A Quiet Strength - Chapters 1 - 7 free porn video

A Quiet Strength By Anon Allsop -One- The young man stretched out on his bunk, pulled deeper into sleep by the constant hum of the ship's powerful engines. As the welcome sleep began to claim him, a electronic beeping pulled him back into the land of wakefulness. "Shit!" he groaned as he swung his feet outside his bunk. "Hang on, I got to get some clothes on!" He called out to the unseen visitor outside his cabin door. Once he had himself covered up, he called out to the computer. "Enter." The door quickly slid to the side, making a sound of air escaping as it moved. The man looked into the eyes of his visitor and took a step backward. "First Officer Stockwell, the High Commander requests your presence immediately," the stoic security officer advised. "Let me get dressed first," Park replied as he began to search for his uniform pants. "Now, sir." The Officer stepped inside the room. "I have been ordered to bring you right this minute- just as you are." "Did he indicate what the reason for this unusual request was about?" Park complained as he tossed the pants on his bunk. "I just finished sixteen hours on the bridge, I really need to get some sleep." He pulled on a thin robe and fastened it closed. "Sir," he said as he motioned for the young officer to exit ahead of him. As he passed the Security Officer, he noticed him place a hand upon a phaser that hung from his hip. Throughout the twists and turns within the ship's corridors, they walked toward the commander's office the young man's mind scrambled to try to figure out what he could be in trouble for, yet nothing materialized. As they rounded the last corner, the reflection in the glass behind him showed the Security Officer with phaser drawn, and pointed toward the small of his back. A sinking feeling washed over the young man who struggled to discern what he could have done to warrant this much security upon himself. His mind raced for plausible explanations, yet nothing rose to the forefront. They paused at the door of the Commander's office, the door suddenly slid aside to reveal the scowling face of the seasoned captain. "Enter." His voice stabbed the quiet as my guard pushed me forward into the room. "What is the meaning of this sir?" "Silence Stockwell." He walked back around to his desk and leaned forward, his hands splayed upon it's shining surface. "Take a seat," he spat with contempt, indicating the chair that faced the big desk. "Computer, record this conversation." "Recording," echoed the mechanical voice. The young officer sat as suspicion clouded his face, the Commander glanced toward the guard. "Get the witness, see that we are not disturbed." The guard saluted, quickly turned and walked through the doorway. The Commander waited for the door to glide quickly closed, once it had, he turned his attention back to the young officer. "I'm sure you know full well why you are here." The youth sat quietly for a few seconds before speaking. "Well sir, you would be wrong." He started to rise to his feet but was pulled back into the chair by an unseen force. "What is the meaning of this, sir? I have done nothing wrong!" "You can see by now Stockwell, that I have utilized the restraint field on you, and you are currently helpless to do anything more than talk!" The older man smiled smugly as he circled the desk and leaned upon its edge. "Now that we have you secure, incapable of doing any harm to me- we will talk." "When you had furloughed last at Rylos 4, you met with a known terrorist to the Empire, by the name of Newley." He folded his arms over his chest and waited for the younger man to speak. "I have no clue who this chap, Newley is? Who said I met with this person?" the robed youth hissed angrily. The Commander pushed a grid on his desk panel and a image appeared to hover before the young officer. "This is Newley." "I do recognize him, but he was nothing more than a transport specialist that took me from the hanger to my hotel!" He frowned and shook his head. "I was only in his shuttle for at most, a half hour!" He straightened up and placed his hands on the desk and leaned back again. "So you do admit knowing him?" "Not personally. He just piloted the shuttle, I doubt if I spoke ten words to him!" The youth's eyes darted between his Commander to the image of the terrorist. The older officer laughed softly to himself as he again pressed the grid. Instantly the hovering image disappeared. "Sir, I was only with the guy for a half hour!" he shouted, suddenly terrified at his own Commander. The older man's face contorted with rage. "Long enough time to plan a mutiny!" "What?" the youth snapped back. "I planned nothing of the sort! I have always been an exemplary officer! What could I possibly gain by conducting a mutiny?" Suddenly there was an electronic chime overhead. The Commander smiled and straightened. "We will find out soon enough! Enter," he barked as from behind the youth he heard the air pistons quickly open the door. Try as he could, the young officer was unable to turn around and face his accuser. "Is this the man you met with on Rylos 4?" He again pressed the grid and gazed behind me and waited for the answer, meanwhile the younger officer's image floated in place above the desk. "It is," the decidedly feminine voice replied. "I demand to see who it is accusing me of this treason!" he shouted as he struggled against his unseen bonds. "Silence you traitor, you will see who it is that accuses you soon enough!" the Commander growled and came within a breath of backhanding the youth. "Guard, wait outside, see that no one enters!" After several seconds with his back turned toward the robed man, he walked to the side of the room and retrieved a strange looking object. "Do you recognize this?" He held a strange looking thing out in front of the youth who was shaking his head in the negative. "Oh come now, Stockwell, surely you recognize the Molecular Transmutation Device that you purchased while on Rylos 4." He rotated it in his grasp. "An illegal MTD for that matter!" "This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing!" He tried to stand, forgetting that he was tethered to the chair by an unseen force. He knew full well the kind of trouble one of those outlawed MTD's could cause to someone if it were found in their possession. "It's not mine! I swear!" he began to plead. Movement behind him cause the young man to turn, the unseen female passed him on the left and also moved next to the Commander. The youth instantly recognized the Commander's daughter. "What the hell..." he hissed as his eyes fell upon the young female. There had been history between the couple- all bad. Beating within her beautiful chest, was a heart of cold stone. Parker had spurned her advances since they began this mission, now he knew the who..but why? Now that was a question for the ages! The Commander cleared his throat; the sound caused the young man to look up. "Leslie told me what you were planning...I'll bet you never thought I would discover your little scheme before you could implement it!" The commander laughed and handed the Molecular Transmutation Device to his alluring young daughter. "You planned on stealing my form and dropping me off on some godforsaken planet...but the laugh will be on you Stockwell! "I planned no such thing! I have always been faithful to you and our mission!" He looked from his Commander to the girl, she was smiling evilly at him. "I'll do whatever I have to do to clear my name sir!" "Fine, Stockwell. I'll take you up on that. See son, I can be accommodating. All of this was nothing more than a misunderstanding." He walked over to the young man and gave his back a friendly pat. "Computer, end recording." "End Recording." "Thank you sir, you won't regret it," the youth replied as he attempted to stand but was still bound by the unseen force. "Commander, I'm still bound here." "Stockwell, do you know why this version of MTD is considered illegal?" He folded his arms behind his back and walked to the chair behind his desk. Taking a seat he placed his elbows on the desk and touched his fingertips together. "Sir, release me...you said it was a misunderstanding...sir?" he pleaded as the girl began to chuckle softly. "Oh, you will be released Stockwell. Only it will be on our terms!" He leaned back in his chair and nodded to his daughter. "Your little mutiny is about to be squashed, because you are about to be removed entirely from the situation. "But I did nothing wrong!" he responded, the fear in his voice was real. "Your plan to use the MTD on me, taking over the ship might have worked. It failed though when you confided in my daughter's friendship...that was your downfall!" He leaned forward in his chair and frowned. "You tried to get at me through her. You're a sick son of a bitch, trying to get into her pants and thinking that she would help!" "Your daughter is a psychopath!" He glared at the beautiful blonde. "She is a liar!" "She most likely is, and truth be known, she also likes women..however, that awkwardness is about to change." He looked toward his daughter. "I'm through talking, do what you have to do." She knelt down in front of the bound man, slowly sliding her fingertips inside his robe. "Park honey, I am about to replace you, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it!" She smiled and pulled a string from her hair, then shook her naturally platinum blonde hair loose. It spilled in copious amounts around her shoulders. She began to unfasten the robe from the increasingly frightened man! "Get your damn hands off of me you bitch!" he shouted at her as she leaned back on her heels laughing. "This device," she rotated it around in her hand to show him, "when used on a man, by a man... or on a woman by a woman; is harmless." She smiled wickedly. "However, if a male uses it on a female, the poor male gets the short end of the deal. Unless of course, you're into that sort of thing." "What are you getting at Leigh? You know I've done nothing wrong, you're just trying to figure a way to screw me over! I won't let it rest until I've cleared my name!" "Interesting choice of words, honey. You see, I plan on taking you over. And you? Well, that is where your life will become increasingly interesting. You will become me! So, yes I do plan on screwing you over, just not the way you might be thinking!" "You're mad! Both of you are insane!" he shouted and struggled to get up. She continued, "With this device, I will easily become you... the male, stepping into your life with nary a thought. You, now that's a different story altogether. When you become me," she reached into his robe and cupped his genitals, and then forcefully let them go, "all of those nasty little sperm in here, won't have anywhere to go. They couldn't be absorbed like the eggs in a female's ovaries can when she becomes a man. That was THE little flaw, one that you are soon to experience!" She flipped nearly white tresses over her shoulder. "And now you know why it has been banned." "I demand you turn me loose!" He shouted, throwing his head from side to side in an attempt to break free. "I will see you both arrested the minute I am released from here!" She laughed and forcefully held his unshaven chin. "The funny thing is, your new body will still be producing eggs when you become female, and all those little swimmers that had nowhere to go, suddenly do, just as nature intended for them! It is over 88% positive in ALL cases it has been used!" She laughed in his face. "Your offspring would be as though you and I had done the nasty, and produced a baby!" Then with a sneer she hissed through an evil giggle, "Hope you like mommy-hood...asshole!" He tried to kick at her but his legs were still bound. Each time he pushed from the unseen force, it brightened with a light in the area he struggled from. "You know what is even more fun?" she continued without waiting. "Just like you were intending to do with my father, we are going to transport you through a wormhole, and where you end, your deity only knows!" "You can't do this to me! I am an officer of the Empire! My parents will see that you..." "Oh shut up!" She slapped the young officer interrupting him. "You obviously have not been listening to what I've been saying!" She smiled evilly at him. "Your parents won't know a difference, in fact..I may or may not keep your girlfriend, it just depends on how good she is in bed.. or if I like her or not!" His eyes grew wide as he began to struggle to get out of the chair. "Get away from me, you can't do this!" "Watch me!" Her finger hovered over the trigger on the MTD. "I hope you enjoy your new life, bitch!" "Nooooooooo!" he screamed as his voice began to climb the octave from male to female. He watched in horror as the beautiful girl before him began to alter in shape, becoming more masculine as time passed. Even before it was over, his voice mirrored that which was once hers. As the changes continued he felt a strong hand upon his chin, raising his increasingly beautiful face upward. "You make too much noise, bitch... I've heard enough!" A liquid was poured down his rapidly transforming throat. His voice suddenly left him. All the sounds he could make was guttural. The former man struggled against her, now his increasing strength! "Oh relax you little cunt, it'll wear off after awhile." She laughed at his pathetic plight. "Perhaps in a year or so..." He tried to scream, he tried to cry out, whatever she had poured down his throat had paralyzed his vocal cords. He couldn't vocalize anything other than bitter moans or whimpers. He looked down at his hands, once powerful hands, now petite and feminine. His legs were long, thin and very smooth, his breasts were now those generous pale orbs that once adorned Leigh's chest. As the feminine emotions took hold on the officer, he...no she began to cry. Her whimpering caused the bigger man to laugh. His old voice laughing, brought his attention once again to the wicked woman who had transformed into him. "I would love to see what little beastie gets to feast upon your hot little body, I'm sure you won't last a week before you are consumed! For me though, I'm going to take complete advantage of this body and what it offers for the rest of my life! It's too bad I couldn't give you one last little ride before I have to give you up...but I agreed to it and a deal is a deal." He tried to curse at her, but all that came to anyone's ears was a grunting sound. No longer did he have control of a voice. Tears streamed down the fair skinned, beautiful young girl as the man before her pressed a grid on the Commander's desk. "Enjoy what's left of your short life bitch!" Hearing the familiar voice laugh as the robe was forcibly jerked from around her shoulders. In a quick motion her boxers were removed and he was stepping into them, leaving her exposed as the day she was born. Tears welled in the transformed girl's eyes, while she could hear her former voice laughing... everything before her began to fade into a great nothingness and envelope her. -Two- The young woman lay upon a carpet of soft grasses, her lifeless and naked form was beautiful and quite exotic. She appeared to be at best eighteen, but in a strange world, beauty and age could be as much a determent as it could be an asset. She felt as though she was emerging from a cloud, her mind evidently fogged with the confusion of the transformation and travel. A tickle upon her breast caused her to stir. She opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked down at a very pale butterfly walking across the tip of her nipple. She gracefully swept her hand over it and it fluttered to another place upon her body. Raising her head, she realized that she was covered with hundreds of the butterflies, even more were resting in the sun upon her warm, smooth skin. She rose to her elbows. Thousands of the little winged creatures suddenly flit and fluttered about her like petals of flowers in a windstorm. In shock, she scrambled to her feet and stood, watching them suddenly winging away like a soft white tornado of beauty. As she stood in her nakedness and watched the white maelstrom flutter away, her beautiful blue eyes followed them. There within the flitting cloud, a young man stood. The expression upon his youthful face as the butterflies cascaded into his view, and around him, was one of both surprise, shock..and yes, awe. In the blink of an eye, the young female quickly ducked and ran like a frightened deer, darting among the leaves of the forest until it swallowed her passing up whole. By the time the man got his wits about himself, she was gone. In sheer terror she ran, trying to put as much distance between her and the man as she could. Darting in and out of the thick forest, until she came to a river's edge. With not one single moment of hesitation, she dove into the water and began to swim earnestly with the current, trying to stay under its surface for as long as possible. She surfaced only for a breath, took that desperate gulp and again went under into that cool water. With each stroke, she began to fear the creatures that must inhabit this alien water, yet she swam on harnessing the fear she possessed as her motivation. On and on she swam, her nearly white hair spilling about her as she swam. -Three- The bronzed warrior stood stupefied at actually seeing a spirit-nymph born from within the cloud of the sky dancers. Never had he seen such a beautiful and exotic creature as this pale spirit appear and then seemingly disappear as if carried on the wind. Slowly he gathered his senses and started off after the spirit creature, hesitating at first as he knew not what she would do to him should he find her. Repositioning his bow and quiver he picked up the wrap of meat that he had been carrying and stepped forward hesitantly, watching for any sign of where the heavenly creature had gone. Only once in a young man's life can he be lucky enough to see a forest spirit..perhaps this was his time. He smiled, the whiteness of his teeth gleamed against the bronze of his face. He slowly moved forward to where she emerged from the sky dancer cloud, he visually measured where he had been standing, to where he last saw her. Swallowing hard he lowered himself down to examine her tiny footprint in the soft earth. He held his large hand to the print; this spirit was no larger than the female's from his own tribe. Again he moved past a tree and found another print, she was running, like a deer she had disappeared into the forest. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he knelt in the grass and studied how they were bent, each indicated that she was running directly toward the river. He stood up and softly trotted, following her tiny spirit print all the way to the water's edge. There on the bank of the great river he lost her trail. Frowning the bronzed warrior scanned the river in both directions as far as his eyes could see. For only a moment he contemplated entering the current, but fear of the spirit he had been following kept him on shore. The ancient ones tell stories of water dwelling spirits which call young warriors into its current, once they are there, they are pulled under to their deaths. No, he would not enter her domain. He would be thankful to go back to his tribe and tell them the story of the spirit nymph being born in a cloud of sky dancers. He backed away from the water and crouched upon his haunches, there he studied that perfect foot, the last one before she disappeared into the water. Ever watchful, he kept his eye pealed for her emerging from her watery home and wresting him from the shore. He gently touched the outline of her foot, and smiled at the fleeting memory of her naked form. *** Pulling herself from the water on the opposite shore as she thought her pursuer would be, she made her way up a incline to a small stand of trees. There, leaning against the rough trunk of a tree, she caught her breath, water dripping from her soaked body and hair. She attempted to push the water from her smooth skin, even the feeling of that effort felt as alien as anything she had ever felt before. Unwillingly the young beauty took uncomfortable stock in her newly acquired form, unbelieving that the changes she was witnessing had actually happened. She softly coughed, trying to clear her throat of the object which kept her from uttering any sound... but whatever Leigh had forced her to swallow had done its deed. Just from that simple clearing of her throat left no doubt that the feminine cough she just heard came from within. She tried to speak, say a word - anything. She sighed as only unintelligible utterances left her beautiful mouth. She realized that she could not stay in one spot for long, she must find shelter and try to come up with something to cover her nakedness. Looking past the trunks of the trees she had hidden in, she openly shivered from a cool breeze that raced across the grassy meadow that was in front of her. She began to scan the high ground for a place to hide, somewhere she could devise protection, as well as create something suitable to wear. She knew that there would be no help coming to her aid, she had been dropped off in a strange land with no hope of rescue. She moved upward along a ridge-line, keeping within the shadows for protection. As the beauty picked her way carefully, her mind fought with the actuality of her predicament. She realized that she could no longer call herself Park as she once had been, and the name Leigh, even though it fit this form, was completely out of the question. No, if she was to be stuck with a name for the remainder of her days, it would be of her own choosing! But what name? Would there be any use for a name, who would use it? It was true that she couldn't refer to herself in the third person, that would be a cue for insanity and she didn't want to go there! Frowning as her young unfettered breasts swung with each step she groaned and held her arm to prevent their swaying. She hated that she couldn't even feel sorry for her predicament because of the potential threat of being pursued. No, it was a horrible hand to be dealt and like it or not, she was stuck with it. In mid stride she faltered and stopped. Her mind suddenly washed with the realization of what Leigh had said the fault of the MTD was. She looked down past her breasts toward the thin tapered waist she, for the time being, possessed. She shook her head. The movement sent her pale tresses flying. It couldn't be possible, surely Leigh had been lying! She reassured herself that Leigh most likely lying was the case, she had lied to Park before... why not now? That HAD to be it, to think of any other scenario would be impossible, wouldn't it? -Four- Etu retraced his steps until once again he emerged in the area where the Sky Dancer spirit arose from within the cloud. As he passed the spot where she had been slumbering, he noticed a few of the tiny dancers as they flit and fluttered as though looking for where their queen had gone. Now he didn't actually think 'queen' but the translation would be intelligible; however the meaning is quite the same. Even at a slow jog, Etu was a half a day from his tribe. That return trip and his meeting with the Sky Dancer queen gave him a great deal to think about. He replayed their meeting over and over again in his mind. Each time, he would pause his memory on her naked form. Almost unable to forget her beauty. In nearly nineteen seasons, he had never witnessed such great beauty and feminine grace possessed by a single form. This pale Spirit, or as he would call her, Aponi which literally translates to Butterfly, held him transfixed as he watched her disappear right before his very gaze. He marveled at the speed of the beautiful nymph of the forest, eluding his pursuit as only one with the forest could. He smiled as he again recalled her soft form, inviting and delicate as the sky dancers that saw to her every need. Sighing he adjusted the meat he carried, determined that he would speak of her to the ancient one, perhaps he would have more information on this breathtaking creature. As evening drew he entered the lands of his tribe, skirted the lake and upon entering the village, made a beeline to the lodge of his family. There he left the meat with his mother and removed his bow and quiver from his bronzed shoulder. "This venison is welcome my son." His father smiled and gave Etu's shoulder a slight squeeze. "You seem to be in a fine mood?" Etu smiled. "I am father, I have witnessed something today that I never thought possible." His mother looked up from where she had been cutting the meat as he continued, "Have you ever heard of any person seeing a great spirit?" The mother suddenly looked at her husband, he tipped his head slightly. "You have?" "Tell us about it?" The older woman stood up from where she had been working to listen intently to her son as he relayed his encounter. He hesitated as he was about to speak. "It was a female spirit." His father raised an eyebrow, unsure if he heard correctly. "She emerged out of a cloud of Sky Dancers." "You must be careful son, those from the realm of the spirit world can often be evil as well as good." Etu stood before his parents, each could tell that their son was concerned about what had transpired. His father directed him to a bear hide that was stretched across the floor. "Tell us of the Spirit, Etu." The young man sat cross-legged on the hide, cleared his throat and began to tell of meeting the wood nymph. "She rose up from the cloud of sky dancers; they swirled within the dappled sunlight that lit the grasses and ferns. The spirit rose and stretched, then turned slightly toward me. She was as naked as a child just born." He looked directly toward his father and then as his eyes met those of his mother, he lowered them in embarrassment of speaking so candidly. "And then?" his mother asked, hanging upon her son's words. Etu was taken aback by her interest to his story. He continued on though, somewhat surprised by her openness. "The Aponi flew right toward me, there were as many as the stars at night, moving and dancing upon the wind as if controlled by the Aponi Spirit. Father, Mother, I could hear their wings as they neared, each beat grew in sound until the volume rose above the noise made by the entire woods!" He looked down toward his hands as they rested upon his lap. "I could not move, I was as frozen as water in the winter. The Sky Dancers flew straight at me, yet my sight was locked upon where the Aponi Spirit once was." The older man studied his son's bewildered face for several seconds, then placing his hand upon his shoulder he gave him a squeeze. "This was a sign, Etu. If this Spirit wanted to harm you, she would have done it while you were frozen in her view." His mother raised her dark eyes toward the roof of the lodge, she watched the thin tendril of smoke wisp its way through a hole. Her mouth moved as though she was praying, Etu noticed and gently grasped his mother's hand. "Son?" his father softly beckoned. "Then what happened?" The youth nodded and slowly fanned his arms outward. "The Sky Dancers flew all about me, it was like being inside of a great snow. Only it gave me a warm feeling, content and pleasing." He gave his parents a smile, reminding them both of the young boy he had once been. "As soon as the Sky Dancers had passed, I looked to where I last saw the pale Spirit; she had vanished with the blink of an eye." He looked off wistfully, remembering the feeling he had when he realized that she was no longer before him. "I followed her to the river's edge, but that is where I lost her father. She had entered the water there and disappeared." "It is good that you didn't follow her into the river, son." His mother patted his hand lovingly. "The spirit might be sisters with the water and could have dragged you under if you would have followed." Her husband nodded and added, "I think this spirit was afraid of you. She didn't want for you to see her in her human form, that is why she fled. You must keep your distance from this one, it is dangerous for humans to pursue the woodland spirits." "Father, she is beautiful, like the first snows of the cold season." He looked down at his hands. "Her skin is like the snow on the meadow, soft and white... and pure. I cannot forget her, I cannot push her from my mind." His mother looked toward her husband nervously. "You must not follow her, Etu. Please tell me that you won't follow after her?" "I cannot promise that mother. It would be like asking the spirit sun not to chase after his bride the moon. I can think of nothing other than her." He sighed and looked at the hide beneath his legs. "Then speak to the ancient one of her, he will guide you correctly. If he says to go after her, then who are we to stop you." The old man gently grasped his son's neck and gave him a fatherly squeeze. Worry clouded his mother's eyes, yet it was a man's world and she would follow her husbands lead wherever it took them. The youth nodded and gave them both a smile. "I will see the ancient one when the sun is high overhead. I will do what he says." -Five- Morning found Etu silently picking his way through a dense thicket of brush, his movement was barely negligible to the untrained observer. Slowly the muscles of his back flexed as he drew back the bow in his hand. Ever so slowly he moved, his sinewy muscles rolling effortlessly under his copper skin. Before the young deer ever realized what danger she was in, it was too late. Etu's arrow had found her heart and she was making her last great decent into death. The young warrior slowly made his way to the deer, always cautious and alert as he knelt beside his quarry. Etu looked down at his hand as it gently caressed the young deer's hide, the gray and brown hairs creating a very noticeable contrast against his own strong hand. "The great spirit breathed life into you, Forgive Etu, your human brother who has released you from that life." He reverently stroked its neck as though saying goodbye to a beloved pet. Slowly his hand worked down toward the muzzle of the deer. He opened its mouth and pushed a few tender shoots of grass into it. "For your journey young one." Sighing, he slowly knelt beside the deer and began the task at hand of preparing the animal for carrying. Softly he sang out a prayer to his creator for allowing him the deer. As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Etu had transported the deer down to a stream where he washed the blood from his hands and cleaned and wrapped the meat in the hide. With strips he had brought with him, he was able to fashion a bundle that he could carry upon his back. By the time the sun was nearing its peak, Etu was making his way back into his village. He headed directly toward the lodge where the ancient one lived. Seated upon a hide, the white haired man was skillfully painting a stretched piece of leather. Etu admired the craftsman's ability, the control he had still in those withered hands. The elderly man bid the youth to take a seat beside him. As Etu sat he placed the bundle of meat where the man could see it. "It is a young deer, Grandfather." The ancient one wasn't really Etu's grandfather, but the entire village called this man grandfather, it was a reverent homage to his wisdom. Grandfather continued to paint upon the hide as Etu described meeting the strange pale female. As he concluded his story, the elderly man slowly sat down the fine pointed stick he had been using to push the paint, turned and gazed into the young man's face for several long seconds. With half closed eyes, the old man spoke softly as if he was channeling directly from the realm of the Spirits. "The Aponi Spirit is in trouble, she will need your help." He continued to stare into the darkened corner of his lodge. "You must seek her out, her medicine is powerful." "Grandfather, I do not know where to look," he replied with confusion. "She lives in the high country, close to her people." He pointed in the general direction for Etu to look. "She is alone and in trouble." "What of her people Grandfather? Will they not come to her aide?" Even as Etu finished speaking the elderly man lowered his head and sadly shook it. "Her people live above the sky, they have abandoned her to this world." He slowly turned his face toward Etu. "You must find the Aponi Spirit. Befriend the Sky Dancers; they will lead you to her." Etu's gaze slowly dropped toward the paint that the elderly man had been using. Slowly he began to nod. "I will find her Grandfather; I will bring her back to my people." "She is as dangerous as a lion, you must be careful with this one. Given time, she will come to accept your help." He gently grasped the shoulder of the young warrior, and smiled. For he alone knew how much this young Aponi female had taken over the warrior's thoughts. He alone could only fathom the eventual outcome. -Six- The stunning young woman picked her way along a high ridge; the breeze was cool upon her skin. Her soft legs wore the scratches from the weeds and brush that seemed to reach out to her each time she passed. Each time her smooth legs were violated, she softly cursed to herself. She knew what she wanted to say, yet no intelligible word would spring from her beautiful lips. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought back to what she had lost, forcefully removed against her will. As she picked her way between two great boulders she happened to glance down into a slight ravine, at the bottom was a large deer lying among the rocks. The need for food quickly rose in her mind, other than a few handfuls of wild berries she had not eaten since the lunch she had on the ship. Carefully she began to pick her way downward, attempting to sneak up on the animal. Something about the deer was strange to her. As she neared it, the smell told her that it had been dead for awhile and the meat was most likely uneatable. It was an antlered deer, velvety skin covered each side. She moved closer, holding her nose against the back of her lithe hand. From its side was a piece of wood sticking out about the length of her foot. She quickly scanned the surrounding region. If someone had been searching for this animal, they would not be far away. From the way the area was around the shaft, she could tell that the deer had most likely eluded those who hunted him and found its way to this spot to die. Carefully she tugged upon the wood and felt it give under her effort. As more and more of the shaft was exposed, she could tell that it was the business end of a long spear. The smell was putrefying; she was forced to move away several times due to gagging. She examined this formidable weapon and realized that it would be something she could use to protect herself. As she looked down toward the deer, she realized that if she took her time, she just might be able to remove enough hide to make suitable covering for her naked body. Without a second thought, she began to carefully cut into the foul smelling deer using the razor sharp edge of the spearhead. As night began to fall, she had two round pieces that was pulled from the neck of the deer, each piece was about as long as her foot. Using a small length of the hide, she pulled her hair back and tied it off. Blood soaked her entire body and now it even was in her golden tresses. Another long strip was taken from the deer's back, its purpose was yet unknown to her, yet it length could prove useful. Rolling the hide into one heavy parcel, she tied it off with a long thick strip also removed. When dark arrived, she was thankful to put some distance between her and this decaying creature. Carrying the bundle was not easy. It smelled horrible and while it was void of the rancid meat, it still had enough weight to make it heavy. Downward she picked her way until she came to an area where water poured from a crack in the mountain, and over thousands of years, had formed a small indented pool. The flattened spot was about the size of the bed she had remembered back on the ship. It would overflow the pool and was carried on over the edge, dropping for several hundred feet and into a small river. She surveyed the area; from here she could see all the way down into the valley. There was a large outcropping of rock just behind her, it had been used before for sanctuary by animal or perhaps these primitive men. With a bit of work, it could become a suitable temporary shelter. She crouched down and studied the underside of the outcropping, it went back a short distance. It would offer protection from even the fiercest of storms; she only had to clean it out to make a decent shelter. She used most of the night to gather sticks to lean against the opening. Drawing a limb still with leaves on it, she blocked herself inside the shelter. With one of the thin strips she had, she bent a short green branch and tied them to each end. Using another drier stick she looped the string around it and pulled over a split log, broken in half by last winter's storms. She began to pile dried leaves and twigs into a small mound. In the middle she stood the stick that was looped with the string. With her left hand, she held a rock with a natural indent, placing it at the top of the stick. Slowly she began to draw back on the bowed wood. As she pulled it toward herself, it turned within the indented rock. Again and again she drew back the bowed stick. The constant rotation began to heat up and eventually caused the dried leaves and grass to spark. She quickly bent over and blew on the glowing embers, as she blew she began to include more and more dried sticks. Soon a tiny flame leaps onto the sticks, growing slowly until the twigs she began to drop grew bigger and thicker. As the flame began to dance brighter, she placed a log about the size of her thin arm into the flame and sat back until it took hold. Her structure would prevent great amounts of light to escape, yet offer protection from prowling animals. She pushed her ravenous hunger aside and began to use her short spearhead to scrape the tallow from the hides she had rescued. Hours later she could no longer fight the sleep which lay claim to her body, and drifted off upon a bed of clean, dry leaves. Her nakedness warmed only by the heat from the small fire. *** Morning brought her awake and she slowly crawled out of her shelter. The fire had long since been reduced to gray ash. She carried the dried skins down to the water and gently placed them in, as they soaked she carefully picked her way into the valley and began to hunt for wild berries to eat. As the warm sun climbed higher she again made her way back to the little pool. Carefully she removed the wet hides and turned them so the hair was on the inside. She slowly rung what water she could from them and climbed back up to the shelter. The last thing she wanted was to be caught out in the open completely naked. She shivered as she drew the larger ring of hide up her lithe legs. Holding it at her knees she pushed against its inside to hold it in place. As she stood awkwardly, she fished the long hide through the opening between her knees and nether region. With trepidation, she slowly pulled the cold and wet hides up her thighs. Working hard, she struggled to move the wet leather past her generous hips, rocking them back and forth until it came to rest on her hip. The longer hide hung slightly in front and slightly in back, it was all held in place by a belt that she tied around her tapered waist. She now wore what could only be described as the shortest skirt ever created by man... well woman, and she was as uncomfortable as hell in it! Hesitantly she picked up the smaller of the hides and began to work it over her head and shoulders. It was quite painful for her to collect her new breasts within the confines of the hide. Her teeth chattered as water ran down her hour-glass figure, dripping and dappling the dry ground. Once the tube of hide had encompassed her ample bosom, she felt a slight bit of relief knowing that her nakedness was now covered, albeit temporarily. She knew that as the hide would dry, it would conform to her shape and become tighter. Her only hope was that it wouldn't loosen and fall, and that the hair on the inside would be a comfort rather than an irritant. The new articles of clothing felt strange to her. Never before had she been so confined by items worn, as she was now. The intimacy was too personal and she only tolerated it because of modesty. She longed for the loose jumpers she wore when she was still Park, and the fact that they covered so much more wasn't lost to her either. Sighing, she thought back to the life she once had, and knew that she no longer could return to it again. They were out there somewhere, she thought as she looked into the pale blue expanse of the sky. Unreachable to her for the remainder of her days. That former life to her was in the past, and would have to stay in the past. She shuddered as she looked downward. It was strange to see the deep cleavage she possessed now, the slight roll of her breasts as they began their decent into the deer hide. Never had the thought of seeing cleavage this way had ever entered her mind, but she was stuck with this view for as long as the heart beat within her chest. Shaking off the funk she was in, she picked up the spear and studied how it had been made, how it had been fastened to the broken stick. Her warrior's mind returned toward the forefront, she felt that today she must focus her time and energy and fabricate some sort of weapon so that she could eat...and protect herself from danger. But most importantly for now...to eat. -Seven- "My son, will you be gone long?" Etu's mother asked the young man as she watched him ready his supplies for his journey. "As long as it takes mother. Grandfather told me that it was my destiny to find the pale Aponi spirit, he said she will bring great medicine to our people." He smiled and gave her hand a reassuring pat. "I feel that her life and mind wind around each other as the leaves when carried by the cooler breeze when they drop from the trees." He stood up and carried his pack out of their lodge. His father was silently praying, his lips moving but nothing could be heard. As Etu walked past, his father gently touched his shoulder. "Be careful my son, even though Grandfather sends you to seek this Aponi Spirit, do not drop your guard for they are often untrustworthy and dangerous when cornered." "You make her sound like a great cat from the mountains, she is only a female," he said with a slow grin. "I will be fine father." The older man scowled. "Do not take her being female for granted, if she feels threatened, like any frightened animal, she will lash out...and she can kill." Etu let his father's words sink in, slowly nodding in understanding that his way of thinking would only lead to trouble for him. "I will be wary father; I will treat her with the respect that the Great Spirit bestows upon all creatures." As the young man turned to leave, his mother walked from within the lodge. "Etu." The young man hesitated and turned back toward his parents. "Long ago when I was a much younger woman, I was given this by my own mother." She held out a bundle for her son. "The Aponi Spirit will be unclothed, cover her with these before entering into our village." Etu took the package as she continued. "The clothing will be strange to a Aponi spirit, but perhaps a gift to her would appease her human side." He sat down his pack and gently pushed what she had given him down into it. "If the spirits are with me, I hope to be back before the cold winds blow." Standing and rehanging his pack upon his shoulders he hugged his mother and grasped the forearm of his father. "Do not worry my parents, I will return with the Aponi spirit." With that he turned and slowly trotted down the path that would lead him outside the village. As they stood watching him, his mother sighed. Her husband turned to look down at her. "It will be alright, he will return." "I know." She forced a smile and gave her husband's hand a slight squeeze. "The dream that I had last night told me as much." "You had a dream about him?" He gave her a curious look. "And the spirit female." She continued to watch him until Etu disappeared into the distance. "The great spirits told me that the female will bear a child, and her child's yet unborn ancestors would bring about a great leader." "Are you sure it was the spirit?" he said without a moment's hesitation. "Her skin is very pale; her hair is long and as light as winter's snow." She closed her eyes. "She is quite beautiful. Our people have never seen one such as this female." "Should we worry for our son's heart? Is he in danger?" he asked with great concern. "Not in the way that you might be thinking..." She gave a motherly sigh. "His heart is already lost to this female, and yet he does not know it." She pushed a tear from the corner of her eye as she stood beside her husband. As her words made their way into his thoughts he slowly turned his head and watched the last spot that he had seen his son. He too sighed; his mouth began moving with a silent prayer for Etu's journey and return. To be continued...