Dania Ch. 04

We exchanged blows and we were both becoming bloody and tired. His massive hands knocked the air from my lungs every time he struck me. I couldn't tell if I had any effect on him, other than wearing him out from hitting me so much. I used my speed as much as I could and eventually I could tell that I finally had the upper hand. Roth was getting slower as fatigue gradually overtook him.

I felt a wicked grin begin to curl itself at the corners of my mouth. I would run in and slash again before he could retaliate. he was now my prey and I realized that I was playing with him, much as I had done with the fawn previously. I had him down on one knee with his head my hands, holding it back and exposing his neck. And then I was completely pinned down.

How could I have been this stupid? I thought I'd had victory in my grasp and I got careless. I knew now that he'd been setting me up for it and, once again, I'd fallen right where he'd wanted me to.

He had me by the throat and he was squeezing. I couldn't breathe anymore. All I could do was look up into his fury-filled face. He'd cursed me for hurting him, for threatening him. I lie there as this thing was on top of me, letting me know just how angry he was with me. I knew that he was going to kill me and in my current position, I could do nothing to stop him.

His weight on top of me felt good. Better than it should have at that moment. I didn't know how to feel. I hated him, I wanted nothing to do with him. And yet I was relieved to see him and I loved the way his body felt on top of mine. There was a rumbling/tickling sensation in the pit of my stomach and I was beginning to feel very hot. I began to purr and became lost in his green eyes. I was completely captivated by him.

My world began to fade and I lost track of not only what he was saying, but also that he was even speaking. Seeing me gradually pass out must of done something to him: his words because softer and kinder, and his grip loosened on my throat, allowing me to breathe once again. His voice had trailed off into a whisper now. I could tell that he'd forgotten to be angry with me. Our eyes were locked together and he was now only inches from my face.

And then he kissed me.

I didn't have a name for it right then, but that's what it was. I purred again, loudly this time, my toes curled and the tip of my tail swished back and forth.

It was a deep kiss, a forceful kiss. He tightened his grip on my throat again, but not tight enough to constrict my airflow. I gave in to him completely at that moment. I could feel the longing coming off of him in waves. Some part of me knew that whether I liked it or not, he was in control. He was in control and I liked it a lot.

But then something snapped inside me. I didn't know what he was doing and I didn't like the fact that I'd given into him so completely. And without reason. Somewhere inside I recognized the fact that I shouldn't give in to him like this, that he hadn't earned it. I brought my legs up to kick him off and, instead, caught him in the groin. He rolled off of me and I was up and gone in an instant.

How dare he touch me like that! And even though I liked it, I hated it at the same time. I didn't like the way he made me feel. No, that's not true. I did like it. I didn't know how to feel. It felt familiar and different at the same time. And judging from recent experience, different could get me killed.

But it had felt so good . . . .

*****

"Trouble with the Meh-teh"

Everything had happened so fast that Roth was scarce sure of what exactly it was that had happened. He'd thought that after spending a full cycle of the Moon with his people, that Dania had proven herself to not be dangerous. But he had been wrong. She had escaped, and then attacked him. He was now missing a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.

But as he lie there on the ground watching her leave, he couldn't help but notice the stirrings of arousal within him. She was fierce. He hadn't expected her to be able to take him down. And yet here he was, lying on the ground and there she was, getting away. She'd awakened something in him.

Be that as it may, he was still the leader of the Meh-teh, and as such, he had to protect the people. If she were out there, then she posed a threat to anyone who ran across her. On the one hand, he could order his people to stay out of her territory. But that wasn't really protection, was it? That was avoiding the problem. And on the other hand, he could order that she be executed. But he didn't want to do that. He'd felt something and wasn't sure what it was. A further discussion with the people would have to take place before any action could take place.

The Meh-teh were gathered in the clearing waiting for Roth to come and speak with them. Many of them were furious, and all of them were scared. Roth recognized that it was this fear of Dania that drove this anger. Most had seen the fight between the two of them and how Dania had attacked Roth and he was able to do nothing in his defense.

The Meh-teh were a gentle people by nature and this thing that was by its very nature a predator frightened them. Their leader had been taken out in an instant. How could they feel safe with her out there? Roth hadn't been able to do anything against her. If he couldn't protect them, maybe he shouldn't be their leader.

And they more they thought on this, the more convinced they became that he shouldn't. Even those who were most loyal had their doubts.

Roth heard these murmurings from just outside the clearing and knew that if he didn't get things under control quickly, the people would have him replaced and he would be cast out.

Things were not going the way he'd hoped that they would. He didn't want Dania killed but he didn't know if the Meh-teh would settle for anything less.

"Quiet!" Roth yelled to the people as he stepped into the clearing. "You challenge ME? You dare to question if I can protect you from this cat?"

"You couldn't protect yourself," one of the Meh-teh asked and several shouts of agreement followed. "How can you protect us?"

"Who are you to issue such a challenge? I am your leader and you will respect me as such. Couldn't protect myself? I am standing here. She is not. I am right here in front of you. She is not. Need I say more?" He paused a moment, making sure to stare a few of his people directly in the eye, before going on. "Dania has asked to be left alone. I believe that this is all she wants. If we stay clear of her, she will not harm us."

"And what if one of us happens upon her in the Forest? We saw what she did to you, we would have no chance against her. She must be hunted down and killed. For our safety."

Roth could see that his people would be appeased no other way. "If this is what needs to happen for you to feel safe, then so be it." Roth had a sour taste in the back of his throat as he spoke these words. "She will not go back to her territory right away so this will at least tell us where she isn't. Gynon and Jun. You will search for her. Split up and be careful. When you have found her, come back for me and I will deal with her. Do not challenge her. Understood?"

The two nodded their agreements and trotted off into the Forest.

"As for the rest of you, does anyone here challenge me?" Roth asked this as he walked among the people, staring them straight in the eye, challenging them with his glance. He let out a loud roar, showing his dominance within the group before going on. "Never let me hear of you challenging me again. Any of you. It will be your last move."

~~~~~

Things could not have been worse for Roth if he had wanted them to. There were at least two of the Meh-teh who would be challenging him in the very near future. His only chance at preventing this would be to kill Dania. But that was something he did not wish to do. He knew that if she caught Gynon or Jun she could kill them. The question was if she would or not. He fell asleep fearing for the lives of the two Meh-teh.

Sometime late in the night, Roth awoke to the sound of drums. It was deep and deliberate; like a heartbeat. With every strike of the drum, Roth felt his own heart beat just harder. He listened as several more drums were added, one by one, with each adding its own distinct pitch and syncopation. The rhythm created was intoxicating. One could not help but fall victim to its spell.

Roth was no exception. He found himself drifting off into the rhythm of the drums; his footfalls were in time them, his heart beat along with them, and even his breathing fell into sync. He'd heard the call of the drums many times before while still a child. The last calling of the drums had been when he won the leadership of the Meh-teh. But unlike the other Callings of the Drums, this meant something different for him. This time it meant that someone was challenging for leadership. One of the people he protected had lost faith in him.

Roth could hardly believe his eyes as he walked into the clearing and saw who his challenger happened to be. It was Anos, one of his closest friends, and the largest male of the Meh-teh.

He had only two options: he could fight Anos and beat him, which meant that the Meh-teh would lose a valuable member, or he could lose the fight and be killed. This second option would allow him to be free of the guilt he would be facing if he had to kill Dania. But Roth couldn't lose a fight like this. This was more than just a challenge for leadership; this was a challenge to him personally and he would treat it as such.

He would have to kill Anos.

The drums stopped, signaling the beginning of the fight.

Anos was big, and he was powerful. But he was dumb and he was slow. He charged Roth, hoping to take him off of his feet and to the ground where he could use his size and strength to his advantage. If that happened, Roth could have lost. But he just stepped to the side at the last instant, grabbing Anos by the head as he did. And then he twisted. Anos' momentum helped to break his own neck in a snap that was audible not only to Roth, but to the rest of the Meh-teh. He was dead before he hit the ground. The fight was over just as soon as it had begun. Roth turned and left the clearing, heading back to his sleeping place.

No one followed him.

Because of the generally peaceful nature of the Meh-teh, one rarely heard the Calling of the Drums. And Roth was certain they'd forgotten his ferocity in a fight. He was their leader and protector for a reason. But nonetheless, he understood where they had been coming from and couldn't help but wonder if he would have issued a challenge had he been on the opposite side of things. He decided that he probably would have.

But in any case, the death of a friend is always a hard loss and Roth wept long into the night.

With the rise of the sun came a new found hatred for Dania. If it weren't for her, Anos would never have challenged him and Roth wouldn't have had to kill him. The trouble this Cat had caused him seemed to have no end.

Sunset had nearly arrived when Jun came back announcing that he had a message from Dania. Roth was nearly beside himself when he saw the condition Jun was in. He'd ordered that they not fight her and it was clear that a fight had taken place. Jun had been wounded badly and he was missing a finger. Jun's story was somewhat conflicting: She'd jumped down from a tree and attacked him, only to send a message that she didn't want to fight.....that she just wanted to be left alone. Why attack if you don't want to fight?

He also learned that Dania wanted to meet him at that watering hole where he'd first come across her. Jun was insistent that he go with Roth, that he be there to help in killing her.

It was clear to Roth that Jun wanted revenge. That he wanted to wrap his hands around her throat and strangle the life out of her. Or was that his own wishes? Nevertheless, he ordered Jun to remain behind. This was something he had to do on his own. And without another word, Roth headed off into the Forest, knowing that it would take him nearly until dawn to reach her. He would kill her and then use her favorite watering hole to was her blood off him. The irony of it brought a smile to his face.

Roth arrived at the watering hole to find Dania asleep. He took advantage of this to survey the surroundings. It didn't appear that she'd set any traps for him. The only danger seemed to be a few large rocks scattered about. He took note of where they were should he need them. But he found his eyes kept returning to her body.

She was unlike anything he'd ever come across. She wasn't large enough to be considered pretty by the Meh-teh. She was just too small. But still....she was intoxicating. She had the body of a predator; lean, well muscled. And he'd seen first hand how fierce she could be. And the more he found himself drawn to her, the more enchanted he became, the more anger set in. He sat in a squat and waited for her to wake.

When she finally did, Roth didn't know if she was frozen from shock or if she were just scared of him. And as he stood and walked towards her, she didn't move. Roth took his foot and kicked her in the gut, knocking all the wind out of her. Without waiting for her to get to her feet, Roth picked up the nearest rock and flung it at her head. But she was quick and moved out of the way.

"Roth wait!"

Roth never heard her. All he knew was that because of this Cat, he'd had to kill his friend. That was unforgivable. They charged at each other and Roth was surprised when she jumped into the air. He thought she was going to land on his shoulders, so he twisted. Her reflexes were fast and instead of falling, she dug her claws into his back as she slid down it. He let out a howl as her claws sliced through his skin.

Roth felt a smile come across his face. She wasn't giving up very easily. She was proving to be a worthy adversary, which meant that killing her would bring justice to Anos' memory.

Roth noticed that the smile across his face had caused Dania to become furious herself, and he took pride in it. Dania circled him time and time again, coming in for a quick slash here and there. And when he could, Roth would land a massive blow to her body. Soon, they were both covered in blood and it was impossible to tell who's blood was on who.

She grabbed his neck and pulled it back, exposing his throat. She was going to bite into his neck. The goal was to rip it out. Roth twisted and pushed savagely with his feet so that his weight shifted and he was now on top of Dania. Roth her her down as he let his frustrations known to her. He told her of the pain she'd caused him by forcing him to kill his friend. He let her know that Jun would never be the same because he was now missing a finger. He let her know that she'd hurt him.

But as he was doing this, he became aware that she was purring. She wasn't listening to him, but her eyes were locked on his and she was out of it. As incensed as he was towards her, that purr.....it was driving him wild. It was so primal. It spoke to something deep within him and he couldn't help but to kiss her. It was not an easy kiss. It was full of lust and longing and need. Some inner dam had burst and out flowed a wave of freedom. He took that kiss from her and she loved every second of it. At first her body was rigid with trepidation, but that soon melted away. Her body became soft and he could smell her sex as she became aroused. Roth knew that she wasn't his kind, but he would mate with her all the same.

Then the kick to the groin changed his mind and all thoughts of mating with that bitch were gone. They should have never been there in the first place. He lay on the ground, holding himself and trying to catch his breath. Light flashed before his eyes and it felt like his stomach was in his throat. He did not understand this thing....this Cat. One minute they were in a fight to the death, then they'd melted into each other, and then she's kicking him where it hurts most. It felt like his stomach was in his throat.

He looked around for her but his vision was blurry. He couldn't see where she was but was able to pinpoint her location by the sound of her breathing. To lie here would mean certain death. She could kill him, he was certain of that. He was about halfway to his feet when his vision cleared enough for him to see her. She was now directly in front of him, bringing a rock down on the top of his head. Everything went dark.