Love Isn't Blind

Author's Note: Hey everybody, this is mainly written by my g/f and with a few ideas from me. I hope you enjoy, and there should be more to come. Please comment or rate, if you comment one of us will get back to you. All comments are welcome. enjoy ^_^.


They say that love is blind, that it has no prejudices, and that it is eternal. They also say that feelings can die and that nothing ever really changes. But I think that everything changes, just not in the ways we think they do. I think that nothing is eternal, but that nothing ever dies. I think that everything just turns into something else, or some other form of the same thing. As for love being blind, I think that love can see better than any of us. Maybe it can just see things that we don’t and so we end up paired with people we would never have imagined. Sometimes the relationship works and sometimes it doesn’t in the long run, but we always learn something and maybe that is what love is for. Maybe love is there so we’ll learn and change and grow in ourselves so that when we finally find the ‘one,’ we’re ready. But my biggest question of all is how do we know who the ‘one’ is or if the ‘one’ is even a single person?

* * * * *
It was a frigid day in Ascanthani. The sun had risen grey with frost and an icy mist had persisted through the day. It was now evening and the setting sun still hid behind its veil of mist and stormy cloud. The buildings were decorated in ice and the road was a river of frozen mud, soft in some places and hard as ice in others. No one wanted to venture from their warm fireplaces into the chill.
Carla walked down the deserted street. A wisp of frosty air swept by her and she shivered, pulling her fur cloak tighter over her shoulders. She would much rather be curled up next to the fire with a good book on a day like this, but her husband wanted some tidbits for the dinner tonight with his friends and all of the servants were busy with preparations. And so she was walking through the muddy slush to buy sweetmeats from a vender who had probably closed shop by now and was at this moment warming himself in front of his own hearth.
She thought to herself about how much she despised her husband’s parties and his friends. It seemed like it was nothing but an opportunity for him to show her off as a fine catch to them, for him to gloat about his marriage to her. It seemed like she was nothing but a trophy to him during these times and his friends seemed to think that all women were nothing but that.
Carla heaved a long suffering sigh and looked dejectedly at the empty street vender. She was right, it was closed. Now she could either bang on his house door or try to find some neighbor to barter with. It would have to be bothering the vender at home. Her husband would be unhappy if he heard some rumor stating she had begged food from a neighbor. Sometimes she hated how concerned he was about politics. She spent a moment thinking about how nice it would be if he would only put those concerns aside for even a day or so. It would be nice to have some quality time for once.
Shaking herself out of her daydreams, she gathered herself up and knocked politely on the door. There were no sounds of movement from within and she waited a moment more before knocking again just a little louder. This time she heard the sounds of a chair being drawn back and the shuffling of feet on the floor. The lock rattled loudly and the bolt slid back. Then the door was open and the vender was looking for the intruder.
She smiled as best she could in the cool air and pulled the hood back a little to let him see who she was. His face lost some of its hardness but he was still unhappy to be disturbed after store hours. She could tell by the tattoo on his forehead that he was a member of the BitterMushroom clan, a branch of the main merchant clan of Ascanthani and the five cities surrounding it. He looked like the other members of his clan with his pinched features and dark markings around his face like the ferrets their people resembled.
“Sorry to bother you,” Carla began. “But I need to purchase some delicacies for a banquet.”
His eyes lit up at the possibility of making money and he rushed into his house to pull out a sampling of what he had to offer. Carla immediately spotted the one her husband wanted and ordered a sizable number of them to feed all of her husband’s guests. Then the haggling began. Despite her sweet demeanor, Carla was a shrewd haggler and she soon had the vender agreeing to a price much lower than his original price. To make up for the inconvenience, however, she added a modest tip to the sum. It was enough to make the vender remember her when she needed a favor but small enough to remind him he couldn’t take advantage of her generosity. The end of the transaction left the vender to go back to his warm chair satisfied with the extra deal for the day and Carla to wander back up the road to the party in preparation.
* * * * *
In the neighboring country of Allagenshia under the chilled foliage of a forest, a battle was being waged. The two combatants were locked in deadly struggle as the silent forest watched. They seemed evenly matched until one of them, a woman, struck a blow to her opponent’s head. He fell heavily, marking the end of the fight as his throat was torn out.
The victor straightened, catching her breath and calming herself from her bloodrage. She was covered in the loser’s blood and her eyes still gleamed oddly. She looked around the bloodstained, body-strewn clearing as if looking for more challengers. Her eyes focused on a hollow beneath a tree. There was movement within the soft darkness between the roots. She looked deeper and her sharp eyes spied the shape of a human girl huddled in the back of the hole.
She stalked toward the hollow purposefully, her strides long.
“Lotta?” a soft voice asked from the base of the tree.
The victor stopped and the girl poked her head out of her hiding place revealing a pale face framed by dark hair and containing brilliant blue eyes.
At the sight of her face, Lotta straightened and shook off the remaining residue of her rage. She wiped the blood from her face with her arm and then picked up two silver bands on the ground near the site of the duel. She shivered as they passed over and settled onto her skin like chainless shackles.
“What’s the matter, Arecia?” Lotta asked now that her powerbands were in place.
“Is it safe to come out now?”
“Yes,” Lotta answered plainly. “They’re all dead.”
Arecia crawled out of her hiding place and jogged to stand next to her companion. She took a moment to look over her features critically but found no injuries marring the creamy-white flesh interrupted here and there by purple-blue wedge-shaped markings. There was blood all over her. Even the lids covering the beautiful dark blue eyes with their hint of deep indigo were splattered with it. Her raven black hair was matted with it. Arecia scrunched up her nose in distaste.
“You need a bath. You smell like frog blood,” she said.
Lotta lifted an eyebrow and then looked herself over. She fingered the blood-soaked leather outfit clinging to her body with moderate disgust before stripping out of the offending garments to stand naked in the woods. She dropped them on the ground and then shook herself like an animal, sending droplets of blood into the air all around her.
Arecia ran back from her with a shriek.
“Stop it! You’re going to get it on me!” she cried.
Lotta straightened up and walked over to her.
“Then you have a reason to take a bath with me,” she replied, starting to undo Arecia’s clothes.
“But it’s freezing,” she complained. “I’ll die of cold.”
“I’ll make a fire,” Lotta said. “And you can always snuggle under my tail if you’re cold.”
Arecia grinned and helped her take off her clothes. The water in the nearby stream was as cold as she’d said it would be and after a few seconds of hurried scrubbing, they were jumping out and drying off as best they could. Lotta draped a large bear pelt over Arecia as she started shivering and stalked to the river with her pile of soiled laundry. She quickly cleaned them in the fast flowing water and then hung them on a branch over the site of their camp. Arecia was getting a fire going while still huddled under the fur. Lotta noticed that she still hadn’t put on any clothes.
“I told you it would be cold,” Arecia shivered, striking the steel of her knife with a piece of flint.
Lotta simply studied her charge. She’d changed so much since she’d first met her. Back then, she hadn’t trusted anyone and Arecia had only been a little girl. She was much bigger now, older. The little human girl was finally becoming a woman and a fine looking one at that.
She hadn’t known what to do with her when she’d first shown up that day. She was still incapable of moving at that point from a huge battle and still hated other people. She’d snarled at the little girl, hoping to make her go away. But Arecia had persisted and taken care of her even though she didn’t want it.
Arecia had become her companion, someone she tried to protect and provide for. Slowly but surely, Arecia had melted the ice around her heart, and now she was beginning to stroke it into a fire.
Lotta knew that Arecia loved her. Not too long ago, she’d told her for the first time. She hadn’t known what to do. Lotta wasn’t used to people wanting to be around her, let alone wanting to always be with her. And now, Arecia wanted to be her lover. The strangest part was that Lotta wasn’t entirely sure she didn’t want it.
Arecia looked up from the now burning fire to see Lotta staring absentmindedly at a spot a few feet from where she was crouched. Her eyes were drawn to the lean muscular figure of the wolf demon she loved. She felt her heart speed up and the breath caught in her throat. Lotta was so beautiful and so powerful. She was sarcastic and rude, but at the same time oddly considerate. Arecia never wanted for anything until now.
She’d told Lotta how she felt a few weeks ago and had tried unsuccessfully to get her to react to her. Arecia wasn’t a child anymore, and she wanted to be seen as a woman. And as a woman, she wanted to take a lover, someone she could be completely intimate with and share everything with. Lotta already had her heart; all she had to give to her now was her body.
Arecia stood up and walked silently to the daydreaming wolf-woman. She smiled as she saw the large, bushy, black tail sticking out from behind her. It had been used as her blanket and pillow for as long as she could remember. The fur was soft and silky to the touch and was very, very warm. But Arecia wanted to touch something besides the familiar tail this time.
Very gently, she wrapped her arms around Lotta’s stomach and back, letting her hands lightly glide along the sculpted muscles under them. The goose bumps on Lotta’s skin became even more apparent and a shiver ran up her spine. Almost without realizing it, Lotta relaxed and closed her eyes, enjoying the light stroking of Arecia’s fingers.
Arecia took this as a good sign and slowly moved her stroking up and down a little further than before. She started kneading her fingers into the stiff muscles, beginning to loosen them up.
Lotta moaned. She couldn’t help it. It felt so good and she’d been holding herself back for so long. It would be so easy to just give in, to just give in to the pleasure. She hadn’t before because she was afraid, but she was beginning to feel that familiar rush of fire that Arecia could stir in her and she was tired of holding herself back. She wanted her.
“Arecia,” she said, her voice full of desire.
Arecia responded by stepping forward and completely closed the distance between them. Their breasts pressed against each other, and Lotta moaned again at the feeling. She hadn’t ever felt like this. It was like and unlike bloodrage in that it was a fire she couldn’t control but it was so sweet in comparison. She wanted to feel more of it. She needed it.
Arecia was feeling hope soaring in her heart. Maybe Lotta would allow her to take her this time. Then a more exhilarating thought occurred to her that Lotta might choose to take her back. Her color rose at the idea of Lotta doing that to her, and the burning moved to the place between her legs. She was running her hands all over Lotta almost in a frenzy, wanting to make the desire too much for her to push away this time.
Lotta opened her eyes to look down at the woman she’d come to love. Arecia’s breath caught and her heart thudded in her ears at the desire and love shining from them. Then Lotta leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss that really did steal her breath. Lotta’s strong arms wrapped around her back and pulled her even closer to her now hot skin.
The bearskin fell to the ground temporarily forgotten as they explored one another’s mouths with eager, probing tongues. Lotta’s hands were now exploring Arecia’s body, stroking every inch they could reach. Her deft fingers wandered down her back to her butt and then across her hips and up her abs to cup her breasts, gently massaging them. Arecia threw her head back and moaned, baring her neck to Lotta’s seeking mouth. She kissed her way down the tender flesh, letting her tongue flick out and her teeth gently nip at the warm skin.
Arecia groaned louder than before, her breasts heaving against Lotta’s hands. Then her fingers found a nipple. Arecia almost fell with the rush of pleasure and Lotta wrapped an arm around her back, holding her against her as she rolled the nipple between finger and thumb.
As if sensing the need Arecia was feeling, Lotta lent down, and with a lightning fast movement, spread the bearskin on the ground and gently laid Arecia on the middle of it. Kneeling over her, Lotta looked at the body spread beneath her as if seeing it for the first time. She saw the crystalline blue eyes glassy with lust and the elegant face framed by dark brown hair that was almost black in the shadows. She saw the slim feminine figure that had developed without her realizing. She could smell Arecia’s scent, comforting in its familiarity. But there was a new aspect to that smell now that overlaid it like a spice. It made Lotta’s heart beat faster. It was intoxicating.
She opened her eyes and fastened them on Arecia’s, watching them shimmer as she bent down, her skin brushing against hers, and captured her lips in a deep kiss. She shifted, trying to touch as much as Arecia’s body at once and her leg slid between Arecia’s. Arecia moaned as Lotta’s leg brushed against her.
Lotta moved down to take a nipple in her mouth, teasing it with her tongue, and began rubbing her leg against the place where Arecia’s legs met. She heard Arecia’s sweet moans and the spicy new scent washed into her nose like a wave. It drove her over the edge and now there was nothing holding her back from taking the one she wanted.
Arecia’s scream as she buried her mouth in that warm place between her legs sounded sweet to Lotta’s ears. Her body arched into the air as Lotta assaulted her clit with soft kisses and flirtatious licks. Lotta didn’t hold herself back. She wanted to give Arecia all of her and she had been asking for it for so long that Lotta didn’t want to hold back anything for her pleasure.
She pushed Arecia’s legs further apart, giving herself greater access and turned over so that she was laying half on her side, freeing one arm for movement. She used her other hand to move back the folds protecting her most sheltered place and pressed her lips against it. Then her tongue eagerly lapped at the sweet juices flowing out of her, as her moans echoed in the silence.
Lotta moved her lips back to Arecia’s clit and let her free fingers begin stroking where her lips had just been. She could feel her breathing pick up and hear the tempo of her heart increase as her fingers trailed ever closer to her center. Then her fingers were inside her charge, and Arecia’s passionate noises were reaching an even higher pitch.
Lotta could feel the muscular walls around her fingers clamping down on them and sped up her movements, leading Arecia to the edge. Then, knowing instinctively that now was the time, she let her sharp fingers slice through the barrier leading further into Arecia’s center. There was a short gasp of pain before Lotta’s other movements caused the wave of pleasure that had been building to finally crash and move through the body beneath her.
Arecia screamed Lotta’s name as she fell over the invisible edge into the fiery rush of an orgasm. Then she lay still and panted to catch her breath stolen by the force of the explosion of pleasure, her body still trembling now and then.
Lotta removed herself gently from her lover, cleaned her face and fingers of Arecia’s essence, and moved up to take her into her warm arms, wrapping the bearskin around them both to keep them warm. She smiled as Arecia curled up against her and murmured her name in a tired but satisfied way. Lotta stroked the damp hair back from Arecia’s forehead and kissed her temple gently. She waited patiently for her breathing to slow and contented herself with rubbing her sweaty back, knowing that soon the heat of passion would leave and Arecia would be cold again.
“Lotta,” Arecia sighed.
“Hmm?” Lotta asked, kissing her temple again.
“That was…amazing,” she breathed tiredly.
“Good,” Lotta smiled.
“Wanna get you.”
Lotta shook her head though Arecia couldn’t see. She knew she wasn’t ready for that yet. She was afraid of that much commitment. She could give Arecia was she needed but right now she couldn’t let her return the favor.
“Not right now,” Lotta told her.
Arecia made a noise of discontent and tried to flip her over as if wanting to get her anyway. Lotta easily kept her position and tightened her arms around her back, holding her in place.
“Please?” Arecia begged.
As much as it hurt to hear the pleading in her voice, Lotta still wasn’t ready to allow herself to become vulnerable just yet. She knew she would eventually, but she had to work up to it.
“No.”
“Why not?” Arecia asked in a tired whining voice.
“Go to sleep,” Lotta said, ignoring her question.
Arecia started to protest but Lotta kissed her gently and smiled when Arecia melted against her. When she pulled away, Arecia snuggled into her chest and sighed tiredly. She quickly fell into slumber and Lotta spent a while tracing circles on her back before trying to get up. Arecia had wrapped her arms around her while she slept and she mumbled a protest, her movement dragging her into wakefulness. Lotta laid back down and petted her hair gently as she snuggled back into her and fell into the easy sleep she’d almost come out of.
Lotta sighed. It looked like she was stuck unless she wanted to wake her up and she really didn’t want to. They didn’t have time to stop for long periods of time often and Arecia often went without enough sleep while they tried to avoid the enemies that always seemed to show up. She hoped no more would show up tonight. She’d already fought such a large group that she’d had to take her powerbands off, something that she disliked doing, usually reserving it only for emergencies. Lotta shivered, thinking what might happen to the girl—woman she told herself—in her arms if she lost control while in the state removing those bands caused.
Lotta’s thoughts came back to Arecia. It was hard for her to think of her as a woman even though it shouldn’t. She lived in a world where girls became women at the age of thirteen or less and Arecia was at least two years older than that. She knew it shouldn’t bother her, but the transition from young companion—a child tagalong—to adult lover was something she hadn’t adjusted to in her mind yet whatever her actions.
A sudden yawn washed over her and she was startled to find that she was tired. After a moment of thought it wasn’t so surprising. She’d gone without rest for nearly two weeks now and removing the powerbands—and putting them back on after—always wore her out. She checked the surrounds once more with all her senses before snuggling into the makeshift bed around her lover and falling into a light doze, knowing she’d awaken should anything catch her attention. The comforting scent of the woman in her arms lulled her and soon she was asleep, her ears twitching to the sound of the night forest around them.