Knox of the Bloom

Chapter 17 - Making Love Among Darkness

The road to the Isles of Druids was bleak. The path was barren of travellers, gone were the days of traveling fae, with their wagons jingling along merrily and their firesides always welcome. Gone were tales of yore, of friendly faces along the way, and gone were the roadside huts and alehouses, for people had fled the land at the sight of the flames.

They spent that first night on a hill among ancient doldrums, and the fire was high, but still they three nestled together to keep warm, and a light frost kissed the grass-blades come dawn. The journey was quiet, both of mind and spirit, and at night when Knox touched Eriu she shivered beneath the hide. The meat was dry, as was conversation, and that second night Knox spoke of happier times.

"Did I ever tell you the tale of how I found Tapa?" asked Knox, smiling.

"No, please do."

"I was but fifteen name days old when I was brought among the mountains with Yew-Bow, and we were set to hunting a stag for the coming feast. Well used to the ways of the forest and the mountains I was. Well used to the step of wolf nearby my fireside, and many times I spent howling back at them, joining in with their songs of ancient ways.

"But listen closely, mo cuishle, and I shall tell you how we came upon Tapa."

*

It was two days into the mountains, and Yew-Bow and I set off on different paths to have better chance at finding tracks of a stag. Nay hide nor hair of one did I find, and I was about to set off back to our camp when I heard a whimpering in the bushes. I moved aside the bushes to find a rotting corpse of a wolf, and shivers ran down my spine, for its death cries I had just heard, for the poor creature must have been dead mere days. I was about to set to burying the corpse, for timber wolves are sacred to my clan, and to leave one for the carrion birds and creatures of prey would not be in my way, when I heard a faint cry. I followed the noise to a stream, where a small cave sat beside. Inside I ventured, and a pup among his dead siblings I did find. Starved she was, but strong of heart still, and she lifted her mask and those eyes seemed to glow in that dark cave, and I felt bonded to the wolf.

I brought her from the cave and let it drink from the stream, ignoring its attempts at biting me, for it is in their nature. I sat beside the wolf that night, fearing it would pass into the Otherworld, but a rustling came from the nearby treeline, and what should step out but a wolf, shining brilliant white in the night. It was a nursing bitch, without her pups, and for a moment I thought that this must be the mother, but no, turn she did and tried to flee, but I spoke to it, calling it gently, and come it did.

I sat there and stared into its eyes, and there seemed to be a connection never felt before. The wolf lay down beside the pup and let it feed from her. I waited there until dawn and the wolf retreated into the forest, abandoning the pup. I brought it back to camp, where I retold the tale to Yew-Bow. Yew-Bow is much older than I and he remembered an ancient story of a spirit of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, a woman name Maru, who had been a chieftain in her time, yes don't look at me like that, women can be chieftain too.

Anyway, mo cuishle, the story went that Maru was betrayed by her eldest son and murdered in cold blood. That night a pack of wolves larger than ever seen before stole into the camp and the body of Maru was taken, and the men still loyal to her searched and they searched but no tracks did show in the forest, for it seemed they were spirits of the forest.

From then on, they saw a woman walking in the forest, who would protect weary travellers, and it was said sometimes she would appear as a wolf, and hungry children could feed from her tit, and grow strong. It was the same wolf that was said to have nursed Hornbeard's father and is the reason why he grew so strong and tall.

It came to me that this wolf that I had seen by the cave must be one and the same, the spirit of Maru, and I felt blessed to have seen it. We returned empty handed to camp, but after showing the pup and retelling the tale Hornbeard told me I would have to return and feed the pup, and that if it should die, I should not return, for it would be an ill omen to the clan, and no good could come from it. That I was holding a sacred emblem of the clan.

Return I did, but it was days and still no sign came of the wolf, and the Cold Days were near at hand. I grew tired, for I had not eaten, and would not leave the pup's side until it fed first.

A dream came to me as I slept, and a woman appeared from the cave. She spoke to me one word, Tapa, and the pup was named. She fed the pup and when I awoke, Tapa had grown twice in size. And ever since then I was seen as special for being blessed by Maru and earned an honoured place among the Grey Wolf clan.

*

"That's beautiful Knox, why haven't you told me about this tale before?"

"It holds a dear place in my heart, mo cuishle, and none wish to speak of it in camp, for it is sacred among us."

Tapa stood then and stretched and went to hunt for her food.

Knox pulled Eriu close, as she was shivering.

"What's the matter?"

Eriu turned to look up at him, the flames reflecting in her green eyes, two rounds of pristine grass bands. "I fear I may not be welcome back with the Druids."

"None will say you haven't earned your place among them, not with me behind you. I may only be half a man since the fight with the Fugrah, but twice a man your love makes me."

"Mo gra," she whispered the ancient words, my love, and it sent tingles down his spine. He leaned in and kissed her. She bit his lip, rubbed her leg up between his. "Keep me warm, mountain man."

"Always, mo cuishle."

Knox pushed her arms back and scratched slowly down, rubbing her neck, kissing her ear.

"Make love to me Knox, among these scattered rocks of old." Her breath on his neck felt good, the taste of her tongue on his was bliss, wild strawberries in early Warm Days bloom. Her flesh between his teeth was fresh honey, her eyes dripping with warmth and love.

Entering her was the feel of going home and pressed against her in darkness with the flames of ancient men felt like home was wherever they would be.

Their spirits and bodies writhed together, slow, fast, slow, fast. He sucked down on her lip, shuddering at the feel of her wetness, and the sounds her flesh made when he rolled back and forth. She gasped and threw back her head, pushing her arms out akimbo, her nipples firm beneath his tongue.

"Knox."

"Eriu."

Her body tensed as she built to climax, and he kissed her deeply as he did also, and they body gasped together as one. One spirit. One body. One heart.