Elf Maidens of Thurn Pt. 04

"Hmmph!" snorts Akenehi. "I cannot see how providing the greedy businessmen who exploit cheap elven labour with greater opportunities for profit is helping the treatment of our sisters in your cities."

"Perhaps this is something we should discuss with your leaders," I say. "Will you guide us to your commune?"

"All who come in peace are welcome in our commune," replies Akenehi, as though by rote. "We shall be leaving as soon as our trade here is finished. Are you ready to depart?"

"We only need to fetch our belongings," I reply. "We can be ready in twenty minutes."

Akenehi merely nods in acknowledgement of my reply. Fortunately, we are travelling with minimal baggage, so we have no difficulty in being ready in time. As it turns out, the elven group needs slightly longer to complete its business. Apparently, the adolescent elves we first saw are on their first trading expedition, so are in need of additional guidance from Akenehi and the two more experienced adolescent elves. The problem appears to be that the natural odour of the younger elves, which acts as a deterrent to wild animals, is annoying the mules. The older elves keep instructing the younger ones on how to manage the problem.

It is early afternoon by the time we depart. Akenehi leads the way. Each of the adolescent elves leads one of the laden mules in single file. We follow at the rear of the party, which we soon realise is probably the worst position to be located. Unfortunately it is too late to relocate to the front of the convoy until we stop for a rest. The mule train soon becomes stretched out as the inexperienced elves struggle to manage their stubborn mules. Before long we lose sight of Akenehi and the leading mules.

We are gradually falling a long way behind the front of our convoy. The young elf in charge of the fifth mule in line is having great difficulty managing her temperamental beast. Fortunately her older, and more experienced sister is in charge of the rear mule, and she is able to assist her. But the front of our column isn't waiting for us to catch up.

Our offers of help are politely declined. Given our inexperience at managing pack animals, it is probably a sensible reply, despite the delay it is causing. Our situation becomes more serious when Defina35's sharp hearing detects the approach of a bear. She calls out a warning and the two young elves reach for the short multi-purpose staffs they have strapped to their backs.

I realise my foolishness in entering the wilderness with no means of defence against wild animals. My small knife will be useless against a bear, and Cassandra and the Elf Maidens are unarmed. Instinctively the two young elves look to our Elf Maidens for leadership, even though the youngsters are probably better trained at dealing with this situation. Cena42 is the eldest of the Elf Maidens, and leadership falls to her by default. This isn't the time for a leadership debate, and I'm impressed at the way the elves quickly organise and implement a strategy to deal with the bear.

The presence of a bear terrifies the mules. Cassandra and I are left to control their sudden desire to move quickly. We tie their lead ropes to a tree to prevent them from bolting. Our four Elf Maidens form a semicircle shielding us, while the two adolescent elves advance on the bear. The plan is to persuade the bear to go away rather than a fight to the death. The strong body odour of the elves discourages the bear from advancing, which is fortunate since their natural odour is the only means of defence the Elf Maidens have to offer. The sharpened ends of the staffs carried by the adolescent elves are only a marginally better means of defence. I'll never know whether it is natural instinct or training that enables the elves to see off the bear. After a stand-off lasting a few minutes, the bear loses interest in our party and retreats into the forest.

The rest of our convoy has disappeared out of sight. I'm concerned that nobody came to investigate the cause of our delay, but neither of the adolescent elves seems perturbed. The two elves calmly prepare to resume our journey. Fortunately, the mules are less truculent after the approach of the bear, and although we never catch up to the head of our convoy, we seem to make good time. It is going dark by the time we reach our destination.

"Alexscu!" cries a voice, mispronouncing my name. I recognise the owner of the shout as belonging to Horowai, one of the Elf Maidens I met during my earlier travels into the elven communities of the wilderness. She wraps me in a passionate hug without any embarrassment. I manage to peel Horowai off me long enough to make introductions. Fortunately Cassandra doesn't get jealous around Elf Maidens, although I suspect she will be expecting her share of sex tonight now that it is obvious that Horowai is in heat and eager to be fucked. The current absence of any other males in the community will probably mean that I'm going to be in great demand.

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Chapter 13: Life among the elves

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The elven community consists of six Elf Maidens and twenty one younger elves ranging from babies to adolescents. From what we have been told, this village is a recent offshoot of one of the communities I visited six months ago. While the elves are capable of living in the wilderness indefinitely, their communities are deliberately restricted in size to avoid over-hunting the local area. This community has only existed for a few months, and the trading expedition to Fallowfield was the first sent there from this commune.

Horowai happily shows me around the village while Cassandra and our party's four Elf Maidens organise our sleeping arrangements. With the arrival of the flour, the makeshift elven bakery is now ready to begin work in the morning. I'm shown the area designated as the communal dining area, which doubles as a school at other times. Unlike more established communities, there are no timber structures. All the living and working areas are inside a network of caves.

"I need to meet with the leader of your commune," I say to Horowai.

"Akenehi has already retired to bed. You will need to wait until morning."

I silently curse myself for earlier mistaking Akenehi for a teamster, rather than the leader of this community. It never occurred to me that a village leader would personally take charge of a trade mission. Such a thing would never happen in a Thurnian town or city.

"Is it usual for a village leader to take charge of a routine trade expedition?" I ask.

"This was our commune's first trading mission to that village, and all our adolescent elves were involved, including Akenehi's two daughters. Only the older two adolescents have had previous trading experience. Akenehi didn't want to take avoidable risks."

I tell Horowai about how the return convoy became divided and we were left to fend for ourselves.

"Had Akenehi believed her two daughters couldn't manage the journey on their own, then she wouldn't have allowed them to go in the first place. Besides, she placed Makareta at the rear of the convoy, and she is our best warrior. Plus they had the additional support of your Elf Maidens... and you and your woman, of course."

Horowai dismisses our hair raising encounter with the bear as one of the common hazards of wilderness life. I'm not so sure that Makareta and her younger sister could have fended off the bear on their own but Horowai clearly thinks that they could have managed. She rightly attributes my own contribution to the encounter as that of a spectator.

I find that Cassandra has located a quiet side chamber inside a larger cave to serve as our sleeping quarters. Defina35 and Defina36 are located on the opposite side of our chamber, while Cena42 and Asima37 have sleeping places with two of the commune's Elf Maidens in an adjacent cave. Night comes quickly in the forest and the few torches provide only just enough light to avoid colliding with one of the many rocks as we move about. The limited light restricts what activities can be carried out at night. However, sex isn't one of those activities constrained by the darkness.

As I observed earlier, Horowai is in heat; as are two more of the commune's Elf Maidens. Fortunately Cassandra is more than willing to participate in satisfying the lust of Elf Maidens, as long as she gets her fair share of the action. Of course, Defina35 and Defina36 are never ones to miss out on any sex, even though neither is in heat at the moment. That puts a lot of responsibility on me to satisfy no fewer that six females at once. I'm proud that my cock is strong enough to keep multiple females of either race satisfied for a while. However, servicing six at once is ambitious, and probably beyond my ability. But I do my best, and I don't hear any complaints from the women. Of course, I need to be careful not to shoot my load too soon, or my cock will lose its ability to keep reaming all the sopping wet cunts on offer. As a faithful husband, I reserve my seed for Cassandra's hungry innards.

The Elf Maidens are comfortable with amusing themselves with lesbian sex while they wait for their turn to ride my cock. It reduces the burden on me to keep them all satisfied, plus the sight of two Elf Maidens frigging themselves into an orgasm has a positive effect on my cock. The result is beneficial to all of us. Eventually my cock is milked dry and my exhaustion is plain for all to see. Cassandra retired from our games about half an hour earlier, citing the need to sleep and not wanting to jeopardise her pregnancy. Eventually the last of the Elf Maidens in heat is sexually satisfied and our games come to an end. It must be well past midnight by the time I finally fall asleep next to Cassandra.

The smell of baking bread wakes me sometime after dawn the next morning. Cassandra is already up, having to deal with a bout of morning sickness. Defina35 is tending to Cassandra's needs and I feel guilty for oversleeping after last night's exertions. However, I suspect the events of last night will be a regular occurrence while I'm the only male here. Neither the Elf Maidens in heat nor I can turn off our sexual urges.

Cassandra is only mildly out-of-sorts this morning, and she feels able to eat breakfast. The usual breakfast of locally gathered fruit and nuts is supplemented by fresh bread. All the elven communities that I've visited so far eat in communal dining areas. The social structure of these communities seems to be instinctive to the elves rather than learned from their experiences working in Thurnian mines, factories and farms. The absence of name tattoos on many of the younger elves left arms confirms that most of those present have never had to work for a Thurnian overlord. That means some of these elves have lived in the wilderness for as long as seventeen years. That the government of Thurn has been unaware of these communities until relatively recently is a staggering revelation. My earlier visit, and subsequent research, never provided a satisfactory explanation as to why this lengthy period of ignorance existed.

Our meeting with Akenehi is cordial, and Cassandra and I are made to feel welcome in the elven commune. Even though I have already mentioned my trade envoy role to Akenehi, I remain reluctant to discuss my official reason for coming into the elven communities. Nothing I have seen or heard on this visit, nor my previous visit, makes me believe that a trade envoy is going to serve any useful purpose to anyone. Which I'm sure is what the Chief Procurator intended when he had the emperor appoint me to this meaningless position.

"Horowai tells me that you have visited our elven communities before," says Akenehi. "What brings you back here?"

"Yes, six months ago. I previously visited three of your communities east of here, and reported my findings to the Thurnian emperor. I had hoped my report would help improve the lives of elves in the towns and cities around Thurn. In particular, I had hoped to put and end to the exploitation of young elves in the farms, mines and factories."

"I presume that you weren't successful," says Akenehi.

"There are too many people in positions of power who don't want to change the current laws," I reply.

"That has always been the case. It's why we have begun finding our own solution to what your leaders call the Elf Maiden problem. But why have you returned to the wilderness?"

"As I said yesterday, I have been given the task of improving trade between the elven communities and the towns and cities of Thurn," I reply.

"There is minimal trade between our communities and Thurn," says Akenehi. "We occasionally trade for different varieties of food, but the established elven communities are self sufficient in nearly everything else. We are a new commune so we have a greater need to trade, but that will change before long."

"But as your population increases, you will surely have greater difficulty in producing everything you need."

"Perhaps. But we are nowhere near that stage yet. We are forest dwellers, and the forests around us extend far beyond the small area you call Thurn."

I sit back in amazement. Far from elves being a subservient race, what I'm witnessing is a revolution in progress. Akenehi is right in saying that only a small part of our continent has been explored, and even less of it inhabited. The seemingly endless forests and rugged terrain deter all but the most determined explorer. And then there are the harsh winters which limit the duration of any expedition.

"What of the bitterly cold winters. How do your communities intend to survive?" I ask. "I know the natural odorous secretions your body produces to deter wild animals also acts as a thermal barrier, but even that won't protect you from freezing cold weather."

"Winter can be difficult for us, but we have ways of surviving the cold. My daughters are proof of our resilience. Both were born in the wilderness, and they have only recently ventured into a Thurnian village to trade."

I can't deny that Makareta and her younger sister are fit and healthy. They are probably stronger, and in better health, than many of the elves their age who have been forced to work in the Thurnian mines, factories and farms.

"So, do you intend for all elves in Thurn to join your wilderness communities?" ask Cassandra.

"That is up to each individual elf. Our communities are open to all, both Thurnian and elven, but nobody is being forced to join us. More and more adolescent elves join us each year, but there are many more who aren't brave or skilful enough to risk finding their way into one of our communities. I doubt that your cities will ever run out of Elf Maidens despite the freedom our communities offer."

"I'm surprised you intend to allow Thurnians to join you," I say. "Aren't you afraid that the Thurnians will turn your communities into miniature versions of a Thurnian town or city?"

"You forget that the forests are our natural habitat, unlike your cities and towns. In the forest, elves have a natural advantage. Besides, there are no male elves in Thurn, so we must rely on Thurnian men for reproduction."

"So Thurnian women aren't welcome," snorts Cassandra.

"I didn't say that. We welcome everyone who comes in peace into our communities. However, the lifestyle in our commune may be less appealing to a Thurian woman than to a man."

I can tell that Cassandra wants to argue that she enjoys the unusual lifestyle that she and I have with our two Elf Maidens. But wisely she decides that now isn't the time to argue the point. Akenehi has other matters requiring her attention, so Cassandra and I take our leave and return to our corner of the cave.

"What are we to do?" asks Cassandra when we are alone. "There is clearly no interest among the elves to expand their trade with Thurn. And apart from the local villages, I suspect there is even less enthusiasm among the merchants in the larger towns and cities to venture into the wilderness to trade. If we go back to Thurn city and report our failure, then the Chief Procurator will have you assigned to cleaning the streets."

While Cassandra's pessimistic view of the likely outcome of my failure as a trade envoy is an exaggeration, my career would nevertheless be severely damaged. Fortunately there is no time limit on my trade envoy duties, so there is no need to rush back before winter sets in.

"We need to consider where to stay over winter," I reply. "Akenehi implied that we could stay here, but we didn't being enough clothing or supplies to see us through winter. We might need to return to Reak to buy what we need. There must be somewhere there where we could stay over winter. I think we've left it too late in the season to reach one of the major cities."

"We don't know how long we will need to wait for a boat to take us to Reak," replies Cassandra. "Besides, the Elf Maidens won't be welcome in Reak, and I'm not spending all winter away from Defina35 and Defina36."

"Then what do you suggest?" I ask.

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Chapter 14: Preparing for winter

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While I'm eager to understand how the wilderness elves manage to survive the bitterly cold Thurnian winters, I wasn't intending to discover the secret by being trapped into spending the whole winter with them. However the four Elf Maidens who arrived with us regard it as the best solution to our dilemma. The leathercraft and metalwork skills that the two Definas possess are valuable abilities to this elven community, even though there is currently a lack of both leather and metal to use.

The early arrival of winter snow decides the issue for us. The storm that brings the snow soon passes, but the much colder temperatures linger. It's enough to discourage us from travelling as far as Reak. Akenehi proposes a further trade expedition to Fallowfield for a few supplies to see the elven community through the winter months. The Thurnian village has traded with other elven communities for several years, but our expedition will be only the second visit from this commune. Akenehi asks that I accompany the expedition, which Makareta will lead. I'm not sure whether I'm being asked to go in my capacity as trade envoy, or whether it is simply to give me a chance to purchase whatever items Cassandra and I need to see us through winter. I suppose Akenehi's reason for including me doesn't matter.

The expedition is much smaller that the previous one. There are only four of us in the party, which includes Makareta's younger sister, Aputa and another adolescent elf called Cosima. We don't take any of the mules, which adds weight to my suspicion that this trip is merely to provide an opportunity for me to obtain what Cassandra and I will need for a prolonged stay. Cassandra initially wanted to come, but the Definas persuaded her to stay and rest. Our journey here has tired Cassandra more than she is willing to admit, and a couple of days rest will do her some good.

"I don't recall seeing any animals living in the other elven communities," I say to Makareta as we pass the corral where the mules are kept. "Don't the mules dislike being near elves?"

"Like Thurnian men, the mules have learned to overcome their natural dislike of our odour. However, we need to be careful and calm our emotions when we are near them. If an elf becomes too agitated then her body odour becomes more pungent. It's a natural defence mechanism that we can't always control. It's the reason why Aputa had difficulty with her mule the other day. Aputa wanted to please our mother, and she became frustrated when she started losing control of her mule. Mules are stubborn beasts at the best of times."