Time Spin

Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews. While I do enjoy hearing how much everyone seems to like this story I do appreciate a little criticism every now and then. So thank you.



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Lonnie watched as Buffy finished mixing the paint for tonight’s ceremony. Sitting patiently while her mate dipped her fingers into the white paste and spread it across Lonnie’s face.



The chalky substance was uncomfortable but it was meant to symbolize her status as hunter. Buffy pulled back and observed her work, reaching down Lonnie saw her reach for the small stone bowl that had red ochre paint. Waiting while her mate drew the diagonal stripes across her face.



“Okay, you’re done. What colors am I supposed to wear for this?” Buffy gestured to the bowls between them.



“Blue and yellow.” Lonnie picked up the small bowls and smiled as Buffy leaned forward slightly and held still. She knew how her mate hated this aspect of the tribe’s tradition, mostly because of how clean she insisted on being and the blue paint wouldn’t come all the way off for a few days.



“Who do you think the Old Mother will be?” Buffy twitched at the first contact of the cool paint on her face.



“I don’t know, it could be Falcon, Sharja or Beslin. I think Beslin would be the best Old Mother. She is the only one with knowledge of the spirits and she is a fair woman.”



Lonnie secretly hoped that Sharja would not get it, she was her blood sister but the woman was ruthless and had a cruel streak that would not do the tribe good.



“I agree, Beslin has always been a good hunter. But what about her illness?” Buffy thought about the young woman.



She often visited the shaman for pains in her head. The girl complained to be dizzy and have painful headaches. Buffy secretly knew it was most likely a tumor of some kind. The girls symptoms were to similar to what Mom had, but she dare not saying anything because explaining to cavemen that there is a tumor in someone’s brain would either get her declared a demon or just crazy.



Besides…this wasn’t the twenty-first century. There were no hospitals or clinics…hell there wasn’t even any metal. Even if they did believe her there was nothing any of them could do.



“Are you alright? You look like something’s troubling you.” Lonnie carefully moved around Buffy to braid the girl’s dreadlocks. She would never tell her this but she missed the girl’s hair like it was. It felt like the finest furs, but she found this hairstyle pleasing and it was what was custom here.



Sometimes she still worried that Buffy felt she made the wrong choice, the woman gave up everything to be with her even after knowing she could go back. There were still times she would wake up during the night in a cold sweat and reach for her mate because in her dream she had left.



These are things she would never tell her mate, she knew it was ridiculous. Her mate loved her and it was no longer a question at all.



“I’m alright, just worried about Beslin.” Buffy gave her mate a wan smile. Sighing she stood up and walked across there small hut. Crouching she pulled out tonight’s skins, a long loincloth and chest wrap for her and Lonnie’s ‘hunter’ furs.



Lonnie had told her how after the Old Mother was ‘revealed’ the hunters would go and hunt, and whichever animal they brought back would be the Old Mothers spirit guide. Personally she thought most of the beliefs the people had were a little ridiculous but she went along.



Standing she helped Lonnie into her furs and skins. She looked truly stunning in them. Smiling she leaned over and kissed her mates chest softly. Kissing was something they kept to themselves for the most part, turns out being the only couple that even knew what ‘kissing’ was made them a bit of an odd couple or something.



“Do you want children Buffy?” Lonnie asked quietly, Buffy looked up to see if she had heard her right. “I see you with the children, you love them. You tell them stories of places far away and things they will never see…do you want children?”



“Hun, lets talk about this later okay? Just know that I love you. Whether or not we ever have kids I love you.” Leaning in she kissed her mate on the lips. Pulling back she smiled and they both climbed up the short ladder that led to the entrance of there home.



Stepping out Buffy looked around at the tribe. Normally everyone was winding down for bed, but instead she saw families and children running and laughing. Everyone was headed to the large bonfire that was in the center of the village.



Taking Lonnie’s hand in her own she let her mate lead her to the fire. Stopping she watched as the single women danced around the fire and as the shaman walked to the Old Mothers hut.



The fire was bigger than any that Buffy had ever seen. Even during the harvest festivals. She was lucky enough to burn herself once or twice and after she had talked Lonnie into ‘kissing it better’ she didn’t mind so much.



She looked around at the smiling faces of her tribesmen. All the women that weren’t hunters had there faces painted in blue and yellow. Even the children’s faces were painted this way, only difference between the adults and children were the children were running around stark naked.



Laughing when she saw Winsol’s daughter trip her older brother and run, the boy was a menace. She really hoped she wasn’t as mean to Dawn when they were growing up.



Turning when the beating on the drums accelerated she saw as Shaman walked out of Old Mothers hut, head bowed, his hands holding the headdress that she had seen for the first time on her ‘mother in law’.



Everyone seemed to be holding there breath as Shaman raised the headdress above her head and began chanting again. ‘God that’s all they ever do’ Buffy tried not to roll her eyes. She was excited to see who the new Old Mother would be but dammit did it have to be this drawn out?



“CHOSEN…step forward.” Buffy took an involuntary step forward. Well dammit you try having everyone calling you chosen for ten years and FINALLY when they don’t mean you…lets see you not step forward.



She gripped her mates hand as Falcon, Belsin and Sharja kneeled before the shaman. All three girls had had there hair shaven off on the sides. She knew who ever was named Old Mother would be bald after tonight as well as having the tattoos on the sides of there heads.



Everyone released a breathe as the shaman lowered the headdress onto Beslins head.



An ear shattering cry broke out all across the village; everyone was too caught up in the moment that Buffy was sure that she was the only one that noticed the look on Sharja’s face. She stopped mid clap when she realized the look of pure rage on the girls face.



‘Thank god she didn’t get it’ Buffy grabbed her mates hand and pulled her forward to join the throng of well wishers. When they finally reached the girl Buffy threw her arms around the girl.



“I’m so glad its you Beslin.” Buffy smiled as she pulled back and looked at the girl. Beslins eyes were wet with tears as she smiled and laughed.



“I’m not Beslin anymore Buffy.” She said jokingly.



“Oh that’s right. Old Mother then.” Buffy smiled and stepped aside so that Lonnie could give her best wishes as well.



Looking over she tried but couldn’t spot Sharja anywhere. The woman had vanished. That woman had always rubbed Buffy the wrong way, it felt like she was always watching her and Lonnie. If she could she would just slay her but Lonnie had told her not to.



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Stumbling into there hut, laughing and giggling Lonnie led Buffy to there sleeping furs at the far end of the dome like hut. Flopping down on the bed Buffy straddle her lap.



“Tell me lover, where was it you disappeared to?” Buffy smiled down at her mate who lay beneath her laughing over nothing.



Halfway through the night after the hunters had returned with a deer, a group including Lonnie had disappeared into one of the huts. When Buffy had finally tracked her down she had discovered her mate sitting beside two of her fellow hunters eating large chunks of meat and initially when Lonnie had pulled her onto her lap and kissed her hungrily. Buffy had thought they could leave early.



But it wasn’t until she pulled back and saw how Lonnie’s normally forest green eyes had all but turned to black, and put two and two together. Her mate was stoned out of her mind.



Turns out that hemp here was a ‘bonding’ plant that hunters all smoked. How that had escaped her all these years she didn’t know.



Lonnie giggled and leaned up into Buffy. “You are so beautiful.” Lonnie pulled at the hooks in Buffy’s chest wrap and leaned down and bit Buffy’s nipple.



“Now…normally I would LOVE to do this with you, but I have a feeling you are going to pass out halfway to happy land.”



“Nooo I won’t. I swear on Old Mother.” Lonnie even flung her arm in the general direction of the new leaders hut.



“She’s been Old Mother for a night. Go to sleep.”



“You’re no fun.”



Irked more than she should be she lay down behind her lover and leaned over to whisper “I’m lots of fun…” Buffy softly ran her hand down Lonnie’s stomach but stopped when a resounding snore broke across there small home.



Laughing she finished undressing and pulled off Lonnie’s clothes before covering them with a blanket and going to sleep.



TBC



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