from his perspective
He rises silently in the misty dawn … sees her kneeling, waiting, a small fire lit and a cup of warm water cradled in her hands. He nods and she moves closer and presses the cup to her bare belly, between her abused breasts and finally to her cracked and broken lips, split by the force of blows she has received. Head bowed, arms extended, she offers Him the cup. As he drinks he ponders the problem kneeling so gracefully before him, her nude body goose fleshed and shivering. “Ahhhh,” he sighs, he decision made, wise or not, he will take her with him. She notes the change in His eyes and presses her lips to the ground in front of Him. Swiftly turns and packs his gear, throws dirt over the fire to extinguish it and finally, at his nod, slips the tattered remains of her camisk over her naked body. They begin the trek high into the mountains to his camp.
The first night he stops at a panther camp. He is receives a warm welcome. Although He belongs to the black caste His mother was a panther. The women replace her tattered camisk with clean furs and footwear and she knows she can stay with them if she wishes. She smiles shyly as they treat her kindly, feeding her and indicating she can have her collar removed if she wishes.
A pretty blonde sits by her and runs her fingers around the steel, indicates she was once a slave too placing her own hands around her neck and says “kolar”. She feels unable to decide as her eyes follow Him around the camp. Later, she takes the soap given her and walks to the nearby stream and carefully washes. Her long hair feels clean for the first time in weeks.

He sees her standing deep in the cool water, her face uplifted to the three moons. Wet hair streaming down her back, the dark bruises marring her perfect skin hidden by the silvery light. Cat silent, he moves into the water, places his warm arms around her waist. She sighs, a lost sound that catches in her throat. He feels her body relax, and until that moment he did not realise how he longed to feel her pressing against him. She is small and her head tucks beneath his chin. They stand lost in the moment, senses heightened by the eroticism of their first embrace. Skin cooled by the water and the evening air contrasting with the heat generated by their touch. The soft sounds: the slow moving water and tiny scurrying animals, reach their ears. He craves her taste, slowly turns her fragile body in his arms. Moonlight plays over the gentle curves of high cheeks bones and full lips. Mouths touch and meld, lift and press. He savours the sweetness and deepens the kiss, exploring as her mouth blossoms beneath His.
Their tongues play, and the passion rises. The kiss becomes fiercer, stronger and he holds her crushed against his chest. Soft moans and gasps punctuate their frantic efforts to become one, her small body moves against his, her hips rocking, delicate hands wrapped around his neck. He moves his hands down the sweet curve of her spine to her rounded butt and grasps firmly, lifts her so she can wrap her sleek legs around his waist. He feels her hotness against his cool bare belly. He lift his head and looks at her face, beautiful in its passion, her eyelids closed long lashed fanning over her flushed cheeks.
“Jett, jettie!” They hear the voice calling, the magical spell is broken and he slowly lowers her. The stream laps around her flushed and heated body, cooling her blood. He takes her small hand in his and draws her from the water, he stands on the grassy bank and turns her to face him, presses a brief hard kiss on her lips. His eyes glow golden in the moonlight, “I leave at dawn,” He says. He pulls on the dark clothing of his caste and disappears into the deep evening shadows.
Falling to my knees despite the rush of feeling to my legs and arms, I crawled to him and placed my lips on his dusty boot and kissed. His lip curled with satisfaction. Indicating an empty kennel with his whip I scrambled across the room and sat in “bracelets” pose. While the door clanged shut in my face.