The Heat and the Human

The Yah forest was a sprawl of green that bled beyond the horizon, becoming sand, then snow-peppered rock, and eventually melding into the ocean. The Elders called this land Yu'vuili; the pilgrimage land. It was the place every Whren had to travel when they came of age and await the call of the Arva, the altars that would demand of them a service. She hated the desert, the baking heat of it, and found the Yah forest was calmer if not more likely to catch fire from her. She supposed it was funny, being a fire-demon, and hating the heat even though her skin was always coated in flames--the elders always made fun of her for it. The elders, she thought, how long had she been out here now? She wasn't sure; time had lost all meaning, it was uncatchable. She missed home terribly some days, her family and friends, but all Whren knew the Pilgrimage was necessary. She took comfort in the hope that the call of the altar would be sooner rather than later, and once she had completed what was asked of her, she would be welcomed home with open arms. But that did not make the time go any quicker, while she waited, boredom settled in. It was her impatience that first made her find the Human.

The altars, the Arva, were of ancient origin and their practical uses were beyond only the Tui Vu'l--the call. They allowed Whrens to transport their consciousness to other realms, other worlds, other universes. She'd spend hours sat atop the stone, watching vibrant races of all shapes and sizes; lands and people that seemed so foreign to her that they belonged only to her distant, deep dreams. The Human seemed so insignificant at first within the thousands she'd seen.

He was a tall thing with coal-black hair down to his stony shoulders. She had noticed, nestled between the loose strands of those bangs was a pair of shimmering blue eyes; as blue as the lake she bathed in. She watched him move quietly through a clearing of bushes, his feet crunching against dead leaves and twigs. Those eyes were focused on something she couldn't see. Slivers of sunlight broke through the canopy and bathed him in gold, glinting his hand. She saw the small blade that looked even smaller in his paw of a hand. What is he doing? A distant wail rang out and he turned towards it, moving through a row of thick-trunked trees towards a clearing. It was a pained yelp; an animal of some sort, she thought. When the Human approached, she saw what was the cause of the noise, and felt the lump in her throat.

It resembled a Deyta; its body sleek with fine fur and a long face, the eyes resembling her own. All four of its legs were bound tightly together. The wailing grew louder as the Human approached and it struggled, trying to escape but the thick twine dug deeper into the softness of its flesh; dried blood stained it. The Human raised its arms out and treaded softly towards it. The knife still glinted with a hungry sheen.

"Easy," she heard him whisper. "Sshh--sshh--It's alright."

The Human knelt down by it. The animal trembled and thrashed, but the rope only dug further into it and so it gave up once more. The Whren understood the fear, and the exhaustion swimming in its eyes. She wanted to help, but knew it was impossible. The lump in her throat felt like a boulder as the Human slowly put his hand on the animal's side and gently held it there; shards of fur split between his fingers. The animal went still, and the Whren felt her skin pulse with heat. "I've got you," he said. Its eyes focused on him, almost recognizing the smile.

Then he patted the fur softly and bought the knife close. For a moment, she held her breath and watched as the blade moved towards the body, and then at the twine. He cut through the strained, entangled ropes, slow at first until he was sawing at the thickest knot with gritted teeth. A tight line snapped, spraying flecks of fiber that fled from sunlight. The tension released. The legs of the animal splayed out freely, and he dropped the knife at his feet to pull away at the remnants until the animal understood it was free, and it pulled away from the strands.

It clumsily found its footing, and then bounded away from him over the corpse of a fallen tree, and into the shadows of the forest. She watched the man sigh and collect the fragments of the rope scattered around. The flames around her grew as she smiled, and the lump lessened.

"You're welcome," he yelled out.

She shook off the flames, and moved on to watching others. Yet with all of these realms, of endless people and places to see, she found herself getting into the habit of looking for the blue-eyed Human again every day. She didn't understand why it became a daily occurrence, perhaps familiarity, perhaps something else. When she grew tired of exploring the forest, and counting another cycle of the altar not calling, she would return to watch him, curious of his place in the universe. Curiosity, that's all, she thought. There was a kindness to him that she understood, and like her love of the Yah and all that resided, he cared about the wildlife that roamed his world.

It was cool, sunny morning when she had awoken from her alcove under the largest tree. Like every other day she foraged for the sweetest mound of mushrooms, and then washed herself in the lake deeper north, the very same that reminded her of him. When she bathed the water would bubble and steam, and in those silent moments, alone and naked there'd come a feeling of need that she couldn't always shake off. A herd of Deyta lapped fresh water from the shallow edges while she washed her mane of hair, the curling horns on her head, and the rest of her steaming body.

This time he was in the dark. Smoking while he leant against some large, metallin contraption with what looked like wheels. His gaze focused upwards and she followed his stare. "Wow." The sky was a velvet blanket, smeared with strokes of black and dappled with shimmering diamonds of all colors. The stars were beautiful wherever he was. Below him came the purple hue of a city. She had seen plenty of them at the altar, but this one smaller, with scattered lights all over. She imagined herself stood there, next to him, looking out at the twinkling landscape and then wondered why she'd want that. The thought had popped into her head so naturally, smothering her enough that she felt a twinge of something in her stomach; maybe she had eaten too many berries that morning. That had to have been it.

That familiar, warm smile spread on his fac as he was lost in some distant thought. "Handsome," she whispered then realized her two-hearts were racing a little.

The Human slid his gaze across the skyline, and then stopped, looking directly at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a gasp followed. He didn't look away. Impossible. He was staring directly at her, but she wasn't there. He cannot see me, can he? There was still that warm smile on his face; blurred by the smoke that came from his nose. "Can you see me?" The Human did not respond. He looked up and away, and took another drag of his cigarette. Her hearts thudded louder and she severed the vision, his face fading away into the row of trees beyond the altar.

What had just happened? The confusion had rushed her, and she tried to control the panic that was bubbling up inside. "He did not see me. He could not see me," she told herself. "Impossible." It was impossible. The altars gave you vision to see, not to be seen. She raised her hand and looked at it. It was trembling. When she leant forward and felt for the edge of the altar only air greeted it and she fell from the stone, slumping into the soft grass beneath.

"Ui'vi," she hissed. "Stupid." The grass was comforting as she laid there and sighed. It must have been mere coincidence that his eyes had fixed on her, nothing more, and yet, even though she wouldn't say it out loud, she found it to be exciting in a way; scary too, but exciting. Fear was not something she enjoyed, even now. Whenever she looked at her reflection in the lake, seeing the horns, the redness of her face, the sharp teeth and soulless, blackened eyes, she knew that she was the resemblance of fear itself to many. How could one single human make her hearts thud so loud? Questions seemed to float around her, buzzing like flies. Humans were frail, neither intimidating or scary to a Whren like her. But then she wondered why it took all morning for her hands to stop shaking.

She did not return to the altar for a few days, and promised herself that she'd stop watching him now. With nothing but time and her own thoughts, she'd chewed her long talons down to nubs and focused on foraging and exploring Yah forest. When her stack of berries and mushrooms grew too large, when she could no longer walk the same places, thoughts of him returned to her, the same fear and confusion laden with excitement. She had nestled into the alcove, but couldn't bring herself to sleep, and so she paced back and forth. "What is this?" She was a Whren, she was stronger than this; worrying over nothing, she thought. If only for own comfort, she told herself she would return back to the altar, and Tav;yi be damned if he did saw her. Fear was for weaker beings than her.

She stormed to the altar and climbed atop it, folded her legs, planted her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes extra hard. It took seconds to find the Human in her mind. She had never seen this place before; a small room with blue walls, and some sort of seat with a hole in it. He stared at himself in the mirror, no look upon his face as he let out a deep sigh, and then slid off his T-shirt. Oh. His fingers traced his belt, then he unbuckled it. She watched his jeans slide down, and pulled away from the vision. I cannot do this. She climbed to the edge of the altar, turned back, and couldn't stop herself. Maybe just one more look. Surely there was no harm in that, right? She returned to the vision and felt the flames ignite all over her body, flickering between blue and red, crackling with embers. He was inside the glass box now, and she could see every inch of him.

Steam rose while the water fell down him. He let it run down over his face, his cheeks, and she felt that same feeling in her stomach she had before; queasiness. She watched him savour the feel of the water as he leant on the glass, but all she could focus on was his shape, his body; a beautiful display of muscle and scars adorned him. Her mouth hung open as his hand slid below, between his legs and the flames around her grew bright and wild. Her mouth hung open as she saw the thickness of his cock, his fingers slid around the shaft, stroking it softly, coaxing it hard. The Whren's cheeks couldn't get any redder than they were as she dug her talons into the skin of her knees, hypnotized, confused by what she was feeling. All she understood was that she liked it.

The Human let out a deep moan that cut through the rush of water. The Whren slid her fingers down between her legs, and felt the warmth wetness. Oh. This was feeling she wanted, and so she put her fingers towards that sweet spot; she started slow. A moan floated from her throat. The Human pumped his cock harder, the water trickling all over it. His fingers slid over his thickness, displaying The Whren felt herself harden, and looked down at herself, both her cunt and his cock overlapping in her mind. Her face glistened with a golden hue, and she saw her lips were as bright as magma, dripping silky rivulets of her juice. Her mind was whirring blur, of want and need, and of thoughts she felt were not her own. I want that in my fucking throat. Where did that come from?

He picked up his pace, and with his other hand he put it overhead and leant on the glass. "Fuck," he whispered, and it sent another wave through the her as she gyrated, rubbing her cunt against her fingers. Her mouth filling with fresh, warm saliva. The Human's moans were rising now, feeding into her flames, letting them rise to a blazing crescendo that lit the altar up a fiery orange. His moans went quick and short as he stroked himself faster, and the Whren knew what was about to happen. She didn't realize she'd opened her mouth, and the flames around her rose as she felt her own wave rushing towards her.

The Human let out one final moan. His cock throbbed and her cunt tightened. She rubbed at her clit, watching hungrily as the Human let out another gasp. His cock hardened, tightened, and her skin tingled as she saw the ropey strands of cum shooting out, then another, and the final remnants as he let out a deep growl; his essence drizzled over his hand, melding with the water. Enough. She was lost, swimming deep in blindless that filled her brain, her eyes. Every cell of her being was ignited. "Fuck," she mimicked. "I'm--" Her legs shuddered along with that final, deep roar that carried every part of her, and she felt herself let go. When she caught her breath she was laying atop the altar. Below, she felt her pussy pulsating, and couldn't bring herself to do anything but close her eyes. The flames around her simmered, dying with the release of her final orgasm, and then she realized she couldn't do anything but close her eyes, and let sleep take her over. Splayed out naked across the altar, she passed out.