R H O E
I was on edge, surrounded by so many unfamiliar males. The ground-dwellers paced, gnashing their teeth and flexing their claws. Pair-bonded canidae males traveled about, staring at me with their eery yellow eyes; pantheras snarled from the darkness, occasionally taking swipes at any male that got too close. A few hyaenidae males skittered about, being sure to maintain a healthy distance from the largest of the terrans.
I was one of the largest here, standing a head taller than most of the other males gathered around me. Most.
There were a few ursidae males here, having no doubt traveled far from their territories in the mountains. Although I recognized one male in particular from my youth, we didn't exchange any words. Nothing more than a simple nod in acknowledgement was enough. If we got any closer, a brawl was more than likely to break out between the two of us. We were too tense, too eager for the upcoming hunt. The last thing I needed was to get injured; when I found my female, I'd most likely need to defend her from males who either lost their fated mate to another male, or one who hadn't even dream-shared and was fueled by pure desperation. And with a quick glance around at the abnormally high number of canidae and pantheras present, there was a high probability of the challenger being a pair-bonded terran. My jaws popped in excitement, the blood in my veins boiling.
Fighting a pair of panthera males would be refreshing. They were cunning and sly, agile and brutal-
My mate's muddied face flashed in my mind, her bloody fingers clawing at a metal contraption.
I snarled, baring my teeth at a male ursidae that was far too close for my liking. He was a small male, at least for a mature ursidae. Coarse black fur bristled along his body at my glare, but he retreated.
"When is this rutting thing going to start?" A panthera hissed from the trees. A few males grunted in understanding. I did not.
Rolling my shoulders, I focused on my mate's face. It was so washed out, having spawned from my dreams alone. I knew that she had pale skin, and knew that her hair was long. But, beyond those things, I could not recall her facial features specifically. That would be redeemed, however. The moment my eyes would lay upon her flesh, I would never forget. But, for now, I could only imagine and attempt to connect the dots. In the dreams, her hair was matted and dirty, so that had to mean that her hair wasn't as black as pitch. I did not know, and did not care. She was mine; and when I took her, my fist would be in her hair regardless of its color.
A rumble sounded in my chest at the thought of mating my female. From the dreams, I remember that she was thin. I'd have to feed her well; ensure that she had enough food to round her belly and thicken her thighs. I would take care of her; she'd never have to worry about her next meal ever again. And that meant that, until she was healthy and safe, my cock would have to wait. Already it was swelling within my sheath, eager to conquer her. Eager to bend her to my will.
I placed a hand there, pressing against the hardening rod. It would have to wait a long while; her wounds would require a lot of attention and care, and I would not take her in such a fragile state. As a human, she was fragile enough as it was.
A shadow flew overhead before settling in the trees. I glared up at the skies, growling. Raptidae males were up there, no doubt. And, based on how quickly the sun was descending in the sky, there was a great chance that chiropteras were present too.
Not only did I need to watch out for challengers on the ground, but in the skies as well. The only relief I found solace in was the fact that we were so far inland that the sea-dwelling races weren't present. I was a strong, fierce male, but even I knew that I didn't stand a chance against the massive males that resided beneath the waves.
"Back the fuck up!" A small voice screamed into the night.
My fur bristled at the voice, the command. The males around me reacted similarly, teeth flashing at the human male with the nerve to raise his voice at us. Did he not know how small and weak he was in comparison to us? How easily we could tear him in half?
A smirk nearly hit my mouth. Almost.
This was going to be interesting.
If the male didn't clear us to start the Stealing within the next minute, I'd take off into the darkness with or without his official nonsense. My female needed me!
"Move!" The human snapped, this time closer. The clop of hooves hit my ears, immediately followed by a gods-awful stench that violated my nostrils. Ecki.
This was a high-class human, then. I had very little experience with humans, but I knew that only the ones with enough resources could afford such animals. This had to be the village official overseeing the Stealing, then.
They were useless.
"Listen up!" He started, and I turned toward the voice. The small male was mounted on his ecki, one hand gripping the pommel of his sword. With a flare of my nostrils, I could practically taste the sweat coating his skin. His face was pale beneath the rising moon's rays, his eyes frantic.
A grin stretched across my face. He'd be so easy to dominate.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large panthera male grin too. His long, fuzzy tail lashed at his paws; and his hands fisted at his sides as he crouched low. A chuckle rumbled low in my throat.
"L- Listen here, Terrans. I am a high guard, and I want you all to report back to me once you've found your…" his face got noticeably red in anger, "human females. There has been an escaped fugitive, and she must be brought back into my custody immed-"
We were done listening to him. Roars of laughter filled the forest at the male's words. A female fugitive? How pathetic were these humans? They couldn't track and control a tiny female? If a female Terran was acting up in the Beyond, she would be hunted down within hours and thoroughly punished by her mate. The punishment her ass would receive beneath his open hand would remind her, long after the pain had dissipated, that she was to obey and respect him. Males were made to protect females, even if it meant protecting them from themselves.
Pain… Blood… Agony.
Three things my little female was experiencing. The hatchel pressed into my hip, as if to remind me of the important healing ointments and salves within. She was hurting, cold, and alone. Unprotected.
The males of her species had failed her, time and time again.
I would not.
With a roar, I leapt forward. The human male gave a shout, his mount rearing up as I tore past it. The human was dumped onto the forest floor, resorted to nothing more than a trembling, dark heap on the ground.
Howls, snarls, and a multitude of other animalistic sounds poured into the forest. Above, raptidae and chiroptera males took into the air, their wings spreading wide on the breeze. Canidae males raced past me, immediately followed by the smaller of the pantheras. I only pushed myself harder and faster; I would not lose my female to the faster terrans. If I had to take out each and every male around me to reach her, I would do so in a heartbeat. I did not care about them. Only her.
As one, we descended into the forest with only one thing on our minds.
Our females.
Everything else melted away from my mind. The pellomidae lord I had deserted. The cadre that would, no doubt, be sent after me. My oldest friends, Baird and Vasil. Everything but the female that would soon be in the safety of my embrace disappeared.
I would not fail her. Not now, not ever.
Flaring my nostrils, a rumble vibrated deep in my chest. We were close to water. Unlike the other males, which had to travel another few miles to reach the human village, my mate was out here. Somewhere within the trees. I just had to find her before someone happened to stumble across her.
With one last look at the males around me, I veered off into the darkness. Alone, but not for long.
G R A C E
Despite the exhaustion that clung to my every breath, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even blink as my eyes were constantly roving over my surroundings. My gaze bounced from left to right, bank to bank, up and down stream, water to sky. I was a paranoid mess, but there wasn't anything that could be done to wash it away. So many times, that paranoia had gone head-to-head with the logical parts of my brain, but no matter how many times it was told to stand down, that the poppies and ecki were miles away, every whisper of the wind made me jump.
And it didn't help that I was cold… Freezing, actually. The creek water had seemed to soak into my very bones. I shivered and trembled, jaw clattering. Hours ago, arms that I vaguely recognized to be my own had wrapped around my midsection, desperate to cling to the tiniest bit of warmth… That was hours ago, though. Night reigned now, and with it cold wind and even colder currents of water.
I suppose that something good did come out of the cold though… My ensnared foot was numb, about as numb as a corpse. Deep, deep down, a voice screamed that it wasn't a good thing for it to be numb, but it was hard to care. I was as good as dead, anyways. Hopefully the infection, which was already setting in no doubt, would kill me off sooner rather than later. Dying from infection? I could do that. Dying from being stomped half to death, then torn apart? No thanks! Hopefully, by the time those damn mounted ecki found me, I'd be stiff and ice-cold. Perhaps, just to add insult to injury, my intestines would be picked clean from my body, too.
In my delirious state, I snorted. Take that, high guards. Fucking scavengers found me sooner than your sorry asses did. I hope you all get fired. A giggle escaped me, but it was quickly drowned by the water.
For the thousandth time, weary eyes traveled back to the metal-jaws biting into my flesh. I hissed.
For hours, that damn trap had been fiddled with and yanked at. Its jaws had held tight despite every attempt to pry them apart. There was no "release" mechanism; either that or I had failed to find it after all these hours. No matter what, I was screwed. So much blood had flowed into the creek… in fact, fresh slashes from a blade still oozed. I knew that I should've been more careful with the knife, but I'd been desperate. The weapon had been the only thing strong enough to go against the steel trap… and it had, ultimately, failed. Miserably. It had snapped like a twig after only an hour or two, the top half flying across the creek before disappearing beneath the surface with a pathetic 'plop.'
So now, as night claimed the sky, I was left utterly defenseless and hopeless. Death was looming just above, breathing down my neck with every passing second.
I cradled my head with freezing hands, fingers yanking at my hair. It was all for nothing, the pain, the eventual escape. Just… wasted. I could only pray that Cynthia was long gone by now, hiding in the shadows of some dilapidated inn.
No… It wasn't a waste. We both had known that things could go wrong; we had both recognized and accepted that fact. I just so happen to be on the wrong side of luck. My death was worth it as long as Cynthia had a new shot at life; gods did she deserve it!
I attempted to smile, but it felt fake even to me. At least, once death claimed me, I'd be at rest. No worries… No fears. I'd leave this fucked up world behind, and embrace an eternity of nothingness. Good gods, that sounded great. A whole bunch of nothing. I wouldn't need to worry about feeding myself, nor would I need to worry others any more. I'd be… nothing.
As if responding to my morbid thoughts, something made an appearance.
Well… an audible one at least.
"Oh, shit!" The words tumbled from my lips like sand.
A scream, high-pitch and utterly terrified, pierced the air. It sounded from the left of me, slightly muffled by distance. But the fact that I could hear it meant that whoever was screaming was far too close! And I was trapped like a literal fox, my foot clenched between the jaws of metal. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide!
Tears began to well up in my eyes, burning my throat in pulsing waves of emotion. My fingers clawed, once again, at the trap but found no purchase. It was slick with water and my fingers were raw, some nails completely torn from their beds. That scream could only mean one thing… Danger. I was not stupid enough to deny the very flight instincts that were currently running rampant in my blood. People had survival instincts for a reason… and.I.couldn't.heed.them.
Run, run, run, run, run.
I couldn't run! There was nowhere to run, no place to run. So, I had to fight! My hand dropped to my hip, and closed around a knife… but there wasn't one! I'd broken it hours earlier!
Another scream pierced the air, this time closer.
I crawled backward, pebbles biting into my palm. A sob escaped as pain shot up my leg. A fresh plume of blood filled the water, getting swept away downstream just as quickly as it appeared. My leg was stretched out as far as it would allow, my poor ankle (or what was left of it) contorted within the metallic jaws.
Another scream, this time louder. Closer.
"Oh shit." I hissed. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."
"Please ! No!" The voice sobbed, obviously female. The poor woman was even closer now, so close in fact that I could hear the crunch of leaves beneath her fleeing feet. She let out another sob just as a howl split the night air, which was accompanied by deeper one.
Two terrans, and a poor woman…
Oh gods!
"Get back here, little female!" A guttural voice called. It was deeply accented, so much so that it took a long moment for me to decipher what he had even said. "We will not harm you."
She screamed again.
I sat up and curled into myself, letting the water lap up the side of my body. My hands covered both sides of my head, right over my ears. No matter how hard I tried to shut out her voice, the panicked cries slipped between my fingers.
Please, please, please, please…
A horrible splash. The sound of rocks and a body tumbling into the creek. Another sob, this time just feet away.
Every muscle in my body froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I couldn't look over my shoulder, couldn't even lift a finger as the forest went silent. Dead silent.
A moan of pain, sloshing water. She was alive, but so was I.
Finally mustering the strength, I lifted my head from the water and glanced over my shoulder. She was stirring now, blood spilling down from a wound to her temple. But she was disorientated, and obviously in shock from being chased and then hitting her head on a rock.
"Run." I whispered, but my throat was so swollen that the word just dissolved on my tongue. I swallowed hard, then tried again. "Run!"
It was louder, loud enough to rise above the rush of water. She appeared to perk up at my voice, tired, blood-shot eyes scanning the creek for the source. Dark eyes settled on me, then widened at my posture.
I sat up, pushing the hair plastered to the sides of my face out of the way. "Run!"
She gasped, and staggered to her feet. But, just as she got to her feet, she stumbled a few steps and collapsed back into the creek. The woman gripped her head, groaning.
"Run! Go! Get up!" I hissed, tugging at the jaws holding me in place. "Get the fuck up!"
She didn't, the blood streaming from her head staining the front of her tunic.
Two splashes sounded just then. Snarls, inhuman sounds. "Oh rut…" One of the male terrans cursed at the sight of her, us.
I didn't look at him, couldn't look at him.
More splashes. They were moving closer.
Unfolding from my position, I hurled a rock at one of them. "Stay the fuck away from me, you ugly bastards!"
The rock narrowly missed the large creature's head, whizzing past his large, pointed ears. He narrowed his yellow eyes at me, fur bristling.
I froze, gasping at his appearance. He was large, as was the creature beside him. They were human-ish in stature. Massive chests, rippling abs, thick thighs and calves. But fur covered their bodies, thick on their legs, arms, pelvises, necks, and sides, but thinning out on their abdomens, chests, and faces. But their faces… Broad, flaring noses; heavy brows; pointed, furry ears; dark lips that revealed horrifying canines. They were monstrous, every bit as terrifying as the village elders had described in their stories from when I was a little girl.
Before the monsters could say anything, I flung another rock at their heads. They easily dodged it with a swift duck of their furry heads.
"Female," the smaller one started, nostrils flaring. "We will not harm you, but we need to reach our mate. Stop assaulting us with your stones."
I sneered, fisting another rock in my hand. "She's hurt because of you fuckers."
The smaller male shook his head, a whine forming on his lips. "Where is your mate, female?"
"Up your ass." I flung the rock at them again, but they dodged it. Again.
As if I were simply tossing leaves at them, they began to advance. Momentarily, I was stunned again. Thick, bushy tails swayed behind them. These had to be of the canine race, then.
They moved past me, their eyes focused entirely on the whimpering woman just feet away from me. They knelt down at her side, the larger male reaching for the satchel at his hip. They cooed at her, a deep purring sound resonating from their chests. It seemingly calmed her right away, her eyes falling closed as they gently touched the wound to her head. They whispered to each other, ears flicking this way and that. Before my eyes, a small leather pouch was pulled from the satchel, and they squeezed some sort of paste onto their fingers. The two males then dabbed the paste at her wounds, still keeping up that deep purr. She was practically unconscious now, so when they liberally coated the wound with that thick paste, she was scooped up into the smaller male's arms. He pulled her tight to his chest, staring down into her face with awe and such fierce possession.
I shivered.
The larger male was staring down at her face too, a hand coming up to stroke away some hair from her eyes.
The smaller male glanced at the woman one last time before turning to me, his brow furrowing at the metal trap clamping down on my foot. He nodded at the male accompanying him before handing him the paste.
I clenched the rock harder in my fist, raising it. They might have been gentle to her right then, but it was obvious that they weren't here for me. Plus, they had literally chased her into this damn creek, leading to her head wound. There was no way in hell that I was ever trusting these monsters.
The larger male took a step toward me, but at the sight of the rock in my hand, he halted with a snarl. He stepped in front of his partner and the woman he was carrying, blocking my view of them with his broad chest and shoulders. "You throw that rock at my female, and I will hurt you."
He took a single step toward me, just a single one… But halted dead in his tracks. His eyes lifted up to the top of the creek bank behind me, and his ears flattened against his skull. The thick fur on his neck and shoulders bristled, his tail lifting in alarm.
"You ever so much as look at my female again, mutt, and I will tear you to shreds." It was a deep, rumbling voice. A big, demanding one.
I froze, the rock dropping from my hand. That voice. That voice! I'd never heard anything like it before. So deep and rumbling and rich. And it said… my female…
"Oh gods." I whispered beneath my breath.
The male before me tucked his tail between his legs and lowered his head. He took a step backward, then another and another until he was directly in front of the other male and the woman. He pressed his ears lower. "Forgive me, ursidae."
The male on the bank said nothing, but it was enough. With a snarl, the two males leapt the bank and took off into the forest, their prize unconscious in their arms…
Leaving me alone to face a literal beast.
A loud splash behind me, a heavy thud. I picked up another rock, tensing my body to face the male. I wasn't going down without a fight; as pathetic as it was, at least it was something.
"Do not be afraid, little one." He rumbled, so deep and smooth. "I am here to help you."
Like shit you are…
I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth against the immense pain that would no doubt accompany my next movements, and steeled myself. I haven't come this far to be abused by some furry prick. I wasn't giving up this easily.
Just as I turned around in the water, my leg screaming in agony, I raised my arm to fling the rock at his face… But stopped dead.
A deep, rolling purr met my ears. So strong, so controlled, so calming. The rock slipped from my fingers, and I collapsed into the creek. Weightless and limp. Except, this time, cold water didn't rise up to claim me. Instead, massive arms cradled me; so warm and soft yet, at the same time, being equally as hard and unyielding. My eyes began to close, heavy with years worth of sleepless nights. All the pains and aches, inside and out, slipped away in that very moment. Left to be washed far downstream.
All I could hear, all I could feel, was the purring. I couldn't resist the lull of sleep, couldn't even put up a fight.
"You are safe, little one." He rumbled in my ear. "Safe."
Yes… Safe.