Kindred Spirits - Chapter One: Animalistic

Story by Serja on SoFurry

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#1 of Kindred Spirits


The forest was empty. Great towering trees rose high into the heavens. The silence was broken only by the occasional chirping of small animals. It was the silence before the storm. He picked his way carefully through the undergrowth, his steps light.

Sniff. The air was heavy with the scent of rain. Overhead clouds ran across the night sky, patchy rifts revealing bright stars and twin moons. In a shaded grove, a furred humanoid crouched, slender paws touching a dewy, moon-white flower. Tall ears perked suddenly, pink nostrils flaring wide as an unfamiliar scent caught her attention, the sound of footsteps drawing near as thunder cascaded in the distance.

He smelled her before he saw her. His nose caught the scent of a female. Without thinking, he leaped. The ground soared away beneath him. Reaching out, he grabbed a branch as it came at him. His momentum spun him, and he worked with it, letting himself come to a stop, crouched atop the branch. Balanced perfectly, he let go... and waited.

White wasn't exactly the stealthiest color, but surrounded by white blossoms it seemed the most natural camouflage as the beast rose silently, liquid eyes questing for the source of the smells. Branches rustled above her, and she looked up, eyes wide with pupils that seemed to fill her vision. While she couldn't see him, per se, she could certainly smell him. The scent was above her, and she crouched, lunging through the branches and grabbing a limb, talons sinking into the bark and leaving behind marks of her passage.

Pulling herself onto a sturdy branch, she searched the boughs for her companion. Her eyes finally spotted his shadow among the branches. There you are. His posture seemed relaxed, but he was a stranger to her, and that made him at least a small threat. And besides, she hadn't had decent sport in an age. Perhaps he would provide at least a temporary amusement.

Without a second thought she lunged at him.

She was aware of him. He knew it. He did nothing as she leaped up behind him, and merely closed his eyes. His senses heightened just a slight amount as his eyes shut, and his mind tracked her movements by the sound of her ascent. She went silent for several moment, but he knew she was there now. He waited.

There it was! The branch she had been on let off a creak that he knew meant she had leaped. With all the swiftness of the creature he was, he let his arms fall back down to the branch beneath him, grabbing fast, and let his momentum fall forward. His claws dug into the wood, and he swung down to come to a stop, now hanging upside-down underneath the branch he had just been sitting on, his hands holding him fast to it, his feet still pressed against the bark.

He swooped down before she could catch him, and she grabbed onto a tree branch, catching herself before the ground came. She hung there momentarily, delighted by his evasiveness and at the same time all the more eager to catch her prey. She hung there, listening for him, her perked ears catching the roll of thunder that was moving steadily closer. The moons appeared less frequently now, and the forest held its breath in anticipation of the storm that was brewing.

Though the scent of rain was growing heavier by the minute, the aroma of his unfamiliar musk clung to her senses and she found him again, upside down in a ridiculous posture. She exhaled quietly, her breath frosting in the coming cold front as she begin to sway herself, gaining momentum before letting go and hurtling herself toward him. It wasn't as graceful as her previous lunge, but it would have to do. You can't keep evading me forever.

She had once again given herself away. The unfamiliar swaying noises ended with an abrupt "twang" as she let go. He grinned maliciously, and released his grip. He dropped to the ground, spinning in midair to right himself and land crouched, poised and ready. His grin was both feral and amused as he watched her recover from the sudden shift. I wonder how long the game will continue...

He stood, his claws digging into the soft earth beneath his feet, and broke the silence with a hearty, if slightly sinister, laugh. No words escaped his lips, but the message was clear anyway.

She had missed again and this time her lunge sent her toward another massive tree trunk. Gathering her limbs under her she took the impact against the bark as artfully as possible with her given momentum allowed. The larger of the twin moons broke through the clouds as she looked up, illuminating the grove in pale hues that gave the world an eerie hue.

His laughter caught her momentarily off guard. After all, he was supposed to be the prey, not the predator. Still, she admitted to herself, the game might be more fun this way. Taking a moment to observe his stance while the moon still penetrated the darkness, she gathered herself, preparing to make a third attempt.

The world went dark.

She coiled, fixed on his last known position.

CRACK!

A bolt of lightning snapped overhead, the resultant clap of thunder masking the sound of her claws scraping the bark as she unwound like a taut spring towards her adversary. The wind whistled in her ears, still aching from the near-by strike. The ground rushed up to meet her, and she hit the ground running, taking a second leap as the rain began to fall.

The light was gone, and the rain covered both sound and scent. Yet he could still sense her ki; he couldn't make out her exact movements, but he knew she was coming. He didn't wait or hesitate; he brought both arms together in front of him, crossing them over his chest, and focused his ki.

Spirit Barrier!

A plane of bright golden light sprang up before him, growing almost instantly into a half-dome that surrounded him... as well as lighting up the area in a 10 foot radius.

The barrier came up hard and fast in front of her. The golden aura temporarily blinded her, and for a moment all she could see was the last image in her mind of him standing inside of the bubble. She tensed, expecting to impact against the solid surface painfully, only to suddenly feel as though she had passed through something. Opening her eyes again, she found herself moments away from a tackle, somehow inside the previously impenetrable fortress. Bewildered, but not ready to let the opportunity go, she reached out to pounce him, her fangs bared in a feral grin that complimented his earlier outburst.

Dodge this!

He had almost no time to react. By the time he registered that she had somehow gotten through his defenses, it was over. His balance lost, he toppled, the barrier disappearing as his concentration to maintain it broke. Before he hit the ground, he managed to wrap a hand around her throat. He snarled ferally at her, his fangs bared.

She had grappled him with both hands on his shoulders, and as they fell she ended up on top of him. Her windpipe ached at his uncomfortable assault, and she growled back at him, feeling the feral urge to survive rise within her. She pressed down, her claws gnawing at him as she pressed harder, something like a bark escaping her. "Let go!" she growled, starting to feel herself slip from lucidity as she struggled against him.

From above the rain pounded down and drenched them both as the ground grew progressively muddier. Flashes of lightning came more often now, the sound of one roll of thunder seeming to blur into the next as the wind whipped and gusted through the boughs above them. Somewhere nearby a branch snapped and crashed to the ground, sending its avian inhabitant off screaming into the night.

She was a threat to him. A being that had tried to harm him. She had attacked him; violated his space. She was dangerous. The pain in his shoulders was powerful and stinging, but he ignored it. He would not set her free while she was dangerous to him. He would have her submission. The snarl from his throat deepened, a sound that seemed to rip the air apart with it's intensity. Slowly, he pulled her down by the neck, bringing her face closer to his while being careful not to choke her or cut off her air supply. He leaned up and ran his canines across her cheek, almost biting. His other hand was pressed across her stomach, his claws digging ever so slightly into her fur in warning: he could disembowel her in an instant. His words emerged in mid-snarl, sounding like some form of demonic creature.

"You first..."

She struggled against him, but his strength was greater than hers. Brute power alone would obviously not win this conflict of wills. Her eyes burned with a deep intensity that came from someplace primitive. She dug her claws deeper, but he seemed oblivious to her attempts to cause him to let go out of pain. She snarled back at him, feeling the trappings of her conscious mind starting to fail her. Reason and logic were deserting her to her primitive passions as he goaded her on. She struggled harder, trying to free herself from him with a growing desperation. She had seen terrible things before, but the most terrible thing of all existed within. Please....!

His teeth were like fire across her cheek, awaking a nameless, primitive desire within her. A feral moan escaped unbidden from her, a deep ache seeming to reverb responsively within her as for just a moment she began to yield. His claws in her abdomen were an unpleasant reminder of her current situation, however, and she tensed once more, struggling to break free. "You came into my home...." she hissed at him, snapping at his face. She felt dizzy, hot with lust, though whether it was for blood or something else she didn't know. She slowly slid one hand down from his shoulder across his chest, feeling her claws dragging across his flesh, a sick kind of joy racing through her veins. It wouldn't be long now, she knew.

She was warm. He suddenly became very aware that the only thing she wore was fur. White fur that was rapidly becoming very wet. White fur that was losing much of it's ability to protect her modesty as it got wetter. He hadn't felt such a sensation in a very long time, and for a moment he almost gave in. It was very close. For a microsecond that seemed to stretch an eternity, a war was fought within him.

But then her face was overlapped with another face. A face he knew all too well. A face he thought to be dead, but that he couldn't ignore yet.

Nabiki.

Her words were confirmation that she could hear and communicate complex concepts. That fact alone made her less of a threat. It meant she could be reasoned with. A part of him regained a small amount of control. He pulled his claws away from her abdomen, releasing the pressure on her neck while pushing her off of him. He rolled in the other direction, coming up in a battle crouch.

The sudden sense of chill brought back a portion of her senses as she found herself on the ground. She heaved for air, sprawled immodestly on the grass as she regained awareness of her surroundings. Her heart pounded in her chest, a matching throb seeming to echo through her skull as she fought for control again. Lightning cracked across the sky, momentarily blinding her large pupils, but the pain helped bring her to her senses. She could feel the adrenaline and unbridled, savage joy rush through her veins as she rose. Her feet sought purchase in the earth, claws leaving behind marks in the soggy grass.

She could feel herself salivating as she looked up at her foe, seeing thin trails of red where she had placed her claws. The lust rose like bile in her throat, and she fought to contain the overwhelming urge.

We want it!

No, you want it.

I'm a part of you, too.

That much she had to concede to. For every yin there had to be a yang. Hers was just incredibly dark and twisted compared to most she had seen. She looked over her opponent again, dropping herself into a battle-ready stance as she fought to control herself again. It was a lost cause, she knew, but she was used to fighting for lost causes. At least they gave her something to believe in.

The sick joy pulsed through her veins again in a rush as she stared at her opponent. Around her the world seemed to fade until only he came into focus. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could feel her soaked skin, hear the roar of thunder, and taste the wetness of the air. And yet all she could seem to think about was him and how glorious it would be to taste the hot pulse of his veins.

Not...

...Yes.

She lunged.

She was teetering on the edges of control, and he knew it. He had stood on the precipice of that insanity, felt the wildness, the freedom of it all. He had lost his rational mind to the impulses before; he knew what they could do. The primality, the desire for violence, for blood, and for sex existed as much within him as they did within her. But he would not give in to them. Not completely. Not now. His pain was too fresh, his recent loss too great for even his wildest, most feral impulses to break through the shell of grief that encased his love and his desire.

Yet he knew that she needed to sate herself. The heat, the fire, the passion, the desire, and the primality had to be purged from her before she could regain control. Her urges for violence were strong right now, as was her knowledge of his gender. He could smell it even in the rain. But he would grant only one of those desires today. Other matters could wait for later, if they occurred at all.

She was still quite a ways from him when he struck. His fist rocketed forward, propelled by his ki at such a speed that even sound itself could not keep up. An impossibly short, incredibly high-pitched screech filled the air as his fist broke the sound barrier several times over. In the blink of an eye, the motion was finished. Suddenly, his arm was held out in front of him, palm open, braced with his other arm, the invisible sound vibrations from his movement rocketing at an impossible speed towards her.

The force that hit her was invisible and bewildering to her primal mind. It could not quite grasp the nature of how it had happened, but it did understand that she had not only been stopped in her quest for blood, but also pushed even further away from her goal. Enraged, she gathered herself up again, preparing to launch another similar attack.

Wait! If he uses magic surely we can reason with him...!

I'm DONE with reason. I want to taste his flesh NOW_._

She could almost taste it. Her veins burned with desire for it. She stood there, at war with herself and starting to shiver in the drenching rain. Her breath steamed in the air, rain streaming across her vision as one side fought the other for control.

The primal urges were overwhelming. It was like drowning, but there was no light to indicate which direction was up. She wanted to moan, to cry, to laugh, to scream. The wash of sensations was almost too much to bear. She felt herself slipping, dizzy and unable to think.

...He could have killed us.

Her words felt lost in a sea of rage and longing.

...He showed us mercy.

Mercy is weakness!

Her primal side responded violently, springing after him again, this time shifting back and forth evasively to avoid a second blow. Her speed was borne out of desperation and desire, and fueled by the pulse of adrenaline. It was obvious now that she could not control it. She'd have to ride it out and hope he survived the vicious assault.

...Forgive me...

She had slipped completely over the edge. His grin widened. Violence was an easier shared language to experience. He was not afraid. He had faced death before; she was nothing compared to the opponents he had managed to survive against. In fact, she was a kindred spirit if anything. They both fought for control, for dominance. And it seemed that this time, that battle would be externalized. He grinned evilly, and decided to toy with her just a little. She needed blood; not as a vampire needed it, but because the beast within her would accept nothing less. As she shot at him, he let himself react just a little bit slowly, and her claws dug out another furrow in his arm as she passed. He twisted as she went by and in return for her attack, he brought an open palm forward, grinning maliciously once more, and smacked it across her (relatively) bare buttocks.

The feeling of her claws finding flesh sent a rush of pleasure through her core. The blood on her nails was evidence to her successful strike and she nearly howled for more. Her near howl, however, came out more as a startled yip as his hand came in contact with her behind. It didn't hurt, precisely, nor was it embarrassing. But it certainly evoked a different reaction other than violence within her.

Sliding to a halt she spun to face him, her eyes trying to read his face for some clue to his intentions, but the rain made it nearly impossible to interpret the changing shades of light and dark as they skittered across his elongated features.

The beast within growled, demanding satisfaction for the returned blow, and charged again, this time aiming to grab around his waist and take him down to the ground where her agility might better be able to pin him and use his strength against him. The ground was slick, but her claws provided traction as she rushed him, the rain dripping off every curve of her furred being as she flew.

He could already feel the tingle as his wound slowly began to heal. If he could just keep her damage down to about that level, she would tire herself out naturally after a while. Meanwhile, the conflicting impulses caused by his rather... alternative... method of attack would hopefully give her something to think about. She was rushing low to the ground now, and he could tell she meant to grab him. He knew instantly what he would do. As her arms wrapped around his waist to keep hold of him, but before she could start to apply the leverage to take him down, his own hands wormed their way down between her open arms and each grabbed a handful of the twin mounds on her chest. He squeezed, twisted slightly, and pushed all at the same time.

She could almost taste success as her arms wrapped around his waist, eager to pin him to the ground and subdue him there. But before she could celebrate she felt his hands snake around, grabbing onto her chest suggestively. It was enough to make her knees temporarily buckle, her primal urges shifting southward as she slid down his front. A quiet moan escaped her, and as she opened her mouth her teeth found purchase in his torso. It wasn't a hard bite, and hardly drew any blood, but her sharp teeth still found their way into his flesh, though whether the move was out of violence or lust it was hard to say.

She clawed at his backside, finding his tail and wrapping her fingers around the base of it firmly, giving it a tug even as she maintained her teeth in his side. She growled, but it somehow seemed to sound less feral and more seductive. The rain still poured heavily from the heavens, leaving little of her anatomy to the imagination as all her fur clung to her like a wet t-shirt.

His sensitive ears picked up her response, and he was hardly immune to the position of her head. When her teeth sank into his skin, his inner beast let out a feral roar inside him. Desire flashed through his mind like wildfire, obliterating his previous plan in it's wake. Before he knew it, his hands had closed more tightly around her breasts, squeezing them a second time. It was not a teasing touch, meant to distract. It was a true grope, meant to inflame.

The desire the flooded her being was intense, to say the least. It burned through her veins like wildfire, warming portions of her anatomy she'd nearly forgotten about. Her pulse throbbed in unexpected places, and she pressed against him for more, her tail twitching as she stroked his own. Her other hand began to caress his buttocks, sliding down his backside and then up between his thighs.

A jolt of lightning shot up his spine. This was impossible. One second she's trying to kill him, the next she's moaning like a kitten. He still knew she was dangerous. This female could not be trusted. She was not stable. He growled a warning, and the claws of one hand dug into her shoulder, leaving red marks across her skin. He would not tolerate any trickery from her. But on the other hand... he squeezed again, beginning to regularly mold the plump mass in his hand.

Her teeth left his torso in a gasp of pain, her eyes wide as her back arched in surprise. Blood trickled down his abdomen where her teeth had been, leaving small trails in his soaked fur. Desire and pain mingled in her veins and somewhere deep within she cried out for more. He seemed quick to provide and she felt obliged to return the favor. Between his legs she allowed her hand to slide over his muscular thighs, moving slowly upwards to cup him through his shorts before she began to caress in earnest. She growled again, but it was lustier than before, less full of the rage that had so defined her moments ago. She nipped at his torso again, this time from the other side, and slid her fox-like face up under his shirt, inhaling deeply before letting forth a warm, moist sigh.

He gasped at the sudden pressure, the touch against his loins sending fire up his spine to follow the previous electricity. His heart began to thump in his chest, and his breathing thickened. He swallowed, and then a guttural growl escaped his throat. She was receptive. He'd known since he first smelled her. And now she was fondling him, sending jolts of pleasure outward through him. She wanted him. And if she continued to play her cards right, he just might let her have him. His growl changed, the sound less threatening, less like a snarl, and more deep-sounding. Almost a sound of satisfaction. His grip on her shoulder tightened as his knees weakened just a little.

Continuing to fondle him through his shorts, she pushed her snout further up his shirt, her cold nose brushing against his nipple before her warm tongue snaked out and teased him with a suggestive flick. Her ears twitched visibly under his clothing, shifting and hinting at the variety of feelings racing through her own system. Her other hand slid up his tail, fingertips brushing the varied nerve endings she found there and back down again, slowly, so as not to twist his fur uncomfortably. She growled again, but the sound was much closer to a hungry moan than a savage desire. She felt hot despite the cold rain that still fell on them, and moist in ways rainwater could not cause. Her chest felt hot and tight, and her nostrils were enraptured by his intoxicating musk. Almost of its own volition her hand found its way from his tail to his belt and began to tug insistently.

After all of her efforts, to be defeated by something as simple as a belt buckle. He couldn't help but grin in amusement. Still, at least she was forthright. His shorts were feeling extremely confining at this particular point in time anyway. Letting go of her right breast, he reached down and deftly undid the clasp with one hand, then slid it down to rest against her thigh. He assumed she could figure the rest out on her own. And besides, half the fun was supposed to be in opening the present. Meanwhile, his other hand snaked down and began to fondle her equally plump backside, squeezing the tender flesh.

Indeed, half the fun was in the unwrapping of the present. Sliding her hand upwards from his balls, she found her way to the top of his shorts and both her hands began to work in earnest before allowing the troublesome clothing to drop down his legs unceremoniously. The hand on her own drenched thigh sent shivers down her spine, and her hindquarters twitched responsively as he grasped her buttocks. She quivered with indecision, wanting to slide herself out from under his shirt, and at the same time not wanting his hand to leave her backside, causing a low whine to escape her throat. Her hands, meanwhile, found their way south, one beginning to fondle him again whilst the other wrapped its long fingers around his shaft and squeezed suggestively as it slid up and down.

The beast within had had enough. He knew what she wanted, he knew what he wanted, and it was time he acted upon it. His hand left her backside, grasping the base of his shirt and pulling it up, over, and off of both of them. As she stood up to face him, he growled in warning against resistance and placed both hands against her hips. He pushed, just a little, and she stumbled back half a step before her back came to rest against the trunk of the tree that he had hidden in to watch her from not too long ago. Before she could move to do anything else, he pressed himself bodily against her, one of his thighs pressing between hers, their fur rubbing together. He bit gently at her shoulder, his one hand massaging her breast, the other squeezing her bare buttocks once more.

As he pulled the shirt up and away from them she got a good look into his eyes and saw a deep reflection of many things she felt within her. On some level it made her want him even more, for here was the first kindred spirit she had found in her long exile. His hands found their way to her hips, and her gaze was broken as she stumbled backwards. Falling into the trunk, she found herself held upright as he pressed himself up against her. He was warm and smelled strongly of desire. She could feel his heart racing with hers, her hand having somehow found its way to his chest when she stumbled. His teeth on her neck sent fire through her loins again, and she gasped in pleasure and pain. "Don't stop..." she whispered, the words almost lost in her moan as she melted into his touch.

And she thinks it's bad NOW... he thought. He slid his hand from her breast, tracing it down her stomach. His claws skimmed her fur, just barely leaving tracks of red in their wake as he slid it across her side and down her thigh. He stopped just above her knee, and reversed direction. His other hand squeezed her backside again. Slowly, he trailed his fingers up towards the junction between her thighs.

His claws across her abdomen drove her to new heights of distraction, sending a shiver down her spine. The brief touches of pain were like little jolts of electric pleasure across her nervous system. Time seemed to have lost its meaning and even the pouring rain and crashing thunder could not distract her from his intoxicating advances. Pushing harder into him, she rubbed against his thigh, stimulating herself even while her hand slid down his side and found its way to his manhood, starting to rub and squeeze him once again.

As her fingers wrapped around him, he gasped in a sharp breath, his teeth sinking into her shoulder once again. He groaned and, moving his thigh aside, brought his hand up the rest of the way to cup her mound. He slowly ran his index finger across her lips, teasing them.

She threw her head back as his fangs sank into her shoulder again, her jaw parting to reveal the multitude of sharp teeth within, a gasp of pleasure escaping her lips. The pain was nothing short of exquisite, and her hand squeezed him tightly, her rhythm becoming momentarily quicker as a fresh rush of adrenaline coursed through her system. The way his fingertips teased her, however, was almost more than she could bear. She was wet and warm and hungry. She squirmed beneath him, every fiber aching for satisfaction as he played with her, leaving behind the need for more with each passing second.

Her gasp was music to his ears. He knew her hunger, but there was something he needed first. Perhaps it was a bit mean, but then again... she wanted it. A feral grin spread across his face as he slowly spread her lips apart, tracing his fingers across her inner folds. A single finger began to slide into her depths. Her groans broke the night air as the rain pelted them both. He leaned forward, biting gently at the base of her jaw.

Every part of her being ached with need of him. He made her feel things that she had never experienced before. His touch gave her sensations she had only dreamed about. She knew that she wanted him. There was no question of that in her mind, or what was left of it. His jaws on her own elicited a fresh, low moan from her throat. For a moment, she could feel her knees beginning to buckle yieldingly.

"Say it."

The words burned through her from the tops of her foxy ears to the tip of her clawed toes. No longer was it a matter of give and take, but rather who would be giving and who would be taking. The struggle for dominance had returned and suddenly the choice to yield wasn't so easy. Her body moaned, begging for her to just give into the flood of sensations. Her mind growled, angry at being asked to submit herself to him. And she was left in the middle of the conflict, unable to ignore the protests of either.

Ultimately, the sensations crawling across her flesh were too much to ignore and she gave into to the deepest, primal urges of the flesh, her teeth finding his neck with renewed passion and vigor, a low growl escaping her.

"I'm yours."

As soon as the words escaped her lips, he moved. His teeth sank strongly, but not deeply, into her shoulder. It was not truly biting, but grabbing hold tenaciously. She would not get away. Her legs had already opened for him when he had slid his hand up between them. Now he removed his hand and, in one swift, smooth motion, swung his hips forward. He knew the way. He was no stranger. His shaft slid all the way inside in one swift motion, spearing her to the core.

It happened so fast that for a moment she wasn't sure how to react. Pain flashed through her awareness briefly, so sharp and sudden that she gasped for breath, releasing her grasp on his neck. A fresh rush of fluid seemed to accompany the pain, something hot and warm running down her thighs before a rush of pleasure took her breath away again. Her eyes rolled back into her head, a strong spasm squeezing him responsively as for a moment everything else went limp.

He placed his hands against the bark of the tree under her arms, holding her up when she began to slump. When she tightened around him he groaned, his teeth closing a little tighter where he gripped her. Slowly he pulled himself almost completely from her body, her insides gripping him tightly, as if unwilling to feel him leave. Her eyes were glazed. They wouldn't stay that way for long, that much was certain. He let out a short growl as his hips pushed forward again, shoving into her once more with enough force to lift her up onto her toes.

She gasped, a short yip escaping her lips as she was roughly brought to her senses. He felt so thick inside of her, and every nerve felt aflame from his efforts. She felt herself squeeze him again involuntarily, her body seeming to urge him on. His scent filled her nostrils again as she sucked in another breath. It was invigorating in a strange way, and she found herself wrapping a leg around him, her hands moving to his back and running her claws down through his fur, applying just enough pressure to leave traces without actually drawing blood. "What feels good?" she growled softly, her breath hot in his ear.

She was like a vice! When she gripped down, his entire body shuddered. It had been so long... the beast within him roared in triumph at the feel of her warm wetness squeezing him like a soft glove, welcoming him to her most secret of places. Every slow slide was a small slice of heaven, electricity repeatedly sparking up and down his spine with even the smallest movement. He released her shoulder, letting himself look up into her eyes, his grunts coming out with every breath as he slowly pushed himself in again, both of them gasping again as the last inch slid home. "Everything," he growled in answer.

She ran her muzzle along his as he pulled back from her shoulder, a low growl emanating from her vibrating vocal cords before she found herself lost in his gaze again. They couldn't seem to decide whether to be blue or green and the dichotomy seemed appropriate to his whole self. She gasped again, her gaze breaking from his as he set her veins aflame again with his penetrating motions. It was obvious now that he wanted her as much as she wanted, no needed him now. She would settle for nothing less than "everything". She nipped at the base of his jaw, shifting her hips rhythmically to rub herself up and down his length, feeling the hot beat of his pulse within her.

It was powerful, primal, and intoxicating. Her teeth against his skin sent a jolt of fire through him, and he groaned, his hands shifting down to grab her backside once more, pulling her hips to meet his massive, powerful thrusts, each one sending intense pleasure racing through his entire body all the way down to his toes. He groaned loudly, his hands squeezing down, his claws digging into the ground beneath them as he pushed. Animalistic growls escaped his lips with every powerful thrust into her soft, warm, receptive body.

The bark was rough against her back and she could feel each individual raindrop on her skin, her senses heightened to a level of keenness she had never felt before. Her tail twitched with each wave of pleasure that rushed through her being. She moaned loudly, her body driven into another orgasm by his deep, insistent thrusts that jolted through her system like ocean surf into a cliffside. Her hands clawed at his back, her hips eagerly pressing down against him as if to drive him deeper inside. Growling hungrily she nipped at his ear.

It was too much. As her inner walls clamped down on him again, he felt them rippling in sequence up and down his shaft. It was the straw the broke the camel's back. He pulled her hips against his with what felt like the force of a freight train, burying himself completely within her. The fur all over his body stood on end, despite the rain. Every nerve from his toes to his scalp exploded with sensation, but more than anything the pleasure of her walls around him magnified itself a hundred times over. He felt like he was going to die from the overload. He roared, the sound seeming to come from 10 feet underneath him, shattering the silence for miles around. His mind went white as he emptied himself into her depths in waves, his shaft twitching inside her as it shot burst after burst into her body.

For a moment the world was in perfect clarity. Every inch of her flesh crawled with the pleasure of his touch and the sensation of raindrops. Her nostrils twitched with every nuance of his scent. Her eyes traced every detail within his deep gaze. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She felt ready to come apart at the seams with the myriad of sensations that coursed through her enhanced senses, washing over her like a flood. As he thrust into her one last time her senses exploded in a wash of pure pleasure, her eyes losing their focus as her body clamped down on him again. The sound of his roar unleashed something from deep within herself, and she howled with him, her back arched as her entire body pressed up against him, lost in the sensations of their mutual climax.

It lasted forever, and yet it took no time at all. Each burst was smaller than the last, until eventually, his brain and body numb from the repeated explosions of sensation, he went still. His hips ceased their incessant grinding against her and his shaft slipped free of her now extremely slick channel. He moaned one last time as he retreated from her body. The rain had stopped. The ground was muddy and slick beneath his feet. His body felt like lead. He could barely move. His brain was mush. He let himself fall to a kneeling position, one hand propped up on his knee, his breath coming in long, panting gasps.

She moaned involuntarily as he withdrew from her, feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and loss as he pulled away from her. Exhaustion combed through her in the wake of her fading passion, and her knees buckled, her ankles trembling as she slid down the bark to the soggy ground below. She sat there, sprawled unceremoniously as her breath heaved in and out of her lungs. A calmer sense of satisfaction crept through her veins as her heart gradually slowed its pace, and she found herself looking over at him, suddenly missing the warmth of his embrace as a cold shiver ran down her spine.

He saw it. Some instinctual, primal part of him welled up, demanding action in response to it. It was too late to turn back now; he had mated with her, and now he must act as was proper for that fact. No self-respecting creature used a female for his release and then abandoned her. Tired though he has, he forced his hand to move. It slid down from his knee, gliding down his leg, and his fingers wrapped with hers. He pulled.

His touch warmed her in ways she never thought she could be warm again. It wasn't the flash heat of arousal, but a steadier, calmer burn that she could find no name for. Finding the strength to move, she crawled closer to him, worming her way into his embrace and resting her head on his chest, her ear pressed against his breastbone as she listened to his heartbeat, feeling the warmth of security wash over her. The forest was quiet after the intense storm, and for the moment it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

He would protect her. He could do little else. It was his nature. He might as well try not to breathe or drink. To leave her now would be horribly cruel, beyond imagining. He wrapped one arm around her back, letting a deep sigh escape his lips. For the first time since the collapse, the vacuum of grief that had eaten away at his core for so long was gone. At least for now, he felt at peace. Tomorrow, there would probably be questions to answer, and truths to be found. Tomorrow, he would have to figure out what he was going to do about this. But for now, he enjoyed the softness of her fur against his. As his eyes drifted shut, his world slowly fading and blurring, he wrapped his fingers around her other side, holding her securely, as if afraid to let her go. I am a beast... he thought. But that's not so bad...

She sighed into his fur, feeling a peaceful sleepiness wash over her. She was safe here in his arms, and she could feel her conscious mind ebbing away as she allowed her body to relax fully into his warm embrace. Questions floated up from the back of her mind, but she pushed them aside. Ask me tomorrow... she murmured before the peaceful oblivion of slumber claimed her exhausted form as its own.