**Author's note. This was originally written for a dear friend of mine, who tried His best to teach me chess. I still steal His knight as often as I can, but I know I'll never be able to play to His level of expertise.*~*eva
*
The winter day had turned into the duskiness of night, more of a dapple gray outside than true black. Snow fell steadily, adding it's muted comment on the end of the day. Just as the forest began it's nocturnal dance, one light, and then another broke into it's privacy.
The lights were warm though, not as sharp as others would have been. One was a distinct glow of an exterior globe lamp, haloing a circle of light, showing a backdoor with steps leading away from a rough hewn log cabin. By the exterior view, this was a hunter's accommodation, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. As one came closer though, and peeked into the side window, this was a warm home, not just a weekend getaway place.
A fireplace was roaring merrily, the popping and hissing of the resin in the wood combined with the soft strains of classical music in the background. A table set before the fire threw shadows up at the window of oddly shaped pawns and knights. A chess set.
On one side of the table was a large comfortable chair. Within the chair sat a man, his hand resting calmly on his chin as he gazed at the board in intense concentration. Ah, so here was the hunter! Dressed in jeans and a fisherman's sweater, all he needed was an orange vest and a rifle to match an average hunter's description. His eyes flickered shut, remembering the last few moves, and then flicked open again. His well worn hand, larger than an average hand, but with true delicate control of his fingertips, reached out and nudged a bishop to a new square. He sat back, nodding to himself, the same hand encircling a brandy sniffer and raising it to his mouth. His eyes moved across the table to the girl.
But what was this? The girl had no chair, but was kneeling with grace opposite this 'hunter'. Naked, except for a collar gracing her thin neck, she didn't seem excessively cold for the blush of her body was a rosy hue. The fire glinted off her eyes which were now fixed on the board. Her lips twisted in concentration, as her teeth came out to gnaw upon her bottom lip. As she leaned in to view the board's pieces, it was obvious that her arms were tightly bound behind her. She leaned back once more, her eyes darting up at the man's face briefly before, with a blush, her eyes lowered back to the board. With skill of long practice, she leaned forward and with the swiftest of movements, curled her tongue and lips around a knight and slid it across the board.