The next six months were an education, as well as a real physical workout. When they said we would work, they meant it. We toiled every other day in the fields planting, working the soil, weeding, and harvesting what was ready. This work had priority over everything else. They had a cornfield with the biggest ears of corn I’ve ever seen. Green beans, potatoes, yellow squash, and tomatoes were planted and cared for lovingly. The fields were in a small valley protected on all sides by the mountains; it had the richest soil I’d ever seen. These fields were cultivated with great care, always two in use and one recouping for a planting season. Two of the men in the community were former farmers; so the fields were under their care. Whatever they said to do, everyone did, including the woman. She was right there working alongside everyone else; she certainly wasn’t afraid of hard work. And many nights I could see her walking around the camp. I was really amazed at the way the camp was run. For the most part everyone was real friendly, they all truly cared about each other; they helped each other without being asked; did tasks without complaining. They were all a tightly knit group and genuinely seemed to like each other’s company.
The rest of our time was spent re-enforcing the Camp, and scouting the surrounding areas. How they covered the distance they did was beyond me. They must have a mode of transportation I’ve yet to see. They still had the horses; they were kept in an area that allowed them to run free. They stayed close to the camp never taking off very far. They were well cared for by the young woman called Ashley. The horses came to her when she called.
She had blossomed into quite a beauty. From what I could see, the scared girl the woman had spoken of had turned into an Amazon. Dressed in light tan leather, she wore a crossbow across her back, and wasn’t afraid to use it. She made a rather striking first appearance.
Steve took one look and claimed her for himself. “Yup, she’s the one I saw in my dreams. Damn what glorious luck!”
Steve offered his services to clear out some land, and also to enlarge the cavern where we all ate. He and Jerry conferred on the how-to’s before they set any charges. In the end, he made the Hall twice its size and even added several storage rooms for the food and equipment. Then he made several rooms in the opposite mountainside that could be used for quarters for a majority of the people. They made one for males, and a separate one for the females. The women seemed to appreciate that the most. The fact that they had privacy again was a big thing for them. The guys were ‘in’ as far as the women were concerned
I did manage to make friends with one person in the camp. There was a young girl named Sally that everyone doted on. She was very shy and sometimes I would catch her starring at me. She would blush bright red and grin at me. She was between 9 or 10 years old, a vision of reddish blonde hair and big beautiful blue eyes. She also had an ugly slash across her face; it went from one ear across the bridge of her nose to the other ear. Sam told me that Jake had found her lying in a field while on patrol several years back. She was badly injured, but he had brought her back with him anyway. It was a long time before they knew if she would make it or not. Sam and Lucy had taken her in and became her surrogated parents. One day I had come across a baby rabbit out in the fields, without thinking I picked it up and gave it to her on my way to dinner that night. Her face lit up; I thought she was going to cry, and then she hugged my arm and whispered… ‘Thank you Daniel so much!’
Sweet kid. After that I made a point of looking for something each time we were out in the fields. She would wait for me just before dinnertime by the great Hall, and I would surprise her. It was a silly little routine that we performed, but it made her happy.
The woman kept her distance but was forever watchful. She seemed to be warming up to Jerry and Steve much more than me. Maybe I just rubbed her the wrong way. She was getting especially friendly with Steve, but he was a likeable guy. I also began to notice that Steve wasn’t around a couple of evenings a week. I had assumed at first that he had gotten together with Ashley. Then he said that he wanted to get his own place, and he had been told that he could. So he moved out and into a cave on the other side, at the base of the ‘misty mountain’.
On one occasion I remember he came into the Hall for breakfast, and he was acting all weird. He had this goofy grin on his face and everyone smiled knowingly. I just assumed he was in love, and Ashley had finally accommodated him. I couldn’t have been more off the mark. He wouldn’t talk to me about it, just insisted that everything was great. Jerry had moved out also and he seemed to have settled in real good. His services were much in demand and he was kept busy all over the camp. So it was just me in the temporary bunk and I saw no reason to move.
At night sometimes I’d wake up and take a walk out side. The camp would be silent and I would listen to the sounds of the night. I would see her walking the camp. On several such nights I tried to start a conversation, but she would always cut me short. ‘I’m on duty, or, I don’t have time to talk right now’. She always had an excuse; it was like she was avoiding me. But my dreams said that would change.
One particular night I woke from a rather explicit dream of us and decided to take a shower to ‘cool’ off. I headed down to the waterfall and came around the bend when I realized that someone was there already. To my surprise, I saw it has her.
I didn’t want to be a Peeping Tom, but I was fixed to the spot as I watched her. She had a perfect body; lean, hard but still rounded in the right places. Curves that were where they were suppose to be. An ass that lifted and arched so that a man would fit right there, perfectly. A tummy that still had a bit of a pouch to it, all in all very womanly, very sensual.
I know that body so well!
Suddenly I heard a familiar sound. It was the flapping of wings passing overhead. ….Whoosh! And I could feel wind on my face. I crouched down behind a boulder and looked up; but it was so dark I could see nothing. The woman looked above her without any concern. She grabbed a towel, and dried herself off slowly; I was hooked watching her and envisioning some pretty explicit things in my mind.
She dressed, and then she looked up again, and waved.
I quickly looked up and still saw nothing. There was something strange going on here.
Kate heard Jake calling to her and she finished drying herself and hurried up to the mountaintop. As she stepped out onto the plateau she stopped dead in her tracks. There before her was Steve, sitting crossed legged on a boulder, deep in conversation with Jake. There was a stupid looking grin on his face.
She chuckled to herself; they all get that look the first time. She sighed, my, my, but he was quick to catch on so fast. She put on her best smile and walked out into the open.
One sunny cold afternoon, almost a month later, Michael approached me and asked if I would be interested in a ‘food run’ the next day. He said we would be gone for 2 to 3 days. Said he could use a military type to ride shotgun on the trip. Though he didn’t expect any trouble, you could never be too careful he said. I quickly agreed, and he said he would wake me before the others got up. I had begun to feel a sense of acceptance from these people; maybe this was where I was supposed to be, and maybe they were beginning to feel that I could be trusted. It was no secret that Michael was the woman’s favorite; so she probably sent him with the offer. Maybe she was coming around.
That evening, I headed down to the Hall for dinner feeling a lot better. The future was beginning to look up after all. I had made friends with Big John, and he seemed to genuinely like me. I had thought up some ideas to implement for better safety for the community. And I was thinking of maybe proposing setting up a training schedule for some of the young men in the use of the firearms we brought with us. As I rounded the corner I saw Sally come running out of the brush, eyes wide with fear.
“Run…. it’s coming! Oh, Daniel… run!”
She screamed in horror as not thirty feet behind her ‘it’ burst out of the brush.
I thought at first it was a grizzly bear; on closer look it was much more. Mutated in some twisted way; it stood 8 or 9 feet tall, unbelievably huge. Its fur was all matted and crusted, and it had oozing open sores all over its body. Foaming at the mouth, bloodshot eyes crusted over and oozing, growling and snarling, it went for Sally. I looked around for something I could use as a weapon, saw an axe leaning beside a pile of wood and grabbed it and then I turned to face this thing. I don’t mind saying that the hair on the back of my neck rose as I stood there. Sally dove for me and I grabbed her arm and swung her around behind me and let her go tumbling away. I could see out of the corner of my eye some of the guys catch her. They were all gesturing and yelling something, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. The thing was making so much noise I could barely hear myself think. With Sally out of its reach, it took aim at me. It roared loudly and reared up on its hind feet and I swear it seemed to have grown another ten feet! I roared back at the thing just as loudly.
Oh God! This is not good.
It swung one of its massive paws and I just barely got out of the way.
Lord, grant me strength to protect these people!
I swung the axe with all my might and caught it in the chest area sending it spinning. But in lightening speed it recovered, shifted its feet, turned and swinging caught me on my right shoulder with one of its massive claws and ripped across my chest. It sent me flying like a paper doll.
Damn that hurt like hell!
I was opened up from my right shoulder all the way across my right breast; blood was pouring out all over. I could hear Sally screaming behind me. I staggered to my feet as fast as I could; this was not how I planned to go out.
This wasn’t in any of my dreams? Damn, where was everyone, why didn’t anybody get our weapons and start shooting?
I was staggering about when it reared up again and started to come at me. Suddenly, inside my head, I heard him.
“Daniel … please get out of my way – duck! NOW!”
I dove for the ground turning as I fell. I saw a giant black shape swoop down and grab the bear-thing in one gigantic claw; and off it went into the night. The look on the bear’s face was priceless! Laying there on the ground and looking up into the black sky, my life’s blood pouring out, I was positive that I had finally gone stark raving mad.
I was stammering like an idiot, “…. did you see? It was…son of a bitch! You saw it…it was a dragon! Big - big dragon! Did you see… he spoke to me… spoke… said to get out of his way!”
Suddenly people surrounded me. Some were shouting ‘thank-you’, others laughing, Sally was sobbing, and still others were saying I needed a doctor. And then the woman was there by my side. Her eyes told me I was hurt worse than I thought; there was a look of great concern on her face. She was pressing something to my chest and shoulder; she had tears in her eyes.
Sam said something to her, and Steve even looked a little worried, “hang in there Dan, try to stay with us buddy.”
Things were getting fuzzy; it was getting dark, and then the pain started.
Oh man this hurts… I’m on fire!
The woman had knelt down beside me, and as I reached out for her, she took my hand in hers and held it to her breast. She bent close to my ear and whispered:
“you are not crazy Daniel - that was Jake.”
Of course it was!
Everything went black; and then she was there again. She was telling me to hold on. The pain started again and it was like nothing I ever felt before, burning, searing. I must have blacked out several times. I seem to remember being carried toward the mountain as they started up a pathway. Next thing we were inside the damn thing still going up.
Then I remember feeling the air rushing by, it felt so good. And the woman was there by my side and I heard her saying; “…hurry, he doesn’t look too good, the poison is in his bloodstream already.” Darkness enveloped me again.
Suddenly I woke with a start, I was on the ground, and I couldn’t see anyone.
Then she was there bending over me saying something, “Daniel, are you awake? Daniel! Can you understand what I’m saying?”
I felt like I was on fire, my throat was so dry I could hardly answer her, “…yes…yes,” I whispered. It took such an effort just to speak.
She bent over me and whispered in my ear; “Use your mind Daniel, answer me with your mind. Think what you want to say.” She was holding my head in her hands looking right into my eyes.
I was thinking; Shit woman, if I did that you’d have a real fit. I don’t know if I can stand much more of this fucking pain or this damn heat... I’m about to burn alive. Damn woman, what a time to check out; God you are so beautiful. I really thought the dreams were right. I’m sorry to disappoint you; sorry I made such a fucking mess of this.
You are not a disappointment to my Lady, Daniel. She was most impressed, as was I; by the way you conducted yourself. You did not know about me. You knew that thing was probably going to kill you, yet you stood your ground to keep it from the Community. Well done, Daniel!
It’s you! You’re in my head again... you’re Jake, right?
Yes Daniel.
Where the hell are you? Daniel’s eyes were wide as he tried to turn his head around, looking about.
I can’t see you… I know you’re here; I can feel you.
Look up Daniel, look up and listen to me…your life may depend on it.
The woman was shaking her head yes and pointing up. Look up Daniel, please.
I looked up into the night sky and tried to focus, tried to see thru the fog and suddenly there he was.
Good God in Heaven!
Before me was this huge massive head, black as night with silver stripes on the ridges of its nose. And it had these big black eyes staring at me; but somewhere in those eyes I could see intelligence, awareness. I should have been trying to run, but for some reason I wasn’t afraid at all; I listened.
You are injured very badly Daniel. That thing drew your blood and infected you with its poison. It has entered your bloodstream. I must have your permission to heal you. Daniel, are you listening to me? I must have your permission; I cannot touch you without it. Daniel…?
Yeah, yeah, I hear you, go ahead, do what you must - damn I’m so hot, hurt so bad… go for it Jake!
See if you can get some fluids into him after I finish, Jake told Kate. Then he turned to Steve and Big John, Now hold him down, this is really going to hurt…
Big John, Steve, Jerry, and Michael held Daniel down as Jake loomed above him. Jake reared up on his hind feet and spread his wings and opened his huge jaws. He shot out a flame high into the night sky. Then he bent his head down and let his saliva run out of his mouth and drip down to cover Daniel’s wound. Steam rose from the area, and Daniel screamed, arched his back off the stretcher, and passed out.
Jake, do you think he’ll make it? Kate asked very concerned.
My Lady, he will be very sick for several days. But I believe he will pull through. He has a very strong will- that should help him fight the infection. I have burned out most of it; only time will tell if I was able to get it all.
Daniel moaned in his sleep and then was quiet. Kate was still worried. But Jake was right, he was strong willed, he would be a fighter. But she still had to get him inside now.
“Guys, will you take him to my quarters,” she asked Steve, Jerry and Big John. “He’ll need looking after tonight if he’s to make it.”