The Great Escape Chapter 10, Part 4 of 6

The Great Escape
Chapter 10, Part 4 of 6

He barely had time to answer a question before Penny returned and led them to her horse, a tall jet-black mare with a long mane and prominent haunches grazing in the meadow by the stream. She looked up when Penny approached but did not notice the others. Ezra patted her, as instructed, and was pleased she was so serene.

Solange had chosen well. She was a large, strong horse but also docile and good-tempered.

She happily received the bridle, blanket, and stirrups and did not even quarrel with Ezra, who climbed onto her back after the women coaxed her.

Megan then tied a long rein to the harness and led them to the paddock, where she began the lesson, overlooked by the few Herders who had no pressing work and all the children. Ezra trotted in a circle around his teacher, who held the long rein more for his assurance than for any good it would do should the mare feel like bolting or throwing him off.

By the afternoon, Megan had persuaded him to ride with her onto the plain, where he could learn. They stayed out three hours and, having learned to canter, Ezra lost his fear of the horse and instead gained a fear of traveling at twenty miles an hour on the back of an unstable animal. He gripped tightly and pretended to enjoy the thrill, yet when they returned, he was more confident than ever.

He again spent the night with Solange and Ash. He spent his load in Solange's tight twat, while Ash sat on her face. As he recovered, the girls took out their toys to play more. They were completely open and unashamed about anything to do with sex, and when they emptied the sack of sex toys on the blanket to choose one, it answered a question he had been reluctant to ask.

"Ah, so that's how it's done," he said.

"How what's done?" Solange asked.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to say it out loud."

"Well, you did, so now you must tell us what you're talking about."

"All right. I was wondering how come your pussies are so tight. Now I can see."

"Ha! You mean these toys. Well, you're right. Come on, Ash, let's show him."

She brandished some tapered wooden dildoes, thick at the handle and thin at the tip, some with ridges, others smooth. Smiling, Ash squatted as Solange licked one of the ridged dildoes and pushed it into the girl's snatch, holding it a second.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ash.

She gripped tight, and Solange let go of the dildo. It stayed in place for some seconds, then slowly fell out as Ash relaxed.

"Come on, Ash, you can do better!" Solange encouraged. She pushed the dildo back in.

The girl tried again, closing her eyes as she squeezed hard, bunching her stomach muscles.

She kept the toy in for almost a minute before having to relax.

"Good girl!"

"I'm impressed," said Ezra.

"Solange is better than me," Ash said. "She uses the thin ones. They don't stay in unless you squeeze tight. Sometimes, I put weights on them to make it even harder."

"Not that I'm complaining," he said, "but why do you do it?"

Solange answered.

"It makes our orgasms better."

By this time, his sex drive had rebuilt, so while Ash knelt and toyed Solange with a ridged dildo, Ezra knelt behind her and fucked her doggy-style.

The next day, Megan took him for a long riding lesson. They headed out onto the plain, following the trail left by the herd as it raised dust along the zigzag course of a lush valley in search of good pasture.

They began at a trot so they could talk. He started by answering the questions Megan had given him the day before when he'd had no time to reply.

"You remembered!" she said, pleased by his thoughtfulness.

They had turned away from the valley before they caught up with the herd and were soon alone on the veldt.

Though it was still morning, the sun beat down mercilessly. Ezra was pleased he'd kept the hat that Althea had made for him in the Mariner camp. It was a leather skull cap with a peak and a cloth curtain around the back. It looked stupid, but it kept the sun off his neck. When she first saw it, Solange laughed, saying:

"Are you going to wear that?"

"It's better to look ridiculous than to get sunstroke."

"Are you sure?" she said.

In contrast to his unfashionable attire, Megan wore a very fetching short leather jacket, a short leather skirt, and a wide-brimmed leather hat. The Herders had lots of leather, though the children seemed dressed in a mixture of badly knitted woolens and ancient synthetics.

The green plain stretched before them to the mountains, while the horizon to their right was a long white cloud over the ocean. The forest, a high wall to their left, was pale grey and blue-green in the shimmering air. Around them was a sea of grass.

Megan had the inexpressible good-to-be-alive feeling of every young, fit animal. She needed an action to express her joy at the beauty and freedom of the boundless savannah.

"Come on, Ezra!" she cried. "Let's get some wind in our hair!"

She spurred her horse to a gallop. Holding on as tightly as he could, Ezra tried to follow. He found it easier to stand in the stirrups, leaning over the horse's neck, but he couldn't catch up with Megan, whose hair was flying backward in the wind as she streaked away.

Five minutes later, she slowed to a walk and let him catch up. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I could ride forever!" she exclaimed. "Don't you feel it, Ezra?"

"I feel my sore arse and thighs," he said, growling.

She laughed at him.

"You'll heal, but isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, it's wonderful. It's serene, like a grass ocean."

"I guess sailing on a calm sea might be like this," she said.

They were comfortably at peace with each other and the world, breathing in the hot, dry air, smelling the rich vegetation, and following the circling flight of eagles riding the thermals in the far distance.

The only sound was the clip-clop of the horses and the occasional pee-yoo of a feathered hunter calling over the savannah to her mate.

They rode a few miles in silence. He couldn't help admiring his companion. She was a good teacher and a friendly girl. It also helped that she was pretty. She was middle-height and athletic, with long, straight brown hair, dark blue eyes the same shade as his, elegant features, and strong legs. Her midriff was bare. He could see the sculpted outline of her stomach muscles. She even showed some tempting cleavage, though her clothes were made for comfort, not to captivate men.

He hoped she would be his bedmate sometime this month and was about to make the suggestion when she pre-empted him.

Megan hadn't shown all her gymnastic tricks on horseback yesterday but kept a unique trick back for today.

She brought her pony alongside his, tied her reins to his saddle bag, and stood up. She hopped from her horse's neck onto his rump, daintily walked around him, turned on tip-toes, and sat down to face him, crossing her legs over his back.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled herself in for a kiss. Ezra held the svelte girl to him as they kissed, his hand on her back, massaging the muscles of her spine.

She pressed her pussy against his erection as the horse led itself at a walk. Passion increased, and Ezra put his other hand under her skirt to finger her. She moaned loudly and bucked her pelvis. He flicked his thumb over her clitoris and finger-fucked her until she came, holding him tightly, breathing hotly in his ear and whimpering.

It was his turn. He pulled his stiff cock out of his trousers. She pushed herself up and sat back down again, engulfing his pole in her wet slit.

They fucked slowly as the horse wandered. Megan did all the work initially, but then she told Ezra to kick the mare into a trot. The rougher bouncing of the horse gave them a very effective fucking motion as they held each other and kissed.

After this, Ezra was utterly comfortable on horseback and no longer needed riding lessons.

When they returned to the camp, Solange met them at the paddock.

"Well, Earthman, was I right?" she asked.

"About what, Solange?"

"About life on the savannah."

"Yes, you were right. I don't know anything more beautiful or serene."

She had also seen a sparkle in Megan's eyes.

"And was I also right about my sluts?"

"Yes, Solange, you were right about your sluts."

She gave him her 'I told you so' smile and helped them with their saddle bags.

That night, he shared a hut with Megan and three other young women.

The Herders stayed five days in the southern camp, preparing for the mountain camp and the six-monthly task of shearing the sheep. During this time, Ezra saw how different the Herders were from the other tribes he'd so far met.

One difference was regarding bedmates. Apart from Solange and Ash, who were not exclusive, there seemed to be no regular pairs, but when the women had sex, everyone in the hut or tent took part. Huts and tents usually slept four, so what Ezra came to think of his nightly orgies were usually with three women at a time.

Another difference was how quarrelsome the Herders were. He'd never seen so much squabbling. True, there were no actual fights though some women sported scratch marks, but there was lots of bitchiness and name-calling. At the same time, the Herders were always laughing, and those who fought also quickly made up. Only once did he see a Herder woman pack her bag and leave her hut to stay in another.

It contrasted with the quiescent Woodlanders, who had the authority of Mirselene, the wisdom of Casti, and Annela's pacifying influence to smother all disputes and mollify the aggrieved. As for the Mariners, their society had recently been split by conflict and was now united under a temporary chief. During Calliope's honeymoon period, they were perhaps the most peaceful tribe on Samothea, but he couldn't say if it would last.

The southern mountains

At the end of the week, Solange led ten women and the oldest children to the southern mountains, leaving Galatea and a small group behind to tend to the dairy herd and drive the cattle out to pasture. Her party rode fast, leaving Ezra behind.

Having gone more slowly than the others (and enjoyed a sexual detour for an hour), Megan and Ezra trotted into the camp in the foothills of the southern mountains many hours late.

It had been a gentle climb to a plateau under the mountain's steep slopes. Animal tracks crisscrossed the fields, where the grass was nibbled short by white sheep who dotted the hillside.

The camp was small, with a shelter nearby for the horses and a large pen outside for the flock.

There were small storage huts, but the tribe slept in tents. Four of them were pitched in a square against the sheltered leeward edge of the hill. A mountain stream provided water, channeling meltwater from the snowy peaks via the edge of the camp into a shallow lake, thence onto the plain and westward toward the sea.

The women who came out to help unpack the horses and get them under the shelter greeted them with knowing smiles and some vulgar but friendly remarks. Then it was dinner time.

There were four new Herders for Ezra to meet. These shepherds served three-month shifts with the flock, ensuring the stupid beasts didn't stray too far away or get caught in a crevice.

Eagles might also take lambs, so the shepherds watched the skies and were ready with their slingshots.

It was easy work, but sometimes, it was lonely out in the hills, so the women took turns as shepherds and always looked forward to seeing other tribe members when they came to the mountain camp to shear the sheep. This was the purpose of the current visit.

Over dinner, it was decided that Ezra would share a tent with Megan and two shepherds, Vera and Lorna. This was because Vera would be sent back to the southern camp soon. She had to be given her chance.

Dinner was quickly over, but when Ezra told Megan he wanted to wash before bed, he smelled of horse, his sweat, and their combined juices. She assured him it was all in hand. Because the mountain water was too cold to bathe in, the shepherds filled water bladders in the morning and left them hanging on the tents all day to warm up. Then, they used the water to wash in the evening.

Led by Megan and pushed by the other women, Ezra was bundled into the tent. He went along with whatever they had planned for him, even when they began to strip off his clothes.

He saw what they were after when they filled buckets of water and began to sponge him down. There was the usual fascination with his cock, his balls, and his chest hair.

He lent a hand when it was the girls' turn to wash. Sweet little Megan was touchy and easy to make laugh, which set off the others. Lorna, aged thirty, was fair and curvy, with wide hips and big tits. Ezra cleaned them much more thoroughly than needed, and she enjoyed the attention. As for Vera, she was in her late twenties. Tall and muscular with broad shoulders, big thighs, and big hands. She also had large tits with huge nipples.

There was a lot of Vera to wash, so all three of them went to it enthusiastically, taking a leg or a side each or bending the girl over and giving her intimate parts a sensuous clean. Though it was still fun, they had stopped laughing. Other emotions were coming to dominate.

Lorna started the orgy. She finished cleaning Vera and began rubbing the girl's clitoris with her fingers. Then she knelt and began using her tongue while Megan put her tongue to good use on Ezra's cock. There was a lot of giggling, sighing, a few spanks, and some sensuous squelching; then, it was too dark to see who was doing what to whom. The orgy ended with Ezra on his back and Vera astride him, riding them both to a climax; meanwhile, Lorna and Megan were having fun of their own, rubbing their pussies together and moaning loudly.

Besides orgies most nights, three significant things happened to Ezra during his stay at the mountain camp.

The first was meeting Tamar's adoptive mother, Judith. She was one of the shepherds, and, with unexpected delicacy, Solange arranged for her to meet Ezra beside the sheep pen so they could talk privately.

"Solange told me you've met my daughter, and you have news of her," Judith said.

"I'm pleased to say Tamar is a friend of mine. She helped rescue me when my ship crashed and brought me to the Woodlanders. You should be very proud of the way you raised her."

"I am."

"But did Solange tell you that she and Wildchild have gone to the White Mountains in search of her real mother?"

He didn't try to disguise the truth or soften his words.

"She did, and though I don't fully understand what drove her to leave, she's still my daughter, and I want her back. Did she say anything about me? Was it my fault she left?"

"Tamar said nothing about you nor derogatory about any of the Herders, except she feared how they might punish her if she was caught."

"I don't think Solange will punish her now, but did she say anything about why she left? Did no one drive her away?"

"She never said anyone drove her away but only what called her to leave. It's not your fault, though I understand you may feel rejected."

"Rejection is painful, but it's my fault. I deserve it, and it's nothing compared to feeling that my daughter might be unhappy, in danger, or hurt."

"She's brave and resourceful. So is Wildchild. There's also a third girl with them, a Woodlander. All the Woodlanders believe the girls are safe and will return successfully."

"Successful?"

"I know Solange thinks her mother is dead, but the girls don't believe that."

Judith looked down. He was reassuring and disturbing at the same time.

"Come back where?"

"Judith, I'm sorry to tell you, Tamar allowed herself to be adopted into the Woodlander tribe. I don't think she means to come back to you at all."

"She must hate me."

There was a pause between them.

He spoke softly:

"Can I ask you a difficult question?"

"You want to know why I took her?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. I saw her, a helpless bundle in the arms of a woman dressed in rags with dirt on her face. I felt sorry for her. She was so small and so beautiful. I loved her at once, and I took her. I couldn't help myself. Do earth women never do it?"

"They do: baby-snatching is one of the few crimes only women commit."

"I know I did wrong, but, at the time, I could only see a daughter I couldn't have myself. I reasoned afterward that the other woman didn't really love her, or not as much as I did. I pretended - we all pretended - we'd done Tamar a favor, giving her a better home, a stronger tribe to belong to, but I was lying. We all were. I even considered taking her back, but our chief forbade it then."

"Judith, is there anything I can do?"

"Only, when you see her, please tell her I miss her and want her back, that I don't blame her, that I will always be her mother if she lets me."

"I will."

The second significant thing was shearing the sheep, which involved the most available women. The animals were rounded up a dozen at a time and driven down the mountain into the pen. Here, a woman with ancient steel shears clipped off their woolly coats before releasing them to run back up the hill. Vera was one of the shearers who took turns with the only pair of shears in the tribe.

She called Ezra over and showed him how to do the job. The skill was to keep the sheep from fighting back by cutting carefully and working quickly. He started pretty well but accidentally nicked a bit of skin and had to struggle against an enraged beast. He gave the shears back and held the animal while Vera quickly finished.

Ezra was in a quandary. His laser knife would be perfect for this task, but he didn't want to reveal its existence to the Herders before he could be sure they had no aggressive ambitions toward the other tribes. He had seen how much they squabble and bitch among themselves, though he'd not yet seen any actual fights, but he remembered how much Wildchild and Tamar feared the Herders, so maybe he'd seen only the tribe's good side. On reflection, he decided not to show the Herders his laser knife.

The shearing was over, and the tribe could relax. Vera was sent to be with her mother, and Ezra asked Megan to take a day off and ride with him. This was the third significant thing that happened.

"I want to visit the ocean," he explained. "How far is it?"

"About twelve miles," she said, "if we follow the mountains, which end in cliffs overlooking the sea. If you want the beach, though, I know a good spot about fifteen miles away."


To be continued