Zarek was still asleep when Sarielle got up on Saturday. Her father always slept late on worship days, treating them as a day off. But the goats had to be milked every day, so Sarielle never got the same privilege.
One hand on the stove door, she went to reach into the wood basket and found it empty. Her father must have put on the last of the logs and not refilled it.
"Thanks."
She glared at his door on her way outside. It was chilly and she hugged her coat tight around her tummy. Her stiff fingers picked up a log from the woodpile, but froze when she looked at the meadow. Where were the goats?
She dropped the log and ran to the gate. It was closed and the fence looked fine. She hurried across the paddock, running along the fence line. At the corner she turned, following it left nearly to the other end of the paddock.
"There."
One side of a bottom rail had come off the post. If a troublemaker like Petunia crawled under, they all could have followed.
Sarielle climbed through the fence and walked along the ten-metre wide corridor separating the property from the woods. Their second paddock was definitely empty and the neighbour's paddocks only held sheep. No brown goats in sight.
Sarielle groaned. "They're in the damn forest."
If she didn't go more than a few metres in, she'd be fine. The edge was only light woodland and very pleasant to look upon. It was further in that it grew dense and foreboding to even the bravest hunters, so she'd heard. It would want to be if it led to the Far Darklands after all. Sarielle was wary of the forest, but not scared of it like some people were. It had a peaceful, charming look and was almost...inviting.
No goats ran out to greet her as she ventured past the bordering trees. She walked south along the tree line without seeing a single animal. Fed up with the silly things, she stopped when she reached the old orchard. It was the furthest place from the village, tucked away behind meadows in the south-west corner. Nestled as it was on the border of the forest, it seemed more part of the woods than the town. Saplings and shrubs grew between the fruit trees, as if it was slowly being reclaimed by the woods. Although it was older than the town, its lack of produce meant it held no value to anyone other than the young women who'd grown up playing there.
Sarielle wandered through what she could only describe as an overgrown garden. The orchard had no straight rows, but curved around in a circular pattern. Whoever planted this grove wanted to enjoy it visually not just sample its harvest.
She sat down to rest behind the twisted trunk of an apple tree at the very back of the orchard. The sun had come out now and it warmed her skin. Using her coat as a pillow, she curled up in the tall grass.
The sun was high in the sky when Sarielle woke. She groaned when she saw she wasn't surrounded by goats. Stupid things probably got eaten by forsaken creatures. How long had she slept? It must be nearly time for worship. She didn't want to go. Maybe she could just miss it? She had an excuse.
Sarielle stared down the hill at the town. "Fuck them."
She wasn't going anywhere near their congregation. Why, she could cut her lock off, steal the horse, and never return at all. That's what she'd dreamed of doing for years now. She'd long had enough of the town and its ways. The tight community pretended to care, when really it just judged. But fleeing would have meant leaving the beautiful orchard she loved so much. Right here in these trees felt like home. There was something calming that called her here and she'd never had the heart to leave it behind.
"You have to."
It was time to go. All the time it got worse, rapidly descending into something dark and unstoppable. The outside world may be scary and filled with uncertainty, but Sarielle refused to spend her life as her father's servant. But what about the other girls? She couldn't abandon them. Every time a girl left or disappeared it got worse for those who remained. And there was no way she was leaving Hevani here.
A growl bubbled in her stomach, reminding her that she hadn't eaten. There was a single apple in the branches above her, a lunch gift from the tree. Sarielle scrunched her face up, feeling a sneeze coming on. Two more followed. She rolled onto her knees to stand up and felt the slide of her lock against her labia. Heat radiated from between her legs and there was a damp patch in her underwear. When she stood up, she felt something ooze out of her.
"Oh, goodness."
She was so wet!
Her hand cupped her groin, the touch stirring her desire. She
had
to play with herself.
"Forgive me."
She rubbed her hand against her crotch, but stopped to check if anyone was looking. She'd been caught here before and it felt awfully exposed. Her eyes settled on the shadows of the woods. She could go in there. Yes, that's where she needed to go.
Her feet took her into the trees and she was already several metres into the forest before she realised. She lifted her skirt and her hand dove into her tiny bloomers to tickle her lips through the rungs of the lock.
Further.
This way. Something called her. Lured her.
On she travelled, without thought to where she was going. She only paused to strip off her saturated underwear, her fingers going straight back to work grinding her chastity cage into herself. Ahead was a tree unlike any she'd seen before. Its trunk was the colour of cedar and over a metre wide. It wasn't straight, but lumpy and stout. Five branches grew from the centre, curving downwards. A canopy of orange leaves glowed a rich colour, the fallen ones making a circle around the tree. The whole thing had an aura around it, golden red, as if it emitted light and gold dust.
Sarielle breathed in. She could smell it. The tree was the thing pumping out that pollen, a heady scent that made her pussy drool.
"Ahh." She mashed her clit furiously, inching closer to the tree. She needed to fuck. Needed to be fucked. Her clit pulsed, feeling huge and powerful under her strokes. Her hips humped the air as she came. "Oohh...ho"
