Chapter 5
Vesper
The heat of my breath evaporated behind me. It wasn’t chasing me, at least not yet.
I ran. My life depended on it.
The ground was soft, I knew my tracks would be easily found. The soft moss covered everything and the vines that hung freely swayed with ease.
Could I climb them and go up into the trees?
They were thick, lush and as I went deeper their colors changed from a wide array of greens, blues, magentas, and oranges.
The moonlight could barely filter through the lushness of the forest. The only light I had were the blue orbs that were lit along the ground.
Bright white pebbles that gleamed in the fog that hid my feet.
I was going to fall.
I wasn’t a fighter, a runner. Hell, I couldn’t watch zombie movies because they freaked me out. The running, the constant hunt of monsters wanting to eat your brain.
Now there was a literal monster after me and he was going to freaking kill me.
Damn you Leo. Damn you all, why couldn’t you just let the dead rest in peace?!
I ran further, deeper. The wind brushed into my face, the golden leaves pelted me straight in one of my eyes. My foot caught under a root that was above the ground and I stumbled and fell with a thump.
I groaned and quickly rose to my feet. I could hear the pounding of the ground, huffing, growling.
Shit, shit, shit.
I scrambled off the ground, feeling the softness of the moss underneath me slide away. The wet dirt filtered into my knees and I slipped again. Anxiety gripped at my chest.
I could not give up now. I had just told mom I would leave.
This was not what I meant.
With a low grunt, I heaved myself up from the ground, feeling the strain in my muscles.
Instead of continuing straight as I had been, I veered sharply to the left.
The foliage was denser here, with bushes and trees pressing in around me.
I reached out, my fingers wrapping around a thick vine, and gave it a firm tug.
It was surprisingly strong, even though it felt soft and velvety between my fingers.
With determination, I placed my foot against the rough bark of the tree and began to climb.
However, just as I was about to secure my second foothold, an unexpected force yanked me backwards, and I abruptly hurled to the ground.
I gasped, the fog dispersed around me.
Pricks of claws held me down by my arms. My eyes were closed. I didn’t want to see my death. I couldn’t bear to see this monster kill me. I didn’t want this thing to be the last thing I saw before my life ended.
I let out a whine of desperation, my heart thundered wildly in my chest.
Seconds went by, all I felt was the heat of its breath on my face, its warm body hovering atop of mine.
Why isn’t it killing me?
Is it waiting to look into my eyes and then bite off my head?
It’s a trick it has to be.
I kept my eyes closed and waited. My body shook as his hot breath tickled across my face.
It drew nearer, its toughened snout lightly brushing against my cheek. I could feel the warmth of its breath, carrying an unmistakable scent…metallic and coppery, like fresh blood.
The blood of those men…
I’ve smelled blood many times before when I prepared bodies on my table, but not blood this fresh.
I let out a heaving breath, sweat gathered on my forehead from stress.
Then I felt the monster’s long, slick tongue glide up my neck and cheek, leaving a damp trail in its wake.
The sensation was unsettling because it didn't make me feel as scared as I should have been. Their tongue was warm, along with their hardened nose while it traced a path against my skin. Their breath wasn’t harsh, but slow and steady.
Were they toying with me?
What type of torture is this?
The monster groaned and I felt the lower part of its body lay on my legs. They nuzzled their skull next to my neck while it made its warm body comfortable on top of me. The torso rumbled, like a giant cat against me.
I would not open my eyes. I was convinced that was what it wanted.
Yet it waited.
I felt its breath, its nose trailed up and down my neck and it hummed, like in delight, waiting for me to open my eyes and steal my soul straight from my body.
Then it made a move. I felt its arm rub across my body. The thick forearm pushed against my breasts and a strange feeling came across them.
I gasped and squinted my eyes shut.
My nipples did not get hard. It’s my body reacting in fear.
I’ve run out of options. My body is just offering itself to get out of this situation, that’s all!
Their hand trailed up my chest and thank the universe I wore a high top that exposed little of my chest, but when the skin of his paw? Hands? Yes, it was hands that wrapped around my throat. I knew I was a goner.
Palms wide and fingers so long they easily wrapped them around. Their claws clanked together. The grip was tight, but not tight enough to choke the air from me. They at least knew to be gentle.
Great, they are playing with their food!
My hands instinctively went to my neck to pry off their fingers. There was no use, their fingers were leathery, my blunt nails were of no use to even scratch at the surface.
I whimpered until a sob broke free. I was now kneeling in front of the monster. Their body radiated heat and his nose continued to sniff and nuzzle into my neck.
What was he doing?
Their other hand wrapped around my back, holding me…tenderly.
My mind kept telling me what he could do but he certainly wasn’t trying to hurt me, instead it was doing something I couldn’t understand.
While its chest continued to make a purring noise, its throat made a noise that could only be described as what a dinosaur would make. Loud, a rumble of rocks tossed around in its throat. It wasn’t threatening, instead it put me at ease and my body, without any of my own violation went slack.
I sighed while their hand rubbed my back up and down and they maneuvered me as they cradled me in their arms. The hand that had kept my neck secure was loosened and now played with the loose strands of my hair.
I didn’t dare open my eyes, still too afraid it would take my soul but I felt the gentle tug of the band that kept my hair in a braid, its claws rain through the tangles and unraveled the messy knots.
My weakness was found.
They brushed my hair with their claws and I groaned, feeling safe in this monster’s arms. The noises they made, the gentle touch they had did something to my body that made me want to trust them.
Even after all the blood they spilt.
Even knowing what they looked like.
Chills ran over my arms and I pushed my thighs together. Why was I feeling like this toward a monster? An animal? It was unnatural and I was going to hell.
“You are small and beautiful when you pretend you are sleeping.”
I held my breath and my eyes flew open. I was facing the sky, the moonlight trickled through the leaves.
The monster chuckled and adjusted my lax body so I could see their face uh… their skull.
Their deep voice chuckled and reverberated through my body. I stared into the two black holes where their eyes should be.
How could they see? How could they even speak?
How were they even alive?
Their long tongue slithered out of the bull headed skull and licked around his snout. “Yes, I speak, small hu-man. You smell delicious yet I have no desire to drain you completely of your blood. Why?” Their nose came closer and rubbed against my cheek.
“Your mouth smells divine and even more so down your body.” They carefully laid me down, my body too frozen in fear to even move. If I pushed them away, were they going to slice me in half? It might not eat me, but they could throw me around.
They carefully placed me on the soft moss and their nose ran down my body, between my chest.
They groaned and placed their whole skull there. Their horns, large and thankfully curved, rubbed against my cheek.
“Soft, so soft. I want to lay here. Why are they soft?”
Their hand grazed my chest, and I froze. Were they going to grab me? I couldn’t explain why that felt worse than their head resting there—but somehow, that small contact had felt harmless. Almost innocent?
The reasoning was weird but the hand… it was a no.
“Please,” I whispered. “Don’t touch them, like that.”
The monster pricked up their head, careful of their horns not to touch me, and stared down into my eyes. “You speak? You are not mute?”
My eyes wandered everywhere but their face because why the heck would I be mute?
“Ah, no? Not mute.”
Then again, I thought they wouldn’t speak because—
I pinched the bridge of my nose. We were both jumping to conclusions.
“I speak, just as you. I didn’t speak before because I thought you were going to…” I swallowed heavily and grabbed my neck with both hands.
The monster tilted their head and cupped the side of his jaw with their clawed hand, like it was thinking.
“Ahh.” They raised his finger. “You thought I was going to punish you.”
My eyes widened. “P-punish me? F-for what?”
The monster huffed, and steam billowed out of his nostrils. “For using magik. Humans may not come to this realm and use our fertile soil, it has mana to spark magik they want to wield. It is punishable by death. My lord does not give second chances.”
My mouth opened and closed.
I was drunk.
I had gotten into my mother’s stash the night before, I haven’t even made it to her grave yet and I am just stupid drunk and dreaming of nonsense.
“Eh, what’s mana then?”
The monster tilted his head. “It's energy to fuel magik. It is in many things. Humans do not have it, only here. It is weak in the soil, but it is still there.” They stomped their hoof on the ground like it all made sense.
Right then.
“Okay, well, please, do not grab my boob. I have boundaries and let’s not lay on them either.”
The monstrous creature retreated with a cautious step, lowering himself onto its enormous, cloven hooves.
The fabric of his pants was ripped and tattered, revealing patches of fur beneath.
Despite their immense size, it possessed a surprising flexibility, folding its powerful limbs as they squatted before me.
Their presence was both intimidating and oddly graceful, their empty eye holes keenly fixed on mine.
“Boooobs? What are Boobs?” It tilted his head. “Do I have boobs?” They thrust out its chest and rubbed their pecs.
Before, when I was horrified I concentrated on all the features that were freaking scary but now, looking at them I could see how defined they were.
They had the torso of a thick, muscular man, dark gray in color.
Dark hair gathered in the middle of their upper abs and dusted all the way down their torso.
My body, which was mostly dormant sexually, came to life in that moment and I cursed myself.
Damn, what was wrong with me?
“Will you please stop rubbing your chest like that?” I turned away and ran my hand down my face.
“Why are they not as soft as yours? Yours are more desirable.”
My mouth dropped, and I pointed to myself. “I am a woman, a female. You are a male. At least I think you are. Since you lack breasts, I’m going to assume so from now on, if that is alright with you. I’m not entirely sure what you are.” My face heated in embarrassment.
Is this a Tarzan and Jane retelling? I think I read a book similar to this situation.
“I do not know what I am either. I am many,” he said somberly. The monster lowered his head and the splattering of blood on the top of his skull, his arms and torso didn’t seem so scary anymore. This monster… had feelings and empathy.
But I still couldn’t shake what he had done before he chased me and pulled me off of the tree. He was a cold-blooded killer, a monster that licked blood out of dead people.
I gritted my teeth and looked behind him while he hung his head.
Running away wasn’t an option. I’d have to gain its trust.
Because I wasn’t sure if this was a dream or not, I’m going to lean on the cautious side.
I reached out and put my hand on its upper arm to comfort the monster. “Do you want to talk about it?”