***** Lust Laden Lament *****
There was something peaceful about the darkness. A cool breeze rustled the leaves that shook and shimmied above, and Tani'm could sense them all sway in the gentle wind as she settled back into darkness. Her body was weak, and her mind had taken shelter from her plight, receding back into some unknown but familiar place. The last thing she remembered, was the wolf standing on her chest. Her arm- Ohh god, her arm... the beast had been using all its might to pull it from her body, and... the sound, the terrible sound came back to her then.
Panic threatened to rise up and consume her, the memory a painful bruise that refused to heal. The breeze was still there, and the leaves, everything a soothing caress that blanketed her in calm and kept her from teetering over the edge into terror. The moonlight felt cool as it danced across her skin, the clouds having given way, allowing the full moon to look down upon her ruined state. Tani'm's thoughts kept coming back to her arm, every fiber of her being knowing that it was gone, and her mind seeming to accept that reality with almost no qualm or question.
She could feel a contented sigh leave her lips, even as consciousness refused to grant her an audience, and again the cool breeze brushed across her body, rustling her leaves with a soft and gentle prod. It took several moments for the strangeness of that thought to strike her, and as it did she was reminded of The Glade; her experience with the great maple which rested near the shore of that wonderful, majestic pond bubbling to the surface of her thoughts.
Somehow, she could feel the tree she was resting beneath, the massive sentinel becoming an extension of herself as she basked in her magical slumber. Moments began fading, one into the next, time seeming to slip by in an alien way as the light, water and wind took center stage within her conscious mind.
There was a deep foreboding within the forest, the tree seeming to sense something terrible and dangerous, but as she lay there, the mighty forest speaking to her in a gentle sylvan whisper, she felt the threat vanish. One moment it was there, a tremendous malevolent force that disrupted and distorted the fragile balance of that delicate place, and then it was just gone, the entire forest seeming to relax in the wake of its disappearance.
At some point a strange noise echoed out from the distance, though Tani'm had a hard time knowing if it had been before or after the forest seemed to relax. The breeze and cool sensation of water at her feet muddied her thoughts and skewed her perception. In that moment, she decided that life was glorious, feasting of the soil while drinking from the sky was an existence she could embrace.
Then, as she began to settle into the languid life she had started to accept, nearby voices drew her back into her body. Tani'm's fingers and toes wiggled as she felt the tree drift from her consciousness, and as her eyes began to open, blinking away her slumber, she was surprised to find that she never even considered using her right arm as she tried to stand. It didn't make her task any easier though, and as she attempted to lift herself up, she slipped and fell, failing to find purchase.
Andrew was there in an instant, his small hand with his thin and agile fingers reaching out towards her.
"Here, let me help," he offered, and she smiled at his tone, his face a portrait of gleeful encouragement.
Tani'm reached forward, and a moment before his steely grip took hold, she felt it — a magical bolt of energy that placed something within her; a flicker of light that skittered and danced in the center of her being. It felt warm, content and loving, but foreign and dangerous as well. She tried to deny her reality, to refuse admitting that a bond had just been planted within her, but Andrew's smiling face made that an impossibility.
He lifted her with surprising ease, and the startled woman was barely on her feet before she yanked her hand from Andrew's grip, the small man taking a step back and looking at her with surprise in his eyes. He glanced around as he spoke.
"The wolf is no longer here."
Sara was there too, and despite her missing right hand and scared up shoulder, she was tall and majestic, the picture of athletic beauty. Thunderfoot was resting at her feet, watching Tani'm with worry and compassion shining out from his large innocent eyes. Tani'm noticed the large furrows of torn up skin that etched a path between Sara's perfect c-cup breasts, an obvious sign of the battle she had been in.
"Just..." Tani'm began, panic in her voice as she took a few steps back. "Just stay away from me."
Her heart was a drum, pounding away in her chest, any sense of calm that the forest had given was replaced by terror at what had just happened. There was concern in Andrew and Sara's eyes, and while she could see Andrew's lips moving, she could not hear his words over the sound of her own heart, which beat with a panic driven fervor, echoing out through her body and drowning out everything else.
She turned and sprinted into the forest, the periphery of her vision lost as she made a mad dash through her emerald home. It wasn't until she collapsed to the ground some time later, that she began to consider what had been done. Sweat saturated her clothing and stuck her long black hair to her body, muscles twitching and aching against the exertion she had put them though.
After rolling to her back, she could tell that the moon was much further across the sky, and realized she must have been running for hours. An owl hooted off in the distance, and many rodents and small creatures shifted in their burrows. The forest was once more alive, the animals already adjusting back to the lives they had lived before the wolf had invaded their home.
Tani'm's left hand came to her chest, the flutter of that foreign invader felt deep within her body and drawing her attention like an itch that would not be scratched. As she caressed her chest, she almost expected to feel it there, dancing beneath the surface, but all she felt was her shivering body and the small puncture wounds from when the wolf had ripped her arm from her.
She released a deep sigh, the warm gust of air declaring her worry, but doing nothing to alleviate it. The clouds from earlier that night were gone, leaving an open mural of celestial beauty above her, the milky way sparkling in the firmament. As she lay there, her heart finally settled and her skin stopped its quivering dance, allowing her to wallow in her worry.
Through all that time, she was no closer to knowing what to do. Andrew was there within her, she felt him, but she felt no need to go to him. No draw that demanded her action. Instead, she found herself lying there, the soft mossy soil soothing her body, while her mind raced for an answer. She loved the life she had built, and the twinkling stars that shone in the sky above gave voice to the wonders she craved.
There, in that small clearing, she was free in a way she hadn't been for most of her life. Her parent's no longer laid claim to her power, and the Quinault Indian Nation gave her the freedom she knew she deserved, asking very little in return. It had taken a lot for her to find that independence, and she loathed the idea of giving that up to anyone. She felt it again, that flickering movement of something within her mind; Andrew and his foul magic.
Animals began to stir far off at the edge of her ability, a stream of disruption was leading a direct path towards her, small animals taking shelter as it moved ever closer.
The wolf was gone, she knew that with a certainty she did not question, and so Tani'm didn't bother to rise. She didn't even turn her head as Thunderfoot bounded into the clearing, the large rabbit darting over to her and rubbing her shoulder with the side of his face.
She reached up and caressed his cheek, the playful animal pressing his face into her hand with such force, that once she removed it, he fell to the side, a chortling laugh escaping his mouth as the jackalope's body slid in beside her.
His antlers were broad and heavy, but he maneuvered them with skill as he fell, the rabbit shimmying its body and kicking its arms and legs until it was pressed up against her, both of them looking up towards the heavens.
There was so much joy in the animal that it radiated from him, threatening to overwhelm her sour mood. Every few seconds he would jerk his head, lightly slapping her with the side of his antlers, chortling and snorting with glee as she grumbled at his new game.
