Close comfort

“What do you want, orc?” spat a scrawny human wearing ill-fitting armour. The camp of mercenaries leaned forward eagerly, their hands resting on the hilts of their weapons.

“To trade,” Kali calmly responded.

“What you got?”

“A number of enchantments, and spices and herbs,” Kali said. Hearing a muffled cry of pain, followed by verbal abuse, she turned her gaze in the direction of the sound. Two grown men were beating a small woman bound in ropes. Her brown eyes pleaded with the Orc for help. Kali’s brows furrowed.

“That all?”

“That’s all I’m trading,” Kali said, her gaze still on the small woman. She felt a knot form in her stomach as they spat on the captive.

“Let's just kill it and take its supplies,” someone called out to the group.

That would be a mistake, Kali thought.

“I would advise against that,” she warned them. The band of mercenaries all stood and drew their weapons regardless. Unsheathing her knife, she sliced her palm; blood flowed as she called upon the spirits. Darkness engulfed the camp as the globule of blood formed into tendrils that stabbed into the mercenary before her, drinking his life force. The spirits killed all who had drawn a blade on her in quick succession. Their screams fell on deaf ears as she moved around their camp and took anything of value; coin, drink and the meat from the boar they had roasted. After a while, the camp fell silent.

Hearing a noise, she remembered the young woman the mercenaries had been abusing. She was a brown-skinned woman, dressed in fine fabrics, wearing silk stockings and an intricate signet ring – which Kali was surprised had not been taken by the thugs. The woman looked at Kali in panic as she knelt next to her. She must have frightened the poor thing.

“Sorry ‘bout that, didn’t mean to get you all bloodied,” the Orc said as she cut the restraints. Standing up, she walked away from the camp. There would be predators coming for the remains, and she wanted to get as far as she could from the location.

“Wait!” the young woman called out. Kali turned to face her as she limped over. The human was more than a foot shorter than her, with dark hair tied into a messy ponytail. “Where are you going?”

“You're free to go,” Kali said, ignoring her question.

“Go where? There is nothing here,” Her eyes were wide as she glanced around the camp.

“You can take their supplies. There’s a town a week away.” Kali pointed to the southwest before leaving the camp without waiting for her reaction.

She walked for a few hours before she found a suitable location to stop for the day: an outcrop sheltered by trees. Kali built a fire before rolling out her bedroll. She was excited to eat the pork she had found in the last camp. It was something she did not get to have often whilst travelling.

“You grabbed some supplies, right?” Kali called out.

She knew the woman had followed her; she wasn’t exceptionally stealthy. The tiny woman stepped out; she had nothing on her but her clothing – her leather slippers weren’t made for travel either.

“What’s your name?” Kali asked.

“I’m Lalita, and you are?” she responded politely.

“Kali,” the Orc said gruffly. Removing her cloak, she threw it at Lalita. “You can use that tonight.” She patted the spot next to her.

Lalita came and sat down, wrapped in the cloak.

Kali warmed the meat over the fire, cutting slices off into a bowl. She handed it to Lalita, who hungrily devoured the food as if she had never eaten.

“They not been feeding you?”

“No,” Lalita said between large bites. She coughed, thumping her chest. Kali passed the water-skin. She desperately drank from it.

“Portion that, I don’t know when I’ll find a stream next.”

Lalita swallowed hard, brushing her mouth with the back of her hand. “Can’t you conjure more with magic?” she asked.

“My magic don’t work that way,” Kali replied curtly “I’d have to exchange something far more valuable for water – it wouldn’t be worth the trade.”

After dinner, Kali set up a protection spell on the camp, then climbed into her bedroll. The warmth embraced her. She fell asleep clutching her belongings.

—————

Kali woke early. She sat up and saw the human was still there. She was shivering – the night had been cold. Restoring the campfire, Kali placed a pot on it, making porridge to eat. The noise made Lalita stir.

“Morning,” Kali said.

Lalita responded unintelligibly through a loud yawn. When Kali passed the sleepy woman a bowl of porridge, she thanked her.

Grunting in response, Kali ate from the pot in silence.

“I’ll escort you to the next town, then you’re on your own,” said Kali. Lalita’s walking speed was painfully slow; she wanted to be rid of her as soon as possible.

By early afternoon, Kali had decided that they should set up camp soon. She had a vague memory of a lake nearby that would make a suitable spot to rest. They stopped just as the sky was turning pink.

“We’ll camp here,” Kali said. Lalita nodded her head, slumping against a tree. She looked – and smelled – exhausted.

“You can wash here. I’ll lend you clothing.” Kali walked in the direction of the lake. The water was freezing as she splashed herself. Lalita sat on the bank, watching her blankly before she found the energy to get in herself. Kali started to do laundry and, hearing Lalita scream at how cold the water was, she could not help but laugh. She gathered Lalita's blood-covered clothing and washed it, then waited by the edge of the bank for her to finish with an off-white shift at the ready.

They walked back to camp, Lalita hugging the cloak close against the night air. Kali made a fire, hanging their clothes to dry. She then prepared dinner; the remainder of the pork, which she’d kept in an enchanted ice-box.

“How long were you kept?” Kali asked.

Lalita brushed her hair as she responded. “Over a week.”

“And they treated you poorly?”

“Yes,” Lalita said quietly before adding. “Um – thank you.”

“For what?” Kali asked, bemused.

“Not killing me.”

“Oh.” Kali was unsure how to respond to that. “Do you know why they took you?”

“For ransom. They were so horrible to me,” Lalita said, clutching her knees.

“‘Least they can’t hurt you anymore.”

Lalita laughed, wiping at her eyes. “I suppose I have you to thank for that.”

Kali hummed in agreement.

They sat chatting by the fire, learning a little more about the other. The Orc hated to admit it, but it was nice to have some company. After some coaxing, Lalita showed Kali her feet. Her blisters had burst and become infected. Kali apologised as she poured whiskey over the wounds to clean them. Lalita winced and tried her hardest to bear with the pain as Kali dressed them in bandages.

“We’ll let that heal for a few days before we continue on,” Kali said softly.

Lalita nodded.

Kali tucked herself into her bedroll. She stared at the fire before her gaze turned onto the shivering woman. She held her bedroll open and told her,“ It’s going to be cold tonight.”

Lalita stared at her for a moment. Then a violent shiver ran through her body, so she got up and crawled into Kali’s bed, facing away.

Kali tucked the sheet under the small woman. Lalita audibly gasped as her back pressed against Kali’s front. “It’ll be a little cosy, but it’s warmer than sleeping on the floor,” Kali said gruffly.

————

Kali got up early the next day and delicately extracted herself from her bedroll. By some miracle, Kali had not woken the sleeping woman – Lalita looked peaceful. After throwing wood onto the embers of the fire, she left to spend the morning tickling trout in a nearby stream. Returning to camp shortly after sunrise, she was happy to see the small woman was still asleep. Kali gutted the trout, chucking its entrails into the fire, and split cooked the fish.

Lalita moved, getting up as she groggily looked at the fish near the fire and then at Kali, who was eating. “Fish?”

“Trout,” Kali answered as she started on another fish. “Those are for you.” She indicated to the fish near the small woman.

The rest of the day was uneventful: Kali spent it reading, and Lalita stayed in the warm bedroll sleeping. The next few days were similar, as Lalita’s feet healed.

One of the nights, Kali stared at the campfire from her bedroll. The crackling distracted her from the fidgeting woman sharing her bed. Lalita had been more mobile today but knew it would still require a few more days of rest for her to properly recover from her injuries. Lalita shifted, turning to face Kali, she could feel her breath with how closely they were pressed together.

“Why are you being kind to me?” Lalita asked.

“Do I need a reason to be nice?”

“Had they not attacked you, you would’ve left me with them.”

“Yes,” Kali said, not sure where this was going.

“But... you’re helping me,” Lalita said, her brows furrowed.

“I am.”

“Why?”

“Would you rather I left you out here on your own?”

“You’d be moving faster and not wasting time with me.”

“I’m not in a rush,” Kali said in a low voice.

Lalita chewed her lip, glancing at Kali’s lips. Then, she tentatively cupped Kali’s jaw before pressing their lips together. Surprised, Kali waited a moment before relaxing into the kiss. She pulled Lalita closer to her, deepening the embrace. Her tongue licked her top lip and sucked it between her own. Lalita moaned as Kali massaged her breast through her shift, her nipple hardening in her palm.

Rolling Lalita onto her back, Kali peppered kisses down her jaw, stopping to suck on her pulse point. A gasp got stuck in Lalita’s throat as her tusks pressed against her. Kali cupped her centre – finding a pleasant surprise. She made an audible noise before she could stop herself.

“Is - is this a problem?” Lalita asked.

Was that a look of apprehension on her face?

Kali breathed deeply, leaning in, she quietly answered, “No.” Her lips pressed against Lalita’s soft ones. She gently caressed her cock. “You are stunning,” Kali murmured between kisses.

Lalita moaned, her hips moving with her touch.

Kali sat up, removing her tunic. She gripped the edge of Lalita’s shift and asked, “May I remove it?”

Lalita nodded, raising her hips to allow her to take it off. Kali drank her in. She was beautiful. Kali played with Lalita’s breasts, she sighed sweetly for her, as she kissed down her body. Kali licked Lalita’s erect bud before pulling it between her lips. The noises that the small woman was producing made her throb. Kali pulled Lalita against her, her arousal pressed against her abdomen, grinding against her.

Lalita pulled Kali up, her lips covering hers in a desperate exchange. Her nails were digging into Kali’s shoulders. Pulling back, Kali looked hungrily at the naked woman.

“How would you like to be touched?” Kali asked huskily. Lalita took her hand – it looked giant in hers – and placed it on her arse.

“I’d like to feel you inside me,” Lalita whispered.

Licking her lips, Kali gripped her bum. She trailed down her crevice, rubbing her gently with the pad of her finger. Lalita moaned quietly, moving seductively against her. Kali reached overhead for her knapsack, rummaging through until she found the vial of oil she kept. Her heart thundered in her chest at how enticing Lalita looked. The soft blush and dew in her eyes tugged at her heart. Pressing herself against her, she poured oil on her arse and coated her fingers in it. Slipping them between her cheeks, she massaged her opening.

Lalita buried herself into her broad shoulder, clutching her as she moved against her finger. Kali teased and occasionally pressed the pad of her finger into her, never fully entering her. Applying more oil, she pushed the tip inside of her, her opening parting for her. The guttural moan that escaped Lalita made her ache. Gently thrusting in her, each stroke elicited a moan as she went deeper. Kali’s free hand came between their bodies, stroking her cock softly. Lalita writhed against her, her moans coming freely. Her hips jerked as she came on their stomachs, groaning as Kali teased her out. She gasped when the Orc pulled out of her, kissing her tenderly.

Shivering, Lalita nuzzled into Kali, guiding her onto her back, her delicate hand dipped between her legs, spreading her folds and stroking her wet centre. Kali’s breath caught in her throat when Lalita entered her, her thumb rubbing her engorged clit. Kali moaned, her hips meeting her strokes, tension building within her. Lalita, gaining confidence, began to move within her firmly, the pads of her fingers hitting a spot that made her mind go blank. Chewing her lower lip, she convulsed on her fingers. A strangled moan escaped her as Lalita continued to coax out her orgasm. Her thighs clamped shut on her hand when she could take no more, making a noise as she came.

Breathing heavily, Kali rolled onto her side, burying her head into Lalita’s chest. The small woman held her tightly, her fingers playing with her hair.

“When will we be heading out on the road, again?”

“When you’ve healed,” Kali murmured before drifting off.