Chapter 4
Chloe was busy working on her fourth hide. She had just about pounded and rubbed the fur off when Lillian came up the hill panting slightly, a large woven basket and a blanket slung over her arm. Chloe immediately moved to her side and helped her up the rest of the hill. Lillian waved her away with a smile sitting in the grass as far from the boiling pot of entrails as possible.
"Chloe if you hurry and get five done you can take the rest of the day off!" She said in on long wheeze. Chloe shook her head and went back to steadily pounding the skin with the log-stone.
"How do you figure that, Lillian? Nell said I had to do ten." She said with a soft smile and a sigh.
"Bruce and Lex stood up for you against the Chief… Now Lana has to…" Lillian was interrupted by a loud upset growl from Chloe.
"I told them to leave it alone, but do they? No they act like big stupid men and do it any way. Now Nell will be twice as hard on me." Chloe grumbled standing and stretching her back before grabbing the tongs and picking up the fourth hide.
"No, listen Chloe… Because they complained, well because of a conversation they had, I won't go into the details; Lana has to make five hides too!" Lillian cried out in glee.
Chloe had dipped the hide while Lillian was talking and was pulling it over the rack while it was still hot. "Lana has to make five hides…" Chloe started laughing. "The princess is in for a rude awakening for her poor little hands." Chloe kept laughing and when the hide was stretched she sat down on the grass and lay back with a smile. Then both she and Lillian started giggling as they imagined Lana trying to pull the hot hide over the rack, pushing them to full blown laughter.
That's how they were when Lex and Bruce strolled onto the scene. Chloe was rolling around on the ground laughing, her jerkin pulled up around her thighs slightly, while Lillian sat with her back to a tree wiping laughing tears from her eyes.
Lex smirked and nudged Bruce, giving a slow nod towards the top of the hill where they could see Chloe rolling in the grass. Bruce nodded in return and both started running at the same time. They pounded up the hill Lex edging ahead with a smile. Bruce had more bulk to carry up the hill and was just slightly slower. Lex was slowly moving further in front of him.
Chloe and Lillian heard them and looked over, Chloe sitting up slightly. As Lex crested the hill he bent down slightly and his arms shot out. He was heading right towards Chloe who was watching him with confusion. Scooping her up in one fluid motion he held her against his chest as he slowed down twirling around in a circle as he came to a halt. Turning back to look at Bruce who had just crested the hill he grinned and with a whoop adjusted his arms around Chloe, using his hands to push her up in the air above his head like a trophy.
Chloe had gasped and given a little squeal when he had scooped her up, and had clung to him after that. But when he pushed her into the air she let loose another squeal wiggling slightly.
Unfortunately Bruce had all that extra bulky muscle and couldn't stop as well as Lex could. He barreled into Lex with a heavy push, knocking him off his feet and to the ground. Bruce landed on top of him, turning over just in time to catch Chloe against his chest, cradling her carefully on his bare chest. He grinned while Lex groaned from beneath him.
Chloe was blinking down at the new man who held her now. Bruce started to laugh, followed by Lex and Lillian, who had watched the whole thing with amusement. Chloe arched her eyebrow at them both like they were idiots, before Bruce gently set her on her bottom in the grass, next to the impromptu dog pile.
Climbing off Lex with a smile, he offered his hand down to the other man in good nature. Lex took it standing with a spring of muscles and coordination. They brushed them selves off before starting a playful argument.
"I won, I got the girl." Lex said with a soft smack
"You got her but you couldn't keep her…" Bruce laughed. Lex socked him in the bicep, initiating a playful wrestling match. They rolled over the ground, past Chloe , as they wrestled, strong bare legs flashing, and thick muscled arms grappling with each other.
Chloe blushed and looked away. Their legs weren't the only things flashing. Gasping she realized how close they were to the fire under the large pot of entrails, and she hurried over. Moving between their scuffling bodies and the fire she shoved at them with a sharp command.
"Stop that! Someone is going to get hurt…" She shoved them again and they looked up at her from their positions, each one grinning wildly. Both of their eyes flashed to the fire then back to her worried expression and ruefully climbed off of each other. Lex watched as Bruce dusted himself off, a wicked gleam appearing in his eyes.
With a hoot of victory he snatched Chloe off her feet again, lifting her against his chest with a smile, and ran to the other side of the small patch of trees. Bruce scowled and Chloe giggled at the expression on his face. Both Lex and Bruce were smudged with dirt, Bruce had grass in his hair which was rumpled, and they both had grass sticking to their firm bodies.
Bruce stalked over with a growl, and lightly tackled Lex, making Chloe yell as all three of them tumbled to the ground, their bodies between hers and the ground. All three of them broke into laughter, even Chloe who was slightly more used to their rough play.
That's how Nell and Lana found them. Bruce, Lex, and Chloe all piled together in a tangle of bodies and limbs, each one laughing hysterically. Nell cleared her throat and Lana looked, mildly upset. Lillian was chuckling on the other side of the clearing. All three of them had stopped laughing and were looking up at the two brunettes.
"When you are done with your silliness, maybe you would like to get to work…" Nell spoke snidely and Lana stuck her nose in the air with mock dignity. She was dressed in her oldest jerkin, which was a good year newer than Chloe's newest. Chloe blushed and both males noticed when she went stiff and clambered off of them with a soft apology. They both sighed, getting to their feet as well.
Chloe hurried over to the flat stone and began work on the last hide she had to do. Nell, meanwhile, was whispering quick instructions into Lana's ear, who seemed uninterested and was looking at her nails vacantly.
About half an hour later Lana finally got to work, but after a few minutes she was whimpering about how the stone was rubbing the skin off her hands. Not long after she was complaining about how her knees hurt from kneeling on the hard ground. Lex nudged Bruce and stood walking over to Lillian. Getting on of the small blankets, with her permission, he headed towards the two girls.
Lana looked delighted and she flushed with pleasure batting her eyelashes. Lex walked by, making her gasp, and he stood next to Chloe. Getting her attention he motioned for her to stand. Laying the folded blanket on the ground where her knees had been, he took her hand and helped her kneel again. He ran a hand over her hair with a smile at her shocked look before heading past a spluttering Lana. Nell looked outraged.
"That's helping! He can't do that!" She yelled at Lillian who just shook her head.
"He didn't help her work the hides, he just gave her a blanket. You are welcome to go get one of your own. I'm sure you have many that Lana can use." Lillian aimed the dig just right and Nell huffed, Lana whimpering in her silly little way.
Lex had sat back down in the grass next to Bruce, both of them leaning back on their elbows watching Chloe, with sorrow that they couldn't do more for her now. But no other chores like this would be assigned to her while they were around, this would be the last.
Lex smirked at Bruce who had a sour look about his face. Bruce would have to do something to bring himself equal with Lex as a suitor. Bruce got an idea and smirked back at Lex who now looked slightly worried. Bruce shoved himself to his feet, and strode back to the village with determination.
Lex wanted to know what he was doing. He found out when Bruce came back carrying a small bucket of water with a ladle hanging out the side. Lex's face turned sour then. Bruce had brought Chloe water.
Bruce knelt next to Chloe, his big hand cupping the back of her head and lifting the ladle to her lips. She looked at him uncertainly but drank, her own hands wrapping around his to better guide the ladle. Lex, Lillian, Lana, and Nell watched with interest although Lex's gaze held a look of determination to reclaim his higher place in order to woo Chloe, Lillian was watching Lex and the water duo with a mixture of surprise and amusement, Lana was glaring daggers of jealousy, while Nell was fuming with an unfounded hatred.
Bruce dropped the Ladle back into the bucket and his mouth dropped close to her cheek, saying something that the others couldn't hear, before walking away and leaving the bucket for her to drink from when she needed it. Nell looked like she was itching to cry foul play, that Bruce was helping Chloe, but she knew she had no basis, especially against a Chief.
Bruce lay back down next to Lex with a smug smirk, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. Lex narrowed his eyes and scowled. He had to think of something to do for Chloe to get her attention back. Lex settled back against the grass with a slight huff, his arms crossed over his chest in agitation.
Chloe was very confused but managed to push aside her tumbled thought and went back to work on her hide. She almost had all the fur scraped away while Lana's hide looked like a dog or cat whose fur was molting off, patches bare while other patches were just tangled fur.
Standing she tried to ignore the death glares Lana and Nell were giving her, and picked up the tongs, dipping the hide quickly. Moving it to the rack she stretched it out, wiping her hands on a nearby cloth. Fetching a small metal rod with a wooden handle, she heated it in the fire. Moving quickly back to her hides she etched her symbol into one corner of each.
She pulled the first hide down off the rack and slowly kneaded it with another stone. This time she crumpled it and scraped off the residue of the entrails dip. Slowly rubbing it between her hands she softened it until it was supple and soft. Laying it over the branch of a nearby tree, she fetched each one in turn, doing the same to each until she had five, soft and perfect, pieces of leather hide.
Moving next to Lillian she showed her each of the five hides. She moved to take them to the Chief when she was struck by how adorable the large warriors were sleeping in the grass. Lillian watched her with a knowing gaze.
Chloe's eyes first trailed over the large body. Bruce was a massive man, with thick shoulders and chest. The muscles of his arms looked bunched and even larger in their position tucked behind his head. He had large flat nipples that seemed to hover on the edge of his pectoral muscles. Tufts of fur seemed to sprout from his armpits, and Chloe giggled at the sight. His body was covered in a light dusting of hair that was thicker on his lower belly leading down into his loincloth. She blushed and turned her gaze to Lex.
Lex had his arms crossed across his chest, his body position aggressive and threatening, but his face was soft in sleep. The grass cradled his head and framed his features with beautiful green. His on body was bunched with muscle; even though it was relaxed his position gave away his body's strength. His nipples stood out more prominently, darker than Bruce's and placed on a slightly paler background of skin. The hair on his body was thinner and lighter in color, making him seem more exposed and bare, but he also had a darker and thicker trail of hair leading down to the leather flap covering his groin.
Shaking those thoughts from her head she went into the village to deliver her hides to the Chieftain.
Unknowingly this was all watched by dark vicious eyes.
They shall be mine… Both of them. I will have them as is my right, not Chloe. That little half-breed doesn't stand a chance against me. But just incase I will have to make sure she is made even more unappealing to the males.