Book of Eucalypt

[I wrote this story several years ago for a Gliding Seal ‘Beltane’ event held in the Sydney Hills. I remember I lacked the confidence to read it aloud because it is very NSFW, however I was awarded the title of ‘Bard of Beltane’ for that year. 2014? 2015? I may have posted this here before, but I cannot find it.]

1.

The Milky Way shone down brightly in the midnight sky, the moon full and ripe sat overhead watching the couple alone on the beach by bonfire light.

On their journey to this place, they both wondered why they were being pulled here. They had been chosen by the fates years ago, drawn to each other from across the land. She had been a nurse in the southern state; he had been an accountant from the eastern shore. The pull of their souls could not have been ignored, and they had driven long into the night, both unknowing where they were going, and who they would meet.

But they would meet, as they had both been told. Son and Daughter of the great Gods, they had both dreamt of the place they needed to arrive at. A tree stump survived by lightning not far from the waters’ edge; the moon rising over the horizon of the glistening water. She Oaks and Chicory dancing beyond the dunes with the wind’s soft caress.

Stumpy Head Beach was once named after the rock formations at the bluff but had gained the nickname of Avalon from the locals due to consistent early morning mist that no one could explain.

It had been an awkward meeting at first. Their cars had pulled onto the strip by the road near the pedestrian walkway simultaneously from either direction. The high dunes blocked their sight of the water, but they could hear it crashing against the shore, beckoning them to come join in the dance of the waves.

As they both exited their cars, they looked at each other and knew. They didn’t know what they knew, but it was there, hanging in front of them. That feeling; that unexplainable feeling that deep down, this was right.

She, a large built woman with dark chocolate hair that fell past her shoulders in loose ringlets. Her eyes felt wild, searching for meaning within meaning, omens in their location to help put a word to what she felt. Her white linen shirt had been crumpled from the long drive, while her brown skirt fluttered against her legs caught in the breeze.

He, a tall slim man with hair like maple leaves in early autumn. He unconsciously shifted in his thongs and jeans torn from wear at the hems. He fixed the collar of his flannelette shirt to keep his hands busy.

“Hey,” he said, smiling.

“Hi,” she replied. She felt herself smile to her eyes, and butterflies started up a storm in her belly.

“We’ve met before.” It was half a statement, half a question, and it hung in the air between them, neither completely sure.

She nodded. “Yes. In the forest within the dream – by the oak with a hole and the moss-covered boulders. Morrighan, she um, she brought me there. You came with…”

“Cernunnos,” he replied, finishing her sentence, hands going in his pockets. “Were you…were you told to come here? Did you get instructions?”

“No. Just a sense that I had to start driving, so I followed that intuition. You?” “Same.”

“But this place does look familiar. Maybe a part of the dream?”

He nodded, taking it all in. “Yes,” he replied absently. “Part of the dream.” He loves to fidget; she thought as she noticed him rocking back on his heels. “Any ideas as to why we’re here?” he asked.

She smiled a wicked and mischievous smile. “It’s Beltane!”

2.

She threw her arms open and screamed out in delight, her naked body warm against the heat of the fire.

“We cast this circle here and now! We cast it by the moon and stars! We cast it by the earth and sky! We cast it by the fire and sea!”

She began to slowly stalk around, her eyes closed, moving with the rhythm of the beat of the earth beneath her feet. He stalked her on the opposite side of the fire, watching her movement.

Each could hear the drum beat in their minds, echoing what they felt radiating from the ground beneath them.

“Thrice and thrice, we circle around, ahhh nwyfre this circle is bound. Thrice and thrice, we circle around, eeeh calas we circle around! Thrice and thrice, I circle around! Oooohh gwyar we circle around!” She began jumping, and dancing, her body moving and swirling in fluid motions. Around the bonfire she went, kicking up sand as she moved her feet. He followed with contorting his body to the beat only they could hear. He stomped on the ground, clapped his hands and his thighs, his torso and chest, and roared with the power he felt drawing up into himself.

Once the drumbeat stopped, so did they.

It was his turn to call – he could feel it in the air. He began to call for peace in the four quarters. As he called for peace in the east, the waves crashed loudly upon the shore, challenging his call; just as the fire leapt high into the air when north was called. The land rumbled beneath them with the call for the west, and the wind caressed their bodies as they called to the south.

In unison they began to call their own connected Deities, the ones who brought them here. Their voices overlapped with each other, neither one nor the other overpowering, each distinct. It was a harmonious song for the Gods to bear witness, and to join them.

She felt a surge of energy enter her body and became aware of every inch of her being. She could feel the grains of sand beneath her feet, the beads of sweat beginning to form beneath her breasts. She could see clearer- individual reeds on the sand dunes, the peninsula behind her roaring consort.

Her consort. For this night, the man whose name she had yet to discover stood opposite her radiating masculinity. His thin athletic build glistened with sweat; shadows highlighted the curve of muscles in his shoulders and arms. She took in his tattoos; the intricate pentagram over his heart; and the stag charging up his arm. Her eyes glanced down following the shadows of his torso, down the trail of hair beneath his naval and his little pot belly.

As she was feeling a change within herself, so did he. He could feel the strength of the land within his form – the ancientness of the Eucalyptus trees and She Oaks that lined the road on the other side of the dunes, the power that generation after generation of life had given the earth from where they stood. Tensing his hands, his veins popped from beneath the surface of his arms, and he roared. He couldn’t contain it, the build-up was too much.

Then he noticed her – her naked body with shadows dancing across her soft skin by the fire. He loved the shape of her breasts, and the curve of her hips. He saw her tattoos in finer detail, runes and symbols and seasons as a sleeve down her right arm.

Oh my! She thought as her eyes widened at his erect masculinity. She allowed herself a smile. He grinned back at her, like a wolf tempting his prey.

3.

He moved in and wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer. With one hand braced against the small of her back, the other gripping her hair, pulling her head to an angle so his mouth could crash down onto hers, relentlessly prying her lips apart with such passion neither had experienced before. He wasn’t sure where this came from; it wasn’t like him at all. There was just something about her, he needed her. This night, he needed all of her.

His mouth explored her features, trailing the line of her neck. A flame of arousal pulsated deep inside of him, and she could feel it as her wandering hands found their way down below his waistline, sliding her fingers over the throbbing veins of his masculinity. He moaned and bit at her neck. She replied with her own, arching her back, releasing her breasts from the confines of his chest. She was thankful for his lower hand as it kept her standing, unwilling to give in to her weak knees. With her back arched, her nipples presented themselves, and he took each one into her mouth, gently biting with his teeth. She wound the fingers of one hand within his hair, while the other grasped at his length.

He lifted his head, catching his breath and watched her face; her eyes closed and a grin from ear to ear. Such beauty, he thought to himself. And tonight, she’s mine. She opened her eyes to his thought and saw his dark, searching eyes studying her. She kept her hand moving, massaging his throbbing erection.

“Picnic rug?” she asked. He looked at her with silent disappointment, as he was ready to throw her down onto the sand as they stood and bury himself within her. He nodded, and they released their hold on one another. He moved around the fire to where the rug was laid.

She winced as he left her, the air suddenly cooler despite the heat of the fire. She watched the flames dance into the air and saw images of what was to come. She smiled to herself.

Lying down on one side, he propped himself up on one arm and waited for his consort, his Goddess, to join him. He watched her movement, watched the shadows cast on her body by the fire as she walked over to him. She knelt beside him and grinned deviously. Leaning forward over his waist, she pulled her hair over to one side and devoured his thick erection in her mouth. He rolled onto his back and raised his hands to his head in disbelief. She is AMAZING!

She let her tongue explore up and down his shaft, trailing its length while never letting her mouth stray for too long. He reached down to play with one of her nipples, and she slapped his hand–­ away. This was for him. He relaxed into the rug and began to move his hips in tune with the rhythm of her mouth. Her tongue lapped, teasing his head and tickling the tip. Eventually she found the spot that almost sent him quivering, so he moved her back.

“Hey, hey, hey!” he laughed as he gently pushed her back onto her knees. He looked deep into her smiling eyes and caressed her cheek. “You are amazing.” She smiled with delight.

He sat himself up and cupped her face with one hand, bringing her into a passionate kiss. Kissing, he guided her down, so it was she lying on the rug. He raised himself beside her and trailed her body gently with one finger: down her neck, over her breasts, along her navel and down her thighs.

In the light of the fire, she was completely mesmerised by his body. He guided her legs open as she touched the tattoo on his chest and felt a spark of energy.

“Did you feel that?” She asked. He nodded, touching her tattoos, and feeling the same spark.

They were feeling magic growing inside between them, raised by the passion of the night, connecting them to a greater moment.

He kissed her before moving and lowering himself between her legs, holding himself up by his arms. She began to explore his body, searching for more sparks. Her nails grazed along his chest and back, feeling his shudder above her. He’s ticklish! She giggled to herself. She had never felt such hunger like this before. His erection waited patiently outside of her, and she moved her hips to let him in. Wet and hot with anticipation, she needed him inside her.

He lowered himself to rest on his elbows, trapping her frame within his, and kissed her lips. This was driving her insane. He didn’t want to be forceful like he had before. He wanted to savor the moment, take all of her in. But she felt as though he was teasing her, and she had had enough. Frantically she grabbed onto the muscle of his shoulder blades and whispered into his ear.

“Please.”

He smiled at her. Their hips moved in tune with one another, and he slid in. She moaned with delight as he pushed through muscle, exploring her depths. But he wasn’t all in; he wanted to taste her bit by bit. She wrapped her legs around his, trying to bring him closer, but he held back. He was in control this time. He loved her growing frustration and could feel that it would only make the moment more fun for them both.

She dug her nails into his back in annoyance, and he laughed softly to himself. Finally, he thrust deeper within her, filling her with his entirety. She screamed in delight as she was filled with unimaginable pleasure. He was right; his teasing had only made her hotter, wetter. She tried to move her hips in his rhythm, but he stopped her each time. He kept changing his rhythm, exploring what she liked, and ignoring what failed to get his desired reaction.

He was soon conscious of every muscle within his body. The sensation overpowered him like he had never experienced before. She felt it too, like a pulse of light taking control of them.

Tension tightened in her being. He felt incredible inside of her, as if he was made for her, and soon enough she could no longer hold on. She let go, her body thrusting and shuddering beneath him as a gush of heat exploded inside of her.

It was his turn. He clenched his jaw as his body stiffened. He roared deeply as he erupted inside of her. A brilliant light came into his inner vision, and he saw them. They were older, smiling, laughing with one another while two young children played with wooden blocks at their feet. He collapsed with exhaustion on top of her, his head resting on her, using her soft breasts as a pillow as they both struggled for breath.

She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him on the forehead. He raised his head and looked at her smiling, before resting back against her breasts.

4.

Far from the site of the lovers by the fire, a pair of figures dark in the moonlight stood on watching their work.

“She will bare twins from this night.” Cernunnos stated, folding his arms in front of him with pride. “A boy and a girl.”

The Morrighan wrapped her black raven cloak around her. “And our lovers will die days apart, old and grey, having never loved another as much as they will love each other after tonight.” She smiled to herself. “We did good, pairing these, Cernunnos.”

He nodded with agreement and offered her his hand. “It is still Beltane, my lover.”

She laughed and took his land, allowing him to lead her further down the beach, so they too could enjoy a night of passion, just as their Dedicants had.