Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

1. Another Day in Paradise

     She moved quickly through the brush.  Her heart was beating hard from the exertion, her adrenaline pushing her forward.  She focused her hearing, listening to the thundering steps trailing closely behind her.  She knew with certainty, if she slowed her pace by even a breath, it would be over.

     She turned her full attention to the path in front of her.  The familiar path, she had long since memorized, would support her movements and hinder her pursuer.  She would survive this, just as she always had.  With sharp eyes full of resolution, she pulled at the last bit of her energy and shot her body forward.

     A flash of red darted into the crevice located on the side of a cliff.  The width far too small to support the large body of the pursuer.  The large brown bear snarled in frustration.  He could not allow his quarry to get away. It had been a long time since he got to play with a female.  He would not let this chance go.

     The bear began to shift and take the form of a man.  His features were chiseled and handsome, one stripe on each arm quivering from the exertion of the chase.  He sniffed the air, furry ears twitching, before smirking.   His eyes glazed with desire and madness.  He could tell, this crevice was a dead end.  Certain of his victory, the bear began to fantasize.  Once he had his fill of pleasure he would slowly tear the female to pieces.

     Gasping for breath, the female willed her breathing under control.  This was the most important part.  She shifted into her beast form and concentrated.  She needed to remain undetected.  Her scent covered this small cave, providing her security while obscuring her location.  No light reached this part of the crevice.  She was used to this darkness and knew every inch of this place by heart.

     Not a single spot in this crevice was level, its angled characteristics making it impossible to move about without ducking around protrusions and stepping carefully.  It will be tough for her tall and bulky pursuer to move through here, while her long and supple body can easily navigate the otherwise small and difficult passage.

     The male beast could not help but growl and lash out in anger.  Crash.  Part of the crevice was smashed to bits.  The male beast had never been in such an infuriating situation.  His prey so close, yet this useless pile of stone kept getting in his way.  He would level this place, female and all, but he hasn't had his fun yet.   Even with his enhanced night vision, he was having a difficult time.  No light was reaching this far in and he would knock into the stone bits that constantly got in his way.   He couldn't find the female by scent as the whole place reeked of it.  Letting off several low growls and curses, the male had no idea how close the female was.

     She listened closely and traced the vibrations though her belly.  She waited atop her perch without making a sound.  In some perspective, she may appear trapped with her only way out through the pursuer, but to her, she was in the perfect position for an ambush.  She willed her heart to slow as much as possible.

     She knew that the bear would detect her as soon as she moved, however, he would not be able to touch her.  The natural formation of this spot would put her opponent in a perfectly disadvantageous position.  She would not miss the opportunity to strike.

     A few moments that seemed likes ages came to pass and the male finally reached her location.  She willed all of her focus to her body.  She struck down sinking her fangs into the beastman's neck.  He had sensed her movement and reached up to grab her, but he had no leverage.  The jutting stone wall completely blocked his ability to reach up.  She retracted her body quickly before moving her position.

     'The stupid male was going to shift! He'll bury us both that way,' thought the female.  Faster than one could blink, she wrapped her coils around his neck and squeezed.  She heard a crack, but did not stop.  She shifted her coils slightly for a better grip in this awkward space and continued to squeeze.  The male's struggles became weak, still, she did not release her coils.  She felt the liquid of her foe seeping into her scales, but she did not care.  Only after his heart ceased beating did she let go.

     Hissing out a sigh of relief, she grabbed the corpse and dragged it though the crevice.  She couldn't help letting out displeased hisses, the body kept snagging on the edges of the stone, bloodying her best hunting spot.  It was going to be annoying to clean.

     Once outside, her eyes took a moment to adjust.  She looked down at her quarry.  The prey she hunted.   A sense of pride filled her. She not only survived, but was victorious.  Her sense of accomplishment elevated after taking in the two beast marks he possessed.  She knew from his beast pressure that he was double marked, but something about seeing the proof made her drown in her success.

     She wanted to review her battle and make plans for any future ones.  Her venom was hardly effective on a double marked beastman, she may not be able to rely on it for stronger opponents.  Had she not been in the most advantageous situation possible, she could have died relying on her venom.  Rumble.  A sound from her stomach drew her from her thoughts.

     She looked back at her kill.  She needed to eat it before it drew other beasts with its scent.   She took one last glance at the partially shifted bear before grabbing its head, unhinging her jaw, and swallowing.  It took her less than a minute to finish.  She would have liked to have taken it slower considering how tired she was, but she needed to quickly get to safety.  Moving a lot slower than she would have liked due to the lump in her belly, she made her way back to her den.