THE HUNT, Chapter 1: The Beginning

INTRODUCTION

The setting for the story in my mind is similar to the mid-1700’s of America, if not really. The setting is still primitive, still wild and raw, still largely untamed, and in some places seemingly inaccessible simply due to geological formations. Outside the larger cities along the sea coasts, the economy of the inhabited, ‘civilized’ if you will, land is largely on the backs of slavery. The racial makeup of the characters in unimportant and purposefully not defined. White, black, native American, or whatever might be possible identifications, but regardless of racial definition, slavery is slavery. What is important is what people do, how they react in their opportunities and their life in general.

This is the story of one woman, a slave named, Sarah, who fights against the social structure and domination, and, as a result, finds herself in a fight for survival in slavery. Ultimately, she gives birth to a very special daughter, Maia, who makes her own choices and sets in motion a life that influences others.

THE HUNT, Chapter 1: THE BEGINNING

Sarah always knew slavery, which is to say that she was always a slave. She was born to her slave parents who belonged to the owners of a small working farm. The small farm was hardly profitable even with the two slaves to work the land. But, the addition of another mouth to feed and the distraction it caused the mother became a burden to the farmer and his family. As a result, as cruel as it might seem even to him, when a passing slaver caught sight of the small girl playing in the field alongside her parents, he inquired to buy the child.

The Commonwealth government had no laws one way or the other regarding slaves. Slaves fit into the governance of owned livestock or property. As long as an owner had paperwork indicating ownership, any livestock, property, or slave could be sold, purchased, or bartered as any two parties saw fit. Local jurisdiction, however, especially in the predominately agricultural regions heavy in the slave trade, had established much stiffer penalties regarding the slaves than any other livestock, which is to say that steal, injuring, killing, or aiding in the escape of another man’s slave resulted in far tougher consequences.

Such was the condition that existed for Sarah when she was emotionlessly sold to this complete stranger without regard to his intentions for her. At the very tender age of five, Sarah was separated from her parents, forever. Sarah had nightmares for years as her subconscious mind replayed that day she was literally handed over to this man’s men and tied in the bed of his wagon while her mother and father cried, wailed, and cursed at her removal. That was a bad enough of a memory for her, but the cracks, loud and sharp, of the bullwhip striking the backs and limbs of her parents as they strained to interfere was the true horror. It was years before her young mind could make sense of that fateful day; if anyone’s mind could truly makes sense of such things.

Sarah was soon sold to a very large plantation far from where her parents were. She learned that years later and finally gave up any lingering hope of reuniting with them, ever again. To her it seemed to be forever before the wagon reached a place of many buildings and people. She had never seen a city before. To a little girl, it was both exciting and fearsome. It was there that she was again sold, this time to a man and woman, but only after many people inspected her completely in plain view of anyone. This particular man kept a large nursery of slave children in which he trained them for various tasks. He reasoned that slave children were cheap, very cheap, and proper care and training would reap a many fold return on the investment. Sarah was being trained as a housekeeping and servant. As it would turn out, she would become an especially beautiful young woman as she grew. That simple fact alone would become a significant point in her life.

The plantation was located in a particularly scenic location. At least, it might have seemed that way if you weren’t a slave in it. To the West was a range of mountains that loomed large and forbidding with its forested front slope. Men freely spoke of it being completely unpassable for as far along the range that any man had tried. It seemed to be a complete impediment to any Western expansion. Perhaps much further to the South, maybe even as far South as the coastal lands might yield a route beyond this range of mountains. Many had tried but none had succeeded. Whether they be explorers, trapper, hunters, or runaway slaves, none found a way beyond the mountains. To the North was a forest that was said to stop at a wide and dangerous canyon. The river creating the canyon blocked the direction to the East. To the south was the ocean coastal areas, populated by the most rigid slavery proponents of the entire Commonwealth. Any wandering and unescorted slave in that direction would be immediately detained, owner located by the branding mark, and severely punished upon return to the rightful owner.

Sarah was a stubborn and willful child. She had no idea if that was a trait inherited from her parents, or if perhaps it was her reaction to her condition in life. Her inclination was to rebel again abuse and domination and she received many punishments growing up. She discovered, however, that her remarkable beauty and her quick mind were her greatest strengths and with them she could manipulate non-slaves and even owners, as long as they didn’t realize what she was doing. In her young mind, she separated people into classes: slaves, like herself; non-slaves, anyone else who wasn’t a slave; and owners, who were separate and different from other non-slaves. A non-slave might affect life for a slave, but an owner would literally hold the life or death of a slave in his hand. Although, the death of a slave was a loss of an investment, an example that could be set by a slave’s death could reap better productivity and obedience from those remaining. It was a calculated game to them and the large slave owners played the game well. Sarah found herself with such a man.

She couldn’t remember exactly when her body started being abused for men’s pleasures. Age was largely a meaningless concept to slaves. They weren’t intended to understand such concepts or be given a way to track it except perhaps by the natural cycles of seasons, which provided for times of plantings, tending fields, and harvests. But, when it started, her life changed dramatically, once again.

Despite the commonly held notion, for legal purposes especially, that slaves were mere animals for use and work, men did not seem bothered by using a female slave for a moment of pleasure, especially if his wife was less inclined. It seemed there was something dominating for them to simply use a slave without her consent or consideration. And it happened frequently, sometimes privately and secretly, and sometimes openly.

In Sarah’s case, even owners were taken by her beauty and she again realized her advantage. It didn’t mean she wasn’t used, but men seemed to cherish the opportunity to stick their cock into such a woman. There seemed to be more to the action than mere domination, like they secretly wished she were theirs, that they would enjoy her more. Because they would want her, she was a prize to her owner, men spent more time, were less abusive in their approach to her. And, for her owner, the men wanting to spend time with her, were grateful to the point of favors and consideration in other matters of business and trade. She realized that her owner used her charms and beauty for his advantage with the other owners and businessmen of the region. And, she realized that it was quite effective. She just didn’t know how to use that to her advantage. Or if she even could.

When it finally happened to Sarah, it was rude and terrifying. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what it was all about or why it was happening. There was little justification or rationality required for a free man to use a slave’s body. But, although the general concept of being used for a man’s pleasure might have been understood, the physical reality was entirely different. The first time, of course, was painful and there was blood involved after the tearing of her hymen and it was made worse that her owner had instructed one of his men to prepare her for others. He was neither delicate nor sensitive in his approach. The experience was completely negative and painful from Sarah’s perspective. The subsequent times were equally painful and miserable. She had seen other women being used similarly and did not have the impression that they were experiencing it the same way. But, with no mother or family member to rely for guidance, she endured the use of her body. There was an older slave woman among the household servants that she finally turned to for advice. Describing her experience the old woman asked her questions which seemed very personal to the young woman but there was little to a slave’s life that was really her own. Eventually, the older woman directed her question to the crux of the problem.

“When the men have shoved their tool into your body, how long does it take before your body wets and the sliding becomes easier?”

“Wets? You mean the inside is supposed to become wet? It never does.”

“Never? You mean you are dry the entire time?”

“Yes, you mean that isn’t the way it is supposed to be? I mean after the man shoots into me, if there is another right away, it is easier. Then I am wet inside. Is that what you mean?”

“No, child. To make the act of sex pleasurable, the woman’s body creates a juice that lubricates the inside. Then, his tool going in and out has less friction against you and can be pleasurable.”

“That doesn’t happen. I can tell I am going to be used a lot this way. What can I do?”

“Child, it isn’t just you. I have known many slave women whose bodies don’t respond because they are just being used. Sometimes, they react the same way even with their husband. The act becomes distasteful to them. But, I agree with you. I heard Master talking and he does intend to use you for his benefit with men in the region.”

“What can I do, then?”

The woman described different things like using her imagination while being used but that didn’t help. Eventually, she suggested seeing if she could stimulate herself. “With my fingers?!?” But, she tried it at night when she was alone and she shocked herself. Not only did the touching and feeling of her fingers inside her pussy actually feel good, but she did become wet, very wet, and on the third night her body shook and the feeling was wonderful but also a little worrisome. She asked the old woman about her reaction and was consoled that it just meant that there was nothing wrong with her, she could enjoy sex, and that reaction was the good part of sex. Her problem was emotional, her body was rejecting being used that way without her will being considered. But, she learned that before she was called to entertain the men, usually at night after a meal or drinking, she needed to pull up her dress and touch herself, use her fingers on herself and inside herself, and especially on the little nub at the front of her opening. Eventually, all these would become named: cock, pussy, and clit. But, for now she was just relieved that it didn’t have to hurt every time. It did nothing to cause her to enjoy it, but at least it minimized the pain associated with it.

The next thing she wondered about was why the men seemed to just push a slave over a table or chair or railing, lift her dress up and put himself inside. Many times it even seemed that the men through the dress over the slaves head, covering her while he pounded into her pussy for his relief.

“Child, a man might rationalize that he can use a slave’s pussy for his play and to shoot his seed into her, but it doesn’t mean that he wants to look at her and be reminded of what he is doing. When he is done, he just walks away, her bare ass exposed to anyone. It no longer is his concern. He moves on to whatever has his attention next.”

“But, a couple men lately have had me lie on my back and enter me from the front. We see each other then.”

“Yes, well, you are a very pretty, beautiful woman, slave or not. That might be an advantage for you, but it can also be a curse. Not only can they enjoy looking at you and enjoy the fact that they can fuck so a beautiful woman, but you see them and are reminded of who is fucking you. There is no pretending. It is staring at you in the face as it is happening.”

She had to agree. It might be more comfortable to be in a bed, but it took longer and the men wanted more attention in the process. Some have even wanted her to use her mouth and she guessed that it was also a form of the same domination, to see such a pretty face being used on his cock. In time, though, it all started to become common and routine. Besides helping take care of the house, she also took care of men in their bodily needs. And, in time in overhearing the men, it all became known to her as cock, pussy or cunt, fucking, and blowing. One cock was like another. And, they still never brought her pleasure. Pleasure came at her own hand, and that didn’t appear like it would ever change.

Slaves would always try to escape. Take away a person’s free will, his ability to make his own choices, and act of his own accord, and some will rebel. Even after generations of slavery and servitude, some will choose to resist and a few will fight back. Like a wild stallion that rejects the bit in its mouth or a saddle on its back, some slaves will reject, eventually, the domination of another man. And, when that happens, he usually runs. Does he know what he is running to or where? Maybe not the ‘where’, but certainly he knows the ‘what’. He is running to freedom and at the first stride of his run, he has achieved it, he is free. He has made his choice and he will live with that choice because it was his to make. When a slave runs and becomes his own person, not someone else’s, he is gone. Many, if not most, will not return of their own will. They have tasted what it is to be his own master, to go back to someone else being his master would now be intolerable.

Captured and returned slaves, though, were punished. Slaves that wouldn’t allow themselves to be returned, were still returned, only dead. Initially, a returned slave might be whipped to set the example. But the mountains, and possible freedom on the other side, was very alluring to abused slaves. Attempts at escape became more frequent and the owner’s men proved clumsy and ineffective in recovering all of them.

That was when the owner hired a dominating, fearsome man called Rayner. That was all, just Rayner. He seemed to hate slaves, any slaves, and only because they were slaves. His job was to track the escapees and return them. He seemed to relish the job. He also had a dog, no name was ever used. Rayner just called him Dog. Dog was equally fearsome in his own manner.

Rayner seems perfectly suited to his job. He seems to truly despise all men but most of all the slaves. His build was strong and powerful, his chest was thick, his shoulders broad, and his arms and legs showed power and drive as he walked quickly and purposefully from one place to another, never hesitant or uncertain, never following but determined in every action. Dog was as likely to growl at anyone he passed in Rayner’s shadow as he was to just completely ignore them. Much like the man, the dog almost seemed above anyone or anything it came into contact with. Neither was a welcome sight when approaching.

The inevitable finally happened. Sarah understood her situation, the life of slavery, the lack of say or control. But, she reasoned there were limits to what the human spirit was meant to endure.

The night began like many before for her. The Master was known to have several men from the surrounding area in the house for meetings of business and social. With the Master, the two were nearly always combined. He had achieved what he had by the accumulation of favors owed him and this night would be no different. Sarah had known she would be called to ‘entertain’ the men. There were two other than her Master so she reasoned that it would not be too bad. She had prepared her body just in time and entered the parlor in her fancy dress that was used for such situations.

The difference tonight was that they were all drunk, or rather the other two men were drunk. Her Master was always careful with his drinking. The odds were much more in his favor when the others drank and he remained sober but appeared to be joining them. This provided him with valuable information and favors. Today, the men had been in the forest to the West hunting fox or some such animal. Honestly, she didn’t know and, frankly, didn’t care. It had been a good hunt and the men were all feeling good about their masculinity at the moment. Tonight, they wanted her to undress and serve them and be visible to them naked. Her body was still unmarked by whip punishment, rare in a slave of her age, but fortunate given her beauty, otherwise. Undressing was simple, despite the attractive appearance of the second-hand gown, she was otherwise naked underneath it. So, after loosening the ties and snaps in the back, the gown fell around her feet revealing her naked form for them.

As she was serving a new drink to one of the men, he did something so bold that it had never happened before. He reached up from his chair and put a finger between her legs and into her pussy. There was a momentary hush as the man realized that in his drunken state he had overstepped the bounds of previously agreed upon familiarity with the other man’s slave. Her Master only smiled, however, at the thought of yet another thing to be held over this man.

And, to Sarah’s shock, he asked the man, “And what did you find there, my friend?”

The man looked nervous at first but then gain confidence, “A wet and ready pussy, indeed.”

“Then, don’t let it go to waste.” Damn, thought Sarah. She fingers herself to lubricate her pussy hole to avoid pain and the stupid men think she is stimulated because of them.

She is backed to the table in the room where she is instructed to lay on her back. Her Master and another man hold her legs open, while the third drops his trousers and steps between her legs. In one fierce thrust he buries his cock to the hilt into her. While he thrusts in and out of her pussy, the two holding her legs are squeezing her breasts and pulling on her nipples. To her, none of it has stimulation to it, only pain if a squeeze is too hard or a nipple is pulled too far. But the man cums inside her and the other takes his place. Her Master, of course, does not participate. He can have her anytime he wishes. This is about acquiring another ledger entry in his book of favors owed.

When they are both satisfied, again their trousers pulled up and fastened, drinks in hand from the still naked Sarah, now with man seed hanging from her pussy lips, the bold one again addresses her Master and she worries, “I think my lead dog did a particularly commendable job in the hunt today.”

Her Master studied the man. This man was a fool. His intentions here were obvious and on the face repulsive, but … he reasoned that much could be gained here in terms of more favors. “I agree, he was splendid in his searching out the prey and the subsequent tracking of it to its killing.”

“I think it would be equally good sport and reward for the dog to make this slave available for him, too, as she has been for us. It would be interesting and novel to see witness such a mating of the two. What do you say, sir? Have you ever witnessed such a thing, yourself?”

“I have not, but, don’t you think it would be demeaning for a woman to be required to mate with a dog?”

“A woman? She is but only a slave. This would be a particularly erotic thing to watch and I, we, would certain be grateful to see it.”

The discussion of such a thing for her to participate in was upsetting enough to Sarah. When she heard her Master relent and accept the idea from this man, her world seem to fall in on itself more than ever. Slavery was all she had known and accepting her lot was never a real thought. It merely was as it was. There was no acceptance any more than anyone should actively accept what their life is. It just is. But this, this seemed entirely different somehow. She understood that even though she saw herself as human like the non-slaves, that her status as slave effectively made her some form of non-human. Mind you, nobody ever really determined what that was if it wasn’t human, but people couldn’t get their heads around treating other humans like they treat slaves, therefore, that couldn’t REALLY be human. It might be a foolish argument, but it was the only argument that ultimately mattered.

But now she was truly being treated as non-human. To be mated with a dog for its pleasure and the amusement of these men was suddenly the thing that changed Sarah. Her life was soft compared to most of the other slaves on the plantation. All she had to do was accept her role in the scheme of being sexually used by men as they were inclined. This, though, was a line she had more trouble with. And, in her mind, even as the events began to unfold for her at the moment, she resolved to change her life’s condition. And there was only one way to accomplish that and the dangers were enormous.

But, right now, she was being directed and questioned in how this mating was to be accomplished. Nobody really knew how a woman and a dog would mate except to attempt to duplicate the action of two dogs. She got down onto the rug covered floor on her hands and knees. That at least presented something of the same image and form for the dog that he was used to with a bitch. The dog came to her rear and sniffed and tentatively licked her ass and pussy. Surely his interest, besides her own smell, was the cum left behind by the men. So the dog spent more time licking her and she shivered. Not from stimulation, except from her fingers she didn’t know what that might feel like, but from the disgust she felt as she heard the men discuss what was happening and conjecture on what might happen next and how well it would work out for the dog. They were worried about the dog, for crying out loud, not her. They never expressed concern or consideration of how she might react to what was about to happen to her.

Shivering from the feeling of the dog licking her pussy turned out to be minor compared to the feeling of even greater disgust and revulsion when the dog jumped onto her back and his hind end started stabbing wildly at her ass, hitting each cheek, then between them, touching her asshole before finally finding her pussy but almost immediately pulling back out due to his frenzied jabbing. Each time he went in and then pulled out, he jumped off her, walked around her, licked her again, before jumping back on to try once more. Eventually, through practice or just luck, he penetrated her and stayed inside. And, with each new stab, his cock grew thicker and longer. But soon, there was a new feeling, something was pushing at her opening, something large. She had no idea what a dog’s anatomy was or that it, its cock in particular, was any different than a man’s. But, it clearly must be because this thing was steadily pushing into her, stretching her pussy like never before. It wasn’t at all pleasant, and the realization of this difference concerned her even more.

But just as suddenly, with a scream, it was inside her. She tried pulling away from the fucking she was receiving, but she couldn’t. She was figuratively tied to the animal by their sex organs. Then, like a series of sudden parts of the entire happening, she could feel the dog cumming inside her with great jerks and twitches of his cock. And that thing, that ball like thing, was just as big and just as firmly inside her. True horror came, though, when the dog finished spurting inside her, rested for a moment, then tried pulling out of her. He couldn’t. It was bad enough that she was owned and controlled by men, but to be controlled by a dog, too? The thing inside her was holding them together. Was this permanent, she wondered? Was this a huge mistake trying this mating? But, then she had a far worse thought: which of them was more important to the men? Would they cut her to release the dog? Or, would they cut him to release her?

It turned out that neither had to be done. After some time the thing inside her, at the base of his cock, shank enough that the dog was able to pull out of her. And, with it came a huge flow of dog cum. And that brought a huge round of laughs and comments from the other two men. And, her feeling of self-worth fell even more.

It took several weeks for Sarah to decide on the right moment, but it finally did come. Rayner was already out tracking another runaway slave when Sarah made her run. Her position in the household allowed her more freedom of movement inside and outside the house. It allowed her just the opening she needed to make her escape toward the forest on the slopes of the mountains. She still wasn’t sure why she was so attracted to the mountains, but it seemed to her to be the ultimate safety image. On the other side she would have to be safe from these men.

An escaped slave is an opportunity for sport. It is call ‘The Hunt’. Once the slave is found missing, the owner’s men come together to pursue the slave like a hunting expedition. The owner’s men, however, were often ineffective, as they were in this instance in finding her. She was well inside the forest before she heard the barking of dogs and the shouting of men. And these sounded every bit like men in sport, out for a fun time and no concerns for any real trouble in finding this female slave who had always been in the house and treated softly. In fact, of all the slaves, everyone on the plantation was shocked that she chose to run. Not the least shocked, and disappointed, was the owner.

She was running through the forest, up the mountain slope, always up. If safety was on the other side of this mountain range, she had to go up. She always thought of herself as being resourceful, independent, and strong, but she was realizing that physical strength and stamina would be much more important right now. She was tiring quickly but she was young and she didn’t believe that the men pursuing her were really any more prepared for this exertion. However, some of them would likely to have horses and the dogs would certainly have much better endurance.

The forest slowed the men down as much as it had her, but when she came to thinning trees near the tree line, she could see her mistake. If she continued, she would be out in the open and easy to track. So, she turned and ran along the edge of the forest. Although she didn’t have experience for anything like this, she did have an agile mind and she decided she needed to find something to confuse her tracks. As she ran, slower now as fatigue set in with the length of time she had been moving and the increased altitude, she saw a first opportunity, a stream running downhill from the melting snow above to the valley below. She jumped over the stream, established tracks on the other side before doubling back and jumping into the water. She then walked carefully downstream until she came an outcropping of rocks where she climbed out and meandered her way, careful to stay on the rocks and not create any tracks on the ground. From the rocks, she climbed a large oak tree. She needed to rest.

Because the men were more interested in sport than real effort and effect, her simple tricks were sufficient to create confusion. As light began fading with the sun sinking behind the mountains, the temperature dropped and the men lost interest. She knew she couldn’t build a fire for warmth, but it was a meaningless realization because she had no means to start a fire and no skill to start one without the tools.

Back at the plantation, all hell was nearly coming loose as the men returned. The anger still simmering just under the surface burst out in a fury upon spotting the men returning without Sarah. Their lame excuses about losing the trail in the stream and rocks, and losing the light with the setting sun just further inflamed him. “It’s a FEMALE slave! And not only that but a household slave! You let a female, household slave elude you in the wild? She’s out there in the dark and cold, why aren’t you?” He was almost so mad he was having trouble containing himself. The only thought that made it any better for him was that Rayner would be returning tonight or early in the morning. That man never stopped until he found and captured who he was pursuing.

And, that is exactly what happened. Rayner returned that night after dark with the slave in tow at the end of his rope. The very next morning he left the plantation on horseback with his dog. By mid-afternoon he had her, too. With her hands tied together in front of her and his rope tied to them, he made his way with her through the forest and to the plantation, arriving before dark.

The owner met them as they were entering the large square in the middle of the plantation buildings. When Rayner informs him that she was heading for the mountains, he laughs at the futility. “There is no route through those mountains, but you slaves persist in trying.” Then, he instantly becomes furious at her lack of gratitude for the soft life he had given her. As punishment and to make a real example, hopefully more fearsome than even her death, she was immediately stripped, bent over a box, and tied to it. Her legs were tied to stakes driven in the ground to keep them open. Every slave was brought to witness her punishment. She was the favorite of the plantation. Maybe this will have the effect that was needed.

She was completely exposed in this position and in a loud voice that carried over the mass of gathered free men and slaves, he announced that she was now available for any man to use. Every free man on the plantation and many more in the region did use her over the remainder of the day and into the night as fires were built and beer and alcohol was brought out to encourage the continuation of her abuse. In all over twenty men had ravaged her, some more than once. At the end, she was left where and how she was for the night; the owner believed she would die from her abuse, becoming the final, terrible warning to any who might consider running in the future. After the square was deserted, a dog finds her and licks the fluids coming from her body. She was barely conscious at this point, but the raspy, long tongue now licking her was immediately known to her and her sigh was one of longing for her death. In time, even he mounts her. Men from the living quarters hear her cries, surprised that she was still alive. Finding the dog mating her, they watch rather than stop him. It also attracts other dogs. In the light of lanterns and the fires that are now fed with more wood so they can enjoy the spectacle, they see her ravaged even more, and at the end by a total of five dogs.

The next morning, they are again surprised, and perhaps more than just a little disappointed, to find her still alive, if only barely so.

Her recovery is long and not easy. It was made even harder by the owner’s decision to send her to work in the fields. Weakened by her ordeal of both the run and the abuse, her body was slow to recover from the wounds of her ravishment. She had never enjoyed the act of sex with men, and she was convinced now that it would be unlikely to ever find enjoyment in the act after her latest experience. So, a month later, recovered enough to work full days in the field, and no longer caring what might become of her, Sarah again tried to escape. Rayner, however, quickly found her in the forest by using the dog and returned her, again, at the end of his rope.

The owner is now beyond furious and decides to make a special example of her – he has the butcher cut off her foot above the ankle. Escape attempts after that are significantly reduced.

The owner didn’t want her marked by whippings or beatings like other slaves, just in case she was broken. She was still desirable, but her crudely amputated foot was a festering wound. When an Army unit passed the plantation, the Army surgeon was commissioned to treat her. He was forced to amputate more of the leg, nearly to the knee, and over the next year it heals. On later trips in the area the surgeon commissions the fashioning of a strap on wooden peg for her so she can walk without crutches.

Her resistance and rebellion, however, continued and had become intolerable to the owner. As a last resort, he gave her to Rayner to ‘break’ her spirit and to fully submit to her role for sexual use. She was chained naked in his one room cabin. She cleaned, cooked, and served him. He used her but not in his bed. She was expected to ask for his bed, to ask to be treated and given even the limited rights of a slave. She doesn’t, to her way of thinking, she couldn’t. She would rather die than to ask such from a man such as Rayner or the owner. It was now late spring. On the cold nights she tentatively edged to the dog on his pile of rags and old blankets. Initially, he growled, but later he allowed her presence on his bed.

She continued to be used by Rayner, but her attitude never changed. “What does your body do when you are taken by me?”

“Nothing. My body is dead to you or any man.”

“Never? Your body, despite your intentions, never reacts with pleasure?”

“Never. I feel nothing but pain and distaste.”

He saw her curled with the dog. “From now on you will also avail yourself to him, also.” It was meant to be punishment for her. He knew of the abuse by the dogs after her first run and the time she was forced to take the dog just before that.

One night he awoke from sleep hearing noises he can’t immediately place. Peering into the darkness of the cabin, he saw Sarah on hands and knees, the dog on her back. He initially smiled that the dog was making good use of her, but then he heard the sounds, again. The sounds were moans, sighs, gasps, and groans. Then … from the dark … “Yes, Dog, yes, like that.” He then heard a muffled cry and he knew for sure … she was cumming on his dogs cock and knot. But this brought no satisfaction to him because she had found satisfaction, satisfaction from his dog. Satisfaction that he nor any other man had ever been able to bring from her.

He heard, rather than was able to really see, the two of them again curling onto the dog’s bed. Dog shared his bed with her and she warmed his bed with him. And here he lay in his bed cold. At first the thought angered him, or so he thought. But, as he lies there in the dark, now hearing the soft sounds of sleep from the dog’s bed, he was bothered, rather than angered. What has happened to him that his dog showed more humanity than he could?

Over the next couple weeks he doesn’t touch her. The dog, however, enjoys her in the dark nearly every night. And each time, she is heard enjoying him. She is suspicious of his lack of abuse of her, but she does nothing to either entice him or anger him. And, even in her nakedness she attempts to hide her body as much as possible for fear that he might want her, again. During the second week, he invites her to eat at the table with him. After several days of sharing in that way, “Can you walk to the lake to clean yourself and wash your hair?”

“Why?”

“I would think it would feel good. And … I would like some time to talk.”

She is still suspicious, but she is still powerless. “To get clean, again, I can walk anywhere.”

After she has washed herself and is on the shore in the sun with him to dry, he begins describing his life. She doesn’t know why he is sharing this or what is expected of her in return. So, she does nothing, except to listen. He talks a lot about being in the Army. He was very good at being a soldier. Fearless in battle and fair to his men. He says he was the most decorated soldier the unit had ever had in its ranks.. He would be the one sent to do the most dangerous assignments, but his skill was always sufficient to be successful and survive.

Then, a fateful day came. New orders for the regiment: quell a slave uprising at nearby plantations. As usual, it wasn’t nearly as much of a rebellion as some slaves rising up against cruel masters and the masters had no stomach or ability to end the conflict. It was easily and quickly resolved. Many slaves had run away in the meantime, the owners wanted the Army catch them, but that was not in the responsibility of the Army, so they withdrew. When he returned home, he found his small farm in ruin. The house and barn had burned, the animals released or taken. Worse, his family, wife and daughter, had been killed in fighting between another army unit and fleeing slaves. He blamed the slaves, even if he should have known they were likely to be mostly unarmed. But, he became emotionally dead, quit the army, and made a life of hunting slaves. It became a sort of revenge for his lost family and life.

After that day at the lake, he became quiet for days later, still not touching her, but increasing his attention to her in small ways, like eating at the table, removing the chain and giving her an old dress to cover herself with. Then, coming in from his work outside, he walked up to her like there was a driving purpose that scared her, “I will never again touch you against your wishes. And, you no longer are required to allow the dog to use you.” She has tears in her eyes. This is consideration she never expected to receive ever again in her life. But, that night he hears her moaning with the dog, again. He knew for certain that she understood she didn’t have to, so she must want to. He sighed in the dark and was a little jealous of his own dog.

The next night he listened intently but heard nothing from the dog’s bed. He was curious, maybe it would later. Instead, his bed sagged at the side and he felt her next to him. “I would like to pleasure you, Rayner.”

“No, Sarah, not unless you can find pleasure from me, also.”

“It already was my hope that I would. Can we try?”
He doesn’t answer, but instead he raises the covers for her to join him. She is naked and she finds that he is also. She is startled by her reaction to this simple thing of crawling into his bed of her own free will and desire. She finds herself tentative, awkward, and nervous. For most of her adult life she has been used by men of many and all descriptions and never once felt anything but pain at the penetration and distaste at having to perform the act with them against her will. This time, for the first time, she is acting like a girl about to experience her first time. And, she realizes amid all the rest, that she is thrilled, her breathing has changed, her heartbeat has quickened, and her senses seem to be finely tuned to his soft touch against her back and arms. She actually shivers.

He feels her nervousness and tentativeness and goes slowly with her in his arms. He holds her slightly to the side of him so his cock is not in contact with her. He lightly kisses her forehead and gently, lightly strokes her bare back and arms. He is in no hurry. He has taken her body many times before, just never when she has given it and wishes to savor it. When he feels her shiver, he pulls his hands away, defensive that she is reacting badly.

“No, Rayner, please. I want you to touch me like that. I want you to touch me however you want.”

“Are you sure, Sarah?”

She smiles to herself in the dark and snuggles into him tighter. Before, she could never have imagined such consideration from a free man, and certainly not such a fierce man as Rayner. “Yes, I am sure.” And she was, more sure than she ever was about something. She could already feel her body responding in a very peculiar way, a way she had never experienced before. Certainly not with a man, but similar to the feeling with Dog.

She had an overpowering urge to kiss him … on the lips. But, that is a very personal thing to do for a slave to a man. “Sir, it would be very bold of a slave to want to kiss a free man.”

He smiled at her in the dark, “Sarah, I would like to kiss you.” And they did. Like lovers, which was a concept that only Rayner understood, having had such a relationship before. And he like it, he liked it very much. As did she, as she squirmed her body against his, feeling his skin against her breasts and nipples. And, she like that feeling very much, too.

When her rolled her over onto her back, she tensed. It was only a very brief momentary reaction to the past, but it did happen. And, he felt it or sensed it in the dark, but just as quickly she opened her legs for him and he relaxed. He was actually sensitive to her and she wished this night might never end.

He raised himself over her, supporting himself on arms and knees, his cock very near her pussy. He moved forward slightly and when his cock head just touched the pubic hairs of surrounding her pussy, she sucked in her breath. And she also moaned. This was completely new for both of them together. She pulled him forward more and softly encouraged him, “Yes, Rayner, please.”

His cock head touch into her skin beneath the hairs and her breath caught, again. This time he took it for what it was, not fear of the act but anticipation and urgency. He pushed and moved his cock along her pussy, letting her feel him and him her. To his amazement and hers, it was obvious to both that her pussy was wet and even the outside lips of her pussy were slick with it.

“Ohhhhh … this has … never happened to me before. My body … wants you … no, it needs you … I have … never … felt this … Oooooooooo, Rayner … I like this soooooo much.”

He was smiling at her, again. He wasn’t even inside her, yet. Already this is wonderful for her. And what a wonderful thought that was to him, to be inside her with her feeling so excited for it, and experiencing the joys and wonders of sex for herself. He moved his cock lower along her pussy lips and pressed slightly as he did and when he came to her hole, he slipped just inside. Not the whole cock, just the head, just barely inside her. And her mouth gasped open and she sighed a great release of pleasure being realized. She reached up and touch his face with both of her hands, touching his eyes, nose, and mouth. Her breath was ragged in anticipation and her heart was racing. She reached up her face to his and initiated a kiss on his lips. He pushed her head back down into the bed with his lips still locked onto hers. At the same time he pushed further into her, her arms now enveloping his neck as they continued to kiss. Then, she felt his pubic hair mixed in with hers and she knew that he was completely inside her. And, there was no pain, only wet interaction of his cock in her pussy and the sensations rippling through her were magnificent and stunning and overwhelming and thrilling.

He fucked her slow, easy, unhurried and comfortable. He didn’t want it to end and by her movements underneath him, he presumed she felt the same way. But, for the first time in her life with a man’s cock in her pussy, she could only moan and groan, sigh and gasp at the pleasure and sensations coursing through her body.

In the end, she felt his cock jerk and throb inside her and when it spurted out his semen into her, her body erupted into a nearly violent orgasm of her own. An orgasm she had never felt … at least not induced by a man. Her hands were gripping his bed coverings and her hips were raised, driven into his body, desperately trying to get his cock just a little bit deeper. When it was over, they collapsed and quickly found sleep, in each other’s arms, still locked together.

After several week, they have continued pleasuring each other every night and she has realized the same climax each time. And, she still satisfies the dog. One night while recovering from their mutual orgasms, “Sarah, I have come a decision. I want out of this life and will leave this place in the next few days.”

She begins crying. She has finally found a relationship that is good and satisfying and it will now be gone, too.

“I would be breaking the law if I took you. I would be hunted along with you.”

“Then don’t take me with you, but take me as far as the other side of the forest up the mountain slope.”

“You’ll die there. There is no escape through those mountains.”

“Then I die, but at least I will die free.” He reluctantly agrees and very early one morning they leave.

She rides behind him on his horse. He takes her all the way through the forest to the tree line on the other side. “What makes you think there is escape this way?”

“I don’t know. But there isn’t any other direction. And some have run and never been found and returned so there must be a way.”

“Or, they died.”

“Like I said, Rayner, at least I will be free.”

“I am sorry, Sarah.”

“Don’t be, please, Rayner. You are a good man. What happened to your wife and child … it was awful, it could have broken anyone. But, you recovered your bearing.”

“A little late.”

“You recovered your bearing. Leave it at that. Thank you for this, I hope you don’t get into trouble.”

“I won’t. We left without being seen and who would question me after all the hunting I did for owners?”

She watched him and Dog leave to the South. He was taking a wide circle to avoid the places he was known, just in case. She turned and looked up at the mountains. This was going to be hard with only one good leg and a peg on the other. She would have to scour the mountains with her eyes to detect the passage she was sure had to be there. But where? She didn’t know where, but she wasn’t going South, she knew what was eventually in that direction. She turned North and angled up the slope.

It was a week without finding anything that remotely looked like a possible passage. And, her progress was slow. And, she was losing weight. She lived on greens and insects under rocks until she came upon a furry creature sunning itself on a rock below her. A well placed rock and she finally had some meat. The knife Rayner gave her and a match from the supply he also gave her and she was enjoying cooked meat. She risked a fire during daylight, never using one at night for fear of being seen for miles away. Her only protection from the night cold was the last thing provided to her by Rayner, a blanket that was nearly too heavy to carry sometimes, but was perfect for wrapping into at night.

She had been sick for days. She had no time for being sick, though, and pushed ahead. Day by day, though, she was feeling weaker. But she had to continue …

— Continued in Chapter 2, Coming of Age

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