On the Road Again

Beating Feet

Chapter 1

Beating Feet


Two figures burst out of the alley way, frantically poundingpavement beneath their feet. The smaller of the two sprinted for the wall that loomed up just beyond the open space outside of the alley. The larger followed, slacking pace just enough to catch the smaller around the waist, and give her a running boost up the formidable barricade.
Anitra caught the top of the wall as she went up, and quickly flung herself over it, grabbing for the hand of the giant behind her. Dameaon grabbed, braced, and swung up along side of her; then the two
were dropping together on the other side, and making it for all they were worth toward the wooded area.
The natural difference in leg length put the man into the woods meters ahead of the woman. It gave him time to mount the huge stallion waiting for them there, and to catch the reins on the smaller gelding before Anitra made the distance. He caught the reins of the other horse as he mounted and in almost one move wheeled and was riding toward her, spare in tow.
Anitra caught the horse's mane as the giant rode by. A quick, practiced motion hauled her up onto its back as the entourage turned together. Within nearly the same second, she was urging the animal back toward the woods, leg and leg with the giant and his stallion.
By the time the angry mob spilled out of the fortress gate, both riders were through the woods, into the rocks, and headed for any place but Ganiewell. An hour of hard riding put them across the territorial border between Ganiewell and Lumforg, and allowed them to finally slow the
reckless pace.
Dameaon reined up, giving Anitra time to catch up with him; and then the two of them moved their mounts forward at a leisurely walk.
"Damn!" the giant grumbled. "Too close, Ani! For one more bottle of snake oil, ney? And why?!"
The landi knight grumbled right back at him.
"The labber had coin. How the hell was I supposed to know it was a set up?!"
"Your job to know, Landi." Dameaon glowered. "You are the bloody knight, ney? The trained warrior and battle strategist----"
"Oh shut up!" the woman snapped. "We got out, didn't we?"
"We did." the man said pointedly. "Wagon and most of our gear did not."
The two rode in noncompanionable silence for another half an hour before Anitra finally said,
"Ok. I fucked up. You gonna pout until we get to Sansiel, or what?"
"Not pouting." Dameaon muttered. "Reviewing options!"
"Well as I see it---" Anitra began; and the giant shot her a look that shut her up immediately.
"Had you seen the labber from the last town we dumped the oil we would still have our wagon," he glowered. "And our gear! Damn, but I will miss that wagon!"
"Why?" she shrugged. "You never slept in it!"
"Never was a pack animal while we had it, either," he threw back. "Ani, this knar tells you formally that he is owed the next time we get a stake. At least wagon big, yes?"
"Shit!" the woman snorted, disgustedly. "You'd think I'd cut off your nose, or something. Come on, Dameaon. We been in worse spots. At least we got the horses and weapons. Bit of trail food, too, if I remember that saddle bag----"
"You ate it before we went into town," Dameaon said glumly.
"So we'll hunt, hey?" she pressed, exasperated. "Damn, but you are getting rough to ride with!"
"I liked that wagon," he muttered; closing the conversation and opening another long stretch of piqued silence.


********



By nightfall there was food. Anitra caught three conies on the run, and Dameaon located a passable area filled with edible roots, shoots, and berries. Between the two supplies, they managed to
concoct a tolerable stew in his helmet, and a fruit cocktail of sorts in Anitra's for desert.
The stirring spoon was a stick, and silverware what was located at the end of their wrists, but dinner filled them, and there was even enough of the mess left for first meal. It would be a scant beginning
for what was probably going to be a long day, but they had seen worse.
"Gonna get cold tonight." Dameaon remarked as he dropped the last load of dead and down in front of the small cave they had located.
"I'm sorry about the god damned wagon, ok?" Anitra exploded. "Cheeze, will you get off that?!"
"I liked the wagon," he sulked. "It was cramped, but it cut some of the cold."
"We got a cave," Anitra muttered. "We can curl up together in that just fine for tonight. Tomorrow I'll see what I can do about getting some decent work, get a few shekels back in the old purse. And I'll buy you another damned wagon, ok?"
Dameaon looked the cave over, his expression saying all that needed to be said about what he thought of it.
"Yeah." Anitra sighed. "It aint great, but we've----"
"Slept in worse." he finished for her. "Landi, too many times you say this to me, these days. Too many times we got ground and not much else, ney? This knar sees we been down so long all before begins to look like up!"
"Bitch, bitch, bitch!" the woman muttered. "You want to cut the deal, is that what you're telling me? Get yourself another knight to bug the shit out of? Well up yours, Sky High! You find another sword swinger dumb enough to put up with a seven and a half foot, belly aching jack ass, you grab on quick and hold tight. That's all I got to say on the subject!"
Hands on hips, the Giant glared right back at the woman.
"It could be it is time for that, ney?" he snapped. "Between the god cursed moon moods I am assaulted with and the major fuck ups I must endure this deal becomes a pain to my ass!"
"Well fine!" she snapped back.
"Fine!"
"You want the inside or the outside?"
"Inside. Always you get out to pee in the middle of the night and I hate it when you climb over top and wake me up."


*******************


The cave was small, and crowded. The giant had some trouble getting comfortable with his back to the wall, but once he was settled, Anitra curled up in front of him, back to his stomach, like spoons. They laid quietly for a moment, each trying to put their breathing rhythm into a sleep pattern.
Suddenly Anitra's eyes opened wide, and she gave the man a quick poke in the ribs with her elbow.
"Damn you!" she snapped. "Did you take those pesan roots before you hit sack?"
The man sighed, guiltily. There wasn't much of a way to deny he'd skipped that essential. Not with a very erect evidence to the contrary between them growing larger by the second.

"Pesan makes my stomach roll." he grunted. "You know this!"
"We all got our little pains in the ass we gotta live with," she threw back, totally unsympathetic. "Are they in the saddle bag?"
"Ani----" he started to protest.
"Don't `Ani' me, you horny bastard!" she growled. "The Road rules say we slog through hell together, maybe; but we don't mess around! Where are the damned roots?!"
"In the pack you sleep on." he surrendered. "Curse it, Landi! “You know I would not move on you, ney?"
"You're damned right you won't move on me!" she swore, reaching around inside of the pack for the roots. "Oh crap! can't find---what in the hell have you got packed in here? What's all this mooshy----"
"Wet moss," he said patiently. "Give the pack to me. I will find it."
Anitra handed the pack to him over her shoulder. He rummaged in the thing for a moment, and came up with the pesan root. He reluctantly bit off a good size chunk of it, and then returned it to the pack.
"Tastes like hell," he groused quietly.
Anitra did not say anything. She simply braced her elbow on the cave floor and leaned her head on her hand, waiting for the desired results to take effect on the man.

Anitra Krian, at sixteen standard years of age, was the best damned knight in the Training Fortress. Dameaon had been watching the knights in training, recently trained knights, and knight/knar pairs
for four years. There was no doubt in his mind this lanky, bold eyed girl was the best he'd seen in the lot---and destined, with practice, to be even better.
There was nothing he would have liked better than to pair with this one, to cast his lot with hers and forge a team the likes of which the Hinterlunds would talk about in legends for years to come.
Such were the dreams of a sixteen year old boy; a young Giant determined to rise above the squalor that had sold him to the Fortress for training to become the best, himself. Such were the dreams of
any of the knars with an eye for good material; and there were many in the Training Fortress; many who had not been sold, but who came debt free, and were far more likely to be chosen.
A knight had to pay such a debt before accepting pledge booty. A knight also had to provide for a knar---and one Dameaon's size took considerable providing for.
There were dreams, then; but not much hope. Anitra Krian was the top pledge choice of every knar and knar in training at the Fortress. Dameaon knew that full well the day he had been drawn to back her in the mock battle. He also knew, by knar code, he was obliged to move on her, to try to coax her into the blankets with him. Every knar in the Fortress had the obligation to make such a move on every knight, for the knight who would accommodate a knar in such a way was a knight who would never pair with that one. It was the code; and it helped to eliminate a lot of questions on pairing right from the start.
So Dameaon moved on her, in spite of the friendship that had developed between them over the years. As he was helping her on with the armor, he deliberately slipped his hand into her shirt, and began to slowly caress the soft, full breast he found there.
The response to the caress was immediate. The pert nipple beneath his thumb stood to attention instantly, while the young knight gasped; and, for a moment, arched into the caress. But it was only for a moment before she caught his wrist, and firmly drew his hand back out of her shirt. Those strong blue eyes stared into his, then, and she said.
"Krian\Edi may slog through hell together, knar; but they don't mess around!"
The language in the words was very direct. She would take his pledge, though it meant forgoing the pleasuring she obviously had no other objection to.

The touch of her, the quick, passionate response from her, those things definitely had their own effect on the young Giant---but her words! Those were more important to him than a hundred nights of
pleasure such as that responsive body promised.
Dameaon never made a move on her again.


"Ok." he sighed finally. "Situation now normal."
"For you, the former situation was normal!" Anitra sniped.
"This is so," he grinned, settling back down as she scooched in next to him. "That is why you ride with me, ney! Dameaon Edi, always at the ready!"
She chuckled, and snuggled a little closer to him.
"You're good back cover all right, Sky High," she yawned. "Never
rode with better!"
"You did not ride with anyone else." he reminded her.
She shrugged the words off as unimportant.
"A good knight knows when the knar is the best!" she gave him. "And you are the best back cover in all the Hinterlunds, shalla!"
The compliment, and the address that voiced their friendship pleased the man, but he could not help taunting her with,
"Good front cover, too, if such is needed!"
"Yeah, well, I'm sure the ladies appreciate the treat." she muttered sleepily.
There was quiet for a few moments. And then,
"Dae?"
"Ummmm?"
"I'm sorry about the wagon."
"S'ok. We will cop another when work comes."
"Um," she sighed. Then
"Sorry about the pesan crap, too, you know?"
"I know," he mumbled.
Suddenly there was a loud grumble from the giant's stomach, and an
equally loud expulsion of air.
"God!" Anitra gasped, her olfactory senses totally assaulted and
offended. "You pig!"
Dameaon just grinned, and moved to accommodate yet another expulsion. No matter how much a knar appreciated the knight, there was no sense in letting one get the best of you all of the time.
"I have said it makes my stomach rol1," he reminded her.
"Oh shit!" she moaned; and he laughed, not regretting the insulting assault of the gas one bit.