Flames of the Forest: Deanna

The sounds of the coming dawn woke Deanna from her sleep. It was early yet and she lay there for a minute or so listening to the morning bird calls and the rumble of the waterfall on the other side of the canyon. None of the other hunters were up yet and the sun had not yet touched the sky. She listened for a moment longer, making sure there were no dangers around and being ready in case there was. Slowly she sat up and looked about her surroundings. The dark canopy from the forest above her hid most of the sky from view, but she could still make out the silhouettes of her sleeping companions. The embers from the fire had long died despite the rule for whoever was on guard to keep them alight. The fire kept the animals away, and the bugs. Ever since she was a child Deanna had hated the bugs, big black crawly things that made her skin itch and often made her people sick. She got up and walked to the edge of the canyon. The roaring from the waterfall became louder as she stood on the edge. The white water foamed far beneath her as she gazed out upon the scene.

She felt the fine spray from the falls upon her face, and it cooled her skin against the already thick heat. Her mother had brought her to swim here before her last hunt. Deanna missed her so, in their female society there was no stronger love than between mother and daughter. She saw the ghost of herself running along the wet stones below, discarding clothing as fast as possible so she could dive into the water, her mother scolding her the whole way and gathering up the cast offs. Their life was a simple one, they hunted and moved with the forest. What they took from it it took back in the end. A life for a life. A tear escaped from her eyes as she stood there gazing down upon the waters. A twig snapped gently behind her. The sound of an inexperienced hunter making her way through the bush. It could only be Iannoua. It was her first hunt, and she had begged Deanna to allow her to come.

She heard the girls' breathing behind her as she stood at the edge of the canyon alongside her mentor. Each new hunter had to have a mentor, and though Deanna was young she had learned fast from her mother. Iannoua had lost her mother many moons ago and Deanna had kept her alive as if she were her own kin. But there was more to it than friendship between them. Recently she had noticed the girl looking at her, taking her in as a woman as well as a friend. She worried the girl was clouded in her notions because she had become so familiar with her. Iannouas' hand rested upon her shoulder as she turned her mentor to face her. She was smaller then her, but her body was not yet as sculpted from the hunts. Her breasts were fuller and more rounded than Deanna' own but her skin was her crowning glory. Her youthfulness meant it was still soft and firm as well as being like a fine silk to the touch. Her dark hair cascaded over her tan shoulders and fell in dark curls down her back. Deanna wondered if those same dark curls graced other parts of her body too. Her dark almond eyes looked into those of her mentor with a deep questioning look as she wiped away the tear that remained on her cheek.

"Why do you cry Dia? Do you hurt?"

Dia was her personal name for Deanna. It was close enough to their word "Deian" meaning mentor so as not to cause any concern to the others.

"Yes Iannoua, I hurt inside. I have memories of this place that are dear to me, but they are painful in my heart."

It would not be long before the dawn broke and as the pink of the sun laced the sky they would have to rejoin the others. They sat down together and looked out upon the water. Iannouas' arms rested around Deanna' waist and she rested her head upon the breast of her teacher. The feeling of her so close caused a feeling that Deanna had not felt in many moons. The heat from Iannoua's breath upon them caused her nipples to harden and she began to ache inside. Her mentor after her mother had died had been the first to open her eyes to the physical love of a woman. She gazed down at her own charge, her feelings were confused as to what she should do. The softness of the girls' hair as her head rested there felt so right, yet as her mentor it was forbidden for her to touch her in any way. Even the embrace they were in now was considered illicit.

Iannoua looked up into her mentors' face, she saw a deep thought within her but she also saw the love in her eyes. She had heard Deanna get up earlier and had taken the opportunity to steal some time for them to be alone together. When she saw her silhouetted against the canyon the physical craving to be close had overtaken her. She had never been physically intimate with any of the women around her before, though some of her own age had made their advances. She was too young yet to even consider the idea of going to another tribe to experience the love of a man. Iannoua shifted her weight onto her hands and brought her face level with that of her companion. Deanna looked surprised at the bold move but made no attempt to push her away or to stop her.

"Sanna, there is something I must do. It burns in my thoughts and I shall go mad if I do not do it."

Her lips met those of her mentor, and her kiss was returned gently. Deanna felt the relief rush from her in a deep tide as she grasped the girl to her. She parted Iannouas' soft lips with her tongue as the girl probed her mentors' mouth gently with her own. They stayed locked in each others' embrace for what seemed like an eternity. Their breasts pressed hard against each other as they kissed in the pre-dawn light. Suddenly the Sun threw its first ray across the canyon. The forest was bathed in its warm glow and it reflected off the amber skin of the two women sat high on the side of the falls. Iannoua looked into her mentors' face wishing it was still dark. The sun made her skin shine like burnished copper and picked out the deep auburn highlights in her long straight hair. Deanna looked unembarrassed by what had just happened, and she certainly didn't seem angry as Iannoua had feared. As she stood up she offered her hand down to her student and the two made their way back towards the camp.

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Deanna' mind was in turmoil as the reached the clearing of the others. She still felt Iannouas' kiss on her lips and as they packed up their sleeping mats and made ready to move out she kept stealing glances at her. Perhaps she had been mistaken and the girl had only meant the kiss as a sign of sisterly affection, or perhaps she felt the same yearning as Deanna. The group made its way through the forest towards the mountains. The deer stayed there all year round, and when the hunt became thin close to the main village they had to make their way there to bring back food. Gingerly they moved through the floor of the forest, avoiding branches that might scare any animals. The hunters in the back picked up any that the leaders with more experience had brought down. Deanna could not see Iannoua because she was leading but she could feel the girls eyes upon her with more consciousness than usual. She imagined the sweat glistening on her skin as she followed the path set out before her, the droplets coursing down into the shadow between her breasts, and the heat between her limber thighs as she crouched in the scrub to collect a kill. Deanna yearned for the cover of darkness to hide her own feelings from those of the others who had already noticed their leaders' disconnected appearance.

Rhian seemed especially concerned when Deanna disturbed a group of Marra birds, causing them to fly away and losing them several kills. Finally the sun began to dip below the horizon and they made their camp on the forest floor. Deanna made her bed away from the fire, she needed time to think and to consider what to do. The sound of the others laughing over the shared food penetrated her thoughts but her gaze remained on Iannoua. The firelight illuminated her figure and stirred the same feelings in Deanna that she had felt that morning. She could not deny that her feelings were more than platonic for her pupil, and she craved to feel that figure clasped against her again. Those by the fire took little notice of her as she walked a little way into the forest. She sat in the darkness and felt the forest around her. The darkness was comforting to her, and as she sat there she thought about Iannoua. She could give her to another hunter and they could be lovers, or she could be straight with her and they could try and remain friends.

As she sat there she felt someone behind her, and felt arms encircle her waist. Her companion pressed herself into Deanna' back as she gently kissed her the exposed nape of her neck. Deanna savoured the feeling and turned to gently kiss the waiting mouth of Iannoua. She kissed her deeply and her tongue danced across her partners' teeth and caressed her lips as she was greeted with equal zeal. Only there was something different in the kiss. More certainty than before and the smell. Iannoua had a smell like a musky flower, and this girl did not. She pushed her companion away and gazed openly with surprise into the face of Rhian.

"I am sorry it took so long for me to show my feelings for you Deanna, I just never realised them until I saw yours for me." She moved to kiss Deanna again but she deftly avoided her and stood up away from her grasp.

"You are mistaken Rhian. I love you as my sister and my equal, but the one I love as my partner is beyond my reach."

"That child is not worthy of you, and I will show you that it is me you crave and not her."

The venom in Rhians' words was obvious as she sneered and walked away from Deanna. She had been aware of the affection before tonight but had never realised that there might actually be more to the infatuation than friendship. She was scared by Rhians' actions, but had little time to think as she heard the familiar ineptitude of Iannoua's step. Her shadow appeared to Deanna' left and sat down on the forest floor next to her. They regarded each other in an awkward silence. It was obvious that Iannoua had seen the kiss between Deanna and Rhian and it had affected her deeply. She grasped Deanna's hands in her own and kissed her fingertips. Her lips were gentle and brushed tenderly against Deanna's skin. As she questioningly looked up at her mentor she met Deanna's lips with her own. The kiss was not as forceful as Rhians' had been but the affection was none the less sincere. Iannoua felt Deanna's arms encircle her and pull her close. The warmth of their skin mingled together as the musky scent of Iannoua filled Deanna's senses.

Their mouths continued to explore each other, gently testing to see the response created. Deanna's hand moved to cup one of Iannoua's ample breasts and she felt the hardened nipple under the thin covering. Her fingers untied her partners' top and the cool night air caressed Iannoua's exposed breasts along with Deanna's hand. Her kisses became more urgent as Deanna kneaded and pinched at the blood filled nipple. Deanna broke the kiss and bent her head down to suckle at Iannoua's breast. Her action was met with a soft moan from her pupil and Iannoua grasped Deanna's head firmly to her. Iannoua's hands took hold of Deanna and she cupped the roundness of her mentors firm behind as she pulled Deanna on top of her. The sweat on their skin caused their bodies to stick to each other, sharing their heat and making them as one. Their short hunting skirts had ridden up exposing both their sexes. Deanna's fingers found their way along Iannoua's hardened thigh and felt the heat and moisture of her pupils' desire. Her fingers stroked gently at the wet dark lips outside of Iannoua's sex.

This was Iannoua's first experience of the physical love of a woman from what Deanna knew, and so she slowly slid her fingers inside, allowing her to feel every sensation. Iannoua's breathing was short and shallow and she raised her hips to meet Deanna's fingers. She continued to stroke the inside of Iannoua's sex and pushed forward with her thumb firmly each time into Iannoua's clitoris. The motion combined with Deanna's insistent kisses had Iannoua beside herself. Her cheeks were flushed and Deanna felt the contraction of her muscles along with the rush of fluid as Iannoua came. Deanna kissed her deeply as she paused to let her pupil experience her orgasm at Deanna's hands. She withdrew her fingers and raised them to her mouth. She tasted the sweet fluid from Iannoua's sex, and the scent alone made her want to bury her head down in those very same dark curls she had thought about earlier, but as her mentor Deanna needed to teach as well as to please her pupil.

Iannoua was puzzled by Deanna's action of tasting her fingers. The orgasm that she had felt was still rippling through her nether regions and she had had to concentrate terribly hard not to scream out into the night. Deanna started to guide Iannoua's head towards her own breast. Her fingers unlaced her top and exposed the lean and well muscled breast of the seasoned hunter. Iannoua was almost fascinated by the dark and erect nipples of her mentor, her skin was lighter yet her nipples were so dark as almost to be black in the dim light. Iannoua gently teased at one with her tongue, and kissed the dark flesh surrounding it. She felt the increase in Deanna's breathing and increased the force with which she suckled on her mentors' breast. She started to trail her kisses down the muscled abdomen and along the hardened hip of her Dia. Her Dia, Deanna was hers now, to do as she wanted. She kissed the soft skin on the inside of her thigh and inhaled the musky scent from Deanna's sex. She understood the reason behind her tasting Iannoua's own sex at that point, and kissed at the wetness between Deanna's thighs. Gently she explored what she found there, kissing the outside of her engorged lips and sucking at her dark labia. Deanna's hands entwined themselves in Iannoua's hair and guided her lips to the opening of her sex. Iannoua began to lick at the sweetness between her thighs and as she thrust her tongue deeper into her mentor Deanna's hips pushed back at her, burying her face deeper. Soon her breathing was ragged and Iannoua felt her face drenched with Deanna's dampness. Deanna made as much effort as possible not to cry out but she still moaned at the feeling. Iannoua was happy that she had made Deanna come. It gave her a sense of achievement as she lay beside her tutor.

The two women lay in the darkness entwined in each other, the sweat from their bodies mingled together as their breathing began to slow and they shared tender kisses together. Deanna was impressed at her pupils aptitude, however she was unsure what to do now as she could no longer treat her as her student alone. It seemed torturous that they would have to spend the days together yet to not show any signs of the affections they felt. They lay there looking at the stars through the forests canopy, savouring each others presence. They stood to return towards the camp, but there was something that wasn't right. The firelight seemed brighter, and there was more noise than before. As the two stepped into the camp they were greeted by a scene they had not expected. Raiders. They ran through the camp mounted on dark beasts that reared and tore at the flames. The beasts teeth snapped at the heels of one of the other students as she tried to run from it. Then hunter grabbed her kicking and flailing as he hoisted her over his saddle. Deanna reached for her hunting knife at her waist and Iannoua reached over her shoulder for her bow. Screaming fiercely Deanna leapt over the flame and tackled one of the raiders. She stabbed him several times and the fire reflected off the growing dark pool of blood surrounding him. As she turned back towards Iannoua she did not have time to cry out as she saw a raider bearing down upon her. The thundering of the beasts as they departed did nothing to drown out the screams of those the raiders had taken. Deanna tried to run after them but she could not match their speed on foot. As she looked at the burning camp she saw the bodies of her fallen kin who had tried to fight and vowed she would rescue Iannoua and the others.