Chapter 30
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Angel was careful not to be noticed by the busy couple as she traveled between the trees in a circle around them. She needed to climb a tree and it was entirely possible that they'd notice her if they happened to look up while she was moving in the branches.
No matter how dark her water soaked clothes were at the moment, if she had the sky behind her, it would be obvious to any on the ground nearby that she wasn't part of the tree. The clouds in the sky were dark, but right above the town, they reflected a little bit of the light from fires, torches and any other sources of light. This is why she was moving around the couple instead. She was going to use the tree they were leaning against while getting sweaty to block their view to minimize the risk of them seeing her.
If she was spotted in a tree at that time, there would be no excuse she could give to get out of trouble. Not even Zeus's pendant would be enough to save Alex's skin. That nearby lightning strike may not have been enough to distract the gasping and moaning couple but it would definitely draw the nearby patrols to investigate. She had to hurry. It wasn't too long before she found a tree she could climb using Alex's somewhat taller than average body.
["Now I just have to find a fruit I can reach."]
Angel scanned along the lower branches for ambrosia that she could climb to. When she spotted a good candidate she would then retrace the branch to the trunk looking for a good path to it. Before long she found an entire cluster that she should be able to reach without too much trouble.
Angel circled around the tree and jumped up to grab the lowest sturdy branch and pulled herself up. It had been many years since the last time she climbed a tree. It was never her thing as a girl and she had never understood the attraction of climbing things that boys seemed to have until she saw the world through Alex's eyes.
"This is actually kinda fun. Sneaking about in the dark of the night and climbing trees to the sounds of lovers serenading the forest."
This night was bringing back many memories for her. She giggled a little bit but it sounded so unnatural in Alex's voice that she decided to resist the urge from then on for the rest of the night. She was making good progress and was almost to her objective when suddenly from the ground below, between a few nearby trees:
*Snap*
Someone or something had stepped on a branch. Angel froze and squeezed tight to the large branch she was on and didn't even dare to breathe.
"Quietly you fool. You'll disturb Tom and Mary."
"Don't call me a fool, Druga. I don't see why we have to do so much for that b*stard when he should be working tonight too."
A pair of patrolling sentries was stealthily passing by. They were most likely checking for a fire within that area of the grove.
"You know how long Tom's been trying to get quality alone time with her. Don't ruin it for him. Or what are you jealous?"
"P*ss off you bli-"
Druga quickly pressed his hand to his comrade's loud mouth and looked in the direction of the source of the sounds coming from Tom and Mary's exuberant baby-making session. He listened to make sure the gentle moaning screams continued without interruption before he glared at his friend.
"Don't f*ck with me on this or I'll cut your balls off so they don't cloud your mind anymore." Druga said through clenched teeth.
He stayed like that glaring into his young partner's eyes to reinforce the message. It didn't take long for Druga to have seen enough of the panic in the young man's eyes before he felt a little guilty for bullying the love dumb kid.
"Come on. If we finish this patrol without issue, I'll buy you a drink. Ok?" Druga took his hand away and helped his partner up from the tree root that they'd fallen against.
"Are we good?" Druga asked after brushing his partner off.
"Yeah, I just."
"I know, I fell for a girl once too but never had her." Druga sighed at the memory. "I'll tell you about it later. Come on, let's finish checking this area and get back to the others."
The easiest way to control a young male with surging testosterone was to use greater force to put them in their place. To let them know that they aren't the alpha of the area and that causing trouble wasn't worth it. That would help the immediate issue of keeping order and then making buddies after a display of superiority would help keep order later. It was just one of those natural things between hot-headed men.
Angel heard the entire exchange and smiled. The hot emotions and passion between men and men and women was one of the things that never got old. Some of the best stories included this aspect of humanity, though it wasn't just limited to mankind. They were just the ones to keep writing about it.
Without that bit of entertainment, the tense moment of waiting for the sentries to leave would have unnerved her. As it was, she was glad the two were busy paying more attention to the two nearby lovers to notice her above them.
When they were finally gone, Angel waited a few minutes and breathed a sigh of relief. She then wasted no time to finish scrambling to her prize. The fruit was just waiting there for her and she still had to hurry. What if Zeus returned before her and found Alex missing? That would cause even more problems for her to clean up.
When she was finally above the cluster of fruit, she held onto the branch with her legs and swung herself around and under to grab the stem. Now the issue was that she didn't have a knife or other sharp object to cut through the thick hinderance.
["D*mmit! How could I forget such a thing!?"]
She looked around in vain and started carefully twisting. She didn't want to let any of the fruit fall to the ground. Not only would that be a phenomenal waste, but it would also make a lot of noise crashing through the branches and would make a telltale thud on the ground. Such commotion would definitely draw more attention than a little bit of lightning on a rainy night. These fruit were larger than her head after all.
As she struggled, Zeus's amulet nearly fell from Alex's neck and was kept from doing so only by the cloak. Angel looked up as it fell and was taken aback after getting smacked in the face by it. She watched in shock as it dangled in front of her eyes as she looked down. When she recovered her thoughts, she noticed something. The chain looked somewhat like a chainsaw... Angel decided to see if she could cut through the stubborn stem using Zeus's gift.
She carefully tied the end of the cloak around the lower stem and some of the fruit, then untied the cloak from her neck and took good hold of the amulet in her teeth before resecuring the cloak around her neck. If she wasn't fast enough to catch the cluster after severing the stem, maybe the cloak would keep it from falling. She worked quietly yet furiously sawing away at the stem no longer sparing the slightest thought for the noisy couple's background chorus. Their noisy lovemaking was serving as great masking noise to cover up her efforts at pilfering the godly fruit.
It was fortunate that the bark was a little soft after soaking in the rain. At long last the stem gave way and the cluster started falling. Angel had just a moment to bask in her triumph before the weight of the fruit strangled her with the cloak. Her legs nearly let go of the branch.
["That wouldn't have been funny. Getting Alex killed after all the trouble of finally getting here."]
Angel secured the amulet and grabbed onto the branch to pull herself up on top. Once safely back on the top side of the branch she could breathe again and took long deep breaths enjoying every energizing moment. When her arms were steady again, she heaved at the cluster still firmly tied with the cloak and set the whole thing on the branch in front of her. She hugged her prize and inspected each and every piece of it. Ambrosia looked like a cross between a giant pomegranate and an apple on the outside but inside it resembled a deep red grapefruit.
Angel twisted one of the fruits from the cluster and pierced its skin with the hard stem so she could peel it by hand easier. After peeling down an entire length along the side she pried it open and took in the sweet aroma. She gingerly took a slice and placed a bit in her mouth. If she was in her own body, this act would have made any husband watching forget that he was married. In Alex's body, the effect was rather creepy. Angel didn't care though, she was in bliss.
["Mmm, yes, this is what I was waiting for."] She mentally moaned and finished her treat before returning her attention to the rest of her loot.
She felt right at home again. All she needed was a lover and her world would be complete once more. At least, her life would be like it used to be. She thought about this as she worked.
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Angel was careful not to be noticed by the busy couple as she traveled between the trees in a circle around them. She needed to climb a tree and it was entirely possible that they'd notice her if they happened to look up while she was moving in the branches.
No matter how dark her water soaked clothes were at the moment, if she had the sky behind her, it would be obvious to any on the ground nearby that she wasn't part of the tree. The clouds in the sky were dark, but right above the town, they reflected a little bit of the light from fires, torches and any other sources of light. This is why she was moving around the couple instead. She was going to use the tree they were leaning against while getting sweaty to block their view to minimize the risk of them seeing her.
If she was spotted in a tree at that time, there would be no excuse she could give to get out of trouble. Not even Zeus's pendant would be enough to save Alex's skin. That nearby lightning strike may not have been enough to distract the gasping and moaning couple but it would definitely draw the nearby patrols to investigate. She had to hurry. It wasn't too long before she found a tree she could climb using Alex's somewhat taller than average body.
["Now I just have to find a fruit I can reach."]
Angel scanned along the lower branches for ambrosia that she could climb to. When she spotted a good candidate she would then retrace the branch to the trunk looking for a good path to it. Before long she found an entire cluster that she should be able to reach without too much trouble.
Angel circled around the tree and jumped up to grab the lowest sturdy branch and pulled herself up. It had been many years since the last time she climbed a tree. It was never her thing as a girl and she had never understood the attraction of climbing things that boys seemed to have until she saw the world through Alex's eyes.
"This is actually kinda fun. Sneaking about in the dark of the night and climbing trees to the sounds of lovers serenading the forest."
This night was bringing back many memories for her. She giggled a little bit but it sounded so unnatural in Alex's voice that she decided to resist the urge from then on for the rest of the night. She was making good progress and was almost to her objective when suddenly from the ground below, between a few nearby trees:
*Snap*
Someone or something had stepped on a branch. Angel froze and squeezed tight to the large branch she was on and didn't even dare to breathe.
"Quietly you fool. You'll disturb Tom and Mary."
"Don't call me a fool, Druga. I don't see why we have to do so much for that b*stard when he should be working tonight too."
A pair of patrolling sentries was stealthily passing by. They were most likely checking for a fire within that area of the grove.
"You know how long Tom's been trying to get quality alone time with her. Don't ruin it for him. Or what are you jealous?"
"P*ss off you bli-"
Druga quickly pressed his hand to his comrade's loud mouth and looked in the direction of the source of the sounds coming from Tom and Mary's exuberant baby-making session. He listened to make sure the gentle moaning screams continued without interruption before he glared at his friend.
"Don't f*ck with me on this or I'll cut your balls off so they don't cloud your mind anymore." Druga said through clenched teeth.
He stayed like that glaring into his young partner's eyes to reinforce the message. It didn't take long for Druga to have seen enough of the panic in the young man's eyes before he felt a little guilty for bullying the love dumb kid.
"Come on. If we finish this patrol without issue, I'll buy you a drink. Ok?" Druga took his hand away and helped his partner up from the tree root that they'd fallen against.
"Are we good?" Druga asked after brushing his partner off.
"Yeah, I just."
"I know, I fell for a girl once too but never had her." Druga sighed at the memory. "I'll tell you about it later. Come on, let's finish checking this area and get back to the others."
The easiest way to control a young male with surging testosterone was to use greater force to put them in their place. To let them know that they aren't the alpha of the area and that causing trouble wasn't worth it. That would help the immediate issue of keeping order and then making buddies after a display of superiority would help keep order later. It was just one of those natural things between hot-headed men.
Angel heard the entire exchange and smiled. The hot emotions and passion between men and men and women was one of the things that never got old. Some of the best stories included this aspect of humanity, though it wasn't just limited to mankind. They were just the ones to keep writing about it.
Without that bit of entertainment, the tense moment of waiting for the sentries to leave would have unnerved her. As it was, she was glad the two were busy paying more attention to the two nearby lovers to notice her above them.
When they were finally gone, Angel waited a few minutes and breathed a sigh of relief. She then wasted no time to finish scrambling to her prize. The fruit was just waiting there for her and she still had to hurry. What if Zeus returned before her and found Alex missing? That would cause even more problems for her to clean up.
When she was finally above the cluster of fruit, she held onto the branch with her legs and swung herself around and under to grab the stem. Now the issue was that she didn't have a knife or other sharp object to cut through the thick hinderance.
["D*mmit! How could I forget such a thing!?"]
She looked around in vain and started carefully twisting. She didn't want to let any of the fruit fall to the ground. Not only would that be a phenomenal waste, but it would also make a lot of noise crashing through the branches and would make a telltale thud on the ground. Such commotion would definitely draw more attention than a little bit of lightning on a rainy night. These fruit were larger than her head after all.
As she struggled, Zeus's amulet nearly fell from Alex's neck and was kept from doing so only by the cloak. Angel looked up as it fell and was taken aback after getting smacked in the face by it. She watched in shock as it dangled in front of her eyes as she looked down. When she recovered her thoughts, she noticed something. The chain looked somewhat like a chainsaw... Angel decided to see if she could cut through the stubborn stem using Zeus's gift.
She carefully tied the end of the cloak around the lower stem and some of the fruit, then untied the cloak from her neck and took good hold of the amulet in her teeth before resecuring the cloak around her neck. If she wasn't fast enough to catch the cluster after severing the stem, maybe the cloak would keep it from falling. She worked quietly yet furiously sawing away at the stem no longer sparing the slightest thought for the noisy couple's background chorus. Their noisy lovemaking was serving as great masking noise to cover up her efforts at pilfering the godly fruit.
It was fortunate that the bark was a little soft after soaking in the rain. At long last the stem gave way and the cluster started falling. Angel had just a moment to bask in her triumph before the weight of the fruit strangled her with the cloak. Her legs nearly let go of the branch.
["That wouldn't have been funny. Getting Alex killed after all the trouble of finally getting here."]
Angel secured the amulet and grabbed onto the branch to pull herself up on top. Once safely back on the top side of the branch she could breathe again and took long deep breaths enjoying every energizing moment. When her arms were steady again, she heaved at the cluster still firmly tied with the cloak and set the whole thing on the branch in front of her. She hugged her prize and inspected each and every piece of it. Ambrosia looked like a cross between a giant pomegranate and an apple on the outside but inside it resembled a deep red grapefruit.
Angel twisted one of the fruits from the cluster and pierced its skin with the hard stem so she could peel it by hand easier. After peeling down an entire length along the side she pried it open and took in the sweet aroma. She gingerly took a slice and placed a bit in her mouth. If she was in her own body, this act would have made any husband watching forget that he was married. In Alex's body, the effect was rather creepy. Angel didn't care though, she was in bliss.
["Mmm, yes, this is what I was waiting for."] She mentally moaned and finished her treat before returning her attention to the rest of her loot.
She felt right at home again. All she needed was a lover and her world would be complete once more. At least, her life would be like it used to be. She thought about this as she worked.
Angel was careful not to be noticed by the busy couple as she traveled between the trees in a circle around them. She needed to climb a tree and it was entirely possible that they'd notice her if they happened to look up while she was moving in the branches.No matter how dark her water soaked clothes were at the moment, if she had the sky behind her, it would be obvious to any on the ground nearby that she wasn't part of the tree. The clouds in the sky were dark, but right above the town, they reflected a little bit of the light from fires, torches and any other sources of light. This is why she was moving around the couple instead. She was going to use the tree they were leaning against while getting sweaty to block their view to minimize the risk of them seeing her.If she was spotted in a tree at that time, there would be no excuse she could give to get out of trouble. Not even Zeus's pendant would be enough to save Alex's skin. That nearby lightning strike may not have been enough to distract the gasping and moaning couple but it would definitely draw the nearby patrols to investigate. She had to hurry. It wasn't too long before she found a tree she could climb using Alex's somewhat taller than average body."Now I just have to find a fruit I can reach."Angel scanned along the lower branches for ambrosia that she could climb to. When she spotted a good candidate she would then retrace the branch to the trunk looking for a good path to it. Before long she found an entire cluster that she should be able to reach without too much trouble.Angel circled around the tree and jumped up to grab the lowest sturdy branch and pulled herself up. It had been many years since the last time she climbed a tree. It was never her thing as a girl and she had never understood the attraction of climbing things that boys seemed to have until she saw the world through Alex's eyes."This is actually kinda fun. Sneaking about in the dark of the night and climbing trees to the sounds of lovers serenading the forest."This night was bringing back many memories for her. She giggled a little bit but it sounded so unnatural in Alex's voice that she decided to resist the urge from then on for the rest of the night. She was making good progress and was almost to her objective when suddenly from the ground below, between a few nearby trees:*Snap*Someone or something had stepped on a branch. Angel froze and squeezed tight to the large branch she was on and didn't even dare to breathe."Quietly you fool. You'll disturb Tom and Mary.""Don't call me a fool, Druga. I don't see why we have to do so much for that b*stard when he should be working tonight too."A pair of patrolling sentries was stealthily passing by. They were most likely checking for a fire within that area of the grove."You know how long Tom's been trying to get quality alone time with her. Don't ruin it for him. Or what are you jealous?""P*ss off you bli-"Druga quickly pressed his hand to his comrade's loud mouth and looked in the direction of the source of the sounds coming from Tom and Mary's exuberant baby-making session. He listened to make sure the gentle moaning screams continued without interruption before he glared at his friend."Don't f*ck with me on this or I'll cut your balls off so they don't cloud your mind anymore." Druga said through clenched teeth.He stayed like that glaring into his young partner's eyes to reinforce the message. It didn't take long for Druga to have seen enough of the panic in the young man's eyes before he felt a little guilty for bullying the love dumb kid."Come on. If we finish this patrol without issue, I'll buy you a drink. Ok?" Druga took his hand away and helped his partner up from the tree root that they'd fallen against."Are we good?" Druga asked after brushing his partner off."Yeah, I just.""I know, I fell for a girl once too but never had her." Druga sighed at the memory. "I'll tell you about it later. Come on, let's finish checking this area and get back to the others."The easiest way to control a young male with surging testosterone was to use greater force to put them in their place. To let them know that they aren't the alpha of the area and that causing trouble wasn't worth it. That would help the immediate issue of keeping order and then making buddies after a display of superiority would help keep order later. It was just one of those natural things between hot-headed men.Angel heard the entire exchange and smiled. The hot emotions and passion between men and men and women was one of the things that never got old. Some of the best stories included this aspect of humanity, though it wasn't just limited to mankind. They were just the ones to keep writing about it.Without that bit of entertainment, the tense moment of waiting for the sentries to leave would have unnerved her. As it was, she was glad the two were busy paying more attention to the two nearby lovers to notice her above them.When they were finally gone, Angel waited a few minutes and breathed a sigh of relief. She then wasted no time to finish scrambling to her prize. The fruit was just waiting there for her and she still had to hurry. What if Zeus returned before her and found Alex missing? That would cause even more problems for her to clean up.When she was finally above the cluster of fruit, she held onto the branch with her legs and swung herself around and under to grab the stem. Now the issue was that she didn't have a knife or other sharp object to cut through the thick hinderance."D*mmit! How could I forget such a thing!?"She looked around in vain and started carefully twisting. She didn't want to let any of the fruit fall to the ground. Not only would that be a phenomenal waste, but it would also make a lot of noise crashing through the branches and would make a telltale thud on the ground. Such commotion would definitely draw more attention than a little bit of lightning on a rainy night. These fruit were larger than her head after all.As she struggled, Zeus's amulet nearly fell from Alex's neck and was kept from doing so only by the cloak. Angel looked up as it fell and was taken aback after getting smacked in the face by it. She watched in shock as it dangled in front of her eyes as she looked down. When she recovered her thoughts, she noticed something. The chain looked somewhat like a chainsaw... Angel decided to see if she could cut through the stubborn stem using Zeus's gift.She carefully tied the end of the cloak around the lower stem and some of the fruit, then untied the cloak from her neck and took good hold of the amulet in her teeth before resecuring the cloak around her neck. If she wasn't fast enough to catch the cluster after severing the stem, maybe the cloak would keep it from falling. She worked quietly yet furiously sawing away at the stem no longer sparing the slightest thought for the noisy couple's background chorus. Their noisy lovemaking was serving as great masking noise to cover up her efforts at pilfering the godly fruit.It was fortunate that the bark was a little soft after soaking in the rain. At long last the stem gave way and the cluster started falling. Angel had just a moment to bask in her triumph before the weight of the fruit strangled her with the cloak. Her legs nearly let go of the branch."That wouldn't have been funny. Getting Alex killed after all the trouble of finally getting here."Angel secured the amulet and grabbed onto the branch to pull herself up on top. Once safely back on the top side of the branch she could breathe again and took long deep breaths enjoying every energizing moment. When her arms were steady again, she heaved at the cluster still firmly tied with the cloak and set the whole thing on the branch in front of her. She hugged her prize and inspected each and every piece of it. Ambrosia looked like a cross between a giant pomegranate and an apple on the outside but inside it resembled a deep red grapefruit.Angel twisted one of the fruits from the cluster and pierced its skin with the hard stem so she could peel it by hand easier. After peeling down an entire length along the side she pried it open and took in the sweet aroma. She gingerly took a slice and placed a bit in her mouth. If she was in her own body, this act would have made any husband watching forget that he was married. In Alex's body, the effect was rather creepy. Angel didn't care though, she was in bliss."Mmm, yes, this is what I was waiting for." She mentally moaned and finished her treat before returning her attention to the rest of her loot.She felt right at home again. All she needed was a lover and her world would be complete once more. At least, her life would be like it used to be. She thought about this as she worked.
