Chapter 39Envisioned

Travelling, it was a nice day. We didn't really train or talk that much but just enjoyed the scenery. The view was slowly changing as we got closer to the mountains, with some small ruins sometimes visible from the path and new colors or flowers in the forest itself. We were lucky enough to see a few creatures as well, some deer that ran across the path and a rabbit fleeing, almost trampled below Deirdre's horse.

From here there were mountains visible in the far distance as well. It was a very good sight to see, it was not just a destination but a set direction. It gave a clear meaning to our travels through the forest, erasing all of the strange things that had happened and just made it a pleasant trip. Not that we could forget about all of it though.

I kept looking back though, feeling that odd sensation of someone following. But there was never anything or anyone there. No birds that sneakily kept looking from a branch, no wolves or deer that gazed at us. Nothing. Just the path, the trees. Fortunately it wasn't a big thing, juts something nagging me softly, the light blemish on my good day.

During lunch we ate a lot more than during breakfast. We were still feeling quite energetic but felt that our body did need the sustenance. By our own calculations, we'd run out of rations on the morning that we should arrive at Rockwall. But considering our horses had been moving at a brisk pace, it looked like we were actually a little ahead of schedule. I'm not sure if it was all the contact with forest spirits, which were much more animal than us, but I felt closely connected with my horse in a good way. It, she, knew that we were in it together and that we took care of each other.

Something they proved again at the end of the day.

We didn't have the chance to get a bath after the debacle of yesterday and we both really longed for some fresh water. The day had been a surprisingly warm with no rain in sight, which was good for the evening, but a little less pleasant in our already sweaty clothes. And apparently the horses felt the same, they pulled to the left when it was time to find a place to set up for the night and we let them lead us, instead of the other way around. Within three minutes, they'd found a large lake and waited patiently for us to clear the saddles and everything off them.

Of course we obliged, smiling as we would have some chance to bathe ourselves as well. It was, however, quite a joy to see the horses run into the water, happy like little dogs, washing themselves clean of the long trip so far. We, however, wanted to have everything done for the night, so we laid out the blankets, made a small fire and ate the last salted meat before we finally felt ready to enjoy the water ourselves. The horses had already returned and we fastened them near some grass and undressed.

I ran to the water first, happy to be free of my clothes, diving in as soon as I was knee-deep in the lake. The water was cold, but not terribly so. It was a refreshment that felt all the better for the wait. When I came up from underwater, I saw Deirdre walking into the water calmly, her naked body beautifully bright in the evening sun. She dove under as soon as she saw me looking at her, a smile playing on her face.

The water was more than clear enough to see her swimming towards me, only surfacing when she was directly in front of me. Her hair lost some of the color she put in it, but the light charm gave it a sheen that made it hard for me to remember what her original color had been. It was almost unfair for me, being tempted so much with visions of beauty almost everywhere, both feral and female. And, funnily enough, Deirdre appeared to enjoy them as much as I did. Maybe even more.

She swam away again, causing ripples in the lake that momentarily reminded me of this morning. My body felt all tingly with the pleasant warmth I was carrying inside contrasted by the cool water outside. I swam as well, making sure to rub my skin everywhere, feeling clean quite fast again. My body had soon gotten used to the cool water and felt quite comfortable. It wasn't like a warm bath, but rather a sort of freshness that was all around me with every movement.

We didn't venture too far into the lake, there appeared to be plenty of fish in the deeper end. On our side, there were some rocks to stand on, which was far preferable to wiggling with my toes in mushy sand or slimy plants at the bottom. Yes, rocks were a lot more comfortable, even if you had to be slightly careful not to stand on any sharp edges. There weren't that many of them.

Deirdre swam out to the middle of the lake and returned after I'd found a nice place to stand near the horses, but still in fairly deep water. There was a smile on her face that reflected mine, this was just what we both needed. Eavan had us given a gift after all, the sleep really had made us feel a lot better. Deirdre slowed down as she came closer, the look in her eyes confirming she felt the same as I did. Without a word, though with a little smile, she just turned around, swimming with her back towards me, almost as if she fell into my arms.

It was so nice to feel her skin against mine again, it felt like so long ago. I put my arms gently around her, taking care to lay them on her stomach. She folded her fingers together with mine and laid her head back on my shoulder. We just breathed slowly, looking out over the lake as the ripples of our movements died down. There was so little wind here, even the tops of the trees barely moved. It was actually getting dark fast as well, the sun had set itself beyond the horizon and the light was fading away from the beautiful hues or orange and red back towards blue and black.

I couldn't smell anything but her...

Nothing I wanted to feel more...

Deirdre turned around and looked into my eyes, it made me worry if she'd heard my thoughts. If everything was alright and if I hadn't done anything terribly wrong. I hadn't. She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her soft body against mine, the water nothing more but an accentuator of our mutual warmth. My chest felt like it was reaching out for hers, her flesh against mine not even a border, just a marker of where I stopped and she began. But we both felt each other.

When I kissed her, or she kissed me, a ripple was felt going outwards over the lake just as it was through my body again. We didn't allow our lips to lose contact, but they opened every so slightly as our tongues wanted to be as closely connected as the rest of us. There was a spark when they did, a bright light that flowed from her into me when the tips of our tongues gingerly met. They flowed forward as if we were rivers in opposite directions, her tongue flowed into me as mine flowed into hers, our lips completely open to allow this intimate play.

Our hands moved slowly over the others back as we were kissing intensely, leaving soft trails of warmth until the water could cool it again. If possible we pressed even closer together, hoping to maximize the amount of skin that could touch, intensifying further. Part of me felt we were in the middle of a flame that flickered between white and black, we were the wick of the candle, together as if we were meant to be like this.

We allowed the kiss to fade to open our eyes again and gaze. There were no words needed, just her getting my hand, squeezing it lightly and walking to the shore, pulling me along. We didn't lay down on the blankets immediately, we were still too wet, but we didn't mind. We let the air cool us, embracing one another again, not to speed up the drying but because we couldn't resist each other. We kissed again, it was as intense as the first, our tongues swiftly teasing and dancing in our mouths.

Our hands moved boldly over our bodies, her fingers caressing the curves beyond my back as mine did the same, following the skin towards the legs before wandering up again. This time there was no lake to cool us anymore, and it felt like that everywhere she touched me, she left traces of warmth on my skin that sunk deep into me. It was almost embarrassingly pleasurable for me, my body responded as must have hers and pressed a little harder against her lower body. A scare flared up for a moment in my mind but was immediately quenched by the movements of her tongue in my mouth. She only moved back for a moment to allow part of me to be pressed upwards before she pressed our hips together again. It was all so soft, her skin tingled beneath my fingers and I felt as if I was drawing on her, layer upon layer of a deep connection that we both didn't want to lose.

It didn't take long for us to dry, at all. We spread my blanket out to lie on and used hers to lie beneath so we could lie together beneath the blankets. We kissed once more before we just laid in each other arms and moved gently over one another. It was already so intense, part of me wanted to do more but a much bigger part felt it wasn't needed. There was one thing I did want to try though. I focused my Light on her, trying to make her back more sensitive, hyper sensitive, then I moved my fingers all along her back.

Deirdre, to my surprise, moaned strongly as I did so.

I was afraid it had been a little too much, I let go of my focus and moved my hand away from her back, resting it on her shoulder. I wasn't quite sure if it had been a good thing so I waited until she opened her eyes again.

She smiled as she did, her words no more than a careful whisper. "You used Light, you cheat." She sounded very tired, but happy.

I just nodded and held her, her arms around me as well and a smile on both our faces. The night called and we answered.

We slept.