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Sharing a secret: the sequel to Rides-in-Shadows

Chapter I

The fringe of her dress swished through the long grass as Willow Bird walked along the riverbank. Below her, a group of brown-skinned children were playing in the water, screaming and splashing each others’ naked bodies in the hot afternoon sunshine and she smiled down at them, remembering the carefree summer days when she and Me’eeku, her twin brother, had played there. The tribal calendar kept by the old ones had marked eighteen winters since the day of their birth, but their childhood bond remained as strong as ever, surviving even through the terrible time of Me’eeku’s banishment. He had recently returned, badly wounded, but with great honor and freed from the taint of cowardice that had led to his exile. His body was slowly recovering, but only she, Nahkate-nehtsaksa -the sister who shared his thoughts -understood the terrible burden of guilt he still carried.

She was some distance from the village now and the shrill din of the children had faded, but she walked on steadily, her moccasins stirring up the feathery cotton-grass seeds, which drifted lazily over the water in the afternoon breeze. As she rounded a bend in the river, she could see her brother’s big roan stallion grazing by the water’s edge and she gave a little nod of satisfaction. Even after his long exile, her Me’eeku would not have forgotten the secret spot where they had played so often. A movement in the water caught her eye and she saw her brother’s brown form swimming towards the bank, his long hair streaming behind him in a wide plume. She arrived at the water’s edge just as he was wading ashore, the water sparkling in the sunlight as it trickled from his naked body. He tossed the hair back from his face and gave a gasp of surprise as he noticed his twin for the first time. Embarrassed by her frank gaze, he looked around desperately for something to cover his nakedness, but finding nothing within reach, he demanded angrily. “Have you no shame, sister? Turn away!” He made such a ridiculous sight, standing with his hands clutched to his loins that she had to stifle her laughter and she called out to him cheerfully. “I hope you have bathed well, my brother -you have smelt like an old buffalo for far too long.”

He gave a furtive glance towards his clothes but she was quick to notice and fled past him, waving them in the air like battle trophies. Forgetting his embarrassment, he ran after her and just managed to catch hold of her ankle as she scrambled up the bank. She fell back with a squeal, kicking and struggling in a vain effort to escape, but it was an unequal tussle and soon he was kneeling astride her, pinioning her arms wide as she lay panting and wriggling under him. She wasn’t ready to give up yet–not while she still had her voice to tease him with. “Shameless? You call me shameless? Who was it that washed you and tended to your needs while you lay sick with fever? There is no part of you that I have not seen many times!” She looked down between his straddled legs and giggled. “And as for that -you are so proud of it, you show it off whenever you can!”

Me’eeku screwed up his face in mock fury and tickled her ribs unmercifully, knowing that it would soon reduce her to quivering helplessness. She fought back as best she could, pummelling him with her tiny fists and laughing happily. This was the same handsome stranger who had only recently ridden into the village, painted for battle and proudly carrying a bloodied scalp on his war-lance. Me’eeku –the cowardly one- had been reborn, and a brave warrior had come home to his people. At first she had been saddened by the change in him, for there seemed to be little left of the carefree, mischievous boy she had grown up with, but as they wrestled on the warm sand, she realised that the real Me’eeku -her ‘little squirrel’ -had returned to her at last. The young warrior blinked in surprise as his sister suddenly flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

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Me’eeku turned his back modestly and retied his breechcloth before stretching out on the tall grass, letting the warm afternoon sun dry his body. Willow Bird sat beside him, her arms wrapped round her knees, idly watching the pony herd as it moved slowly along the far bank of the river. They had fallen into a companionable silence, each busy with their own thoughts and content to enjoy the happiness of their reunion. After a while, the boy rolled on to his side and studied her closely before remarking casually. “My skinny little sister has grown truly beautiful while I was away. How is it that some young brave has not taken her to his lodge to cook his meat and warm his bed?" She blushed prettily - such compliments were rare from her brother.

"Many young men have brought their ponies to our father's lodge -he says that he has become quite deaf from the sound of their flutes whenever they serenaded me. But none of them made my heart truly sing and I think that they have become afraid of me, now that I have become a 'Spirit-Woman'." She turned to him with a coquettish smile, adding. "And who could possibly take the place of my handsome brother in my heart"

He did not respond, but stared up at her with a strange faraway expression and his voice faltered as he asked huskily. "So, no man has...has touched you?" His courage failed him and he looked away quickly, staring intently over the river at the grazing ponies. When she made no answer, he turned back, carefully avoiding her gaze and said quickly. "Forgive me. I should not ask such things of my sister." "No, you should not!" Came the firm reply, but she could not resist teasing him once more. "I have shared my bed with only one man -and that was my little brother, many moons ago."

This time he shared in her laughter, but as it died away, his expression became pensive. She knew that he wanted to say more, but she resisted the temptation to seek out his innermost thoughts. Despite the strange mental gift they shared, they had always been careful to respect each other’s privacy in that way. “Ton’shtay’” She smiled at his use of her pet name – “Baby Foal” suited her wide-eyed girlish looks, and he had always teased her about her long legs. He reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Ton’shtay’, my sister. When I was out there, lost and alone, I would sometimes dream that I could hear you calling to me. You gave me hope and the strength to carry on.” She gave him an enigmatic smile. “They were not dreams, brother. When I could not sleep, I would call to you. You never answered, but I could feel your loneliness and despair and it told me that at least you were still alive.” He nodded slowly, understanding. Yes, she would have tried to ‘Dream Talk’ with him, sending her thoughts far out over the plains to comfort him, her desperately lonely brother.

Like every Cheyala boy, Me’eeku had learnt from an early age to hide his feelings and to avoid the shame of any public display of emotion, but his sister’s compassion seemed to unlock all the pent-up emotion in his heart. For the first time since the terrible day of the ambush, he found that he could grieve for Eagle Voice, the older brother he had worshipped. It was he, Me’eeku, whose foolishness had led to his death and he could never forgive himself for that. He was trying hard to be strong, but Willow Bird could feel his body begin to tremble with silent sobbing. She drew him close to her, kissing his damp hair and soothing him like a restless child until he drew a deep shuddering breath and looked up at her with a rueful grin, ashamed of his weakness. She caught her breath in surprise as he lifted his head and kissed her full on the lips, but she responded readily, closing her eyes and parting her lips to meet his. In the long moments that followed, she felt his hand slip inside the wide sleeve of her dress and move slowly round her body to lift her breast and stroke the hardening nipple. Dreamily, she surrendered to the delight of his caress, but when he began to fumble with the ties of her dress, she pushed him away, whispering. "No, Brother! No! This is wrong!" He jumped up, ashamed and disappointed, but knowing in his heart that she was right. How could he even think of touching his sister in that way? Even so, the warmth of her response had surprised him.

Chapter II

They stood apart, carefully avoiding each other's eyes as they recovered from their brief madness. Although Willow Bird had been shocked by her brother’s boldness, it had thrilled her more than she cared to admit. Ever since she had first discovered her wonderful secret, she would picture his youthful body whenever her hand strayed eagerly between her thighs. As she writhed and panted in the nighttime stillness, in her imagination it was his rampant maleness, not her urgent fingers coaxing her body towards its blissful moment of release. Her nipples began to tingle once more as she remembered…only she knew how close she had been to turning her fantasy into reality.

(He hadn’t moved as she timidly explored the mysterious realm between his legs, her fingers lightly tracing round the smooth shapes beneath the oily softness of his skin. At her soft touch, the limp, brown length of his manhood began to stir with a curious life of its own, lifting lazily from its nest of coarse black hair. Breathless with excitement, she watched it swell and grow steadily longer until it pointed stiffly upwards like a blunt arrowhead. Her growing excitement had made her more daring and she wrapped her fingers round the warm shaft, thrilled by the feel of the hard flesh rippling in its sheath as she gently drew it back. The puckered skin gleamed as it stretched over the hard ridge of his cock head and she gasped in awe, as the broad purple tip suddenly emerged, to glisten moistly in the dim light.

Me’eeku slept on, exhausted from his long fight for life, while his sister’s fingers continued on their exhilarating voyage of discovery. She was no stranger to her own body’s pleasures, but none of her solitary experiences could compare to this - every erotic fantasy she had ever dreamed seemed to be flashing through her mind at once. The fierce prickling in her loins was becoming almost unbearable, but even as she reached beneath her dress to soothe herself, a sudden impulse made her heart pound.

She stood up hurriedly and dragged her dress up to her hips, tucking the fringed hem into the girdle at her waist before kneeling astride her brother’s naked body. Hardly daring to breathe, lest she wake him, she shuffled forward on her knees until she could feel the tip of his cock brushing lightly against the downy hair of her bush. She leant over him and parted the lips of her vagina with trembling fingers, ready to guide him into her, when a low chuckle made her look up in alarm. Peering at her through the lamplight was the wrinkled face of Neteyah, the healing woman!

The old woman’s eyes twinkled with merriment as they took in the scene - the girl’s naked thighs poised over her brother’s erect manhood told their story at a glance. Willow Bird gasped in horror and snatched her hand away, but her body had been too provoked to obey, and even as she stared wide-eyed with shock, her hips began to thrust rhythmically. Netayah clicked her tongue in exasperation and grasping the girl’s hand, she placed it firmly between her thighs once more, giving her a sharp nod to continue. Willow Bird turned her head away, blushing with shame, but her frantic need made her oblivious to anything else and her fingers began to flutter wildly over the pouting lips of her vagina.

Netayah looked on impassively, remembering the handsome young Crow warrior who had led her into the long grass many, many moons ago. It had happened during the time of the fierce inter-tribal wars and one day he had ridden off, never to return, and his beautiful body was lost to her forever. The girl at her side was squirming excitedly towards her climax and the old woman’s lined face creased into an indulgent smile –her secret would be safe with her.

Willow Bird gave a long shuddering sigh and her head slumped onto her heaving breast. Mortified by Netayah’s presence, she pulled her dress down hastily over her bare legs and looked up at the old woman, fully expecting a scolding for her brazen behaviour. To her amazement, there was only the wisdom and compassion of her many years in the old woman’s calm smile. It was still there when she patted the girl’s arm and left the lodge, just as silently as she had entered.)

The rustle of leaves woke Willow Bird from her reverie, but it wasn’t the sudden breeze that was making her body tremble. She could still feel the touch of her brother’s cool hand on her breast, while his strange questions echoed and re-echoed in her mind. What had he meant by them? She knew that she could find the answer…if she dared.