Chapter 11: Into the Woods

Matto and Iris had rode for what seemed like hours before the clearing began to come into view. He snaked his right arm around Iris's waist pulling her closer into his body and briefly nuzzled his face in her neck. With his excitement at his surprise seeping out of him, Matto began tugging softly on Pillan's reins gently bringing him to halt just before the clearing opened up. Matto easily slipped off of the horse, leaving his arms wide open for Iris fall into. She smiled down at him and swinging her own leg around, let Matto guide her down to her feet.

Iris could clearly see Matto's endearing lopsided grin, a clear indicator that he was pleased with himself and surely not for helping her from the horse. Iris narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Why have we stopped here?"

Matto smiled even wider than before and pulled her tightly against his chest, "I have been thinking."

"Oh dear." Iris said rolling her eyes mockingly at him.

Matto huffed out a laugh and continued, "I have been thinking that we are only a few months away from the weather turning cold."

"How very observant of you my darling." Iris replied mockingly and began gently patting his cheek.

Matto merely smiled wider at her jest and continued, "I want a home with you. We are already viewed as husband and wife amongst our family. I do not want to spend our days anymore creeping away into the forest or the hayloft for privacy. I want you to have a roof over your head and a fire in the hearth and I want to lay naked with you in front of it…kissing every inch of your body." Matto said and proceeded to feather her with kisses all along her exposed skin.

Iris's face flush and she giggled at the tickle of his lips against her skin. A warm feeling had already begun to sneak its way into her belly causing her legs to feel slightly weak. She let her head fall back, her dirty blonde hair spilling in soft waves down her back as Matto's mouth made its way to her chest. She stared up at the sky above them, mesmerized by its cerulean blue. The same hue as her mother and uncle's eyes. She smiled as the trees seemed to stretch out their wooden limbs towards the sun, begging to be touched by it the way she often silently begged to be touched by Matto whenever he was not near. Just as Matto began nibbling at the laces of her dress did she realize what he was saying and abruptly pulled away from him.

"What's wrong?" Matto asked utterly confused as to why Iris had backed away from him, no matter how slight the action was.

"You want to build a home? A real home?" Iris asked again as if convincing herself she had heard him right.

"I love you Mënëkòn. Why should we not have a home of our own. A hearth of our own. A bed of our own. Why should we not have everything that a husband and wife should?" Matto said and for the first time blushed at the idea of having her in a bed. "Elijah and Tabitha do, why not us as well?"

Iris stared at him as she began to trace the line of his jaw and said, "Where Matto? Where shall our home be?" A bright smile lighting up her face.

Matto grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled her towards the clearing. All the while staring into her face, watching as the realization of where she was washed over her.

"The clearing?" She said quizzically as her once bright smile somewhat faded from her cheeks.

Matto said nothing only stared upon her face for any type of reaction. His apprehension grew slightly when she let go of his hand and began walking further and further into the wide open space. Until finally she began spinning in wild circles, a huge grin plastered across her cheeks. Matto sprinted over to her, picking her up off her feet and began spinning her around with him. Iris clutched his face in her palms causing him to break mid spin and he made to lower her back to the ground. Though instead, Iris wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned her forehead against his own.

"This is perfect Matto." She breathed into his face, lowering her lips to his and softly brushing them against his own.

Matto melted under her kiss. The taste of her sweet lips against his mouth was heightening all of his senses. He began walking almost aimlessly with her in his arms until he tripped on an exposed rock and stumbled forward, having only enough time to shift his body so he would fall underneath her and leaving her perfectly unharmed. He fell flat on his back, with Iris's hands cupped tightly around his head determined to take any impact that might hurt him.

"Are you alright?" Matto asked after they had shaken off the impact from the fall. "I am sorry…I did not see…"

Iris swiftly cut him off, once again placing her lips to his mouth. This time devouring him. She could not understand where her desire came from at that moment, only that she was completely overwhelmed emotionally and was desperate to feel him against her. She began tugging roughly on his shirt, forcing it clear over his head. Only to then make her way down to his trousers, swiftly unbuttoning them and pulling them, along with his moccasins, clean from his body. Iris sat back on her heels, Matto's clothes in a small pile next her and admired her handy work for a moment.

Matto rose himself up onto his elbows and stared at her. He tilted his head to the side and eyed her intently as he watched her quietly roll her eyes across his naked body. He could see the slight flush in her cheeks and knew desire was creeping into her belly by the way she gently bit down on her lower lip. Matto reached forward and grabbed ahold of her wrists, gently pulling her back atop him. Iris hiked her skirts up, exposing her bare legs that draped lazily around his hips and nestling herself flush against him. Matto could feel her warm body against him, but it was not enough, he craved her and not just the feel of her warm flesh but the sight of her. He rose up into a sitting position and began running his hands slowly up her legs. He started at her ankles, gently guiding his palms up to her knees and then sliding them across her thighs, all the while pulling up bunches of fabric with his hands. When finally he reached her hips, Matto gently drew her pale yellow dress up over her head and carefully placed it on the ground beside them. Finally able to take in the sight of her naked atop him. He smiled softly to himself at the discovery that she was without a shift and tenderly began caressing her smooth skin. Her skin was perfect, untouched by disease and with only one small childhood scar to tell a tale upon her flesh. Matto wrapped his long arms around her back and pulled her flush against him, gingerly tangling his fingers in her hair.

Iris's chest heaved as her breath caught in her throat. The way he was looking at her now was paralyzing her very soul. Iris was certain that in all of their lives, Matto had never looked at her the way in which he was this very moment. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing her face only inches from his own and breathed huskily into his face, "Will it always be like this Matto?"

Matto released his hand from her hair and began tracing her face with his fingertips. He peered down at her and said, "For as long as you love me…it will."

"And what of your love?"

Matto smiled softly, his eyes glistening slightly with unshed tears and said, "My love you will always have. Just like you always have since the very moment you were born."

"Matto…" Iris began but lost her wording as Matto pulled her body closer to him and entered her. Iris momentarily placed her forehead to his, watching as a single tear ran free from his eyes and streamed unrestrained down his cheek before falling from his face and landing with a splash against her chest. As Matto held her tightly to his own flesh, Iris began to softly, slowly roll her hips around him. In a motion so sensual, Matto found himself powerless against her and let his helpless body fall backwards against the ground.

Iris could hear Matto's low groans from beneath her and as pleasure rose throughout her body, she found that she had sub consciously began to move quicker atop him. She flung her head back as she began to feel the now familiar feeling of her body beginning to spasm around him. Her head dipped so far backwards that her dirty blonde locks where brushing back and forth across Matto's thighs, creating a tickling effect upon his thighs. When suddenly Matto gripped tightly onto her back and swiftly rolled atop her. Iris startled from the movement, opened her eyes to see him staring lovingly down upon her. Though his body moved rapidly inside her, Iris could feel the gentlest of touches across her cheek as Matto softly caressed her face. Silently telling her with each gliding motion that he loved her.

Iris could feel her body being pushed over the edge. She pinched her eyes tightly shut and arched her back loudly moaning as a wild fire spread rapidly throughout her. Matto snaked his arm around her back, holding her dangling torso in mid air for just a moment as he too felt his own body succumb to the warmth of Iris all around him. Matto slowly began to steady his breathing and gently lowered Iris down against the soft green earth, pillowing her head in his hands.

Upon feeling the cool earth beneath her, Iris fluttered her eyes open and smiled widely up at him. A spat of giggles carelessly escaping her lips, as she basked in her glow.

"Hmmm?" Matto breathed out in response to her fit of giggles and positioned himself next to her on the ground. Both of them on their backs staring up at the late afternoon sky, watching as the sun began to slowly transition itself from brilliant to bashful as night neared.

Still giggling to herself, Iris abruptly sat up and straddled Matto. A sneaky look twinkling in her eye. She reached above him and grabbed for her yellow dress, quickly throwing it over her body. Then scooped up all of Matto's clothing and moccasins in her arms.

Matto had folded his arms behind his head watching to see where Iris might be going with this. Then watched as she hopped to her feet and began running in a sprint into the woods that were to surround their new home. Matto leaned up on his elbows, completely shocked by her game and listened as she hollered at the tops of her lungs, "Catch me if you can!"

Iris ran as fast as she could weaving in an out of the trees and brush, in hopes that she was making it more difficult for Matto to find her. She had no doubt that he would catch her and most likely sooner rather than later. Especially since he was absent any type of clothing and easily considered the best tracker in the family after his father. Iris had no idea where the impulse to tease him had come from, other than perhaps her pure happiness of the moment. She casually dropped his trousers on the ground in an open area where she was certain he would find them and continued to run.

Iris continued to run, zig zagging in all directions. When finally she stopped, leaning back against an old oak tree. She closed her eyes and slowly caught her breath, knowing full well that at any moment Matto would pounce on her. The thought bringing a wide smile to her face. She heard a twig snap in the distance and flung her eyes open only to see Linus and three other men standing around him in a small circle that almost completely enclosed her.

Her heart instantly sank to her feet allowing space for nothing but dread to flow upwards. Iris could feel her once steady breathing begin to falter as an adrenaline laced unease began to spread throughout all of her limbs and into her belly. She swallowed hard, desperately trying to force down the bile that had begun to rise in her throat. She instinctively clutched tightly to Matto's shirt and shoes, as if somehow the action would will him to appear beside her. Iris found herself gazing rapidly across the trees. Her eyes shifting swiftly from side to side as she wondered where he might be. Until finally she felt defeated by an empty forest and brazenly stared into each of the four horseman's eyes. She kept her stare as confident as possible, desperately trying to camouflage her rising fear. When suddenly the lanky man to her right took served steps towards her and effectively cut off any escape she might make in that direction. The other three followed suit and Iris instantly knew she should have tried to run the moment she saw them.

"You smell like him." Linus said as he closed the gap between them, leaning in to smell her. Iris scowled at him and focused her attention on the man to her right as he was creeping even closer towards her than the others.

"I want you to understand that we did not come here for you. You see our new friend told of his tale of woe and it seemed that after what had been done to him, that retribution was only fitting." He had crept so close he was only mere inches away from Iris now. So close she could feel his hot breath puffing into her face. "It just so happened that we came upon you instead of the Indian. An occurrence, that should we not find him, he will no doubt agonize over the rest of his life."

Iris gulped hard at his words. Words plainly stating that she was not to survive this encounter. Iris steeled herself to this understanding and stared back into the man's dark eyes and said, "You sir do not know my family. Whatever it is you do to me, be assured that they will deliver it back to you with a vengeance the likes of which you have never seen." Iris then focused her attention on Linus and continued, "And they will save you for last." And just like that she felt the stinging pain of a palm connecting with her face. A hit so hard she was knocked off balance and fell hard against the forest floor.

Iris had dropped Matto's moccasins and shirt when she collided with the hard earth. As she tried to regain some of her awareness she scrambled to grab a moccasin and flung it backwards into the air striking the man next to Linus in the chin. Before she could even reach the other shoe, Iris felt a hard kick to her stomach, forcing her to hurl herself further forward into the dirt. She vomited a little at the impact to her stomach and was promptly yanked back up to her feet and smacked against the tree.

"You hit my friend in the face with that ugly shoe. You should not have done that." He hissed into her face.

Iris pinched her eyes tightly shut and summoned all of the strength she had in that moment and screamed at the top of her lungs. A scream so ear piercing that it forced the man to grab her by the throat, almost instantly cutting off her air supply. Iris could feel his fingers press harder into her soft skin and with each squeeze she began to lose more and more of her consciousness. She tried, with what energy she had left, to scratch and claw at his arms and hands but it was no use. The man was far stronger than herself and she could feel her body begin to go limp and dangle within his grasp. Not wanting these men to be the last things she gazed upon, she found her eyes begin to wander, lazily staring off into the greenery of the forest. Iris watched as several fallen leaves floated down from tree tops, swaying gently as if being cradled by the soft flowing breeze. As if wanting her to look straight forward, Mother Nature blew the leaves directly passed her eye line and that is how she saw him. Matto was running at a sprint directly towards her and Iris could not help but curl her lip into the faintest of smiles at the sight of him.

Upon noticing Iris's smile, the man turned quickly around, seeing the Indian sprinting towards them. He grabbed Iris tighter around the neck, lifted her up off her feet and flung her through the air. Iris's body swirled gracefully in a circle into a nearby rock formation, landing with a crack against the cool stone. Completely unconcerned with the state of the girl, the man reached for his knife and prepared himself for what was to come.

Elijah threw the ax down hard, splitting the large piece of wood in half. The wide piece falling helplessly into two as it made its way to the ground. The day had been hot, the August heat being its usual unrelenting self. Elijah could feel sweat dripping down from his brow, the salty liquid slipping into his eyelashes and blurring his vision. He thrusted the ax into the chopping block and pulled his white linen shirt up over his head, swiftly using it as a rag and wiped it across his face and head. Relieved that for at least a few moments he would have a reprieve from the slimy film that was covering his entire body.

He took note of the days slow shift into night and casually sat back on his bottom, nestling himself in the soft cool grass. He rested his back against his family's cabin and tilted his head upwards towards the white puff of clouds that still floated happily against the fading late afternnoon sky. He smiled to himself remembering when he was still a child how much he enjoyed determining the different pictures in their odd shapes and sizes. He stared up examining one specific cloud and came to the conclusion that it looked exactly like a wild fox. The pointy ears and long fluffy tail being a dead give away. He huffed a laugh to himself and rested his head against rough wooden paneling of his home. Just as he let his eyes fall shut, Elijah heard a blood curling scream rip through the forest. Its echo ricocheting off every single tree and whipping through the glade, shattering his peaceful afternoon. He jumped instantly to his feet, quickly yanked the ax out of the chopping block and began sprinting in the direction of the horrible sound. Only realizing when he crossed the forest line that his father was keeping equal pace next him. In the single glance he stole at his father, Elijah could clearly see the panic that was stricken across his face. The type of panic only a parent can know. Elijah felt a wave of heat as rage began to course through his every limb and began willing his feet to move faster.

"Do you think you will ever go to town and play your music there?" Keme asked as he a Robin walked side by side through the forest, each boy with a young doe hoisted over their shoulders.

Robin stared straight ahead, focussing his eyes in the direction of an old hollowed out tree trunk and let Keme's question ruminate within his mind.

"I mean you do love it cousin. Anyone who hears you play and be certain of that." Keme said after letting a moment pass and realizing his cousin was not responding.

Robin furrowed his brows and turned his head to face his cousin. "I do love it. I love playing and writing music. I love all of it. I can still recall that first time I took up Uncle Martin's violin. It was like excitement began coursing through my whole body. I have still never felt anything like it." The smile that had taken hold of his features began to slowly fade as he continued, "But how do I leave the farm? How could I ever possibly leave my family?"

Keme smiled wearily at him, understanding all too well the dilemma of having to choose between the joy of their home and the joy of living their own lives. As he had spent a great many hours wishing he could spend more time at the Delaware camp. He had almost gone several weeks ago when Chingachgook announced that he would be spending some time there this summer, but had chosen to stay behind for the sake of his brother. It was still a time of turmoil for him and Keme knew that Matto needed him. With his loyalty to his brother unwavering, Keme diligently stayed behind despite his desire to see Aiyana again. The very thought of her causing him to break into a silly smile.

"What's that face for?" Robin asked as he nudged Keme softly in his ribs as noticed the quick shift in Keme's features.

Keme smiled wider, unable to contain his casual demeanor and decided to tell Robin about the beautiful Indian princess he had met at the camp many months ago. Keme opened his mouth to speak but was silenced as a pained shriek tore through both of their ears. Both boys turned their heads in its direction and instantly discarding the deer, began running in a sprint towards the frightening sound. Their hearts thumping wildly within their chests with the anticipation of what may be lurking in the forest.

It was a soft howl in the wind, but it was human. The soft eery wail came not from the direction of the farm but rather deeper into the woods. Nathaniel pulled hard on the wagon's reins, forcing Rebekah and Ash to tumble backwards. The pair hitting hard against the wagon's splintery wooden back. Ash grabbed ahold of Rebekah, steadying her slightly before, without so much as a word, throwing himself out of the wagon and he began sprinting towards the direction of the scream. Nathaniel and Uncas watched as Ash drew from his belt a tomahawk and knife, silently preparing himself for what ever he may find.

Uncas too exited the wagon saying, "I can not leave him alone with this brother."

Nathaniel turned his head slightly towards Rebekah, silently acknowledging that he could not leave his daughter and nodded his head at Uncas in understanding. "We will continue on to the farm. Be safe brother."

Uncas faintly smiled and began swiftly following after Ash, completely unaware of what he might find.

Author's Note: Well...this is a set the scene chapter. It will turn very serious in the next chapter update. I was going to write this as a super long chapter but so much happens in the next chapter that I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

As you can see, Keme and Robin are very close by as well as Elijah and Martin who are a bit further away. Uncas and Ash are on their way as well but they are much, much further away and things tend to happen rather quickly on the frontier...

As always I want to thank BlueSaffire, AsterLaurel, ELY72, Eilan21 for your AMAZING support and reviews! I can not tell you how much I appreciate it!

Thanks for reading :)