Kiana

Email: Lespion@msn.com

Kiana

The Untamed

 

Episode 1

Phantom of the Forest

 

Chapter 9  Delzinga

 

Delzinga staggered through the undergrowth.  His once neat and clean khaki outfit was now shredded and barely clung to his body.  He had not eaten in two days except to nibble at a few fruits that he had stumbled across in the jungle.  He cursed the jungle girl.  He realized now that the giant black leopard that had appeared on two occasions was connected to her.  If only he had held onto his rifle.

 

He had been lucky to survive the fall from the cliff trail.  Three feet one way or the other and he would have come crashing down on rocks, but by pure chance he had hit a deep pool.  Then he had been swept downstream for several hundred yards before he had managed to pull himself up the bank.  By all rights he should have considered himself lucky to be alive and headed back to the base camp.  It was only a two day walk away and he probably could have made it without difficulty, especially as he would have been able to stop off at the jungle girl’s camp and pick up a few supplies.  But he had stubbornly insisted on going after the two women and their male companion.  He knew they had not returned to their camp as he had watched the trail and seen no sign of them.

 

He was now regretting his impulsive behaviour.  If he did not find them soon he would collapse from lack of food.  But they seemed to have disappeared without a trace.  His mistake was trying to track them from the other side of the river.  It was a stupid idea in the first place, but he had been terrified when the leopard had struck.  He had seen what had happened to Abeba and wanted to be nowhere near the beast.  The problem was, his side of the river was a tangle of jungle.  There was no path that he could discern and he was soon torn and bleeding from forcing his way through the thick vegetation. 

 

He collapsed onto a fallen tree.  He was almost finished.  He had never thought that it would come to this.  Defeated by a girl and dying of starvation in the jungle. 

 

He sniffed.  Was that smoke?  It was.  He clambered to his feet.  Smoke meant people.  And people meant food.  Had he lucked out after all?  Slowly he moved toward the smell of the smoke.  His years as a guide had taught him to move quietly when necessary.  He emerged from the jungle and found he was standing on the edge of the river.  The stream was shallower here.  Crossing to the other side would present no difficulty. 

 

He stepped into the stream and found it surprisingly warm, even for the tropics.  Looking upstream he saw thick vapors rising into the air.  Hot springs,” he thought.  Then he stepped out of the water and moved uphill.

 

A few feet farther on he came to the camp.  He recognized some of the equipment.  A still smoldering fire showed that the camp had not been abandoned for long.  “I wonder where the hell everyone went.”  It was strange that the camp was completely deserted.  But he had no time to waste on speculation.  There were still food supplies in the camp and he helped himself to as much as he could eat.  Finally, his strength somewhat restored, he planned his next move. 

 

The camp had not been abandoned.  The smoldering fire and the food and gear that had been left behind were proof of that.  That meant the two women and the camerman would be coming back.  All he had to do was wait.  However, they would be armed and all he had was his revolver.  And there was always the possibility that the huge leopard might be somewhere close by.  He would have to be very careful. 

 

 

Kiana led the way from the ruin.  She was in high spirits.  Hughes and Danielle seemed very pleased with what she had shown them.  They were going to try and find the rest of their friends and then come back.  She wasn’t sure why, not really understanding the explanation about taking pictures, but it didn’t matter much to her as long as she was with her new friends. 

 

She turned to look at Hughes.  The man grinned at her and quickly looked away when Danielle frowned.  That was something else she did not understand.  Somehow mating with Hughes had made Danielle angry with Hughes but not at her.  She thought perhaps Danielle wanted Hughes to mate with her instead, but Danielle had said no.  It was all very confusing.  All animals mated when they were ready and Kiana was ready now.  But she held herself back, not wanting to anger Danielle.  In any case, Hughes no longer seemed interested in mating.  She would just have to wait until he changed his mind.

 

She entered the camp and knew immediately that something was wrong.  The bad man who had hurt Danielle and beaten her had been there.  His scent was everywhere in the camp. 

 

“Kiana, what’s wrong/” Danielle called.  The girl was turning in a slow circle, slightly crouched, her teeth bared in a snarl of rage. 

 

“Bad man here,” the girl replied.  Immediately Hughes and Danielle readied their weapons.  Kiana shifted stealthily to the edge of camp.  She pointed toward the river.  “Bad man went back that way.”

 

“Delzinga?” asked Danielle. 

 

“Yes,” said Kiana.  “Bad man was here.  Went back to river.  I find and kill.”

 

“Wait,” Danielle called, but it was too late.  The lithe form of the forest girl was already darting down the path.  “Dammit,” she swore.  “Come on, Hughes.”  She broke into a run and followed Kiana down the trail.

 

 

“Perfect,” murmured Delzinga.  “I didn’t even have to show myself.”  He watched from the safety of the forest as the jungle girl rushed toward him.  Christ could she move.  She was already several hundred feet ahead of the blonde and the cameraman.  In a few more seconds she would catch up to him and run right into his trap.

 

 

Kiana slowed slightly.  Delzinga was very close now; his scent filled the air.  There – he was directly in front of her.  She stepped toward his hiding place and suddenly her world turned upside down.

 

It was a simple device really.  Just a stout sapling wedged horizontally across the trail and pulled back like a bow.  Delzinga triggered it manually by releasing the rawhide lashing he was holding.  The sapling whipped across the trail, catching Kiana across the midriff and picking her off her feet. 

 

Delzinga was on her before she could recover.  He moved fast, but could have taken more time.  The breath was knocked out of the jungle girl.  She lay semiconscious while he lashed her wrists behind her back and then hogtied her.

 

Hughes and Danielle arrived a few seconds later, but they were too late.  Worse, they were confronted by a triumphant Delzinga who pointed his gun not at them, but at Kiana.

 

“Lay down your weapons,” Delzinga ordered, “or I put a bullet in her head.”

 

“You do that and you die,” Hughes replied.  He trained his rifle on Delzinga making clear his intent. 

 

“You willing to risk your little friend?”  Delzinga asked.  His revolver was cocked.  It needed only a few grams of pressure on the trigger to fire it.

 

“You willing to die to kill her?” Hughes retorted.  He called Delzinga’s bluff.  He had no intention of being taken prisoner by the thug again. 

 

“It seems we have an impasse,” said Delzinga.  “I cannot stop you from killing me, but you cannot be sure that I will not kill the girl if you do.”

 

“You son-of-a-bitch,” Hughes said.  “I’m almost willing to risk it.”

 

“No,” Danielle said.  “You can’t risk Kiana’s life.”

 

Kiana stirred.  Finding herself bound she began to struggle, but Delzinga had tied her well.  She succeeded only in drawing the knots tighter.  Delzinga took advantage of the opportunity to pull the girl in front of him, partially shielding his body.

 

“Bastard,” said Hughes, realizing that Delzinga had increased his advantage.  Now he could not shoot for fear of hitting the girl. 

 

Delzinga on the other hand had no such qualms.  He turned his gun on Danielle.  “Now drop the rifle, city boy.  Or I make a big hole in your girlfriend’s tits.”

 

Hughes felt his heart sink.  He had lost another round to Delzinga.  Reluctantly he lay down his rifle. 

 

“Tie him up,” Delzinga ordered Danielle.  “Same as before.”

 

Meekly Hughes submitted while Danielle tied his wrists and ankles.  Once more he was at the mercy of the ruthless guide. 

 

“Now you, bitch.  Get over here.”  Delzinga pushed Danielle to the ground and bound her securely.  She was a gorgeous piece of ass, but he had something better he wanted to try.  A little bit of virgin pussy.  He returned to the jungle girl.  She was fully conscious now, and watching him with hate-filled eyes.  If she hated him now, he wondered how she would look at him after he was through taking her virginity.

 

“Come on dumpling,” he said as he picked up the girl.  He wasn’t gentle about it.  He hoisted her by lifting the rawhide thongs that connected her wrists and ankles.

 

Kiana grunted as she was picked up like a piece of luggage.  The strain on her arms and shoulders was tremendous and would have resulted in excruciating pain had she been anyone else.  Only her powerful muscular development allowed her to accept the brutal treatment without screaming. 

 

Hughes and Danielle watched helplessly as Delzinga carried the helpless girl toward a small grove of trees.  They had no doubt that he intended to brutalize her, but were somewhat mystified by what he was up to.  In a few minutes they understood all too well.

 

Both Hughes and Danielle swore, cursing Delzinga up and down as he retied the helpless forest girl.  He had chosen the location among the saplings very carefully.  It was something he had read about when he was a boy and the idea had fascinated him ever since. 

 

Placing the girl face down in the centre of four saplings, he took out a length of rawhide and tying it to one of the saplings ran it under a protruding root on another tree.  Then, hauling on the rope he bent the sapling over and tied it in place with its top just a few inches from the ground.  Taking out a machete he had stolen from the camp, he chopped off the excess branches at the top of the tree.  Still attached by its roots, it resembled a great bow.  He repeated the process with three other saplings, leaving Kiana at the exact centre of the four trees.

 

Having prepared the way, he then began to retie Kiana.  He started with her right leg, releasing it from the hogtie and securing it to the top of one of the bent saplings.  Then he repeated the process with her left leg.  Her arms were next.  He tied her right arm first.  Kiana struggled to escape when her hands were freed, but with her legs already immobilized she was unable to prevent Delzinga from doing what he wanted with her.  In a few minutes she was spread-eagled face down, her wrists and ankles tied to one of the bent saplings. 

 

Then Delzinga took the machete and prepared to cut the cord holding one of the saplings to the ground.

 

“Don’t do it,” Danielle screamed.  “You’ll tear her apart.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Delzinga replied.  “I want to fuck her first.  This will just test her strength.”  He cut the cord.

 

Throughout the ordeal of being tied to the saplings, Kiana had offered weak resistance.  Delzinga was careful to make sure that she did not have any real chance of escaping, and she was still in some pain from the trap Delzinga had sprung.  Across her belly was a nasty welt that had been raised when the bent sapling had whipped into her.  Now she battled to prevent her limbs from being torn from their sockets as Delzinga released each of the saplings.

 

The strength of the saplings lifted her from the ground, and pulled her limbs taut.  It was all Kiana could do not to scream in pain as the tremendous tension stretched her limbs, pulling apart the her joints and threatening to rip her ligaments from her flesh.  Only by bunching her muscles and using all of her strength did she manage to prevent her body from being ripped apart.  But the physical strain could not be hidden.  Sweat dripped from her body like droplets of dew, and her entire body trembled.  Delzinga had her at his mercy.

 

And the brutal guide was quick to take advantage of it.  As Kiana fought to prevent her supple body from being ripped apart, he removed her breast band and loincloth, leaving her naked and completely vulnerable. 

 

Kiana tensed as Delzinga moved between her thighs.  She shook with fear, panting as she battled to keep her body from being torn apart.  Delzinga was going to mate with her against her will.  She knew from Danielle’s reaction to such a violation that the experience would be terrible.  Mating was a natural thing, but being forced to mate with someone that she loathed and hated was a frightening thing.  She was not ready to mate.  Unlike her mating with Hughes she felt no physical desire to have sex.  Delzinga was going to force himself upon her and the pain would be terrible.

 

Almost as bad was the fact that Danielle and Hughes would be forced to watch.  For the first time in her life she understood what it was to be humiliated.  Even while being beaten she had not experienced such a feeling.  But she did not beg for mercy.  The idea did not even cross her mind.  Instead she fought to escape, twisting her supple body in a vain attempt to extricate herself from her painful bondage.

 

Delzinga watched the writhing body of the jungle girl.  She was extraordinarily beautiful.  Her long hair whipped about her head and droplets of sweat sprayed from her body as she danced in the ropes in a frantic attempt to escape.  Her small, pointed breasts hardly quivered as she twisted in terror.  She was very afraid.  He could almost smell her fear.  He was about to ravish her and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

 

Kiana almost moaned in fear as she felt Delzinga’s legs rubbing against the inside of her thighs.  Then she gasped as he slipped forward and cupped her breasts.  “No touch, Kiana,” the girl panted. 

 

“Just like a flower,” said Delzinga.  “A flower that I am going to pluck.”  He took each of her stiffening nipples between thumb and forefinger and gave them a gentle squeeze.

 

“No!” thought Kiana.  “No!”  Without thinking her mind sought Kitty.  She had to save her.  It was a mistake.  Kitty’s return thoughts were filled with animal passion.  Kiana gave a moan of carnal desire.  Her back arched.  “Oh Kitty!” she groaned. 

 

“My God, you little slut!” Delzinga exclaimed.  “Look at her; she’s begging me to fuck her.”

 

Danielle screamed incoherently at Delzinga.  The thug grinned.  “Relax sugar.  This is the main course, but I intend to have you for desert.”  He squeezed the moaning girl’s breasts and felt the nipples harden under his palms.  Drawing her to him, he tickled her vulva with the tip of his manhood.

 

“Ooohh!” Kiana groaned.  Griping the rawhide thongs that held her bloody wrists, she arched her back, actually pulling her body toward Delzinga.  Once more she was caught up in the throes of the leopard’s primal passions.  As Delzinga pushed into her she screamed in ecstasy. 

 

“Fucking little whore,” said Delzinga.  He had just discovered that Kiana was not a virgin.  Shifting his hands from her breasts to her waist he held her steady while he plowed into her. 

 

“Aaahh!” Kiana screamed.  In spite of her spontaneous cooperation, the sudden penetration of her love canal was very painful.  Her previous day’s session of lovemaking with Hughes had left her swollen and sore and Delzinga made no attempt to take her gently.  Instead he rammed into her like a jackhammer. 

 

Kiana gulped in air as her body responded to Delzinga’s crude lovemaking.  She could not help herself.   Mentally bonded with Kitty, her mind shared the primitive urges of the great cat.  And as the leopard’s various mates coupled with her again and again Kiana was immersed in a sexual sea.  Again and again Delzinga thrust into her and again and again she cried out in hysterical passion, finally climaxing in an explosive orgasm almost at the time that Delzinga shot his seed into her.

 

“Christ what a horny bitch,” said as he pulled his flaccid organ from Kiana’s dripping vagina.  The girl had gone limp, only her laboured breathing indication the depths of her emotions.  Filed with shame at what had been done to her, and mortified at her own participation Kiana hung her head, unable to look at either Hughes or Danielle.

 

“You asshole,” Danielle screamed as Delzinga stepped away from the exhausted girl.  “She’s just an innocent girl.”

 

“Yeah,” sneered Delzinga.  “An innocent girl that fucks like a cat in heat.”  Purely by accident the ruthless guide had accurately described Kiana’s response to rape.

 

“You cocksucker.  You’re nothing but a gutless coward.”

 

“Cocksucker?” Delzinga replied.  “No, I’m not one.  But we all know how good you are at it.  I think it’s time you demonstrated that again.  I want you to stimulate me to readiness again.”

 

“Fuck you,” Danielle replied cleverly.

 

“Exactly what I had in mind for you bitch.  And I expect you to do it willingly.”

 

“The hell I will,” Danielle replied, but inside she felt a cold fear as she realized what Delzinga was going to force her to do.  She could not refuse him and he knew it. 

 

Kiana hung helplessly.  She no longer had the strength to fight against the continuous tension of the bent saplings.  Slowly her body was stretched, the tendons and ligaments of her arms and legs pulled away from the bones.  Only the fact that the bent trees had lost some of their spring prevented her from being pulled apart.  Delzinga ran one hand down her spine to the small of her back.  “You refuse?” he asked Danielle.  His meaning was more than obvious. 

 

Defeated, Danielle shook her head.  “I’ll do it,” she said in a whisper. 

 

Behind her Hughes protested vigorously.  “Another word and I’ll give the jungle girl another flogging,” Delzinga threatened.  Cowed, Hughes shut his mouth, knowing full well that Delzinga was looking only for the faintest of excuses to beat the girl again.

 

Delzinga left the girl and moved to Danielle.  Her rolled her over and cut her ankles loose so that she could walk.  But he didn’t take her far.  Moving her directly in front of Hughes so that the angry and helpless cameraman could have a good look, he forced her to her knees.  He was already unzipped, and it took him only a few seconds to produce his limp manhood.  “Now, bitch.  Get this excited again.”

 

It took all of Danielle’s self control not to be sick.  Delzinga stank of sweat and dried semen, and his flaccid organ was smeared with Kiana’s blood.  Fighting back her gag reflex she took the glans of his penis between her lips and began to suck it back to life.

 

“Mmmm,” groaned Delzinga.  “You do that so well.”  As he spoke he opened the front of Danielle’s shirt and freed her heavy breasts. They spilled out into his hands like ripe melons.  “I think I’m going to have you tit fuck me.  It will be something we’ve never done before.”  He was breathing heavily now, as Danielle’s talented mouth revived his wilted manhood.  Slowly it stiffened until it filled her mouth, then when Delzinga felt it was ready, he pushed Danielle to the ground, and straddling her, placed his thick staff between her bounteous breasts.

 

“Uunngh,” Danielle grunted as Delzinga’s weight settled on her.  Hughes watched in impotent rage as the brutal guide began to slide his saliva-lubricated phallus between Danielle’s shuddering breasts.  He pushed her breasts together forming a tight, warm tunnel. 

 

Delzinga began to breathe heavily as he slowly worked himself into an advanced state of sexual excitement.  “Oh baby,” he moaned.  “This is fantastic.  It was my lucky day when you hired me.  Lucky for me and unlucky for you.” 

 

“You’re disgusting,” Danielle gasped.  The stench of Delzinga’s sweaty unwashed body, mixed with his strong male order was nauseating in the extreme.  It was all she could do not to vomit and then suddenly Delzinga’s manhood exploded shooting a thick stream of cream over her facer and breasts.  Suddenly Danielle was violently ill.  The pent up fear and revulsion spewed out of her splashing Delzinga’s lower body with vomit.

 

“You fucking bitch,” Delzinga shouted.  He leaped to his feet.  “You’re going to pay for that.”  Pulling up his pants he drew back his leg and delivered a vicious kick between Danielle’s breasts.

 

“Uungh!” The breath knocked out of her, Danielle gasped for air as Delzinga stood over her.  He was quivering with rage.

 

“Get on your feet,” he roared.  “You’re taking me to that treasure now!”

 

Danielle struggled to her feet, a difficult task with her wrists still bound behind her.  Delzinga moved to Kiana and cut the saplings holding her legs.  He continued by releasing her arms.  The saplings sprang back to their original shape, dumping the girl to the ground.  She lay breathing heavily, apparently too weak to move, but Delzinga was taking no chances.  Moving quickly to her, her placed his knee in the small of her back and pulled her arms behind her.  In a few seconds she was tightly bound.  Jerking her to her feet, Delzinga pushed her down the trail.  “Aright.  Time to stop fucking around.  Show me where the treasure is.”

 

By great effort of will, Kiana maintained her footing.  Her arms and legs felt as if they had been dislocated as indeed they almost had been.  She could barely move, but gritted her teeth and moved down the trail.  Danielle, still struggling to breathe followed behind her.  Bringing up the rear were Hughes and Delzinga.  The thug kept his pistol trained on Hughes. 

 

“Any tricks and the boyfriend gets it,” Delzinga threatened.  He gave Hughes a push as if to emphasize his threat. 

 

Together the four of them moved forward.  It was hard walking with their hands bound behind their backs, and Kiana was in obvious pain, but they struggled up the trail toward the temple.  After a walk that left all of the prisoners gasping for breath they reached the huge stone building.  Kiana led them straight into it.  Soon they were standing before the entrance to the treasure trove.  “Inside,” Delzinga ordered. 

 

Inside the treasure room, Delzinga gazed in wide-eyed disbelief at the mountain of gold and jewels.  “It’s too much to carry,” he exclaimed.  “This must be worth billions.”

 

“Outsmarted yourself didn’t you? Danielle taunted.  “You’ll never be able to carry even a fraction of it.”

 

Delzinga smiled.  “What do you mean me, slut?  Why do you think I kept you alive?  You’re going to do the carrying.  We’ll take enough that I will be able to afford my own expedition to come back and get what’s left.”  He stepped forward and cut Danielle’s bonds. 

 

“Untie your boyfriend,” he ordered, “but leave the girl tied.  She’s going to be my insurance that you don’t try anything funny.  One false move and I put a bullet through her head.”

 

As he spoke Delzinga pulled Kiana toward him.  He placed a short length of rope about her neck and held onto the other end.  With her hands tied the forest girl was tethered like a dog.  Then he turned to the transport of the treasure.

 

Under Delzinga’s supervision Hughes and Danielle sorted through the pile of gold and gems.  He selected what he thought was the most valuable and had them pack it into makeshift packs made out of their shirts.  The fact that this meant Danielle and Hughes were stripped to the waist seemed not to matter to the thug at all.  In fact he seemed to enjoy the spectacle of the half-naked blonde as she loaded her pack.

 

“That’s enough,” he said finally.  “It’s time to leave.”  It pleased him to look upon the naked bodies of the Danielle and the girl.  He would force them to carry his loot back to the main camp.  Some of the men he had hired would still probably be there.  Then he could return for a larger share of the treasure, and at the same time enjoy both the ravishing blonde and the doe-like jungle girl.  The idea was deliciously appealing.

 

He led the way out of the treasure room, Kiana just ahead of him.  He kept his revolver at the ready.  Any tricks from Hughes and Danielle and he would put a bullet through her. 

 

Turning just outside the treasure room he waited for Hughes and Danielle to emerge, then he heard a sound that froze his veins.

 

Kiana reacted just a split second before Delzinga.  As the thug turned toward the sound she threw herself to one side.  Delzinga never had a chance.  The beast was on him before he could even raise his gun.  He had a glimpse of huge fangs, glaring red eyes, and a black hairy bulk that filled his vision.  Then he was picked up and hurled thirty feet, smashing into the side of the tunnel.  His gun went flying off somewhere into the darkness.

 

The huge beast then turned toward Kiana, but she stood firm, facing him unafraid.  The monster lurched toward her and then slowed, the burning glare in its eyes dimming.  Still in the treasure room, Hughes and Danielle stared in horror as the monstrous creature moved right up to the girl.  Slowly it reached out and touched her shoulder, then lowering its arm, turned and shambled off into the darkness. 

 

Hughes and Danielle dropped their burden of treasure and ran to the forest girl.  “My god, Kiana,” said Danielle.  “What was that thing?”

 

“Guardian of treasure,” the girl answered, matter-of-factly. 

 

“Guardian?  Then why didn’t it attack you or us”” Danielle asked as she untied Kiana. 

 

Guardian Kiana’s friend,” the girl explained.  “No hurt Kiana.  No hurt Kiana’s friends.”

 

“Christ,” exclaimed Hughes.  “Was that a gorilla?”  That thing must have weighed over a thousand pounds.  Does everything in this valley grow giant size?”

 

Danielle shook her head.  “This just keeps getting stranger and stranger.  I think we better leave.”

 

Hughes nodded.  “I agree.”  Dumping the treasure out of their shirts, they put them on and followed Kiana out of the ruin.  Halfway out Hughes remembered something.

 

“What happened to Delzinga?”  I didn’t see him in the tunnel.”

 

Kiana smiled.  “Guardian take him.  Delzinga bad man.  Guardian punish.”

 

Hughes shuddered.  He quickened his pace.

 

 

It was like the worst of nightmares.  Escape was impossible.  The huge apes that had captured him did not harm him, but they would not let him go.  Not that he could find his way back through the miles of rainforest.  He had been unconscious for most of the trip to the area of the forest that the huge apes seemed to think of as their home territory and had only vague recollections of the rest of the journey.  He had been carried by the huge ape as if he were nothing more than a rag doll until he reached what seemed to be the ape’s family. 

 

He had been a prisoner a week now.  He had not been badly treated, as a matter of fact he was pretty much ignored by the huge beasts.  Sometimes it was almost as if he were one of them.  Unfortunately, that meant that he was on his own as far as food went.  For the first few days he had simply starved until he watched what the apes ate.  In desperation he copied them.  Unfortunately, he could not digest a good deal of the plants that the apes consumed and for the first few days could not bring himself to eat insects.  He now found that on an empty stomach, insects were quite good.  The problem was that it took an awful lot of insects to get a full stomach.  He spent most of the day looking for food, and at night curled up in a small shelter he had built. 

 

“That jungle bitch,” he thought.  Somehow he was sure that this was all her fault.  If he ever got out of this he would track her down and make her pay.  He winced and picked a biting insect from his groin.  “Little bastard,” he murmured.  He crunched it between his teeth.

 

 

Danielle grinned at Kiana.  The girl had agreed to leave her forest home and come home with her.  It had taken a bit of persuasion to convince her to leave Kitty, but Danielle had assured her that she could return to the valley in a year or so and it was important that she learn something about the world her parents had come form.  Getting her back to the United States shouldn’t be too difficult.  The papers that Danielle had found in the plane were still in good enough condition to prove her identity.  And Danielle had finally managed to finish her film.  Incredibly, the film crew had followed Hughes’ lead and gone in search of Danielle and the cameraman.  They had met them halfway back.  It had enabled Danielle to get more than enough footage of the strange Ethiopian valley to produce what she hope would be an award winning documentary with Kiana in the starring role.  By mutual agreement, neither she nor Hughes had said anything about the treasure.  It was something that they agreed should be left alone.  The jewellery that Kiana wore was more than enough to see for the needs of the girl, not that money really mattered.  Danielle owed her a great deal.  The forest girl was the star of the documentary, and Danielle would have looked after her in any case. 

 

Kiana smiled back at Danielle.  She could not have wished for a better friend.  Now Danielle was going to show her the outside world.  She would be able to see where she and her parents had come from.  And just as important, she would be close to Hughes.  She had some unfinished business with the cameraman.  She looked over her shoulder.  Below her was the valley where she had spent most of her life.  It was shrouded in cloud.  She was leaving it now, but one day she would return.  How could she not?  Kitty was there, and she had promised the big cat that she would help her with her kittens.


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