The Damesdure Raiders

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Copyright © 2021 C. D. Fable

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All characters appearing in this story are over the age of 18.

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Frigid winter winds howled through the dark cave. A snowbank covered the bottom half of the narrow entrance. Thick, dagger-like icicles hung from above. Snow clung to the pine trees that made up the surrounding boreal forest. The grey overcast sky seemed to stretch from one horizon to the other, a continuous blanket of grey contrasting the white snow below. A stillness hung throughout the land.

Within the cave, Gaine and Bien were clad in thick furs and pelts, huddled together near a small fire. Various small forest game roasted over the open flames, and foraged vegetables flanked the edges of the firepit.

"Are you still cold?" asked Gaine, looking down at Bien.

"I'm always cold. But between you and the fire it's manageable." He smiled up at her.

She pulled him closer and gave him a sideways hug, nestling his head between her muscular arm and chest. The fire danced within her warm amber eyes. It matched her curly red hair and lightly freckled face. She crossed her legs and, with little effort, scooped Bien up and placed him between them, resting his head on her well-wrapped mounds.

"Better?" she asked, running her fingers through his tawny hair.

"Much," replied Bien with a satisfied shiver. He leaned forward and inspected their paltry meal. "Sorry it's not much," he said, holding up a rather pathetic-looking carrot. He couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with it. The sparse meals and dire survival conditions took a toll on his body. He still had his strong square jaw, broad back, and overall muscular definition from years of manual labor, but everything was becoming less so. His new beard was the only notable exception. While his face was more ruggedly handsome than ever, his brown eyes now held a weariness within them.

In this regard, the fae curse which granted Gaine and the other Damesdure their unnatural size and strength was a double-edged sword. Her body had not faltered in the slightest, but she now felt exhausted after even light activity. She very nearly fell asleep mid-fight with the bear whose fur now kept them warm and alive. A grizzly affair, to say the least.

This left Bien to do all the hunting and foraging, though hunting may be a generous description of what he was doing.

"Any trouble out there today?" asked Gaine.

Bien remained silent, poking at the dwindling fire.

"Bien?"

"I had that feeling again," he said begrudgingly. "I'm probably just on edge after our last close call."

"Did you see anything?"

"I- maybe? I thought I did. It was probably just a deer."

Gaine drew a long breath and closed her eyes. "I think maybe we should move again."

Bien pulled away from her. "It's probably nothing. I'm just paranoid."

"These woods are old Bien. Even the dryads and alraune don't make roots here. I get the feeling that whatever is here doesn't want us around."

"What if the clan is out there right now? Their last search party got way too close. And how do you know it's not a dryad?"

"If it was a dryad they'd have fired a warning shot, which means you'd have an arrow between your heart and lungs. And that's assuming they're not from the same garden Avide betrayed. It wasn't a dryad." She looked to the cave entrance and lowered her voice. "And the clan doesn't usually push this deep into these woods. There are... stories. I thought maybe we'd be better off taking our chances with stories." She looked back to Bien. "But if you think something might be out there- I may have brought us somewhere far more dangerous."

"I think I'll take my chance with the stories over the snowstorm that's just getting started. You barely have energy enough to stay awake all day, let alone make a dangerous trek. While very pregnant, I might add."

She placed her hand on her protruding belly. "The last time someone didn't heed dangerous stories I ended up capturing them."

Bien placed his hand atop hers. "See," he said, looking up to her with a smirk, "it all worked out."

"Did it? This baby will grow up in a cave if we don't figure something out. And that's assuming we survive this."

"I've delivered horses in worse."

"I'm not a horse, Bien."

"No, you're much stronger, so it should be even easier."

"Bien." She paused. "We can't keep this up."

He let out a long sigh as his smirk faded. "I know," he said, pushing himself to his feet and walking behind Gaine. He rubbed her shoulders, working out the knots beneath her muscles. "But we've nowhere to go. I trust your instincts, but we won't last more than an hour once that storm picks up." He gently kissed the side of her neck. "If you really think we need to leave then we will as soon as the storm breaks."

"Thank you," said Gaine, feeling both a metaphorical and physical sense of relief.

Without turning, she reached behind her and toppled Bien over her shoulder, pulling him into a tender embrace. As tender as someone with her brute strength could manage. Regardless of the vice-like nature of her hugs, they always made Bien feel safe. He squirmed himself into a position where they could be face to face. Their eyes closed, and they shared a long, gentle kiss.

"You know," said Gaine as their lips parted, "I have a little energy after that meal. I think we're both a little tightly wound. Maybe we could..."

Bien was stiff. Not the fun stiff.

"Bien? What is it?"

His voice trembled. "What the fuck is that?"

She followed his eye-line. At the cave entrance, a deer's skull hung just over the snowbank. Moss and hoarfrost covered its tattered, broken antlers. Two bright pinpricks of yellow light emanated from the black voids of its hollow eye cavity, fixated squarely on the two of them.

Gaine screamed and scurried backward, pressing against the back of the cave. Bien grabbed a log out of the fire and held his ground in front of her.

"No! Don't!" she shouted.

"What?!" he said, looking back. He looked back to the cave's entrance. It was gone. He turned back to Gaine. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he said quickly. He backed towards her while keeping watch on the entrance.

"F-fae." Her face had gone pale.

"That was a fae?!"

"A forest guardian. We need to leave now!"

"But the storm-"

Gaine was already grabbing whatever she could from the cave. "We don't have a choice."

"But it didn't attack us. Maybe-"

"It's either showing mercy or toying with us. We need to go. Right now." She grabbed Bien by the shoulders and knelt to his level. "Bien," her voice quivered, "you do not take chances with the fae. There are fates far worse than death and I don't want to find out what they are."

Bien steeled himself and nodded. "Save your strength. I'll get everything ready. Take the extra furs, I'll be fine." He quickly went to work gathering up their supplies.

Gaine watched the entrance of the cave. The forest guardian seemed to have withdrawn for the time being. She joined him in grabbing their remaining food and water before pulling the extra pelt over her shoulders. Bien retrieved a tattered shirt from a sack, the same shirt he'd worn the night they left the village. He grabbed a log from a nearby pile and used the shirt along with some animal fat to fashion a desperate torch.

He looked to Gaine. She was nervously inspecting the cave's icy entrance.

"Gaine," he said softly, catching her attention. "Are you sure about this?"

She looked down at her belly and back to Bien and gave a solemn nod.

He exhaled, trying to hide his trepidation, and did one final scan of the area before stamping out the fire. He walked to her side, grasping her large hand and giving the three fingers he could hold a squeeze.

Slowly, they walked outside. Their senses were heightened. The wind sounded so much louder than before. Perhaps it was. The snow was falling faster. They knew they were lucky to have survived this long. Just a little longer.

They pushed into the biting frost. Bien's torch flickered violently, nearly extinguishing. The icy wind stung the exposed parts of their bodies. Bien double-checked to make sure Gaine was as well covered as she could be.

"This way!" shouted Gaine, her voice muffled by the winds. Years of raiding had honed her internal compass. The woods may be dense and winding, but she always knew how to find true north. It would be several hours before they cleared the forest, but this would be the quickest direction.

They made their way through the gathering storm, snow crunching beneath their feet as they marched. They could feel the eyes of the forest on them. They were unsure if the fleeting visions in their peripherals were caused by forest dwellers or the ever-increasing flurry of snow.

It wasn't long before Gaine felt the same way she'd felt when fighting the bear. A supernatural weariness gripped her. She faltered in her step.

"Are you alright?" yelled Bien grabbing her arm. He used all his strength to keep her upright.

"I don't suppose you can carry me," she jested.

Bien gave an uneasy laugh. He offered her his water skin and the meager amount of food he'd been able to grab. "Here, this should-"

He saw it. The creature stood a few dozen paces behind them, obscured by the snow. Its ominous yellow eyes pierced the darkness. It shambled behind a pine tree too narrow to obscure its body yet somehow vanished behind it.

"It's here!" he shouted. "We have to-" His words fell off as he watched the creature emerge from behind another tree beside them.

Gaine spun around, grabbing at the creature. They could see the fae entity in its entirety. It was two heads taller than Gaine and just as broad yet skeletal in its construction. Its vaguely humanoid figure was made of twisted and knotted wood held firm by frozen moss and crumpled bark. Twigs jutted out of its head with more twisting out of its back.

Gaine tried to topple the creature but to no avail. It wouldn't budge. It seemed entirely indifferent to her assault. Instead, it simply gazed down at her with its pinprick yellow eyes. The one-sided struggle was rapidly sapping her strength.

"Bien, run!" she shouted, attempting to wrestle the creature to the ground.

"I won't leave you!" he yelled, pointing his torch at the fae.

It shifted its gaze to him before pushing Gaine into the snow. Lifting its arm high, the tips of its gnarled wood fingers magically sharpening into little spear tips.

He swung his lit torch wildly at the creature as it swiped at him. The blow glanced him but still carried enough force to knock him backward.

"Rraaag!" cried Gaine as she charged into the creature, causing it to falter. "Don't you hurt him! I'll-" Another wave of weariness gripped her. "I'll-" Her arms slid off the creature's waist.

The fae grabbed her by the hair, holding her upright. She weakly hammer-fisted the creature's arm. Her eyes were barely open and blinking out of sync. She barely had strength enough to stand.

Bien leapt onto the creature's back, some of the branches tearing through his tattered clothing and cutting into his flesh. "Let her go!" he shouted, slamming his fists against the back of the fae's head.

He felt something grip his back and suddenly found himself hurtling through the air. He collided with a tree. He tried to gasp, but the wind had been knocked out of him. His vision blurred, and the cold stung his flesh through his shredded clothing.

"Bien," said Gaine meekly. "I love you." She went limp and drifted a supernatural slumber.

"No!" Bien finally managed to shout. "Please! We'll leave! I'll do anything! Just don't hurt her!"

The creature dropped her into the snow and bounded towards Bien, lifting its terrifying hand as it strode.

Bien struck at the creature, but before he could close the gap, the massive fae gripped him around the neck. He grabbed at its hand, his feet kicking wildly as he was lifted off the ground. He couldn't breathe. The creature pointed its fingers into a spear and struck towards his gut.

It stopped a hair away from his stomach. The fae turned its head, looking over its shoulder.

Bien's vision faded as the creature tightened its grip around his throat. Darkness took hold. A sliver of light filled his vision.

"Gaine-" he choked, reaching a hand towards her. "I-"

Everything went black.

* * *

Bien sat up and gasped for air. He clutched his throat as he greedily inhaled as much air as possible. His vision was filled with spots, and his head pounded. He suddenly realized the air was warm. He felt around, frantically patting his hands on the ground. Leaves, twigs, mud. Wet mud.

"What in the many hells..." he mumbled. It was warm, and the air was cool. It felt like an idyllic spring afternoon. He somberly wondered which of the gods had laid claim to his incorporeal essence.

A loud snore cut through the air.

Bien rubbed his eyes, urging his vision to return while crawling towards the snoring. He knew only one person with such a loud snore, though he expected he'd never hear it again. He found a muscular arm. He ran his hands along the body, feeling warm skin and a bulging belly. His vision slowly returned.

"Gaine!" he exclaimed, tears of joy welling in his eyes. He saw her sleeping peacefully, completely naked, save for the blissful smile she wore on her face. He pressed his forehead to hers, hugging her tightly. She mumbled something unintelligible about pie. He laughed and rested his hand on her belly. A kick.

"Thank the gods," he sighed, collapsing next to her.

After a moment, he was finally able to take his eyes off her and inspect his surroundings. They were in a clearing in the middle of some vibrant forest. The trees were the same pine and white birch that filled the forest they had been hiding in. A fire burned in the middle of the clearing though there didn't appear to be anyone around tending it. Bien nervously looked around for their fae attacker but saw nothing, though that gave him little comfort.

He stood up and looked around, quickly realizing that he was also naked. He looked at his chest and stomach. His body was full of bruises and fresh cuts from his battle with the fae. Gaine had sustained a few bruises herself.

"Hello?" he cautiously called out as he walked about the clearing. He made his way to the edge of the clearing. His vision of the forest grew blurry. He rubbed his eyes, but to no avail. He looked back to Gaine and the fire. Crystal clear. He stepped towards the blurry forest. "Hello? Hell-"

The frozen wind blew hard enough to steal the words from his mouth. Each gust felt like a thousand wasp stings on his exposed flesh. The winter storm howled against the black night sky. He stumbled backward.

"Many hells!" he shouted, falling into a warm puddle of mud and scurrying backward.

High-pitched laughter filled the cozy clearing.

"Hello?!" said Bien whipping around and leaping to his feet. "Who's there?!"

"Careful," said the high-pitched voice. "It's so easy to get turned around in these woods." The voice seemed to be coming from all directions.

Bien grabbed a nearby stick and held it like a very ineffective spear.

The voice laughed again. "And what are you planning to do with that? I'd advise you to put that down."

"And why would I do that?" said Bien spinning in circles, trying to find the voice.

"Because," said the voice playfully. The deer-skulled fae stepped out from behind a tree and grabbed Bien by the neck. "My stick is a lot bigger."

The fae tightened its grip.

"Hey hey," said the voice in a scolding tone, "enough of that! What's gotten into you?" The creature released Bien, dropping him in the mud. "You'll have to forgive Leshy. They're new."

Bien rubbed his neck as he watched Leshy step back into the blurry forest and vanish.

"This ones a lot better than the last forest guardian though. I transformed some city elf who got lost last season. Totally useless."

"How is it I can understand you?" said Bien, still looking around. "I've never heard these words, but I know your meaning."

"Because I want you to understand me," said the voice plainly. "Now, why don't you wake up your beloved. She's probably hungry. You should eat too. Look to the fire."

Bien looked to the untended fire. There was a spit, rotating on its own, packed with various meats, roasted vegetables, and mushrooms. "Was... was that always there?" he asked, pointing at the meal.

"Maybe," replied the voice with a giggle. "Could be you're going mad."

Bien made his way to the fire, his eyes darting around the clearing as he walked. The smell of meat and vegetables filled the clearing. His stomach growled, and his mouth watered. He inspected the meal before removing a leg shank. He sniffed it and took a small bite. It was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

"Greedy," said the voice mockingly. "Feeding yourself first. Tsk Tsk."

He wiped the juices from his mouth and quickly brought the entire spit over to

Gaine. He put the food under her nose. She began to stir.

"Mmm," she moaned. "Dinner time already?" She sat up, grabbed the spit in one hand, and began devouring the contents. She looked to Bien, who was nearly at eye level with her despite her sitting and him standing. "This is really good! You've out done yourself!" She continued to pleasantly chew for several seconds. Her eyes wandered around the clearing, and her chewing slowed. "Bien..." she said slowly, mouth full of food. She looked him up and down, then examined herself. She swallowed. "What the fuck?!"

There was a hissing sound coming from their bodies. A warm feeling rushed through them. Looking at one another, they could see their wounds closing almost instantly and their bruises fading away. Bien's headache dissipated. They patted themselves down in disbelief. They suddenly felt better than they had in months, as though they'd just awoke from a long rest in a comfortable bed.

"Isn't that better?" said the voice.

Gaine looked around in panic. "Who's there?!"

"Show yourself," demanded Bien.

The fire in the center of the clearing roared and grew bigger than Gaine. It radiated an intense heat that caused the mud on them to harden and cake.

"Very well," said boomed the voice.

Gaine shot up, grabbed Bien, and ran toward the forest.

"Gaine wait!"

They burst into the frozen forest. Gaine seemed nearly unfazed by the sudden change and continued running at a sprinter's pace.

"Gaine we won't survive in this!"

"We have to! That's the language of the deep forest. We don't have a choice. We can-"

She came to a stop in a clearing with a raging fire.

"Well that was rude," said the voice, the fire growing and shrinking in unison with its words.

Gaine looked behind her and back to the fire. At the opposite end of the clearing, she could see her footprints from where she had started.

"Please," she said, carefully setting Bien down. "We mean no disrespect to you or your forest. I beg of you, let us leave in peace."

"I would but you'd freeze to death out there," said the voice in a mockingly sympathetic tone. "And you too love each other so much, I don't want to see that gone to waste."

The two looked at one another, confused.

"It's so rare I get to feel love like yours in this forest. Did you know that tiny human tried to take on Leshy after you fell asleep? What a sweet idiot."

The fire burned brighter. Gaine and Bien shielded themselves from the heat. A moment later, it was gone. The fire dissipated, leaving behind no smoke, coal, or ash. In its place stood a tiny female, no more than three pinecones tall. Her skin held a slightly greenish hue, and her short hair was a bright lavender. Her eyes were black orbs with a glowing outline of an iris. A pair of semi-translucent dragonfly wings adorned her back. Her sharply contrasting and vibrant colors would have made her seem threatening if she weren't so cute.