Teaching Hoda

Hoda quickened his pace. He smelled orc on the air -- orc blood if he wasn't mistaken -- and it made him uneasy. He wanted to get through these cursed woods. The trees were hung with moss, and a foul mist drifted around, stinking of orc blood.

Up ahead, there was a large outcropping of stone next to the path. A perfect spot for an ambush. He slowed his approach, and that's when he heard the melee.

* * *

The fight had started poorly. The trouble began when the first orc had grappled her and ripped her shirt off. Nudity did not trouble her; she was an elf. But the sight of her breasts kindled their blood lust. The orc who had ripped her shirt paid swiftly with its life, and the next two fell to her blade without incident. But then before she slew the fourth orc, it had gotten under her guard and slashed her ribs, a painful wound, though not life-threatening. And in slaying the fifth orc, her sword had broken, leaving her armed only with a hunting knife to face the sixth and final orc, who appeared to be the most dangerous of the lot.

She was giving ground, waiting for a chance to strike with the knife while avoiding the orc's halberd. A knife against a pole arm. This wasn't going to be easy, she mused grimly. Then she tripped over one of the fallen orcs and sprawled onto her back. The sixth orc bore down and went in for the kill. She watched, waiting to see where the blow was going to go so she could (hopefully) dodge it and come in with the knife. But the blow never fell. A sword point erupted from the orc's chest, piercing its heart and killing it instantly. Directed by the sword in its chest, it fell to the side, and there stood a human warrior. Of course it was Hoda, who had entered the melee undetected.

He stepped forward and offered his arm to the elf woman. She took it and Hoda pulled her to her feet. She winced in pain from her wound, which was bleeding freely.

"Do you need healing?" he asked.

"Thank you, no," she replied. She went over to where her pack lay on the ground, rummaged in it, and pulled out an earthenware vial, which she uncorked and quaffed. After a few moments, the wound rapidly healed until there was no trace that it had ever been. She stowed the empty vial back in her pack, along with the remnants of her shirt.

Meanwhile, Hoda retrieved his sword from the orc corpse, bracing it with his foot and pulling the sword free. Quickly, he wiped the blade on some turf.

"We're in trouble," he said to the elf. "This was a scout party. There are undoubtedly more nearby. We'll be lucky if they don't track us and kill us. We must go now. I suggest we split up."

"I have the means to go undetected," she said. "I could share it with you, as thanks for coming to my aid, but we would have to stay together until we are well away from here."

"Acceptable," he said. "But hurry."

She shouldered her pack and walked over to him. She twisted a ring on her finger, and for a moment they were both suffused with a faint blue glow. Then it faded. "Stay close to me," she said. "I know these lands. We should head south off-road; we can join up with the road, perhaps tomorrow, a safe distance from here." She started jogging into the woods.

He followed, frowning. "Don't you want to fix your shirt?"

She smiled grimly. "Priorities. Let's get away first, and then I'll tend to my garments."

"Well, here, at least take this," he said, handing her his spare short sword.

She took the proffered sword and afforded him an appraising glance. She fastened it to her belt and resumed her jog. "Thank you," she called over her shoulder. "I'm Sara."

"Hoda."

* * *

In the heat of battle, it was easy for him to overlook the fact that she was naked to the waist. In the dull drudgery of a forced march through wilderness, he found it difficult to keep his eyes off her. She moved so beautifully, she made him feel like a clumsy oaf. He wished not to make a fool of himself, which required that he mostly keep his eyes on the terrain at his feet. But when he could spare a glance, he did.

Sara, for her part, noticed him stealing glances at her from time to time, but he made no threatening moves or gestures. She could read no indication that he would assault her, and so she didn't worry about it. Nevertheless, she kept her guard up just in case. The fact that he had given her a weapon was encouraging, but you never knew with humans.

* * *

He estimated they had gone about eight miles when Sara stopped. The afternoon was getting on towards evening, and the sun was low in the sky. Hoda stopped next to her. He was about to speak, when the momentary blue glow returned and faded.

"The magic is spent," she said. "Do you know where we are?"

"Only vaguely," he replied.

"Then we had best camp together for the night. Tomorrow I will lead you back to the road, and you can go where you will from there."

"I can't afford to just give you a sword," he said. "And I can't see you without a weapon on the road. Aren't we relatively close to Tishmon?" (Tishmon was a large town with a healthy marketplace.)

"We are about three quarters of a day from Tishmon," she said.

"We should go there tomorrow, and get resupplied, get you a weapon. After that we can part ways."

"You are very generous," said the elf. "I agree to your proposal."

* * *

They found a good camp spot with little trouble, in the lee of a hillock next to a stream. They agreed that a small fire would be safe, so Hoda took his bow and quiver and went in search of game.

Sara pulled the mud- and blood-stained tattered remnants of her shirt out of her pack. "Now let's see about you," she said, carrying it to the stream to wash it.

She was putting on the washed and mended shirt when Hoda returned to the camp with a couple rabbits.

"I must say, I'm impressed," he said, setting down the rabbits. "You have done a fine job with that shirt. Still, I think you'll probably want a new one when we get to Tishmon." He seemed to remember himself suddenly. "Not that that's my business," he mumbled. "I just meant --"

She chuckled, a musical sound that Hoda stopped talking to listen to. "I will most assuredly be getting a new shirt in Tishmon," she said. "No matter how much you wash something, you'll never get rid of the stink of orc blood." They shared a smile. "Now," she continued, "do you want to clean the game or see to the fire?"

"Given the choice, I'll do the fire; I enjoy the process. But I can clean the game if you want."

"No, no," she said, standing and taking up the rabbits and her hunting knife. "You do the fire; I'm happy to have a reason to use this knife on something other than orc."

* * *

Hoda took his first bite of rabbit and nearly choked. "Holy shit, what did you do to this rabbit?"

Sara smiled. "Herbs," she said simply. "Family recipe."

"Wow." He tore off another bite. "Thanks for sharing," he said between chews. Then he realized he was talking with his mouth full and quickly gulped it down. "Excuse me," he said, "I must seem very uncouth to you."

She smiled. "Not particularly. You are honest and guileless, neither of which is necessarily bad." She looked him in the eye. "Look, I'm a wandering adventurer. I'm out here on the road, just like you. You don't need to treat me like an elvish princess."

He frowned. "You're right. I'm --"

"And don't apologize," she interrupted.

He laughed. "Fair enough."

For a while, they ate in silence. Then she said, "I want to thank you for helping me in the fight today."

"You're welcome," he said seriously. "I'm just glad I was there, and able to help. I've never seen orcs so unwilling to flee when so many of their number had fallen."

"I lost my shirt early in the fight," she said. "One of them grappled me and tore it off. The orcs saw my breasts and it inflamed their baser desires. They became unwilling to let me go. And so they were destroyed."

"Mostly by you. You must be a holy terror in battle."

She laughed bitterly. "When I'm not falling over backwards, you mean? If you had not appeared --"

He waved her to silence. "I did appear. And besides, no-one gets to know what would have happened. Maybe you would have survived without my help."

"Well, I was going to try, anyway. The relief I felt when you killed that last orc -- that was a good moment for me. I am grateful. I owe you my life."

"You owe me nothing. I did what anyone would have done."

She shook her head. "No, not anyone. Only one with bravery and skill could have done what you did. Again, I am grateful. Please accept my thanks."

He nodded, smiling warmly. "I'm honored to accept your thanks."

* * *

Since elves only need 2-3 hours sleep, Hoda and Sara reasoned that he should take the first watch, and then she would relieve him when she woke up.

It was nearing the end of his stint, he reckoned. He was idly toying with his lucky coin, while keeping his eyes and ears open. Sara slept nearby. Just then, she started murmuring in her sleep. She frowned, and her lips moved. He presumed she was having a nightmare. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright and gave a small shout.

"You're safe, Sara," he said.

She turned to him, her eyes unseeing, and then she started awake, breathing heavily. "Sorry," she said when she had composed herself somewhat. "Nightmare."

"Yeah." He didn't have to ask what it was about.

"Are you ready to be relieved?" she said, standing and folding her blanket.

"You're sure you don't want to sleep more?"

"I think I've slept enough," she said quietly.

"Okay." He stood up, stowed the coin in his pouch, and moved to his pack to retrieve his bedroll.

"Sleep well," she said as he was getting situated. Then she said, softly so he couldn't hear, "My friend."

"Good night, Sara," he yawned.

* * *

She rousted him before dawn. They broke camp quickly and efficiently. They worked well together, he noticed. Travelling went more smoothly with two people to split the labor. Soon they were on the move again.

They arrived in Tishmon in the midafternoon, plenty of time to visit the shops and the market. Once they had gotten a fine new sword for Sara, and a smart new shirt, they spent the rest of the afternoon together, sampling food and drink that you generally can only get in a larger town, haggling in the marketplace, that kind of thing. When night fell, they dined at an inn and shared a room (two cots).

They discussed plans in the morning over breakfast. She planned to head west for the kingdom of Volumnia, and he planned to go north to Boryudaird. They both had their reasons, things they wanted to see, etc.

They paid the innkeeper and left Tishmon. The crossroads was a couple miles from town. The day was fair; the walk was pleasant. Neither of them felt the need to make chit chat, but there was much in Hoda's heart that he wished he could articulate.

He had enjoyed yesterday immensely, but he wasn't sure how to tell her so without seeming forward, foolish, or both. Ultimately, he didn't know how to say what he wanted. He wasn't sure he knew what he wanted, but he knew he didn't want to part ways with Sara. At least, not yet.

They reached the crossroads. "I guess this is it," he said, trying to keep his voice bright. He didn't want her to start her journey on a downer.

"I guess so," she agreed. "Farewell, Hoda." She turned to go.

"Sara," he said. She turned back, eyebrows raised. He said, "I'll always be glad I met you." They smiled at each other. She walked over to where he stood, reached up, and kissed his cheek. Then she was off.

He resolved to watch her until she was out of sight. At about a hundred yards, she stopped abruptly. She stood for a moment or two, and then turned back and saw him. He raised a hand and waved. Inexplicably, she turned around and began walking back towards him. He walked out towards her; they met a small distance from the crossroads.

"Did you forget something?" he asked.

"The road is lonely," she said. "I wish to travel with you."

He grinned. "I'm so glad you came back. I wish to travel with you also."

She grinned in turn. "Come then. Let us journey to Boryudaird."

"What about Volumnia?" he asked.

"It'll keep."

He shook his head. "Doesn't seem fair. Why don't we let fate decide?" He pulled out his lucky coin and flipped it. They went her way, west towards Volumnia.

* * *

The sun was getting low in the sky. "Should we find a camp?" he asked.

"I know a good place," she said. "It's not far."

Presently, they stopped. She activated her ring, and then they headed south off the trail and walked about a mile to the shore of a small lake, where there was a camp site. There was a fire pit already dug, ringed with smooth flat stones. All around was thick, luxuriant moss, perfect for sleeping on.

"This is the best camp site I've ever seen," said Hoda. "Did you do this?" he asked, indicating the fire ring.

She smiled. "Years ago. I used to travel this road quite a bit, and I like lakes. To the best of my knowledge, nobody else knows about this spot. It's not visible from the road; you can only find it if you know where it is."

There was an hour or so of daylight left. Hoda was able to bag two rabbits without too much trouble. When he got back to camp, he saw that Sara had gathered enough firewood for the night. She greeted him. "Give me the rabbits," she said, "and I'll do to them what I did the night before last."

"Now you're talking," he said, presenting her with the rabbits.

* * *

The rabbits were cleaned, cooked, and consumed. Night had fallen, and the moon was rising over the lake. They could see the stars reflecting in the still water. Fireflies went about their business. The human and the elf were sitting together on a patch of moss. The fire burned low nearby.

"This is really beautiful," said Hoda. "I'm glad I'm here." He turned to her. "I'm glad you're here." They shared a smile. Then Hoda looked back at the lake.

"Hoda," she said after a pause. He turned towards her. She was leaning towards him, and in the moonlight she was breathtaking. "I wish to share pleasures with you," she said simply.

His eyebrows shot up. He swallowed hard. "I would welcome that, but I have no experience in such matters."

"That does not trouble me. I will teach you."

"I don't -- I don't want you to laugh at me," he said.

She placed her hand on his forearm. It was pleasantly warm. "Dear Hoda," she said, "I would never laugh at you." She looked him in the eye. "Okay?"

He nodded.

"I am touching your arm," she said. "If I move my hand so, do you see how it is pleasurable?"

He nodded again, shivering a little.

"This can be done on any part of the body. By varying movement, pressure, and speed, a multitude of sensations can be produced." She moved her hands, touching his shoulders, neck, back, hands, anywhere she could comfortably reach. She avoided his loins for the time being, not wanting to go too fast.

After a few minutes, he said, "I feel relaxed and anxious at the same time. Is that normal?"

"Do you want me to do something different?" she asked. "If you want something different, you should definitely ask me. Unless we take a bonding potion, I cannot read your mind."

"Do you have a bonding potion?" he asked.

She laughed. "No." (Bonding potions were very expensive.)

He looked askance at her. "You swore you would never laugh at me," he said.

Her jaw dropped, and her eyes got big. "I'm sorry, I --" she stammered.

It was his turn to laugh. "I'm kidding."

She laughed with relief, and then they grew serious again. She said, "Would you like to try touching me?"

"Shouldn't we take our clothes off first?"

"There's no hurry. We have all the time in the world. I would like it if you touched my neck the way I touched yours."

He did so, and was rewarded with a deep sigh. After a while, he moved around -- shoulders, arms, hands, thighs, calves, feet. All the while she whispered encouragement. He was actually quite wonderful at touching her. He did not touch her breasts. He wanted to, but he didn't know if it would be okay, and he didn't think to ask. Everything was pretty new.

Presently, he said, "Is it alright if I take my clothes off?"

"Yes. Would you like me to take my clothes off too?"

"Yes," he replied. They stood, and they were both naked in a trice and stood in the moonlight regarding one another.

"You're beautiful," they both said at the same time, and then laughed.

At her suggestion, they took a dip in the lake and emerged much refreshed, all traces of the road washed away. They built up the fire and dried themselves with its warmth. While they were doing that, she told him about nipples.

"The purpose of nipples is to be sucked, and that is what they enjoy most. You can also use your hands to gently twist, pull, and rub them. The breasts can be squeezed, lifted, jiggled, generally played with. When you use your mouth on a nipple, you can use your tongue to encircle, flick, or pretty much anything else you can think of. It's all good. Let me show you the kinds of things," she said, walking around the fire to where he stood. She put her mouth on one of his nipples, and her hand on the other. He sighed at the sensations, and tried to pay attention to what she was doing so that he could duplicate it on her. After a while, she switched to suck on the other nipple, reaching up to tweak the first with her fingers.

Hoda grew erect. He forced himself not to feel embarrassed about it. It was the whole point, wasn't it?

She pulled away from his nipples. She saw his erection and smiled, but did not touch it. "Would you like to try my breasts?" She noticed where they were standing. "Let's move back to the bedrolls," she said. "It wouldn't be any good to fall in the fire."

He spent several minutes on each nipple. Hearing her gasp and moan because of the things he was doing was very exciting. She told him he was a natural.

"Next, I should show you kissing. Would you like to try that?"

He nodded.

"Kissing is tricky. There are so many different kinds of kisses. There are close-lipped kisses, open-mouthed kisses, tongue dancing kisses, and full-on tongue assault. The important thing with kissing is to let go of false urgency. You can start light and together with your partner, you can see where it takes you. It's about the journey, not the destination. And remember that it's always okay to ask what your partner wants, and shape your kisses based on that conversation."

He nodded.

"I'm going to come into your space and kiss you now," she said. "I plan to start with a close-lipped kiss, and I want to gradually open our mouths and introduce our tongues. We may become passionate -- kisses are like that, and that's fine. Are you ready?"

He nodded.

She laughed. "Will you say something, so I know I'm getting through to you?"

"Sorry," he said. "I'm ready to kiss you now. Thank you for teaching me all this stuff."

"Here goes," she said, moving into his arms and touching his lips with her own.

After a few moments, she pulled back and said, "You're doing great. How is it for you?"

"Really nice. I really like it."

"Ready to go for it?"

"Yeah," he said.

They kissed again. What followed were the most exciting few minutes of his life thus far. Partway through he remembered his hands, and began touching her -- her back, her neck, her breasts -- all while the kissing continued. She was using her hands, too. Their tongues were pretty deep in, and he was loving it. Finally they came up for air.

They caught their breath, and then she said, "The mouth can be used anywhere on the body to create pleasure. But I want to use it on your penis now. I am very aroused, and I don't want to wait if I don't have to. Do you think you're ready for this?"

"If you want it, I want it," he said.