The O’Enra

This section is taken from ‘Window On The World’, except for a small introductory scene (which would confuse those not familiar with the main story) it is a full chapter.

The O’Enra

Narrated by C.DeDiann

Shimmering in the false sun that gave no warmth on that winter morning, the city of Meath resounded with the wails of her woman folk. Few mourned the death of the overbearing chief hunter, rather the name Aarian had been loudly cursed as the remainder of his weary band staggered near empty handed into the city.

Dulcan collapsed beside the large center circle of flames. His body chilled through to his innards, he left the gasping accounts of their flight to others. The young man desired only warmth and the fire soon brought relief. His growling stomach began to remind him he also needed food. He lunged to his feet.

A small boy sat beside his mother listening to the tale of the terrible fate that had befallen the Chief Hunter. He munched contentedly on fine full bone. Dulcan grabbed the child's meal while the boy's mother did no more than groan in protest.

Dulcan squatted again before the fire, his eyes darting about in hopes of locating a hide robe left unprotected by another. This search was unproductive but brought him back to the sight of the child he'd stolen the beef from. The dark eyes were squinting at him; trickles of silver tears dripped on the plump cheeks. Dulcan looked from the child's face to the bone in his hands. He had consumed most of the meat. With a grunt he tossed what remained back to the boy.

As he listened to the tales of his comrades, he heartily agreed their leader had been a fool to follow the strange hunters with only a small group of his own. True, the strangers had been few in numbers but they had been closer to home. Of course at the time the O'Enra were unaware of the city nestled in the mountains. After several days of following the strangers, they hid in a rocky pass watching them tramp to the foot of the center mountain. Soon the O'Enra gapped in wonder as the long strange ladders began to roll down.

From his position, Dulcan, by looking straight up, could make out the people milling about excitedly on what must have been a high plateau. They must be their women, he thought, for there were also many smaller bodies frolicking as youngsters did. Here and there he could see fire hair waving in the wind and felt fear.

How he wished then he had gone on ahead with Halar. By now he'd be safely pleasuring himself in Meath not siding Aarian in his desire to discover whom these people were. Certainly he was not interested in meeting creatures whose hair was made of flame. Only a short time ago they had found the piles of dried bones and while the useless hair was mostly a strange brown in color; there was some that were shades of fire.

Aarian had fingered the coppery curls as they eyed the mountains. Dulcan saw the curiosity in his leader's face and wanted to yell at him that he was a fool. But Dulcan was still a teenage hunter so he kept his mouth shut.

Then the ladders had rolled down and Aarian ordered, "We will wait until the strangers are half way up, occupied with holding on they will be unable to stop our following them. Loaded as they are, we can quickly overtake them and use them as shields until their people realize we mean no harm."

So when Aarian gave the signal his lusty bunch of first hunters streaked towards the ladders and began climbing.

Dulcan along with other younger hunters were at the rear and in truth held back out of fear. So when the strangers began to turn around to see what their people were screeching about; and began tossing burdens to arm themselves, Dulcan's group was still able to jump from the ladders. They landed with only mild scraps and bruises.

Not so for Aarian's lead group. They were too far up to jump. Adapt at climbing the rope ladders, a number of the strangers had scurried quickly to the ledge. Before their own had attained safety these first up hurled spears down at the O'Enra. Several of the O'Enra first hunters came tumbling through the air with spears protruding from their bodies. Aarian's pleas that they were not out to harm them, fell on the strangers' deaf ears.

In truth there was no battle. In the final moments Dulcan and his mates watched in horror as the ladder, Aarian and his remaining men clung to, became a rope of flame. With one of their own hunters still trapped, the people on the plateau had set fire to the center ladder.

The O'Enra, with no way to help their dying comrades, grabbed up only a few provisions in their haste to flee from an enemy that might decide at any minute to return to ground level.

On this morning, they huddled at their home fire telling the often-repeated tale.

Dulcan, like the other hunters, soon hid his face as the howls of deprived dependants exploded in the air. Normally bold now these men cowered in anticipation. For while they had no fear for themselves, they knew the justice of the women would be swift. A lean hunt required drastic measures. Where meat had been plentiful, the return of Aarian's band with unburden backs would cause a strain that must be compensated for. The deaths among the hunters had left both young and aged females without male protection.

Weary, suffering from arthritic pains and other maladies of old age, the first to be driven from their tents required only slight prodding before they tumbled from the high cliffs to their deaths. The bodies would be left to attract small predators whom the O'Enra might be required to hunt for food before this winter ended.

Others did not go so willingly.

Screeching in glee, two women dragged Myra spitting like a lioness from her tent. Her scalp showed patches of bleeding flesh where her rich black hair had been yanked out in the battle. She licked at a mouth red with gore from the bites inflicted on her assailants. Another woman, protected by five brothers stepped forward with a long-standing jealousy about to be satisfied.

"Aarian fed the stranger's flames, who will feed you bitch?" She laughed as she lashed out at Aarian's sister. Though she had no need for another child she grabbed at the small toddler who clung sobbing at Myra's leg. "I will take the boy, he will require little meat and I have milk to spare."

Dulcan had always admired the attractive Myra. But though her years were no greater than his own, she was considered a woman before he stopped being called a boy. Even now, if her brother were still alive the hunter would never dare consider invading Myra's tent uninvited. But Aarian died on the rope ladder of strangers. A rash young man, Dulcan stomped into the medley. Openhanded smacks sent the molesting attackers staggering. His feet firmly planted, his hands clamped on the now kneeling victim's shoulders, he declared, "I will feed Myra and the boy."

"With what?" The woman who held tightly to Myra's sobbing youngster sneered. Betta, a stocky rather plain faced female who hated Aarian's attractive sister for no better reason than Myra's popularity with the hunters, sucked a bit of blood from the split lip Dulcan had given her.

"Take care bitch," Dulcan warned. "The meat Halar brought back is partly ours. We killed it, cured it, each hunter who followed Aarian has claim to their share."

Betta's brother Halar, had stood at Aarian's right hand for many seasons and pitched his tent in the Chief's shadow. When Aarian chose to follow the strange hunters it was to Halar he entrusted the duty of continuing on towards Meath with much of their bounty from the ending hunt. So Halar had become accustom to being called leader.

Often this man had attempted to invade Myra's tent only to be rejected. His fear of her brother prevented him from forcing the issue. It was to make his suit desirable that he allowed his sister and her cohorts to cower the female. This young upstart had interfered too soon angering this powerful male. Nearly twice as broad in chest, Halar let a cruel smile crease his stern mouth as he declared, "Dulcan stands so tall. Perhaps, unlike other men, he gains strength from an empty belly."

Sensing a fight between men, the people began to gather closer. Their loud jeers filled the air. Though there was little doubt in the outcome of the battle, they would enjoy watching the mighty Halar dispatch his antagonist.

After weeks of surviving on bugs and rodents, in their flight from the mountains of the strangers, Dulcan's body was not a surging mass of strength. In top condition he would be hesitant to face the powerful Halar. The choice was not his. He was aware he had played the fool and now he must answer the challenge.

Halar, who relied on his strength alone, drew his blade and rapidly crossed the space between them. Not given to games, he would be quick to finish off his opponent.

Dulcan dropped into a crouch and lowered his head so the blade intended for his chest nicked a piece from his scalp as he smashed his head into Halar's ample belly. Rearing up he caught the larger man on the chin with his own hard skull while he rammed his bent knee into Halar's unprotected groin.

Shocked by the unexpected pain in his legs and lower body, Halar staggered back. His hands dropped seeking to regain his balance. The action of the smaller man left him momentarily stunned.

Pressing his advantage, Dulcan moved in close to slap at his adversary's chest and shoulders with the flat of his own blade sending a fair amount of Halar's flesh and blood peppering the ground.

In an instinctive move to protect his face and the area of his body being skinned, Halar's elbows bent his arms inward leaving his hands raised. The slashing blade caught the back of his hands. Halar's own weapon flew from his grasp.

The crowd cheered and Halar's family, who had been loudly jeering the young fool for taking on their brother, howled at this unbelievable turn of events.

Yet, with victory assured and the mob loudly urging the death, Dulcan stepped back several paces from the injured man. His blade pricked at Halar's belly but did not enter. The crowd suddenly grew still as they watched this unexpected action.

"Halar has always stood at the chief's right." The words spurted from Dulcan's lips before his brain fully processed them. Many hunters in the crowd began to snort as if on the verge of laughter. Forced to continue even though he expected the older men to begin ridiculing him, Dulcan yelled, "Will you stand there now or must I sweep you off my back!"

Halar shook his head to clear a cloudy mind. His body throbbed with pain and was wet and hot with blood but he felt no crippling wound. The point of the killing blade still touched his skin. He shivered in gratitude as he raised a weaponless hand towards the young upstart. "Dulcan stands in Aarian's place," he said. "I will side him."

Myra was the first to rush to the new leader. Dropping to her knees she clutched at his thighs in a show of submission.

Betta released the child who toddled off to join his mother.

Dulcan stared down at the woman and child at his feet and felt the pleasure of power flow through him. "The killing will end!" He spoke softly so his people were forced to silence. "The killing will end," he repeated several times.

This day was not much older when, lazing in the warmth of the woman's carefully tended hearth, Dulcan rubbed the mound of his sweet full belly. He sipped at warm wine that dulled the aches of weeks of deprivation.

She knelt beside him and removed the fibers from his head to check the clotting of his scalp wound. He snatched at her waist and she moved closer.

The heat in the tent caused her olive flesh to glimmer with sweat. Wiggling out of the thin garment she wore, Myra arched her back and drew in on her breath to emphasize her figure. Her smile belied the sadness in the soft brown eyes of Aarian's sister.

Dulcan's throat suddenly became dry and his tongue darted between his sharp white teeth seeking moisture. The palms of his hands turned clammy as he clutched at her flesh and the swelling in his groin advertised his need. Her acid scent filled his nostrils mingling with his own and he groped between her inner thighs.

Teasingly she rubbed her legs together and fingered the black fuzz on his chest. "You should have finished the lout," she said. He grunted as if he had not heard her. She spoke louder. Repeating the warning as she nibbled at his ear and added, "Aarian would have cut Halar open and ate his heart."

And Dulcan laughed while filling his hands with her sharply pointed breasts. He enjoyed watching the nipples purple as they hardened. "That is the logic of a woman," he said. "Halar's death would have left me with too many knives forever at my back. You forget he has four large brothers. Or would you expect me to take them on one at a time?" he snickered. "My way, I now have five indebted hunters forever at my side."

Dulcan wasn't certain that was his reasoning at that moment when he saw the man at his mercy. In fact he was rather surprised he, himself, was still alive. He had expected to be dead or dying by then. He felt no pleasure in the sight of the bloody mess he'd left Halar. Suddenly he had been sickened by the killing and just wanted it to end.

The female will laugh if I admit this he thought, so instead he said, "Aarian was closed mouthed except with Halar. Your brother was no fool, if Halar caused him no concern, why should he concern me. Aarian was a great hunter and wise leader if I can draw his knowledge from Halar's dull brain, I can make it my own."

Rolling away to an arm's length, Myra snapped. "You think Aarian never confided in me? Even as children we lay in our mother's tent and he told me of his great plans while I giggled. And that was long before he befriended Halar. From the time our mother died, my tent has been his true home not the tent of that fat bitch Betta. He only stayed with her, because it pleased her brothers. Often we laughed together how he was forced to hold his nose less he get a full whiff of her and her smelly young." And she reminded, "I was Aarian's only sibling."

Until now, this hadn't occurred to Dulcan. The idea added greatly to his pleasure as he pulled her once more to him.

Myra quivered under his caressing palms as her legs spread wide to receive him. Thrusting deeply into her heat he intended to lay claim to what this entire woman offered-- the pleasure of flesh and the power of knowledge.