by Sabrina Kade
“So you say.” He shrugged off my words. “Humans really do say the opposite of what they mean.”
“I’m serious. And stop. I think…”
He stopped and turned. “You think what?”
“I want to head back.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “It is not safe to turn back now. It would be more intelligent to keep traveling until we reach the springs.”
“I don’t believe you. Where are we going?”
“The hot springs.”
“Where are we actually going?” I hissed, growing more anxious as the darkness continued to settle in. I didn’t want Chocal to figure out that I was afraid, but the look on his face let me know I was doing a damn shitty job at hiding my feelings. “Why are you telling me this now? About other males?”
“Haven’t you figured it out?”
Dread swelled in my stomach. “You’re taking me to other men?”
I expected him to lie, but a smile flickered across his shockingly soft features. “They are lonely. It is not fair that only Prince Korben has all the females. Don’t you think?”
My mouth grew dry, and I remember how I tried to run. I started to scream, but Chocal reached out and slammed his palm against my mouth and lifted my feet straight off the ground. “Do not struggle,” he hissed. “I am stronger than you. You know this, yes? I would not want to offer to you to my brothers damaged.”
I stopped struggling immediately. Live, I reminded myself. Just live. Figure a way out of this and go from there. Chocal’s body relaxed.
“That’s a good female,” he purred, dragging my body over to a nearby tree. I noticed a pile of heavy rope right next to the trunk. “Thank you for listening to me. I am not normally a cruel Sidyth, but I have grown desperate, I suppose.” He settled me down on my feet and stared down. “Keep your mouth closed while I tie you here.”
I nodded slowly, wishing I had the nerve to speak, but I was too afraid. The woods were dark now. The sounds I heard didn’t belong to other Sidyths or humans. I feared what would happen. But luckily, since I was so agreeable, Chocal felt comfortable revealing his plans to me.
“I know you females think Prince Korben’s set up is the best, but you must understand there are things better than what he offers. Yes, there is comfort, but is that a life? They exiled us because they thought us weak. Why not use the time to become strong, yes?”
I nod, uncertain if it’s safe for me to respond. Chocal tugs my arms around the tree so my back is to the trunk and secures them with the rope, but not before shoving a strand between my lips. A muffled cry escaped, as though only then I wanted others to hear me, but Chocal merely shook his head.
“You are strong, Arizona. Despite what I said to you earlier. I believe you are special. I believe you are the most enticing unmated female. When my brothers see you, they will be intrigued. They will want more. And they will allow me back to stay with them. Just because I am not as I say I am, does not mean I am weak.” He shakes his head. “You should be honored. You will not have to return to work, yes? You will be owned like you always wanted, yes? Pure ownership, no feelings?”
No! I’m screaming inside my head, but it only comes out as more muffles.
“The ones you call outsiders are quite strong,” he continued, finishing up his ties and standing back to observe his work. “But I think they will be intrigued by you. You have this incredible ability to be subservient and spirited in the same instance. If I went for your type, I might have considered keeping you for myself.”
I frowned at his words, still not quite understanding. Is he talking about how he’s a hybrid? Or something more? Either way, he’s using me to get back in the favors of the outsiders for whatever reason. Did he do something wrong? Why isn’t he there now? Did he only come to Korben’s lair to steal a female? Ugh! There are so many questions I want to ask, but none of them come. And of course, there’s another question that is probably more important than all the others.
Who the hell is coming to get me now?
I wriggled around, trying to loosen up the rope, but there’s no point. Chocal had this planned from the start, and the knots he tied are too intense for someone like me to pull out. But I didn’t want to go limp like an Octonod dick. I wanted to fight. It seemed like the only proper thing to do.
“As it is though,” Chocal continued. “You’re not my type.” He scrunched up his nose. “And apparently, no one is your type at Prince Korben’s lair; otherwise, you would have Chosen a mate.” I pulled harder at the ropes, and Chocal threw his head back with a chuckle. “Argue with me all you want, but it’s true. To anyone who matters, to anyone who asks, you are unmated. Words like love, husband, and whatever you humans say mean nothing to us. You must be Chosen. And you have not been. If you had allowed yourself to be with Drozass, you would not be here. Because even I would not dare offer a Chosen female to one of my brothers.” He stepped up closer and smoothed a claw down the flesh of my cheek, grinning. “But do not worry, you will be well taken care of. I told my brothers that you had seen the worst the universe has to offer. They plan to share you, I’m sure. At least to start. And then—”
His voice came to a startling halt as the two of us both noticed footsteps in the distance. Chocal hissed in irritation, obviously enjoying the theatrical portion of his little kidnapping and spun back to me.
“It appears they have come earlier than expected. Be brave, Arizona. And please, try to understand—” He stopped, unable to get his words out. The footsteps grew louder. More in a pattern. It sounds too violent to be a Sidyth, but what do I know? These aren’t the same as Prince Korben’s Sidyths. They’ve been here for years. Maybe they’re already feral. With a rough kiss to my head, Chocal’s gone in a flash. I couldn’t even cry out to him.
Which leads me to the present; practically pissing my pants as unfamiliar Sidyths thunder in my direction.
I’m fighting against the rope, hoping to at least release my mouth so I can scream, but it’s no use. I’m all but shaking as the trees part, and horrible images of what hasn’t even happened yet flash through my mind. Share me. They’re going to share me. All because I’m a selfish diaper baby who couldn’t read a trap, even though Chocal practically spelled it out for me.
I suck in a gasp as the first shadow stumbles through the darkness and finally I get a view of my new owner.
Or at least, I get a glimpse of what’s coming at me.
They’re not Sidyths at all. More like massive gorillas, only not gorillas. There’s four or five of them before me, and possibly more in the distance, but I can’t see through the darkness. Immediately, my eyes water as they come closer. I squint my eyes, trying to see what I’m dealing with, but the more I see, the more I don’t like.
Despite initially appearing like gorillas, under the moonlight, I see they’re shaped like lizards somehow. But they don’t have scales. Instead, they have greenish, grey fur and fluffy striped tails. They have six legs instead of four, and each strange beast has two enormous red eyes. And all those eyes are focused directly at me.
I quiver as they amble toward me, questions on their faces. One of them approaches on all six stumpy legs, reaches up and tugs curiously at the rope covering my mouth and backs away, red eyes wide. Every one of them are silent as they stare at me. I should say something. God help me. I should say something.
“What… what are you?” I ask in a quiet voice, testing to see if they’ll freak out. But they only stare. I swallow hard, fighting back the urge to cry. I can’t tell if they’re listening or merely getting ready to attack. “Can you… can you understand me?”
One of them cocks their massive head to the side, but there’s no response. I lick my lips and being to ramble.
“L-look. You look like animals from my homeworld. They couldn’t speak either, at least not like me, but they were intelligent. And you guys look intelligent.” Two of them approach, and I feel myself trying to push my back against the trunk, but there’s nowhere to go. “
You can probably not understand me, but you… you must see we’re similar, right? Yes? You’re alien animals. I don’t know a lot about alien animals, but you look all right—”
“Baw!” one cries out right in my face, immediately forcing me to fall silent. His teeth are significant, larger than I’d care to have that close to me, but at least they haven’t attacked. I pinch my eyes shut, but when nothing else happens, I dare to peek back open one eye.
The two beasts are still standing directly in front of me on six legs.
“Can you help me?” I dare to ask, fighting the urge to sob in fear. “P-please. I need help. Untie me. Please? Can you see the ties?” I shake my wrists tied behind my back as hard as I can, and thankfully, the noise is loud enough to catch one of the beast’s attention. He perks up and toddles over behind me, and I feel a massive, furry paw messing with the rope. “Yes,” I gasp. “That’s it. Untie me and—”
“Baw! Beh-baw!” the same one shrieks, only this time, his voice sounds more like a screech than a shout. I want to cover my ears, but I can’t, and so I helplessly keep my mouth closed. I don’t know what, if anything, these creatures want, but I can thank my lucky stars at least, that I’m alive.
When I feel the ropes behind my wrists loosen and fall to the ground, it’s hard to not immediately run away.
Not dead. Not dead, I remind myself. If I run now, they could pounce on me. View me as a threat. Kill me immediately. I don’t want to die. Not when I’m so close to surviving. As slowly as possible, I uncurl my arms from around the trunk and cradle them to my chest. Chocal tied me way too tightly. If I had been there for an extended amount of time, I would have been in a lot of pain.
But now… I’m free.
I stare at the two beasts closest to me, now that the one who untied me is back with the rest of the pack.
“T-thank you,” I say shakily. “You… thank you.” The leader tilts his head to the side, and I decide to take a chance, stepping forward. “So… I think I should head back before anyone thinks something bad happened and—”
A threatening roar escapes the leader of the pack even before my first step hits the ground, and I immediately pull back.
“P-lease. Just let me go.”
But it’s no use. They must not understand me, because the moment I take another step to give myself some distance, a beast is on me. He grabs my arms, just like Chocal had me tied to the tree earlier, and though I struggle to get away. It’s no use. I can’t do anything, especially when another beast rushes up and seizes my ankles.
“Wait!” I cry. “Please! You don’t understand what you’re doing! I—” I stop short, hearing voices, even through the hisses and caws of the beasts.
Sidyths. I don’t recognize the voices, but at least their language translated through my ears. I think about crying out to them, not caring if they’re outsiders or not, but the beasts are just as quick to realize this, and one of them slams their massive palm against my entire face, and my world grows blurry. I smell the stink radiating off his palm, and fight back the urge to gag, as the voices fade away.
Where is the female?
I want pleasure.
We will find her. If not, Chocal will pay.
I stiffen, falling silent as the pack begins to move. I don’t know what direction we’re heading, and I don’t know if anyone back at the lairs has even realized I’m gone. And if I don’t do something now, I’ll probably be dead within the next twenty-four hours. I struggle in the grips of the two beasts, and though they’re strong, I’m fighting harder than before. My shouts to be set free are muffled, but I won’t give up.
The leader makes a strange sound from his throat.
The entire pack seemingly goes faster all at once.
And I hear no more of the voices.
***
I don’t know where we are when the beasts finally stop. The moons are still high in the sky, but the air is warmer again, not like before. I’m shaking, but at least I feel that no one’s holding my wrists or ankles any longer. I lift a hand, noticing that everything is still intact, and I’m lying on my back in a clearing. I fight the urge to sob. I’m alive, but I have no idea where I am, and no idea what I’m dealing with.
Daring to look around, I see there are at least ten fury beasts huddled around me. They all look curious about their find, but the leader seems to be closest to me, occasionally circling a massive paw around my ankle. The sight in itself makes me nervous, and I can’t help but worry if this beast is somehow going to attempt to… mate with me at some point.
“Please,” I mutter. “I don’t know what you want from me, but I don’t think we’re compatible. Understand?” The leader flashes his attention down toward me, and I wince, frightened that I’m somehow pissing him off. “Please. I have to get home. Tell me you understand—”
“Beh-baw,” it screeches, tightening its grip around my ankle until I cry out. The grip loosens, but not enough for me to try and escape. As much as I want to fall silent and accept my fate, I can’t. I fear being weak.
Maybe now’s my time to become strong.
“Please.” I try locking eyes with the leader. Maybe it needs to know I’m not afraid. Animals have to be similar across the universe, right? “If you’ll let me go here—”
Another painful squeeze. Another beast approaches and grabs my face in a giant paw. I feel like crying, but one only continues to look at me. The leader makes another loud sound, and he releases my face, but I know this grip will leave bruises.
“Beh-baw,” the leader grumbles, pulling me by the ankle until my body nearly touches his.
I don’t like it. The lizard gorillas are about the same size as orangutans, but he feels stronger. He would be able to overpower me so easily. But I don’t know what he’s waiting for, what he wants. My heart pounds heavily against my chest. But he merely continues pulling me to him, until I’m situated in his lap. I struggle and cry out, but the beast is too powerful.
This is where he wants me, and this is where I’m going to stay.
But his next movement shocks me.
Proving that he… might be a she.
Because the next thing I know, he’s cupped one of his full, furry breasts, and holds it toward my mouth. I nearly gag from the sight and scent, struggling harder, and more confused than ever. But it’s useless. This beast isn’t a male. It’s a female. And she isn't looking to mate. She’s looking to nurse. Good, God! It must think I’m a sickly version of her! Or a baby to make things worse. I struggle harder, fighting as the tip of her nipple brushes against my lip, and it’s so humiliating, that I burst out crying.
She misunderstands, finally deciding she’s been gentle enough and eventually uses her other hand to hold my mouth open and shoves the nipple inside. I want to bite down, but I’m afraid of what the creature will do. This is the most humiliating experience I’ve ever gone through, and there’s nothing I can do, say, or offer to make it end.
I pretend to suck. As much as I want to wretch, scream, and cry out, I do what she expects. I make loud, puckering sounds, and though I refuse to suck on a damn gorilla lizard tit, I fake it. And I’m doing good enough a job pretending that the beast’s painful grip relaxes, and her grumpy features soften. The hand holding my mouth moves away, and I feel blood return to the pinched skin. I keep my eyes locked on her much larger red ones, trying to gauge her reaction to my change, and she seems satisfied.
Despite her rough treatment, this beast wasn’t trying to hurt me or rape me.
It wanted to help me. Protect me.
And if I weren’t so grossed out, I would have been happy about it.
The humiliation continues for a little while longer, and I feel my body growing limp. I don’t want to get tired but being so alert and on edge and in this awkward position has truly weakened me. I try glimpsing around to see what the other beasts are doing, but every time I move my head, the beast hisses, and jerks my head back to her breast. Fuck.
Eventually, the beast decides
I’ve had enough, and slowly pulls my head away from her breast. My eyes are still wet with humiliation, but at least my captor seems calmer. I attempt to squirm in her grip, hoping she’ll let me out of her lap, but she only slams me back up against her chest. Incoherent burbles escape her flat lips, but of course, I don’t understand them.
“Done,” I try in what I hope is a soft, soothing voice. “Done. Want sit. Sit away.” I lift my free hand and point toward the empty ground beside us, but the beast merely pulls me back up against her. She stares down, eyes going to my top, and she cocks her head to the side, reaching up to caress the fabric with her thick, clumsy fingers. I try batting her away, but she’s too firm, and before I can have a chance to react, she’s torn my top apart, and thrown it at the pack. Her eyes grow curious at the sight of my breasts, and pure embarrassment flushes through my entire being.
Several of the other beasts loom closer, curious for a look of their own.
I try fighting, but the female holds me tightly against her, nearly cutting off my circulation. “Please. Hurting me.”
“Beyas bey bey,” one grunts, going to reach for the leader’s arm.
She swings at him, and a loud sound erupts from her powerful throat. I think I have a moment to try and escape, but her grip around me tightens so suddenly that all the air leaves my lungs. The growing crowd falls silent, and my captor shifts me in her lap until my breasts are pressed up against her furry chest. She’s trying to shield me from their eyes, but I don’t feel any happier about it.
Mortification seeps through my every pore, but another lower, rumbling voice breaks through my attention.
Another beast approaches. He somehow looks so much bigger than the rest. The others part as he comes near, and my captor blocks most of my view. But I can see a little. His head is significant, and somehow, his red eyes seem more alert and intelligent than the others. My captor hisses, but he doesn’t seem to care, leaning close and inhaling deeply above my head. When he pulls away and rumbles something, he doesn’t sound pleased.