Basalt Skies Ch. 01

Vierrah pulled her coat edges closer, shivering against the cooling air. The last touches of the red sun struck through wild, chaotic leaves. Everywhere she looked the world seemed to glare at her. Watching, following, eyeless. She wanted to call out, but feared it would cause the wilderness to attack her.

She searched for any place that offered a shred of comfort. There was none to be found, not in this place of cold and filth and deafening quietness. But neither was there any light beyond the fiery ball which was taking its leave, and if she didn't find something soon, she would be stranded in a dark world she knew nothing about. A faint rumble in the distance announced a thunderstorm not far away: it took her a moment to remember there would be no shield to take the strikes.

Overhead a bright beast flew past and she yelped, throwing her arms over her head. Heart pounding, she slowly lowered them, and saw it perched not far from her. Yellow eyes stared, unblinking, and she shuddered uncomfortably before continuing her trudge to nowhere.

Light drained from the sky while she walked, shadows taking over. One in particular stood out, a dark patch in the hillside. Vierrah squinted in the dark, making out its shape: round, like the ominous mouth of a great beast. A cave. She hesitated, tapping her leg nervously while she looked around the forest. The clouds grumbled again, and a soft drop of cold rain touched her face. Vierrah went to the cave, eyes widening to try and scoop what little light was inside. Cold, musty air caressed her cheek and she frowned, putting her back to the wall.

Rain pattered on the leaves outside; slow at first, then gradually picking up speed. Tiny drops curved into the cave, threatening to wet her along with the wild plants. She scooted a bit further in, keeping one hand on the rough cave wall. How was she supposed to make it to the morning, when everything in this new world was wet and cold? How could... they... let this happen? She was sure someone would come for her. Take her back, tell her it was all a big misunderstanding. A joke, maybe. She slid to the floor of the cave and wrapped her legs in her arms, staring at the glistening leaves just outside the shelter. Her shelter. As if she had been reduced to no more than that colorful beast and its yellow eyes... Would she have to dig in the mud for grubs next too? Her grip on her legs tightened at the thought.

---

Vierrah jerked awake, disoriented while she processed why her room was so cold and damp. Was there water running? She called out for the light to turn on; when it went unanswered, her memory returned. The Wilderness. Her room was gone. Taken.

A soft scuffing sound echoed off the rock walls and she whipped her head towards the dark cave, motionless. Her throat seized up, and she dared not ask what was there. Was it a beast? One of those saber-toothed wolves? She hoped it was nothing, and she strained to hear it. A long time passed, her eyes searching the flat blackness. Nothing. Slowly her muscles relaxed. Lightning flashed, and in its illumination, two figures stood in the cave just beside her. Vierrah screamed, scrambling away, trying to get her feet under her. Rough hands grabbed at her arms, at her coat. She pushed them away clumsily, shoes catching on the uneven ground. Something warm and solid struck her head, clawed into her hair, jerked her sideways. She ran into the wall, shouting in alarm and grabbing at the arms that were encircling her. "Get off me!" She screamed, "get off-"

A hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to bite it, and only met glove. She turned her head, trying to break free, when she was slammed against the cave wall. Her head smacked against the stone, pain splintering in her skull, lights sparking at the edges. Her legs buckled, and the assailant pushed her down, sitting on her stomach. Lightning flashed, and for a moment she could see the illuminated face of a young man with long hair and red paint. His eyes bore into hers. Another figure moved behind him.

Darkness swallowed the cavern, followed by the earth-rattling boom of thunder. Vierrah clawed at the man on top of her, her fingers striking a stiff cold cloth, flesh, cloth- she reached for the skin again, trying to dig her nails in. The man removed his hand from her mouth for a moment, and as she drew in breath to scream at him, something cold struck her face. A strip of fabric wrapped itself around her mouth and behind her head, tightening until it bound her words.

A pair of arms grabbed her feet and she tried to kick, to no avail. She screamed against the cloth; only a faint, muffled sound made it through. The one on top of her grabbed her wrists and slapped another piece of self-tightening cloth on them before rolling off of her. The two figures lifted, and despite her twisting and jerking motions, she found herself being dragged into the darkness of the cave.

---

Vierrah didn't know how far they'd gone, only that her muscles were burning from trying to pull herself out of the grip of the two wild people. She had given up on shouting; the cloth made that useless. Instead she stared wide-eyed, trying to make out any sign of where they were. The outside was long gone, only the occasional echo of thunder reached them now. They came to a sudden stop, and her spine bent oddly when the man holding her legs tried to keep moving.

"What now? We're almost there."

Vierrah was startled to hear the man speak. And with actual words, rather than some kind of bestial grunts.

"I can't remember which turn it is."

The voice at her feet was a woman's: Vierrah blinked in the darkness, trying to process this new development.

"It's left."

"Which left?"

"Let me lead." the man said, irritation in his voice.

Vierrah felt herself spin before they continued with her now head-first. She jerked her arms and legs, trying to break free: one leg dropped and she kicked at her captor. Her shoe met something solid but which rolled underneath.

"Bitch!" the woman cried out, "Stop it!"

Vierrah kicked again, landing another hit before the woman grabbed her ankle. Vierrah screamed angrily, her brush with freedom igniting a ferocity in her.

"Stop!" the woman screamed again, her voice reverberating through the cave.

Vierrah pulled at her legs, trying to free them. She felt her captors let go of her, and for a disorienting moment, her body was falling. Then it hit the stone floor. Breath rushed out of her lungs and she wheezed. Cold fabric tightened around her ankles, binding them together. Vierrah's lungs pulled for air, as much as her uncovered nose could take in, while her thoughts scrambled. She erupted into a fit of coughs, and in between them, fingers wrapped into her hair and pulled her head up.

"Tire yourself out." the woman said, her voice hard and little more than a whisper in Vierrah's ear, "It'll make it easier."

Vierrah went cold. Her eyes stared at the darkness where the woman loomed over her. Were they going to kill her? She whimpered softly against the cloth.

"You have two options." the woman continued, "You can keep fighting and get your throat slit, or you can knock that shit off, cooperate, and live. What's it gonna be?"

She was silent.

"You wanna live?"

Vierrah nodded.

"You gonna cooperate?"

She nodded again, tears welling in her eyes. Arms wove between her own bound ones and under her back, lifting her off the cave floor.

----

They didn't seem to go far before Vierrah could see the shadows of a faint yellow-orange light. A flickering light. Flame. While it grew she looked at her captors, as best she could in the awkward position: at her feet was a half-bare-chested man carrying her legs, whose face was focused ahead. Bits of silver metal in his long hair and on his crude coverings flashed in the growing light. Above her was a woman with wild, thick hair. Thin straps and torn netting covered part of her upper body, except for a breast which hung free. Dark paint marked fierce eyes, which glared down at her. Vierrah looked away, feeling heat in her face at the sight of such immodesty.

The cave grew brighter, and the sounds of crackling flame could be heard. Warm air touched at her, and she gave an involuntary shudder. The tunnel opened into a small round space. Strips of fabric hung from the walls, wrapped around an eclectic assortment of items, most of which she recognized and none of which looked to be in serviceable condition. Suddenly her mind clicked, and her eyes widened. They were scavengers!

"Well well, I thought I heard you shouting. Didn't think it was at something like this."

Vierrah's head swiveled, tracing the unfamiliar voice to a young man with a half-shaved head sitting by the fire. She felt her heart sink: there were three? How many more?

"We found a bit more than scrap this time." the first man said. Vierrah thought she heard a hint of pride in his voice.

"Bitch tried to kick my tit off." the woman said, dropping Vierrah's arms without warning. She walked to the fire and leaned down, grabbing the sitting man's chin in her hand and pulling it to her face in a kiss. When it broke she grinned at him through half-closed eyes and whispered, "You know what this means."

The sitting man placed his hand on the side of her face with an unexpected tenderness. "Business first, my love."

But the woman didn't let go of his chin, and instead narrowed her eyes at him. "Business can wait. We've been out for days without finding shit."

The man holding Vierrah's legs set them down. As she squirmed he stared at her as if in thought. Vierrah avoided his gaze, her face hot with embarrassment at the awkwardness of her movements. She managed to twist herself over and up into a sitting position, and huffed in exasperation. The man squatted beside her, and looked at the other two.

The man with the half-shaved head seemed to search the woman's face for a long time, exchanging unspoken words. Her stare was unyielding. Slowly he nodded. Her lips pulled back into a grin, and she looked at Vierrah in a way that made her queasy. When the woman took a step forward, the man who was sitting caught her arm and gaze.

"You know what this means, and what's required." he said.

The woman looked back at Vierrah, and met her eyes. "I am Randi."

"I am Emex." said the man by the fire.

"I am Tryst." said the long-haired one beside her.

Vierrah just stared at them, her gaze slowly shifting between the three. The one beside her - Tryst, apparently - reached towards her and she jerked away. He frowned. His hand darted out suddenly, grabbing her coat and pulling her closer. She jumped, leaning away as his fingers reached for her face.

"I'm removing your wrap." Tryst said.

Vierrah stopped, watching him cautiously while his fingers reached behind her head. The cloth gave way immediately, and she shouted "Let me go!" Her voice echoed through the cavern.

"We can't do that." Tryst said.

"Why not?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Are you going to eat me? Is that why you dragged me back here? Why would you tell me your names, is that some kind of sick ritual you do before you eat people? Is that why you brought me here to your fire?"

"Just shut the fuck up." The woman - Randi - said. Vierrah tried to scoot away as she walked up to her and squatted down, getting very close to her face. Her fingers grabbed Vierrah's coat front, stopping her. "We told you our names because you're going to join us. It's courtesy."

Vierrah stared. "I'm not joining you."

"It's not your decision."

She set her jaw. "I'm not.... Joining..." her voice faltered under the reptilian glare. Still she held the woman's gaze. She wouldn't do what they wanted: why would she join them, when she had a home, a job, a life to get back to? The unblinking gaze bore into her. She had friends, she had... A wobbly energy flickered in her chest, catching her breath. She wouldn't let the woman win. She...

Her eyes lowered to the dirt, and her shoulders sank. Randi leaned back, her breast slightly protruded in a triumphant posture. "Give me your name."

"Vierrah." she felt her heart sink at the effortlessness of her confession. "Wrynn."

Randi snapped her fingers at Tryst. "Bind her."

Vierrah's eyes shot to Randi, then Tryst as he grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. His arms grabbed her middle, lifting her off the ground so she wouldn't fall. "What are you doing? I told you what you wanted!"

Randi walked to stand in front of her again while she was pushed against the wall. She tried to pull away but Tryst pinned her wrists. A piece of cloth closed around her hands, immobilizing her. "Liars! You're not going to let me live-"

Randi slapped a piece of self-binding cloth over her mouth and leaned in. The man by the fire - Emex - was approaching them. "I told you to shut up. You're not one of us yet, and I haven't made up my mind that you will be."

Fear shot through her, and tears rose in her eyes again. She was going to die. She knew it. It was really going to happen, here in this filthy cave, with these ratty scavengers. She'd never see the sun again...

Emex's eyes were looking her up and down, lingering a moment too long on her chest. In a moment his hand darted out, grabbing her breast through the coat. She yelped, muffled by the cloth; trying to twist away did nothing to break his firm grip. Flame shadows danced over his face, and his teeth flashed in the firelight. His hand moved in circles, moving her breast beneath it. Fingers pressed, moving slightly, as though searching for something. She flinched when he found and twisted it, a warm electric shock radiating from her nipple. Vierrah made a sound in protest, its words lost to the cloth.

Randi moved forward, reaching out and grabbing Vierrah's chin in her firm grip. Her jaw was tilted upward and the woman's face pressed against hers. Her eyes drew wide in shock, the woman's warm tongue sliding up her cheek. Vierrah stood frozen, as soft lips crossed the side of her face to her ear and grazed it with teeth. Delicate fingertips swirled in her hair, cupping the back of her head. Kisses over the cloth, working back from her ear to the middle of her face. In a moment the cloth gave way under her touch; her jaw was pulled down, and a tongue framed by soft lips closed over her opened mouth, cutting off her startled reaction.

Another ripple of electricity shot from her breast under the man's pinching touch, meeting a warm flicker deep in her belly. Randi's tongue worked at hers furiously, drawing her focus. She tried to pull away and found her movements traitorously weak. Randi's teeth gripped her lower lip, pulling it gently before letting it go.

That was when she realized another hand was working its way up her left side. She turned to look at its owner - Tryst - and a warm wet tongue slid up her exposed neck. She shuddered involuntarily, eyes fluttering. Her mind snapped to attention. "Wait! What..." she didn't know what she wanted to ask. Her thoughts swam, pulling three different directions. She wasn't safe. She needed to get away. She needed to escape. She needed.... Her mind filled with images she had thought before. Dreams, ones that always came up after she had heard warnings about the brutality of the wild people. Dreams that-

"Your words say one thing," Emex whispered in her ear, "But your body says another. Show us its truth. Show us your truth."

Vierrah looked at him, turning her face from Tryst and from Randi's lips. There was nowhere she could face to get away from them. She closed her eyes and set her jaw, muscles tense. She heard Emex scoff.

"Then let me show you."

Her eyes opened, just in time to watch him reach under her jacket and find the release. The threads separated in the center, splitting open and revealing her bare skin. Emex leaned down, lips closing around her breast and sucking her nipple into a warm, wet mouth. She jumped, pulling away from him-

And into Tryst's hands.

The long-haired man cupped her chin, pulling her into a kiss. Her lips gave way beneath a soft whimper, Randi's teeth catching her other ear. A second hand grabbed her other breast, whom it belonged to she couldn't tell. A third caressed the back of her head, and a fourth traced swirls down her belly, along her hips, and then dipped below the waistline of her pants. She clamped her legs shut, fighting slender fingers that slipped down, over, under... and in.

Vierrah broke away from Tryst, her hips pushing upward, trying to free from the invader curling around inside her. "Stop..." her voice was faint. "I didn't-"

Randi grabbed her head and leaned in, pushing her tongue back into her mouth. She fought back, biting down hard. Randi jerked back in surprise. Her face twisted in anger and Vierrah grinned; it vanished when the woman's expression shifted into something fierce. She withdrew her fingers and backed up a few steps, locking eyes with Vierrah while she slowly licked them. They glistened in the firelight.

Emex withdrew his mouth, wetness on her breast turning cold in the open air. He pushed Tryst away, centering himself in front of Vierrah. "Now you've done it." he growled at her.

Vierrah stared at him, trying to catch his gaze to see what he was planning. He grabbed the side of her pants with one hand and dropped the fingers of his other underneath her waistline. The fabric parted, exposing her to the cold air and the three scavengers. She shut her legs tight again, only to feel his hands slip between her thighs. "Get her bonds." he commanded.

Tryst reached down, undoing the wrap at her ankles. She resisted the urge to kick at him, not wanting to expose herself further. Instead she tried to lock one leg over the other. Emex pulled down on the fabric, backing up and using her reactive twisting movement to get them down to her feet. They were pulled off with her shoes, and tossed to the side.

The three became a blur. She kicked at Emex, making contact once before being deflected: a pair of strong hands caught her ankle, throwing her off balance. She hopped on the free one, pulled against the bonds at her wrists to try and stabilize. Her other leg went out from under her, pulled the other direction by Tryst's hands. Bound and split, the felt the cold cave air swirl across her slit. Her abdomen flexed in response to Emex sliding his hands up her inner thigh, across her sex. She cried out in alarm at the sight of his own organ springing out from an unlaced leathers.

Hard, warm flesh slid up along her slit, making her flinch. Something deep within was burning with want, calling out in silence, understanding the circumstance where she did not. She knew the feeling, but not the source. Emex's organ rubbed against her, rousing a desire she had wanted to forget. One she couldn't escape, not now. She felt a pressure at her entrance and her eyes looked down, seeing her reddened lips parting curiously around the wild man. Slowly her gaze traced up his body, across his scarred and painted chest, up his strong shoulders, his powerful jaw, and to a pair of sharp grey eyes that met her own. She felt an internal shudder, and her mouth parted into a gasp as he pushed the head in, pulled back, pushed in further, pulled back again, and brought their hips together. Fire burst within, pulling, grabbing at the foreign-yet-familiar intruder opening her inner world. He began to move in and out at a steady pace, filling her with little bursts of aching. Wanting. Her eyes fluttered, her breath slowly panting. He leaned forward, his hips driving his member against the back of her inner walls, stretching them ever so slightly with each slip.

"For a civilized woman, you gave in so easily." he whispered in her ear.

Vierrah's panting silenced, and her mouth shut. She wanted to protest, she knew she should protest, but the fire burning below kept taking her words before they could form. Still, she wouldn't let his words go uncorrected. She turned her head away in a feeble attempt at conveying distaste.