The Dark One's Chosen Prey (Pt. 01)

The blade gleamed in the moonlight, cold and cruel and deadly. The pad of my thumb rasped horizontally across the sharpened edge, feeling its razor-fine brutality. As my too-dry skin scraped against the metal, I wondered again what the Hunter had made me. In his world, only predator and prey existed. I still didn't know where I fit.

Owls hooted from the dead forest around me. Further away, I heard the burbling waters of a nearby creek swirling between exposed roots and jagged rocks. Ahead lay the fountain I'd been seeking. Gargantuan, it sputtered brackish filth through its corroded pipes, spraying drops of rot in fits and starts as I drew near.

It was the perfect place to be in pain.

I didn't think the Dark One denned here, but it was the only place I'd seen him. The call came once a moon, and each time, I'd trek up the mountain and find him.

He was always still when I arrived, coiled violence held in wait, but nothing else was the same. The first time I'd come here, he'd watched me from a tree limb, head cocked to see what I'd do. When I set the knife down and knelt, waiting, he jumped down, walked up behind me, pulled my head back by my hair, and crooned, "This will hurt." I shivered.

Then he laughed mockingly, knicked my thumb with the knife, and sealed the wound with a lick. I felt his nails press against my neck and leaned into him before he suddenly disappeared. That day cost me only a few drops of blood, but it taught me much more. My shiver was as much desire as fear.

I told myself this would be the last time. Next time, I'd let the call take me. I didn't need a human form this badly, and at least as a hound, I'd bed down with a full belly. But even I could taste the lie heavy in those words.

I found the Dark One crouched in front of the fountain, head resting against its rim, slitted eyes looking both hungry and pleased. His silken whisper thrummed beneath my skin when he spoke. "You came."

"You know I always will."

The knife was so sharp I didn't even feel it slicing me as he took it from my hands, didn't recognize that I was hurt until the blood welled to the surface. He suckled it gently, and it sealed as it always did.

"The Hunter accepts your tribute."

He leaned closer yet, suddenly far too close, sharp canines nibbling lightly on my ear. I held immobile, even as a familiar flush stole over my face. His voice was little more than a guttural whisper as he purred, "As do I, my sweet."

There was something so intimate, too intimate, in that, but I didn't pull away. He grinned and stepped back. Once more the clearing was empty, and I tried to tame the feeling of loss arcing from my heart directly to my groin. I whimpered, and began the long walk home.

My sheets were tangled and soaked in a mix of my own sweat and semen when I woke in bed to a noon sun. I'd dreamt of his nails biting into my shoulder as his cock speared me open, and I was still spasming seed as I forced my eyes to meet the light.

Suddenly it was all too much. I took a long, cold bath, threw on my leggings and knife, and filled my pack. The next moon was too far away. I had to go now.

I made my way back to the fountain just as the sun set. Kneeling like the first time I'd come to pay tribute, I bowed my head and called, "Dark One! I want a new deal!"

He appeared moments later, looking intrigued. "You made your deal with the Hunter, and I am only his servant. Why call me?"

"I will keep my deal with the Hunter, but this form needs purpose, not just shape. I want to use it to serve you."

Intense eyes staring into mine, he waited for me to continue.

"Bind me to you, and you can claim my fear, my pain, and my desire. Take me with you, and you can use my body as you please. I want to be hurt, but only by your hand. I want to be claimed if you're the one inside me."

He seared me with his glance, giving me time to change my mind. Then, with a nod, he spoke.

"Terms accepted."

The world became fire and ash, but before the flames around me could do more than pinken my skin, I found myself in a cave with the Dark One standing over me. His smile was all teeth as he purred his greeting. "Hello, pet. It's time for me to have some fun."