Cycle

• § •

It was evening by the time Callista awoke. She rolled onto her back, and her mind took a moment to register where she was and what had happened earlier. She almost didn't believe it, but the dirt that clung to her sticky skin, and the mess and soreness between her legs, attested to it. She gazed idly over at Moort as she lay there for several minutes. Callista realized she needed to bathe and return home, as the sun would soon fall below the horizon. She got up, swatting away a couple of flies, and sat down next to the long feeler resting on the ground nearest to Moort's head, and stroked it, saying nothing. It reached up and curled around her bare tummy in response, giving the affectionate, sticky embrace he had given many times before. Callista found it strange to juxtapose the touch, so innocent and familiar, with the day's earlier events, but she welcomed it nonetheless. Then, on a sudden impulse, she got up and retrieved her panties from the tree branch, which she placed around the end of his arm as a final parting gift. Appropriate, she thought.

Callista walked down to the creek to bathe. The water chilled her skin, but she needed the refreshment. After a few minutes, she returned to the clearing and dried herself on the grass. After retrieving her clothes from the tree branch where they were hung, she slipped into her dress and donned her socks and boots, all the while trying to keep her mind away from the melancholy reality that she was about to leave her sanctuary for the last time.

Callista stood, and as she began to leave, turned to get one last look at the clearing, the creek, and finally, at Moort. She began crying before she could finish the word "goodbye". She turned and walked out of the clearing, sobbing.

• § •

For the next several nights, Callista continued having trouble falling asleep. Her mind was preoccupied with what had happened between her and Moort that day. She was no longer the virgin girl she was last week, and the vivid memory of the event would remain with her, but what did it really mean? Although left with more questions than answers, she ultimately did not regret what happened, and did hope her final visit with Moort was as pleasurable for him as it was for her. For the first time in years, she once again began making excursions into the countryside in her free days, looking to clear her mind and fill a void, exploring the woodlands as she had done in her childhood.

It was only after several weeks that Callista also started to notice changes occurring with her body. There was a fullness inside of her that seemed to be reflected in the gradual fattening of her tummy, breasts and hips. Fortunately, it was not to the extent that she was unable to hide it from others by way of careful choice of clothing, but she did not understand why she was gaining weight, and started to become concerned about her appearance.

One day in early autumn the fair girl hiked to a particular spot she discovered in the woods not too far east of the town. It was a small and cozy clearing, a circle of trees surrounding a soft grassy patch, which the midday sun bathed in a warm light through the gap in the canopy above. The place reminded Callista of her old favorite spot, and she had often returned here to retreat from the world. She unlaced and removed her boots, her socks, and finally her dress and underwear, placing them in the crook of two tree branches as she always did. The mild autumn air was cool on her skin. Callista always preferred to be nude when she came here; nobody ever ventured into the woods to disturb her, and she loved the feeling of serenity and freedom. She lay down in the middle of the clearing and turned her head to the side, feeling the familiar softness of the grass beneath her, taking in the earthy scent of the forest. Between the gnarled roots of a nearby tree, she noticed a rabbit sitting perfectly still, looking at her. She smiled at it. A hand idly traveled downward over the slight curve of her stomach, as she basked in the sunlight and lazily watched the rabbit for several minutes until it disappeared among the foliage. Her eyelids gradually fell shut, and she drifted into sleep.

Callista had barely fallen asleep before the sudden movement awoke her. She had felt it a few times before, the strange and unsettling feeling of something stirring deep inside of her, but this time it was different. The young woman propped herself up on her elbows, feeling a strong pulsating sensation take hold of her groin. Callista was alarmed, and whimpered as she looked down to find herself sitting in a puddle. Over the course of several minutes, the undulations quickly became intense to the point of pain. Something was beginning to push its way out of her. She rolled her head back and cried out, her otherwise pretty face distorted in an expression of torment. She instinctively bent her knees and clenched the muscles in her abdomen, desperate to expel the thing. Looking back down, Callista watched in shock as something began to emerge between the spread of her thighs, forcing her tender flesh apart. She whimpered, watching it slowly glide out of her body, until finally it lay in the wet grass between her legs.

Callista collapsed back onto the grass, catching her breath. The pain in her groin subsided into a dull ache within a couple of minutes, and she returned to a sitting position. Her view fell upon the strange thing her body had produced. The little creature was brown, and about the size of a potato. Its smooth, elongated body glistened wetly in the sunlight, very slowly writhing before her, reaching out with six stubby tendrils. As she gazed at the creature in astonishment, it wordlessly and inexplicably answered all of her questions. In their magical coupling on that day several months ago, Moort had filled her womb with his essence. Although he was now dead, she had given him life anew, life she had unknowingly carried safely within her as she left that clearing for the last time. Callista recalled the wish she made — to be able to save at least some part of that place — and realized that they had given each other a gift that day: She had protected and nurtured his seed to fruition within her, and he had answered her wish. She gingerly cupped the slick larva between her hands, and held it lovingly against her open lap.