Limestone Shadows

The young woman lay asleep upon the furs, her features bathed in the warm soft glow of a large fire.  Her home was crafted from a limestone cave but it was far from primitive.  Interspersed with the smooth natural flow-stone were large expanses of highly polished walls, bearing intricate carvings which revealed the status and standing of her husband.  She slept lightly, awaiting his return from the emergency council meeting.

At the entrance to her dwelling, a darkness gathered.  Several seconds passed before the thick plush drapes were moved silently aside.  Stooping in the doorway was a beast, twice her height and solid of build, its body covered in a thick fur the colour of autumn leaves.  It watched her in silence for several minutes, confident in the knowledge that it blocked the only exit.

Creatures of its kind were the reason the settlers had been forced to migrate from the valleys to the mountains.  The effort proved mostly futile however since the entire region was evenly populated by these dangerous, though rarely seen beasts.  The original settlers had been outraged that the survey ship had not discovered them.  As a result, their idyllic paradise world had become a place of danger and hardship.  Their anger was all the more justified for the pioneer settlements were rarely revisited.   Like it or not, this was to be their new home.

The beast-like aspect of the creatures had led the people to conclude they were savage and brutal.  Confirming this misconception was the fact that members from scouting parties had twice been killed in brief but violent conflicts with these native dwellers.  The issue of who was right was never discussed.  The settlers were scared and outnumbered; a dangerous combination.

The woman stirred from her sleep, sensing the presence of another.  Her eyes grew wide as she spied the creature but she did not scream.  A call for help, were it answered at all, would certainly lead to bloodshed and more of her people would be dead.

She immediately recognised the creature by a streak of lighter fur that crossed its chest.  It had come before and she knew why it was here, though what drove it to do so was a still a mystery.

Seeing her awake, the beast approached slowly, padding upright in silence until it crouched before her.  She tried to rise but it pushed her back to the furs with gentle firmness.  Keeping her movements slow and unthreatening, she tried again to push it away but each time she did, it would take hold of her wrists and place her arms above her head.  Finally, with a supreme effort, she relented.

It stared down at her with large intelligent eyes that made her shudder.  When it reached towards her she looked away.  A large hand rested lightly upon her waist, carefully stroking her through the thin silk slip she wore.  She already knew of its fascination for the feel of silk and knew, too, that the fascination extended to what lay beneath it.

When the creature's hands moved up to her breasts she tried once more to resist but it patiently pushed her arms back to the furs until she eventually tired of the futile gesture.  Her mind began to wander.  It struck her as ironic that this creature, who came to take her by force, was more gentle and tender than her husband.  She loved and respected her husband and he looked after her well but he was rarely kind and never gentle.   Her mother had told her that marrying a tribal elder would assure her of wealth and status but she had recently learned that there was more to life than these things.

Her eyes remained locked on the glowing coals of the fire as she felt her slip being eased upwards, exposing first the soft down of her sex, then the smooth pale skin of her stomach, then finally her breasts.

Resuming its exploration of her now naked body, it stroked her with both the hard smooth pads on its palms and the thick soft fur on the backs of its hands.  The constant caresses over so much of her body had a strangely lulling effect and she began to relax in spite of herself.

The beast toyed with her for quite some time before judging her sufficiently calm and receptive.  It brought a hand to rest lightly between her thighs, catching her off guard and making her blush at her own involuntary reaction.

It lay down over her, covering her small body with it own huge frame, supporting itself so as not to harm her.

She gasped and groaned softly as it slowly entered her.  It was much bigger than her husband.  Were it not so gentle it would surely have hurt her and she felt a strange misplaced sense of gratitude towards the creature, despite the circumstances.

Her small hands clutched at the furs as the thick hot shaft moved slowly in and slowly out.  She began to feel hot and dizzy, confused by the feelings and emotions which spun inside her head.  She knew it was wrong to feel this way but she could not stop the building pleasure, nor did she want to.

In time, a change came over the creature.  It began to move with increasing vigour as passion overrode its efforts to be gentle.  Lost in her own excitement now, she no longer minded.  Already she was feeling the early tingling in her body that told her where this was heading.  Unlike before, she vowed this time not to fight it.   She had spent too many shameful nights since that first encounter, lying awake whilst her husband slept, feeling hot and flushed as she recalled the events of that night.  Now it was here a second time, risking its own life to have her again and in a strange way she was touched.

She felt awed by its fearsome power as the once gentle thrusts grew urgent and forceful but she was not afraid.   Already, the first pulsing waves were starting deep within her.  As the seconds passed, her soft moans turned quickly to shrill breathless cries.  She buried her face in the creature's thick fur to muffle the shameful sounds of her pleasure as her climax swiftly consumed her.

She awoke shortly afterwards, alone and confused.  Checking the fire she judged that her husband was due home soon.  Moving as swiftly as her weary body allowed, she removed all evidence of the creature's visit, taking the trouble to throw pine cones on the fire in case the scent of their coupling still lingered.   She then sat down and awaited his arrival, all the while trying to shake from her mind the deep intelligent eyes of the so-called savage beast.

The End