0 comments/ 11483 views/ 0 favorites Mongol Nights By: BardsLady Conscious thought returned as my sleeping brain told me it was time to get up and get started on the day. The rest of me registered the sleeping body next to my own was Kiefer Sutherland. My waking brain supplied me with the rest of the information. Cabin. Kiefer. Rockies. Oh yeah, that was it. I opened my eyes and stared down at the most handsome man, to me that is, on the face of the earth as he lay flat on his back in my bed. I had come here to recharge and rest after moping around my place for weeks. Fred, my brother and business manager, all but beat down my door and told me to go rest somewhere else. Somewhere else turned out to be this secluded cabin up in the Rockies. Little did my loving brother, or me for that matter, know that Kiefer Sutherland’s film crew was doing a shoot a couple miles down the road from the cabin. To make that long story short, I was at the shoot long enough for Kiefer to recognise me by my body. He couldn’t see my face because of the helmet I was wearing, and yet found his way to my cabin where we made mad passionate love until we both were too exhausted to move any further from the bed. How much fun was that? My eyes strayed to the clock on the nightstand. It read 10 am. I had a 3 pm snowboarding lesson at the top of the mountain. I needed to be awake and alert for this. Not looking like I’d just crawled out of bed after making love. The thought, however, did bring a smile to my face and erotic thoughts to my brain. Leaning over, I gently nibbled Kiefer's ear and ran my hands over his body. As he slowly awakened, I kissed and caressed the little `love bites’ that I had given him the night before. At least the ones I gave him wouldn’t be visible when he put his clothes back on. Sometimes it’s better not to fan the rumour mill with evidence of sexual encounters. I knew when he was fully awake because his arms wrapped themselves around me. He drew me up so that his lips could meet mine in a lazy, sensual, feast. When our lips separated, he grinned boyishly at me and said, “Good Morning.” in his soft, growling voice. A voice, I might add, that never fails to send shivers up and down my spine. I pulled down the covers until they were on the floor so that I had a visual treat to look at. I smiled at him, then straddled his waist, feeling his arousal between my legs. “Good Morning to you too. “ I said as I spread my knees a bit wider, then reached down to slip his hard cock into my greedy pussy. I sat down, biting my lip to keep a loud moan of desire from escaping. I rarely am the one on top mainly because I could never keep up the rythm very well. But I knew this time would be different, magical. Kiefer growled softly as I began to move up and down on him. “Gods, Diane, you’re beautiful!” he gasped out as his hands roamed where they would. His eyes had that deep, intense, sensual glow to them as his body moved in synchronised rythm with mine. Slowing, then going faster, allowing me to set the pace and keep it. Just the feel of his hands on my skin was enough to make me arch my back and slam down on him in an orgasm. I rode Kiefer hard as his hands traced the scar on my chest, then the newest one on my face. Wherever his hands touched, it was like flames licked my flesh instead of his fingertips. I was still shuddering when he slowly rolled over so that we were both laying on our sides. He pulled out long enough so that I could turn over and he spooned up aganst my back, then thrusting back in. It was my turn to growl softly as I reached back with a hand to run my fingers through his hair, savoring the texture and feel of it. His hands were on my nipples, pinching and caressing them, making them hard as pebbles and extremely sensative. As the tempo increased, so did our roaming hands. Soon we were so locked up in the moment, that the bed had been moving across the floor. It made it to the far wall and with each thrust of his cock into me, the bed banged against the log cabin’s back wall. It's amazing we didn’t knock a hole in it with our enthusiasm. It was an eternity before I felt my body start to tighten and tingle. The sensations started in my toes, making them curl. About this time I felt him wrap his arms around me and hold on. His face was buried in my hair as his whole body started to shudder. It was like the two of us went into convulsions as two orgasms became one. Explosions of pleasure went off in our bodies as we each sought to climb inside the skin of the other and explode. It was several minutes before we were stable enough to untangle ourselvs from each other, the bedsheets, and wheatever else was on the bed at the time. I grinned at him, “You’d best take the shower first, love. You have to get back to filming.” I nodded at the time, causing him to curse fluently. “Damn, you’re right. I need to get going.” He leaped out of bed and I had this perfect view of his naked ass as it scooted into the bathroom. I managed to get a bathrobe on before someone knocked on the door. Opening it up there was this flustered older woman at the door who, after seeing my state of disarray, blushed and stammered an apology. Aparently our overenthusiastic lovemaking had been heard outside the walls. This caused a bit of concern at the main office when the noise was reported. Blushing myself, I assured the day manager that we would attempt to keep the noise level down next time. Her knowing look and secretive smile told me that she wasnt fooled one iota when it came to knowing who I was with. The heat on my face told me that the color was a deeper shade of red than before as the woman walked back to the office. I sighed, shaking my head and moved over to the bathroom just as Kiefer came out in a billowing cloud of steam. For a moment, the enveloping white color of the steam formed the image of a polar bear before being blown back to wherever my dirty mind and conjured it from. I smiled quietly and said, “If you need to take off before I get out of the shower, go ahead. I’ll still be around when you get off work tonite.” He nodded. “We’re finishing up the filming this morning and I’ll be all yours for the rest of the time.” he winked impishly. I had this terrible urge to pop his butt with my towel at that wink. When I got out of the shower, he was already gone, but the scent of him was everywhere. Smiling, I dried my hair and got dressed and ready for that snowboarding lesson. Something I had never done in my life, but I was willing to try it. Who knows, it could be fun. Then again, the paparazzi may be there and screw up my fun again. Fuck em, I was NOT going to let these idiots ruin it this time. I walked out the door and the first thing I noticed was that it had snowed last night. Everything was pristine white, a good sign. I got up to the main desk in time to catch the ski shuttle going to the lifts. I checked to make sure I had everything I needed before getting in. I almost panicked about the cell phone, but it was safely tucked into a pocket where I could reach it in times of emergency. Getting to the bottom of the lift, I went to the rental shed and got what I needed. When I asked where to find the instructors, he said that I’d find them at the top of the slopes. I nodded and paid him for a day rental on everything. “How’re the slopes?” I asked. “Depends on whether you ask me or those damned photographers we got running around.” he said in disgust. I feigned ignorance. “What photographers? Some sort of competition going on today?” I knew that wasnt it, but hell, better get the info now than a camera shoved up my you know what later. Laughing, the guy said, “Nah. Seems word got out that some big time celebrity is filming around here. That and the fact that he’s got a whore with him to keep him satisfied.” That froze me. “Run that last part by me again, his WHAT?” I was thankful that my voice was normal, but my brain was raging in anger. He looked me up and down. “Where you been? Hibernating?” he pulled out a tabloid and laid it on the counter. “The scam sheets say she’s a whore. Been fucking every celebrity that comes her way.” I ran a hand down my face and sighed, “So the photographers are hanging out, waiting to see what happens, right?” He nodded, “Yeah, rumor has it she’s got a 3 o’clock snowboard lesson.” Looking up he scrutinized my face and it went slack jawed with shock as he saw the scar. I grinned, “I see you finally recognised the face.” I taptapped the paper with my finger, “I wouldn't put too much faith in all those claims if I were you. I just happened to be in the places the he was in at the same time. Just for diffrent reasons.” He nodded, “I.. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call you that. I..” I held up a hand to stop the flow of words. “I understand. Trust me. I’m on vacation at this point. If I happen to run into the bigwig film star, it’ll be completely by coincidence. My brother gave me this trip as a break from my job.” I chuckled. “But if any of the photographers start sniffing around.. umm.. which one is the most dangerous and difficult board slope here?” I asked with a gleam in my eye. He laughed. “That would be the Blizzard Canyon. If They ask, I tell em you’re up there.” he winked. Laughing, I nodded. “Good deal. Now lemme get out of your hair so we don't attract attention.” I picked up my stuff and walked out. At the top of the ski lift, I checked with the operators to find out where the 3 o’clock beginner lessons were going to be taking place. I found out her name was Margo and that the lessons were being held at the beginner slopes, less than ten yards away. I looked around at the crowds mingling at that point and conveniently lost myself in the group that were patiently waiting on the instructor. I looked at all the people there and casually scanned the area for the photographers. Long years of practice, experience, and gut instinct have given me the edge several times during these past few months. Did I mention the fact that I was a photographer myself? Yeah, several times. But hey, when you are one, you tend to notice others of your kind. I spotted at least four of them scattered around ther area. As I watched, first one, then another got phone calls and they faded into the background. Ahhh, the joys of being nice to people. I knew they wouldn’t spot me as, on the way up the hill on the lift, I had made it a point to pull on the fleece neckwarmer, helmet, and ski goggles with dark lenses. I probably looked like a newbie to the snowboard game, but hey, that’s what I was. I found an out of the way place amongst some of the people my age and waited patiently. Occasionally one would introduce themselves to me and I would reply in kind, making small talk until the sound of a throat clearing got our attention. I looked up and froze. The woman in front of me was the little bitch who walked off the set yesterday after pitching a fit about a simple motorcycle jump. Of course, it was over an exploding car with people shooting at her. But the guns had blanks and, according to the stunt co-ordinator, the exploding car was something she had done several times over. “My name is Sheila Montgomery and I’ll be your Snowboarding instructor today.” Her voice was just this side of grating.” Your normal instructor, Margo Litgue, stupidly broke her hip trying to keep a kid from getting caught in an avalanche in the north slopes.” The contempt in her voice was so thick you could probably have cut it with a knife. Sheila looked like she could take on half the WWF all on her own because she worked out daily with weights. Either that or she was taking steroids. I don't know which. Her hair was a dirty blond and it was cut so short it would make a Marine jealous. Sheila was flat chested, muscular, and her ice blue eyes were as cold as an arctic jail cell. I think half the class would have dropped out if they could have. Her manner was insulting, coarse and blatantly sarcastic. And she taught us absolutely nothing about snowboarding. When we all managed to get our gear on and on our boards, she started really getting pissy. If we fell, she went into a tantrum. If they talked back, she yelled at them. After one outburst that reduced a thirteen year old girl to tears, I finally had had enough. I surfed the snow over to her seconds after she raised her hand against a parent who was defending his child. I pulled a stop and grabbed that hand. “That is ENOUGH!” I growled. “You’ve done nothing to instruct beginning snowboarders. What you have done is ruined our day, insulted us, harrassed us, and generally turned this day into something I think we’d all rather forgot.” I squeezed the wrist tendons a little bit to let her know I meant business. “Who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and can’t do here?” she winced, yet her voice was a snarling and indignant tone. I looked at the father and daughter, “Go get the manager and someone responsible for hiring people around here.” The man nodded and said, “Thank you.” before taking his daughter over to the information kiosk and the shocked looking young woman behind the counter. She tried to get me to let go of her wrist and I merely tightened my grip. “Who are you and why are you interfering with my teaching,” she snarled, “I’m in charge here and I have every right to do what I want to make decent snowboarders out of these pathetic idiots.” I calmly looked her in the eye. “These are people, not idiots. Insulting them and harrassing them is for marine recruits, not regular people who just want to learn and enjoy a new sport. “ I gave her wrist another squeeze before flinging it away in disgust. “And teaching definately does NOT include raising your hand against a child who you’ve already harrassed so much she was in tears.” She glared at me, rubbing her wrist. “You’re as much a fucking beginner as the rest of these losers. You can’t even board right!” She looked me up and down with a sneer on her face. “Look at you, a woman who thinks she’s got what it takes. How about we put it to the test?” Her eyes had that dangerous look. I rolled my eyes. “No wonder you walked out on the filming yesterday.” Shaking my head, I met her blazing eyes with my own. “You can’t do the simplest task without having to find SOMETHING to critisize. But be warned, if you challenge me, you’ve already lost.” I saw the fist coming at me and let her do what she wanted. It connected with my nose with a solid POP. I rocked backwards and had to dig in with the board on my feet to keep from going down the hill. I immediately felt the warm gush of blood down my lower lip. As she watched, I simply looked at her and made no attempt to stop the bleeding on my face. She looked me dead in the eye. “Half Pipe, Best run of three. You’ve got an hour. I’ll choose two judges, you choose two. Let’s see if you’re as good for a beginner as you are at handling pain.” With that she stalked off, leaving the whole class aghast. I scooped some snow up and chuckled. “If she only knew.” Placing the snow on my nose, I saw the whole class staring at me, some smiling, others not knowing what to do. “I’m sorry that you all had to see that. I dislike people who use their authority like that. And then to almost hit a kid.” I shook my head. “Authority she didn’t have,“ came a deep, authoritive voice. One that belonged to a strongly built man in a worksuit. “She was a last minute replacement for our other instructor who broke her hip. My name is Steven Mallory, I’m the Manager of this place and I’d like to deeply apologize for this incident. Miss Mulvany, do you wish to press assault charges on Miss Montgomery?” Chuckling, I shook my head. “No, that would not gain anyone anything at this moment, Mr. Mallory.” I smiled around the melting snow on my face. “Find these people a different instructor and I will be happy. As to my assailant, I need two judges and one of your trick boarders for a half an hour.” I looked over at the father of a now sad, looking 13 year old. “Sir, would you do the honor of being my first judge?” “That I would!” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “As long as Sonja here gets to be your second,” he grinned. Steven nodded, “But if she gets two of hers and you have two of yours, who is going to be the tie breaker? I’ll provide you with whatever you need, but you know she’s going to have two of her cronies voting for her. I can’t judge because I’m part of the ski lodge, so who could it be?” “That who would be me, Mr. Mallory.” came the oh-so familliar voice. It took all my concentration to not let on that I knew Kiefer’s voice. The rest of the class had been slowly herded off to calmer situations, thankfully. The manager looked like he had just swallowed a frog and the little girls face lit up like a christmas tree. My heart turned over for the kid, and for that voice. Thank the Goddess, my mind murmerd, for brightening a child's day. Kiefer turned to me just as a First Aid team showed up. “Miss Mulvany, will you be able to compete?” I let Kiefer know how grateful I was for not letting people know about us with a very broad grin. “That woman needs a hard setdown,” I said as the the first aid team popped my nose back into place and added a little bit of support to it. “And besides, I hate people who make kids cry.” I coughed, then spat out a gob of blood that had drained down the back of my throat. I looked around as the manager had snagged one of the other instructors and was talking with him. The father and daughter were talking with Kiefer, so I basically relaxed against a snowbank and pondered how I ever got myself into this mess in the first place. “You gonna sit there in that snowbank all day or are you gonna get busy learning?” A guy was standing over me with a grin. “We gotta get you on deck to put that amateur in her place. I’ve seen her and she’s not that good.” He winked. I grined and took the hand he offered and got stood upright on my board, then stepped off of it. “Yeah, she needs a good set down. I’ll be with you in a sec.” I walked twards Kiefer as the father daughter walked twards the lifts with a hotel guide to help them out. “I’d like to thank you, Mr. Sutherland, for helping out.” He smiled and played along. “I’m glad I could help. Are you okay?” His eyes held concern and the barest hint of lust. I lowered my voice, “Keep it up hotshot.” I murmered for his ears alone, “That’s your ex-stunt lady that’s going to get a hard putdown. Let’s not give the camera idiots any more ammo than they have already. They already think I’m a whore.” I had the satisfaction of seeing the anger burn in his eyes at the news. “Don't worry, I’ll be fine. Just keep an eye on Sheila and give the kid your autograph.” I grinned Winking at him, I turned back to the instructor. For the next half hour we went over some of the basic moves, and a few advanced tricks. He taught me some of his own bag of tricks. By the time we were done, I was sweating profusely. It’d been a long time since I’d had this intense of a workout for anything. My leg and knee hurt, my nose was swelling, but I felt good and confident. Minutes later, I was at the top of the Half Pipe with Sheila. She looked at me and said, “Lemme show you how it’s done, bitch. Wouldn't want that well fucked cunt to get too messed up.” And off she went. The guy next to me grumbled, “I really hate that woman. She comes here every year for a couple months and proceeds to make everyone’s life miserable.” he looked at me. “If you can, lay her in the snow with some tricks, will ya?” I grinned and watched her pull some really complicated stunts and only do them half-baked. Almost as if she was taunting me to do better. Fine, but I was out to make a point, not play her game. When she got to the end, I counted to ten and jumped off onto the slope, gaining speed as I went. I made each move count, getting some pretty good height on some of the moves and making most of the tricks I attempted. At the end of the pipe, I pulled a three-sixty to end the run. Mongol Nights I skidded to a stop at the end of the burm and stepped off my board, watching the judging box. Sheila was strutting around like a peacock in full bloom. When it was announced that she had won the first round. She started harrassing me, “Lay down Bitch.” She said, “You loser! Better give up now.” When they said that I was to go first on the next run, she pitched a tantrum, but they stood firm on it. I just turned and headed for the snowmobile that would transport me up the hill to the top. My brain was already sorting through the tricks I was going to be doing and seeing what I could pull. I saw a couple boarders off on another area pulling some complicated stunts and filed them away for later usage. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with her harrassment this time around. The transport was only good for one person. So she had to cool her heels until the snowmobile came back for her. Once at the starting chute, I stepped into the bindings of my board. “She won the last set,” I told the guy there. He frowned. “And I bet she just ate that all up, didn’t she?” At my nod, he sighed. “You did good last time. Work the pipe a bit more and stretch out some of the higher stunts. You’ll do fine. Now get going.” He grinned and pointed me down the hill. Laughing I launched myself down the hill to gain speed, then started mixing it up, getting some high time in the air and pulling some handstand type stunts, a somersault or two in mid air, and a couple rail skimmers. I was so concentrated on what I was doing that a snowball hit my helmet didn’t even faze me. I got to the bottom of the run and slid to a halt, breathing a bit hard from the strain. My knee and leg were screaming in pain, but I ignored the pain in favor of keeping up appearances even tho all I wanted to do was ice down the knee and upper thigh area for the rest of the day. Looking up, I saw the panel of judges grinning at me. I took a bow and went over to one side. Somehow the competition had attracted a small crowd of onlookers. As I sat down, someone handed me a bottle of gatorade to keep me going. I looked up to say thanks and almost lost my jaw in shock. It was the old man from the vision! I must have looked like a fish out of water because he laughed and the words came to my mind, *close your mouth, ShadowBear, or else you’ll have flies in there.* My jaw snapped shut and I managed a smile. “Thank you.” I said. The old man nodded, looking very incongruent in one of the ski lodge’s snow suits, and walked off. I formed the words in my mind, hoping he’d hear, *You keep this up, Little Father, and people will think you have a crush on me or something!* I had the delight of seeing him pause and bend over slightly as laughter erupted from him. I smiled, then finished off the gatrade that he handed me. I dont know what was in that stuff, but suddenly my leg quit hurting and I felt energized. *A gift from the spirits, ShadowBear. You will need your strength for the upcomming days. But I do suggest that you get a brace for that leg. After all, we mere mortals are NOT indestructable.* I laughed to myself, *Be nice, Little Father. I plan on giving a lesson to this woman and then soaking in a nice hot tub for the rest of my time here.* *No you wont* came the reply as the old man turned to look back at me, *You’re needed elsewhere.* he grinned mischeviously, and even at this distance I could see the wink he sent my way*Never fear, ShadowBear, you will see your mate again. But in a land of snow and nomads instead of these mountains or a tropical paradise.* With that, he walked off into a crowd of people and disappeared. Shaking my head at the news, I turned back to see Sheila botch her last trick and land face first in the snow. I went over immediately and said, “Are you ok? You need help?” I offered a hand to her if she needed assistance. A hand came up and swatted mine away, “I’m fine, asshole. Just go away and leave me alone.” She kicked off the board and stood up. I hid a smile as her nose now looked worse than mine. I turned and walked back to a corner where I could sit down and rest. After a few moments of deliberation, they announced that I was the winner this time. And to prevent another outburst from Sheila, they decided she got to go first. Which was fine by me. It gave me a chance to get my breath back for the final run. She looked at me and growled, “You won this round, but I’ll make sure you wont win the last one. I’m going to win.” I sighed and shook my head, “With that attitude, Sheila, you’ve already lost. Even if you win, you’ve lost.” For once she was speechless. Finally she started to raise a fist to me. I lifted my goggles and looked at her, letting my face go blank. Whatever she saw in those eyes made her lower her fist and turn pale. I lowered my voice and said, “Be very careful, Sheila, which tail you want to twist at this moment in time. The tail may be attatched to something that will turn around and bite you in the ass.” She turned and all but ran for the snowmobile, almost tripping on her board as she sat down behind the driver. The murderous look she threw over her shoulder at me could have melted a 6 ft circle around me where I stood. When that didn’t have any effect, she thumped the driver on the head and yelled at him. I lowered the goggles back onto my face and sighed. “I’m beginning to really dislike that woman,” I murmered to myself. The people standing behind me were definitely not happy with her as the people who saw what started it all, spread the story. Looking over at the Judges box, I spotted Kiefer staring at me with some concern. I grinned, shook my head and chuckled. Pointing at the top of the slope, I made wobbly motions and a couple spins. Then pointed to the figure making her run and hanging herself. He laughed and turned back to watch her do her stunts. When I got to the top of the slope, the snowmobile driver and the guy manning the gates bracketed me. The looks in their eyes were not happy and I thought I knew why. “You want to watch the pipe this time down,” the gateman said. “She threw something down as she was doing her run.” They were clearly pissed at this action. I knew word would get down to the bottom of the run. The driver looked at me and grinned. “You want to really nail her with a good move?” he leaned in and whispered some instructions into my ear. I laughed outright. “You two are incredible,” I chuckled. “I think I’ll save that one for the last trick of the day.” I shook my head and got ready for the most dangerous run of them all. “By the way, let'em know down the hill what’s going on. If this doesn't work, I’m probably gonna have some serious snow burn to be dealing with.” I paused at the gate, “And make sure no one else goes down this run until it’s cleaned, Okay?” They nodded and I leapt into action. I pulled out all the stops, rail gridners, tail grabbers, 360’s. I found out what she had tossed down as I did a handstand at the top of one of the rims. I grabbed one of the objects and stuck it in a pocket before finishing the run. The last move was really funny, I got some hang time and they called it a Moonie. Which is exactly what it was. I came down with my bare ass facing Sheila, then I pulled up my pants and came to a full stop as I finished buckling. As expected, they claimed I was the winner and the little bitch attacked me. This time, however, I was not going to put up with it. Before she knew what had happened, I had her on her knees in a headlock that I could have easily broken her neck with. I looked up at Steven Mallory and said, “Keep everyone off that half pipe until you get the cleanup crews over that place with a fine toothed comb!” I pulled out a small metal caltrip out of a pocket and handed it to him. “These are all over the place up there. Complments of this woman.” I tightened my hold and she grimaced. Mr. Mallory looked it over and his face turned red as the security guys came over. She was taken away in handcuffs to the relieved smiles of everyone involved. He snagged a radio and called to the guys up top and then switched channels for a cleanup crew. I sighed.“Thanks, Steven. I hated to ruin people’s day because of her.” I grinned. He laughed, joined in shortly by the five judges, “I’ll never forget the look on her face when you came down, with your butt hanging out like that.” Even the little girl was laughing. I blushed, “Yeah, well, the credit for that one goes to your two employees up on top of the half pipe. Seems Sheila didn't make any friends topside.” I winked. “I’m just glad I got down the run in one piece.” Kiefer moved to the forefront of the crowd, laughter still dancing in his eyes. He handed me a bottle of water. “So, you nailed the move for the first time. You get the honor of naming it. As if we didn't already know.” I shook my head and took a drink. “I’m gonna call it Sheila Moonie,” which prompted hysterical laughter from all involved. I sometimes have a sadistic mentality. “I dedicate it to Sheila Montgomery. Because without her, the move would probably be still buckled up.” I was barely holding in the laughter at the last. Suddenly, in the midst of all the laughter, my cell phone started ringing. I frowned, took it out of my jacket and looked at the number. It was Fred. I answered it. “Okay Fred, this must be important if you’re calling me in the middle of your own self-imposed incommunicado R&R of me.” Everyone started drifting away now that things were finished here. The boarders spreading the news about the new move, the father and daughter heading off to a more tamer past time. The manager was called away to deal with the legalities. Kiefer, however, was the only one who stayed. I handed him my water, then picked up my board and nodded to a bench near the ski lodge. Kiefer headed ahead of me. Fred's voice came through the phone, “Yeah. Yeah, I know. I know. But this can’t be helped. How soon can you get back into town and on a plane for Ulan Bataar?” I stopped dead in my tracks. “You want me to go to Mongolia? WHY for gods sakes.” “Shut up and listen,” came his annoyed voice. “I wouldn't have called you if the photographer I had sent there had done his job and not stupidly got involved in a few things that he shouldn’t. The environmentalist agency is willing to give our company another chance after seeing the Andalusian spread you did. “ He muttered, “How the hell was I supposed to know that Andrew was a religious fanatic?” I refrained from mentioning all the christian stuff in his office and on his person. By this time I had sat down on the bench next to Kiefer. He immediately started to nuzzle my neck. “So what’s the job?” The lips stilled at my neck. “Snow Leopards,” came the prompt reply. “You’re going to be spending time with the Mongol nomads in the mountains, photographing the snow leopard. When you’re done with that, they want some pictures of the procedures that the nomads use when hunting with Golden Eagles in Kazakhistan.” I groaned as both the information and Kiefer’s teeth on my ear came at the same time, driving me almost insane. “You have got to be kidding me. What in hell did this guy do to the populace? Try and destroy one of the holy sights?” I winced at the thought. “Wait, dont answer that, Fred. If he did, I’d be tempted to break his legs for him.” A chuckle from both men came at the same time, but Fred said, “You dont want to know. Anyways, the people involved were impressed with your work and won't take no for an answer. You need to be back here yesterday. They’ve got two months to document the leopards and the eagles. Two months that started a week ago.” There was a click and a dial tone. Kiefer finally looked at me. “Does that look mean what I think it means?” I nodded and told him what I was up against. “That and the fact that I’m not a religious fanatic will help.” I smiled and leaned against him, unmindful of the photographers that may or may not be hiding out. Suprisingly, I didn't care either. I sighed and turned to look him in the eyes, “I have to go, and go now. Fred said that they needed me there NOW. “ He nodded and whispered, “Get going, keeper of my heart. Otherwise I’ll be tempted to drag you off to a cave somewhere and ravish your body until you beg me to stop.” His eyes burned with desire as he looked into my eyes. I pulled off the gloves and undid the front of my jacket. I pulled out the beaded necklace, the one with the bearclaw on it, that was around my neck and took it off. Looking at Kiefer, I looped it around his neck and letting my hand slide down to his heart, I said, “Take care of this for me and I will always be with you, no matter where I am.” He put his hand over my heart and we sat there for a couple moments before it happened. As if the thought hit us both at the same time, we drew our hands back to clasp them together between us, then move our hands twards our own hearts. In unison we said, “Keeper of my heart, be safe until you return.” I leaned over and gave him one last, lingering kiss before heading to the rental place, and then back to the cabin to repack. As I left him sitting there, my leg from thigh to ankle started throbbing. Now, each step was agony, as if my heart and my leg did not want to leave. Hell, I didn't want to leave either, but I did anyways. I left him sitting there, alone, in the snow, remembering the taste of my lips caressing his. ************* A week later, I found myself planted in the middle of a Mongol Nomad camp with my camera and my laptop. Both of them had all the bells and whistles with them. Including the special telephoto lens for the digital. I looked around and sighed at the wild beauty of the place. Imagine nature in its most primal setting and you’ll have Mongolia. It’s beautiful, wild, dangerous and breathtaking. According to those that I was working with, the place has little changed since the time of Ghengis Khan. I can honestly believe that, too. I was set up in a small yurt with my translator. Thankfully for me, I had bought a knee brace for the rigors of this place. I had a few hours to get settled before climbing aboard a Mongol horse and riding out to see what could be seen. It took us three days to find the right area for the Leopards. The nomads showed us where they had been spotted and pointed out the fresh tracks. Nodding to them, I got pictures of the tracks and anything else related to the animal I could get before dark. Just before returning to camp, I set up some infared cameras and others with night vision lenses attatched to them. Attatched were pressure pads so that if an animal did come that way, the cameras would go off. Back at camp I was greeted with a truly interesting sight, as well as the buttered tea and yak meat. It was a Shaman. My translator was equally suprised as well. He told me that the woman had shown up a few hours after we had left and simply sat near the fire. She was accorded all the honors due to her but aparantly, when asked, said that she was waiting for the ShadowBear to return. Which really threw not only my mongol friends, but myself into shock. I stepped forward into the firelight and nodded, “I am ShadowBear, Honored One.” There was a pause as it was translated. She nodded and then proceeded to speak rapidly to those around her, shooing them away from the two of us. Amazingly, all of them except for my translator left. He looked uncertainly at me, then at her. She shot an agitated stream of words at him, and he argued back until I placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Chen.” I said after watching her eyes, “I think I can get along without you for a while. Whatever she asked you to do, go ahead and get going.” He left. She looked at me in the eyes and motioned me to sit next to her. As I sat down she smiled and said, in almost perfect english, “Welcome to Mongolia. I’ve been waiting to see what the old man was going to send into my realm.” Her eyes twinkled with laughter. Shaking my head, I laughed, “I only met him a few weeks ago, Honored One.” I dipped a ladle into the pot of buttered tea near the fire and offered her the cup with both hands, then snagged some for myself. “Your presence confirms what Little Father has told me where I was going to go. Now, perhaps, you will tell me why I am here.” She smiled, “Don’t get all formal on me now, Diane. You may call me Jin Mai if you must call me anything. I have another name, but that is for a different time and place,” she winked. “As to why you are here, there is a problem that only you can solve. It requires only a day of your time.” I nodded. “I will try to do what I can, but I don't think the people I work for will be too happy about it, Jin Mai. The Snow Leopard project has priority. But if you can back me up on it and make sure they know what’s going on, I’ll help out.” I drank some of the tea, letting the warmth seep into my body. Jin nodded, “Oh, don't worry about that. And you wont have to even go very far for this one.” She sighed, “It’s this. A village ten miles from this place is being terrorized by something that even I can’t get close to. It’s mangled several children and adults. No one has been able to get a glimpse of it.” Shaking my head, I said, “Are they okay, the children and the adults? Do they have medical attention?” My brain was working overtime at this point. “Are there any descriptions of this thing?” She said softly, “They will be fine. The Doctors without Borders people are helping those that need it. But no one can give a clear description of this thing. I went looking and found what appears to be a large track of a bear heading upwards into the hills. But nothing else.” I nodded, “Tomorrow, we will see what I can do for this village.” I smiled, “But now, I need to get under some covers because, unlike you, I’m not used to freezing my tits off sleeping under the stars.” She laughed outright and said, “Sleep, ShadowBear, for tomorrow you will see this done.” She put a hand on my shoulder and I was out like a light. I woke to find myself in a yurt with a warm body next to me. Rolling over, I found myself face to face with the only man to make my hormones run overtime. I opened my lips to say something to him, but he put a finger over them. Seconds later his lips covered mine in a soft, sensual kiss. I closed my eyes and gave myself up to his passion. Suddenly, I felt the cool air and opened my eyes in shock at the feel of the rough bark of a pine tree digging into my bare back. I groaned as it dawned on me that this was a dream. But Oh, what a dream. Kiefer’s lips feasted on my hard nipples, making me forget about anything but him. My hands, frantic to touch him, ran themselves through his hair as he kissed his way down my body. I was on fire, as if I were in the middle of the sun. Never had this sensation been so intense as right now. His hands caressed their way down my ribs as he knelt before me. I spread my legs and felt his mouth close over my wetness. His tongue was like a whirlwind on my clit while he worked two fingers into my heated pussy. I couldnt help it, I arched against him as a silent scream of orgasm tried to make itself heard. Lights exploded behind my eyelids as he didn't wait for me to come down but swiftly stood and impaled me on his cock. This wasnt love making, this was hard, primal lust taking over. In the back of my head, my rational mind was warning me that this was only a dream. My subconcious mind told it to shut up and go away as I was pounded and thrusted against the tree behind me. All I could hear was the ragged breathing of Kiefer and the soft whimpering that I was doing when I could actually get a sound out of my lips. Lips, that were being constantly caressed and nibbled by him. Then it happened, it felt like the whole world was having one big orgasm through me. It was like stars exploding all around us. My whole body began to shake and tighten. I looked at Kiefer to see that he was going through the same thing I was. Our moves became more frantic as we topped out and a sun exploded in both of us. Mongol Nights Somewhere in the middle of this sensory overload of pleasure I heard his voice screaming, “I love you!” I closed my eyes as the hard pleasure of the combined orgasm kept us on that swan dive back to earth. Seconds after that, I felt something warm and coppery smelling splash against my naked body. Concerned, I opened my eyes to find that I was covered in his blood. I looked at Kiefer to see him topple to the ground with deep claw gashes shredding his muscular chest. It was only then that I heard the screams of children being mangled and bloodied. Over it all was the evil roar of an enraged grizzly. It wasnt a normal sounding roar either. Something truly nasty was in the works as I ran twards the sound. I had to do something, and I rounded the corner of a Yurt just in time to see a massive paw with 4 inch claws aimed at my head! Seconds before the claws hit, I woke up. Oh I woke up all right, as my fist connected with my translator’s head, sending him flying backwards a few feet. The rest of the people around me took several steps back as I rolled into a fighting crouch. Not fully awake but not in dreamland any longer, I was disoriented and very hazy. A hand lightly touched my shoulder just as the sun peeked over the horizon. I turned and barely had time enough to stop myself from punching the shaman. She looked concerned as her fingers tightened. I glanced at my hands, felt my face, and looked around at the area with a sigh. No blood, no bodies, nothing. But still, there was a sense of urgency. Jin looked me in the eyes and said, “What’s wrong?” I met her eyes and said, “We have to get to that village, NOW!” I looked at the translator that I hit and said, “I’m sorry. Can you get them to saddle a horse for me and this Shaman?” He nodded and gave the word. four horses were saddled. Jin, myself, and two of the nomads mounted and tore out of the camp we had made. The shaman and I raced the wind and pounded across the cold trundra that morning. What we would find at the end of our race for life or death. We didn't know.