When I woke up on the back of my horse, my first thought was that I was dreaming, and tried to go back to sleep. The only trouble was that the rocking of the horses motion wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried to change the dream. I'd drifted in and out several times before I finally accepted that this was no dream and that I really was on the back of a horse again.
Having accepted that I started checking my aching body mentally, and soon became aware that I was again bound tightly to the beast; which was the reason I hadn't fallen off. As time passed my mind cleared, and I remembered the beginning of my servitude on the rail. My focus immediately went to my poor, stretched, abused, and very sore pussy, which was again pressed firmly against the warm, moving, backbone of my mount.
"Well, I guess we made it through the first of the men's towns alive, if not unhurt!" was my first waking thought, while I took inventory. My attention then focused on the sores across my hips where I'd hung on the "Rail". When I finally finished my personal inventory, I slowly opened my eyes and my first sight was of Jacks back as he rode the trail in front of me. I noted that the reins of my horse were laid across her neck, and Jack held a lead rope instead.
As I became more aware of my surroundings, I noted I'd been dressed in a good sturdy robe, with a hood to cover my head in the rain. It took some time, but I soon found that my hands were free, even though I was bound to my horse, and the bracelets of slavery were still present but the lines were coiled and hung from my waist. I'd been wondering about all these things for a while when it suddenly occurred to me that I couldn't smell the city of tents, and hadn't smelled them, even when I thought I'd been dreaming as I rode along.
It was raining fairly hard now and everyone was riding with their heads down to protect their faces from the driving downpour. Since my men didn't notice when I'd come awake, I had some time to notice these things and then some time to wonder how we had gotten so far from the town before I was aware of it. Not just that, but how had they taken me from the frame in the tent, dressed me, then put me on my horse and never had me wake up! Most of all though, I wondered about why they had bothered to dress me at all, and in such a fine, sturdy garment at that?
I knew that such a garment was not likely to be readily available in the City of Tents, as I'd come to think of it, and must have cost a small fortune to have made. It seemed more than likely to me that they would have had it made to acquire the robe for me, which led me to the question of where the money had come from. One of the main concerns of my men before we had gone into town was whether they had enough money to pay for the shoeing of their horses, and buy the needed supplies. "The fools probably stole the things, or conned someone out of them." I thought to myself, and put the matter to rest in my head.
I'd just concluded that I was for the most part, none the worse for the wear, and that my pussy would recover from the abuse it had taken. It did puzzle me however that it should be so sore, or that my hips were so sore from riding the rail for a day; after all, it had been well padded. I was just going over these things in my mind when our small column halted and I saw our red-headed leader dive off the trail into a thicket at the base of a sharp, east-facing, rise.
The rain had started to let up now and I realized it must be late in the day because the rain usually lasted until just before dark this time of year. Not knowing who had joined our party, or if any had, I sat as I was not wanting to have anyone notice me until I could see who was with us. I doubted there was anyone new in our group mostly because of the freedom I had to use my hands, but there was no way I was going to give the game away due to ignorance again. I'd learned my lesson well after the incident that got me banished from the City of Towers, and was all to aware of the cost of an erroneous assumption at the wrong moment.
Lance came walking out of the thicket shortly and motioned the rest of us to follow him in. The rain, and it's noise, was still heavy enough to make conversation at less than a shout impossible, so most of the time communications during the rain were restricted to signals, or one-on-one conversations. I let Jack lead my horse into the thicket, wondering where we were going, while bending low to avoid being whipped by the branches as we passed through the dense thicket.
My surprise was complete when we broke out of the brush into a rather deep hollow under the exposed face of the hill behind the thicket. I sat on my horse watching my men dismount, mostly because I had no choice with the bindings holding me to my horse. My men quickly built a small fire and laid a bed near it before they came to take me from my horse. It was Jason who gently loosened the bindings and was about to reach up and take me from the mare before he realized I was awake.
His surprise was obvious in his face, and the fact that he took a step backward while he stammered, "He, Hey, gu, guys; she, she, Sandy's awake!"
All four of the others dropped what they were doing and came to where I sat on my horse looking down at them while they stared up at me in wonder. After a time during which they all smiled up at me, and I searched each of their faces for some clue as to why is was such big news that I was awake. I finally broke the silence by asking what was wrong with me.
"What? Do I have some sort of disease or something? You're all staring at me like you've never seen a woman in clothes before!"
There was apparently something to the fact that I should be awake, because none of my men said or did anything. Finally I asked, "Are you just going to stare or are you going to let me off this horse so I can dry off by the fire too?"
My men stood still, except for Jason who finished taking loose my bindings, then offered me his help to dismount.
"Since when do I need your help to get off a horse!" I snapped at him, and was immediately sorry for my rashness as he stepped back, letting me try on my own.
As it turned out he wasn't just being gallant by offering his assistance. He knew, like the rest of my men did, that I'd not be stable on the ground. I found out the hard way when my legs collapsed under me as I landed, and I fell in a heap to the dry, soft earth of the cave floor. After I'd made several futile attempts to stand up, and only succeeded in getting tangled in my robe, Jason's strong arms gathered me up, and took me to the bed by the fire where he gently laid me down.
I was totally embarrassed and angry at the turn of events, and took it out on my men verbally, especially Jason. My outburst must have lasted for several minutes until I realized they were all just standing looking back at me in confused amazement at my verbal abuse of them; and all for knowing I wasn't going to be able to stand on my own! It suddenly occurred to me that there must be much I was unaware of, or the men would have made some move to defend their fragile egos Long before now.
I was just about in mid sentence when those thoughts hit me, and I stopped with my mouth still open. I looked at each of them, finding the same, pained, hurt look. The silence in the cave became protracted, as my men looked back at me with that common, hurt; yet sorry, look. None of them seemed to want to say anything, and yet they all looked as if they had something on their mind; something they weren't sure they wanted to say.
During the time we had sat and just looked at each other, I began to think there was much I was as yet unaware of; but at the same time couldn't think what it would, of could be. As my line of reason progressed, it became apparent there was a large gap in my memory of the last day. That was when it came to me that more than a day had passed since I was aware of my surroundings. That meant there were probably more than a few things I didn't know about, which happened after I spent the day on the rail.
"Oh, no! I've really done it haven't I?" My words were spoken more to myself than the men I'd come to think of as mine. That, in itself, was an inverted way to think about the real situation, since the reality was that I was theirs more than they were mine!
Joe was the first to respond to my sudden inward focus, saying, "I told you the bitch would attack us in payment for any kindness we extended her. We should have just sold her to the town, and been done with her, rather than have to listen to these insults for trying to treat her as if she has any value as a person."
The disgust, and anger he felt at the situation were plain to see in his face, but there was a touch of fear in his voice.
Lance rebuked Joe sharply, "You made your position plain in the beginning, and then made use of Sandy for your convenience during the past weeks. Now, the first time she has any harsh words, you run for the emotional cover of the accepted doctrine, and forget all the kindness, not to mention service she has been to us." Lance's voice was filled with the same disgust that showed on his face.
Joe stood quietly for a moment, then quietly said, "I suppose you're right, as usual. I just think she's not giving any credit to us for what we've done for her by not following the normal way of handling a captured woman, and taking her not only into our physical care, and protection, but including her in our friendship as well. I said at the time, I thought we were making a mistake, and I still think we did, and are."
Joe continued. "I remember a time when you said things that were just the same as what I've just said, Lance. Pardon me if I refrain from enjoying the verbal insults Sandy has just heaped on us, not once thinking there may be some reason for our actions, and only caring about her feelings, just like we are taught a woman will act."
The silence in the cave grew to enormous proportions after Joe had said his mind. All of us were in our own little worlds while we thought about what he had just said. I can't say what was on the minds of the others, but I did tell the group what was on my mind. Joe had stood there shuffling his feet while the rest of us gave his words some kind of thought, but the silence had been too much for him, and he made the comment he was going to tend the horses, and had started to leave when I began to speak.
"Joe, I have something to say, and I want you to hear it too." Joe stopped, and turned back to me with the comment, "I'll listen, because you listened to me, but if you insult me, I'll walk out and never listen again." Joe's chin said he was trying to be reasonable, but his ego was only going to let him take it so far.
That's fair," I began, "Nobody, not even me likes to be insulted, or treated like they're inferior." I looked at my men, and saw in their faces that they were willing to try and talk, but were unwilling to listen to any more one sided verbal abuse like I had just delivered. "Not unlike me at all!" I thought to myself, but smiled instead of saying it.
I started slowly, carefully, still not sure of how to say what I was going to day; or what it was I was going to say for that matter!
"First," my voice seemed tight, and high, even to me, "I'm sorry I took my frustration out on all of you. It's occurred to me that there is more than just a little gap in my memory of what happened in the City of Tents!" I hoped that by apologizing, my men might be more inclined to relax, and help me through this. "I think it might be good if I were to tell you what I remember, and ask the questions I now have, then you can respond when I'm done. OK?"
The five men noticeably relaxed, and consented to the plan, with one modification.
"What's that?" I asked.
"The horses," Joe said. "We really should tend to them before we do anything else."
"That's true," I said, "I'll help too." and started to get up, only to find my legs still failed to obey me. None of the men said a word as I tried to stand, and gave up in frustration. I'd fallen on my side twice, before I just sat looking at the ground, and shook with the anger of not being in control of myself. When I finally got a grip, I looked up at my men, and said sheepishly, "I don't seem to have any legs right now, so if you don't mind, I'll just tend the fire."
There was a general sigh of relief from my men, and an exchange of embarrassed glances. Jack covered the moment by saying, "I'll bring water and coffee. We'll take care of the horses, while you make a big pot of coffee, OK?" His emphasis was on the word big, making me understand there was much to be said tonight at our fire. I nodded my assent, and rubbed my sore, unresponsive legs, still puzzled by their refusal to obey my minds commands.
The men turned to the horses, while I sat deep in my own thoughts, wondering what happened to me to make me so totally bone weary and sore; not to mention cause me to loose control over my legs. I'd just had time to inspect my legs, finding nothing wrong other than some bruises from my falls and around my ankles under the anklets which were used to bind me. I'd also noted the same bruises under the bracelets, and wasn't too concerned by them. I'd moved up my legs and was busy with my poor, sore, used, and abused pussy, but I wasn't 't really worried about that either. After all, I knew I'd been screwed by many men recently, and it had the right to be a bit tender. What puzzled me was why I was bruised across the hips, where I'd hung from the padded rail, It hadn't been uncomfortable when I was put on it, and I had no memory of it ever becoming so.
Jack came back with the coffee, water, and the associated pots and cups just then, interrupting my self-inspection. He lingered by the fire, as if he had something to say, and found a way to delay going back to the horses, by moving some firewood to within my reach. He had just laid an armload near me when I opened conversation with, "Yes Jack, if I'm not mistaken, you have something to say?"
Jack spoke quietly and quickly. "I just want you to know, I'm sorry about what happened back there in town."
"Why?" I asked. "Nothing happened for you to be sorry for, did it?"
"I just think the men from town were too rough with you, and we should have stopped them before we did. Maybe if we had you'd be able to walk!"
Jack meant well by what he had said, I was sure of that. The only problem was that now I was more confused than ever about what had happened back there! Jack's face showed real regret for something, that much I could tell, but what is was still escaped me. The only things I was sure of were that I didn't remember everything that had gone on wile I was on the rail, and whatever it had been, had happened to me.
"Jack, what happened? I don't remember anything past this morning." Jacks eyes told me that what I remembered must have happened longer ago than just today. He rose to leave, and as he did, he said. "I'm sorry, but you were on the rail for three days."
After he said that, all I could do was sit and stare at the fire. "Three days on the rail!" I thought to myself, then took a second, closer look at the bruises on my hips, and carefully felt myself inside and out. "Three days! All I remember is the first part of the first day! My god!" I absently fingered myself while I tried to grasp the full meaning of what Jack had just told me, waited for the coffee water to boil, and my men to return from the evening chores.