Exhaustion finally makes Talia dizzy. She loses her footing and slips off the edge of the trail ledge they're making their way down on. It's a long way down, but Greywolf grabs her by her wrist and pulls her back to safety on the trial.

"Dearest, are you alright," asks Wildcat very concerned as he strokes her hair.

"I'm fine," answers Talia calmly.

"Well I don't think I am," says Roar, "I think I nearly had a heart attack."

Talia responds with a shrug as Greywolf holds her, "I would have been fine."

"Would have been fine," repeats Roar in disbelief. He glances over the edge at the distance he believes Talia would have fallen, at the outcropping of rocks he thinks her body would have crashed into and says, "I don't think so."

Talia yawns.

Wildcat asks her again, "Dearest, are you sure you're alright?"

Talia looks a little confused, "My shoulder didn't dislocate when Greywolf caught my wrist."

"You're exhausted," Greywolf tells Talia, "I'll carry you," and he scoops her up into his arms.

"Windwalker must of rode you all night," speculates Wildcat.

Talia yawns again, "Pretty much, till he got what he wanted."

"What did he want Dearest," asks Wildcat hoping she's tired enough to let information slip, "Why'd he lock you in with him all night?"

"Air must have its secrets," Talia answers drowsily.

"Dearest is there anything you can tell me about it," ask Wildcat.

Talia snuggles against Greywolf's chest as she shares, "He showed me something I didn't know about myself… It was the most painful experience of my life… I screamed."

The three men are quiet as they watch her eyes close. Then with her eyes closed, she says, "Get me off this mountain please. Don't stop till we're off… I don't want to be here anymore." Then her breathing slows and softens.

"Let's keep moving," says Greywolf resuming the pace with Talia sleeping in his arms. "I don't want her to wake up and find we're still on the mountain. Besides, we're making good time without any children with us."

Wildcat and Roar follow Greywolf, who increases the pace to a jog.

"What do you think it means," Roar asks Wildcat.

"It means Windwalker did more than just make himself her fourth mate," answers Wildcat. "And whatever he did was so traumatic, it left those white streaks in her hair."

It's dark by the time they're off the mountain and entering Night Crawler territory. A bolt of lightning illuminates the sky and is immediately followed by a booming roll of thunder. Then it begins to pour rain on them. Wildcat hurriedly pulls a skin out of a backpack. He ties it around Greywolf making sure Talia is completely covered and protected from the rain. She's slept this entire time in Greywolf's arms, occasionally whimpering helplessly in her sleep. He's very worried about her. Free folks seldom get colds, flus and infection, but when they do get such things, they're bad, often bad enough to kill the afflicted person. Windwalker bit into her shoulder hard and deep, didn't allow her hardly any rest, and didn't ensure she ate. Then there's whatever happened to put those white streaks in her hair. Wildcat's afraid her resistance is low. And when free people become ill, it's always serious.

"We've got to find shelter for the night," says Wildcat. "We need to keep her warm and dry, get her fed too. She hasn't eaten or drank anything since we left Air, just slept."

Greywolf nods his agreement with Wildcat, "But where? I am totally unfamiliar with this area."

"I don't know where to look either," says Roar glancing around.

"We'll head to the river," decides Wildcat. "We should be able to find a cave near the river."

So they begin to head for the river. And as they're making their way to it, a figure emerges before them. The scent is male. He equals Roar in height, and has two males with him. They have large round black eyes and their faces resemble the long ago extinct gorilla. They're dressed in loin clothes, leather leggings and moccasins.

"Do you need shelter for the night," asks the first Night Crawler.

"Yes we do," answers Roar. "Can you help us?"

He nods yes to them and tells them, "Follow us."

They follow the three Night Crawler males to a water fall, and then behind it into a cave. There's a warm fire going in a pit and deer roasting over it. Torches on the wall help light the cave. There are about half dozen women and several children. With the three men that guided them, there are only about a dozen or so adults living in the cave.

"Ooo," says a domesticated woman, who looks like she's in her early twenties, "company. We've never had company before." She's one of two women that have children, and she's the only domesticated person present.

Their first male guide finally introduces himself, "I am Nighteye. Welcome to Dark Pack of the Night Crawler Tribe. Please make yourselves comfortable.

"I'm Daphne," says the domesticated woman, "Join us," motioning them to a generous pile of furs and blankets. There are two small, a bit fur covered children sleeping side-by-side, and a toddler sleeping on her lap.

Wildcat, Roar and Greywolf sit down. Wildcat and Greywolf uncover Talia.

"I am Roar, chief of Animalistic. Thank you very much for your hospitality. This is my number one elder advisor, Wildcat. This is Greywolf, one of my guardians. And this is my sister Talia, Wildcat's mate."

"She's sleeping like a rock," states Daphne as she lays her youngest with her other two children. "Is she alright?"

Wildcat shrugs, "Not sure. I hope so… So who's your mate?"

Daphne shrugs, "I guess all of them, or at least they all mate with me. Nighteye's our alpha male. Sanguine and Owl are his second and third in command I guess you could say. Mephala's our alpha female," she points to the only other woman with children.

The three Animalistic men look around. Night Crawlers live quite simply. And they seem to prefer to walk around looking like Chewbacca. Except for one male who looks to be in his mid-twenties. But they can smell he's not domesticated.

"How did you come to be here," Roar asks Daphne.

Daphne smiles, "I ran away from home, got involved with the wrong kind of people, became a drug addict and a prost.i.tute to support my habit. I p.i.s.sed off the wrong guys who brought me out here to off me. I ran like my life depended on it because it did. I got away from the bad guys but of course I was lost out here. I was sixteen at the time… And when Nighteye found me, I was violently ill because I was going through withdrawal… I was terrified of them at first, but they took care of me, nursed me back to health. I've been here with them ever since."

"Don't you ever want to go back," Roar asks Daphne.

"Go back to what," asks Daphne, "being a drug addict? Being a prost.i.tute? To a mother who drank too much and ignored me? To being raped by my stepfather? And what about my children? I couldn't take them with me. They'ld be sideshow freaks out there… No, thank you. I'm better off here. I'm part of a real family here. No one abuses me here."

"Is there anything you miss," asks Greywolf curious.

Daphne thinks for a few moment, then answers with a smile, "Fast food, I'ld love a cheeseburger and fries with a triple thick milkshake. But I wouldn't give up my life here for any of that."

Nighteye brings over a stone platter of roasted deer, roasted roots, roasted nuts and fresh fruit, "We thought you must all be hungry. So my mate, Mephala, put this together for you."

"Thank you," says Roar appreciatively accepting the platter, "We haven't eaten since about midday."

"Mephala's your mate," Wildcat curious, "Who's Daphne's mate? She seems unsure."

"Mephala is my mate because we are both alpha," explains Nighteye, "Sanguine and Owl have privileges with her. They have each fathered a child with her and the other two are mine. Mephala and Daphne are Dark Pack's only two breeding females. But Daphne is a community mate. All males have privileges with her. I am the father of her oldest, the youngest is Sanguine's and her middle child is Bat's"

"The other females all look and smell old enough to breed," observes Wildcat.

"Eli can explain better than I," admits Nighteye. He motions Eli, the young man who looks like a normal human, over, "Eli explain why the other females have no children for me. I'm not sure of the correct words… But all the females are available for mating with guests. As guests, you may even use Mephala." Then he returns to his furs and Mephala.

Eli sits on the furs with them, "So what would you like to know," he asks pleasantly.

"Why Mephala and Daphne are the only women with children here," answers Wildcat.

"Our alpha female's scent actually stops them from being fertile," explains Eli, "None of them are having a cycle because of the alpha female's dominance. Daphne's not a Night Crawler, genetically speaking, so she's not affected, but her granddaughter's will be. Females who are more than half Night Crawler genetically are affected. It's why we live in packs instead of in one large tribe. Only the most dominant alpha female would be able to breed. We also attempt to counteract this by shuffling childless pack members around. I'm originally from Full Moon Pack."

Wildcat nods his understanding. "Let's wake Tali up, feed her and make sure she drinks plenty of water. I don't want her dehydrating."

"Why ain't you like the others," Greywolf asks Eli.

Eli shrugs, "Each of my parents are half tame, so this is my primary form not the other form like the others. But if it's making you uncomfortable, they can take on their secondary form."

"That's not necessary," insist Roar, "We're fine. You're our hosts. You're already being more than accommodating."

"Talia Dearest," Wildcat giving her shoulders a slight shake, "… Talia Dearest… Wake up please…"

Talia scrunches into Greywolf's chest and they just barely hear a soft helpless whimper from her.

Greywolf strokes her hair, "Maybe we should just let her sleep."

Wildcat would love to just let her sleep, "She needs food and water… especially water… Talia Dearest, I'm sorry, but I need you to wake up for me." Then he remembers her feet are ticklish and runs a finger along the bottom of her foot.

Talia jerks to sitting up on her own. She blinks at Wildcat and glances around. She doesn't know their exact location. Yet she's sure they're in Night Crawler territory in a pack's shelter. Air lives in luxury compared to how this Night Crawler pack is living.

"Are you with me Dearest," asks Wildcat.

Talia nods and her voice is barely a whisper as she answers, "Yes."

"Dark Pack has been kind enough to give us shelter for the night," Wildcat informs her.

"That's quite generous of them," responds Talia stretching a bit against Greywolf. She tilts her head back and gives Greywolf a kiss, "Thank you for toting me so far."

"It wasn't any trouble," responds Greywolf. Then he nuzzles her neck.

Wildcat hands Talia a cup of water, "And I want you to eat for me too."

"Okay," Talia agrees. Then she drains the cup of water, "More please," she's very thirsty.

Wildcat refills the cup and pops a piece of roasted root into her mouth.

Talia chews, swallows and sips at her water. "So who are our hosts?" She opens her mouth for Greywolf to pop in a piece of roasted deer.

Wildcat answers, "We haven't learned all their names yet, but over yonder is Nighteye and his mate, Mephala. They're the packs alpha male and female… Sanguine and Owl are Nighteye's second and third in command. Their children are sleeping there… This is Eli. And this is Daphne and her children."

Daphne is near enough Talia shakes her hand, "How do you do?"

Daphne's amused. It's been a long time since anyone has shaken her hand and she asks with an amused smile, "What? You're not going to sniff me?"

Talia tilts her head a bit puzzled, but returns Daphne's smile, "I can smell you just fine from here."

Daphne laughs, "I like you, Talia, a wild woman with tame manners."

"So," Eli asks, "what brought you through our territory to visit Air?"

"You visited Air," states Daphne with an excited smile, "Chief Windwalker and his brother Breeze are so hot. But I've never seen Breeze smile. He always seems really sad."

Roar answers Eli's question, "We escorted Breeze's mate and children to him."

"Ah," Eli nodding understanding, "we were discussing the familiarity of the boy's scent. We were sure he was Air."

"So you saw us on our way through to Air," states Wildcat.

"Yes," confirms Eli, "we seldom get other tribes pa.s.sing through so we observed you."

A male Night Crawler whose name they don't know yet steps up to Daphne and taps her shoulder. She leans over on one arm and hikes her leg up. The male gets down on his knees and frees himself from his loin cloth. Then without any foreplay begins to shove himself inside Daphne.

"Would you like to do me next," Daphne asks Roar.

Roar's never been with a domesticated woman and considers it a rare opportunity, "I'ld like that very much."

"Cool," and then Daphne begins to focus on the male Night Crawler as he begins to pound into her.

Eli asks Talia, "How many other children do you have?"

"None," answers Talia, "this is my first."

"Is the one who fathered it a close friend to you, Wildcat," asks Eli.

Wildcat nods, "Her true-mate, Mist, of the Water Tribe is the father."

"You have more than one mate," Eli says to Talia, "Wildcat, Mist, who I have not met and Greywolf, and you smell strongly of Windwalker." He a.s.sumes Greywolf is her mate too because he saw them kiss.

Talia pats Greywolf's knee affectionately, "Greywolf's my consort. I have four mates, Wildcat, Mist, Cougar and Chief Windwalker."

"Well that explains why you smell so strongly of Windwalker," states Eli. "I didn't know he had a mate."

"Yeah," Wildcat shares unhappily, "he added himself to the mix last night, tore up her shoulder marking her."

"May I," ask Eli indicating he'ld like to take a look at Talia's shoulder.

"Sure," answers Talia.

Eli moves closer to Talia and Greywolf. Talia reveals the swollen bruised bite. Eli looks it over closely.

"When Richy marked me," Talia shares with Eli, "It didn't bruise or swell. It barely hurt at all. This really hurts."

"Richy," questions Eli.

"That's Mist's domesticated name," answers Wildcat.

Eli nods his understanding to Wildcat and returns to his a.s.sessment of the wound, "He simply wasn't careful with you at all… He bit hard and deep… This tearing indicates he yanked at you violently. There was no need to be this careless in his treatment of you."

"He didn't have permission," interjects Greywolf.

"Richy's going to be so angry," says Talia worriedly.

Wildcat cups Talia's cheek in one hand, "Try not to worry about that now. We'll deal with it together. It's my fault anyway. I was uncomfortable with Windwalker's request, yet I still gave him permission to have your company for the night." He kisses Talia rea.s.suringly.

Roar begins his turn with Daphne. Talia briefly thinks the previous male was rather quick. She knows Roar won't be quick. She drains down about half her cup of water. Greywolf feeds her a roasted nut. She tries to do as Wildcat says and not worry about it as she leans back into Greywolf to try to relax. Greywolf kisses her temple and feeds her another roasted nut. She raises her eyes as the alpha male called Nighteye comes over to them.

"How is your female," Nighteye ask Wildcat.

Wildcat knows what's coming, "She needs a few days of rest. But seems she's okay. Thank you for asking." He takes Talia's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Is she well enough to mate," ask Nighteye.

Wildcat knows Talia is still exhausted and sore. He knows she doesn't care for casual social s.e.x, especially with males she doesn't know at all. And after what she went through with Windwalker last night, he feels guilty for pus.h.i.+ng her to be more like other free women. She's wonderful just the way she is. He tells Nighteye, "Not all her mates are present to give their permission."

Nighteye tilts his s.h.a.ggy head because things are a little different for Night Crawlers, "Can she not choose for herself?"

"Wildcat, I think the rules are different for them," Greywolf tells him.

Talia squeezes Wildcat's hand and tells him, "It's okay." Then she looks up at Nighteye, who's Roar's height but more slight.

When Night Crawlers came to the tribe gathering when she was a girl, they had looked like anyone else except for their huge round eyes. Yet she's sure this is their first form. Except for Eli. Eli is one of them, but different with large round vibrant green eyes. She can smell the difference too.

"I'm still weak," Talia tells Nighteye, "Do you have a place where I can be comfortable while you're using me."

"I'll ensure your comfort," a.s.sures Nighteye putting out his hand.

Smiling weakly, Talia takes his hand and he helps her to her feet. He leads her to the other end of the cave. Wildcat watches as Nighteye, Sanguine and Owl clear off a low rock. They completely cover it with furs thickly. Then they undress Talia as the other males of the pack move closer except Eli. They help Talia kneel over the fur covered rock. She's hoping they're all as fast as the male that was with Daphne. She's really quite tired. She just wants to sleep.

There's a discussion between Night Crawler males, but it's a dialect of Wild Speak Talia's never heard before. But Nighteye seems to put his foot down about something. Then a male of the pack kneels behind her. Talia doesn't know his name and she doesn't care. She just hopes he's quick as without any foreplay, he starts to shove himself inside her. Talia grips the furs and grits her teeth. Without any foreplay to get her wet, his invasion of her is extremely uncomfortable and a little painful. But it's not any worse than what she endured with Windwalker last night and early this morning. And after spending a couple of minutes working himself all in Talia, he begins to bang her hard and deep. But he's quick and Talia's grateful. But her break only last a moment, then the one named Owl quickly kneels behind her. He shoves all of his c.o.c.k in hard and deep and immediately begins banging Talia fast and hard. Another mounts her she doesn't know and then Sanguine, who takes longer than the one before him. He takes his time to enjoy the feel of her, slowly sliding in and out of her.

Then it's Nighteye's turn. He's never been with a woman like Talia and he wants to make it last. He sits her up and sits in front of her so she's facing him. He gently touches her hair and face. He cups a breast and sucks the nipple into his mouth. As he suckles her breast she holds the back of his head. Her fingers slide into his luxuriously soft fur. He opens his lion cloth and frees his c.o.c.k. Cougar would give it a triple X rating. Like his tribesmen, it's different from the typical human p.e.n.i.s in color and shape. It's a shade of pink that's almost lavender. And the shape is more streamlined, the head more pointed than round. Talia wraps her hand around it gently and finds it to be very smooth.

Nighteye hisses in pleasure at the feel of Talia's hand caressing him. He pulls her over his lap and guides her down onto him. Again he hisses in pleasure at the feel of her. And without prompting, Talia begins to ride him. His mouth returns to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as his hand caresses her back and cups her heart shaped bottom. He laves the wounded shoulder soothingly with his tongue and nuzzles her neck tenderly.

Then the first male to have a turn with Talia decides he hasn't had enough. Talia isn't paying attention to him as he's moving closer to her and Nighteye because he's already had his turn. The only one left that hasn't had a turn is Eli. But she is suddenly forced to pay attention to him when he rushes up to her and forces his c.o.c.k in her mouth, holding her head immobile with both hands he begins to f.u.c.k Talia's mouth.

Talia hears a warning growl from Nighteye. But the other pack member is brazen. He growls back and continues to f.u.c.k Talia's mouth. Talia's afraid she may get caught in the middle of a fight.

"That's kind of my fault," Daphne says from beneath Roar. "Sometimes two or three of them want me at the same time. And my previous experience as a prost.i.tute has left me with some unique mult.i.tasking skills… Sorry. But he won't hurt her and he's usually pretty quick. Nighteye and Sanguine are the ones who like to take their time."

"Great," Wildcat says to himself. They would have to be taken in for the night by what is probably the only pack that's adopted a prost.i.tute with "mult.i.tasking skills."

Nighteye's next growl isn't a warning, it's a promise. Yet his subordinate's response is a return growl and a gnas.h.i.+ng of teeth, a direct challenge to Nighteye's authority. Nighteye's arm closest to the subordinate shoots out. Nighteye's hand thrust into the subordinate's upper abdomen, sending him flying into a wall.

Nighteye tucks Talia's head under his chin and strokes her hair and back soothingly. He licks the side of her face comfortingly. He smells she was not enjoying the way his subordinate was taking pleasure from her. Plus, he can smell the interaction between himself and his subordinate frightened her. Wildcat, Greywolf and Roar all feel helpless. Talia agreed to be used, but she thought it would just be Nighteye, yet she agreed, plus they don't dare interfere in how Nighteye runs his pack. They could accidentally do something very insulting and disrespectful.

Nighteye gently lifts Talia's face by her chin. He wipes and licks tears from her face and asks her, "Are you alright?"

Talia nods yes as her shaky hands rest on Nighteye's furry forearms. Only the subordinate's not finished yet. Nighteye's unexpected blow and the crash against the wall stunned him. But he shakes it off as he gets back to his feet. Nighteye's attention is focused on comforting Talia. The subordinate takes advantage of this. He runs up behind Talia, wraps his arms around her swelling belly as he straddles his alpha's legs and begins to penetrate Talia a.n.a.lly. The hold the subordinate has is such that if Nighteye tries to push or shove him off of her or if he ordered others to pull him off of Talia, his claws will rip the flesh of Talia's belly open. Talia may be a guardian, but even a guardian wouldn't survive having their insides spilled from their body. Plus, her unborn child wouldn't survive being spilled from her womb.

The subordinate understands what he's done. He smiles meanly at his alpha and gnashes his teeth as he slowly pushes his c.o.c.k up Talia's a.n.u.s. He licks the side of her face as he begins to thrust. Talia can do nothing but endure. She's too weak to bring up her guardian. And she can feel his claws pressing against the sides of her belly as her unborn child flutters within. She's just thankful for the more streamlined shape of his c.o.c.k, that he's not as well hung as Nighteye and that he's not trying to fit it all up her a.n.u.s. So, she's not experiencing any significant pain, but it's still incredibly uncomfortable. And she's grateful he doesn't take long.

When the subordinate finishes he jumps back away from Talia and Nighteye. He howls triumphantly. But his howl is cut short by Roar's fist.

Nighteye carefully sets Talia aside and tells her, "I'll be back shortly and we'll finish our time together."

Nighteye waves Roar, Wildcat and Greywolf away from his subordinate, "This is my problem. It's my authority he's challenging."

"But that's my baby sister and her unborn child he threatened," states Roar angrily.

"And my mate," adds Wildcat, "and she has three other mates, including Chief Windwalker, who will be highly upset."

Greywolf releases a low slow growl.

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"Please," Nighteye's voice firm, "let me deal with this. It's my responsibility."

They back off trusting Nighteye to handle it. The subordinate looks up at his alpha from the floor of the cave where Roar put him. Nighteye stands over the subordinate. The subordinate glares up at him and growls defiantly at his Alpha. Nighteye smacks him down as he begins to stand. The subordinate attempts to fight, but Nighteye beats him down.

The three men return to the furs by Daphne. Eli has perched on a rock near them.

"Will you get a turn," Greywolf asks Eli.

Eli shrugs, "Being a recent addition from another pack, I'm the lowest man on the totem pole. Even that idiot, Black, who just got beat down out ranks me. I get to babysit a lot. Once in a while one of the non-breeding females takes pity on me. But they must approach me. I don't have enough status to approach them."

Nighteye returns to Talia. She's sitting right where he left her, on the furs, leaning against the fur covered rock with a hand resting on her belly which still has a lot of growing to do before she's ready to deliver.

"Are you alright," Nighteye asks tenderly touching her hair and face.

Talia nods, "I'm unharmed. But he had no right to do something like that without my consent."

"I'm sorry," Nighteye apologizes, "A breeding female can make them lose their heads. It won't happen again. Now, where did we leave off? … Yes, I remember."

Nighteye pinches her chin affectionately. He sucks a nipple into his mouth, but he doesn't pull her back over his lap for her to ride him. Instead, he has her kneel back over the rock for him. But he doesn't get on his knees to mount her. Instead, he squats with a leg on either side of her, s.h.i.+elding her body with his own protectively. It also makes him more ready and able to deal immediately with anyone else that has any bright ideas. And it doesn't take him long to figure out just the right angle and rhythm of thrusting to have Talia panting beneath him. And occasionally he s...o...b..ats to remind the other pack males that he is the alpha by growling and gnas.h.i.+ng his teeth while giving Talia an extra deep thrust causing her to cry out in pleasure beneath him.

Nighteye pushes extra, extra deep as he c.u.ms and Talia calls out with the o.r.g.a.s.m it gives her. He wallows in her a few minutes as he licks her face, neck and sore shoulder affectionately. He whispers in her ear, "Thank you little one," as he pulls out of her. He helps her sit up on the fur covered rock and thanks her again, "Thank you for being so generous with yourself tonight even though I know you're quite exhausted."

"What about Eli," asks Talia, "He hasn't had a turn."

Nighteye tilts his head as he looks down into Talia's face. Then he smiles, "Eli… take Talia down to the hot spring to wash. Aide her in any way she needs or desires… Talia… Eli is at your disposal. Do with him what you will."

Eli rushes over and picks up Talia's clothes. Then he slips an arm around her and helps her to her feet. "It's not far to the hot spring. It's just down this tunnel. Do you want me to carry you?"

Talia smiles weakly, "No, I need to stretch my legs. Greywolf carried me most of the day while I slept." Talia's not surprised when she hears Wildcat come up behind them. After last night, he'll be overprotective for a while.

It's a fairly short walk down the tunnel to the smallish cavern. The floor of the cavern is sandy. There are a few rocks of various sizes, extra furs are piled high on one rock. Towels are stacked on another. Eli sets her clothes on a large rock that's nearly as tall as Talia. Then he leans Talia against the same rock.

"I'll be right back," Eli tells Talia, "I'm just going to light some more torches."

Wildcat steps up to Talia, "Are you alright Dearest?"

Talia nods as she smiles weakly and sadly, "I'm fine."

"You didn't have to do it," Wildcat tells Talia. "I was going to talk around it, find an excuse. Besides, you're not well right now. That's reason enough."

Talia's eyes are sad as she takes Wildcat's face in her hands and kisses him. "I love you," she tells him as she pushes her finger through his salt n pepper hair.

Wildcat cups her face in one hand and touches her hair looking sadly at the platinum blond streaks, "I'm sorry I've pushed for you to be something you're not, to be someone you're not… I thought I was doing what was best for you. But I was wrong. You're wonderful and perfect just the way you are. I'm sorry Dearest."

"Hush," Talia kisses him again, this time pa.s.sionately, "There's nothing to be sorry for. Once we get home, I'll get some rest and I'll be good as new in no time. Now go make sure there's a comfortable place for me to sleep. Eli will see to my needs here. I'll try not to be long."

Wildcat nods his agreement. Talia is asking for some s.p.a.ce and he gives it to her. He heads back down the tunnel to make sure she has a comfortable place to sleep.

Eli puts the torch he used to light the other torches back in its place by the opening of the tunnel. Then he removes his lion cloth and leggings. He steps back over to Talia, "Here," sliding his arm back around her, "Let me help you."

Talia holds onto his shoulder, leans onto him and lets him take her weight. They step slowly down into the pool. The water of this spring is hot, but not too hot.

"Stop here for a second," Eli tells Talia, "There's a little drop off here," he hops down and is waist deep in the hot spring water. Then he lowers Talia down. "We can sit over here," guiding her to a shelf of sandstone under the water. Talia sighs as she leans back against the wall.

"He loves you very much," comments Eli.

Talia nods her agreement, "I'm very blessed. Wildcat, Richy and Cougar are the best mates a woman could ever ask for. I love them very much." A tear runs down one of her cheeks.

"What about Chief Windwalker," inquires Eli, "I'm sure he loves you too."

"Humph," Talia turns her head to look at her wounded shoulder, "I just met him yesterday. His reasons for making himself one of my mates are completely selfish. He doesn't care for me."

With her face turned to look at her wound, Eli sees she's crying, "Please, don't cry." He lifts her chin with a finger, "I'm sorry." He licks the tears from her face. He licks down her neck to lick her wound. Then he licks back up her neck to her face to lick away more tears. And as he's licking away tears from her face, he accidentally brushes Talia's lips with his own.

Talia opens her eyes and looks into Eli's vibrant green eyes. He's trembling. He's never kissed a woman before. And Talia is a woman with three mates that haven't given him permission to do such a thing. Yet he can't stop himself from sampling her lips again and Talia cooperates. Eli makes love for the first time with Talia, licking tears from her face, licking her wounded shoulder, suckling her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he thrust himself deep inside her.

Talia falls to sleep in Eli's arms after they've made love. He carries her out to Wildcat and Greywolf.

"Here," Wildcat extends his arms and Eli gingerly places Talia in his arms. He tucks Talia between himself and Greywolf. He kisses her forehead and so does Greywolf. They both snuggle in close to her.

"May I sleep here," asks Eli.

Greywolf shrugs and Wildcat answers, "Sure."

Eli grabs his furs and sets himself up over their heads. He lies down. Then he reaches out and touches Talia's hair.