Elf Maidens of Thurn Pt. 05

"Are you sure your stories don't mean the north of the southern continent?" I ask. "After all, that's where elves originated."

"That's what we shall discover," replies Akenehi. "Contrary to your Thurnian beliefs, elves once inhabited the northern continent, long before your leaders kidnapped my forebears."

I look at Cassandra as we both try to digest this startling revelation. Of course, it could all be a myth. As Akenehi says, there are no written records to support her assertions. No mention is made of elves in Thurnian histories prior to fifty years ago.

It is late afternoon by the time we reach the place Makareta identified as a suitable place to cross the river. It isn't an ideal location, but the small wooded island in the middle of the river at least means we can cross in two stages. Akenehi studies the river and then gathers all the adults to a meeting.

"We could cross to the island today, and camp on the island overnight," suggests Horowai.

"I say we should wait here until morning," says Makareta. "We don't want to be trapped on the island if the river rises overnight. I don't like the look of those clouds to the west."

"Could we manage a crossing today?" I ask. "We have about four hours before it goes dark. There's not much room for a camp on this side of the river."

"There are too many young ones with us to risk a hasty crossing," says Cassandra. "And the forest on the other bank is just as thick as here. We might have difficulty finding a place to camp on the other side."

"And what about the mules?" asks Cena42. "Will they cross the river while loaded?"

"Makareta and four others will cross today and set up a camp on the other side of the river," says Akenehi after considering our advice. "We can run ropes between the island and each bank to help those crossing tomorrow."

"We will need supplies from one of the mules if we are going to set up a camp," says Makareta.

A plan is formed for Makareta, Horowai and three younger elves to cross with one of the mules. Fortunately the water is crystal clear, so the river bed can easily be seen. Reaching the island is relatively straightforward as the water is only thigh deep on the adults. However the river is deeper on the other side of the island and the shallowest parts can only be crossed using an 'S' shaped route. A supporting rope from the bank will be of little use. The mule happily wades to the island, but stubbornly refuses to follow the curved route on the other side. The five elves end up getting soaked in the cold water while dragging the beast to the far bank. It's something we need to resolve before the rest of us cross tomorrow.

We haven't been idle on our side of the river, and several Elf Maidens have found a suitable place for us to camp overnight. There are still a couple of hours of daylight left once Makareta and her group are safely across the river. I can see that Akenehi is tempted to send a second group across tonight, but she decides against doing so when a bank of clouds obscures the sun and causes the light to suddenly fade. A group of unencumbered adults could cross safely, but most of our group are either youngsters or pregnant Elf Maidens.

Defina35 joins Cassandra and me in our makeshift tent later that evening. Akenehi didn't want more than essential supplies unpacking from the mules, so our tent is nothing more than a blanket thrown over a couple of broken tree branches. There is just enough room inside for Cassandra, Defina35, Rawiri and me. Defina36 is sleeping in the open air around the camp fire.

"If you two intend to have sex, can you go find somewhere else," says Cassandra as she finishes feeding Rawiri and prepares to settle him for a sleep.

Defina35 looks longingly at me, and I can't deny that my cock is eager for action. I give Cassandra a deep kiss, and follow Defina35 into the trees. We don't go far, since the thick undergrowth provides ample privacy. Defina35 finds a small glade that she likes and promptly strips off her clothing. My trousers are around my knees moments later and my cock is deep in Defina35's throat. She soon has my cock at its full length and as hard as a rock. I know this is just a prelude to what is to follow, and despite my desire to shoot my load down her throat, I dutifully control my pending orgasm.

As soon as Defina35 is satisfied with my shaft, she removes her mouth and guides my cock into her hot and ready cunt. Her juices are flowing already and I easily glide into her, until my balls ram against her slit. She reaches down between us so that she can tease her own clit while I pump away slowly inside her.

We try to be quiet, but a certain amount of noise is inevitable. Defina35 is the first to notice the arrival of Seamus.

"Hello, Seamus," says Defina35. "Do you want to join us?"

I've participated in enough elven orgies to be accustomed to sex involving three or more participants. Nevertheless, I still feel a momentary twinge of jealousy at the thought of having to share Defina35's attentions. Defina35 doesn't allow me to dwell on the thought for long. She wraps her legs around my thighs and holds my cock firmly inside her needy innards.

Seamus drops his trousers and presents his still flaccid cock for Defina35's ministrations. She firstly draws Seamus's head towards her cunt so that he can get a stronger whiff of her pheromones. It's a difficult manoeuvre with me occupying most of the space, but somehow the two of them manage it. Seamus's cock starts to rise and Defina35 promptly takes it into her throat.

We amuse ourselves for several minutes with me fucking Defina35's cunt while Seamus pumps away down her throat. Seamus is inexperienced in orgasm control and he soon passes the point-of-no-return. He withdraws slightly, but Defina35 prevents him from removing himself entirely from her throat. With a shout of triumph, Seamus floods her throat which she greedily swallows. Only then does Defina35 allow Seamus to withdraw his cock.

I haven't diminished my attentions on Defina35's cunt, and a sudden tightening of her legs around my thighs tells me that she has just had an orgasm. Now it is my turn for satisfaction, and I increase the tempo of my pumping. Moments later I release my pent up flood and fill her cunt like a burst dam. My actions trigger a second orgasm for Defina35, which earns me a sticky kiss in thanks.

"Thank you Alex," sighs Defina35 contentedly. "I think you should rejoin Cassandra. Seamus needs to learn better orgasm control, so I think he and I should practise here for a while."

In other circumstances I might feel offended that Defina35 is dismissing me so that she can have sex with Seamus. However, I have known for a long time that to an Elf Maiden, men are simply a tool to be used for reproduction, and for an Elf Maiden's own pleasure. Relationships between Thurnians and elves are businesslike in nature and emotional attachments are limited in scope. I suppose Thurnian men shouldn't be surprised. After all, it is exactly how a Thurnian man treats a Thurnian woman most of the time.

---------------------------------------

Chapter 18: Crossing the River

---------------------------------------

Rawiri is fast asleep when I return to our to our makeshift tent. Cassandra welcomes me back with a smile and a kiss, before sliding down my body and wrapping her mouth around my now limp cock. She proceeds to lick my cock clean of Defina35's and my juices. Without a fertile woman to trigger an erection, my cock remains useless for anything other than Cassandra's plaything. Finally content that my cock is spotless, Cassandra snuggles against my shoulder and falls asleep. I lay awake for a while pondering the nature of personal relationships and the limitations of our sexual biology.

Neither Cassandra nor I get more than a few hours sleep. Rawiri wakes in the middle of the night demanding a feed. On impulse, I do something I've not done before, and sit next to Cassandra with my arm over her shoulder and watch while she feeds Rawiri. It brings on a strange sense of responsibility for the well being of Cassandra and Rawiri. For the first time I genuinely feel that we are a family.

The sound of thunder over the High Ridge far to the west of us wakes us early the next morning. It's the signal for frantic activity. On Akenehi's order, we quickly decamp and prepare to cross the river. A storm in the western high country would almost certainly mean that the river will rise before long. Makareta on the far bank has also realised the urgency for us to cross the river. She and her group cross back to the island to guide us across the second leg.

Fortunately we had agreed a plan last night and everyone knows what is expected of them. Needless to say those who are fully able take the brunt of the workload. We all cross to the island with relative ease, at which point the very young elves, along with Cassandra, Egbertha and the two babies are escorted to the far bank by Makareta and her group. In the meantime, half the equipment on the mules is unloaded and stacked on the island.

The pregnant Elf Maidens are helped across the river next, where they join Cassandra and the others. The third stage of the plan is probably the least predictable. The remaining five mules are lead into the slowly rising river with every able bodied elf and man guiding and cajoling them. Two mules prove cooperative and are soon on the other side. The other three refuse to be guided. One wanders off the shallow ledge and is swept into the deeper part of the river. Trying to rescue the mule would be dangerous, so we leave it to its fate. The other two mules won't even enter the water.

"We are running out of time," calls Makareta. "The river is rising. Grab your belongings and whatever else you can carry and get across the river."

Although Akenehi is is our leader, she doesn't countermand Makareta's order. We quickly do as Makareta suggests and struggle across the river with little time to spare. As it is, we have had to abandon the two mules on the island along with about a third of the expedition's food and equipment. Hopefully we may be able to retrieve some of it later.

Two of the adolescent elves are sent along the river bank to keep track of the mule that was swept into the river. Not only do we want to recover the mule, but also the equipment it was carrying. I can tell that Akenehi is also worried that a mule near the riverbank, dead or alive, may provide anybody following us with a pointer to where we are. I'm still sceptical about us being followed, but I've no evidence to disprove Akenehi's concern.

Fortunately the storm doesn't last long and the worst of the rain stays to the west of us. However, the river rises enough to make crossing to the island a hazardous venture. The low lying areas of the island are submerged, but the water doesn't reach our stack of supplies. Unfortunately, left to their own devices, the mules on the island panic and leap into the water. The mules are promptly swept away. Their loads hinder their desperate attempts to reach safety. Akenehi dispatches Horowai and two adolescent elves along the river bank, to rescue them if they can.

The rest of us have no alternative but to wait. We need to recover our supplies from the island as soon as the river stops rising, and the two groups following the mules may need help if any of the mules reach our side of the river bank. I'm not sure what Akenehi will decide to do if the mules end up on the other bank, or get stranded where we can't reach them.

By late afternoon the level of the river has dropped enough for Akenehi to order Seamus, Makareta, and I to test the crossing back to the island. Ropes are tied around our shoulders to haul us to safety should we lose our footing. Although the water is above waist high, the three of us don't have too much difficulty in helping each other across. We collect a few items from the supplies that are light and portable, and pack them into the sacks each of us is carrying. We link two of the ropes that were around us into a single length and loop it over one of the lower branches of a suitable tree. Drew on the other bank mirrors our actions on his side of the river. We now have a high double rope loop-line across the river, to which we attach the sacks. By pulling on one of the ropes, the sacks can be drawn across the river. The ropes sag under the weight of the sacks, but they remain clear of the water. The empty sacks are returned by reversing the process.

The heavier items need to be sent across one item at a time to avoid undue strain on the line. We are making good progress when one of the loads carrying an assortment of tools comes loose about halfway across, and threatens to tip everything into the river. Fortunately it is hanging over the shallower part of the river, so we could wade out and try to refasten the load. With only one safety rope left, Seamus volunteers to tackle the task alone. It's a difficult manoeuvre which takes him nearly half an hour to complete. He helps guide the load until he and the load safely reaches the other bank. By now it is dusk and it would be risky trying to complete our job in the dark. The river is still too high to risk wading across without a safety rope. Rather than dismantle the rope line to recreate our safety ropes, Makareta and I tell the others that we will wait on the island overnight and complete the transportation in the morning. Fortunately the elves excellent hearing enables our message to be heard on the opposite bank.

Makareta makes a camp fire while I rummage through the remaining supplies to retrieve some food. I had hoped to find a blanket, but there isn't much of use for our current situation. We settle down around the fire for the evening.

"Why does Akenehi keep worrying about us being followed?" I ask Makareta.

"Her fear is justified, although the further we travel, and the longer we are not found, the safer we all are."

"I don't understand," I reply.

"There are many things going on in the western cities of Thurn that your government doesn't know about," says Makareta with a hint of sadness. "Most of us in this commune have escaped from what I can only describe as a slave breeding farm."

"But slavery is illegal in Thurn," I reply, although my statement rings hollow when I consider the treatment of adolescent elves in Thurnian workplaces.

"And yet that is what Lord Graves estate is, in all but name."

I quickly try to recall whether I have heard of a Lord Graves before, but his name means nothing to me. Cassandra may have heard of him and I'll ask her tomorrow.

"But most of you don't have serial numbers tattooed on your arms," I comment. "Any elf born in Thurn must be registered and allocated a serial number."

"Not if they are born on Lord Grave's slave breeding farm," says Makareta with a hint of irony. "Once an elf reaches adulthood, she is supposed to be sent to a city ghetto. That doesn't suit the likes of Lord Graves who wants to breed more slaves for his various mines and farms. Unregistered slaves can be worked to death without any official inquiry. Not that the deaths of many adolescent elves elsewhere seem to unduly worry your government."

"Which was something I tried to remedy, but failed," I sigh.

"And your valiant efforts are why you are allowed to join us on this journey. Did you know that I am Akenehi's sixth child, and Aputa is her eighth. We are the only two of her children still alive. We escaped before I could mature into an Elf Maiden and spend the rest of my life being bred like an animal."

"How did you manage to escape?" I ask.

"Lord Graves has an inflated opinion of his dominion over his slaves. He assumed we were all docile and subservient to his whims, no matter how cruelly he treated us. For months we did nothing to disabuse him of that mistake. He reduced his costs by employing fewer guards, who were all fat and lazy. When we were ready, we overpowered his guards and made our escape into the wilderness."

"Didn't Lord Graves try to recapture you?"

"That's difficult to do when you are dead."

"You killed Lord Graves?!?"

"Yes, and his guards. Does that shock you?"

"Um... yes. I've never heard of an elf attacking another human, elf or Thurnian."

"Another illusion Thurnians have about elves. We are peaceful by nature, but that doesn't mean we can't and won't fight if we are forced to do so."

"So who does Akenehi think will try to follow us?"

"We don't know," replies Makareta. "Lord Graves had business associates involved in his shady dealings, as well as plenty of overseers to manage his mines and farms. The overseers may take revenge on the elven slaves in their charge, but they are unlikely to leave their work in order to chase us. More likely, one of Lord Graves business associates may mount an expedition to follow us."

"I think that is unlikely unless they are going to inherit Lord Graves' estates. Nobody engaged in illegal enterprises is going to spend time and money on coming this far unless there is a substantial financial benefit in doing so. It's more likely that they will petition the emperor to deal with the matter."

I don't ask Makareta if she knows who will inherit Lord Graves' estates. Thurnian inheritance laws are complex and unwieldy. Even if the identity of a person's father is known without dispute, he or she can only claim inheritance rights over their mother's estate. For that reason, Cassandra can't claim any right of imperial ascension when the emperor dies, even though she is his eldest offspring, and her mother is officially recognised as the emperor's consort. Inheritance matters are resolved by well paid government officials in secret back-room negotiations, often involving the exchange of money in bribes.

"Perhaps, but for now we are not going to take any risks that we can avoid," says Makareta.

We prepare to settle down for the night when I detect a very familiar odour. Makareta has just come into heat. We both know that neither of us can simply ignore the situation. While Makareta has only been an adult for a few months, she is already well versed in the art of sex. I don't keep track of who fucks whom, but I'm fairly sure both Drew and Seamus had sex with Makareta last time she was in heat. Makareta's pheromones are very strong, and my cock swells to its full length in next to no time. She is equally desperate to satisfy her powerful urges.

Neither of us seem interested in any foreplay, so I drop my pants and let her guide my shaft into her eager cunt. She's very tight, and the pressure of her muscles gripping on my cock as it slides into her almost brings me to an orgasm. She's more in control of her mounting arousal, and she starts to rock back and forth on my cock. After my initial near-loss of control, I manage to dampen my arousal for now. I reach for her clit and gently expose it from behind her nether lips. I start to tease Makareta's clit, and she starts to squirm. It soon becomes evident that this is a new experience for her during sex. Needless to say, the massive orgasm it triggers means that she likes what I'm doing.

I don't regard myself as an expert in the art of sex. I doubt any Thurnian man can claim that. But the feeling of pleasure I feel as I introduce Makareta to new sensations is a wonderful feeling. By the time I release my first orgasm, Makareta is on her fourth or fifth, and begging for more. I duly oblige. An hour or so later we both fall into an exhausted sleep.

---------------------------------------

Chapter 19: Encounter in the Forest

---------------------------------------

By mid-morning the following day, Makareta and I are back on the north shore with all the supplies from the island safely transported across. The news from the two groups sent to recover the mules is less encouraging. None of three mules swept into the river made it to either bank before succumbing to the cold waters. The body of one eventually washed up on the north bank, and the salvageable remains of the supplies the mule carried have been recovered. The other two mules sank below the surface in a deep channel and no trace of them has been found.