Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

21. Discipline

     "How dare you."  Rain felt raw inside.  She was beyond angry and upset.  Why did she have to hear this from some stranger.  How can this beast act like he knew her?  What right did he have to look down on her, criticizing her efforts?  He didn't have that right and she wouldn't allow it anymore.

     Damon knew Rain had reached a breaking point.  He had already passed the point of no return.  In fact, Rain had tolerated more than most females would, but everyone has their limit.  He was waiting for this.  He didn't want to play this role, but felt it necessary to knock some sense into Rain.

     Damon could only bury his feelings of apprehension and guilt.  He wasn't going to pretend he was in the right.  He didn't know if the end would justify the means, but he was going to finish what he started.

     Damon swiftly jumped to the side, avoiding Rain's blow.  Rain didn't stop there.  She kept lashing at Damon with her tail, but he either blocked or dodged.  "Shut your mouth cat!"

     Third moved to intervene, but was stopped by Brice.  "Let me go Brice!  He said too much!"  Third was truly angry at the tiger.  Why was he pushing Rain so far?  It wasn't right and he deserved a beating.

     Rain landed several blows, slicing skin and spilling blood.  Without letting up she yelled, "Don't you dare Third!  This is my fight!"  Rain wasn't going to stop until this beast was was pulverized.  She would rip out his tongue and make him spit out innards instead of words.

     Damon did not seem to care about his injuries and continued.  "Rain, you are weak.  You are inexperienced and reckless.   Your pride and need to prove yourself clouds your better judgment.  You hold back Third and he enables your bad habits.  With your current temper and mindset, you can no..."

     Damon barely avoided Rain's fangs.  She had fully shifted and intended to destroy the male in front of her.  Her fury only grew when he refused to shift.  'Fine! If he was willing to die for his arrogance, then so be it!'

     Rain relentlessly attacked the beast in front of her.   Blow after blow was blocked or dodged.  Damon had not taken any serious damage.  He seemed to dodge at the last second too often.  He was playing with her.

     Rain lunged, unable to think clearly through her rage.  Her bite missed, but her coils constricted around him successfully.  She would break every bone in his body.  He would be unable to beg as the air was squeezed from his lungs.  His blood would spill and nourish the vegetation.  She would relish his death throes.

     Damon could tell that Rain's patience was gone.  She was no longer capable of thinking or planning.  She let her emotions control her fully.  Damon was disappointed in her.  How could she not have seen through his plan.  It was obvious he was goading her, yet she still fell for it.

     'No. She knew,' Damon thought to himself.  He knew that Rain must have realized.  Despite his harsh insults earlier, he didn't believe she was stupid.  She was the most intelligent female he knew.  She just gave up.  Rain gave in to her anger willingly and stopped thinking.

     As the coils closed in on him, Damon could tell how serious Rain was about killing him.  She wasn't thinking about the consequences and she wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings.  He was going to need to teach her a hard lesson.  The same lesson all young males learn.

     Damon grabbed Rain's coils and squeezed.   The flesh and scales beneath his hands gave way. Rain hissed in pain, but tightened her coils.  Damon wouldn't let her proceed.  He braced his legs and didn't allow her to coil any tighter.  Mustering all his power, Damon squeezed and pressed down with his hands and arms.

     Damon's fingers dug into Rain's scales.  He roared and released his beast pressure, causing Rain to instinctively flinch.  Using that moment, Damon jumped out of the prison of red coils.  He did not wish to draw blood so he kept his claws hidden, but he couldn't take Rain lightly.  Rain was on him the next moment.  He twisted his body and brought down his leg on Rain's head, smashing it into the ground.

     "Roar!" A partially shifted Third couldn't watch anymore.  "Don't Third," ordered Brice.  "She's okay.  That isn't enough to stop her."

     "How can I stop, he's..." Third was interrupted by the combatants.

     Rain had regained her sense and whipped her tail above her head.  Instead of dodging, Damon caught her tail with his hand and pulled while stepping off her head.  After seizing and bearing the entirety of Rain's weight in his hands, he threw her whole body.  Rain slammed into a tree, the wind was knocked out of her.  Before she could right herself, Damon had his heel pressing her head back into the dirt.

     Rain could taste blood and earth, but didn't want to give up yet.  "Yield Rain!"  Damon growled out the order.  "Is this still not enough for you?"  In response, Rain wrapped her tail around the tree and forced her aching body to pull her head out from under her assailant's foot.

     She threw herself into the brush before throwing forest debris at him in an attempt to distract him.  Damon was not affected and was ready for her swift strike that followed her shallow attempts of diversion.  He grabbed her fangs with equal speed, lifted her up, and threw her again.  Having experienced this before, Rain was able to take the impact easier.

     The pain was starting to eat at Rain, but with it came some clarity.  This beast was strong and Rain hated it.  She couldn't comprehend how was he able to fight her off while in his mating form.  Frustrated she was going to retreat and find a way to use the terrain against the tiger.

     Before Rain could move to action, her head and body were crushed into the ground by a heavy and furry body.  Rain struggled and struggled.  She couldn't give up.  Not until the tiger was dead.  She couldn't loose.  She couldn't.

     Damon watched as Rain struggled with mad fervor in her eyes.  He couldn't understand why she pushed this hard, but he wasn't going to stop now.  This female wanted to play like a male, but has never tasted loss.  He had to correct that before she found herself in a situation that she could not win, where the stakes were much higher.

     Rain fought to free herself, but Damon's large beast form wouldn't let her.  He looked Rain in the eye and stepped off of her.  As soon as he did, she struck at his belly.  Damon saw it coming and was easily able to avoid it.  Rain was much slower than before, having been exhausted from their fight and the earlier hunt.

     Rain rushed into the bushes and waited for her pursuer to follow, but he didn't.  Instead, he lifted his paw and began grooming himself.  Infuriated, Rain lost her senses once again.  She attacked him time after time, but not a single solid hit would land.  She hissed and spat at the foul piece of walking hide that stood before her.

     Damon slowly circled Rain.  At her next strike, he sent her flying with the swipe of his paw, before grinding her face into the dirt yet again.  Never in her life, had Rain felt so powerless and humiliated.  This was different than her experience with her former spouse.  The gap in strength between her and Damon wasn't as great.   Unlike the crystal, she was able to fight her attacker.  She could reach her enemy, but she couldn't hurt him.  She couldn't win.

     Rain was hurt and exhausted, but the worst of her injuries was her wounded pride.  No matter how she struggled, the dirt only lodged itself further and further into her mouth and nostrils.  For the first time in her life, Rain felt like crying.