Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

2. A Perfect Day for Violence

      Slowly, she opened her eyes.  The clear film retreated from over her orbs, revealing dark red irises with slitted pupils.  The female glanced around trying to grasp her situation.  Her tongue flicking out repeatedly to taste the air.  The taste of damp and humid air along with her own scent permeated.

     She was in her den, hidden in one of her nests.  She had a foggy recollection of how she got back.  She had fought and won against a bear beastman.  After eating her kill, she made her way back to her den.   Exhaustion had hit her hard and she had gone right to sleep.

     Rustle.  She stilled, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound.  Tasting the air, she realized it was a rat.  Cocking her head to the side, she could tell it was fairly far from her position.  Her stomach rumbled in anticipation.

     She knew it was strange.  She shouldn't be hungry after the huge meal she just ate, but decided to ponder that after she hunted.  She quietly slithered out of her den.  She assessed the rat who had wondered close to her den despite her scent and determined this beastman to be brave or foolish.

     The male's nose twitched and his ears shifted back and forth.  She never purposely set out to eat beastman, however, she never denied herself if they threatened her or encroached on her territory.  This male intruded deep into her territory despite the marks of warning she has left. This stupid rat would be her meal.

     She quietly watched and positioned her coils, ready to spring at any moment. Rats were not hard to hunt.  They were only difficult when they grouped and fought together.  She laid in wait as the rat slowly approached her.  This rat was about one and a half times her size.  If it died as it was, she may not be able to eat it.  Her best option it to get him to change forms first.

     The rat male carefully investigated his surroundings.  His clan knew of a feral bear beastman whom rampaged awfully close to their new territory a few days ago and he was tasked to confirm that it has left their territory.  He had tracked the blood of the bear beast to a small crevice.  He assumed whatever killed the bear had eaten him, thus the lack of trail.  He wasn't surprised to find the scent of a snake, but he was shocked when he discovered it was female.

     His instincts told him to flee, but his curiosity overwhelmed him.  There was no way a female could hurt a male, let alone kill them.  He had gone over what he could reach of the crevice several times, but could not find another scent.  His instincts and his logic were at odds with each other. He needed to confirm the presence of a female and bring her to to his clan.  If he was unable to take her, he wanted to see what feral had her and bring that information back to his clan.  He could always return with a rescue party later.

     Not being privy to the rat's thoughts, the female in question plotted his death.  She was running out of time.  The rat was approaching her location steadily.  If she did not make her move now she would be forced to attack him in his current form.  It would take too much effort and time for her to separate his body into small enough parts to swallow.  It would be messy and his blood would attract other beasts.

     She flicked her tongue and confirmed that the rat was alone before shifting into her mating form.  The movement was slight and quiet, but the rat heard her and jumped backwards, body tensed and ready to flee.  She straightened her body and moved out of the brush.

     The rat beastman's jaw dropped.  He knew she was close by her scent, but had not realized how close. He eyed her face and was unable to look away.  Her eyes, a darker red than any jewel he had ever seen, gazed at him coldly.  He was keenly aware that she was looking at him like a predator would prey.  He had only seen females from a distance, yet here he stood, only two hops from the most beautiful female he has ever laid eyes on.  Despite his instinct to run far from this female, he continued to openly gawk at her sharp and slim features.

     "Are you done yet," remarked a cold and smooth voice.  Completely startled and embarrassed, the rat shivered at the androgynous and indifferent voice of the female.  He darted his eyes away from her and tried not to look directly at her again, afraid to embarrass himself further in front of this pale beauty.  He settled his eyes on her bright red, straight hair.  Captivated, he followed the outline to her curvy hips before snapping his gaze away, face burning.

     The female was no stranger to such a reaction.  Most beastmen she had encountered reacted like this towards her mating form.  She observed the foolish rat and knew he would be easy to manipulate.   She was growing impatient and softly questioned, "Will you remain in that form?" The male sputtered, realizing that he had failed to take his mating form.  He would be unable to communicate with the female this way.

     The rat checked his surroundings nervously before shifting.  Now standing on two legs the rat stood a full head shorter than the female in front of him.  He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.  The female continued to stare at him with an unnerving gaze, making it difficult for him to even utter a greeting.

     The female gazed at the male in front of her before frowning.  This beastman held no hostility and little fear towards her.  It irked her and wounded her pride that this no-stripe rat stood before her without cowering.  He did not seem to understand his position.   He was an intruder, prey no less.  He must be looking down at her since she was female.  Her anger was growing in the pit of her stomach and the rat could sense the impending danger.

     Unsure of the cause of the female's anger, he opened his mouth to speak.  "Umm, yo-you're very pretty."  Faced flushed, the rat wanted to bury his head in the ground.  Instead he continued to stutter out, "Wh-where is the fe-feral who took you?  It-its dangerous for you to be out her-here.  You are lu-lucky to be unharmed.  Is-is he also a sn-snake?  I will take you back to my cl-clan.  We can p-protect you."  The rat so full of nerves could only stutter and rapid fire questions directed at the female.  Too busy drowning in his embarrassment, the rat failed to notice the female's murderous stare.

     She glared at the stupid rat.  She so badly wanted to flatten him into the ground.  "Lucky?"  She uttered with pure venom lacing her voice.  She fought for her territory, for her food, for her survival.  She struggled and bled for her victories, no matter how small they were.  Her survival was owed only to herself.  Her victories, hers to claim.  Yet this puny, stuttering prey had the gall to call her lucky.  He could not even look at her directly and jumped at every rustle of the leaves, but he would protect her?  Utterly ridiculous!  Mashing her teeth viciously, she tasted her own blood.

     The rat could sense that he messed up.  He knew not where he went wrong with his words, but he knew he upset this female.  He did not dare look into her eyes again and settled his own on her neck.  He abruptly choked at what he saw there.  On her slim and pale neck was a dark red stripe mirrored on each side of her neck, a few inches above her collar bones.

     How?  How was that possible?  The foolish rat asked himself. He knew very well what those marks were and what they meant, but could not understand why they were on a female.  He looked down lower.  Had he been mistaken?  His nose was sharp and he relied heavily on it, but maybe it was wrong.  His gaze met two small mounds on her chest, completely bare as she had no clothes to wear.  A mixture of fear, embarrassment, and denial flowed through him as he gazed at her lower abdomen.  The was nothing dangling there as he thought there would be.

     The female could see the denial on the rat's face.  She was getting very sick of his blatant ogling, but she allowed it.  She wanted him to realize his error and to regret his words.  She would make sure this prey understood her strength before ending him.  However, she was not feeling patient.

     Unable to wait any longer, she released the full force of her beast pressure.  The prey beast, still gawking in disbelief at the female, crumbled in on himself.  He knew he needed to shift and run.  Before he could put his thoughts into action, she sunk her fangs deep into his neck, unloading a large amount of venom in the process.  The weak rat began spasming and attempted to crawl away.

     The male did not get more then a few feet away before he was wrapped in the coils of the shifted female.  She pulled them tight, ignoring the snapping sounds.  The rat beastman wanted to get away, but he could not move an inch, he wasn't able to concentrate enough to shift, the pain overwhelming him.  He couldn't breathe with the liquid filling his lungs.  He knew it was over, that there was no hope, but he struggled until the light left his eyes and his heart stopped beating.