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7
MISBEHAVIOR
My remedy for whatever-ails-you does not require medicine, Mandagral. Relax. The fireside will serve my intentions.” Like Heaven’s answer to my prayers, Felus straddled me and applied the right pressure on my tense shoulders. The time past with no labor on my part.
“Wow, a responsible Mandagral. I admire anyone who gets everything done efficiently. Go now, keep your promise to dominate our two greatest hunters, as they dared you to try. Between you and me, I'm betting on you.”
In the back of my mind, I felt somewhat like the object of a well organized plan, like the village intended to groom me for some mysterious purpose. Even with no point of reference, this situation seems abnormal. What average person get this much attention, ever? No time to wonder about their motives. Two trees over, I burst in on Gnari and Katinas without warining, wrestling them speechless. Katinas wore her stunned eyes in masquerade fashion with only a microsecond of glimmer.
She thought to herself. "Finally, some staisfaction."
My massive paws gripped her neck as I bound her with the twine intended to open the window.
Without hesitation, I grabbed Gnari like a play toy, pinning her face to the plush carpet. With the other arm I held her sleek appendage high, pounding my way into her private region.
“Damned Son of dogral, back off me! Wait until my claws perforate your scraggly pelt. By the goddesses, I’ll rip you limb-from-limb.”
In her mind, quite the opposite outcome persisted. "Let's hope some scratches with highten our pleasure."
“Your excessive protests and passive resistance mask your desires, Gnari.”
"With a jerk of her head, she hid her face. "What powerful insights he has," she thought.
With my chest barreled, I gazed past her veneer of make-believe. “Tear the heavens asunder, honorable huntress, but do not threaten me.”
Her thoughts turned heavenward. “Holy One, grant me his endurance. Don’t let this end soon, I beg you.”
All the while, Katinas grappled with her bonds, but not too hard, and likewise prayed, but with envy in her voice.
“Fair Goddess, how much longer must I wait for my turn?”
As I turned toward her, she asserted her demand in an unconvincing tone.
“Keep away from me.”
The air rushed into my nostrils. Without a whiff of fear on her part, I ripped her bindings, restraining her against the trunk over a foot above the ground.
In a commanding voice, I moved closer to her. “Wrap your legs around me.”
“No!”
With the soft backside of my paw, I struck her hard enough to permit her to own her truth without harming her.
“Occupy the throne of my heart if you dare, Mandagral!”
After a bout of intense thrashing, she resigned and lifted her legs to haul me in. With her eyes shut tight, she braced herself.
“Now, look at me,” I commanded her.
This time, she did so without defiance. Deep longing twinkled in the portals of her soul. My ill-bred aggression delighted her.
Each exertion of my hips gained momentum until Katinas reeled in ecstasy.
“Don’t stop. Please, don’t.”
Her quivering muscles and breathlessness made me want her more.
A baritone growl swelled from my throat, intensifying. Satisfied with my performance, I impregnated her. With a tranquil squeeze, I relaxed her on the rug.
My mischievous smile broadened at the sight of Gnari as I turned toward the door.
The felines laughed as I headed off to meet Minoos. From outside, I listened to their voices fade as I walked away.
“Let’s petition the Goddess that one day he might chase down game with such prowess.”
Later, when I glimpsed Minoos, she beckoned me with her trailing curly appendage.
Near the day’s glorious predawn, we leaped over obstructions, with the aroma of sweet-suckle blossoms blowing in the cool breeze. Beyond the last bit of foliage, the breathtaking Savannah unfolded before us.
A herd of spirited steeds galloped into view.
“What do you call those half-feathered, half-scaled mammals with the oar-tipped tails?”
“Striders.”
Minoos wooed one of them to her side. As obvious as a dangled carrot, she tempted my memories to reveal themselves.
“The Mandagral before you named her. Trigger, come here girl.”
She waited to see If I would react.
With a whisper in the timid creature’s ear, I swathed my arm around her neck.
My newfound friend forced air through her sealed lips, rumbling them like pounded drums.
Perceptive of her comfort with me, I threw my right leg across her back and Minoos mounted me. With the friskiness of a colt, she spanked the strider’s rump. In short order, Trigger trotted while my cohort undulated in time to the rhythmic gait.
In a mellow purr, my sweaty, divergent friend bade the steed to trot toward the village through the dangers awaiting in shadows. With an anxious, high-pitched neigh, she acquiesced, flinching at the ominous sounds of the dark along the way.
Oblivious to our mount’s unease, Minoos reveled in her exhilaration.
“My mind bursts with ideas for us. Where to start?”
With an arched, coy eyebrow, her pulse sped ahead of her reason. “Places exist on Terradon Prime, magical ones, only my childhood friend and I ever beheld them.”
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The cover of night rolled up into the western sky. Five seconds later, the nocturnal flowers closed their quaking eyelids to the kiss of the daylight when I tucked her in.
“Sweet dreams, my deviant friend.”
Exhaustion overtook her as she cuddled up in her rug. Astonished from the night’s adventures, I collapsed in Pushiri’s dwelling. The moment I crawled into her leaf a peculiar dishonesty overcame me. How did I end up as a spectator in someone else’s body? Though she slept, I talked to Pushiri.
“Kusing asked me which of the two omens I hated more, dusk or dawn. On this planet, I despise dusk the most. Before I awake, the visions of my foregone life always vanish without a trace.”
In a place, not wrong, not right, I cringed and slipped off into my never-ending unrest.
[On Earth]
Alexandra removed the journal snapshots from their concealed envelope under the floorboards as her disbelief escalated into disillusionment.
January 7th
Today, I tracked down another serial killer with Babette’s assistance. A hunger for blood but not the kill drives my little monster. The butchery, she left to me.
“Would the Revenant Billy venerate his own impending death in all its hideous details? Would he compliment his own screams the same way he praised his victim’s cries for help? Inflamed, Bebette wanted to find out for herself. A month ago, she became the first to escape his torture chamber.
Devoid of self-respect, the sadistic spiritual leader turned into a masochist in the depth of my cruelty. Every second of agony gave a new meaning to his pointless existence. With pathetic gestures, he indicated unharmed locations on his body as his senses narrowed, and he struggled to breathe.
“Hurt me here, please, and here. This I promise, I’ll die, obedient, whenever you decide to end my wretched life.”
At a macabre level, I transcended my role as his punisher to transform into someone who aided him.
Like a child deciding which ride at the park to enjoy next, my informant glistened. “He died with integrity... Who’s next?”95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2BIZJdtwz
Repugnance turned Alexandra’s stomached inside out. With no distance to spare, she pulled the garbage can underneath her chin.
The temporary ease of her intestinal convulsions granted her license to stash the mishandled evidence. At a dreadful hour of the night, she drove a nail in the casket of her unwelcome ignorance. By the next morning, she embraced the betrayal fashioned by her once- trusted-partner’s handwriting.
On Terradon Prime
The scent of quiet reflection lingered as Pushiri stroked me to consciousness. My beguiling confidant reassured me, laying her head on my stomach.
“Notwithstanding my unconscious wails, I struggle to contain my eagerness to explore this undiscovered life. What should I wish for?”
“Be careful, Mandagral. Your yearning may well become your reality.”
“Every awake moment, I covet you. A million intimate encounters cannot surpass two lives dwelling in unison. Although I relate to all the felines, you understand me. Your presence gratifies me to the core.”
Glancing around the settlement, she pondered.
“A comforting magnetism distinguishes you from your predecessors. For this reason, we do not preoccupy ourselves with your skittishness for the hunt. Your natural attraction tugs at our spirits. Leopardmura describes you in diverse ways but with the same joy.”
Despite the fact I blushed in self-criticism, she kept praising me. “In a world where tracking means everything, you perceive how to evolve into what each of us needs, what to say, and what to do. Your instinctive responses are unrivaled on Terradon Prime.”
“How did you learn of my catastrophe during the pursuit? I thought I had kept out of sight, behind everyone.”
Open pawed, she reached out.
“Like a diseased animal, secrets do not thrive on Terradon Prime, at least, none kept from me. Rare natures like ours both critique and complement one another.”
With a wink, she placed her paw on my shoulder.
“Regardless of your rebellion, I am aware Gnari and Katinas even now revel in unparalleled ecstasy—you perceived what they desired. Her defiance and yours stand out like smoke bellowing from a volcano. Her quest for sensual gratification befuddles her uncommon sense.”
Pushiri folded her arms.
“If only her fertile creativity produced male cubs, she would be invaluable. Like a falling star, her face dropped toward the ground. “Allow her, and she will take you to the precipice of destruction. Whether to jump, you must choose.”
In an effort not to appear vulnerable, I scratched my head. “Enlighten me about Minoos’ actions.”
A scowl contorted Pushiri’s face.
“The Savannah striders are not immune to the dogral’s mesmerizing eyes. Selfish use of any creature’s amiable nature creates a risk. The All-Powerful One favored Minoos, for no harm befell the strider throughout the wild lands. The day you believe you discovered all the imbeciles who could ruin your night, add Poës’ wayward sister, Minoos, to the list.”
With a strain on my reputation, I offered.
“Next time, my diligence will restrain Miss Behavior.”
“An appropriate name for her! Ignore her for now, Mandagral. Clear your mind for mākutu practice. Each night I will instruct you how to blend in, how to turn invisible, to encircle the jungle. You may yet earn your name.”
My anxiety choked me, raising Pushiri’s suspicion.
My undaunted teacher giggled underneath a frustrated grin. “This endeavor might take a little longer than I imagined. Should the dark part of your character lie in dread of unforgiving eyes, beware. The stench of disasters will generate a mountain of fresh methods to die.”
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8
ENCOUNTER ALONG THE WAY TO THE WATER GODDESS
The jungle trails, they split crisscrossed.
Every muddled view I would exhaust.
Outcries pierced the night. “Go now, Mandagral!”
Kusing’s blaring thoughts guided me to her, huddled like a frightened kitten in the corner of her den. Dark as coal, her hair betrayed fear. The weird sensation of another entity came over me when I entered, like a ghost lingering in the darkness.
With muscles trembling, she rehearsed the nightmare.
“My dismal thoughts haunt me. The images from a bygone age creep into the cracks of my cottage. A demon unleashes treachery within my dreams! My dearest precious sleep, please blanket me once again. Chase away the tormenting shadows and apparitions.”
Glazed over with a battered expression, Kusing channeled the spirit domain in a puzzling, incomprehensible rhyme:
“A lurid dark and crushing throng, sensations of unbearable wrong, the vanquished are no longer strong. In their thirst for vengeance, the toothless will baffled remain! They yearned with hatred, oddly blended, on ravenous and odious matters transfixed. Such fanciful passions, spewing from an incensed thrall. Disgrace and panic rule us all. Discarded deeds, I grasp, perpetrated and hidden. Your name, dear Mandagral, will shoulder life-sapping dread, soul- draining shame.”
“How incoherent your babbling is, and difficult to understand—except for the last line. Listen to my voice. Caress my soft fur. Focus on my eyes.”
“Don’t let go, Mandagral.”
“Not until the dreadfulness flees from you into the wilderness...”
On Earth
“I need daddy to hold me.”
“Let us say our prayers, sweetheart, and turn our troubles over to God’s powerful, loving arms.”
The forlorn girl’s tiny voice tremored.
“Beloved Heavenly Father, please bring our father back to us. Stand guard over him, no matter where, and show him the way home. Amen.”
On Terradon Prime95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IhWwewTRk
The Water Priestess’s hair chameleoned to her birth colors, announcing her calm heart. “Would you like to experience my fantasia?”
“Yes, you bet I would.”
“Prepare for a mind-staggering odyssey.”
Westward, we raced to Agua Verde, the Turquoise Water Lake. “Our legends say, Effervescha brings peace to Terradon Prime...” A flying otherworldly seahorse formed over the glittering surface.
The air surrounding her ionized into a pulsating aurora, then phased in and out. With a blink of her calming eyes, she fanned her fins toward us and submerged into the depths.
“With the divine creatures unrivaled telepathy, she can reach out across Terradon Prime to the deities and creatures all the same, Mandagral.”
“Yes, she’s stunning, but her loveliness, pales next to yours.”
“Flirt with me, I don’t mind... Come, walk with me to a priceless discovery.”
Parallel prints in the sand marked our affectionate pace, inspiring the songbird’s melody. Inside of a shaded inlet, Kusing lured me through a carved stone edifice. Two creeks fed down into an electrified pond at the center. The structure, the stones and the vegetation flourished in moments of sapphire and turquoise.
“Observe the miracle in silence unfold. Wait until I beckon you.”
My odd benefactor waded with anticipation into the shallow water, which began to bubble around her. Like a ballet dancer, Kusing stretched out her arms four inches from her side. The water rippled up her bare legs and progressed around her immodest curves. The ripples massaged her long, slender neck. With the finesse of a stagehand, Kusing motioned for me to stand in front of her.
Like a mouse entering a room full of cheese, I stepped in and inhaled a scent reserved for the deities. The charged, gentle waves of water embraced me with their pulsation.
“Mezuno Mezami, the Exalted, is living water. In her shrine, the most troubled souls find harmony. After countless trips to receive her blessing, I could travel here blindfolded.”
While we climbed out of the pool, the all-knowing Nymph transfigured. Her scintillating shape flowed in the hues of a clear creek. With unintelligible words, she summoned her two enchanted Koi-san fish. Each messenger trailed water in the symbol of infinity in balance.
An enchantment suspended her hair in a delicate mist behind her. The aura she emitted filled half the chamber. She gazed over her shoulder at me with her penetrating eyes. Supernatural beauty phased in and out of the watery haze she created.
“Please consent to swim with her and her ambassadors, the two fish forming those figure eights in the air. Infinite visits, she grants to you! None other received this honor.”
Reverence paved our way as we bowed and exited the temple. “Are you ready for the next stop, Mandagral?”
Without waiting for my answer, she enticed me to catch her.
Not far down the trial, I tumbled her to the ground. Like playmates, we frolicked for an hour in the lovely woods behind the sanctuary. In a distant glen, gilded trees with resplendent leaves and whip-like vines coursed with energized fluid in their bulging veins.
“How wonderful!”
Like a chameleon, Kusing’s hair transmuted to match my forest- green eyes. Content, she purred. The willows undulated back and forth in a perfect, unrehearsed choreography to the undulating rhythm of her song:
“If love bound like a chain, our hearts dare would detain; to no one would affection surrender. Wrap your branches around me, Willow. Yes, lift me gently to your pillow. Please take me to engender. To your limbs, I concede. Golden Willow, free me to pursue your dazzling pleasure. In our tryst and at our leisure.”
With whirls, and twirls, they lifted their roots out of the ground. Kusing reached out to the nearest one in the dance. In a circle around the glen, the fantastic beings swung her with acrobatic elegance.
Like jealous suitors, they entwined her delicious frame. As the music swelled and climaxed, the last rival for her attention released the Innocent One, removing its throbbing branch. With fairy tale easy, he sank back into the rich soil and kneeled in a display of courtesy and the trees bowed deeply toward her.
Still in the throes of an orgasm, she reclaimed her captured breath.
“This dance, my Mandagral, defines intimacy.” She placed my paw over her pounding heart. “Indulge yourself in my euphoria.”
“How can I compete with this masterpiece, your soul?”
“Give this planet time, my probing one. One day you shall fathom what you are capable of on Terradon Prime.”
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