The scenery flickered by her small window, flashes of green, of a lighter golden color. Sometimes she could see a flash of the blue river, and wished she could hear the rushing sound of the water over the ever present thud of the hoses’ hooves and the creak of the carriage. She was going home.


Her jainko felt more at peace then it had in weeks, ever since she left the keep. Even enclosed in the carriage and surrounded by the kings’ guard she could not shake the light feeling that was beginning to permeate her. She was still a prisoner, and they made that indisputably clear by their treatment of her, but Nekane did not care. She was going home.


Aeden had taken great joy in telling her of the negotiations, especially when Ekain had refused to give up the land for her. She chuckled softly to herself. He had been quite unprepared by her lack of reaction. Ekain had done what was right. He was her love, and her heart, but the Ekaini were her life’s breath and no one person would ever be worth more then the sacred space of their people.


There had never been a doubt in her mind that she personally was beloved by her Anaia-emaita as a man, but as the leader of the people, he could not and should not consider his love; her status as a member of the tribe yes, but not his love. That was the way of it. It was the life that they had been given, and the one they would protect.


She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her, dismissing the sounds of the carriage wheels turning and the soft nickering and breath of the horses and focusing in on the chatter of the relaxed guard. In the days that they had been traveling, she had learned the voices of each of them. She knew which ones would sneak her extra food, when the leader was not looking. She knew which ones eyed her with dangerous looks the few times she had been allowed to get out and stretch her legs. She could match each face to the voice, even if they had never spoken to her directly, and very few had.


The days of travel blended seamlessly together, and she longed for the end of the road and the freedom that lay beyond it. It would not be long now, until she was able to run as she willed, and feel the full power of Eguzki’s gaze upon her face. To stretch her arms, face voice, and spirit to the sky and drink in the voices the wind carried as it blew past her ears. Even breathing had been difficult as caged as she had been, watched every moment unless she was locked in a room alone. For a woman of interlopers it would have seemed quite normal, except perhaps for the guards, but to Nekane it had been stifling.


Then she heard it, and her vision took in the scene before of her. The soft muted roar of the water reached her ears as the wagon pulled to a stop. The soft scraping of the key in the lock and the door swung open letting in a dazzling stream of bright light. She had not realized how dark the interior of the carriage had been until that moment. Blinking to clear the spots from her vision she stepped down from the contraption and into the open air.

Ekain had long since stopped counting over and over how many horses he'd had to give up for this exchange, chastising himself for each one. Horses were the life of the Ekaini, and his own jainko, so to give up so many pained him worse then he let on to that damnedable self-proclaimed 'king'. The metal, to the Ekaini, was for the most part useless. Softer even then bronze, so it was little good for making tools or weapons, and he saw no other purpose for metal. He was aware that the interlopers printed some sort of symbol on it and as soon as that was done it was considered valuable and was used in trade, but aside from the value they decided to appoint to it he saw no reason why they would want this weak and worthless metal.

No, the gold was not what pained him, but the horses. It was lucky for Ekain that breeding had been good recently among them. Several young new foals were just beginning to come into their own as mounts, and so the majority of those given were the elder horses as close to ten--by the interloper's calander-- as they could find. Not all of them were given, however, as some of those mounts were unshakable veterans that many of their strongest warriors relied upon. He himself had refused to give up Sendoa, and had let a select handful of his top warriors select which mounts they wished to keep, Bikendi among them. He himself spent much time helping breed and raise horses, and was one of the best. There were many things Ekain could not do, but he could lead, he could hunt, he could fight, and he could breed and raise horses all like it was nobody's business. They would be light on horses for a while, but within a handful of seasons Ekain hoped to have most of those numbers reconciled. A small price to pay for one of the Ekaini's most prized and powerful shamanesses.

Releasing the horses was painful indeed...along with something else. Not that he would ever tell the 'king', but he'd rallied the majority of the Ekaini people to work almost non-stop--himself included--for a straight month just to gather the quantity the demanded by them. Most of his people--also himself included--were exhausted, though he refused to let that show. Had the interlopers marched down to the river with an army, they might well have simply rolled over the majority of the Ekaini lands, most of the warriors too exhausted from the laborious metal-gathering to fight. Luckily, they hadn't.

He knew this because when the approached, He saw the majority stop at the distance Aedan had spoken of, the carriage and the guards coming forth. He himself had made a similar showing a distance away, but it was just that...a showing. Most of them were so exhausted that standing took a lot of energy.

The ferry had been specially designed to hold the large herd of horses, and the interloper waiting to lead it across eyed him with obvious disgust. Ignoring the reaction, he slowly loaded the extra-large ferry with all the horses and their metal, even as he saw someone climbing out of the carriage.

His breath caught in his throat as he spied her, and he ignored his urge to call out to her.

...Nekane...arreba-emazte...how I missed you...

He saw her, and that she was well enough, and that single fact alone calmed Ekain's heart, wiping away all his worries about her and this exchange. She was alive...and she was coming home. That was what mattered.

Once all was ready, he nodded, giving the signal for them to proceed...and eagerly anticipating the arrival of his favored wife and sister.

It took but a moment for her eyes to clear, and she immediately turned in the direction of the riverbank. Her heart leaped in her chest at the sight of Ekain and she took a step forward instinctively, before the hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned back to meet the eyes of the leader of the guards and sighed, everything in it’s time it seemed.

Sir Ramsden led her over to the ferry she would be taking across the river to freedom and the arms of her husband. She stepped onto the ferry and waited for it to move. The wait was maddening, and she knew the crossing would feel slower then actually was. There had been very few things in her life that she had wanted more, then to reach the other side of Eguzki’s Vein.

Her healers’ eye took in the slow deliberate movements of the warriors handling the gold laden horses; as they wrangled them on to the ferry that would take them across the river. The men were exhausted she could see their weariness in their movements and the way their shoulders slumped forward slightly. Instantly she was cataloging the herbs she had left drying in her home, if everything was where she had left it, she would have to make a batch of tea for Ekain and the warriors. There health was far to important to the tribe to be left to just time and sleep, and their were herbs she knew would strengthen their jainko and keep the sickness at bay.

Halfway across the river she got a good look at the horses on the other ferry as the two passed each other. Her heart broke a little that so many of their beloved younger siblings would now be in the hands of the interlopers. Nothing about her time spent among them had helped her understanding of them as a people. She closed her eyes released a prayer to Eguzki to watch over them. She had the feeling they would need it. Stables were no place for the creatures, who had spent all of their lives being free and loved. More then anyone else she understood how it felt to be confined, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she never wanted to go through it again.

The bump of the ferry hitting the bank jolted her out of her thoughts and she turned to Sir Ramsden for confirmation that she could disembark. He nodded and bowed to her slightly and she smiled it was the first time someone had treated her as if she was a real person. She thanked him in his own language before leaping off of the ferry gracefully and running forward toward Ekain. She was free, finally she was free, As she neared him and saw the welcome and love in his eyes she knew that she was home.

As she stepped onto the bank of the river that was the beginning of Ekaini territory, he sighed gratefully. He tried to show no emotion over the whole thing, but the sigh--more a release of the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding--he couldn't have held back even if he wanted to.

As she approached, his very eyes tenderly caressing her entire form in the way he so very much wished to do with his own hands and arms, he spoke his first words to her in what had felt like months.

"Welcome back home to your people, arreba-emazte; alab'jainko Nekane alab'Edur. I'm warmed to see you unharmed." He hated being stiffly official with Nekane when all he wished to do was wrap her in a bear hug and not let her go the rest of the day, but his position required that he keep his affection private. He hadn't negotiated for her life as a husband that of his sister-wife, he had negotiated for her life as a Warlord of a beloved shamaness of the tribe--among the best in all the Ekaini. Showing public displays of his affection would be mixing his work with his home life, and because of both of their precarious positions as both influential tribe members and close relations, it was especially necessary.

Besides, she was home. There would be time enough to welcome her back privately. For now he was just pleased that she had returned to them, and his overly warm gaze should tell her as much. After a cursory glance across the river to the forms of the soldiers leading the horses away, he nodded and turned to one of the nearby warriors.

"Ensure that they do not return to the riverbank to try and catch us with a surprise attack with our own horses. In the meantime, I will bring the alab'jainko back to the encampment so she can rest and detail us about her stay with the interlopers." The warrior nodded and shouted a few cursory commands to some of the nearby warriors, and the vanished into the foliage, watching hidden among the leaves, as he guided her towards a mare he'd had brought specifically for her, clipping at the ground with an impatient hoof next to Sendoa.

He knew Nekane had her pride, and so he made no move to try and assist her into her atop her mare--besides, she looked slightly better rested then himself and the rest of his people--and so instead he simply slipped himself with practiced ease astride Sendoa and waited for her, ready to ride home together. He did, however, mutter quietly a phrase to her as he sat ready to ride, sure that only she could hear.

"I missed you, Nekane..."

When she finally reached him she slowed and stopped. She knew she should have walked sedately as was expected of a shaman, but the joy of being able to run, of being free had been too much to quash. Standing before him she desperately wished she could fling herself into his arms. She wanted to scream and cry and laugh, all of the emotions seemed to bubble within her, wanting to be released. However, that would have to wait, for now she met his eyes and allowed her feeling to show in her own as she answered his welcome.

“I thank you, Jaunko Ekain sem’Edur. My heart rejoices to be home among my people, and my jainko is at peace at last.” The stiff formality was hard to bear after such a long time apart, but she knew he would make up for it when they returned home and their status required more of them then of others. This was the price of their positions, and it soothed her to see the warmth in his eyes.

As he spoke to the warriors she noted each one, so she could deliver the tea she would make to their wives and mothers. If they were alone, and had no family she would bring it to them as a gift. Men were always far more difficult about taking anything to help them, and she smiled as the words of her old mentor Artea alab’Gutxi ‘A shaman’s duty is to care for the people, even when they themselves do not understand they are being cared for.’

Nekane approached the mare that he had brought for her to ride. She was a sweet spirited thing with gentle eyes and she stroked the horses nose softly before she pulled herself astride her. As they readied themselves to ride to the camp she heard his softly spoken words and smiled. “I missed you as well Ekain, it is good to be home.”

Once she mounted he continued with her, trotting at her side with Sendoa, until they were out of earshot and sight of the warriors, and of the riverbank completely. Once they were finally clear from all that, he slowed to a stop, hoping she followed his lead. He dismounted and came to face her, and before she had a chance to dismount from her own mare he reached up and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her free, and didn't even let her feet touch the ground as he crushed her into a tight bear hug, only letting her touch ground after several long seconds, but still not releasing her.

"I worried after you, arreba-emazte...you have no idea how much..." He held her tightly, as though worried if he let go she would be captured again, and after a long moment he turned his face to find hers and his lips pressed against hers. He kissed her fiercely and hungrily, the touch of her skin, the feel of her lips, the very taste of her something he had missed so dearly.

"I'm so pleased you're well," he muttered in between deep, satisfying kisses that he missed so much, "Did they harm you in any way?" One hand was wrapped around her back to rest firmly between her shoulder blades, the other had snaked around her waist to the small of her back, putting pressure there and keeping their forms pinned together tightly.

He'd missed her...so much that he'd muttered her name during his lovemaking with the one who'd only briefly held the title of his wife. How glad he was that she was home again...not just among his people, but in his arms. She had been away for a while...she could be away for a while longer while he had his private reunion with the sister-wife he'd once feared might already be dead.

Sendoa paced the mare she rode and they trotted side by side until they were out of sight of the warriors who had accompanied Ekain to the border. Even Bikendi had allowed them to go on alone, and she would thank him later for the kindness. Once the river was behind them and they could not be seen, he stopped. She reined in the mare and before she could blink she was pulled from the horse and into his arms.

His words soothed her heart, and she would have replied but his lips were on hers and no words were needed. She kissed him back with a passion born from the long weeks of separation. She had missed him so much; it had actually been a physical pain. His touch, his kiss, the feel of him against her, everything that she had been denied her body now drank in, healing her spirit at last. Now she was home. Now she was were she belonged.

Her people were her soul, and Ekain was her heart. Without them both she had felt like naught but an empty shell, and had for a moment in the darkest times thought that perhaps her jainko had abandoned her, but she could feel it now. The warmth she felt was generated not only by his body and the fire that raged in them both, but also from the feeling of peace that filled her.

“They did not touch me; in fact they could barely look at me.” She said in the moments when their lips parted, only to return to the kisses they both needed more then air. “I feared I would never see you again.” She whispered her arms wrapped around him pulling him even closer until there was no room left between them.

“Anaia-emaita,” her voice was husky with the passion they shared, and her eyes flashed with a touch of the fire she was well known for, as she reached up and stroked his face with fingers as tender as her eyes were hot. “Zu eutsi nire bihotz, betirako.*”

*You hold my heart forever.

As she pressed herself against him and her fingers caressed his face, he smiled gently, though his passion for her was clear in his eyes.

"To survive as you did...to not lose hope...you were quite the lehoi," He told her, "A proud member of the Ekaini...you did your people justice, Nekane." He kissed her gently this time, lightly and tenderly, but with his hunger for her, such tenderness would not last long. The kiss trailed downwards to her jaw, several light, tender kisses along her jaw to where it joined her neck, and down her neck to lick and suck gently on it. In her own way, Nekane had always been skilled at evoking a strange sort of passion from him, doubly so after his time apart from her. Now he doubted that a team of zaldi could separate them as he felt his own body reacting to her sheer presence, but he uncaringly pressed himself against her harder still, as though trying to physically mesh the entire length of their beings into one body.

If her voice was husky, then his was a downright growl.

"I've needed you so badly, love..." And it was true, for what other reason would he call out her name while lying with another woman? The hand at the small of her back moved to her waist, gripping it tightly. He was sorely tempted to lay her down here and take her...and unless she did something to stop him, there was a high probability he would wind up doing just that. Besides, as a shamaness, she was a woman of the land, even moreso then the others and perhaps even moreso then the warlord himself, so for some reason, laying her down in the field and making love in nature seemed somehow fitting.

His other hand, between her shoulder blades, slid up slowly, up the back of her neck, to entwine itself in her hair as though using it as a reign to hold her head in place as his mouth lovingly attacked her neck, his sucking kisses and his licks growing slowly in passion and ferocity.

Miren was indeed the perfect wife for him, and he loved her like no other, it was true...but Nekane had been his first love, and that he could hold her and kiss her like this even now reminded him so strongly of back when they had not been Ekaini but Eduri, when he hadn't been warlord, merely learning how to be one from his father...without responsibility, spending free time with his sister out in the wilds, when his free time was filled with little aside from her.

Life had been so simple then, and now, after their separation, having her with him made him feel like it was one of those moments all over again. Nothing else in the world except her, him, their jainkoi, and the nature that surrounded them. In those moments, nothing else mattered.

There had been times in her captivity where she had felt as though all hope was lost, and yet she had still persevered, not for herself, but for her people. She did not feel like the lion he proclaimed her to be, but his words did much to strengthen her spirit.

His lips trailed down her neck and she shivered under their touch. Her entire body felt as though it was on fire; her need for him was that great. He pressed into her, and she moaned deep in her throat. Nekane knew that she could, and would never be the kind of wife to him that Miren was, and that was fine. She knew that he loved her and she could certainly feel his desire for her. Her body craved the touch of his hands and lips, and his deep growl only fueled that desire.

Her hands stroked over the skin of his back as she arched further into him. She needed this, needed him as if with ever touch of his hands upon her he reconnected her with the land around them. Their passion… their love was, in this moment, unconstrained by the formality that normally governed their lives and she gave herself to it. Craving that connection to the land as much as she craved the touch of his body. His kisses intensified and she felt her knees go weak, if it wasn’t for his hands on her body she would have melted to the ground. As it was, she melted further into him.

“I have needed you as well.” She whispered, not because she was trying to be quiet, but because her breath was coming in pants already. Her body had always reacted so strongly to him, not that she had ever known anything else, but there was no need for her to look beyond the love and obvious passion she had with Ekain.

Nekane nipped at his neck and shoulders, setting her teeth into his skin lightly. Her body was nearly vibrating with need. “And I need you now. Ekain…please.” She had never been one to hide how she felt, and now was no exception. There was nothing in the world she wanted, or needed more in that moment then him.

Her whispered words only managed to further ignite the hunger for her that had lain forcefully dormant deep within his soul since she had vanished, a hunger that slowly grew the longer it was forced to remain inactive. And now, with her words egging his passions on further still, he let his tired body fall backwards, her protected in his arms as he did so, to land with a unceremonious thud on the ground, while his lips hadn't even broken stride, still working along her neck even as he slid his hands along her body to remove her clothing.

It was troublesome and in the way, and removing her garments would make their bodies one step closer to being completely unseparated, which was what he truly wished for. No barriers, no distance, not even fabric separating him from her. His mouth removed itself from her only long enough to peel her tunic off. Now that it was gone she was completely naked before him and he paused for a long moment to soak in her beautiful body. She was miffed that it was not as feminine and soft as some, but Ekain hadn't minded. There was very little about his sister that he didn't admire.

His hand raised and slid into her hair once again, gripping near the scalp, he pulled her gently--but insistently--down and met his lips with hers fiercely. His tongue thrust into her mouth with a clear desire for her, his free hand slowly tracing the curves and planes of her beautiful, neigh-flawless body, as though reacquainting himself with something he'd too-long been without. With Miren and even to a degree with Maite he'd taken the lead in the lovemaking, but Nekane was a completely different creature. With her, they truly were equal in aggressiveness, something most every other women seemed to lack when it came to dealing with the Warlord, which is what made Nekane's unique traits so special and wonderful. So now, just as always, he expected her to be just as aggressive as he. It was true that every woman, at some point, liked to truly feel like a woman, but such occurrences with Nekane were exceptionally rare, and right now their hunger for each other was less about feeling like a man or a woman and more about feeling unified with each other and the land about them, in an almost animalistic manner.

As his hand gently caressed and re-explored her tanned skin, his mouth remained pressed against hers hotly. She wanted it just as badly as he did, and he saw no reason not to. While nakedness and making love out in the open was something the interlopers might find scandalous and dirty, all Ekain saw was her very visceral beauty that sometimes he felt only he could see, and all he felt was his desire to bathe himself in her earthly frame.

Yes...the Ekaini encampment could wait a while. Ekain and his beloved wife Nekane were busy, the Warlord and the Shamaness could wait.

Within moments, they were on the ground. Her hands roved over his skin as he slid the buttery soft leather of her tunic off her body. It said much about the intensity of her passion that the warm air felt cool against her. Her hands reached down to divest him of the clothing he wore. She could see the appreciation in his eyes as he gazed at her and it lifted her heart. She had long been dissatisfied with her long lean body, feeling boyish when compared to the women of the tribe, like Miren for example. Ekain had never seemed to mind the slightness of her frame though, and it showed in his eyes and the fervent touch of his mouth and hands.

She trailed her hands over his skin, pulling back from him slightly to allow herself access to all of him. Their time apart only fueled her desire to memorize everything about him. His scent, his touch, the taste of his skin, she wanted to loose herself in him. In the passion that burned between them. Her mouth pulled away from his, nipping and licking her way down his neck and chest, only to return to his mouth kissing him aggressively.

Nekane had always been aggressive when it came to lovemaking and this was no exception. She growled softly as she nipped at him, leaving pale marks blooming on his tan skin. The most of the marks would fade long before they arrived at the camp, but the memories would remain. Her desire had in the past, often been more animalistic then most, but now fueled by their long separation; it was much more so.

How rare within their lives as they were now, was the chance to be nothing more then they were right now. Not the Warlord and first Shaman of the Ekaini, not the son and daughter of the old leader, but nothing more then a man and a woman locked together in love and passion. Over the years, their schedules and their duties had often intruded on their time together in one form or another, but for once, there was nothing on her mind but him, and her need to be one with him, in the most intimate dance known to man.

She did not have the soft ample overly curvaceous form that a lot of women enjoyed, it was true...but he already had that in Miren. In Nekane he rather enjoyed that she was hard-bodied, and just because her curves weren't as prominent did not mean they were non-existent. Besides, her hard body and and high stamina for her hunting and training allowed for the kind of marathon lovemaking that most other women couldn't sustain.

In fact, on more then one occasion they'd started at about dusk and lasted long after even the moon had peaked. Given that, it was to be expected that he would miss her, and now with her return--just as she was doing with him--it was as though he was trying to mentally memorize and catalog every aspect of her. Smell, taste, touch...and every part of her that he could...which included how her body reacted to him and his touch. He smiled nostalgically and let out a deeply satisfied--and yet, somehow still lustful and hungering--moan as she worked down his neck and chest only to return to his mouth.

Just as with her body style, while other women were submissive to him, her aggressive lovemaking had always been special to him, and he had missed it. So often he wasn't treated as an equal but as a superior and an honored leader, even in the bed. With the majority of people that was how he preferred it. But with Nekane...her unique status and personality somehow made such aggressiveness an attractive quality rather then an affront.

He felt the marks her mouth was leaving and from each one he let out a low rumble from his throat in contentment at the feeling of her mouth on him again. They would fade soon enough in appearance, but such places were always only slightly more tender then the rest of his body, so every time for the rest of that day that something or someone would nudge such a spot, it was noticeable to him and would send a cascade of pleasant memories through his mind and their most recent encounter. Today, having her back, a small part of him that was Ekain and not the Warlord wouldn't have minded were the marks to last the day or even the week. She was home, in his arms, and their passion was meeting just as their bodies were after so long a separation of both...damn what anyone else might think.

Nekane's animalistic lovemaking style brought that part of him out too...most men experienced it at times in their lives, and with Miren he was usually the tender lover because she was such a gentle creature...but Nekane's wild side inspired his own, and so he could always release such base and rough urges with her, as durable as she was...a kind of lovemaking that none of the others saw, partly because Nekane fulfilled that part of him, and partly because their bodies couldn't handle it even if he did want to.

His hands, in their rising animalistic urges, became less gentle and exploratory, and more rough and hungry. One hand firmly traced the more subtle curving of her body while the other pawed at her breasts, the fingers digging in and kneading the flesh even as she straddled him, both of them naked and he taking a moment to simply enjoy her before he lost himself within her, his hips grinding up against hers with lustful ferocity, His mouth nipping at hers just as she was at him.

When their kisses met, he took her lower lip into his mouth and bit down, sucking on it, even as his exploring hand slid to her back, slowly tracing along her spine.

Ekain simply couldn't get enough of her, and in a handful of moments they seemed not only like two people making love, but also like two animals in the wild, mating hungrily, in those moments feeling not only very connected to her, but to the very earth of da'Eguzki as well, as though they were simply another part of the nature that surrounded them.

And as for Nekane...well, she was just as spectacular as he remembered, but after their time away she seemed even moreso now.

Nekane’s reactions to Ekain had always been intense. The need and passion tore through her body pushing her to be even more aggressive then other women. Some might think it was her connection to the earth and to the natural world that gave her a certain wildness, but Ekain knew it was just her. She had always been this way, rarely wanting the gentle and loving passion that most women craved. She wanted to take and be taken in an endless struggle where they would both always win.

He met her nipping kisses with his own as his hands roamed over her body. Her moans and soft growls were impossible to contain, even if she wanted to. Not that remaining quiet was even a fleeting thought in her mind. She knew that the sounds she made only spurred him on. He had always been the type of person who wanted honesty no matter what the situation, and lovemaking was no different. In fact, it was probably more important as the knowledge that he was wanted and desired for himself and not for the position he held or the accident of his birth was something that very few could give.

She met his eyes seeing the wild gleam to them, as he released the side of himself that he only ever let out with her. His hands tightened on her skin kneading her flesh with the rough and needy force her body desired above all. She growled softly her hands gripping his shoulders as she rolled them over so that he was above her.

When they were young, before they had become Shamaness, and Warlord she used to sneak up on him when they had free moments and pounce. Over and over they would roll wrestling, until the joyful play would turn heated and often they would find themselves exactly where they were at this very moment. Locked in passion and caring nothing for the opinions of the people who might happen by. She had lived for those moments when she could let go. Almost as much as he did, for even before he had taken on the mantle of the Jaunko, the life of the heir had been troublesome.

As difficult as the training she had undergone had been, her heart had gone out to Ekain. There had always been so much that had been placed on his shoulders and very little chance for him to relax. She had truly blessed Miren for her gentle love and care, in a time when he needed it most. Even though he could not completely relax with Miren, her gentleness had soothed him where she could not no matter how much she might have wanted to at times. But this… this she could do. She could give them both the freedom they craved to just be. To love, and be loved in the same manner as the creatures of the wild they so revered.

She gripped him and they rolled. That very action reminded him of those younger days when they would wrestle in a similar such fashion. He couldn't help it as a gleeful smile flickered across his visage, his face now much older but the smile the same as it had been back then. He'd always been so busy with study and focus, to have those days where she would unexpectedly--or, as he got older and his skills at detecting her increased, expectedly--pounce and they would play...they were welcome breaks from his usually-dense schedule. Miren coming into his life and offering her tender care had been a welcome boon to Ekain, that was true...but he could never be as wildly playful with her as he could with Nekane. Frequently the frustrations of juggling multiple wives got to him, but when it came to play and love, he appreciated that it allowed him to find women who could match the various aspects of himself. Miren for his soft and tender side, and Nekane for his wild and carnal side.

His body was exhausted from the massive amount of work they did to get the interlopers their metal, but all that ache seemed to vanish here with Nekane. As he hovered above her, her vocalizing inflaming his passion to still greater heights--he loved that she was such a vocal lover--and he expressed that through his fierce, demanding hands. One supported his weight, resting right next to her head, the other grabbed, squeezed, kneaded, and pulled at flesh, even as his teeth bared as though he were an animal himself. The thrusting against her form was hard, deep, and pounding, even as his mouth lowered to her throat, biting and sucking along both the sides of her neck and her adam's apple in a fashion very similar to an alpha male to a submissive member of his pack to prove dominance.

He hefted himself, hovering for a moment on legpower alone, while his hands found hers, lacing into them, and slowly sliding them above her head as he put his weight on them. When they finally at at the top of her head, his mouth once again on hers, he grinned ferally as he shifted his hands so that he could hold both her wrists pinned in one of his hands. She was a well-muscled hunter, yes...but he was not only a natural hunter but a mighty warrior as well, and his large and powerful body was one that even Nekane's toned body could not match. She was quicker then he, he was aware of that, but he was the more powerful.

Keeping her wrists pinned above her head his free hand once again went about fiercely kneading and digging into her flesh with impunity, to the level that would at least leave red marks for hours, if not days. He was taking her, and taking her hard. He loved that she reciprocated, and that she wanted him for him and not for his title...identically, he wanted her for her, and as Warlord, he was, to a mild degree, becoming used to taking what he wanted.

His hands pulled at her flesh and she could feel the demand in them. For all that he saw her as an equal releasing the wilder part of his heart did not change the man he was, it only intensified it. He moved pinning her to the ground his movement against her hard and primal, as were the nips and bites along the column of her neck. His marks would linger and the deeper ones made her cry out and arch against him.

He captured her hands with his and pulled them upwards. Nekane fought back but it was a halfhearted attempt at best. As enjoyable as the fight could be, and it really… really was; the submission he demanded now was more so. Perhaps it was because the submission was far more difficult for her. To let go to that degree, and give so much of her to him, was by far the most difficult thing in the whole of Eguzki’s creation. Difficult though submitting may be, it was exactly what she did… and gladly.

They strove together under the sky and the watchful eye of Eguzki both allowing themselves freedoms they so rarely were granted the chance to enjoy. Whimpers and growls muffled by flesh and skin were the only sounds save for the soft wind through the trees that sheltered them. Her world shivered on the edge of a precipice, and then it shattered as though it were fired pottery dropped on stone. The pieces of it scattered to the winds that blew a cooling breath across their skin. The only thing left was the pounding heartbeat of the earth and she was caught within it. When the earth finally solidified underneath her and the only heartbeat left to hear was theirs as it beat in time. She met his eyes and smiled. It was good to be home.

“It seems to me Anaia-emaita, that I was as sorely missed by you, as you were by me.” The words were lightly said as her hands stroked over his cooling skin. The final release of the tension took with it her fears and doubts that had cluttered her mind for so long. This was real, and she was home. Letting go of everything had focused her more, and she could feel her spirit, not her guiding Jainko, but the one within her that it guided stretch and sigh in contentment.

As they came down from their physical exertion, he caught her smile and listened to her speak. At last she finally sounded at rest. Before they had been stiff and formal, and had gone from that straight to hungry and lustful. Now, after so long apart, she truly sounded at peace, and the voice of his sister-wife when she was at peace was, to him, one of the best sounds in the world.

"Indeed, arreba-emazte, you were sorely missed. Not solely by me, but I'm sure that I missed you the most by far." He grinned at her playfully. Now that his hunger had been sated, he did look truly exhausted from the last month's hard labor, as he was sure all the Ekaini were. However, he could not rest here...not yet. He needed to see her back to the camp safely before the others began to worry. With a contented grunt he pulled himself up to his feet, kissing her forehead and stroking her face once more before reclaiming his outfit and replacing it upon his muscled but sore form. He also fetched her tunic, bringing it to her, and sat down with her.

"Nekane...I'm curious," he started, knowing it would not be an easy subject to broach, but one he wished to address in private nonetheless, which was part of why he'd originally wished to take her back himself alone. "Please, the interlopers make less sense to me now then they ever did before. Please tell me you learned something of them during your time with them." He wasn't sure what he was hoping she could provide...perhaps some sort of proof that her being kept from him for all this time had not been in vain.

"I know they value gold above most all things...even heard tell that they shape it and place some sort of marking upon it for use in trade. It's pretty, yes, and items fashioned from gold are somewhat valuable in trade, but I don't understand the interloper's fascination with it.

"Admittedly, what I'm far more interested in are these metal weapons of theirs. I think I've heard it called Se-Teele. Surprisingly strong; far more resilient then our copper ones..." He took his axe off of the back of Sendoa. It was one of the interloper's weapons. It had been claimed in a battle by one of the first to encounter the strange-skinned men, and then gifted to him in homage. He had meticulously cared for it, and since then it had not once failed him; not even cracked. It was of superior craftsmanship and with a single, mighty swing he could use it to crush any of the copper weapons his own men employed. He stared into the blade for a long moment, then re-secured it, turning to face her.

"Anything at all....?"