The Maiden Voyage of The Dreamcatcher

[Kavala]

Kavala stiffened as Riaris' arms came around her then slowly she leaned back into his embrace. Her face twisted around just once, to get a good look at him, then she let him hold her weight slightly as she sagged back into his arms. Her head tucked itself up under his chin, her forehead slightly leaning on his jaw, and she listened to his heartbeat against her back. It felt warm, comfortable, and even safe in that moment. The Konti didn't let her guard down much, and trusted even less as time went on.

She liked that he hugged her, and the warmth of his breath along her throat as he gently kissed her neck made her sigh softly. When he made to step back after squeezing her shoulders, she bowed her head forward, already missing his strong warmth across her back. Kavala would have liked to have stayed there forever. But the truth was she didn't know how to ask for comfort and she didn't know how to be soft enough that it was assumed she needed it.

In the stillness of her gaze out to sea, she mourned his retreat.

"I miss my son." She said abruptly. "It's too dangerous to be here for him, but I wish he were along nonetheless." Kavala glanced over her shoulder at Riaris and smiled sadly. "I love having the freedom of a ship, even a small one like this. I like the idea of being able to take short trips. But traveling will never be my life. I have a home to look after and Gods to serve." She said abruptly, turning back away from him and taking a step forward. Kavala took a seat then, seeing no need to keep standing and no need to keep hoping he'd come back and resume his embrace and support.

Such things were not for her. Love was fleeting. Stolen here and there, whenever it could be found. But family was forever and something she'd never want to change about who she was. Tasival had to come first, and so too did Vanator and her niece and nephew. Even Chalce and Aweston needed her. What was she doing here with a man? How dare she steal time with him when she might be needed at home. She'd taken a break from the completion of the fortress. Kavala had paused her life. And she felt guilty, suddenly, for enjoying so much of Riaris. It was obvious he wasn't looking for more family either. He had a huge one already. And he had siblings that he was as much responsible for as she was for her own.

Kavala half turned and studied Riaris. He was so strong standing there. Her eyes traced his magnificent form and his elegant face. His eyes were stunning to her and even the ink on his skin called out its appeal. There was nothing this man needed from her. In fact, she doubted there was anything he needed from anyone. His sheer size, his strength, and the way he carried himself as if he had not a care in the world intimidated her suddenly and made her sorry for a moment that she loved him so much. It would be hard to let him go. It would be hard to leave him. And that's the way she had to see it, she realized suddenly... that she was going to leave him.

Because it hurt too much to even acknowledge the fact that he would be the one to leave her... but he would. He'd left no doubt in her mind by his words and his lack of response to her own.

[Riaris Dovukalis]

Like many men Riaris enjoyed silence to a point. He enjoyed quieting his mind and meditating on the days and days passed. But with Kavala he didn't mind talking. He enjoyed her voice, their conversations and everything along those lines. He didn't know what the future held for each of them, but he was eager to find out and share in this with her. But the Akalak wasn't the smooth talking type, he didn't know the key to the hearts of women, or even how to go about searching for it. He only knew that Kavala was all he needed and for him that was enough.

There seemed to be a sadness in the woman's voice, and Riaris tried to understand it. He too missed his family, but not to the extent to made him sad. He was sure that he would see them again a soon, as he was sure that she would see hers. But Kavala had a son, something he wanted, and if he too had one, he imagined he'd understand her feelings better.

"Tasival is a strong boy, I'm sure he'll survive until our return."

Riaris smiled weakly and moved a bit closer to her after she sat down. "If you wish we could turn back? Return to your home and reunite with your family?"

The Akalak meant his words, if she wanted to go back he would follow, having little interest in the journey if Kavala wasn't with him. He folded his arms across his chest and looked over to her. There were many times that he didn't know what she was thinking, though usually she would tell him. Something seemed to be brewing, but he couldn't see it himself. Not enough for him to speak up or take action on it.

Finally he moved closer and sat down beside her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders and drew her closer. "The sea will always be here, we can visit at any time. We should tend more to the things close to our hearts. I guess we would both would miss the city during these short trips, but that could give us more reason come back sooner." He chuckled softly and kissed the side of her head.

"So what do you think? Should we hold off on this adventure and return home? Or see this out til the end?"

[Kavala]

Kavala nodded at Riaris' words. "Shayru too." She said softly, once the big male had called her son strong. Tasival was the lover while Shayru was the warrior. If anything, Shayru would see the two of them through the absence of their mother. Kavala met Riaris' eyes, surprised at his next statement and the fact that he offered her a choice.

"No." She answered softly. "I would not wish that at all. I've looked forward to this time with you. And I'm enjoying it enormously." Her statement was the bold truth. She suddenly worried that he'd get the wrong impression from her words, and that he'd think she wasn't satisfied being here with him or that he wasn't enough to occupy her time. Kavala didn't want that. She wanted him to know how much she enjoyed being with him, because she truly did.

Kavala tried to frame words to reassure him and felt herself coming up short. He shifted and she watched him cross his arms over his chest. She almost rose then and went to him, but she was still too frail. Kavala was too worried about the future to give him that one concession even if it was only a concession in her mind. It surprised her then that he went to her and sat down beside her.

The warmth of his hip against hers an their outer thighs touching calmed her. He was a soothing balm to her soul once her initial instinct to freeze was overcome. Kavala reached up and drew her hand through her hair, finger combing out the long straight lengths against the tangle of the wind. She felt his arm come around her then and she leaned into him slightly. He kissed her neck and made her shiver. She glanced at him, catching his gaze for a moment and shook her head at his question.

"No, no never that. I've never turned back from anything in my life and I won't start now." She said softly, unwilling to protest even once because the moment was so tender, so generously offered that it stunned her. She needed that tenderness, craved it, like someone starved for water that had no idea what a cool drink tasted like.

"We need to go now. We need to finish this trip in the here and now. I will not be able to go later, not really, not for another year or more." She said suddenly, knowing now was as good of a time as any to tell him. "I'm carrying your child." She wasn't certain herself until she said it. But once she said it she knew in her heart that it was true. All the ups and downs of her emotions made sudden clarity. Kavala hadn't been eating well, and just like with Tasival all she'd been able to keep down in the early stages of her pregnancy was raw food from the sea. "Probably from that first time we met and went to the Coils Club." She said softly, knowing that they'd been together numerous times since then. He'd never tried to prevent a pregnancy, and she'd never given it a thought. Kavala leaned into him, suddenly wanting his bulk partially wrapped around her. He was big, intimidating, and yet there was something so gentle about his touch and the way he let her know he was willing to change plans if it made her feel better.

"Can we not see this out until the end? I really want to see Kalea and The Southern Trading Post." She said quietly, her hand resting on his knee and stroking it gently though the movement couldn't cover the tremble her limb had over what she'd just revealed. Quietly and unexpected for a moment, Kavala was afraid about what he'd say and it was giving her the shakes. Would he take the child when it was born and never let her see it? Would he be angry that they'd set off for this trip with her like this? Maybe he'd ask her if it was his. The Konti squeezed her eyes shut then opened them again, battling back all her inner fears and insecurities. The healer glanced at her wrist as if to reassure herself it was naked. She was a Nakivak no longer, neither owned nor controlled. And besides, this was Riaris, not a stranger.

The Konti took a deep breath and grew quiet. She let the wind tangle her hair as she leaned into the Akalak's embrace. They sat companionably together for a while, and regardless if Riaris said anything or not, she wasn't upset at herself for telling him. She felt clear and deep seated relief.

[Riaris Dovukalis]

Riaris smiled and nodded after Kavala mentioned Shayru. If he remembered correctly, it had been he, who took his lakan that day he offered it. The boy had a warrior's spirit and Riaris looked forward to seeing more of him, of them both. As he had been raised by his father, he wanted to be a father to others, it was a part of the Akalak to strive for this as a part of who they were and their costumes. Recoomas wanted this as well, though he thought Tasival was too much like his mother. A woman he was trying to get to know better in his own way.

"Shayru has a warrior's spirit, he will miss you, but I think he would understand the need for separation when the time comes."

Suddenly, he wasn't sure if this was the right time to bring the subject up, but Kavala had to know the day would come. If she truly wanted her sons to be raised as Akalak then they would need to be raised as he, and the other Akalak in the city were. He thought this over for a moment, wondering if she would be okay with the choice, or fight it til the bitter end. He wasn't even sure if he had the heart to tell her no.

Riaris was pleased to see that she wanted to continue, he too had been waiting for this for a long time. He could understand that this was new for her, as it was to him. But together he hoped they'd make the time memorable. He took a deep breath and released it, the Akalak felt almost weightless, he felt alive. Away from work, away from everything of the city, leaving just him and Kavala on their journey. Riaris wasn't one for many words, he wasn't used to expressing himself as such, but with his arm around her, he hoped that she knew that all was right and he was happy where they were.

"Good, good, then we continue. You will have many stories to tell the young ones once we return." He smiled and kissed her neck, fingers gently rubbing back and forth into her shoulders. He wanted to reassure her of their plans, and for things yet to be planned.

What she told him then, brought him to complete shock. Riaris' pale eyes widen slightly and he sat still, his mind racing on for ticks. He didn't hear most of what she said afterwards, her words as well as Recoomas' were drowned out in muffled jumbles.

"That's...that's...wonderful." He finally spoke looking to her with a wide smile. "No it's perfect!" The Akalak said louder and placed a hand on her belly. "Are you sure?" Riairs asked though he didn't wait to receive her answer. Instead the Akalak released a hardy laugh and pulled Kavala from her seat and into his lap rather roughly. "This is a happy day indeed."

He fell silent for a moment, his words lost to him for there were no words in any language that could express his feelings at that moment. Riaris kissed her deeply and held her close. Kavala had made him the happiest he'd ever been in his life.

[Kavala]

"I'm very sure." She said, smiling up at him, taking in his reaction and enjoying it. She'd never gotten to witness Tasival's father knowing he had sired the next generation of his line, nor had she got the privilege of being able to place an infant in a father's arms. But Riaris' surprise, his delight, and the way he grabbed her close made her laugh a little, first nervously then with real joy. She clung to him a moment, and then ran her hands up his arms where they were wrapped around him.

"Surely, you didn't think all the times... all the .... would be for nothing. I'm very young still, and very healthy. You are too. Our child came into being the very first time, Riaris, the very first time." She shook her head, smiled, and then kissed him deeply. Even then, with the news that his seed was rooted deep in her body and growing, she wanted him. With his joy and his arms wrapped around her, he flooded her with his unique scent and all she wanted to do was get the clothing off them so she could enjoy the feel of his skin on her scales. Kavala had never felt anything like what she felt when she was with him, and at times it scared her a little.

"You are going to be a good father. The very best." And you will be a good mate. But Kavala did not utter the second sentence. She had no right too. And even as she worked the fastenings on his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders to get at his skin, she knew she was going to do anything and everything she could to keep him happy and in his son or daughter's life. Tasival and Shayru acutely missed, even as young as they were, the presence of a male Akalak in their life. This next child would not suffer such a thing if she could help it. She might not have a choice who fathered her child before, with Shay and Tasi, but this move was wholeheartedly her own decision.

The healer clawed at her own shirt, finally frustrated, she drew the tunic up over her head and cast it aside rather than deal with the lacing. She leaned inward, until her bare chest was pressed against his and groaned, needing the feel of his richly toned skin against her pale flesh. She scraped the scales that decorated her chest and breasts against his pectorals and nipped at his throat. She almost wanted to apologize for a moment, for needing him so badly and wanting to feel him all over her and inside of her... but it was something she couldn't do. There were no words to share what Riaris did to her or what she constantly needed from him.

"Thank you... " She said, her teeth scraping his jaw as she kissed his face again, settling deeply and suggestively across his lap. "For being okay with this. I know among your kind this is often negotiated, contracted, and clinically done. But this child will not be one to follow the rules... and he or she will be loved fiercely, welcomed wholeheartedly, and treated just as well as Tasival and Shayru are." Kavala said, all the while her hands were working at the fastening on his leathers, trying to free him from their confines. And even as she worked her hands around him and released him from the warmth of the pants, she looked up at his face, passion and fortitude mingling in her features. "It will be my biggest pride to place a whole healthy child in your arms, especially a son, and know that others in your culture will value you more, even as I do." And with that, she scooted back on his lap a bit, bent, and took him into her mouth to taste him. Needing it, needing him, wanting them joined.

[Riaris Dovukalis]

A lot of thoughts raced through the Akalak's mind. He was to be a father, a proud father, not something that every Akalak could say they'd done. He thought about his family, how his father, mother, and sister's would be proud of him as well. He thought of Tasival, the son of Kavala, whom he'd already become attached too. The boy would have more family now, and a father figure in his life. And there was Kavala, the woman who had made it all possible and brought him into her family.

"Yes, I understand that..but I just didn't think that.. But this is real and for us as well, and from the first time. I didn't want to assume, want to hope but...this is wonderful news."

Riaris wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He kissed her back just as deeply, enjoyed her for everything that she was and celebrated with more kisses along her cheek and neck. It was a relationship unlike any that he had ever had before, and with Kavala it only got better by the day. "I suppose maybe I should start believing in luck.Or maybe I should thank the Gods for this blessing. No, I should thank you Kavala, for allowing me into your life, for everything."

Riaris stared deeply into her eyes as she spoke. Her compliment that he would be a good father meant a lot to him. It meant a lot that she had such trust in him, that she believed that he could be a good father to their child. Riaris reached up and gently placed his hand on the side of her face and caressed her cheek. "And you are already a wonderful mother, and I wouldn't want this with any other. I will do all that I can for our child..and for Tasival and Shayru, for you." Riaris was getting at something, and although he hadn't said the words aloud, he would have to get them out.

He sat still and allowed her to get at the fastenings on his shirt and push the cloth from his shoulders. Riaris swung his arms downward and pulled at one and to the other to remove the shirt completely. With his arms free he reached out to help Kavala remove her tunic and once the garment was discarded, the Akalak gently massaged the flesh and scales at her shoulders, breasts and stomach before she leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her then, and stroked the skin and scales at her back while enjoying her soft, body against his larger form.

Riaris kissed at her shoulders, hand combing through her hair as the other roamed about her back and lower. The Akalak couldn't get enough of the woman, and her drive and passion only made that want even stronger. "You don't have to thank me. I wanted this too as much as you did. Together we will raise our young to understand and value both of our cultures and in the ways of family as well. I will be there with you Kavala every step of the way." Leaning back, he massaged Kavala's modest body and watched as she released him from his leathers and sought to please him. They had plenty of time to talk later, but now was a time for celebration, now was a time for passion.

[Kavala]

There was no way that Kavala could convey to Riaris what he was beginning to mean to her. And she knew how fleeting life was, love, and even from one moment to the next how drastically the world could change. She knew too that the sail to the Southern Trading Post could be their last one just as much as it could be their very first adventure in a long long life of adventures.

She wanted the latter so much more than the former. There was still too much to do, so much to see, and a mark to make upon her life. Kavala was afraid of joining the world this time around and not having any lasting impact. Being a healer significantly changed that and made it so she could create a legacy, but she wanted more. Tasival and Shayru, and now this new child, needed something to belong to and a family to be proud of. Kavala hoped to make Riaris part of it. Vanator was her stabilizer, but by all that she had experienced, Riaris was her passion.

The Konti took her time with him, loving him with her mouth slowly and surely, giving him the attention he merited. And when she'd brought him close a half a dozen times and denied him, she finally slipped into his lap once more, joined them together, and began feasting on his lips while bringing what she started to a close in her own time. Kavala was grateful that Riaris let her set the stage and pace, because she knew later he would not be so easy and would take as he wanted because she would freely give. Kavala moved upon and against him, riding him close to the point of him loosing control, then slowing her pace when he was about to cross the threshold. All the while she kept him wrapped in her arms. She touched him gently then, allowing him to calm while kissing him, giving him time to back off extended the pleasure before she started furiously again, letting him find his release only when she thought he was on the brink of madness.

When he and she could take no more, Riaris had sharp teeth marks on his neck and shoulders, and a very tired Konti's head on his left pectoral, her long white hair cascading down his left side. She had her hand splayed across his belly and felt safe with his arms wrapped around her in satisfaction. They sat like that for a long long time, the wind drying the sweat from their bodies before Kavala spoke, their bodies still linked and her hands gently wrapped around his back.

"You know. I haven't met Recoomas yet, though I am certain he knows me. What does he think of all this?" She said softly, her worlds half muffled against his chest. There was a curiosity of her tone, one that told him she had completely forgotten how intimate they were and how vulnerable she might be if his other half was violent or darker. "What is he like?" She asked softly, needing to know who else lived inside her lover.

[Riaris Dovukalis]

Kavala was amazing, the woman was more than what Riaris could have imagined their connection to be like. She gave him thoughts, ideas, things that he wouldn't have understood on his own and that drew them closer together. She was open, loving, and gave herself to him the only way she knew how, and in turn, Riaris did the same.

Their union only grew stronger now and the Akalak felt like a true part of her family now that they would share in a child. He kissed and touched her sweetly, finding no need to take over. He liked when she took the lead, when she showed him exactly what she wanted and what she could do for him as well. By the time they were finished, Riaris was tired, relaxed and his only thoughts were of the family is was going to have. He kissed her head, gently and caressed her back as they laid their in blissful peace.

What she asked him about Recoomas caught him off guard, Riaris had been thinking of nothing but her and the child that was to come. Recoomas wanted Kavala as much as Riaris did, or perhaps even more being that he was never in control when they were together. He knew her touch, her affections, but it was his lighter brother who controlled what they did in her presences. He wondered if he should tell her how his darker brother felt about her, and the things he had said. Recoomas taste in women varied wider than Riaris', but konti was on the list and Kavala had proven herself well worth the time.

"Would you like to meet him?" he asked, one hand stroking her arm. It came easier now, the changing between him and Recoomas. If she wished it, he was sure that he could arrange the meeting as soon as she was ready. Recoomas would love that also, being able to finally meet the woman and having her in the nude was even better. "My brother and I share a lot of the same ideas and passions. But we are different in our way of thinking, and the way we go about life. In some ways he's more patient than I am, and in others it would seem that he isn't.

We do share the warrior's path, but his distractions limit him in what he can do during his time. But I'm sure that he says the same thing about me. Brothers are often like that, similair in ways and completely different in others. He cares for you too, though he may be more demanding than you'd enjoy."

[Kavala]

Kavala looked thoughtful, listening carefully to Riaris. "Yes, I would like to meet him. Like this? I'm not sure. But he knows, right? I mean he is aware we do this. Our conversations aren't private from him are they?" She asked, not knowing what to expect. Kavala was a little nervous, growing stiff in Riaris' arms. She shifted so their bodies were no longer linked and ran her hands through her hair a moment before returning her arms to being wrapped around him.

"I don't know how this works. I... have never met him. I don't know him at all. Though I know your body is half his and your time in this world is as well. If we are together, are we all three together? Does he have a life outside of the one we make for ourselves? Will he see other women and ... I mean...
I want to be with you more than just stolen dates here and there. But what if he finds and loves someone else. Do we have to set up a home for all four of us to have this work? I come from the Drykas where they have multiple wives, and its not a problem, but there are so many questions I have. I'd love to wake with you every day of my life, but I don't want to do that at the expense of his freedom or against his will. And what if he doesn't like me. You said he cares for me, but are you absolutely sure? Do I have to pleasure him to be with you? Is that a betrayal of you if I am with him? I...." She stopped abruptly, and shuddered slightly.

"I need to tell you something." She said suddenly, the look on her face serious. She met his gaze, glancing first from one of his eyes to another, then closing her own.

"I never told you why I was released from my Nakivak status. I'm young, a proven mother, and you know that's not someone they would ever gladly let go. I paid my financial debt to them, but they would never tell me how many children my salvation debt was. I asked after Tasival and they said they would discuss it with me after my second child. A man came to my home, had my contract, and discussed terms. I was to service his son. I did so. But I wasn't getting pregnant. I never met his other side, and I should have been suspicious of it. He never talked about his brother, never even brought him up. Then one day I had come back from a battle on the grass and was laying down. A mare was threatened by night lion sand we had to kill a few. I was roughed up a bit, but otherwise not really in need of much healing. I was just tired, you understand? But Cugacon came to collect his due. And when I tried to explain it would be best at a later time, his dark side took over. He'd never been anything but gentle with me before this. But his brother was something else. He took me unaware. Threw me up against a wall, broke my clavicle and two ribs. He punched me full on in the face, blackening both eyes and breaking my nose." Kavala's voice took on a clinical sound, like she was describing something that happened to someone else.

"He choked me. Then for fun hit me a few more times. He broke my leg, and then he forced me repeatedly, saying if his brother couldn't get the job done, he would. I've never seen someone take so much joy out of someone else's pain. I almost died. If another healer hadn't found me, I wouldn't have made it." She said, stroking the line of his shoulder and running her hand down his arm to hold his hand.

"So yes, I want to meet him. But I don't have a good record with... brothers. The Council released me as an apology. They are still looking for him to tattoo his face." Kavala said softly, meeting Riaris' gaze.

[Riaris Dovukalis]

"No, he is always there, always apart of me as I am with him." It was hard to explain in exact words what it was like to be Akalak. It was also something that he didn't explain often because most were to timid to ask such questions. "He is more aware than I'd like him to be, about a great many things." With Kavala breaking away, Riaris felt the cool touch of the air without her warmth and it left him with a tingling sensation.

There were things about the Akalak way that she didn't understand, but there was a lot that she did understand. The type of complexities that came with being with and knowing his kind were not lost on her and she had questions that needed to be answered. He didn't mind,it was easier to answer her questions than to try and speak of the situation himself, without it sounding like something was askew. "Recoomas is free to do as he wills with his time. But like your Drykas brothers, we too have similar interest and our day to day activities aren't all that different.

I'm not all that sure what he plans to do, but he does care for you. I should also tell you that he did have desires to be with one of the Konti women from the Sanctuary. Someone he met in the city. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but their time was short and he no longer see's her. I don't know of any others that he has his eyes on and I haven't felt any stirring emotions in some time." He wasn't sure how else to explain it, and Recoomas would have to be brought in to say more. Like with people, the minds of Akalak changed as well, and while the darker brother may have wanted Kavala now, it was hard to say his eyes wouldn't wonder.

"If I had my way. I would want you all for myself, but I know that isn't possible."

Riaris listened to her story and a very loud rage filled his being. The Akalak couldn't stomach anyone harming a woman and to hear someone harming Kavala was enough to make him ready to kill. However, there also seemed to be an undertone to the story, at least in Recoomas mind. The darker brother felt as if he were being judged, accused of being like this other male, simply because he was also the darker half. It happened then, a subtle change in his features and his gaze took on a more cool and calculating stare.

"And..you believe I'm like him." He stated plainly, knowing that she would know he was there, as he had been the whole time. "I admit, causing pain is a joy of mine. But I only fight my enemies, not my friends. Not my...women." He almost smiled then, a meaty hand sliding up Kavala's thigh and would lightly pressed between them if she didn't push him away. "My brother is a selfish man, but he can't keep me from you..or you from me." His hands continued to move and the darker Akalak would fight to keep her in his lap as she tried to move away more. "You know, don't you? We are more alike, more insync. Must I prove my worth?"