Radiance Ch. 57

Lia looked fascinated and he had been so engrossed in telling his story that he hadn't even noticed the big claw girl shuffling closer to him on the sofa as he spoke but now as he came out of it he noticed that she seemed far closer than she had started out, her massive thigh was very nearly touching the side of his and he couldn't help but notice how her incredible muscles bunched and flexed causing her scales to shift and shimmy as they adjusted to her new position.

"I hear that this group rescued you as well will you tell me that story?" Lia asked and Raymond nodded.

"Sure but there's not really much to tell, though I did learn just how fucking scary this group is when they go to war, never seen anything like it in my life, well I got grabbed by the Amazons, they ambushed us and killed some of my patrol but they really weren't trying to kill us, well not right away anyway," Raymond said sadly as he remembered the brothers he'd lost in that awful place and the memories that would never ever leave him.

"What do you mean?" Lia asked innocently.

"They wanted us for what made us male, but they did not want to us as males but to take what made us male from us, to emasculate us, humiliate us, torturous and to punish us for imagined or real slights that their queen and enforcers had suffered at the hands of other men in her life before she was a super mutant, she was bitter because of some bad experiences she'd had, so in her mind, it was every male on the planet's fault, didn't matter who they were or how old they were in her mind all that mattered was that we were male, so she took it out on us, my brothers were raped, tortured and killed, force-fed narcotics to make them aroused or simply mechanically forced using their anatomy to betray them," Raymond said trying and failing to hide the grief and pain in his voice.

A sudden sharp snarl to his right made him jump and he looked up to see Lia clenching a fist and full-on snarling, her tail was whipping back and forth like an angry cat and her fangs were fully on display.

"Vile violating scum!! Please tell me that justice found that tail lifting violator!!" she snarled fixing her very angry and very predatory stare right on Raymond making him flinch backwards, boy an angry Claw was no fucking joke!

He nodded quickly, "Yeah she met her hands to this group here, infact it was Seven himself who took her out, boy you should have seen them Lia it was like watching an interspecies army, they came in from every direction all at once, from left, right and above, while your brethren burst in wearing this incredible heavy armour made by Malakai who came down from the ceiling like a giant spider with Wisp riding him like an angry knight, they bust us out of there and took us to safety while, Visa, Ven, Seven and the others royally kicked their jolly green arses upside down and trust me when i say Seven might look like a normal human, don't get him fucking angry, he's like a force of fucking nature and Visa oh boy she is like epitome of claw fury, she cut through those green rapists like the scythe of the Grim Reaper himself, as did her brother but hell i have to admit that when I found out about Seven and Visa later on I definitely could see what he sees in her, she's a whole lot of claw feminity and fury wrapped up in pretty scales" Raymond said chucklingly a little softly and bitterly to himself as he remembered the scene clearly in his mind.

Lia nodded proudly, "There are few forces on this earth that can stand up to the righteous fury of a healthy Claw female, Visa is a healthy and proud alpha female and I wish to be just like her someday and I swear this to you Raymond I too will stand tall and proud as an Alpha Claw one day and the male that I choose for myself will know that he is safe at my side because I will protect him and fight for him as I know in my heart he would fight for me," she said and Raymond couldn't help but smile.

"That guy is gonna be a very lucky one Lia and I hope he shows you the honour that you deserve I mean if you are willing to stand for him in that way then at the very least he should be willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, as your equal, ready to defend and stand for you as you are for him, it's only right," he said nodding his head to affirm his own words.

Lia smiled warmly, "I am glad you think like this Raymond it shows me further evidence that this strange pack that we have joined believes in the cornerstone values of a Claw pack and it makes me happy, it also makes me believe that mother was right to join up, I believe we will fit in nicely here and i cannot wait to begin my hunt, I have spent too much of my life walking my path alone and after the injustices I have seen and have suffered i am not willing to wait any more, my time with the Enclave taught me one very important lesson, life is fragile even when you are a mighty claw such as I or even mother, the smallest of creatures can overcome us with the right technology and determination, I saw so many of my beloved ones lost to their insidious ideals and wants and it has made me realise something very important, life will pass me by and my life will end lonely and unforfilled if I do not take hold f it in my own Claws and reign it in, so that is what i will do" she said and Raymond smiled warmly.

"You are very much right Lia though I cannot help but feel both the teensiest bit sorry for and jealous of the male that catches your eye, poor little human isn't going to know what hit him," he said with a chuckle and Lia flashed him an odd look.

"Who said anything about humans?" she said and Raymond raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry I just assumed given the kinda flow and well the theme of this group I just assumed that's the direction your attention would go," he said curiously and apologetically.

Lia shook her head, "While I do not judge my cousins for their loves or even if my brother or sisters hell or even my mother if that's the way their tails wag but personally I cannot look at them in that way, not after what they have done to my beloved ones and before you think badly of me I do not blame Seven or any of the humans in this group for such things or even any other innocent human, but I cannot look at them like that, they simply do not interest me" she said and Raymond simply shrugged.

"Oh well their loss I guess," he said and she cocked her head curiously.

"Why do you say that?' she asked.

"Oh I was just thinking that you will most likely rock whoever's world who does catch your eye and you definitely would have rocked a human's world but the actions of the few have soured things, so I guess it's true what they say when they say a single bad apple can spoil the barrel," he said and Lia looked thoughtful while scratching her chin with her long claws before nodding.

"Yes we Claws say something similar, one rotten mole rat will ruin an entire day's prey, so always make sure your prey is fresh and succulent or you will end up with a mouth filled with maggots!" she said and Raymond laughed at the energy at which she said it.

"Couldn't have said it better myself" he said and she shot him a fang-filled grin.

"I am glad you understand Raymond, it seems that you understand Claw logic, honour and thinking very well," she said.

Raymond shrugged, "Well since living with these guys I have tried my hardest to open myself up to the new ideas and ideals they champion and the more I do the more new and interesting ways I find of not only looking at things but solving problems, I find it broadens me as a person," he said quite shyly but also somewhat proudly.

"It pleases me too because it will make my hunt so much easier because someone who already understands claw thinking and methods will be easier to hunt successfully, oh I am so happy, I cannot wait to begin this hunt! It's going to be so much fun! Ahhh I can feel the day when it is successful and I claim my prey with my own two claws and receive my reward for a successful hunt, ahh it makes my tail swish with anticipation" she said flashing a very predatory smile at him that sent a nervous shiver down his spine.

"Umm did I miss something? Who are you hunting now?' he asked and Lia's smile widened till it very nearly reached both of her horns.

"Oh I am hunting you Raymond and I can tell you now this Claw always gets her prey so brace yourself Raymond because I am going to catch you then I am going to drag you into my nest and I am going to devour you very very slowly," she said making Raymond's head pop like someone just set off a Fatman in the back of his skull.

"M-M-Me? You're are hunting me!?" he exclaimed and she nodded very vigorously.

"Yup so get ready for the run of your life big green one because as big and strong as those muscles of yours obviously are I am still going to take you down and when I do I will make my claim, you will be my prey, my reward, my trophy" she growled making his spine feel like someone just shoved an electrical socket up his arse.

"J-J-J-Just to c-c-clarify something here, w-w-when you say d-d-devour you don't mean it literally do you? You're not actually going to try and eat me are you?" Raymond said feeling pretty dumb as he said it and to his shock, the big Claw girl roared with laughter, she was positively rolling up slapping her large thigh as she rocked back and forth belly laughing.

She stood up and gave him a very very predatory smile, then without saying a single word she simple flicked her long tail in wide sweeping motions and walked away leaving Raymond with a million questions cycling through his head like a hurricane and a tornado smashed into one in his skull.

He began to very quickly hyperventilate as he began to replay the whole thing over in his mind, he had often suffered from this problem over seriously overthinking and over analysing things in his mind after the fact, infact sometimes it was like his brain had his worst moments and humiliations on a fucking slide reel in his mind when it was feeling particularly viscous it would stick it on like a shit movie for him to wallow in.

He began to wonder how in the hell did he wind up with a Claw girl hunting him, what had he done to attract her? He hadn't flirted with her, hell Raymond didn't even fucking know what flirting was let alone how to do it, but somehow he had given her the impression that he was interested in her and now she was seeing him as her prey, how the hell did he put a stop to this and did he even want to put an end to it?

To be fair she was very far from ugly, hell if anything she was even prettier than Visa and he had always thought that she was a mighty fine looking Claw girl, but could he even handle having a relationship with a Claw? Hell, he didn't even believe he could please a human girl let alone a fucking Claw girl, honestly, he didn't know how the hell Seven managed to do it but whatever he did he wasn't sure that he could fucking manage it, so just how the hell do you let a Claw girl down gently?

Suddenly there was a little electrical crackle to his right and Raymond jumped a mile very nearly throwing his mug of now lukewarm tea at the figure that appeared until he realised that it was Gregory as the little human pulled his mask down and fixed him with a sly grin.

"Well well well, Raymond I must say you work bloody fast dude, snatching up one of the new Claws before someone else gets in there, good man," Gregory said.

"What!? No! I didn't! Aww fuck I don't even know anymore!" Raymond exclaimed in panic and Gregory chuckled at first until he realised he was serious and then his expression changed to one of concern and he quickly took Lia's seat on the couch.

"Whoa calm down dude, I was just kidding, breath dude just breathe," he said placing a hand on his arm to reassure him.

Raymond looked at the young man and he did as he said trying to regulate his breathing and slowly he began to clan himself down, "Alright first question dude, do you like her?" Gregory asked.

"Umm well yeah I guess, I mean fuck I've never thought of a Claw in that way before not until I met this group anyway but ever since I've had all these confusing thoughts running through my mind and yeah she's surprisingly beautiful, I mean she's very womanly, she has nice legs, her arms are fucking massive, her abs look like I could do my laundry on them and fuck me does her bloody tail hypnotise you when she walks but I didn't even realise any of that until like half an hour ago, how the fuck can all this shit just happen so fucking fast!!?' Raymond said feeling the panic rising again and Gregory squeezed his arm making him look at him again.

"Fucking scary as hell ain't it? Like having a bloody roller coaster in your skull with a fuck ton of guilt swirling around for good measure making you think you are wrong for thinking like this right?" he said and Raymond nodded in amazement.

"How the hell did you know that!?" he exclaimed and Gregory smiled.

"How the hell did you think I felt when I realised I was attracted to not just a boy but a claw boy, trust me double fucking whammy dude especially with tolerance and acceptance being fucking dirty words in some places, but not here dude, not with us, here there is absolutely fucking nothing to be ashamed of in the slightest, all that matters are most simplest things in the god damn universe, she likes you and I'd say its mutual by the way you were just speaking," Gregory said and Raymond blew out a huge sigh and nodded forlornly.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I do, fuck how the hell did that happen?" he said and Gregory grinned even broader.

"Not a question that yours or anyone's to answer dude, we don't get to choose whose tail sweeps us off your feet, yours like mine and like Seven's happens to belong thick and covered in a lot of scales, oh FYI there's a nice piece directly under it where the scales stop, it's sensitive and very ticklish so if you ever want to see what a claw looks like giggling like a school girl surprise tickles are fun, the soles of their feet are also pretty bad," Gregory said and the surprising tidbit and mental image that accompanied it made Raymond burst out laughing.

When he finished and he dried his eyes he smiled at Gregory, "Thanks dude I needed that and that image is going to stay with me for a while" he said and Gregory patted his arm.

"Thought so and your welcome, don't work yourself up dude, just go along with it and let it happen unless it's something you don't want then just say the word and I'll get Seven on side and we'll put a stop to it before it goes too far, but if it is something you do and trust me it seems like you do, then just let it happen and if you need any advice on how to either impress her or just how to make her smile come see me or Seven, oh and the claw love club meetings are every Thursday and its bring your own claw," Gregory said making Raymond laugh again.

"Thanks, dude that means a lot to me, more than you'll ever know, world needs more people like you you know?" he said and Gregory beamed from ear to ear.

"Damn straight it does, you can never have too many fabulous looking claw loving human boys in my opinion, I making claw girls jealous with every step I take in this little number," he said making Raymond roar with laughter.

"God I needed that" he said when he could breathe again.

"Oh and just an FYI when she says devour she doesn't really mean eat, that's just how claws flirt, they'll treat you like you're prey, she's going to do things like show you how good at hunting she is, she will leap out at you and try to overpower you, Ven told me all about it and we've even done it more than once because it's part of who he is, so just be ready for it, don't worry she won't hurt you, that's the last thing she wants, but she does want to show off for you, so show her you appreciate it when she does," Gregory said and Raymond nodded.

"Thank man," he said and Gregory nodded before patting his arm and standing back up.

"Don't worry I'll have whispered in Seven's ear for you, he's far more well placed to know Claw girls hear than me, my claw has different bits don'tcha know?" he said with a wink just as Ven wandered into the room but obviously hadn't noticed Gregory who did a 'shhh' motion to Raymond by placing his finger to his lips and then pulling his hood and helmet back up and vanishing into thin air again.

Raymond raised an eyebrow as he watched Ven looking around seemingly looking for someone and looking confused, "Hey Raymond you haven't seen my sexy little human around here have you I could have sworn I heard him speaking" Ven said and before Raymond could answer there was resounding slap noise and Ven's tail shot upwards turning into part flagpole part ramrod.

He whirled on the spot and Raymond could have a sword he saw a human handprint embedded in the scales of Ven's left ass cheek for a moment before the big claw raced off down the corridor in hot pursuit of the rapidly fading giggle that gave away the little invisible human who was vanishing into the corridors, "Now it's on human!! Just you wait till I catch you! I'm cutting that bloody suit off you!!" Ven yelled and Raymond found himself laughing again, perhaps this claw loving thing wasn't going to be so bad after all.