Races of Armis - Midnight Oasis

by Deb Sartoris

  Sofia spoke first. She had a very soft, quiet, almost child like voice. She said that she had been expecting me for some time. However, she was surprised that I had not chosen a more traditional way to greet her. She said that she remembered me from the book shop. I found this comment odd – since we never actually introduced ourselves at that first encounter. Sofia introduced herself to me then. Her full name was Sofia Elizabeth Statson. Sofia was not in the least scared or nervous around me. Again this seemed odd considering that I had just appeared out of no where on her 3rd story window ledge.

  Sofia said that she realized that I was a very unusual human that day she saw me at the book store. Her words seemed to be a little out of place to me. She did not have an accent that was similar to those around the village. Sofia appeared to be taking much time to formulate her words to me very carefully. It felt like she was trying not to frighten me off.

  Our conversation continued into the early morning hours. We spoke of general things and did not go into a lot of details about our lives. I realized that it was getting close to the sunrise hour and I found myself not wanting to leave her side. I could not see any tiredness in Sofia. She seemed well suited to be staying up all night. It came time for me to bid her good night and I stepped over to Sofia and gently took her hand in mind. I could feel the warmth of her skin and I could smell the scented soap she had used to wash her hair with. I kissed her hand and told her that I must leave and return to my home before it becomes light outside. Sofia and I walked hand and hand to the window and she laughed at me and said I assume you will be leaving the same way you arrived earlier this evening.

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  Chapter 9:

  Before I continue on with my story I feel that I must tell you that my meeting with Sofia was unplanned as far as I could tell. There were no others of my species around. The trackers had left me alone for a while now – many months had passed since I felt their presence near me. I will tell you that Sofia was everything that I could have imagined a mate would be. I would not know for sometime the reason why I was so drawn to Sofia.

  I left Sofia in the early morning hours that first night. I barely made it to my resting place before the sun was shining into my villa. I found that I could not rest. My head was full of her scent. I could not believe that I had found a female that was not terrified of me. Sofia seemed to enjoy the lateness of the evening and our conversation flowed as if we had known each other for some time. The daylight seemed to last forever. I was forced to stay down in my resting place until the sun had finally set. My thirst was the first thing that needed taken care if I was going to be anywhere near Sofia in the next few days.

  As soon as the sun had set I flew out of my resting place and into the deep forest. I ran for hours partly to be as far away from my home and Sofia that I could be in order to hunt. I found a herd of deer. They were resting near a small brook in a cleared glade area about 20 miles from my home. I sat and watched them for some time. I always spoke a prayer to the animals before I hunted. It was our way to give thanks for those that bring life to us. If I could find a way to live without the sacrifice of the killing I would gladly give up the hunt.

  I ran at full speed into the herd and took out the largest buck. I did not waste any time in draining the beast as fast as I could. Before I realized it - several hours had past and I had eaten several deer before I felt sated enough to return to Sofia.

  I left the clearing and returned as quickly as I could run to my villa. I wanted to change into something more suited to meeting the woman I hoped would become my mate. I changed into a dark pair of pants with a blue button down shirt. I had no need for a coat even if it was a little chilly outside for humans today. I decided to ride my favorite horse to Sofia’s house this evening. I would ask her if she would enjoy a ride around her estate.

  I arrived at Sofia’s within 3 hours of sunset. I wanted to give myself many hours to be with her tonight. I did not know if Sofia would receive me this evening. It was my intention to use a more “traditional” means of calling on her tonight. I dismounted from my horse and knocked on the large wooden front doors. There was a brass dragon head on her front door which gave the entrance a well worn look. The doors were of old wood well worn and with a heavy pillar like structure around them. I might say that I was nervous, even shaky, as I approached the front entrance. I assumed that my gluttony at feeding tonight had given rise to my head spinning in all directions.

  To my surprise, Sofia answered the door. She was dressed in riding clothes. I could not believe my eyes. It was like she was reading my mind. How could she possible know that I would arrive with the intent of asking her to go riding with me? Sofia said that I was a little later then she expected me and asked if everything was OK. She was amazing. How could she know I was on my way? I was glad that she had no idea of why I was later than she expected me. That was something I never intended her to be aware of. As it was, I was taking a great risk to be with her again this evening. Sofia informed me that she loved to ride and she had several beautiful horses in her stable. She shut her door and asked me to escort her and my horse to her stable. We walked slowly down a winding path past her gardens. We walked past her pond. There was a beautiful waterfall that cascaded down several tiers within the pond. Sofia told me that for some reason a waterfall seemed to be important to her and she had many of them around her estate. I could hear the frogs chirping and see the golden fish just beneath the water surface. The path that ran along side of the pond and her garden was filled with lovely flowers and green plants. There were benches placed at little hidden coves within the gardens. I could image myself and Sofia sitting talking the entire night away at one of those benches.

  She was touching the face of my horse and talking to him as we walked. I could tell that she loved animals and my horse was very much at ease with her conversation and touch. I found myself somewhat jealous that she was touching my horse with such tenderness. My heart tugged at me. It was all I could do to keep from reaching to her and pulling her into my chest and kissing her.

  It was a short time before we reached the stable where her horses were kept. She and I entered the stable and she asked me to bring my horse along with us. She said that we should let my horse pick out her mount tonight. She felt that it was important that both our horses enjoy themselves. We allowed my horse to walk slowly through all the stalls. Sofia talked to my horse and each of the other horses as we came to them. Finally, my steed showed signs of liking one of her horses toward the center of the stable. Sofia seemed to be happy with his choice.

  My horse had chosen a brown and white spotted mare. Sofia talked to the mare and touched her nose. Her mare was almost the same height as my steed. I could tell that both Sofia and her mare were acquainted with each other. The tenderness that Sofia took as she was getting the saddle up on the horse showed me just how much Sofia cared for her horse. Sofia mounted her mare and we were off on our adventure.

  We rode at a steady pace for some time allowing our horses to travel where ever they wanted. We rode out into the forest for about one hour when our horses showed signs that they wanted to rest. We had stopped near a small brook and the grass was ankle high near the center of the meadow. We dismounted and allowed our horses to wander over to the brook for a drink.

  The meadow was filled with many sights and sounds. My hearing was such that I could sense the small woodland creatures as they crawled through the underbrush. I could see butterflies as they stopped at the small flowers that covered the ground near the small brook. Our horses had picked a very lovely place to stop for a rest.

  I located a small area where a tree had fallen and was laying near several other trees causing a square to be formed on the ground. It would be perfect for allowing us both to sit and enjoy our time together. I asked Sofia if she needed a drink or anything to eat. I had brought a picnic basket with me tonight. I had wine, cheese, lunchmeat
and some bread packed for our adventure.

  I pulled out a large wool blanket from the basket and placed it on the ground near the brook and we sat down on the grass with our backs against the fallen trees. While I would not require food I assumed that she would need something. To my surprise she said that she did not require anything. I found myself wondering why not.

  The evening was clear and the stars were shining brightly. I could see that our horses had stepped knee deep into the small brook and they seemed to be splashing each other with their heads. I found this scene to be funny and I laughed out loud. Sofia asked me what I found so funny and I told her that it appeared that our horses were playing with each other in the water. Sofia said she was not surprised because she knew that my horse liked her mare. Her insight with our two horses was something for me to inquire about. I asked her how she understood so much about our animals. Her answer to this question was unexpected. She simply said that she could hear the minds of the horses and she knew that they both found each other attractive. She said that she had always had a gift for seeing what was going on in other species minds.

  It occurred to me then to press her a little harder on the subject of her mind’s ability. I could not find any other words to ask politely so I simply asked her if she knew what I was thinking at the moment. She turned to me and leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. She said does that answer your question? It took me half a second to realize that kissing me was exactly what I was thinking. After her sudden kiss I found that I had other things on my mind now and I was doing my best to keep those thoughts deeply hidden.

  We sat and talked in the meadow for most of the evening hours. Our horses were grazing near the small brook. Sofia and I chatted about our love of reading. She said that her favorite books were about things not so real. She said that since she always seemed to be aware of things going on around her she found it necessary to pick up a good fictional book and dream of far away places. I was more of a non-fictional sciences person. I told her of my studies and how I found the sciences intriguing.

  Sofia did not want to talk about her past. She simply told me that she was not from the local area. She had traveled for a long time before she chose her new home here near my villa. She said that she had a feeling about her villa and that she knew for sure that this was where she was destined to arrive. Sofia always talked as if she was from some place very distant and not like anything I knew about. She said it was not unusual for her kind to be sensitive to others. Her choice of the word “kind” triggered a response in me that I kept to me self.

  My inner senses told me that it was nearing sunrise again. Sofia stood before I did and she said she knew that I needed to be returning to my villa now. She said in keeping with my previous night’s departure time she was aware of the pressing need for us to be on our way. I picked up the blanket that I had placed on the ground. Before I could turn around the horses were headed back toward us. Sofia just smiled and said she had told them that we needed to return home now.

  The ride back to her villa went very quickly. I did not want our time together to end. Our horses seemed to also have the same idea. They were nudging each other all the way back home. Their game brought Sofia and I close together several times on the way home. We dismounted and walked our horses into the stable. Sofia suggested that I leave my steed at her stable. She said that it didn’t seem right to separate them so soon after finding each other. I could not see any reason why I should not leave my steed with her mare. They both seemed happy with each other and after we had removed their saddles they walked back into the stall where we had found the mare early tonight.

  Sofia told me that she knew that I would not have any issues running home without my horse and told me not to worry about the care of the horses. I walked Sofia to the front door. Tonight, I was not going to simply kiss her hand and leave. I turned closer to her and placed my hand around her thin waist. I told her that I had a wonderful time. Sofia placed her hands around my neck. I could feel the warmth of them through my cold skin. If my heart could have raced I’m sure it would have popped out of my chest at that moment. Sofia stood on her toes, closed her eyes and I found myself drawn to the lips that I knew wanted me to kiss them. I was slow at my approach to her. My mouth touched hers and the fire between us ignited. We pressed harder to each other for several minutes. Our mouths enjoyed the closeness of one another.

  I stepped away from Sofia after a few minutes. I knew that if I did not place space between us I was going to carry her up the stairs to her large four poster bed. Sofia must have sensed the arousal within me. She reminded me that the sun was rising and I had best return home to rest. She said that we had plenty of time to explore our desires. I bid her goodnight and turned away from her. I looked back for one second only to find her no longer standing at the door. The darkness of the night was fading fast. The glow of the morning sun was on the horizon and I knew that I only had a few minutes to return home before I would be too late and succumb to the suns burning rays.

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  Chapter 10:

  For many hours I laid awake in my resting place. I could not find peace with the coming of the sun this morning. My mind was full of desires that I knew were forbidden for my species especially when a fragile human female was involved. I felt as if Sofia was aware of my special requirements. I allowed the memory of the evening with Sofia to replay in my head. Our conversation was a little different tonight. I could tell that Sofia was trying to tell me something but yet I could not find the truth to the meaning of her words.

  I remembered that Sofia used the words “species” and “kind” like they carried a different meaning then what she knew she was or for that matter what I was. It was as if she was aware of the uniqueness of all things she encountered in her life.

  The memory of Sofia flooded my mind again. Her riding habit was black and fitted very snug against her thin body. Her hair smelled of wild flowers. I remembered her garden and wondered if the herbs and flowers she had grown there were what she used to bathe with. I found myself longing for the day to end so that I could find Sofia in my arms once again.

  The sun finally set and I was released from my resting place. I rose with a desire to see Sofia forefront on my mind. My thirst was once again bestowed upon me as usual but this time the desire to consume was not as important as the need to be with Sofia was.

  I was getting dressed when the front door bell rang. I crossed my dressing area and walked down the hall past the library toward the first set of stairs. I reached the window - balcony of the second set of stairs and I sensed that it was Sofia at the door. I could smell her scent as it floated in through the open windows. I could not prolong my desires any longer and I leaped down bypassing the entire second staircase on the way.

  I opened the door – and there standing at my front door was the woman of my desires. Today, Sofia had chosen to wear the most beautiful red dress with white ruffles. The dress was pulled tight at her waist and the ruffles of her dress were puffy at her breasts. Sofia smiled when she saw that it was me that answered the door. She asked if she could come in and I opened the door and allowed her to stand close to me in the entrance hall.

  My villa was much older then hers. It was said that my villa had been in the village for as long as anyone could remember. The structure was built entirely out of old stone. The stone was gray and showed signs of the weather along the exterior. Outside the villa gave the appearance of an old monastery. There were many windows and balconies.

  There were rounded structures that gave the appearance of turrets. Inside each room the walls were lined with old wood. Some rooms were light brown, while others were a darker almost black wood. The floors within my villa were wooden throughout the entire structure. I had found many hidden rooms behind loose boards. I often wondered what those hidden rooms were used for.

  I had many old items within each
room. Some were from the jungles. Masks and spears hung on the walls. I had old rugs, each one different and unique. My furniture was old and wooden. Some of it was from the time I had spent in Asia while other pieces were from Africa.

  Sofia took a step closer to me. While I don’t need to breathe in this body the need to fill my entire being with her scent was overwhelming at that moment. Sofia asked me if her arrival time was at the correct hour. This was a very odd thing for her to say. It took me a few seconds to realize just what she had said. How could she possible know what my rising time was? Sofia took my hand and she walked into my villa as if she had been the mistress of my home for a long while. She walked slowly around the main sitting area admiring my paintings. She asked many questions about how I had come to own such old and lovely antiques. She seemed interested in the age of the paintings. Sofia sat down in a leather couch near a small collection of vases. She asked if they were from the same era as the paintings. It was very difficult for me to keep up with her conversation.

  I was aware that Sofia - a human female was in my Villa. She was warm, beautiful and full of life. Her skin was pale and of a slight gray color today. Sofia surprised me by saying that she knew that I had not “taken my nourishment” yet since her arrival was at my rising hour. Her statement was not something I would have expected from her. Perhaps I was being paranoid. There is no way that a human female could understand the desire for my species to eat at our rising hour. Sofia took her hand and touched my face. She pulled herself closer to me. I could feel the ruffles of her dress against my cotton shirt. I could hear the satin dress shift against her weight as she pressed closer to me. Her hair smelled of the flowers from her garden. Her eyes were shiny, bright and full of desire.