We assemble in the shade of the tribe's southernmost whistling tree, the five of us the best hunters of the Nym-Mich. Like all dryads we are exquisitely curved, nut-brown skin glistening beneath a layer of sweat. Artemis is squatting over a set of large footprints embedded in the mud and I take a moment to admire the view she presents, watching a rivulet of sweat make its way down her smooth back and between the cheeks of her fleshy ass. She glances over her shoulder, catching me staring, and caresses her bounteous rump as I blush.
"Rhode, come here and look at these." I move to Artemis' side, squatting next to her, and glance at the footprints until she leans in. "You'll sleep with me tonight."
My blush deepens as we stand and the rest of the group gathers around.
"What do we track Artemis?"
Melissa is the first to speak, her head turning slightly to follow the footprints as the trail heads deeper into Nym-Mich territory.
"A zinekzi is loose in our land."
There's a combined shiver of fear upon hearing the name of our quarry. Zinekzi are monstrous, the tallest in the tribe would still be shorter, and immensely powerful. I reflexively touch the zinekzi skull freshly tattooed onto my upper right arm, the symbol of Artemis' clique, and pray silently to the hama for courage and strength.
At Artemis' direction we take up our gear and then set off along the trail of footprints. We move in single-file and again I admire Artemis from behind, just as the burning sensation on the back of my neck tells me Lenci is admiring me in turn. It took most of the morning to reach the whistling tree, the sun bright through gaps in the canopy level, and it has noticeably moved when Artemis calls a halt. She kneels, heedless of the dirt now on her legs, and reaches for a footprint.
"Lenci, join me."
The command in the softly-spoken words is undeniable and I mimic Melissa and Ianthe, the final member of the clique, in keeping watch. My gaze strays from time to time onto the kneeling pair, pressed so closely together, and I fail to notice Ianthe sidling up to me.
"I don't know what Artemis sees in you. You act like a love-struck veen."
I hiss in anger at her comparison for it implies flightiness, a lack of courage. The veen is a small furred creature, the least threatening of all our prey, but is prone to fleeing at the slightest provocation. Artemis looks up as my hiss reaches her ears, glancing at us with a frown on her lovely features.
"Ianthe. Leave Rhode alone until after this hunt is over."
I thrust my tits out and jeer as Ianthe backs off and Artemis focuses again on the footprints, quietly sharing words with Lenci.
Soon we are back on the move, spotting signs of the zinekzi's passing that it hadn't made before. Lenci is now in the lead, keen eyes picking out the trail as twilight fast approaches. There's a split-second when she stumbles, arms windmilling for balance, before a log crunches viciously into her left flank. As she tumbles away limply the zinekzi makes itself known, emerging from behind a tree. It is a female, in almost every way a twisted reflection of us, and the grin on its misshapen face promises great torments if we fail to kill it. Artemis is the first to attack, snatching a spear made of worked bone from her quiver and lunging forward. Ianthe follows a moment later, her own spear in hand, and I let out a warcry as I too charge. There's a blur of dull grey, Melissa using her throwing stones, and I'm relieved to see the zinekzi stagger under our combined assault. Artemis is already on her third spear when I finally enter the fray, the other two sticking from the zinekzi's flesh, and Ianthe is reaching for her second. She never pulls it out through, a firm backhand sending her crashing to the forest floor. My spear punches clean through the monster's upraised arm, drawing a pained yelp, and one of Melissa's stones strikes it in an eye, pulping the organ.
We fall into a rhythm after that, darting in and out of its wild reach. Melissa joins us, taking up Ianthe's quiver, and soon the zinekzi is panting in exhaustion, a score of broken spears protruding from its limbs and torso. Artemis trips over Ianthe's corpse in her own exhaustion, sprawled on her back, and both Melissa and I desperately lunge at the zinekzi, driving our spears in under its ribcage. Thick gouts of blood are spat up as we withdraw our weapons, the zinekzi trying to roar even as it drowns in its own vitae. I hurry to Artemis' side while Melissa keeps our quarry pinned, helping the other dryad back onto her feet, and then she waves me away. I can only look on as she kneels next to Ianthe, gently closing the dead hunter's eyes, and avert my gaze when Artemis kisses Ianthe's slack lips. She repeats the ritual once she finds Lenci's body, ignoring the zinekzi as it finally dies, and bids Melissa and I to stand by her.
"Hama, two of your souls rejoin you, two bodies return to your embrace."
The prayer spoken Artemis straddles the zinekzi and seizes its head, savagely twisting it round until the crack of vertebrae cuts through the quiet. Melissa and I then join her in carving the zinekzi's head from its body, the grisly trophy dripping blood as we carry it back to the hama. Despite my sadness at the deaths of Lenci and Ianthe I'm nervously anticipating bedding with Artemis, the rumours of her aggressive nature making me wonder if I can take it.
The tribe's chiefess greets us at the edge of the hama's domed canopy, eyes widening at the sight of the zinekzi head in our possession. Her harem reluctantly takes it from us, spiriting it away, and Artemis leads me to a dark area beneath the thick foilage. Her sudden kiss is passionate and bruising, possessive, and a meaty thigh nudges mine apart, moans filling the air as I rub myself against her. When we finally separate, both gasping for air, Artemis pushes me to my knees. There's a yearning look in her gaze and I realise she wants to regain her sense of power, shaken by her mis-step while fighting the zinekzi. She cries out when I kiss her lower lips, her hands tangling almost painfully in my luscious hair, and it barely takes a moment for Artemis to find release. As she calms from her orgasm I lean back onto my heels before feeling breast-flesh squash against my back, fingers that have reached out to stroke my own heated lower lips, and turn my head to see Melissa kneeling behind me.
"Welcome sister."
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