Princess Quest

Story Prompt

A nude woman reaches through the waterfall grasping a ring of keys.

The Story

Lana feels the cold wet metal pressing into her hand. Having come this far she doesn’t want to lose them now!

Swimming back to the other side of the isolated lake she shivered. Not from the cool water. It really wasn’t that bad. No. Lana knew they could already sense the shift in her. The keys were far more than tools for unlocking what needs to be hidden.

Keys have many different purposes. The others could feel the keys searching for the special locks only these particular keys could breech.

What was so special about them? Lana was having to trust Phanu and the stories the Elders have been telling and passing along for so many generations. Everyone knew the myths. Most of the children enjoyed the tales. The Elders knew better. Even though they had once been doubting children the story tellers were chosen when they found the truth. Or rather Truth found them.

“These rocks are sharp!”, exclaimed Lana. Drying off quickly she was careful to wrap the keys securely in the pouch around her neck so as not to misplace them … or worse. The others are sneaky. They can steal your breath right out of the air without you noticing.

She could feel the rawhide pouch between her breasts. “This thing is definitely going to give me a rash,” Lana muttered under her breath.

Normally she would have kept it in her satchel. She couldn’t remember the last time she owned anything valuable enough to steal. While the key didn’t look like anything a normal person would want to steal Lana’s life and the people she hung around were certainly not normal.

Besides life as an apprentice wasn’t about ambition in the sense most people understood such things. Her ambition was definitely not of the material kind. Nor were the ones who are going to be coming after the keys.

Dressed, it was time to find that horse. As much as Lana and Rydhhu were linked he wasn’t always the most congenial. To be fair Lana acknowledged she could be a real pain to deal with too. A little, or a lot, stubborn, and with strong opinions, often correct, but just as often presented in a rather abrasive manner she didn’t always endear herself to the tribal elders. Which made her wonder why she was chosen for such an important journey.

Exciting as it had been. Not. Traveling light had meant doing without extra blankets and eating questionable food. Lana was ready to head home and give the head Elder, Mantolu, the keys.

For whatever reason Montolu saw something in Lana she didn’t see. Okay, it was an honor and all to be chosen. Other than the cold, wet weather and barely edible food. That sucked. This was important and Lana knew there was a lot riding on her finding the Keys and getting them back to the village. So time to head back.

“Where is that horse?” Lana decided to start walking without Rhydhhu. Once the horse sensed she was serious about leaving he would be along. Stubborn and even a bit of a prankster if a horse can be such a thing.Yes. But loyal and HER horse, no doubt.

Unlike a lot people, she knew in the end she could count on him. Which was what made traveling this last week almost bearable.

In a few minutes Lana could hear Ryhduu’s muffled trot. He could never get THAT far away from his person. The bond didn’t allow for much distance. Getting very far out of eye sight in open country was unsettling. See her flooded him with a warmth he didn’t have the ability to understand but always wanted more. No matter what his true personality.

“Here you go boy.”

Lana gave him a nibble of oatbrush, a treat not easily found out here in the hills at the edge of the plains. He sniffed and delicately enough to keep from getting scolded took the treat from her hand.

Mounting the horse Lana looked back then gave some gentle encouragement with her legs. Just a slight squeeze between her thighs was all it took and they were off.

Unknown to either of them there was another set of eyes watching the scene. Small and timid Listra was easy to overlook. When hidden in the knot of a tree a few paces away she was all but invisible.

Listra had a fascination with human females. Their beauty was a subject of not quite jealousy, it’snot like Listra wanted to be human. There was an energy human females radiated. And THIS human female bathed Listra in her energy to the point of intoxication.

Listra wondered if finding a mate would feel like this. Probably not as she didn’t want the human like THAT. The attraction was intense and unforgettable. Why her kind would let her travel alone Listra didn’t understand. That kind of energy was only found in the Priestesses of the Caverns.

You didn’t want to cross them. They could enchant your mate and leave you alone for life. And being alone for life as such a small creature in such a big world was the stuff of nightmares.

Back to the village. Listra’s friends would be interested in hearing her retelling of today’s adventure. Who knows maybe Dibro will look her way? She didn’t want to let her imagination run away from her. Dibro could set her innards a quiver and she needed to concentrate on getting back where hungry hawks couldn’t spy her on the path.

With spring coming hawks were beginning to hunt more. There would be hatchlings in a short while. Parents need to be well fed themselves in preparation. The little ones would grow fast and their appetites are insatiable. If they aren’t sleeping they are squawking for more food.

They were voracious in their feeding. She did not want to be tonights dinner for them or their hatchlings. Sun is setting. Time to go. Once the moon is up a whole other set of hungry dangers come out of the shadows.