King of the Forest

 

The air smelled of decay and rot, hiding any trace of life that a forest should have. Each tree was darkened, branches and parts of logs littering the ground around them. Brown leaves hung from the branches, drifting in the wind. The earth was covered in mud and the dying remains of every plant. There was no grass, but instead wet earth that writhed with worms and beetles feasting on the corpse of the woods.

Rotten fruit, half-eaten by flies, lay scattered throughout the forest as I wandered inside, gloved hands touching the dying earth. Trees crumbled beneath my touch, releasing small clouds of sawdust into the air, and spores of whatever disease festered inside them. Everywhere I stepped, my boots sunk into the mud. With no grass or plants, the earth had become wet and loose, turning into a mu that could trap anyone who wandered inside.

Beyond the woods, fields had started to wither. With winter on the horizon, harvest was the difference between life and death. The villagers had been disturbed by the forest’s decay, but ultimately, had assumed it would die and regrow. Disease wasn’t new. Yet it never ended, resulting in a decade of rot that now blossomed into a threat to the village. 

Fire was their natural answer. Yet behind their fear, something else lurked, as I asked them what had changed teen years ago. Worried glances and silence met my words, glares my harder questions, and contempt my insinuation that they had done something to the local wildlife. Disease didn’t last ten years. 

I grimaced as I stepped over the rotting corpse of a deer, body long since bloated and eaten, fur falling off of an exposed skull. Her eyes were long gone, leaving an empty stare that faced the village itself. I leaned down and tilted the skull gently to see her teeth. She was young, and with no arrows or broken bones, it meant the disease had killed her.

It was only a matter of time before it infected local livestock. 

As I stood, the unseen became more obvious. Bones, fur, and feathers were nestled amongst the dead leaves and fallen trees. Nothing that came here lived. My lips pursed as I pulled up the cloth about my throat to cover my nose and mouth. There was no chance I hadn’t breathed the spores in, but I could delay whatever was inside my body by not encouraging more.

Black smoke rose in the air from the village below where they were burning their fields, eradicating the disease spores from their farms. I shivered and moved away from the corpses, walking further into the woods. 

It was deep and silent within, save the strange noise that came from bugs writing and moving in the earth. It was almost imperceptible unless one stood still, much like the sound of snow falling. Every moment in the woods felt crushing, the air filled with a strange thickness that I  knew was the rot. 

The further I ventured into the woods, the more aged the rot became, until there were fewer and fewer trees remaining that were not fallen t the earth. Strange and twisted black plants rose out of them, wet with slime that smelled of festering swamps. My boots slipped in the mud, splashing in fetid water with every step until a great cave loomed before me.

Before the rot, it would have been well hidden by the density of the vegetation. The sun would have caressed the top of the rock, a good place for sunbathing. Nearby there would have been bushes, trees, even a pond based on the swamp patterns. Whatever lived in the cave would have had a comfortable life.

Great twisted black roots came out of the cave’s mouth, strange growths along their lengths. They nestled into the mud, extending outward into the woods. The growths had opened, releasing spores, then regrown. White spores littered the air, densest here in the heart of the wood.

I grimaced beneath the cloth and stepped inside, feet slipping slightly on the rotting roots. Their thick, ropey masses made the cave smaller, covering every surface with years of growth. Mushroom-like projections filled the walls, sickly brown and dripping a strange fluid that kept the roots lubricated. 

When the darkness swallowed me, I struck my stone and ignited the lantern I had been resisting. Too much here could catch fire and burn the land. Shadows flickered to life, creating strange shapes as I moved. Each step became treacherous as the strange fluid grew more vicious, eating the rock itself.

Within the depth of the cave, the roots had sprung out of a great corpse on the ground. It was hulking, even just as bones, with ancient fur now blackened half slipping off of it. A giant head rested on the ground on its side, large teeth fierce and frightening. From its ribs sprung a spear, hand-carved with various symbols of lore.

My gloved fingers touched the bear’s side, feeling the distortion from the roots that grew within. I moved over its ribs to the spear. Someone had hunted him, followed him to his home, and murdered him in his rest. I grimaced and wrapped my hands around the spear. It had brought so much more death than the bear.

But bears were the life spirits of woods, keeping the hearts thriving. Too many stories had told of the sacrilege of murdering a bear, the creature that humanity may have descended from. “King of the woods,” I whispered softly to the long-dead corpse. 

“I beg forgiveness for their ignorance.” My hands closed about the spear, tightening. I pulled in a breath and then pulled, yanking the spear from the bear’s body. An explosion of spores followed my movement, filling the cave with strange white dust as a second burst of energy flew outward.

I slammed into the cave wall, dropping the spear as the wind was knocked out of my lungs, and collapsed, sucking in breaths. The festering roots twisted, groaning with their movement, as green moss began to grow out of them and tiny white mushrooms. From the moss soft green lights emerged, caressing the world as they moved.

The roots turned to dust, then earth, then rock again, reforming the cave around us. White spores began to fade, transforming into the blinking lights of fireflies. Lichen moved over the rock, collecting the moisture that remained for itself. 

Outside the ground quaked. I heard the groans of trees and the snapping of branches, the strange sound of leaves rapidly growing. A mouse crawled across my hand, stopping to sit on their haunches and sniff at my face. I tried to smile and gasped instead. Birds called outside, joining in great song before a wolf howled.

I heard the huffing as the bear drew his first breath. My eyes turned towards him in the eerie green glow. The massive head lifted, eyes growing back as the fur closed over his exposed skull, as he looked towards the cave opening. His great paws stood on the now clean cave floor, huge claws glimmering in the low light. 

The ribs repaired, fat and muscle returning as skin covered his exposed innards and then grew hair. The great beast finally stood, massive and beautiful, the small green lights and fireflies moving about his regal form. 

My body laid on the ground, slowly regaining breath. The bear approached, head lowered, snuffling at my hip before moving his great muzzle over my stomach. I breathed slowly, laying still, as he explored the scent of me from above. I closed my eyes as hot breath blew on my face and a wet tongue touched my cheek.

One hand gently raised to touch the coarse fur on his head, feeling the size of him compared to my human body. His head leaned into my hand. I slowly opened my eyes to look up at him, a gentle face with eyes half-closed in the enjoyment of touch. His eyes opened to look at mine and we stared at one another, the forest spirit and the guardian.

I shifted to see him better and let my hand slide behind his ear, nails gently scratching. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered to him. His coat was rich honey, even in the low light of the cave. It gleamed with his own unique magic, luxurious and full. The eyes glowed softly, the same green as the spirit energy lights that floated about him. From his back hints of leaves and small branches grew, blending with his earthen coat into the magic of the forest.

He was even bigger than I had thought he would be. Bears were large, but he was giant, dwarfing most bears I had seen. His mouth opened, and gripped the edge of my shirt, pulling softly then insistently. I slowly sat up, kneeling before his might. 

The bear pushed his nuzzle against my face, rubbing himself gently against me before he shifted, moving behind me to sit. I leaned back, feeling the warmth of his great body envelope me. Tiny vines poked out through his dense fur as I cuddled against him, his great paws wrapped around me to pull me in tight against him.  

Teeth nipped at my shoulder, working at the edge of my jacket, pulling it off to my upper arm. I smirked and then nodded, sitting forward to pull the coat off. It was tossed to the side, gathered up neatly by the creeping vines, and laid to rest near my lantern. My gloves came off next, before I slid from the rest of my clothes, letting the living cave take them up from me.

Naked, I leaned back against the bear, reaching up to touch his head as he leaned down to lap at my throat and shoulder, teeth teasingly playing over my skin. The dangerous claws gently scraped the skin of my stomach and over a breast, sending jolts of magic through me with each caress. 

My body shivered against him as a soft moan slipped past my lips. A groan came out of his muzzle as I pushed back against his body. A thick hard length met my body. I slipped a hand behind me, softly stroking him. 

The bear’s muzzle nuzzled my throat. “Is this what you want?” he asked me, voice just as rich as his fur. My eyes opened, surprised that he could speak. Another huffing groan escaped his lips, the perfect bear sound, as I kept my hand slowly moving. “I could hurt you…”

“You won’t,” I replied, confidence in his gentleness obvious in my own. A playful nip landed on my shoulder, sending another thrill through me as I stood, turning to look at his massive form. My hands caressed his face, stroking the fur as his eyes half-closed in gentle pleasure. “Do you want me?” I asked him.

Amber glowing eyes opened, a hint of green light sparkling in them. “I do. I would mate with you, to know you as a lover.” His muzzle moved forward, touching my face. I caressed him, leaning my head against his and rubbing. The bear made a soft noise of contentment before he shifted, standing, and moved forward. 

I stumbled back, generating a growling sound of amusement from the bear as I fell to the ground, greeted by a new carpet of soft moss that had grown. A wet tongue lapped at my throat, then down my chest to my breast, teeth nipping to pinch and pull. I gasped, arching my back up to his large mouth.

The bear growled deeply as his long, strong tongue probed my body, tasting the flesh and then sliding between my legs. I cried out, hips bucking at the intensity of his tongue as it slid within me, deep and penetrating. He lowered himself down to his stomach, laying down to get his thick tongue deeper.

Two massive paws rested on my hips and stomach, holding me down helplessly beneath him as his tongue writhed inside. Wild sounds escaped me as I grabbed his paw and his great head, pulling him into me in desperation. Each lick drove me further, bringing the pleasures of his skill and his magic into my body. The pounding power of the forest pulsed through him, thudded into my skin each time his tongue invaded.

My hips bucked but barely moved as he held me still. His movements were slow and methodical, eyes glinting with delight as I whimpered beneath him, eagerly wanting more. He stopped, tilting his head to watch me as I cried out in frustration before he buried his tongue deep, licking faster and driving deeper until I felt the great teeth of his maw pressed against the delicate skin of my opening.

I trembled and quaked beneath him, crying out as my body rode the waves of pleasure that overwhelmed me. He kept licking, even as I lost myself, and whimpered as the sensation overwhelmed. As I pushed on his head, trying to shift away, he finally lifted his muzzle from my thighs to gaze up at my body.

He stood, muzzle lifting my hip to gently turn me over as I laid, catching my breath as my senses slowly returned. Knowing what he wanted, I finally rolled over and moved onto my hands and knees. The great bear moved above me, lifting his front paw to my shoulder to hold me steady as his body pressed against mine. 

A small cry of pleasure came from my lips as he moved his hips forward, pushing his thick length deep into me, slick with his saliva. I bucked, feeling the pain of stretching and his erect hardness, more firm than anything I had felt before. He rested, part of his weight on me, as my body adjusted to him before he began to thrust.

Sounds of growling delight poured from the bear spirit as he pushed into me over and over again, plowing deeper with each thrust. I quaked beneath his weight, moaning as he filled me with his hunger, forcing me to adjust to meet his girth. 

Claws scraped my shoulder, leaving long red marks as he pulled me firmer against him, keeping me stable. One long leg rested beside me. One hand grabbed hold of his leg, holding on to him as his hips moved faster and harder. Panting hot breath landed on my neck as teeth nipped then bit, holding me still while he worked my body.

Pressure built within my body again, responding each time the bear battered into my hips, throwing his immense strength into each penetrating ram. Pleasure moved through me, making time seem to pass in a series of cries and growls and groans. Scratch marks lined my body as he slid in and out of my entrance, slowing only when I cried out, lost in the depths of ecstasy.

Even as he slowed, I shuddered, half sagging against him as his hips wiggled rather than rocked, swirling him within me to send new sensations through my body. The break lasted but moments before he held my neck with his great mouth and began again. He moved faster and harder, giving me no time to catch my breath before I cried out again, grasping t him as I shuddered and squirmed, reaching new heights of overwhelming intensity.

A great growl eschewed from his muzzle against my flesh as warm fluid filled me, held within by his engorged length before he stopped his maddening thrusts and slowly slid out, letting his seed spill from my entrance. 

I fell to the cave floor, exhausted, whimpering. The bear gently lapped my cuts and bites, closing the wounds before he lowered his head to my thighs, tongue exploring the sensitive skin still vibrating from his penetration. I made a small noise of protest as his tongue began to lap and explore, only to be replaced with renewed pleasure, body shivering in sudden eager anticipation of more.

A week later we walked from the cave, my body hurting in every pleasurable way. My thighs ached as we squinted at the sunlight, the forest lush and green alive. My fingers stroked his neck as we walked, exploring the forest I had never seen. I carried the spear in my other hand, determined to find who had killed the spirit and reveal what had truly happened.

As we reached the edge of the woods, the bear lowered his head to my shoulder and snuffled my cheek. I smiled at him, filled with his seed, and touched the golden fur one last time. “I will teach them the truth, my love,” I finally said and nodded towards the village.

He snorted a quiet bitterness that made the woods unsafe for the humans who would dare venture there. A different kind of poison, the fear of men.