The Journey Begins 7

Flora walked slowly through the forest, making barely a sound as her feet seemed to glide above the forest floor. Her journey to this place had been long and the weakness of the forest's song made each step a little harder. Deep in the heartland of the great forest from where she journeyed, the forest's song was almost a roar and not many had the strength to visit the seat of the Northern Coven's power. Fewer still had the power to actually reside there as the song sung in worship to the Mother was overwhelming and it took great power to sustain the inner peace to live in its presence.

Flora had been summoned to meet with the leader of the Northern Coven. The only Gold cowl in this part of Gwondanaland. Surrounded by the 12 white cowls who supported her power, she heard the forest's song throughout the land of the coven's reach. With the White's strength in support she could even hear the messages of the other Golds across the oceans that separated the continents of the fractured Gwondanaland.

The summoning was a great honour to Flora, for a Green cowl to be summoned before her elevation to Blue or Red and possibly White was very rare event indeed. Flora met with her Blue and Red superiors before her journey began, even meeting the Red was rare for a Green. And with sincere praise for the work that earned her the summons, they used their power to speed Flora on her way.

That strength was now waning, and her senses tingled as she approached a small opening in the forest. A tingle she knew well as the presence of her apprentice, who as a result of the summons would be elevated to a Ruby cowl herself. The apprentice almost jumped for joy as Flora approached, although her face was deep in the cowl of her dress and its green lining which gave her the appellation of Green in the coven, the apprentice could see the love shining forth.

Flora's leather dress that seemed to disappear into the surrounding forest, with its green lined cowl that hid her features was a contrast to the apprentice's dark green and almost skin tight clothing and dark green cowl that was harnessed to her with locks few could remove. Only Flora, the apprentice's Green mistress and any of Flora's superiors in the coven could remove that cowl and few would even push it back. Being bareheaded in a superior's presence was an intimacy of trust and love that few would intrude upon.

''It is good to see you also little one,'' Flora said in words that seemed a melody of love and affection. ''Even with my Blue and her Red's power sharing, the journey has been long.''

''Clearly you have been busy though. I see how much you have strengthened this part of the forest in my many months absence.'' said Flora. ''I see you are about to say the prayer in thanks for heat and food and I am hungry,'' she said as she smiled.

In silent prayer thanking the forest's sacrifice for the fire's fuel and the food it provided them, the fire was lit. They ate in a calm silence with the music of the forest nourishing them as the day's sunlight slowly dissipated.

''It is the planting moon tonight apprentice,'' Flora said. ''We will use its power to bring as much as Mother's love to this part of the forest as we can for one last time together.'' The final part of the statement caused apprentice to give Flora an almost startled look but she would never question her mistress, knowing that knowledge would be given as needed.

They stood together and Flora pushed her apprentice's cowl back. Looking deeply into her eyes she brought her hands to the sides of her face and kissed her deeply on the lips. She slid her hands down the apprentice's arms bringing them to rest on her hips as the apprentice's face was lost into her own cowl. The immediate space around seemed to still and it was almost as if the forest sighed. The kiss deepened as tongues touched and a need that was kept at bay for months began to release.

Giving her apprentice a deep hug Flora broke the embrace and stepped away as she began to remove her dress. The moons growing light seemed to dance across her toned body and twinkle on the nipples of her small breasts. From her pack, the apprentice brought a beautifully braided leather rope as Flora backed against the trunk of the largest tree, spreading her legs around its base and pushing her hands behind her along the trunk. The apprentice used the rope to bind her ankles around the back of the tree and then another to bind her wrists. Flora could feel the bark spiking into her as her apprentices power was enough to bind her tightly to the tree so they were in essence joined and a few small drops of blood began to trail towards the small of her back.

The apprentice began a gentle melody of love and kindness and Flora answered back with a song of power and protection. When Flora saw the planting moon at its peak she increased the power of her song which the apprentice immediately felt and the apprentice approached and came to her knees directly in front of Flora within inches of her pubis. She placed her hands on Flora's hips and began to push her fingertips deeply into Flora's flesh causing two pointed tips nails to pierce the flesh. As Flora's song began to peak she brought her mouth to Flora's labia, and her tongue teased them apart. She ran her tongue deeply from top to bottom, pausing momentarily at the top and playing across her clitoris with each stroke.

Flora's song began to strengthen further and the apprentice responded in kind, tonguing Flora's vagina and as the song reached a crescendo and the apprentice gave all her attention to Flora's clitoris the bindings stretched to their limit as the Mother's power began to roar through Flora and in an instant both their eyes darkened and a bright light exploded from Flora and her bonds barely kept her connected to the tree.

With the morning light, the apprentice came to consciousness and approached the still bound Flora and with a loving touch roused her. The apprentice then released her bonds and helped Flora away from the tree. As she left, Flora placed her hands on the tree and sang a small song of power in thanks. The apprentice almost jumped at the deep baritone rumble that was returned, Flora smiled at her apprentice knowing it was the first time she heard the forest's response.

With a casual use of her power, Flora summoned the morning dew into their cupped hands and the sunlight warmed it long enough to clean themselves. ''Run your hands along my back,'' Flora said to the apprentice. The apprentice was again surprised as the marks on Flora's back and hips healed with the passing of her hands. She had never done that before, and Flora smiled again.

''Let us go,'' said Flora. Somehow, the apprentice was drawn in a direction and she looked questioningly to her mistress. ''Do not resist, I will follow,'' said Flora. And off they went to the south. As the day ended, Flora caught up to her apprentice with her hands against a tree. As if in rapture, the apprentice looked to Flora and said ''It offers me its services.'' The apprentice was clearly in awe.

''Come to me little one, you know what to do,'' said Flora. The apprentice approached Flora and placed her hands on her cheeks and kissed her, allowing her hands to slide to Flora's waist she kissed more deeply as tongues met. She then, with the slightest of hesitation, which caused Flora to smile, pushed Flora's cowl back. Flora touched the clasps on the apprentices cowl causing the harness to release and allowing the apprentice to remove it for the first time in close to 10 years.

Flora lovingly took her apprentice's hand and led her to the tree. She helped her apprentice shed her top and tights and guided her to the tree. Using her own ropes, for these ropes were another intimately personnel item, she bound her apprentice to the tree. The bark piercing her skin caused the smallest of squeaks but the apprentice's song could not be contained and it began. Barely a whisper at first but Flora shed her own dress and approached the apprentice. She touched her shoulders and that bit of energy deepened the song. Her hands then slid to her apprentice's breasts and as she stroked them the song calmed some more. As her lips met the apprentice's nipples the song evened and seemed to find itself. As moon came to its peak, Flora knelt before the apprentice and her hands found her hips and her nails pierced the skin. The apprentice was aware of the song that now encircled her and was awed. She felt her mistress' mouth come to her labia and her mistress' tongue begin its journey and then encircle her clitoris and no longer could she contain the song within her and her light burst forth.

Flora sat back on her heels, and gazed at the apprentice now sleeping bound to the tree. She smiled deeply in satisfaction for the power brought forth was strong for a first release. Perhaps not as strong as Flora's first, but very very few were.

Flora spent the night considering what would happen next and as the sun came through the trees she roused the new mistress. The Ruby mistress was amazed that she instinctively knew what to do and thanked the tree hearing a tenor song in return. ''In time, the ones that call to you will match those that call me,'' said Flora.

She helped Liese to dress and put her cowl back on her, pointedly not fastening the clasps. ''You are now the mistress of your own power,'' said Flora. ''I think you have surmised that you are no longer an apprentice but you will need to meet with the mistress of the apprentices and my Blue for your joining with the coven to be complete. From here you follow your own path and listen to your own songs. The forest where you pass will be stronger for it.'' said Flora. "Any of the coven you meet will know your status from the unlocked clasps of your cowl,'' she added.

''In our 10 years together, we have strengthened a greater amount of forest than the Red had hoped for. You and the apprentice you find will surely have similar success. Let us sit for one last time until the pull of our songs gets too strong.''

So they sat, not quite equals but certainly sisters. In time, Liese looked to Flora and said ''The pull is too strong, I must follow it.'' Flora and Liese rose together and came together in a deep embrace. ''Go with my love Liese, the Red and the mistress of the apprentices will be pleased to see who returns to them after your acceptance into the coven 10 years ago. We will surely meet again.'' And with that, Liese travelled north into the forest and Flora again headed south following a song that was faint even to someone of her power.