Hoku's Choice - by PM2K

[PM2K]

New story!


Hoku's Choice - by PM2K (2011)

Hoku squats in front of the large fire, wiping tears from her eyes. She reflexively brushes aside the long black hair spilling down her face to expose her golden brown complexion, while gnawing at her bottom lip to keep from sobbing aloud.
I might not stop, she thinks, and I know Kohia wouldn't want that.
The blaze lights up the tropical night, casting its warm glow on the clean beach sand which stretches for miles around. Atop the massive fire lies a long form, tightly wrapped in palm leaves and tied with vines. It smolders for a time, issuing curls of thick oily smoke.
With a sudden whoof, the body of Hoku's lover explodes into flame, and a short sob escapes from the young woman. Tears flow freely in streams down her cheeks, and he can feel their warmth as they drop off her face upon her bare breasts below.
If I had the courage, I'd join her atop that pyre... she thinks, but remains still, watching as Kohia's form is rapidly consumed by the flames.
Sighing deeply, Hoku is aware of the risk she is running by cremating her soul mate, as the fire could be seen for miles by many unfriendly eyes, but she owned her love this honor. To simply bury her felt wrong somehow, even though Kohia pleaded with her to do so in her final hours.

"You know what would happen... if you light the fire..." she whispered, as her life slowly ebbed away. "Please don't...."
Hoku smiled sadly, and kissed Kohia gently. "You know I can't do that... to just leave you..." she replies. "We've been through too much together for me to dishonor you that way..."

Hoku stares at the pyre until dawn, which continues to burn fiercely despite being half its original height. Of Kohia's remains there is no sign, save for a portion of her rib cage, and that is well on its way to becoming ash. The skull, if it is intact, must be buried under a mountain of wood ash and coals.
Once it is cooler, I'll look for that... she nods to herself. She couldn't leave that intact for others to...
Something moves on the horizon, across the sparkling blue waves of the South Pacific Ocean, and Hoku leaps to her feet, her golden curves unencumbered by clothing save for a shark tooth necklace hanging around her neck. Peering into the distance, her stomach turns cold at the sight. A small flotilla of war canoes, all outriggers equipped with sails, bob on the swells, making their way inland.
She bites her lower lip, her face a mix of fear and grim determination. So... the day has come.
Staring into the burning ashes, she utters a silent farewell and word of apology, then turns to dash off the beach, plunging deep into the island's forested interior.

Keoni kneels on the prow of the lead outrigger, wearing his war paint and bone and tooth necklace. A long, curved club of hard wood is held loosely in his right hand, while he steadies himself with his left on the canoe's gunnel. A deep raw scar runs from his forehead across his left eye, sealing it shut, and ending at a twisted crushed nose.
Behind him, digging deep into the sea with paddles, is a dozen warriors, all painted and dressed similar to their leader, except their necklaces weren't as elaborate. His canoe leads a force of four others, similarly equipped with men. Loincloths cover them, for they are prepared for battle.
Close to the beach now, Keoni signals with a wave of his war club, and as one the flotilla surges towards the still-burning fire on the shore.
Nodding, he turns to his men.
"Remember... our honor and the honor of the clan depends on bringing Chief Ariki's bride back unharmed. No matter what crimes she may have committed, no matter what our laws state, this command is absolute!"
The men in the canoe nod as one. It fills Keoni with pride to see such loyalty, which remains strong in the face of ancient taboos and blasphemy.
They risk their very souls on this quest, he thinks. Can I do any less?
"But kill the witch on sight! Kill her, tear her to pieces and scatter her remains for the scavengers so she cannot enjoy the peace of the afterlife! As it says in our sacred law!"
The warriors shout as one, a brief cry of assent. The sound is echoed by those in the other canoes, and Keoni nods grimly before turning to stare at the green curtain of the island's lush jungle.
Hang on, Hoku... he thinks. I will save you and your soul from yourself...

Hoku shudders as she hears the war cry carried on the wind. The sound of her brother's voice is clearly recognizable, even if his words are not.
No matter... I can well imagine what he said... She frowns, then keeps moving swiftly along familiar jungle trails...

The day fate led her to Kohia began as many others had. Hoku had developed the habit of wandering off while the rest of the family was absorbed with clan business. The sudden death of her parents during a storm left a void only her brother could fill, and he had no time for a sister while struggling to maintain their place in the clan structure.
One day, without realizing it, Hoku had walked past the clan boundaries on the home island and found herself in unfamiliar territory. She soon discovered a lagoon, hidden in a cove. Wandering down to the water's edge, she is surprised by the sight of a figure swimming in the calm, clear water. The woman, a few years older than her, rolled over on her back without missing a stroke, exposing her nude form casually to the sky. She opened her eyes, which lock on her observer. She smiled, and rolled over again, this time to make her way towards the shore.
Hoku finds she cannot take her eyes off of the swimmer as she neared the small beach. Nudity isn't unfamiliar to those on the islands, but there was something more about her, some intense quality which made the younger one's knees weak.
She nearly collapsed when the taller woman emerged from the lagoon, water streaming off of her bare skin, glistening in her hair, glittering like a halo.
"Hello..." she said, "I haven't seen you around here before..."
Hoku finds she cannot speak, hypnotized by the strong scent of wet skin and natural odors, by the slight purr in her voice, and by the way her eyes peered deep into her being. When the woman laid a friendly hand on her shoulder, she shivers, and feels her body flush intensely with an unfamiliar heat.
"I'm Kohia..." she says. "And you are...?"
"H... H... H... Hoku..." she managed to stammer out.
"Very pleased to meet you..." Kohia replies, smiling warmly. "Would you like to join me for a swim?"

Hoku reaches the end of the trail, then begins to work her way carefully into the thick brush of ferns and palms nearby. It won't be long before they will begin tracking her, and she knows they are very good at that.
Have to put some distance between the trail and me, she thinks, before her brother and the clan's warriors chase her down.
Part of Hoku knows there is little likelihood for escape... the island is big enough to elude a determined party for a time, but there are five dozen men whose very honor depended on finding her, and bringing her back home.
A flicker of sadness wavers within her. I wished Kohia was with me still.... Maybe together we could have fled this place, like we did before...

Keoni frowns at the approach of several runners, the first men who took part in a preliminary sweep of the coastline. Others poke at the remains of the fire with long spears, but judging from all of their expressions, no one is successful in finding any sign.
A growl rumbles deep inside his throat. The size and shape of the fire clearly indicates a funeral pyre, but the bones they did find were inconclusive as to who's pyre.
They did know one person left the scene, as there wasn't any sign of a second body.
"The head... whoever ran off may have it... or maybe it burned up in the fire..." the warrior standing the closest to Keoni states, as he stirs the coals with his spear.
Keoni closes his right eye and exhales noisily. His scar begins to ache fiercely, and he rubs it out of habit.
Hoku's voice speaks now, from out of the past.
"I will not! I will not!"
Keoni's reply, harsh and sharp.
"It is not for you to decide what is best for you! It is my task! And what is best for the family is best for you!"
Hoku again, uncharacteristically defiant.
"I will not marry Chief Ariki! He's older than our late grandfather, and he has six other wives!"
Keoni again, angry.
"Stop this foolishness! It has already been decided! The chief has agreed, and it will be so the next time the full moon rises!"
Footfalls interrupt his memories, and Keoni's eye snaps open. A warrior, one of the runners, fast approaching. He stops in front of him, smiles grimly, then gestures, pointing his spear towards the jungle.
"We found her sign! Heading inland!"
"Who's?" Keoni replies.
"Your sister's..." the warrior intones. "Her footprints are unmistakable."
Keoni nods. The witch was a head taller, with a slim build and long, narrow feet. His sister is smaller in stature, curvier, with small feet.
Without a word spoken, the cluster of warriors, led by Keoni, dash into the thick forest.

Deep within the upper boughs of the tree, Hoku squats close to a clump of leaves, and watches a small group of men rush below her. She smiles to herself from her perch above, and remains as still as she can.
Stepping off the trail as gingerly as she could, Hoku had worked her way well off the muddy track, then began to make her way up into the trees. She couldn't help leaving tracks behind on the ground, but above...
Creeping quietly along the branches like some lithe jungle cat, she makes her way in the opposite direction of the war party's landing. Her nudity aids her passage through the tangles of foliage, as there is no clothing to snag.
She didn't spot her brother in the party of warriors rushing down the trail, but is certain he will be among them somewhere. He'll never give up... Hoku thinks. But I'm not one to do so, either...

There was no wedding. Hoku, angry and scared and tired of fighting with her brother, slipped away three nights later, hiding under the cover of a typhoon. She made her way to Kohia, the only one she could now trust on the home island.
The couple had been seeing each other in secret since that first day at the lagoon. Hoku learned Kohia had been driven off of her own island home and had settled in this area, enjoying the peace and security of being in a place forbidden for others to enter.
Hoku's seduction had been as inevitable as it was bold. It was a month since their first swim together, and the two were drying off in the sun on a flat rock overlooking the clear water. Kohia had recently begun a habit of gently running her hands over Hoku's body, who found she didn't mind the sensations one bit.
Then, Kohia surprised her by rolling partially atop her, and kissed her deeply. After a moment's hesitation, Hoku responded, and while this was her first experience, she found herself eagerly opening herself up to the older woman.
Their affair had lasted three years before Hoku confronted her brother over the clan's marriage plans for her. She never made mention that the spark for her defiance was Kohia, who had won over her heart, body and soul completely.
She knew tribal law forbade such relationships... in fact, part of her was worried maybe they were right, and that lying with Kohia was putting her soul at risk.
The rest of her, on the other hand, decided long ago that it was worth it... and her soul was a fair price in exchange for the love and ecstasy she felt in Kohia's arms.
The pair enjoyed another month of peace together, after she had run away. Their passions were more intense during this period than any other, as if the couple somehow knew it wouldn't last...

Keoni stands just off of the path, frowning. After a promising start, his sister's trail had vanished, faded into the jungle like morning mist. He had ordered the men to fan out in small groups, looking for any sign of her passing, and to call out if any were found. The lingering silence save for the wind and birds is becoming exasperating.
"Kill her... you have the right..."
He sighs at this intrusion from the past.
"I cannot..." he muttered to Kupe, his cousin and close friend and advisor.
The pair stood outside a simple palm leaf and grass hut, watching and listening as Kohia and Hoku, both glistening with sweat, made love. It is a sight he wished he could erase from his memory.... his sister writhing in pleasure underneath Kohia, who's nuzzling noisily between her thighs...
"You must!" Kupe hissed, brandishing his war club. "You know the law. Both have violated the taboo. Both must die..."
"No... no one needs to know about this..." Keoni stammered, trying to shut out the passionate cries coming from the hut. "We can kill the witch, and take Hoku back.... maybe put her through the purification rite, and never speak of it..."
"Think, man! Not as a brother, but as the head of the family!" Kupe said, more forcefully. "She dishonors all of us while she lives! Kill them both now, and save our honor! Chief Ariki will understand once we explain it to him... We may even gain face by doing so..."
"But..."
"Enough!" Kupe shouted, and war club raised, rushed inside the hut...

Hoku holds her breath. Directly below her stands her brother. Somehow... somehow he happened to enter the jungle beneath the very tree his sister is hiding in.
She watches him close his good eye and feels a twinge of regret as he rubs the scarred side of his face, as he always did when deep in thought.
If only... if only he hadn't stumbled onto the hidden cove like he did....

Everything happened in a blur of motion.
Hearing Kupe's cries, Kohia pushed herself off of Hoku and with no hesitation leaps back to seize the shorter of several fishing spears. Seeing her efforts, Kupe concentrates on her and not Hoku, who lies sprawled on the bedding, confused by this sudden turn of events.
She looks over to the doorway to see her brother standing there, staring, and self consciously covers herself.
"Witch!" Kupe snarled, and dodges Kohia's spear thrust. With a swipe of his club, he knocks the weapon downwards so the spear head sinks into the hut's floor. In a single motion, he brings his foot down to break the shaft in half with a brittle snap, then slashes at his opponent.
Kohia sidesteps the wild back swing, still holding onto a three foot long section of spear. Snarling, she lunges forward, and with a sickening crunch drives the splintered wood home, deep into Kupe's throat. His eye bulge in pain and surprise, a thick gurgling emerging from his mouth as he tries to speak.
Twisting the wooden shaft, Kohia rips it free, then grimaces as a gout of hot blood splashes across her bare breasts and face. Kupe's eyes roll back into his head, and he topples to the floor, the club falling from his slackened fingers.
Hoku stares, unable to move or even speak. The suddenness of the violence, and Kohia's part in it shocked her, and yet she knew it was a response to protect her.
Then, her brother charges, smashing his war club hard into Kohia's side. She utters a sharp, keening cry, and collapses, holding her broken ribs tenderly. Unable to stand, she instead looks up directly into Keoni's eyes, her face a mask of pain and defiance.
Frowning, Keoni raises his club to deliver the final blow...
"No!"
Keoni turns towards the cry in time to receive a crushing blow to the side of his head. Reeling, he spins around and sees Hoku, naked, skin drenched, tears streaming down her face. In both hands she holds Kupe's club.
"Hoku..." he manages to gasp out, before she hits him a second time, and the world fades rapidly to black...

Keoni's scars twinge hard as he continues to massage them. That last image of his sister, her face twisted into a mask of sorrow and savagery, haunts him every time he closes his remaining eye. He remembers coming to slowly, but collapsing again and again, unable to regain his footing. Somehow, other villagers arrived and came to his aid, but even then it had taken nearly a month to recover from his wounds.
"Hoku... Hoku... what happened to you?" he says. "What dark magic did that witch weave to ensnare you like this?"
Shaking his head, he casts his gaze up towards the heavens, to cry out his frustration. Instead, his remaining eye locks on a pair of familiar ones, which peer at him from a thick clump of leaves....

Fate... there is no other explanation... it is fate. Cruel, heartless fate...
Hoku feels her insides turn cold, as her brother's gaze focuses on her own. The look of recognition swiftly sliding over his ruined face... the face she ruined... is matched only by the horror overwhelming her own.
Before he can utter a word, she makes her way swiftly across the branches, and works her way higher into the trees.
"Hoku! Hokuuuuuuuu!!!!!!"
Keoni's voice pierces the dank jungle air, but Hoku shuts it out. Her mind works swiftly, thinking of her options.

The pair had fled the island that night, braving the storms to escape the terrible scene behind them. Hoku had to help the wounded Kohia make their outrigger, then the pair battled an endless night of howling winds and monstrous seas. Facing death squarely in the face, Hoku and Kohia held each other even as they struggled to keep the small boat afloat.
By some miracle, when the morning sun cleared the skies, the pair found themselves washed up on the beach of this very island, and slowly began to rebuilt their lives.
It was sweet, what little was left of their time together. Kohia's injuries were more severe than she let on, and slowly she began to succumb to them.
Through sheer willpower, she managed to last a little more than a month before slipping away in a fever dream, but not before saying her goodbyes to her young lover. By then, Hoku had already decided she would follow her into the Land of Dreaming, but that was before her brother's war party arrived.
I can't let them get me.... she thinks. I will not...

Keoni gestures to the small group of warriors who had dashed towards his shouts.
"She's in the trees! The trees!" he says, pointing upwards with his war club. "Clever girl... she's been in the trees all this time!"
"Where?" one of the men spoke, as the rest wait for instructions.
"There! In the direction of where the sun sleeps at night... I saw her head that way!" Keoni says swiftly. He points towards a half dozen men. "You! Chase after her! Keep up the pursuit! You won't catch her, but keep her moving!"
They nod, then dash off into the undergrowth.
He turns towards the remaining men, then points to two of them.
"You, and you! Find the others. Get them moving in this direction! Remember... she's in the trees!"
They nod in unison, then dash off.
The remaining group, four in all, watch their leader quietly.
Keoni nods.
"The rest, follow me. We're going to try and flank her... if we can corner her, we can force her down..."
"Are we going to try and bring her back alive?" one asks. "The trees are tall, and accidents..."
"We will bring her back!" Keoni says. "Alive if possible... but we will bring her back!"
They nod, then the party dashes off into the tropical forest.

Hoku can hear the sounds of pursuit throughout the jungle below her. While she is able to keep ahead of it for the time being, she knows she can't maintain this pace forever.
Dashing along the tightly interwoven upper branches of the trees, she travels more quickly than those forced to struggle through the undergrowth on the ground, but she is finding the island itself to be far too small to continue to evade them.
She is running out of forest.
Already the beach on the far side of the island is visible, and with the jungle thinning as it approaches it, Hoku is running out of options.
Desperate, she looks towards the interior of the island, a place neither Hoku nor Kohia had a chance to explore when they first arrived. Kohia's injuries prevented that. The trees looked thinner there, less inviting.
There must be swamps nearby, she thinks. Maybe I can lose them there....
The idea had little appeal to her. Hoku had limited knowledge of such places, but knew from stories told around the communal fire they were areas best left alone.
Still... if she could work her way far enough into it, perhaps the war party will be forced to turn back.
Face set in grim determination, Hoku begins to make her way towards the dark forest.

At first she makes good progress, and doubling back on her pursuers seems to have confused them, for their shouts began to fade with distance. Then, Hoku begins to slow, as the interconnecting branches of the forest canopy begin to thin, forcing her to maneuver more frequently to lower branches. Several times, she had to leap between trees in order to avoid contact with the ground.
Below, the forest floor begins to melt away into thick stands of tall grasses and reeds, and the number of dead and drowning trees begins to increase. Glancing down every now and then, Hoku can see in the sunlight flecks of water glittering from sodden earth, which appears sporadically as dark brown and black areas, scattered across the rich green surface.
Her nose wrinkles as a whiff of swamp water and rotting vegetation strokes her nostrils. Who knows what lurked in there...
Behind and below her, she suddenly hears voices, much closer than she expected. A shiver of panic trembled through her. How? How is that possible? If the ground is as wet as it looks, the warriors chasing her should be bogged down and not getting anywhere...
Looking about, her eyes widen as she spots movement. Clumps of men, two and three at a time, were sitting astride logs, and maneuvering along water-filled channels which slice through the marshes. Hoku's heart sank as she recognizes her brother riding one of them.
No... that just isn't possible...
She feels her lower lip tremble, her eyes begin to fill with tears. Looking more carefully now at the landscape, she now notices a thick network of streams, many covered over with grass, which are spread throughout the area, separated by darker, more solid parts, also heavily grassed over.
Frowning, she grimly continues to make her way through the trees, shaking off the despair threatening to envelop her. Maybe I can still elude them, Hoku thinks, if they continue to divide their attention between balancing the logs and looking up into the branches...

Arms outstretched, and leaping towards another in a seemingly endless parade of trees, Hoku seizes the target branch with both hands, then allows the momentum to carry her body in a sharp arc underneath it, a move she does with the ease perfected by repetition.
The branch bends beneath her weight, and she begins to use that as a springboard to launch herself at the crown of the tree. But instead of springing upwards, the branch itself creaks ominously... and with a brittle series of snapping sounds suddenly gives way.
Hoku plummets towards the ground with such speed she doesn't have the time to react, and when she does claw at the passing branches finds she is now too far away to grab them to stop her descent.
So... this is how it ends... she thinks, surprisingly calm about the realization.
Tumbling helplessly through the air, she closes her eyes and readies herself for the body shattering impact.

Guiding their makeshift canoes through the warm and slimy marsh waters, Keoni and a number of others in the war party turn as one towards the sharp sound of breaking wood. None catch a glimpse of Hoku's nude form falling, but all get a sense of what has happened.
Without uttering a word, Keoni gestures, and the party begins to guide their craft towards the sound.

Hoku lands on her back, but to her surprise the impact isn't shattering. Instead, she strikes soft earth with a wet splat, flinching at the feel of a shower of tepid droplets of mud and water, kicked up by her fall, splattering across her bare skin.
The sharp scent of swamp gas bubbles and farts around her, and she cringes at the stench.
Looking around, she sees she is surrounded by tall grasses, well hidden from casual inspection. That's something, she thinks, hoping against hope her plunge hadn't been seen by her brother or the warriors he led.
The mud she is lying in cradles her softly. More than half of her is below the surface; her buttocks are fully submerged, and the muck laps half way up the sides of her body and partially fills her ears. Her knees remain clear of mud, but her lower legs have been thrust deep into its slowly shifting mass. Her arms also lie half sunk in the surface of the lukewarm slime.
Through one ear, which remains open, Hoku can hear voices. They are close, and getting closer.
Can't keep lying like this... she thinks, and attempts to sit up.
To her surprise, the mud holds here fast. Struggling, she finds it difficult to move in the thick ooze, which jiggles and wobbles sluggishly in response to her movements.
Despite all of her effort, on her back and with legs buried, she can't seem to get the leverage to free herself. A sharp cry nearby reminds her how quickly her time is running out.

Kohia and several warriors lunge forward, landing on their bellies to grab hold of one of their group, who has sunk to his shoulders in swamp ooze. One false step, and he nearly vanished before their eyes.
Grunting, straining, it takes all of their collective effort to free the warrior from the deadly mud, which only reluctantly releases its hold on his body.
"Gods... this is... this is impassible..." one gasps, still breathless from the struggle. "If she really went this way..."
Kohia glares at him, silencing his voice and those of the war party. Still, he agrees the way ahead has been difficult...
Since landing the makeshift canoes, the party has had nothing but trials to deal with as they attempt to locate Hoku. The land itself seems to be fighting them at every step, and with no end in sight.
"We move on..." he says. "If that branch was her, she should be close by... If my sister is on the ground, she won't be moving quickly any more..."

Teeth gritted, Hoku tries another tactic. Neck straining, she manages to lift her head free of the mud, then twists sideways using her waist, partly rolling to the right. At the same time, she lifts her left arm free, even as she feels her right arm slip under, and brings it over towards the right side.
The move works, as a slight grunt is forced through her teeth. Sweat soaks her exposed flesh, as clouds of insects buzz around the trapped woman. With another twist of her waist, this time left and forward, she manages at last to sit upright.
Yes! Hoku thinks, but before she can savor this progress, she feels her hips and groin, now the center of where her weight has shifted, suddenly slip downwards. Her trapped legs smoothly glide deeper into the gritty jungle mire, and out of reflex she tries to pull backwards to prevent it. But to no avail.

Keoni finds himself in a quandary. The battle to rescue the warrior had caused him to lose his bearings in the tall marsh grasses. Where he once knew with certainty the direction of the snapping sound of a breaking branch, now everything looked the same.
The half dozen mud-spattered men with him stared, waiting for his command. Aware of the consequences of choosing the wrong path, he remains silent. His ears strain for any sign, and sound, which may point the way...

Belly deep in the dark colored bog, Hoku flinches and squirms at the feeling as the heavy mud begins to ooze inside her body, violating her, then gasps as her movements force her deeper into the tepid mire.
The heavy, sticky muck presses against her in all directions, filling her every curve and crevasse. It feels warm and slimy against her flesh, yet she can sense its grittiness scratching at her, indicating the jungle mire isn't pure mud at all, but a deep and deadly slurry of silt, particles of rotting vegetation, dark clay and sand.
Looking around frantically, she sees nothing nearby on which to grab onto. The tall thick grasses which surround the muddy pit are a couple of inches outside of her grasp, but might has well have been on the other side of the island.
In the distance, still far off yet undeniably getting closer, are the voices of her pursuers. Every now and then, Hoku clearly hears a word or two spoken by her brother, whose voice makes her shiver.
I've got to get out of here... she thinks, but hasn't the slightest idea how to do it. The mire is soft and loose, yet sticky and heavy with an unyielding grip like an octopus.
Deep below, her bare feet can find no hint of anything solid beneath her, and as she continues to sink deeper into the muddy slurry, she begins to wonder if the bog even has a bottom...

"Wait here..."
Keoni rises to his feet, and takes a long spear from one of the warriors. They look at him, concern clear on their faces.
He smiles, and sees their expressions reflect that favorably. Their confidence and loyalty to him remain solid.
"I won't go far..." and pushes through the grass, prodding the ground ahead with the spear.

Hoku begins to struggle once more, trying to break the mud's grip. Sweat is streaming off her bare skin, flowing over her face, trickling down her spine, making her breasts glisten, dripping off her stiffening nipples, plastering her hair to her shoulders. She stretches from side to side, attempting to thrust her arms beyond the breaking point to grasp at the towering swamp grasses, but they remain maddening out of reach.
Hoku stops stretching, and is immediately sucked down another few inches deeper into the quagmire.
As the mud oozes past her lower ribs, she begins to claw at its surface, her eyes beginning to burn. She now hears the rustling sounds of someone moving slowly through the grasses towards her...

Keoni breathes heavily from the effort of working his way forward. The ground has proven to be treacherous in all directions, and no sooner did he find firm footing in one place when another would dissolve beneath him.
He begins to wonder if Hoku could have possibly survived long in such a deadly environment... and shudders as he imagines her grim fate.

Hoku struggles against panic, her breasts pressed against the brackish mud, which cups her firmly. She barely manages to keep her mud covered arms from vanishing into the gurgling bog, but also finds herself constantly pressing them against it in a vain effort to keep herself from sinking deeper.
Since her struggles only speed her way downwards, she had decided to remain as still as possible, and maybe buy time, but finds it doesn't make any difference. She can still feel herself slipping deeper into the hungry mud.
I'm going to die... she thinks, feeling the muck fill her cleavage as the bottoms of her breasts slip under. I'm going to just keep sinking and sinking until my head goes under and I smother... and no one will ever know what happened to me...
She bites her lower lip to choke off the whimper which threatens to escape. The smell of wet earth and swamp gas is nearly suffocating as it continues to bubble up around her.
If only... if only...
As the thick mire rolls over the top of her chest to lap at her shoulders, Hoku looks around again for any way out, but again finds none. Her ears strain for any hint of salvation. Even the sounds of pursuit have stilled.
A quiet sob breaks free, and Hoku feels a hot tear run over her mud spattered face.

Keoni crouches in the grass, resting a moment. It has seemed like hours since he left behind the war party, although he knows it couldn't have been that long. There is no sign of Hoku or even of that phantom branch which brought him here in the first place. Just more of this cursed land in all directions.
He rises slowly, sighing to himself. Even if she is still alive, which he is beginning to doubt, there is no way they can track Hoku in this dangerous place... In fact, it is a minor miracle all members of his party remain intact, and it is his duty to ensure they stay that way.
Turning to go back, he freezes in place as a faint sound reaches his ears, nearly hidden beneath the noise of the swamp. It almost sounds like...
Keoni looks behind himself, and sees the trail of flattened grasses and reeds he has left behind. Nodding, he turns and heads forward, towards the sound, so like a sob. No harm in moving just a bit farther... just to be certain.

The warm quicksand fills her ears and engulfs her chin, its dark mass quivering as it laps against her lower lip. Trapped air bubbles gently rise and pop around Hoku, who has stopped struggling. She has given up and is preparing herself for her end when she spots the top of someone's head, moving just above the tall reeds.
Hoku nearly cries with relief when she sees her brother's ruined face clear the grasses. The fear of capture has been overwhelmed by the terror of smothering in bottomless jungle slime, and with a final effort, she manages to free her right arm from the mud's grip, then tries to call out... an act which is choked off in mid-word as bog filth flows greedily inside to fill her mouth...

"H... help... Hel... mmmmph..."
Keoni hears the cries, which trail off into soft sputtering and bubbling sounds. Looking around frantically, he spots his sister's eyes, wide open and pleading. A froth of bubbles dances in front of her nose as it slips under, leaving only the upper half of her head and one outstretched arm still above the roiling dark bog.
Lunging forward, Keoni's belly and chest slap wetly across the firmer parts of the ground around the deadly mud pit, and he extends the spear towards Hoku's hand, just as the rest of her head slips under with a wet slurping noise, leaving behind a shallow bubbling dent in the mire.
His mouth tightens grimly as he guides the spear's wooden shaft to his sister's hand, which waves about atop her forearm.
"Grab it... grab it..." he whispers.
The hand obeys, and Keoni grunts as he feels Hoku's weight hang off of the spear. Using all of his strength, he pulls hard, driving the butt end of the spear close to him. Maintaining his iron grip, he rises to a crouch, and, bracing his foot against the spear, uses it as a lever.
Slowly, he can feel her rise up from the depths of the bog. More and more of her arm appears, then a second arm bursts forth from the mud, the left hand joining the right in gripping the spear's shaft.
Finally, the top of Hoku's head rises from the muck, and with a twist she wrenches her face free of the suffocating ooze, coughing and sputtering as she draws in dank air into her lungs.
"Hoku... Hoku..." Keoni says between breaths. Sweat pours off of his quivering muscles as he continues to strain, prying his sister free of the muddy death trap.

"K... Keoni..." Hoku manages to say, as she tries to shake off the sheets of mud flowing off of her head.
She is again shoulder deep in the mire, resting her arms on the spear, which her brother has firmly anchored underneath his own body, securing it with his hands. He looks relieved, but remains too far away to grab her.
"Just hang on a while longer..." he said. "I can not lift you out alone, I can not reach you and I can not leave you to get help... You are going to have to work your way closer to me... can you do that?"
She nods, sliding her hands along the spear. The mud still encases her in a slimy grip, but her struggles have loosened it up. Straining, she finds she can move forward through it a bit at a time, using the spear as a lifeline.
"Brother... I..." Hoku says, trying to find the right words to say. After all that has happened, he still risked his life to save her.
He smiles back, and shakes his head.
"Save your breath for now, Hoku... you need all of your strength to get out of danger..."
Hoku nods. She feels a great surge of relief. Whatever happens once she is free of the bog, she is determined to make it a new beginning between them. A new life...
Keoni smiles again.
"You led us on a great chase, Hoku... a great chase... and showed tremendous courage and spirit in the face of danger..."
She smiles, feeling herself blushing beneath the coating of mud.
"I know Chief Ariki will be proud to have you as his wife..."

Hoku stops moving, and stares at Keoni.
"Brother?" she asks. "The marriage... after all this... is still on?"
"We'll speak of this later..." he says. "At least no one outside the clan knows of your shame, and of the witch who led you astray..."
Hoku's mouth tightens.
"Kohia... her name was Kohia..." she says quietly.
Then, she lets go.

Keoni stares in disbelief as Hoku slides back into the dark quicksand, settling to her chin in moments. Both of her hands remain above the slowly churning surface for a moment, before they disappear beneath it.
"What... what are you doing?" he stammers. "Grab hold of the spear... quickly!"
Hoku looks into her brother's eyes, closely, seeking hints to the contents of his heart. She is saddened to realize, even now, it remains a mystery to her.
Sighing to herself, she feels the muck rise above her mouth and slap lightly against her nose. Hoku maintains eye contact as long as she can with Keoni as she sinks, resisting the urge to tilt her head back, even as the gritty ooze seals off her air.
With the quicksand lapping just below her eyes, she is forced to close them, and slips under quietly, a soft popping of bubbles marking her passage into another world.

Keoni stares helplessly as Hoku vanishes, the mud quavering thickly as it swallows the top of her head with a wet slurp. He continues to watch even after the bubbles cease rising, and the surface stills.
"Hoku... why?" Keoni asks quietly. "Why would you do this to the clan? To me?"
As if in response, the quicksand burps noisily and shudders, before falling still again.

[crow75701]

Man, your stories are still the best, please never stop!

[cnelson566]

I concur! I've always loved your manips,but it's your stories that really get me checking your posts every day. Awesome story man!