Dark Journey [Ariel's Desire 2]

by Candace Smith

  One afternoon, Yellow Hawk walked him past Raining Thunder’s teepee. “The horse will be stabled tonight. Wind Seeker and I agree, you are to care for him.”

  Raining Thunder stuttered, “Yes, Yellow Hawk.” He’d won the second contest, but was afraid they would pass him because he’d already received his first feather. This could earn him a second one.

  Mike heard them and wondered if he’d be shoved back in the cage. In the small confines and tied off, he couldn’t figure out why anyone would need to watch him, but he almost looked forward to the time alone.

  After dinner, Yellow Hawk walked him and brought him to the stables. Mike was stopped as he anticipated walking to the cage in the back. The Indian tied his reigns so he was standing next to a post on the wall and left him.

  Raining Thunder showed up a few minutes later, as did his side kicks Straight Arrow, Soaring Crow and Fleet Cougar. Mike began to get nervous. Although their sadistic games the first week couldn’t compare to what he’d been through with Yellow Hawk, he now wished he was back in their teepee.

  “We were rooting for you to make it to horse, pretty flatlander.” Raining Thunder smacked him on the ass.

  Mike began to tremble. “Save some of that shaking for us,” Fleet Cougar laughed.

  No, oh please no.

  Raining Thunder pulled the reigns. He eventually had to grab the front tracers to get the horse moving. Mike was already wailing. They pulled him to a bar at the back of the stable with a blanket folded over it. Straight Arrow untied the front tracers while Soaring Crow grabbed the back two. They forced him over the pole.

  A leather strap had already been tied to the center support. It reached up under the pole and was tied to his testicle ring so he couldn’t raise his hips. Mike was wracked with sobs. They untied his wrists from his back tracer and he flailed out blindly at them. His hands were captured amidst laughter and pulled under him. They were lashed together and secured to the opposite side of the support that his ring was secured to, leaving his back slightly arched.

  He frantically tried to reach around the beam and wrap his hands around his knees to hold his legs together. The boys grabbed his ankles and strapped them to the ends of a post they put between his feet. Mike was begging through the gag. The boys ignored him.

  “Yellow Hawk has put me in charge,” Raining Thunder began. “The horse will be returned uninjured.”

  Mike noticed he didn’t say unharmed. Through his tears he saw the boy had a jar in his hand.

  “Everyone uses the grease.”

  No, oh god, no don‘t do this to me.

  “You guys remember the order we drew?”

  “You get the front first, Fleet Cougar gets the rear. Then Soaring Crow and me,” Straight Arrow answered. “Then we switch sides.”

  Mike was screaming as the young men removed their breeches. “He still cries like a woman,” Straight Arrow noted.

  “Don’t forget, he’s a horse.” Raining Thunder’s voice was serious and strong. “Yellow Hawk said we each needed to make him spill his seed while we were taking him so we don’t ruin him. If we each earn our feather, the horse will be furthered on his journey to stallion.”

  “You start first, Raining Thunder, so he shuts up.” Fleet Cougar was standing to the side greasing a rapidly growing erection. Mike saw it out of the corner of his eye. He tried to squeeze his ass together and raise his hips. With the lash through the ring and the post between his legs, the movements were minimal.

  Raining Thunder pulled the lock of hair on Mike’s head, forcing it back. He still found the blue eyes disconcerting. When he was training him as a dog, Raining Thunder thought they looked like sky colored glass. “You scream like a woman, let’s see if you suck like one,” he laughed. He slid his shaft through the ring gag and Mike squeezed his eyes shut. The Indian started pumping slowly in and out amidst his muffled wails.

  His eyes opened wide when he felt Fleet Cougar’s greased finger circle his ass followed quickly by his cock.

  He screamed around the flesh filling his mouth. Raining Thunder pulled back and pushed down his throat. “Good, I didn’t screw up his gagging reflex with the string gag,” he murmured. Mike fought for air when he withdrew, pleading nonsense sounds while his stomach lurched and retched when the thick muscle drove down his throat. “He can take it all guys. Don’t stop until your balls are slapping against his chin.”

  Fleet Cougar grabbed his hips and plunged in jerky, deep movements. “He’s good for a horse, nice and tight.”

  “Don’t forget to spill his seed,” Raining Thunder gritted out. “I don’t want any problems from Yellow Hawk.”

  Fleet Cougar reached under and felt Mike’s dick. He was hard, but not hard enough to cum. His sack was loose too. He greased his finger and it joined his cock, searching for his gland. Mike was in agony. When the Indian’s finger hit his prostrate, his hips began a humiliated hump. “That’s better. Hit his gland, guys. He tightens even more.” The young man reached around and gripped Mike’s erection and pumped him in time to his movements.

  Mike felt his balls tighten and sperm rise. In frustrated, painful anger, he tried to think of anything to save him from the ultimate humiliation of cumming with a cock down his throat and another in his ass. The finger tickled and pressed his prostrate while the hand gripped and pumped. Mike’s ass flexed and constricted as he spilled in jerky spurts onto the floor. Fleet Cougar came at the same time, followed by Raining Thunder who was holding the reigns while he thrust his seed deep down his wailing throat.

  The Indians fell back and Mike sobbed again with his nonsense pleading sounds. Soaring Crow and Straight Arrow had been stroking themselves while they watched their friends. They knew they wouldn’t last long.

  Fleet Cougar was still catching his breath. “Straight Arrow, you better finger him first. You don’t look like you’ll last long enough to get the horse ready again.”

  “You’re probably right. That was quite a ride he gave you. No reason for you to hold up Soaring Crow.”

  A forlorn mewling sound came from Mike’s mouth as the Indian took the reins and wound them around his fists. Soaring Crow aimed at his mouth, made one shallow breach and began pumping vigorously down his throat.

  Straight Arrow squeezed his balls. “Shit, this isn’t going to be easy.”

  “Yellow Hawk kept him ringed for three days. Just find the spot and he’ll trigger,” Raining Thunder advised him.

  Mike felt the finger reach inside him and settle on his gland. He began pressing and stroking while Mike hardened. “He’s a pretty good horse. I think he likes to be ridden,” Straight Arrow laughed and his finger was joined by his greased dick. Mike moaned in despair as his hips dutifully squeezed their mini thrusts until he once again shot his sticky load, this time over his clenching hands.

  Soaring Crow roared as he emptied down his throat. Straight Arrow grunted his release.

  The young men leaned back against some hay to rest. Mike hung his head and puked. Before they switched sides, they cleaned themselves off and wiped Mike’s face. He moaned to Raining Thunder. “Wish you would have done that while I was in your throat. Bet it’d feel good,” he chuckled.

  The boys switched sides and it was finally over. Mike obliged them by cumming four times so Raining Thunder wouldn’t get in trouble. His hips and thighs were bruised from their tight grips as they pumped into him and he‘d puked again, feeling the slimy sperm work its way back up his throat. He was reduced to shuddering sobs.

  “Was there any puking penalty?” Soaring Crow asked.

  “Only if it was one of us,” Fleet Cougar laughed.

  “I’m serious. I want my feather.”

  “Nope, the only rules were we spill in each end and we couldn’t spill from the rear before the horse does. Yellow Hawk told me he passed out on the fourth guy and cost him his feather. That’s why I insisted on the grease. See, there’s hardly any blood.”

  His three friends thanked him profusely for helping make su
re they all earned their reward.

  Even through his shocked haze, Mike understood what they said. This perversity was a right of passage for the young warriors and the flatlanders. Mike couldn’t imagine the strong blonde Indian had gone through this terror. When he’d first figured out why he’d been brought to the stables, he swore to kill the man.

  All but Raining Thunder left the stables and headed home. Raining Thunder brought over a bucket of soapy water and the shocked horse managed a moan. No more. Please, I‘ll do what you want. I‘ll be whatever you want. No more.

  The young Indian began gently washing the horse. Mike still shuddered, waiting for whatever torture was coming next. “Easy horse, you rode real well tonight. Four warriors have earned a feather because of you. This will be my second from your journey. When you’re a man, we’ll remember the honor you have given us.”

  The young man washed his legs and gently soaped around his groin and ass. The whole time he talked in quiet tones. “I think you will be a man. I wasn’t sure when you were a dog, but Yellow Hawk is a good teacher.” Raining Thunder paused. “I hope you get to be a man. You’d like it with the people. Gentle Wave has a crush on you, I think. She says she likes your eyes.” He softly laughed, “I think they’re weird and creepy.”

  The warrior washed down Mike’s arms and across his shoulders. He was still shuddering but had stopped sobbing to listen to the calm voice. “She asks me every day if you’ll be a man. I guess because I’m so close to Misting Waters, she thinks Yellow Hawk can tell me.”

  He washed around Mike’s head and lifted under his chin to wash his face. “Straight Arrow would like to be hers, but he knows he’s not a strong enough warrior for her. He thinks if you’re a man, you’ll be strong enough for her. He’ll probably end up with Grazing Fawn. They’ve been like brother and sister and it’s hard for them to turn it into a relationship.”

  “Stay still until I get these all untied. I’ll help you up.” He moved around the back and started with the testicle ring and ankles. “Watch out for Turning Leaves. If she thinks Gentle Wave is interested in you, or that you’ll be a strong man, she’ll be after you. She tried to break up Misting Waters and me. She’s older and knows I’m a strong warrior. She said it wasn’t right for me to take the younger sister. Misting Waters and I have to wait to be joined until she is, and no one wants her. They know she’s trouble. Misting Waters and I talk about it. We think she should go to Patrick’s settlement.”

  Raining Thunder helped him stand up. The tracers were attached to the collar, but he didn’t tie them to the ring. “Lean against this for a minute.” Raining Thunder left him by the post and walked toward the front of the stable with the blanket. Mike was too shocked to move.

  “Come on.” Raining Thunder put his shoulder under Mike’s arm. “Take it slow.” He’d laid the blanket on some hay in one of the empty stalls. “Yellow Hawk won’t come back until sunrise. We’ll have to get you rigged up again before he sees you, so I’ll wake you up before then.” He helped Mike down and rose. On his way out of the stall he said, “You’re a good horse. You’ve helped four warriors of the tribe, and we don’t forget things like that. You’ll be a good man and a good husband for Gentle Wave. Think those thoughts when you close your eyes.”

  Mike was lying down for the first time in weeks. Tears and shudders still wracked through him, but the young warrior’s words kept going through his mind. Everything he was going through, Yellow Hawk experienced. Mike thought of the Indian. He had a beautiful family and pride. To Mike, he was a fearsomely strong man. He couldn’t picture him going through what had transpired tonight. A small nagging part of Raining Thunder’s speech reminded him, Yellow Hawk had fainted. One of his warriors didn’t get a feather.

  His throat was sore and he felt like a baseball bat had been driven up his ass, but all his warriors would get feathers. Mike almost laughed at the absurdity, yet in a weird way he was proud. He could hold his head up when he faced Yellow Hawk in the morning, and know he survived something on this journey the Indian had not.

  Mike wondered anxiously if Gentle Wave knew about this particular detour on the road to becoming a man. It bothered him that she would know and think less of him. Raining Thunder thought the beautiful Indian girl liked him. He fell asleep thinking about her soft curves.

  Raining Thunder shook his shoulder to wake him. “It’s time to get up. Try to walk a little. You gotta’ be standing when he gets here or he’s going to know I let you lie down.” It was the first time Mike had seen the Indian nervous, and he realized he‘d taken a chance by offering him the kindness. Mike walked around the stall until his legs steadied. His entire body was aching. Raining Thunder reattached the tracers and tied his reigns to the post Yellow Hawk had secured him to the night before. They waited in silence for a few minutes then the Indian entered the stable.

  “Misting Waters is already bragging to the tribe about your two feathers. The other boys have been waiting in front of Wind Seeker’s cabin for half an hour. You know he won’t give them out until you’re there.”

  “Yes, Yellow Hawk. Am I done watching the horse?”

  “Yes, you did a good job. Now, go collect your reward”

  “Thanks for trusting me with the care of the horse.” Raining Thunder ran off.

  Yellow Hawk glanced at the stall, saw the blanket and smiled. Raining Thunder would be a good, kind husband for his daughter.

  “You’ve done well, horse. You’ve made four sets of Indian parents proud. The new warriors will all receive a feather and high regard from the women.” Yellow Hawk shuffled his feet. “I failed with one.”

  Mike studied him. It was an awkward conversation under any circumstances.

  “Wind Seeker still makes me pay for that damn feather. I think that’s why he chose me to train you as a horse.”

  Mike’s eyes widened. It was the chief’s son who didn’t get a feather because of Yellow Hawk? Mike couldn’t imagine the humiliation he must have gone through. All four of his warriors will be getting feathers from the only Indian who didn’t earn this one. Mike straightened his cramped legs and followed Yellow Hawk out of the stables.

  The village was already bustling with people. Yellow Hawk stopped him in front of Wind Seeker’s cabin and let him turn to see the young warrior’s collect their reward. Wind Seeker looked up and smiled at the horse. “He’s a fine stallion, Yellow Hawk.”

  “That he is, Wind Seeker.” They continued to the teepee. “I’m proud of you. Wind Seeker just furthered your journey. Now, you are a stallion.”

  The months of conditioning had worn Mike down. Stallion, I’m a stallion, he thought proudly, and Lightening Strikes’ image flashed through his mind.

  Whispering Wheat smiled to greet them and serve them breakfast. Mike groaned as he knelt. He noticed Yellow Hawk didn’t sweep out his legs for his slowness. After he’d finished, he remained kneeling. Whispering Wheat pulled something from her pocket. It was a short strip of leather dyed in four different colors. Mike trembled. He’d not had the best experiences with strips of leather since he was brought to the tribe.

  “I made this for you last night, stallion. I’m happy I don’t have to cut one of the colors off.” She eyed her husband mischievously. She removed the strip binding the stallion’s hair, brushed it with her fingers and wound the colored cord, tucking in the end to secure the tail. “I’ve heard whispers that Turning Leaves has been eyeing the stallion,” she said to her husband.

  “Hmmph, the celebration begins tomorrow. Are you still convinced with our decision?” Yellow Hawk asked.

  “I think it’s the only option we have. The whispers I heard were from Soaring Crow and Fleet Cougar. She tried to convince them they would look like strong warriors if they could make the stallion fail. The feathers have lost meaning to her.”

  Yellow Hawk’s shoulders slumped as he realized his own daughter had lost her journey with the people.

  Whispering Wheat got behind Yellow Hawk and started a slow
massage. “This is not your fault, husband. No one believes that. You’ve helped a soul from dog to horse to proud stallion. You’re giving the tribe a man who will one day be as responsible for his own journey, as Turning Leaves is for hers. She’s well past her nineteenth year, and yet none of the warriors will claim her. They sense she’s lost her way.”

  The rest of the day, Mike was pretty much left alone, hitched to the side of the teepee by the fire pit while preparations were made for the celebration. Indians stopped by to congratulate Yellow Hawk on his stallion. Mike found himself trying to kneel straighter when they’d arrive.

  A few women stopped by. Late in the afternoon, it was Gentle Wave and her friends. Mike felt color rise to his cheeks and quickly pinched the skin under his cock to keep it from twitching.

  “The tail binding is beautiful, Whispering Wheat.”

  “Thank you, Gentle Wave. We’re very proud of this stallion.”

  “Four warriors are proud today, as well.”

  Mike was getting uncomfortable under her scrutiny. She bent down and looked at him closely. She didn’t seem to give notice to his gaping mouth or what might have filled it last night. It was obvious she knew what happened. Their eyes met, and she smiled. “His eyes are the color of a clear cloudless sky.” This seemed to please her. She swiped her thumb down his cheek in a quick, gentle caress and walked off with her friends leaving Mike’s heart hammering in his chest.

  “I think she’s giving serious thought to the stallion.” Yellow Hawk sounded pleased.

  “She is,” Whispering Wheat agreed. “Shining Star says they talked. Gentle Wave is going to encourage Straight Arrow and Grazing Fawn, even though she knows she’ll have a long wait until the stallion is a man.” She noticed the stallion glance at her. “You have a fine, young Indian woman waiting for you when you complete your journey.”

  Mike wasn’t sure how much of what Raining Thunder had told him was true. Part of his mind tried to attribute the warrior’s kindness to his responsibility of caring for the horse. When Gentle Wave looked into his eyes, he now realized it was the first time she, at least, was looking at him as a man. If he made it through the journey, he’d be respected if he was with the dominant woman, even if he was once only a flatlander.