The Great Escape Chapter 16, Part 5 of 12

The Great Escape
Chapter 16, Part 5 of 12

"I still want a child, but not yet."

"Very wise," he said. "Teenage years are for having fun. Wait until you're twenty."

"I'm not waiting that long," she said. "I'll be back in a year."

He kissed her forehead just as she liked, and she smiled up at him.

Wildchild gave Solange a sheepish smile. She didn't explain her decision, but Solange didn't ask for a reason. She said:

"It's a good decision; your first task will be your hardest."

"What is it?"

"You must tell Mirselene you're leaving the Woodlanders for a year. I wish you good luck."

Now that the raft was loaded, it was time to leave the salvage campsite. With a strong heave, the Herders helped launch the raft into the ocean and waved goodbye to the Mariners, including Yumi, Dagma, and Ezra. They paddled hard to begin their journey home. The northward current of the long-shore drift assisted them, and it was expected to take two days.

The riders set off. Tamar and Wildchild shared their horse; Megan gave Carlin a lift. After a few miles of riding on the grassy plain under a hot sun, they said goodbye to Glynn, who was hugging the coast, taking her packhorse to the Mariner Settlement. Solange, Ash, and the others turned inland, heading for the Herder's Northern Camp.

As they trotted, Solange had something more to say to Wildchild.

"Do you like your pony?" she asked.

She was a feisty, angry mare, slightly insane but powerful and quick.

"I love her," Wildchild said.

"I'll let you keep her on one condition."

"What condition?" Wildchild was suspicious.

"I bet you can't go a year without getting into a fight."

Wildchild didn't think it would be that difficult. She hadn't fought with any of the Woodlanders, though she'd lived among them for a year.

"Not just no fights," Solange elaborated: "no retaliating if someone attacks you. No swearing or shouting at anyone; no sullen disobedience or dumb insolence; no running away because you're having a strop. No stops at all! I bet you can't keep your temper for a whole year."

"And if I do, I can keep her forever?"

"You can - but I'll take her back the first bad report I get of you."

"I can do it easily."

"Good. A horse isn't much use in the forest, so leave her in the Northern Camp until you're ready to go to the Cloner City."

"Thank you," Wildchild said quietly.

"Don't thank me," Solange said, riding away. "You haven't won the bet yet."

The riders reached the Northern Camp that evening and stayed overnight. Wildchild said a temporary goodbye to her horse the next day and joined Carlin and Tamar on the long trek to the Woodlanders' Forest Camp.

They carried their heavy backpacks and plenty of water. They arrived in time to be given chores before the evening feast, but not before Erin had almost asphyxiated Carlin with her smothering hugs, and the more sedate Eloise had lightly brushed Tamar's hair off her forehead and calmly kissed her. Tamar responded by hugging her mother hard, nuzzling her face into her bosom.

Over dinner, the tribe grilled the girls, wanting to know everything that had gone on at the salvage party camp. Tamar was up to the job, telling a lively story. Meanwhile, Wildchild asked to talk privately to Mirselene.

If Mirselene was surprised to hear Wildchild talk, she did not comment but invited the girl into her hut. She waited for her guest to sit before sitting herself.

Wildchild had never feared anything or anyone, but she felt a sprinkling of apprehension in telling the formidable chief of the Woodlander tribe something she would dislike. The dull light of the wooden tapers gave her a little relief, partly hiding her face in shadow.

"Well, young lady?" Mirselene asked.

"I'd like to go to the Cloner City to be a Junior for a year."

"A Junior?"

Wildchild nodded.

"For a year?"

She nodded again.

"Why?"

"Solange thinks it will be good for me."

"She's probably right, and it will certainly be good for the Cloners. You're a remarkable young woman, Wildchild. You'll be an asset to their society."

Wildchild knew Mirselene was unhappy because the chief was scrupulously polite, speaking with surety in a gently controlled voice.

"Thank you, Madam."

"Doubtless Solange will also benefit somehow. Do you know how?"

"No, Madam."

"Has she asked you to be a spy?"

"No, Madam."

"Hmm, but it's your adopted tribe that will lose out."

"I'm sorry, Madam. What can I do to make up for it?"

"You can stay here and let us enjoy your company and benefit from your work."

"Madam?"

"Except you won't, will you? You want to do this?"

"Yes, Madam."

Mirselene paused. She had no power to stop the girl from leaving. All she could do was persuade her to remain or threaten not to take her back. She rejected that option. Mirselene wanted Wildchild to belong to the Woodlanders, and maybe the girl could learn something useful at Cloner City.

"Promise me you'll return to us when you're done being a Junior."

"I promise."

"Then I give you my blessing. Do your best job and let the Cloners know what kind of people we Woodlanders are. That will be good for your tribe."

"I will, Madam."

"Good girl. So how come you can speak now?"

"I always could. I didn't want to talk to any Herder, so not talking became a habit."

"And now?"

"Solange told me it was time to grow up."

"That simple, eh? Solange has a lot of influence over you."

Wildchild began to protest.

"It's not a bad thing. She's a good woman and a good chief. But remember that Gloria won't be pleased if you're a spy for the Herders."

"I'm not a spy, Madam. I'm a Woodlander!"

She couldn't have said anything better. Mirselene stood and held out her arms. Although Wildchild disliked hugging, She knew she couldn't shy away. She returned the embrace, and Mirselene kissed her in the Woodlander style.

"You'll do, young lady. We should have a pigeon hunt tomorrow so that you can take some fresh meat with you."

Wildchild spent the night with Sharne and Dagma, showing them her new glass arrow points and tying them to arrow shafts with cat-cut. Balancing the arrows was tricky, and they spent the following day trimming the shafts and adjusting the feathers, but in the end, she had a dozen good arrows to take hunting. They worked well, and she could reuse almost all the arrows. They roasted twenty pigeons that night.

The following morning, there was an affected leaving ceremony. Wildchild spent a long time with Tamar, who cried despite putting on her happiest smile for her friend.

"I won't need this in the Cloner City," Wildchild said as she entrusted her precious hunting knife to Tamar's care, tying the holster around the skinny girl's waist.

After leaving the presents of glass arrowheads for Sharne, Dagma, and Carlin, Wildchild said goodbye to the tribe. She carried her backpack, bow, arrows, and a swag bag full of pigeon meat to the Herder's Northern Camp to collect her horse and start on another adventure.

The salvage party raft arrived in the Mariner Settlement on the same day those who'd been to the Cloner Fair returned home on foot.

Among them was a member of the tribe Ezra had not yet met. Helen was Salema's mother.

She'd accompanied Belena's daughter, Gerta, to the Cloner City while she was conceiving a daughter, but now that Belena and Gerta had joined the Farmers, Helen was free to return home. She was happy to do so.

Helen's return was convenient for Cressi and Ezra because Cressi's bedmate, Salema, and her daughter, Della, would sleep in Helen's hut that night to reconnect after nine months apart.

Meanwhile, there was lots to do in the Mariner Settlement. Yumi needed to be introduced to the tribe, and a bed was found for her—the salvage items were required to be sorted and distributed or stored. Ezra had to lend his laser knife to Juniel, and when he had a spare moment after chores, just before dinner, he asked to see the latest sculpture by the young artist Odette.

She modestly presented it for his judgment. It was a wooden portrait of her mother, Althea, lying naked on her side, resting, supporting her head with one hand, the other hand modestly covering her groin. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, her ample breasts facing forward. Her belly was smooth: her naval was a delicate horizontal slit.

The composition was exquisite: Althea's curvy body was both open and secret at the same time, both voluptuous and reserved, both motherly and - perhaps unintended by the eighteen-year-old girl sexually seductive.

"It's wonderful!" Ezra said admiringly. "Your best work yet."

Odette beamed.

While Ezra admired the artwork, Kalyndra and Devon were having an interview with Calliope in her boat.

"What's on your minds, Ladies?" the chief asked.

"It's about Thalassa," Devon started.

"What has she done?"

"Nothing, of course. It's just that she's got no one to be her bedmate."

"That's true. What about it?"

"We want her to join us, to become bedmates with us both," Kalyndra said.

"And what does Thalassa say?"

"We haven't asked her yet."

"I see. Are you seeking my permission?"

"No, your advice and approval."

"You have my complete approval. And my advice is to go and ask her straight away. You are wonderful girls, and there's none I'd rather Thalassa be bedmates with - except Ezra, of course, but that's for reproduction, you understand. Why are you smiling? What have I said?"

"Thalassa has already become bedmates with Ezra," Kalyndra said.

"She insisted, and we helped her," Devon added.

"I see. Well, she has my spirit, if not my brain. Heaven knows what she will do with an eighteen-year-old child. Never mind. It may not happen. All right, go away with you and ask her. I don't need to tell you to love her well, and you know how much she will love you two."

"Thank you, Madam," the girls said and hurried off to find Thalassa.

It was a merry dinner that night. It started early and ended late, even without any dancing or singing.

Thalassa was its joyful center at first. After enthusiastically accepting Kalyndra and Devon's invitation, she was overjoyed. Even chattier than usual, she hugged everyone, inviting them to applaud her good news. Finally, Calliope whispered to her to calm down, after which Thalassa sat quietly between her new bedmates, holding their hands and neglecting her dinner.

The rest of the feast was devoted to the story of the salvage operation, which the principal actors had to tell several times, each cross-examined for missing details.

At least Yumi had the excuse of fatigue to refuse to tell her story again. Ezra was not so lucky.

The night rain had begun before the Mariner Tribe let him go to bed with Cressi to enjoy the last night of their week together.

In the hut, Cressi didn't undress but stood in lusty anticipation, clasping her hands together in front, waiting to know what Ezra would do to her but not wanting to spoil it by asking.

Ezra spoke gently at first:

"Cressi, you're here to obey me, so this is my first order: if, at any point, for any reason, you want to stop, just say 'stop,' shake your head, or make some noise, and I'll stop. If you're in pain or uncomfortable, or you've just had enough, ask me to stop. You must obey me in this. I won't enjoy myself if you don't enjoy yourself."

"Of course, if my cock is in you and I'm nearing the end and you say 'stop,' then I won't be able to stop myself. That's just your hard luck. I'll stop and find out what's wrong any other time."

"Don't think you must endure something unpleasant just for my sake. You don't have to prove anything to me. Do you understand?"

"I do," Cressi assured him, somewhat apprehensive despite herself. His warning was intended to reassure her, but it had the opposite effect, inspiring fear of what might make her want to beg him to stop.

However, she had little time for nerves because he took her in his arms and kissed her. He held her tightly, caressing her back. Cressi leaned into him, standing on tiptoes, her neck straining upward. It was a sensual opening, and she melted into the kiss. When she was nicely responsive and getting turned on, he slapped her bottom and pulled away.


To be continued