The Erotic Bestiary

by Klara Raškaj

  "It only took three thousand years to find her," Meseh explained as he walked over to Sarah, gazing amorously into her eyes, "but it was nothing compared to the lifetime of happiness she brought him."

  Sarah placed her hands on his cheeks and gave him a gentle kiss on his monstrous teeth. "Hey, baby. Did the photo shoot go through okay?"

  "Yes," he replied and glanced down at the baby in his arms. "Nina slept through the entire interview, but I really have the people to thank for being so understanding and keeping their voices down."

  "Oh--before I forget--I wanted to tell you that I'm switching to bottles. Her teeth are coming in, and my nipples hurt like a motherfucker," Sarah complained while grasping one of her breasts.

  "How can you be sure it wasn't just me?" Meseh chuckled.

  Sarah playfully hit his stomach with the back of her hand. "Not in front of the students."

  "You started it," said Meseh.

  Sarah then turned to the group. "Guys, this is Meseh--my husband." She told them and tapped her finger against his teeth. "As you can see--totally real."

  "It's a birth defect," Meseh explained as he handed the baby over to Sarah. "But unlike some of my other features, I suppose that one is hereditary."

  Sarah turned slightly to the side as she held her baby girl and nuzzled her, revealing to the students the child's dark brown hair and sharp fangs peering through the skin around her mouth. "Okay, that's it for today guys," she announced. "I'll see you in class on Wednesday."

  Meseh put his arm around Sarah as they headed out the way from where they came. He turned his head back toward the students and smirked. "I'll do my best to tire her out before your exams," he said.

  "Don't help them!" Sarah groaned playfully. "Did you just forget Fraser's the dean now? I stopped being his favorite student two years ago--you think he won't fire my ass if he catches us having sex again?"

  "All right--during the exams." Meseh chuckled.

  She smacked his mouth lightly and pressed herself against him as they walked out into the sunny courtyard.

  Story Two

  Heart of Ice

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Season's Insolence

  THE WINTER STILLNESS and gentle snowflakes have trapped Nachtgart in another deathlike darkness. All but for the illuminating and bustling beacon that was King Maximilian's castle at the top of the highest hill.

  Servants gathered in the chambers of Queen Adelaide Ruhe in order to prepare the noble ladies, the queen and her step-daughter, for the first evening that would mark the start of the three-day festivities they held every ten years, when the nomadic goat people Khazarassi would return from their long years of traveling in order to bring joy and cheer to the residents of the king's castle.

  Princess Gerlinde, or Geli as her friends and family called her, was just about finished dressing up for the arrival of their honored guests. She held her long black hair up as her handmaiden was putting on a ruby necklace around her neck. The tip nestled itself just above her supple breasts that remained uncovered at the top along with her shoulders. The light of the torches on the walls made her snowy white skin and hazel eyes glisten brighter than even her own jewelry. Her red lips formed a frown as she gazed down at her red dress adorned with white lace and pearls.

  A middle-aged woman approached her with an impish smile and placed her hands on her shoulders. Unlike Geli, she had blond hair and was wearing a silver crown covered in rubies, and a huge, gorgeous deep crimson gown that looked as though it would take up three whole seats even at the king's table. "Don't worry--I'll try to keep your father distracted so he doesn't bother you as much."

  Geli turned to her with a light smile. "Thank you. Though, you should be able to relax and enjoy yourself as much as everyone else."

  Queen Adelaide dismissed the servants and took a silver and ruby tiara from one of the tables. "Yes, but unfortunately, the two of us don't have the luxury of old age and courtly irrelevance like your grandmother." She placed the tiara onto Geli's head and smiled at her, but her gaze was unfocused and distant. She sighed. "Besides...I suppose you'll want me out of your hair until all of this is over."

  "What? Why?" asked Geli, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

  There was a knock on the door.

  "Geli, I hope I don't need to remind you how important it is that you look your most presentable these next few days," said a male voice from behind the door. "Don't think this is a time to relax just because those mongrels don't know a soup spoon from a dessert one. There will come a few noblemen to the ball tomorrow to court you, and I expect you to do our family proud."

  "Yes, Father," Geli told him in a chipper voice.

  Adelaide waited until they could no longer hear the footsteps behind the door before she spoke to Geli again. "You'll...probably want to ask how your mother is doing. I wouldn't want to get in the way. I understand that you must miss her dearly."

  Geli smiled at her and gently took her hands in hers. "Her name is Elisabeth. You are my mother."

  Adelaide's eyes glimmered as she was tearing up with smiling lips. She pulled Geli into a tight embrace. "You can't imagine how happy it makes me to hear you say that." She then pulled away to look at her again. "I--I know I may not be your real mother, but I've always thought of you as my little girl."

  Suddenly, an older woman wearing a white gown burst through the door with an ecstatic grin on her face. "They've arrived!" she exclaimed. "Come quickly! We mustn't make them wait!"

  Adelaide turned to Geli. "Let's go see what all the fuss is about, shall we?"

  "We shall." Geli chuckled and placed her arm around Adelaide's as they followed Lady Barbara out the door.

  They strolled down the stone corridors and arrived at the large staircase facing the castle entrance with a huge red carpet beneath their heeled shoes and rows of trumpeters and servants standing by the edges.

  Down by the entrance was a large group of men with goat-like heads, complete with giant curved horns, and arms and legs that were almost completely covered in long strands of fur. They had black scleras and eyes of varying colors, cloven hooves for feet, and beastly claws for fingers, yet the hair on their heads was wild and lush, almost equestrian-looking. However, though goats had small mouths meant for dining on greens, these creatures had large maws with flesh-tearing fangs. They wore nothing but colorful fur robes around their waists that were short on the sides and long at the back and front, large fur capes, and bundles of rattling chains that hung off their necks and shoulders.

  The trumpets sounded, and the announcer spoke. "Their majesties Dowager Queen Barbara, Queen Adelaide, and Princess Gerlinde of Nachtgart."

  Slowly, with graceful smiles, the women descended the stairs as the servants bowed. Once they approached the Khazarassi, everyone bowed to each other and turned to the staircase together.

  The trumpets blasted throughout the hall once more.

  "His majesty Maximilian Ruhe, king of Nachtgart," said the announcer.

  A middle-aged man ascended down the stairs as everyone knelt and bowed to him. He wore a tall silver crown atop his ebony hair, long red robes with a red satin cape, tall black boots, and a large scabbard with a sword inside hanging from his belt. "You may rise," he said with a smile as he approached them. "Welcome. Please, make yourselves at home."

  Everyone stood up and lifted their heads.

  Adelaide dismissed the servants on her husband's behalf so that they may have continued with further preparations for the feast that was about to begin soon.

  "Thank you," said a Khazarassi with dark-emerald skin and graying dark-brown hair. He took Maximilian's hand in his as he patted his shoulder. "I can't tell you how excited we all are to be here."

  "Hmph..." another scoffed quietly.

  Geli's eyes searched the crowd with a puzzled gaze.

  Maximilian stepped to the side and turned to the women of his family. "It's been such a long time, but I believe Mother and Adelaide still remember you."

  "
It is so good to see you again, Rasier," said Barbara with a warm grin.

  "Welcome," added Adelaide. "We're glad to have you."

  Rasier bowed his head to them. "And we are most grateful for your hospitality, Your Majesty."

  "And what of your women?" asked Maximilian. "Won't they be joining us for the festivities this time?"

  "Unfortunately, Your Majesty, one of our sacred traditions that all women of the colony must attend is taking place as we speak. They apologize for not being able to come, and send their warmest regards."

  "That is a shame," added Barbara. "But we are still more than thankful that at least some of you were able to make it."

  "Oh--my apologies. Perhaps you don't remember our dear Geli," said Adelaide as she turned to her step-daughter. "I believe she was only a child when you last saw her."

  He chuckled. "In all honesty, I don't think I would have recognized her if it weren't for the announcement." He turned to her and took her hands in his. "Your Majesty, if I may speak my mind, you have truly grown into a swan."

  "Thank you," Geli replied, blinking frantically as she hadn't been paying much attention to what they were talking about due to having been trying to locate the person who scoffed moments ago.

  "Is everything all right, my dear?" Maximilian asked her. "You seem a bit distracted."

  "Y-yes!" she replied. "I'm sorry, I must have gotten lost in my own thoughts for a moment."

  "Well, please do try to stay with us," he told her with a forced smirk. "Our guests deserve our full attention, do they not?"

  With a slightly worried gaze and smiling lips, she bowed her head to him and Rasier. "Of course. Please forgive me."

  "Hold on a moment," said Barbara. "Rasier, I remember you having a son about Geli's age. What was his name again?"

  Rasier turned his head towards the back and shouted, "Krampus!"

  From the crowd emerged a tall, slender, muscular figure with olive-green skin. His long hair, the fur on his arms and legs, and the scleras of his eyes were a pure charcoal-black color while his irises were blood-red. He wore a long fur loincloth around his waist, a giant fur cape, and chains hanging from around his neck and torso to match. He held his arms behind his back and his head up high as he looked down at Geli with a condescending gaze and without a smile in sight.

  Her heart beat faster. She couldn't bring herself to look away as she stared back at him, dumbfounded. Why was he staring at her so relentlessly? It almost seemed as if he didn't even need to blink.

  "You remember the princess, don't you?" Rasier asked his son. "You used to play together as children all night long the last time we visited."

  "Yes, I remember her," he told Rasier, then turned back to Geli. "I see your breasts haven't changed much. You might want to look into that if you're hoping to ally with someone worth a damn. But I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

  Geli's heart froze for an entire second, and her eyes opened wide. She looked down at her chest and then back at him. "I... U-um..."

  Everybody's faces were paralyzed with shock: mouths gaping, eyes refusing to blink.

  Rasier grabbed hold of one of Krampus's horns and pulled his head down hard. "Why you little--" he growled, then proceeded to drag him outside as Krampus struggled to wriggle out of his grasp. "Excuse us. We need to have a little talk in private."

  Though their shouting and arguing were heard through the thick wooden doors, the voices in Geli's head were even louder. Why did he say that? Why did this man she hadn't seen in ten years act this way? What did she ever do to him to warrant such treatment? All her life, she'd tried her best to be the nicest, most pleasant person to be around, and yet this...this pig just waltzed right up to her and humiliated her in front of her whole family and guests before she even said a word to him. And on the very night her father would be strictest about how well she represented their family.

  Maximilian whispered to his wife. "I thought these bloody animals had a little more restraint to their tongues."

  Adelaide coughed into her fist. "Geli, would you please be so kind as to escort our honored guests into the dining hall?"

  "Y-yes," said Geli with a forced smile and rattled gaze. "Of course." She motioned the rest of the Khazarassi to follow her as she was walking away. "Please--right this way."

  As they strolled through the hallways, a young Khazarassi with white hair and fur, and champagne-yellow skin approached her with a wide grin. "Don't pay attention to stick boy," he advised her. "He barely talks to anyone, and when he does, it's only to complain. Trust me, you're better off ignoring him completely."

  "Oh--um...thank you," she replied as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. But despite his words, the pain in her heart kept growing. With a hurried step, she approached the large wooden door that led to the dining hall. "Here we are," she said with a heavy breath, struggling to hold back her tears and frown. "Please take your seats. Mother and Father will be with you shortly." Before anyone else could say a word to her, she rushed off through one of the narrower corridors in order to get to her chambers without bumping into anyone but the servants as tears spilled down her cheeks. The moment she entered the darkened room and closed the door behind her, she stopped dead in her tracks, just staring out into blank space with her teary eyes and trembling lips. She leaned against the wall and sat down as she wept.

  Soon enough, there was a knock on the door.

  "Geli?" Adelaide called for her. "Are you there?"

  While quickly wiping away her tears with her hands, she stood up and opened the door.

  Adelaide put her arms on her shoulders as she walked in. "Sweetheart, are you all right?" she asked. "A young man named Niko told me you'd left in a hurry and seemed upset."

  "I'm fine," she said, smiling lightly as she glanced to the side. "I--I just needed to let it out of my system. I'll come back when I've calmed down a bit."

  "Nobody is watching, dear," Adelaide assured her. "You can speak freely here."

  Geli took a deep breath as she looked up, her eyes filling with tears once again. "I just..." She gulped and faced her step-mother. "What the hell is wrong with him?" she shouted. "I barely know this bastard, and the first thing he does when he sees me is humiliate me in front of the entire castle!" She walked over to the bed and sat down. "What am I supposed to do now? I can't just let him get away with it, but I can't fight him on it either."

  "I agree," said Adelaide as she followed her to the bed. "Tensions are high as it is, and they are only getting worse with each decade. We cannot risk a war breaking out against creatures like them, but we also cannot let them get away with this insolence."

  Geli blinked as she gazed up at her in confusion.

  Adelaide sat next to her and took her hands, smiling. "So much is expected of women, my dear Geli. We have to be men's strength and weakness all at the same time. We have to smile with broken hearts and stand upright with the weight of the world on our backs. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you for being able to endure the burden of your blood with such restraint. You might be a little too overwhelmed to see the solution to this, but I urge you to try. How do we get back at a young man who is so full of hatred and resentment without stooping to his level?"

  Geli's glimmering eyes glanced around the room as she searched her heart for the answer. If he hated her so much, then what would be his worst punishment? After having spent some time in silence and contemplation, a sly grin crept onto her lips as she faced Adelaide.

  The queen stroked Geli's chin and chuckled. "Never forget, Geli--women can have it all. And all that it takes..." She took a bottle of perfume from Geli's nightstand and handed it to her. "...is a little female ingenuity."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Naughty but Nice

  QUEEN ADELAIDE AND Princess Gerlinde entered the dining hall that was already busting with life. The king and the Khazarassi were dining on turkey meat and baked potatoes. The torches on the walls and on the two chandeliers made of deer antlers illuminated t
he room, making the grease and oils on the food glisten like diamonds.

  Adelaide nodded at Geli and took her leave to sit beside her husband, who sat at the head of the third table at the end of the room.

  Geli looked around until she laid eyes on Krampus, who'd been sitting at the end of one of the two guest tables closest to the door. She walked over to him with the loveliest smile and spoke to him with the sweetest voice she could muster. "May I join you?" she asked.

  As an annoyed frown formed on his lips, Krampus glanced at her while cutting up his meat with a silver knife and fork, unlike the rest of the Khazarassi, who'd been using nothing but their claws and fangs to devour the food. "If you must," he said.

  "Thank you," she added as she took a seat next to him. With a quick glance around the table, she immediately noticed a nearby metal wine pitcher and took it. She poured some of the wine into her goblet and then held the pitcher up towards Krampus. "Have you ever tried this?"

  "I don't like to talk while I'm eating," he told her.

  Nevertheless, she poured the dark-red liquid into his empty goblet. "It's ice wine," she explained. "We harvest the grapes when there's a sudden frost and make the sweetest wine this side of the hills."

  He rolled his eyes as he continued eating.

  She leaned closer to him, placing her hands on her lap in order to squeeze her breasts together with her forearms. "May I ask you something?"

  "No," he replied without looking at her. However, he did take a sip of the wine.

  "What did the girls you've been with do to make you like them?" Geli asked as she gazed at him amorously.

  "They didn't speak and they didn't bother me," he growled.

  Geli's plan seemed to be working. She was getting on his nerves. The annoyance in his eyes tasted sweeter than her family's ice wine ever could.