The Guardian

[Kaena]

The jungle was silent, too silent for Kaiya’s liking. The sounds of birds and insects were almost absent from the air, which was unusual for such a beautiful day. Kaiya walked slowly among the trees, looking for the danger she was sure was present out there somewhere. Her nose wrinkled as a foreign smell assaulted her nose and she sneezed softly. It was a smell she had she recognized as the smell of danger, the smell of human. Unbuckling her knife from her belt, she crouched at the side of the trail and lay in wait for whatever, whoever was out there. It was not long before she caught sight of a young man coming down the trail. A low growl sounded in her throat as she watched him, her anger at his trespassing rising quickly. Still she made no move to approach him, her green eyes watching intently.

There had been others before him, other humans that had dared to defile the pristeen sanctuary of the forest that she called home. Including the ones that had murdered her parents in cold blood, leaving her and her sisters to take over the job of taking care of the forest and its inhabitants. Because of this, she had grown to hate humans and everything they represented. Not many men left the forest alive after coming to her attention, especially ones that hunted the animals or did other damage to the forest. It was yet to be seen if the man before her was one of these or just an innocent in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric walked along the path, the trees hanging overhead blocking most of the sun, his ax held easily in one hand. It was a large ax, but on the opposite of the haft from the cutting blade was the counter weight that he'd had forged to be a handle. There was of course a spike on the end, but it was perfectly safe to carry and was balanced nicely. Two tomahawks crossed in the small of his back, and his pack rested easily over his left shoulder. Today was shaping up to be a good day.

He stood well over six fee tall, broad in the arms, chest, and shoulders, well muscled from years of work and battle. While Eric didn't consider himself a mercenary or a soldier, he had been known to fight if he believed in a cause or if the coin were right, most often his battle skills required the meeting of those two points. Today he was walking through a jungle. Rumors persisted of some treasure deep within the primordial depths, and Eric had nothing to stop him from taking a trek to see if there might be something here.

His dark grey eyes missed very little in the jungle, brown hair tied into a half-pony tail so as not to obscure his vision. Places this old weren't to be trusted.

 

[Kaena]

She followed him silently along the edge of the trees. She still wasn't sure about the intentions of the man, even though the sharp axe in his hand gave her an idea that he wasn't innocent. She just wasn't sure what crimes he was guilty of yet. Placing her knife back in its sheath, she unhooked her bow from her back and notched an arrow before stepping out onto the trail.

"What business do you have here?" she said, her voice was calm and steady, though a gleam of nervous sweat beaded her forehead beneath her almost white blonde hair. Raising her bow, she aimed the arrow at him, her arm held steady, ready to let go the arrow if he seemed to pose any threat to her. Her eyes looked past him, confidant that hidden in the trees lay her leopard companion Naya, ready to come to her rescue as well, if the need arose.

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric was taken completely off guard by the sudden appearance of the woman. He should have sensed her, heard her, something, before she moved onto the path in front of him. It was unsettling. The fact that she was also pointing a fully drawn bow at him didn't help him feel any better.

"What business do you have here?"

She had a pleasant voice, and her hair was a color Eric hadn't seen in a long time. Even then it had been in passing and on a woman who belonged to some wealthy merchant.

"My business is my own little one. I mean you no harm, well not once you put your bow aside and stop threatening to end me."

The ax slowly slid through his fingers until he was gripping the hilt.

 

[Kaena]

She growled softly at his response. He had no idea who he was talking to and yet he had the insolence to call her little one, a mocking title that she hated. She tensed as she noticed his axe slip down firmly into his hand. Her aim remained steady as she studied him, still unsure what he was doing in her forest.

"Your business became mine the moment you set foot in my forest," she replied, her voice taking on a firm and commanding tone. "From the look of the weapons you carry, your intentions are anything but innocent." Her eyes flickered once again to the trees where she caught a glimpse of Naya slowly stalking the man, her yellow eyes intent on his form, her lithe feline form tensed to attack.

"Drop your weapon and answer me, or you will feel the sting of my arrow," she said, running her tongue along her suddenly dry lips.

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric caught a slight motion of the female's eyes, she must be nervous, glancing around for something. He made no motion to drop his ax, but also didn't make a motion to threaten or approach her. No reason to get into a fight if it wasn't necessary.

"Your forest? And which deity appointed such a lush jungle to you? As for my weapon, no I will not drop it."

Still Eric made no threatening motion, his eyes on the woman.

"But in the interest of neither of us getting hurt, I'm treasure hunting. The villages around here speak of some glittering golden treasure. I've nothing else to do and so figured I could take a look."

 

[Kaena]

Kaiya sighed at his mention of the treasure. Many a fool had trampled their way through her forest in search of this elusive treasure, destroying everything in their path. Many had been fallen by her arrows after she could no longer stand by idly as they killed her animals and destroyed her home. Those who had managed to evade her returned home empty handed, not even coming close to finding the treasure. It wasn't that there was no treasure, just that it was well hidden from human eyes.

"I am the guardian of the forest, therefore it is my forest," she replied, lowering her bow to her side for the moment. Even if he decided to attack her, Naya would be on him before he even reached her. "There is no treasure in this forest. You would be a fool to continue your search, just as those before you."

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric raised one eyebrow at her words.

"Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but if there's no treasure then what pray tell are you guarding?"

Eric moved forward then, careful to show no malice in his eyes. He wasn't a violent man and wasn't inclined to harming women in general. His ax was balanced deftly in one hand, then swung it across his field of vision to rest the haft in his left hand.

"I've no intention of harming you little one, but I'd be very happy if you'd just point me in the right direction."

 

[Kaena]

Kaiya could feel her anger at his ignorance stirring deep inside her. It was like he was ignoring everything she had said to him and there it was again, that despicable title "little one".

"I am the guardian of the forest," she said, her voice tinged with her anger, her eyes turning an almost icy blue. "I protect the animals and other creatures of the forest. I am not here to guard something as trivial as treasure. What need would I have with that."

She instinctively took a step back as he moved forward, her bow once again raised and ready. His eyes didn't show any malice towards her, but the way he was swinging his axe still made her nervous. Even if he didn't intend to harm her, what would he do if Naya decided to attack him. The blade of the axe could do lots of damage to the soft fur of the unwitting feline.

"There is only one direction you will be heading in," she said, drawing back the bow string. "Back the way you came from. If you take one more step forward, I will have to resort to stopping you any way that I see fit."

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric couldn't help but chuckle at the denial.

"Of course you've no use for it, but I'll wager you guard it. And anything that needs guarding is unlikely to be paltry gold or gems. Something much more interesting hides here."

The grass and dirt bent under the weight of his foot as he moved forward. The girl raised her bow again, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her threat. Bow or not, she posed no threat to him. Eric moved forward again, deliberately ignoring her warning. Holding the end of the handle he raised the ax and pointed it at her, the head of the ax now very close to her and likely to disrupt her aim.

"Just let me pass girlie, no need for violence here."

 

[Kaena]

Kaiya was losing her patience with him. The way he continued to speak down to her and the fact he raised his axe against her had decided his fate. There was no way she was going to let him pass and since he didn't appear to be turning around, it was time for her to take action.

Shaking her head at him, she let go of the arrow, knowing that despite the lack of distance between them, the arrow could still do some damage. It seemed as the forest had gone completely silent as the arrow flew towards him, burying deep in the arm that held the raised axe.

Before he could react, she unsheathed another arrow, moved back a couple of feet and took aim again.

"That is just a taste of what I am capable of," she said, the wind rustling through her hair, soft tendrils falling across her face. "I didn't want to hurt you, but you gave me no choice."

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric had only a few moments to react to the loosed arrow. The arrow flew quickly and sank into his forearm. Instantly he knew she'd hit something important, because his hand lost all strength and the ax fell softly to the forest floor. He paid her words no heed, he ducked low as she was stringing another arrow and lunged, his shoulder driving into her legs and hips.

Leaving the shaft in his right arm he pressed his left to her upper chest, just under her neck.

"And here's a bit of what I'm capable of."

 

[Kaena]

She hadn't expected him to lunge at her and he took her by suprise. The force of his body pushed her on to her back, his arm against her chect effectively pinning her in place. The fall knocked the air from her lungs, making it hard for her to breath or even speak for a few minutes.

When she finally was able to catch her breath, she reached around trying to locate her bow. After a few seconds of searching, she turned her head to look and found it a few feet from the extent of her grasp. She sighed and moved to pull her knife from its sheath, carefully placing the tip against his side.

"I bet you think you have the upper hand now," she mocked, pressing the knife into him so he could feel the tip. "If you don't get off me now, I will gut you right here."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kaiya could see Naya slowly moving towards him, her claws extended, her eyes locked on his throat. If she sensed for even a moment that Kaiya was in danger, he would be dead before he was able to raise his axe.

"Even if you do manage to incompacitate me, you would be dead in seconds."

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric paused when he felt the knife point at his belly, and again noted the glance from her eyes. This time he turned his head, following her gaze and saw the leopard. Apparently this creature was bound to the girl now pushing a knife into his gut. He was beaten, there was no way out of this, not bleeding from his arm and his ax on the ground behind him.

"Damn."

He rolled off of the girl, now sitting on the ground, eyes glaring at her.

"Well, what do you want then."

It wasn't a question, his tone fell flat as he stared burning lines through her.

 

[Kaena]

As soon as she felt his weight lift off of her, she rolled to the side and back up onto her feet. She moved to retrieve her bow and his axe before she turned her attention back to him.

"I gave you a chance to leave the forest unscathed," she replied, hooking her bow back over her back and sliding his axe into her arrow sheath. "That option is no longer available."

She reached out her hand to Naya who moved quickly to her side and nuzzled her hand.

"I think you have come to realize that odds are not in your favour, despite how harmless I seem," she said, her eyes flickering appreciatively across his body. "You are going to come with me back to my home and then I will decide what to do with you."

"Oh and just in case you think you can run or attack me again," she said, smiling at him. "Here is another hint of what I am capable of." Using the magic that she had until then kept a secret, she placed an invisible collar around his throat which tightened slowly, cutting off his air. She watched as he struggled for air for a moment before releasing the collar. "If I die my control over the magic I am using will die with me and it will turn against you. Believe me, you don't want to see what will happen then."

 

[Last_Rider]

When the girl mentioned he was to come with her Eric sat up a little fuller and spat to one side, his left hand still holding the arrow sticking from his right forearm. He said nothing as she hefted his ax into her sling and turned to stroke the leopard. Then his throat was suddenly and relentlessly being squeezed. Blood flowed more freely from his right arm as his good left hand clawed at his neck, of course finding nothing there.

She released the grip and he felt blood and oxygen return to his brain. He gasped and coughed a few times, left hand now on the ground, half bracing himself up.

"You damned witch."

 

[Kaena]

"Witch?" She laughed at the mere thought of it. A witch was a simple mortal woman who had found a way to harness the power of nature. She was more than that and alot more dangerous.

"You can call me whatever you want," she said, taking a step towards him. "It isn't the first time I have been called a witch and it probably won't be the last. Name calling has no power against me, so you might as well not waste your breath."

Reaching down she grabbed his right arm, pressing the palm of her hand against the edge of his wound. "Get up, I want to be home before nightfall and at this rate I will be lucky to be home before the sun rises tomorrow morning."

Giving him an evil grin, she pulled roughly on his arm, the feel of his hot blood against her hand sparking a sadistic side to her that usually lay dormant.

"If you wish to survive the night, you will come with me and let me treat your wound," she said, yanking him to his feet. "If its left untreated, you will bleed out within an hour."

 

[Last_Rider]

"It isn't the first time I have been called a witch and it probably won't be the last. Name calling has no power against me, so you might as well not waste your breath."

"Fair enough little one."

Eric gasped as her small but nimble and strong fingers gripped his wounded arm and yanked him to his feet. His hand still hung limp and useless, his eyes burning into the girl.

"If you wish to survive the night, you will come with me and let me treat your wound, if its left untreated, you will bleed out within an hour."

Much as he wanted to fight back, she was right. He had no use of his right hand, his blood was dripping idly from his elbow as gravity took its inevitable toll on the liquid. He couldn't treat the wound himself, that much was painfully obvious from his limp hand and slightly blurring vision. The shaft still in his arm was actually keeping him from bleeding more profusely.

"Lead on then."

Despite the fact that Eric wavered a little on his feet, his eyes still burned clearly.

 

[Kaena]

At his use of that heinour moniker once again, her hand tightened on his arm, her intent this time to cause as much pain as she could. Her other hand reached down between his legs and grabbed him through his pants.

"If you call me little one again," she said, looking into his eyes. "I will give you a reason to be called little one. Get my drift?"

Pushing him ahead of her, she made her way down the trail towards her cabin. Naya followed closely at her heals, a soft growl rumbling in her throat. Even though she knew Kaiya had control of the situation, the young feline was making sure that her presence was known.

It took almost an hour before they reached the small cabin hidden within a stand of trees. By then Eric's blood had stained his sleeve crimson and he was barely able to stand on his own two feet.

Turning her attention towards the wound, Kaiya broke off the end of the arrow and quickly pushed it through his arm, leaving a gaping wound. Fetching some clean cloth from the cabin, she wet it and washed his arm clean before using her magic to seal the wound. Finally she wrapped his arm in a clean bandage.

"You have yet to tell me your name," she finally said, leading him over to sit on the porch step, allowing him to use her to lean against as he walked.

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric felt her fingers sink into the wound, sending bolts of pain from his arm up to his brain. Her other hand grabbed roughly between his legs, squeezing for emphasis as she spoke.

"If you call me little one again I will give you a reason to be called little one. Get my drift?"

Eric certainly understood her words, and silently followed her as she walked off into the forest. The big cat was behind him, constantly rumbling a low growl in her throat. Instead of being intimidating it became almost comforting after about twenty minutes of walking, especially as Eric felt blood sliding down his arm and dripping from his fingers to fall silently into the grass below.

By the time they reached the cabin Eric was having trouble standing on his own and the edges of his vision were blurry. Reality was snapped back into stark focus when the girl pulled the arrow through his arm. Pain has a wonderfully focusing effect on the mind. He gasped for a few moments, watching as she healed the bulk of his injury with magic and then bound the arm. He flexed his hand experimentally a few times and found it in working order, though he was still extremely weak when she helped him sit on the porch step.

"You have yet to tell me your name."

"You shot, strangled, and apparently have imprisoned me. Forgive me if I'm not in a sharing mood."

 

[Kaena]

She sighed and shook her head at his response. It was understandable, considering the situation, but if there was one thing she hated was not being given what she wanted the first time she asked.

"You have already had a taste of what I am capable of and yet you still dare to resist me," she said, her voice seething with anger. "You will be begging to tell me your name when I am through with you."

Grabbing his injured arm, she pulled him to his feet once again. She knew he was regaining his strength and was sure to fight back soon, but she had the upper hand for the moment.

Dragging him into the cabin, she locked the door behind her. The cabin looked like any other cabin, a simple kitchen and living area with a small bedroom at the back. At the back of the cabin, a single door stood, made of solid oak and painted black. It was to this door that she led him, opening it to reveal a set of stairs leading down into the darkness.

Using magic to light their way, she pushed him ahead of her down the stairs, the door slamming shut behind them. At the bottom of the stairs she stopped to give him a minute to register everything he was seeing before him.

The room was large, even larger than the cabin above it. What the cabin had in comfort and homeliness, this dungeon, as it appeared to be, had in chains and vicious implements of torture.

Kaiya had lived in the cabin all her life with her parents without realizing the room even existed. The door lay shielded by magic until the day they died and her world came crashing down around her. It was here that she had brought her parents murderers and had made them pay for their crimes and many others after them who dared defile her forest and the creatures within it. Now it was his turn to learn the true horrors that lay within.

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric could feel himself slowly regaining some strength when the woman suddenly pulled him to his feet and angrily hauled him into the cabin. The cabin itself wasn't terribly large, but she clearly had a specific destination in mind, a black door. It opened and she pushed him down the stairs. He stumbled a few times, only just avoiding falling down the stairs into the darkness below.

Magic light flared slowly around them, revealing a large dungeon. Eric hadn't seen a dungeon like this before, it was incredibly well outfitted, all different kinds of implements of torture. A surge of strength filled his muscles and Eric tried to spin quickly, but his balance was lost as he did, still too much blood lost to really resist her.

"We'll see wont we witch."

 

[Kaena]

Kaiya laughed as he tried to spin towards her and lost his balance. He was still trying to fight her, even when he had clearly lost the battle. Looking around the room, her eyes settled on a wooden cross, equipped with shackles for both the wrists and ankles. Pushing him over to it, she stopped and looked up and down his body, shaking her head again.

"You are wearing too many clothes for this to be effective," she said, a devious smile playing on her lips. "And I know you will refuse to take them off for me, so I will just do it myself."

Using an immobilization spell, she rendered him motionless. Even if he wanted to fight her, he wouldn't be able to. The magic effectively bound him in place, without the use of physical restraints.

Moving quickly she removed his shoulder harness and the two tomahawks that still rested against his back. She threw them aside, along with his pack. Grabbing his already damaged shirt, she ripped it from his shoulders, leaving his chest bare and exposed to her. Looking up at him, she slowly slid her nails down his chest until her hand rested on the buckle of his belt.

"It is much more fun to force a man to undress for me," she said, undoing his belt and sliding his pants down over his firm ass. "But, I like this as well, knowing you can't do anything to stop me from doing whatever I want with you."

As the final piece of his clothing fell to the floor, she stepped back and allowed her eyes to travel down over his naked body. She licked her lips slowly as she trailed her eyes back up to meet his.

"That's much better," she said, releasing the magic bonds. "The whip would be pretty much useless with all that clothes in the way."

 

[Last_Rider]

Eric barely registered the words she spoke before he found himself totally immobile. Eric tried to fight, to move, to so much as twitch one finger. But whatever magic that the woman had placed on him was unshakable, he was totally helpless.

The woman pulled at his shirt, removing his weapons and pack, then tugging the garment from his torso. Eric was fuming, eyes blazing down at her as her fingernails slowly trailed down his muscled torso. While he wasn't chiseled like pleasure slaves Eric was well muscled. Her fingers found the buckle of his belt. It seemed almost humiliating for the woman to bare his body just for her own pleasure.

"It is much more fun to force a man to undress for me but, I like this as well, knowing you can't do anything to stop me from doing whatever I want with you."

That was the crux of much of this, he was helpless. Tendons bulged in his neck as he fought to move at all. The way her eyes trailed over his naked body sent another burst of adrenaline through him, but again he was incapable of movement. The magic bonds dropped from him and Eric felt his muscles become his own again.

"The whip would be pretty much useless with all that clothes in the way."

"Oh, so that hungry look in your eye had nothing to do with taking off my clothes?"

 

[Kaena]

She could almost feel his hatred for her radiating from his body. To be rendered helpless by a mere woman was sure to have been humiliating for him. Yet she was suprised that he didn't attempt to attack her as soon as she released his bonds, choosing to waste the brief seconds he had as a free man to mock her.

"I have to admit, you do have nice body," she replied, pushing him face first against the cross. "But, the hunger in my eyes had nothing to do with your body. The only thing I am hungry for at the moment is the sounds of your screams and begging."

Moving with almost feline gracefulness and speed, she locked each of the shackles around his wrists and ankles, leaving him spread eagled, his naked back and ass exposed to the sting of her whip.

"I will give you one last chance to tell me your name," she said, running the tendrils of the whip down over his bare skin.