Chapter Three: Trials Toward the Desert

Sigurd snorted, divine intervention was a good a reason as any for not contracting lycanthropy. He grunted slightly as Ashwyn adjusted herself on top of him. The urge to go another round was nigh unbearable but like Jacquelyn said, the world doesn't revolve around sex. He was happy to know that he had impressed her, though he wasn't surprised that he was larger than what she was used to, SpellWolves were direwolves compared to regular werewolves.

Staring at the Imp Sigurd's face hardened, he would have almost preferred a baby. He had seen enough Imps on this errand to serve him the rest of his life, but the druid spoke for him so that would have to be enough. "You said that we know nothing of the desert and we're probably going to die out here, then you flip Lopiena's life upside down and now you're leaving? You almost got taken out by two giant bugs, and you've lived here most of your life, would it not make sense to either help us, or let us help you?"

Jacquelyn placed her hands on her hips and she smirked. "Well, look who's so smart. Glad to know your cock isn't your only impressive feature." She winked at him before glancing over to Lopiena as Cirro rubbed her back.

"I'll stay if I'm welcome." She said and then turned to look at Sigurd again. "And help if I can. While I can. But I'm heading in a different direction than you are. It'll add time to your journey."

Ashwyn glanced at Lopinea as well. She frowned, not sure how the young girl would take it if Jacquelyn joined them, after everything she's learned. But the mission was the priority here also.

"I assume you're heading back to the village you mentioned?" She asked her.

"I'm on a trade mission. There's a handful of settlements out here, not all of them friendly, but there's one in particular that my village works closely with. The cave I was staying the night in has my trade items in it. I have to go back there first, get the items, then continue on to the village. My people need the items I mean to trade for so it's not something I can put on hold. If you want to come with me, then I won't stop you. But I'm heading to the south. It'll be another days walk, give or take, from the cave. Then about 3 days walk back to my village to give them the items. After that... if you still want my help, then I'm happy to give it." She sighed.

"On the other hand, if you want to continue on, which I understand..." she motioned to the hovering Imp. "Cyna can come with you. Cyna knows the desert better than I do. She can provide you with the information you might need to get to where you're going." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Of all the revelations Jacquelyn had imparted, perhaps the most personally significant to Lopiena was permission to just be. Don't worry about being emotional or not; don't feel guilty about disobeying her Elder again, because frankly her grandmother didn’t deserve the respect she demanded; stop trying to be perfect and just be. It was so freeing. Tears drying up...or maybe just dry, she'd been on the verge of collapse before all the physical and emotional exertion this night...Lopiena sits up a little straighter and takes Cirro's hands in hers as thanks for his much needed comfort, then wraps his arms around herself for some much needed warmth. Sitting naked in the sand is probably not the wisest choice, but she's not sure if she trusts her legs to stand up yet.  The revelation of the imp is quite a surprise, and not a pleasant one from Sigurd's expression but if Jacquelyn trusts it...her...well why not. Looking at the older Druid (Aunt? Second mother? Stranger with intimate relations with her mother a long time ago? Gah, who knows) Lo considers her words.

"Jacquelyn...thank you. Thank you for telling me all of this. I...I'm not sure if...uhm. If you write my mother again soon, tell her I miss her...tell her I'm sorry...I don't know anything about this spell, but there must be some way to break it...and two brothers? I'd love to meet them. And...Jacquelyn, you are always welcome to me." Smiling, Lo silently offers respect for this woman who could have been a major part of her life if things had worked out differently. But... "Three days out of the way is a long time. I know it's not my call, and it would be an honor if you could join us, we could help you too...but three days..." At a loss for words, Lopiena looks over at Sigurd for help. Strange how he and Ashwyn are sitting, didn't Jacquelyn say something about being tied? ...anyway. "It's not my call, and having a guide would be invaluable...but three days..." Granted, they'd gained that much and more from Arvan, but who's counting. There has been too much loss of life already.

Sigurd tried his luck at pulling himself from his love. There was a shiver as he gave his knot a tug but it didn't budge, he had an amusing thought that this was perminant but that obviously wouldn't be the case. Seeing Lopiena look to him for some sort of decision he sighed. "Nobody knows we're even here, the dragon took time off our travel. We can spare three days as thanks for helping our little druid find herself." He found it funny that he was trying to sound like a leader while still firmly buried in his mate. "We'll leave a few hours before sunrise"

When Sigurd tugged in an attempt to pull himself from her  it stimulated a very particular spot inside her and she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning.... it didn't work of course, but she tried. The stimulation made her reach out and prop herself against his stomach as she tried to keep her shuttering to a minimum. It was very difficult to have a serious conversation while every curve of Sigurd's shaft sent waves of pleasure through her at every shift.

Jacquelyn couldn't help but chuckle at their predicament. She'd spent a night or two tied with a knot in her lift too so she understood. "I won't turn down the company, that's for sure. But only if you're certain."

Ashwyn, finally settling from her fit of spasms, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She sat up again, smiling somewhat sheepishly at Sigurd before turning her attention back to Jacquelyn. "It's like Sigurd said. We're ahead of schedule anyway. We managed to enter the desert without being detected so we should still have the element of surprise on our side." She glanced over to Lo. "Besides... I have a feeling there's quite a few things that could be discussed on the trip." She smiled at her friend before turning back to Jacquelyn.

The older druid woman nodded. "I'm sure there is." She clapped her hands together once. "Welp, if that's settled then I'm going to need to get some sleep. I'm not as young as I used to be and if we're gonna beat the heat tomorrow then I'll need at least a few hours of shut eye." She plopped herself on the sand stretched her arms over her head. "I suggest you all do the same, but it's up to you. Cyna doesn't require sleep so she can watch over us." She said as she lay down and seemed to immediately fall asleep.

Zane had pulled his robes on and was sitting with a somewhat stunned look on his face. "Well.... that was... interesting." He said. "I... never expected... not in a million years..." He was shaking his head.

Cirro nodded. "It's a lot to take in..." He said and then blushed at the pun considering the night they just shared. "I... I just mean... oh bother..." He said holding his face in his hands. He squeezed Lopiena's hand as she held it and smiled at her. He hadn't expected things to develop between them as they had. And he had no idea what would become of it, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it either. He leaned in and lowered his voice to her. "I'm sorry, by the way. I didn't mean to... I mean it was great but... I... I just couldn't stop..." He blushed again and steadied himself so he could actually finish a sentence. "I'm sorry for finishing inside you. I don't know what came over me." He said, embarassed.

As Jacquelyn went to sleep, Ashwyn sighed. She looked over to her companions. Zane was sitting stunned still, staring at the fire as though some great truth was going to pop out of it at any moment. Cirro and Lo seemed to be talking. Good, they need to talk. So she turned to her lover and smiled. "Well... this was all very... unexpected." She said with a chuckle. She leaned forward, mostly laying against him so she could whisper to him. "I have to admit... I never would have thought about it but... it was really exciting watching you with other women." She said with a wink.

Nodding quietly to herself...joining Jacquelyn would certainly help bring healing to her life, and having a guide is an added benefit...Lopiena starts laughing at Cirro's...apology. Leaning back and kissing the underside of his jaw, she grins. Things may have moved quite a bit faster than expected, pun intended, but uhh. "Don't apologize, I enjoyed every moment. In fact..." leaning away from him into her staff, she tries to stand and clearly isn't quite up to the task. "I...think I'm going to need help. Can you...would you be willing to...help? My blanket is still in my pack, and the tents are way over there and..." Looking back at Cirro, Lopiena grins. "...and I wouldn't mind some company. If...that's ok with you." She's much too tired to do much more tonight, but the thought of holding him...having someone hold her...it's an opportunity she just can't pass up.

Sigurd winced under Ashwyn's orgasm, he assumed there would be another from himself but there was just nothing left in the tank. He smiled and licked his love before focusing on Jacquelyn again. When everyone started to settle in and Ashwyn whispered to him he smiled "not a common practice for our people to be with anyone else after claiming a mate... But honestly.. it was thrilling having you watch" he winked back. He basked in the glow of her body, even with her shirt on she was still beautiful, how the fabric hung off her body, then he remembered something "your scar, the one right here" he touches above her pelvis "it's gone. Like no trace gone."

Ashwyn chuckled at his words. "Well, I'm not sure that it'll be something that happens often. But... it was definitely interesting." She smiled. When he mentioned her scar she looked at him confused. "Hm?" She lifted her shirt and looked down to where he pointed. Sure enough, the scar was gone. She ran her fingers over the area in shock. "Wha... how is that possible?"Could it have been the ceremony? No that doesn't seem right. It shouldn't have done anything physically to them. But then she remembered something else.

"That Lythari elder... Lia... that drink she gave me. You don't think it....worked?" She asked, turning her gaze from her pelvis back up to Sigurd's face.

---

As Lopiena tried to stand and then failed, Cirro immediately jumped t assist her. The fact that she was still nude made him blush. He wasn't sure why. They'd shared something even more intimate than seeing one another nude. But he just couldn't help it. He helped her to stand and then smiled shyly at her request to lay with her.

He nodded slowly. "I would be honored." He smiled and carefully helped her towards the one of the tents.

Sigurd shrugged "It must have, though I don't remember her even saying what it was supposed to do..." he said softly. There was a small bit of jubilation in his mind knowing that a reminder from her painful past was now erased. he smiled and rand his hands up her sides to her breasts and gave them a playful squish, they seemed smaller in his hybrid hands, but that was to be expected. He laughed to himself in his amusement of the situation and wondered how much longer they'd be tied together, not that he wanted it to end. but it would be awkward to walk around with a half-elf swinging from his hips.

"I... I'm not sure. I don't think she really said. Just... said something about it helping me to conceive in the future." She said softly.

She was running her fingers over the spot where the scar once was, when she felt Sigurd running his hands up her side. She met his gaze as he cupped her breasts and she smiled. She looked up as Lopiena and Cirro began to enter one of the tents. Slowly Zane was making his way to the other tent, leaving them alone in the sand again.

She leaned into his hands and moaned softly. "I like the idea of being able to give you a child one day. I... I've always been worried about being able to do that again." She said, her eyes giving away her concern.

He smiled and pressed his head against hers "even if you couldn't have, it wouldn't change anything. I love you. I always have and always will." His voice was firm but loving, his way of being reassuring. Watching Lopiena and Cirro enter their tent, Sigurd looked around Jacquelyn was out, Zane was lost in his own mind. Essentially they were alone. With a mischievous smirk Sigurd was curious as to how sensitive his mate had gotten with how full she looked. He jerked his hips and then ever so slowly ground his hips into hers.

Ashwyn smiled warmly at his words. She never thought, all those years ago when she wandered into Thunderknoll, that she'd find herself here with such an amazing man who loved her. She nuzzled against his forehead. "I love you too." She said softly.

At his sudden motion with his hips she gasped and as he ground into her she moaned low in her throat. Her hands gripped his arms again at the intense pleasure still shaking her. She smirked up at him. "I thought we were trying to get un-tied. Not starting from scratch." She leaned in and kissed the top of his snout. "Not that I would ever ever complain about feeling you inside me." She said, grinding herself down on his cock and moaning as it rubbed at her insides.

Having Cirro help her to the tent is so nice...Lopiena always hated admitting any weaknesses, but quite frankly she needed the help and having a handsome male at her side...she just couldn't stop grinning. Before entering the tent, she brushed off sand and playfully helped him brush off as well...tired she may be but this is so enjoyable!...before finally collapsing with exhaustion. Wrapping herself and Cirro with her blanket, Lopiena shivers slightly more from having someone with her than the night chill. Wrapping Cirro's arms around herself again, she slowly strokes his arm while thinking as carefully as her tired brain will let her.

"Cirro...I didn't mean to laugh at you earlier. You sounded worried about what we did,  and...it's important to me that you know I wanted this. I wanted...oh, so much...and you're amazing and..." Sighing, Lo turns and strokes his hair from his face and looks in his eyes. "I'm...not sure how much you need to know, but please understand that I never expected to even know the person who took me, much less actually enjoy it. You heard Jacquelyn speak of backwards traditions in Sylva, and that one is the worst. Details aren't important, but...well, not to bring up painful memories or anything but let's just say that there are some very personal reasons why I was so upset about what happened to Sigurd those days ago. So tonight has been magical in a way I can't even explain, and...I don't even know what I'm trying to say, but it's important to me that you know I wanted this, and that you're ok with it too, that it wasn't...induced involuntarily and...well..." Leaning into him, Lopiena gently kisses him from his collarbone to his lips and grins at him. "You can sting me any time, my Bee."

As Cirro and Lo entered the tent and settled into the small area, Cirro helped Lo get covered by the blanket. When she pulled him under it with her and took his arms to wrap around her, he was shocked for a very brief moment and then smiled, tightening his grip around her and settling against her.

When Lopeina apologized for laughing at him, Cirro couldn't help but chuckle. "It's okay. I didn't take it that way." As he listened to her describe her village and it's traditions, he frowned.

"In general... I try not to judge a place too harshly until I have experienced it myself. But I have to say... the more I hear of your past... the more I don't like it. And your grandmother doesn't sound like a very good caretaker to me. I mean no disrespect." He said softly.

When she gushed about their time together he blushed a bit. "It has been magical to me as well. I've spent most of my life... well... alone. I never grouped together with the other fairies growing up. I spent most of my time studying to be honest. I've never met anyone who made me want to change that." He met her gaze. "Until I saw you. From the moment you entered the forest I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I'll admit, I never thought we'd wind up... well... like this. Not this soon. Or ever really. But..." He brought his hand up and pushed her hair out of her face. "I'll never regret sharing this night with you. No matter what happens from here on out. It was my honor."

When she commented on him stinging her, he couldn't help the bright blush, but he also laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." He smirked and leaned in to kiss her forehead before laying back and pulling her close against him. He was already exhausted from the nights fun but it was nice to feel her flesh against his. He could very easily get used to this. Now he understood why Sigurd and Ashwyn were always touching or standing close to one another. It was intoxicating to breathe in her scent and feel her soft skin against his.

Sigurd smiled "we probably only have a few more minutes of this bliss of being so connected, we may as well enjoy it" he said softly, running his hand up her back. He had almost forgotten what they were even in the desert for with the nights events and it didn't really matter, the moon was full, his mate was the best thing of his life and even though the air was cold he knew that he'd be keeping her warm with his fur. With soft contented sigh Sigurd felt himself begin to release from his love so with his slight improvement of movement he slowly moved himself in and out of her again until his knot finally released itself.

Ashwyn smiled at her love and leaned into him. "Oh, I am certainly enjoying it." She sighed softly in contentment and pleasure. She could feel him releasing from her and she moaned as he began gently thrusting in and out again. The feeling of Sigurd's hands on her flesh and his soft fur rubbing along her inner thighs was amazing. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that this would be her life from now on.

Even with such gentle movements she was already working herself up to another climax. The intensity of their connection combined with the stimulating motions of him inside her was almost overwhelming. She felt his knot slip from inside her and gasped at the sudden release of pressure. The freedom of movement allowed her to pull up and push back down with more ease and it didn't take long before her body was twitching in climax once more. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out, though she couldn't help the grunt and moan.

She collapsed against him, breathing heavily and nuzzled down into his warm fur. She breathed him in deeply and sighed happily against him. "I don't ever want this night to end." She said softly and tiredly.

Listening to Cirro comment on her life, and then tell her a brief description of his is so interesting. There’s much to learn about each other, and in spite of their very obvious and dramatic differences it seems their level of socialization is surprisingly similar. Stroking his body, she smiles at him. "We have so much to learn from each other, about each other. I'm...really looking forward to it." Kissing him gently, she curls up next to him and closes her eyes. "Not tonight though. Much too tired...good night, my Bee."

As exhausted as she is, Lopiena finds it remarkably difficult to find sleep. Being next to Cirro...listening to him breathe, wanting to feel him around her but not quite used to the mechanics of arms in different places...it's so nice, but so different. At first she tries to stay facing him, but she just can't get comfortable. Finally turning away, she curls on her side with her back to him with his arms around her. Placing one of his hands on her breast, she wraps her arms around his and finally drifts off to sleep.

Cirro had often heard the other fairies gushing about finding romance one day. They spouted flowery language and spoke of songs breaking out at random and it all sounded wonderful. But he never thought it would happen to him and he also never thought he'd feel so elated and awkward about it all at the same time.

Struggling finding a good sleeping position threw him off, but he couldn't help but be amused by it just the same. When she finally rolled over and pressed her back against him he settled in more comfortably. He chuckled as she placed his hand on her breast and he hugged her briefly before relaxing and allowing himself to finally drift off into a very peaceful sleep.

Sigurd smiled and caressed her back, running his claws gently down her back. He relished the feeling of his mate's body resting on top of his, he swore to himself at that moment that no matter what trials they face he would keep her safe no matter the cost.

"Was it ever like this with Lucas?" He asked suddenly. He didn't know if it was uncertainty, insecurity or just idle curiosity. He wanted to know.

Ashwyn was enjoying snuggleing against his warm fur. Her body was sore but in such a divine way that she wouldn't dream of complaining. She was about to drift off when she heard Sigurd's voice again.

She perked back up and chuckled. "No. Never. I mean... maybe part of it was just inexperience on both our parts but..." She trailed off, thought about it, then shook her head. "No. No it wasn't." Sh snuggled against his chest as she spoke. "I cared about Lucas. He was kind to me and looked out for me. And we had fun together. But... When we were together it was... more like ritual. Something that was expected so... we did it. It was impersonal. At the time I just assumed that's how it was. I didn't know it could be any different." She lifted her head to look up at him.

"But with you... I don't think they make words to describe the feeling. My skin burns when you touch me and leaves a trail of tingles in its wake. And the way your eyes devour me... it makes me feel like the most important person in the world." She leaned in. "But it's more than that. I can feel this intense connection between us. I don't even know what it is, exactly. I know that with you by my side I can face anything." She blushed a bit. "That sounds silly... But it's true."

He smiled, and let his head rest back in the sand. He was more at ease now. reality was beginning to set back in as the post coital bliss subsided. They were still in the desert, on a mission to stop a war. These comforts, while easy to indulge in, can muddy focus. "We should sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us..." His hybrid form would be too big for a tent so he did the next best thing. Shifting into his wolf form he curled around Ashwyn propping her head against his shoulder and blanketing her with his tail. He'd be warm on his own and she more than likely wouldn't want to sleep alone so he smiled to himself as he nestled into his love for the night.