Job

CHAPTER 6: SANTINI'S JOB

"Master?" They were riding the borsin and were half a day from the city containing Santini's compound. Cat thought it was safe to ask the question. "While I was occupied with Santini's advisors and leaders, what did you learn the man wanted from you?"

The answer came as a single word and Cat felt the tension in giving it, "Bartle."

"You said that before, Master, but what about Bartle? And, wasn't he the one who gave you your freedom before you could be marked?" He grunted. "You didn't accept the mission, did you?"

His curt, abrupt response quieted her for the rest of the day. "It's complicated. I have to think, Cat."

After a day of travel, Goran busied himself with the equipment packs while Cat got a stew started over the campfire before playing sumo-wrestler with the borsin to wipe him down and get him to the river to drink, then back near the camp. She was muttering about the stupid, obstinate borsin when she returned to finish the stew. Many of the words she used in English gave a clear indication of her time in a forward Marine unit.

The light was fading when they were finished eating. Goran told her to practice with the bow before she lost all the light. She wanted an explanation but could still hear in his manner that he wasn't ready. Perhaps, he was still working out what needed to happen. She moved to the weapons leaning against the packs and took up the bow and quiver he gave her that was made to his exacting specifications. He had allowed her to compare hers to his. Hers was a foot shorter but otherwise seemed to be identical except she felt the draw on his to be heavier by the size proportion. He had commented that her bow had a draw strength comparable to what a Horean male would be using. That was when it hit her how much stronger she had become in the time she had been on HOR and especially since she had been with Goran and he paid attention to the nutrients she got in her diet. She had arrived on HOR as a 5' 9" athletic 120 pounds with 17% body fat, well within the athletic range for women. She felt she was now 150 pounds and less body fat. Goran felt her body had transformed like his and she had easily added 40 pounds of muscle distributed over her body while losing 10 pounds of fat that made her muscles stand out. That she was most often naked had caused her to become used to others looking at her and she had failed to appreciate how imposing her body appeared until Goran stood her in front of a full mirror in Santini's elegant residence. Although her body growth hadn't appeared to increase or decrease the size of her D-cup breasts, the underlying chest muscles had firmed them significantly. She remembered the stunned expression on her face as she gazed at the woman in the glass as if it couldn't possibly be herself. She had gone as far as parting the sheer gown to flex her thighs and calves, appreciate the six-pack definition on her abdomen, the increased width and thickness of her shoulders and lats, and how her biceps and triceps jumped out on her arms. Only then had she remembered how much easier it had become to handle the full packs that the borsin carried as massive saddlebags.

Goran had stressed the need to be an expert in multiple weapons. The fault he found with most Horean warriors and fighting slaves was a tendency to specialization. They may be proficient with the sword, lance, or bow, but seldom with all of them. Various combat situations lent themselves to the efficiency of one or another, even the use of the dagger. And, she learned that the use of the dagger wasn't merely thrusting it into the body but effectively placing it to cause the most damage inside. A well-placed thrust from just below the ribcage up into the chest cavity could quickly kill by penetrating the heart without getting caught up in the ribs. Every day was another lesson in the unique art of killing. It always reinforced the brutality that existed on HOR.

She had moved into the thick forest next to the clearing at the river that was their camp. Goran had wanted her to practice her weapons out of sight if there should be anyone possibly near enough, though she doubted anyone could be the way he continually watched. He stood behind her in the trees and called out targets: a knot in a tree 30 yards away; a hanging piece of fruit; a tree 50 yards away and barely visible through multiple trees in between. Out of 3 dozen shots she had only missed on one, a hanging piece of fruit the size of a medium cantaloupe at 40 yards, the equivalent of an ill-advised headshot. After retrieving all the arrows but the one miss, she returned to the fire where Goran was stirring the coals under newly placed wood as darkness quickly draped over them.

"You're ready... if you don't freeze at the critical moment."

Cat stared boldly at the man next to her. "I've killed before."

He answered without turning to her, "Yes, I know you have. I don't want you to forget, though... it is one thing to kill from a distance with a bullet and something else at arm's length by slicing up someone you look in the face at." He paused and turned his attention to her. "Sorry, Cat. I am not doubting you. I have trained many men and none have responded to it as you have. It's just... that first up-close kill... it's the hardest."

"You're right... I know... I've felt that, already." He jerked his eyes to hers. She had never told him that before. "It was a sentry. I could feel his blood on my fingers after I cut his throat." He looked at her with new understanding and approval. He learned some details about her almost by accident. She did not brag about her accomplishments, experience, or talents. He nodded without saying more. Being humble about yourself kept you honest and desiring improvement.

He began talking about Santini and Bartle. The short answer was Santini wanted to kill Bartle, the warlord in the adjacent region. They have long been fierce rivals, which led to the longer answer. Santini has long had visions of expanding his region of influence and control. In his mind, he saw himself as capable of ruling like a king. It has been the presence of Bartle that has limited his ability to seek that dream. Bartle, on the other hand, is a warlord out of necessity to constrain the aggressive nature of Santini. As Santini holds control by wielding power through fear and threat, Bartle has established a near utopia in comparison. It might resemble an efficient socialist society in which everyone pulls their weight and receives equivalent rewards. His army is largely volunteer, though he encourages several years of service as young men followed by reserve availability in the case of a regional threat. Where Santini is feared by the people in his region and enjoys a life of riches while the people are left struggling from his taxes, Bartle lives modestly in the heart of the largest city living not on taxes imposed but on the assets of the several enterprises he continues to effectively manage with his twin sons. His position of leadership was thrust on him in a time of threat from roaming mercenaries and nearby warlords seeking expansion into a thriving region.

Goran paused and in the flickering light of the campfire he gazed out beyond the river, in the direction Cat knew to be the jagged, snow-capped mountains now shrouded in the black of night. She sat patiently and waited. As much as Santini wanted to expand his influence and increase his wealth by the addition of a thriving region like Bartle's, he was also consumed by the lust for riches rumored to be beyond those peaks that have rejected all attempts in the past. His vision is to amass a massive combined army to probe the mountains in search of a way over. It's as if he thinks the land on the other side will yield riches just lying on the ground waiting for someone to claim.

When Goran fell silent, again, Cat ventured a question. "But, Master, you said the draw of mystery surrounding what lay beyond the mountains all but died out as all expeditions failed miserably in death on the slopes. Why is he so determined and confident?"

His initial response was merely a chuckle... a sad, weary chuckle. "Ironically... me." He wearily stretched his body out alongside the fire and put his arm out. Cat eagerly slid into the inviting embrace, stretching her naked body alongside his. She almost purred in his arm and waited for him to continue in explanation.

Santini believed that Goran had either discovered a way to the other side or was taken there in some favor-for-favor arrangement Goran was known for sometimes accepting as payment for a service provided. He also believed that the borsin Goran rode was an animal from the other side. Though merely speculative on Santini's part, he was correct, of course. Goran had tried to brush the speculation off as more ridiculous fantasy over legends and that the borsin was only discovered and captured in the far northern wilderness, another region of untamed mystery that was forbidding because of the long, harsh winters and fierce inhabitants who lived in small individual groups except when they would band together to harass and drive off anyone entering with guerilla-style warfare. He wasn't appeased, however. Even if that could be true, he argued, a similar borsin would have been reported.

"I have always considered Santini to be brutal, blood-thirsty, treacherous, and singularly focused on his ego. I underestimated his thought process. Underneath his impulse to achieve his goals by reckless, impulsive use of his army is a mind capable of thought. It makes him more dangerous than I had considered."

Cat snuggled into his side but she was highly interested in what he was saying. "So, if he wasn't satisfied by your response..."

Goran chuckled. "The bottom line is he needs me so he wasn't about to be too offended. He knows I might be the only one who can get close enough to Bartle and capable of assassinating him and surviving. He also knows that if I have been to the other side of the mountains, I am the only one. No, he needs me and that was how I could drive the price so high." She shifted up to look questioningly at him. He laughed. "No, I have no intention of killing Bartle. He is one of the good ones, but I have to figure out what I am going to do. I can't just walk away with Santini's down payment and not be hunted myself... more than I already am, anyway."

He warned Santini it was a dangerous and intricate venture being asked. He would need time to get a lay of the city and compound, then plan, and verify the plan. He assured Santini he would get word to him after the next full moon (the smaller one). Santini wanted to attack after Bartle was found dead.

"Master... I thought Bartle had two sons. Wouldn't leadership transfer to one of them?"

"Santini is counting on the twins to conflict for control and power. He thinks the chaos of the bickering sons will leave them defenseless. He might ordinarily be correct, too."

"Ordinarily, Master?"

He pulled her back into his side and stroked her bare body. "Yes... ordinarily. I have to think of a way to keep that from happening. First, we go see Bartle. Then, we need to make a trip."

She realized what he was up to. "We're going to be working with Bartle, not against him." Goran hugged Cat tight. But Goran had taken Santini's money, Cat thought. How was he going to manage this?

At the first pre-dawn sounds of the HOR birds, Cat slithered under the furs covering the two of them. She took pride and pleasure in bringing him to an early climax to start the day and, as far as she was concerned, starting her day swallowing a load of his cum could only be topped by his cum in her pussy. As strange as all this seemed to her when she considered her life now, being with Goran like this, his slave, was freeing and satisfying. She knew he trusted and respected her mind and thought process. He thought issues out himself, then brought the issue and his thoughts to her, the two of them working solutions out. But she was always mindful of the primitive nature of society on HOR. She considered that Goran's greater experience with on HOR might require what could seem an irrational path, because HOR was in many ways just that, irrational. Then, there was the trust Goran had in her physical abilities. He had brought out in her what he called the warrior. He honed her skills far beyond what the Marines had required of her as a field leader whose primary responsibility was science interrogation and investigation. The martial arts training she thought she was taking to stay in shape now appeared to have fed a part of her she hadn't comprehended at the time. She took to the training with the sword, dagger, and bow as if it were an extension of herself. The praise and approval she received from Goran with her training pressed her on with untiring dedication.

Later, Cat stopped in her efforts at packing up the camp equipment and watched Goran pull on his hide pants and boots before reaching for his belt and weapons. Deep inside the other pack were the pants he had acquired for her. He caught her gaze, let his weapons drop back to the ground, and pulled her up to stand in his arms. His hands freely caressed her naked back, then created a small space between them to fondle her breasts, a hand slide down to her abdomen, and slipping between her thighs she opened in anticipation for him. His finger slid along her pussy lips, touched her clit, and brought a sigh from her. His finger parted her pussy lips and slid through them, her seemingly ever-present juices allowing the finger to easily part her lips as he teased his finger at her hole. She unconsciously lowered her body slightly to encourage penetration.

The motion of her body wasn't lost on him. When she opened her eyes, he was gazing intently into them. He smiled and kissed her. With one hand, she loosened his pants and pushed the waist below his hardening cock. His hands slid up her body, gripping her under her arms, and lifted her. She assisted with a bounce and wrapped her arms and legs around him, her eyes holding his was lust-filled. She gasped, her mouth opening as his hard cock pressed between her legs. Between them, his hand assisting in directing his cock and she moving her ass over it, she was penetrated, just the head inside her. She knew what was coming and her entire body quivered in preparation. Despite the increase in muscle weight her body had packed on, their combined strength made such maneuvers seem almost effortless to them. Their eyes locked on each other's, a small smile formed on Goran's mouth, and Cat's mouth opened in anticipation. He all but let go his grip on her ass. She fell the full length of his marvelous cock, impaling her deep and powerfully before his grip stopped her dropped as she hit the base of his cock.

Cat's head dropped backward; her eyes open but rolling back until he saw mostly the whites. The drop didn't just jam his cock fiercely deep into her but mercilessly crushed her clit against his pelvic bone.

She cried out, then exclaimed, "OH... FUCK... MASTER!"

Between his hands and her arms and legs, she bounced up and down on the pole she sat on. He lasted a long time having already cum earlier. It was on her second orgasm that he joined her. When she raised her face from his neck with the subsiding of the earthquake within her body, she was surprised to see he had carried her to the edge of the river. He indicated with his chin across the river. Still clenched together, still sitting on his cock, she turned her head. On the other shore was a herd of animals she thought of as 'deer'. They weren't quite the same, nothing seemed quite the same, but it was the closest thing on Earth. And, like the deer on Earth, they somehow held the same peacefulness and intrigue of the natural world.

He moved her slightly so she could feel his cock still hard inside her. "What are you?"

Without hesitation, "Your slave, Master." Whatever thoughts of belongings she might have been musing on before were gone.

"What is your duty?"

"Obedience and your pleasure, Master."

He raised her and could feel his cock was losing hardness. "You are a perfect slave for me, Cat. And, we are a perfect fit." She giggled at that and he chuckled, "No... well, yes, that way, too... but you are a perfect fit in other ways, too. And, soon you will be more."

Cat tilted her head, "More than perfect, Master?"

He smiled as he lifted her off his softening cock. Cum dripped from her gaping pussy as she stood before him. "When the time is right, you will be more than a slave."

After several days of crossing the river, passing through a dense forest, then navigating down across and up a deep canyon, they stopped to make camp. It was early but Goran said they were within a final day of the city containing Bartle's compound.

Cat and Goran cared for the borsin, as always, before setting up the camp and considering their own needs. Goran assisted Cat onto its back and lifted leather, collapsible buckets of water from the lake they stopped at. Cat, being naked, poured the water over its back and brushed the hide to both cool it and to wash out the mix of its sweat and their own from the long ride. After sliding off and gracefully landing on her feet in a crouch, she did the same to its legs, massive chest, and belly. It was a magnificent creature and despite its orneriness exhibited to her compared to its response to Goran she was very much drawn to it. The countless times she had performed this task seemed to be working somewhat in her favor with the creature but she still felt she was trying to get a small, obstinate elephant to cooperate.

Goran was watching with delight. Cat had set her shoulder into the borsin's front leg, her feet several feet back as she tried to muscle the borsin to move out of a muddy puddle that had been created in the process of washing him. She finally threw up her hands in exasperation.

"The hell with you!" she shouted at it. "You can have muddy hooves, then!"

She turned away to find Goran desperate to hold back laughter she could see was filling up inside him. He was kneeling creating a fire ring of rocks and piling kindling inside the circle. His attempts to keep the huge smile from his mouth were about to fail miserably when she strode up to him and stopped with her fists pressed into her beautiful hips and her feet planted determinedly at shoulder width, a posture reflecting her frustration. He looked up at her with all her significant charms on full display: her skin bore a sheen of sweat from her efforts; her heaving chest was a magnet to highlight her large, firm breasts; and, her legs parted in the defiant posture presented her shaved pussy clearly, especially from his position on the ground.

She took several deep breaths, which to Goran, only drew more attention to her breasts. He could see her frustration was at a point that made the time possible. It seemed crazy even to him to suggest. To his knowledge, it hadn't been done in anyone's memory, but there was the legend...

He decided the camp set up and food could wait. He moved to their equipment, pulling her allow with him. He sat on the ground, his back against one of the packs, his legs bent and open with his hands reaching out for her. The tension and frustration that had filled her slipped away as she settled between his legs and leaned back into his body, his hands crossing onto her front. One hand cupped a breast while the other idly stroked her stomach to her mound. She sighed and felt her body drain of the tension as the soft, erotic sensations replaced it. Goran used his hands to soothe Cat. The borsin was a spectacular physical creature of natural power and impression. He had never had a similar reaction to any other creature until Cat. Although different, she exuded a similar impression to him but magnified by beauty and eroticism. Perhaps, if it were any other woman, all this might not be possible.