Ogres and Ogresses

Chapter 12:

Denial

The flap of her tent opened, milky light spilling in the darkness. She moaned as she rose up expecting to see Ginger.

"Couldn't you have waited until morning?"

Her breath caught when she saw who was leaning into her tent. It was a bare-chested Kail. Glinting auburn fire swept precariously over his owlish eyes, eyes that were stared through her.

"No," Kail rumbled. "I couldn't."

She was frozen stiff as he closed the flap behind him and crawled towards her. Her lips quivered to speak anything to covey her distress.

"What are you—"

"Shh..." he whispered leaning over her rigid nude body.

The day had been warm so she was naked, the cool breeze of the night had helped her burning skin. Now it made her vulnerable laying her bare to the creature above her.

"Kail you mustn't..." she tried, but he put a warm finger to her lips.

"Relax love. I know what I'm doing."

Suddenly he enveloped her in a kiss, holding her naked breasts against his own muscular bare chest.

The overwhelming urge to bend to his strength overcame her. She leant back wantonly as he kissed her neck, a warm hand massaging her nipple.

"Kail..." she whimpered.

He lay on top of her, grinding his arousal against her moistening flesh. Her hands wrapped around his back, holding onto him desperately.

"Kail..."

His hand drifted from her face and trailed past her stomach to nestle just above her groin.

"Do you want me?" he asked in a deep honeyed voice.

"Don't tease me," she protested.

"Tell me you want me. Say it Zyra."

"Kail

touch

me. Go lower...please..."

"Tell me you want me and I

will.

"

"Kail I..."

"Zyra, wake up."

"I..."

"Auntie! Auntie Zyra wake up!"

Wake up...?

...

What the...!

Zyra shot up like an arrow. She was sweating profusely, her skin covered by a layer of perspiration. Looking around her tent she saw she was alone. She was naked which she expected, but she was also very wet.

Not all of her wetness was from her sweat.

"Fuckta! Fuckta Fuckta Fuckta!" she cursed.

"Zyra?"

Looking up she realized that the person was outside her tent.

"Zyra, mommy said you have a hunt."

Oh, her hunt! She had overslept! For the first time in 15 years she had overslept!

"Coming Nima!" she said as she frantically threw on her clothing and splashed her face with water.

Grabbing her spear she sprung out of the tent, nearly colliding with the long lanky child.

"How are you today Nima?" Zyra wiped a hand across her wet brow to push away the cool water that dribbled into her eyes.

"Good," Nima replied happily. "And you?"

"Good thank you," she said, avoiding the child's eyes.

She was not good. She had dreamt that she and the...the ogre of all things were about to...and she had nearly...and she actually...

Dear God.

"Who is Kail?"

Zyra halted. The sky was falling. The fucking sky was falling.

Mortification wrapped Zyra up into a tiny ball of regret and shame.

She gazed upon Nima in absolute horror. Zyra swallowed and cleared her throat, hitting her chest a few times.

"Um...Nima,

Sweetie

...how— how do you know that name

honey?"

Nima looked up at her with her wide innocent eyes.

"I heard you say it from outside. Is he mean to you?"

Yes.

"No honey, where did you get that?"

Nima wrinkled her nose, seemingly in irritation.

"You told him not to tease you."

Zyra could only stare at Nima before she abruptly dropped to her level.

"Nima honey would you like to know a secret?"

Nima's whole face brightened as she nodded excitedly.

"Then you have to keep it a secret between me and you."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

"Good. Now um..."

Zyra looked upward as though the sky might provide her an alibi.

"Kail is...a friendly wood spirit and he uh...lives in...the wood. The woods around our tribe land!"

"Wow..."

"Yes wow. So he's

mischievous,

so sometimes he might tease me. But I'm not supposed to know he's there. If anyone was to find out that I know him, he'd have to disappear."

"Oh no!"

"So can you keep it a secret that I was saying his name? Or he'll have to go away."

Nima nodded sternly as though she would take the information to her grave. This is why she loved this child. If Ginger had been sent to wake her all hell would have broken loose.

"Good," Zyra said smiling. "The secret is just between us."

"Okay Auntie."

Zyra smiled and picked up the girl. Hoisting her on her back she began to run to the location of the hunt. Nima giggled as she held onto her neck.

"Can I ask one more question?" she asked innocently.

No.

"If you must."

"Why did you ask him to touch you?"

"...he has...magic...powers. That heal!"

"Oh wow."

"Yeah, he's...something alright."

When she arrived her huntresses were already assembled. They looked at her strangely.

"Sy yah aya sisna?"

"Are you alright sister?" Henna asked.

Hah,"

Zyra said. "Yes."

She wondered why they were talking in code when she saw the ogre standing by the edge of their land. In his hands was the bow.

"You may enter," Zyra said gritting her teeth.

The memory of him sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine.

He walked forward and gave a slight bow. Then he presented the gift to Henna. She and the huntresses gathered around it. It was a bow, but it was different then their own. The string was still twine, the bow was still wood. Yet at the ends ornate curls were carved in it. It was slightly thicker than their original bows, but it was not heavy. Along the wood on side where Henna would draw the string was a cut notch for the arrows.

"I also made you an arrow to try."

They turned to him and he produced a wooden arrow that resembled a spike. The stone point was thin and instead of feathers at the end, there were two wooden splits. She could grab the splits to pull it back.

"We shall try it during the hunt," Zyra declared. "We will give results when we return."

She turned to Henna who tried to hide the grin on her face. Then they ran into the forest. The hunt lasted until early afternoon. The first kill had been a shot Perkadu. It had been a shot that went right through the heart, and it belonged to Henna.

No one was more shocked then Henna about her kill. Henna had poor arm strength. She could not heft a spear but she had difficultly pulling back a bow string. She was only a huntress because she was incredibly agile and fast. She was able to keep up with prey and her shouts could keep them on the prey's trail. That morning Henna alone killed three beasts. Kail's bow was amazing. Zyra ended up cutting the hunting session short. They had enough meat and her sisters were too excited to focus. They were starting to make stupid mistakes.

"Let's just go back now," Zyra said dismissively.

Her eyes widened in surprise when her sisters grabbed up the meat and ran towards the tribe to pick out weapons for Kail's repair.

Really? They had to

run?

She shook her head in embarrassment for them. If the ogre realized how successful he had been it would only go to his head.

"So I'm guessing they like my work?"

Figures.

Zyra swung around and saw Kail watching her expectantly. His hands were behind his back and he feigned calmness, but she could see the pride glittering in his eyes. She was not amused.

"How do you keep doing that?" she asked angrily.

He raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Sneaking up on me! You're twice my size, how can you be so quiet?"

The ogre laughed, his whole frame shaking in amusement.

"Well, I

am

an ogre," he explained.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

He pouted before walking a few steps closer to her.

"Do you really know nothing about magical culture?"

"Of course I do. There are just so many sources available to me," Zyra replied sarcastically.

"No need to be rude," the ogre chuckled.

Zyra rolled her eyes and began to walk away. She listened for sound as he caught up to her pace and walked beside her. He was soundless.

"I can teach you," he quipped. She frowned heavily and examined his chipper state.

"They really made your day didn't they?"

"My month actually," he corrected. "With so many weapons I'm sure to be quite busy."

"Good for you," she grumbled. "Now what did you mean by 'I'm an ogre?' Is it common?"

"Could we stop for a moment?"

She gave out a ragged sigh and paused to turn to

him. He gave her a mischievous grin in exchange.

"Allow me educate you. Ogres like all magical beings have a few powers. We are strong but that is normal for most magical creatures. What sets us apart is our ability to see emotion during the night and our soundlessness. This could be vital in an instance where we are attacked at night. The enemy can't hide or sneak up on us, and we could fight or run away quite successfully."

Zyra nodded, thinking about the times he had made noise.

"But... I've heard you..."

"Sometimes I'll make noise in order to avoid startling you," he said before she could finish. "If noise is made, it's intentional."

"I see," Zyra said feeling sheepish. So he was humoring her? He could sneak up on her at any moment and she would be caught off guard every time. Maybe she should put a bell on him.

"Do you...have any more powers?" she asked curiously.

"A few," he admitted. "Why?"

Her strange dreams suddenly came into focus. Back in the magical land he had spoken to her and showed her images of herself being defiled. Here she had another. Could he be the cause?

"I'm just asking," she said walking back towards the tribe land. "I mean, you wouldn't happen to have more powers over the night, would you?"

"Like?"

"Like power over dreams for example."

She didn't hear him respond and she stopped to look behind her. He was smirking, his lips twisted in dark amusement.

"Are you having strange dreams Zyra?"

She turned from him and stalked away.

"Never mind!" she growled angrily.

She heard him laughing before her right arm was grabbed and she was spun around.

"Wait, wait. I'm sorry," he said chuckling. "I'm sorry. Please stay. I'll answer your question."

Her frown turned into a grimace as she crossed her arms expectantly. His lips quivered as he tried to keep his laughter in. She watched him fight to keep a straight face.

"These dreams...am I in these dreams?"

She was seized by a fit of rage as she felt more and more that the ogre was making a fool of her.

"Bun bú raw!"

she screamed and turned again.

Kail snatched her arm and turned her back again, trying to stop his chuckling in vain.

"Wait wait wait! Hehe I'm sorry. I'm sorry Zyra. Just...hehe...give me a minute..."

The time it took for him to compose himself was enough time for Zyra to make hatred her primary emotion regarding him. He cleared his throat, his hands still on her arms.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

She glared at him. Zyra had told him to burn in hell.

When he realized how angry he was making her, his

mirth hid itself.

"Tell me Zyra, am I in your dreams?"

"Are you sending them or not?"

"No," Kail finally revealed. "But I can help you stop them."

So there was hope? All she had to do was remain vague about the contents of the dreams.

"How?"

Kail examined her curiously. "Well, what are your dreams about?"

She froze, guilt misting over her eyes. She swallowed hard, trying to repress the graphic images that lay in her subconscious. Before she could recover her poise, Kail saw through her. He looked down at her with sudden growing intensity.

"Ah...I see."

No! He wasn't allowed to see, no one was!

Zyra yanked herself away from him, facing him defiantly so he would not feel the need to turn her around.

"I dreamt that I banished you to the rest of human villages and lied to the witches' council about your health."

Kail ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "You are an awful liar Zyra. You must not tell lies often. How admirable."

He took a step forward and she once again took a step back. After three steps she turned to make sure she wasn't backing into a tree. When she looked back he was almost touching her chest. Gently he clasped her chin and tilted it upward to look into his face.

"Actually I've had dreams of you too," he said quietly. His eyes dragged lazily along her face, sliding like a hand down the length of her body. "Would you like to hear about them?"

"No."

Zyra pushed his hands away from her head, but he turned her face back like she was a fussing child refusing to eat.

Why was she letting him touch her?

"Zyra—"

"I know what this is!" She smacked his hand away viciously and glared at him. "You're trying to manipulate me. You want to fluster me so I can't lead properly."

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"That is what you think? You can't accept that I desire you?"

She shook her head in disgust. "You don't want me ogre! You're just desperate and lonely enough that you'd stick your prick into anything! Carnal needs? Please. How will a big green boulder..."

"Let me show you," he snapped. "How will you know if you don't try?"

She could see him losing his patience. It made her feel like she was gaining power. She could affect him. He wasn't invincible.

"Why would I let you near me?" she asked scathingly. "I don't even know why you were exiled! In my tribe cowards and traitors are the only ones exiled. Is it easy to play brave now? When you're in a village of human women?"

"Zyra, stop it."

"Or are you planning on betraying us? Hoping to sneak in a couple fucks before you kill us?"

"Enough!"

The boom in his normally soft voice startled her. He glared at her angrily, the power of the burning sun in his gaze. Without a word he grabbed her by the front of her tunic and pushed her into the back of a tree. Her heart began to race as his feral eyes cut through her.

"Don't you

ever

assume you know me," he growled.

Her heart skipped a beat and dropped queasily into her stomach. She clamped her teeth together, refusing to show the fear on her face.

"And I told you to call me Kail. Apologize, you've insulted me." He growled at her cruelly, his glistening fangs looked like menacing daggers. "You know how to do that much, don't you human?"

She had never seen this side of him. Zyra started to wonder if she brought out the worst in people. Even so, her pride kept her silent. They stared each other down. She could see him getting tenser by the second.

"You can't do that much?" he asked.

"If you're not trying to manipulate me then what?" she shouted.

"What?"

Kail chuckled humorlessly, tossing his auburn head back and forth. "You really are thick headed."

"Put me dow...!"

She was cut off by him crashing his lips into hers. She squeaked when she felt his hands under her hips. In one fluid motion he lifted her up against the tree and pressed himself between her legs, keeping her airborne and trapped against his body. His right hand tangled in her hair and he pulled her head back to deepen the kiss.

Zyra shook at the force of his passion. It was crushing her. She protested in loud angry moans that his lips swallowed up. With practiced skill, Kail spread her lips apart and swept his tongue inside her mouth. She froze, terrified at the thought of his fangs ripping up her lips. But he was gentle, he took his time in tasting her mouth. Sucking her hungrily he pressed harder against her. The thin tip of his tongue raked the roof of her mouth sending tingles down her throat. She struggled viciously at the sensitivity it caused her.

Zyra began burning up as heat pooled in her stomach. Her clothes were too heavy, too cumbersome against her enflamed flesh. She was angry at herself for being so powerless, disturbed when she found that she craved him.

For once she wasn't in charge.

The thought sent fear into her heart and heat to her groin. He heard her whimper and his eyes narrowed He could feel her melting in his arms. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, hoping in vain to injure him. Zyra was losing air. Her mind was becoming cloudy from lust and air depravation. She was getting dizzy. Her resistance had a new meaning.

Stop! I can't breathe! You're going to kill me!

Kail!

Maybe that was his intention.

She was sure she was going to pass out when he pulled his lips away from her abruptly.

"Apologize!" he snarled.

"Sorry," she huffed out breathlessly. She gulped air up like she had been underwater, shivering in his arms. "I...m...sorry..."

He rested his face in the crook of her neck as he caught his own breath. She could feel her heartbeat racing in the veins of her neck. Zyra blinked in confusion as her reason returned to her.

What had just happened?

Before she could demand that he put her down, he grabbed her right hand. She watched dumbly as he pulled it towards him. Without warning he plunged the hand into his breeches. It took her oxygen deprived brain a few moments to realize what she was touching.

"What the..."

"Stop your shrieking and feel me Zyra."

No.

No no no!

She was not touching it. She was not touching it.

She was talking to Ginger about cloths and bra bindings. She was not touching the ogre. She was nowhere near his cock. Nowhere.

Defiantly she clenched her hand in a fist. He grunted in irritation.

"I am not putting you down until you do."

"I did."

"And what did you feel?"

"Skin."

"You barely grazed it. What else?"

"..."

She couldn't answer him. Was he looking for the obvious answer?

"Try again," he demanded.

He didn't move as promised. Letting out a large sigh she imagined Rell's manhood. It was just like that, Zyra told herself. It might be strange looking and all together harmless. It didn't have teeth or anything...it wouldn't tighten around her wrist. Or ooze something that would immobilize her...or snake up and dig against her mound...or...no, ogre members were just members...

Yes?

Yes.

She flattened her hand against it and the first thing she felt was a pulse.

Holy fuckta it was alive.

"Ah!" she shouted pulling her hand away. He

forced it back down and looked at her with unbridled rage.

"You're embarrassing yourself," he said in calm even tone. "If you keep this up, I'm going to take you against this tree."

"I'll scream," she threatened.

"I'll be

inside

you before that."

She gulped. There was too much promise behind that threat to risk it.

Steeling her nerves she flattened her palm again. She frowned heavily but she noticed something crucial. He was hard, extremely hard, inches from being made of stone. He was also thick; four of the fingers on her palm clenched together were the width of him. Yet her pressed hand had not measured the full length of him and he was hot and throbbing. Her cheeks stained maroon.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

"You're hard," she mumbled avoiding his gaze.

"What was that?"

"...I said you're hard."

"I'm hard for you Zyra," he corrected. "I

want

to fuck you. To think that I would have an ulterior motive for seducing you is disgraceful. Even for a skeptic like you."

Then he dropped her.

She landed in a disgraceful lump on the ground. Pulling up she watched as he adjusted his pants to fit back over this hips. The v was as tantalizing as ever.

"Another thing about ogres," he said tying the knot of his pants tightly. "We take slander very seriously." He began to walk away, leaving her like a whore in the middle of the forest. She refused to be insulted that way.

"Fine, I believe you."

He stopped midstride and looked over his shoulder in surprise.