I awaken alone in my tent, realizing I must have dozed off lying beside Josh. Shaking off the grogginess from my nap, I see something draped across my open hand. Oh my goodness, it is a beaded headpiece! Kioko strikes again. That man is a stealthy one. I am a pretty light sleeper, but somehow he manages to sneak in and out of my tent without stirring me. 

Sitting up, I examine the eye-catching headpiece. It is tightly woven with all red beads, matching the first necklace he gave me - the one that claimed me as his. It comes to a point in the front. I scurry around for my pocket mirror, anxious to try it on. Slipping it down around the top of my head, it fits perfectly, the pointed front reaching between my eyebrows, while the rest decorates my pale-skinned forehead. The red is a striking contrast to my blonde hair and fair skin tone. 

Glancing at my phone, I see it is time for me to dress for the ceremony. I know which cloth to wear - the red one with gold flecks. I shall be a fire princess tonight, adorning myself in mostly bright red. I decide to unbraid my hair and it cascades around my shoulders in curls from the tight braids. Leaving my midriff bare, I tie a thin gold cloth, that brings out the gold flecks in my skirt, around my breasts. My nipples poke against the delicate fabric, broadcasting my growing excitement. 

Moving my tiny mirror up and down my body trying to see everything, my self-inspection is interrupted. A large horn once again penetrates the opening of my tent, followed by Josh.

“Again?” I fuss, trying not to notice his dangling balls beneath the penis sheath.

“Yes, again! This is a special ceremony and all the guys are wearing their kotekas. I freakin’ love wearing this thing. Look how manly and virile I look,” he says, spinning from side to side showing off.

"Am I wrong, or did your koteka grow since the last ceremony," I ask, cocking an eyebrow.

"My wank buddy gave me this one. He obviously saw I was hung like an elephant and thought I needed an upgrade," he says, puffing out his hairless chest.

I shake my head. "Sorry I asked."

However, I have to admit there is something very erotic about the penis sheaths. Maybe it is because they are so fucking long.

“And you… breathtaking!” He makes high-pitched catcalls and whistles.

Now, it's my turn to spin around, showing off. “Really? You really like how I look?”

“Yes, I really do. I know another who will like it also. This is the most beautiful I have ever seen you look, Anna.”

I beam as he offers me his arm to hold and we head to the ceremony. The bright colors hit me first. The Nazulu are half-naked with the men donning the penis sheaths and most of the women naked from the waist up. However, their necks, arms, and ankles are covered in elaborately beaded jewelry of all colors. A few wear beaded and feathered headpieces. Others have painted their faces and bodies, further showcasing their vibrant eyes and spirits. The atmosphere is electric with voices chanting and drums thumping.

Our guide and translator, Mako, approaches, and I mention, "Drums? This is the first I have heard them since arriving."

"Yes, they represent a unified heartbeat of the tribe. Anna, this night is about purging the evil brought into their village from the police. They intend to heal tonight and cast a veil of protection over themselves and their land. I am so happy you get to witness tonight's celebration."

Looking around in awe, I respond, "So am I, Mako. So am I."

I turn and smash into towering Kioko. My God, he is awesome looking. He painted his face and wears a beaded necklace so thick, I can't see much of his neck. His koteka really grabs my attention though. Unlike the others, which are very long and curve upward, his is shorter and thick and protruding straight out from his body. Actually, it pokes me just above my pelvic area. I can't help but stare. I finally tear my eyes away and look up to see lust in his eyes as he rakes them up and down my body. Unmistakable lust marks his face. I think he likes me in red.

Grabbing my hand, he ushers me back towards my tent. Once inside, he roughly kisses me, his penis sheath jabbing me hard now. His mouth mashes mine with the need for more. The energetic noise outside my tent fuels our arousal. I ache between my legs. He growls from deep within his chest. I need him now and lower myself to my knees, bunching my skirt around my waist. He removes his sheath and lowers himself behind me. With one hand on my throat, his other steers his erect penis between my legs. I arch my back and he plunges into me. God, it hurts at first, but fortunately, he gives me a few moments to stretch around him. Then, he begins his fuck.

His cheek presses against mine as his hand tightens around my throat, holding me in place. I feel the warm breath on my face from his pants as his cock pushes in and out my stretching pussy. My clit is burning and I reach down to find it puffy and needing my touch. I strum it in time with his thrusts, bringing me closer to my orgasm. It won't take long. I turn my head to the side to watch my warrior's face scrunch up, his war paint distorting with each grunt. His sparkling eyes bore into mine.

I reach my hand back to grab his hair as I cum. As I clench around his cock, trying to squeeze his orgasm from his loins, he pants, "Beautiful Anna."

My heart explodes from his words. I twist my fingers tightly in his locks as he exhales one final grunt, flooding me with his virile seed. He sinks back on his haunches, pulling me with him. We stay entwined, savoring our releases. Reluctantly, I pull away and reach for a cloth to clean myself up a little. He stands and reattaches his koteka. After helping me stand, he gazes into my eyes, whispering words in my ear, and kissing my lips. My warrior! We rejoin the celebration having sated our lust for the time being.

Kioko pulls me into the circle of dancing, our eyes savoring each other's body movements. There are no defined moves, just freestyle dancing. Arms and legs seem to have a life of their own. Although everyone moves differently, there is a rhythm to their movements. Being a former dancer, I quickly catch on. Still on the high from the fuck, my hips take the lead, popping to the beat of the drum, with my arms moving out to the side. Kioko's more of an athletic dancer, hopping up and down, kicking the air, switching from one foot to the other. A deeply erotic scene plays out with men's balls bobbing underneath the sheaths and women's tits bouncing unrestrained. Heads swirl with flailing bodies feeling the passion of the celebration. I get caught up in their spirit and lose all track of time. 

Suddenly, the dancing stops as the chief makes his way to the eagle enclosure. Something important is about to happen. 

The warriors circle the eagle and lift the lid on its cage, allowing the chief to reach his arm inside and pluck one feather from the eagle. As he holds it high into the air, the Nazulu sing and shout. The chief travels around the circle of his people, one by one, swooshing the feather across each forehead. Josh and I are standing off to the side watching. When finished, the chief hands the feather to Kioko.

Kioko and another warrior walk towards us.

“Pssst. That’s him – my whack-off buddy,” Josh whispers out the corner of his mouth.

When they reach us, the other warrior stands in front of Josh and swipes his forehead with the feather. Josh nods his head in appreciation. Then, Kioko takes the feather and moves in front of me. He stands motionless for a moment, staring into my eyes before he swipes the feather across my forehead. I too, nod in appreciation. Both Nazulu smile and return the feather to the chief.

Mako tells us the swiping of the feather adds the eagle's protection to each of us. I witness the renewed security on their faces through this sacred act. The Nazulu obviously believe in the power of this ritual. 

Next, we are served meat, a rare thing for the Nazulu, and then singing, drumming, and dancing resumes. Looking around, their community spirit overwhelms me to tears. I was told one of the women lost her husband to disease several weeks ago, yet here she joyfully dances surrounded by the other women. No one is ever alone in the Nazulu tribe. What a comfort that must be.

After a while, chanting and hollering call my attention to another part of the settlement. My heart skips a beat at what my eyes witness. Oh my God, one of the warriors is walking across the trail of hot embers! Amidst the ruckus around him, his face is stoic. His walk slow. No sign of pain. I rush over for a closer look, not believing what I am seeing. One after another the warriors conquer the firewalk. Again, no sign of distress on their faces.

"I wanna do it!" exclaims Josh.

"No! Josh, no! I don't know why they aren't screaming in pain, but that has to be burning their feet!" I grab his arm, adding, "We are nowhere near an Emergency Room, Josh!"

"Anna, I know of this custom. Many around the world practice the rite of firewalking. It is actually supposed to be healing."

"Healing? How can burning your fucking feet be healing?"

I break my fussing to watch with my breath held as Kioko strides across the hot embers. His face is one of focus, determination, and peace. I decide there must be extreme pain and they have just been disciplined to hold back their cries.

Josh continues, "No, Anna. It is a ritual of healing and conquering fear. You are walking through your fears. They are using this to recover from their fear of the police taking their lands. Think about it for a second. We are taught to fear fire. They face that fear ... literally ... by walking on hot embers. And you know as well as me that fear can be crippling. When possible, we need to rid ourselves of fear. I'm gonna do it," he finishes, breaking free from my grasp. He looks over his shoulder saying, "And I think you should too!"

Damn, for a young guy, he packs a lot of insights. I steeple my fingers and pray for my brave friend. Before beginning, the warriors surround him and he sways and chants with them, almost looking like he is entering a trance-like state. Then, first step. Followed by another. And another. I hop from one foot to another as if on this journey with him. To my shock, Josh calmly walks the path of embers, no different than the warriors before him. Once upon the cool grasslands again, he lets loose with a warrior's cry of joy. I am inspired ... truly inspired. 

He looks my way and I nod in admiration of him. His joy is infectious. At this moment, I don't care if I burn my fucking skin off, I want to feel what they are obviously feeling. Before I can change my mind, I head to the embers. Josh stands at the end, encouraging me. The warriors encircle me, with Kioko facing me. His hands raise my face to his and I repeat whatever he is chanting. Over and over and over, I chant. My fears ... all thoughts really ... leave my mind as my body sways and my mouth chants. It is like I moved to another plane of existence. I can't explain it but my feet propel me forward onto the red, glowing obstacles previously inhabiting my mind. With each step, I feel nothing but strength and pride. These feelings grow exponentially as I continue my forward progression. Miraculously, I feel no pain. At the end of my journey, Josh is there, poking me with his penis sheath, as he hugs me, hurting my back with his intense squeezing.

Once Josh releases me, I head for Kioko. The fire did not burn my feet but rages other places. Grabbing his hand, I drag him out of the settlement to a dark spot just for us. Throwing myself against a tree, I raise my skirt and thrust my naked ass towards him.

"Take me!" I beg.

I grab hold of the trunk, the rough bark scratching my cheek, and hold on for what I hope is a rough, quick fuck. I do hope it's quick as I know the dangers of venturing outside the fenced settlement after dark, even with a warrior by my side.

Kioko doesn't disappoint and the next thing I feel is a long, fat cock stuffing my pussy. I howl, fueling his thrusting. He fucks me with the beat of the drums in the distance. Pound. Pound. Pound. Pound. Pound. I reach my hand back to hold his taut thigh. His muscles flex in his legs as his hips thrust back and force, fucking me deeper and deeper. Our bodies are slick with sweat from our uninhibited dancing. 

I look up taking it all in. The African night lights with stars. Crickets and cicadas harmonize with our grunts. A faint roar of a lion adds accompaniment. The smells of the savannah enhance the aroma of our sex. Fuck, I want to take a picture to capture this moment forever. Trust me, elephants trumpeting while native balls smack your skin takes fucking to a whole other level. 

He is getting close to cumming and slams my tummy against the tree with each plunge of his cock. Scratches mark my naked midriff. My nerve-endings fire from head to toe. Tummy tightens. Legs shake. Time stops and then ... full-body explosion! I feel my pussy gushing, convulsing. One pelvis-splitting thrust and his seed fills me. He collapses his head on my shoulder, panting in my ear. Fuck, that was good! 

We stay connecting until we regain control of our breathing. In one swift movement, his cock is out. More fluids pour from my pussy and I bend down to pick up some dry leaves, cleaning up the copious amounts of cum running down my legs. In this environment, I do the best I can with what I have to work with.  

He whispers something I don't understand. It doesn't matter if I can't decipher his words; his eyes tell me what I need to know. Hand-in-hand, we walk back to the settlement, rejoining the celebration. The dancing and singing continue well into the night. The scene is intoxicating. No alcohol is needed for us all to ride the highest of clouds. One by one, the Nazulu retreat to their own huts. I hope Kioko will spend my last night here in my tent, and he does.

Although we had two hard fucks already, we are energized to partake in several hours of lovemaking in my tent. His cock performs as if he swallowed a bottle of Viagra. I give him the mother of all blow jobs, complete with a deep throat that brought my powerful warrior to his knees. He rests a bit after that one but has me on my knees with ass in the air again soon. Our last fuck is my favorite with me straddling his lap, kissing his luscious full lips, watching his face as he spurts rope after rope of cum inside me. My pussy is swollen and sore from his fucking, but I don't care. I want to feel where he was tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. Shortly before the sun rises, we collapse from exhaustion, arms and legs entangled.

I awaken once again to singing from the women. I would never tire of waking to their energetic singing and will miss it greatly. Reluctantly, I start packing. Ugh. I am not looking forward to going home. Mako pokes his head inside my tent to tell me the jeep will be here in an hour and we need to say our good-byes. 

I hurry, gathering my things as Mako begins taking down my tent. Scanning the area, I don't see Kioko. The all-knowing, perceptive Josh appears by my side and says, "He's in the field ... seemingly sulking. You know, it is a weird thing to see a warrior, who just walked on hot embers last night, sulk."

"Thanks!" I say, kissing Josh on the cheek, before heading to the field.

His back is to me when I reach him. I am not sure what he is thinking so I tread carefully, gently placing my hand on his shoulder. He doesn't turn around, forcing me to walk around to face him.

His eyes look off to the side, so I turn his face, hoping his eyes will follow. They do. Oh my goodness. His eyes look sad. Gone are the sparkling, vibrant eyes I am used to seeing. 

I simply say, "I will miss you, Kioko," and reach up to kiss him. 

At first, his lips don't move, but then his arms circle me and pull me into his hard body in a passionate kiss. When he finally pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine, looking me in my eyes.

"Miss you, Anna."

Josh had smartly brought a Polaroid camera and given me some pictures he took of us. I pull them from my pocket and hand them to Kioko. His face lights up as he raises the pictures closer to his face, studying them, smiling. 

"For you," I say.

He lifts me off my feet and kisses me again in a way I will never forget. I grab his hand and he walks me back to the settlement where the jeep is waiting. 

The Nazulu have gathered around us, hugging us. Mako translates as I thank the chief for his hospitality and reassure him I will bring awareness to their issues over land with the police. He shares his appreciation and wishes us well in our journey. Kioko kisses my cheek and then walks away, leaving me with the women and children vying for the last hug. I understand it is his way and he doesn't want to see me leave. He looks at our pictures as he heads back to the field.

Sadly, we climb into our jeep and drive away, turning around to watch the Nazulu out our back window.

The children run after us, yelling and hollering. An elderly woman's face tells the story of the Nazulu - etched with pride, confidence, and contentment. We wave, smiling, but a tear trickles down my cheek.

Josh sees and puts his arm around me. "Hey, you okay, Anna?"

I sniffle and reply, "I want to feel what they feel. Instead, I return home to loneliness and humiliation."

"Hey, it was his humiliation, not yours. He was the one who got caught with his dick out."

"It's hard him being in the public eye, you know? Now, I have no one, Josh. My parents are gone. Now, I lost my husband too."

"Hey, hey, hey. You still have a family. I am your family. There is a seat for you at my Thanksgiving and Christmas table every year. I mean it, Anna. Many feel the same as me about you. You know my own mom was never there for me. I kinda feel like you are a mom to me, even though you aren't that much older. You always support me and fuss at me too, when I need it. You aren't alone as long as I am living and breathing."

I look at his sweet face and can't help but smile amidst my tears. Settling against his shoulder, I indulge in a long-overdue cry. My head tells me I don't belong with the Nazulu and if I stayed I would just be running away from my struggles. I need to gain a warrior's strength and go home and face my life. 

~~~~~

A month later…

I rap on Bob’s door.

“Come in!”

“Hi Bob, you wanted to see me?”

“Yes, yes, sit down, Anna.”

I sit and try to predict his next words based on his body language. But, I get nothing. He just sits back in his chair and stares at me.

“So, I just read your piece on the Nazulu.”

He pauses. I know he does this because he knows how impatient I am to hear his feedback. Grrrrr!

“And?” I say, tapping my fingers against my thigh.

“Damn fine writing. Damn fine, indeed.”

Whew! I try not to seem too pleased but am jumping up and down inside. I value Bob’s opinion very much.

“I have seen some of Josh’s photos too and he did a helluva job as your photographer. I predict some awards for him too.”

I can’t help but beam with pride.

“You want to say it. Go ahead, Anna.”

Attempting not to gloat, I simply say, “I thought Josh just needed a chance to prove himself.”

“You know, he sent me the video of your run-in with the police and it was not-so-accidentally leaked to the press.”

“Hmmm. Wonder how that happened?” I smile at him, having already seen the incident reported on television.

“No clue,” he winks. “But, since it happened we have been inundated with calls from animal and human rights groups wanting to jump on the Nazulu cause. I have sifted through them and here are some names of those I think you should contact,” he says handing me a paper.

I look at the recognizable names on the paper and can't hold back my reaction. “I am so excited about this, Bob! You have no idea! Thank you so much!”

“You have done a good thing, highlighting their plight, Anna. People like the Nazulu need someone on the outside fighting for them.”

I can't help but smile, and my thoughts shoot to one particular Nazulu. Bob and I wrap up our conversation and I return to my desk. Pulling up some of Josh's photos, I daydream about being back in Africa. 

Later that night…

I walk up the stairs to my apartment door and see a large flat package propped against the hallway, addressed to me. There is no return label, so I am curious as to its contents. After unlocking the door, I carry the package over to the couch and sit down. Carefully, I unwrap it and gasp as the picture is revealed. Josh! I sit staring in awe at the beautiful canvas of the Nazulu and me. Kioko is standing beside me. Josh must have taken it the night of the healing ceremony as we are dressed in our finest clothes and adorned with beads. You can see the eagle in the cage beside us, watching. I cannot help but smile as memories flood my mind. 

Also, inside the package are smaller pictures of just me and Kioko. Thank you, Josh! I carefully hang the canvas across from my couch and grab a glass of wine. The picture brings a smile to my face. Fingering the pictures of my warrior broadens my smile even more. He showed me what it feels like to be held by a strong man - loyal and hard-working too.

That trip changed me. I'd like to think for the better. Like the Nazulu, I will work to form my own community. Family doesn’t have to mean the same bloodline. I became a hermit after my divorce, but I am ready to get back out there and form some meaningful connections. There is a great big world waiting for me. Also, I want to be a champion for those who don’t have a voice. Everything that happened with my ex-husband doesn’t matter anymore. What we had was superficial. My new life with purpose begins now.

The Nazulu have shown me the way.