My Soft Ego Ch. 01

"Yeah, I'm trying my best. Maybe I should spend more time out in nature, it's really gorgeous out here," I said to get away from her teasing comments.

"Oh yeah. I can't believe you enjoy running on treadmills. I love the gym but trail running is where it's at. Plus, you'll get to a point in trail running where even a small root isn't gonna make you trip," She laughed.

"Hey, that root came out of nowhere. And I was distracted! I'm focused now," I quickly defended myself. I laughed at the same time but could feel her pulling at me. I had to focus on the ground though, she was right about that. I couldn't handle any more embarrassment. Maybe I was being too defensive. I wasn't sure but I felt like I had to be on guard around her.

Our conversation continued on as we pushed forward along the path. It occasionally would suddenly descend downwards and I was so grateful for the break. A time to be able to catch my breath and deal with my growing exhaustion. My lungs were getting tired and I would occasionally be forced to suck in air through my mouth. I took a few sips of my water bottle and tried to reserve it the best I could.

She talked a bit about how she also loved New England. It was perfect. She loved the brutal summers and frigid winters. It was perfect for her and her own personality, she said. She also could always be wearing something different. Whether a gym outfit or a bikini on a 90-degree day at the beach. Or baggy black pants and a beanie and oversized hoodie in the fall and winter. I told her she seemed quite fashionable and she thanked me. I didn't want to overstep any weird creepy boundary.

After a few more twists and turns, and a few slips, that didn't result in me tripping, we eventually made it to the halfway point. The mountain might not have been that high up but I was learning quickly that elevation didn't mean anything. The path of the trail, its length, and its sudden spikes in elevation were what truly mattered.

Nick quickly explained the different routes and the colors you could follow. Probably just for me as he made eye contact with me for a while since everyone else was in their own world and their own conversations. He broke it down into difficulty levels. The hardest one immediately had almost the entire group.

"So how you feeling Rube?" Nick asked.

"I'm feeling good, I think. I think I could handle whichever honestly," I said as I wiped sweat off my forehead with my t-shirt.

"Yeah, you're looking good man," he said but clearly trying to not make me feel bad for the fact that I was actually probably looking terrible. He continued, "Well, whichever one you do, I can head on with you."

I nervously glanced at Scarlet who was drinking water and eating a nutrition bar. She looked nonchalant and as if she wasn't hearing anything that was going on. But as I flicked my eyes back to Nick to respond, she spoke up instead.

"I can watch over him,"

"You sure? I know you wanted to try to beat everyone to the top today," He gave a slight chuckle.

"It's fine, think I might like this dude," she grinned at me. Nick laughed himself and then nodded before moving along with everyone else on the hardest path. They too took some drinks and food of their own before quickly beginning their ascent.

"See you all at the peak!" Nick said out loud.

"You should probably drink a bit more before we head off," She said. "Speaking of which, what path you think you want to go?"

"Well, I mean, seems to me you were eager to go on that hardest path. Maybe we should follow up with them,"

"No no no, trust me. That's a long path and it goes straight up, you might die!" She laughed while chewing her food, "Plus, is that really all the water you brought?"

"Well... Yeah but I mean it's fine. And no seriously, I think I could handle it. Honestly, I know I look a bit exhausted but I got a lot left in the tank. I could do it," I smiled back at her and continued "Just look at me," I did some small quick jumps and stretched out my body in a show of pure egotism.

"I'm thinking this one might be a bit more your style," she pointed to one of the easier paths Nick had brought up. A path Nick had talked a bit more about as he probably was encouraging me to go down that one.

"Oh goddd, How weak do you think I am? I'm telling you, I was a bit distracted and caught off guard that first half. I'm feeling goooood!" I exclaimed.

I had to show some sort of strength. I needed to match her in some way. She was just so clearly stronger than me and confidence seeped out of her every pore. Maybe I was making a bit of a fool of myself and being a bit too cocky but I did feel I had this. Though, I was essentially trying to combat her own self-assuredness with my comedic theatrics.

Initially, she looked at me unamused, but then her lips curled, initially looking a bit cruel but then morphed into an innocent happy smile. Then a sort of giggle came out as well. For a split second, it felt like maybe she was laughing at me instead of with me. But I was probably just misreading her.

I doubled down.

"Honestly, I think you might end up being more tired than me," I pointed my eyes upwards, raised my eyebrows, and gave a closed-lip smile as I threw out my quasi-challenge. I gave my best look of innocence as I directly challenged her.

"Oh my, wow, you're a bit too confident. You gotta deal with that ego," she returned back with a smile.

She began walking to the path that everyone else had gone up. It had been a few minutes and it seemed like they were all long gone now. I quickly followed her with my own large smile that probably revealed my terrible ineptitude.

The path immediately got difficult. It started with a climbing portion where I was basically on my hands and knees. I would occasionally glance at her tough working body but found that there was becoming less and less time to do so. I had to focus on exactly what I was doing or risk tripping or hurting myself. She was moving quickly and I had to follow the best I could. I'd try to replicate some of her movements but I struggled. Her arms and legs and body moved gracefully. Every muscle revealed itself. Eventually, even the larger roots would make me slow down. Or sometimes we'd get to a place where a log was covering the path. She would, once again, simply vault over it. Her breasts would perform a slight bounce. Gravity clearly was affecting her breasts but her body in general seemed unconcerned. For me, I was struggling and becoming more and more exhausted. I'd place one leg over the log and then slide across to get my other leg. My calves were beginning to burn. My thighs were chafing. My ankles were aching as every step was on uneven ground and I struggled to keep myself upright and stable.

"Keep up!" She would yell out occasionally. Her tone was much more serious now. I would quickly reply, "Yep!" and then hurry along. I would occasionally catch her during these times but then quickly would fall back. It's as if she had a leash on me. I'd get a bit too far and she would yank me forward. She wouldn't slow down herself but would drag me forward. My own body, while utterly exhausted, felt compelled to rush forward. My ego was struggling to keep itself intact. I was desperate to impress her. Looking down constantly, I would see the sweat drip off my nose and chin and color the ground. Time was moving at a crawl. Or maybe that was me.

The birds were occasionally chirping and the wind would rustle the trees. She would snap and crunch over a branch and not look back. Her breath was quiet and stable. Maybe a quick huff as she pushed over a large rock or log but nothing more. Her sports bra strap would shift a bit as her shoulders flexed outwards and her shorts would strain as she stretched out. But both of them continued to successfully keep her clothed even when at times I swore if she flexed just a bit more they might snap. The sweat on her body glistened in the sun.

For me, the sweat burned on my skin. Or maybe that was the burning sun that had gotten higher and higher in the sky. The morning was coming to a close and the hottest part of the day had arrived. I was dripping sweat and every part of my body was aching and burning.

"Maybe I should have brought more water," I half-joked between my exasperated breaths.

She chuckled but didn't look back at me. Simply focused on the path ahead. I swore that she got even quicker with my joke. The leash was getting tighter and tighter and I followed desperately. Huffing and puffing through my mouth. I couldn't contain my own exhaustion. Every step was pure pain. But she was unrelenting. It felt like we only would get faster and faster. My mouth and lips were cracking as they got dryer. I needed water but I had only a small sip left. I wanted a bite of some food but it would only make my mouth dryer. I wanted so desperately to ask to have a drink of hers but that would be a surrender. A surrender that I wasn't willing to accept yet. It would be surrendering to her and her overwhelming strength. I don't know why I viewed it in such terms but I did.

I couldn't help but begin thinking why I was even trying so hard to impress her. Or to match her. It's not like she had really taunted me for not being capable. She had even offered to go on an easier path. She had given up trying to beat everyone else and was willingly taking care of me. I suppose it was my own ego and never-ending cockiness that had led me down this path. All she had done was given in to my incessant desire to prove myself. And now, I was cracking. My masculine bravado was beginning to falter.

She didn't have this aura because she was some cocky idiot like me. Instead, the air of assurance that I so greedily mooched off her was because her body was trained and perfected. I had likened her to myself? She didn't think she could do this; She knew she could. Or maybe she actually is just trying to impress me too? I'm sure she's exhausted. In fact, I bet we were about to close in on the group further ahead any moment and I'd look like a king.

The ground and trees around us would inhale and exhale like her. Quietly and comfortably. Stable and consistent. I was the only one out of place with my mouth agape. While I fantasized that at every big turn, we might encounter the group, no such thing happened. We were alone.

The pain was becoming too much and finally, I split my dry lips open and asked, "Can I have some of your water? And maybe we could stop real quick?" My throat was burning and cotton mouth was plaguing me.

She stopped and turned around. Looking down on me from further along the path. She had this sly grin that seemed to say so much. I could sense her taunts. I heard them in my mind.

Well, wasn't that one water enough? I thought you said I'd be more tired than you. You wanted this path, but can't handle it? Don't you have a good endurance base? Weren't you just jumping around? Didn't you get a feel for this? What's wrong? Can't do it? Maybe we should turn around, would you like that? We can head back down and I'll explain to everyone else just how broken you were. Hell, if you want, hop on my back, I can carry you to the peak!

She just stood there and placed her hands on her hips. She laughed without making a sound and without even opening her mouth. I was right about my face and eyes. They said everything I was thinking and she knew the thoughts that were floating through my head.

This was pathetic of me. Maybe I was pathetic for being so unserious about everything and yet so confident.

"I mean...we might catch up to them soon and no harm in a quick break, I'm sure you want one too!" I tried to save myself.

She simply stared at me before saying, "If you tell the truth, I'll give you some of my water,"

"What truth?" I asked, a bit scared and nervous.

"You know what I mean."

"No, Honestly I do-." She quickly cut me off.

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up. Here's one truth, you're pathetic, now tell me a few more,"

"I'm not pathetic! I'm just fucking tired. And don't lie, you're tired too!" I desperately was trying to maintain...something.

She walked downwards to me. Every step made me want to run away. But that wasn't possible. The best I could do was roll down the hill and even then, she might catch me. Her face was serious and she didn't smile anymore. She looked stunning even now. Her posture was perfect even on this steep hill and she didn't look down as she walked. She wasn't concerned about her stability in the slightest. She finally made it to me and we were face to face.

Suddenly, the back of her right hand connected with the side of my face. I tried to stop myself from falling but I had no energy to do so. I simply collapsed and then spread out my body as I tried to stop myself from skidding downwards. My water bottle crunched up as I hit the dirt. My face was burning and aching with pain. My face suddenly flushed red as the intense embarrassment and anger mixed up inside me.

"What the f-" I couldn't finish as her boot pressed down on my back. My sweaty sticky shirt clung to my back and I could feel the liquid spread outwards. It felt disgusting and gross. Her boot pressed harder into my back and I felt unable to get up.

"Bitch, fucking bitch," I struggled underneath her foot and tried to pull out from underneath it. Her boot didn't move an inch and it began to scrape my back as I moved. I felt like crying.

Suddenly her boot came off my back and as I attempted to get myself upright, her fist clenched around my short hair and pulled me up. I yelped and cried out but she was manhandling me. Catching a quick glimpse of her face, she was smiling but the innocence was gone. Had this been the smile she was giving me this entire time? It looked...cruel.

Her strength easily triumphed over mine. She pulled my hair and began to drag me to one of the large rocks nearby. All of this with her left hand. I felt terrified and scared. She could easily beat me up. The reality that I wasn't gonna be able to fight her off was becoming all too real. I struggled against her but she was immovable.

"Please stop, you're hurting me, please please, I don't know what I did but please, I'm sorry,"

She ignored my cries. I wanted to scream out for help but that would only further my embarrassment. She might even turn the situation on me. I was mortified. I stared at her intensely and she looked back at me with deadly eyes. Grinning with her sharp, crooked, absolutely beautiful teeth. Her breasts moved and bounced within the confines of her sports bra as she set me up against the rock. Then she ground my face into the rock, Light enough that I didn't bang myself on it but hard enough that I felt stunned. My body was beginning to shut down and I found myself suddenly not fighting back at all. Whatever was about to happen was gonna happen.

My shorts were suddenly ripped down followed by my underwear. My bare ass was facing her direction. I could no longer see her. My left eye could only see the rock wall and my right eye was beginning to tear up and also burn with sweat. One tear came down and a flurry of them were to follow. Her right hand suddenly grabbed my ass cheek. Squeezing one and then the other. My balls and dick hanging. Shriveled up and small. The head of my cock hiding within the foreskin.

With one swift movement, her hand came down and pain exploded across my right butt cheek. At the same time, she pushed my face harder into the wall as if to tell me to be quiet. My mouth was curling into a horrific shape as I began to sob and cry. My face, covered in dirt and dust, sweaty and sticky, and now full of tears.

It was a pathetic sight. My ego had been completely cracked and destroyed. And as if to add insult to injury, my brain imagined how I must have looked from beyond my own body. If someone had come at this point, they would have seen this brutal, glorious strong woman beating me. Her left arm was fully extended, biceps popping out. Her hands gripped my hair. A red tint across her fingers as she squeezed with a tremendous force ensuring that it was either I stayed still or my hair was going to be torn out. Her right hand going out to the side before crashing down onto my smooth skin. My face twisted and contorted as I sobbed horribly, gasping and crying, and whimpering. To see this sight would strike fear into anyone and they would simply run away. And I was here, the victim of this brutality.

My ass was clearly becoming red and raw. Sometimes she would flick her wrist and my face would grind against the stone.

As quickly as it had started, it ended. After only a few vicious spanks of my ass, her hands squeezed me once again. I became suddenly aware of just how sweaty and disgusting my ass probably was. But she clearly didn't seem to mind. Sweat was probably nothing to her.

"Tell me the truth," She whispered in my ear.

I was still in a state of panic and sobbing. I tried to control myself and was able to garner enough strength to reduce my cries to whimpers. And softly said out to her, "I'm weak. I'm so weak. And you're so strong, so unbelievably strong. I'm nothing to you, Scarlet. I don't compare to you and I'm sorry-" I hiccuped, "I'm sorry for trying so hard to match myself against you."

She had beaten me emotionally and physically. Now, all the truths came to the forefront. All the little lies I had said today. Lying to myself, to Nick, to Scarlet. I was utterly convinced I was just the best at everything I did for some reason. I didn't really think I was the best but in the presence of her beauty and glory, I felt so intimidated. It didn't feel like there was any other option except to attempt to mimic her. To consider myself as strong as her or even stronger.

"Good. Continue, I want you to explain why I just beat you. Tell me exactly when you made the mistake of pissing me off,"

"B-b-because I'm egotistical.. And cocky...and narcissistic, " I hiccuped again, " and when I failed to live up to your...strength...I-"

She finished it for me, "decided to insult me. Your puny little ego and brain decided that as a last resort, when you clearly didn't have the strength to go on, you decided to insult me and assume that instead of you being as strong as me, instead I was as weak as you,"

I could still sense a smile on her lips. It's as if she was angry but also so incredibly happy that this had happened. Like, she had laid out the trap with no bait and thought no one would actually be that stupid to fall for it. And I had. I had jumped right in without any hesitation and now she had me. She had me right where she wanted me.

"You're right. You're so right, I'm sorry," I whispered. Her hand squeezed my ass one more time before finally she fully let me go.

I collapsed against the rock. I realized she had been really holding me up this entire time. My butt slapped against the dirt and I quickly rolled over and tried to brush it all off. She began to laugh. She had found me so funny this entire time but again, had only been laughing at me. She didn't find me funny. She found me pathetic. And it seemed she enjoyed that.

My face must have looked so incredibly disgusting. I tried to wipe my tears and only caused more burning as the sweat entered my eyes. I began to pull up my underwear and shorts. There was a soft burning feeling on my butt and there might have even been a bruise developing. But it's clear she had also held back. She showed some semblance of mercy on me.

"Alright, get up. We gotta get a move on. They're probably about to be at the peak. I'll help you, we'll go quick. I think you've learned your lesson. Just stick tight to me and I'll make sure you're safe. Speaking of which, yes, you can drink some of my water. You can put your lips on it as well,"

After a few minutes of recovery, we were off. This time, she had me in front. She'd help me constantly and tell me to be careful at points and the best route to take whenever there were sudden rock outcroppings. Encouraging and nice. We even began to converse again. Something we hadn't done since we had been on this path. She was polite, kind, and comforting. Like I appreciated her more now that all that had happened. Of course, that was the one thing we didn't bring up at all. As if we had an understanding that that needed to happen and now I was better because of it.