The faint smell of wood smoke warned him first. He stopped almost in mid-stride and sniffed the air, trying to tell where it was coming from. Somewhere up ahead, he thought. He shed his pack carefully, so as to make no noise, and crept forward more slowly.

    She was in a small clearing, poking at a fire she’d apparently just started. An aluminum camp pot sat on the ground next to her. So she was going to cook herself a hot lunch? Intent on the fire, she didn’t see him, and he faded back into the trees to a spot where he could watch her. She was humming some tune he couldn’t quite catch. As he watched, she stood, stretched and yawned hugely before setting the pot on the fire. That done, she laid down near it on her back, seeming to go completely limp, but with her curly head turned to keep an eye on the cooking.

     She probably couldn’t see him at all from that position, but he kept under cover all the same. She did look a bit worn out, he thought, and that lying-down trick was supposed to rest you all over. For a moment, he considered rushing her as she was now, overpowering her, and dragging her bound down to Kurt and Lloyd. She probably wouldn’t go willingly, though, and he didn’t care to carry her weight along with his pack. No…as long as she was heading in the right direction, let her carry herself for a bit longer. He settled down to wait, and meantime get a little rest himself.

     She was getting awfully tired of freeze-dried everything. Even out on a dig, they usually had fresh meat once in a while. This alleged stew might be filling, and it didn’t taste too bland, but she really would have liked a nice well-done steak, along with a baked potato and a salad…one with plenty of ranch dressing. So why was she out here now? Kimberley sat up and took a look at the stew. It was bubbling, and there were lumps here and there as the desiccated components took on water. She sighed. The idea had sounded thrilling, months earlier: To be hunted down by strange men in a forest, taken captive far away from any possible help. It so matched one of her darkest fantasies that she’d almost jumped at the chance, even putting up with the physical required beforehand. Now she was tired and hungry out here in that damned forest, with no sign of any attackers…just that feeling she was being watched, which she hadn’t had for a few days now. Well, she’d wanted an adventure, but forgot how strenuous they could be. Right now, the thought of being ravished by strange men just seemed annoying. She massaged the back of her neck with her hand. The backpack seemed to be putting a strain on her there, something new. As she ate the stew, she wondered if it was possible to just call this whole thing off? Call someone to come get her, and she could spend the rest of her vacation at that beautiful lodge she’d started her hike from. The food there was really good, she recalled, and the beds very comfortable. Hot showers too…or baths. A nice long soak in a hot tub would do wonders for her right now.

    She chuckled dryly. She had no way of calling anybody out here, but if there were strange men out beating the bushes for her, maybe they did. But would they, if she asked? She didn’t know. Supposedly, lots of women had sampled this little trek to adventure, but this was her first time, and there was probably a lot she was unaware of yet. It couldn’t hurt to ask, though…could it?

     He waited, letting her get a good head start on him before breaking out the radio to let the others know what was going on. Elf-girl was walking right into the trap, but she wasn’t going to get there in any hurry. The hot food had seemed to give her a bit more energy, but he didn’t know how long it would last. After he called in, he shouldered his backpack one more time and followed her. Soon, now…very soon.

     Kimberley plodded on. As the afternoon waned, she noticed that the hot weather seemed to be returning. She sipped sparingly from her canteen. The ravine was off to her right, not visible at the moment. At her last rest halt she’d tried to figure out where she was on the map. The best she could estimate was that she should hit the old trail before dark. There weren’t any other landmarks she could go by. Once she got there, she could rest a bit before heading towards the lake. And then? She pushed the thought to the back of her mind where it could find company. There was a lot she just didn’t want to think about at the moment. It was enough just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

     Very close now. She was heading right for the clearing and would be there soon. The others knew what to do. He felt a tightness in his gut as he picked up his pace a bit to catch up to her. In a very short while, it wouldn’t matter if she saw him or not. About fifty yards from the clearing, and maybe thirty yards behind her, he shucked off the backpack. He’d be back for it later.

     She was halfway across a sizeable clearing when two men burst out of the trees opposite her, yelling like maniacs. One was squat and powerfully built, with big hands and a bald head, the other taller and leaner, but still muscular. Both wore some kind of camos, striped and mottled brown and green. They rushed towards her. She whirled to flee, and as she did another man came running out of the woods behind her. He was black, and he looked huge as he closed rapidly on her, his eyes fixed on hers. Without thinking, her hand went to the survival knife at her belt.

      He saw her reach for the knife, and didn’t want to wait to see if she’d actually try to use it. People could get hurt that way. He covered the remaining distance with a couple of big strides, and hit her squarely in the pit of her stomach before she could draw the blade. She folded over abruptly with a loud, painful grunt, the backpack overbalancing her. He caught her around her waist before she could fall, and his hand went to her neck. Just the right pressure on the carotid arteries would put anyone out for a while with no noise or struggle. Her light blue eyes flew wide open, looking up into his in sudden fear as his hand gently squeezed her throat. Her eyelids fluttered once, then closed as she sagged limply against him. He lowered her carefully onto the ground as Kurt and Lloyd arrived, ready to help.

    “So, this is her,” Kurt observed, nudging her leg with his boot.

    “Uh-huh,” he acknowledged. The hunt part was over at last, and he felt relief mingled with a bit of regret. Elf-girl had been tough so far. Now to find out how tough she still could be. “Who’s got the rope?” he asked.

     “Here y’go.” Kurt grinned, tossing him a coil of tan rope. It looked tough and coarse, but was actually only a bit rougher than clothesline, and much less likely to slip.

    “Okay.” He nodded. “Help me get her pack off, then get her shoes.”

    “Strip ‘er down?” Kurt asked hopefully.

    “Not right away,” he replied. “This little lady is gonna take a bit of taming.”

    “Think so?” Kurt grinned.

    “You didn’t see her go for her knife.” He chuckled. “Might have been reflex, but even so…’

He deftly unbuckled her belt, slipped it out of its loops, and took the knife. With Kurt’s help, he lifted her limp body and got the backpack off of her.

    “So what do I do then?” Lloyd broke in.

    “Hope your stuff is nearby, ‘cause we’re camping out here tonight,” he told him. “You might get a fire started.”

    “Kinda early for that.” Lloyd observed, shading his eyes to look towards the Sun. While it was getting low, sunset was still some time away.

    “We’re gonna burn her clothes,” he said.

    “Cool.” Lloyd grinned.

    “All of ‘em?” Kurt asked as he dragged her pack away. “So I should empty this out too?”

    “Not yet.” He waved a hand. He turned elf-girl face-down in the grass and began tying her wrists…tightly. He wasn’t sure how long she’d be out, and wanted to be ready. “Get her shoes and socks off first.” He looked up at Lloyd. “Find us a branch to hang her from, would’ja?”

    Lloyd’s grin was feral. “Sure.” He agreed, and went off to look.

     Kurt tugged her shoes and socks off, and in a few minutes her ankles were as securely bound as her wrists.

    “Now what, Ron?” Kurt asked. “You ain’t gonna hang her by her hands like that?”

    “No way.” He agreed. “We hang her upside down for a while.”

    “How long a while?”

    “Long enough for me to cut what she’s wearing off with this.” He tapped the hilt of her knife. “I want her just a little bit worried.”

    “Gotcha.” Kurt nodded. “So you cut her clothes off….”

    “And you guys feed them to the fire.” He finished the thought.

    “And once she’s nekkid?”

    “Let me think about it. C’mon, let’s get her strung up. Lloyd’s found a place.”

    There was one tree with a fairly stout branch sticking out into the clearing about ten feet up. They threw a rope over it and secured one end to elf-girl’s bound ankles. “Think you two can pull her up?” he asked.

    Kurt’s laugh was a short bark. “What’s she go? One-fifteen? One-ten?”

   “If that.” He nodded, looking at her as she lay on the ground and remembering a slim form capering in the rain. Her face looked very peaceful, long pale lashes almost touching her cheeks. If she was faking unconsciousness now, she was a great actress.

    “Okay, then. Get her up and tie the rope off when I signal. Can’t leave her hanging upside down too long though.”

    “Gotcha.” Kurt said. Lloyd nodded.

    “Got an idea for later, too.” He looked up at Lloyd. “We still have those tent pegs?

    “Yep.” Lloyd replied.

    “Good. Set four of them in the ground so we can stake her out afterwards. Put them away from the campfire…enough for a little …privacy.”

    His two companions grinned at that.

    “Okay. Haul away.”

      He stopped them when her head was about a foot off the ground. Once they’d secured the rope to a stout little sapling, he stuffed a wad of cloth into her mouth and secured it with a bit more rope. That done, he uncapped his canteen and splashed water into her face. “Wake up, girl.” He said, slapping softly at her cheeks for emphasis.

    Kimberley sputtered, blinking. She was dazed, disoriented, and something seemed terribly WRONG. Her stomach hurt as she tried to breathe in a big gulp of air, and she suddenly remembered.

    He watched her twist and squirm on the rope, trying to get free. Good thing he’d gagged her, because the muffled sounds she was making didn’t sound at all happy or complimentary. Her short enforced nap seemed to have given her a whole new level of energy. She caught sight of him standing close by and her struggling stopped. Her eyes glared at him as she swung slowly back and forth at the end of the rope.

    He smiled down at her, and her glare intensified. If looks could kill….He held up her knife so she could see it. “Were you really gonna stick me with this?” he asked, unsheathing it. He saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. Then the glare was back, and she growled something through the gag.

    Still smiling, he squatted, bringing his face closer to hers, holding the knife up between them and turning it slowly. Her eyes moved from his to the blade and grew wider. If she could have, she would have pulled back, but she had to settle for arching her back to put a little distance between her nose and the shining metal.

    He laughed at her reaction. His free hand stroked her cheek, and she shook her head…carefully, he noted…and snarled at him. He took hold of the collar of her flannel shirt and slipped the blade under it. The fear came back into her eyes, and she froze. Slowly, he began to slice through the cloth.

    Kimberley looked around, anywhere but at the knife cutting away her clothes, anywhere but into the intent dark eyes of the big black man wielding the knife. She could see the other two men from earlier, both busy at their own tasks, each one glancing her way every so often, grinning hungrily. Were these her appointed captors, or just three strange guys who had ambushed her in the woods? She wasn’t sure. With that knife so close to her skin…and she knew how sharp it was…she couldn’t struggle. The gag packed her mouth full, pressing her tongue flat, preventing her from forming any words and making it a little difficult to breathe. Being upside down was making her lightheaded…or was that due to her shortness of breath? Ropes cut deeply into her wrists and ankles, hurting her. She could feel her fingers going numb.

     He had to move quickly so she didn’t pass out, and still be careful not to cut her, while seeming to take all the time in the world. A tall order. Kurt had the fire going just in time to take the strips of what had been the flannel shirt and feed them to it. The t-shirt fit her more snugly. He pulled the material away from her body before cutting it. She started to struggle…a little…and make angry noises again. Between slices he laughed and reached up to pat her adorable little ass, which provoked more struggling and noises.

     She knew he’d keep slicing away her clothes until she was naked…and then what? Her heart was pounding, and between that, the gag, and hanging upside-down she was getting dizzy, lightheaded. She felt him pull away the last of her t-shirt. She closed her eyes and moaned weakly.

    He realized she was starting to pass out, much sooner than he’d expected, so he slashed away the last of her t-shirt quickly. Under it she was wearing one of those sports bra things, and he used her knife to slice it away. Her teats were as cute as he remembered, the nipples round and deep pink. He pinched one. It had the desired effect. Her eyes flew open and she began squirming furiously, trying to pull away, making angry little noises. She caught sight of him and glared at him over her gag.

     It hurt! It felt as if he’d used a pair of pliers on her, and her attempt to pull free only made it hurt worse! He laughed once before letting go of her nipple, and then he started to cut away her shorts. She wished she’d had a chance to stick him with that knife after all.

    The fight was back in her now. He grinned as he tossed the shreds of her shorts to the ground. Just the panties now. He threw the knife down, point-first into the ground, and took a handful of the cotton cloth. They came away with one hard yank. She yelped at that. He tossed the panties to the ground, where Kurt gathered them up along with the remnants of her shorts. He ran a hand up along her leg, thigh to ankle, then back down. Her struggling grew more animated, the muffled sounds angrier. He turned her to face towards him and laid a hand on her plump little mons, feeling the  texture of the curly little hairs that grew there. She tried to head-butt him in the groin for that, and almost succeeded. He laughed and gave her rump a slap that made her yelp again.

    “You ready yet?” he called out to Lloyd.

    “All done.” Lloyd replied. “Waitin’ on you two.”

    “Good.” He said, patting her rump again. “Let’s get ‘er down.”

    Kurt freed the end of the rope and they lowered her to the ground. She squirmed and struggled wildly as he and Lloyd picked her up and started to carry her over to the stakes. She couldn’t have seen them in the grass from where she was, but she knew something was up, and no doubt had a good idea what. In the end, Kurt had to help carry her, taking her by the shoulders while Lloyd had her feet and he wrapped an arm around her torso to keep her from wriggling loose. She was noisy, eyes flashing angrily at all of them.

    He wouldn’t have believed it possible, but her struggling grew wilder when they laid her down between the stakes and began untying her ankles. He had to sit on her belly, pinning her shoulders down as Kurt and Lloyd each took a slim and surprisingly strong leg and lashed her to the stakes by the ankles. Getting her wrists bound the same way took one hell of a fight. She almost managed to rake his face with her nails, and did manage to put some bloody furrows in his arm before she was secured. She lay spread-eagled in the grass, glaring up at them and breathing hard and noisily through her nose. It was interesting watching her chest heave from the effort. She strained at her bonds, muscles standing out in her arms and legs, and once she got some breath back she started snarling something at them again.

    Good job.” He clapped his companions on their backs. “Let’s eat.”

    They turned and walked away from her, back to the campfire. Give her a little time to settle down and get used to her captivity…and to think about what was coming.

    Kimberley didn’t know what to think as she watched them go. None of them even took one last backwards look at her. Her first feeling of relief lasted about a second. She was still staked out, vulnerable, available for just about anything they would want to do to her…how much later? She sagged back with a groan.