Hawk's Nest (Tremble Island) (3 page)

The four were all still alive, barely. The two men transformed to their human shapes to assist the victims. Hawk got the human to talk, but there was not much talking going on. The creature had never been taught words to express herself. She knew curse words, but that seemed to be the extent of her vocabulary. The wolves tried to move to her side, but the smoke they had inhaled and the starved condition of their bodies made them too weak to come to her assistance. The small dragon eyed them closely, watching their every move, but never tried to communicate at all.

Hawk insisted that Con go back to the Hall and send help. “We need a healer and medicinals, and some sort of transport to get these children back to the Hall. Since you are the fastest of us, you should go and bring help as swiftly as possible. I will stay and guard the young ones until help has arrived.” Darkness was falling rapidly, so rather than argue, Con took to the sky. He was faster than Hawk in the air. His body was larger, but his wings ate the miles with little effort. In less than an hour he was at the Hall, rousing Quinlan from his slumber.

Quinn’s new mate was still asleep in the bed as he left the room, so he directed one of the women that were still in the Hall to watch over her and keep her inside the building. He listened to Con, then nodded his head and ran to the training yard where he taught the Amazons to battle. Several of them were waiting for him already, although training was not scheduled to start for another two hours. They stood at alert when he rushed into the yard, knowing that something was afoot to make him move so quickly.

He began issuing orders, “We have a situation of several children under Lord Hawk’s care who are in need of medical attention and transport to the Hall.” There was no hesitation until he told them to bring a healer. Rose, one of the first five Amazons, told him the healers were at the coven meeting with Fern and Flora. She noticed that Con was standing at the entrance of the yard, but nervously related the news anyway. “They said they all must participate in the night’s rituals, sir.”

When he met Con’s eyes the man nodded and turned to find the healer’s hut. Seeing Flora again was not a burden for him. She was a shapely young woman who he was very attracted to. Perhaps the ritual was over with and she would allow him to fly her to the place where a healer was needed as soon as one could be found.

Fern sat alone outside the door to her hut. Beside her was a sack, and she greeted Con as he approached. “I will go with you tonight, the others are busy with preparations for the coming time, and mine are complete. I have seen the need and will help.”

Con was disappointed, yet Fern would be the best person to offer aid and comfort to the victims with Hawk. He took the small bundle of cloth in his hand and placed it into her sack, then took on his feathered body, nudging the woman onto his back. For one so gnarled and weak, she held onto his feathers in a death grip that was almost painful to him. He had instructed her to hold on, and she was following that directive to the letter. As they began to soar, Con could see four owls and two hawks already making their way over the treetops toward the direction of the burned homestead. With his added wing size, he easily came above them, eventually passing them, as they all drew closer to their destination. He circled the structures before landing yards from the small camp Hawk had set up with the pitiful creatures they had found. He kept Fern on his back until they reached the smaller area, and Hawk approached to assist her from her feathered perch.

The others began to arrive, and Hawk gave instructions for them to find the people who had fled through the forest such a short time ago. “You are to find those that caused harm to these children and bring them to me at the Hall. They will be tried and made an example of, this will not be tolerated in our lands.” He suspected the people were actually humans who had given birth to the four young dual beings, and that was probably why they were chained and half starved. Wolves and dragons could not eat cooked foods in their animal skins. The meat, while not poison, was not enough to sustain life for long. How they had stayed alive so far, was a miracle. “They cannot have gotten far, but were traveling at a good clip at the last time Con and I seen them running. If they resist and you have no other choice, kill them. They will still prove useful as a portion in the Wizard’s boneyard fence.”

Fern took over the camp, she gave Hawk and Con the task of finding fresh meat for the three animals, and when they were in front of her she bled the meat into a small pouch one at a time. She added liquid to each pouch and trickled the concoction into the open jaws of each creature. The wolves were easy, since they were too weak to do more than attempt a growl when Con held their jaws open for Fern to administer her potions. The little dragon was another story. It wanted nothing to do with any of them. Everyone was surprised when the wild human child pushed Hawk away from the little creature and reached out to soothe it. She made cooing noises and sat down, pulled the small body onto her lap, and held out her hand toward Fern. Con quietly told the older woman what was happening and took the pouch, handing it to the girl, who in turn fed it to the small scaled creature. When she pointed to the fresh meat that sat on the rock, Con tore a chunk from the hindquarter and handed it over. They watched as she tore tiny bites from the meat to give to the baby in her arms.

It was obvious that all of them were young, how young was the surprise. Fern told them with a laugh, “The tiny scaled one is but a few months of age, and the wolves are twins I believe, they might be a season old. The girl child is at least five winters. There is something unusual about her, something I have yet to encounter. Only time will tell us what her other natures may be. I believe her to be fierce whatever her nature matures into.”

Hawk handed the girl a cooked haunch of meat and she snatched it from his hand quickly, and devoured the still warm meat. She even chewed the gristle from the ends. Fern told him not to give her more, even though she stared at the remaining meat on the spit hungrily. “She is not used to enough food to fill her belly, Lord Hawk, if she eats her fill, she will be miserable and probably lose the contents of her stomach from her greed. She will need to be moderate in her eating for a while until her guts can handle more. The same for the wolves, they cannot eat to fill, only enough to sustain life for a short while, until they have built up their bodies. From what I can tell, the baby dragon is the one that has been taken better care of than the rest. That is probably due to the way the child feeds it. My guess is that all three of the older ones have fed the little one instead of themselves from whatever scraps had come their way.”

Hawk was not paying attention to Fern as she talked. He had spied movement in the scrub bushes on the other side of the clearing. He strode over to the bush, and reached over it to grab the person spying on them all. He pulled up a skinny arm from the wiggling bundle of rags. The force that he used to haul the creature up combined with the wiggling landed him on his back in the dirt and the smaller creature laying half over him, still attempting to get loose from the tight hold that Hawk maintained.

Con was laughing as he pulled the captive up and held it by the waist, tucked close to his side, and offered Hawk a hand to assist him to stand. He was shocked out of his laughter by the small girl child who kicked at his ankles and tried to reach high enough to pry at his arm holding the small person. He let go of Hawk’s wrist, causing his friend to land back onto the dirt on his backside, while he plucked the child up by the back of the ragged shift she wore and eyed her. She was sputtering curse words and flailing her tiny fists at him. Her large blue eyes swam with tears, but she would not give up. He gave her a sharp shake.

He heard Hawk laughing and looked at him to see what was funny. The man had stood up and crouched in front to the small being held so close to Con’s body. “My friend let this one loose. It is a small human looking creature with pointed ears. I believe it is called a troll being, but I cannot be certain. Your grip is crushing the wind from its lungs. It is obvious who has been sharing food with the young ones, the girl is attempting to protect this troll.”

Hawk barely caught the small body when Con released it, before it hit the ground. Hawk carried the small burden toward the campfire and sat it down next to Fern, who was tending to the dragon baby. “Fern, can you tell us what manner of being this is, and can we communicate with it?”

The squeal and hiss that finally came from the creature was so high pitched that it hurt their ears. “Not a Troll, you boss, I am a Forest Elf, have you never seen a troll before? They are huge and live in the swamps. They are ugly and hairy and they stink. I came this way to see what the fire was burning only to have you pluck me from my bush. You should release the child, boss, she has done nothing but attempt to protect a friend. The poor scraps I give them to eat are small, but the havoc I reigned on the ones who birthed them, then chained them, was much.” The Elf shook himself and stared at Fern, before whistling another piercing noise. “A Witch, you have brought a true Witch, good luck goes where a Witch walks you know.”

Con gently lowered the child to the ground with a stern look, and walked away. He could take no more of the high pitch of the Elf’s voice. He donned his feathers and flew off into the night sky. Hawk could protect the refugees of the fire, he would join the hunt for the humans who had imprisoned and starved the young ones. He was in a mood for a fight, and the evil hearted humans would feel his wrath.

He flew over the trees until he heard a skirmish, then saw a small campfire. The Amazons had several people surrounded and pushed into a circle around the fire. Quinlan was using his fists to pound a large burly man into submission. At the chirping sound Con used to warn the soldiers that he was coming in, the Amazons stood straighter, and Quinlan punched the man one last time, before turning toward Con as he transformed into his human body.

It seemed he would get no satisfaction this night. The humans were cowed and waiting to know the fate that waited for them when Lord Hawk saw them. They knew the imprisonment of the dual natured children was punishable by death and while some stood brave in the face of defeat, others sobbed quietly, and some even begged to be spared.

Con took Quinlan aside and explained the story as told by the Elf. “At first light bring the prisoners to Hawk’s Nest and put them in the dungeon, remove the guards and place your Amazons as guards. These people will face Lord Hawk for their crimes. I will meet the wagons that should reach him by dawn and make certain all is well before I come back to the Hall. It is time for the villagers to see that our Amazons are ready and willing to fight for the good of all of the citizens of Hawk’s Nest.”

He again took to the sky. Soaring through the nighttime soothed his temper and gave him the freedom that he desired to transform into his other form. The giant bird had no feathers, his skin was leathery, and the blue crest atop his head rose eight inches in a disc shape. His wings ate up the air as he flew toward Dragon’s Eerie. No one had seen another dragon on the island that Con had heard of. Drago was the only one. Perhaps he would wish to foster the baby that had caused its discovery to begin with. According to Quinlan, he got the story from one of the women captives. They were inside their hovel when smoke began to seep through the walls. One of the men went to check and discovered that it appeared the baby dragon was belching fire. The fire was spreading over the shared wall of the hovel and the covered shed the young shifters were kept. By the time the humans were warned and gathered a few possessions, the hovel was almost gone. The woman was surprised but scornful when told the young ones were alive. Had Con been the one to interrogate her, he would have snapped her neck then. Since she was a captive and would be transported to the Hall, he would be content with Hawk’s verdict.

*****

Hawk wished to be anywhere but where he was. The Elf continued to chatter through the night as he ate his fill of the tender roasted meat that was leftover from feeding the young girl and Fern. When the chattering stopped, he watched as the Elf slipped back into the forest. He thanked the stars for the reprieve from the high pitched voice, as silence settled over the camp. As he watched over his charges, he studied them and his rage grew. The wolves were emaciated, their bones were visible, sticking out with a thin layer of skin covering them. The normal luxurious fur that was known to the breed was thin and brittle. He hoped with good food and tender care, the cubs would heal and thrive as Fern assured him they would. The dragon baby was going to be a problem, no one had seen a dragon aside from Drago. He was the only one on the island until now, and Hawk wondered if the creature would be better served by being raised with Drago to guide it. He decided to send someone to ask the Master of Dragon’s Eyre for his opinion.

The wagon and ten of his Amazon warriors arrived at first light. They had traveled most of the night without stopping other than to water the oxen that were pulling the wooden transport. Once Hawk was certain his charges were settled into the wagon and ready to leave, he took flight himself. He circled the area, checking for possible trouble but found none, so he headed home.

Hawk arrived home a short time before the first of the returning citizens showed up in the village. He was weary and needed a few hours of sleep before dealing with the situation, so he instructed Jamal to help the newcomers settle in. Temporary housing would be needed and plans for new dwellings would be drawn into the village map. From the number of people he remembered seeing in the caravan, he knew repatriating the people was going to be a time consuming task. He headed toward his sleeping chamber and remembered the new mate of Quinlan was inside, but relaxed when he saw her sitting at the long dining table at the back of the Hall talking to two other women.

He pulled the bedding from his mattress and tossed the well used sheeting into the Hallway by the door for one of the housekeepers to deal with. The scent of sex was still in the room, but he was too tired to worry about that at the moment. Once he laid down, he was asleep within minutes.

*****

Flora watched as the wagons and people entered the village. It was always like this when people returned to their homes. Joyous greetings and stoic resentment were the emotions that filled the air every time this happened. The villagers who had stayed the course during the troubled times resented the robust physical condition of those returning, and increased riches brought back from their exile. The idea that they had not suffered at all, while those that stayed ended up with little more than they had to begin with, did not set well for many. Several newcomers were with this group of people. There were also several children who ran around adding to the confusion. She decided to take a walk and perhaps gather herbs or if the fish were biting, she might catch a few for tonight’s cooking fire. Fern would return by nightfall and probably hungry after her ordeal.

She gathered her bag and added a line for her planned fishing chore, and several small pieces of cloth to wrap the herbs and medicinals in. The plants needed to be kept separate to avoid the mixing of their natures. The lure of the energy draw she would be able to take into her being also made her hasten her steps as she headed for the swiftly running river. She found the brown moss that made excellent compresses to staunch wounds and the bark from a willow that was brewed into a warm drink to help ease pain. There were several plants that had no formal names, yet were needed for the health and medical needs of the people and creatures Fern was teaching her to heal. The small dark purple berries were used to create a liquid potion for people with pains in the chest. There was a small plant with light colored green leaves that was as sweet as honey. Each of her finds were carefully folded into the materials, and stashed into her sack. She finally came to the water’s edge and watched the swirls in the water. The fallen logs that were partially submerged were what she looked for. Fish loved to hang out near those places where bugs and frogs gathered. She found exactly what she was looking for and set her snag lines.

Once those were waiting for her diners to bite, she neatly folded her shift and laid it next to her bag of supplies on the shore. She had resisted the fantastic lure of the water’s energy since she neared the swift river. Her work was finished, it was time for her reward. She waded into the frigid water, feeling the icy fingers of each thread of the current that bounced from the solid flesh of her skin. She felt the energy reaching for her, it wanted her as much as she wanted the warm embrace that gathered to enfold her into its arms, wrapping her being into the most beautiful of feelings. She imagined this feeling was akin to the feel of a lover’s embrace, yet she could not imagine the feel of any one man’s arms making her flesh tingle and her body hum like this. The sharp zaps of energy tapping at her toes, readying her for the soon to come full body energy pillar that she would be, made her laugh. She stepped into the deepest water and sank beneath the surface as she laughed aloud.

She came to the surface seconds later, still smiling, and raised her hands to the sky, fairly humming with energy and happiness. Flora had no idea of the entrancing sight she made as she reluctantly left the water. When she finally focused her sight and looked at the shore, she hesitated to continue her path, but knew there was no danger. Lord Hawk was sitting next to her pile of clothing and bag. She wanted to know, she needed to know, if he was the one. Would he gather her close and give her a place in his heart where no other woman would dwell? Would he prove worthy of her gifts, the gifts that she alone could share with a mate of her choosing? Fern often told her to give the young Lord Hawk a chance, not to judge him by his handsome face and the ranting’s of those women who sought his attention. “You can see with your eyes that he has not looked on any of them with particular favor. Yet his eyes linger on you as you walk into the room or exit from one. You will never know the man behind the pretty shell until you accept the attraction between the two of you. Something else that you need to think of, the Lord of Tremble Island shares his mate with his friend. The reasons are not known to all, but should something happen to one of them, their mate and any offspring are not left to fend for themselves at the mercy of those who would abuse them for their own gain. Do not be surprised if Lord Hawk has such an arrangement in mind.”

*****

Hawk had woken and snuck out of the Hall, the noise level in the Hall was at a pitch that he could no longer rest. He decided to come to his favorite spot to sit and meditate. This was the place where he could think and plan without interruption. He was surprised to see Flora there before him, and as he watched her remove her shift, baring her womanly body, he resisted the urge to join her in her enjoyment of the icy dip in the cold water. When he watched her deliberately wade deeper into the swift current, he almost followed and pulled her from the water that she submerged herself under. The only thing that made him stay seated, was her laughter as she went under. She needed no help, she’d deliberately gone into the embrace of icy liquid, and she went gleefully. He decided to give her a few moments and if she didn’t emerge, he would fish her body out of the river. It reminded him of the day he pulled Fern from the lake. She had fought him as he pulled her from the lake. The woman’s eyes had taken on the silvery swirl that stayed with her even as she first recovered, and then grew old and bent before their eyes.

The woman wading from the water towards him was entirely different. She was a goddess rising from the water, for him. She never stopped moving toward him, there was no hesitation as she climbed the mossy bank and stood before him. He stood and took her into his embrace. His lips traveled from the place below her ear and trailed along her jawline to her chin and up to her lips. His lips teased, plucking at her sealed mouth until she allowed the seal to open and his entrance to taste her sweetness. His tongue swept through her mouth and engaged her tongue in a curling caress. He continued to stroke the roof of her mouth and slid over the taste sensors on her tongue, and she gave into the need to taste him back. By the time they came up for air, both were breathing heavily. His hands had not been idle while they were occupied exploring the taste of one another. Her nipples were sensitive from the icy water, but beaded from the way he plucked at them with his fingers. His mouth continued moving down her chest until he sucked a nipple into his mouth, making her gasp for breath. His tongue teased the nipple as he added more suction to the flesh in his mouth. Moments later, he let that one go and gave its twin the same treatment. He pulled her down with him as he lowered himself to the thick mossy pallet.

He laid her back and stayed on his knees beside her. There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her. The intent stare and flaring nostrils as he pulled air into his lungs gave his interest away. His hands massaged her breasts, and he moved one knee between her slightly spread thighs. He reached down and spread them further to make room for himself. She felt her furred lips swell and begin to tingle as he stared at the entrance to the secrets of her body.

“Tell me now do you agree to this, or are you afraid?” Her confused look made him hang his head for a moment. “I need to know, do I continue, or do I leave?” He allowed his hands to run from her breasts to her hips. “I have watched you, the way you move, the care that you have for your mentor, your smile and the sound of your laughter that makes my cock swell and long to slide between these beautiful thighs.” His thumbs separated the furred lips and stayed on each side of the sensitive bud that had begun to throb and swell. He switched his hold and two fingers of one hand became a V shape on each side of her clit and the thumb slid to her tight opening. “Did you know that women can enjoy a man or men in both of her hidden places?” He smiled when she made a whining noise. Then set the thumb of his other hand inside the bottom of the hole that his digit was already sliding gently through. The long finger that she felt slip between the cheeks of her ass made her jump when it zeroed in on the opening hidden there. The thumb on the bottom raked the fluids from her vaginal opening and she could feel the liquid trickling downward to the small puckered opening where his long finger dammed it from sliding further south. That finger teased the tiny spot until she felt it slip inside.

His hands were full, but that didn’t stop him from bending at the waist and licking at the small erect bud of her clit. He pulled it between his teeth and bit down just hard enough to hear her squeal, he released it and sat up, breathing deeply in an effort to keep his desires in check. His fingers continued to play in her fleshy softness while his thumbs gently pulled the tight ring to her innocent gate, widening the ring, readying it for the entrance of his full cock to slide inside with minimal pain for her.

Flora pulled at her nipples, rolling them between her fingers and thumb and she felt the tingles building in between her legs. His words wove a spell nearly as potent as the talented fingers were weaving on and in her body. He kept saying how soft and tight she was, but she felt anything but soft. “You taste like ambrosia, my precious one. So beautiful in your passion, and I need all that you will offer.” When he again bent and pulled the hooded nub of flesh into his mouth, she came undone. She could feel the way her tunnel grasped at his thumbs in a rhythm that she had never felt before. She pulled and pinched her nipples harder as she planted her feet flat on the ground on either side of his bent body and lifted herself to his mouth demanding satisfaction. She screamed in frustration until his thumbs pulled at the ring harder and that finally pushed her over the edge. She could not believe the colors that popped into her head as her womb spasmed in tune to the tightening and release that he had coaxed from her.

She opened her eyes and all that she saw was his eyes staring into hers. His thick cock was kissing the entrance to all of her womanly secrets. As she felt him push deeper, there was resistance from inside of her tunnel, and she cried out from the pain that he caused by pushing through the skin blocking his path. She tried to escape his invasion by pulling her legs up to push herself away from his heavy body. This only allowed him to slide deeper as she cried out and pushed at his shoulders with her hands. His hips began pumping back and forth as she lay there making sobbing noises.

“Look at me, Flora.” She refused to open her eyes. If she did not cooperate, this would continue to be a very painful experience for her and he did not want her first experience with him to be a memory of misery. He pulled at her nipples with enough pressure for her to pay attention to what he was doing, instead of wallowing in soon-to-be forgotten hurt. “I said, look at me. The pain is inevitable, and I tried to soften it by giving you pleasure before I came into your beautiful pussy. Your maiden’s veil was thick, but it is now gone, so if you will allow yourself to feel the way your tight depths are greedily clamping onto my prick, you will enjoy what I am doing to bring us both pleasure.” He gave the nipples one last squeeze, to make certain she was listening. Thankfully she gave a slight nod to acknowledge his words. “Good, now I want you to concentrate on your body, what does it want? Do your beautiful breasts want my mouth to suck your nipples, or does your little nubbin here,” he plucked at her clit, “want me to play with it until you feel the need to move with me?” He leaned down to her mouth and licked her lips as his fingers continued to play with that tiny muscle that seemed to control the throbbing in her center core. “I feel the sharp sting of tiny shocks myself, and the pleasure from those small shocks is close to making me fill your womb with my seed.”

As his words sank into her brain, she felt the truth of what he said. The energy that she was used to, was trickling onto his prick lodged deep inside of her and it surprised her. The tiny threads of energy seemed to seek him out, transmitting from her into him. The pain from his entrance was almost gone, with only a small sting left behind as his prick glided over the slight wound. She realized he was not yet fully seated inside, but she moved her hips to check and make certain there would be no further pain. All she felt was fullness, and the need to move more, to have his thickness slide over the tingling nerves in her tunnel.

She needed this, he must be her other half if her energy sought him out. Her hips continued to lift and lower as she took him deeper and deeper still into her body. The tightening in her belly began again and she pulled his shoulders with the nails on her fingers. “Give me your body and I will give you mine. I feel so full, yet I am greedy and want more of you.” She met his hips with hers and felt his entire prick deep inside. They kept moving and she grew tighter as her body gave up the fight, taking her soaring into the sky as her tunnel clamped on his thickness and sent more of those tiny spikes of energy into him. He shot his seed deep and continued to pump his hips to enjoy the clamping and release of muscles and the tingles of energy coming from deep inside of her. He had never felt such a sensation before and was reluctant to let it end.

She was neither a tiny woman, nor daintily built, but she had become his woman and he refused to smash her, so he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over so she was lying on top of him. His hands moved down over her back and grabbed a cheek of her ass in each. The massaging way he rubbed her cheeks felt so good that she settled on him more comfortably. It was no wonder he called her furred lips a pussy, she certainly felt as contented as a cat with a full belly and a warm lap to lie on. She had so much to think about, like, what happens now?