Chapter 3

Gaeln almost spilled himself upon her when she caressed his ears. It felt almost as good as being inside of her before. Since they were both inexperienced he knew not to try for more so quickly as he did not wish her to be sore or injured. He had heard enough boasting from newly mated others to know that repeating the lovely experience would make her unable to walk for a day or two. Especially in his current shape.

He knew the instant she realized the current problem he faced as he felt a wash of love and desire from her. Opening his yellow eyes he slowly hooked his large finger under her chin to bring her attention upwards.

"When we get to the East Sea you are free to do that again, but for now we must make haste, beautiful."

That produced a sultry smile before she clasped her hand to his. Directing them to the correct wall he once more began tunneling through the solid rock to his own small cave.

This time they did not have to travel for hours but it was just a few minutes away. The interior of his home was lit with dozens of the flowers, which he explained to her were Blainge blooms that glowed in darkness. His few belongings were quickly put into a pack along with three small bundles of the flowers. She watched fascinated as he reached into the rock and removed a small round orb with the plant growing out of the top of it.

Gaeln put on his only shirt, belt and pouch. The later contained several precious gems that they could sell for needed things later. These had been payment from several of the newly mated Grollins for rescuing their mates. Now that he was mated he would be unable to hear the cries of the maids. Luckily he knew another would pick up the task easily enough for the good of the mountain community. Finally they were ready and once more clasped hands and began their journey.

Traveling through a mountain is quite deceiving since there is no natural light the passage of time skews. Since there were no landmarks the distance was indeterminable to Mailyn. Luckily the mountain range itself seemed to guide Gaeln towards his desired destination. They had to make camp once when hunger and fatigue had her in their clutches. He found a wide cavern with a variety of growing plants that were edible and they dined on open fire roasted tubers and a medley of greens.

Before retiring on a bed of soft sand, he resumed his Elvin shape and they made love with the same gentleness as last time. The two slept themselves out and awoke when no longer tired. After a breakfast of the same offerings the cave provided they continued on with a determined stride to arrive before having to rest again.

Their strength was beginning to lag when Gaeln realized they had arrived. With an excited moment full off full body hugs and kisses, he tried to find the best place to exit from the rock unseen. While he could tell if there was animal life beyond the outer shell of rock, Grollins could never tell what exactly it was without looking. So they kept on until he found a plant rich but animal empty section and they left the mountain.

For Gaeln it was strange and unusual, but Mailyn cried tears of joy as she spun around under the setting sun. She felt recharged and comfortable once more even with the strange twang of the salty air. Since the town appeared to be quite far off yet they decided to camp where they were. Together they again foraged for bounty from the woods around them, finding not only a fish swimming in the stream nearby but several vegetables and edible greens.

This eve they fed each other small morsels of the meal, complete with lingering touches and sucked upon fingers. For safety he insisted they return to inside the mountain shell and make a small cave for the night. Since she was ready to find a suitable place to explore her lover in detail, Mailyn agreed readily. She left the work to him and went to the stream to bathe the dust and rock residue from her body and clothes. Wearing only her chemise she returned to their spot and sat upon a rock to await her husband.