Roswell Fanatics

In The Beginning
Part 11


The world lived within a moment.

A heartbeat.

A blink.

An act of faith.

And each moment built upon the last, a heartbeat becoming a pulse, a blink clearing the eye in order to see, an act of faith tearing down walls and forging new bonds. As Kyree’s hand swung upwards, Max caught him in a tight grasp.

For a moment frozen in time, Kyree hung suspended from Max’s arm, dangling nearly one hundred feet in the air with nothing below him but jagged rocks and a painful death, and then Max pulled upwards, using every ounce of strength within him, lifting the dead weight inch by agonizing inch.

His muscles strained and bunched, protesting the burden of flesh, muscle, and bone hanging from his arm. Beads of perspiration sprang up on his brow, dripped into his eyes, down his nose. He blinked back the salty sting, jaw clenched, concentrating solely on the life he held in his hand.

A roar built inside Max’s chest, strained against his lungs, erupted from his throat in a bellow that echoed through the hills. The burst of adrenaline it sparked gave him the extra strength he needed to drag Kyree’s body the remaining distance, hauling him up and over the top. They both collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, hearts racing, muscles quivering.

Max sprawled onto his back. He’d be sore tonight, already his muscles were tightening from the unaccustomed strain. He felt good, though, really good. Or he would as soon as his heart quit racing.

Rising to his elbows, Max looked over at the man he’d saved. Kyree had struck a similar pose, except somewhat more engaged with the ground. Not surprising, considering his recent plight. When Kyree lifted his head to look at Max, his previous rancor no longer flamed from his eyes, or reeked from his pores. Resentment and jealousy were gone, or at least were taking a back seat for the moment. His once harsh looks and angry grunts no longer resonated.

Kyree sat up, struggled for a moment with some internal conflict, then darted a look at Max and let out a conciliatory puff of breath. “Auck.”

Max offered him a friendly grin. “You’re welcome.”

Alee burst out of the trees chatting up a storm, none of which Max could understand. No fool, the chatty fellow had backtracked and found an easier way to the top of the ridge, one that wouldn’t require death defying leaps or the assistance of gods.

Now that the animosity that had been flowing from Kyree ever since their first meeting was finally gone, Max was witness to another side of the man, one that wasn’t surly at all. Alee dragged Kyree to his feet and wrapped him in a bear hug, slapping his back, while Kyree’s normally sour countenance was transformed by a wide grin, reeling off a string of words, more said in this one sterling moment than he’d uttered in the last three days combined.

LeeLee’s turn was next, her tone scolding one moment, then melting into compassion colored by the nervous relief of friends almost lost. She, too, hugged Kyree, while Alee turned his attention to Max, offering a hand to help him to his feet.

Max accepted the offering, ignoring the pain in his taxed shoulder as the young man yanked him to his feet. Relieved chatter filled the air in two languages, though there was no lack of understanding. For the first time since their little band came together, they were all on equal footing, with no acrimony between them.

A moment in time where bonds were forged, and friendships blossomed.

* * * * *

Max studied a pile of sticks heaped on a cleared swath of ground, looking at it from various angles, trying to decide his next move. He calculated the physics of it in his mind, silently contemplating thrust and inertia, propulsion and impetus, which move would offer the least resistance. With a straightening of his shoulders, decision made, he leaned forward, biting on his lower lip as he pinched a twig between his finger and his thumb and slowly, with infinite care, attempted to pull it from the pile. Holding his breath, just when he thought he was home free, the pile collapsed, much to the delight of his two companions.

Kyree and Alee howled with laughter, pointed at Max and then howled some more, while Max looked on in good natured defeat – he’d lost the game again.

He sat back, three losses in a row were enough to bruise any man’s ego, though to his defense he was new to the game. Despite his losses, it’d been a worthy effort, and it’d afforded an opportunity to get to know his companions better.

He’d known from the onset that Alee was an amicable sort, easy going, quick with a smile or a laugh, but he’d been surprised to find a similar demeanor in Kyree. The man had seemed so surly from the start, even violent as the crack on the skull attested, but now, as animosity receded, Kyree’s true nature was coming to the front, and Max could now see what had bonded these three as friends. When Kyree wasn’t being a jealous jerk, he was quite a friendly fellow.

“Ahtu,” Alee gathered the sticks up to play again.

“Noh,” LeeLee stepped within their circle and knocked the twigs aside. She’d finished packing away the leftover food after their midday meal, and now she stood with her hands on her hips, daring them to argue with her.

Alee scrambled to his feet and grabbed his hunting pack. Kyree did the same, although with a bit more grumbling, as if to say “You’re not the boss of me,” despite the fact there was no denying who was in charge here. Max grabbed his pack too and hooked a strap over his shoulder.

Facing LeeLee, he said, “All set. Lead the way.”

Two hours later, walking through the tall grasses of a small meadow, Max picked a wildflower and held it out to LeeLee. “What do you call this?”

LeeLee took the flower and held it to her nose, breathing in the fragrant scent of the velvety textured bud. “Kutahba.”

“Kutahba?” Max echoed, and when she nodded, he picked another to add to the first. “Flower,” he pressed it into her hand. “A pretty flower for a pretty girl.”

“Fa-lauw-rrr.”

“Flower,” Max said more smoothly.

“Fa-lauwer.”

“Better,” Max smiled, grinning even harder as she continued to practice.

“Pit-ty flower,” she sniffed at the white petals again.

They moved through the meadow, leaving the tall grass behind as they entered a denser stretch of terrain. Trees reached skyward, foliage thickened around them, the ground sloped upward again, although, to Max’s relief, not to the same degree as before. The amount of foliage suggested an improved water source; increased precipitation, perhaps, or a nearby river, or stream?

LeeLee broke off a dangling piece of greenery and held it out to Max. “What this?”

“It’s a leaf,” Max turned the broad foliage over in his hand, tracing a finger along the veins.

“Lee-if.”

“That’s right,” he nodded, shifting his gaze to her again. “Leaf.”

She’d been doing this for days now, asking him the name of things, sharing the matching translation. Her vocabulary was growing by the hour.

“Layah,” she said, taking the leaf from him and tickling his nose with it. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, their sparkling eyes and smiling lips slowly changing from humorous to something filled with simmering emotion. They came to a stop in the shadow of the trees, both of them feeling the pull of attraction.

“Layah,” he mumbled, eyes traveling over her face, feeling her body press against his. He let the leaf fall to the ground, freeing his fingers to thread through her hair.

His lips descended slowly, a thrill of anticipation coursing through him, would he experience a repeat of that earlier experience? Of that peek inside her mind, and heart?

For a fraction of a moment he paused, less time than the tick of a heartbeat, only a breath away from her lips, and then the moment merged into the next, where heartbeats become one, and breathing no longer matters. His lips covered hers in a sustained kiss; his hand cupped the back of her head to hold her close.

An intense emotion swept through him, of wanting and being wanted, of peace and the rightness of all things. He had come across the stars to find this, for, even though he couldn’t remember his past, he knew this was something he’d never experienced before, not this deep soul-binding connection. When their lips parted, he wasn’t the only one left breathless.

LeeLee let out a sigh and slowly opened her eyes. She touched his lips and sighed again. “Kiss.”

“That’s right,” he smiled, pressing his forehead against hers. “What’s it called in you’re language? Ohtu?”

She shook her head, and at first he thought she didn’t understand, and then her meaning became clear. She didn’t have a word for ‘kiss’. Was it not part of her vocabulary?

“You don’t have kissing?” he asked.

“More kiss!” she insisted, cupping her hand behind his head and pulling him down.

They might have stayed there kissing for the rest of the day if it hadn’t been for a stifled shout, and an answering squeal. Max lifted his head to listen, then grabbed LeeLee’s hand and inched forward to see what the commotion was all about.

As they emerged from the trees, the sight before him explained many things to Max. On the long journey to this place he’d wondered why these people lived so far away from the inland sea, where water was plentiful, and game roamed the plains in abundance. Seeing what lay before him, he now thought he understood.

A waterfall of majestic proportions crashed down from a height of three hundred feet or more, creating a pool of sparkling water at its base before flowing southward and disappearing into the trees. In the shadow of the waterfall was a small village, with grass huts and thatched roofs, and people milling about, staring in their direction. Max held on tightly to LeeLee’s hand.

“Is this your home?” he asked.

“Naveea," she said, gazing over the tranquil setting. “Home.”

A swarm of children shouted and pointed in their direction, drawing the attention of the adults. Before long, they were surrounded by both those welcoming their tribesmen home, and those curious about whom they’d brought with them.

For Max, it was the start of another adjustment period, where his loyalty and mettle would be tested, and judged.




tbc…

Smac wrote: I was getting all excited about the thought of a Caveman Max.....umm yummy! Then I saw this was only rated Mature..ah damn!

I think we'd all like to see Max go Caveman on LeeLee, claiming her as his the way only Max can do, but alas, I wanted this story to be something everyone could enjoy, and not everyone likes to read x-rated erotica. So 'Mature" is as explicit as this story will get. Hope you all won't be too disappointed!




In The Beginning
Part 12


The village buzzed with an undercurrent of excitement as Max walked into the heart of the encampment. He knew he must look strange to them, dressed in woven cloth instead of hides, with short hair and a relatively clean face, and pale skin, at least the parts that weren’t sunburned. Small children hid behind adult legs, looking at him with curious dark eyes, while the adults actively gawked at him. He smiled as he made eye contact with various members of the tribe, offering a friendly, “Hi,” or “Hello,” not really expecting anything in return.

Twenty feet away a group of young boys stood close together, watching the newcomer and whispering. Max saw one of them break away and race into one of the thatched huts. A moment later the hide flap lifted and a stocky man emerged, dressed in heavy hides and carrying a sturdy spear. The villagers fell silent as he crossed the hard-packed dirt in long strides, eyeing the new arrivals, sweeping an authoritative gaze over Kyree, then Alee, then LeeLee, and then finally coming to rest on Max.

His bearing, and the manner in which the other members of the tribe deferred to him, led Max to believe this was their chief – the man in charge. The look on his face was easy for Max to read: “Who is this stranger, and why did you bring him here?”

Alee, ever the talker, was the first to speak, but the tribal leader waved his hand to silence him. Moving past Kyree, he came to a stop directly in front of LeeLee, grunting a command. She held her ground without intimidation, words rolled off her tongue in quick bursts. Max listened as LeeLee summarized an account of their last 10 days, though most of it flew over his head. As the minutes passed, he got the distinct impression that the big guy wasn’t thrilled with the story, or with Max’s presence here. Distrust rolled off him in waves.

Having heard enough, the leader raised his spear and barked out a command. Max felt strong hands grab his upper arms, and then he was forcefully led across the camp.

* * * * *

The sun beat down from a cloudless sky, though not as hot as Max had experienced on the plains. Not far away, the sound of the waterfall tumbling into the pristine pool at its base might have been soothing, if he hadn’t been so preoccupied.

A spider-like creature as big as his hand, with a segmented body and furry extensions, climbed across Max’s foot. His reaction was instantaneous, one of revulsion laced with a modicum of fear – that stinger looked big enough to put an eye out. He shook his foot wildly to dislodge it, which only succeeded in making it jump from his foot to his leg. With the thing advancing up his thigh, his first instincts were to knock it off with his hand and run like hell, but that wasn’t an option right now, not tied up to a stake like he was. From his position sitting on the ground, with his back to a post and his hands tied behind him, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Hey,” Max called out to a young man, a boy really, who’d been assigned to guard him. “Can you get this thing off me?”

The boy looked at the stranger, then at the spider, then around and behind him to see if anyone else was watching. There was a wariness to the boy’s face, a distrust probably earned.

“Hey,” Max tried to keep his voice smooth and steady. The afternoon sun beat down on him making sweat form in dark circles under his arms, or maybe it was because the spider-thing was now traversing his lap and heading up his chest. “I’m not gonna hurt you or anything,” he pleaded with the boy, ‘but I really need your help!”

When the boy still didn’t move, Max searched his mind for a word the kid might understand.

“Mata!” he blurted out when the first of eight hairy legs touched the exposed skin of his chest. “Mata! C’mon kid, help me! Mata!”

Max realized his mistake when the boy’s eyes shot open wide. “No, not mata. Mata’s wrong. I don’t want you to eat me, I want you to help me. What’s the right word?”

The boy looked at a nearby hut where voices were rising and falling. Angry voices. Plaintive voices. Max knew they were arguing about him.

LeeLee was in that hut. As were his travel companions Kyree and Alee. And the big guy, the leader of the tribe: Oranee. They were in there deciding his fate, but Max had more immediate problems. It wouldn’t matter what the Chief decided if the spider got him first.

“C’mon, kid!”

Two hairy legs on his chest. Three. Max squirmed. Was it going to climb inside his clothes?

Earlier, he hadn’t resisted when the Chief – or whatever he called himself – had ordered his detainment. There was evidence in the camp of a recent struggle – burned out huts in the process of being rebuilt, and tribe members with healing bruises and scabbed over cuts and abrasions. It was only natural for them to be suspicious of a stranger.

At the time, he’d been reasonably sure LeeLee and his companions would explain he wasn’t a threat, and he’d be assimilated into the tribe. He was the stranger here – a Vootu – asking them for acceptance. Using his powers against the leader of the tribe hadn’t seemed prudent at the time. Now, tied up and helpless, with a gigantic spider crawling into his flight suit, he couldn’t use his powers if he tried.

“Mahtra,” Max tired again. “For the love of god, get this thing off me!”

The boy moved forward, clutching his spear tightly in his hand. He looked from Max’s pleading face, to the spider that had changed direction and was now crawling up Max’s throat.

“Please, kid. Mahtra.”

The boy drew back his spear, and in less than a heartbeat Max’s expression turned from desperate pleading to eye popping fright. Was the kid gonna spear him?

“Wait, kid wait!” Max shouted, but the boy was fast. It was over before Max’s echo finished reverberating through the treetops. Tense, unmoving, with his back pressed hard against the post behind him, Max waited to feel the pain.

A grin broke across the boy’s smooth features. He pulled back his spear revealing the hideous spider, skewered through its midsection, legs quivering in a death throe.

“Wow,” Max finally managed to croak out. “You’re good.”

The boy, seemingly pleased with himself, turned and ran into the village brandishing the speared spider in front of him. Shaking with relief, on the verge of feeling giddy, Max called out, “I hope that’s not tonight’s dinner!”

* * * * *

In the hut, Oranee was seething with anger. LeeLee could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. Their tribe was still reeling from the most recent attack by a neighboring clan – an attack in which Oranee’s own father had been killed – and he’d been forced into the role of tribal leader, something he hadn’t expected to be saddled with so soon. And now she’d brought a stranger into their midst. Oranee was neither willing, nor able, to accept the Vootu based on the word of a girl.

“Augh,” he growled, throwing his hands up in the air. He spun away from LeeLee, heading toward the exit of the hut.

A tremor went up LeeLee’s spine when she saw what he held in his hand. A black onyx cutting stone, honed to hair splitting sharpness. What was he going to do with it?

“Oranee!” she called out, chasing after him.

* * * * *

Max sat on the ground with the warm sun beating down on him, working at the rawhide restraints that still held his hands tied behind his back. He thought the bounds had loosened a little, at least enough to improve the circulation in his hands, though not enough to wiggle free. Not that he had any intention of trying to escape the camp. Where would he go? Where could he run? He had no past to go back to, and here, with LeeLee, seemed infinitely better than going it on his own. Now if she could just convince the big chief man to let him stay.

Nearby, Max noticed he’d attracted a gathering. Five or six young boys squatted on the ground, talking among themselves while keeping an eye on him. Behind the boys, a stream of girls walked by, adolescents, and young women, dressed in various types of hides, some exposing more skin than others. They watched the newcomer with keen interest.

“Hey, it’s hot out here. Anybody got any water? I’m dying of thirst here.”

The boys looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders and shaking their heads. The girls whispered and giggled.

“Water,” Max said again. “Veyah. Lots and lots of veyah. My kingdom for some veyah!”

One of the boys climbed to his feet. As he approached, Max recognized him as spider boy.

“Hey, it’s you again. Hi. Thanks for before.”

The boy untied a pouch that hung from his loincloth. Holding it out, he said, “Veyah?”

Max licked his lips in anticipation. “Kid, you’re a lifesaver.”

The boy untied the end of the pouch and poured a stream of cool water into Max’s open mouth. Max gulped it down, not caring how much dribbled down his chin, or splashed on his chest.

“Thanks,” he said when he had his full.

The boy returned to his friends, but not before Max saw the pleased look that lit his face.

A few minutes later, while Max was contemplating the best way to assimilate into the clan, the flap on the Chief’s hut was thrown back and the tribal leader emerged, jaw clenched, eyes aflame, holding a sharp cutting stone in his hand. Max felt his stomach tighten as the Chief stormed in his direction.

For the second time that day, Max found himself questioning his decision to take a passive role. It seemed simple at the time: Let them tie him up until LeeLee could convince them he wasn’t a threat. Non-aggression could play in his favor. Besides, who was he to come into an existing social structure and make demands? No, this situation demanded diplomacy and finesse, not head-butting.

Even so, the savage look on the Chief’s face had Max questioning his instincts.

“Oranee,” LeeLee scurried out of the hut, following on the Chief’s heels.

The stocky man’s shadow fell menacingly over Max.

The gawking girls and young women took refugee behind the huts, safe from the impending confrontation. The boys rose to their feet, huddling close together to see what was going to happen to the stranger.

“Oranee!” LeeLee shouted. Kyree and Alee followed behind her.

Oranee dropped to his knees, eyelevel in front of his captive, looking like a man ready to slay his enemy. Max hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms, but he hadn’t envisioned being sliced and diced either. Instincts told him to do whatever it took to ensure his own survival.

Max reached inside himself to harness his powers, within a blink of an eye from using them to cast his assailant on his ass, when Oranee reached around him and sliced through his rawhide restraints, releasing him from his bonds.

Max rubbed at the abrasions on his wrists. He looked between the Chief and LeeLee, uttering, “Thanks.”

LeeLee smiled, with a silent “Your welcome” on her lips.

Oranee grunted, and hauled Max to his feet. Evidently, today wasn’t his day to die. Or to be set free, either. Oranee’s large paw grabbed his upper arm.

Right or not, Max had assumed he’d stay with LeeLee. That she would be the one accountable for his actions while he settled in to this new environment, while he proved his mettle and made a place for himself within the tribe.

He never thought the Chief might have other plans for him.




tbc…

Well, I'm back from vacation, and my internet problems appear to be fixed, so maybe I can get back on a weekly posting schedule again. Has everyone forgotten what this story is even about? I’ll repost the end of the last chapter as a reminder, (Max, a big ol hairy spider, tied to a stake, big chief man headed Max’s way) then on with the story…


From Part 12

Oranee dropped to his knees, eyelevel in front of his captive, looking like a man ready to slay his enemy. Max hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms, but he hadn’t envisioned being sliced and diced either. Instincts told him to do whatever it took to ensure his own survival.

Max reached inside himself to harness his powers, within a blink of an eye from using them to cast his assailant on his ass, when Oranee reached around him and sliced through his rawhide restraints, releasing him from his bonds.

Max rubbed at the abrasions on his wrists. He looked between the Chief and LeeLee, uttering, “Thanks.”

LeeLee smiled, with a silent “Your welcome” on her lips.

Oranee grunted, and hauled Max to his feet. Evidently, today wasn’t his day to die. Or to be set free, either. Oranee’s large paw grabbed his upper arm.

Right or not, Max had assumed he’d stay with LeeLee. That she would be the one accountable for his actions while he settled in to this new environment, while he proved his mettle and made a place for himself within the tribe.

He never thought the Chief might have other plans for him.







In The Beginning
Part 13


Max tugged at the rawhide collar around his throat. It wasn’t tight enough to hamper his breathing, but it chaffed his skin, especially when Kyree tugged on it. Which he did. A lot. The caveman seemed to enjoy leading Max around like a dog.

It’d been this way for a week now, living under “house arrest” in Kyree’s hut, a forced indentured servant for the tribe. He did whatever they asked without complaint; they were testing him and he knew it. Eventually, if he proved his worth, he’d be accepted into the clan. Already people were calling him by his name, Max, instead of Vootu, stranger. He thought that was a good sign.

Only his short hair and sunburned skin distinguished him from the others. He’d washed and folded away the remnants of his tattered flight suit a few days ago and adopted the tribe’s style of dress. Skins and hides. A tanned loincloth, although more revealing than the flight suit he was accustomed to wearing, proved more than adequate coverage considering the warmth of the air.

Kyree entered the hut and tossed an empty water pouch at Max, demanding, “Veyah.” A second pouch landed at Max’s feet followed by another barked order. “Veyah Oranee.”

Max picked the pouches up from the dirt floor and waited for Kyree to untie him. Tugging on the rawhide leash, Kyree shook his finger in Max’s face, winked, and then chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t think of running away.”

Kyree plopped himself on a pallet of soft hides while Max went to complete his assigned chores. He lifted the flap of the hut, immediately scanning the village for a glimpse of LeeLee. He saw her everyday, but didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with her to suit him. Failing to see her, he wondered if she’d been sent on another hunt, and if so, how long she’d be gone.

Max made the trek across the village to the waterfall where he filled the two pouches with clear, cool water. Bags topped and tied off, Max took a few extra minutes to wash up, splashing water on his face, up his arms, over his chest. It didn’t get him as clean as he would have liked, but it’d have to do for now.

Rising to his feet, he shook his arms and his head, spraying drops of water into the air, then picked up the pouches and headed toward Oranee’s hut. He paused at the open flap.

“Oranee? I have your water. Veyah. Do you want me to bring it in?”

When he received no answer he placed the pouch inside the open doorway of the empty hut. As he turned to leave he noticed a small crowd had formed not too far away; a group of women kneeling in a circle, with children standing around, watching something, or someone. Curiosity drove him to investigate.

As he neared, he heard a moan of pain, and the sound of worried voices. At the center of the circle was a young woman on the ground, belly full with child. He recognized the mother-to-be as Mauree, tribal leader Oranee’s young mate, a woman not much older than LeeLee.

He’d seen her earlier in the day, pausing in the doorway of her hut with one hand pressing against her back and the other cupping her belly, and at the time he’d wondered if she was okay, but then she’d straightened and gone inside. That she was in labor now was evident by the sound of her moans, and the strain on her face. The blood coloring her thighs and soaking into the ground beneath her said she was in trouble.

Max didn’t have to think twice. He moved into the center of the circle and knelt beside the stricken woman. He placed his hands on her belly, feeling the spasm of a contraction ripple through her, searching with his mind for the source of her distress.

As the contraction ended, her hand gripped his arm, their eyes met. “Mahtra. Mahtra neelo.”

Neelo. It was a word he wasn’t familiar with, but he had no problem deciphering it. Mahtra neelo. Help her baby. He scooped his hands underneath her and picked her up.

With the women chattering around him, Max carried Mauree to her hut and took her inside. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim interior, finding a pallet of soft furs to lay her down on.

“Go find LeeLee,” Max said to one of the women who had followed him into the hut. “Find LeeLee.” To a second woman he instructed her to find water. “Veyah. I need Veyah.”

They looked from Max to Mauree, obviously not wanting to leave her, but they couldn’t do anything to help her, and he could. But before he could do that, he needed them out of the hut.

“Go,” he pushed them out of the door. “Get LeeLee. Get Veyah. Now.”

He closed the flap to the hut to keep them outside, but there was more than enough light for him to do what needed to be done. He returned to Mauree’s side.

“Neelo,” she said in a voice sounding weak and tired. She’d lost a lot of blood.

“Yes,” he patted her hand. “I’m going to help you and your baby, but first I want you to go to sleep for a while. I promise, when you wake up, this will be all be over and you’ll have a healthy little boy to take care of.” He lifted his hand from her belly and touched her right temple. “Go to sleep, and everything will be all right.”

As soon as Mauree’s eyes drifted closed Max went to work. His hands cupped the swell of her belly assessing her condition, confirming what he’d sensed outside. A torn placenta, partially blocking the birth canal, making a normal delivery impossible. He’d have to work fast.

His hands gave off a yellow glow as he healed the detached placenta. He had to concentrate hard, without connecting through her eyes it was more difficult to see inside her, but he thought this way was better. Afterwards, she’d never know there was something ‘otherworldly’ about it.

A few minutes later Max let out a gasp, satisfied that the placenta was repaired, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. The baby was still in trouble. He touched Mauree’s temple again to bring her out of her alien induced sleep; he’d needed her awake for the rest of the delivery.

The flap of the hut lifted and he turned, hoping to see LeeLee, but instead his sight was filled with a massive fist heading straight for his face. It connected with his jaw, flinging him backwards.

“Oranee, wait!” Max backpedaled, trying to escape the wraith of the tribal leader. It was no secret how protective the chief was of his mate. Rage colored Oranee’s face. A Vootu wasn’t allowed to touch his woman.

“I’m trying to help her,” Max tried to explain. “Mahtra Mauree.”

Oranee grabbed Max by the collar around his neck, yanking him upwards. On the bed of skins, Mauree let out a painful moan. Oranee paused with his fist cocked.

“Oranee …”

The two men looked at the stricken woman. Her hand reached out, but the next words out of her mouth surprised them both. “Shamah, mahtra neelo.”

Shamah, Max wondered? Who was she calling Shamah? His eyes grew even wider when he realized they were both looking at him.

Oranee released his grip on Max’s collar and stepped back just as a shadow fell across them. Max turned to see a silhouette standing in the doorway, and relief flooded through him as he instantly recognized the shape, her stance, the very air that shimmered around her.

“LeeLee! Quick,” Max latched on to her familiar presence. “Mauree’s in labor. You have to help me deliver this baby.” He might be skilled at fixing things inside the body, but getting the baby out was another matter. He’d never delivered a baby in his life.

LeeLee looked from Mauree’s tense form, to Max’s worried face, to Oranee’s guarded countenance. “Help? Bay-bee?”

Mauree confirmed it by crying out with another contraction.

“Hurry,” Max waved her over. He returned to Mauree and her baby as LeeLee crossed the hut to kneel beside him, while Oranee stayed in the background, watching closely, wary of the stranger but for now not attempting to interfere.

“He’s breech,” Max said, laying his hands on Mauree’s extended belly. “I’m going to have to try to turn him.”

He knew LeeLee didn’t understand him. She’d picked up many of his words, as he had learned many of hers, but it would be quite some time before either of them mastered the other’s language. An image rose in his mind suddenly, of a dark, disc shaped object that would eliminate the language barrier between them, but it’d been lost with the ship and all the other pieces of his past. He shook the thought aside; it did no good to waste time on a dimly remembered past, when the present was so immediate.

“Head,” he said touching his own head, then lowering his hand to rest on the upper curve of Mauree’s belly. “I need to get his head from here, down to here.”

With his hand now on Mauree’s lower belly, LeeLee nodded, seeming to understand. She watched as Max manipulated Mauree’s belly, guiding the baby into the right position. He used small bursts of power, but nothing the eye could see. Oranee was suspicious enough of him, and LeeLee had already seen too much out on the plains during the fire. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, after all he owed her his life, but guarding his secrets was ingrained in him. You never knew how an alien society might react to that kind of power.

After a few minutes of strenuous effort, Max let out a sigh of exertion, satisfied that the baby was now in the right position. The hard part for him was over now, but the tough stuff for Mauree was just about to start. He finished just as she was swept up in another strong contraction.

An hour later, drenched in sweat, moaning like a wounded animal, with Max and LeeLee at her side, Mauree gave birth to a healthy baby boy. A new life had entered the world, and with it another turning point for Max.

Oranee approached, staring at the squirming body of his son, wet with amniotic fluid. The child’s cries filled the hut, loud and lustful, while the two women cooed over him. Oranee looked down at the boy, for the first time revealing to Max a softer side. A smile actually broke the Chieftain’s normally grim face.

Max suddenly felt two large paws grab his shoulders, nearly lifting him off his feet. He stood face to face with Oranee, but luckily this time, there was no hint of anger in the big man’s eyes, no threat of violence from his fists.

“Shamah.”

Max didn’t know it yet, but his indentured service had just come to an end. Oranee pulled a cutting stone from its sheath and removed the collar from around Max’s throat, in essence declaring him a free man.

From this day forward Max would be known as Shamah, the healer, their honored medicine man, a role that would suit him perfectly.




tbc …

In The Beginning
Part 14


Max lay on his back, nearly hidden by tall grass, ankles crossed, gazing up at lazy clouds drifting across blue skies. Peaceful contentment filled him as he chewed on a blade of the grass; his life here had its challenges – no running water, no modern conveniences – but the trappings of his old life were nothing but hazy, veiled memories that only occasionally intruded into his new life.

He rarely even thought of it anymore, that other life he once lived. He lost no sleep over his faulty memory. No, this life was too full to dwell on things he couldn’t remember.

After a shaky beginning, he’d quickly become an accepted member of the tribe. Mauree’s successful delivery had sealed his place within the clan, and now, at four weeks of age, the tribal chief’s son was strong and healthy, and growing like a weed. No one but Max knew how close Mauree and the child had come to dying that day.

The word had spread quickly through the tribe that he was the new Shamah, the tribal medicine man. They’d been without one for months, the last one had died in a raid by a marauding clan, and the tribe had suffered because of it. A Shamah not only healed the sick and wounded, he was a spiritual leader, someone the tribe looked to for inspiration and guidance. And Max was exceptionally gifted.

With his status raised within the clan, he was no longer forced to share quarters with Kyree. He had his own hut now, built with his own hands, finished just days ago. He’d made it big enough for two, though he had yet to show it off to LeeLee. She’d been on a hunt for the last week and he couldn’t wait for her to get back so he could show it to her, and ask her to move in with him.

“Max?”

The sound of his name, carrying over the meadow, made him spit out the blade of grass and bolt upright. His head popped up above the tall stalks, searching left, then right, before he finally saw her emerging from a thicket of trees. He scrambled to his feet.

For a minute he couldn’t move. She hadn’t seen him yet, he was off to the south of the meadow and she was looking to the north, but then her gaze swept his way and their eyes locked.

He hadn’t realized until this minute just how much he’d missed her over the last week. Her place among the clan was well established; her skill at hunting was something that benefited the entire tribe, but despite that, he’d hated to see her go. He’d tried to get assigned to the hunting party, but Oranee wouldn’t let him out of the camp. The Shamah needed to stay safe, to cure the sick and injured.

With each minute she’d been gone he pined for her safe return. He’d kept busy – treating small scrapes, an abscessed tooth, a broken toe – but it couldn’t fill the empty space he felt inside him when she was gone. Now, seeing her smiling face again, feeling the uncanny pull that existed between them, Max couldn’t stay away from her. Without conscious thought, he raced through the tall grass to sweep her into his arms.

“LeeLee!” he lifted her into the air, spinning her around until they were both dizzy.

“Max!” she laughed, throwing her head back while his lips burned a fiery trail down her throat. She’d missed him just as much as he had missed her. After an enthusiastic greeting that would have left the other women in the tribe jealous with envy, Max lowered LeeLee to her feet.

“Good hunt?” he asked, staring into the dark pools of her eyes.

“Goohd, yes,” she nodded. Her smile made him forget all about the long week he’d spent without her. “Five kill,” she held up her hand, fingers spread wide to verify the accuracy of the count. “Foohd last many days. People all get very fat.”

Max laughed at her little joke, basking in the sound of her voice, the twinkle in her eyes. “Does that mean you get to stay home for awhile? Next hunt – when?”

“Face of moon,” she answered, which by now Max knew meant the next full moon. They’d have three glorious weeks to spend together before she had to leave again. Looking about the meadow, LeeLee teased him. “Max lazy?”

“No,” he chuckled, taking her hand to lead her back to his resting place. He pointed at a pouch filled to the brim with herbs he’d spent the morning gathering. “I’ve been busy.”

For the last month he’d been cataloging the last Shaman’s collection of medicinal herbs, learning which ones had genuine curative value, and which didn’t. Next had come the task of finding them in the wild to replenish his stock. For a simple people, curing stomach trouble with mint flavored herbs was easier to explain than glowing hands and healing powers.

“What this do?” LeeLee asked, picking up the pouch and sniffing the contents.

“Pain relief,” Max told her, pointing at his forehead, and then his mouth. “Good for headaches, toothaches, muscle aches and pains.”

“Ahhh,” LeeLee responded. “For Kyree.”

“Kyree?” Max suddenly grew worried. Had something gone wrong during the hunt? Had his friend been injured? Had LeeLee been at risk?

“Bump,” she tapped the side of her head, indicating Kyree’s injury wasn’t serious, then added with a laugh, “Hard head.”

Max laughed with her, feeling the sudden tension drain away. “He does have a hard head, doesn’t he?”

She leaned close, lifting her hand to touch Max’s face, chasing all thoughts of Kyree from his mind. Her body seemed to mold to his, her fur covered breasts yielding to the hard muscles of his bare chest, their stomachs touching, their hips in alignment. Their laughter died, though the ensuing silence was filled with the resounding roar of would be lovers reunited.

“LeeLee miss Max,” she sighed. Her eyes dropped to his lips and lingered there.

“Max missed LeeLee,” he echoed, lowering his head to steal another kiss. His hand circled around her back, feeling the warmth of her skin, the softness, the familiarity of her. His palm knew the curve of her waist, the flare of her hips, yet there was so much more to know, to learn, to share. That he wanted her, the way a man wants a woman, was readily apparent.

As their kiss intensified, her hand skimmed down his spine, from the base of his neck all the way down to the dimples showing just above the upper edge of his loin cloth. He let out a muffled moan, a sound that rumbled through them both and spoke volumes. In unison they sank to their knees, then disappeared below the tall grass, giving in to a pull neither one of them could resist.

Under the mid day sun, alone with just a warm summer breeze whispering over their skin, and an occasional bird of prey soaring on thermal air drafts high above them, Max began a slow exploration of LeeLee’s body, driven by something more than just biological urges or primitive desires. It’d taken weeks for them to reach this point, a joining of the body initiated by emotions of the heart, nurtured and allowed to blossom from the inside out.

Later, tangled in each other’s arms, Max and LeeLee lay hidden in the grass under the azure sky. His forehead pressed against the soft swell of her exposed breasts, his nose burrowed between the mounds, his hips fit snuggly in the space between her legs. Their coupling had been even more intense than he had imagined it would be, robbing him of the ability to offer coherent conversation.

As his heart rate slowed, and his overheated body cooled, Max turned onto his back, keeping LeeLee tucked close to his side. Her hand splayed on his chest, her bare thigh draped over his, her warm breath exhaling softly near his throat, filled him with the greatest sense of contentment he’d ever known.

“Max?”

“Hmm?” he asked lazily, on the verge of sleep. His hand covered hers, holding it near his heart.

She lifted her gaze to study his face: his closed eyes, the smile turning up his lips. When she spoke next, the weight of what she said wasn’t in her words, but rather in the awe with which she said them.

“Max see stars?”

His eyes popped open.

“Stars?”

He couldn’t help staring at her, which seemed to make her blush. She struggled to find the right words.

“You … me … touch …”

“Yes?” he urged her to continue.

“Max see stars?” she repeated. “LeeLee see stars,” she pointed at herself. “Dark sky. Blue ball. All sky with stars.”

“You saw that?” he brushed his hand through her hair. “When we made love?”

When she nodded, he turned her onto her back, supporting his weight with his elbow while he looked down at her, trying to think of how to explain.

“When you and I touch,” he lifted her hand and threaded his fingers between hers, “we form this … this connection. I feel the things that you feel. See things that you’ve seen. And I let you see inside of me. I’ve seen the stars. I’ve seen the world you live on – the blue ball – that’s how it looks from space.”

“Space?”

“I know it’s hard to understand,” he sighed. “Does it frighten you? The things you see?”

“Frighten?” She shook her head, with a slow smile spreading over her face. The palm of her hand pressed flat against his chest, directly above his heart. “Max look at LeeLee with all face shining. Max love LeeLee.”

“That’s right,” he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Max loves LeeLee with all his heart.”

“LeeLee love Max.”

“You do, don’t you?” he said softly. The way her words hit him, he was certain he’d never experienced this before; such pure and perfect love. He sensed – knew on some deep level – that he hadn’t lived the life of a monk, but neither had he loved before, truly loved. The way he loved this woman in his arms. It was a feeling he never wanted to lose.

Holding her close, Max asked the question he’d been waiting days to hear the answer to. “I built a hut while you were gone. Big enough for both of us. LeeLee, will you move in with me? Will you share my home with me?”

“Home,” LeeLee repeated the word, but it wasn’t formed as a question. She knew what the word meant, could tell by the inflection of his voice, aided by an image he’d unknowingly sent her of the hours he’d spent laboring to build a place to call their own.

“You,” she said, touching his chest and then her own. “Me. Share home. Goohd.”

“Yes,” he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it again. “You and me sharing a home is very good.”

As his lips covered hers, he couldn’t think of any place else he’d rather be, or anyone else he’d rather share his life with. From the first moment at the water’s edge, when he’d opened his eyes and looked into her curious dirt smeared face, he’d felt it then as he was feeling it now. The day she pulled him from the water was the day he came to life. Whatever he’d been before that didn’t matter. His past had no place in his life anymore.

Or so he thought.


tbc …

Breathless wrote: “LeeLee!” he lifted her into the air, spinning her around until they were both dizzy.

“Max!” she laughed, throwing her head back while his lips burned a fiery trail down her throat. She’d missed him just as much as he had missed her. After an enthusiastic greeting that would have left the other women in the tribe jealous with envy, Max lowered LeeLee to her feet.

Any woman that has blood flowing through her veins (and maybe a couple of men )!!

Looking about the meadow, LeeLee teased him. “Max lazy?”

“No,” he chuckled, taking her hand to lead her back to his resting place. He pointed at a pouch filled to the brim with herbs he’d spent the morning gathering. “I’ve been busy.”

I LOVE this adorable banter!!

“LeeLee miss Max,” she sighed. Her eyes dropped to his lips and lingered there.

“Max missed LeeLee,” he echoed, lowering his head to steal another kiss. His hand circled around her back, feeling the warmth of her skin, the softness, the familiarity of her. His palm knew the curve of her waist, the flare of her hips, yet there was so much more to know, to learn, to share. That he wanted her, the way a man wants a woman, was readily apparent.

MMMMMMMMMM!!!

“Max see stars?”

His eyes popped open.

“Stars?”

He couldn’t help staring at her, which seemed to make her blush. She struggled to find the right words.

“You … me … touch …”

“Yes?” he urged her to continue.

“Max see stars?” she repeated. “LeeLee see stars,” she pointed at herself. “Dark sky. Blue ball. All sky with stars.”

Eeekkss...did she get flashes before??

“Frighten?” She shook her head, with a slow smile spreading over her face. The palm of her hand pressed flat against his chest, directly above his heart. “Max look at LeeLee with all face shining. Max love LeeLee.”

“That’s right,” he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Max loves LeeLee with all his heart.”

“LeeLee love Max.”

"Max look at LeeLee with all face shining." ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! No matter the language used...BEAUTIFUL!!!

As his lips covered hers, he couldn’t think of any place else he’d rather be, or anyone else he’d rather share his life with. From the first moment at the water’s edge, when he’d opened his eyes and looked into her curious dirt smeared face, he’d felt it then as he was feeling it now. The day she pulled him from the water was the day he came to life. Whatever he’d been before that didn’t matter. His past had no place in his life anymore.

OH SO VERY DREAMILY PERFECT!!!!!

Or so he thought.

And then you have to go and fuck up thier perfection!! You couldn't have left that line off?? That Perfect, Beautiful, Dreamy world you created for our darling lovers, just got squished with that freaking line!! What the hell's going to happen to mess up their perfect little world??!!!! ACK!!!!!!

Can't wait for a new part!!! Thanks J

Please let everything be okay between them. I hope that noone comes to ruin their new life together. I can't wait for more. Great update. Hurry back soon.

BelevnDreamsToo wrote:

Or so he thought.

And then you have to go and fuck up thier perfection!! You couldn't have left that line off?? That Perfect, Beautiful, Dreamy world you created for our darling lovers, just got squished with that freaking line!! What the hell's going to happen to mess up their perfect little world??!!!! ACK!!!!!!

Can't wait for a new part!!! Thanks J

Here, here!

I know that you're doing a challenge and all, but what are rules for if not meant to be broken? I say that everything works out wonderfully, they have many little kids running around the hut, and live happily ever after!

Or we could have another wonderful, yet angst filled story, which (hopefully) will leave me as satisfied and happy as my first idea...

But I'm impatient right now, and therefore am loathe to wait even a day!

LOL!

Keep up the great work! Everything about this chapter was wonderful!

Ashley

What J said. Am I the only one who's anxious to find out about Max's past, tho? It's been gnawing at me from the beginning so I'm really looking forward to it. I need closure! Besides, I have faith in Max and LeeLee. Very sweet part, Debbi.

hugs ~ Dee ~

what a wonderful written chapter. I really loved it. the love between them - *sigh* it really needs not much words.

I look forward to the next part - will one of the other Space-Travellers come and he will remember?

BelevnDreamsToo wrote:

Breathless wrote: “LeeLee!” he lifted her into the air, spinning her around until they were both dizzy.

“Max!” she laughed, throwing her head back while his lips burned a fiery trail down her throat. She’d missed him just as much as he had missed her. After an enthusiastic greeting that would have left the other women in the tribe jealous with envy, Max lowered LeeLee to her feet.

Any woman that has blood flowing through her veins (and maybe a couple of men )!!

Looking about the meadow, LeeLee teased him. “Max lazy?”

“No,” he chuckled, taking her hand to lead her back to his resting place. He pointed at a pouch filled to the brim with herbs he’d spent the morning gathering. “I’ve been busy.”

I LOVE this adorable banter!!

“LeeLee miss Max,” she sighed. Her eyes dropped to his lips and lingered there.

“Max missed LeeLee,” he echoed, lowering his head to steal another kiss. His hand circled around her back, feeling the warmth of her skin, the softness, the familiarity of her. His palm knew the curve of her waist, the flare of her hips, yet there was so much more to know, to learn, to share. That he wanted her, the way a man wants a woman, was readily apparent.

MMMMMMMMMM!!!

“Max see stars?”

His eyes popped open.

“Stars?”

He couldn’t help staring at her, which seemed to make her blush. She struggled to find the right words.

“You … me … touch …”

“Yes?” he urged her to continue.

“Max see stars?” she repeated. “LeeLee see stars,” she pointed at herself. “Dark sky. Blue ball. All sky with stars.”

Eeekkss...did she get flashes before??

“Frighten?” She shook her head, with a slow smile spreading over her face. The palm of her hand pressed flat against his chest, directly above his heart. “Max look at LeeLee with all face shining. Max love LeeLee.”

“That’s right,” he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Max loves LeeLee with all his heart.”

“LeeLee love Max.”

"Max look at LeeLee with all face shining." ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! No matter the language used...BEAUTIFUL!!!

As his lips covered hers, he couldn’t think of any place else he’d rather be, or anyone else he’d rather share his life with. From the first moment at the water’s edge, when he’d opened his eyes and looked into her curious dirt smeared face, he’d felt it then as he was feeling it now. The day she pulled him from the water was the day he came to life. Whatever he’d been before that didn’t matter. His past had no place in his life anymore.

OH SO VERY DREAMILY PERFECT!!!!!

Or so he thought.

And then you have to go and fuck up thier perfection!! You couldn't have left that line off?? That Perfect, Beautiful, Dreamy world you created for our darling lovers, just got squished with that freaking line!! What the hell's going to happen to mess up their perfect little world??!!!! ACK!!!!!!

Can't wait for a new part!!! Thanks J

This summary is so perfect in insight, it could have been me writing it! LOL

I agree with all above points!!!!! Especially the last!!!! LOL