The Firstwalker

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She awoke to the sound of the wind howling like a living thing. The fire had burned low and the room was still cloaked in shadows. Rith sat at the small table without a stitch of clothing on. Her hands were clenched and sweat coated her body. Tal'marin rose painfully and moved hesitantly towards the table. Outside the wind howled even more fiercely and she became aware of strange noises that before she thought were just the wind. A queer scratching at the shuttered and barred windows which now sounded like clawed hands searching for an opening. A heavy banging against the stout door that moments earlier had seemed no more threatening than the wind, but now she had the impression of something monstrous trying to get in. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed to hold a menace now that was absent moments before and Tal shivered. For the first time in her life she felt fear and it was growing stronger by the moment.

Rith's face was blank and her eyes had rolled back in her head, so that only the whites showed. It was extremely eerie and Tal'marin felt the nameless fear clutching at her heart become stronger. On the table before the oblivious Firstwalker was a white gemstone. It seemed to glow and pulse with a light of its own, but that light was growing steadily dimmer. The shadows in the room seemed to take the shapes of evil creatures, their eyes glowing red with malice. They slowly closed in on her and Tal'Marin began to panic as a deathly dread stole upon her.

Shadows! her rational mind said. You have faced death a million times and never felt fear and now you cower from shadows? Yet her rational mind was only a small voice in a gale compared to the fear that welled within her soul. This fear was a living, breathing thing that threatened to freeze her heart and seemed to choke the very air from her lungs. She whimpered and fell back to the table her hand involuntarily clutching at the gemstone, which suddenly went dark. With the fading of its light all hope fled and she screamed in a choked voice as the world spun away from her.

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Tal'marin found herself in a nightmare world of horror. The very ground was bloody living flesh that writhed beneath her bare feet. Grotesque creatures that were only vaguely humanoid reached out to her with blood stained claws. She ran from them, but they followed. She entered a dark forest of decaying trees and deep shadow, behind her she could hear the feet of the creatures but she dared not look back. Limbs clutched at her face and stung her cheeks as she raced heedlessly past. She could hear them, so close behind now that they must surely pounce at her next step.

With a frenzied burst of energy she lunged into an opening between two obscenely twisted trees and found herself in a dale. The many men who had tried to seduce her stood in a circle around her. No longer the beautiful elves they had been in life, they were now gross caricatures. Faces distorted with lust they wore no clothes and their bloated organs pulsed obscenely. They slowly closed in on her and every move to escape was blocked as the circle slowly tightened around her. They clutched at her and she was suddenly enveloped in a sea of hands, mouths and other body parts. She felt as if she would go insane under the mass of unwanted caresses, yet she could not even move her limbs in the press of bodies, nor hope to escape. She was about to give up hope when she first heard the voice.

A delightfully melodious voice was singing very softly, the melody was familiar, but the words escaped her. She tried to find the source of that calming sound, but it was nowhere to be seen. It called to her and she tried with the last of her strength to break the grip that held her so tightly. She nearly fell when her lunge met with no resistance at all, the trees, the men, the creatures were all gone. Before her lay a stair that ascended in unbroken spiral far beyond the range of even her eyes. The voice seemed to come from the top of that endless stair and she despaired, but the song subtly changed, bringing with it renewed hope and energy. She started up the stair and for a timeless period she trudged ever upward. Light grew steadily brighter as she ascended and at last she reached a doorway from which it streamed. She hesitated, but the song urged her on and she stepped into the light, closing her eyes as she did so.

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The song was still there, but it was closer now and less ethereal. A gentle hand caressed her face and Tal'Marin hesitantly opened her eyes. She was sitting up in Rith's bed in the small comfortable cabin. The shadows were gone and the bright red light of a roaring fire filled the room. She was seated between the Firstwalker's legs and leaning back against her body. She could feel the soft pillows of the strange woman's breasts on her back and the velvety softness of her skin where it was touching her own. She also felt the hard points of the woman's erect nipples.

"Wha...??" she managed, but her voice was a croak, like that of a frog.

"Shhhh," Rith whispered in her ear as the song stopped. A sudden panic seized Tal' and she tried to escape Rith's embrace. Those wonderfully soft gentle hands clamped down with the strength of a steel vice.

"Relax," the soft voice cooed in her ear, "You are safe, nothing will harm you,"

As the sudden panic subsided Tal'Marin let go and slumped in Rith's arms. She relaxed against the Firstwalker and felt the arms that held her so powerfully change back to the most gentle of things, holding her as a mother would a newborn. The fire crackled and the wind still howled, but the air of menace was completely gone. As her heart slowed down she became aware of other things. The soft, but pleasant feel of Rith's skin against her own, the comfortable feeling of having her strong body so near, the gentleness of her embrace all became apparent. She had walked so often alone that she had forgotten how good it could feel to be with another. She found herself relaxing, really relaxing, letting down her defenses totally. She was over matched by this woman and had been since they met. If the Firstwalker had intended any harm to her she could have done so long before now. Rith's arms were about her waist and she could feel the even rise and fall of her chest. Tal'marin pressed back into the comfort of the embrace and sighed softly.

Tal'marin would never know if that sigh was taken as an invitation or if something else triggered what happened next. She felt Rith's body shift slightly and then her soft lips on the point of Tal's shoulder. Rith just held them there a moment, but when Tal did not protest she seemed to take it as assent and they parted to tenderly kiss her. Rith's lips were soft, warm, and felt incredibly sensuous against Tal's skin. The next kiss was only millimeters closer to her neck and this time Rith's soft tongue played over Tal's satiny skin. The intimate caress sent a shiver through her body. Another followed and another each moving slowly towards her neck. It was a languid, unhurried progression that slowly awakened desire in the small elf.

She was confused by the flood of feelings and the welter of emotions. She felt she should put a stop to it, but could not fathom why when it felt so good. Her head told her that it was wrong, but her body told her nothing had ever been so right. While her mind fought with her body those soft lips continued to move closer and closer to her neck. Suddenly they were there, kissing the delicate juncture of her neck and shoulder and the shockwaves it sent through Tal's system were intense. Those lips pressed against her sensitive skin and parted, drawing some into the warm mouth. Rith's teeth gently bit down and her tongue grazed along the trapped flesh. Tal'marin felt as if that skin were connected directly to her spine and her whole body tensed as a spasm of pleasure ran through her.

Rith's teeth released their hold and her mouth moved upwards, each contact sent shivers through Tal's body and began to awaken feelings that were unfamiliar to her. The muscles in her stomach tightened perceptibly and it seemed like it was harder to breath. She opened her mouth to ask Rith to stop, but at that instant the Firstwalker's lips made contact with the small space behind Tal's delicately pointed ear. Instead of words a soft moan escaped her parted lips. Rith's tongue slowly swirled over the skin and Tal's mind became fuzzy. It felt so good, too impossibly good, nothing was supposed to feel like this. Was it?

Her nipples hardened as they often did when it was cold, but she did not feel cold at all. If anything she felt as if she were on fire from the inside out. Rith's hand slid up her body and cupped her face, turning it aside to pull her ear within easier reach of the Firstwalker's lips. Tal's own hands fluttered at her side, seemingly unsure of what to do. If she was unsure, Rith seemed totally confident, the tip of her pink tongue traced along the very outer edge of Tal's earlobe. When the Firstwalker expelled a single warm breath into her ear Tal's body spasmed and she felt herself get weak. Her hands went to the arm imprisoning her waist, but they simply closed on the warm soft flesh, not even attempting to remove it.

"You like that don't you?" Rith's voice purred in her ear. Tal tried to think, to put together something close to a coherent thought, but the soft tongue continued to worry her earlobe and she could not concentrate.

The hand cupping her face moved to her lips and the long delicate index finger pressed against them. Sharp little teeth nipped her ear and when her mouth opened to gasp the finger slipped in. Her lips closed over it involuntarily and the voice in her ear purred.

"That's it little one, now suck on it."

Tal was frozen. It was one thing to receive another woman's caresses; it was something entirely different to return them. Another soft breath in her ear and that amazing tongue returned to gently exploring her ear. She felt a tiny tremor run through her body, but this one seemed to emanate from her groin rather than her neck. The thrill was sharply in contrast to shocks of Rith's tongue; it was a warm, tingly sensation and her mind focused suddenly on her pussy. Her attention was jerked back to her earlobe when Rith's tongue darted into it for just the briefest of seconds.

"Mmm, yes darling, like that," Rith whispered. It was only then that Tal realized she was sucking hungrily on the finger in her mouth.

Rith's legs wrapped around her waist and she returned her lips to Tal's shoulder. The hand around Tal's waist drifted up across her flat tummy. The finger in her mouth disappeared and slid downward, tracing the rise of her breast. They met at her ribcage, just below her breasts and began to lightly stroke her sides. Tal was caught between a moan and a giggle. She had always been extremely ticklish, but this wasn't a tickle. Well, not exactly a tickle she thought. It felt good and at the same time made her want to laugh. Rith's spread her fingers wide and gently dragged them up Tal's tummy until they were each cupping a breast.

Rith bit her neck, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to make her gasp and before she could assimilate the sensation the Firstwalker's hands gently squeezed her breasts. Tal'Marin's sharp intake of breath sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet room. Rith's hands continued to fondle and stroke her breasts while she continued to kiss and suck on Tal's neck. Tal arched her back and moaned as the gentle ministrations of the Firstwalker began to have the desired effect. Tal felt a tension that began to build in her chest and slowly moved into her breasts. As the stimulation continued it finally felt so strong she was sure it would burst out of her body from the inside.

While her breasts were full, Tal'Marin's nipples were very small and the pale aureoles barely the size of Rith's thumbnail. Now they were so hard they were drawn up into tiny points and the aureoles were puckered. As the stroking continued the pressure inside her body built and seemed to center in her aching nipples. Each stroke became a torture, each caress sent waves of pleasure into her system that had nowhere to go. Tal'marin gasped like a fish out of water, she could not control her wildly beating heart or ragged breathing. Rith seemed to know exactly what she was feeling and she kept it up, working the elf girl into a state bordering on hysteria. When Tal's hips began to buck the Firstwalker took the hard pebbles of Tal's nipples between her thumb and forefinger and began to rhythmically squeeze them. It was too much for Tal'marin. An indescribable wail was torn from her throat and she arched her back so violently that Rith almost lost her hold.

Fire! Fire flowing through her veins, burning out all other feelings save the quivering in her pussy. When the first contraction hit her Tal shrieked. Raw pleasure, undiluted by any dampening force tore through her body and threatened her sanity. Another hit her and another, an endless rolling wave. Like breakers smashing against the rocks each wave seemed to be stronger and more unbearably pleasurable. Nothing in her experience had prepared her for it and her mind seemed unable to assimilate all that was happening. She was powerless to fight it and rode the crashing waves until they became only ripples in a still pond.

Tal's head had fallen on her chest and she was still breathing hard. She could not seem to get enough air and her whole body was limp. Her legs quivered and she couldn't even raise her arms. Rith's hands had never left her nipples and continued to roll them between her fingers. Her lips continued to nibble on her neck, sending ripples through her body that seemed to be echoes of the pleasure she had just experienced. The Firstwalker unwound her legs from around Tal's waist and gently laid her down on her back. Tal was still not totally sure of her surroundings as the Firstwalker moved to her feet.

The next thing she became aware of was Rith's soft lips on the bone in her left ankle. The Firstwalker's tongue swirled around the bone while her hands gently stroked Tal's calf. Tal lifted her head and looked down her body. A light coating of sweat covered her skin, her nipples were still taut and the breasts seemed to be standing out more than normal. She could feel wetness between her legs and at her feet she could see only Rith's raven hair.

Rith seemed unhurried as her fingertips blazed a trail from Tal's ankle towards her knee that the Firstwalker's soft tongue followed. It seemed to Tal that every inch of her skin was receiving that soft tongue's attention and she groaned when contact was broken off just short of her knee. Rith returned to her right ankle and the slow progression began again. Feathery caresses, soft but firm massaging and always a trail of fire where Rith's warm tongue made contact with her sensitive skin. This time she did not stop at the

knee, but continued upwards, kissing all around Tal's knee, paying particular attention to the crease at the back before moving to the skin of her thigh. It was sweet torture and Tal chewed fiercely on her bottom lip to keep from moaning.

As the Firstwalker's tongue inched upwards Tal unconsciously opened her legs more, allowing the raven haired seductress better access. The fingertips reached her smooth mound and gently toyed with her slick lips causing Tal to shudder, but the tongue stopped at the juncture of her leg and body and after a few swirling caresses dropped back to her left knee. Tal groaned in frustration, barely even conscious of the fact that her hands had stolen to her breasts and were now squeezing the soft globes.

Now came an eternity of torture. It seemed the Firstwalker's tongue would never complete the trip up her thigh to her now soaked pussy. Her whole being seemed to be drawn downwards, down into the bubbling cauldron between her widely splayed thighs. Minute contractions from muscles deep within wrung little whimpers and squeaks from her lips despite her best efforts to staunch them. She was squeezing her nipples now in sync with those contractions and her head was tossing from side to side.

Rith's tongue had reached the crease where her leg joined her body and made several soft exploratory trips up and down it. Her fingertips traced over Tal's slick lips and slowly up to her navel. With a suddenness that took her breath away all stimulation ceased. Tal opened her eyes and looked down her straining body to see those red eyes, no longer banked fires, but blazing majestically and powerfully. Rith's aquiline nose rested at the top of Tal's pouting nether lips, almost but not quite in contact. A softly exhaled breath caused Tal to arch her back and a long hiss escaped her lips.

The need was so strong within her and she desperately wanted to feel the Firstwalker's lips upon her own. Rith did not move, merely watched her with those blazingly intense eyes. It dawned on Tal then, what the Firstwalker was waiting for.

"P..please?" Tal stammered, her voice thick with lust.

No more was needed as Rith's long soft tongue immediately began to lap at Tal's swollen sex. Her nose was pressed tightly to Tal's body and with each movement bumped her now straining clit. The pleasure was unimaginable, the intimate caress so powerful and the shocks flooding her body so undeniable it could not last long. Tal's head tossed from side to side, her face becoming lost in a sea of blonde tresses. Her body arched upwards, trying to make the contact with Rith's lips and tongue permanently and her hands convulsed upon her small breasts.

Rith's finger slipped almost effortlessly into her tight channel and Tal felt her muscles clamp down upon it. That reflexive contraction was followed by something so all encompassing that it blocked all else from her mind. A single jolt, centered in her pussy but quickly running the length of her small frame. It was followed by another and another, each less powerful, but all beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Nothing should feel this good. How could she have gone so long without discovering this bliss? Could she ever go another day without it?

Her mind seemed divided, such serious questions juxtaposed upon waves of mindless pleasure. Like a marionette upon a string she jerked and convulsed. Her string was Rith's tongue, and until the puppet master finally ceased her ministrations Tal could not stop. Bathed in sweat and panting heavily she found herself in Rith's arms. The screaming pleasure was followed by a relaxed contentment that kept even the questions at bay for a long time.

Tal'marin lay basking in the afterglow. The small cabin no longer looked Spartan, it was beautiful. She realized that the world might never look the same to her again. A sudden loud thump on the roof caused her to jump, but the Firstwalker's strong arms pulled her close and in those arms she just could not be afraid.

"It's only snow," Rith whispered.

"I know. I am not like this normally. I have never been afraid before."

"You have walked in the shadow realm, while I called you back, forever will a piece of you be darkened."

"What happened? Truly?"

The Firstwalker was silent for a long time and Tal was beginning to suspect she would never get an answer to anything from this enigmatic woman when she began to speak.

"Irgonte is the embodiment of darkness. Centuries ago he entered a dark cave at the base of Tremlos, the king of peaks. Why did he go there? None can say now, but I suspect he had become tired of the world and was searching only for a place to sleep away the long ages until the world is unmade. Whatever his purpose something else already slept under the mountain. It awoke and they fought in a battle that must have been epic for he was a cunning warrior. Their battle brought Tremlos down around them and the cave was forever sealed. Yet within that tomb Irgonte still lived. That which fought him must be terrible indeed, for it has captured his mind and bent it towards evil.