Dark Waters

Pine needles were everywhere. They filled the air with their sticky scent, and they stuck to her feet as she walked the soft sandy trail. The sun was low, and cast stripes of shadow in the forest, warming her skin one moment, then chilling her the next.

The rental wasn't cheap, even for only a few days, but she already felt it was worth it. The woods were so peaceful and quiet, save for the distant crash of the waves. "A short walk to the beach" the ad had said, but that wasn't her main interest.

It was a short walk from the house and she came up quickly on the clearing, the dark water of the hot spring playing patterns on the rocks around the edge. She laid her towel on a rock and headed for the edge. With the sun at this angle it was dark enough that you couldn't see the bottom, almost as if there was no bottom. She dipped a toe in and let out a sigh, warm as a bath, perfect.

This was the selling point of the rental. A few days alone in the woods, days spent at the beach or soaking in this natural hot tub, nights spent cozy by the wood fireplace. Just a few days to relax and she could put all this anger and heartbreak behind her.

Stepping carefully she lowered herself in, savoring the warmth as it crept up her calves to her thighs, then from her hips to her stomach and her breasts. Her back and shoulders tingled with goosebumps as the water came up to her chin. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

This is perfect, she thought, exactly what I needed. A little escape and relaxation.

Pushing off from the rocks at the edge, she swam toward the other side. The pool wasn't very wide, but large enough to stretch her limbs, and she floated easily. Something about the minerals in the water, she remembered reading in the rental description. "Float weightlessly in our natural hot spring pool!"

She certainly did feel weightless, in fact she found she could lay completely on her back and still stay afloat. She let her eyes close and her muscles relax. Her body swayed gently in the waves she had made in entering the pool. Before she knew it, she was falling asleep, and soon after she was dreaming.

Soft lips assaulted hers, quick and impatient, the taste of whiskey, the cheap stuff. She pulled back to look into their eyes, but couldn't make out their face.

"I've wanted to do that since I met you." they said.

"I've wanted you to do that since we met." she heard herself giggle in reply.

Then she pulled the face to her own again, her fingers digging into hair, her lips moving desperately to cover every inch of theirs, never quite enough. Tongues pressing to each other, clumsily flicking around. First kisses were always so exciting.

Then she was pushed back, falling onto an unmade bed. Hands were pulling at her shirt and lips were fervently moving on her stomach, her hips, her ribs. Kissing softly, biting, licking along curves. She felt a heat building between her thighs, goosebumps spreading on the skin as the lips moved up to her breasts.

A pair of eyes looked up into hers, though she still couldn't make out the face. They held her gaze as they smoothly pulled up her shirt and bra.

Then the lips were at it again; a long lick up the center of her ribcage stopping between her breasts. Then a few wet whiskey kisses under the curve of one breast, a hand caressing the other. A thumb gently tracing one nipple, then a hard suck and a bite on the other.

More boozy kisses--wet and frantic. Both hands squeezing her breasts, the weight of a body on top of hers. She wrapped her legs around them, trying to pull them closer to the growing heat and wet between her thighs.

Then the weight was off her, and needy fingers were at the button of her jeans. Hands ran along her hips, taking the pants down with them, gripping the soft skin of her thighs. The jeans tossed aside, her legs were pushed back and hot wet licks came down along her legs, followed by quick hard bites to her ass cheeks.

"Ah! Oooh!" She gasped.

Eyes on hers again, "Too much?" the voice asked.

In response she reached down and laced her hand into their hair, pulling them back toward her arousal. "I didn't say stop." she cooed.

A chuckle came from down near her ass, and the hands gripped her thighs roughly. Another warm lick up from where her thigh met her ass, up just along the edge of her panties. Her pussy throbbed in response, begging for attention. Another suck and a bite in the crook of her thigh.

"Ahh! Yes!" She whined.

Their tongue was at the edge of her panties again, painting long wide strokes up and down the very edge of her pussy. She moved her hips toward it, trying to push her ready pussy on that wonderful mouth, but the hands dug into her thighs, holding her firmly in place. The mouth moved to the other side, biting in the tender crook of her thigh again, then teasing at the very edge of her pussy.

"Ohhhh pleaaaase." she cried in a half whisper, half moan.

"Please what?" the voice asked, the mouth barely leaving her skin.

"Please...ohh....please..."

"I won't know what you want unless you tell me." they teased.

Her face flushed. It was a little embarrassing to ask for it directly, but she liked that vulnerability. "Pleeeease lick my pussy!" she whined.

"Just a lick?" and the tongue swept in, mouth pushing her panties aside, one quick wet lick from the very bottom of her cunt to the top where it paused to flick the button of her clit.

"OHH AHHHH!" She gasped, chest heaving, abs clenching. She tried to thrust her hips toward it again, but hands held her thighs.

"That's it?" she could hear the smile in the voice.

"Noooo. Please...." she laughed and squirmed.

"You've gotta ask for it." the mouth absently sucked and nibbled one inner thigh.

Having enough, she reached down and pulled the head up again to look into her eyes.

"Please pull my goddamn panties off and eat my pussy properly before I fucking explode."

In the next second her panties were across the room. The mouth was on her, drenched in her wetness, presing desperately into her as if they were trying to drink her. Hands pushed back her legs, tilting her hips so warm eager lips slid easily up and down her cunt, the tongue plunging in, flattening and running up along her clit. Both her hands wound into hair, pulling the head into her, grinding it against her.

"Ah! Ahh! Yess! YES!" She sang, her breath coming hard and fast, her breasts rising and falling.

They licked her relentlessly, and though she still couldn't make out their face, she could see the sheen of her own wetness on their nose, their cheeks, dripping down their chin. They only paused for brief moments to expel hot breaths that warmed her skin, then another deep breath in and warmth and slick wetness plunged onto her pussy again. Tongue curving along her clit, pushing into her.

A tightness gathered inside her, she throbbed, heat spreading through her stomach.

"AHH, AHH! I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA..." she whined.

The muscles in her arms and legs tightened as she began to spasm into orgasm. The heat and pleasure building inside her. She squeezed her eyes shut, her jaw clenched.

"OHH, OH!" she wanted to scream their name, but the memory of it was not there. She felt her hands forcing the mouth onto her and her legs pushing against the hands as she began to fall over the edge of her orgasm, tense muscles twitching in uncontrollable ecstasy.

"FUUUUCK! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!" she screamed.

A wave of pleasure ripped through her body, her skin goosebumping, her muscles strained. Her eyes opened wide, suddenly filled with the bright glow of a full moon, pine branches swaying above.

Her toes curled, her hips bucked, pulses of tightness clenched her abdomen as orgasm tore through her.

"AHH! AHHH! AHHHH!" She screamed with each coming and passing wave.

This is the hardest I've come in a while. She thought, as she began to regain control over her throbbing body and mind. I guess I fell asleep. Was it just a wet dream? It felt so real...

She blinked and glanced down, seeing herself floating in the pool. Something glimmered between her legs, but she didn't think much of it until she realized she felt something between her legs...something foreign.

Fighting the fatigue that was beginning to set into her muscles, she craned her neck to look down. A dark shape shone in the moonlight, and then it moved.

"What the FUCK?!" She yelled, the sound echoing off the trees. She flailed her limbs, splashing water all around. Through her panic she righted herself and swam frantically toward the shore. Backing away from the pool her eyes darted over its surface looking for the intruder, but she saw nothing, even after the surface had called. Only the moonlight reflections playing on the trees.

"Fuck," she breathed, "must've been dreaming still..."

She stood there dripping, shivering a bit, trying to reassure herself that she'd been imagining it. Eyes still darting over the smooth pool surface.

"I had a wet dream," she said, "a really hot wet dream, and then I woke up in an unfamiliar place and scared myself. Just brain chemicals misfiring, that's all."

She found her towel and wrapped herself in it, reveling in the warmth. The water had been so warm, but there was no way she was going back in now. She headed back toward the cabin.

She tossed one more log in the stove and shut the door, flipping the flue. She switched off the light by the couch, and retreated up the ladder to the loft. She slipped into bed in just a pair of boxers, the sheets cool against her skin was a perfect contrast to the warmth of the loft. Turning off the bedside light, only the dull glow through the stove window lit the cabin.

Breathing deeply, she let her eyes fall closed. Sleep came quickly. Her dreams were just flashes of images; a face looking up at her from beneath her quivering hips. Then in a flash the face was looking down at her, sweat dripping off their nose while they worked their hips to fuck her. Another flash and she was floating in the pool again just as the first waves of orgasm came over her, the water splashing around her as she shook. Then she was riding the face again, but when she looked down the face was a thick dark silmy mass, like a snake or an eel. She pushed her hips in and out and the thing rippled against her pussy like pure muscle. Weird she thought, but it felt great so she didn't stop. Then she was on her back again, more of these dark appendages wrapped around her thighs, pushing her legs apart as another relentlessly pounded her. She heard herself cry out in pleasure. Another flash and she was in the water again, the dark slick muscles all over her, in her, in places she didn't even know she liked.

Come, a voice echoed in her head.

And she came. She woke to her own scream, the sheets soaked in sweat and a warm slickness between her thighs.

"What the fuck?!" She breathed as she stared at the ceiling trying to catch her breath.

A few days later she knew she had to go back to the pool. Partially because she had exhausted almost every bit of touristy exploration in the area; three beaches, five hiking trails with beautiful overlooks, seven restaurants, two cafes, one thrift shop and two museums. She'd rented a motorcycle and ridden miles along the coast, turning the heads of the grey bearded Harley riders stopped at the scenic spots. She'd found a bar in the area and met a few interesting people, even brought one of them back to the cabin. She'd seen and done it all and boredom was creeping in.

But if she were really honest with herself, she had to go back because it was calling her. She'd be making herself a sandwich and the image would pop into her head; floating on the calm water, the moonlight shimmering all around. One minute she'd be hiking a steep sandy trail and the next she was getting a running start to dive into the dark warmth.

"Okay, fine." She finally said one late afternoon, pulling on her bathing suit and grabbing a towel, she headed out the door and down the soft pine needle trail. "I don't even know why I'm avoiding it. It's just water."

She slipped easily into the warmth, a bit of steam rising around the pool as the air around cooled for the evening.

"Ahhhh," she sighed, "I could really get used to this."

She swam around for a bit, burning off some extra energy, but eventually settled to lay on her back again. She gazed up at the reddening sky as wisps of steam rose above her and disappeared among the trees. They swirled and curled in the breeze, coaxing her eyes closed once again. The water was so comfortable, it was so easy to relax.

I am sorry for frightening you the other day.

She snapped her head up, her eyes open wide. Turning each way she looked around her for the source of the voice. Nothing, nobody there. She let her breathing slow and laid back again.

"Must've been my imagination." She murmured, trying to reassure herself.

I am most certainly not in your imagination.

"Okay what the fuck?!" She shouted and bolted up again, whipping her head around. "Who's there?" She tried to sound intimidating, but it came out like a squeak.

If I show myself will you promise not to run?

"What? No! Fuck you! I'll run if I want! Who's there? Show yourself!" She began swimming for the shore again, panic rising in her chest.

Very well, that is your right.

Just as she scrambled onto the sandy edge, a gentle splash came from behind her. She whipped her head around and drew a sharp breath of surprise, frantically pedaling her arms and legs.

Please do not be frightened.

"Wh-aat, thhe. FuuUUck..." she choked out as she stood and backed away slowly. Before her at the opposite side of the pool was a....well, it was a tentacle. No two ways about it. Worse yet, it was just like the thing that had appeared in her dreams. Dark and slick, glistening in the fading light.

I know this is unusual...

"No this is obviously a dream," she laughed nervously. "no way this is real. A talking tentacle. Jesus I knew I should've brought weed from home. The stuff here is fucked up."

This is not a dream. I am real, and I am really talking to you.

"Okay, sure, fine, fuck it. Why not? Nice to have met you Mr. Talking Tentacle, but I really must be going now, I've got to wake up and start seeing a therapist."

She turned and began to walk toward the cabin, but something caught her wrist gently, pulling her back. She looked down at it and screamed.

Please, I beg you, just give me a moment to explain. I am not a dream, and this is not as unusual as you may think it is. Allow me to say my piece and then if you desire I will leave you alone.

Stunned, she turned back toward the pool, watching wide-eyed as the tentacle released her wrist and retreated back into the pool. She stood frozen, partially from fear, partially from curiosity.

"Who.....what....what are you?!" She whispered.

I have a name, but you could not pronounce it, speak it, or even think of it without losing your mind. So if you must, you may refer to me as The Ancient One.

A nervous laughter trickled out of her mouth, gradually growing into hysterical laughter. She doubled over, shaking her head, tears in her eyes.

"Ha! Ho! Hoookay, I must be dreaming. 'The Ancient One'. You've gotta be kidding me! Ahhh."

After she'd caught her breath she stayed silent and the voice continued as if nothing had happened.

Long ago, a village of humans lived in these woods and worshipped me as a god. I defended them, their land, their shores. In return once every full moon they brought virgins to bathe in my pool under the moonlight.

"Ha! Virgin sacrifices!" She grinned incredulously, "Like what...to eat?"

No, not sacrifices. You misunderstand. They brought me virgins. Men and women who had come of the age of...sensual desire.

"You...you fucked their virgins?! Yep, definitely dreaming. This is some bad lovecraftian erotica shit."

I assure you, you are not dreaming, please. While the rest of the village slept, I would teach the virgins the passions of the flesh, of their own bodies and of each other's bodies.

"As fantastically hentai as this sounds, it makes no sense. What could you, a giant tentacled...thing, get out of calamari-diddling some virgins?"

Human, do you not see that I am telepathic? I do not speak, but rather we understand each other through thought. I am able to do this by entering your mind. Your thoughts, your feelings, your wants, needs, and desires, are as to me as a whisper in the ear would be to you.

"Okay, I'll ignore how invasive and fucked up that is because this is still OBVIOUSLY a dream. A terrible hentai-fueled dream. But you still haven't answered my question, how does bonelessly boning people benefit you?"

When I enter the mind of someone, I can think what they think, and feel as they feel. Their senses become part of my own, and therefore I join in whatever pleasures they enjoy.

She paused for a moment to consider. "I guess that tracks. But then how do you survive? There can't be enough fish in this tiny pool for you to eat. So what, do you eat every fourth virgin or something?"

No, if that were the case I would have perished long ago. This pool is connected to the sea through underground tunnels. I subsist primarily on fish.

"Primarily fish? Fish and...?"

I indulge in the occasional whale every now and then. But I assure you humans are not in my diet.

"Oh good, so you don't eat humans, you only sexually assault them and invade their minds. Excellent. Totally not weird and creepy and--"

Human, I mean you no harm. If I have gone against your wishes, I am truly sorry. If you wish me to leave you alone, then I shall return to the depths. It would seem I have been...misguided.

"Wrong? Yes! It was very wrong to tentacle-tickle me without my consent! This isn't the dark ages any more, I'm not one of your virgin sacrifices, you have to ask someone before you fuck them."

Then it is as I suspected, I was mistaken. I shall take my leave. Go in peace human, may the gods be with you.

The shadows in the water stirred gently and then faded. Only the dark water remained, shimmering in the moonlight.

A cool breeze meandered through the trees as she stood there, still dripping wet and beginning to shiver, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It didn't feel like a dream...

"Wait," She said suddenly. "mistaken about what?"

A few seconds went by where she felt silly. She was talking to an empty pool of water. No one was there, no thing was there, she'd imagined it all.

But then suddenly, with incredible speed, the shadows returned to the surface.

I have not returned to this place for centuries. Not since...I lost them.

"Them? Your villagers?"

Yes. For generations the only threat to them was the occasional war with a neighboring village, scarcity of food, and storms. I could protect them from all of this. But after one full moon ceremony, I went to the sea to feed, and when I returned their village was destroyed. Settlers from another land had come while I was away, and murdered them all with weapons they could not defend against. When I saw what had been done, I laid waste to the invaders, but no amount of revenge could bring them back to me...my friends.

"Oh, uh, wow, that's actually...really sad..."

I left this place and traveled to every corner of the sea, every coastal village, every island nation. I listened for...compatible minds. Open, desiring, curious minds, like those that had been in the village here. For centuries I found none, until on a whim I traveled back to this place, and I heard you.