Vestiphobia Pt. 05

Chapter Thirteen: Untamed

The forest was peaceful. Birds sang, branches swayed in the gentle breeze, and the stream ran with a soft burble. Fish swam up and down in the cool, clear water. A large, plump one, moving languidly, coming dangerously close to the surface.

SPLASH! A golden brown flash broke the surface of the water. Fingers closed around the plump fish's slippery body. It shot up at once, breaking the water's surface, wriggling desperately. But the predator had the fish in a vicelike grip, and held it aloft. Its gills expanded and contracted uselessly.

The predator was a woman, standing knee-deep in the stream. Her skin was bronze from the sun's rays, and her hair a long, tangled mane of dirty blonde. She held the fish aloft in a victorious pose, her chin held high and her chest puffed out. From her head to her toes, she was entirely naked, adorned only with patches of river mud.

Lisa emerged from the stream, and bashed the fish against the trunk of a tree until it stopped wriggling. Her former self would have been horrified to see her kill an animal so viciously, but her current self thought only of her stomach, which gurgled loudly. The sun would be setting soon, and she needed to prepare her evening meal.

For the first week, Lisa had subsisted on diet of berries. She had been camping before, as a child, and knew which berries were safe, and which were harmful. Unfortunately, she could only find one type of edible berry, and the monotony and insubstantiveness of this diet had her stomach crying out for meat.

Her first catch was a rabbit. It was limping, having been injured by another predator, or she would not have caught it. She had squeezed her her eyes closed as she bashed its brains out with a rock. When she opened them, and saw its limp white body, she cried for half an hour.

But eventually the growling of her stomach overcame her sentiments. Having no way to start a fire, she'd eaten it raw. The meat was gamey and tasted mostly of blood.

Hunting became easier after that. Lisa learned to ambush small animals, and to chase them. She wasn't fast enough to catch most of them, but she could keep running until they collapsed from exhaustion. She also learned to fish with her bare hands, like a bear.

Exactly how she learned these things was difficult to say. Lisa felt she was tapping into something in herself that had lain dormant for her whole life, until now. There was a primitive animal brain underneath her own human mind, and it ran purely on instinct. The hungrier she got, the more she could feel it coming to the fore.

She was astonished at what she could do when she released herself to instinct. Every sense and reflex heightened. She could move quickly and silently through the forest in a crouch, and she could smell everything around her. Hunting and killing prey was natural. It became her primary focus.

When she was hungry, she hunted. When she was thirsty, she drank from the river or from streams. When she was tired, she slept, curled up in a patch of foliage or up a tree. The life she'd had before seemed like a dream she'd woken up from long ago.

For much of the day, Lisa gave herself over to instinct, but she couldn't hide from herself permanently. Right now, her higher mind was fully aware of the slimey dead fish in her hand. She forced the image of its body smacking against the tree trunk out of her mind.

Some way from the stream, a fire flickered in a clearing. Lisa had come across it the day before, and had managed to keep it burning in a small, controlled area. It probably wouldn't last much longer, but for now, she could cook.

She skewered the fish on a stick and held it over the flames. The heat of the fire felt good against her bare skin. Lisa congratulated herself for discovering fire. In another few days, perhaps she would be ready to start using simple stone tools.

How long had she been out here? She wasn't sure. She looked down at her legs, which had a light layer of blonde fuzz. Her pubic hair, which had once been a neat landing strip, was beginning to look like a forest itself, but that had been going since before she'd come here. It was the one bit of cover a naked girl could have.

She was naked. Without coverings. What a strange, faraway concern that felt like now. Of course she was naked. All the animals of the forest were. And what was she, catching fish with her bare hands, but another animal of the forest?

Well, except that animals didn't generally cook their food. But then, once this fire went out, neither would she. Primitive humans knew how to start fires. Lisa had not yet reached that evolutionary stage.

Once the fish was thoroughly roasted, she pulled her stick away from the fire and left it a while to cool down. She blew on the fish a few times, and took a big, grateful bite. It was a bit burned. She chewed and spat out the bones.

Her belly full, Lisa reclined in front of the fire, and lost herself in thought. On the day she'd arrived, when she woke up on the riverbank, she had panicked. For most of that day, and the next two, she'd searched for a way out of the forest. She'd followed the river back the way she'd come, but even after days of walking, had found no sign of civilization. She'd gone further out then she'd thought.

After that, tired and near-starved, she'd turned her thoughts to survival. And she'd survived. Her belly was full, and she felt strong and healthy. She'd noticed before how, since being cursed, she was able to run farther, react faster, lift heavier and withstand greater. She'd felt it during the Fresher's Streak, while holding poses in the art room, and most recently during her nocturnal dash through the city, when she'd even punched out that purse-snatcher. The witch had clearly tapped into something primordial hidden in her makeup. An animal instinct, from a time before human civilization. Before clothing.

Lisa put her hands behind her and reclined, looking down over her body. She was tanned, toned and muscular. The toes of her feet had spread out due to constant barefoot walking. It had been many days since she had last tried to wear clothes, and she didn't miss it. She shivered at the memory of fabric on her skin, rubbing it raw; Angela's black dress, and how hard she'd had to concentrate just to keep herself from tearing it off. It had felt so good when it finally got caught in the fence and ripped off.

Out here, Lisa could just be naked, with only the blank stares of animals to see her. She was lithe and agile, just like one of them. There was nothing to tear, or get stuck, or get in the way of her movements. After jumping in a river, she merely had to shake the water off. She finally felt comfortable in her own skin.

But Lisa knew she couldn't do this forever. Her family and friends would be worried about her. It was also getting late in the fall, and Lisa could feel a chill in the air. Although she was far less sensitive to the cold than she had been, even that wouldn't be enough once the snow started falling.

And then there was Debra. What had happened to her, when she disappeared? Was she... alive? Lisa recalled the singed panties.

No, she had to be alive. Debra was a witch. She knew how to take care of herself around magic. Lisa repeated this too herself, but it didn't become more convincing.

From tomorrow, Lisa would resume her journey up the river. She would return to civilization, to the tight, constricting fabrics and the leering eyes on her body. Prehistoric woman would rejoin the 21st century.

But first, sleep. Lisa threw some more sticks on the fire, found a tree with a wide, flat branch near the base, climbed it, and curled up in a ball.

* * *

The next morning, Lisa awoke to find that the fire had gone out. And she was hungry again. Despite being plump, the fish had not been very big or filling. As she descended the tree, she could feel her mind slip into hunting mode.

Dropping into an alert crouch, Lisa put her nose up and sniffed the air. There was food nearby, and it had already been killed. She was not above scavenging.

A short walk from her tree led Lisa to the body of a dead deer, about half eaten. She looked around carefully for other predators, and, seeing none, pounced on it. Her hands dug into the flesh of its side and tore chunks of meat, which she devoured hungrily.

When Lisa had eaten her full, she walked to the river and started walking against the current. Her belly full of raw venison, she started back in the direction of the city she'd escaped and the life that now seemed so remote and unreal.

After a few hours of walking, she noticed something unusual between the trees--something manmade, built out of wood. Narrowing her eyes, Lisa went to investigate.

The wooden cabin was small and overgrown. It didn't look as though anyone had used it in a very long time. Still, it looked as though it had once been very nice, and even now retained something of an inviting aura. A narrow porch extended in front of the entrance door. It had a small table and a couple of chairs, covered in dirt and leaves.

Propped against the exterior wall was another piece of furniture--a full length mirror. It was caked in filth, but appeared to be otherwise intact. Having only seen her reflection in streams and rivers lately, Lisa was curious to see how she looked in a real mirror, so she walked onto the porch and rubbed the dirt off the mirror with her forearm.

She gasped.

An intense, alert pair of blue eyes stared back at her, surrounded by a face that had tanned golden brown, but was mostly red. The blood from her breakfast was smeared across her mouth, and hands. Her hair was stringy rat's nest, sticking out at all angles.

Her body has as deeply tanned as her face and blotched all over with mud from the river. She stood in an alert hunch, limbs wide apart. Scratches crisscrossed her arms and legs. Blonde hair grew in all the places she normal shaved and her nipples had turned a dark pink. Her breasts and ass were firm, and she could see the muscles of her stomach.

Her body betrayed no sign, no hint of having ever been clothed. She was a wild creature. A beast. An animal.

A pained expression passed across the wild eyes in the mirror. The reflection began vigorously wiping its face, trying to remove the traces of rabbit meat. It stood up straighter, replacing the alert crouch of an animal with the poise of a human. She couldn't let herself become this... this thing!

Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa noticed that the door to the cabin was ajar. It was not hers to enter, but judging by its overgrown state, the actual owner had not been by very recently either. There probably wasn't even anything inside. So really, who would it hurt if Lisa were to slip through the door? She needed a roof over her head, just for a little while, just to feel human.

The door creaked as Lisa edged it open a little more. A floorboard creaked under her foot as she slipped inside.

The interior of the cabin was better furnished than she had expected. There was a small kitchen against one wall, a gas stove, sink and a bunch of cabinet. Against the other side was a bed, and on the adjacent wall to that, a dressing table and a tall closet. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. The cabin had clearly been inhabited by a woman, once upon a time.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Lisa began rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. She found a full set of cutlery and china crockery, a small kettle and teapot, and even a working lighter. A couple of threadbare white towels lay under the sink.

In the dressing table drawers, she found combs, brushes, creams, lotions and makeups and other products. There were even a couple of small leg razors. It was as though the universe had placed this cabin in her path, both to remind her of her humanity and to help her reclaim it.

That was one way to look at it. Another way to look at it was that she had entered some woman's cabin without permission, gone through her things, and was now about to steal from her. The place looked pretty disused, but it was also very well stocked.

Lisa caught a glimpse of herself in the dressing table mirror and shuddered. She desperately needed this right now. She'd be careful not to break anything, or use too much of any of the product. Maybe she could find paper and pen and leave a note for the owner. She could leave her phone number and an offer of reimbursement.

Satisfied with her plan, Lisa grabbed one of the towels, reminding herself firmly that it was a towel and not an item of clothing. In the dressing table drawers, she had found conditioner and shampoo, as well as various body lotions. She picked out a selection of these. Armed with her towel and products, she exited the cabin and proceeded to the river.

Since she'd arrived in the forest, Lisa had bathed in the river fairly frequently, but this was the first time she'd been able to have something resembling a normal bath. She scrubbed her body, meticulously eliminating mud spots, and rubbed the conditioner into her scalp. She took her time and languished, the cool water feeling heavenly on her skin.

Once she was done, Lisa stepped out of the water and dried herself thoroughly with the towel. She was careful not to wrap it around herself at any point, instead rubbing it against her back and front separately. Once her body was dry, she tied her hair up in a towel turban and returned to the cabin.

Her reflection was greatly improved, but she wasn't done yet. Once inside the cabin, she sat down in front of the dressing table and turned her attention to her hair. She brushed it until all the knots had come out and combed it straight. This done, she rummaged through the drawers for a hairtie, finding a couple of black ones in a corner. She took one, snapped it against her palm, and used it to put her hair up in a ponytail. Now she was, in a very small way, clothed.

While she was here, it made sense to apply some light makeup as well. Lisa dabbed on some foundation, and made up her eyes. She was slowly starting to look like herself again. But there was still a bit more to do.

Lisa walked out to the porch, spread out a towel on the floor, and sat down on it. With one of the razors, she set to work removing unsightly hair. Armpits and legs were first. Then there was her pubic hair. Lisa decided that she'd just neaten it up. She swapped the razor for a pair of small scissors and trimmed the jungle until it was more of a neat triangular orchard--bikini ready!

For the final touch, she slipped her feet into a pair of black pumps she'd found behind the closet. It was nice to wear shoes again, at least for a little while.

Lisa lit the stove--so much easier with a lighter!--and made some tea, which she poured into a delicate china cup. She carried the cup and saucer out onto the porch and sat down with it at the table, sitting opposite the mirror.

The transformation was astonishing. The wild-eyed, hunching beast she'd seen before was replaced with a beautiful young lady, elegantly poised, sipping from a teacup. Her rich tan and the firmness and strength of her body only enhanced the image.

Nevertheless, it was an image more suited for copy of Playboy than of Vogue. There was a limit to how elegant and sophisticated a girl could look with her boobs and bush out.

Lisa's thoughts drifted to the wardrobe. It was the only place in the cabin she hadn't looked. Though she'd greatly enjoyed cleaning and beautifying herself, she had a practical reason for doing it--the desire not to walk back into town looking like a wild animal. Clothes were pretty essential to that goal. And she'd figured out how to wear them under the influence of the curse, even though doing so was pretty unpleasant.

There was little point in anything she'd done here if she wasn't also going to get some clothes to wear. She was already wearing this lady's shoes, so surely one outfit wouldn't hurt? If she explained in the note that she'd been naked, and was willing pay for the clothes, or return them, the lady would have to understand.

She wasn't sure how far she still had to walk, but she wouldn't try to wear clothes the whole way back. She could carry them most of the way, then get dressed once she reached city limits. Then she'd be able to flag down a taxi and get to her parents' house, where she could figure the rest out. She could even get her parents to help, if she could muster the energy to keep clothed that long, and make up something to tell them.

Her first priority was to contact the girls and find out what had happened to Debra. Everything else could wait until she did that.

Lisa finished her tea and walked back into the cabin. For a long moment, she stood motionless in front of the wardrobe, steeling herself to put on whatever was inside. The heavy wood structure towered above her, the wooden filigrees atop its door looking down at her like evil eyes. She hoped that the owner of the cabin was more into flowing dresses than lycra.

After a final deep breath in and out, Lisa gripped the handles of both doors and yanked them open.

From amidst the hanging coats and dresses, a freckled, bespectacled face under a mass of curly red hair smiled out at her with too many teeth.

It couldn't be. "W-Wendy?!" Lisa stammered.

"Look again."

Lisa blinked, and the freckles and glasses disappeared. The curly ginger mop was replaced by a silky auburn wave. Lisa was now looking up at a smooth face with a cruel smile that had haunted her nightmares.

"B-Bethany?!"

Bethany stepped out of the closet, forcing Lisa to stumble backwards. She was wearing a blue string bikini and stiletto heels. She'd be stunning if she weren't so evil, Lisa thought.

"Guess again, Nature Girl," said Bethany. She placed a hand on Lisa's shoulder, and began to change again, morphing and shifting in front of Lisa's eyes. She grew taller and her breasts larger. Her skin lost the freshness of youth and developed visible veins, but her figure retained its statuesque proportions. Her face grew older, crueler. Gray streaks appeared in her auburn hair.

Lisa stumbled back until her butt hit the wall, cowering in terror. "I-it's you!"

The woman who had been Wendy and then Bethany was now the witch from the boutique. The witch who had cursed Lisa to agonizing discomfort whenever she wore clothes. The witch who had woven her magic so intricately and so deeply that it withstood two countercurses. The witch who had zapped Debra. The witch who had been the source of all Lisa's pain. This witch now stood in front of her.

"I see you still haven't learned your lesson," said the witch. "Entering another's house uninvited, helping yourself to her belongings, wearing her makeup and her shoes."

"I-I'll put the shoes back!" Lisa cried, frantically pulling off one pump and then the other. Then, remembering the hair-tie, she pulled that off as well, and flung it towards the dressing table. "A-all done."

The witch glowered. "You'll do more than that. Had I not intervened, you would have helped yourself to the wardrobe as well."

Lisa's hair fell about her shoulders, and she looked down at her now-bare feet. "I was going to leave a note..." she muttered.

"A likely story. But perhaps you would like this bikini to cover your shame," said the witch, indicating her own body with her hands. "Would you like to take it now? Why not just steal the very clothes off my body?" She grabbed Lisa's right hand and wound the string of her bikini bottoms around the index finger. "Take it! Wear it!"

"AAAH!" Lisa cried out. It felt like her finger had been jammed between hot coals. She pulled her hand back with a violent jerk and blew on it. All clothing hurt her, but panties were the worst of all.

The witch smirked. "I didn't think so." She reached back into the wardrobe and took out a long purple dress, which she quickly pulled over her body. "Do up the back, would you?"