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The Dryad

By: Armphid



It was beautiful land. 

Whether the person seeing it was a local or a visitor, distant kin or lost tourist, whether they loved or hated the people, the small town sins and virtues, the space and the quiet, the winding and slender roads, whether they were born with good earth under their feet, or whether the humming electric heart of the city beat in their chest, they would always say that it was beautiful land. 

It was a land of high ridges and mountains cut through with rivers, creeks, and brooks that formed fertile valleys and lowlands. There were wide, clear patches of green and gold where corn, wheat, and soybeans grew or where cattle and horses were out to pasture, dotted with lines of fences and gates. Forests blossomed up here and there, as if sprung up between the fields though in truth they were far older than the cleared, tamed spaces. Some were small groves, others thin lines, others vast and deep swathes of green that hid secrets in their hills and dells. Thin ribbons of roads wound around hills and property lines in a haphazard seeming way that all in the area knew by heart; most were even paved though that had been done long ago and in many places the road was in need of repair. Houses, barns, and garages rose up against the landscape as though part of it, not intruding but as natural and normal as if they had grown instead of been built. The flowing waters cut deep enough and were small enough that only their channels could be seen but the flow could be heard as part of the steady background soundtrack of the natural world. The rest was wind and birdsong, the stirring of branches of newly sprouted leaves, and the occasional distant bark of a dog or far off lowing of livestock. Now and then a car would pass along the road; the thrum of its' engine almost disruptive but seeming to be cut off and coming as if from another world overlapping this one, rather than a mere few hundred yards or handful of miles distant. 

It had always been that way to him, Don thought as he climbed up the tallest hill in the valley and adjusted the heavy pack on his back, a wicker basket older than himself swinging in one hand. As though this whole area were some other world; separate and apart from the ugliness and dirtiness of the city where he lived and the town he'd grown up in. He was no fool and knew that this world had its own ugliness and sin...but there was no stain on the land in the same way as there was in other places. It was not built into the place and part of its structure and organization as it could be in the city. The wickedness here was all of men and when man passed, it would be fully pure without them. 

Don was not a local but not a stranger either, depending on who you asked. His father had grown up here on the farm before going to college. The family had spent some time here when he was just a child but his father's career had ended up taking them far away. But they always returned. Christmas, Easter, long weeks and even months in the summer, they came back. And so he'd grown up in a suburb in a small college town but still on the farm. He'd fed calves, mucked barns, bedded beasts down, helped with haying, cleared stumps, and while also going to school in the heart of town, having his first job at a shop on Main street, hanging out in the mall. He learned how to drive on an old International tractor though his first car was a tan colored 1990 Cavalier. He loved to read and study, enjoyed fantasy and science fiction, watched cartoons like a true geek but also walked lonely roads and trod forest paths, chopped wood, lifted and heaved, knowing how to use his body's might as well as that of his mind. The town and the country were both part of him and he'd always felt part of both in return, a foot in two close but vastly different worlds. But this was the world that always called to him when he was away from it. This was the one he always wanted to come back to. 

He had left the town for college and gone away to the city. Don went back to the town to visit his family, but he did not miss it. College, the city, was home now really and the town felt strange and small. But here...he felt welcome, he felt right, and he loved to turn into the driveway of his grandparents farmhouse and hear the gravel crunch under his tires and then get out and feel the land under his feet; alive and pure and real in a way the city simply was not for him. 

It was Spring Break and he was off from his classes. While many of his friends were heading off to Florida or California, he had come back here to visit his grandparents and uncle, to see and work on the farm, and to spend some time just being in this beautiful land. Normally, he'd be staying in the farm house and waking up to do work, but he'd begged off to camp out for a day or two and really get away from the rest of the world. 

And so he was coming to the one place in the county, barring some of the property of a few families that his didn't know well or weren't on good terms with, that he had never been to. The tallest hill in the valley could be seen from his grandparents' house, as it could from many places though other hills and trees sometimes cut off the view. It was part of the land his family owned and was mostly cleared of any trees or large bushes, covered in green grass, clover, small violets and other wild flowers. All except the apex where the slope turned into a more or less flat sward that was dominated by a single large, many branched tree. The tree was old and massive; even from afar it looked bigger around at the base than a man was tall and many of its sky reaching branches were as thick as the trunks of lesser trees. 

Don had looked out the windows and up at that ancient tree his whole life, wondering what the view would be like from the top of the hill, whether the old tree could be climbed, and had thought about going up there many times. But something had always come up or pushed the thought aside. As he got older, he noticed odd things about the tree and its hill. The tree never flowered or put forth new leaves. The cattle, nor the hands, nor his grandparents or uncles or any of the people who lived thereabouts ever went up there. No one said anything bad about it or seemed to really pay it any mind at all. But they never went up there, never spoke of it, and when he brought up going to the hill or asked about the tree, the topic was always brushed aside. 

It was when he'd come down the road towards the farmhouse and looked to the west to see the hill and the tree that Don had made up his mind to finally go up there and see that ancient survivor of the long years of the world. When he told his relatives about wanting to camp, he'd said it'd be on the farm properly but not specifically where in case they would try to discourage him. And so it was now that he toiled up the sharp incline of the hill towards the flattened crown with a well laden and packed hiking frame pack on his shoulders. The slope had been gradual at first but increased dramatically over the last hundred feet or so, which explained why the cattle never ventured up here, at least. 

Leaning forward against the slope and the backward pull of gravity, he struggled up to the top and felt a palpable relief as his right foot stepped onto the flat. Smiling, he heaved himself up and then sighed as he straightened up and took a few strides ahead before he turned to look out from the high hilltop. "Now that is a view worth a little climb," he said in a soft, solid baritone. 

He could see for miles, for forever it almost felt like. The surrounding farmland was all in his sight and even the other hills and ridges that cut through the area did little to shield anything from his gaze. He could see old Rocky Top to the east where the McDermott's lived, all of his family's land and that of their neighbors, the Ellis farmland and their matriarch's white Plantation style house with its carefully manicured grounds and appearance were close enough that he felt he could almost reach out and touch the roof, and the small figures of their horses could be seen running in the fields. In the far distance he could make out the outskirts of the nearest town lurking against the hills and past that the power plant reared above it all and sent plumes of white, puffy steam into the air from the cooling towers. Further still, off away from it all were the blue rising ridges and mountains that rose to meet the rosy color of the sunset streaked sky. 

The warm spring wind whirled and the top of the hill and over him, bearing the scent of fresh leaves and grass, the sweetness of wildflowers, and a faint hint of the stink of manure. He laughed and unbuckled the straps of his pack and then swung it to the ground; even that bit of stink was nice in the air. It was smell of the beasts of the land and of men working it and that was a fine thing in and of itself. The wind ruffled loose, short cut hair the color of drying hay; not so short as to be a buzz or crop cut but a professional length that just fell to his ears. Don's face was handsome and strong, his features neither fine nor rough but nonetheless clear and distinct. His eyes were a deep and rich brown; the color of fertile earth if a lamp could shine through it. He was a tall man, a few inches over six feet in height and he had a powerful, broad shouldered build with his light skin taut over his strong body. Were it not for the glasses perched on his nose and the t-shirt with the original Avengers on it, he would have looked far more like a linebacker than a science major with a lifelong minor in geek. 

Don rolled his shoulders and stretched and then pushed his glasses back up his nose with his right hand before turning back and approaching the tree. "My God, look at you," he murmured as he drew near. It was huge and gnarled and magnificent; with smooth bark that was only jarred up around the places where branches had once sprouted that were now lost and grown over with the protective skin of the tree. It was unmarred by the usual graffiti one found on large, old trees; there were no initials in hearts, dates, or names scratched into the bark. There was a nest high up, though whatever bird had made it appeared to currently be out and there was a bole up, up well over his head that would have served a squirrel or owl well as a home. 

He had half thought that once he got up here, he would find the tree dead and slowly rotting. Why else had it never put forth leaves or flowers? But it wasn't. He wasn't sure how he knew but he could. The trunk and the branches all looked healthy and on closer inspection...there were buds on the branches. So it could put forth buds, but why had he never seen them become leaves? 

No leaves made it much harder to tell what kind of tree it was. Don had been in Scouts most of his life and spent a lot of time camping and learning about the plants and trees in the outdoors; he liked to think he was a solid forester. But even with his knowledge and familiarity with this area in particular, he couldn't tell what kind of tree the massive thing was. Its bark wasn't craggy, knobbled, or scale-like which discounted most of the kinds of trees that grew around here. The smoothness made him think of a beech, but the texture wasn't right, or a young maple or pine but this was clearly not a young tree. 

Standing next to it and underneath the spread of those long, towering branches made him aware of the vast age of the tree before him. How many centuries had it stood here and looked out as the world around it changed until it alone of the old growth stood atop this place? There was an odd scent under it as well that he found hard to describe. It was a woodsy, green smell that was alive and vibrant. It made him feel both peaceful and restive and he thought ruefully that it was too bad he didn't have a girlfriend to bring along for this. The thought of making love in the shadow of this tree, with the world spread out below and around sprang into his mind and made him shiver, his manhood twitching in his jeans. God, that'd be incredible...even if the whole neighborhood could hear what you were up to if they were outside at the time. 

Don reached out a hand and rested it against the trunk of the great plant. "Well, old man, I'm not sure what kind of tree you are, but you are magnificent. The stories you could tell if you could speak would be amazing." He sighed and then shrugged apologetically, "You won't get too much of a show though, I'm afraid; it's just me this trip. Maybe next time I can bring a girl and give you something to see." He patted the trunk and grinned up at the tree, feeling a bit foolish at talking to it, but also that it deserved being addressed and given its due. 

With homage given to the great tree, Don set about preparing his camp. He had a small tent in case it got cold, rained, or there was heavy dew but he set up his raised camp bed and sleeping bag outside of it. Spring here was a fine thing; with the river so near it was warm and balmy even at night and with the few scattered clouds in the sky it promised to be a night with a remarkable sky. He hung the wicker basket on a branch that was as high up as he could reach, "Hold on to this for me for a little while, would you? Thanks." Then he went off and gathered rocks first, taking care to make sure he didn't get any sandstone, and returned to place them in a circle in one of the spots that was not so grassy to form a fire ring. Once he was sure of its soundness, he set off to find fodder for the flame with a pair of his older flannel shirts slung over a shoulder and a hatchet tucked into his belt. He went further afield now, down the hill into the valley and then up into the narrow copse of trees halfway up the nearest low ridge. Don found plenty of dead and fallen wood there to load up both shirts as make shift bags; he broke some of the longer pieces up into smaller bits but he neither broke nor cut nothing that lived.

The sun had been starting its descent when he first climbed the hill and as he returned to the summit with the night's firewood the fiery orb was sinking below the far off mountains. Don set the wood down by the fire ring and stretched again, then paused and looked around. Things were...off, just a little. The stones of the fire ring looked like some of them had been shifted about. The basket still hung on the branch he'd set it on but the angle was different, though that could just be from the wind, and his sleeping bag was partly unrolled. Had he done that? He didn't remember doing so but it was such a small thing that he could have well done so without really thinking. A quick inspection showed nothing missing from the basket or his pack in the tent. Still, it left him feeling a bit unsettled as he set to work on getting a fire going as the last light of the sun faded and died around him. 

The incident had faded to the back of his mind an hour later as he sat on the ground by the small fire dancing merrily in the stone ring, looking up at the stars and drinking from one of the bottles of Danny Ellis' homebrewed blackberry stout that his grandmother had packed in a small travel cooler for the wicker basket. He was a year short of legal but out here he'd probably be all right. The night sky was stupendous here; the best he'd ever seen. In the town he'd grown up in, and even more so in the city he lived in now, you just couldn't see that many stars because of all the lights. Here the night was darker than dark and the tiniest pinprick of light in the endless canopy of the sky above could be seen. It always reminded him of the expression that the night sky was like "a sea of stars" and he wondered if whoever had first spoken or written that description had ever seen a sky like this. If not, it was mere hyperbole. But here, it was the best metaphor. The cold, bright lights soared overhead and gleamed and glowed, broad and fainter swathes of the Milky Way passing through and behind them. Looking up too long, you almost felt as if you were falling up towards them, head swimming in optical illusion vertigo. 

The moon was a waxing half that night, casting enough silvery light to give some illumination but not to significantly shroud the stars. But beyond the little bit of light cast by his fire, though he knew it was visible for probably ten miles or more, the night was still staggeringly dark. The sun had taken some warmth with it but not a great amount, the night air was still warm and pleasant. Don was glad for the fire all the same; both for the heat and the light it gave him. He still felt very relaxed but that same restive, well, horniness that he'd felt earlier but beneath that there was a tingle of eerie awareness that there was something unusual about earlier.

It was likely just his active imagination and the nature of a darker and more silent night than he was used to. Outside of the sounds of the wind and the insects, the most profound sound of the night in this country was the silence. It was deafening at times in absolute stillness and quiet and any sound that broke it, even that of your own breathing, sounded as loud as a gunshot. It could make for a very scary environment if you let it get to you. 

But Don knew this land and he knew that it was like this. It had never bothered him before. So why was it bothering him now? He looked up not at the stars but at the branches of the great tree that seemed to reach out to try and pick them out of the sky. Time passed and he nursed the bottle of booze and the feeling of strangeness grew in the back of his mind. There was an odd itch between his shoulder blades and he felt as it eyes were boring into him from somewhere out in the dark. 

Finally, he felt like he had to say or do something. Don stood abruptly and picked up his flashlight from where it lay beside the camp bed. He clicked it on and shone it about the top of the hill, "All right, if someone's out there, let's get this axe murdering or whatever over with already. Otherwise, fuck off and let me enjoy the night in peace." 

"But I don't have an axe," said a confused, silvery feminine voice directly above him, "and I wasn't thinking of murdering you, not that you didn't tempt me with that fire. So let's start "or whatever" then, okay?" 

"GAH!" Don jumped back in shock, almost stepping into the fire as he did so, stumbling as a result, arms windmilling as he regained his balance just short of falling onto his back and down the hill. The voice laughed; a sound that was amused without malice and was like the rapid rustling of leafy branches but at a higher pitch. "Who's there?" He shone his light up and then gaped as it fell across the unseen speaker. 

She made no attempt to shield her eyes from the beam of his flashlight or showed any indication that it bothered her at all as it passed over her figure or even over her face. She, for that shape was most certainly female, was perched with her pert heart-shaped jewel of an ass sitting on a branch about twenty feet up, her long, bare legs kicking in the air as she looked down at him. Her skin was dark but not like an African-American or a Hispanic or an Indian or any shade of skin he'd ever seen before; it was the color of the outside of an acorn from a healthy oak and it seemed to gleam and reflect the light shone on her a little. Her hair, what he could make out of it, was dark and long enough to reach just past her shoulders and she appeared to have an uncountable number of beads woven into her tresses. Her face was young and beautiful, with fine features that made her almost look like a lovingly carved and polished wooden statue of a young woman. Her lips were the light pink of apple blossoms and her eyes were large and expressive, her corneas the light tan color of freshly exposed pine and her irises a startlingly vibrant green. He could see no pupil in them as they looked down on him with merry curiosity. 


The Dryad and the Naiad



Sam's feet were killing him. He had been wandering in the woods for hours, lost his map, almost run out of calorie bars, trail mix and bottled water, his backpack felt heavier and heavier and the weather was boiling hot. He was an experienced traveller, but had never been in this part of the woods before. He kept looking for a point of reference, but wasn't able to find one. It was mid-day, but he still wanted to hurry. Finally, he discovered a small stream at his feet and decided to follow it, as there was a lake near his hometown and the stream could lead to it. Following it down a bumpy, rocky slope, he eventually reached a large shrubbery which it ran through. Resolute, he started crawling through it. Finally, he reached the end of the bushes and stopped with disappointment. Between them and a lot of trees lay a small pond, apparently without any streams running from it. Just as Sam was about to get up, something splashed in the water. A beautiful, voluptuous, naked woman with blond hair with blue highlights was launched from the water like a dolphin jumping out of a pool and landed on her feet. She stretched out with comfort, her soaked body glistening in the sunlight.

"Terraline," she called out. Suddenly, another naked woman appeared from the birch of a tree. She was equally buxom and had brown hair with green highlights.

"I'm here, Aquaral" she said.

The two smiled and slowly approached each other. When they came close enough, they embraced and started kissing and stroking each others' bodies.

"Where did you go," Aquaral asked. "I was so horny."

"Had a look around."

Their stroking became more intimate. They were licking each others' skin and rubbing themselves in their clits. Obviously, they weren't aware of Sam being in the bushes with a perfect vantage point to see the whole act. His dick had already grown so hard, it looked as though it was about burst through his pants. Finally, his horniness overcame him and he unzipped them and pulled down his underwear. Terraline and Aquaral were going at it hot and heavy, Terraline being on her knees and licking Aquaral's pussy while she was standing with her legs spread. Sam started to jerk off, not being able to take his eyes off of the two. Suddenly Aquaral, moaning with pleasure, looked his way, her eyes wide open.

"Terraline," she said somewhat scared, "the bushes."

She pointed at Sam's face. Terraline looked with less fear than her and made a hand gesture towards the bushes. Reacting too quickly to have time to pull up his pants again, Sam got up, turned around and started running, but suddenly tripped and landed right on his balls, a brief surge of pain running through him. Some vines on the ground appeared to have wrapped themselves around his ankles and were pulling him towards the pond, his front being dragged across the dirt and grass. When he was pulled onto the grass in front of the bushes, the vines let go off him and he turned around. Aquaral and Terraline looked at him excited, whispering and snickering like two school girls. Sam looked at his bare groin embarrassed and reached for his zipper fly when suddenly another vine flew out of the ground and whipped his hand.

"Ow," he exclaimed.

"Sorry," said Terraline, "but I just..."

She and Aquaral suddenly sat down on their knees in front of and inspected his dirt-covered dick carefully. They stroked it gently, occasionally whispering to each other.

"Could this be..."

"Yes, it really is."

Sam was confused by the whole situation, but since he hadn't had sex in months, he really didn't care that much. Eventually, the two women stood up and Terraline extended a helping hand. Sam zipped up his pants again and grabbed it. She and Aquaral helped him get up.

"Sorry about the vines," Terraline said. "It was a pure reflex, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sam, who was surprised that they were apologising to him said:

"I'm sorry for watching you two, well-"

"Forget about that," Aquaral said assuring. "Are you tired?"

"Very, thank you for asking, but why-"

The two of them suddenly started undressing him.

"What the he-"

"Relax," said Aquaral. "You're tired, you've probably been walking a long time, you need to rest and get cleaned up."

Sam was now topless. The two proceeded to remove everything but his underwear. They seemed to stop to savor the moment.

"I can't believe this is real," Aquaral said excited.

"Not half as much as I," said Sam.

They pulled down his underwear. His rock-hard dick popped out, causing Terraline and Aquaral to gasp with joy.

"Come here," Terraline said and the two led him to the water. Sam didn't really feel like resisting and put in his toe. The water was cool, yet not cold. From there, he slid down, feeling refreshed almost instantly. He felt a perfectly flat and smooth rock below him and sat down on it. There appeared to be a whole stone bench below the surface, not unlike a jacuzzi. Terraline went into the water as well and sat down next to him, the sensation of her skin touching his causing him to produce a drop of precum. Aquaral dove into the middle of the pond with the grace of an Olympic gymnast, swam up to Sam and sat down on his free side. Their constant attention made him feel both incredibly excited and at the same time a bit scared. Their eyes kept glancing at his groin.

"Did you do this for a reason," he asked.

"We'll get there," said Terraline. "What brought you out here, anyway?"

"I was travelling. I often do that out here, but today I took a different route and lost the map."

"Do you have to be back at some specific time," asked Aquaral. "Any girlfriend or wife waiting for you?"

"No, nobody, but I'd like to get back before it gets dark."

Terraline and Aquaral looked at each other gleefully.

"Look," said Terraline, "since you have some time to spare we have a favour to ask you."

"Okay..."

"You see," said Aquaral, "we haven't had a man here for years, human or otherwise."

"Then what are you two?"

"I'm a naiad, Terraline here is a dryad."

"Dryad? Naiad?"

"A dryad is an earth nymph and a naiad is a water nymph. Long explanation, but anyway..."

"All polite language aside," said Aquaral, "We haven't had a nice, big cock within miles of our habitat in a long time, so we were wondering..."

"If you could fuck us, right here and now," said Terraline with a lot of eagerness in her voice while Aquaral was stroking Sam's dick under the water.

Sam considered the seriousness of their proposition.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard us. We want you to fuck us. Right now."

"We're not expecting you to be at peak stamina, since you've been hiking and is a bit unprepared, but the water here should bring some of your strength back."

"You're really serious about this?"

The two moved closer to him, their erect nipples stroking his arms and their hands stroking his cock.

"Absolutely," they said in unison.

Sam looked into their eyes and saw nothing but excitement. When he still showed some signs of doubt, Terraline sat on his lap, her tits being pressed against his chest, and gave him a long, deep tongue kiss, her tongue exploring every part of his mouth.

"Pretty please," she whispered sensually, her clit rubbing lightly against the shaft of his cock. Sam responded by grabbing her ass cheeks and kissing her back. Terraline grinned with delight.

"We knew you'd agree."

Aquaral submerged and started sucking Sam's cock below the water.

"Oh, God," he exclaimed. "God, that feels good."

Terraline laughed delighted and sat astraddle on Sam's lap, her knees on the rock bench and her tits in almost perfect level with his face so he could suck on her nipples.

"Good boy," she whispered. "That feels very good. Can't wait for you to put your cock in my pussy. It's making me wet already."

"How's your friend, by the way? She's been down there a while."

"Can you blame her? You've got a huge cock, remember? Don't worry about Aquaral, she can breathe underwater."

Aquaral got out of the water.

"That tasted really fucking good," she said, "but I want to be really fucked now."

Terraline moved aside, allowing her to sit astraddle on Sam.

"Here it comes," she said eagerly, her hand being underwater, positioning his cock so she could fuck it. Suddenly she threw her head back and moaned along with Sam. His cock was stroking her pussy, just at the opening.

"FUCK," she said, "I've missed this so much."

Lubricated by the water, it entered her. When it did, her eyes opened up wide and she screamed lustfully.

"That feels so good!"

She started bouncing up and down, her tits smacking the surface of the water with each hump and the cock repeatedly filling every available inch of her pussy. Terraline's right hand was under the water, rubbing her clit, and the other was stroking her tits and bringing the nipples to her lips so she could lick them.

"By the way," she said to Sam, "we didn't catch your name."

"Sam," he replied quickly without taking his eyes off of Aquaral's face. He could tell that she was loving every second of it.

"Tell me something, Sam," Terraline said, "do you want to get out of the water?"

Aquaral gradually slowed down before stopping fully.

"Well," she said expectantly, "I guess it's your turn."

She got off Sam's cock, up on the shore and, together with Terraline, helped Sam out of the water. She then made a quick hand gesture which apparently caused all the water on their bodies to evaporate instantly. Terraline then made a gesture towards the lawn, and from nowhere, a leaf the size of a king-size bed shot out of the ground and laid down on the ground. The nymphs led Sam to it by the hands and laid him down. His dick was standing right up into the air. The two sat down next to him and started stroking it. Terraline asked lustfully:

"You still want to let me have a go at it first?"

"You bet. I love watching you get fucked."

Terraline laughed, sat astraddle on Sam, positioning his cock towards her dripping wet pussy. Finally, it slid in, causing her to gasp:

"Oh, YES!"

She leaned forward and gave Sam a long tongue kiss. The feeling of her huge, soft tits rubbing against his chest as she fucked him made him even harder.

"It's even better than I remember it," she told Aquaral who was rubbing her clit, squeezing her tits and stroking Terraline's back and ass cheeks.

"That's it. Good girl. Fuck him nicely, now," she kept whispering in her ear. Finally, Terraline placed her arms and knees on the leaf and started moving faster. Sam could tell she was trying very hard not to come.

"I want to come," she yelped to Aquaral. "Now."

"It's okay, dearest," she replied. "You can rest up a while."

Suddenly, Terraline opened her eyes and mouth wide and screamed with pleasure as her pussy muscles tightened.

"Oh, FUCK ME!"

Exhausted, she got off and lay down next to Sam as her orgasm faded away.

"That felt so good," she moaned. Aquaral stroked her breasts.

"My turn now. Do you think you can handle it, Sam?"

"You bet your ass."

Aquaral laughed and made a hand gesture towards Terraline who smiled and moved to the middle of the leaf. She then lay on top of her, face-to-face, so their nipples lay right on top of each other. She turned around and told Sam:

"Now. Fuck me hard."

Entering her pussy was easy, since hers had already been stretched out to fit Sam's cock.

"You like it," he asked as it slid in and out and she was moved back and forward with each thrust, her sweat-glistening body rubbing against Terraline's.

"Fuck, yes," she answered and turned to Terraline.

"Do you, dearest?"

"Yes," she moaned, "I love this."

The two made out as Sam kept fucking Aquaral, their moaning muffled by each others' lips. Finally, their mouths broke their contact as Aquaral raised her body and moaned louder and louder, suddenly having an explosive orgasm:

"Oh, YES!"

She collapsed on top of Terraline who stroked her back and ass as Sam slowed down his thrusting, riding out her orgasm.

"Sam," she asked, "think you can take me one more time?"

"Do I get to pick position?"

"If you like."

"Get down on all fours."

Terraline smiled as Aquaral got off her and she got ready for getting fucked doggy-style. Aquaral lay down in front of her, legs spread and her clit fully exposed.

"Do you plan on coming anytime soon," Terraline asked Sam as she wiggled her ass to turn him on. Jerking off and covering his cock in precum, Sam asked:

"How much more can you two take?"

"I'll lick Aquaral. You keep going as long as you can now. Let me know when you're about to come and we'll all come together. Aquaral doesn't like cum anyway."

"Do you?"

"Oh," said Terraline, rubbing her clit, "I love feeling a man's hot load fill me up inside. Now get fucking."

She assumed the position, both of her holes exposed. When Sam saw them, a thought crossed his mind. Somehow, Terraline was apparently able to hear it as if he'd said it out loud. She turned to him, grinning gleefully.

"Now, why didn't I think of that?"

"Think of what," Sam asked nervously.

"Don't lie to me, Sam. You want to fuck my asshole. I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

She turned to Aquaral.

"We need lube. And lots of it."

Terraline got down again. Aquaral got on her knees next to Terraline's butt. She made movements with her mouth, like she was using mouth wash. Suddenly, she opened her mouth over Terraline's asshole and a thick, clear, saliva-like fluid poured out. She rubbed it around her sphincter before inserting two fingers and smearing it around inside her anus.

"Your turn," she said and started sucking Sam's cock. Something was different about this time, her mouth was slippier inside and she sucked slower and more thoroughly. When she stopped, Sam's cock was covered in the same fluid and glistening.

"What is this?"

"A water-based lube I can secrete. I haven't used it a while, but I haven't lost the touch."

She lay down in front of Terraline again. Her pussy was so wet, it was impossible to see whether it was the lube or her own juices, and her face rested on its right cheek on the leaf.

"Now," she begged, "FUCK ME!"

Sam placed the tip of his cock just at Terraline's sphincter, sending shivers down her spine. When he pushed it in a bit, she gasped. He pulled it out again, and then pushed it further in. Terraline felt a surge of pleasant pain throughout her body and licked Aquaral more aggressively and started fingering her in order to take out her excitement. By the third thrust, she felt like her ass was going to burst. And she loved it. Even though her asshole was now a wide crater, its tightness didn't go down one bit. Sam kept thrusting, all three of them rapidly approaching a gigantic orgasm.

"Oh, yeah," Terraline yelped, "Yes, that feels so good."

Suddenly, she felt her pussy tightening and surge of pleasure building up inside her.

"I'm gonna come," she shouted as she started pummelling Aquaral's pussy even faster and harder. Sam started fucking her faster as all three of them were letting go off all inhibitions and preparing to climax. Suddenly, Aquaral started moaning loudly before she made a quick scream of pleasure.

"Oh, NOW!"

A stream of her pussy juices squirted out of it and onto Terraline's face. This apparently turned her on even more, because she then turned to Sam and asked:

"You ready?"

"When you are."

He started thrusting faster and faster until finally the two screamed out, a sudden flow of pleasure filling up their bodies, Terraline's pussy muscles retracted and a large load of cum shot through Sam's cock and into Terraline's ass, filling her up inside. Sam then slowed down as his load kept being squirted out and the two were riding out the climax. Terraline, Aquaral and Sam then all collapsed onto the leaf, every muscle in their bodies feeling like jelly. The two nymphs lay resting on Sam's chest, all of their bodies glistening with sweat, Sam's cock covered in cum and pussy juices and Terraline's sore asshole leaking cum.

"That," panted Terraline, "felt fantastic."

"No shit," said Sam.

"Thank you," said Aquaral. "We haven't been fucked like that in a long time."

"It's been decades since I took it in my butt," said Terraline. "Next time is your turn, Aquaral."

Aquaral laughed.

"Already looking forward to it."

"Speaking of the future," said Sam, "what happens now?"

"We know the way from here to a local hiking path. You should be able to find your way back from there."

"Much appreciated. Will we meet again?"

"We might," said Terraline and positioned her face above Sam's. "If we need you, we'll let you know."

Suddenly, she exhaled some bluish gas from her mouth into Sam's face. Its effects immediately intoxicating, everything suddenly went black before his eyes and the nymphs' voices became distant...

Sam later woke up fully dressed on a park bench about half a mile from his hometown, his gear and backpack lying next to him. He wondered whether what just happened was real, two gorgeous nymphs appearing from nowhere and having wild sex with him. He figured he had gotten to the bench, exhausted from his hiking and took a nap and then woke up until he checked his pockets and found a strain of blonde and blue hair and one of brown and green hair. He looked into the woods, all of its trees blocking all sight, and chuckled to himself.



The Dryad and the Woodsman



Author's notes. I want to thank Mercurylove31 for editing this story. I thought it was time for something a little different. Please remember this is a work of adult fiction and all legal disclaimers apply. As with all my stories, I welcome any constructive comments and please vote. It is how we writers get to know how you, our readers feel about our work. 

Enjoy:

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Layn Wyman came from a long line of woodsmen. Actually they called themselves foresters, but it was all the same in the long run. His kind always tended the woods and glens of wherever they decided to live. Layn was no different. It was in his blood. 

Now, to be clear, not all the descendants of his line became woodsmen. Layn's brothers for instance, settled in the cities and forswore their responsibilities. Lane couldn't abide himself in the city. When he was trapped in one, he always felt ill. It got to the point it almost killed him, before he freed himself from the soul sucking woman who betrayed him and the city she had trapped him in.

When he was finally free of her, he ran as far as he could. He found a patch of beautiful old-growth forest and settled in. 

The first time Layn entered the little cottage in the middle of the clearing, he found peace. Unknown to him at the time, he also found a bit of the old magic too. 

After setting a nice fire in the hearth that first night, Layn lay his head down and listened to the quiet. For the first time in more years than he cared to remember, he was able to relax without wondering where his wandering wife was, or how she would torment him next. Just as he was dozing, he was startled awake as a dark shadow crossed the front windows. Jumping up, his war hardened instincts kicked it. He rushed to the window to find the threat. 

What met him were the golden eyes of a small pack of wolves. The first wild ones he had ever seen. The pack leader held Layn's gaze, his head held low and tail straight. Layn saw the intelligence and smiled.

"Harm none of mine and I'll harm none of yours, master of the woods." Layn said in a friendly voice. "Have a merry hunt." Layn laughed at himself as the wolf and his pack flicked their tails at him and bounded out of sight. "My God, they're wonderful. This is where they belong, not in some damn zoo." Layn whispered, as he tried to follow their path out of his yard with his eyes.

Shaking his head in wonder, he headed back to his sleeping bag next to the fire. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell fast asleep. That night he dreamed of a world where the demons of his past could never haunt him again. 

Over the following weeks, after the moving company dropped off his few meager possessions, Layn started setting the neglected homestead back to rights. He cleaned and organized the cottage, the barn, and the shed. He mucked out the stalls where he hoped to place a couple of horses. He thought they would be better to explore the mountains and valleys, than the noisy motorcycle his brother wanted him to buy. 

Smelling the air, he could smell the rich aroma of fall coming and knew he needed to lay in supplies for the coming winter. As he cleaned the barn, he found a sturdy ax. He spent the better part of a day cleaning it and sharpening the blade. Ax in hand, he started clearing out all the deadfall around his little clearing. Stacking it and setting it aside to age for winters to come. 

Layn would stop at odd moments, knowing he was being watched. Looking up, he would laugh when all he would find was the deer or other woodland animals, watching him from a safe distance. 

"Be careful, there are wolves who hunt here." He told a golden doe as she daintily stepped over the broken garden fence and nibbled at the few remaining berries that were left on the tangled vines.

Layn never missed the bustle of the city. It soothed his soul to hear the birds sing him awake in the mornings. He didn't even miss the sound of other human voices, always pestering him when he wanted privacy. The neighboring critters eventually became used to the sound of his eclectic taste in music, as he would put on the stereo. He pointed the speakers out the front windows, whistling along as he worked the days away.

As he cleared the woods around his cottage, he would often see signs of the pack that greeted him. He would smile and bury what was left when he came across a larger kill. He knew it was the way of things. 

He often wondered what type of animal made a sound that almost sounded like giggling little girls. He heard it on many occasions while he worked and looked to see what was around. He figured the next time he had to go into town for supplies; he would buy a book on the local birds and animals of the area. 

After a month, even the realtor who had helped Layn acquire the property didn't recognize the place, as she pulled in to give Layn the deed to his land. 

"Well you've been busy." The stately woman said, as she watched Layn's six foot frame come in from the woods. She sighed as she watched him put down the ax and toss on the long sleeve shirt over the damp undershirt he wore to keep the evening chill off. 

"My grandfather always said, 'it doesn't get done by looking at it'." He brushed his light brown hair out of his eyes. "Besides, it helps pass the time. I knew this place needed some work when I bought it." Layn smiled back. "I told you I would have come to your office the next time I came into town." He motioned her toward the cottage.

The lady stepped real close, straightening her spine, as she unconsciously preened for the ruggedly handsome Layn. "I wanted to see what you made of the place." She wanted to run her hands over the rippling muscles she saw under his shirt. Her thoughts of seduction were interrupted when both of them heard a sharp twang and a loud angry hiss coming from the woods. 

"Something's wrong. Go in the cottage and wait for me." Layn ordered as his battle trained reactions pushed him.

Before the lady could turn, Layn had grabbed his ax and disappeared into the woods. His clothes blending in so well, she couldn't keep track of him. "It's a bit rustic for me, but he can man handle me any time he wants too." She sighed under her breath, shivering at the thought. She was about to step up onto the porch, when another loud hiss startled her, sending her back to her expensive car. 

"God, I hate the wilds. He can come to me. Once I get him a bit more civilized, I'll see where we can take this." She muttered, as she started her car and drove off, her head filled with visions of undulating under him on her silk lined bed. She had convinced herself that she had found her newest distraction.

Moving through the woods, Layn listened to the unusual silence. He finally heard the scrapping of something fighting for life. Following the sound, he found a large buck rabbit, caught in a snare. Cussing, he ran up and tried to loosen the snare, but realized it was already too late. The damage was already done. 

"I'm sorry my friend." Layn said as he brought his ax down, ending the struggle as peaceably as he could. "If you're going to hunt, then hunt!" He swore. "I can't abide snares and traps." He cursed the bloody wire. 

Layn tossed the dead animal into the brush. "Well my friend, if you haven't been eaten by the morrow, I'll tend to it. Right now I need to find if there are other traps on my land." As soon as he dislodged the trap, the sounds of the forest started again, even if they did sound a bit melancholy and angry. 

By the time he had found all the traps in the area, he finally remembered the lady from town. He had forgotten that she was waiting for him. Slinging the snares over his shoulder and dragging the snap traps behind him, he headed back to the cottage. When he came into the clearing, he noticed her car was gone and shrugged in indifference. 

She reminded him too much of someone he wanted to forget. His wife had been the same way. She wanted to have the fancy clothes, the newest car, and have everyone think the best of her, as she followed her fickle heart at his expense.

A week and fifty traps later, Layn finally met the people responsible. They even had the audacity to come onto his land, without a by your leave. Layn was fixing the garden fence when they walked up. They marched right up to where he had laid the traps and called out.

"Why have you been stealing our traps? We've been trapping on this trace, next to fifteen years. It's our track and everyone around here knows it." The older bitter faced man stuck out his chin pugnaciously. 

"Sir, I didn't steal anything." Layn leaned back on the shovel he had been using. "Your traps are right there and you are free to take them with you." He held his hand up as the younger man; almost a boy, went to get the traps. "You will not set them again on my land. If you do, I will destroy them."

"And who might you be? Who are your people?" The older man asked with distain.

"My name is Wyman. My people are the Wyman's and the Taylors. Great Gran was James Michael Taylor, a renowned fiddle player. My granddad was E.L. Wyman, if you must know. Not that it matters. I own this land and will keep it as I see fit." Layn refused to back down. 

"And just how much of this track do you think belongs to you and yours?" He asked rudely. 

"The clearing and the five hundred and fifty acres of woods surrounding it. I'll mark my border.... Just keep you traps off my land and we'll get along just fine. Tell those who might also trap here, the same. One warning is all I'll give. By spring, the border will be clearly marked, if not sooner."

"Papa, yous gonna let him talk to you like that?" The boy-man asked. 

"Sonny boy, you're on my land." Layn told him tightly. "All things on my land, I protect. I can make a good neighbor, or a bad enemy. Makes no difference to me.... Gather up them traps and don't let me catch you on my land again, without my leave. I'll do the same." Layn nodded and held himself balanced on his feet. 

"We'll see which we'll be. I thought you was one of them city fellers." The man's voice took a softer tone. "Names Cob... Cob Mason. What sign should I look out for, since you're closing this trace?" the older man asked, with a glint in his eye.

"It will look like this." Layn traced a capital T with a right handed L tailing off it. Layn saw the flash of recognition in the old man's eye. 

"That's an old sign... you got the right to use it?" Cob asked, the bluster going out of him.

"If I don't, then no one does. It's my sign.... I got some work to get done. Have a good day." Layn said, wanting to be alone.

"You're right... daylight is burning. Jojo, get my traps, we got to get home." The older man shoved the shocked youngster into motion. 

Layn watched them as they headed back the way they came. Jojo was festooned with traps and clanked with every step. Once he couldn't see or hear them anymore, he bent back to his labor, finishing the fence so he could plant a kitchen garden the next spring. 

That night as he checked his phone machine, he heard the voice of the real-estate lady asking him to dinner the next time he came into town. The next message was from his brother, asking if he could come up and hunt on his property. He wanted to bring some of his friends and make a fun filled weekend of it. 

Layn sighed and knew he had to nip that in the bud before it even got off the ground. The last thing he wanted was his brother and his drunken friends on his land, destroying everything in their path. Layn had moved as far away as he could to try and avoid these kinds of problems. Dreading it, he picked up the phone and punched in the number. After the third ring, he said without preamble. 

"Mom, tell Tory and his friends that I have too much to do and not enough time to cater to their whims. They're not using my land as their private playground." 

He expected the argument and he got it. He knew for a fact his mother would take his brothers side. Having enough of it, he finally told his mother. 

"If Tory and his friends want a private reserve to hunt and play on, they can buy one themselves. They'll not be using my land for it. Besides, there isn't a hotel or place for them to stay, just my cottage. I know Tory would never survive a night in the rough. No place for his computer or other toys. I don't even have a box to watch. Just tell him no! I have to go." He hung up the phone and sighed.

That night he fought the old demons in his sleep. He kept seeing his brother and his ex-wife rutting like animals, laughing at him. He knew he couldn't ever prove they were involved, but with Tory, like everything else, once he touched it, he thought it belonged to him if you thought so or not. 

The next day he set out with his ax and carving knife. Once he reached his border, he reached up, and at sightline height, carved his mark into the bark of the tree. He had finished his tenth mark, when he heard movement behind him.

"Why do you do that?" A rich sultry woman's voice asked him.

"To mark my border.... It will keep those out who don't belong." Layn answered automatically. He was taken in by the simple lush beauty of the woman standing there. 

"So, there is magic in those marks then?" She asked interested, tilting her head and making her long auburn hair fan out in the breeze. 

"Not as much. It tells those who pass, that I'm the caretaker of this land. According to the law, I own it." He made sure not to cut so deep that it would harm the young tree under the bark. 

"How could one so young own something so old?" She asked confused.

"I said according to the law. In all rights, the land owns me. I never felt like I was home until I saw the little cottage I live in." He smiled at the woman. "Who might you be, by way of introduction? I'm Layn. Layn Wyman." Layn thought he heard the giggling call before she answered.

"You can call me Elmira, Elmira Greenbrier. I heard about it when you moved in." She smiled back at Layn. "I've heard you appear to be a true woodsman. You are said to be polite and courteous. That you have cleaned and gleaned your clearing as you should." She appraised him frankly. 

"Hello Elmira, nice to make your acquaintance. My grandsire was a Jagger in the old black forest. My Granddad said his families were foresters. I've always loved the woods. So I try to take care of mine as best I can. Do you live around here?" Layn asked as he walked to the next tree. 

"You might want to head back before the rain starts." Elmira said softly. "I live close by, to the north. I'm sure we will meet again, Layn the Woodsman." She smiled and just as soon as she showed up, she was gone. 

"Well, there's a woman a man can keep his mind on." Layn shook his head and headed back to the cottage. As he sighted his home, the first soft sprinkles hit his face, reminding him of the soft sway of her hips. 

His mind tried to capture the face of Elmira, as he put a pot of stew on, pulling out a round of bread, and sat looking into his fire. He could see the emerald green eyes, the pert little nose and soft full lips on the face that didn't need make-up to be beautiful. 

That night he dreamt of being chased by a bunch of little children, girls mostly, through the forest. Their laughter would turn into bird calls, as they called him father. He would toss and turn as they tickled him, until Elmira shooed them away. She kissed his forehead and he fell into a peaceful sleep; wishing he could snuggle the full figured woman who quieted his slumber.

"None of that now... It's a bit early for those kinds of thoughts." Her soft husky voice lulled him into dreamlessness. 

The next morning when he woke up, he found a young vine of Wisteria, loosely placed in a crockery pot, at his door. Smiling down, he took and found the perfect place to plant the vine. He looked forward to when the flowers would bloom, a breeze filling his cottage with their sweet fragrance. Sighing happily, he took up his ax and headed to the next section of the border. 

***

He was taking a good look around when she appeared again. "It is not the north border you need to put your magic mark on. I will give you no trouble." She smiled at him demurely. "If it was me, I would tend to the south and east next." She said, like she knew he expected her to be there waiting.

"Would you care to join me?" He asked, not completely startled.

"Not yet my youngling, but soon." She chuckled warmly. "These things take time and I have it to take. I will watch for you. If we are close enough, I will speak to you again. Go now; I think the young Mason boy is trying to make a point." She smiled a peaceful smile and turned to walk away.

Layn watched the soft natural sway of her hips until she left his view. He whistled as he put his ax to his shoulder and headed south. By the time he returned home, he was no longer in a whistling mood. 

He placed the twenty traps next to the shed and went in and grabbed a big set of cutters. One by one, he cut them right in the middle of the loop, making them useless. 

After he put the broken traps in a bag, he got into his truck and drove to the Mason's land. With a simple note attached, he tossed them next to the mailbox and drove into town, since he was already halfway there. 

It didn't matter to him that the traps were just barely on his land. The fact of the matter was they were where they shouldn't be. It also didn't surprise him that the first person he would see, when he went past the pub, was none other than Cob Mason. Squaring his shoulders, he went into the pub and faced the man.

"Mr. Mason, I just tossed twenty of your taps at the foot of your mailbox. I found them on my land. I've made them harmless. I thought you should know." He stood there waiting for a response.

"Well now, what part of your land were they on? I told my boy to pull that trace."

"On the south border, fifty feet my side of the creek." Layn waited to see how the older man would react.

"Damnit man...! I wish you wouldn't go ruining my traps. But at least, now I know you're a man of your word. If in the future you would be kind enough to just return them to me... I'll be having my boy tagging his equipment. Let me tear strips into him if I have to, but I can ill afford buying new traps for a few paces of border land." He held Layn's eye as he took a deep drink of his dark beer.

"One time only, since you've asked, and until I can get my border marked. After that..." He stopped, taking a deep breath. "Just keep them off my land and we can remain good neighbors." Layn said thoughtfully. 

"Well, least ways honest ones. Good evening to you sir." Cob Mason said, and turned back to his beer and bread. Layn nodded to the people in the pub and headed out to his truck. After a quick stop at the butchers and the grocer, he headed back to his little cottage in the clearing. 

***

Over the next couple of weeks, as he marked his southern and eastern border, he missed the infrequent visits from Elmira. Once most of his border was marked, he again set about putting his land to rights. He even broke down and bought a good draft horse and an all terrain vehicle that used a clean burning fuel. 

It was hard for him to fathom just how much work needed to be done. On the day he made his last mark, closing in the three sides of his land, the first light dusting of snow fell. He stopped to listen to the complete quiet. Closing his eyes he envisioned the little valley, as it might look, all covered in white.

"It is easier to see if you keep your eyes open." Elmira chuckled from behind him.

"Yes, but harder to listen." Layn smiled back. "I wondered where you've been. I've missed our little chats." He added, looking past her auburn hair, into her emerald green eyes. 




The Dryad and the Woodsman



"You had your business to attend to and I had mine. But soon the trees will sleep. Most years I dread this time of the seasons."

"Why, if God paints it with such a brush?" He asked, taking in the serene beauty around him.

"I like the way you look at things. I was worried at first." Elmira said, her face glowing in the chill wind.

"Who are you my lovely Elmira? Where do you live? Are you some Elvin sprite to temp mere mortals like me?" Layn asked whimsically. 

"My, you do have an imagination. I am just me and happy to be." She answered without giving any information. "I will tell you that I live in a secluded valley to the north. Maybe one day I will show you my home, but not just yet." She smiled secretly. 

"Would you care to come to mine then? I could use the company." Layn asked, realizing he didn't want her to just disappear again, not knowing when he could see her again.

"On the morrow, when you will be less upset." She answered. "We both have things to tend to this afternoon. Look for me at midday." She smiled and walked over the hill to the north, Layn's eyes following her until she was out of sight. 

Part of him wanted to follow her, but knew she had the right of it. He needed to pull in enough dry wood to last out the storm he tasted on the wind. Turning his horse around, he headed back to his warm cottage. Layn sighed heavily as he rode into his clearing. In front of his home stood Jojo Mason. 

"Can I help you?" He asked politely, dusting off the snow from his jacket.

"I'm here to tell you that I'll be crossing your land to the north." He set his jaw in a poor imitation of his father's.

"What for...?" Layn asked getting down from the big horse. 

"Not that it's any of your business, but I've been clearing out a valley of oaks. The wood fetches me a fine price at market."

"Then no, you can't go over my land. There is enough deadfall to keep your customers happy for a year or more." Layn said without hesitation.

"You don't get it little man, I'm not askin, I'm tellin! I'm getting my wood. My clients like it fresh cut, young and healthy. Not half rotted and full of beetles. " He took a threatening step forward.

"And I'm telling you; you're not going over my land to do it. Find another road if you must, but I won't have it." Lane didn't blink at the implied threat. 

"There isn't another road and you bloody well know it. I've been harvesting that track as long as I can remember and no upstart is going to stop me. Whatdaya think of that?" Jojo demanded with a snap of his fingers.

"I think you need to remember you are on my land." He walked up to the bigger man flatfooted and punched him in the gut without hesitation. "I also think you need to learn some manners." He said quietly, as the air whooshed out of Jojo. 

"Stay off my land." He shoved Jojo back into the front of the battered truck that was sitting there. "Now get and don't let me see your face around my property again, until you learn some manners." Layn added as he slammed the truck door shut.

Layn went over to the big horse and grabbed his ax. "You've got a minute." He added and started taking practice swings with his ax to get the obstinate man moving. 

"You've not heard the last of this." Jojo wheezed as he started the old truck.

"I'm sure I haven't, but don't let me catch you on my land again. Next time, you'll be crawling home." Layn watched as the truck belched out black smoke and scattered gravel as Jojo headed to the gate. Layn sighed and put his ax away before tending the horse. By the time he was finished, he was almost in a good mood again as he settled his barn and went in to fix himself a hot bowl of stew.

Then the phone rang. "Hello." He answered it automatically.

"Hello, son...." He mother said cheerfully, setting Layn instantly on edge. "I was telling my friend about the land you bought and she wanted me to ask if you would be interested in letting her husband's business lease it. They're having some hard times since the logging industry is shutting down so much land." His mother asked without hesitation.

"Why would I want to do that?" Layn asked, looking at the phone like it was a snake in his hand.

"Well, it would help out a friend and get you a little bit of extra money. It's not like there's anything else that land is good for. Who knows, after they clear it, you might be able to sell off lots for those little mini-farmsteads. This could make us... you rich again." He could hear the greed in her voice. 

"Mother, I didn't buy this land to have it clear cut." Layn said exasperated. "I bought it so I could keep the world at an arms distance. It's one of the few places left where man hasn't come in and mucked it all up. I like the wild nature of it and aim to keep it that way."

"Well I don't see why you can't be more helpful. This is a win-win for everyone." His mother insisted. 

"I don't see it that way." Layn interrupted, getting mad again. "There are enough managed forests. They can harvest those to their heart's content. As for my land, I don't need a bunch of strangers telling me how to keep it." The argument got heated after that, with his mother trying to guilt him into compliance. 

By the time he went to bed, he was in a foul mood. He wondered if he could just ship his family off to some far away land and not have to worry about them again. After tossing and turning, sleep finally came. Not that it gave him any rest, as he dreamed of the horrors of war, the betrayal of his trust, and his family trying to take advantage of him. 

"Bugger it!" He exclaimed, as he got up and started the coffee pot. As if the prior day wanted to extend into the morning, as he laced his boots, the laces snapped. It was like the Gremlins were having a jolly laugh on him. Everything he touched that morning either broke or failed to work properly. It was almost midday when he slammed out of the cottage, hoping to make something out of his day.

In his irritability, he had forgotten that Elmira said she would come for a visit. He had just about got the horse saddled when the leather cinch snapped, putting him on his pride. He was about to turn the air blue, when her tinkling laughter came to his ears. 

"There's a fine way to be greeted." Elmira smiled giggling, as Layn tried to dust off his britches. "Having a bit of a morning are we?" She asked with mischief in her green eyes.

"Aye... a bit...." He grimaced. He watched as she walked up to the horse and whispered something in his ears. The horse just shook its mane as the saddle slid off and trotted into the woods.

"Buggering hell...! Now I'll have to go chasing after him." Layn bitched as the horse pranced out of sight.

"He'll come home when he's hungry. He knows where his trough is." She smiled again, "I had hoped you'd be in a better mood by now. Do I need to leave you in peace?" She asked kindly. 

"No, no; I'll be fine. Would you like some tea or coffee?" He asked hoping she could elevate his mood. "Aren't you cold?" He noticed the full length form fitting garment she wore. "I've got a nice warm fire set."

"A bit yes, but not too close to the fire. I'm uncomfortable around it." She said as Layn escorted her to the front of the cottage. 

"Welcome to my home." Layn said, as he opened the door. "It's not much, but it's all I need." He entered the house and held the door for her.

"A bit spare don't you think?" Elmira said as she took a quick look around. "I would have thought, that townswoman would have added some female touches by now."

"What townswoman?" Lane asked confused. 

"The one who wishes to tame and mate with you. She comes by frequently, but leaves frustrated when she finds you're not where she thinks you should be." 

"The realtor lady...? No thank you." Layn said instantly. "I know her type and I could never trust her." Lane said, looking at Elmira speculatively. "How is it you know so much about me and my land? What kind of fae-creature are you?" He asked, handing her a cup of hot tea. 

"It doesn't take magic..." She laughed. "It would be un-neighborly of me if I didn't get to know who you are. It is hard for me to trust my neighbors. The people here before you, were nasty, mean, hateful, people. I shed not a tear when they met their judgment."

"You must have been very young. I was told this place has been empty for over twenty years. That it was haunted and that it is written that all the land had to be sold, not to be parceled off, or they would have cleared the forest long ago." He scratched his head. "I've had offers to do the same." He grimaced.

"Yes and turned them down." She smiled again. "From what I hear, you've even blocked off access to my lands to the north, by cutting off the road they would use." She started to smile, and then frowned as birds went screeching over head.

"What is it?" Layn asked instantly concerned, as she listened to the screeching outside.

"Fire! At your west border.... There isn't enough moisture, if it isn't stopped, it could take miles of forest with it." Elmira jumped up.

"Fire...! Are you sure?" Layn headed outside, sniffing the air. 

"I must go. My saplings... my chi..." She turned pale.

"No, come with me. I have a way." Layn ran to his shed and threw open the door. Rushing in, he started tossing out long hoses and dragging out a large pump. "Help me!" He called out, as he tried to carry the heavy pump to the back of his motorized cart. 

"What can I do?" Elmira asked wondering what the man was doing.

"Grab those hoses.... Hopefully they'll be enough, and then get in."

"We must wait for your horse..." She whistled shrilly. 

"This will be faster.... Come on... is the creek still running high?" He asked, as he tied in the pump. 

After everything was tied down, he pushed Elmira to the other side and strapped her in. "Hold on, it's going to be a rough ride." He told her, as the motor started and he lurched down the wide track toward the wisp of smoke in the distance. 

Over the next quarter hour, they didn't say anything as the branches snapped over the windscreen and they strained to see where the fire was spreading to. As they got closer, he pulled his cart next to the bend in the stream and jumped out.

"Keep the motor running and make sure the fire doesn't get behind me." He showed Elmira the workings of the pump. "Make sure the filter stays in deep water." Layn instructed as he pulled out the pump and tossed a thick hose with a metal screen on it into the water. 

After three pulls, the noisy motor came to life and the hoses filled with water. Slamming the valve shut, Layn grabbed the end of the hoses he connected together, and drove his cart as far as he could to the flames. 

"Open the valve!" He screamed, hoping Elmira could hear him over the roar of the fire. Seconds later, he felt the hose in his hand swell and a tight spray of water hit the flames. Taking the hose and jamming it between the cart and the mirror, He drove his cart as far as he dared into the fire. He hoped he was fighting the leading edge. If he was, he could force the fire back to the creek. 

Hours passed as they fought back the flames. Layn tied off the hose and pulled out his ax to clear away anything that might catch a new spark. After two hours of constant battle, the wind shifted and helped him herd the fire back to the water of the creek. An hour later, the roar had demisted and the snap of cooling sparks could be heard. 

Layn tried to locate Elmira through the thick smoke. He was content that she was okay, since the flow of water never stopped. Untying the hose, Layn sprayed every ember he could see as he walked toward the sound of the pump. Once he got to it, he switched it off and listened for Elmira in the instant quiet. 

Hearing a soft groan, he rushed over to the creek. He screamed her name as he saw her half in and half out of the frigid water, holding the intake hose into a deep pool. Jumping in, he waded over to her and pulled her into his arms. 

"You can let go now, the fire is out." He tried to tell her.

"There is poison in the water... the same poison you used to run your pump." She gasped as her face turned waxy, struggling to take a breath. 

Layn was about to try and reassure her, when he heard the loud rattle of an old truck and spotted the black smoke, as it billowed out the tailpipe. He listened as the truck sped out of the woods as fast as it could go. 

"Hold on to me now. Let me get you to the cart." Layn told Elmira and he cradled her next to him. "You'll be okay." It took his remaining strength to carry the delirious woman to his cart. Once he got her strapped in, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Will you be okay for a minute? I have to look for something across the creek."

"I'll be fine if I can get to my tree." She whispered her voice lost from breathing in the smoke. 

Taking her answer for a yes, he walked to the big log that had fallen across the creek some years before. He saw the trail of burn and set his foot next to. When he got to the other side, he looked for where the truck should have been parked. Along the way, he found an empty fuel can. Grabbing it, he knew it was more important to get Elmira help, than try and find who started the fire. 

Going back, he looked at the grey faced woman. "I'll have you home in no time." 

"My tree... I must need my tree." Elmira said deliriously.

"Well love, all the trees are sleeping right now and you're in no shape to tell me the way. I'm taking you to my cottage." He left the pump and hoses, knowing she needed to get warm and, if the fuel in stream did get into her system, purged. 

He drove as fast as he could, but slower than going out, since Elmira couldn't hold on. By the time the cottage came into view, the chill of dusk was coming on and he knew his guest needed warmth or she would catch her death from the cold. He parked as close to the stoop as he could, knowing she'd be no help in getting inside. 

Picking her up, he marveled at the solid woman as he carried her into the sofa and wrapped her in a blanket. Running back, he closed the door and put new wood into the fire. Once the logs caught, he headed into the bathroom and turned on the water. He made it just warm enough, testing it against his wrist. He knew she couldn't be warmed up to fast or she would go into shock. 

Layn didn't flinch as he cut off her smoke and soot ruined dress. He gently laid her into the warm water, making sure to brace her head so it wouldn't go under. Once he was sure she wouldn't slip, he went into his kitchen and found his medical supplies. Taking the old tea water, he mixed in a purgative and went back into the bathroom. 

Making her take small sips, he waited for the medicine to do its job. Ten minutes later, bucket in hand, he held her as everything in her system came spewing out. When she was reduced to dry heaves, he turned the water back on, warming it slowly. 

A half an hour later, he pulled her out and dried her off, before putting her in his bed and covering her up. Once he reassured himself that she was sleeping, he went back and made a tray of gentle Chamomile tea, putting it with some soft bread and honey. Taking it to his room, he pulled off his smoke filled clothes and took a quick shower. Once the stink of the fire was off him, he settled in for his vigil. 

***

Over the next three days, as he made sure she took food and liquid in, as he wondered about his house guest. He would spend his mornings tending Elmira, and then take a few hours in the afternoon to do what was needed around the cottage, as she napped. He went back and got his hoses and pump, noticing that they had lost quite a few trees. He worried about being able to afford new saplings and seedlings to steady the ground, so the creek wouldn't erode it away.

By the fifth day, Elmira could start sitting up, he figured he needed to look to the north and see if he could find her home. He knew she would appreciate something other than his old shirts to wear. Unfortunately, a strong storm had swept through the valley, and the gap he needed to use was closed. Sighing, he turned his horse around and headed back to the cottage. 

When he entered his small home, he found her leaning against the wall of the necessary, gasping for air. "What are you doing out of bed?" He demanded concerned. 

"I... I had to pass water. I didn't think you'd be back so soon." She wheezed, as Layn came up next to her and offered his strength. 

"You're freezing." He exclaimed when he touched her skin. "Let's get you back under the covers." He all but carried her back to his bed. Once he covered her up, he pulled off his shirt and britches.

"What are you about?" Elmira asked her eyes going wide.

"Oh bother it. If you don't get warm, you'll catch your death." Layn said, as he slid into the opposite side of the bed in nothing but his underwear. "Come here and no arguments." He told her softly as he hugged her to his warm skin, hissing at the cold contact. 

He wondered at the feel of her skin. It was like young smooth bark, but cold. Grabbing the hem of the shirt she was wearing, he told her. "It only works, skin to skin. No time for embarrassment." He held her eyes as he stripped off the shirt and pulled her closer to him. 

After fifteen minutes, once he felt the warmth seeping into her front, he made sure the covers were well wrapped around them, and told her. "Now the other side." As he rolled her over and settled her firm buttocks next to his groin and hugged her from behind, fighting off the chill from her skin. 

As his body warmed hers, he felt the urge to lean in and sample her flavor. Keeping his mind at the task at hand, he fought it, until he felt her smooth easy breathing, telling him that Elmira was sleeping. Looking at her sleeping face, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and snuggled back down, keeping her warm. 

Throughout the night, every time he felt her pull away, he would pull her back into his warmth. Even in his dreams, he knew he was fighting death and refused to give any quarter. This was a fight he refused to lose. In some part of his brain, he knew a blizzard came in and threatened to bury them in its frigid grip. He could hear a Banshee howl in the wind and threw his anger and spite back into her teeth. 

Once the storm calmed, he fell into a deeper sleep, still cuddled next to the only woman he ever wanted to be with, until time stopped being time. Sighing contently, he relaxed his hold on her and stroked her subtle skin until he could feel her pulse bloom under his hand.

When Layn open his eyes, he reached over and found the opposite side of the bed empty. Wondering where she was, he grabbed the pillow and breathed in the scent of her hair. He wondered why he was still so fatigued. Listening to the quiet, he heard the sound of Elmira working in his kitchen. Smiling, he tossed back the covers and stretched. Pulling on his shirt and pants, he padded barefoot into the main room of the cottage. 

He was stunned seeing Elmira in profile, completely naked. He marveled at her exquisite form as his body reacted in a typically male manner. His vision snapped to her eyes.

"My, aren't we in a fine fettle this morn?" She said with frostbite in her voice.

"A bit sore, but felling okay. How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to hold her gaze and not let his eyes wonder.

"How am I...? How dare you? The nerve...!" She stuttered. "Have you any whit of an idea of what you've done?" She squared her shoulders, making her full breasts wobble enticingly.

Licking his dry lips. "If you're going to beat me about the head, could you put something on? Please...?" He knew she was mad, but not at what.

"Oh, like that matters a hoot now. Like we haven't spent the last three days, naked in a bed together, as pretty as you please. As if you haven't bound me tight enough to you. It wasn't supposed to happen this way!" She screamed and tossed a coffee cup at Layn's head. "How dare you kill a Banshee for me? How can I ever repay you?" She ranted hysterically.




The Dryad and the Woodsman



Layn's quick reflexes allowed the cup to go sailing past. He saw his jacket on the peg by the door and made a beeline for it. Grabbing it and rushing the distraught Elmira, he wrapped her in his jacket. 

"Sorry love, maybe someday I'll enjoy your naked anger. But now, you're too much of a temptation. Scold me if you must, but I only did what needed to be done."

"You IDIOT...! You could have been killed! It was coming for me. If it is my time then it is my time. I didn't need you to protect me." She screeched at him as he held her. 

"Yes, yes I did. You are in my home, under my care. I refused to let you die without a fight. Look love, if I have bound you to me in some way, I'll release you. If you come to me, it is because it is what you want." Layn said not understanding.

"You'll, you'll...! Do I mean so little to you?" She demanded, tears threatening to spill over. 

"No... you mean so much to me. Please, have a pity on me. I feel like I'm walking in some kind of Faerie's tale. Give a guy a boon and at least let me wake up." Layn stroked the irate Elmira as she softened against him. He had almost thought she had relented until she stiffed back up and pulled away.

"Someone is coming." She said flatly and stalked into the bedroom slamming the door. 

Layn looked around and noticed that Elmira had fixed him a breakfast fit for a king. He smiled as he filled his plate with the diced potatoes, eggs and thick juicy steak. He had just set his plate down, when there was a knock at his door. Shaking his head, he went to answer it.

"Tory, what are you doing here?" Layn asked with distain, seeing his hated brother standing there.

"Hey brother, Mom said I needed to come up here and talk some sense into you. She said you're sitting on a gold mine. After the fly-over I did before the storm, I have to agree." Tory walked in uninvited and pulled off his coat and gloves, sitting down and digging into Layn's breakfast. "Good grub... thanks." 

"What are you going on about?" Layn asked seething that Tory hadn't even asked. But then again, Tory never asked.

"Who holds title to the land to your north? There is this great valley there just full of Elms and Oaks. We could get ten million just from that alone. Of course, we'll have to cut in a road. Don't worry little brother; I'll take care of all the details. It will only cost you twenty percent. Family discount...." Tory said as he stuffed his face with Layn's food and smiled smugly. 

"I hold the lands to the north." Elmira said, coming into the room again. She refused to back down from the rude appraisal of the newcomer.

"Well hello there." Tory cranked up the charm. "I didn't know you had company Layn." Tory half stood and reached for Elmira's hand. 

"Please sit, you're still not completely well." Layn said as he saw her face go pale. "She is a guest in my home. She's convalescing. She was really sick." Layn used short tight comments toward his obtuse brother. 

"Well it looks like we'll be sharing." He said with a suggestive tilt to his head. "I've been told that I'm stranded here for a few days, because of the weather. I'm sure Layn won't mind." He smiled at Elmira.

"There isn't enough room. Why don't you stay in town?" Layn said irritated.

"You're right about that. I'll send up Mom's designer to see the best way to expand this tiny place without losing its charm. It would make a great home base." He mused as he took in his rustic surroundings.

"Is he always this rude?" Elmira asked, looking revolted by the man eating the food she had prepared for Layn, to replenish his strength. 

"Yes, I had hoped I moved far enough away...." Layn sighed, ignoring his relative. 

"Does it always snow this much? If it does, we can save some money by making all the employees part timers. That way we don't have to provide insurance. I bet we can get most our workers for ten quid an hour. Half price. I met this one enterprising lad in town. He said he made a packet off the wood he's pulls out of here." Tory blathered on, like he was the center of attention. 

"I don't feel well." Elmira said loudly. "I'll just head back to the room. Oh, and by the way, don't go making any plans about the lands to the north. I'm not interested." She smiled coldly and left the kitchen. 

"Neither am I. I told mom I wasn't interested in logging my land." Layn said irritated.

"Well it's a good thing that I came up here then. I have three days to make you see the light." Tory smiled like he already had the contracts signed and the money in the bank. 

***

There was a cold frost in the cottage the next two days, as Tory and a couple of other people decided to ride the property on their loud motorcycles to assess the money to be made. Speculating they called it. Elmira would just look at Layn and shake her head and lock herself into Layn's room. It was only after one of these trips, that Layn noticed she was wearing the same dress he was sure he had destroyed by cutting it off her. 

It finally came to a head on the third day. Layn had slammed out of the house in frustration, because Elmira refused to talk to him. He was met by his brother and his friends.

"That's one fine looking woman. If you're not tapping into it, why don't you give me a shot at her? I could make her see things my way." He smiled evilly. 

"Tory, you've had your fun. Now go home. You won't be cutting on my or Elmira's land, so forget it. Go back to your wife." Layn stated heatedly.

"What and ruin her fun of uninterrupted time with Clarisse? I'll have to get a pry bar to dig her out of her quim when I get home. No sense in me being left out of some extra fun." He smiled again, knowing he had hit his mark.

What Tory didn't expect was the quick hard right, which connected with his jaw. "Get the fuck off my land and never come back. Don't call, don't write. As far as I'm concerned you can have that used up slut. You deserve each other. I've got my own life now. You are both dead to me!" He accented his points with sharp punches in the gut, as he marched his brother to the rental car and shoved him in the back.

"That goes for the rest of you lot. Get out and never come back." He braced himself for a fight, as they scrambled to get into the car. "I'll return the motorbikes... now get!" He ordered the driver with a balled fist. He watched as they headed out of the yard and toward town. 

Trying to shake his anger off, he went back into the cottage. "How can you stand being related to that poisonous person?" Elmira asked softly. "He has a mind of metal and wheels; of profit and loss. He cares of nothing but himself." 

"He has always been the golden child. Whatever he touches turns to ruin, but our Mother always takes his side." Layn sighed, wanting nothing but to forget his family.

"You know he only seduced your wife to get at your money. He thought he could take whatever he wanted." She said sadly.

"I know, but I outsmarted him. I outsmarted them all. I already had my investments set, always looking for somewhere to escape too. I'm sorry if he bothered you." Layn sat down and hung his head. "I have to go into town and return the bikes they rented. Would you like to join me?" He asked forlornly.

"I'm sorry Layn, but I'm not strong enough to be that far away yet." She stroked Layn's head. "I'll be here when you get back, and then maybe we can talk." 

"Yeah, maybe...." Layn said as he got up and went outside. 

It took him an hour to load the motor bikes into the back of his truck. As he passed, he picked up the fuel can he found in the forest and tossed it in the back, just in case. He refused to look back to see if Elmira was watching him, as he pulled out of the yard. 

While he was unloading the bikes at the local repair shop and fill station, he saw Cob and Jojo Mason go into the pub. Figuring it was the day for fights, he pulled in front of it and parked. Grabbing the fuel can out of the back, he entered and looked around the room for his quarry. Once he spotted them, he walked up and said loudly.

"Jojo, you forgot something last week." He tossed the fuel can in his direction, landing it at Cob's feet. "If I find you anywhere near my land again, I'll make you wish you were never born."

"Hey now.... What's this all about?" Cob got up and stood between his son and the enraged man. "No call for slinging threats in here."

"Yeah, I haven't been on your land! So there." Jojo said smugly.

"No, but you sure set fire to it. You damn near killed someone with your stupidity!" Looking at the older man, he asked. "Is that not your fuel can? Or is there another CM in these parts?" 

"Where did you find that? I was told it was lost off the back of the work lorry." Cob asked, looking at his mark on the bottom of the can. 

"I found it next to a burn trail up on my northwest border, where the fire was. It took us hours and I lost a young grove of trees. Elmira was more than half dead, all because I refused Jojo's demand to let him go up to Mrs. Greenbrier's land and poach trees. 

"Is this true?" Cob asked his son.

"I don't know what he's talkin bout. I didn't see no stupid woman in a creek up there. I wasn't anywhere close." He would have sputtered more excuses, but Layn's fist shut him up. 

Layn stepped around the older man and put his shoulder behind the punch. "I didn't say I found her collapsed in the creek... asshole!" He watched as Jojo fell back. 

"Ho now...!" Cob jumped in between Layn and the bleeding Jojo. "Tell me the straight of it. If anyone going to give my boy a licking, it's going to be me!" 

Layn told him of the fire and how long it took him to beat it back. He told Cob how he had found Elmira Greenbrier slumped in the creek and how he's been nursing her back to health ever since. 

"Elmira Greenbrier...?" An old man exclaimed. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a lifetime. A comely woman I'm told. The Greenbrier's have own that land north of yours for centuries. Some say this Elmira is a witchy woman. Some say a nymph. We thought they had all died out." The codger added, trying to ease the anger in the room. 

"It weren't no witchy woman I had to fight the fever for. She's barley on her feet again, so close to the hereafter she was." Layn said angrily. "All because he couldn't leave well enough alone." He pointed at the cowering Jojo. 

"Is this true?" Cob asked Jojo, slapping him across the head. "Answer me boy, before I hit you so hard your kids will feel it." He added staring down his son. 

"It's not like he said. I was just doin some control burnin. I needed a clear track to pull some lumber out. I've done it for years. It's not my fault it jumped the creek. Sides now I can cut a road north of his precious land. It's only a few trees. There's no real harm done." He insisted. 

"Those trees aren't yours to sell. I know fact sure, that Elmira didn't give you permission. And if you didn't do it deliberate, then why did I find a burn track and how did Elmira get poisoned by the fuel in the water?" Layn had his fist balled as tight as he could get it, wanting to punch the idiot again. 

"I bet you're healing her up nice and cozy in your little cottage." Jojo sneered suggestively.

"Shut your yap...!" Cob said slapping Jojo across the mouth. "You'll keep your dirty mouth shut in front of your betters. Damnit boy, the mess you've made me." Cob elbowed his son in the gut, making him fall. "Get your ass up, you worthless piece of shite." Cob grabbed Jojo by the hair and started pulling him out of the Pub. 

"Mr. Wyman, I'll take a look, come spring thaw. Jojo will pay his due, one way or t'other." He dragged Jojo out, cussing him the whole way.

"Well, there's a sight I thought I'd never see, and long overdue." A plump mid thirties woman said at Layn's side, putting a restraining hand on his arm. "I'm Maude, and this here is mine and my husband's pub. Take a seat and I'll get you a stout in welcome." She said and pushed him onto a stool. 

"T'was a sight sure." Someone else said from across the room. "Jojo isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but his Da has always doted on him. I guess he's over compensating for him being the only boy in a house full of girls." The onlooker added thoughtfully. 

"So young man, I hear you're from the old Taylor clan. I didn't think there any left that hadn't gone into the city. A fair few to the north, but when James left, he took many with him. What know you of this?" The old man asked.

"Yes, it's the third time you've been in my Pub without a how do you do.... Now sit and let us get to know you better man." Maude set a tall stout in front of Layn. "I might get the idea you're being unsociable." She crossed her arms over her formidable chest. 

After an hour of constant grilling, old stories, and three stouts, Layn realized he had left Elmira alone far too long. "I'm sorry, I have to get going. I have a house guest and it's rude of me to be away." Layn excused himself. As he walked out of the door, he caught sight of a photograph.

"When was this taken? I thought you said you didn't know Elmira." He said, taking in the familiar face and figure.

"That picture was snapped over forty years ago. Tim O'Malley got him one of them new fangled cameras and went about taking pictures of everyone he came across. Cost him a near fortune to get them all developed. That be the Misses Greenbrier and some suitor or another. He thought he would take over the Greenbrier land. That was taken in the early days. That be Mildred in the background. She used to run this place. No one knows what happened to the bloke though. He just up and disappeared one night."

"Well Elmira must be her daughter then. They look close enough to be twins." Layn commented and waved goodbye. 

"I think he's been bewitched. Mark my words." The old codger said, pulling on his beer and puffing on his pipe.

***

Layn sighed and rubbed his face once he parked his truck. He hoped his night would go better than the day he just finished. He was in no mood for another fight. But mood or no, a fight was waiting for him. As soon as he came in, Elmira pounced.

"Tipping a few with the lads were we. I'm not stuck here all alone, half dead, and helpless." She sniffed and curled up her nose. "You smell of brewery. I've been worried sick. I couldn't feel you. And what were you doing? Tilting the glass...!" She stood there, a toe a tapping and arms crossed.

"If you're going to take strips off my hide, can I at least sit down for it? I'm too tired for a third fight today." Layn sighed.

"Who were you fighting with now?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

"Jojo Mason. It was Jojo who started the fire. We came to blows in the pub." 

"In the pub were we? Making a spectacle of yourself, were you? While I'm left here just frittering away! I bet Mildred just loved that. Millie always liked the rough and tumble." Elmira said, sending a shiver down Layn's spine.

"Mildred died five years ago." He stated flatly. "Her grandson and his wife Maude run the place now. How old are you my love?" Layn asked, too tired to rise to her bait.

"Not another one...." Elmira breathed sadly. "God, I hate the winter. They seem to be getting longer and colder." The anger left her hollow and cold after it ran its course. 

"You need to get back in bed, while I fix us something for supper. That shade of grey is unbecoming on you." He got up and started to do just that.

"No need, I fixed some stew while you were gone." She said tiredly, and went to fix him a bowl. 

***

Layn tried to keep his distance over the next week, as they tiptoed around the feelings that were swirling through the air. He slept on the couch or floor, so Elmira could have the bed. He spent almost every waking hour in the barn or shed, fixing things that had been neglected for far too long. Anything to avoid another confrontation. 

He had gotten in the habit of calling Elmira pet names like 'My Love' or 'My Sweet' without realizing it. On one chilly night Elmira, tired of the dance, finally asked. 

"Are you coming to bed, or are you going to catch your death, sleeping on the floor again?" Her eyebrow was arched as she waited for the answer.

"I don't know if I could trust myself next to you." Layn said truthfully.

"I know I can trust you. Mid winter is coming and the chill is in my bones. I could use your heat again." It was as close as she could come to asking him for what she needed. 

"I'll be in, in a bit then." Layn said, hoping he could give what was needed, without taking advantage of the situation. It had been well over a year since his last encounter with a woman.

He waited until the room went dark, before stripping down to his underclothes. He silently slid in on the right side, putting himself between her and the door. He felt her sigh as he scooted as close as he could without touching.

"You weren't so shy the last time we lay together." Elmira said, with humor in her voice.

"The last time was to save your life. This time I fear that part of my brain will fail me and I'll do something untoward." He said, tucking the blanket between them. 

"Damn, your magic is strong... stronger than I have ever felt before. The more you try to unbind me, the tighter I am bound. T'is time for us to stop fighting. Come to me and I will tell you if you do something unwanted." Her voice took on a husky quality as she opened her arms to him.

"My Fae-Woman, you already own my heart. Take my body if you will." Layn closed the fingers gap between them, and was met by a desire unimaginable. Neither one of them were cold after the first kiss. 

Neither one knew who started or finished that kiss. But it led to another and another. Layn's brain didn't realize that one second, the clothes he had kept on for protection, had vanished. His only thought was; that if she was going to give herself to him, then it would be up to her. Putting thought to action, Layn hugged Elmira close and rolled her on top of him as his hands traced the contours of her lush body. 

Even with the flames of passion engulfing her, Elmira knew what her lover was offering, as she leaned up to looked in his golden eyes. He was giving her control without reservation. She bit her lip as she found his manhood under her. Her being yearned for the coupling as his hands found her heavy breasts and started teasing the hard nipples. 

They needed no guidance as they came together. Elmira only paused for a second as she felt him at the barrier of her body. Looking in his eyes, she plunged herself down, giving herself to him.

Layn saw the flash of pain, and knew what it meant. He marveled at the ageless beauty that now held him fully, as they adjusted to each other. Keeping eye contact, they started moving in unison. They started a dance that was as timeless as life itself. 

As she moved, he responded, letting her set the pace. Lost in the moment, neither one cared of the cold, or the night around them. All their thoughts were centered on their core as they mated and bound one to the other.

As she increased her motion, Layn leaned up and tasted the breasts of his lover, making her gasp in delight. It was too much for her. She couldn't control the pressure building between them as she increased her movements into something more. She could feel him plunging in and out of her, filling her, making her complete. She, who prided herself in control, was now completely out of control, as her body strained for the release it craved.

Layn was trying to hang on, as the woman he always dreamed of, took him. He reveled in the freedom of their lovemaking, never wanting it to stop, but knowing that all too soon it would. He knew it wouldn't be long until he would add to the moist sticky fluids that were flowing down his member as she rode him with abandon. 

As the pressure hit the point of bursting, Elmira felt her being clasp down hard on Layn. She felt the rhythmic spasms as bright lights flashed behind her eyes. Then all she saw was colors and her body started contracting uncontrollably. Her arms went slack and she was only being supported by Layn's hands on her breast. She felt him heave up and hug her as his body flexed with hers. She knew he was fertilizing her womb and she gloried in it. 




The Dryad and the Woodsman



Layn couldn't take it anymore. As soon as he felt Elmira squeeze him in her climax, he was seconds behind her. He held her as close as he could, as he sent his seed deep into her. He had never achieved this close of a connection with any other woman. After his second spasm, he tumbled into the dark, holding onto Elmira, never wanting to let her go. 

As the spasms subsided, they collapsed back onto the bed, heaving with their exertion. Layn couldn't move as Elmira lay on top of him, holding him fast inside of her. Layn, knowing he was starting to go soft, twitched with every softening contraction. Finally able to move his hands, he pushed the mass of hair out of her face and kissed her softly. 

"I love you my fae-woman." He said softly in between kisses.

"I never knew it could be like that." Elmira gasped. "In over a hundred and fifty years, I never imagined." She added, sending chills down Layn's spine.

Layn's head spun at her declaration, but his body reacted to the love in the statement by firming back inside of her. Kissing her again, he turned her over and took what she freely offered. Her eyes went wide as she felt him move in her again. 

Elmira thought at first he was going to separate from her, but was surprised when she felt his fullness move deeper inside her and her body respond. "More..?" She gasped out, now looking up into Layn's eyes.

"Yes love... as much as we can take; my beautiful faerie-woman." He smiled down and plunged into her again, making her moan. 

He took his time, since the urgency had been appeased. He held his rhythm steady, watching his lover respond under him. Before he had intended though, Elmira copied his movements and reached up and ran her hands over his chest, flicking his super sensitive nipples. Groaning, Layn increased his speed and as soon as she contracted on him, sent his second intense orgasm inside her, filling her to over flowing.

Both were out of breath as they lay next to each other, arms and legs still entwined. Layn wanted to profess his love again, but was quieted by her soft kiss. Before it was done, they had both slipped into slumber.

***

Images flashed before his eyes as Layn came awake. He wanted nothing more than go back into the dreamland where he loved Elmira and she loved him back. He wanted to know the bliss of being buried in her body, loving each other until they could stand no more. 

It was no use. The bright sunlight was streaming in the window, through the open curtain, and right into his eyes. Moaning at his sore muscles, he reached over to where he expected her to be and found nothing but empty bed. Sighing, he sat up and rubbed his face. He wondered if it was all a dream. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd had those dreams about Elmira and knew it wouldn't be the last. 

Not fully awake, he stumbled into the bathroom and relieved the nightly pressures. If he was awake, he would have recognized the signs of the night's activity on himself. Groaning, he knew he needed a strong cup of coffee to get moving this morning. In nothing but his shorts, he stumbled into the kitchen, to be again greeted by the naked vision of Elmira, as she fixed him his morning meal. 

"So I wasn't dreaming...?" He muttered astonished.

"Well, there you are sleepy head. If you were dreaming, then so was I, Love." She said and turned to him. "Although I didn't know dreams could leave marks on the skin." She smiled down at her breasts.

Layn saw the marks his hands and lips had made on her. He growled and came to her. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, and leaned down and started kissing the marks.

Elmira sighed contently. "Only in the way it is supposed to hurt, My Love. Now stop that, or your breakfast will burn." She softly pushed him away. "We have a busy day ahead of us, and you'll need your strength."

"Yes, rightly so, if you plan on using me like that again." Layn smiled and kissed her.

"Stop it. Go take your bath... the water should be warm enough. I'll call when the food is done. You might want to strip off the bedding too. We made a mess of it." She blushed and turned back to her pans. 

He did as he was told, feeling much better after he was clean. As he stripped off the bed, he realized he wasn't mistaken. The evidence was there for him to see. She had come to him pure. He wondered if the rest was also true and what she meant by the hundred and fifty year remark. Shaking his head, he jumped when she called him to the table. 

Lucky for him, Elmira was dressed in her usual long dress when he sat down across from her. "What do you have in mind for today?" He asked as he started eating.

"We must ride Roan to my tree... my home." She said, hoping it wouldn't cause an argument. She knew for the wedding to be complete, they needed to be where she was born, or who knew what disaster could happen. 

"Named my horse, have you?" Layn smiled. "I hate to tell you Love, but the pass is clogged with snow." He cut into his steak to find it cooked to perfection.

"I did nothing of the sort. Roan is his name... always has been." She smiled. "Besides I know the way. It will take longer, but it has to be done today." She said mysteriously.

"Your wish is my command, My Fae-Woman." Layn teased. 

"That is one of the things that need attended to. You must know who and what I am before it can be complete." She sighed. "Eat now, or we will never get there." Layn wanted to tease more, but felt the underlying stress from Elmira. Eating his fill, he got up and went out to get the horse ready for the long ride. 

On the way there, they were happy to ride in silence. Elmira leaned into Layn's back, rocking with the gate of the big brown horse under them. When Layn got to the point where he turned Roan to the north pass, Elmira took his hands and directed him to the east. Layn just shrugged and allowed her to lead the horse through his hands. 

An hour later, he directed them under a huge arch of twin old oaks. "This is my valley. Those two are the Guardians. You could have never passed unless I had welcomed you." She said as the passed under their wide branches. "It's not far now." She led the horse back to the north.

Layn looked to his right and spotted the silhouette of a wolf tracking them. "We're being watched." He told her quietly.

"You're just noticing? Greymane has been with us since before the Guardians. He lost his mate from a trap and I give him shelter. He feels the need to protect me. He is the sire of the pack that met you that first night. I'm afraid he won't make it through this winter."

Layn felt the still watchfulness around him. "It feels like I'm being tested." He said looking around him. 

"No, they are just curious. I've known for some time you were coming. They know you have already passed the test, or you wouldn't be here." She directed Roan to a hollow that was covered by a huge Elm tree. Under the tree, Layn could see the outline of a hut. Roan stopped without guidance in front of the hut.

"This is my home. I welcome you." Elmira said formally. With Layn's help, she got down from the horse. "Come with me, Roan knows where he can stay warm while he waits."

Layn didn't say a word as he followed Elmira to the low branches of the huge tree. Touching one of them, a small gap formed. It was just big enough to let them pass. "My tree is sleepy, but she feels the warmth of the coming spring." Elmira smiled at the confused look on Layn's face.

"When I called you a Faerie-Woman... I was right wasn't I?" Layn asked in a hushed voice.

"No... I am not a Faerie. Most of those passed long before I came. I am born of a man and a woman, right here under the sapling of this tree. I am told it sprouted the night my parents shared their marriage bed. Sit you and I will tell you all." She motioned to a low bench.

"You know it doesn't matter, I love you no matter who or what you are." Layn said taking the indicated seat. "How is it warm in here?" He asked, taking off his coat.

"We can start there." Elmira smiled. "It is warm here because of the love we shared last night." She held up her hand to stop Layn's question. "Give me a minute and I will explain everything. Then you can make the final decision." She pushed back her long hair and sat looking at him.

"I am a Dryad... I am bound to my tree, and she is bound to me. That is why I was so afraid when you fought that Banshee. You not only took my death away, but my tree's also. Her name is of course, Elm... well it is longer than that, but my name is Mira. Together we are Elmira Greenbrier. All my daughters will also be Greenbriers. It has been this way for twelve centuries."

"How old are you, Love?" Layn asked, trying to take in what he was being told.

"A bit over one hundred and fifty winters have passed since I started counting. It has been over forty to fifty since I went into town. I stopped counting for awhile after my mother's tree was burned by lightning, taking my parents with it." 

"So, that was you in the photograph...?" Layn blurted, not able to stop.

"Yes... I was mourning my parents and this young man was almost able to take advantage of it. If it wasn't for Millie, he would have cut the woods down. She was the one who told me of his plan. I swore I would never go to town again, after I showed him some of my power and sent him running."

"You said something about completing what we started and a choice? What is it I must complete?" Layn asked, not wanting to think about the ramifications of his actions the night before.

"The binding. You have to know about me and accept me for who and what I am, before our marriage can be complete. I never expected it to happen this fast. Nothing in my life has. I thought I had time to explain it to you slowly and in a few seasons we could make the decision together. I thought I had rationalized it all out. And then the fire...." She sighed. "You saved so many of my Tree's children. You saved me and my tree. I was eternally bound to you if for nothing but that."

"Marriage...?" Layn asked astounded. 

"No, not what you think of as Marriage... I have seen your thoughts on that. It is a binding as God meant it to be. I cleave unto you and only you, and you do the same, knowing that I will most likely out live you by centuries, unless of fire or beetle disease. I will mate no other and we will meet again when time stops." 

"You said something about finishing..."

"You made me fertile last night.... If we bind ourselves together this night, there is an equal chance of either fruit being born out this spring. Then the Marriage will be complete. I have fought it as long as I possibly could, but your magic was too strong."

"What magic...? I don't have any magic." Layn said his head spinning.

"You have the strongest of magic... a pure heart. After all you have seen and lived through; your heart is still pure. You live in balance with nature, knowing what to give and what to take. Never taking what is not yours and giving to those others would spurn. At first, I thought to bind with you so our lands could bring many new saplings into being." She smiled wickedly. "Last night when you could have taken, you gave. When I thought you could give nothing else, you gave me more. That is the strength of your magic." She softly stroked his face. 

"Love, I can't say I understand one word out of three of what you're telling me." Layn said getting up. "But what I gave you last night; I can never take back. Dryad or Faerie or Sprite, it matters not to me. I love you!" Elmira gasped at his words. She had been preparing herself to let him go, so strong were her feelings for him. 

Standing up, letting her dress fall to the ground, she asked. "So, will you bind with me, of you own fee will? Will you take me and put aside all others until God calls us home?"

Deep down he knew there was an ancient formality being met. "If you bind only with me of your own free will, keeping whatever we may bring into being and setting aside all others; then yes I will cleave to you and only you." 

"Yes..." she breathed. "And you say you don't have magic. Come let us see what magic we can make together." She opened her arms to him. 

Again, Layn didn't know how he became to be naked, nor did he care. The fission of warmth started again as soon as their lips met. He pulled her up into his arms, her legs circling him. As she slid down, she gasped as he speared into her unimpeded. Layn took two steps back and leaned against the bark of the tree, finishing the connection. 

Her eyes going wide, she instinctively grabbed a low branch as they moved together. She held on as he moved inside of her. Her head spun as she felt the consciousness that was her other half. Together they all consummated the binding. 

Layn didn't know what was happening, as a strength he never knew he had, swelled in his body. He moved with deliberation, giving his lover as much pleasure as he could. It seemed like hours as they stood together undulating as one, bringing forth the life giving spark. He thought he felt the tree move as he and Elmira crested together. 

His legs could no longer hold their weight. So, slowly as he could; he slid down the rough bark, not caring about the marks the tree had given him. In his arms, Elmira was gasping in her release. She held Layn close with her head leaning on his shoulder. It was with satisfied relief; she pulled Layn down in her bower and cuddled him to sleep.

*** 

Sleep still clouded his mind, he wondered where he was. He felt Elmira, or Elm and Mira laying with him. He even realized he had become connected in the most intimate of ways as he spooned Mira. He sighed contently. This wasn't about more sex, but the love he never thought he could find. 

"There is no difference between us. We together are Elmira." She said answering his thoughts. "She does thank you for including her, but know now, that she will always be with us especially when we are coupled. You sealed that bond as well."

"Great, two of you to keep happy... I suspect I can catch it from both of you as well?" Layn teased and nipped the succulent neck in front of him. 

"Only when needed... Morning Love... yes it's real." She smiled back at him. "Just as real as you resting inside of me. Though I don't think you can make me any more fertile." She stretched languidly. 

"You said the seed wouldn't sprout until spring. I have a few more weeks to make sure I plant as many seeds as possible." He nipped her ear, but didn't move the connection they shared. 

"Oh, so I married a randy one, did I? I hope you can keep up once spring hits full force and my tree is fully awake. She wants us to go to our cottage and let her sleep in peace." She added smiling. 

"You know the townspeople won't accept us unless we get married in a church." Layn said seriously.

"We'll attend to that on the spring equinox.... Easter I think you call it. It's a mere formality. Know that now bound, we can never be unbound, even if we live not together. If you try and take another woman, then yes, you will feel the wrath of my tree." She warned him.

"There isn't another I would want." He cupped her breasts. "And, if you were to seduce another man?" He asked half teasing.

"I cannot. Not even if one would try by force. You are the only one that can come into me. That is why I was so frightened after I was sick. What if I was bound to someone I couldn't make life with?"

"Hush now." Layn said as he finally moved and turned her over. "What is done is done. I love you and you love me. That's all I need for right now. We have forever for me to get used to the idea of being married to one of the fair folk." He started kissing her and playing with her nipples, but was interrupted by a loud cracking sound above them.

"Enough of that now..." Elmira giggled. "Our tree said she is still sleepy and to take ourselves away so she can finish her sleep in peace." She pushed Layn back and climbed out of the bower. She tossed Layn his clothes. "Get you dressed husband. I'll call Roan to take us home to the cottage." 

***

They talked and laughed all the way back to the cottage. Layn would often stare off into the distance, trying to wrap his thought around being mated to Elmira. What would it be like being with a woman who never ages?

"I age sweetheart. Just not as fast as you." She said, snapping him back to the horse they were riding. 

"How is it you know what I am thinking?" He asked perplexed.

"It's not that hard. It shows on your face. It is also part of my gift. I have learned to read the meaning behind the energy you send out as you pass. If you had the time, I could teach you how to do it." She smoothed down his hair.

"How long did it take you to learn?" Layn asked, feeling the tingle down his spine.

"Once I really set my mind to it.... About fifty years. Not that long really. It just takes time and concentration." 

"You toss off decades like jackstraws." Layn shivered. 

"Don't worry love, since you allowed our tree into our bonding, you will live longer than most. It is one of the reasons we have to be careful who we mate with. My father had just hit his one hundred and seventieth year when they perished. It took me a long time to realize that they went together while making love, but they wouldn't have wanted it any other way." She sighed. "I never knew what my mother meant until that first night with you. I always wondered why my father was so tired during spring." She smiled slyly.

"What do you mean?" Layn asked as he turned Roan down toward the cottage. 

"I'll let you think about it, Love. I'm sure it will come to you." She giggled, reminding him of the bird call he had heard when he first got there. He wanted to ask more, but Roan had other ideas as he scented his stable and the warm straw waiting for him and broke into a hard trot. 

***

The snow and cold kept them in the cottage, doing what most newlyweds did. Oh in between, they talked and took care of the cottage. It seemed that Elmira had definite ideas about how the cottage was to be set up. She usually only had to ask once, and if that didn't work, she would send Layn outside to tend Roan, and then change it herself. Layn would only sigh and shake his head.

The next shock came as one day, Layn, trying to surprise his wife, got careless and spilled hot soup down his front. No sooner than the yell was out of his mouth, Elmira was there. He watched in disbelief as she made a small motion and his shirt was open and under him. 

"How do you do that?" He hissed as her hand went over the burn. 

"Do what Love?" She asked, looking to see how bad he had damaged himself. 

"That thing with the clothes? I just realized you've done it before... I was just wondering how." Layn said as he felt the burn leaving his skin and flowing into his wife. 

"You wear natural fibers. I am a Dryad." She said like that explained it all.

"And so...?" He asked touching her cheek. 

"I am of the land, a master of it, if you want to put it in those terms." She told him as she made sure he didn't permanently harm himself. "I have sway and control of anything made by the land. Your cotton and buckskin is easy. I wove my clothes to match what I have seen in your mind. Most times, I just wear enough to keep me comfortable, or nothing, so I can absorb the life giving light." She said leaning her head into his hand.

"My Fae-Woman.... What other surprises do you have for me?" He leaned in for a kiss. He felt the dress start to move under his hand. "Let me watch." He said and moved back. His eyes went large as the cloth parted in the front, exposing her ripe breast and then slowly slid down to the floor, closing itself as it went. 

"A fine thing, when you rather watch my dress, rather than me, standing here for your pleasure." She chuckled as she stepped closer. 




The Dryad and the Woodsman



They didn't mark the days or nights, until one evening, as they were making love, he noticed the rain. As he filled his wife with his seed, she softly smiled up at him. "Our tree will make us sleep now. The life growing inside me needs our energy." She pulled him down and kissed his eyes closed. 

***

Over the next weeks, they slept together, only waking long enough to relieve themselves and to take some of the food Elmira had made for them and kept fresh in the icebox. Layn didn't fight it as he held onto Elmira as the world spun. 

Then one bright spring morning, Layn woke up, completely refreshed. He stretched hugely, hearing his bones crack. Without knowing why, he felt like he needed to consume his wife's nectar. It didn't matter to him that they both were naturally ripe. As her eyes started to flutter, he leaned down and started sucking her nipples, making her moan. 

Without stopping, he kissed and licked every inch of her and she laid there splayed out for him, her eyes wide. When he reached her core, he didn't hesitate and he put his mouth on her. It was the first time in their loving that he had done this. His mind burned as he searched out her moist lips and the hard protruding button of her core. Latching on to it, he sucked, licked and nibbled as his wife's body jerked and writhed. 

He kept feeding until his wife, with an unknown strength, pushed him away. "No more... You need to stop for now. I can't take any more." She pleaded. "Let us go bathe." She said, directing him to the bathroom. 

"Yes my Love." Layn said and followed her like a lost puppy. All he knew was that he needed her like his life depended on it. Once they were in the waters spray, Elmira turned on him and said. "My turn...!" 

As she washed him clean, letting the soap slip, she went down to her knees and looked at his hard manhood under the light of the spring sun shining in the window. She didn't hesitate as she engulfed him. She knew there was now weeks of his seed built up and she needed it to feed her. She sucked him, with long and slow motions. She stopped only to lavish attention to the nerve filled crown, as Layn grabbed her head to steady himself. 

She felt the pulse at the base of Layn's member and held pressure there until she knew he could take no more. With a swift move, she released the pressure and swirled her tongue over the inflamed gland. Not knowing what to fully expect, she was surprised by the purely animalistic growl from Layn as he grabbed her head and thrust himself into the back of her throat. How she didn't gag, she didn't know. She did swallow instinctively and that sent him over the edge. 

She had to swallow as fast as she could so none of his seed could escape. She kept pumping him even after his legs started shaking and his breath only came out in short gasps. Not until she knew she had taken all of his seed, did she let go. As soon as she did, Layn slid down the wall and moaned under the now cold water. 

Elmira looked at him and smiled. "Our tree is awake. It is time to plant." She smiled wider. "Not in me. I am already carrying the fruit of our labor. The ground needs tending, not my womb."

"Really...? You're pregnant? Already...?" Layn gasped as the implications hit him in the gut.

"I told you Love, you couldn't make me more fertile when we sealed our bond under our tree. It is what God intended lovemaking for, you know." She smiled again, and then groaned. "We have to get busy. There is much to tend too. Plus Mr. Mason just crossed onto our land." 

"Great, I don't have the energy to move, let alone get dressed." Layn panted as he watched his wife stepped up to her dress and it slithered around her. 

"So, what do you think? Like this?" She asked as the neckline plunged, showing plenty of cleavage, almost to the nipple line. "Or like this? The gap closed and went up to her neck.

"This is no time to be teasing me woman. I don't have that little trick up my sleeve. I'm hungry." He said in defeat. 

"Yes Love...." She smiled and teased as she tossed him some clean clothes. "He will be at the door in less than five minutes." 

He was still barefoot when the knock on the door came. "Hello..." Layn said as he opened the door.

"G'day to you. I was wondering if I could have a word." Cob said and wiped his work boots on the grass mat. 

"Come on in." Layn said and opened the door farther. When Cob's eyes went large at seeing Elmira, Layn made the introductions. "Cob Mason, this is Elmira Greenbrier, my affianced bride." 

"Greenbrier huh... Your land is north of here. I didn't know any of the Greenbrier's had survived in these parts." Cob said appraisingly. "You work fast young man." He added in an aside to Layn.

"Good day to you Mr. Mason. Trust me when I say, I have known of Layn for many years. I am part of the reason he moved here." She smiled demurely. "I am fixing some breakfast, would you care to join us?" 

"Thank yea, a cup of coffee will suffice." Cob sad and bobbed his head politely. 

"How can I help you Cob?" Lay asked offering him a chair at the table.

"I came here hoping to settle the price on the land my boy damaged, but now I know it won't be enough." Cob said and sighed.

"Tell me the offer and we can dicker from there. I'm not out to ruin you, but I need enough to plant new seedlings so the ground don't erode away." Layn said, looking at Elmira. 

"If you two are getting married, then I also owe you for the trees Jojo took off your land without your leave." Cob said looking at Elmira.

"What if you created more of a buffer between our land and the others?" Elmira said, looking into the man's mind and heart. "Give us the track of land to the far road. That way we can close it off completely. It's only about twenty acres and would cost far less than paying for three generations of the Oaks Jojo has taken in their prime." 

"Oh, you barter hard, Lass. That will cost me dearly. I don't know if the family would go for it." Cob shook his head while he pondered the idea.

"We are getting married on Easter day. You can make it a wedding gift and we will call it even." Layn said, trying to make the pill easier to swallow. "Then just keep Jojo off our land and we all can be happy." He finished.

"My boy is away with thes, making his own way to pay me back. He won't be home for a year or more. Maybe they can knock some sense into him, or get him married off."Cob sighed sadly. 

"I hope he comes home a better man." Layn said sincerely.

"You really mean that don't you?" Cob asked astonished. 

"Yes I do... we do. I'd rather live in peace than be feuding with my neighbors." Layn smiled.

"Then it's done then. I'll see to it and you'll have the deed to that land on the day I see you wed." Cob said, coming to his decision. He spit in his hand and offered it to Layn, who returned the gesture. After he walked Cob to the door, Elmira handed him a towel to wipe his hand on. 

"That is a mighty powerful word bond you just created. You just increased our lands by twenty more acres. The animals will be pleased." She said as her dress slipped to the floor. "Eat now; you are going to need your strength." 

By the time Layn got to his food, it was cold. Smiling, he went to the fenced off area, and decided to start planting the kitchen garden. Going into the shed and barn, he combed Roan and strapped him to the hoe. He smelled the rich earth as it turned over as he prepared it for seed. 

Elmira grabbed the trimmer and started cutting back the berry vines, making sure she let some arch the fence to feed the animals that walked through the yard. Layn caught her swaying motion out of the corner of his eye and he was instantly consumed by the urge to have his wife. As the horse got close to the gate, he released him. 

Without hesitation, he pulled her up and kissed her. He didn't care it was in the middle of the day and that anyone could see them if they approached. He needed her. They fell down to the fresh turned earth and within a second, he was buried inside of her. He grunted and rutted like an animal. He was completely devoid of thought as they gave and took, until they were both covered with the dark earth that was under them. 

He screamed out his release when she started contracting around him. Even when he had stopped coating her insides; he kept thrusting until his arms refused to hold him anymore. 

"We'll have to put a shower out here if you keep this up." Elmira sighed. "Don't think you'll be tracking this mud into our cottage." She scolded him. "You've made our tree happy. I hope you can keep up. I'm afraid it will be this way until she blooms. I warned you about the bond and spring." She smiled at his confused look. 

"These urges I'm feeling are from your tree?" He asked as soon as he could breathe normally again.

"Our tree Love... You bound yourself to her the same time you bound me. Although I never knew it could so much. Spring is usually a frustrating time for me. I had all these urges but no one to live them out with."

"That is why we slept so long isn't it?" Layn asked as he started moving inside of her again, feeling his erection return. 

"Yes, it was our trees way of trying to protect us. She was confused at first when we mated. She was used to being in a deep slumber and we woke her with our loving. My mother tried to explain it to me, but I didn't know what she meant until now. If you keep that up, we'll never get this garden planted." She moaned as her body responded to the soft smooth penetration. 

"I can't stop it now. My need for you burns in my mind." Layn said as he felt her legs wrap around him. 

"Then let me make it quick." She breathed, her body also on fire.

"How..?" Layn begged as he continued to plunge into his lover.

"Take my nipple.... Follow me." She gasped as instinct took over. She moaned as she felt Layn's lips on her nipple. Her channel contracted on the warm invading organ. She heard Layn gasp and she put her mind and magic into their loving. It was enough. They crested together and sighed as their bodies found release. 

Before they could relax together, Elmira told her husband. "We need to get up now before our tree can send more ripples our way." She pushed at his chest as she forced him out of her. "There is a way to make it better." She said as she picked up her fifthly dress. 

"How..." Layn looked the other way as he felt his pulse rise again, knowing he couldn't, not again, not yet; no matter how he burned. 

"I will tend my valley while you tend the cottage. It will be frustrating, but it will give you some much needed rest. When it gets too bad, Roan will bring you to our tree." She said with a firmness in her voice that made Layn wonder who she was trying to convince. 

"But, I don't want to be away from you." Layn demanded.

"Neither do I, but we must. For the sake of the baby if nothing else...." Elmira said, touching Layn's face. "Look at us. Right now you are thinking about laying with me again, even if you do not have the strength to get hard. I'm thinking that you could consume me again until you could. It effects me too Love. I never realized just how much until today. We don't even care we are covered in dirt and muck."

"All we need is a bath." Layn started to say. 

"Why...? The rain will cleans us in a few minutes. You don't think a cold bath would help. Its spring Love, the plants thrive off cold rain. You will only nourish it." Elmira spun away and whistled. "I will send him back as soon as I am safe. Our tree is still budding." She almost cried. 

Layn had to fight the urge to follow his lover as she jumped bareback onto his big horse. "I love you my Fae-Woman...!" He called out as his horse bound out of sight. 

His pulse beat with the rhythm like the pounding hoofs of a horse, until he jerked up and felt something snap inside him. Taking a deep breath, he looked down and saw how dirty he was. 

He was thinking about taking a bath in the water trough, but as he took a step in that direction, the sky opened up with a quick, heavy, spring shower. Pulling his mucked covered clothes out of the mire at his feet, he tossed them over the fence so the rain could start cleaning them as well. 

***

At first, he was angry when Roan didn't return right away. Then after he fell in bed, exhausted, he started seeing the wisdom of what his wife had done. The next day, when the big horse did show up, looking for his feed trough, Layn fought the urge to jump on him and find his wife. 

He spent the day planting the seeds for the garden. With every seed planted, he thought again of making love to his wife, until that is all his mind could see. He fought the vision; knowing it was the tree sending it to him. 

Over the next week, as he tried to keep his mind on the planting he needed to get done, his nights were filled with visions of his wife and the physical relationship they enjoyed. He fought it as long as he could, but after seven days and nights, he needed his wife like he had never needed anyone before. 

Taking out his horse, he scarcely had him saddled, when he jumped up and gave him his head. "Go find her..!" He ordered and held on for dear life. He could feel her as he came closer to the tree. He knew she would be waiting for him as Roan crashed through the surrounding brush. 

As soon as he saw her, he was jumping off the horse and tearing off his clothes. He eyes were consumed by her naked glowing beauty as she waited for him. They had enough presence of mind to make it to her bower, before they clamored together, completing the connection that sent pleasure through their bodies. 

They loved under the tree for hours, each bringing the other to new heights in their lovemaking. They tried everything their minds could grasp and a few things that they knew the tree had sent them. It was late and the full moon was shining when they finally cuddled together and slept. 

The next morning, after a long slow languorous lovemaking session, Layn was surprised by the blooms that met his eyes and nose as they exited from under the tree. Their tree had almost red blooms as the other Elms in the valley had white and pink tinted tiny flowers stretching into the sun. He could hear the faint buzz, which he realized were the bees busy at their task. 

"Only one more day, then our tree will give us some rest. She will bloom out the rest tonight. Are you up for it?" She asked with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. 

"Does this happen every spring?" Layn asked astonished.

"Some years to a greater or lesser degree." Elmira answered happily. "But I think our tree is responding since we are both bringing fruit this year." She came up and hugged him close. "I think we need to swim in the creek. Let the bees do their job in peace, it makes the honey sweeter. There will be many saplings from this year's seeds. Soon I must start looking for our daughters Tree."

"Are you sure it will be a girl?" Layn asked, rubbing his hand over her quickened womb. 

"I'm not sure. I know I have to look, or if she is born without her sapling, she will die. If it is a son, he will be born in the cottage where he was conceived. It is the way of things. Balance has to be maintained." 

"Won't her tree be on your land... in your valley?" Layn asked, wondering how a Dryad was born.

"No Love, when we joined, our land joined too. It could be anywhere on our land, waiting for me to find it. They have to meet as soon as she is out of the womb, or they both might get sick and die." She smiled at him to take the fear off his face.

"Does it happen often?" He asked wrapping her protectively. 

"It happens... I don't know how often. I was... am, an only child. My mother waited until almost too late to find her mate. Even trees have a set reproductive cycle. My mom was well over six hundred years old when she finally met my father." She sighed as she walked with him, taking them to her favorite bathing hole. 

"I'll be glad when we can go home to the cabin tomorrow." Layn said and sighed.

"If Roan comes back by then." Elmira said with speculation.

"Why not...?" Layn asked looking down at his wife.

"It is spring for him too. There is a farmer a few miles away with a mare in heat." She smiled as she offered herself to him by the bubbling creek.

***

It took them a week to make it back. And another week to set the cottage to rights since Layn had left the door open. On the third week, Layn put Elmira in his truck and headed into town. They stopped at the local paper to announce their wedding. Then they set about finding a church to be wed in. 

Elmira dismissed the Catholic church out of hand, for their confusing beliefs. They finally found a small out of the way church, where Elmira said the minister was open minded enough to get it done. When they entered, they were met by a young woman.

"How can I help you?" She asked politely.

"We're looking for the vicar. We need to be wedded on the Spring Equinox." Elmira said boldly.

"Ohh... Poppa... There are people here to see you." She blushed and bobbed, heading to the back of the church. "Poppa...!"

"Yes... yes what is it?" A rumpled middle aged man said, exasperated by the interruption.

"This couple would like to get married on Easter." She said, used to her father's moods.

"You don't say..." He scratched his head.

"Hello sir," Layn said and offered his hand. "Yes, we would like to formalize our vows." 

"Formalize... that is an interesting way of putting it. Come this way." He showed them into his cluttered office. "Why would you say formalize?" He asked as they sat down.

"Because in God's eyes we're already bound." Elmira said. "We expect our first fruit come this fall. We were snowed in when we bound ourselves. This just formalizes the occasion." She didn't flinch at his intense appraisal.

"It is usually prudent to wait until after the formalities to practice reproduction." He said with a bit of censure in his voice. 

"We followed all of God's laws... now we are following man's. Of the two, I follow God's first." Elmira countered. 

"Look sir, not to be offensive, but we are not children playing about. We are both adults in their prime. We made this union of our free will and will honor our vows. We just want to make sure all the legalities are met. We are both land owners and we don't want any confusion."

"Are you both free to make these vows?" He asked and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I haven't made any introductions. Please excuse my lapse." He stood back up. "I'm Father Markesan." He offered his hand to them.

"Hello Father, I'm Layn Wyman, and my bride is Elmira Greenbrier... I'm sure you've heard the names before." Layn added with a small smile.

"Good God, yes... I'm honored... Are you the descendant of the Greenbrier's?" He asked astonished.

"Yes, I'm the last, until my child is born. Yes, Greenbrier Hollow is my name sake. Laurel Greenbrier was the original holder of the title, over twelve hundred years ago. I am the latest and will pass it down to my daughters as is agreed in the original writ." Elmira talked like she knew the complete history of the area.

"And for a dowry...?" the father asked bewildered.

"Twenty acres of adjoining land, deeded on the day of our marriage by Cob Mason." Layn said unperturbed. 

"Can you come to this a free man to pledges his troth?" The Father asked.

"I have a Decree of Divorce, from my first wife." Layn said.

"On what grounds?" the father asked quickly.

"Adultery.... Just to make it clear; she committed it, not me. I stayed faithful to my vows until the Divorce was final. I purchased my land and have made my home there ever since." Layn finished.

"Good... good; it seems everything is in order. Go to the town's recorder and bring me a valid license and I'll see to the marriage. Usually we would like to have you go through some classes, but you two seem to have everything already thought out and with the baby coming.... God's speed and we can talk again once you have the license." He said as he took notes on his big calendar. "Are you sure you want it on Easter... It would have to happen between services."




The Dryad



She wore a very old looking angora sweater that was stretched over an athletic, lithe body with modest but pleasing curves and a pair of worn looking Daisy Dukes. Those apple blossom lips smiled, "You should introduce yourself first, you're the visitor, you know. But it's okay, I know your name and where you're from." She shrugged and then slid off of the branch and plummeted towards the ground. 

Don let out a strangled cry and dove to catch her; she'd break something falling from that height! The mysterious girl made no move to arrest her fall or roll with the impact but landed on her feet as if she'd hopped off a two foot stepstool, leaving Don to crash into the ground at her feet, her arms held up as if to catch her or in supplication. "Oh! That's not necessary, though I like the thought," her green eyes seemed to grow more vibrant and there was a flattered, pleased note to her voice. "You can get up though. Now, let's see...you're the oldest son of the second son of the man whose house is over there," she said pointing out into the darkness. "The wind says your name is Don, which is good because I like the dawn." 

"Thank you," he said as he rose, brushing himself off. He'd said it more because he didn't know what else to really say to that. "May I ask your name, Miss?" 

"Yay manners! They're very important, you know. And yes, you may. I'm Dendra." She held out a hand to him and smiled, "Pleased to meet you." 

"The pleasure's all mine," he answered, feeling a bit bemused and utterly at a loss as to what the hell was happening. He took her hand and shook it, blinking at the force of her grip; it was almost painful! Her skin was warm, very warm, and quite smooth but not soft. It wasn't hard either but more of some sort of unyielding middle of the road. "Are you all right, Dendra?" 

She tilted her head to one side, "All right?" Then she looked up into the branches where she'd been sitting. "Oh. Oh, yes, I'm fine. See?" The strange girl threw herself backward into a flip and came up on one foot, "Ta daa!" She extended the raised foot towards him and wiggled her six long toes at him in the same manner one might give a little wave. "But aren't you sweet for asking!" 

He didn't answer for a moment, merely staring. Partly because of the dexterity and flexibility she'd just shown, partly because she had six toes which looked like they might have an additional joint in them, and partly because she was lovely and had called him sweet. Plus her quick and dramatic movement had demonstrated very well that she probably was not wearing a bra under that sweater. Don felt himself flushing a little and shrugged, "I guess I'm just not used to pretty girls falling out of trees. But I'm glad you're okay. Um, how long have you been watching me?" 

The mysterious stranger was standing over the now open wicker basket and looking at the cooler with intense interest. "Do you mean overall or just today?" She didn't wait for him to respond but looked up with another smile that made his heart lurch and his dick twitch in his jeans. It had been a long time. "I was kind of aware ever since you got into the..." She paused for a few moments, one hand making a vague, swirling gesture in the air, "I'm not sure of the word. But I really started paying attention when you touched Him." She turned her head and gazed at the ancient and gnarled tree with luminous eyes and a worshipful expression. "You spoke to Him and praised Him, which is only fair, and that really was nice. Most people who come up here wouldn't do that, even if they thought it." Dendra turned her eyes back to Don, "That made you interesting, so I started to watch." 

"Oh. Well, the tree does deserve a lot of praise. He's very impressive." She beamed at him, which deepened the flush on his cheeks, and then went back to studying his food. Don licked his lips. This was ten kinds of strange. He should be freaking out, and he really wasn't. Could this all be a put on? It didn't seem likely. He was enough of a geek and read enough fiction and mythology that he had a sneaking suspicion that...well, it just wasn't possible. Was it? "Would you like something to eat or drink? I have enough to share." 

"Why thank you! Yes, I would." She reached down and held up the bottle he'd finished off a few minutes ago. "What's this? I like the smell. Can I have one of these?" 

"Sure." Don walked around the fire and unzipped the cloth cooler to pull out the last bottle of the stout. "Here you are." He reached into his pocket for his pocketknife, "My knife has a church key on it, one second here and-"

Dendra shook her head, "I got it." She took hold of the edges of the cap and pulled with no apparent effort; there was a popping hiss as the cap bent and gave to let the pressurized gas within vent. Don stared at her again; those were not twist off caps. It shouldn't have come off and the metal edges should have torn into her fingers and left them bleeding. There didn't even seem to be a scratch on her. "Cheers!" She took a long drink and made a happy, yum sound in her throat. She swallowed and licked her lips, "Oh, how interesting! There are so many flavors!" She plopped down on his camp bed, taking another drink and then sighed, nodding as she spoke, "You people have the best things to drink. Rain water is always refreshing but it gets SO boring sometimes!" 

"I bet it does. That must be hard to deal with," he answered in a kind of daze. His brain was compiling and analyzing everything he'd seen and it added up to...well, it couldn't add up to that. 

"Yeah!" She took another long drink, "Ahhh! Can I see what else you have in here?" 

"Please, go ahead," he nodded. She grinned and giggled before digging into the wicker basket. She lifted the provided foodstuffs, lifting them and looking at them closely, sometimes sniffing and then either putting them back in the basket or on the camp bed next to her. "Um, Dendra, I have a question and I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have to ask." The unusual young woman paused in her rummaging to look at him. "But...are you a dryad?" Don felt like an idiot as soon as he said it, "You know what, forget I asked." 

"No, it's okay." She unwrapped a half a sandwich, playing a few moments with the plastic wrap before taking a bite and chewing with an almost indecent moan. "Oh," she groaned with her mouth full, "This is so good!" She attacked the sandwich with abandon, scarfing it down in a matter of moments. "Mm!" Dendra licked her lips and then smiled back at him, "I guess that's what you'd call me. I'm not Greek, and my tree isn't an oak, but it's a pretty good idea for what's going on here." 

Don felt his legs wobbling a little and slowly sank to the ground. A dryad? Impossible! But there she was. Dendra was still talking as he reached up to push his glasses back up his nose and then rub his forehead. "I mean, I'm not human certainly, and I am part of Him. It might be more accurate to call me a nature or fertility spirit...but dryad sounds nicer, so let's go with that." 

He ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head and looking down at the ground. Couldn't this still be a prank or something though? It didn't seem likely. But then what did this all mean? It made no sense at all! But maybe it did. Was she why people never came up here? A chill ran down his spine. Did she...did she do something to those who came uninvited? God, or lit a fire near her precious tree? What was this all about? What was she going to do to him? She was so strong, tough, and quick, if he ran, could he get away? Or was everything all right and would trying to run make her angry? 

"Hey." He heard her voice and looked to find her crouching down in front of him, her face on level with his and just inches away. Those pupil-less green eyes were concerned and her beautiful face was a bit sad. "Are you okay? I mean, with me and everything." There was something more in those eyes as they looked back into his earth brown orbs. "When I show up, I usually scare people, even before they really know what I am. Are you," her voice got small and soft, "are you scared? Are you going to run away? I'm sorry if I came on too strong, I was just so excited..." 

God. It might be a trick and he might be an idiot but she looked so sweet and so afraid of being rejected that it just broke his heart. Whether she was human or not, he couldn't hurt a girl's feelings like that. "No, you're fine, Dendra. Really." Don gave a faint shake of his head, "I'm not scared of you and I'm not running off. It's just...you're a lot to take in at once, that's all. But in a good way." Hoping he wasn't about to get his head slapped clean off, he reached out and ran the back of his hand over one of her cheeks with gentle tenderness. "I mean, it's not every day a girl as gorgeous as you comes around, human or not." 

Her lips slid upwards slowly into a grin and she then quirked her brow, though it was bare of any eyebrows, "Darn right! You should appreciate your luck!" Then her expression softened into a sweet smile. "Thank you for not running, and for the compliment. Not that I didn't notice you looking." 

Don flushed and looked away, "Sorry about that." 

"I don't mind." Dendra stood up and danced back a few paces to strike a pose with her back arched, arms up to tousle her long, dark, thick hair...which he now noticed didn't have beads in it but buds on it. "I've got the goods and I know it; look all you like, handsome. I like the attention." 

She was honest about it at least. Don chuckled, "Noted. Don't mind if I do, you really look great." 

She gave an enthusiastic giggle and then bounced back over to his camp bed. The dryad sat back down and patted the space next to her. "Come on over. I don't get much company. I'd love to just sit close and talk for a while before." 

He rose, "Before what?" Don came around and sat down on the cot about a foot away from the inhuman beauty. 

She shook her head and then scooted over to press herself against him. He stiffened, in more ways than one, at the feel of her plushness against him, the warmth of her body, and the smell that drifted off of her and seemed to stir his desire. "So let's talk. I want to hear all about the world away from here. I know you're off at college in some city, and that's some kind of really serious school. Tell me all about it!" 

Don had never before had such an attentive audience. Dendra was fascinated by his description of the city and of college life and asked question after question. He answered them as best he could and was soon surprised to find he was enjoying this, enjoying talking with her, immensely. She outright laughed at his jokes and seemed to enjoy needling or teasing him about his life, his friends, and his lack of a girlfriend but it was never mean or cruel. It was light and silly and after a time, he realized it was flirtatious. She was flirting with him. With him! She wasn't too subtle about it but it showed how little he knew about the romance game. She was even less subtle about their closeness. Fifteen minutes into their talk, she'd taken the bottle they were sharing out of his hand and pulled his arm around her shoulder before snugging up closer to him. 

After a time, the conversation turned to her. Dendra talked about the things she'd seen in her long life, hundreds of years by human standards, or stories the wind told her. She talked about how things had gotten so much more interesting since humans showed up and even more so when the white people came here. Times weren't always good and were often sad but there was so much going on and all these wonderful new inventions and creations. Don changed his mind a little about his earlier thoughts; the trees and the mountains might not miss man when he was gone, but Dendra would. That made him feel a little better about his species. 

She spoke especially about the land and its fertility and her lovely face was sad and grim. "It's getting harder for the people here, and the animals and even the plants too." She looked up at him, "You've heard people talking about it, right?" 

Don nodded, looking a bit surprised, "Yeah, though I thought it was just old people complaining. You mean...it is getting harder to grow things?" 

"It is." Dendra shook her head and then leaned it against his shoulder, "The fertility of the land is fading, and it fades from the soil, the beasts, the plants, even the water and the fish. More animals are born with defects or sickly and more crops die or get rot or parasites and the land itself just doesn't have the strength to give them." 

"Good God," he murmured. He gave her shoulders a consoling squeeze, already comfortable and familiar with her enough to do so. That should have bothered him but it didn't. "That's awful. Why is it happening?" 

"Well, it's because of Him." She looked over at the tree whose branches loomed over the pair. "I'm not sure how to say it in human terms but he's sort of...the boss spirit for this area in terms of nature. Its' fertility flows from Him. And it's been so long since he's flowered..." Dendra shook her head again, the buds in her hair rustling as they rubbed against each other. Holding her this close, he'd noticed that her hair wasn't actually hair but a series of very thin, flexible twigs or maybe vines, which made the buds on them more reasonable. "The last time was quite the flowering," her lips quirked into a proud smirk at that and then she sighed, "but it was a long time ago and the power of it has almost all faded away." 

Don was looking at the ancient tree. "I always wondered why he never got new leaves or flowers." He sighed and looked out over the darkened landscape, barely illuminated by the cold light of stars and moon and the fading embers of the fire. This beautiful land...would it fail entirely? What would happen to the farms and the families? Would some massive soulless farming conglomerate buy the land and squeeze the last from it? Would it be torn up in the search for coal or fracked into pieces? Or would it just get swallowed up in poverty and despair? That was already starting to happen. "It's terrible. I don't want that to happen. Is there any way to change it? Or some way to make the tree flower?" 

Dendra looked down and a small, triumphant, and frankly naughty smile crossed her lips. When she looked back up, her eyes were warm and there was a shy, sly look on her pretty face. She nibbled her lower lip, "There is a way. I can do it, but I can't do it alone." One of her small hands slid to his thigh and started to rub along it. "I need someone's help." 

He felt a rush of heat and was more aware of her and her body than he had been a moment ago. Was this what all this was about? Did she need him for some kind of ritual? "My help. Was that why you appeared to me?" 

She shook her head, "Not at first. I really was just curious. But as I watched you...I thought you might be able to. Like I said, everyone else I've shown myself to for the longest time has gotten scared and run away. When you didn't, I was hopeful, and then we talked and I decided that I liked you. And that I wanted your help but I wasn't sure how to bring it up." 

Don believed her; he didn't know that he should, but he did. God, she felt so good against him. Her smell was so...arousing. And the way she was touching him, rubbing his thigh like that. Fuck, he hoped she wasn't going to kill him or something. He'd feel like such a fucking tool. "I want to help. Is it...some kind of ritual or something? It's not a, uh, a human sacrifice thing, is it?" 

"No," she said, sniffing dismissively, her expression growing indignant "you know those stupid Aztecs and all the rest who were into that thing were totally missing the point! I mean," she stopped and then shook her head, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Then she looked back up at him with warm, hungry eyes that send a delighted shiver through him. "No, don't be afraid. You don't kill for fertility, silly human boy." 

Before he could speak again or move, Dendra had stood and then slid onto his lap, straddling him. He gasped as her plush breasts pillowed against his chest and he felt her press her crotch down and grind against his. "Fertility comes from this," and her apple blossom lips pressed to his in a tender, eager kiss. He responded without hesitation or fear, and in some corner of his mind he realized he'd wanted this to happen even if he'd felt it wouldn't. Her lips were soft and velvety and she tasted sweet. Her lips parted and they moaned together as his tongue entered her, tasting her deeply as it met her own. The kiss broke and she smiled, "Well, really it's from what comes after that for humans, at least most humans, but I think you have the general idea." 

He laughed and kissed her again, bringing a happy squeal from the nature spirit. It became a purring groan as their tongues met and dueled again, lips sealed together. He parted them just enough to speak, lips brushing hers as he did so, "You've made it pretty clear and I'm glad. I wanted this with you."

She giggled, "I know, and so do I." Dendra leaned back on his lap and jerked her head back a bit, "On the ground, Don. We have to touch the earth." 

Don chuckled, "I just think you like being dirty." He slid his hands beneath her and stood carefully, grunting with surprise at how much she weighed. The young man walked towards the trunk of the tree and then knelt, straining not to drop her, and set Dendra down on the soft grass. 

The brown skinned girl stretched and gave him a languid smile, "Yes, and I think you do too." She reached up and ran a hand down his cheek, his neck, to grab the neckline of his t-shirt. "Take it off, all of it. I want to see you. It's been more than a hundred years since I've seen a man naked and you're handsome and fit..."

He took a moment or two to slip his socks off his feet before he stood up blushing. "Haven't you seen plenty?" Don didn't wait for her to answer to obey her request, pulling his t-shirt up and over his head and tossing it aside. 

"Mm, I can't see into houses or anyplace people build unless I'm invited in," she answered, those green alone eyes scanning his chest. Don's body was hard and strong from his labors and swimming when he wasn't at the farm; leaving him with a slightly defined, muscular form. There was a thin dusting of hair on his pecs and down the middle of his chest. "Ohhh, man pelt."

Don blushed deeper, his hands pausing in unbuckling his belt. "Sorry, uh, I know it's-"

"Shush," she interrupted. "I like it. I like everything I see so far." Dendra nibbled her lower lip and her hands deftly unbuttoned her cut off shorts and one slid into them. "Ohh, but I haven't seen the best yet. Off with it all, baby." 

God damn, that was so fucking hot. He wasn't sure if he meant her touching herself looking at him or this gorgeous woman calling him "baby" like that. Don grinned and pulled the leather binding on his waist open before his hands moved to his jeans. He was always nervous about this part; it wasn't like he hadn't had a good reception in the past but still, there was a certain tension in a girl seeing your dick for the first time. "As you wish." He took a deep breath and pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs at once; his hard cock jumping free of the restraining fabric and then he straightened up to expose himself to her eyes.

"Oh. Oh, baby," Dendra sighed happily and stared openly at his manhood. "You've got the biggest root I've ever seen; long, thick, ohh, modern times are just the best! Diet, health, you never got this kind of thing in the old days." She licked her lips and sat up, "It'll feel so good, reaching deep in me, where no one's ever been before..." Then she twirled an upraised finger in a circle, "Turn around, I want to see your ass!" 




The Dryad



Don obeyed with a smile; the nature spirit's admiration of his body buoyed his spirits immensely and had caused his member to swell further towards full hardness. He should feel more nervous in any sexual encounter but in a situation as strange as this, even more so. Yet he didn't. It felt natural. He stood facing away from her for a few moments, and on a whim, wiggled his ass at her. "What do you think?" 

He could hear movement behind him and then a soft rustling, "Verrry nice! Oh, I just have to...sorry in advance!" 

Before he could ask her what she meant there was a 'crack' that carried across the hilltop loudly and a stinging pain jumped from his ass right to his cock, making it throb and jump with excitement. "Yow!" Well, he hadn't known that about himself. Don whirled, his expression shocked and his cheeks flushed, "What did you do that...uh...for." His indignation fled and he stared openly as an appreciative, leonine smile spread over his lips.

The dryad was nude now, her clothes nowhere he could see, though they were actually tossed up into some of the lower branches. Her smooth, nut-like skin was flawless and taut, particularly over her flat stomach. Her breasts were lusciously round and high orange-sized mounds of flesh that jutted into the air with pride; each lovely tit presenting a hard, pointed nipple that was the same apple blossom pink as her lips. She was kneeling with her legs spread apart, sitting up on her knees to better show off the lips of her sex, the same brown as the rest of her skin but with a hint of pinkish white beneath, glistening with wetness. A sweet, flowery scent wafted from between her legs and there was no hair to be seen on her. 

"I just couldn't resist!" Dendra shrugged and grinned, "I've heard men talking about 'slapping that ass' and heard it in songs. It's fun! And your butt feels really nice." Her grin grew as she noticed his gaze and she lifted her arms up to lift her hair over her head, piling it on top and making a pouty expression as she arched her back and puffed out her chest. "And I don't have to ask if you like what you see. But you're not just going to watch, are you?" 

Don all but pounced on her, drawing a happy laugh from the cheery woman before his lips found hers. She leaned back and let herself fall back onto her cute ass, legs unfolding and entangling with his own. Their hands wandered freely to explore and caress one another. Her warm, small fingers played over his chest and ran through the fine hair in delight, making him shudder. His own questing digits slid down her back, feeling along the lines of muscles and her spine, until he rubbed his palms over the globes of her butt and made her gasp. It became a whimper as he broke their hungry kiss and moved lower, his lips and tongue praising and following the curve of her neck and then lower still. Her head went back and she moaned softly as he kissed along her collarbones and then dipped down to plant fervent, firm kisses on her right breast. 

He made a low, growling purr in his throat as he ran the edge of his tongue along the outer curve of her pert tit. God, she felt amazing. And she was so responsive! She was writhing beneath him as he teased her modest breasts, having shifted about to press her sex down against his thigh and grind into it, leaving a wet, sticky smear on his skin. "You've got such pretty tits, Dendra," he purred, "I could grope and taste these sweets all night." 

She chuckled and one of those too strong hands ran through his hair, "Modern men love them, don't they? I don't mind; in the old days, most men would have already put it in me. I like this foreplay thing." Her eyes half lidded as he licked over her nipple, "Ohhh, I like it a lot. Mmm." 

Don didn't answer her, at least not in words. He ran the tip of his tongue over the raised texture of her areola clockwise and then back the other way. He kissed the pointed stiffness and then slid it into his mouth, wrapping his tongue about it and slithering it away before he began to suckle. Dendra cried out and arched her back, the hand in his hair gripping tightly, "Ahh! Oh!" She looked down at him and licked her lips, "Keep doing that," she pressed in a breathy, happily surprised voice. 

He pressed his face against her breast more firmly and suckled at her teat with gentle firmness. His hands moved to grope her breasts as he feasted on her nipple; he kneaded and massaged them, trying to coax more enjoyment out of the sensitive flesh for his inhuman lover. Don lifted his head only to move to her left breast and open wide, taking her nipple and as much of her tit as he could get into his mouth and sucking hard and eager at the plush flesh. 

Dendra licked her lips, her head rolling from side to side, "Oh, that's good. Never, nn, thought my tits could feel this way! I'd, hnn, have been playing with them all the time!" It looked hot too. She lifted her head up to watch him, his cheeks concave as he sucked, lips sealed around her flesh, eyes closed, paying worshipful homage to her breasts. "Suck me, Don baby, show me, ohh, what that talented mouth can do." 

He took her nipple between his teeth and lightly tugged, making her squeal, and then gave it a last lick before pulling his mouth of her breast with a slurping pop. "My pleasure, gorgeous. But you haven't felt half of what a mouth can do yet, sweet thing. Lay back and spread your legs for me, please." 

She looked a bit disappointed but also curious. "Okay, sure." The two former strangers disentangled and she scooted back a bit towards the trunk of the tree and laid back, propping herself up on her elbows to watch. Her legs opened and she smiled as she watched his eyes fall on her slick slit. Then she blinked as he lay down with his head between her legs. What was he doing? His hands ran up her legs to stroke and caress her thighs, "Ahh, Don, what are you doing?" He couldn't be...was that something humans did together? 

He just smirked and lowered his face to her sex; he could feel its heat beating on him and he breathed in deep and sighed, "God, you smell like an orchard in bloom." Don heard her hissed intake of breath as she felt his on her wetness and then he let his wet, pink tongue out between his lips and drew it from the base of her slit all the way to the very top. Fuck, and she tasted like warmed apple juice.

"FUCK SHIT COCK STOMPING!" Dendra's legs kicked and her head went back, whipping her twig-like hair through the air with a sound like a gale blowing through a willow grove. She moaned out loudly as she felt the warm, wet muscle slide back down again and then up once more, her heart seeming to almost stop in her chest, breath catching in her throat. She let out a high, strangled squeal as his tongue licked back down her slit and then up again before starting to lap at her wetness with short, quick licks. "Fuck! Oh, no one's ever, ever-hnnahh," she moaned loudly, sound carrying over and down the hillside. 

Don lifted his head, licking lips that were glossy with her juice. "That's a shame, you taste great." She smiled at that, her pupil-less green eyes a bit glazed and vague. "I'd like to keep going. Is that all right?" Some women didn't like it though, or thought it was dirty. That seemed crazy to him; just like those guys that said they'd never go down on a woman. How could they not want to taste that sweet sex or feel and hear her writhing and moaning like that? 

"Uh, uh-huh," she nodded. Then she sat up, "Oh, wait a second!" She reached down and pulled his glasses off of his face before sliding back on the ground to put her back against the trunk of the great tree. Dendra reached up to hang his glasses on a low branch and then spread her legs further apart. "This way I can watch you. Now, get that pretty face over here and lick me!" 

He pushed up to his hands and knees and crawled over to her, "Yes, ma'am." He stayed on his knees, leaving his ass up in the air, his own legs wide apart to expose his butt and his genitals, and brought his face down to her glorious snatch. One arm slid under her left leg and curled around to stroke her stomach, the other caressing her right leg. Don breathed in her aroma again before he pressed his lips to her lower ones in a sweet, firm kiss. Her groan cut off in a strangled gasp as his tongue slipped past both their lips and sank into the velvety tightness of her pussy. 

Don fed his tongue into her pussy; wriggling as far as he could into the shockingly hot, slick channel. Her flavor changed deeper inside, becoming richer and thicker, almost like the hot fluid in an apple pie. He ran his tongue over her walls, trying to taste every inch of her insides that he could reach. Dendra whimpered and writhed as she felt his tongue squirming in her, "Oh, that's so dirty! And it feels great! More!" 

He pulled his tongue out and licked her slit again. His moan mingled with hers as he used every motion and trick he'd ever used or read about to tease and explore the beautiful vagina in front of him. His head bobbed and moved from side to side as he worked; slipping over her labia, pushing past them and up to briefly tease her clit, back down to dip into her passage. She grew wetter and wetter as he eagerly ate her, his face glistening with her readiness. One of her hands slid into his hair, taking hold and urging him on silently, her breath coming in feathery, fast pants that grew closer and closer together, high and higher in pitch. 

Dendra trembled as she felt these new pleasures burst upon her. In all the centuries of her life, no one had ever done this to her before. The slippery, slick feeling of his probing, loving tongue brought more joy from her folds that her hand had ever done before and more than some lovers had ever drawn from her. His breath was cool on her wetness, sparks streaking through her as it reminded her exactly what he was doing. There was a faint scratching from his stubble, just enough to tease and add one more tingling sensation on top of the rest of it all. Every brush of those lips, every praising lick of his warm, wet muscle, and every rush of breath on her sex built and built and built her pleasure within her, higher and higher. 

Her breath was coming so fast she was almost hyperventilating, her tits bouncing more than rising and falling, her eyes wild, and her mouth open and panting. Then his tongue hit her clit again and the charge of pleasure inside her exploded past her limits and blasted like lightning through her, "AHHAHHHgghk!" Her scream cut off with a strangled sound as it went past hearing but her mouth was still opened wide, eyes screwed so tightly shut it seemed her lids might crack, her legs kicked, toes curling, and it took all the will she could muster not to yank his scalp clean off. Instead she just jerked his head into her snatch harder as her cunt gushed what left like a flood onto his face. 

The searing electric joy faded after a few moments, leaving her feeling giddy and deliciously weak. She could barely breathe and her whole being felt suffused with golden light. This made the second eruption of her pleasure all the more surprising and wonderful. Don didn't stop as she came down but took the sweet, swollen nub of her clit in his mouth and licked with determined strokes over the sensitive flesh. She registered her attentions, felt the pleasure from them, but it rose and burst before she could truly get her orgasm addled mind to acknowledge it. 

Dendra's sex quivered against him a moment before her limbs tightened up again, body shaking, a helpless, happy wail rolling out and over and down the hill. God, he loved making any woman cum, but this! He'd never seen anyone react this strongly before! Her pussy was sopping wet, her hot, apple pie glory flowing freely not only over his face but onto the ground to soak into the dirt. The hand in his hair was pulling almost painfully now and he felt a vague note of concern that maybe he should stop; she wasn't human and she seemed to be a lot stronger than she looked. Maybe he should let her ease down and relax a little, in case she hurt him by accident. 

...Fuck that.

Don started to suck on her pearl hard, flicking his tongue madly over that sweet, tender, devastating button. Her wail became a quivering shriek that sharply rose and then cut off as a third climax roared through her body before the second had ended. Her hand left his hair before both of hers reached to grab the earth on either side of them, her fingers digging furrows into it without apparent effort. Her thighs closed on his head, starting to squeeze as he continued to tongue her clit, wanting her to cum more still, to remember this, to remember him and her first oral sex for the rest of her potentially endless days. It was getting harder to breathe and her thighs squeezed tighter. Don felt a sudden stab of fear, of worry that this would be the death of him, but he kept licking all the same. 

"Ggh, duh, D-Don!" Dendra wrenched her legs apart. Fuck, she was burning down! Her whole body felt scorched with pleasure! "Saah, suh, stop," she panted, a needy whine in her voice, "please, oh, it's so good buh, but too much! Can't breathe!" 

He gave her swollen pearl a last kiss and then raised his head. From his nose down, his face practically shone with a coating of her pleasure. He licked his lips, savoring the taste of her a moment as he watched her weakly writhe against the trunk of the vast tree. His eyes were worried; had he taken it too far? "Did I overdo it? Are you okay, Dendra?" 

"O...okay?" She laughed, the sound gaining strength as it went, a deliriously happy smile on those apple blossom lips. "Okay? No, no, noooo, I'm so much better than okay." The dryad beamed down at him, her chest still rising and falling dramatically as she regained her breath. "I've never felt anything like that. So much pleasure, all at once, one after another...it was the best!" 

Don grinned and sat up on his elbows. It was hard not to feel a swell of pride at that. Though in addition to pride and happiness at her pleasure, he also felt a renewed hunger. Seeing her thrash and hearing her wail, feeling her pussy gushing, all of it made him want to experience that again but with her wet walls quaking around him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Dendra, but hopefully it'll just be second best."

She giggled and then nibbled her lower lip, ducking her head artfully, "Mm, only one way to find out, isn't there?" The slender spirit moved to plant her feet on a wide spread pair of roots and lifted herself up to a half standing position with her upper back pressed against the trunk. Don got to his feet, pumping his half hard cock and watching her intently. Her hair...it might have been his imagination but he buds looked a little bigger, as if they were starting to open. One of her delicate hands ran down her body to part the all but dripping lips of her sex and spread them, "I need you in me, Don. Join with me, seed me, give life to the land."

He groaned and his cock rose to fullness once more, flooding him with refreshed desire. "I've never wanted anything more," he said, and for all the triteness of the expression he fully meant it. Don strode up to her and then sank to his knees, leaning in to kiss her; their lips meeting in fierce anticipatory joy. He then shifted himself lower and forward, both of them gasping and then sighing as his manhood pressed against her hot pink treasure. "God, Dendra," he murmured, "you feel amazing already."  

She smirked as he sank lower, her eyes hungry and proud, "Just wait." Then she nodded and lowered herself down. The engorged head of his cock pressed to her entrance and they both shivered as she paused and held there, wiggling her hips just enough to rub her pussy over his cock, wetting and slicking him with her juices. He grunted, barely breathing, and then she let herself down and his breath burst out in a long, groaning, primal growl as he entered her. Her hot flesh spread around him, opening to his thick, long cock, tight and snug yet yielding. That scorching, sopping, silken heaven wrapped about him and engulfed more and more of his dick as she lowered herself down. The dryad moaned loudly as she impaled herself on his generous manhood, inch after inch, until at last her hips rested against his and she felt his balls against her ass. 

Both sets of eyes fluttered open and met; wondering, delighting gazes that spoke volumes in silence. Her walls gripped and seemed almost to caress him, even unmoving, and his rod fit and filled her in ways she'd not felt in a century and never so fully. They stayed so, simply joined and raptured by it, for a long minute of tender bliss. Then he pulled his hips back and her lips parted, a moan staggering out of her as he withdrew almost half of his dick and then he groaned out as he pushed back in and sank into her perfect depths. 

Don couldn't believe how good she felt; hot and slippery and just the right kind of friction rippling through him from their slightest movement. He took another slow stroke, pulling more out this time, before sinking back into her, "Fuck, Dendra, you feel so good, best I've ever, nn, imagined, let alone had."

She leaned against him, her soft tits pressing against his chest, moving to fully be sitting on his lap and straddling him. "You're pretty damn good yourself; longest, thickest root I've ever had in me before." The nature spirit rotated her hips and made them both groan before she lowered her head and kissed his neck, "Now let go and do it. No holding back, I can take it and I want it." 

He let out a throaty chuckle and drove hard into her, making her bounce up off his cock a bit, and let out a silvery, laughing shriek. Don's arms took firm hold of her hips and he began to thrust up into her with wanton, lustful need. Fast and deep he drilled up into her welcoming flesh, Dendra throwing her head back and whooping as the slap of their bodies coming together made a steady, pounding rhythm in the starlit night. Again and again and again he launched into her wet channel, snug about his plunging prick, hugging and squeezing his as he fucked her. 

His hips moved as he thrust up, the angle of his plundering cock just enough different each time to touch new parts of her and make pleasure blossom within her in hew ways. She crowed with delight, her legs working to bounce her on his lap and bring her down to meet his thrusts, trying to drive him yet deeper into her core. "Oh, that's good! So good, keep, ahn! Keep it up, Don baby!" She bit her lip and her arms tightened around his shoulders, Dendra hugging herself to him. She let out a whine, pumping herself up and down faster yet. So close already!

Don grunted and groaned as he hammered up into her, the slurping slap of their coupling coming faster and faster, "Dendra," he gasped, "so fucking great! Can't, ugnn, God, fuck! Can't believe it!" Over and over and over they came together, his cock hammering home, driving deep into the center of her being, plunging almost into her very core itself. "Baby, I'm-"

"I know, me too," she yelped. "Don't stop!" 

He snarled his understanding, her head going back and his back arching as he pistoned in and out of her as hard and fast as he could muster. Fuck, fuck, he was getting so close! God! Not yet, hold on, just a little longer! The tension growing behind his balls grew and grew, a wild and desperate thrill building with it. She whimpered and bounced her hips frantically, her head shaking back and forth as she rushed towards her own joy. Fuck! Hold on, hold on, just...a little...guh, more! 

She screamed and bent away from him, head flung with eyes staring wide upward before screwing shut, her back arching in a perfect curve, her limbs trembling. Her pussy went mad around him; spasming, clenching, spurting her joy onto his thighs as she creamed. Dendra rode him still, driving herself further in the midst of her orgasm, reaching out to grab his face and wrench his gaze to hers, "Cum in me now! NOW!" 




The Dryad



"UGgh!" Don's eyes rolled back in his head, though he did not, could not, break his gaze from her. His whole body seemed to explode through his cock; all of him swelling and rushing madly up through it and into her. His sense, his whole mind was blasted away by sensation; leaving him dimly aware of his member swelling and then spurting a torrent of thick, gooey, sticky, heavy cum deep into her belly, squirting and coating and filling her womb. "Dendraaaa, lover, all of it, you, yours!" 

"YES!" Her voice was triumphant and soaked in pleasure. The dryad let out a rising wail as he came. And came and came; Don felt his cock continuing to tremble, to fire more and more into her. Impossibly more, more than he ever could have fired at once! And yet it kept shooting, kept filling her, kept rattling his bones with body drenching, mind blasting pleasure. His eyes screwed shut, mouth helplessly open, Don awash and barely aware in the throes of this impossible climax. "Life, in me! In us! Life renewed!" 

There was a tremendous burst of sound; a rustling as though a thousand birds had gone to wing all at once and the area darkened as there was a sudden creaking of wood taking weight. The air was suddenly full of a bright and heavy flowery smell, so thick in the air it was almost choking him. Don shook, feeling himself finally starting to fall down from the peak, to feel the ridiculous power of his orgasm fleeing him as his dick shot another, and another, and one last gout of sperm into Dendra. 

He fell back onto the earth, panting, weak as a kitten. Don lay there a few moments, eyes closed and feebly moving. "God," he whispered, her voice almost hoarse, "Dendra...never...so strong, so much...you're ama...amazing. Best lover I've ever had." 

She chuckled and he groaned as she lowered herself on top of him, his softening cock still within her for the moment. "We're amazing together...though I am pretty great on my own, you're right." She cuddled against him, Don slowly lifting his arms to hold her. 

He frowned slightly, something soft brushing his chin and tickling at his neck. There was a different flowery smell now, close, as if it were coming from the dryad herself. Don opened his eyes and looked down and then gasped. "D-Dendra! Your hair!" 

"Mm-hm." The petite magical creature beamed up at him, "You did it, Don. Well, we did it." The buds in her hair were no more; instead her beautiful face was now adorned with a glory of newly sprouted leaves of bright, rich green and pink-white flowers like and yet unlike those of apple blossoms. Her hair was no longer a dark mass but now a brilliant mane composed of spring time beauty. Dendra pushed herself up, her hands braced on his chest, her tits deliciously framed and pressed together by them. "Look up." 

Don blinked and followed her gaze up above them and he gasped again, "Holy fuck." Maybe it had been, literally. He could not see the stars anymore, or most of the branches of the tree; they could not be seen because of the leaves and blossoms that were in the way. For the first time in his life, he looked upon the ancient tree in bloom. Leaves like none he had ever seen before moved in a strengthening breeze that washed over the hilltop and a sweet scent like every flower he'd ever smelled but all its own wafted from the blossoms and was carried away. "We did that?"

"We sure did, handsome," she grinned. "He's bloomed and He's stronger now than he has been in centuries. Fertility and life will come back to the land, the waters, the beasts, right away." Dendra sighed and laid herself back down on top of Don. "Pretty good for a hot outdoor fuck, huh?"

"Yeah." Don was silent for a few minutes, just holding her and letting his mind process all that had happened. Fuck, he felt so tired. He wanted to sleep but his mind just kept working. What did this all mean? After a while, he spoke, "I don't know what to say or do now. I mean, do I just go back to my normal life after this? What about...us?" God, that sounded lame. 

"If you don't know what to say, then don't say it," Dendra answered. She lifted up just enough to kiss him and then press her forehead against his. "It'll become clearer. I took a lot out of you, so for now," her green eyes met his and he felt dizzy, like he was falling into them, "just sleep." 

It was warm and birds were chirping and singing around him. The warm heat of spring beat down upon the hilltop and only the shade he was in made it comfortable. Don blinked and sunlight stabbed at his eyes for the brief moment they were open, "Gh!" It was morning? Daytime, at least. 

Don sat up on the camp bed, shaking his head slowly. He was naked and the warm breeze felt sweet and soft on his bare skin. He didn't wonder if last night was a dream. His hips felt sore from where Dendra had been bouncing on his lap and he could still taste her faintly on his lips. And there was the tree. In daylight, the change wrought on it was even more spectacular. The sky reaching and spreading arms that looked grasping and skeletal before were now verdant and seemed not to claw at the sky but to hold it up. The branches waved and rocked in the wind with a merry rustle and he felt a sense of welcome regard directed at him. He stood up bemused and inclined his head at the truck of the great tree, "Happy to be of service, sir." 

"You're awake! Good timing!" Dendra's voice came from directly behind him, making him jump halfway out of his skin. She laughed as he turned around. Her glorious leaf and flower hair was brushed back over her shoulders and she was dressed again, wearing the Daisy Duke shorts from yesterday and his Avengers t-shirt over her pert tits and her swollen belly. "Your Grandma's wondering where you are, missing breakfast and all, and seeing the tree flowering she's on her way here." The dryad walked over and flopped onto his camp bed again, kicking one leg up. "You probably don't want to be naked when she gets here." 

Don had barely heard her. He was gaping at the stunning nature spirit, at her hair, at her wearing his shirt, and then at her belly. He'd seen that look before; she looked like a pregnant woman about four months in. "Dendra, you...are you pregnant?" He wanted that to have been smoother, but it had just ended up blurting out that way.

She laughed, "You should see your face! I am, but not in the way you're thinking." The perky dryad winked, "You're not going to be a Daddy, Don. It's a...reflection of things in the spirit world and I am not about to try and explain it. Don't worry, okay? No shotgun weddings or babies left on doorsteps are in your future." 

"Oh, okay." He felt ashamed at the relief that washed over him. "Um, I'm sorry, it's not that I wouldn't want that with you, it's just-"

"Oh, just get dressed, human! You've got an inbound gramma, don't forget." Dendra smiled at him as he started to find and then pull his clothes on. "But I know what you mean; I can feel it. We're connected now, you know. We've shared and birthed life together." She hopped to her feet. "I have to go. Not only because I totally do NOT want to explain this to your grandmother but there're things now I have to do on the other side with the land being revitalized. Not the dead "other side" but the spirit world "other side," just to be clear." 

He buttoned his jeans and felt an obscure pang in his chest. "I guess that makes sense. So, uh, will I see you again?" 

"You better!" Dendra stepped up to him and handed him a fresh t-shirt from his backpack, one of his flannels now tied around her waist. "Don't get all sappy. Tree joke, get it?" She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly, "I'll be busy for a while so maybe not again for the next few weeks. But whenever you're back here, come to me. You'll always be welcome and safe here, under His and my protection. And I'll want to see you and talk with you and all the rest." 

"All the rest," he asked, smirking a little. 

"And how," she answered. "Now, before you start worrying, I'm not "claiming" you or anything. Away from here, you live your life. Meet girls, or boys if you want, have fun, be happy. But when you come back here...come to me." 

"I will." He took her hands in his, "I've thought about talking to Grandpa about taking over the farm from my uncles when they get older. If I do-"

"If you do, you should do it for yourself, not just to be with me. Though that's totally sweet of you," Dendra said. She stepped away from him, tucking her hands behind herself. "But if you do, maybe something more...permanent can happen."

"Maybe." Don smiled, "At the very least, I'll invite you into the house." 

"Oh, great! I'd love to watch some TV. I hear people talking about it all the time!" Dendra grinned, "And I'd love to try out a bed." She nibbled her lower lip and a coy expression came into those pure green eyes, "But not for sleeping. Well, yes, but afterward." 

Before he could answer, he heard his grandmother's voice calling his name. Don turned to see her at the base of the hill, "Hey, Grandma! I'll be down in a minute." 

He turned back to Dendra, "I should-" The dryad was gone, no trace of her to be seen. Don smiled and shook his head. "You love the big entrances and exits, don't you?" He tugged the shirt she'd offered him on and looked around the hilltop. "Thank you. I'll miss you, but I'll be back soon." As he walked away, he felt a faint pressure along his jawline; a phantom caress. Then he jumped as he felt a phantom ass grab, "Whoa! Damn it, Dendra, are you trying to make me fall down the hill?" 

There was no answer, save for a faint giggle on the breeze. He smiled and then turned away and started to make his way carefully down the hill to where his grandmother was waiting. Don looked out from that high place as he went down. 

God, it was beautiful land. Even more so now; colors seemed richer, the air cleaner and sweeter. But for all that beauty, it was no longer the land that would draw him back as often and as soon as he could return.