Dania

I almost couldn’t believe it! I had escaped. And to my immense satisfaction, I had exacted some revenge on Roth. I took a chunk of meat out of his shoulder and clawed at his face savagely. I could only hope that I’d scarred him permanently. I will never forget that look of shock on his face as I warned him not to follow me. I knew that they would though, maybe even Roth himself. But they would follow, that was a certainty.

I ran for awhile and tried to think as I ran but it was getting me nowhere fast. I could not concentrate on any single train of thought. I let my Cat take over and let her do the running. I retreated into myself and just floated for a moment. I had to figure things out.

They had tracked me home. This meant that they not only knew where I lived, but also that they could track me. This also meant that running was not an option. So I had nowhere that I could run to, which meant I could run anywhere….or nowhere at all. I was hungry. I would need to find food soon. At the very least, I would be able to hear them coming.

Then there was the Meh-teh in general. They were generally a peaceful people. But they had kidnapped me and kept me prisoner without provocation. So how peaceful could they really be? They were obviously intelligent: they had a language, a culture, a society and had even taught me how to speak.

I found all of this very frustrating. None of this made any sense. Each thing I knew about these people contradicted itself.

And I couldn’t forget how easily Roth had thrown me through the air; there was little chance I could do battle with them. One on one, maybe. Probably. But there were dozens of them. This was not a fight I wished to have. If they chose to, they could follow me wherever I went and if I chose to fight them off, their numbers would overtake me.

I had to stop thinking like this! I needed to be practical. I needed a plan of action. Every fiber of my being knew that this was what I should do. But before I could do that, I needed some food and some rest. The ability to think clearly would be paramount in the next few hours.

Living this last cycle of the Moon on so little food had done wonders for my body….I’d lost some extra fat and my body had become chiseled. Be that as it may, i was still hungry and weak. And I wanted to hunt. I’d missed that thrill I get when I’m hunting.

I set out to find a meal, momentarily forgetting that Roth and the Meh-teh were probably looking for me this very instant. I’d put some distance between us, but they would be closing that gap. My Cat told me not to worry about them just now. I needed food and rest.

I moved silently through the treetops looking for something that piqued my interest. I came across several animals that, luckily for them, didn’t appeal to me. Until I came across the fawn……This was dinner. Not only would it be fun to chase, but it wouldn’t give up until it was dead. Being young, it wouldn’t know to give up.

I stalked it for awhile before making my way to a lower branch, and then to the ground, landing in front of it. For a moment, I could see the confusion in its eyes. I could detect the moment when it realized that it was being hunted. It took off without a moment’s hesitation. Maybe it was the look in my eyes that tipped it off, maybe it was that I was new to it. I waited for a bit before setting off after it. Oh how I loved this. I repeatedly would run up next to the fawn and bump into it just enough to trip it up. It would fall and then be up and off in a different direction. This one was quick. I liked that. But I soon grew tired of this, I was too hungry to keep playing with my food.

I tripped the fawn once more, but was on top of it before it could rise again. I took the fawn’s head in one hand and pulled it back to expose its neck. I sank my teeth in and enjoyed the feel of the warm blood as it danced across my tongue. I let the blood run for a moment before ripping out a chunk and swallowing it. It wasn’t dead yet. It should have been, but it wasn’t. Gripping its head firmly, I snapped its neck. There, it was dead now. No sense in letting it suffer. I drank of its blood once more before finally eating my full.

Having a full stomach set me at ease and now all I needed was rest. After that, I could formulate a plan. Resting would put me in danger….they could easily slip up on me….I would need to find a place where I couldn’t be tracked to.

A river would be perfect. I could float down it. You couldn’t track something that left no tracks. It took the rest of the daylight hours before I found a river that suited my needs. The water was icy and after awhile it threatened to overtake me. I’d stood it for as long as I could and now it was time to come back. I could only hope that I’d drifted far enough down the river so as to not leave them any way of finding me. I made my way into the trees and was asleep before I began to dry.

*****

I found myself kneeling on top of some furs with a fire burning softly nearby. My head was down. I tried to move my head but found that I was not in control of my body. I couldn’t see much of my surroundings. I noted that my hands were clasped behind my back, restrained, somehow, likely bound. But I wasn’t alarmed, instead I found my circumstances created a surge of potential.

“Dania, look up at me.”

My eyes raised, but my head remained still. Before me stood another like me. Only it was a male. I knew that I belonged to him and it was the greatest feeling in the world. Potential fulfilled. My loins grew hot as I drank in the sight of him. He was perhaps a full head and shoulder taller than me. His musculature was easily seen beneath his coat of silvery grey fur. And as much of a perfect physical specimen as he was, it was his presence that captured my attention and adoration. No, it commanded. Yes, that’s the right word. He commanded my attention. And I gave it willingly.

I knew what he was to me, but I could find no name for it. It wasn’t love or lust. It was something else. For me, in this moment, it simply was.

“Why do you serve me?”

I had no answer for this, but apparently my tongue did. “Because it pleases you.”

He didn’t say anything as he walked over and pushed my face back to the floor. He held me there. I’d disappointed him and I was ashamed of that. I felt three very hard slaps on my ass, each harder than the last. When he was done, he lifted me by the neck back to a kneeling position.

“Why do you serve me?” he repeated.

“Because it pleases you, Sir.”

A smile spread across his face. “Good girl.”

Joy coursed throughout my body. I knew that I’d pleased him. I loved to please him, to make him happy. I had to be a good girl for him. I ached to be his good girl. And that smile meant that that I was doing well.

He walked over and petted my hair and brushed it back out of my face. “You know that you are mine and that what you do reflects on me. When you behave it glorifies me. When you misbehave . . . . well then you must be punished.”

He didn’t wait for me nod my response. He walked around behind me and I couldn’t see what he was doing. The part of me that was “now” was frustrated that I couldn’t look around to see, the part of me that was “then” only felt ashamed that I’d let him down.

He grabbed the rope that bound my hands together and lifted, which also lifted my arms behind me to a not-so-pleasant angle. I stood as quickly as I could, but even then, he’d lifted high enough to cause just a bit of pain and I felt exposed in this position: my arms were lifted up behind my back in such a way that I was bent over at the waist and my butt was sticking out.I could feel him fumbling, but could not tell what it was. I was focused on the pain that I was in. I could tell that the other me knew what the transgression had been and accepted that she deserved the punishment.

“Dania, open your eyes.”

I hadn’t realized that they had been closed…..but they opened on command. He was standing in front of me now. I’m guessing that he’d tied our hands up like that. I felt vulnerable.

“Tell me that you know that I will not harm you. That I do this out of love.”

I could only hoped that the other me remembered protocol. “I understand, Sir.” Thank the Moon! She remembered.

“Good girl. Now lift your foot.”

I did and he spread some small rocks where I had had my foot.

“Back down now.”

Again, I obeyed. I was not, however, prepared for the excruciating pain that pierced through my feet at multiple points. Those stones hurt. I am certain that I would have cried had I had any control over my body. He repeated the process with my other foot.

It was only now that I realized how this punishment would work. I would endure some kind of pain for however long he deemed necessary. If I chose to not support my weight on my feet, then my arms would be lifted to an impossible angle, possibly dislocating them. If I chose to support my weight, then the stones would cut into my feet. I had resigned myself to this fate when he came up to me with an evil grin on his face.

“You don’t think this is all of it, do you.”

“I . . . I . . . . had hoped.”

Without another word, he reached down and began to massage my sex. I had been wet before and was shocked to find that I still was; perhaps even more so. His hand felt so good that I forgot about everything else. Until I let go with my legs, which caused my arms to angle painfully, which then caused me to stand back up, enabling the rocks to cut into my feet again. My body did not know what to do, and he was not stopping.

“Ha ha ha, my pet.”

Both of myselves loved hearing those words. They spoke to something primal in me.

He increased the intensity with his fingers: his fingers circling much faster and with more pressure. I was on the verge. But something told me I wasn’t supposed to. Not until he said so. No, never until he said so.

I nearly lost my bearings when he inserted a finger in me. It was almost too much to be present with the feelings circulating between my arms, crotch and feet.

My body had lost any sense of what it was supposed to do except respond. All I knew was that I didn’t want him to stop. Part of me (both of me) never wanted to disappoint him again, but part of me (again, both of me) couldn’t help but think that if all punishments involved this much pleasure, it might be worth it every now and again. But not too often.

“Dania…”

Can it be? Is he going to let me?

“you…”

He is! He’s gonna let me cum!

“may…”

I can’t wait. Go ahead and say it, please. Please, please, please. I’ll be a good girl.

“c…”

*****

You’ve got to be kidding me. Could I have picked a worse time to wake up? I doubt it. I tried playing with myself, tried to get to completion. But I found that I couldn’t. Was I too soon removed from his power? I smiled to myself, hoping that was the case and not sure why.

I soon returned to sleep. It was not a pleasant one however. I had a nightmare in which Roth and the Meh-teh captured me again and this time, they weren’t so nice about it. I was tightly bound and it was clear that I would be executed. Another of my kind was there to be executed, just as I was. I begged Roth to let her go, but he couldn’t hear me. It was as I were underwater and my words were lost to the bubbles. I watched in horror as he literally ripped her head from her shoulders and held it above his head, allowing the blood to drip down onto him. And now it was my turn. I felt him start to pull and the pain begin to build. And then I woke up.

While that last bit of sleep hadn’t been peaceful, it had been restful. My head was clear and my belly was full. It was time to develop a plan. I knew that there was no way to keep them from finding me; and I was not going to run from them. I was tired of running. But fighting them was not an option either. To fight them would be suicide. Especially all of them together. Even one on one would be quite the task.

So did I join them? That was something I had no inclination of doing. To live with them would inhibit the way I chose to live. The treetops were where I loved to be and I wasn’t willing to give that up.

So that left me with one viable option: A truce.

But I really didn’t think that a truce was ever going to happen. Roth was the leader of the Meh-teh and also the one responsible for my being captured in the first place. And to top it off, the last time we’d met, I had attacked him, clawing at his face and ripping flesh from his shoulder. There would be no way on earth that he’d want a truce now. Not after that.

I knew that they would come after me. I was an unknown for them, a loose end. But I was not going to let them come for me, I would hunt them instead. And I would let them know that I just wanted to be left alone, that I didn’t pose a threat to them. I was still far from their home when I heard one of them. I stalked him from above, trying to discern who this one was. But I’d never seen him before. I was unsure if this was good or bad. Just like me to them, he was an unknown to me.

I jumped down from the tree where I’d been watching him and landed on his shoulders. It caught him off guard and we both hit the ground. I rolled from him and was back on my feet, ready to defend myself if I had to. I tried in vain to tell him to stop, but he never heard me. He was already charging towards me. I ducked to the side and he only barely missed me. Several more times he lunged at me, malice clearly in his eyes.

If this continued, I would have to defend myself. This was not going the way I’d hoped it would. I had to get him to stop trying to fight me in order for him to listen. But how? He was a ball of anger. I had to stop him.

The next time he barreled towards me, I, again, stepped to the side just a little. As soon as he passed, I pounced onto his back. I had hoped that the sudden shift in weight would have been enough to take his balance away. It was not. He was able to reach up over his head and grab me, slamming me into the ground.

I knew that if I stayed down that I would be done for. I forced myself up and charged him, clawing blindly and screaming as if I were mad. This took him by surprise and I was able to tackle him to the ground. I sat on his chest with my knees on his arms so that he couldn’t hit me. I knew deep down that he could throw me off at anytime. But before he could, “Wait. I don’t want to fight. Listen to me.”

He responded with acid in his voice, “Roth wants you hunted down and killed. You’re dangerous.”

“I’m not dangerous. I want to be left alone. Go to Roth and ask him to meet me at the place where he first saw me. Tell him to come alone.”

“Not dangerous? You just attacked me! Out of nowhere, you jumped down from the trees and attacked me!!!”

“What else was I supposed to do? You guys took me prisoner before, and kept me. Look, just tell Roth.”

“And if I don’t.”

“Then you leave me no choice but to kill you. You just told me that you’re here to hunt me down. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want to, but I will.”

Without warning he both lifted me and shifted his weight at the same time and pinned me to the ground. He held both of my arms with one massive hand and my throat with the other.

“Or I could end all of this right here.”

I twisted my head and bit down on his hand and refused to let go. He howled in pain and drew his hand back, leaving his finger in my mouth. I wriggled from under him and grabbed his neck from behind, squeezing enough to let him know that I meant business. I spit his finger onto the ground in front of him so he could see it.

“I don’t want to do this,” I told him again as I let the claw from my index finger trace lightly across his throat. “Go to Roth like I asked.”

Knowing it could be a bad idea, I turned from him and began to walk away. I knew that he could decide to attack at any time so I wasn’t surprised when I felt his hand on my shoulder and spin me around. As I spun, I lashed out at his face, slicing completely through his cheek. He would need time to heal from that. I smiled.

His already bleeding hand went to his cheek. “I’ll go to him. I can’t promise he’ll come. And if . . . .”

“Just go,” I interrupted.

He turned and walked away. I watched him as he all but disappeared into the woods. I had never noticed before how well the Meh-teh could conceal themselves. It was truly remarkable.

And I had held my own against this one and had wounded him permanently. If he were typical of the Meh-teh, then I knew I could take them on one on one. Their strength was by far superior to mine, but I was the faster and more agile. If it came down to a fight, I would have to make the fight last as long as I could and rely on my speed and agility.

I needed to get back. I had to prepare. I knew he would be angry and that there may be a fight. I had no doubt in my mind that with Roth being the leader of the Meh-teh, he would be much more of an adversary. The question was whether or not he would be too much for me to survive.

I reached the watering hole just after Moonrise and I was relieved to be back in familiar territory. My Cat wanted to go for a swim and relax. And I was tempted to give in. But there were things that needed to be done. Roth would see most traps that I would lay for him, so I had to be discreet. I decided that I didn’t want to make anything obvious for him, so all I did was gather a few small stones that I could throw if I had to. The Moon was now directly overhead.

My Cat would wait no longer, it wanted to swim. I let it take over and I simply enjoyed this moment of peace. I didn’t know when I would have another. I didn’t know IF I would have another. If things went badly tomorrow, I would either be a prisoner or dead. So I enjoyed this and I slept soundly.

When I awoke the next morning Roth was already there. I was crouched down and it was clear by the look on his face that there would be no truce. I found myself almost glad to see him. The shock of this realization froze me for a moment as my mind tried to determine exactly what this meant.

I never moved as Roth stood up and walked towards me. I could only watch him as he came near. The kick to my gut brought me back to reality and light flashed before my eyes. My vision was blurred for a moment and cleared just in time to see Roth hurling a stone towards me (one of the very stones I’d gathered). It had nearly struck me in the face. If my reflexes weren’t as good as they were, it would have.

“Roth wait!”

As he prepared to charge, I could tell that he wasn’t in the mood to talk. When you thought about things, I couldn’t really blame him. The last time we’d met, I’d attacked him, and then I’d injured one of his people. As their leader, he had to take action.

I knew that he would win if we both charged. My hope was to jump high, land on his shoulders, and then jump down to the ground behind him. I jumped high enough, but he moved faster than I’d anticipated and I half landed on, half fell down his back. My only consolation was that as I’d done this, I’d dug my claws into his back.

I heard a sharp intake of breath as my claws dug in and made their way down his back. I knew that this would anger him all the more and I was ready for that anger to be directed at me. Instead, he turned slowly with a slight grin on his face. What the fuck? How could this be? It hadn’t hurt him at all. I stood there, my head cocked to the side. He stood there letting this sink in for me. And then he was on the attack again. For the first time, it occurred to me that I might lose this fight.

We exchanged blows and we were both becoming bloody and tired. His massive hands knocked the air from my lungs every time he struck me. I couldn’t tell if I had any effect on him, other than wearing him out from hitting me so much. I used my speed as much as I could and eventually I could tell that I finally had the upper hand. Roth was getting slower as fatigue gradually overtook him.

I felt a wicked grin begin to curl itself at the corners of my mouth. I would run in and slash again before he could retaliate. he was now my prey and I realized that I was playing with him, much as I had done with the fawn previously. I had him down on one knee with his head my hands, holding it back and exposing his neck. And then I was completely pinned down.

How could I have been this stupid? I thought I’d had victory in my grasp and I got careless. I knew now that he’d been setting me up for it and, once again, I’d fallen right where he’d wanted me to.

He had me by the throat and he was squeezing. I couldn’t breathe anymore. All I could do was look up into his fury-filled face. He’d cursed me for hurting him, for threatening him. I lie there as this thing was on top of me, letting me know just how angry he was with me. I knew that he was going to kill me and in my current position, I could do nothing to stop him.

His weight on top of me felt good. Better than it should have at that moment. I didn’t know how to feel. I hated him, I wanted nothing to do with him. And yet I was relieved to see him and I loved the way his body felt on top of mine. There was a rumbling/tickling sensation in the pit of my stomach and I was beginning to feel very hot. I began to purr and became lost in his green eyes. I was completely captivated by him.

My world began to fade and I lost track of not only what he was saying, but also that he was even speaking. Seeing me gradually pass out must of done something to him: his words because softer and kinder, and his grip loosened on my throat, allowing me to breathe once again. His voice had trailed off into a whisper now. I could tell that he’d forgotten to be angry with me. Our eyes were locked together and he was now only inches from my face.

And then he kissed me.

I didn’t have a name for it right then, but that’s what it was. I purred again, loudly this time, my toes curled and the tip of my tail swished back and forth.

It was a deep kiss, a forceful kiss. He tightened his grip on my throat again, but not tight enough to constrict my airflow. I gave in to him completely at that moment. I could feel the longing coming off of him in waves. Some part of me knew that whether I liked it or not, he was in control. He was in control and I liked it a lot.

But then something snapped inside me. I didn’t know what he was doing and I didn’t like the fact that I’d given into him so completely. And without reason. Somewhere inside I recognized the fact that I shouldn’t give in to him like this, that he hadn’t earned it. I brought my legs up to kick him off and, instead, caught him in the groin. He rolled off of me and I was up and gone in an instant.

How dare he touch me like that! And even though I liked it, I hated it at the same time. I didn’t like the way he made me feel. No, that’s not true. I did like it. I didn’t know how to feel. It felt familiar and different at the same time. And judging from recent experience, different could get me killed.

But it had felt so good . . . .

*****

“Trouble with the Meh-teh”

Everything had happened so fast that Roth was scarce sure of what exactly it was that had happened. He’d thought that after spending a full cycle of the Moon with his people, that Dania had proven herself to not be dangerous. But he had been wrong. She had escaped, and then attacked him. He was now missing a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.

But as he lie there on the ground watching her leave, he couldn’t help but notice the stirrings of arousal within him. She was fierce. He hadn’t expected her to be able to take him down. And yet here he was, lying on the ground and there she was, getting away. She’d awakened something in him.

Be that as it may, he was still the leader of the Meh-teh, and as such, he had to protect the people. If she were out there, then she posed a threat to anyone who ran across her. On the one hand, he could order his people to stay out of her territory. But that wasn’t really protection, was it? That was avoiding the problem. And on the other hand, he could order that she be executed. But he didn’t want to do that. He’d felt something and wasn’t sure what it was. A further discussion with the people would have to take place before any action could take place.

The Meh-teh were gathered in the clearing waiting for Roth to come and speak with them. Many of them were furious, and all of them were scared. Roth recognized that it was this fear of Dania that drove this anger. Most had seen the fight between the two of them and how Dania had attacked Roth and he was able to do nothing in his defense.

The Meh-teh were a gentle people by nature and this thing that was by its very nature a predator frightened them. Their leader had been taken out in an instant. How could they feel safe with her out there? Roth hadn’t been able to do anything against her. If he couldn’t protect them, maybe he shouldn’t be their leader.

And they more they thought on this, the more convinced they became that he shouldn’t. Even those who were most loyal had their doubts.

Roth heard these murmurings from just outside the clearing and knew that if he didn’t get things under control quickly, the people would have him replaced and he would be cast out.

Things were not going the way he’d hoped that they would. He didn’t want Dania killed but he didn’t know if the Meh-teh would settle for anything less.

“Quiet!” Roth yelled to the people as he stepped into the clearing. “You challenge ME? You dare to question if I can protect you from this cat?”

“You couldn’t protect yourself,” one of the Meh-teh asked and several shouts of agreement followed. “How can you protect us?”

“Who are you to issue such a challenge? I am your leader and you will respect me as such. Couldn’t protect myself? I am standing here. She is not. I am right here in front of you. She is not. Need I say more?” He paused a moment, making sure to stare a few of his people directly in the eye, before going on. “Dania has asked to be left alone. I believe that this is all she wants. If we stay clear of her, she will not harm us.”

“And what if one of us happens upon her in the Forest? We saw what she did to you, we would have no chance against her. She must be hunted down and killed. For our safety.”

Roth could see that his people would be appeased no other way. “If this is what needs to happen for you to feel safe, then so be it.” Roth had a sour taste in the back of his throat as he spoke these words. “She will not go back to her territory right away so this will at least tell us where she isn’t. Gynon and Jun. You will search for her. Split up and be careful. When you have found her, come back for me and I will deal with her. Do not challenge her. Understood?”

The two nodded their agreements and trotted off into the Forest.

“As for the rest of you, does anyone here challenge me?” Roth asked this as he walked among the people, staring them straight in the eye, challenging them with his glance. He let out a loud roar, showing his dominance within the group before going on. “Never let me hear of you challenging me again. Any of you. It will be your last move.”

~~~~~

Things could not have been worse for Roth if he had wanted them to. There were at least two of the Meh-teh who would be challenging him in the very near future. His only chance at preventing this would be to kill Dania. But that was something he did not wish to do. He knew that if she caught Gynon or Jun she could kill them. The question was if she would or not. He fell asleep fearing for the lives of the two Meh-teh.

Sometime late in the night, Roth awoke to the sound of drums. It was deep and deliberate; like a heartbeat. With every strike of the drum, Roth felt his own heart beat just harder. He listened as several more drums were added, one by one, with each adding its own distinct pitch and syncopation. The rhythm created was intoxicating. One could not help but fall victim to its spell.

Roth was no exception. He found himself drifting off into the rhythm of the drums; his footfalls were in time them, his heart beat along with them, and even his breathing fell into sync. He’d heard the call of the drums many times before while still a child. The last calling of the drums had been when he won the leadership of the Meh-teh. But unlike the other Callings of the Drums, this meant something different for him. This time it meant that someone was challenging for leadership. One of the people he protected had lost faith in him.

Roth could hardly believe his eyes as he walked into the clearing and saw who his challenger happened to be. It was Anos, one of his closest friends, and the largest male of the Meh-teh.

He had only two options: he could fight Anos and beat him, which meant that the Meh-teh would lose a valuable member, or he could lose the fight and be killed. This second option would allow him to be free of the guilt he would be facing if he had to kill Dania. But Roth couldn’t lose a fight like this. This was more than just a challenge for leadership; this was a challenge to him personally and he would treat it as such.

He would have to kill Anos.

The drums stopped, signaling the beginning of the fight.

Anos was big, and he was powerful. But he was dumb and he was slow. He charged Roth, hoping to take him off of his feet and to the ground where he could use his size and strength to his advantage. If that happened, Roth could have lost. But he just stepped to the side at the last instant, grabbing Anos by the head as he did. And then he twisted. Anos’ momentum helped to break his own neck in a snap that was audible not only to Roth, but to the rest of the Meh-teh. He was dead before he hit the ground. The fight was over just as soon as it had begun. Roth turned and left the clearing, heading back to his sleeping place.

No one followed him.

Because of the generally peaceful nature of the Meh-teh, one rarely heard the Calling of the Drums. And Roth was certain they’d forgotten his ferocity in a fight. He was their leader and protector for a reason. But nonetheless, he understood where they had been coming from and couldn’t help but wonder if he would have issued a challenge had he been on the opposite side of things. He decided that he probably would have.

But in any case, the death of a friend is always a hard loss and Roth wept long into the night.

With the rise of the sun came a new found hatred for Dania. If it weren’t for her, Anos would never have challenged him and Roth wouldn’t have had to kill him. The trouble this Cat had caused him seemed to have no end.

Sunset had nearly arrived when Jun came back announcing that he had a message from Dania. Roth was nearly beside himself when he saw the condition Jun was in. He’d ordered that they not fight her and it was clear that a fight had taken place. Jun had been wounded badly and he was missing a finger. Jun’s story was somewhat conflicting: She’d jumped down from a tree and attacked him, only to send a message that she didn’t want to fight…..that she just wanted to be left alone. Why attack if you don’t want to fight?

He also learned that Dania wanted to meet him at that watering hole where he’d first come across her. Jun was insistent that he go with Roth, that he be there to help in killing her.

It was clear to Roth that Jun wanted revenge. That he wanted to wrap his hands around her throat and strangle the life out of her. Or was that his own wishes? Nevertheless, he ordered Jun to remain behind. This was something he had to do on his own. And without another word, Roth headed off into the Forest, knowing that it would take him nearly until dawn to reach her. He would kill her and then use her favorite watering hole to was her blood off him. The irony of it brought a smile to his face.

Roth arrived at the watering hole to find Dania asleep. He took advantage of this to survey the surroundings. It didn’t appear that she’d set any traps for him. The only danger seemed to be a few large rocks scattered about. He took note of where they were should he need them. But he found his eyes kept returning to her body.

She was unlike anything he’d ever come across. She wasn’t large enough to be considered pretty by the Meh-teh. She was just too small. But still….she was intoxicating. She had the body of a predator; lean, well muscled. And he’d seen first hand how fierce she could be. And the more he found himself drawn to her, the more enchanted he became, the more anger set in. He sat in a squat and waited for her to wake.

When she finally did, Roth didn’t know if she was frozen from shock or if she were just scared of him. And as he stood and walked towards her, she didn’t move. Roth took his foot and kicked her in the gut, knocking all the wind out of her. Without waiting for her to get to her feet, Roth picked up the nearest rock and flung it at her head. But she was quick and moved out of the way.

“Roth wait!”

Roth never heard her. All he knew was that because of this Cat, he’d had to kill his friend. That was unforgivable. They charged at each other and Roth was surprised when she jumped into the air. He thought she was going to land on his shoulders, so he twisted. Her reflexes were fast and instead of falling, she dug her claws into his back as she slid down it. He let out a howl as her claws sliced through his skin.

Roth felt a smile come across his face. She wasn’t giving up very easily. She was proving to be a worthy adversary, which meant that killing her would bring justice to Anos’ memory.

Roth noticed that the smile across his face had caused Dania to become furious herself, and he took pride in it. Dania circled him time and time again, coming in for a quick slash here and there. And when he could, Roth would land a massive blow to her body. Soon, they were both covered in blood and it was impossible to tell who’s blood was on who.

She grabbed his neck and pulled it back, exposing his throat. She was going to bite into his neck. The goal was to rip it out. Roth twisted and pushed savagely with his feet so that his weight shifted and he was now on top of Dania. Roth her her down as he let his frustrations known to her. He told her of the pain she’d caused him by forcing him to kill his friend. He let her know that Jun would never be the same because he was now missing a finger. He let her know that she’d hurt him.

But as he was doing this, he became aware that she was purring. She wasn’t listening to him, but her eyes were locked on his and she was out of it. As incensed as he was towards her, that purr…..it was driving him wild. It was so primal. It spoke to something deep within him and he couldn’t help but to kiss her. It was not an easy kiss. It was full of lust and longing and need. Some inner dam had burst and out flowed a wave of freedom. He took that kiss from her and she loved every second of it. At first her body was rigid with trepidation, but that soon melted away. Her body became soft and he could smell her sex as she became aroused. Roth knew that she wasn’t his kind, but he would mate with her all the same.

Then the kick to the groin changed his mind and all thoughts of mating with that bitch were gone. They should have never been there in the first place. He lay on the ground, holding himself and trying to catch his breath. Light flashed before his eyes and it felt like his stomach was in his throat. He did not understand this thing….this Cat. One minute they were in a fight to the death, then they’d melted into each other, and then she’s kicking him where it hurts most. It felt like his stomach was in his throat.

He looked around for her but his vision was blurry. He couldn’t see where she was but was able to pinpoint her location by the sound of her breathing. To lie here would mean certain death. She could kill him, he was certain of that. He was about halfway to his feet when his vision cleared enough for him to see her. She was now directly in front of him, bringing a rock down on the top of his head. Everything went dark.