Intended Ch. 08

"I cannot say I have," she answered honestly. "But even if I did, it is not like after training that we would ever work together like Asra and Lomal do."

"I have been thinking about that lately. Everyone with a chosen skill which requires travel always goes with at least one other person -- everyone except for Trackers. I cannot help but wonder if Sedon had not been alone things might have turned out differently.

"Horse Clan is one of the smaller Camps, so they need only two Traders, but our Camp is large enough that we have five. I do not see why we could not have three or four Trackers, so that no one has to journey alone, at least on longer missions. I have been considering speaking to Keta about this matter. Molek approached me about his interest in becoming a Tracker, but before I mentioned it to our Clan Leader, I wanted to see if I might provide her with two names."

"Jakal, you should keep in mind that I was highly motivated not to be caught; I am not certain if that is the same as having an instinct for tracking."

"Actually, that is precisely why I believe you possess a talent for it. You did not have the luxury of pondering your decisions. You quickly assessed the options available to you and acted, and those choices thwarted me for five days. If you could manage that under such stressful conditions, I am confident we could hone those instincts to work in the 'opposite' direction; you have the potential to become an exceptional Tracker, Sala."

The mention of Sala's flight caused her mind to drift back to their time together at their secret haven by the great river. Admittedly, it was far to travel, but she did so hope to return there someday. The sacred magic growing in that place seemed to cast its enchantment over the entire area. She smiled at the memory.

Sala imagined roaming the backcountry, led only by the clues left behind by the one being trailed, sounded like an intriguing puzzle. She could see why Jakal found the work fulfilling, and the thought of uncovering such mysteries by his side did hold a certain appeal.

After a time, thinking, she finally spoke. "You know, if I do this, we will not be able to camp for days on end or Keta will never allow us to work on the same mission again."

She said it so seriously it took a moment for her statement to sink in. Once Jakal recognized she was teasing him about their long stay at the river he returned, "Well, it is a great sacrifice, but I suppose for the good of our people we will have to make due with having our fun after we set up camp for the night."

"If that is the case, then perhaps we should start working on getting it out of our system now, so it will not be so difficult later." Sala reached up and, pulling his head toward hers, kissed him, lazily searching his mouth with her tongue.

"I like the way you think, woman," her mate complimented after they broke the kiss. "I look forward to working with you."

Their lips shared a smile over the man's double meaning. Soon their kiss grew deeper, more insistent as their tongues met, twirling around its counterpart while they both moaned, filled with desire for one another.

Jakal lowered Sala onto her back, kissing her all the while. Lying on top of her, he shifted his attention to her jaw and throat, enjoying the taste of her lightly salty skin.

He groaned. "Oh Sala, I never thought I could ever love someone as much as I love you," he confessed, voice full of emotion as he buried his face into her neck.

Feeling her chest shudder, the man heard her say, her own voice quivering, "And I thought I was all alone in the world, until you, my beloved." She wrapped ringlets of his long hair around her fingers; Jakal had been wearing it loose more often ever since Sala expressed the pleasure it gave her to run her hands through its finely-textured, wavy length.

Lifting his head to gaze upon her again, his dark hair formed a curtain enclosing them together, away from the outside world. He saw the wet trail down each side of her face where tears had escaped the corners of her eyes. Gently kissing the streaks dry he then pressed his lips over each eyelid, amazed by the softness of every part of her flawless body.

After exploring her features with his hands and mouth for a time, the man coaxed his mate to lift her body so that he could remove her tunic. Peeling it over her head, he brought the warm bundle of leather to his nose and inhaled deeply, luxuriating in the heady essence of her female form before laying it to the side and returning to the source of the intoxicating scent.

Her eyes half-closed, Sala smiled at her man dreamily. Releasing the knot from his leggings, she assisted him in sliding the garment down his hips and thighs. Jakal took it from there, and after pulling them off the rest of way he settled his body back onto hers, the heat of her womanhood burning against his abdomen.

Clutching at his sinewy back, massaging the rippling expanse, Sala pressed her breasts against the mouth and fingers swirling her erect nipples. Memorizing every tiny bump and wrinkle, the Light-Eye's throat rumbled as he dabbed his pointed tongue in the minute split at the tip of the tight dusky nub between his lips. When she again arched up to meet him, he took both mounds within his hands, delighting in the way their shape fit into his palms, as if their bodies had been created to join together perfectly.

Sinuating her hips beneath him, Jakal felt the slickness of Sala's arousal wetting his skin; groaning, he gave each breast a final caress with his tongue before lowering himself to attend to her place of need, her perfume leading him to his destination.

Her legs lay apart tensely as she panted in barely audible mews, anticipating his touch. His slid his hands under the silky curves of her backside, raising her dewy petals to his lips before dipping in to taste her nectar.

"Ohhh... Oh, Jakal," she moaned helplessly, closing her eyes.

Shivering as he savored the sensitive landscape of her aching sex, Sala cupped her own breasts, slowly kneading the nipples in circles with her thumbs in time with the languid strokes of his tongue. Her stomach fluttered when the muscular organ's nubby surface encircled her swollen node for the first time and she gasped; no matter how many times he pleasured her in this manner, she could never quite prepare herself for the intensity of the sensations which overtook her with that initial caress.

Gently wrapping his lips around her engorged button, Jakal generously bathed it with his tongue before concentrating his efforts along the perimeter where it peeked above the surrounding skin, like a tiny bud breaking through the soil. The fluid flowing from her womanhood ran down her slit into the split between her buttocks as he stimulated the nerve bundle with greater speed. Pushing herself against his feasting mouth, Sala began to cry out, her soaked flesh palpitating in relief.

After coaxing one more peak from his woman, the Light-Eyed One carefully lowered her bottom back onto the hide, filling her sleek passage with his hot, rigid tool in one slow, delicious thrust as his body descended upon hers once more. Their hips grinding in unison, they stared into each other's eyes, watching the rising rapture they shared reflected in their mate's face as their breathing grew both heavy and shallow.

The wave imminent, ecstasy flooding Sala's body as she held his gaze, Jakal suddenly revealed to her the naked core of his spirit. She had no words which could adequately describe what he exposed to her that moment, only that she felt the vulnerability inherent with this rarest of gifts. Somehow she understood he had just opened a part of himself that he had shown to no one else before. Overwhelmed by the trust he displayed, allowing her to see him fully, beyond even that of the night they spent together in the Spirit World, her eyes pooled with tears.

"My love, my love... Uhhh..." she choked, quaking all over as she wept and crested simultaneously.

Kissing her entire face, Jakal's own tears rained onto his woman's cheeks, the product of their powerful emotions mingling on her skin as their joined bodies jerked and throbbed as one.

They were not the only ones crying.

Veba sat hidden in the tall grass, not far from the two lovers. Her legs splayed open, she stopped self-pleasuring though her swollen sex leaked, begging for release; it was simply too painful, both physically and emotionally, to continue on. The burns on her inner thighs pulsated, weeping their own fluid; as soon as the woman could get away she needed to return to her dwelling to bathe the area with more of the soothing liquid and drink another dose of the pain-numbing tea. It was past time to do so but she had found herself unable to leave as the she watched the couple sharing bodies.

Even at the distance from which she sat, it was not difficult to recognize the significance of what had passed between them. Veba envied the extent of Jakal's devotion and felt cheated. For the first time she understood that even if she somehow managed to touch him so intimately again, he could never give to her, or anyone else, what she had just witnessed him giving to his mate; Sala alone held within her the secret of his heart. And though it only increased her suffering, she could not help resenting the happiness they shared, the happiness that she herself had been so denied.

~*~*~

On their way back into the settlement the couple encountered Ritol.

"Jakal. Sala. Nira is looking for you; she said to tell you it is a matter of great urgency. She is in her dwelling."

They thanked the man. Rather than drop off their things at home first, they promptly headed for the residence she shared with Kitad and the rest of their family.

Finding the flap up, Jakal peered inside the structure. Seeing no one, he called, "Nira, it is Jakal; are you there?"

A voice originating from the sleeping area answered. "I am here, Jakal. Please come in. Is Sala with you?"

Entering, the young woman responded. "Yes, I am here as well."

Nira emerged from the other room and untied the flap, pulling in the bones. "I was just settling the children for their nap," she explained.

"We passed Ritol just a moment ago and he mentioned it was important that we see you without delay," Jakal informed her. "Is everything all right?"

"Please have a seat. May I offer you some tea?" the older woman offered.

"No thank you."

"I am fine as well."

As they situated themselves comfortably onto the cushions before the hearth, Nira began.

"You are familiar with Edla?"

"Of course. She is the eldest of our Elders."

"While I was distributing food at the storage hut on this day, Edla, along with a number of our other Elders, came for supplies. She was talking quite openly about the Spiritwalker, and how she had noticed the strangeness of his behavior lately."

Sala and Jakal could not help but smile. The old woman was never one to hold back, and as she got older her tongue grew sharper than a knife with a fresh blade.

Understanding the reason for their amusement, Kitad's mate briefly returned their smile. "That drew my attention. But the reason why I called you here was what she said afterward. Do you remember Seya, the daughter of Edla's daughter's daughter?"

"Let me think. Oh yes, I remember her now; a rather small girl, both of size and stature. Did she not mate and relocate to Owl Clan soon after crossing over into womanhood?"

"Yes, she did. And there may have been a good reason for that decision. Edla mentioned that the Spiritwalker had taken an interest in Seya right after she became a woman, taking her to his furs..."

The couple glanced at each other soberly before turning their eyes back to Nira, as if they knew what was coming next.

"She vehemently insisted that Seya changed drastically after her association with our spiritual leader. She said that the girl went from being enthusiastic and full of life to apathetic and withdrawn." Leaning forward, the woman lowered her voice. "Edla told the others she believed the Spiritwalker cursed Seya, somehow stealing her spirit, and that is why she stopped caring about life, why she mated with the first man to ask and moved away to another Camp."

The three sat in silence for some time as Sala and Jakal absorbed the disturbing information Kitad's mate had just revealed to them.

Looking at the Light-Eyed One, the young woman finally stated, slowly, "You were right, Jakal, about the danger the Spiritwalker posed to all our people." She released a breath which sounded like something between a sigh of relief and a shudder. "I do not suppose I should be surprised to learn that I most likely was not the only one to be violated by him."

Filling with the same anger and revulsion he experienced at the river when Sala initially told him about the crime the shaman had inflicted upon her, the man's face darkened. Struggling to maintain control, he commented, "We must speak to Edla, Sala, on this day if possible."

"I think we should invite her to share the evening meal with us," she suggested.

"Agreed. If the old woman confirms what we all suspect to be true, this changes everything."

Nira nodded. "Yes, and if there are two, who knows how many more there might be."

~*~*~

That night after making love, Sala and Jakal lay in the furs holding each other, thinking about their long conversation at the evening meal with Edla. The Elder was so relieved that someone actually wanted to listen to her story she stayed well after the sun dropped from the sky, sharing with them every detail she could recall about the period of time when the daughter of her daughter's daughter first became a woman.

Even after hearing her testimony, the young couple hesitated to tell the old woman too much, worried that she might have difficulty exercising discretion. Neither of them knew Edla well, and they were as much concerned about her safety, given what they believed the Spiritwalker had done to Mala, as they were her ability to keep their secret. Ultimately, however, they decided to tell her the truth, including their reasons for being wary.

Edla appreciated their candor. "I am glad to see that some of you youngsters were taught right," she had said. "I may be old, but I am not so old not to understand that a Light-Eyed One and his mate do not invite an Elder they barely know to an evening meal simply to listen to her tell stories no one else wants to hear."

"We are sorry we were not more upfront with you from the beginning, Elder," Jakal apologized, "but as I am sure you can understand, I am, we are very concerned about keeping Sala safe. May we count on your discretion?"

"Young man," she responded seriously, "if the Spiritwalker violated my Seya as he did your mate, you can be certain that no one wishes for him to answer for it more than me. If that means I must remain silent for a time while you gather this 'evidence' you seek, then that is what I will do. Tell me how else I can help you, help the daughter of my daughter's daughter."

Playing with a wavy strand of his hair, Sala broke the silence. "Jakal, do you think Seya will help us?" Quickly correcting herself, she added, "Assuming the Spiritwalker hurt her the same way as he did me, of course."

Stroking the side of her face with the back of his hand, the Light-Eyed One looked into his mate's eyes, both of them understanding the disclaimer was unnecessary; after speaking with the Elder, neither doubted what the young woman must have endured between the Spiritwalker's furs to have affected such a drastic change in personality.

"I do not know," he replied honestly. "From what the old woman told us, it sounds as though he may have succeeded in stealing her spirit. It may be difficult to reach her, especially if she does not wish to remember such dark days," he admitted. "But we must try, and I do believe if anyone can get through to her, Sala, it will be you."

~*~*~

The next morning the young couple sought out their Leader to inform her of their impending departure for Owl Clan's settlement.

"It has been some time since I have visited my brother Jesin at his Camp," Jakal explained, "and I wish to share with him news of our joining. We think it prudent to leave while the weather is still pleasant for travel."

Keta did not know why, but she had a feeling their decision to suddenly make a journey to another Camp just before a major work period had little to do with sharing news of their joining with Jesin.

"I see. You are aware we are entering into a important work period at our own settlement, just as I am certain the Owl Clan is as well? Should you leave now, somehow I doubt your brother will have much free time for visiting," she pointed out.

"That is true," Sala conceded, "but we do not plan to stay long, Keta, most likely no more than a few days."

"Still, you will be missing a crucial gathering time for our Clan, and many of our dwellings are in need of repair; as you say, it is prudent we take care of these things while the weather is still pleasant. We need the assistance of every individual, and since the two of you already missed nearly an entire moon cycle of work this summer, do you think it fair to once again leave your people, placing a greater burden on the others in your absence?"

Sala and Jakal glanced at each other worriedly; getting away was not going to be as simple as they had hoped. Keta was making it clear that she did not approve of their plan.

The older woman noticed the look they shared. "I am not asking you to forgo visiting Jakal's brother altogether," she clarified. "I am merely requesting that you to put the needs of your Clan above your own wishes for a time. Let us do this. For the next five days, work intensely, contributing as much as you can to prepare our Camp for the upcoming winter. After that time we will reassess our people's needs. If you have accomplished enough to significantly reduce the burden to the others during your absence, I would not be opposed to your travel plans so long as your stay is brief."

It was longer than either of them hoped, but they also recognized that what Keta proposed was a compromise for her as well; they suspected if it was up to her, they would be going nowhere for at least the next moon cycle. Their eyes met again, confirming what they both knew they must say.

"Agreed, Keta; we will stay and do everything we can to help make our Camp ready for winter. After five days, we will meet with you again," Jakal acknowledged.

~*~*~

Summer's sweltering final days left the land parched, the withered leaves of grass and trees bleached and desiccated. Under the fierce, unforgiving sun, the scorched air wheezed, as if a steady breeze required far too much effort to sustain. When individuals trudged to the stagnant, rapidly-diminishing stream each day, toiling to bring to the settlement the last source of moisture as far as the eye could see, they dared not walk with their feet uncovered, lest they be burned by the sun's cruel face, the soles of their feet sliced by sharp blades even as the grass below them crushed into powder under their steps.

Since the rains ceased, few animals had been seen during the daytime; the people were unaware if those things which ran, flew or crawled emerged at night, for they were too weary, lacking the strength to hunt, or even stray more than a short distance from the Camp. From what they could hear, however, it seemed that along with the rain, the animals had abandoned them as well, for the blackness echoed as a cavern, the sounds of one's own troubled breathing one of the only indications that life stirred anywhere in this desolate place.

The people were not altogether alone. The other signs of life were the ravenous swarms of tiny insects which had coalesced over their sticky bodies, drowning them in choking clouds of biting, blood-sucking misery. Though they had always been vexed by such pests this time of year, the Clan was now tormented by the cursed creatures almost incessantly, most likely because their usual source of nourishment, the animals roaming the woods and hills of this dying land, appeared to have vanished.