by Riley Moreno
“It's... There's...”
Suddenly he jumped up and shouted out with frustration, causing Jane to gasp with surprise as sudden fear jolted its ice through her veins and nervous system.
“Duncan! What's going on?!” she exclaimed, her heart pounding with fright and anxiety.
He shot a cold, stony look into her eyes, a look that chilled her to her very core.
“I don't want to see you again,” he said with a quiet but firm authority. “I don't want to ever, ever see you again. This is the last thing I'll ever say to you, and the last time you'll ever see me in your life. Goodbye Jane.”
With that he stood up, pushed roughly past her and stormed out into the night, leaving Jane to collapse in tears into a sobbing mess of grief, frustration and complete confusion.
CHAPTER 6
Duncan sat for a long time near the waterfall, thinking in the darkness. Flecks of snow drifted down from above, dusting his dark hair with white and settling on his shoulders. The chill of the night was at its most intense at this time, in the early hours of the morning, in the final hours before darkness fell.
Have I done the right thing? I know I had to... I had to cut her off, for her own safety, to not drag her into the terrible mess that is my life. Yet, it hurts so much. It doesn't only hurt knowing that I will never see her beauty or feel the wonder of her gentle, kind presence again, but also that I saw in her eyes when I left just how deeply I had hurt her. And knowing that – knowing how much pain I've caused her, that will leave a scar on my heart for the rest of my days.
He picked up a rock and flung it into the dark pool at the bottom of the waterfall. It splashed loudly, startling some woodland creature – a deer, or elk perhaps, which ran off with a surprised crash through the undergrowth. He stood up from the edge of the creek and wandered back to the smoking ashes of what had been his fire for the night. There he curled up, tucking himself into his heavy cloak, and tried to find the sleep that had been so elusive throughout this terrible night.
The sun was already high in the sky when he woke. He did not know how long it had taken to fall asleep, but he remembered tossing and turning relentlessly, and being awoken by many strange and dark nightmares throughout the night.
He gathered his things together and rolled up his cloak. He went over to the creek to splash his face with its icy water, and then climbed up a nearby tree to survey the woods. From high up in the old oak's branches, he could make out the village next to the loch in the distance. There, people moved around, going about their daily business, looking as small as ants in the distance.
She would be in there, somewhere. One of those little toy-like people, moving around so far away. He climbed down from the tree and sat down to think.
Jane, with her stunning, warm brown eyes, that were set beneath those perfectly-curved eyebrows, with the gentle curve of her jaw, and her full, inviting lips. Jane, with her kind, generous and innocent nature, and that quiet yet potent desire that radiated from deep within her.
Jane, with her pert breasts, so tantalizingly apparent beneath her thin white blouse, and that firm, perfectly-curved derriere that showed its seductiveness beneath the billowing folds of her dress.
That body he would never know, naked and sweating and writhing beneath his thrusts, as he had so lustily dreamed about. That wet, hot mouth devouring his tongue and his throbbing cock, as he had so hungrily fantasized about in these lonely, cold winter nights in the forest.
That luscious mane of dark hair, that he so badly wanted to run his fingers through, while he drove his long, thick hardness deeper and deeper inside of her soaking wet, welcoming warmth.
No, none of that. That would never happen, not now.
It could never happen.
And he had to make sure of that.
Your will is weak sometimes, Duncan. Sometimes you give in to temptation, you find that you can't resist it. Well this here is one temptation that you absolutely have to resist. You cannot give in to these desires, as powerful as they are. As much as you want this girl, to have her would be to ruin her life, to destroy her bonds with her family and her community. Do you want to make her a wanted criminal, like yourself? Do you? Because that's exactly what is going to happen if you allow yourself to go back to her, and to give in to these selfish wants of yours. That's what will happen! You cannot let that happen, you absolutely cannot let it happen. For her sake. You must make a decision that ensures that this choice you're making is final and irreversible. You know what you have to do – you must just have the courage to do it.
Duncan steeled his resolve, for he did now know exactly what he needed to do. There was only one choice available for him, if he really wanted to protect Jane. It would hurt him, and it would hurt her, but, he thought, time would heal the wounds, as it did all things.
He had to leave this forest, and travel far, far away. As far as his legs would carry him, and leaving no trace behind, so that even if Jane was to try to follow him, she would not be able to find him.
Ever.
It was for her that he had to do this.
He set his teeth in a determined grimace, and with that he began packing. Once all of his belongings were gathered up and rolled up tightly inside his cloak, he strapped his sword onto his left hip, slung his bow over his right shoulder and then slung his rolled-up cloak, full of his belongings, over his left shoulder.
He looked back once over his shoulder in the direction of Jane's village, and then he set off at a fast pace through the forest.
He would not come back, ever.
He would never come back.
CHAPTER 7
The morning sun was bright and warm, but despite the relief it brought from the chill of the winter day, it brought no joy to Jane. She was still reeling in shock from what had happened the night before, when Duncan had told her that he never wanted to see her again.
I can't understand it; I don't know why he would say this to me! I could see it, the night before, the desire he felt for me in his eyes. I could feel the heat growing and burning between us as our bodies embraced, as we almost, almost kissed. I know that it wasn't just my wishful thinking, Duncan. I know that you felt the same way. I could feel it in the depth of my heart, at the core of my soul. Yet, after that, you just turned around and walked away! How?! How could you do this?! There must be something, something that I'm missing here. Yes, I know that you're an outlaw. I know that you think it's dangerous for me to be with you. But love is more important than simply living a safe, boring existence. Love is stronger and more important than anything! Isn't that why we're here, alive, on this earth?
Jane stared blankly out of the window, leaning on the broom handle as these thoughts ran riot through her head. All she could think about was Duncan, with his intense, hawk-like eyes, his imposing stature, and his powerful, muscular limbs that just radiated with pure strength and might.
“Jane! What are you doing?! Why are you just staring outside like that?! There's nothing there! Come on girl, the floor isn't going to sweep itself! Get on with it!”
Jane's father's voice snapped her out of her daydream. She turned around and shot him a sour look, which he responded to with a scowl of his own.
“I said 'now', Jane,” he said flatly. “What part of 'now' don't you understand?”
“Fine,” she replied haughtily. “I'll do it, I'll do it.”
Grumbling, the old man walked off in a huff while Jane started to sweep the floor. She only kept at it for two minutes before she threw the broom down in disgust. She couldn't keep doing this. She couldn't keep living her life in a meaningless cycle of mindless repetition, doing the same thing day in, day out for the rest of her life, while her brothers got to travel all over Britain and Europe. She couldn't let the man of her dreams, the man who could take her away from the humdrum of this mundane existence of boredom and routine, simply walk out of her life, never to return.
No.
It was time that she took things into her own hands.
She crept on tiptoes up to the door and peeked around the corner. She saw that her father was shuffling into his study with a stack of parchments rolled up under one arm.
Good. He's going to start working on all of the figures for his business, which means he'll be occupied in there for hours. Once he locks himself in his study with all his precious parchments, he never emerges before sundown. I'll have plenty of time.
Jane felt a boost of something strange and heady rushing through her veins as she dashed up to her room. She flung open her cupboard and grabbed the biggest cloak she had, a cloak that she could use as a bag. With that, she started flinging essential clothes and her most important belongings into it, wrapping it up into a bundle when she was done. She threw the tied-up bundle over her shoulder and then hurried downstairs. In the kitchen she filled up the largest wineskin they had with fresh water from a barrel, and then into a small burlap bag she packed as much bread and cheese as she could manage, and a few apples too. She'd need these provisions where she was going. She took one last look down the corridor of her house, and then quietly crept out the back entrance.
After ten minutes of walking, she reached a hut at the very far end of her village. Outside the crude dwelling hung a number of animal skins – wolf, boar, bear and deer, and a few skulls were piled up outside as well. This hut – the residence of the village hunter and trapper, Angus, was exactly where she was headed. She and Angus used to play together as children, and even though they had grown apart as they had reached adulthood, Angus retained a soft spot for Jane, and they still talked and shared meals sometimes.
She knocked on the door, and within a few moments Angus opened the door.
“Jane!” he exclaimed. “Lovely to see you! What brings you over here?”
“I need to ask you for some help with something,” she said.
He eyed the big packs she was carrying and raised an eyebrow, somewhat suspiciously.
“Alright, alright. But can we sit outside? My wife's in there with the new baby, and the little one is finally sleeping, and I don't want to wake her up. I need to sharpen some of my knives anyway. Come, we'll go and sit around the back where I keep my hunting equipment.”
Jane followed him around to the back of the hut, where they both sat down on some chopped up logs. Angus picked up some of his knives and a whetstone, and he started sharpening them as he spoke.
“So Jane, what's happening? What do you need my help with?”
“I need you to teach me how to do some things, if that's alright.”
“Sure, anything for an old friend.”
“I need some tips on surviving in the woods. And, especially – how to track a large, er, animal, through the forest.”
“How to track an animal?”
“Yes. A big one, about the size of a man. How to see where it's gone, and follow it quietly, and to predict where it's going. You know how to do all of these things, right?”
Angus nodded, looking quite confused.
“Yes, yes, I can do all of those things. Why, though, do you want to learn how to do all of this? You've never had any interest in hunting before.”
“That's because I never had any specific quarry in mind before. But now, Angus, I do – a very important and specific quarry. So, can you help me?”
Angus smiled.
“I hope you're ready to take some notes. This is what you need to know...”
CHAPTER 8
As the sun started to set, Duncan looked out over the great valley before him, and could not help but be amazed. This was the farthest south he'd ever been, and he had never before seen a sight like this. From the edge of the forested cliff upon which he stood, he could see the land fall away into a deep chasm, at the bottom of which flowed a wide, fast-moving river. As spectacular as it was, it presented a large problem: how was he to get around this? The walls of the valley were impossibly steep, and even a skilled climber like himself would have trouble getting down without slipping and falling. And if he fell, it was a long way down; a slip or fall here would mean certain death. No, there would be no climbing down. It was far too risky. Instead, he would have to go around.
But how? This rift valley stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. He guessed that as the river flowed, the sides may well become steeper and deeper, so the logical choice would be to head in the opposite direction to that in which the water flowed. He turned around and started to head back into the forest, when something caught his attention. He froze and pricked his ears, listening carefully.
Yes, he was sure of it: another human being was here, nearby, following him. He ducked behind a thick shrub and took out his bow, notching an arrow to the string. Whoever it was that was tracking him would have to either turn and run, or get an arrow through their throat.
He heard footsteps approaching. Whoever it was was trying to keep their approach quiet, but it wasn't nearly quiet enough to escape the attention of an experienced woodsman like himself. He drew the arrow back, pulling the bowstring tight. The broad, sharp and deadly arrowhead gleamed in the light, ready to fly from the bow and kill whatever it hit.
“Come on,” whispered Duncan to himself. “Step out where I can see you, whoever you are... And if you're a soldier, a rogue or a bounty hunter, you'll take your last breath on this earth in just a moment, I can promise you that.”
The bushes rustled and Duncan sucked in a breath of air, holding it in his lungs as he locked his arm muscles and took careful aim, ready to let the arrow fly.
Then a figure emerged from the bushes, and Duncan immediately dropped his bow to the ground and gasped with shock and surprise.
“Jane! My God, Jane! What on earth are you doing here?!”
He stepped out from behind the cover of the fir tree he had been hiding behind and ran through the clearing to embrace her. As she saw him, she dropped the heavy bundle she was carrying and ran towards him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Duncan! Oh Duncan!” she gasped.
They met in a patch of golden, late afternoon sunshine in the middle of the clearing, and they embraced tightly.
“How did you... why did you...?” began Duncan, but Jane silenced him by stepping up on her tiptoes and locking her lips onto his.
He could not resist the hungry passion of her kiss, and he parted his lips so that her tongue could enter his mouth. He pulled her tight, his hard muscles squeezing her body in close with their raw power. His tongue explored the hot, wet cavern of her mouth as her tongue danced inside his, and he ran his thick fingers through her luxuriant mane of hair as they kissed passionately.
Then, as they continued to kiss with an increasing fury that set shooting stars and molten gold sparks firing through both of their minds, he started running his hands down her back, gently, until they passed the small of her back and came to rest on her derriere. He gripped each cheek of her buttocks, one in each hand, with a sudden and violent force, almost as if he wanted to crush them, and he yanked her lower body into his, forcing her belly to press hard against his crotch. He heard her gasp with pleasure inside his mouth, for their passionate kiss, broken only by short gasps of air to breathe, was still continuing.
There, pressed so forcefully against the hardness of his body, Jane felt an altogether different hardness. Pressing almost painfully into her stomach, with a powerful and virtually irresistible force, was a long, thick object, glowing with heat like a red-hot sword pulled fresh from a blacksmith's forge. Jane slipped her hands down, running her fingers with the lightest of touches across the six bulging, impossibly hard protuberances of his abs, and then with her left hand she lifted up Duncan's kilt to free the throbbing, steel-hard beast that was pressing with such force into her belly. She gasped as she felt its size; she could not touch her finger and thumb as she gripped it. She heard Duncan moan with pleasure into her mouth as they continued to kiss, as she started moving her hand slowly back and forth along the length of his hardness. A shiver of pleasure ran across the
entirety of her skin as she felt his eager, almost fumbling hands undoing the buttons of her blouse behind her back.
She started to increase the speed of her strokes as she rubbed with an increasing fervor along his fiery shaft, and it was only moments before he had undone all of the buttons behind her back. With both of his hands he ripped downwards, tearing the blouse off her with an almost brutal force, so that her breasts spilled out into the open. He pulled his mouth away from hers even as she lunged forward, hoping to bite his lips, and then with one of his huge hands he grabbed her left breast, squeezing most of it into his hand, and then lunged with his mouth for the light pink nipple, which was erect with arousal. He clamped his lips over it, licking and biting alternately and squeezing hard with his fingers, almost so hard that the sensation threatened to cross over from knee-weakening pleasure into the realm of crippling pain.
She could hardly keep on rubbing his engorged member, so weak was she with waves of bliss, but with his free hand he gripped her wrist and forced her hand to move with an increasing fury of speed, back and forth, back and forth, holding her wrist so tight that she felt as if her bones would start to break beneath the force and speed.
Now he was biting and licking and sucking with the hunger of a wild wolf, and at the same time gasping and breathing hard as she, taking the hint from his forceful movement of her wrist, took the initiative. With her free hand she ripped his hand off of her wrist, and then took his hardness in her right hand and began tugging with a furious speed along the entirety of its length. She felt his rock-hard, muscle-bulging chest heaving as he began to pant with the furious desperation of a wild beast; the force and speed of her strokes were making him weak at the knees. At the same time, his massaging and licking and sucking of her breast was sending waves of pure pleasure boosting through her system, and she felt an orgasm coming on.