In the Woods of Ravenstein

inspired by m-m, also dedicated to -sha

It was one of the last October nights of the year. The full moon spread a pale light between the trees. Junker Johannes von Strenge had followed the white deer, which seemed to show him the way, further and further into the forest. But suddely a cloud had moved in front of the moon and the animal had hidden from view between the trees. Wisps of mist rose.

The Junker lacked the hunter's trained eye. Until a few months ago, he had been studying Roman authors in Italy, poring over old manuscripts. There in the south the forests were bright and flooded with light, not gloomy and dark like here in the small county of the Lords von Ravenstein.

His uncle Gunhelm von Strenge and Ravenstein had appointed Junker Johannes as his heir on his deathbed and called him back from Italy. When Johannes arrived at Ravenstein Castle after a long and arduous journey, his uncle had already died and was buried in the family crypt.

The gray stone castle stood on a rocky outcrop, surrounded by ancient forests. Scattered all around were a few villages and hamlets whose residents lived poorly from livestock breeding and agriculture. When Johannes went through the villages and forests with the major domus a few days after his arrival to get an overview of his property, people met him with great shyness. Uncle Gunhelm had run a tough regiment and was quick to use the whip. That left its mark on the peasants.

The girl with green eyes was different from the other subjects. The young woman had never been impressed by Gunhelm's whip. She had never lowered her gaze in front of the old man and did not do so in front of the new one either.

As Junker Johannes and the major domus rode through the hamlet where she lived, she curiously came to the front of the hut and looked at the new master with a bold look. To his surprise, Johannes saw the girl again two days later at Ravenstein Castle. She had a basket full of mushrooms that she had picked in the forest and was negotiating the price with the old cook. She nodded briefly at him, then turned back to the cook and continued the negotiations.

The next day Johannes had another encounter with the girl. He was just trying to pick an apple when the girl came along. The fruit hung on a branch high above Johannes' head. As he grabbed the branch with one hand and then the apple with his other, he lost his balance and landed on his butt. Laughing, the girl held out her hand and helped him get back on his feet. As he stood so close to her, he felt a strong desire to hold her in his arms and kiss her. But she said: "I have to move on now, noble sir" and walked away.

When Johannes passed the orchard again the next day, the girl stood under the apple tree and smiled and held out a red apple to him. Johannes wanted to take the apple, but the girl playfully pulled away from him. She ran from tree to tree. Finally she allowed herself to be caught and together they fell into the grass. He unbuckled his belt and she pushed his pants down to his boots. And when he tried to push up her skirt, she pulled away from him again. When he finally pulled his pants back up, the girl had disappeared. In the distance a white deer looked in his direction. But soon she too was no longer visible.

Back in the castle, Junker Johannes called the cook over and asked her about the girl. The old woman didn't want to come clean about the matter at first. But then she said that Johannes should be careful of the young woman and stay away from her. "The girl is promised to the goddess Luana Diana and is her servant."

"What are you saying, old woman? Goddess Diana - don't tell me old wives' tales." Johannes looked at her mockingly. But the old woman stuck to what she had said and pleaded with the young squire to avoid the girl. The Junker only laughed. Then the old woman made a large circle around the Junker's face with her right hand and said: "If I can't stop you from plunging yourself into misfortune, I will at least make sure that you cannot see her until the next full moon. Maybe you'll come to your senses by then." She then crossed herself and left the hall.

He didn't see the girl in fact for the next few days, but he still couldn't forget her.

When the night began, in which the moon became full, he was overcome by great unrest. With quick steps he was drawn to the orchard. He saw something moving in the distance - was it the girl or the doe? - he couldn't say it. He quickly gave chase, across meadows and fields, then deeper into the forest. Several times he thought he could clearly see the deer in front of him. But then thick clouds of fog rose between the trees and the deer could no longer be seen. When the fog cleared, Johannes stood at the edge of a clearing where there was an old sanctuary with a courtyard.

A statue of a goddess stood on a stone base, holding a bow in her right hand and a quiver of arrows hanging from her shoulder. This had to be the temple of Diana Luna that the old cook had spoken of. Someone had lit a few torches. The mist dimmed their light, giving it a sulfurous color. At first Junker Johannes only heard voices, then he saw the three old women and the girl with the green eyes. Two of the three old sisters had ropes in their hands, the third was talking to the green-eyed woman who had lowered her head. Johannes crept up slowly and peered over the waist-high wall that surrounded the forecourt.

When the old woman had finished, the girl wanted to say something back. But the old woman didn't let her get a word in edgewise and pointed to the statue of Diana with her left hand. Then she said something to her sisters. They took the girl's arms and tied them with their ropes to a branch of the tree under which they were standing.

Now the other two old women tore the young woman's clothes off until she was naked. Junker Johannes was completely entranced by her beauty and couldn't take his eyes off her. Next the three old women took hazel rods and began beating the girl. When Junker Johannes saw this, he rushed at the three like a mad bear, screaming wildly, tore the rods out of their hands and threatened to beat them until they ran away and hid in the forest.

Then Junker Johannes wanted to untie the girl but she complained in a loud voice: "Fool, what have you done! I was just about to pay the penalty for my transgressions. I have to pay this penalty, otherwise the goddess will be angry with me forever. So take one of the rods and complete what you prevented the three priestesses from doing in your ignorance. Go ahead, strike!

Until that moment, Junker Johannes had felt no desire to inflict pain on the young woman. But what she had just said opened a Pandora's box in him and awakened needs that he had never known about before. His blows hit her harder than she expected. And her screams didn't stop him.

The rod hit her thighs, her ass cheeks, her back mercilessly. Where it hit, the skin reddened or the rod even left red welts. Only when an big old owl let out its Oouuhnnuugh-Ouuhnuugh in the darkness of the forest did it dawn on Junker Johannes that it was enough and he dropped his rod. It was only with great difficulty that he was able to untie the ropes around her wrists. She was shaking and her body was covered in sweat. When he untied her, she fell over. In her fall she pulled him to the ground with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he ended up lying between her thighs. With one quick movement he removed his pants and while she kissed him with wild desire, his hard cock streched her wet cunt. Intertwined in wild lust, they drove each other from climax to climax.

Exhausted, Junker Johannes finally fell into a short sleep. When he awoke again, he saw the full moon above him, and it occurred to him that this would now repeat itself month after month.

story for free personal use, copyright MDH