PM to join An encounter between predator and prey... (Beodan)

[Verinskae]

Summer 81st, AV 15, Late Night {Snake-to-Human Form}

It festered in the back of her mind. Took over her thoughts like a persistent bird of prey, waiting for the moment she let her guard down, so it could strike again. No matter how hard she tried to drown the impulse, it always seemed to come back, twice as strong. It was the horse Kelvic, she knew. He had done something to her that night, tampered with feelings she had thought died long ago. His taste still lingered on the tip of her tongue, bitter and sweet, repulsion and attraction. It needed to be dealt with, swiftly, before it drove her to madness.

She had been on the Kelvic’s trail a while now. Her long body winded amongst the brushes. Her tongue guided her, flickering at regular intervals, the taste he left behind was unforgettable. What am I doing? ...Pursuing something so ridiculous can only lead to ruin… she brooded darkly to herself. Even if she did chance upon him at the end of this wild chase, what then? Would all be relieved? Would the fear of this unknown phenomenon inside her dissipate, or simply cause more pain and confusion? Would he simply open his arms in welcome at her sudden appearance? She highly doubted it, especially after the last encounter with the she-wolf. She was a predator, he was prey. what could there possibly be between them other than a decent meal?

Skae continued to follow the path, despite constant doubts. She continued for another hour or so until she came upon an opening. The taste was fresh on her tongue now, he had traveled through here recently. A large tent stood but a few stretches away. Was he living here? The well trodden path leading up to it’s entrance seemed to answer the question for her. Her serpentine head raised from the cool ground below, twisting round, stealing a sharp glance behind. It was not too late to go back, to bury whatever this was in her mind until she one day forgot. No, it was too late. Some magnetic force was pulling her forward. Her body, disobeying her commands, already halfway in it’s transformation from snake to human. Her body shrinking into a more humanoid shape, bones clicking quietly into place, legs forming where the tail had been but moments ago.

Skae stopped hesitantly at the entrance to the pavilion. Her throat suddenly felt dry. This is madness… She would of most likely stood out there all night had the air not become a great deal cooler, nipping away like a thousand needles at her bare, naked skin. Logic won over and she felt her hand reach out to raise the drapes above her head, not entirely sure what she expected to find inside.

[Beodan Clathony]

Beodan could not sleep. It was his own fault, but it still felt weird to not be asleep at this late of night. Or was it early morning? The moon hung over his abode like a rotten peach, clinging to its branch to stay aloft, a dull orange color covering the normally white surface. He had spent the day grazing as his other form, and he tended to take short naps frequently when he was a horse for long enough. He was sated and rested, how on earth was he supposed to sleep like that? He felt wide awake, which was why he threw off the blankets and glared at them, mad that they were not helping him get to sleep. He had the herbs to put him right to sleep, but it seemed pointless if he did not need to.

Still, some herbal tea sounded rather good, if only to have something to do while he waited the night away. Dan placed a full kettle onto the lit lamp on his desk, and set to readying herbs at the bottom of a clay cup. Of course some peppermint, some of this… a leaf of that.. a pinch of this. He opened jars and plucked hanging plants until he had concocted his latest blend. Feeling a little indulgent, he also added a finger full of honey, letting the sweet, sticky liquid encase the herbs at the bottom. It looked like plants trapped in amber. He furrowed his brow. He had only seen amber at the Bazaar once or twice, and a man had conspiratorially whispered that they were fake. So maybe it did not look like amber after all. He wanted to see amber, real amber.

While he waited for steam to rise from the kettle, Dan absentmindedly cleaned his desk, setting things in order and putting jars back in the proper places. He was thinking about how much he did not know, how much he had not seen of the world. It was frightening to think about. Every minute or so he felt a great sense of being nothing, only for his thoughts to snap back to normal, as if repelled by existential thoughts. He was almost thankful for the interruption of popping bubbles echoing inside the metal container. He took the kettle off of the lamp and poured the dangerously hot liquid into the cup of waiting herbs. The honey vanished almost immediately, dissolving, and released the herbs so that they could float around the cup. He set it on the desk, and placed the kettle onto a few stones on the floor. If he finished this one fast enough, he would be able to make another cup with the same water, without needed to reheat it.

As he watched steam twist and curl in front of the flame, he heard something touch the entrance flap to his tent. The Kelvic’s head turned to look, his body following soon after. He frowned, had it just been a bird, or a small branch falling? Those futile hopes were dashed when a hand reached in to pull back the heavy fabric. He just stood there, watching someone come into his home. He did not know what to do with his hands, suddenly aware that they existed. What could he do? He was not a fighter, so he would not do anything. The person stepped into his tent, blinking as they stepped from almost total darkness into the flickering lamp light. This woman looked familiar. A he remembered, the falls! It had been over a month since he had tended to her wounds and watched her fade into the darkness. Both of them were in the same state of dress as their last meeting, which is to say, nothing at all. He smiled, glad to see that she was alive and well. Or at least she looked that way. He sighed inside his head, smile not fading, before picking up his cup and holding it out to her. “Tea?”

[Verinskae]

The heavy fabric drew back to reveal a large room. A flickering lantern in the corner shed enough light to reveal the pavilion's interior. All manner of hanging plants draped from the supporting beams above, some she recognized, most she did not. Unrecognizable tools which she assumed were used to gather such plants, lay scattered here and there. A few pieces of furniture lined the sides of the tent, slightly worn from use. In the center of it all sat the Kelvic, a smile upon his features, a cup held out in a welcoming gesture.

"Tea?"

She stumbled for words. She had been caught off guard. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had been telling herself this was not the right place, or he would not be home. Yet, here he was, as sure as day and night.

Skae remained silent, slowly, cautiously approaching the Kelvic. She sat herself adjacent to him. She took the offered cup from his hand, it was pleasantly warm to the touch. She did not taste fear, he barely even look surprised, he appeared mildly curious if anything. Skae gulped down the contents of the cup, a burst of rich and earthy tastes exploded on her amplified tongue buds. It was not unpleasant.

The warmth from the hot liquid tendriled from her belly, and slowly began to heat up her near frozen body. She threw an observant look in to his eyes, but found she could not hold the gaze for more than a few moments. An irony, seeing as most creatures usually cowered under her predatory gaze. Why am I doing this?... She questioned her presence here, once more. What forces were driving her to such nonsensical actions? She needed to know.

Her emerald eyes fell upon his for a second time. The usual cold, assessing stare was all but gone, a tiny slither of warmth filling it's place. She finally found her voice. "Lassst time we met... did you..." She felt her chest constricting, it was becoming very hard to breathe. "...did you feel sssomething?" She almost choked on her own words, why was it suddenly so difficult to speak her mind? She wasn't really sure how to explain the 'something', so she took his hand and lay it on her slow, beating heart. "...sssomething here?"

[Beodan Clathony]

Skae had sat down next to him on the couch after looking around the room. It was chaotic looking, but did have an order and he made sure to clean any messines before it got out of hand. Beodan hoped that she was comfortable here, in what was his humble home. She accepted the offered cup of tea, and drained the golden liquid in one, long drought. It made him happy that she seemed to be enjoying it. Perhaps she would want more? The greatest compliment to any maker of consumable goods was when the food or drink quickly disappeared.

The Kelvic and his new companion sat in comfortable silence while she held onto her cup. Adventually she glanced up and met his gaze with steely eyes, only to have them drop back down moments later. They were a deep green, reminding him of the leaves with sun shining through. He knew that silence held great power, and sometimes spoke more than words ever could. She would talk when she was ready. She looked like she had a lot on her mind, and he was not going anywhere. He looked at his rows of hanging plants, some new some old, a testament to many hours of effort spread across many months. And yet, here they all were, in this single moment. Ready to be used for whatever he wished. All because he had put in the effort. To see the fruits of his labors spread out so obviously, it made him proud to be an herbalist.

Skae spoke, bringing him from his thoughts. Her voice was tentative as she asked, “Lassst time we met… did you…” She seemed to struggle to get the words out of her throat, “...did you feel sssomething?” She set the cup to the side and picked up his hand, laying it just above her left breast so that he could feel a slow, steady heartbeat. “...Sssomething here?” She could not possibly be referring to the gut wrenching urge to bond that was like many icy hands gripping an organ each in their cold fists. He had thought that bonding would have fixed it, and it had. For a time. Now that she was off a city or three away, it had come back in full force. But how was he supposed to express that to her, if it was not likely what she had been feeling?

The throb of her life blood pumping through her offered him some comfort, so he began to explain softly. “Yes, I did feel something. Though maybe not your something. I’m a Kelvic, and if we refuse to bond for a while, the pressure to do so gets very strong. So when we met last time, I could feel ice gripping my heart. It brought me to the ground if I remember rightly. Right now I can feel a faint whisper of the tendrils, luckily they are not too active. What do you feel?”

[Verinskae]

A life time seemed to pass as the Kelvic pondered her question, his warm palm still firmly pressed against her chest. This has been a mistake... She thought, disdainfully. Skae had shamed herself. The great predator of the bronze wood sat weak, defenseless, and at the mercy of what should of been a midnight snack. She decided to leave, saving whatever dignity she had left. She was about to stand and turn back the way she came when his answer finally arrived.

Skae blinked. It was not the answer she had been expecting. So he did feel something... She mused. From how he described it, it seemed as if he had gone through something different to her. Perhaps other species experienced feelings in different ways. They ate, slept and lived in different ways, it made logical sense that they would experience feelings in an alternate manner as well. Different or not, it was still something.

He turned the question back on her. She sat silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She saw no advantage in altering the truth. "...Pain, and a ssstrange longing to fill the hole it left behind. I felt an odd... attraction to you that night." She noticed her hands had subconsciously began to snake up the Kelvic's arm, attached to the hand that still resided on her chest

Skae tugged at his arm gently, yet with enough strength to bring them face to face. Their noses almost touched, their eyes gazing into one another's. She could feel his warm breath on her skin now, his smell intoxicating, his taste even more so. "Do you find me... attractive, Kelvic?"

[Beodan Clathony]

Skae thought in silence, just as he had when faced with that question. To answer it was to make yourself vulnerable, expose your deepest emotions and desires to the other person. Beodan had almost shied away from it, would she be tempted to do the same? But any nervousness he held for her not reciprocating their exposure was for naught. She spoke, “...Pain, and a ssstrange longing to fill the hole it left behind. I felt an odd… attraction to you that night.” Attraction. She was.. attracted to him? The thought made his heart skip a beat. He was not sure if anyone wanted him, especially after his bondmate had left him here, alone. It had only reinforced his old phobias of social interaction. To hear this from someone he had met once, it made him happy.

Then, the girl’s hands crawled up his arm, sending tingles down his spine. Dan could still feel her heart, beating slightly faster than before. Everyone had a heart, so were people really all that different? He did not know much about Skae, but what little he did put him at ease with her. She was a good person, at least, from the bell’s length he knew her. She gave a strong, yet gentle tug on his arm, pulling him close. Her emerald eyes were a nose length away, their noses with the space of half a hair. He could pick up her scent quite clearly now, his eyes flickered shut and opened with a blink as he committed it to memory. Sweet and dangerous was the best way to describe it. She only smelled vaguely human, like a Kelvic that had just shifted for the first time that day. His arm was now trapped between their chests, folded at the elbow.

Heat began to suffuse his cheeks as he realised just how close they were. Normally he would not question nudity, and even now, he did not mind it, but presently he was ever aware of their lack of clothes. The Kelvic locked onto her gaze, chocolate meeting gemstone green. Her eyes were young, and full of life, though they spoke of many experiences. Trial and triumph long past. His tentative analysis was interrupted when she asked, her voice practically a purr, “Do you find me… attractive, Kelvic?”

The blush spread to the tips of his ears. He could feel the heat of her body, and was sure she would be able to do the same with the sheer amount of blood that was flowing into his face. “I..you see.. it’s hard to.. though I don’t.. but..” Beodan flustered, his thoughts running faster than his speech could keep up. He took a long blink to clear his thoughts, then stared back into her emerald depths. “Yes, I do,” he admitted. He barely had to move at all in order to touch his nose to hers, rubbing them together in a display of intimacy.

[Verinskae]

His face had turned a deep red at her question. She could literally feel the heat emanating from every inch of his body. He was stumbling on his words, much like she had done, but moments ago. She could feel her own heart beat quicken, pulsing the life blood through her veins. She tasted the sweet pheromones of excitement all around, threatening to drown them both.

"Yes, I do,"

The Kelvic thrust himself closer to her. Their noses, previously a hair widths apart, now rubbed against each other. She saw submission in his eyes, the most vulnerable state one could be in. She was certain her own eyes were but a reflection of the same. Her hands moved further up his arm, caressing the skin with her fingertips as they glided by. Her cool tongue spilled from her mouth and, softly licked at his chin, his cheeks, his nose, his eyelids. The tasting came to an end on his lips. The Kelvic shuddered slightly, as the tip of her tongue brushed lightly against them. She had found the most stimulating surface of his face.

Her lips pressed against his. Her arms coiled around his abdomen, her fingers working down his spine. The pain was melting away, pleasure and ecstasy filling the hole it left behind. She was in an illusion, flitting through a dream. Her mind focused on nothing, but this one moment. She forced him down on to the couch and attacked him with a flurry of passionate kisses. They tumbled upon one another, rolling around like a pair of fish out of water, their bodies slick with sweat.

With her hands upon his shoulders she meekly pushed away from the Kelvic. Their chests raised and fell in quick succession, their breathing heavy from the exertion. He drew in for another kiss, but she shook her head, and lightly pushed him away. “No…” The bitter cold had returned in her eyes. “You mussst know what I am before we can take thisss any further…” Skae released her hands upon the Kelvic’s shoulder and took a few paces back. She seemed to grow at first, stretching, limbs molding in to her sides. Bones clicked in and out of place, her face elongated, hair sinking into the skin. Her legs stretched and stretched, until they no longer resembled human limbs, but a long, dark tail that seemed to curl around the pavilion. Skin changed into dark scales. The anaconda grew and grew, until her body more or less circled the room. Her head hovered a good five feet above the Kelvic, her tongue flickering back and forth from her newly formed snout. She opened her mouth revealing a row of serrated teeth, and let out a terrifying hiss.

[Beodan Clathony]

Beodan tensed as her slender fingers traced up his arms. Skae seemed determined to do what she could to make him squirm and shiver. Her tongue left a trail of cool saliva as she tasted his chin, moving upwards to lick his cheeks. It tickled his nose and wet his eyes as it made it’s way around his face. He keep his eyes shut as she moved, gasping as his lips were found. He could not suppress the shudder that ran down his spine, hot tingles coursing over his entire body. A soft moan escaped his lips and was lapped up immediately by her waiting tongue.

Skae, after a tantalizing moment, allowed her lips to meet with his. They were soft and wet as they danced over his. Dan’s mind lost the ability to function, and had to restart before he began to kiss back. His sucked on her top lip, moving his mouth in time with hers, deferring to her lead in his place of relative inexperience. It certainly seemed to him that she had practice with this sort of thing. She snaked her arms around the small of his back, the pads of each finger pressing over the hard muscles covering his spine like an impromptu massage. He arched his back, pushed by her fingers and strong embrace, moving even closer to her body. He could feel something shift in her, she seemed more...relaxed? Comfortable? Whatever it was, the change seemed to ignite her passion.

The Kelvic was forced down onto the couch, Skae’s kisses becoming hungry and rough. He let her do what she would, his lips softly caressing hers. His body felt white hot, and she seemed to be experiencing the same thing. Sweat beaded on his flushed cheeks and neck, their bodies becoming slick and frictionless as they turned about each other. She stopped her sweet assault on his face, pushing against his shoulders with a cowed expression on her face. His back lay against the couch, and she on top of him, now separated by inches of cool air. His fluttering, lightheaded mind wondered why she had stopped, and he attempted to bridge the gap between them once more. She shook her head, her eyes growing cold. He shrunk away, wondering what he had done wrong. “No.. you mussst know what I am before we can take thisss an further…”

What she was? Dan looked at her athletic form with new eyes. It was still the same her, no? Just as that though had completed, she started to...stretch. Her spine elongated, seeming to grow many more vertebrae, and her arms and legs disappeared. Then her skin became harder, molding into scales if spotted, dried leaf green. His eyes were wide, desperately trying to process what he was seeing. He did not move in the half a chime it took for her to transform fully. It looked painful, but she did not cry out. Was she used to it? One thing was for sure, she was a Dhani. Skae gave him a bone chilling hiss, her teeth glimmering in the dim light. He buried the urge to run in a pile of his memories of her, short as their time together had been so far. She looped around the tent, so long was her new body. He gazed into her reptilian eyes, slowly sitting up and extending a hand. Tentatively, his stroked her smooth scales, a foot below her powerful jaws. The touch reassure him, and he relaxed, warmth returning to his body. He smiled as he moved his hand up to scratch between her eyes, “You aren’t so bad. Magnificent really.”

[Verinskae]

The Kelvic revealed only the slightest pinch of fear, as her true form stood, glaring into his eyes. He quickly composed himself, reaching out to stroke her scales. He seemed to forget that in front of him lay forty feet of predatory killing machine, or perhaps he simply did not care? Whatever it was, she felt a great weight lift from her. Relief from his acceptance? She could not tell. Skae allowed the Kelvic to caress her scales. She could feel the heat radiating from him, amplified ten fold in her current form. She lowered her head so it was level with his. Her forked tongue flickered back and forth, lapping at the sweat from his features, reassuring him that he was not about to become her next source of protein.

She felt a scratching behind her eyes, it was not an unpleasant feeling. “You aren’t so bad. Magnificent really.” He complimented her. Truly a marvelous creature... Not only was he not cowering in fear before her, but he was also showering her with praise and affection. She allowed him to observe her form a while longer. Satisfied, she began to start the transformation, reverting back to her human form. It took no longer than a few chimes for her stand as a woman once more. She raised her arms above her head and stretched, clicking her neck from left to right, easing the tightness of muscle that usually came after changing forms. Her eyes fell upon the Kelvic as she began to speak.

“Nothing hasss made me feel thiss way for a long… long time…” She paused. “...Thank you…” The word felt foreign on her tongue. She leant in for another kiss, her tongue found his, and then they were off again, embracing one another in passionate intimacy. She pushed away from him, this time without concern. It was time to learn who he was. “...and what doess thiss Kelvic go by the name of, may I asssk?...” She smiled. The smile felt alien to her, it was not one of malice or seduction, but a general emergence of her concealed emotions.

[Beodan Clathony]

Beodan continued to stroke her smooth scales, the muscle underneath thick and tight as Skae held her head up. A chime or two later she began to shift..transform back to her human form. The scales shrank back into her skin and her long body retracted into arms and legs. Her angular face designed to efficiently consume prey became softer, human. Where a deadly predator had once laid, a human girl now sat. She stretch much like a cat, her neck popping as she rolled her head back and forth. He experimentally tried to crack his own neck, but no sound was produced from the action. Maybe the transformation caused muscles and vertebrae to move more than they were supposed to, so a nice, long stretch was required to get the soreness out. Either way, he much preferred his own method of shifting. Quick and painless, like blinking.

Skae finished her cat impression and looked down to him, speaking softly, “Nothing hasss made me feel thiss way for a long.. long time… Thank you…” Dan smiled at her sentiment as she approached him once more, her strong, naked body pressed against his. Her once scaled lips were now as soft as they had ever been, just like nothing had happened. Life was really quite amazing in its intricacy. He moaned against her as her dexterous tongue entered his mouth. He let his own be swept away in wet dance of saliva, the rarely felt texture of another tongue exciting him. Just as he thought that he was glad that she had gotten over whatever was bugging her earlier, she stopped once more. He sniffed air out of his nose in protest, but she did not look as bothered as last time.

Smiling benignly, she asked, “and what doess thiss Kelvic go by the name of, may I asssk?” He thought for a moment, had they not traded names at the falls? It dawned on him, he must have only introduced himself to Nikia, thinking he already had when Skae entered the picture. He returned the smile, one that could be seen on his face quite frequently. “I’m Beodan Clathony, but call me Dan. Beodan’s a bit too long,” he answered with a chuckle, “a pleasure to meet you properly, Skae.” He hoped she was not too bothered by the fact that he had neglected to respect common human pleasantries, they had just never occurred to him. What did it matter, when they already were interacting just fine? He pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her back, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. His bondmate had abandoned him. Left one day without a word. Would she ever come back? He could hope, but who did that sort of thing. It hurt, and even a snake was willing to comfort him. He tightened his embrace slightly, a tear rolling onto his cheek.