Elf Maidens of Thurn Pt. 04

"Are other communities starting to use pack animals for trade?" I ask.

"Not that I'm aware. Constantly protecting mules from wolves and bears is a time consuming task that doesn't justify the benefit the mules provide when we trade. Besides, the mules leave trails through the forests that even the most incompetent Thurnian soldier could follow. We want to live in peace, but that isn't a sentiment shared by many Thurnians. Our elven ancestors' arrival in Thurn was the result of a military expedition taking captives. We live in fear of a repeat, and we do all we can to avoid provoking a military incursion."

"So why does your commune have mules? It's located much closer to a Thurnian village than the other elven communities I've visited. The emperor wishes for peace with the wilderness communities, but I concede that his view isn't universally held among his advisers. If Thurnian soldiers marched on the elven communities, then your commune is likely to be one of the first ones attacked."

"We have mules partly because we are few in number, and partly because our encampment is only temporary. My mother will be leading us all deeper into the wilderness once the worst of the winter is over. This is likely to be our last trip to Fallowfield, and we need a few things to help with our exploration. My mother believes that you may be able to help us acquire them."

"Umm... I'll try. But from what I saw of Fallowfield, it only has a small marketplace. Anything out of the ordinary isn't likely to be available."

"I agree," replies Makareta. "But what we seek isn't found in an ordinary marketplace. My mother wants us to find any Thurnian maps of the wilderness hereabouts. And we need two or three young Thurnian men to join us."

I'm unable to find words to respond to Makareta's statement. Locating a useful map is going to be difficult, but achievable. Persuading Thurnian men to trek into the wilderness with the elves is going to take more than the offer of plenty of sex to entice them. What Akenehi is offering a man is more than a short stay until his cock has had its fill of elven pussy. Leaving aside the dangers of a journey into uncharted territory, the elven community could be isolated for years. Few Thurnian men would be willing to undertake such a task, and even fewer would have the stamina. I'm not even certain Cassandra and I should be a part of this venture, but so far I've not found a better alternative.

The four of us enter the Fallowfield in the early afternoon. I enlist the help of the family Cassandra and I met when we arrived from Reak. With their help, I soon find a villager who fancies himself as a mapmaker. In reality, his maps are little more than sketches of the north-eastern side of the High Ridge and the road that leads over the saddle towards the western Thurnian cities. Only a couple of the mapmaker's sketches will be useful to Akenehi's needs. They indicate the High Ridge continues uninterrupted on its north-western trajectory, with several smaller side ridges branching eastwards for varying distances. One map also shows a lake sandwiched between the High Ridge and one of its offshoot ridges. But that's the only detail the map shows. Two thirds of the map is blank and might as well read "Here there be dragons".

Aputa approaches the merchant who sold the elves the flour we transported back to the commune. He's less helpful on this occasion as there is no prospect of profit for him. Only when I purchase a few winter clothes, and some of the other items Cassandra asked me to buy, does the merchant offer any help. At his suggestion, I try the local taverns looking for volunteer studs to join the elven commune. Unfortunately it seems that an established elven community has recently invited young village men to join them over winter. The handful of men who were attracted to the idea have already left. Besides, the other elven community could offer a hut and bed for their male guests, and a promise of a return journey in the spring. Akenehi's offer includes neither.

"Try the local orphanage," says the barkeep. "They have some kids who are approaching adulthood. Maybe you can take some of them off our hands."

It's not an ideal solution, but we must at least make inquiries. The local orphanage is little more than a large room at the back of the village church. Ten children and one adult reside there. Apparently other adults come to help from time to time, but it is clear that the children are treated no better than the way Thurnian mine owners treat adolescent elves working in their mines. The children look underfed and poorly clothed.

The matron in charge is happy to have the elves take all the orphans if they want, but Makareta insists that only males approaching adulthood can be considered. We are told that two youths, Drew and Seamus, will turn eighteen in a few weeks. That's a surprising coincidence, but we have no means to refute or verify the fact. The two youths are eager to leave the orphanage, although I doubt they fully understand the commitment they will be making. An added complication is that Drew insists that the oldest orphan girl, Egbertha, comes with them.

We spend the best part of an hour talking with the three of them, explaining the commitment they will be making. I can understand their desire to be out of this orphanage, but travelling into the wilderness is a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. But the three orphans are steadfast in their decision, and Makareta doesn't want to fail in her mission. In the end, Makareta agrees to accept the three orphans and tells them to be ready to leave in the morning. Makareta, Aputa, Cosima and I return to one of the taverns where we rent a room for the night.

Our cohabitation is platonic. The three adolescent elves are still too young to be sexually active, although Makareta must be close to becoming an Elf Maiden. Without a female in heat to arouse me, my own sexual urges are dormant. I make the most of a night's sleep in a bed, because I suspect it will be a long time before I have the use of one again.

We collect the three orphans the following morning, and the seven of us return to the elven commune. Akenehi is satisfied with the maps we've purchased despite the minimal information they contain. Her reaction to Egbertha's inclusion in our group is less enthusiastic, but she doesn't overrule Makareta's decision. Makareta makes a valid point that including another Thurnian woman in the commune means that over time the commune can give birth to more male children. Males who will eventually remove the elves reliance of visiting Thurnian men for reproduction. But that will be many years into the future. If Akenehi intends to lead her commune deep into uncharted territory, it's a contingency plan worth considering in case the community is isolated from Thurnian contact for decades.

"You are the emperor's daughter," I say when I broach the subject of Akenehi's plan. "What will he say if we disappear into the wilderness?"

"When the Chief Procurator started pulling his tricks, my father had the opportunity to keep me near. He didn't need to approve your appointment as a trade envoy. He could have easily dismissed the Chief Procurator's scheming, and we would currently be living in Thurn city. But my father is complicit in the political games governing Thurn, so I don't feel obliged to consider his feelings about me. If Akenehi intends for the commune to move north in the spring, then I say that we should join them."

"What about the child you are carrying? Giving birth in the wilderness is dangerous. Wouldn't it be safer to return to Fallowfield or Reak when the time comes."

"I'm aware of the risks, but I accept them. The elves have given birth to babies in the wilderness for years, so I'll shall prove that Thurnian women are just as hardy. Besides, giving birth in some rented tavern room is hardly appealing."

I'm not sure I fully agree with Cassandra's assessment, but I won't override her wishes. Besides, returning to Thurn city without any achievements to my name would provide the fuel the Chief Procurator needs to end of my career in government service. I left a report addressed to the Chief Procurator with the merchant in Fallowfield, with instructions to have it sent in the spring if I didn't retrieve it before then. I'm sure the Chief Procurator will be delighted to tell the emperor of my lack of success, and of our intention to explore further north. I will have at least succeeded in telling the emperor that his daughter is safe and where she is going. That is a good enough achievement to my mind.

With winter rapidly approaching, the commune's activities are focussed on preparing food and fuel for winter. The mules are moved into one of the caverns to protect them from wolves. Unlike bears, wolves remain active over winter, and hunger often forces them to take risks they wouldn't normally accept. The entrances to the caves now boast weather shields made of branches and rocks to keep the worst of the cold wind out of the caverns. We need to wear layers of winter clothes, but the caverns remain warm enough to survive the worst of the winter cold. Sleeping arrangements are modified so that we sleep together in groups to keep each other warm at night.

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Chapter 15: Winter in the Wilderness

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My experience of surviving a Thurnian winter in the wilderness is less traumatic than I anticipated. However, venturing more than a few hundred metres from the caves must be reserved for the periodic milder days. The caves in which we live are cold, but not unbearably so. The forest shelters us from the worst of the winter gales. In the open farmlands inhabited by Thurnians, the gales can plunge temperatures well below freezing. Fire pits inside the cave mouths are used both to cook and provide some warmth in the caves. However the supply of dry fuel is limited, and the smoke from the fire needs venting, often to the detriment of warmth.

Everyone is kept busy during the day, either hunting and foraging, or making and mending clothing and other items the commune will need when it sets off on its trek. In the evenings there is entertainment and an abundance of sex. The elves use any excuse for a party. The three orphans are treated to a rite of passage ceremony by the elves, which officially makes them adults. Cassandra and I, along with the four Elf Maidens who arrived with us, also become full members of the community. That's an excuse for no fewer than six parties on successive nights. Makareta also transitions into adulthood during winter adding an eleventh Elf Maiden to the community. With at least three Elf Maidens in heat at any one time, Drew, Seamus and I are kept extremely busy satisfying all the Elf Maidens as well as ensuring Cassandra and Egbertha receive their fair share of attention. The caves at night soon degenerate into a wild orgy that makes no attempt to shield the activities from the view of the five adolescent elves who are likely to reach adulthood in the coming months. Only the sleeping younger elves are left in ignorance of what happens at night.

By unspoken agreement between us, neither Drew nor Seamus fuck Cassandra, and I, in turn, do not have sex with Egbertha. It soon becomes apparent is that Egbertha is pregnant. Drew admits that during the last Rutting Season he and Egbertha discovered that she was in heat. In the poorly supervised environment of the orphanage, he and Egbertha found it easy to make the most of the situation. Now she is expecting Drew's child and it is presumably the reason Drew refused to leave her behind. It's a hard enough life being an orphan without adding the burden of a pregnancy.

Our life settles into a comfortable routine which makes the days quickly pass. The nightly sex orgies gradually reduce once several of the Elf Maidens become pregnant, and cease emitting the pheromones needed to induce an erection in males. There's no way to tell which of us is the father to an Elf Maiden's child, and in practise it doesn't matter. The child will be a female and a clone of her mother.

Cassandra's periods of morning sickness soon end. Egbertha seems to have avoided the problem entirely. By late winter the preparations for our trek north are complete and Akenehi announces that we will be leaving in two days time. It's another excuse for a party, and yet more sex. My cock is feeling the effects of constant use, but so far it hasn't failed me on my nightly mission to plough as many female pussies as I can. Drew and Seamus even have a private competition to see who can fuck the most Elf Maidens in different sexual positions in the course of one night. I keep clear of that competition as I feel responsible for ensuring Cassandra and Egbertha aren't ignored. Although I never fuck Egbertha, she often joins Cassandra and me in bed, and I have learned how arouse both women without the need for an erection to motivate me.

The final preparations for our departure are briefly thrown into confusion when two adolescent elves arrive in the commune. It's a miracle they have found their way here, and it's lucky that they arrived before our departure. They are starving and exhausted after travelling alone from one of the western cities. They were expelled from the city for refusing their overlord's demands to work longer hours. They travelled to Fallowfield over the pass in High Ridge, which is a commendable accomplishment in the depths of winter. The villagers suggested that they try to find our community, although they only had the vaguest idea of the commune's location. Fortunately the residual tracks left by the mules all those months ago helped the observant elves find their way to us.

The adolescent elves go by the names ET45 and FY33. Apparently the law permitting elves to use names rather than their birth serial number hasn't been applied in the ghetto where they lived. The factory manager who employed them refused to call them by anything other than their serial number. Their sorry tale of persecution and exploitation is one I've come across several times before, and only highlights the injustice young elves must endure. Any attempt at protest invariably results in the offending elf being thrown in jail. The worst offenders are then expelled from the city, often in foul weather to minimise their chance of survival. My earlier attempts to amend the laws to remedy the situation have so far come to nothing.

Food and clean clothing are provided for the new arrivals, and the elves are allowed to rest while our preparations for departure resume. When given the choice of coming with us or travelling to another elven community, they both decide to join us on our travels.

Early the next morning we depart on our northward journey. Our party consists of five Thurnians, eleven Elf Maidens, seven adolescent elves, and fifteen younger elves, four of whom are too young to walk. The six mules are loaded with an assortment of supplies, tools and utensils. Each person is expected to carry his or her own personal belongings. It's an exercise in how to travel light, and several of the elves decide to discard some items when we stop for our first rest. Fortunately, Cassandra and I had few possessions with us in the first place so it isn't a problem that affects us. Duties such as leading the mules and carrying those too young to walk are shared among the elves. Only Akenehi and her chosen trailblazers, Horowai and Makareta, are exempt from the rotation of duties.

It doesn't take us long to travel beyond the range of the maps we purchased in Fallowfield. I'm not sure what benefit Akenehi thought she would get from them. Only the High Ridge far to the west of us acts as a guide to our location and direction. The dense forest means we only occasionally catch a glimpse of the ridge. Makareta climbs a tall tree to scout the area around us during our afternoon rest break on our fourth day of travel. Her confidence and agility in climbing the tree again reminds me that the wilderness is the elves natural habitat.

She returns ten minutes later and makes a report to Akenehi. I'm surprised when Akenehi calls me over to discuss what Makareta has seen.

"What do you know about the ancient history of Thurn?" Akenehi asks me.

"Um. Cassandra and I both researched Thurnian history when we were students," I reply.

"Do you know anything specific about this part of the continent?" asks Akenehi, after Cassandra joins us at Akenehi's request.

"Only that the western cities were founded about six hundred years ago," says Cassandra. "The earliest reference to the settlement at Reak is dated about two hundred years ago, although it's likely people were living there before that. The villagers said that Fallowfield was little more than a hunter's seasonal camp until around fifty years ago."

"The maps we purchased in Fallowfield suggest that nobody has ventured this far north. Or if they did, they never returned to tell the tale," I add.

"What about Thurn city and the valleys to the north of it?" asks Akenehi.

"Written records for the city and valley go back nearly a thousand years," answers Cassandra. "The area around the city has been inhabited since ancient times. Some stone carvings may be as much as two thousand years old, although they are so worn that nobody can understand what is engraved on them. What are you wanting to know?"

"I want to know if it is possible that a Thurnian expedition has come this way at any time in the past."

"It is possible," I reply. "Somebody must have explored the High Ridge to be able to map the lake and side ridges shown on the map."

"Hmm," muses Akenehi. "But that's a long way to the west of us. It's likely whoever mapped the High Ridge simply followed the ridge line from the pass and mapped what they saw from a distance. What about an approach from the east?"

"From Stormguard?" I muse. "That's possible, but unlikely. Stormguard was build several hundred years ago as an outpost to service the north-western end of the wide valley leading from Thurn city. Despite its name, I don't think it has ever been more than a market town. Exploring the wilderness from there without maps or a guide would take many months for an expedition to reach this far west. I travelled back that way when I visited the elven communities at the eastern end of the wilderness last spring. Without the elven guides to lead the way I could still be wandering around the rugged country around Stormguard. It's not the sort of terrain that encourages casual exploring."

"And yet someone in the past ventured here and built a settlement," says Makareta, breaking the mystery behind Akenehi's questions.

I look at Cassandra in bafflement. Nothing in our history lessons suggested that this region has ever been more than unexplored wilderness.

"Well, let's go and find out. It could be a good place to stop overnight," says Akenehi, signalling to the others to get ready to resume our journey.

Makareta confidently leads the way to the structures she saw from the treetops. As we expected, the rotting wooden buildings are in ruins, but enough is still standing to enable us to get a sense of the settlement's size and layout.

"This tree must be at least eighty years old," says Horowai, pointing to a tree growing inside the remnants of a large building. "Which means this building must have been abandoned for at least that long."

The state of the ruins confirm Horowai's assessment that this settlement has been abandoned for decades, if not centuries. I've no explanation as to the origins of this settlement, or what eventually caused its demise. Finding an answer to the mystery would be a significant scholastic achievement, but that is well beyond the resources available to Cassandra and me at the moment.