Spriggan

 

“You go in!” A young woman gestured at the ruin to her companions, pushing one on the arm to egg them on.

“I’m not going in there. You go!” 

“Pft. You’re the one that found it! You go in there,” a boy who was almost a man said, touching the woman’s arm. “Since you’re the brave one, as you say.”

“I think I see treasure. There’s something glinting in there.”

“We could all use that,” one murmured to the others. 

They stared at each other in quiet understanding. Poverty and desperation combined with youth often led to terrible conclusions. They stood outside an ancient ruin, a giant crack in the wall large enough for a human to crawl in. Strangely, a fire rested within, teasing light enough to see the glimmers of gold or treasure that were half hidden beneath the earth.

I stepped behind the youths, tilting my head to glance within. The gold pieces and few gems visible weren't half hidden, but rather, placed on the dirt. My brows furrowed at the perfect angle the fire caught them at, ensuring any passer-by would see it. Every part of it was a trap cleverly designed for mortals who needed or wanted gold.

“That’s bait,” I said softly, standing behind them.

The group jumped then turned to look at me, eyes wide with the fear of the unknown. I raised a brow, gesturing soo they saw my empty hands. 

“Who are you?” one asked, their eyes glancing over me with a sense of dread.

“Just a traveler,” I answered calmly. “But that,” I nodded to the opening, “Is bait.”

The woman raised a brow. “Maybe you just want it for yourself.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. But maybe I also don’t want you to get hurt. Or worse, have you hurt something else because you’re afraid.”

“How is that worse?”

“Think about the number of things that die because humans are afraid.”

“You say that like you aren’t one of us.”

I smiled. They exchanged looks of doubt and fear. 

Thunder cracked in the air and rain began to fall to the ground. I turned my head, looking up at the sky. Clouds rolled in, hiding the setting sun behind dull grey and green. The rain began to come faster, threatening to pour as the thunder rumbled, lightning brewing within the sky. 

I moved my hand out, catching some of the drops. “This is probably also part of the trap.”

“What are you talking about?” the man asked, pulling his cloak over his head. “It’s just a storm.”

The sky darkened, turning day to nearly night. The wind picked up, swirling around us and chilling the humans to the bone. I took steps out, looking at the sky where the green and purple began to shift, forming the beginning of a funnel. Crops waved beneath the pressure of the wind. Thunder boomed when I took one more step and the rain came in a wave of anger.

I nodded. “Part of it.”

“We need to warn them!” one of them said, their eyes wide when they looked at the cloud above the crops.

“Best be quick. And get indoors.”

The woman looked at me. “We could hide in here.”

“But then your village will suffer,” I answered evenly, looking into her suspicious eyes. 

We stared at one another. In one moment of tension, lightning cracked, hitting a nearby tree. The youths ducked, flinching away before running out into the road towards their homes. The woman paused, giving me a curious look before she joined her friends in the storm. I watched until they faded from sight, disappearing into homes. 

One by one the village shut its doors, curtains pulled back from the windows so they could watch the tumultuous weather as the sky opened up and threatened disaster. I sighed, pulling up the hood of my cloak, arms folding in front of me. I watched the village huddle, afraid of the unnatural storm that brewed on top of them. 

The ruins were old, old enough to contain things that did best far away from humans. The village was new, perhaps less than a decade old. I grimaced and turned, looking back towards the crack in the once castle, now nothing more than a stone room hidden in dirt and trees. I shifted and walked to the crack, peering in at the jewels and gold.

More of them were there now, a promise of wealth if I dared to come inside. I sighed and stepped within, staying just inside the opening and avoiding going deeper. The room was large, a fire half alive in the hearth. No furniture survived time, but it was clear the room had once been used for study. Old bookshelves were barely visible, the wood molded and rotting, as the ground swallowed the remains of what once was.

“I know you’re there,” I said to the darkness, refusing to move towards the gems at all. “There’s nothing for days from here. If you ruin their crops, they’ll starve, not flee.”

Silence. The fire cracked merrily before flickering. The flicker was faint, mostly likely unnoticeable by most unaccustomed to the presence of the unnatural. From the wall, a hand came, thin and gangly, with aged around knuckles and broken fingernails. The skin was rocky and filled with marks and imperfections.

I turned, watching as the creature pulled itself forward above the fireplace, another hand coming through the wall to grasp its edge. A leg came in, booted with stone boots and a strange wooden like fabric that led to hips and a chest. The creature hopped out, landing on his feet. 

He was small, half my height, with a face marked by time and age, wrinkled, and with a glowering expression of malice in the lively eyes. We watched each other, the air crackling with his magic. He shifted, standing taller but still short, and appraised me with knowing eyes. 

“Aren’t you cute. You know I’m here.” He spoke with a mocking voice, gravely and ancient. 

“I saw you,” I chided, brow raised. “Offering fae gold to unsuspecting humans. They were barely grown.”

“Grown enough for greed. An easy human trait.”

The spriggan turned, walking away from me to scoop up the wooden gold and jewels, tucking them into his pocket. I watched him, lowering the hood of my cloak. He busied himself by the fire, adding a dry log to it from his other pocket. 

“Treasure?” I finally asked, nodding towards the old earth. 

“Piskies,” he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice. “They’re beneath the earth in a trunk some human buried them in.”

“You can’t?”

He turned, gesturing with anger. “You know what I am, snoop.”

My lips pressed together. “What curse keeps them bound?”

“The one we can never break.”

“To be alive?” I asked, taking one step closer to him before lowering down to my knees and sitting beside him near the fire. The heat was as fake as the gold, the fire providing nothing but the look of warmth. 

“That’s very rude,” he countered, turning his head to look at me sharply. Yet he offered a teacup. 

I took it gingerly, knowing better than to drink from it. “Thank you. I had heard you were ghosts.”

Hee sighed. “A living spirit of giants. But the curse is based on lust. Knowing us the ugliest of beings, the piskies cannot be freed.”

I reached my hand out and touched his shoulder. “Whoever cursed you knew nothing of your beauty.”

The spriggan laughed. I moved my hand, touching the gnarled face. He froze, eyes watching mine with hatred before sliding closed, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. I scooted closer, moving my hand down his cheek to caress his jaw and lips with my thumb. 

The eyes snapped back open. “I don’t want your pity.”

“It isn’t pity. I can’t feel sorry for someone who’s going to murder people for amusement.”

The spriggan shrugged. “Fair. Then why?”

“Because you’re dedicated, loyal, and fierce. You’re here to protect people you love. For hundreds of years. Not giving up. That’s such intense care, friend.”

“You admire these actions and so you’re here to what? Tell me to give up on them?” He turned his head away. “That this ugliness will never be cured.”

“It isn’t ugly. You aren’t human but you’re striking. You’re strong, noble, and beautiful. Don’t let humans define what is beautiful. They can’t see past themselves.”

He turned, gazing at my face. “You can say that because you look like them. I bet it’s still a human you fuck at night.” He paused. 

“I fuck a lot of people. None of them human.”

“Ha! I’m sure. Elves.” He gestured dismissively.

“And red caps. Nuckelavee. Draugr.”

The spriggan blinked, turning his head to look at me. “You don’t find them hideous?”

I shook my head. “Not at all.”

His hand moved, lifting from the earth to touch my face. His caress was rough, skin like stone. I leaned into his hand, closing my eyes to embrace the touch. The fingers wandered downward, stroking my throat and then falling lower. The small hand cupped my breast, squeezing and kneading.

A moan slipped from my lips. I moved my hands, pulling my cloak and dress off, kneeling suddenly naked before him. He watched, eyes moving from angry to suddenly fascinated. I reached over, taking his hands and putting them on my breasts again,

He hesitated and then began to pinch the nipples, pulling gently. I shivered at the rough touches, groaning at each pinch and tweak. Every sound I made encouraged him, bringing him closer to me as stone lips touched my throat, his body pressing against my own with each caress.

I reached out, running my hands over his chest and down his stomach to his hips, gently tugging at the wooden clothes he wore. With his own magic, he waved them away, gnarled and naked against me. Lips caressed my shoulder, teeth nipping at the flesh in urgent hunger, a passion never seen before. 

My lips moved up his chest to his jaw, tasting the earth and stone of his body. Our mouths found each other, rough kisses filling our senses as hands wandered and explored. Moans came from each of us, colliding together into lustful music that was swallowed by the thundering outside. 

I moved back, looking into his eyes. “Is this okay?”

The spriggan nodded, mouth slightly ajar. “Yes. Is this… for you?”

I nodded, bringing my lips to his chest and raking my teeth over his stone flesh to his neck. He moaned, holding my head against him. “More,” he whispered, moving my head downward. I crawled onto my hands and knees, head level with his hips.

Fingers closed in my hair, pulling me to his length, as hard as his body was. The stone tasted of wild magic, the storm still thundering outside, as his hips gently rocked. My tongue explored him, flicking over the surface and back, tasting every inch that he offered. I moaned when he began to push forward, sliding his roughness into my throat. 

We moved together before his faery fire, moans and groans creating an unnatural song. He cried out, fingers digging into my hair. I pulled back, moving my hands to push on him, knocking him to the ground. 

“Not yet,” I whispered, climbing atop him. “Soon, though. I want to feel you inside me.”

My hips aligned with his, bringing me over his stone hardened length. He stared up at me, hands touching my hips and moving up to my breasts, caressing the flesh with teasing nips and pinches. I moaned, arching my back before slowly lowering down atop him.

“Yes,” he groaned, head falling back at the bliss of our bodies connecting. I rested, staying atop him, waiting for the coldness of his stone body to adjust to me. When he began to warm I  started to move, rocking slowly on his length within.

He shuddered, raising his head to look up at me. “I can grow,” he muttered.

“What?” I gasped, moving faster on him.

“I was once a giant. I can expand. Become bigger.”

I shook my head, pushing my hands onto his chest to pin him down. “Don’t you dare. I want you now. Not who you were in the past.”

He cried out, fingers digging into the earth around him with each rocking motion I made, his hardness moving in and out of me with each movement. We cried out together, the pressure building with me matching his writhing, thrusting mass bellow. 

His hands grabbed my hips, impossible strength for his size holding me down atop him as he shuddered and twitched within, releasing no seed but feeling the rush of pleasure that came with climax. Beneath me, he panted, holding me still as I shivered, a soft moan rolling from my mouth.

I moved, letting him slide out of me before laying beside him in the faery realm. Around us small lights began to dance in the fake firelight, flicking here and there. The spriggan laughed,  gesturing with a hand to the small fairies moving above us.

“Piskies,” he chortled.

I kissed his forehead. “One very attractive spriggan was all it took.”

The spriggan laughed and looked at me. If he could blush, he would have. I caressed his face. “The storm is still going.”

“Well you’re delightful but you’re not that distracting.” 

I moved down his body with my fingertips, caressing his chest and sneaking lower. “Then I’ll have to try harder this time.”

Nightgaunt

 

“And just what was your plan, Guardian? Come in here, destroy my work… the audacity of you people.” The wizard growled, standing at his desk in the middle of his library. The room was circular and stone, with great carved bookcases all facing the center, where his mighty marble desk and a giant floating fire waited. 

I leaned against the wooden table I was strapped to. It was tilted on an angle, keeping me tight to its wooden frame with leather I couldn’t break from. It was an aged platform, designed for showing off victims to those in the audience. I narrowed my eyes at the wizard, my hate for his kind growing deeper with each passing moment.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t see you? Do you know who I am?”

I yawned, turning my head to look around the room. IT was three stories high, a dome glass ceiling showing the night sky at the top. The fire rose half of the way, yet emitted no heat. Only a wizard would have decorative fire and expect others to be thrilled by their achievements. 

“I’m talking to you!” 

My eyes wandered back to him after reading several of the titles of the nearest books. “Sorry,” I said. “You were saying?”

The back of his hand connected with my face. It barely stung. I raised a brow. 

“You will suffer, Guardian. I promise you that. There is nothing you will be able to hie. No secret I won’t find once I’m one with you.” His finger jabbed the air towards me. Slowly he walked away, inhaling deeply, and walking to his desk. 

“I don’t understand why you’re so surprised. A place like this? It just screams ‘come rob me.” 

“Only an idiot robs a wizard.”

I shrugged, making the leather rub against the wood. “Not from what I’ve heard, but hats off to the arrogance. I’m sure it won’t bite you in the ass one day. But hey. Maybe you’re into that.”

“Ah yes. I’ve read about your kind.”

“My kind? You’ll need to be more specific.”

He chuckled. “Guardians.” He said it like a dirty word.

“Hm, yes. That kind.”

“Vile creatures, aren’t you? Running around bedding anything that isn’t human. Monstrous, really.”

“Is fucking them worse than enslaving them? Or consuming them for their power? I’m a little unclear on your lines, spell slinger.”

“I am a wizard,” he hissed. 

“Hm. Yes. You are a person who can manipulate the energies of the natural world and steal them for yourself, then fling them outward to make things happen. With things they call spells.”

The wizard raised a brow. “Your point, Guardian?”

“Spell slinger.”

The thin line of lips somehow grew thinner. I smirked. “Lots of books here. D’you and friends all write them together then trade? Oh! Is it a book club?”

He picked up an athame from his desk and slowly strode over. “You’re trying to make me angry, aren’t you?”

I smiled. “I would say I’m succeeding.”

The fire glowed brighter, pushing out to take up more space. He turned his head, looking at it before taking a deep breath. “Do they teach you that we’re monsters, we wizards?”

Laughter spilled from my lips. “Fuck no. You’re arrogant humans who treat power as an addiction. And even though you’ve learned to utilize what’s already there, you use it to make the world worse. You’re not monsters. You’re just people. Plain old humans. With gimmicks.” 

His hand moved, pressing the edge of the dagger against my face. I looked into his blue eyes and his pasty skin, smirk still on my lips. “This the best you got? A little blade? This is why wizards don’t have true magic, you know.”

“Why’s… that….” he hissed, pushing down but not quite hard enough to cut the skin. His hand shook, tempted and fearful.

“You can’t cut out someone else’s heart and offer it up. That’s not real magic. If you want real magic, you have to offer your own flesh and blood… and not expect to get it back. But every wizard holds themselves more precious than the true gift. So here you are, no doubt with demons and minions, who murder for you… but you’ve never plunged a blade into someone. Pathetic, when you think about it.”

“You have a rather naive and romantic view of magic, Guardian,” he hissed. Our eyes met and we stared at each other. “But nevertheless,” he said, pulling the blade from my face. “You are correct in that we see no reason to sully ourselves with the most base of human instincts. Like murder.”

I laughed. “Just because it happens at the claws of a demon on your behest does not make you a murderer, wizard. It just makes you a coward.”

His jaw tightened. 

“And I’ve seen almost all of you in base human behavior. You mock me for taking monsters to my bed, but how many of them have you fucked just for the pleasure of abusing something under your control, hm?” I raised a brow, pulling against the leather suddenly.

He flinched, stepping backward. “I would never-”

“Don’t lie to me. You think I stumbled across this place? I heard what’s happening here. You treat enough staff like shit, word gets around.”

The wizard turned, as though he would see the offending servant. The library was empty save for the two of us. A flush rose on his cheeks.

“That’s right. I  know your filthy secret, wizard. That you’re a monster fucker. But let’s be real. It has nothing to do with the monster and everything to do with them being dangerous and powerless to stop you. I’m surprised you’re not balls deep in me now.”

He turned again, hand finding my face once more, fingers closed together. The punch was weak, unskilled, and though my face turned and I felt a tinge of pain, I laughed. “You wanna hit me, boy, hit me. Or get your demons down here. I bet they know how to make it hurt.”

The wizard screamed in frustration, throwing the books off of his desk onto the ground. “Gods you are infuriating!”

“True. I’m also not afraid of you. So maybe that’s what has you all flustered.”

I smirked. “C’mon then. Call your demon. Show me how you’re truly the boss.”

The wizard spun, eyes darkening as he stared at me. “Is that what you want? To be abused?” A chuckle rolled from his lips. “It makes complete sense that you would crave that, so accustomed to the pan monsters give you.”

His steps brought him closer to me. A hand moved out, stroking the side of my face. “They must have indoctrinated you when you became one of them.”

I snorted  in amusement. “Is that what you need to think? That I don’t want you because I’ve been brainwashed into wanting pain?”

The wizard looked at me, trying to pierce my soul. I felt his power brush against my mind and shook my head. “Doesn’t work on me, spell slinger.”

His brows furrowed and he cupped my chin in his hand. “No matter. It shall once you are weakened. Days without food or water will bring you to your knees.”

“I’m an immortal, you walking cock.”

His eyes widened. “I had… how interesting. By way of being a Guardian or… through magic?”

I looked around the room again, pausing to stare at the fire. “Sure.”

“Answer me.”

My eyes flicked back to him. “It’s a mystery.”

“Yes your people always have been but that changes now. Tell me. How are you immortal?”

I shrugged. 

He growled and gestured to the fire, pulling it from the center of the room with a small chant and a flick of his wrist. The flame moved like a wave, engulfing me. I cried out as it burned the clothes from my flesh and ate through the leather on my wrists and ankles. I slid from the wood to the ground, kneeling on the stone, naked.

Yet it didn’t touch my flesh. 

The wizard stepped back, the room considerably darker as the fire faded out and a small flame sat in the hearth, barely casting enough light. 

“What are you?” he murmured in fear and reverence as I stood.

“Justice come to call.” 

He stepped back then scooted around his desk, keeping it between us. “Stay away from me!”

“What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll take revenge for all you’ve done?”

The wizard muttered a spell, touching a crystal on his neck and then gesturing to the ceiling. The dome ceiling faded from view, leaving behind old rafters and shadows moving amongst them. Each shadow was tall and hulking, a long spindled tail draping from their dark forms. I saw no eyes but knew I didn’t need to.

They moved, jumping from rafter to rafter as they grew closer to where I was. Yet not a sound was made. No claws on wood, or wings with leathering sounds, or teeth gnashing nor throat growling. My brows drew together at their void existence before I stepped back from him, ignoring the smug look on his lips. 

One jumped atop a bookshelf above me, head pointed downward. There was no face, just a simple blank canvas where it should have been. I drew in a breath and steeled myself to not step back. 

“Oh hello,” I said softly. “I haven’t seen you before.”

The creature tilted its head, claws biting into the wood of the bookcase, yet no sound came out. It was a disturbing silence that set off strange alarms in my mind. It stood, wings expanding outward behind it, a silent roar in its pose. 

The wizard made a hand signal and touched his crystal again, his eyes on the creature. It responded with a tilted head before leaping. I didn’t have time to turn, only to feel that it was upon me, and yet I felt nothing at all.

Claws pushed against my shoulder, clear as day in the dark. Its head remained lowered over my face, menacing and dangerous. Around it there was an unsettling stillness that seemed to eat sound and life, causing the light to be dimmer. I barely saw its tail flick out behind it, shaking as though it should rattle yet no sound escaped.

I pushed against the stone, trying to rise up against the weightless yet heavy thing, and found it only pushed down harder, keeping me pinned to the ground. One clawed hand rose, trailing down my cheek to my throat and raking over my collar bone.

Chills went through me, sending a strange sense of anticipation into my body. The claws moved, tantalizing and lightly, over my collarbone and under it, dancing over the flesh in featherlight patterns. Goosebumps rose on my arms and skin as chill after chill went through me at its playful caress.

The claws went lower, brushing over my breast to the skin below it, this time pulling a  hint of laughter from my lips. They continued, skimming the flesh of my armpit and sides, moving faster and more rapid as I began to laugh, joyous amusement and anticipatory fear mixing in equal measure as I squirmed beneath its black mass.

It seemed encouraged, moving its tail to trace over the bottom of my foot, ignoring that I kicked out of it in protest. Its pointed tip moved further up, tracing along my calf to my knee, where I shouted out in laughter again. My body quaked and shivered as the tickling appendage moved higher, playing with the inside of my thighs and hips until I felt tears roll down my cheeks, my laughter half shouts of agony.

I couldn’t hear the wizard over my own fits of giggling and gasping. The air became difficult to breathe, the creature unrelenting as claws and tail made their work over my body, bringing me close to some unperceived precipe before changing and letting me relax for just a breath. My muscles tightened and shivered, contracting constantly in the barrage against my body.

Laughter hung in the air as another creature landed, joining its companion in my chortling torment. Their tails worked quickly, each running roughly over the inside of my hip as I twitched and screamed. Pressure rose within me as claws raked my sides, digging into the skin roughly and then lightly, pushing me back and forth until I cried out, body shuddering as it convulsed and released.

My cries and laughter became giggling moans as I rode the wave of estranged pleasure and release their claws brought me. As I twisted and contorted beneath them, hands trying to catch their tails or claws to stop them, I heard the wizard walk closer, an amused smile on his lips. 

I panted on the ground, my body quaking uncontrollably. With a wave of his hands, the monsters stopped, their heads turned towards him. He knelt down, one long finger trailing over my stomach which sent tears down my cheeks as I tried not to laugh more. 

“Well, look at you, finding a way to come even when being tickled to death.”

His face was close to mine, his voice filled with mirth. I murmured, so softly I knew he wouldn’t hear. 

“What’s that, guardian? Was that surrender?”

I swallowed, mouth dry from the attack, as he drew closer to hear what I had to say. My hand closed on the crystal at his neck and pulled, snapping the cord before smashing it into the stone ground.

It shattered and the magic in the library went out, leaving only the faint light of a small fire for us to see by. 

The wizard stumbled back. “You bitch,” he growled, standing quickly, hands spread out.

I sat up as the creature moved off of me. “What’s the matter, wizard? Afraid of what they’ll do?”

“Stay away!” he yelled, hand groping on the desk for any type of weapon.

I stood, caressing the monster beside me, feeling its nonexistence. It turned its head, looking at me. I nodded and removed my hand, grabbing my cloak from the table where the wizard had set it. 

“Guardian!” the wizard yelled as I pulled the fabric around my shoulders and turned to walk away. “Guardian!” he screamed again, the cry echoing through the hall.

Silence hung in the air as I pulled the hood up and headed for the door. As it creaked open, the raucous sound of hideous laughter filled the air, growing in desperation and agony rapidly. I smiled, pausing to listen for only a moment, and then locked the door behind me.

Questing Beast

 

The lake boiled. Its surface bubbled and hissed, steam rising from the surface and rising towards the sky. Fish surfaced, bodies no longer moving. Birds flew from the lake’s edge, fleeing the scene of such horror. The local deer stood, staring, ears perked forward as they tried to understand.

I stood on the opposite shore, arms folded, eyes suspicious. The knight stood beside me, brows raised quizzically and one hand caressing his beard. His grey eyes narrowed when the water levels began to drop. The lake was boiling itself out of existence. 

“And the beast went in there?” I asked, brow raised as one hand gestured to the superheated water. 

The knight gave a nod.

“And you want me to… in there?”

“Well, I…” He trailed off and grimaced. Then his head tilted. “But if you could?”

“No, I can’t. That’s boiling water, sir knight. Boiling. Water. Does water normally boil itself in your lands?”

He shook his head. “Nay.”

I pursed my lips. “Then it’s likely because…?”

“I hadn’t the slightest idea, my dear. I had assumed a creature and were told you were the best hunter to hire for such a problem.” 

An angry sigh slid past my lips before I could stop myself. “I’m not a hunter.”

“Whatever you prefer to be called. A monster lurks in the lake and now it boils. You must stop it.”

“Oh, must I? I feel bad for the fish but that is the extent of my sympathy for this situation.”

I waved a hand and unfolded my arms, beginning to walk back towards the road and the horse I had recently been gifted 

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere else, my lord.”

“No. You must help. Get back here. I command it.”

My jaw tensed. I heard him tromping through the long grass after me. “I am not your subject. And even if I was, I would not care to obey you.”

“I am on a quest, girl. You must understand. I hunt a great beast. She ran, fast and sure from our last battle to this damnable lake. If she’s in there, you will go in and you will fetch her.”

I turned, looking at him as he approached. “If she’s your damn quest, you walk into the water and boil to death. If she ran from you, it was because she was afraid. If you think I’m going to go into the water after a creature you’ve hunted until she hid in a boiling lake, you deeply mistake me.”

He rose a hand to chide me. “And if you continue to speak to me as though you hold rank above me or touch me, I will remove your hand and feed it to her. Do you understand me?”

We stared at each other before the knight raised his hands. “You’re a difficult woman.”

“No. You’re an entitled man.”

He sighed, gesturing in quiet acknowledgment. “Well. That may be true. Forgive me for my rude demeanor. The monster…”

“Is your quest. I know.” 

“No,” he said. “Yes, I mean. But also… I have chased her for a long time.”

I attached my bag to the horse who snorted, ears flicking backward as the deer took off. Her head lifted, glancing at the lake. My hands pulled out the riding cloak, unfolding it to wear.

“Such a long time one might assume that she was a part of my life. One may even say, vital to it.” 

The cloak was old, threadbare, but fit snugly on my shoulders. I clasped it and pulled the reigns of the horse so that she turned, following me. 

“Are you listening to me?” he asked. 

I blinked, turning to look at him. “No. Not particularly.”

“How can I make you care?”

“Tell me something real, your grace. You’ve said nothing but empty words and told me a tale of you harassing this creature until she may be boiling herself alive to avoid you. At this point, you are the monster who needs slaying.”

He sighed, deflating. “Forgive me. The beast… she... “ He made a frustrated noise and turned, sitting on an old stump as he watched the water bubble. 

I took a step away, sighed, then turned back and walked to him. “I’m worried about her,” he finally said.

“Now that is something real,” I replied. “Why are you worried?”

The knight looked out at the lake, his face filled with lines of concern. “She’s never done this before. I worry she’s ill, or whelping, or worse, dead.”

“Was she pregnant?”

He shrugged. “They say the noise she makes is from the unborn kits that rest in her womb. I say any child of the devil would make a bleating noise, like a dozen hunting dogs, on account of such parentage.”

“She’s the devil’s daughter?”

He turned, looking at me. “Do you know him, the devil?”

My brows furrowed. “I know a few. Don’t be daft.” 

“How do I talk to her? Get her out of that lake?”

I pursed my lips. “You may want to start by telling her you’re worried.” My hand went out to him. “Come.”

He gripped my hand and I tied the horse up, walking down with the knight to the lake’s edge.  We moved along the shore until we reached the closest point to the deepest part. He glanced at me again, uncertain and nervous. 

I gave a soft nod and gestured at the water. “Tell her.”

The knight swallowed. “My beast! Dear beast! I beseech you! Come hither!”

My eyes rolled. “Tell her why she ought to. Promise her that yu won’t hurt her.”

“She knows I would never hurt her.”

“Then why did she run into a lake?” I snapped.

He groaned in irritation and then looked back at the sizzling water. “I beg you forgive me, dear beast, for our former encounter. I…” he paused, stumbling. “I miss you. It has been too long since last we entangled.”

I tilted my head, raising a brow, but said nothing.

“I worry you have fallen ill or some other misfortune has found you. Please come to mee, let me see your wondrous face once more!”

His voice grew more exuberant as he went on. I worried poetry would spring from his lips if he carried on too much longer, given any knight’s propensity for loving their own voice. My hand touched his shoulder,  stopping him from continuing the words.

“Give her a moment.”

Only the bubbling water made noise as we waited. Then slowly a yellow head arose from the water, strange horns on the top. The fur was patterned, spotted in dark browns. Reptilian eyes and teeth showed as she turned her head and looked towards the knight, bright eyes blinking suspiciously. 

“Oh!” he cried, waving to her and then bowing. “It is so pleasant to see you! I am so glad you are alive!”

From her several strange barking noises emanated, despite her mouth not opening. The creature shifted, turning towards us and beginning to swim through the water. Its boiling ended, leaving the water still and calm while the beast moved towards land.

She was part feline and other animals, cat-like haunches and bear front paws, a long serpentine tail save with fur, and a long thick neck that stretched several feet. I stepped back, my brain struggling to correlate the various parts of her into one creature. 

It took me a moment to realize she was thin, as a creature starved might be. I moved forward, offering a hand to her. “Hello, my darling,” I whispered. 

Her lips quirked, smiling faintly. “You brought a guest,” she said to the knight. 

“Ah yes. She, ah…”

“It’s good to meet you. You’re stunning. I’ve never seen anyone quite like you before,” I smiled at her as she nuzzled my hand. I slid my fingers over her furry back, gently massaging the wet skin and bony angles. “What happened to you?”

The barking happened again, coming from her body more than her throat or mouth. “He was questing, seeking a treasure.”

“And?” I asked. “That’s what knights do, do they not? War and quests?”

The knight flushed. 

Her head lowered, almost nuzzling the knight’s cheek, though she stopped a few inches away. “I was lonely. I thought he--you--had given up on catching me.”

“Oh, bless your heart,” he whispered, moving a hand to touch her strange face. “I was engaged by our king. I must obey. But I would come back. I will always come back.”

I moved, walking behind the knight, touching his shoulder gently. “Kiss her,” I whispered. 

His red face deepened. “Try a new way to fight her… kiss her.”

The knight leaned forward, placing chaste lips against the cheek of the monster. The barking grew louder, suddenly excited. Her head turned, looking at him suddenly curiously. 

I touched his shoulder, urging him forward. The knight’s lips touched the creature once more, tongue touching the reptilian lips. Her tongue moved out, meeting his in gentle curiosity. Their tongues met, dancing with each other as the knight deepened the kiss. A barking moan escaped the beast as the knight groaned, wrapping his arms around her head to hold her against his lips. 

Her body shuddered, lowering to the ground so that she was more close to his height. I moved behind him, gently removing the cloak that he wore as he explored her mouth and teeth with his, tasting her. I reached around them, unfastening his trousers and letting them fall to his ankles.

His head turned, looking at him, eyes confused yet understanding. I nodded, tilting my head towards her. Touch her I mouthed, gesturing with my own hands to massage and caress. 

The knight turned back to the beast, letting his hands wander down her neck t her back, exploring her skin as he never had. She half purred half chirped and shuddered, skin twitching as his hands kneaded and caressed. 

The beast shifted, leaning against him, tail flicking. I followed the knight as he moved along her back to her hips, pulling his shirt over his head so that he stood naked save his boots beside her. My hands slid over his shoulders, lips touching his ear as I whispered.

“There, beneath her tail, gently caress. You’ll feel this little nub there. And a hole.”

His eyes widened and he turned to me. “Trust me.”

“I can’t… I’ve never.” 

I glanced up at her. “Can I touch you, friend? Show your knight what he needs?”

Her purring continued and she gave a gentle nod. I sucked on my tongue, spitting onto my fingers and hand. Gently I explored the back of her, feeling for the wet entranced and finding it. The beast quivered, hips rising slightly in wanton lust.

My two fingers slid in, testing the side of her and coming out soaked. I moved my thumb around, finding the little bit of flesh I had told him about, and began to press and play with it. She made a new exciting bleating sound, mixed with a grumbling roar, body shuddering with my touch. 

I grabbed his hand, guiding his thumb and fingers to where I had been stroking. “There,” I whispered. His thumb felt the bit of skin, then began to push on it in a slow pattern. “Good, now move in a circle, a bit faster…”

The knight followed my instruction, sending a series of mewls and purrs out of the creature’s mouth while the barking escalated. I pushed three fingers in and then four, my hand working in and out of her with slow deliberate strokes.  

“Can I touch you?” I asked him, eyes glancing to his length that was hard and ready. 

His mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, he nodded, moving his other hand to replace mine. His fingers slid inward, exploring inside of her tight wetness. I pulled back, letting him take the reigns. He moved to four fingers and then slowly began to slip his hand inside, giving her time to expand around him.

The beast squealed, rocking back against his hand to encourage his movements, hips gyrating and quivering. His hand began to plunge within, then pull out, his hips rocking with each thrust he made. 

“Close your hand,” I said. “Make a fist.”

The knight obeyed and the creature wailed in delight. He grew flush with his efforts and I watched, entranced as he punched inside of her, driving her wild with every stroke and playful pinch his fingers gave her slit. 

I reached down, using my wet hand to stroke his length, pulling him to full hardness. The beast turned her head, watching us behind her, a glassy look of ecstasy in her eyes. My head tilted, brow raised as I looked at her. “Is this what you want?”

She panted an affirmation, breath coming in short spurts as the ecstasy built within her. I moved behind the knight, pressing against him and gently guiding him forward. “Grasp her hips.”

His hands moved away, stroking her large feline hips. The knight naturally aligned himself, hands caressing her body in reverence. “Are you sure, beast?”

The beast clicked, a sound I hadn’t heard yet. It was vaguely like a sound some lizards and dragons made, yet entirely different. He grinned at her sound, speaking her language in a way I couldn’t. A smile touched my lips at their shared familiarity before he looked at me and I gave a nod.

The knight moved forward, the tip of his length hovering at her entrance before he pulled in a breath and gently pushed inside. It was slow and tender, moving gently rather than roughly as I had expected. Her hips pushed back against him as he waited inside of her, slowly penetrating inch by inch until he was fully within.

She cried out, lustful and hungry in one breath. A growling lust that sounded feline rolled out of her throat. The knight began to thrust, slowly and steadily, hands gripping her hips and pulling her back against him so that they moved together in sacred rutting. His face grew red with exertion, body sweating in the morning light. 

Soft groans escaped him as he grew harder and more engorged, thrusting within her with renewed speed. The controlled gentle lover began to transform,  meeting his beast with vigor and lust. He slammed into her, wet slapping echoing around the lake from each time their hips met. 

The beast shuddered, hard and suddenly, clawed feet digging great furrows into the earth as she released. He cried out, gripping the hair of her hips and pulling her back against him as he paused, body twitching and shuddering. His body grew rigid, holding still with small twitches while he released, seed spilling deep inside of her.

The two of them held still, basking in the afterglow of rutting. I glanced down, quietly walking away from their intimate moment, and sat on the old stump. The water had calmed, though the dead fish floated and the birds returned, feasting on their remains. Soft sounds of moaning and whimpering were all that remained of the released pleasure from the knight and his beast. 

I waited a short time before he approached me, wearing nothing but his trousers loosely bound. At first, he flushed, then nodded. “Here I thought you would set her straight.”

“She doesn’t love me.”

“Oh,” he blushed. “I love her, though.” 

I smiled. “I know. And now so do you.”