by Cherie Denis
Pot rumbled and shook the valley, and the two women grabbed the carrier and took off again at a steady pace.
Sin and Lef had wandered far afield from the troop as they hunted for fresh meat for their evening meal. The dwellers were too frightened to stop for a midday meal, instead opting to gnaw on dried fish and salted meat as they walked.
Sin and Lef sat on a high rock, nibbling on dried fish and berries. Far ahead of them and off to the side of the valley, the straggling line of the troop could be seen.
“We have not seen one animal this day,” Lef said, shaking his head.
Sin sighed and nibbled on more berries. “No. I think they are all gone because of Pot. They are as afraid as the rest of us.”
“Do we have time to fish? I saw many fish in the river.”
Hot ash landed on Sin’s shoulders, and he brushed it away before it could burn him. “We must hurry, my brother, because I fear Pot is about to explode.”
Lef jumped off the rock. “There is a shallow pool down in the gully over there,” he said, pointing. “I have my spear, and you have yours. Let us hurry. I want to catch up with the troop. I fear for Ria’s safety.”
“I worry also for Em’s life. I am afraid if we do not get into the next valley, we will all be dead soon, and I don’t know about you, but I am too young to die. I still have more fucking to do. I want to make Em my mate and have children. I want to live to be old.”
Sin jumped down next to his friend, and they trotted toward the pool Lef had found. There, they stood silently watching the fish for a moment. Lef was right—there were many fish, and the pool was shallow. Heat had probably made some of the water disappear, and the fish were swimming around in slow circles.
Long ago, the dwellers had discovered water disappeared when it boiled or was hot for a long time.
The water in the pool was warm enough to put the fish to sleep. “It will be easy to spear many fish,” Sin said immediately, aiming for and spearing a large fish. Soon, they had more than enough fish for the evening meal and some to dry.
The men rigged up a carrier and strapped down the fish with sinew. Balancing the carrier between them, they made their way quickly across the valley and soon met up with the dwellers.
“Do you see Em and Ria?” Sin asked Lef.
“No, I do not see them.”
“I am afraid they have been left behind yet again. Does her father care so little for her?”
Lef shrugged his shoulders. “She is a woman. Row wanted sons, and he has only daughters. I do not think he will care if something happens to her.”
“He is a harsh man. I do not want her hurt because I do care.” Sin’s anger simmered like a boiling bowl of water. Row needed to be strung up for the animals to feast on. There was no time for retaliation, but soon, Sin would have it out with Row. Em was a priceless gem to be worshiped and adored, not discarded on the side of the road.
Sin handed the carrier of fish to two of the younger dwellers and turned to Lef. “I will go to find the women. You try to get the troop to move faster. We do not have much time.”
“Go to the head of the line,” Sin continued. “Find my sister, Cia, and tell her we all must hurry. We have to get to the next valley before nightfall, or we will die.”
Lef waved and headed forward while Sin, moving like the wind, ran through the grasses searching for Em. His beautiful Em and Lef’s Ria.
Where are they?
Sin was not going to panic. Panic would do no good and would be a waste of time. He had to find the women and get them moved to safety.
It was only by luck that Sin found Ria and Em. The grass was higher than their heads, and both women were sitting on the ground crying.
The only reason he found them was because the wind carried their sobs to his ears.
Squatting beside Em, Sin put a hand on her shaking shoulder. “What has happened, little one?”
“We are lost and tired,” she sobbed. “Ria fell down, and now, her foot hurts.”
Sin turned to Ria and picked up her foot. It was bleeding from a large, deep cut. “I will carry you, Ria. Can you lift the carrier by yourself, Em?”
“I think so, but I can’t pull it alone.”
“I know, but I can,” Sin assured her. “Climb onto my shoulders,” he told Ria. He waited patiently for her to get situated. “Now, wrap your legs around my neck and hold on to my head.”
He grinned behind his mask. Lef was going to be angry when he saw Ria riding on his shoulders, but he had to get them moving fast. He was strong and could run with Ria on his shoulders. He hoped Em was strong enough to keep up with them.
“Em, pick up the carrier and put the handles in my hands.” Sin put his hands behind him, waiting patiently. Em followed his directions, and soon, the handles of the carrier rested in his palms. With Em at his side and Ria hanging on for dear life, he took off at a steady trot.
If they got out of this valley alive, Em was going to be a perfect mate. She did as he told her, and she was now keeping up with Sin as he ran to find the dwellers.
The carrier bumped along behind him, and Sin was more than once tempted to leave it lying on the ground and let Row worry about his missing goods when they set up dwellings in the next valley. It was Row’s fault the two women had gotten lost, and it was Row’s fault they were all going to die if they didn’t hurry up and get to the other valley.
Sin was not in the mood to die this day.
Em, sensing his anger, put a hand on his aching arm. “I know you will save us, Sin. You are very strong and brave.”
Her tender touch gave him the strength to continue running, even though the air was scalding and he could barely breathe. “It is for you I am brave, little one.”
“I love you,” she said, keeping up with him.
“And I you,” he answered. “You are very brave, Em. Are you tired? Do you want to rest?” She’d been running alongside him for miles in the heat. She had to be exhausted.
“No, for you, I will be strong. I can keep going, Sin.”
* * * *
It was impossible to tell if it was night or day. The dust and smoke were too thick to see Tec. The dwellers struggled to the third valley and collapsed on the other side of the mountain wall.
“Come,” Sin demanded of the younger men. “We must fill the opening in the wall with rocks and dirt.”
“What good will it do?” Lef groused. “Besides, I am too tired to move.”
“It may be the only thing protecting us from Pot’s anger. The fire-water pouring from his top will burn everything in its path. I am hoping we can stop it before it gets to this valley.”
“I will help.” Em stood and moved to join Sin and Lef.
“I will also.” Ria joined the group.
Others stood and stumbled to the wall. It seemed to take forever, but eventually, they had the fissure in the mountain wall closed as tightly as they could. They lost count of how many rocks, large and small, had been jammed into the opening.
Cia, Sin’s sister and the leader of the clan, supervised from a large boulder. Her mate, Let, carried the rocks to the younger men, who jammed them in place, and the women plastered it all with a mud mixture they made of dirt, dry grass, and water from a small pond they had found.
Standing back, Sin sighed. It would have to do. There was no more time.
Cia must have agreed, because she stood on her boulder and pointed up the side of the valley. “We will go up from here. There are many caves.” The air was still full of so much hot soot it was hard to see their leader.
“You and you,” Cia pointed to Sin and Lef, “and you, my mate.” She pointed to Let. “Take some of the younger men and run through the valley. Find out if there are any other dwellers here and if there is enough food for us all. If not, we will have to move on in a day or two. But first, we must rest. It has been a hard two passings of Tec, and we are all tired.”
Sin’s heart sank. He wanted to stay with Em. It had been a hard trek, and he ach
ed to hold her body in his arms. More than anything, he wanted to lie with her next to him all night. He wanted to fuck her until she was limp as a willow branch.
Part of the troop followed Cia to the hills and open caves, and a few young men followed Let, Lef, and Sin as they headed across the valley floor in search of food and dwellers.
Let’s legs were long and strong, and soon, he was far ahead of the younger men. Sin and Lef planned to split off, taking two men apiece, and go in separate directions. If they spread out, they would be able to search the valley faster.
Sin poked his friend in the side. “Did you fuck Ria?”
Lef’s eyes crinkled, and he chuckled. “I will not tell.”
Sin hit Lef on the arm. “Tell me, Lef.”
Lef’s grin grew so big it stretched his mask. “Yes. And you, Sin. Did you fuck Em?”
Sin nodded.
“Was it good, my brother?”
Behind his mask, Sin also smiled and chuckled. “Oh, yes. She was so hot and tight inside.”
“So was Ria. I thought she had burned my cock. But it is still there, and every time I’m around Ria, my cock grows.”
Sin sighed. “I have been afraid all this day, but whenever I think of Em, my cock becomes strong and brave. I can’t wait to have her again. I hope it will be tonight.”
“Will you have to pay her father for her?”
“I have nothing since we left the old valley in such a hurry. What can I offer, except myself?”
“Mmm, perhaps we will find something worth killing here in this valley and you won’t have to plead for her to be your mate.”
Pleading was demeaning. Most young dwellers would rather die than plead for any woman’s hand. Em was not any woman. She was Em, and she was worth more than any other woman in the clan. Sin wanted Em for his mate so much he was willing to plead, beg, whatever it took to have her for a mate.
Eventually, the two men split off, each taking three of the younger men. They all searched until it was almost too dark to see. They found no more dwellers, but there seemed to be plenty of animals to eat. There was even a grassy plain for grazing the few tamed animals the group kept. There was also a level place for the women to plant the fruit trees, berry vines, and maize plants they had rescued from their previous home.
There were a small river and several streams leading off the river, and all seemed to be teeming with fish. There was a forest thick with trees of all kinds. Some even bore hard fruit, which popped open when hit with a rock. The insides looked safe to eat. Someone brave would have to try it first.
Sin sent Kem, one of the young boys, to gather as many of the hard fruits as he could. He’d let the women decide what to do with them.
If Pot didn’t ruin their new home, Sin knew in his heart this would be a great place to dwell.
The valley was cool and pleasant, with a slight breeze and no soot or smoke. They had come a very long way from their old caves.
* * * *
The men camped out in the middle of the valley for the night. They made fires, and cooked fish and roots to ease their hunger pangs. Sin stood on a tall rock and could see Let’s fire and Lef’s fire and knew they were all camped for the night.
The night was full of strange sounds—animals none of the dwellers had heard before seemed to be moving about. None came close, possibly deterred by the light of the fires.
Sin lay on his bearskin rug, arms crossed behind his head, thinking about his night in Em’s arms and in her body. He could still feel her cunt, hot and wet, wrapped around his cock.
He slipped his hand down his body to clasp his cock in his hand. With slow strokes, he pushed back the skin protecting the end of his shaft and wished the hands on his cock were Em’s. They weren’t, but he would have to make do with his own hands. It wasn’t unusual for a man to relieve himself when on a hunting expedition. No one would care if a slight groan issued from his lips when he exploded his seed.
Thinking of Em made it easy to quickly reach satisfaction. A loud moan left Sin’s lips as he shot his seed into the air.
Someone cleared his throat, and Sin sighed and turned to find Lem, who was a few years older than he, kneeling next to Sin’s bed.
“Are you lonely, my friend?” Lem whispered. Lem was a man with words and did not use his hands to converse unless it was with the old ones.
Sin nodded. “I miss my mate.”
“Mmm, you have a mate?”
“Yes, but you must not tell her father, because I haven’t asked for her hand yet.”
“Oh? Who is it?”
“It is Em,” Sin admitted in a whisper.
Lem leaned close to Sin. “I will be silent, Sin. I see you are still aching for her body. I can ease your hunger, my friend.”
“You would help me, Lem?”
Lem and Sin spoke in low whispers while the others around them slept. Pit, the night guard, had his back to the camp and seemed to be staring off into the night. Sin had a feeling Pit was sleeping, but since Pit was sitting straight, no one could tell from where they lay. It didn’t matter—the moment Pit heard one leaf crackle, he would be on his feet, spear at the ready.
“Well,” Lem whispered.
Sin realized Lem’s cock was standing straight up and the tip was moist. “You are very large, Lem. You will not hurt me?”
Lem sighed and stroked a hand over his burgeoning cock, pushing the hood back as he did so. “No, my friend, I will be gentle.”
Sin knew the mechanics of having sex with a male. He’d done it many times as a young boy with his friends, but they had been small at the time, and it had been fun. Lem was a grown man, and it would be far different.
Lem put his other hand on Sin’s cock while he continued to stroke his own. “See how nice it feels.”
Lem’s hot breath tickled Sin’s ear.
It did feel wonderful. Heat grew in Sin’s balls, and his back arched. Moisture formed on the tip of his cock, and Lem used the juice to wet Sin’s cock so his hands would slide up and down the shaft easier.
“See, my friend, it does not hurt.”
“No. Do it harder, Lem,” Sin begged. He groaned when Lem’s hand picked up speed. “I will come soon,” Sin whimpered. “Harder.”
Lem surprised Sin by flipping him onto his belly and lifting his ass in the air. Reaching under Sin’s body, Lem continued to milk Sin’s cock until pre-come wet his hand. “It is good?”
“Oh, yes,” Sin groaned. “More…”
Lem took his wet hand and stroked it over Sin’s anus. Sin clenched his butt cheeks and jerked away from Lem’s searching finger. “What are you doing?”
“I am going to please you, my friend. Have you never done this before?”
“Yes, when I was young. The boys were much smaller than you. I want it to feel good, not hurt.”
Lem laughed softly. “I will be careful. I know I am big. Let your ass cheeks loosen, and I will wet the way with my tongue.”
Sin tried to relax his body, but it was not easy. He was frightened, yet excited beyond caring about the pain. His whole body jerked when Lem’s long tongue invaded his ass. Lef, his dearest friend, had never done anything like this for Sin. It was very exciting. Sin’s cock grew in length and width, growing so large and hard he ached.
Lem must have realized Sin’s discomfort, because he reached under Sin’s body and stroked his cock, milking it like the women of the tribe milked the goats they raised. His climax was very near, and Sin was relieved when Lem replaced his tongue with his cock. At first, Sin was tense, and Lem couldn’t get the head of his cock past the puckered hole of Sin’s anus. Lem was an expert at man-love, and within moments, he had Sin relaxed and open to his invasion.
“Yes,” Sin groaned. “Go deeper.”
Lem leaned over Sin’s body and nuzzled his neck.
Sin arched and groaned. “Touch my cock.”
Lem laughed softly in Sin’s ear. “You like what I am doing?”
“Oh, Tec, yes. Hurry, Lem. I want to c
ome. My balls hurt, and my cock aches for release.”
Back and forth went Lem’s hips, and his cock moved deeper and deeper into the depths of Sin’s body.
Sin rocked back, urging Lem on with groans and moans.
Moments later, Sin’s cock tightened, and his balls pulled hard against his body, and he shot his seed onto his bearskin rug. Soon, Lem shoved his cock deeper into Sin’s tight ass, and Sin could feel Lem’s hot seed flooding his insides. It was an amazing feeling. It was not as satisfying as making love with his mate, but it was a great way to relieve the hunger he had for Em.
Lem flopped down on Sin’s skin rug, and Sin fell to his belly, exhausted. Turning to face Lem, Sin said, “Thank you, my friend. It was good. I feel happy.”
Lem smiled so big Sin could see the sparkle of his teeth in the light of the fire. “I am glad.” He put a rough hand on Sin’s chin. “Will you help me?”
Sin stroked Lem’s strong face. “Yes. Give me time to make more seed, and I will be on top. Will you like that, my friend?”
Lem grinned. “Yes. Very much.” He cupped his hand over Sin’s bottom. “You have a firm ass. I like it. You are good. It is hard to believe you have not done it since you were a child.”
Sin’s ass rose to meet the stroke of Lem’s rough hand. “It is true. Keep on stroking me, and we will do it again soon, my friend.”
“Good. I am ready,” Lem assured Sin.
Sin could see Lem was not lying. His large cock pointed straight at the night sky, and the hood protecting his knob was rolled back, exposing the tip. Moisture formed and rolled down his shaft.
Sin put out a hand and stroked Lem’s belly fur. “Nice. Soft,” he told Lem. Next, Sin fingered Lem’s man tits and was rewarded when Lem sucked in a deep breath and shivered. His cock dipped and swayed. “Yes. You are ready,” Sin agreed, eager to make man-love again.
Sin rolled from his belly to his back, for he, too, was ready. “Kneel above me, Lem,” Sin directed.
Lem did as told, and Sin urged his body forward so he could suck on Lem’s cock. Lem’s hips jerked back and forth, fucking Sin’s mouth as Sin had fucked Em. “Now,” Sin said, moving Lem’s hips backward. “Lower your body until my cock is inside you.” Lem gave him a strange look. “Do it. You will not be sorry, Lem.”
