Into the River

After a night of eating around the campfire and playing with Dormach, Cayna fell into a deep sleep with the hound at her side. She expected nightmares or a fitful sleep but instead she had pleasant dreams of green and flowered fields, of warm breezes underneath golden suns. She walked through wonderful groves and was surrounded by curious, happy animals.

Needless to say, when she finally opened her eyes, warm in her blankets except for her exposed face, which was met by the chill mountain air, she wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep and return to those peaceful places. She tried to crawl back into the refuge of her blankets, but they were tugged away. This brought a painful flashback and she sat up gasping. She expected the horrible, anxious expressions on the faces of her companions. Just as her foster parents had worn. It wasn't so. Dormach was standing there, tail wagging, a mouthful of fur blanket in her mouth.

After a moment, Cayna yawned. "Okay, I'm up." She said and the dog retreated, leaving the blanket. She left the room, heading towards the exit of the cave. Cayna wondered where she was off to. Also, she couldn't lie, she was sorely tempted to grab the blanket and go back into hiding. Though it wasn't as bad as when she had first woken up. Now she had her new clothes on, which were appropriate for the climate and travel in the wilderness. She had to say that it looked stylish as well.

The coat she wore was a pattern of crisscrossing dark furs. Embroidered on the chest and back were silver animals running through a forest. It was cute. She had mittens and a hat too, along with a pair of fuzzy boots. Getting off the bed, she put on all these articles of clothing and made her way to the now dying fire pit. There were no longer flames burning but the coals still breathed warm life into the chilly air. She moved her hands close and crouched there until she heard a sound behind her.

She turned to find Gwyn accompanied by Dormach. The dog gave a 'come hither' bark which prompted Cayna to stand, reluctantly however, from the fire pit and some to join them by the exit of the cave. Outside, it was still dark, but the stars were just beginning to fade from the sky. The sun was going to rise over the mountains in a few hours. Cayna was used to waking up early, but it didn't make it any more pleasant. She enjoyed the days she could sleep in on the rare occasion it had been allowed.

Gwyn motioned for her to follow him, and they all stepped outside the cave. Cayna noticed a shape immediately to her right. It was a horse of magnificent stature, tall, muscular and elegant. The horse pawed the ground in a semblance of waiting patiently.

"Who is this magnificent creature?" Cayna said, coming to pet the horses neck. Her mane was soft as silk and her coat was fine and warm. Another thing, the beast didn't smell like a horse at all. In fact, she had smelled this scent before. "Carn?"

The horse gave a small snort and a nod of her great head. Cayna was delighted.

"Wow, I've only ever heard of your kind in stories! This is fantastic! I never imagined I would meet the Edenite people!" she said. Gwyn came to stand next to her.

"You do not know how to ride but that will not be a problem. Carngrwn will not let you fall." He said, also giving the mare a few pets on the neck. Carn seemed to enjoy this very much and nuzzled his hand. Cayna shifted on her feet awkwardly. She was afraid of having to get on. It is true that she has never rode a horse, though she has seen some before in passing show cases. She didn't even know that people still used them to ride on. It seemed so backwards and yet, it seemed so exciting. As if she was participating in an archaic tradition.

Cayna squealed in surprise when Gwyn picked her up by the waist like she weighed nothing, and placed her on Carngrwn's back. Never before had she been handled by a man in such a way, even by her foster father. Even if he did, it would not have affected her the same way. Her cheeks felt so hot they would spontaneously combust from blushing. Not to mention her nervousness on being on the back of a powerful animal. Or, not an animal? What exactly did she consider Carn to be?

The question of where to hold on to was answered when the golden mane of Carn began to grow and shift. Not only that, it literally transformed. The strands slid along her fur and under Cayna's body, wrapping around her legs and her seat. The hair became honey hued leather leg bracers and saddle. Before her, a pair of handles appeared for her to hold on to for the duration of the ride. She couldn't fall off even if she tried.

Cayna watched the transformation with bated breath. She felt like a little girl caught in those fantastic tales with dashing rogues and brave maidens and impossible adventures.

Cayna had never been exposed to anything other than rune casting, where persons channel divinium through drives in order to create a powerful reaction or result. To see actual, real key casting without the use of a technological catalyst fascinated her.

"Beautiful." She said when she found her voice. Dormach barked, this one sounding annoyed. Perhaps she was saying that she was a little jealous at Cayna's one sided attention.

"Dormach!" Gwyn said in a commanding voice. The dog gave a triumphant bark and also began to change. Cayna watched, wide eyed as the dog grew in size, almost to the height of Carngrwn. Gwyn leaped onto her back, hugging her flanks with his legs and grabbing a handful of the dog's mane. "Now, my brides! Fly!"

Cayna didn't have time to really process what he just said when both beasts leaped forward, pounding through the dense forest with fluid ease. They weaved in and out of trees and wound around bushes, not allowing their riders to suffer a scratch from the snatching branches or clawing underbrush. Cayna quickly lost time as they past along the edge of the mountains, staying to the shadows as long as possible as the sun rose to the east. It was around midday when they finally stopped but it was not for the reason that Cayna thought.

Carn and Dormach came to a skidding halt in a small clearing. This made Cayna eternally grateful for the restraints that kept her from flying off the saddle. As she regained her center, she saw Gwyn somersault off of Dormach's back to land in a crouch on the low branch. He stared out into the forest, scanning the trees with squinted eyes. Cayna was about to ask what he was looking for when a silence shattering roar sounded ahead. Cayna felt her blood go cold in her veins as she heard the sound.

Gwyn gave a look to Dormach who gave a boastful bark and then they watched as Gwyn leaped from branch to branch, disappearing among the canopy of the forest. Not too long passed before another roar sounded and then a series of pounding strikes that shook the ground. A few moments later, there was silence again.

Without a word, the animals moved forward at a quick trot in the direction that Gwyn disappeared to. They came to another clearing where they found Gwyn, crouched and taking his knife to the largest bear Cayna had ever seen. The black fur was thick and the paws were almost as long as she was tall. A single swipe would easily break her like a rag doll. Cayna couldn't feel terrified for Gwyn who had obviously the beast. What if he had gotten hurt?

"Are you okay?" Cayna said, wanting to run to him but still being restrained in the saddle. Dormach seemed to have the same question in mind, whining and rubbing against him. This reminded Cayna that Gwyn had called them his brides. How did that work, she wondered? In Sycadia, there wasn't any such unions as marriage. Not in the way that the old realms had practiced anyway.

Gwyn scratched underneath Dormach's chin. She gave happy sounds in her throat and then, satisfied that her (husband?) was really okay, she ran off to chase small critters around in the bushes. Gwyn turned to Cayna and gave her a small smile.

"Nothing to worry about, Cayna." He said. Cayna found herself blushing furiously again and turned away. She chided herself but she couldn't help it. The Edenite man was beautiful and she had absolutely zero experience with men thanks to her life of being on the run all the time. She cursed herself inwardly for being so awkward. She blamed it on being forced to hide her whole life. Even if she wanted to express deep emotions or bring up matters of the heart, she wouldn't know where to begin in this context. So she stayed silent, constantly shifting her eyes anywhere but directly at Gwyn.

She found that increasingly difficult when she heard the sound of carving flesh. She peeked at him, seeing him work a knife on the bear, cutting away its tough hide to reveal the steaming innards. He pulled these out and then began carving out chunks of meat. Cayna never had a strong stomach and turned away, not wanting to appear weak. The smell was making her feel a bit nauseous as well.

A moment later, she felt something jump on Carn behind her. To her surprise, it was Dormach but miniature, appearing as she would have as a little puppy. She yipped and yapped, climbing all over Cayna, who all of a sudden found herself giggling and forgetting the horrible scene happening in front of her. She played with Dormach, who licked her face in response to her attention.

Before she knew it, Gwyn was done with his cutting and proceeded to stuff the meat in his bag. Cayna marveled again. He had a huge pile of raw, bloody meat that way outsized the bag he was carrying. Yet, somehow, he placed each slab inside, never making the bag bulge at all. In fact, it looked as empty as usual when he was done. He turned to the three that were waiting for him to be done.

"I am going to wash in the river. Join me if it pleases you." He said and then began to walk away, stripping off his clothes as he walked. Cayna gasped in surprise and shock. She had never had a man strip himself so nonchalantly in front of her before. She found herself staring as his clothes almost literally melted off of him. They fell away from his skin as if they were tearing at the seams. The clothes faded to nothingness even before they hit the grass.

His body was a muscular, lithe build. Tall and thin and yet appearing very strong. She couldn't help but stare at his perfectly carved, everything. Dormach snatched at Cayna's shirt and tugged at her sleeve, making frantic sounds. After a few moments, she managed to draw her attention from the Edenite's enticing bum to the dog.

"What?" she said, almost snapping at her. The dog tugged again. It seemed the little creature wanted her to get going after Gwyn. The thought filled her with terror. She found herself blushing furiously at the thought of being close to a naked man, especially one so exquisitely shaped.

Carngrwn began to move then, much to Cayna's chagrin, right in the direction that Gwyn was heading! Despite her stuttered protests and pulling on the handles, the horse continued inexorably onward, following the form of their (Husband?).

Cayna felt panic as they got nearer and nearer. She whispered to Carn to stop but it was as if all of a sudden, the horse didn't understand her at all. Or more like she was just ignoring her. In fact, Cayna could have sworn the horse, more than once, gave a knowing and mischievous snort.

"Carn, um, whoa now! Hey! Stop! Um, back! Oh by The Word!" Cayna said, clamping her hands over her eyes, only to find herself peeking from between the digits at Gwyn who carried on in his leisurely gait, seemingly without a single care in the world and completely ignorant of her hushed pleadings.

Finally, they came into lockstep with the Edenite. Cayna forced herself to look away and up from Gwyn, feeling her whole body heating up like a volcano about to explode from building underground pressure.

The river came into view and despite the terrible anxiety at the pit of Cayna's stomach, she found the view breathtaking. Having traveled from city slum to city slum, she had never seen much of the Sycadian wilds. It was truly breathtaking. The sun glinted off the clear surface of the water, piercing the shallows almost as if the water was really made of glass. Underneath the surface of the water, colorful aquatic creatures moved, mostly fish but also amphibians like turtles and frogs. Cayna wanted to reach out and experience this new world for herself. Still, her inhibitions about the situation kept her from completely being comfortable.

Gwyn did not stop at the edge of the river but moved in, seeming to glide through the water with unhindered ease. Cayna gulped as she saw his body now become wet, his defined muscles glistening. He went to the middle, where it should have been too deep for him to stand, yet he stood, not needing to paddle his arms or legs.

Cayna watched as every manner of creature in the river came close to him, seeming to greet him by swimming close and then wandering away again. She wanted the sea creatures to say hello to her too!

As if in answer to her desires, the leg bracers retracted and the saddle as well, back into the golden mane. She looked down and saw Dormach who looked up at her and barked. Cayna understood. She wanted him to use her as a step to get down to the ground. She did this in a rather clumsy fashion, being thankful to rest her feet on solid ground again.

She was a bit sore, but not as much as she had anticipated and after a hard morning of riding, she was exhausted and sweating in the heat of the day. She needed a bath. Still, not with a naked man present! That was too much!

Dormach barked at her, running around her in circles, nudging her with her snout to get closer to the water.

"Easy Dormach, I can't get in there with my clothes on!" Cayna said. The dog tugged at her sleeves, giving a low growl. Cayna looked at Gwyn, who still had his back to them, apparently entertaining three brilliantly colored fish in what could have been a riveting conversation for all she knew.

Finally, she sighed, defeated. "Fine, fine." She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. Then, as fast as she could, she ripped off all her clothes, almost tripping over her feet as she removed her undergarments and splashed into the water. It was warmer than she anticipated and her muscles, despite being rigid with embarrassment, welcomed the massage of the calmly flowing water.

"Don't look!" she said in Gwyn's direction. Of course, at the sound of her voice, he turned and there was a mischievous smile on his face as they faced each other.

Cayna thought in that moment she might die of embarrassment.