Making Camp in the Forest – 3B-QO

Chapter 3 – Getting Underway (continued)

“We might as well keep going.” Kaylen decided, “And if we find a good camp site we can stop, otherwise we should probably try to reach the village if we can.”

They all agreed as they returned to the horses, “Any injuries we need to consider?” He asked before they could mount up.

“She tackled me to the ground, but my armor took the impact.” Lyria explained, raising the visor of her helm.

“Do you want to have Alanthea take a look at you once we’re stopped?” He continued.

“I should be okay, but it doesn’t hurt to let her look.” She agreed.

Kaylen nodded and then vaulted into the saddle once more.

With the sun set, and the sky shrouded by the tree canopy, the light was fading quickly. But Talindra still spotted a clearing next to a leaning boulder about 30 yards off the road before full dark. They quickly moved into that partial shelter and set up some canvas tents as makeshift awnings in case of rain.

Armor started coming off as Kaylen and Ursa gathered some firewood, and Kaylen lit a fire with a muttered incantation while Alanthea watched with large avid eyes. They did what they could to ensure the light of their fire wouldn’t travel far, keeping it behind some of the canvas, with the smoke able to escape around the top of the boulder.

The girls were all choosing their spots, with Lyria’s bedroll near one end of their shelter as she motioned for Alanthea to approach. Then she sat facing away from the group as the priestess examined her for potential injuries she may not have felt earlier. Kaylen averted his gaze when the pale-haired healer had to lift Lyria’s tunic to expose her back.

“There is a nook around this side of the boulder where you could have privacy, Kaylen.” Talindra pointed to an area where the boulder was cracked and the earth had mounded up providing a low barrier to block line of sight of someone laying down, looking much more feminine out of her armor and with her braid uncoiled from around her head and hanging down to her knees even though she still wore her sword belt with her unstrung bow and quiver hanging from it as well. “Though it would be less cramped if some of us are willing to share space and warmth.”

Kaylen glanced around the campsite, and noticed Dinnae and Janel watching them. There wasn’t much space to hold an entirely private conversation, but they didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

“And who are you suggesting I should ‘share warmth’ with?” Kaylen asked, turning back to Talindra.

The green-eyed elf blushed prettily. “I am willing, if that is your wish. Otherwise, I feel like Alanthea might be amenable to sharing with her ‘master’.” She gestured to where the healer was still attending to his sister at one end of the camp.

Kaylen sighed and shook his head, “Don’t you encourage her too. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to indulge that interaction. Why don’t you and I bunk together?”

Lynn smiled and blushed some more, “Let me gather my things then.” She turned away to unpack her own bedroll from her horse’s saddle.

Kaylen began his rounds, first heading to where Dinnae sat a little ways from Janel. “You heard what we were discussing?” He asked.

Both girls nodded, “If you’re with Lynn, the two of us can cuddle if it gets to cold.” The blue and red eyed kitsune said looking up at him, causing Kaylen’s indentured servant to blush.

Kaylen nodded, and shortly moved on to where Alanthea was still knelt over his sister, who was laying face down on her bedroll, most of her torso obscured by the priestess’s body.

“Shit, Kaylen!” Lyria said when she saw him standing there.

Alanthea turned, shifting to the side to look up at Kaylen, revealing what had bothered his sister so, as she lay completely topless, her arms pulled in to her sides to cover anything he might have been able to see aside from the expanse of her bare back.

Kaylen dutifully averted his gaze, but sister or no he couldn’t deny his appreciation for the glimpse he’d gotten of his sister. “We’ve seen each other before, though admittedly we were much smaller and you had a much less impressive physique at the time.” He pointed out.

“She is sore, and I was massaging her muscles.” Alanthea explained, “Which are quite impressive, I agree.”

“Yeah, I remember playing around as kids.” His sister acknowledged. “I’m not injured, but Alanthea thought I could use some relaxing to ensure I stayed limber after getting tumbled in that fight.” She added, her voice thick with embarrassment.

“You know.” Kaylen said, turning back towards the two women, “If we’re going to be traveling together, we should probably get used to seeing a bit of skin now and then. It’s bound to happen, but doesn’t have to mean anything, right?” He met her gaze as he deliberately sat down in her line of sight. “It’s not like you have anything to be ashamed of either.”

She sighed, and her body relaxed somewhat. “You’re right. You surprised me, is all. Look your fill, I guess. I trust that you don’t mean anything unbrotherly by it.”

He glanced up at Alanthea briefly as she met his gaze and smiled shyly before returning to her previous position, her agile hands working at the knots in his sister’s surprisingly toned back. He could see a light bruise along Lyria’s ribs, but it didn’t look very fresh, so he guessed it must have been from sparring before they’d met up that morning.

“Talindra suggested that we would mostly feel more comfortable with the available space if we shared bedrolls and body heat. So Janel will be sleeping next to Dinnae, and while she suggested I might keep Alanthea company, I figured we probably aren’t ready for that kind of thing just yet, so Lynn will be with me, and you two can bunk together if you’re comfortable with that. I haven’t spoken to Ursa yet, but she seems to run a little hot, so maybe she won’t need the companionship.”

“You are right, as much as I am enjoying our relationship, I do not think I would be comfortable sharing so soon.” Alanthea agreed.

“I assume you invited Lynn to share with you?” Lyria asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“She offered, in point of fact.” He corrected.

“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.” She said, letting her breath out in a groan as Alanthea bore down on a particularly tense section of her back.

“Well, I should be speaking with the others. You know where to find me if you need me.” He added, getting back to his feet, and leaving the two human women to their healing.

He found Ursa a little outside the camp, sitting on the hill that led up to the top of the boulder. “I volunteered for first watch.” The half-giant explained when he took a seat next to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked.

“I didn’t wish to interrupt you and the elf.” She replied.

“Have you determined who is taking second watch?”

“The elf.” She said simply.

“How about third watch?”

The half-giant shrugged, “Ask Lynn.”

Kaylen chuckled, “I guess I’ll do that. Anything I can do for you before I turn in?”

“Actually, there is something I’ve been meaning to say.” Ursa said as she turned to face him. “I’m sorry I got upset when you brought Dinnae to the group.”

“I’m not mad at you for sharing your concerns.” He replied.

“Maybe so, but Janel is right, and I shouldn’t have questioned you so fiercely, and certainly not in front of the others like I did.”

“Just so long as you respect my final decision, we’ll be fine.”

Ursa nodded, “That is fair, I will endeavor to be less confrontational in the future.”

“Sounds good, though you should probably apologize to Dinnae as well.”

“I did earlier.” She acknowledged.

“Alright.” Kaylen got to his feet and dusted off his trousers. “Well, people are doubling up for warmth. If you’d like to do the same, you can set up your bedroll next to mine once you wake Lynn for her watch, if you want.”

“I should be fine, but I’ll keep that in mind, if there’s room.”

“Alright, just try not to wake me, I guess. Good luck.” He said before ducking back under the tarp canopy, and making his way to the nook formed by the crack in the boulder.

There he found Talindra with her swordbelt propped against the cracked rock, laying on her bedroll with her braid pulled over her shoulder. She wore a sleeveless tunic, leaving her arms to practically glow in the filtered moonlight, the rest of her covered by her blanket. She looked up when he approached with his bedroll, laying it adjacent to hers before setting his staff beside it, with his knife belt and the sack with his armor next to that. Finally, he sat to remove his boots as the elf watched him with unblinking emerald eyes.

“I do not expect we will do much more than sleep.” She murmured once he had begun to lay down next to her.

“We have time for a little fun, unless you are averse to such things.” He suggested with a playful smile.

Talindra shook her head, “I’m not averse, necessarily, I simply wish to maintain realistic expectations. I am… somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of revealing bare skin, even among close allies.”

“I’m not asking you to undress. We could still have a little fun, but we don’t have to.” He said, laying on his side facing her, their bodies only about a foot apart.

She ducked her head, looking a little embarrassed, “I am not trying to make things difficult for you or anyone else in the group. What I am trying to say, I suppose, is that if I must see someone indecently dressed, I would prefer it was you.”

Kaylen was surprised by that, “Huh… I would have thought you’d prefer one of the girls?”

“The female body has no mystery or appeal to me. And they are not elves. You are visually appealing, however. I do not think I should mind seeing you as much as the others.”

Kaylen smiled, and reached out, gently brushing his hand along her soft silver hair. “I’m glad you feel more comfortable with me. I think I can understand what you mean, I prefer the female form to that of other males, if I am being honest. May I kiss you?”

“Now may not be the best time to indulge. We have some amount of privacy, but we are not alone.”

“Just a kiss, then we’ll try to get some sleep.” He held up his blanket, and Talindra hesitated a moment before wrapping her own blanket over him as she moved against him snuggling into his side as he draped his blanket over hers.

“One kiss.” She stipulated as she leaned her head in, and he met her lips with his own.

She was soft and pliant, her lips molding to his as she shifted, the muscles in her shoulders tensing as she pressed closer, taking over the kiss to some degree, and moaning softly into Kaylen’s mouth. He was left dazed when they parted, her large eyes staring into his, her pupils dominating the emerald orbs. “You are a surprisingly good kisser.” He murmured.

“I am not very experienced.” She admitted. “I’ve never had a regular partner, and I’ve only been experimenting with the occasional friend since I was seventy, a bit of a late start, I am told.”

Kaylen couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, but I sometimes forget how long elves live.”

She chuckled as well, “I suppose that is true, now that you mention it. Thirty years must seem like a long time to practice such a skill for a human. But it is not as if I was dedicating my time to that exclusively. It was an occasional curiosity, at most.”

She laid her head on his arm, and closed her eyes. Her body was slender with subtle curves, and she had a softness to her but with firm muscle underneath, particularly in her arms and back.

Kaylen resisted the urge to explore further. With the others so close, there wasn’t a lot more they could do, so he allowed himself to drift off to a peaceful slumber.

Author’s Note

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