Gentle Beast

by Margaret Afseth

  The agonizing groans began again, and Beth turned to watch the pregnant woman. She was sitting with her back against the far wall, her knees pulled up, the skirt of her shift up around her waist.

  What a strange way to go to the bathroom.

  That was when Beth saw what was between her legs. At first, it looked like a small ball was stuck there. Then she realized it was the head of a baby.

  In abject terror, she began to scream with all the energy left in her.

  ****

  Althea woke with a start at the strident screams. She felt disoriented, and at first could not place where she was. When she realized it was the young girl Beth making such noise, she peered about the stall looking for the reason.

  There were no guards inside with them, in fact Althea had realized after a few nights, the guards were never around during the sleep time; nor in the first few hours after lights came on. They seldom put in an appearance until feeding time, at what seemed to be the noon hour.

  With her nearsighted vision, Althea could barely make out Lana against the far wall. The woman was sitting up, doubled over. By the sounds she was making, she sounded like she might be experiencing a contraction.

  Beth was closest to her. And then it dawned on Althea.

  Why, I bet the child has never seen someone in labor. That is why she is so upset.

  Lana gave a long drawn out screeching groan, and Althea tensed.

  Oh, my, gosh! She’s pushing! She is giving birth!

  She had a choice either to go to Beth and comfort her fear, or help their nemesis deliver her baby.

  And that was a no-brainer.

  “Beth!” Althea hissed. “Beth! Be quiet! You’ll bring the guards down on us. She’s only having a baby.”

  Whether the young girl understood or not, her screams softened to a muffled moaning in the background, as Althea crawled to the unfortunate Lana.

  But Lana would have none of her assistance.

  “Get away from me, bitch,” Lana yelled with a vicious snarl. “I don’t need no help. I’ve done this dozens of times. Ain’t the first time in a dirty cell either.”

  But Althea was loath to leave her on her own.

  “I can help when the baby comes out…”

  “It’s already here! Get back where you were, or I’ll do something you’ll wish…” The words ended in a scream, as Lana went into another pushing contraction. “Get away from me!” she growled when she could catch her breath. “I don’t want you near me!”

  Althea inched back, just out of reach.

  “That’s not far enough! Back by the door…where you were before. I’ll kill you if you come near me! Do you hear?”

  Althea knew it was better she obey. The woman was upset enough already. So, reluctantly she crawled away to Beth, and led her to the gate, where they had spent most nights together.

  Five minutes later they could hear the liquid sucking sound as baby escaped its comfortable shelter; then the hard thump as it slid onto the metal flooring. A feeble indignant cry followed.

  At least the child is alive.

  “Let me help you clean it,” Althea pleaded.

  “With what? No rags or water,” came from the far darkness. “Never mind! I’ve done this before…”

  ****

  Morning came, and the lights came on.

  Lana was bending over her infant, her back to them. It sounded like she was licking the baby clean.

  Or is she?

  The woman gagged.

  “Lana? You okay?”

  The woman growled low in her throat, like an animal, went back to what she was doing. Her back still hid her actions.

  “Crap! Crap!” a voice behind at the bars exclaimed. “Par! Par!” the guard yelled. “I need you down here! This human is eating her young!”

  Suddenly another joined him, and the gate was squealing open.

  “Keep the others back!”

  A third dog-guard burst into the stall, and Althea inched back, guiding Beth, holding her face to her breast so she wouldn’t see what was happening. The girl, who had just begun to relax, began to whimper plaintively.

  “Little bitch must have given birth in the night. Help me get it from her!”

  Lana growled, like a beast fighting for her prey. The guard cuffed her soundly against the side of her head.

  Lana dropped like a stone.

  The guard tossed the bloody dead infant to one of the others. “Take that thing to the kitchens. Not good for anything but stew now.” And the male disappeared from the cage with it.

  Lana stirred. The first guard kicked her head, and she went out again.

  “What’s the matter with these things that they act like this?” asked Par of the other.

  His companion shrugged. “They get violent and bestial when they are reaching the unbreedable status. Sometimes at that age, they even take their own lives…or they live on in a state of despondency working as kitchen staff.”

  “How long have we had this one?”

  “Twenty, thirty years.”

  Par shook his head in disbelief. “That’s longer than I am old. What now?”

  “We put her back in to be bred. That’ll appease her.”

  “No room in the breeder tank, at the moment.”

  “Then we leave her; watch her, ‘til there’s room. Let’s get out of here before she wakes up again.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Bom strode angrily into the med bay, a battered human slung over his shoulder. He dropped her with force upon the empty examination pad in front of Loki, just for emphasis.

  “My meat’s not responding.”

  Loki frowned. He looked to the young broken female laying on the cot.

  “That’s because it’s near dead. What do you expect me to do?”

  “Fix it! Heal her! You are half Noor!”

  “I seldom can bring the dead to life at any time.”

  “It’s not dead yet! Haven’t you the kinetic healing touch? Heal it!”

  “I cannot; not while I’m in this belt. That’s why you keep me in it, so I can’t use my powers…and so I can’t teleport from your prison.”

  “You are lying to me! I’ve heard it said, the Noors are unable to tell an untruth.”

  Loki laughed bitterly. “Just as you, I am a half, part Feline. And Felines lie all the time.”

  Bom growled. Taking Loki's offensive remark personally, he defended: “I am more Canine Roog than Feline, you stupid cross-bred cat!”

  Loki, rarely in a foul mood, was weary from lack of rest. So he chose to be unwise, but brave this day; to give back point for point. He had little more to lose; he was already in this bizarre prison.

  “Well…” he challenged. “Is that why, for most of your younger years, you lived among your mother’s cat people? I’ve heard your father didn’t even acknowledge you were his, until you were full grown, and began to fight and dominate, causing trouble.”

  “True, I came before the council on a charge, but when I declared I was his son, he was quick to absolve me. He was proud of my nature! I was Roog, like him. But I am the only one of my kind. I’m special!”

  “Yes, and so now your father boasts of the rape he committed. How come you don’t live with him, if he is so proud of you? Not really accepted in their world either?”

  “Watch your tongue, Noor! If I had a wand you’d be suffering.”

  “I’m sure there is one around here. Want me to get you one, coward!”

  The dog male growled low in his throat.

  Loki stood there, eye to eye, not flinching, nor backing down.

  After a moment, Bom seemed to think better of fighting. He returned to his first demand.

  “Fix it!” He pointed at the hapless creature on the cot.

  “So you can hunt it, torture and finally eat her?”

  “That’s right! My prison; my stock pens; my rules! And you are my prisoner!” Bom snarled.

  Loki shook his head in disapproval. “If we were at home, you would n
ot behave like this,” he rebuked.

  “You think not? Remember who my father is? I am son of Clio; he heads the universal council! You’ve tried to buck him in the past. Remember? And you’re the one in the belt now. Don’t mess with me further. I’m warning you, half-breed.”

  Loki finally admitted to himself how hopeless this challenge was. If he provoked the male anymore, he’d be in here for life, if he weren’t already.

  “It’s beyond help, Bom,” he returned in a more conciliatory tone. “I can’t help her.”

  “Fine. Leave her to die then. I have another in the cells to play with. Dispose of this one in the kitchens. Never liked carrion anyway,” he grumbled, as he turned away.

  Suddenly, he turned back for one last try. “You could heal it without powers,” he declared. “I know this. You can infect her…however it is Noors do that.”

  “I would never do that to another. To be Noor is a curse!”

  “Ha!” Bom laughed, pleased that he had finally cowed Loki. Then he turned and strode rapidly away. Just as he went through the swinging exit doors, he fired back. “Take it to the kitchen!”

  Loki sighed, resigned, and gently picked up the battered human. While they had faced off, she had escaped this torturous establishment, breathing her last. He almost wished he could do the same.

  CHAPTER 10

  Althea felt the weight of the warm body as it crawled on top of her.

  Beth must be really chilled to come to me so aggressively.

  Without opening her eyes, she allowed the closeness. Then when a frigid fist slipped under her shirt, the smell assaulted her senses.

  Whew! Man! We are beginning to reek like something from an outhouse.

  Althea held her breath, so she wouldn’t breath in the stench. She enclosed her in a comforting hug, still too relaxed by sleep to open her eyes and look at the girl.

  The cold fist was joined by another, which moved down Althea's body, and into her pyjama bottoms.

  Her eyes flew open in shock, and at her involuntary gasp, she took in a lungful of the fetid air around her, and coughed.

  This isn’t Beth! She wouldn’t do this!

  It’s Lana!

  With all her might, Althea began to struggle; fighting in a desperation akin to panic, but the other woman seemed to weigh a ton.

  Then the lights came on, and the sudden glare direct into her eyes, blinded her.

  Fingers from the hand in her pants forced deep inside Althea. As the fist opened up, the slippery goo in it slid in like backed-up sewer water. Althea squirmed, fought harder, but the woman was remarkably strong.

  “See how it feels, old lady,” Lana hissed in her ear. “You want to be treated like one of us; like you’re young again? Need a man? I’ll make sure none of the studs will ever go near you…”

  Althea knew now what the overpowering odor was. Excrement. The other woman’s hands were covered in her own bowel movement.

  And now, the damage was done, with no way to reverse it.

  Althea fought anyway, rocking from side to side, as the mad woman smeared the foul slime across her legs, moved up her side too the chest, and finally, to her breasts, where she rubbed vigorously to infuse the odour deep within the flesh.

  “They’ll love your perfume now, pretty Red Toes,” growled Lana, like the beast she’d become. “Never know, maybe the brute dog will like the scent. Now, you smell exactly like he does.”

  Althea thrashed, bucked, rolled, but to no avail. Lana stayed with her at every turn, until she was ready to give quarter. Finally, willingly, Lana eased back.

  She smeared one last streak of the brown mess from her hands across Althea’s cheek, and abruptly stood up. Slowly, she walked across to her side of the cage, laughing hilariously at the disgusting deed she had just accomplished.

  Behind her, left lying on her back, Althea went limp. She broke into uncontrolled sobs; the pent up agony to this point buried, finally coming to the surface. Tears flooded from her eyes, coursed down the sides of her cheeks, wetting the hairline, eventually absorbing into the grey curls.

  Her misery continued for long minutes. When at last Althea quieted, the room around her was silent.

  Althea pulled in a breath to steady herself.

  Where is Beth?

  She rolled to her side. And there sat Beth, not five feet from her, cowered against the bars next to the hall, hugging her knees and rocking in distress.

  She had watched the whole thing…and done nothing; a victim of her own paralysing fear.

  Althea crawled to her, but she pulled away.

  And then, there was no further chance to give her the comfort Althea had planned.

  The guards could be heard approaching.

  ****

  “Oh! Yuk! Do you smell that?” growled Par to his partner, as they came around the corner. “Look at these two! They’ve been fighting. Open the darn cage! Gross! We’ll have to hose them down before any male will approach them.”

  The barred gate slid back with a squeal, and the huge caretakers moved in upon the women.

  “Take the young one to the breed tank; it appears not to have been involved. I’ll deal with these two.”

  Beth whimpered pathetically as she was grabbed aggressively by her shirt and lifted off the floor.

  “Sure you can handle the other two alone?” her captor asked from the entrance.

  “I’ll manage! Just get her out of here before she gets ideas.”

  The other disappeared, while the remaining watchdog studied the two women with disfavour.

  By now, all the fight had gone out of Althea; she wasn’t going to resist. But Lana had other thoughts. She made for the open doorway at a run.

  The enormous canine took one large step, caught her in mid-stride, and holding Lana suspended by her hair like an errant pet, swung toward Althea.

  Par gave a visible shudder. “You’re more filthy than this one, but guess I’ll have to touch you. You’ll most likely make a run for it if I walk you…”

  Althea hadn’t even thought of that.

  Where could I go? Perhaps I can hide from him, but for how long?

  Before she could formulate a plan, the creature had her by the hair, and Althea swung through the air. She raised her hands in defence, clutching at his hairy arm. He shook her violently, until her head was swimming, and she dropped her arms to hang there limp.

  “That’s more like it,” Par declared, but gave her one last malicious shake anyway.

  Althea felt her neck crack. Sensation immediately numbed from the shoulders down, and she suddenly felt very old and tired.

  She closed her eyes, surrendering; hung suspended without dispute, as they passed through the dark corridors.

  I wish he would just kill me.

  ****

  After the shower door had slammed shut, when she tried to rise, Althea could barely stand.

  Lana was giggling gleefully, as she moved off to a safe distance. As the hot jets exploded from the walls and ceiling, she spread her arms out in obvious ecstasy, as if it had been a very long time since she had received a bath.

  Althea also was grateful for this opportunity. She tore at her pyjamas, paying no mind to the heat of the scalding steam. She had to wash away what was on her skin. Yet more importantly, if she was to survive, the filth inside her must be eradicated.

  Though the searing water blistered her flesh, she persisted, dancing naked, leaving behind her soiled garments to soak clean on their own. She spread her legs, and when the boiling liquid shot within that delicate private space, making it burningly raw, she clamped her jaws together, so the scream would not escape her lips. It became a moan instead.

  She lowered into a crouch, her knees spread, until she was sitting right over the forceful scalding jet in the floor. But just then, the water abruptly shut off.

  Althea knew it hadn’t been enough to ward off contamination; the disinfectant in the water hadn’t had time to go deeply enough to be effective. She would still pay th
e consequence for the feces that had been rammed up inside her.

  The cold breeze didn’t come to dry them. Instead the outer door banged open, and the guards were upon them again. The one that had taken Beth away was back again to help the other, and each male grabbed a human by the arm.

  Her captor gave Althea no time to catch up her sodden garments, so she was led away naked. As Par left the room with Lana, he ordered:

  “Put that one in a separate cage. She belongs to Bom.”

  “He picked this scrawny thing? There’s hardly any meat on her.”

  “No reasoning for his choices. He’s always been a bit weird.”

  “Better not let him hear you say that, or you’ll be in the stocks for certain.”

  Par grunted in irritation, and disappeared with Lana.

  Althea was jerked roughly forward, almost dragged down the corridor, and at last, pushed violently into a darkened cell. She hit the floor with a savage crack, and lay still, as once again, feeling deadened in her extremities.

  She knew it was meant as punishment. The cell remained unlighted, and later when she heard the clatter of the meal cart, no sustenance was brought her way.

  By then Althea didn’t much care.

  ****

  Quiet had descended; the sentries left for parts unknown.

  Althea soon felt rawness in her throat, a burning cramping in her belly. She grew unbearably hot, then chilled to the bone.

  Shivering, trembling, she at last fell into a fitful fevered sleep. Reliving her capture in vivid nightmare, she cried out hopelessly for someone to rescue her.

  She was still in oblivion when the lights turned on. The food they placed just inside the bars went untouched. Darkness came again; night passed. Lights once more brightened the stall. Even as a third night brought the dimmed lights, Althea knew none of it.

  Nor did anyone notice her delirious state. In her fevered dreams she fought with family, asking why she had been abandoned, crying out with a hoarse voice that no one but she could hear.

  Why did you leave me? Why don’t you look for me, son? Don’t you love me? Don’t you even miss me? How could you so easily forget me?