Kindred Spirit Lodge Presents

Warrior to Warrior
 

by Rider
February 2005

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The lone figure, hunched low on the back of a galloping steed, cut a diagonal path across the long, open meadow. Her long dark hair whipped against a slim, but muscular shoulders. She urged her horse on with her left hand, her short sword drawn for battle in her right. In hot pursuit were five other riders - bandits, closing quickly on the fleeing warrior.

"Ares' balls!" I can't believe I left the lodge with nothing but my short sword. What I wouldn't give for my blowgun right now," Lady Alison muttered to herself. She leaned over the outstretched neck of her sweating gelding to ask for a little more speed.

But her horse was far from being fresh. She had left the lodge early in the morning and had been aimlessly riding hard most of the day. She had been hoping that physical exhaustion would ease the ache in her heart. Lying in her room was only deepening her gloom and a constant reminder of the lover who had moved on.

Preoccupied as she was with matters of the heart, she had not prepared well for wandering the wilds surrounding the lodge. And she certainly hadn't anticipated five surly bandits who wanted…well, she didn't want to think about what they wanted. It was obvious with no pack or bedroll, she wasn’t likely to be carrying a lot of valuables.

Two she could handle alone, maybe even three. But unless she could find a cliff or some other natural structure she could put her back to and prevent them from surrounding her, she didn't stand a chance against them alone. She knew that.

The bandits kept a respectful distance from Lady Alison's sword, but moved to surround and box her in. Two of the men closed in together in front of her and two others flanked her while a fifth took up post directly behind her. They began to slow and tighten their trap.

"This is bad, very bad," Alison muttered, mentally measuring the distance to the rider on her right. Still moving at a smart gallop, one quick swerve and she could maybe give him a good taste of her sword. At least she would take a few with her.

Suddenly, she heard a thump and the horse that was carrying the bandit behind her peeled off from the group without his rider. She jerked her head as a hissing sound slid past her ear, just in time to see the tapered end of a braided leather bull whip wrap securely around the neck of the bandit on her left and yank him from his seat.

One of the two men in front dropped back to take up post on Lady Alison's left as his friend's horse also quit the race once his rider was gone. No longer heedful of her sword, the two men drew their own weapons and began to close in. Just as Alison had decided the best defense would be an abrupt stop, a riderless white stallion appeared on the other side of the bandit on her left, keeping pace with the group.

When the bandit turned toward the empty saddle in puzzlement, Lady Alison took the opportunity to swerve to her right and quickly dispatch that bandit - who was at a disadvantage because his sword hand was on the off side. She plunged her blade into his side and quickly withdrew. She knew it was a dangerous move, because her back was exposed to the bandit on her left while she took care of his companion.

But before she could fully turn toward her next assailant, a pair of leather-clad legs swung over the top of the white stallion's saddle and booted feet connected solidly with the bandit's shoulder to knock him over and under the feet of his own steed. The legs pushed off the bandit's shoulder and moved back to straddle the stallion's saddle and pull the Rider's body and cocky grin into view.

"One more to go," Rider nodded toward the remaining bandit who was picking up his pace to flee once he realized he was alone.

Lady Alison raised her sword in a salute to her new friend and the pursued became the pursuers. Alison pulled to the right of the man and switched her sword to her left hand since she was ambidextrous. Rider urged Wind Walker to the bandit's left and pulled a dagger from her boot. As Lady Alison engaged the bandit with her sword, Rider slid to the side of her saddle so that she was low enough to slip the knife under the girth of the bandit's saddle and slit it. His saddle loosed, the bandit tumbled to the ground.

The two warriors slowly pulled their horses to a trot, then walk. Lathered sweat dripped from the coat of Lady Alison's gelding.

"Hey. Fancy meeting you out here," Rider's smiled, teeth white against her tanned face. "You seemed to have picked up a few admirers out here all by yourself."

Boy, was she ever glad to see a familiar face. "Rider! You sure showed up at the right time. I'm afraid I was a bit outnumbered," she admitted with a grim smile.

"Oh, I'm sure you could have handled these clowns, but I couldn't let you have all the fun."

Lady Alison suddenly plunged her sword in Rider's direction and the horse master felt the blade pass within inches of her back. The resounding clang of a flint arrowhead against the metal blade rang in Rider's ears. She turned to stare at the arrow lying on the ground and the bandit - the one she had dispatched with her bullwhip - heading for the woods. There were easier marks. These women warriors were just too much work for a few dinars.

Rider raised an eyebrow and shot an appreciative look at Lady Alison. "Thanks. An arrow in the back would have surely ruined my good time."

“Just returning the favor,” the gentle warrior smiled back. It was hard not to like the friendly horse master. It was easy to share conversation with someone who looked at her with something other than sympathy these past few weeks.

The bandit Lady Alison wounded had ridden away, and would live another day. But the first one that Rider had dispatched lay with a knife in his back, in the middle of the meadow. Rider turned Wind Walker toward the body.

“Hope you don’t mind if I retrieve my knife. It is one of my favorites.”

“No, not at all.”

They walked the horses back to the slain man and dismounted.

“Your horse looks done in,” Rider observed as she pulled the bridle from Wind Walker’s head, and removed his saddle. When she twirled her hand in a circular motion, the horse spun around and tore off across the meadow.

“What are you doing?” Lady Alison asked in a puzzled voice.

“Oh. Wind Walker will round up any the bandits’ horses that are still running free. We know at least one doesn’t have anyone to claim him. I don’t mind giving horses their freedom, but they need to be freed of their saddles and tack to survive in the wild. In any case, looks like your horse could use a rest. He’ll bring you a fresher mount.”

“Thank you,” Lady A replied, watching Rider pull a 10-inch blade from the bandit’s body and squat to wipe it clean on the long grass.”

As Rider bent to her task, Lady Alison was treated to an interesting view of a very tight, muscular butt. Those leather pants must be painted on, she mused. She could see the muscles of the thick thighs shift under the butter-soft hide.

Rider smiled. She could felt Alison’s eyes on her like a hot brand, and she took her time so that the Lady could take a long look. She knew she was shameless, but it was not a coincidence that she happened to be in the meadow when bandits gave chase. She had been tailing Lady A most of the day.

Rider stood and slipped the blade into its sheath between her shoulders. Standing at nearly 6 feet, Rider was several inches taller than Lady A’s 5-foot-7. Both muscular women, Rider had broad, heavy shoulders narrowing down to slim hips and thickly muscled thighs. Her short, sun-streaked locks tapered to her neck and the wind tossed long bangs against her slender brows. In contrast, Lady Alison was fine boned with graceful shoulders, a full chest and curving hips. Her well-developed muscles took nothing from her femininity. Rider wore a leather vest, breeches and boots. Lady Alison wore something akin to Amazon garb, a cropped leather top holding the full breasts at bay over a sculpted abdomen and wonderfully toned, legs extending from a loincloth and disappearing into thigh-high purple leather boots. Her beauty, combined with the heart and strength of a warrior, was an enticing combination to the horse master.

The staccato of hooves on the meadow’s hard turf announced the return of Wind Walker, a single horse in tow. “You can have the bandit’s mount, and give yours a rest.”

“What about your horse? Isn’t he tired?”

Wind Walker snorted and flicked his tail as though a fly was irritating him, and Rider gave him a warning look. “He’s Arabian. A bad mannered one, but a desert horse none the less. It takes several days of hard riding to wear him out,” Rider grinned.

The sun was sinking low, Lady Alison noted, and, although it was warm, there would be no moon tonight. Making it back to the lodge would be dangerous, and she had neglected to pack a bedroll. She didn’t see one on Rider’s saddle either. Oh well, it won’t be the first time she’d slept in the woods with her back against a hard tree.

Rider seemed to read her mind as she saddled Wind Walker and joined Lady Alison in mounting.

“Too late to make it back to the lodge, I think,” Rider said matter-of-factly. “I’ve got a very cozy camp near here at some warm springs near the river. I would be honored to share them with you.”

Soft brown eyes looked deep into the Rider’s for a moment, searching for something to grab onto. Lady A was feeling adrift and the Rider was an overwhelmingly solid and non-threatening presence.

Lady Alison nodded. They were warriors, so they would not speak of why Rider was here or why Lady Alison was going with her – just as warriors don’t speak of their fear before battle or the lust that overwhelms them afterward.

It was only a short ride to the camp Rider had already prepared early that morning before she picked up Lady A’s trail. Several blankets lay on a pile of soft pine boughs near a small pool fed by a bubbling hot spring, and wood was stacked ready for lighting in a scooped out spit fitted with a makeshift rotisserie. Dark was settling in as they freed the horses to graze where they pleased during the night.

“If you’ll light that fire, I’ll check a few snares I set up earlier. If we are lucky, we’ll have fresh meat for supper,” Rider said before striding into the woods.

The fire was blazing when she returned a short time later with two skinned rabbits and a bottle of Burgundy she’d had chilling in the river.

While the rabbits cooked, the warriors passed the wine bottle between them. They each cleaned and sharpened their weapons. Lady Alison chuckled as she watched the Rider pull a large assortment of knives from various hidden places on her person.

“I can’t believe I left the lodge with only a short sword and dagger,” Lady Alison grumbled.

Rider cocked her head. “Don’t you usually carry a long sword and some kind of other odd weapon?”

The gentle warrior looked up to meet Rider’s eyes. So, someone has been studying me, Alison reflected.

“Yes. I am skilled in the use of a blowgun. The darts can be tipped with poison, or just a paralyzing agent. With the exception of the long guns used for great distances, I find it more discriminating and less bulky to carry than a bow and quiver of long arrows.”

“A blowgun. Yes, that's it. I didn't think you ever went anywhere without it."

Lady Alison shrugged and stared into the flames of the campfire. "I never have before." She was silent for a long moment. "It was just too much of a reminder…. of the last time I taught someone else how to use it," she admitted softly.

"Perhaps you will show me how to use such a weapon,” Rider suggested.

Laughter erupted from Lady Alison, drawing puzzled look from the Rider. "I'm sorry," the warrior chuckled. "It's just … I don't think I could use the same teaching methods with you." She couldn't picture herself reddening the Rider backside for missing a target.

Although Rider didn't know the details of the lesson, she could imagine them considering the relationship between Lady A and her wench was no secret. She smirked at the warrior, but pressed on. “I’m schooled in long swords, but rarely wear one. I am more skilled with a whip and a set of knives. I like to travel light.”

The Lady’s gentle laughter continued to fill the campsite, its melodic tone bringing a smile to Rider’s face as she passed a sizzling rabbit over to her guest.

“I wouldn’t call that traveling light,” the Lady said, gesturing to the collection of at least nine blades laid out in front of the horse master. Besides the huge hunting knife she kept nestled between her shoulders, there were two long stilettos that tucked into each boot and daggers that fit on her belt. A handful of barbed metal stars fit into tight pockets that appeared as only slits in her vest and along the outside thighs of her pants. “It must take you a while to get dressed in the mornings. And, it must really hurt if you fall off your horse with all that metal in your clothes.”

Rider straightened up from her meal and jutted her chin out in mock indignation. “I NEVER fall off my horse.”

Rider’s antics only made the gentle warrior laugh harder, tears trickling from the corners of her brown eyes. “I’m sorry,” Lady Alison teased. “It’s just I suddenly had this vision of you sitting down wrong on one of those barbed stars.”

Rider’s crooked smile assured there was no offense taken. Her dark, velvet eyes twinkled from under her shaggy, sun-streaked bangs at her friend’s merriment. “You are very beautiful when you laugh like that,” she said in a low voice.

Lady Alison quieted. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

“That’s not exactly what one warrior usually says to another warrior,” she said softly, her eyes never leaving Rider’s.

Rider grinned that cocky grin and moved to safer ground. “It does hurt if you sit on one of those stars,” she said. “I’ve got the scars to prove it.”

It was a delicate dance from safe warrior talk to flirtation. Especially since Lady Alison’s heart was so recently wounded. Engage, then withdraw. Engage, then withdraw. The dance would continue until the Lady made her decision on the unspoken offer.

Lady Alison smiled back, noting the Rider’s tactful retreat. This horse warrior was as gallant as she was arrogant.

Rider stiffened, sniffed at the air and cocked her head to listen. “We’ve got company approaching,” she advised in a low voice. Her hand closed over one of the jagged stars and the other slipped a dagger into her belt then closed around the bone hilt of the large hunting knife. Lady Alison appeared to continue chewing on her rabbit, but slipped her short sword into her lap.

Three dark shadows appeared on the edge of their campsite while they ate in silence.

“Well, well. If it ain’t the same pair of bitches we ran into earlier.”

Rider kicked her rabbit bones into the fire and stood, poised to spring. Lady Alison threw the remainder of her dinner in the same direction and raised her sword as she stood.

“I’m afraid you boys are too late for dinner,” Rider drawled. “And we weren’t looking to share our camp, so maybe you had better be on your way.”

“Not until I get something other than bruises for today’s work,” the man with no front teeth growled.

“Maybe you should learn to pick a more helpless victim, since you aren’t a very skilled robber,” Alison growled back.

“Grab’em,” yelled the man in the middle. “I want…” His words ended in a gurgle as Rider flung the star and it embedded in the bandit’s throat.

The other two charged. Both were carrying short swords. Although Lady Alison’s assailant outweighed her by a good 50 pounds, he was no match for her speed and skill with a sword.

Rider’s job was more difficult. Although she was taller and had a longer reach, her assailant had an advantage in weapons – his longer sword against her knife. She dodged as he charged and cut a neat slice along his shoulder before he spun around and attacked with a series of lunges and swooping slices. One lunge nicked her shoulder and a thin trickle of blood ran down her arm.

The Rider’s nostrils flared. The Beast howled. Dark eyes paled to amber.

Lady Alison turned her sword in the bandit’s gut once, twice before withdrawing and letting his lifeless body fall to the ground. When she turned to help out her friend, she saw the Beast draw long fingers through the blood that tricked down Rider’s arm and lick it before turning wicked yellow eyes to the dark sky and emitting a unearthly howl.

The bandit paused in his attack, unnerved by the sound. That split second of hesitation was all the Beast needed. It charged and sliced the man’s throat before he had a chance to lift his sword in defense. That one cut was enough to finish him, but the Beast wanted more. Alison stood transfixed as she watched the Beast cut a long slice down the man’s sternum and plunge a hand in to pull out his heart, still beating. A few quick slices with the dagger, and the Beast held the bloody organ aloft. The scream that rose up sounded like a hunting cougar’s snarl resounding against the mountains.

“Rider,” Alison called softly. “Rider!”

The Beast jerked around to confront this new challenge. The hand tightened around the dagger it still clutched. The yellow eyes were hot barbs burning into the gentle warrior’s. “Rider, the danger is gone,” she said gently.

The Rider’s body trembled and the eyes rolled back before they closed and the Beast retreated. Rider dropped the bloody organ and the dagger to the ground. Lady Alison reached out a tentative hand pulled the Rider away from the carnage.

“Are you OK?”

Rider didn’t respond, looking at the ground, the forest, god, anywhere but Lady Alison’s face. She knew she would see horror and revulsion there.

But a soft caress to her cheek brought Rider’s eyes to the very place she was avoiding. What she saw there was only concern.

“God, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you had to see that.” Rider wiped at the sweat dripping into her eyes with a shaky hand.

The gentle warrior squeezed Rider’s slumped shoulder. “You’ve nothing to be ashamed of with me.”

That’s all that would be said of it.

She tugged Rider toward the warm pool of water. “Come on. We both need to clean up a bit.” The bandits’ blood covered Alison’s arms and much of Rider’s chest.

Rider let herself be led to the edge of the rock lined pool, but stood there without moving. Lady Alison gently loosened the laces on the Rider’s vest and slid it from her shoulders before Rider responded. “I can get the rest,” she said in a dull voice.

“I’ll be back to join you,” Lady Alison promised. There were more layers to the horse master than she had imagined.

Lady Alison stuffed the bandit’s heart back into his chest and dragged both bodies down to the river where she threw them in to float away. She kicked sand over the pools of blood, threw more logs on the fire and reached into Rider’s saddlebags in search of some type of soap. In addition to a small bottle of body cleanser, she found another interesting item that she secluded in the blankets before heading to join Rider.

The horse master sat naked, rocking back and forth in the water that came up to her shoulders. She didn’t look up as Lady A approached and stood in front her at the edge of the pool.

“Rider, look at me,” she called softly. When the horse master’s eyes finally settled on her own, Lady Alison began to slowly undress. Creamy breasts were freed from their leather binding. Boots were pulled off and dropped to the ground. A couple of ties loosened and the loincloth fell to the grounds. Lady Alison held one tie in her hand and used it to put her long dark hair up, exposing elegant shoulders.

“Lady Alison,” Rider breathed. “I…I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

The Lady raised a slender eyebrow. “Why? Have I presumed too much?” There was no regret in her voice. They both knew she was only stepping toward the embrace Rider had subtly offered several times that day.

“No. No!” Rider averted her eyes and took deep breaths to push the battle lust down. “It’s just that after … after fighting like that. Well, when I lose myself like that…” A blush crept up Rider’s neck to her cheeks, but her eyes turned to devour the naked woman before her.

“Battle lust? You think I’m afraid of battle lust?” Lady Alison’s laugh was deep and sexy. Her eyes glinted in the fire’s light. “Aren’t I a warrior, too? Like you, didn’t I just kill?”

Rider licked her lips as Lady Alison slid through the warm water toward her. Lady A took the bottle of soap and poured a bit in her hand, then rubbed it across the chest and small, taut breasts of the Rider. She smiled as Rider’s nipples hardened.

Rider’s hand shot through the water and wrapped around Lady Alison’s wrist, stopping the hand that was torturing her nipples and making her clit throb. Lady Alison froze and turned questioning eyes to the Rider. The horse master slowly reached for the soap and poured it on the blood drying on Lady Alison’s arm. Then she began a slow massage to work the soap in to flesh, moving up the arm to a slender shoulder. Another handful of soap and she began a gentle assault on the shoulders, then the delectable chest. Lady Alison’s hands again found Rider’s chest.

But as the soap and water washed away the evidence of their battle, their lust magnified. Panting from the strain of holding back, Rider pulled the warrior to her and hungry lips feasted. Lady Alison sucked on the tongue that invaded her mouth.

Rider pulled the warrior’s legs up to wrap around her waist, her hips thrusting up toward the Lady’s hot center. She moved Lady Alison’s back against the rock edge of the pool and continued a frantic assault on her long, beautiful neck and shoulders. Her callused hands sought and massaged creamy breasts and taut nipples. Lady Alison moaned and thrust her hand between Rider’s legs. The horse master was incredibly hard. It took only three strokes before Rider stiffened and bit down hard on the warrior’s shoulder as her climax rolled through her.

Barely pausing to recover, Rider grasped Lady Alison’s waist and hoisted her to sit on the edge of the rock. The full breasts now at eye-level, Rider resumed her feast. The night felt cool after the warm pool, but Rider’s mouth was hot as it enveloped and sucked hard on chilled nipples. Rider’s tongue traced the ridges of Lady Alison’s rippled abdomen before descending to the dark and glistening curls below.

Lady Alison leaned back and groaned as Rider nipped at the tender insides of her hard thighs before pausing to inhale the warrior’s sweet musky scent and plunging her tongue into the hot folds. She drank of the Lady’s nectar as though she’d been stranded in the desert for years, licking and sucking and plunging her tongue inside until Lady A grabbed her by the hair and firmly directed the Rider to her need. Rider settled to her task and quickly drove the warrior crashing over the edge of ecstasy.

Rider stood, still throbbing, still waist deep in the water, her forehead resting on the warrior’s heaving chest. Lady Alison pushed the shaggy blonde head back and took the Rider’s mouth in rough, passionate kiss. She sprang to her feet and pulled the Rider up from the pool. Naked, they stumbled over to the blankets, kissing, licking, touching. The air vibrated with their battle lust.

When they finally stood next to the blankets, Lady Alison’s tongue painted blazing path down the Rider’s quivering abs. Her sharp nails dug into hard buttocks as she found the clean shaven folds of Rider’s hot apex. It was her turn to feast, and feast she did until the horse master’s legs trembled on the edge of orgasm.

Rider groaned her frustration when Lady Alison’s talented tongue retreated. The throbbing between her legs was vibrating throughout her body. But when the beautiful warrior reached under the blankets and pulled out Rider’s double headed phallus and harness, it nearly pushed her over the edge without the benefit of the Lady’s deft touch. Rider spread her feet farther apart to accommodate the smaller end of the phallus that Lady Alison rubbed against her slick heat. Her head fell back with a groan as it filled her and she felt the harness hastily strapped into place.

Lady Alison sat back on her heels and licked her lips at the thick rod now jutting from the Rider’s hips. It has been a long while since she felt this kind of penetration and she wanted it. She reached out to stroke the phallus with her hand, grinding it against Rider’s swollen clit. She reached between her legs to coat her long fingers with the juices that trickled down her thigh, then held them up for Rider to see before she sucked them clean herself.

“Come down here, Rider,” she commanded in a husky voice.

Rider’s eyes glinted in the dark as she lowered herself and wedged her slim hips between the warrior’s smooth thighs. Her control breaking, Rider pushed Lady Alison’s shoulders down to the blanket and pinned the warrior’s arms above her head while she rammed the phallus home. Lady A groaned, opening her legs wider and locking her heels behind Rider’s rock hard thighs, panting at her Rider “faster, harder, faster.”

The double phallus slid easily in and out of the Lady’s dripping heat, grinding and rubbing against Rider’s own. Great drops of sweat poured from the Rider’s taut body to bathe the warrior’s glistening skin. The slapping of her hard thighs against the warrior’s luscious hips was a rhythmic to the cacophony of sighs and moans. The horse master rode hard and when the warrior’s body convulsed in pleasure, the sharp pain of long nails tearing the flesh on her muscled back caused her to groan out her own shuttering climax.

Though their battle lust had begun to cool, Rider slowed but never broke stroke. The beauty of the strong, woman warrior stretched out before her was overwhelming. Careful not to withdraw, she gathered Lady Alison in her arms and sat back on her haunches so the warrior was straddling her lap. Lady Alison ran her hands over the strong shoulders and moved her hips and closed her eyes to concentrate on meeting Rider’s now slow and gentle thrusts.

It felt so good. Rider’s hot mouth on her pulse, on her shoulders, on her breasts. The strong arms that embraced her and the slow stroking was a soothing balm. Her need built more slowly this time and when release finally came, it was a tingling, relaxing tidal wave of pleasure after her earlier explosive climaxes.

She was done, but she recognized the Rider wasn’t. Limp in the horse master’s arms only a moment before, Lady Alison surged forward and used her leverage to push the Rider onto her back. She quickly released the buckles of the harness that held the phallus tight against the Rider’s hips and, in one quick move, insinuated her hips between the Rider’s thighs. Rider’s eyes widened as Lady A gripped the dildo in between her thighs and the mount became the rider. One, two, three deep thrusts and Rider’s back arched as the sharp pleasure exploded along her spine. Lady Alison grunted as the incredibly strong legs closed around her hips like a vise. There may be bruising tomorrow, but tonight her eyes gleamed at her success in mastering the master.

As the Rider’s body relaxed, Lady Alison withdrew the phallus from both of them and tossed it to the side. The night air was beginning to chill their sweat-slick bodies, so she settled her body against the Rider’s limp form and pulled a blanket up to cover them.

“Christ! What did you do to me?” Rider mumbled after a long moment.

Lady Alison smiled into the darkness. “Thank you for tonight.”

Rider turned them both and snaked a strong arm around the trim waist to pull Lady Alison’s backside tight against her own warm body. “You have honored me,” she whispered. “I read once that sometimes all you need to find peace is to feel another heart beat along with your own.”

Lady Alison smiled at the strong heart that beat against her back, and closed her eyes as their breathing fell into a gentle sync and sleep overtook them.

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The End - 'Warrior to Warrior' - by Rider

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