💾 Archived View for lantashifiles.com › writing › hybridShadows › chapters › chapter05 › scene06.gmi captured on 2024-08-18 at 17:45:51. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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DOWN BY THE RIVER, SHE IS WASHING THE JOURNEY OFF
Kendra knelt by the river, dipping her hands into the water, and bringing a handful to her face. He felt the water move through her body as she swallowed it, refreshing her. She then knelt down further, bringing her mouth down to the stream itself, and taking a long drink, in the Maletis manner of drinking. She splashed her face several times, rubbing it with her hands.
"Can you hand me the Yetish?" Kendra asked.
After a moment, she looked up at her friend, seeing the confused look on his face.
"Oh, it is that plant, right there," she said, pointing to the rough yellow root that GIRL introduced her to on her first night in the camp.
Matthew picked the root up and handed it to her.
"You have changed," Matthew said. "You are not the same girl who left the colony months ago."
Kendra looked up at Matthew, standing just a few feet away. Her movements, gestures, actions were more and more those of the Maletis, and less of those of the human colonists. She sensed an uncomfortableness in her friend.
She also noticed the blush of his face, and it occurred to her that his position, kneeling down before him by the river, was provocative, at least provocative according to human standards.
MORE
Kendra stood and turned toward her friend. He looked stronger than when she had left with the Maletis to investigate the colony. He had been helping out the village, fixing the buildings that had been damaged in the Gtar attack, farming, hunting. The Maletis had taken him in, the same way they had accepted her. And in helping them he was becoming a stronger, more capable man, just as she had become a more slender, more graceful woman.
"You have now lived with the Maletis for three weeks now. Do you not understand our ways yet?"
A concerned look covered crossed his face briefly, and then was gone. MORE
"Our people?"
"Yes, our people. They may not have the technology that the colony has, but they have something else. The have peace, peace with who they are, with what they are. They don't think they have to improve themselves by implanting computers into their body. And they don’t think people are inferior for being different."
Matthew considered her words for several moments.
"I have nothing against them. But I do miss the people at the colony, even with its problems. You seemed to have picked up their language really well. I still have little idea of what they are saying."
"You don’t need to pick up their language too quickly. They will accept you if you show you want to help. Even Slintrasti, who is jealous of you."
"Me? Why would he be jealous of me?"
Kendra smiled. Turning away from her friend she removed the little clothing that she was wearing. Kneeling back down, she dipped the Yetish into the water, and started to rub it on her arms, across her torso, over her breasts. Everywhere it touched, it covered her with a grainy, soapy substance. She could feel the eyes of her friend on her back, knew he was looking.
"Would you wash my back?" she asked quietly. She turned around to hand him the Yetish, and saw his eyes looking down at her body, before quickly looking up at her face, averting his eyes.
She smiled, lifted his hand, and put the soapy substance into it. He looked at her face and smiled sheepishly. Kendra turned around and waded into the water, her back to Matthew. She heard him follow her in a moment later. Pulling her hair over her shoulder, she bared her back, and then she felt as his hands started to run over it, washing her.
"Rub it in, Matthew. There is a medicinal quality to the soap as well. It helps to heal the bruises and scratches."
He moved slowly, gently over and between her shoulders, along her sides, and down to the small of her back. He stopped just short of her hips. When he was done, she dunked herself fully into the cold river water, soaking her hair and letting the water run over her face, before she came back up for air. Kendra flicked her head back and forth, until her hair flowed down her back, down over her buttocks.
She turned to him then, her letting her arms drop to her sides despite the cold raising goosebumps on her skin, and the nipples of her breasts hard. She shivered in the cold, and she wanted to cross her arms across her chest, but instead left herself to be completely seen. This time, as she was clearing showing herself to him, he looked up and down her body, appreciating all that he saw. But there was a look of anguish in his eyes as he looked back up into hers.
"Who usually cleans your back for you? Slintrasti?" she caught a sour note in his voice.
"No, not Slintrasti," she answered. "The other women of the village often help me. Flansen and I often wash together. Slintrasti would like to, but the men of the village don't come down to the river with the women unless they are mates."
"But we’re not..."
"No."
"Then why?"
Kendra came forward to him. Matthew was still dressed, not having taken off his pants or shirt, though with the water the light material of his shirt clearing outlined the growing muscles of his chest. She touched his abdomen with her hands, and then slowly move them upward, running her fingertips up over the loose material of his shirt and over his chest.
She looked up into his blue eyes, seeing uncertainty changing to anticipation. He ran his down along her sides and around the small of her back. He pulled her into a tight embrace, folding her within him, lifting her slightly out of the water. Kendra craned her head upward, and their lips found each other. She closed her eyes, as they stood there, in a long kiss, growing in intensity, growing in passion. Their lips parted, and they ran their tongues together, tasting one another. She felt his hands as they wandered, through her long black hair, over her hips, along the sides, but always holding her close, upward, into him.
Their kiss lasted several minutes before Kendra let herself slide back down into the water, breathing the cool air around them, letting the warm breath of him leave her. Matthew reluctantly loosing his grasp on her. She rested her head against him for several moments, catching her breath, and trying to clear her head of the desire that was driving the rest of her. She tried to push him away gently. He held onto her. She pushed again, harder this time, and he let her go.
"What?" Matthew asked. "What did I do?"
"Nothing," she answered, trying to smile. "I, I need to wait. I’m sorry."
She could clearly see the pain and confusion on his face, a desire in his eyes that could be dangerous in the eyes of so many many. Matthew closed his eyes for several moments, and then looked away from her, turned away from her.
"Why did you kiss me?" he asked.
"I wanted to kiss you, but... I'm not ready for more. Not yet."
He half looked at her, something... irritation... showing, an impatience. And then he turned away, walking to the edge and out of the river and leaving her alone.
Kendra avoided the temptation to scream. What was she doing? This was her friend, her best friend. But her lover? No. What was she doing?
She watch him leave the river, and walk back to the into the village. Looking around, some of the women close by, Flansen included, were looking at her with concern and worry in their eyes. They didn’t understand her. As she didn't understand herself.
I am not Maletis. But I am not human either, am I? What am I doing? Who am I?