Chapter 15: I'm Here For You
#15 of The Mating Season 2:
Chapter 15: I'm Here For You
There wasn't a lot Zalia was afraid of, but that night standing before the village council, she had never been so afraid in her life. Lea was gone. She'd been gone for hours, and though the village had been searched from top to bottom, no one knew where she was. It was as if she'd disappeared on the spot. No tracks. No nothing -- except for Eno's tracks. And Eno had disappeared as well. His hut was empty. A few of his possessions -- gone.
Zalia remembered with a pang how frenzied Lea's parents had been, how angry, and finally, how scared. Kira had smacked Loryn hard across the face when they found out Eno was missing too, screaming that this was all his fault for having brought Eno to their village in the first damn place. She drummed her fists on Loryn's chest, and Loryn, tears in his eyes, caught Kira to him and held her tightly. Both parents broke down crying. And outside the hut, the howl went up -- a mournful cry that meant someone had been kidnapped or had died. Zalia prayed that it wasn't both.
Zalia had been taken to the village council by her mother, where she stood before the entire village in the square and related with tears in her eyes every detail of the evening. She and Lea had stolen away to Lea's hut, where they enjoyed a basket of fruit before passing out.
"Where did she get the fruit?" one of the council members barked out, an elderly wolf with silvery flecks in his gray fur.
The village council was made up of four males, three females. They all sat on a raised dais, their legs crossed, looking down on Zalia, who felt small and meek under their stares. It seemed the entire village had turned out to hear the witness give her testimony, for crowds of wolves pressed the edge of Zalia's vision. She knew that somewhere her mother was standing among these wolves, holding Kira as she sobbed. She knew Loryn was there too, hard faced and yet miserable, his spear in his paw.
"She told me the fruit was in her hut that morning," answered Zalia with a sniff. "Said her mother had picked it."
"And did you?" rang out the voice of a female elder, and Zalia heard Kira sob that no, she did not.
The council members announced that the fruit had obviously been drugged by the perpetrator Eno. A rescue party would be organized in place of the search party, and would the father step forward? Swallowing thickly, Loryn had stepped forward to discuss forming a rescue party, and Zalia, tears in her eyes, had run from her place before the council, had run from the square, had run into the streets, blinded by her tears.
Zalia didn't know where she was going. She couldn't even see. The torches lining the streets were blurred flames in her eyes and she ran wildly through the darkness, sobbing brokenly. Her body slammed into a tall figure. A male! Curse males! Curse them all! She started swinging her fists, screaming and sobbing to be let go, but the male crushed her to his chest and cried out frantically,
"Zalia! Zalia, it's me! It's Keeno!"
Zalia relaxed in Keeno's arms and broke down sobbing. Keeno kissed her head and stroked her mane, looking as miserable as his young lover.
"I've never seen you so scared of anything before, Zalia," the young male whispered and Zalia felt him trembling. "You're scaring me!"
"Oh, Keeno, he took her! I know he took her! That dirty b-bastard! He's been after Lea -- always been after Lea!"
"My father and I told Loryn we'd stay here, look after you and your mother and Kira. You're to come stay at our hut. Loryn and my father don't like the thought of you three being alone."
"If only my f-father was here," Zalia sniffed. "Eno never would have taken Lea! Never! Because he would have been too s-scared to come near me! Lea and I were always together and Eno was scared shitless of my father!" She declared this with a glower and clenched her fists. "Oh, Keeno, I'm so scared! What if he's done something to her?" She broke down sobbing again.
Keeno didn't know what to say. Zalia's tears frightened him. His bold, brave, and daring Zalia -- crying! So he lifted her easily in his arms and carried her to his hut. She curled against him, sniffling quietly, and every now and then, he kissed her head.
"My father is probably gonna whip me blind for this," Keeno said as he ducked with Zalia in his arms inside the hut, "but I don't care anymore. I just don't! Fuck all this mating season shit -- you need me and I'm here for you!"
Zalia's heart fluttered to hear those words. Keeno carried her into his room and laid her on his own bed. He told her she could rest there until his mother came home and made her a bed, then he disappeared and came back with a wooden cup of water, which he tipped gently to Zalia's lips and told her to drink. Zalia did as Keeno asked, closing her eyes happily when he stroked her tears away with his thumb.
"It really tears me up to see you like this," Keeno whispered, shaking his head. "And poor Lea. I wish I could kill that rotten Eno myself!"
Zalia saw Keeno's muscles tensing and wondered if he knew how cute he was when he was angry. She took another sniffling gulp of the water and was glad for it. Her throat was so dry from her crying and it seemed somehow that the small action of drinking from the cup soothed her, forced her to be still rather than shake with sobs and thrash in her anger. She finally dropped the cup and buried her face in her paws, her knees drawn up like a child. She felt Keeno's paw on her head and heard him whisper that he had to get back before his father noticed he wasn't at the village gathering. He pulled away, but Zalia looked up and grabbed his paw.
"Stay with me?" Zalia implored through large, glistening blue eyes.
Keeno hesitated, but seeing Zalia's misery, he nodded his head. They curled on the sleeping furs together, Zalia's back pressed to Keeno's chest, and they listened to the distant murmuring of the crowds gathered in the village square. Every now and then, Zalia would sniff with fresh tears and Keeno would kiss her mane, hold her tighter.
"Do you think they'll find her?" Zalia whispered, her voice trembling with fear.
Keeno shook his head against the pillows. "I -- I don't know. God, I hope so."
After another pause, Keeno said miserably, "This is gonna devastate Kilyan. He's in love with Lea -- so in love. You should hear him whining about her to me. He was all determined to claim her next year at the mating season and now. . . she's gone."
"Oh, don't say that!" Zalia cried in alarm. "You talk as if she wasn't coming back!"
"I'm sorry . . ." Keeno whispered miserably. "But when a wolf disappears -- especially a female -- they don't usually come back. Doesn't mean they're dead or anything. Just that they were probably taken by a male from another village and that the husband couldn't reclaim her. Your mother was a rare case --"
"Oh, shut up, Keeno! Shut up!" Zalia cried and broke down sobbing.
"I'm sorry, Zalia," Keeno said in alarm. "I didn't mean -- Zalia --" Frantic that she was crying, Keeno kissed her again, apologizing over and over for his blunder. "I was just trying to comfort you. I mean, she's probably alive is what I was trying to say --"
"But she wasn't taken by a male from another village, Keeno! She was taken by Eno!"
"That stupid motherfucker," said Keeno darkly. "He should have been banned as a lone wolf that first time he crept in on you in your hut. When I heard about that I wanted to kill him myself. When I heard about that I understood why your father always hated him. I just thank god he didn't take you too."
"He wouldn't dare," said Zalia through her teeth.
Keeno gave a mock shiver. "Oooo. I wouldn't dare!"
Zalia looked around at his mock fright and laughed through her tears. Keeno laughed too and touched her face.
"Oh, Zalia," he whispered, kissing her ear. He smiled at her. "Things will be okay. And if they aren't, I'm here for you."
"I love you, Keeno!" Zalia burst, startling the young male. She had never said those words to him before! But now she rolled over and kissed Keeno hard on the mouth. Keeno felt himself rising and pulled away.
"Zalia!"
"I do!" Zalia cried defiantly. "I love you and I want you --"
"But -- we'll get -- in trouble, and --" stammered Keeno, blushing all over his tan face.
Zalia laughed. She had never seen her arrogant, bold Keeno so red and stammering. She pulled him roughly to her by the hip and whispered huskily in his ear that she wanted him inside of her.
"But if you get with my pup --"
"Then I'll live in disgrace!" Zalia said, fed up suddenly.
Keeno gazed warmly into her eyes, so drawn as he'd always been drawn to that fiery spirit in her. "Then I'll live in disgrace with you," he said and kissed her on the mouth.
There in the quiet shadows of Keeno's room, Zalia felt his kisses on her neck, on her breasts, felt her pussy getting wetter and juicier for something she had never experienced before but for something she hungered for with all her being as if she had known Keeno inside of her any number of times. And Keeno, that happy glow in his eyes, climbed on top of her, took her in his arms, and whispered in her ear that he would be gentle. He sounded so nervous that she kissed him on the cheek, and then that first thrust came.
Zalia had never felt anything so exquisitely agonizing and yet delicious in her life. She gasped shrilly and Keeno paused, looking terrified, but Zalia held him tightly, telling him to go on. Anxious now that his Zalia was in pain, Keeno kissed her lovingly, eagerly all over her face. He whispered in her ear that, god, she was so tight and her pussy so wet and she felt so good closed around him. She whispered back that he felt good inside of her, that the pain didn't matter, that she loved having him between her thighs, and then Keeno, moving slowly and rhythmically against Zalia, whispered in her ear,
"Oh, Zalia, I -- I love you!"
Zalia had never been so happy.