Panther Tales Ch. 08

Ally smiled tenderly as her hands glided over the soft, luscious skin of the girl sharing her furs.

"We go tomorrow night," she whispered. "Are you ready?"

July looked up, her slim body quivering as the Gorean girl carressed her. "I-I don't know." she answered honestly.

"You'll do fine. Just listen to Darkness, keep your eyes open-and run when we tell you to."

Ally lowered her head, burying her face in the other girl's dark curls. Her lips nibbled July's neck as her hands wandered over her hip and stomach, coaxing her onto her back. She smiled and sucked gently as July's legs opened, and her hand drifted lower.

Ally was fond of Snow, but her infatuation with the newest member of the Clan went far beyond that. If it wasn't so absurd, she would have said she was falling in love with the former kajira.

She had pulled Snow aside two days after the raid on the soldier's camp that had set July free and confessed her feelings. She was terrified that Snow would be angry. Instead, the little Earth girl had kissed her cheek warmly.

"It's better this way," was her only comment.

In truth, her experiences on Gor had turned Snow off so completely it felt like someone had flipped a switch inside her. She had enjoyed her trysts with the Ally and Rendill, but had no desire for more.

That left Ally free to pursue July. Much like Snow had when she first offered to share her furs, July had accepted more from a longing for gentleness and tenderness than any true Lesbian desires. After her time in a collar it was so precious to have a lover that wasn't demanding, cruel and brutal. It was wonderful to be able to have sex on her own terms, and even to be able to say no.

Ally understood this. She touched her lover like she was made of glass, her hands whispering between the girl's legs, brushing the warm, soft treasures, coaxing a gentle climax from the lovely black-haired girl, then held her trembling body close, murmuring soft, tender words.

Finally, July raised her head, kissing the other girl sweetly. She knew if she said goodnight now, Ally wouldn't press her, and the knowledge was heady and empowering. Instead, she stroked her face and urged her to lay back.

"You make me feel so damn good," she smiled as she slid her hand down between Ally's legs.

They had played enough that July also knew what Ally liked. Gentle and tender wasn't her way. Her hips twitched eagerly as July slid two fingers into her wetness and pumped fast and hard, feeling the Panther girl thrash as she boiled to a huge climax.

Just far enough away to be unobtrusive, Snow heard the whimpers and gasps of the girl's lovemaking and shook her head, chuckling silently. She could still scarecely believe the absurdity of it all. Marooned on another planet, an outlaw leading a small group of fierce female warriors-it was ludicrous.

Still, it could have been worse. She was alive, healthy and free, and could rely on her Clan. She stroked her chin, remembering how close it had come to collapsing.

The morning after the raid on the soldier camp that had freed July, Markeela-still driven by bloodlust-had urged them to march directly to the village and attack.

Her 'plan' had been to simply roar through the village in broad daylight, kill as many people as they could then vanish into the forest. Snow wanted more.

"If we're gonna do this, let's do it right," she urged. "I don't want to just leave a few bodies behind-I want to wipe that fucking village off the planet."

Markeela had actually picked up her pack and weapons and started towards the trail, confident the others-at least those born on Gor-would follow her. When she looked back and saw no one had moved, her eyes blazed with anger.

"You're going to let this barbarian girl lead you?" she had sneered.

There was a lot of looking at the ground and shuffling of feet. July, newly freed and unsure yet of her status in the group, clung to Ally's arm, her eyes wide with fear. Darkness spoke at last.

"I'm going to listen to the barbarian. I can tell she's got a plan."

Markeela had stomped back to the group, stopping directly in front of Snow, glaring down at the smaller girl.

"Tell me...promise me you're not just going to stall and wait for us to forget. Swear we avenge our Sisters!"

Snow met her gaze unflinching.

"I swear it. When we're ready...and it won't be long...we will, as they say on Earth, tear 'em a new asshole."

The angry Panther held her gaze for a long moment, then slowly nodded and offered Snow her hand. They shook in the Gorean manner, clasping each other by the wrist as Snow let out a sigh of relief. She needed Markeela. She needed everyone if they wanted to do any real damage.

It had taken almost two weeks to get ready. They needed arrows, cloth, and most of all oil. The group had only salvaged one small jug of Tharlarion oil from the carnage, and for Snow's plan to work, they needed at minimum a gallon or two.

They had more than enough gold to buy what they needed. The problem was trust. There was no way to know what villages were safe.

"What about the other Clans?" Snow had asked. "Would they sell us oil?"

Ally shook her head. "There's only five of us. Any other Clan would be more likely to put us in chains, steal everything we've got and sell us to slavers."

"So we have no allies then?"

"None that we can trust."

So, with no other options, they decided to steal what they needed. Snow and Markeela took a two day journey to the next village beyond their target, while the others stayed busy making arrow shafts and trimming feathers.

In the darkest of the night, they had slipped into a store room or supply hut. Markeela opened containers and sniffed until she found what she wanted.

"I'll carry this," she whispered, lifting the heavy jug. "You lead and keep the path clear."

They had barely stepped out through the doorway when a hulking figure loomed up out of the dark. Snow would never know if the man was on guard duty, or just out for a late night stroll. He had just enough time to say 'What...' before her club swung, smashing into the side of his face. He hit the ground with a soft thud.

"Quick!" Markeela hissed, and the two took off running.

There was a single shout of alarm minutes later, but it was well behind them. As far as either Panther could tell, there was no one on their trail. They took turns carrying the oil-maybe three gallons, more than enough.

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Snow placed one hand on the wood building in front of her and panted, catching her breath after the long crouched sprint through the fields. It occurred to her that she spent a lot of time skulking around in the wee hours of the morning.

She knew Markeela was on her left, somewhere in the dark, and Ally was off to her right. Darkness and July were on the other side of the village, hiding at the very limit of arrow range. They had been chosen as the archers because Darkness was the longest shot, and the little barbarian girl was the best shot.

It turned out that back on Earth, July's father had been an expert-an alternate on Canada's Olympic archery team. July had been using a bow her whole life. It was a little adjustment from the compound bows of Earth to the simple, single-string Gorean weapon, but the principles were the same.

Snow moved silently around to the side of the building, and her jaw clenched in anger. There was a small cage on the ground, and stuffed inside was a small girl, naked and shivering.

She felt the rage start to boil inside her as she tapped softly on the bars. "Pssst...pssst...hey."

The girl jerked and turned her head, her eyes wide and bright in the dim light of Gor's three moons. Snow put her finger to her lips, shushing the captive.

"Do you want out of there?" she whispered, leaning closer. "Do you want to be free?"

The girl's chin bobbed up and down, and Snow nodded slowly in approval.

"In just a second there's gonna be some excitement. I'll bust you out." She pointed in the direction Darkness and July waited. "Run that way. When you see other Panthers, yell that Snow sent you."

The girl kept nodding.

"Try to stretch and loosen your muscles. You're gonna need to move fast."

The cage was too small for the girl to extend her legs, but she began to squirm and flex, preparing for flight. Snow looked up into the night sky.

"Any time now," she muttered.

As if on cue, tiny lights began appearing, arching towards the village. Some hundred yards away, Darkness and July had built a very small fire behind a little rock pile.

They had forty cloth headed arrows, soaked overnight in the extremely flammable oil Markeela and Snow had stolen. The two Panther archers lit them in groups in their fire, then launched them towards the wooden buildings.

As soon as she saw one land on a thatched roof, Snow stood and raised her war hammer. Three times it clanged down on the cage lock, breaking it open. She grabbed the naked girl by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

"Run!" she whispered urgently, patting her on the back.

"Thank you," the girl groaned, and began stumbling and staggering across the village as the first of the inhabitants began appearing.

The fire arrows were falling like rain. Some landed harmlessly on the ground, but a surprising number-more than Snow had dared hope-found targets. Several roofs were already ablaze.

She spotted movement to her left and sprinted that way, her eyes blazing with fury. She heard a scream of agony behind her as her hammer swung for the first time, slamming into a man's midsection, driving him to his knees. She piroutted and swung again, hitting him in the back of the head, sending him face down into the dirt.

A woman appeared in the doorway and Snow hit her too, the hammer smashing squarely into her face. She flew backwards, and Snow turned and ran.

The village was a hell of fire, screams, confusion and chaos. Snow with her hammer, Ally with her spear and Markeela with her short sword ran from hut to hut, chopping down the half-asleep peasants as they stepped out to investigate the bedlam. Man, woman, child-in her bloodlust Snow didn't care. She took them all down.

She was splashed with gore, her black robes sodden. It was even in her mouth, and the taste just fueled her fury.

"Torch! Torch! Torch!" she heard one of her Sisters screaming, and ran towards the voice. It was the signal that Darkness and July had exhausted their supply of arrows and were on their way to the village with torches.

A man stumbled into her path, his eyes wide with shock. She swung low, shattering his knee, and smashed his skull with a backhand swing as she ran by. Through the dust and smoke, she saw Ally thrust her spear into a giant of a man-the blacksmith who had removed her collar on her first trip to this village.

The Panthers gathered at the edge of the burning village as Darkness and July ran up. Each girl carried a burning torch, a branch about the size of an Earth baseball bat, and a bag containing four more.

July held both blazing torches as Darkness unslung her bow, and the others quickly grabbed two torches apiece, lighting them from July's flame as Darkness began sending real, steel-tipped arrows through the air, aiming for any place where the villagers were gathering in groups.

Screaming like banshees, the rest of the Panthers raced back into the village, a burning torch in either hand. The ducked into the first four homes they reached and tossed one in, adding to the conflagration.

Snow ran by two buildings that were burning freely, targeting one that seemed so far untouched. As she reached it, the door opened and a man stepped out, a sword in his right hand.

She reacted immediately, driving the blazing torch into his stomach, shoving him back into the house. His night shirt began to smolder as he fell on his back. The screams were deafening as she flipped the torch onto a bed, howling her battle cry as another fire started.

Snow stepped back outside. It was time to go. "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" she screamed, signalling the other Panthers, and sprinted back towards the rock pile the archers had started everything behind.

Markeela heard the cry of retreat and started to run as well, when suddenly a man staggered out of the smoke and fell to one knee in front of her. He was young, a lad on the cusp of adulthood. There was an arrow sticking out of his thigh, and he was gasping with pain.

He looked up at the dark Panther and threw his hands up, pleading.

"Mercy! Mercy!" he cried.

"That's me," Markeela snarled, and slashed her sword across his belly, slicing him wide open.

"FUCK Mercy," she howled as he fell.

Snow was the second one to the rendesvouz point, behind only Ally-third if you included the kajira she had rescued. The two Panthers grabbed each other by the upper arms and screamed incoherent words of triumph and victory.

When the whole Clan was together, they jogged towards the forest. Behind them, the village was an inferno, bodies littering the dirt streets.

"Hellions!" Judy kept screaming. "We are fucking Hellions!"

Markeela looked at the nude girl running next to Snow.

"Who the hell is that?" she demanded.

The girl shuddered, but Snow set a bloody hand on her neck and grinned fiercely.

"A free woman."