by Zara Starr
All around, there were eyes already on me. My biggest concern was certainly the dragons, but I also recognized that the leeches and other large beasts that roamed in the night were no feat for anyone—let alone Mikaela.
She was strong, no doubt, but even I understood that many men had died in battle against the creatures of the night. All I wanted was to find Mikaela and her dog and get them out of there quickly.
My mind shifted to the memories of my past and the fateful night that had taught me to both appreciate and fight for the things that mattered in my life.
“Arh!”
The sound of my father’s voice breaking through the trees brought my attention away from my arrow carving. I looked up to see him standing over me with a scowling expression.
“What are you doing? You dawdle when you should have finished this by now!”
I tensed beneath my father’s screaming voice—feeling a certain apprehension overcome me. But as I sat there listening to him scream, a rage overcame me and I dropped the arrow carving to the ground and took off running into the woods.
“I’m not going to listen to you screeching at me! I would rather listen to the screeches of the animals,” I spat out as I took off and disappear. In the distance, I could hear my mother’s voice echoing.
“Arh? Arh, where are you going?”
“Leave him, Veruka. He is a useless waste if he cannot even complete his arrow carvings. He will return with a scar and never find a mate. It is his certain fate,” my father hollered.
I scoffed at his words—compelled to keep running and get as far from him as possible.
I never understood why he was so hard on me. I had carved arrows multiple times and with recognition for my work. Yet somehow, he never seemed to be satisfied. I almost felt as if he hated, or perhaps, envied me.
As I ran, my leg got caught in an insida vine and I grimaced as the thorns bit into my flesh, drawing dark blood in tiny beads across my skin.
I hissed—the pain was light, and I knew that the plant couldn’t do me any real harm. My mother had done a great job of teaching me all about its medicinal properties.
It did, however, pose a frightful amount of damage when it came to leaving gaping wounds that could easily fester later.
I didn’t care though. My father’s tongue lashing was uncalled for and I was sick of him making me feel like I had to compete with my sister—as if I had never been good enough.
I often questioned which of the three males my mother had chosen were actually my father. But since the other two had both taken ill—contracting clinovis by means I still did not understand—there was only one left.
The disease had strangely killed all of my mother’s other mates, and I knew it wasn’t something she was proud of. She had only myself and my younger brother to care for after that, since my sister had died too.
I was sure that the man I called my father was not my father, but possibly my sister’s.
This thought had gone through my mind enough times that I even considered questioning my mother about it, but I knew very little of triad matings, let alone how a female gave birth to a child.
I only understood that they were the natural process and that like the animals all around—new life was born by blood staining.
I continued on with my run—feeling as free as ever I had, the wind seeming to whip my hair to and fro. I found myself smiling even while running like a madman through the trees.
My next encounter, however, was anything but delightful. I paused instantly as I watched a serpent quickly descending from the canopy above me.
“No!” I yelled aloud as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me—back toward the tribal cave, as there was no way I would go back to face my father now.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
I leaped into the air just as the snake’s jaw came snapping toward me, a cloud of dust trailing in my wake as I glanced back to see how much distance I had put between myself and the gigantic viper. My heart was now beating like a drum.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump!
It was like it was about to leap from my chest as I neared the edge of a river and took one more glance behind me. The snake was only about five feet from me and I now stood some seven feet above the raging rapids.
I hated water—I wanted nothing to do with it. But faced with no other direction—I took a leap of faith and dove headfirst into the rushing current.
I blinked twice — chasing away the childhood memory as I sniffed the air again. “She’s got to be around here somewhere.”
I had no doubt that she had been here not too long ago from the strength of her femininity that seemed to linger on the air still. The sound of giggling in the distance brushed my ears and I tilted my head toward it—attempting to better hear whether it was Mikaela or not.
“Brulia, you whimper and writhe. Do you want more?”
I smirked upon hearing the familiar name of the mate of three elder Eilahasan males. I often gave provisions to their family. Mainly, the eldest son of this Brulia—Ahren.
What I presumed to be hearing, however, was not something I had expected to waltz in on and I immediately recognized that the scent of mating fluids was strong in the air. It was undeniable and quite fragrant.
I pursed my lips—wondering if Mikaela would have even come this way. But since the rest of the jungle was so obscure, and her own scent so strong, I had no choice but to go with my instincts.
Yes, there were other Eilahasans mating in the distance, but that didn’t mean I needed to venture into their meadow. If anything, I would just follow the trail.
I could hear them quite well, but I was truly still some distance away from being able to really see anything. I had no doubt that was the direction Mikaela had chosen to take and I chucked at the irony of it.
I began jogging, following the scent trail closely as I thought to myself. I wondered what Mikaela’s initial thoughts were if she had made it to the mating triad ongoing with Brulia—what she thought about our knobs, in particular.
I had always known I had been gifted with an enormous knob, but since I had not shared it with anyone, I could not say for certain.
However, as we knew in our tribe—the males that Brulia had selected had all been gifted with very fine, and quite large, knobs. A fact she seemed to gush about quite frequently.
Even my mother had joked about it being one of the reasons she had chosen each of the males she had selected for her triad.
I had never asked her, but from what had been said I was positive that Mikaela would be very surprised.
“I hope you enjoyed what you have seen, Mikaela.”
I chuckled yet again, knowing that I did have one advantage to be thankful for. I would have time alone with her after she had witnessed what my kind could provide her.
I had learned long ago that females—when ignited by passion—hated being denied their climax. While I had yet to mate with anyone, I was certain that I had quite a lot in store to share with her.
If only she would allow me the chance.
Dey
It had been several hours since Arh had gone looking for Mikaela. Scar had chosen to return to Veruka’s meadow, and I understood that but I did not want to leave Karr’s home cave.
If anything, I wanted to speak to my brother alone—to vent to someone who might understand my troubles. To someone who actually seemed to give a damn about what was best for me.
While I did feel like Veruka had been considerably kind to me by allowing me to be her apprentice, I still felt like an outsider looking in more often than not. And most of the time, that was because of Arh himself.
I pursed my lips as my brother and I sat across from one another in Karr’s meadow.
“Dew?”
“Yes, brother?” he asked me, leaning forward.
He handed me a wooden cup full of wine—something that I typically steered clear of. But knowing Mikaela was out in the jungle alone was more than enough cause to drive me to consumption.
I quickly polished off the fluid and coughed slightly. It had a deep and pungent taste, but I kept it down regardless.
“Arh will have more time alone with her now. I think she is already leaning toward selecting him,” I stated, feeling a sadness overcome me suddenly.
“You are assuming that if he even finds her he will find her agreeable. She left very upset. It took us quite a bit of convincing to get Ella to calm down after she did the same thing.”
“Ella did the same thing?” I asked curiously.
He nodded and I gazed downward—swept up in my thoughts instantly.
Maybe Dew was right. Maybe I was just overthinking things but the numbness of the wine began to seep into my mind and slowly my worries started to fade away.
I hoped Mikaela would be found, alive and well—as beautiful as the moment I had first laid eyes upon her.
Thirteen
Mikaela
I had watched the lovemaking scene for so long. They had rotated through at least three different positions—and my God, those cocks were unlike anything I had ever seen!
I felt like a pervert, but it was just so crazy and from a scientific standpoint I was more than curious.
But after a while, I realized that the intrusion on their privacy was a little over the top and it would be better for me to continue on the footpath—before someone found me watching the purples’ mating rituals.
That was the last thing I wanted. Though, admittedly, the thought of running my hands down Arh’s taut stomach—his handsome angular jaw beneath my fingertips as we made love… it sent chills down my body instantly.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Mikaela?” I asked myself aloud.
The sky had begun to tinge slightly and I wondered how long it would be before the sun finally broke through the trees.
I sighed as I continued down the path. It had been hours now, and my mind had shifted to the many wonderful things that Veruka, Scar, and Dey had all done for me.
Soon enough, guilt set in.
“Why are you feeling guilty now?” I asked myself. I was a safe distance from the mating purples now, so I had no regard for anyone overhearing me.
Under ordinary circumstances, if I had seen someone talking to themselves aloud in the woods I would have thought they were truly off their rocker. Yet, here I was guilty of doing that very same thing.
All in all, I wasn’t perfect and I knew it. But that didn’t mean I shouldn’t have equal rights wherever I wound up. I was a living creature and all living creatures needed to have rights.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around what they were insisting on. Their council wanted me to give up my morality—how was I supposed to do that? And why did I have to choose three mates? Why, if they wanted me to be a part of their tribe so badly, couldn’t I just choose one of them?
I mean, I had seen the massiveness of their penises and I was amazed that someone as tiny as Ella had actually enjoyed all of that from three of them!
Just the idea of it made me feel like I might be split in half. Again, I wasn’t skinny and had my lady lumps in all the right places but that didn’t mean that I could withstand three wieners the size of my arm going into each of my orifices.
It was just too damn much. I couldn’t understand Ella. And she didn’t seem to understand where I was coming from either. I just—what was with her? Had the council forced her to partake in this custom of theirs too? Or was she honestly into that kind of thing?
From the way she acted, and after seeing the satisfied look on the purple woman’s face after mating in her meadow—I guess to each their own was all that made sense.
But now that the council wanted me to be that woman I was terrified, and shockingly turned on—which really stunned me. I didn’t quite get it, but then again maybe it was because I hadn’t been able to use my BOB for some time now. God, I missed my battery-operated boyfriend!
Tremor had remained quiet for the whole time, which was kind of surprising, but I was glad about it regardless. I could feel fatigue overtaking me. I was tired and I wanted to find somewhere I could curl up for the rest of whatever night there was left before the sun lit up the sky.
I pursed my lips, glancing around the forest—nothing seemed to be around us, which was also truly surprising. I walked down the footpath quietly—my eyes having adjusted to the faint twilight that surrounded me now.
It wasn’t quite as brutally dark as it was initially but there was still a greyness to the landscape—like someone had placed a weird filter over it or that eerie matte mist that often existed in horror movies.
I sighed, slowing my steps as I kept looking for a place that would be suitable. I wondered if I should climb a tree, or find a higher perch to sleep in. Ella’s advice was once again creeping into my head.
“God, why does she keep popping up?” I asked myself aloud, stuck in my thoughts as I focused on the landscape.
Tremor suddenly nuzzled in closer to me and I could tell that he too was tired. We both needed rest and I needed to ensure that it would be safe for us.
I had reacted rashly, but I wasn’t sure how else I could have behaved after being put between my own choices and my very survival. I had never been in that kind of situation before and it truly bothered me that I had now—also by no decision of my own—found myself here.
This wasn’t what I planned. This wasn’t what I wanted. It was for damn sure not my idea of fun. It was maddening and I couldn’t stand it.
Yet, my mind was the cruelest. It shifted to the idea of me and Arh once again—nude beneath the purple light of the faint twilight that now seemed to shift into a light lavender hue as opposed to the soft grey it had first been.
Now, Dew and Scar joined us in my thoughts as well, and I quickly pushed the image aside and continued to walk.
One thing was for certain, Eilahas was breathtaking.
It had gorgeous and dangerous countryside that made you feel wildly free the moment you stepped into the trees. For the adventurous, I was positive an expedition to this place would rival even the very best Congo or Amazon quest. Surprising, and yet so true.
I still wondered if it were within a close distance to the Milky Way—to Earth. Maybe it was like a planet that was supposed to be crashing into Earth or, instead, it was the equivalent of Earth in another galaxy altogether—or maybe a totally different plane.
Again, I remembered Ella’s advice and I realized she had admitted that she hadn’t followed the Eilahasan code entirely herself.
In fact, by my recollection, Ella had chosen only one hunter when she was supposed to choose two. A fact that I also didn’t understand. Did they think that females needed that much help in order to be fed?
But this got the gears of my mind to begin turning. I didn’t want to participate in their customs, but the damn jungle wasn’t really my kind of place—even if it were colorful and beautiful and all that jazz. I began to realize why the cave systems were the safest space to inhabit.
Snap! Snap!
A slithering creature suddenly fell from the trees, right in front of me.
“Oh, crap!” I screamed, turning to run back the way I came and finding myself coming face-to-face with Arh.
Oomph!
His eyes widened and he stepped in front of me. The creature slipped forward, it’s wide jaws parting as it snapped before his face. His hands reached forward and grasped the snake behind its jaws and he began wrestling with its head—coils rearing up in reach.
“No, Arh!” I gasped in shock as he continued to tighten his grip and the creature’s coils began to unwind—nowhere near him as he choked the life from the beast.
He whipped his weight to the right and the echo of bones shattering sent me falling to the ground. My mouth fell agape as Arh tossed the dead snake into the trees and turned to look at me.
Instantly, I ran toward him, my arms wrapping around him as I leaned my head into his chest. All I wanted was to be held safely in his arms—though I didn’t unders
tand why.
The snapping sound had to have been the tree serpent making its way through the upper canopy—while I blindly continued to think I had been totally alone.
The damn thing had been stalking me. That was probably why Tremor had been behaving as he had—he knew better than to bark. That damn thing had probably been waiting for just the right moment to strike and eat us both alive!
I felt the urge to cry, and suddenly my eyes opened up like faucets and waterworks came on full, glory-sprinkler style.
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God!” I whined, sniffling.
I knew better than to look up at him now—my eyes wet from my tears. I knew I had the ugly cry face on perfectly, if never before.
But even as angry as I had been back in that meadow now I couldn’t deny that I was damn glad to see Arh’s face.
Arh
Mikaela was safe now, but had I been a second later, I would have never found her—nor would I have ever known what befell her.
The jungle canopy serpent had apparently also picked up on Mikaela’s and her dog’s scent trail and had been stalking her through the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to consume both of them whole.
That was exactly what would have happened had I not already faced the very same creature in my youth once before.
They knew better than to follow me. I had killed numerous of them on more than one occasion and seeing it snap before Mikaela as it had sent a jolt of fear through my heart in ways I had never before experienced.
I had dispatched the creature with ease, but I could tell instantly that Mikaela was deeply upset by what she had just seen. I could feel the cold wetness of something against my chest as I glanced down at her—her arms now wrapped about me as she leaned her head into my chest.
I didn’t understand what she was saying, but that didn’t matter. The way she quivered in my arms tugged at my heart. All I wanted to do was comfort her and make her fears stop.
I slid my forefinger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to meet with mine. My eyes instantly moving across her face as I noticed the droplets of water that were falling from her eyes.