate, sharing Anna's orgasm with her.

Afterward, the only sounds were heavy breathing. I recovered first, and gently kissed Anna's pussy and thighs, watching as frothy juices slowly trickled from her pussy. The whole experience was so new to me, so exciting, so exhilarating, and well, so wonderful.

Anna looked at me and asked, "What did you just do to me, Leah? What kind of spell did you cast upon me?"

"Anna, I've never made love to a woman before. I wasn't really sure what I should do, so I just tried things I thought were right."

"And that is why it felt so nice, Leah. Sex is not what you do to someone, it is what you do with someone, and I am glad to be with you tonight. I hope we will meet again someday, and I will have a chance to make you feel the same way you made me feel."

"How about right now?" I asked.

Anna smiled and said, "I have much to show you," then slid down my torso. She spread my legs with her hands, and soon, I was under her spell.

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Chapter 12 - A New Day, An Old Problem

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I woke to deep rhythmic sounds reflecting off the walls of the fjord. The morning ferry was passing by! But where am I? And how did I get here? I was shocked to see that the farmhouse was gone! Surrounding me were rows of moss-covered stones, outlining the foundation of the missing farmhouse. The thatched roof was now my tautly stretched tarp. The soft furs became my sleeping bag. Next to me were the dying embers of a small fire, slowly releasing a few wisps of smoke. Next to it, partially buried in the leaves and debris, were greenish-grey pieces of a broken soapstone basin. Nearby were my clothes, neatly laid out on scattered rocks. Inside my sleeping bag, I was naked. I yelled for Anna, but got no response.

I sat up and turned towards the sound of the ferry, but could see only a thick stand of spruce, their heavily laden branches still coated with ice. As the ferry moved away, the sound of its engines was replaced by the soft rustle of wind passing through the spruce trees. The precipitation had stopped, the skies were somewhat brighter, and looking west, patches of blue interrupted lingering grey clouds.

It was very cold, so I reached out to retrieve my clothes and pulled them inside the sleeping bag to warm them. As I dressed, I felt a strange crustiness between my legs, as if I had a wet dream. I quickly packed up and made my way to the kayak, loading everything back into it. As I looked out over the waters of the fjord, I saw trouble. Overnight, the wind had pushed the fjord ice right up to my shoreline. Packed so tightly together, it would be a challenge to find enough open water to work my way through to the clear main channel.

I pushed off and climbed into my kayak, using my paddle to make my way between the irregular blocks of ice. I managed to leave the shoreline about ten meters behind, but the ice was nearly solid right in front of me. I tried to push against the larger pieces of ice, hoping to move them. I felt like Don Quixote, using his lance against the windmills. We shared the same lack of success fighting the unbeatable foe. Unable to go between the ice, I tried riding my kayak forward to go up and over a large piece of ice to my right. The ice dipped into the water due to the added weight, but then suddenly bobbed back up, tipping my kayak over to the left. I fought three times to self-correct and roll back to a vertical position, but with the ice jammed up against the bottom of my kayak, I was unable to do so.

Laying on my side, and fighting to hold position, I heard a horn sound three times and looked back to locate the source. Anna stood on a rocky outcropping, wearing the golden armor I thought I saw last night, and lowered a curved Viking horn from her lips. Unable to move to my right, I feared I would need to roll to my left and go into an inverted underwater position to make a wet exit into the freezing water. I had practiced this often in a pool, and even in the fjord during the summer, but this was winter. If I made it to shore, I would find my clothing completely soaked, and I would be at risk for hypothermia, or worse.

I took a deep breath, and rolled to my left, turning upside down beneath the water! My face stung from the cold, and I forced my eyes open. I was surprised to see the ice was not flat on the bottom, but instead, it had a mottled and rippled appearance. It was beautiful to look at, and my mind flashed with documentary images of divers beneath the thick Arctic ice. As I reached for my spray skirt to pull it off, a glint of unexpected sunlight revealed a small opening between the kayak and my larger foe. I had an idea. I jammed my paddle up into the illuminated opening. I couldn't move the ice, but I could move my kayak away from it! As I levered my kayak away from the ice, I rolled toward it and up into the opening I just created. I was upright again.

I gasped in breaths of frigid air, then, as I looked out into the fjord, I saw a strange sight. A small motorboat was heading towards me, with a woman at the controls. Pacing back and forth on the bow of the boat were two large cats.

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Chapter 13 - Climbing a Mountain

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The boat came to a stop near the edge of the ice, about 20 meters from me. As the wake broke against the ice, it moved, and a channel opened, wide enough for my kayak to pass through. Seeing an opportunity, I moved quickly and reached open water. I pulled up next to the boat and noticed the number 13 on its side. The large two cats jumped onto my kayak and nuzzled against me. I was surprised at how friendly they were to me, and I scratched them behind their ears with my neoprene-gloved hand.

"Hello! My name is Freyja. It looked like you were having trouble back there," said a middle-aged woman. "My two cats spotted something unusual, and it drew my attention. I saw your overturned kayak and altered course to investigate." Freyja had an uncommonly beautiful face, with a warm smile, glistening brown eyes, and short brown hair. She wore an unusual brown cloak, with flecks of grey, and it had an almost feathery appearance. I noticed her stocky frame and broad shoulders. She wore a beautiful gold and amber necklace, the individual pieces connected with simple metal half-loops, rather than fancy clasps or joinery. It looked quite old.

I said, "My name is Leah. Thank you for checking on me, but I think I'm all right now. I was upside down underwater, almost out of breath, and could not roll my kayak upright. I felt helpless for a few moments, but then, as luck would have it, a burst of sunlight showed me the way out of a bad situation."

Freyja held up a marine spotlight. "The fog lies heavy to the east and is blocking the sun. What you saw was my sunlight. You were in trouble, but it wasn't luck that saved you. When facing danger, you must release a hidden part of your inner spirit. Too few women are even capable of doing so today, but you managed it. Sadly, too often women set limits on themselves, and they set them too low. They are afraid to challenge themselves."

Freyja continued, "Women think they will be safe if they remain confined within their self-imposed limits, but they are wrong. Safety comes from pushing your limits and challenging yourself. Real safety is gaining the inner strength and confidence to allow yourself to overcome any obstacle. A woman shouldn't climb a mountain just to get to the top, she should climb it because once she does reach the top, she will never allow another mountain to bar her way. This fjord is full of women kayaking in the summer, but they limit themselves to that single season. You were brave enough to challenge yourself and try winter kayaking. By doing so, you have removed that limit on yourself. I admire that."

Freyja reached into her cloak, pulled out a necklace, and tossed it to me. "I would like you to have this necklace so you will remember this day. In my homeland, it is a symbol of bravery. The kind of bravery you just showed."

I looked at the necklace and the small pendant attached to it. On the pendant were three interlocking triangles. I placed the necklace around my neck and tucked it beneath my base layer. "Thank you, Freyja," I replied.

Freyja added, "If you want to learn more about the necklace, you must investigate it yourself. It has other meanings, should you choose to seek them out."

I responded, "I promise I will. Your cats seem very friendly."

She proudly said, "Bygul and Trjegul my two Norwegian Forest Cats. They are exceedingly rare today and have a nurturing, loving, and sensual nature, though they can sometimes be rather independent. Strong women like yourself seem to attract them. Would you like to come with me on my boat instead?"

"No thank you, Freyja. I want to finish what I started. I'm going to complete my trip and I will not quit."

"Well said," Freyja replied. "What direction are you heading?"

"West, towards Hellesylt."

"I just came from there on my boat. You should have no trouble with ice if you remain in the center of the fjord. The fog is dissipating, and the wind is shifting in your favor. Farewell, Leah, until we meet again."

Freyja slowly reversed her engines, then headed toward Geiranger. I watched as she disappeared into the still heavy fog blanketing the fjord to the east.

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Chapter 14 - An Unbelievable Story

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I paddled into the main channel to avoid the ice and headed west toward Hellesylt. The air was cold, crisp, and clear. The fjord looked fresh and revitalized, and I felt the same way. Misty tendrils of fog clung to the darkened tresses of the small patches of spruce trees and danced on the mountain slopes as they twisted and played in the wind.

Above me, was an incredible sight. Thin ribbons of low grey clouds swirled about, driven chaotically by the wind, as if trying to flee from the approaching blue skies. The sun finally appeared above the dark grey wall of clouds to the east and announced its tardy arrival by casting its golden rays upon the higher sections of the rocky fjord walls, still leaving the dappled brown grasses on lower sections in darkness. Above the fjord, white clouds billowed, moving rapidly to the east, each partially lit by the morning sun, a mix of brilliant white, contrasted with drab sections still awaiting a kiss from the sun.

A large falcon circled high overhead, dashing between the clouds, and followed me to Hellesylt. Was this the same falcon I saw last night? Could it be my spirit animal?

I made it to the pickup point without further incident and called Ellie on my cell phone. She arrived just over thirty minutes later. We loaded the kayak onto her car and headed back to her flat. As we drove, I told Ellie the incredible story of my kayaking adventure, and how I met both Anna and Freyja. Ellie had a strange look on her face.

"You're not teasing me? Are you?" asked Ellie.

"It really happened," I replied. "I can't believe it either, but it's all true. I swear!"

We arrived back at her flat, unloaded our gear, and went inside.

"That's a lot for me, or anyone else, to accept," said Ellie. The falcon might have been looking for a landing spot, just like you. They have incredible eyesight, and from the air, they caught a glimpse of the trees. In the dark, you looked around for a place to set up your tarp. You set up inside the ruins of the old farmhouse and didn't even notice because of the fog and sleet. Face it, you were exhausted, drifted off to sleep, and dreamed you met the Valkyrie. The horn you heard came from the ferry, a single blast echoing off the walls of the fjord. And the strange woman you saw on the boat just happened to be someone passing by. Do you have any photographs of the Valkyrie or the woman on the boat?"

"Well, no. But I did take some of the ruins of the old farmhouse."

"Then the farmhouse is real, the rest, maybe not."

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Chapter 15 - You Are Not Alone

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I began to doubt myself and my story. Ellie's description of the events seemed more plausible than my own. I went into the bedroom to change my clothes, and as I removed the top of my base layer, I felt it. Around my neck was the necklace Freyja gave me! I rushed back out into the living area, naked from the waist up, and Ellie gave me the once-over with her eyes.

"Very nice," she said. "But if you need some clothing, I have a few things that might fit."

"No! No! No!" I cried. "Look at this!" I held up the necklace. "It looks a lot like the one I saw you wearing."

Ellie reached down below her neck, inside her sweatshirt, and pulled out her necklace. They matched.

"Om! So, it is real. Your story. I need to show you something."

Ellie went into the bedroom and returned with a large piece of rolled paper. As she unfurled it I saw it was a drawing. It was Freyja! "That's her!" I cried out. "That's the woman on the boat!"

"I met Freyja too. Last year, I was training near here for the Birkebeiner Ski Race. It is over 50 kilometers long, and has lots of elevation changes as the trail goes up and down two mountains."

I said, "I have heard of it. It sounds quite challenging."

Ellie replied, "That's what Freyja said to me too. Part of the race is that skiers must carry a rucksack with a 3.5-kilogram weight. This represents Håkon Håkonsson, the infant and future king of Norway. Around the year 1200, Norway was fighting a Civil War, and Håkon, who was only one year old, was heir to the throne. His enemies were in pursuit, so two skiers carried him a long distance to reach safety. The race is named after their brave and heroic efforts."

She continued, "One day I was training for the race, it was nearly twilight, so the lighting was poor. I hit an icy patch on the trail, lost my balance, and the weight I was carrying shifted in my pack. It threw me off balance and I slid into the trees, twisting my ankle. I was in incredible pain and didn't know if I could reach my car. I couldn't continue skiing, nor was I dressed to spend a night in the forest. I feared I would freeze to death unless someone came along to help me. Then, I saw her. It was Freyja. She was on a sled, pulled by two large cats. She stopped and asked if I was ready to go with her to her home. I knew enough Norse mythology to know I was looking at the Goddess Freyja, and that she collects the dead, taking them to her home in Folkvangr. If I went with her, I feared what it might mean."