Ogres and Ogresses Ch. 30

Oh well. Eventually, when she was tired of running, Zyra would come.

--

"Alright, I'm ready. Thrill me."

Kyzu sat on a log that had been cut down into a seat. She crossed her legs, her white robes barely above the ground. She didn't expect Ginger to impress her. The village girl spent considerable time with Zyra ever since they were young, and her dislike for Kyzu was no secret. It embarrassed her that she had more power to aid Zyra, than she, the Chieftess. In her dark heart she wanted Ginger to fail, but in her most secret heart, she feared such an event. Zyra needed to come back. She would know what to do, and this time Kyzu would help her.

Ginger readied her stance as Enui stood before her. She pulled a spear from her back and twirled it effortlessly, all but smirking. Gharla stood to the side watching them warily.

"I won't go easy on you."

Ginger tilted her knife and the sun bounced against its rays.

"I don't expect you to."

Enui charged. Ginger barely jumped to the side as the spearwoman passed her like an angry boar. The spear slashed at her face and she ducked her eyes wide.

"Enui! This is a spar! Are you trying to kill me?"

Enui's eyes narrowed mercilessly. She threw her body into a forward flip, pushing the spear into the ground and Ginger took a foot to the head.

She reeled back, her head spinning painfully. Enui threw a punch and Ginger lifted her arms to block.

"Ow!"

She rolled to the side and stood up, realizing that Enui was going to hurt her if she had to.

"Focus," Rair snapped. "You can do this Ginger. Use your skills."

"What skills?" Gharla said sighing. "I thought you said she progressed Rair. She's as graceful as a stump."

"Focus Ginger," Rair said, ignoring her fellow huntresses. "You know what to do. Use your skills."

Ginger stared wide-eyed as she blocked Enui's large horrible spear with her knife. For an unarmed opponent she would have been fine, but it was like a stick battling a tree. The jarring sensation made her bones ache, but she dodged again. Focus Ginger.

She tried to think about what Rair had taught her. She regained her stance. It had to be muscle memory after all the torture she had gone through. Arms up and look for your opening.

"I'm tired of this charade," Kyzu said annoyed. "If this were a real opponent you would be dead. Enui, end this."

The curly-haired hellion shifted her grip and charged her again. Ginger knew she could not block this blow.

"Use your skills!"

Her skills? Right. The only thing she was good at was...

Ginger dropped down to her knees. Unable to stop, Enui's legs crashed into her body and she tripped over her and onto the ground.

"Yes!"

Ginger quickly straddled her and pressed her knife at her throat. "How's that for skills?"

Enui scoffed, but despite herself was mildly impressed. Maybe there was more to this village girl than she realized. She jerked her hips to unseat her, but Ginger didn't budge. She licked her lips and Enui's body felt a familiar tingle. Nymph blood was surely inside her.

"I'm impressed," Kyzu said plainly. "You know the plant life of this forest better than most so I suppose food will be no issue should you need it." She turned to Rair. "Can your pupil pitch a sleeping net?"

Rair gave her a small smile. "Ginger?"

Ginger's muscles clenched. "But I just—"

"In the tree village girl."

"Aw..."

--

The Nightlock felt himself in a perpetual haze. Often he was sleeping, his body trying hard to knit against evil magic. Underneath him was a permanent red stain that would no doubt remain after he was gone. Perhaps some wizard would find in a thousand years a bloodstone. Disturbingly enough the thought comforted him. Bloodstones were powerful. Surely to be powerful in death was more worthy than a life of powerlessness.

"Is that what you tell yourself Illaria?"

He snapped his head to the sound of his true name.

In front of him he could see a figure that had long departed this world. Before him was his exiled lover, the one whom had once been a beautiful dark elf, the one who would ever hold his heart.

"Gwain." The Nightlock chuckled to himself. "I must be close to death's door."

The dark elf shrugged, his violet skin filling the Nightlock with yearning. And sadness.

Gwain knelt beside him and stroked his face. He could almost feel his cool touch.

"You should not be here beloved."

"Dislike my accommodations?" he coughed. "They are temporary, you need not injure your noble eyes."

"No," Gwain said sadly. "You should not be here...with me."

"I want to be with you."

"Illaria..."

The Nightlock shook as he stood onto his legs, his body feeling frailer with every pump his heart made, pushing the blood through his body just quick enough to save him.

"If I was with you..." he panted, "We could be together again, whole in body and soul. I could abandon this hideous body. I could...be yours again...Gwain—"

A terrible pain wracked him and he fell to his side. Gwain reached for him and this time he felt nothing. He was going to make it.

"It is not your time beloved," Gwain said, tears gathering in his strange maroon eyes. "You have much work to do, much indeed. You will find those who love you as I loved you. You will find hope—"

"I will not. I have lost hope. No one gives me hope."

The image of the little girl flickered in his head for just a moment. From his partner's reaction he saw it.

"Interesting. You never lied to me in life."

The Nightlock grinned. "There is a time for everything it seems."

"I will be watching over you Illaria." Gwain kissed his head, and he appreciated the sentiment. The man he loved, the man exiled and turned into a Rovian creature. The man he had followed to hell and back. The only one he ever could.

"Promise me you will wait for me," Gwain said standing. "If I see you a minute before your time I will kill you deader than I am."

The Nightlock snorted. "Do not worry beloved. You have reminded me of what is important."

Gwain smiled to him and faded away like mist. The Nightlock closed his eyes.

"What were you?"

He opened an eye to see his caregiver. The basilisk had been his companion and protector since he returned to this wretched place. He was stretched on his side, watching him with curiosity, his large green eyes hypnotizing, a gaze that drew in weak, needy, prey.

What a gorgeous creature. He could almost hear Gwain cough to get his attention and point toward the basilisk's lack of...anatomy. He missed him.

"I was in love with an exile," he said bitterly.

"And you followed him."

"Until the bitter end."

The basilisk came forward with a moist cloth and put it on his temple. His feverish body cooled. Maybe he could get used to magic again, it did have its uses.

Then the basilisk looked into his eyes, no...deeper, he felt him search inside him, and for no reason allowed him. To his surprise he grinned.

"You have ssstrange tassste...it never bothered you?"

Illaria let out a loud laugh. "Of course it did. But you knew that didn't you noble one?"

Scallen smirked. "He wasss gone before hisss body died...Gwain became the beassst...and you remained hisss...?"

Illaria thought of the last time his love recognized him as him, and not as a Beta to be mounted. The snake was right. Though it had little impact on his decisions.

"Revenge will get you nowhere..."

"You need me for the girl don't you?" The Nightlock took a deep breath. It hurt less now.

"You wouldn't care for me otherwise. Revenge is why I shall. Without it, I will be useless to her."

"You are usselesss..." Scallen stood and walked away from him, his hissing laughter dancing on the wind after his departure. "...for now."

Illaria rolled his eyes. So dramatic, he must be old. He closed his eyes and dreamed Gwain was beside him. They made love on a bed of roses, each blood red petal falling from a slit in Creedon's neck.

You are mine CoCree.

He jerked awake.

You will always be mine.

"I'll kill you..."

His laughter filled his mind and he screamed into the sky.

--

Why do you want to find her so badly?

Zyra's mind echoed this question over and over.

For justice!

...Justice.

Okay, so that's a lie. Even I know that's a lie.

Great. Then what isn't?

I want to find River.

Is that all?

She jumped over a root. Okay...it was the pool. Its allure was undeniable. She could see anything she wanted? In and out of the valley?

Zyra took a deep breath and stepped over a vine in her path. The yellow flowers were becoming harder to spot. She had to be close. Was she going to rough Nymare up for her perversions? Yes. But what then? If she could access the pool, what would she do?

What would she want to see?

"There you are!"

Zyra turned to see a disgruntled boar of an ogress charging for her. Her red hair was matted and filled with twigs. In fact, she was headed straight for the vine Zyra had stepped over.

"Mourabet, careful!"

"Don't you threaten me you pimifutta"!

Zyra opened her mouth to retort but crossed her arms instead and watched in delight as Mourabet face planted right into the dirt. Hard. She laid there face down, no doubt embarrassed.

"You deserved that," Zyra said. "You know you did."

Mourabet didn't respond. In fact, she wasn't moving.

"Shizu!" Zyra scrambled down and turned her over. Knocked out cold. The little idiot exhausted herself by wandering through the forest, insulted her, and then decided to pass out.

"Well, not my problem."

Zyra stood up and went back to the yellow flowers. Now, where was she...oh right, the deep meaning behind—

An image of Mourabet waking up surrounded by centaurs entered her mind. She paused. Mourabet would deserve it. Shoot, it might make her happier to have someone dote on her, who could stand her nagging. Maker knows River had probably run off to meet some girl she didn't approve of.

She took a step.

There were nymphs too. She wasn't sure Mourabet would like that either, waking up naked and forced to enjoy their...culture.

Zyra walked back to her, the short ogress' ample breasts rising and falling with each breath. Mourabet was too pretty to be left in a forest unguarded. She was still a woman, and Zyra knew she could not allow her to come to harm.

"Fuckta."

Zyra sat Mourabet up and tried to wake her by tapping her on her face. Nothing. She slapped her. Still nothing. At least she had gotten that out of her system.

Silently she rolled her up and onto her back. It took her a moment to steady herself. Mourabet was heavier than she looked. Mustering up her strength she continued on toward Nymare's pool.

Now...what did she really want?

--

She was confused.

She was more confused than she had ever been in her long life. Sure, she wasn't yet ten, but she was almost there, and mature for her age. Having lived almost a decade of life, Nima was sure she understood the world around her. Her mommy and auntie took care of her. She liked flowers. The huntresses protected the village. She was safe.

Since that time she'd become sick nothing was the same. She braided Ginger's unruly hair as the huntresses quizzed her on what to do in various survival situations, and Nima couldn't help but wonder.

Why could she talk?

She prayed to the Maker many times, and he finally granted those prayers. But why now?

She must have something important to say. She didn't know what, but she knew it had to be said. That it was there deep inside her. Something about Paj...about flowers.

"Ow! Not so hard Nima!"

"Sorry!" She loosened the braid and Enui teased Ginger for being sensitive to pain.

"So this is all another part of training?Enlisting a child to torment me. You big-breasted beast!"

"Don't think I won't hurt you just because you're going on a mission!"

"Enui, Ginger, stop it! We are adults, remember?"

Nima shook her head. They were all so silly sometimes. She looked to her mother who observed the scene with a detached grace, something she had once thought boring, but was becoming more and more admirable. Nima wished she had more friends.

"Almost done there squirt?"

Nima nodded and Ginger pulled her into her lap and started tickling her.

"Hahahaha...no...stop! Hahaha...!"

"You talk to me you hear! I want to hear a yes out of you dearest."

"Yes! Yes!"

Nima held her stomach in glee when Ginger stopped, there was one last braid to be done.

"Mind your manners young lady."

Nima laughed. "Yes Ginger."

Nima wanted to be graceful, but she liked rolling around and getting dirty. She liked picking onions by the river like Zyra had taught her. She liked being able to beat up the boy who tugged her hair. Nima glanced at her mother and saw her delicate hands. No, she would not be her mother. She thought of her auntie getting in the faces of men with feral black paint of her face and shooting with such accuracy that she brought silence like rain. She would not be her auntie either.

"Done!"

Ginger ran her hands down her head and grinned.

"Perfect."

Nima pulled back and looked over Ginger. She had been given huntress robes. They were snug in some places but she looked well. There was a nice knife on her hip. With the provisions on her shoulders and a cloak on her back, she looked rather official. Well, other than the blue embroidery she placed on the edges. But Ginger had already been yelled at for such unnecessary adornments.

Ginger tapped her nose and smiled. "I look good don't I kid?"

Nima nodded. "You look beautiful!"

"Why thank you," Ginger said dramatically. "I pride myself on looking great in anything. Do make sure to remember Nima that your body is your temple..." She lifted her up and gestured to the huntresses. "And people are peasants."

Nima chuckled and Kyzu stood unamused. "Would you mind not filling my child's mind with drivel?"

"You can share your love or be selfish with it, but everyone should worship you!" She lifted Nima high above her head and onto her shoulders. Nima shrieked as she turned her towards Rair.

"Worship her!"

Nima's eyes widened when Rair took a knee.

"My liege."

A chill ran through her tiny body as she saw how the huntress paid her respect. She'd never been bowed so deeply to.

"Humility!" Gharla said. She hurriedly lifted Rair to her feet. "That, is what maketh the woman."

She snatched Nima from Ginger. "Tell Rair thank you."

Nima smiled. "Thank you Rair. Your gift honors me."

Rair stood and Kyzu nodded approvingly. "Come my sweetling, let me teach you something."

"We've got to get moving." Gharla put her down and Ginger smiled at her.

"You're leaving so soon?"

"I'll be back even sooner," Ginger said smiling. She kissed her and Nima wrapped her arms around her neck. She pressed her face tight against her.

"Who will I play with?"

Ginger hugged her tighter. "Anyone you want to kid."

Kyzu stood, looking on at the relationship her sister and her friend had cultivated with her child. Now that they were gone maybe they could finally be closer. She was busy running a village, it wasn't her fault Nima wanted to run around instead of sit and embroider beside her.

"We will return after she is taken half-way to the border," Gharla said firmly. "We dare not journey far. While we are gone Imjah will keep the perimeter. Please stay close to your tent my Chieftess. We will be back soon."

"Let her go now Nima," Kyzu commanded.

The two were locked in tight embraces. Nima didn't budge, nor did Ginger.

"Nima...let her go."

"Just a second," she said squeezing. She pulled back just enough to look into Ginger's eyes.

"Bring back Auntie Zyra. Please."

Ginger kissed her forehead. "You got it."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Kyzu snapped. She walked to her daughter and roughly scooped her up. Nima reached for Ginger again and she took a few steps back. "You may leave now."

"Yes Chieftess." Ginger bowed, aware of Kyzu's jealousy. She gave her a pointed look. "Take good care of her."

Kyzu's eyes widened in mortification. "Of course I will!"

Ginger nodded, and followed the huntresses into the woods. She was about to demand she come back to pay for her disrespect when Nima wriggled in her arms.

"Wait! I have to give you something!" Kyzu's arms shook as Nima squirmed to her shock she started to run after her. She grabbed her daughter, her eyes wide.

"Nima! Stop this nonsense!"

"But it's good luck!"

"Then give it to me and I'll give it to her when she comes back."

"No! It'll be too late then!"

"Nima give it to me."

"Mommy it's not for you!"

"Nima—"

"She's getting away!"

"Give it to me!"

Kyzu snatched it from her and saw it was a four-leaf. To her utter shock Nima pulled away from her crying and ran into the village.

"Nima wait! Nima!"

Her daughter didn't stop. Kyzu's heart hurt.

No, this wasn't Ginger's fault. Or Zyra's. This was her own. She hadn't been the best mother. She would to change that. She looked at the flower and crushed it in her palm. She rubbed it on her forehead and bit the fourth leaf of the grass and ate. She needed more luck than Ginger by far.

Nima ran and ran until she slipped onto the dirt floor, her white dress staining horribly. She sat on her knees and clutching the ground she cried. It wasn't fair. Why did they have to leave her here?

Why?

As she bawled she was surprised when a hand landed on her shoulder. Looking up she saw it was a red-headed girl who would often stare at her but never speak.

"Whatcha crying for huh?"

Nima rubbed her face. "You wouldn't understand."

The girl crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"Cause you just can't okay?"

"Not okay." She put a hand out to her. "How old are you?"

"Eight."

"Well I'm 9 so that means you gotta listen to me cause I'm your elder."

"Nuh uh!"

"My name is Flameflower, but everyone calls me Flower. And you're Nima, the future Chieftess."

Nima wiped her face with her dress and stood up.

"Yeah? So what?"

"So..." Flower said as though it was obvious. "You can't just be out here by yourself. Especially after...well, you know. My sister Paj—"

"Your sister is...was, Paj?"

Flower nodded. "Uh yeah, and she's still my sister you know. Firetoucher's cousin. Can't you tell?" She pointed to her bright red hair.

Nima nodded. "Paj didn't talk to me much, but when she did she was always nice to me..."

Flower stared at the ground twisting her foot in the dirt. "My mother says I'm not allowed to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Cause I could get in trouble."

"For what?"

"Promise you won't tell on me?"

Nima wiped her eyes. "I promise."

Flower looked around for prying eyes and gestured for Nima to come closer. "Can I ask you a question?"

This seemed like a secret. Nima had never shared secrets before. "What is it?"

"You can't tell anyone. Not even your mother."

Nima hesitated, but nodded. "Come on, what is it?"

"You were the last to see my sister alive," Flower said stiffly. "There's a village girl that said she saw you riding on the back of a Nightlock, but when you ran in the village you were on foot. You said you don't remember anything that happened, but is it true? Do you really not remember what happened to my sister?"

Nima looked at the seriousness in the girl's eyes and felt bad. "No. When I try to remember, it hurts."

"What does?"

"My head."

Flower reached up and put her hands on Nima's head. "Does it hurt when I touch it?"

"No."

"Then it's not real." Flower pointed to herself. "My cousin Firetoucher told me that there are two types of pain. Inside pain and outside pain. Outside pain needs medicine, but inside pain is fought inside. You have to make it stop hurting."