Dawn was nearing when they finally stopped again. Jax walked around nervously, his hands on his hips, while Brenda bent over double, trying to force air into her lungs. Jax walked back to where she was and touched her lightly on the back. "Are you ill?"

Brenda shook her head. "No, just out of breath and exhausted. If I’d known that I would be escaping Charporta tonight, I would have slept more last night," she returned sarcastically.

Jax smiled. "Not much further, tigress." He stared off into the distance. "There are three Tunnel entrances on Charporta, aren’t there?"

Brenda nodded. "Since Charporta isn’t a member of the Empire, the entrances to the tunnel aren’t guarded by Imperial Knights. But Corinthon posts a skeleton force at each entrance to try to keep order. If we wait too long, he will probably send reinforcements."

Many planets in the system were members of the Empire. Knights of the Thren guarded the entrances to Tunnels on Imperials planets. Since Charporta was a planet on the outer fringes of the system, the tunnel entrance was unguarded by Knights. Jax and Brenda faced a daunting journey. They would have to pass through several other planets and worlds before they finally reached an Imperial planet. From that planet, all tunnels would lead to Tron, the headquarters of the Thren. From there, a special tunnel led to Meer’an, Jax’s home planet.

Keeping the tunnels open and free from thieves and smugglers was a constant worry to the High Council of Tron. Since Familiars were generally known to be an adventurous, inquisitive breed, the High Council often employed them to explore new worlds as they opened new Tunnel Points. Lukathan had been sent on such a quest, but Jax had come in search of Lukathan when he had disappeared.

Jax noticed that Brenda’s coloring was returning to normal. "Do you know which Tunnel point would be closest to where we are now?"

Brenda put her hands to her lower back and stretched, looking around to try to gauge their position. She looked at the stars and the three moons, shining down on them brightly. She turned once again to the left and pointed over Jax’s shoulder. "The closest Tunnel entrance would be that way, in Harsty, the main village of Charporta." She glanced up at the horizon. "We could probably make the edge of the village by dawn and be at the Tunnel point a few hours after that."

Jax shook his head, pulling out a hydrale flower from a makeshift pack on his back. "No, zira, we can’t risk using that Tunnel Point. It is too close to Corinthon’s fortress and he will expect us to be fatigued and settle for that one." Jax looked suspiciously at the distant buildings of Harsty. "His guards will soon be combing the entire village looking for us. There are too many possibilities of betrayal." He could see that Brenda was upset with his distrust of her mother’s loyal subjects, but he raised a hand to her objections. He motioned for her to come nearer, and when he crushed the flower into his hand, he held it up to her lips so that she could drink the sweet nectar. "Where are the other points?"

She swallowed gratefully and pointed again over his right shoulder. "There is a Tunnel point about five days’ journey from here, beyond those hills."

"And the third entrance?"

Brenda frowned. "Fifteen days’ journey."

Jax nodded and put his hands on his hips decisively. "Then we’ll go for the one that is 5 days’ journey. Hopefully we’ll be able to move more quickly than Corinthon’s men if I put a few obstacles in their path." He looked off into the distance. "So you say we need to travel beyond those hills?" Brenda nodded. He extended his hand to her. "Then we should be on our way." He glanced up at the sky. "It’ll be daylight soon, and they will find us easier to track with full light."

Brenda placed her hand in his, and sighed as she rose to her feet again. They made their way across the grassy plain to the base of some gently rolling hills, and then followed a winding path that led them to another relatively flat area within the hills.

As Jax was about to head for what appeared to be more grassland, Brenda pulled him back. "No -- you can’t go that way. We need to go around these hills." She pointed to a rocky path that wound through steeper hills.

"But this is flatter land. We’ll make better time," Jax argued. "If we follow that path, it’ll add at least two days’ time to our journey."

"The time it takes to follow that path was included in my original estimation of 5 days, Jax," Brenda explained patiently. "Noone crosses the ravneau. Everyone takes the path through the hills."

Jax smiled confidently. "Then we won’t be like everyone else! We’ll cross the ......ravneau, did you call it? What is that?" When Jax had first come to Charporta in search of Lukathan, he had arrived through the Tunnel point in Harsty. He squinted his eyes and stared at the flat land covered by a spiderweb of green growth.

Brenda pulled him to sit next to her on a large rock. "Jax, the ravneau is a living plant. It covers the plain out there." She pointed to the innocent-looking grassy substance.

"So?" Jax said. "I’ll be careful not to trample it." His eyes flashed with cocky Familiar arrogance.

Brenda put her hand to Jax’s mouth to stop his words, and then pulled it away quickly when her fingers tingled at his touch. "Jax…..the ravneau is not just any plant." She took a deep breath and chose her words carefully. "It’s a *carnivorous* plant."

Jax’s eyes narrowed. "As in…..eats small rodents and unfortunate birds?"

Brenda’s face was grim. "As in…..eats *anything* that crosses it."

Jax gave her a look of disbelief. "It appears to be just a tangle of vines." He spoke sarcastically. "Does it raise itself up off the ground and strangle its victim?"

"The ravneau is one of the many curses of this planet," Brenda began with a sigh. "It’s partially dormant during hours of daylight. When an innocent creature disturbs the plant during the day, the ravneau releases small spines like darts that are tipped with a poison. The poison slowly paralyzes the ravneau’s victim." She walked away from Jax to stare at the tangled green web ahead of them. "As the light fades into night, the ravneau awakes and devours its paralyzed victims ……. whole."

Brenda shuddered slightly and when she turned back to Jax, she had tears in her eyes. "I remember shortly after Morenon died……Corinthon captured an enemy spy. He made all of us come here to watch the spy’s execution as night fell." As her head dropped forward onto her chest, Jax came to take her in his arms. He could feel the wetness of her tears against his bare chest.

Brenda breathed in the scent of him that she was coming to associate with safety and well-being. She rubbed her cheek once against his chest, but then looked up into his eyes. "We can’t travel across the ravneau. Noone has ever crossed it and lived to tell the story."

Jax turned loose of her and went to stand at the very edge of the web, his hands on his hips. "I think I can cross it." He squinted up at the sky. "Especially now that the sun is rising." He turned back to Brenda. "I can run very swiftly and cross the entire plain before darkness falls. There are tiny spaces between the vines. If I place my steps carefully, I won’t disturb the ravneau."

Brenda rose her eyebrows. "I see." She went to a nearby rock and sat down, folding her hands. "I understand, Jax. If you want to continue on alone, I will find someone in Harsty who is still loyal to my mother to escort me to the Tunnel point….."

Before she could finish, Jax rushed to kneel next to the rock and take her hands in his. "You didn’t let me finish, zira. I promised you that I would help you reach the Tunnel point, and I already told you that Familiars never break a promise." He looked deeply into her eyes, drawing her into the azure richness of his. "I’ll just carry you."

Brenda swallowed hard. "Carry me? Your plan is to cross the ravneau, on foot, *running*, *carrying me*, all in one day?" Jax nodded confidently. "You HAVE lost your mind!"

Jax stood back up, looking up at the sky. "I’m afraid you’re wrong again, Brenda. The only thing I’m *losing* is daylight while we debate the wisdom of my plan." He walked towards the edge of the ravneau, hands on hips, and then turned back to her, extending his hand. "Are you coming?"

Brenda rose and walked slowly towards him. "Jax, I’m sure that you have many wonderful Familiar talents……"

Jax grinned at her slyly. "….some of which you have yet to fully appreciate….."

Brenda put her hands on her hips, giving him a rebuking look. "….as I was saying, even with those extraordinary abilities, you didn’t sleep well for several nights now. I’m sure you couldn’t rest properly in Corinthon’s dungeon, and you spent all of last night weaving a complicated path to deceive Corinthon’s men." She took his hands in hers. "If you insist on trying this plan of yours, at least let’s wait until tomorrow at first light. You can rest all day and get one good night’s sleep to give you more strength for the journey."

Jax put his hands on his hips, mirroring her. "Familiars do not need as much rest as others, Brenda. If we delay the crossing by a full day, it will give Corinthon’s men an excellent chance to catch up to us. It won’t take them long to realize that we are not using the Tunnel entrance in Harsty. This is our only choice, and I think you know that. Once we cross the ravneau, it will put a large distance between them and ourselves, since I doubt that any of them would be able to cross it."

Brenda gave a long sigh, and with one more glance at the tangled growth, she nodded quickly. "What do you want me to do?"

Jax went back to where they had dropped their supply of hydrale flowers and began drinking the fluid from one quickly. He handed one to Brenda as he took another. "I’ll need to store up some fluids since there won’t be time to stop for a drink during the journey." As Brenda slowly drained one of the flowers, she watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he consumed the juice of another. When he had finished, he picked up the remaining pods. "Tie your cloak up around your waist and place these inside. I may need some of them once we arrive on the other side of the ravneau."

As Brenda followed his directions, Jax moved about, gathering small rocks and glancing up at the rapidly approaching first light of day. He brought several of the smaller rocks back to her. "Place these somewhere that you can reach them as we travel. They may prove useful to fling at the ravneau if it awakens early." Brenda shivered a little at the thought and gratefully accepted the stones.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," she said grimly. Jax bounced on his feet a little, bending a few times at the knees. As Brenda finished tying her cloak up around her, Jax came and tipped her face up to his.

"I will need to focus my entire concentration on my running, angel. Don’t try to talk to me as it will distract me. As I carry you on my back, I’ll need you to feel my movements and move with me. If I shift to the left, you need to shift your weight also. Do you understand?" Brenda nodded. "If I need you to throw a stone or give me some water….."

Brenda gasped a little as the thought sounded in her head. Although Jax had sent her telepathic messages before, it never ceased to startle her that he could invade her thoughts that easily. But she smiled and nodded at him again, and Jax moved to the edge of the ravneau and looked back at her.

"The dawn is almost breaking. We should be ready." Brenda took a deep breath and walked over to stand behind him. Jax crouched down in front of her. "Climb up on my back, put your arms around my neck, and wrap your legs around my waist, zira." Jax caught the undersides of her thighs with his strong forearms, and he straightened to his full height, bearing her weight easily. He walked around in a small circle, testing his maneuvering abilities with her on his back.

"Am I a hindrance?" she asked softly.

{Never, angel. You already feel as though you are part of me.} Then she felt his arrogant smile. {But it is fortunate you haven’t eaten recently.}

Brenda blushed slightly at his words, but then she smiled at his teasing and blew gently at the back of his ear, stirring the hair at the nape of his neck. She heard him purr softly, and she shivered in strange delight as she felt the vibration rattle through his body. Jax shook his head to calm himself and walked to the edge of the ravneau again. She felt him begin to take deep breaths in preparation for the challenge ahead.

As the first rays of morning broke through the hills, Jax gripped her legs more tightly. "If you’re ready, throw a stone at the ravneau……NOW!" Brenda took deadly aim and hit one of the green vines, but it didn’t move. It had moved into its dormant stage.

As Brenda was about to make that observation to Jax, she was jolted by his body springing into action. The speed with which he moved caused Brenda’s head to spin. She never had seen his feline qualities to the extent that she saw them now.

The man moved with uncanny accuracy. He knew exactly where the tiny spots between the ravneau grew were, and he placed the balls of his feet just there. He darted, changing directions, never slacking in pace. Sometimes he leaped over vast distances that were covered by the deadly predator. They seemed almost to be flying until Brenda heard the gentle tap of his bare feet touching the ground again.

If someone had observed them from afar, they probably would have thought it was one body making the journey. Jax would send Brenda messages to shift her weight, or lean to his left, or hug him more tightly, and she would comply immediately. When the rocking motion of his running and her lack of rest began to make her sleepy, Jax sent her a loud message.

She immediately roused and gripped his waist with her legs. She would pass him some water when he "told" her he needed some, but Brenda soon noticed that he was perspiring freely. She was amazed that his energy level never seemed to wane.

As she struggled to remain alert and awake, Brenda noticed with alarm that the light of day was beginning to fade. She pulled herself higher on his back and when she looked over his shoulder, the distance between them and the edge of the ravneau caused her to gasp. She realized they wouldn’t be able to make it by dusk.

"Jax! It’s too far! We’re not going to make it!" Jax didn’t answer her telepathically, but just tightened his grip on her body. "Jax!" she cried, "leave me behind! Save yourself so that you can warn the Familiars about Corinthon’s drug!"

Brenda almost screamed aloud as she watched the first shadows of dusk begin to creep across their path. The green vines began to writhe, as a person does awakening from a long sleep. As she cast a glance over her shoulder, she inhaled sharply when she saw one of the vines behind her rear up and aim to throw one of its spines at her back.

Just as Brenda expected to feel the sting of the poison dart, Jax shifted her in his arms, pulling her around so that he carried her in front of his body. His left arm was beneath her knees, his right arm under her armpits. He cradled her body to his and veered to the right, avoiding the deadly missile. As he continued, Brenda realized that he was carrying her in such a way that should one of the vines successfully spit at them, his body would absorb the poison first.

Brenda could hear Jax’s labored breathing as he continued to eat up the distance between them and safety. She buried her face deep in his chest, but when she opened her eyes one last time, she screamed at the sight of a vine, preparing to hurl its poison directly at them. Jax hurtled his body into space, leaping with the grace of a giant jungle cat, curling into a ball with her body as the center.

Brenda felt the impact as they hit the ground. Jax took the brunt of it as he fell flat on his back, still cradling her to him. He rolled further away from the ravneau into an oasis of smooth rocks and soft grass. When they finally came to rest, Jax and Brenda lay on their left sides in the gentle carpet of grass, Jax’s body still wrapped around Brenda’s protectively.

As Brenda felt her breathing beginning to slow in rhythm with Jax’s, she pushed at him. "Jax! Let me up! You’re smothering me!" She felt the grip of his arms lessen and she wriggled free of his embrace. As she turned back to face him, she saw his face was still ashen from his efforts and a thick film of sweat covered his body. She fumbled in her cloak for some of the hydrale pods filled with water. Grabbing a full one, she tried to roll Jax to his back. She put her arm around his shoulders to support him and when she touched the moist flower to his lips, he reached up for it greedily. She continued to hold the pod to his mouth and tried to control the flow of water so that he didn’t choke, his hands cupping hers gratefully.

After he drained one of the pods, she reached into the cloak and pulled out a hydrale flower. She tried to crush it with her hand as she had seen him do, and as the fluid started to flow from the interior, she moved it directly to his lips again. She was gratified to see his color begin to return to normal, and his eyes fluttered open, looking into hers immediately.

He took the flower from her, his strong hand doing a much more effective job of crushing the flower’s pulp into his mouth. Brenda still held him in her arms, and she was surprised when he pushed her hand away before the flower was empty, forcing it to her own lips. "Drink, Brenda," he whispered. "You need some, too."

She smiled at him as she accepted the nourishment from his hand. After the flower was empty, she put it aside. Jax pushed himself up, looked around, and then scooted himself closer to a small boulder with Brenda still locked in his arms. As he reclined against the boulder, he pulled her head down to his chest and he stroked the softness of her hair with his hand. "Sleep, zira. We both need rest before we continue."

Brenda certainly wasn’t going to argue with him. Although she found his chest to be a comfortable pillow, she was worried that he was too exhausted from their journey to support her. But when she looked up to tell him so, she found he had already gone to sleep. As she settled back down against his chest, the reassurance of his strong heartbeat soon lulled her into a similar dreamless slumber.

*~*~*~*

Jax was awake. His eyes shot open as he immediately came back to full consciousness. Familiars never existed in that half-asleep, half-awake state that many humans found so enchanting. He craned his neck to look up at the sky through the trees above him, and could see all three of Charporta’s moons already shining brightly. He hadn’t intended to sleep that long, but between the accumulated exhaustion and the feel of Brenda’s soft body in his arms, his body had overruled his mind.

Brenda shifted slightly, and Jax stared down at her delicate features as she continued to sleep. Her full lips were pursed slightly, and he longed to trail one finger across them. Instead, he took the first finger of his right hand and stroked it ever so gently across her long eyelashes. He almost expected to find his finger covered with the black soot from the mantle at his home on Meer’an.

As he continued to explore her face with the touch of a butterfly’s wings, Brenda crinkled her nose in a way that made Jax smile. She was such a beautiful woman, and he wanted her. But not only for her beauty. She had a fiercely brave spirit, trusting him completely, never once complaining although they had traveled long and hard in their escape from Corinthon’s men. She was selfless, insisting that she be the one to die so that he could warn the rest of the Familiars.

As Jax’s finger trailed down to her cheek, Brenda’s eyes fluttered and she looked up at him. "You’re already awake," she complained softly. She tried to push herself to more of a sitting position next to him, but he held her fast, reclining against the rock. "You did it, you really did it!" she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Did you ever have any doubts that I would?"

Brenda slapped his chest playfully. "Ahh…..I see that you’ve suffered no ill effects from the journey. Your Familiar arrogance survived nicely."

Jax snuggled her more tightly. "You think this is arrogance? I’m just stating the obvious." He tipped her face up to his. "I crossed the ravneau, and now I have a beautiful, grateful woman in my arms." He sighed. "Life is good."

Brenda put the flat of her hand on his chest. "Oh…..*now* I see. Grateful. So tell me, Jax – exactly how are you expecting me to show my *gratitude* to you for carrying me across the ravneau?"

Jax crinkled his eyes in thought, but then pulled her closer again, tracing her lips with his thumb. "One kiss, angel. Freely given. That should prove your gratitude to me."

Brenda tipped her head to the side. "Why do I get the feeling this isn’t just about gratitude?" But before she could object any further, Jax reached his right arm up her back to bury itself in the hair at the nape of her neck. As she scooted further up his body, her lips met his, and she sighed softly into his mouth at their first contact.

Jax kissed her gently as first, more rubbing his lips against hers in a maddening teasing motion. When he felt her move her body closer to his to try to increase the pressure, he traced first her upper lip and then her lower lip with his tongue, licking them, tasting her. As he finally closed his lips over hers to give her the deep kiss she wanted, her body seemed to melt into his.

Brenda’s left hand slowly came up his chest to rest on his shoulder. Her head was already beginning to spin when she heard his voice in her mind. {I love the way you taste, Brenda. You taste sweeter to me than anything I’ve ever had.}

Brenda suddenly realized that the Familiar telepathic ability could be quite erotic during kissing. Not only could he make her breathless with the things his lips were doing, but his words were causing her nerves to sizzle. As she tried to draw breath, she heard him again. {Taste me, zira. Trust me as you have before.}

Jax heard Brenda whimper softly against his mouth as he continued to send her erotic messages, designed to bring her closer and closer to the fullness of pleasure he knew she had never experienced. Familiars were known throughout the Empire for their sensual talents, one of which was bringing a woman to her peak by kissing alone. Jax was about to acquaint Brenda with this talent in a firsthand manner. She shyly touched her tongue to his lips as they continued to kiss, and a pleasurable shock wave went down her tongue into the rest of her body.

{Taste me, angel. Tell me what you want.} Jax continued to send her telepathic messages as his lips conveyed a sensual message. Brenda pulled her lips away, locking her forehead with Jax’s, desperately trying to control her breathing. But as soon as she pulled out of the kiss, Jax effortlessly rolled her onto her back. She inhaled as his lips descended on hers again, and as soon as she did she realized that his sexual scent was enveloping them as it had in the dungeon. The warm, musky essence filled her senses and only made her move her body more anxiously against his, longing for something, not knowing quite what it was.

As Jax felt Brenda’s restless body surge against his, her hips beginning to move instinctively, he broke the kiss. He began to nip gently at the corners of her mouth, pausing to take her upper lip between his lips, rubbing it against his teeth. Brenda moaned aloud as he trailed the backs of his fingers up the side of her neck, pausing to delicately outline the shell of her ear with just the tips. {Yes, Brenda. Don’t hold back. Tell me what you enjoy.} Before she could draw a fresh breath, his tongue surged into her mouth again, heightening the experience. Her breathing became even more rapid as he felt her excitement building.

The strokes of his tongue became longer, fuller, hotter, as he continued to explore every corner of her mouth. He felt Brenda’s hand grip his shoulder tighten and knew she was coming close to her peak. As he felt her, poised at the edge of the precipice, Jax broke the kiss once more. She opened her passion-glazed eyes to see the violet fireworks in his, feeling herself lost in the haze of his hypnotic sensual spell. Before she could speak, he lowered his lips to hers again, doing what he knew would send her over the edge.

Jax purrrrrred into her mouth, sending vibrations down her spine, causing her to begin to tremble. He traced the sides of her neck with his fingers as the pleasurable sensation spread downward, all the way to her center. He felt her fingers dig into his shoulder.

As the spasms rocked Brenda, bright colors of the Darpathian sun exploded behind her eyelids. She groaned aloud, trying to hold onto Jax, trying to find some anchor in this world that had seemed to rocket off center. She finally pulled out of his kiss, resting her cheek against his, panting as though she had been the one to run across the ravneau instead of him.

"What did……what was……" Brenda’s words came with difficulty as she tried to slow her breathing. "What just happened?" She finally managed to push him up so that he hovered above her.

Jax smiled contentedly. "I told you that you had yet to appreciate all of my talents, zira," he smiled.

Brenda pulled herself up to a sitting position, pushing him into a similar one. "And that was……?"

Jax traced his finger around the edges of her face, rubbing it over her swollen lips. "……just the beginning, Brenda. Just the beginning."

Her breathing quickened again, and her face took on the look of an approaching storm cloud as she slapped his hand away from her face. "You must *never* do that again," she spat, trying to pull herself together. "Do you understand?"

To be continued……