The Village

The sun cast dappled shadows across the forest floor.

Lucy Hawthorne moved stealthily, as silently as possible through the heavy woodland.

Her clothing blending seamlessly with the earthy tones around her as she crouched behind a thick holly bush, her breath hitching in her throat as she trained her camera on the sunlit clearing ahead.

Stunned by the beauty of what she saw, her adrenaline rising as she brought the camera to her eye to frame the shot perfectly. Focussing the lens of the digital device on two graceful deer who grazed peacefully, blissfully unaware of the eyes and camera lens upon them.

"Just hold still for a moment," she whispered to herself, fingers lightly pressing the shutter button to capture the moment.

Photography was her escape, a release. Nature photography had increasingly become her forte, not least as she loved the solitude it provided, affording her hours of escape from the claustrophobia of City living to traverse rural countryside and forests, just as she did today. As she studied the deer she considered how she had never even been fortunate enough to see such magnificence in their natural habitat before.

A smile crept across her lips as the cameras auto focus shifted and captured them once again.

Suddenly, a deafening crack shattered the tranquillity. The unmistakable sound of a shotgun shot rang out, echoing through the trees like an angry thunderclap. Lucy's heart dropped as she instinctively jerked the camera away and gasped in horror.

"No... No... No," she cried out, her voice as shrill as the sound of the rifle that still echoed in her ears.

As one of the deer collapsed to the ground, the crimson spray that erupted from its neck was stark against the gentle greens of the forest as blood sprayed across the foliage the creature had grazed upon. The other deer scrambled at first, panicking as it darted to the left then leapt to its right before cantering through the undergrowth at pace. Fury surged through Lucy, as she felt her fists clench, adrenaline coursing through her as to her right she spotted the male advancing through the underbrush, his hulking form moving with casual ease.

"What have you done?" Lucy shouted, her voice shaking but resolute. Standing from her crouched position she took a step forward, pushing aside the branches that clawed at her arms. "Why... Why would you shoot such a majestic creature?"

The male, dressed from head to toe in camouflage clothing including a matching cap, turned toward her his face partially shadowed by a heavy greying beard. He seemed genuinely surprised to see her.

"Food... Subsistence..." he bluntly responded, fixing her with a cold gaze that sent shivers down her spine. "...It's the poachers way."

As he stepped forward himself he casually tucked the shotgun he carried under his left arm, his expression cold and uninterested in her protest, even as his eyes shifted from his fallen prey towards her.

"Food?" Lucy echoed, her voice rising with disbelief. "You took a life for a meal... Did you not see how beautiful they were?"

The poacher scoffed, stepping closer, a dominance in his posture. "Nature's cruel... This forest is full of deer... It's how it works... Although I wouldn't expect a little do-good liberal like yourself to understand."

Lucy's heart raced with anger. "What you did was barbaric... You're... You're a monster."

Her voice trembled with raw emotion and indignation, even though a fear began to grip her body alongside of her anger as the male she confronted concentrated now on her. The shot gun tucked beneath his arm was impossible to ignore. Instinctively she drew the long-unzipped parka she had borrowed from her father over her body. Obscuring her little cropped beige t-shirt and her own short camouflage colour skirt from sight as her unease built.

"You're not gonna cause me any trouble are you blondie?" he sneered, his tongue licking across his lips.

With the camera in her hand Lucy appreciated she had the means to capture his image should she wish, she had the means but certainly lacked the inclination as he stepped even closer his eyes bearing into her. Every instinct triggered in an instant as she urged herself to back away and escape the situation she had found herself in. She could report the incident and offer a description of the male, as innocuous as his appearance was behind his beard and the peak of his cap.

"You... you can't get away with this," Lucy found herself defiantly offering, her moral obligation overriding her increasing fears.

"I can get away with whatever I want," he coldly retorted. "There ain't no laws that apply to me out here in the wild."

Lucy begged to differ as she stared incredulously at him. In a flash, his demeanour changed his patience snapped. Lucy backed away too late as the back of his right hand struck her across the face with incredible force. She stumbled backwards, pain exploding in her cheek as she lost her footing and crashed heavily to the ground. The air knocked from her lungs as she felt further viscous pain as the back of her head struck a hard object beneath her in the undergrowth.

The world spun as stars danced in her vision, muffled sounds of nature fading into a distant echo, lay on her back she wearily raised her head to look across her body, visible now again as the coat splayed open, towards the hiking boots that sat upon her ankles over long beige socks that extended to her knees.

"Looks like I'm really feasting tonight," the poacher remarked coldly.

Her head spun as she watched him pulling a length of rope from his pocket as he towered over her.

Lucy struggled to remain conscious. Blinking rapidly, trying to desperately clear her vision as everything around her dimmed. Barely conscious as the poacher crouched ominously over her, his form becoming a monstrous silhouette against the bright background of the woods in which she lay.

"Please... please what.. what are you..." her voice was weak, distant even in her own mind.

She was helpless to react as he drew her wrists together and started to wrap the course rope around them.

"What...what are..." Her voice now barely a whisper as darkness snuffed out her vision, and she slipped unconscious.

**********

Lucy's heart raced, pounding against her ribcage in panic as she slowly regained consciousness.

Twilight surrounded her, the darkness of the forest slowly encroaching upon her, casting mortifying shadows.

Fear surged through her veins as she attempted to move but could not. Realisation dawning on her that she was standing upright yet bound. Her upper body tightly secured to the trunk of a towering tree. Thick, coarse ropes crisscrossed around her neck, chest, and waist, rendering her completely immobile.

As nightfall encroached swiftly snuffing out the light and temperature from the day as it swallowed the woods in shadows, the crisp air carried scents both foul and fiery. Ahead of her, by the glow of light from flickering flames of a campfire she could discern a makeshift campsite cast in haunting shadows against the backdrop of the trees. A small tent stood behind a crackling fire, directly to her left, the carcass of the deer she had witnessed callously shot hung gruesomely from a low-hanging branch, its innards spilled across the floor. It hung there cruelly deprived of its life as a grim trophy of the poacher's brutality.

"God help me..." Lucy whispered, her voice trembling. She struggled against the ropes once more, despite only feeling their firm grip as they rubbed against her skin. The sounds of the forest felt amplified, each crack of a twig or rustle of leaves sending shivers through her spine.

Her mind in overdrive, the cool night air gripping her body now that she was shorn of her father's overcoat, left dressed in just the cropped t-shirt, her skirt and her walking boots and long socks.

She snapped her head up from her bound body on hearing the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching through the undergrowth. Her breath catching in her throat as she looked up to see the figure she instantly recognised approach the camp site in the gloom. The rugged silhouette of the poacher soon caught by the glowing light of the fire as he emerged through the undergrowth. He watched her, his features now clearly illuminated by the firelight.

"Let me go" Lucy offered with conviction.

"Awake at last," he grinned darkly, his eyes glinting with a twisted amusement as he stoked the fire. "But tell me... why would I let a pretty little thing like you go?"

Lucy's heart raced anew as she watched him head toward the tent, rummaging through possessions in a large rucksack before he pulled out a frying pan. Wiping it with a cloth he then placed it over the flames as he set to unwrapping two chunks of bloodied red meat which he set in the pan, the sizzle of the raw flesh hitting the red-hot pan filled the air.

"You can join me for dinner if you want?" he taunted, taking two large chunks of meat from blood-soaked cloths, her panic gripping her as she recognised the cloths as the torn remnants of her fathers parka. "Or are you one of them vegans... plant-based living is that what they call it?"

Lucy fell silent, her throat dry and her stomach sickened at the sight she witnesses. She forced herself to look away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response. Her mind focused once more on the ropes that bound her body, her thoughts racing as she considered the bleakness of her situation as she pulled harshly at the unforgiving restraint.

"See... I believe you can live off the land... no need for material objects," he continued, a twisted glee underscoring his words and mock her. "Gotta make the most of what nature offers you... And today I have been truly blessed."

He rose and stepped closer taking the pan off the fire, his oppressive presence blocking the flickering firelight as he drew closer and reached out, his rough hand brushing through her long blonde hair.

"You really are a beautiful creature... I didn't see that in that doe.." he stated his voice dripping with intent as he cast a glance towards the hung carcass, "...I see it in you though."

Lucy recoiled instinctively, pulling her head away as his touch and his words ignited a wave of disgust that coursed through her. There was a stench that hung around him, a damp earthy smell that filled her nostrils.

"Yes today, the good Lord has truly blessed me... with two types of meat," he stated, his voice low and menacing. "One a fine deer, and the other... a nubile young blonde."

Her eyes burned with defiance, and she lifted her chin, determined not to show fear despite the throbbing of her wrists and throat against the course ropes.

"You're sick," she spat, her voice rising as rage overcame fear. "Sick and fucking twisted."

The poacher simply chuckled, an ugly sound that sent chills down her spine.

"Oh no, my dear....This is just survival... One flesh to feed from and one to breed from... Nature's cruel, but it's honest."

He turned his back on her without another word and returned to the fire, placing the pan back over the intense heat and cooking the meat with methodical precision. Lucy felt bile rise in her throat at his insinuation. The warmth of the flames contrasted starkly with the coldness of her predicament. As the scent of cooking flesh filled the air, she shifted her weight and tested the strength of the ropes binding her once more. They were taut and insurmountable, any flicker of hope ignited within her passed within moments.

"That Deer didn't deserve to die... but you won't harm me." she offered defiantly. "You're a monster hiding behind a false narrative of survival."

The poacher paused, turning to face her with an expression that danced between annoyance and intrigue. "You're brave, I'll give you that... Or maybe just too fucking stupid for your own good... Naive little girls like you don't know about the real world... or the fates of so many others who've stumbled into these woods alone."

"Maybe I know more than you think," Lucy shot back, her determination flaring. "I've cared for things greater than myself?"

"I only care for what I can take," he retorted, his voice suddenly sharp and edged like the blade of his hunting knife as he drew it from his belt and pointed it towards her. "Right now, I've got dinner... and you... who's fighting a losing battle here?"

The fire crackled, flames licking at the air around the pan as Lucy searched desperately for a way out. As the poacher leaned over the pan slicing the meat with ease with the long machete style blade, she felt the rope around her left wrist give slightly. Instinctively, she shifted her weight again, using the rough bark of the tree to scrape against the binding, hoping for just a little more give, soon appreciating her wrist had only moved but a fraction beneath the rope and remained trapped.

"If you think you can intimidate me... you're wrong," she said, her voice now filled with a steely resolve, "...I will fight until my last breath."

The poacher's smirk dropped in a heartbeat, amusement flickering in his eyes before he masked it with a hard glare. His fingers tightened around the frying pan's handle as he regarded her with a mixture of anger and contempt.

"You really think you have a chance against me?" he challenged, his dark eyes narrowing on her. "I'm not going to kill you... you've another purpose."

Lucy inhaled deeply, steeling herself as he stood once more and headed towards her.

"I may be bound, but my spirit isn't." Lucy sneered

"Food can wait," the poacher sneered. "Let me show you what you're going to provide for me."

**********

Lucy's eyes screwed shut, her heightened breath rasping in her chest.

Her breasts rising and falling against the ropes that held her immobile against the rough bark behind her.

She felt his fingers leave her. Her mind unable to comprehend the physical betrayal of her body. Her mind succumbing as she had physically come undone against the duress of his callous fingers that had sunk deep into her body.

"Like a bitch in heat." he chuckled as by the flickering light of the fire, she watched him bring his fingers to his lips nestled between the course greying beard.

Lucy stared at him defiantly, she held a silence. In part born of defiance but also given that her own underwear sat wedged deep into her mouth. The white lace trimmed briefs that he had cut from her body with the knife now sat back in the leather sheath attached to his belt.

"Damn... You taste sweeter than any Venison," he growled as he slipped his fingers from his mouth.

Her eyes bore into him in the darkness. The last remnants of the heavy unbelievable, given the circumstances, climax that he had goaded from her bound body passed as her breath steadied.

"You taste ripe," the poacher sneered stepping closer, his earthy stench invading her senses once more.

His feet stepped over the length of rope he had applied over and between her ankles. A rope applied to prevent her from kicking out once more following the well-placed kick she had earlier struck his left shin with. Held against the tree she felt him press up against her, his fowl breath passing across her face as she felt him hitch her skirt up back over her hips. Lucy whimpered, feeling the warmth of a tear slip down her left cheek. His dark menacing intent abundantly clear.

"Now I've got you all warmed up... let's see what a gift I have been given."

As she felt his hand move between their bodies she heard him lower his zipper. His left hand slipping over the back of her right thigh as against her restraint and with far greater physical strength he hoisted her legs up around her waist.

"It's just nature..." he growled into her ear, "...every animals instinct is to reproduce."

Lucy fought against him the intricacy and the skill with which he had tied the knots that held the ropes around her body to immobilise her, she kicked her lower legs but the rope between her ankles gave her no purchase. He raised her waist, clenching the back of her thigh as he pressed his body against hers his left shoulder pressing up under her jaw.

"Don't do this..." she pleaded on a muffled voice through the gag as she felt him against her, his exposed penis pressing determinedly against her young body. "...you don't have to do this?"

"I do..." he sneered as he thrust his hips brutally up into her. "...It's time to breed you."

Lucy cried out into the gag, as his hood then his entire shaft pierced up into her body on one brutal thrust. His intrusion assisted by the climax he had goaded from her. Her eyes screwed shut as held within her he manipulated her legs up around his waist. His fingers digging into the underside of her thighs as he pressed further up into her, taking her on repetitive vicious harsh thrusts from the outset.

"Fuck me..." he snarled, bringing his head back to look down on her as she was held before him in the harsh rope restraint "...that's a tight little cunt... I truly have been blessed."

Lucy's mind lurched, tears streamed down her cheeks as he claimed her with a wild abandon. His upper body pressed to hers as he ravaged her. Screwing her eyes shut against the darkness that physically and metaphorically surrounded her.

The poacher laboured away, his fast brutal style never faltered and was maintained as each harsh thrust dragged her back and shoulders up and down against the rough bark of the tree trunk. Lucy gasped and begged into the enforced gag her pleas falling on deaf ears as she was used mercilessly, her assailant taking what he wanted from her at a brutal pace. Feeling him lance deeper and deeper into her she fell limp against her restraints, shutting off from the physical and emotional turmoil that wracked her body and mind.

"You're mine..." he growled breathlessly as he continued, "...my own little fertile doe."

Through her sobs Lucy cringed at his insinuation. Dark visions lancing through her mind at her prospects and how long he might choose to keep her captive. He could not and he surely would not get away with this. Someone would surely come for her, someone would surely rescue her.

"You'll... serve...your purpose," he offered as he claimed her, objectifying her with his taunts.

Lucy endured as he clenched her thighs tighter in his grip pressing her legs up towards her bound body as she was held suspended by his grip and the thick course ropes. The ropes around her neck seemed to draw tighter as she struggled for breath against the heightened physical onslaught as his hips slammed against her faster and harder forcing himself into her body. She concentrated on the flames of the fire willing them to spread and consume everything around her, burn the clearing to the ground so long as it meant salvation.

"C'mon... C'mon..." she heard him snarl. "Nearly... nearly."

Unable to bring herself to look at him, her eyes concentrated on the white hot glow at the centre of the fire, shutting him out even as she heard his guttural growl and felt him lance up into her as deep as he could, holding himself in her, his legs trembling as she realised he had gained a climax and planted his seed in her unprotected body.

"You enjoy your first rut?" he sneered, as he lowered her bound legs until her feet met the floor once more. "Cos I did."

With her body rising and falling on anger and exhaustion she turned her head away from him as she felt him ease from her body.

"Your wet little cunt was still tight enough" she heard him say as he backed away. "Takes a lot to keep me from a feast of hunted meat... I'll be back for more of you once I've gained sustenance."

As he left her Lucy trembled in her restraint, shivering against the drop in temperature night and overwhelming anxiety of what had just transpired.