Lucas
L'homme-Lion de Paris
By Thomas Mc

Authors Notes : One of the many urban legends of Paris France in the year 2060 is L'homme-lion du Fleuve Seine, A lion-man like creature that haunts the River Seine at night and is said to protect the true lovers that go there and bring woe upon any false lover that has the misfortune to cross his path. This story is about the source of that urban legend.

Note: Since half of the dialog in this story is supposed to be French I have had to differentiate French and English dialog. Therefore the standard quote marks are for English and the '~(' and ')~' symbols represent a statement made in French.

Appreciation: I would also like to thank Claire G. for all her help in making the specifically French elements of this story as authentic as possible.

The Lion-Man

Spring 2060

It was less than an hour after sunset as Lucas stood unseen in a shadowed alcove beside the River Seine and gazed up at the moon hovering beside the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. He loved this city. He loved the lights, the ambiance, the romance . . . particularly the romance. This was the city where the magic of love was a palpable presence. The River Seine was famous as a place for lovers to go for a romantic stroll along the water's edge (especially after the major renovations done to the river walk in 2044) and he often came here to take in the magnificent view and soak up the pleasantly warm emotions of the many anonymous lovers that crossed his path. It was so much like the emotions he often sensed from his parents. He often wondered if he would ever find a girl that would feel that way about him and wish to share his life. At present he could feel the emotions radiating from three young couples located nearby.

One of the couples was on a bench located directly across the river from his current position and so totally and deeply engrossed in each other that he could feel them from further away than normal. He could tell that there was some lustfully serious making out going on over there. The second couple was about thirty meters up river. Their emotions were much softer more gentle and warm than the couple across the river. Most certainly young lovers still feeling their way toward that brass ring that all new couples were reaching for. The third couple was about fifty meters in the opposite direction and they were slowly strolling toward his general location. They were apparently still in the getting to know each other, finding out if there was a connection state, each interested in the other and wondering if the interest was reciprocated. Each couple was unique and the combination of emotions made for a heady mixture in this romantic Parisian spring evening

He drew back deeper into the shadows as the strolling couple got closer. Though the hooded cloak he wore concealed his face from view he was still unwilling to show himself. If they caught sight of him they would have been terribly shocked, probably even frightened by what they saw. The fierce appearance of his leonine face and fangs; his fur covered clawed hands; his massive two meter plus frame; all combined to make for a frightening appearance to those who didn't know him. He was very unusual looking, but he was not ashamed of his differences, he was proud of what he was. His parent's had raised him to be that way. Though neither parent shared his leonine appearance, they had both conscientiously instilled in him both a caution about and a fierce pride in what he was.

In recent years he had unintentionally become one of the many urban legends of Paris. 'L'homme-lion des bords de Seine' {The Lion-man of the River Seine}, they called him. The way the newest legend went was that he haunted the banks of the River Seine watching, protectively, over the lovers that were often found along those banks. The same legend claimed that he would bring great woe to any false lover that crossed his path. Lucas smiled to himself, only a little over eighteen and a half years old and already a well known Parisian legend. He was amazed at the complex mythology that had sprung up around only a half-dozen incidents over the last four years.

The sound of a large object moving in the water drew his attention down river and he spotted a tour boat moving up the river. Knowing what to expect, Lucas stepped back even deeper within the darkened alcove. The boat's running lights suddenly went out and a couple of spotlights stabbed out from either side of the boat. The spotlights swept along both shorelines, one sweeping past his location while the other captured the passionate young lovers on the bench across the river for a few seconds in its beam. Then the beams of light moved on further up the river to capture another pair of lovers, that he had not been aware of, in its light. The 'Romantic' Dinner Cruise boat continued up the river and Lucas eased back out from behind the barrier at the edge of the alcove. Again he was gazing up at the full moon and the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower letting the emotional ambiance soak into his soul.

Lucas found his mind wandering over his life spent haunting the nights of Paris and the encounters that had spawned the legend he seemed to have become. He remembered one pair of young lovers that had been accosted by a pair of ruffians. He had rushed to their aid and, with a roar and the flash of sharp claws, he had chased the ruffians off. In the heat of the moment his hood had slipped back and the two rescued lovers had seen his face. At the sound of the young girl's gasp and the feel of her fright, he had turned away and run off. That had been a little over four years ago and was the beginning of the legend of 'L'homme-lion des bords de Seine' who watched over and protected young lovers.

It had been less than six months later that he had come across a couple sitting on a bench, the girl in tears and the boy nearly as miserable. He had started to turn away from them but something about them had stopped him. He had listened from the shadows and had quickly realized that they were breaking up. The emotions that he was sensing from them told him that neither one was happy about it. Neither one really wanted to break up but their pride would not let either one admit that to the other. Out of annoyance and frustration at both of their stubborn foolishness he had stepped out of the shadows and told them that they were both fools and if they let their stupid pride get the better of them then they deserved the unnecessary pain that they were causing each other. Even at fourteen, in his dark hooded cloak, he made a very imposing figure standing there, his face barely visible in the waning light. The couple was cornered by their fear and he intimidated them into answering his questions. With a few careful probing questions, he was able to get them to each admit that they were both still in love and neither really wanted to break up. He left them staring at each other in surprised shock overlaid with a generous helping of relief and joy. That had cemented the 'watching over the lovers' part of the legend.

The other half of the legend had grown from an incident that happened nearly a year later when a very unpleasant young man had just been caught on the river walk with another woman, by his wife of less than a year. Lucas had witnessed the altercation and, in a fit of anger over the crude tenor of both the young man's words and his emotions, had chased the faithless husband for over a kilometer before breaking off.

As Lucas stood there and contemplated his past, his thoughts drifted even further back to his youth. He had spent a large part of that youth exploring the famous catacombs deep beneath the city. He remembered the day he had explored deeper than ever before and stumbled across a small community of people occupying those deepest caverns beneath the city. It had taken nearly a month of tentative contact to get them to accept him. Now he would go down there at least once a month and bring them the necessities that they had difficulty supplying for themselves.

He was so deep within his own thoughts that he had not sensed the approaching presence that came up behind him. He was drawn, startled, out of his revere when he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder. With a rush of fear and surprise he spun around ready to bolt.

It was his sister Lucie, her eyes glinting in barely suppressed mischief. "Just wanted to see how you're doing." She cocked her head in inquiry then she continued in flawless French. ~( You must have been very engrossed in your own thoughts not to have sensed my approach. )~

With an exaggerated sigh of relief, Lucas smiled at her. Lucie was just a bit over a year younger than Lucas and she was every bit as incredibly beautiful as their semi-retired fashion model mother. He responded to her in equally flawless French. ~( Are you meeting Jacques tonight? )~

She blushed nodding. ~( Yes I am. )~

Lucas chuckled. ~( Be careful out there. )~

She smiled, looking up into her big brother's very unique leonine face, and resumed speaking in perfect mid-western English again. "I'll be fine, Lucas. After all 'L'homme-lion de la Seine' is out tonight watching over the river." She grinned as she reached over to rest her hand on his shoulder then stretched up on her toes to give him a little peck on his fuzzy cheek.

Lucie pulled back and looked up and down the river walk then spotted Jacques approaching their location. She ran out to meet him. Lucas felt the flash of excited young love as the two of them came together. They embraced, kissed, and then with arms around each other's waist, they strolled westward along the river away from the Eiffel Tower. Lucie was only seventeen but she was very self-possessed for her age and knew what she wanted. Jacques was a very steady and reliable nineteen. Lucas could sense his very real and strong affection and respect for Lucie. They had only known each other for a couple of months but the love that had sprung between them was genuine and showed signs of growing into the long lasting 'forever after' kind. Lucas wondered though if that relationship would be able to survive Jacques introduction to her very unusual brother. Lucas knew that the thought did worry Lucie sometimes.

Lucie and Jacques had settled onto a bench about a hundred meters away when Lucas was distracted by a series of new and very discordant emotions coming from above and behind him. An altercation of some kind was taking place somewhere at the top of the river walk wall and he could sense lust, aggression, anger and disgust from the couple. He easily leaped to the top of the wall and looked toward the arguing couple.

The tall dark haired relatively handsome young boy grabbed at the smaller light brown haired girl. She swung out her arms and jerked herself out of his grip then slapped him. Lucas sensed an increase in the aggression in the boy; from the girl came surprise, loathing and the beginnings of a small amount of fear as she tried to back away from him. Lucas took a step toward the couple ready to charge in to help when the boy, yelling with sudden rage, charged at the girl. She shifted slightly and threw him over her hip in some type of judo move that landed him hard on his back. He rolled over and jumped up almost immediately and charged her again. This time when she tried to throw him he countered her move and soon he had the girl pinned against the low stone wall. Lucas had now stepped out into the open with the intention of again jumping in to help the girl when she kneed the boy in the groin, hard. He cried out, doubled over then dropped down to his knees.

The girl slipped around the groaning boy and started to back away from him when she glanced over her shoulder, spotting Lucas before he could jump back into the shadows. After a moment of shock she exclaimed. ~( Who are you! )~

The boy looked up at her exclamation, catching sight of the massive dark hooded figure standing close by, and cried out in fear mixed with pain. He struggled to his feet and staggered away as fast as he could, still clutching at his injured area.

~( I am just a stranger, I mean you no harm. )~ Lucas responded to the girl as he started to turn away. He could sense the usual familiar feelings running through the girl at the sound of his voice as he continued to speak. ~( I can see that you have no need of my help . . . I should go. )~

Drawn by the effect of the large stranger's voice on her, the girl took a step toward him. ~( No, wait, please, stay for a moment. )~

Lucas paused at her words then reluctantly turned back toward her. As he did so the light from one of the nearby street lamps momentarily penetrated the darkness under his hood and the girl caught a glimpse of his face. She took in a quick startled breath and her hand came up to her mouth as she took a quick step backward. There was surprise, uncertainty and to a lesser extent fear swirling through her. ~( My God! )~ Lucas quickly turned completely away from her. After a short pause, she took a hesitant step toward him, her fear warring with her curiosity, and inquired. ~( You are the one they call the Lion-man of the River Seine, are you not? )~

He hesitated then turned halfway back toward her. ~( Yes, I have been called by that name. )~

She took another step toward him. He could feel both, uncertainty and curiosity in equal measure with just a hint of fear coming from her now. ~( Please, let me see you better. )~

After a moment's hesitation Lucas turned fully toward her and paused. Then he reached up and drew back his hood.

She gasped and her emotions shift to disbelief and surprise with a small remnant of uncertainty ~( You are real! )~

Lucas nodded his head. ~( Yes, I am real. )~

Lucas could tell by her emotions that beneath it all she was still pretty shaken up by her unpleasant encounter with that boy as well as her shock at his own appearance and a delayed reaction was starting to set in. Also the shaking of her hands, the racing of her heart and the way she was swaying on her feet made him think that she might be on the verge of passing out. He began to feel concerned. ~( You are shaking. Are you alright? )~

She placed a hand against the low stone wall to steady herself as she stood there for a couple of seconds trying to regain her equilibrium. Finally, with a deep breath, she seemed to pull herself together. She was not entirely successful but she no longer appeared in danger of passing out. ~( I will be alright. )~ She stared into his face for several heartbeats then her eyes flicked down momentarily to his clawed hands. She took another deep breath then took another hesitant step toward him. Now they were standing less than three meters apart when she spoke again, the faint tremor of her voice still betraying the uncertainty that he could still sense in her. ~( Who are you? What are you? Do you have a name? )~

Lucas cocked his head and replied to her. ~( My name is Lucas . . . and I am exactly what you see. )~ He paused and gave her a half smile that did not expose his fangs. ~( What is your name? )~

Despite the creature's fearsome appearance, it almost seemed natural to her to trust that very sexy voice, the way it made her feel all warm and tingly inside. She smiled shyly back at him and replied. ~( Monique. I am Monique LeBeau. )~

Lucas cocked his head to one side as though evaluating her response. She still was just a bit nervous and a tiny bit scared underneath. ~( Are you sure that you are alright, Monique? )~

The way his voice caressed her name sent nearly erotic shivers up her spine and made her knees go rubbery. For a moment she wasn't sure she could remain standing.

Monique shook her head, in an attempt to clear it, then glanced in the direction that her supposed date had gone. ~( I guess I am just a bit shaken-up and a little nervous about being out this late alone. )~ She looked back into the face of the creature that called himself Lucas. She was finding it difficult to look away from that magnificently scary face.

Lucas glanced around scanning the area surrounding them for a moment then made a tentative suggestion. ~( If you wish, I can escort you to a safe place where you can find help getting home. Or there is a Vélib' bicycle station just on the other side of the river. )~

She blurted out. ~( I ah . . . I live on this side of the river very close to here. )~ She gulped, blinking and blushing at her own audacity. Had she really said that? She had stopped herself just short of inviting this creature to escort her home?

Lucas again half smiled as he gazed back at her, very attractive, face. He could feel her uncertainty and surprise and a hint of embarrassment. He refrained from approaching any closer but he held his clawed furry hand out to her as he revised his offer. ~( I may not be your ideal escort but I can promise you that I will get you safely home if you will allow me to walk with you. )~

Monique again glanced at the dangerous looking claws that he held out to her as she mulled over what he had just said. For some reason beyond her understanding she found herself strangely attracted to this fearsome lion-man. After a few second's hesitation she closed the gap between them and tentatively reached out to take the offered clawed hand. ~( I think I would appreciate that. )~ She dragged her gaze from his furry and clawed hand then shyly looked into his leonine face. ~( And I really do not think you are so bad as an escort. )~ She felt her face grow very hot as it turn very red at her temerity. At the same time she felt a shiver run up her spine at the feel of his furry hand. When his fingers gently closed around her hand she again felt a pleasant tingle run up her spine. She found herself wondering at the strange lack of fear that had grown to engulf her. She wondered if it was some magic in that irresistible voice of his?

Lucas felt a warm glow spread through him and his smile widened just a bit. Not only was she no longer afraid of him but she had also not found his touch to be the least bit unpleasant. When their hands had met, his sense of her had jumped tenfold. His empathic sense had always been greatly enhanced by physical contact. Finally he asked her. ~( Which way? )~

Monique caught a glimpse of the tips of fangs when his smile had widened. She felt her certainties waver for a moment and glanced back down at their joined hands, again feeling that little thrill. She looked back up into his eyes, trying to ignore the tips of fangs that were still peeking out. ~( The easiest way to reach my house from here is to take the river walk. )~ Her eyes were drawn to his feline cleft lips and the fangs that still peeked out of them. Then up along his flat feline nose to his very expressive eyes.

Lucas nodded acknowledgement then turned and led her down some nearby stone stairs to the river walk. At the bottom they paused and she pointed along the river toward the west, away from the Eiffel Tower. They took off walking in that direction. As they continued toward where Monique had said her house was located, Lucas kept sneaking glances at her. She did not have the kind of drop dead gorgeous fashion model beauty that his sister and his mother could boast but she was very pretty, with a kind of wholesome girl next door look that he found very appealing. And from the emotions he was sensing in her, he could tell that she was feeling attracted to him. He could also sense a feeling of puzzlement mixed in with the attraction and reminded himself that a large part of that attraction was probably just a result of the effect of his voice. But still she was very pleasant to look at and her hand felt good held in his.

Monique kept glancing at the profile of her strange escort and wondering what it was about him that attracted her so. His lion's face and sharply clawed hands were indeed frightening yet she was not afraid of him. Of course that incredibly sexy voice of his seemed to have grabbed her heart and made her want to melt. She felt that if she hung around him too long her heart would be lost. How could something so un-human looking have such an effect on her? Then again, just how un-human was this creature that walked beside her and spoke in such a polite cultured way with that incredible voice?

Lucas was so engrossed in his companion that he failed to notice when they were passing near a couple that was leaning up against the wall deep in their own romantic encounter. Lucas looked up in surprise at the startled gasp from the young man to discover that the couple was Lucie and Jacques.

Jacques exclaimed in surprise as he was trying to nudge Lucie behind him. ~( My god, it's the Lion-man! )~ He glanced at Lucie. ~( Lucie, get out of here; I will try to hold it off. )~ Jacques continued to try pushing Lucie behind him while standing his ground and facing the mysterious and dangerous looking creature.

Then Lucie exclaimed in shocked surprise. "Lucas?"

That was when Lucas realized that his hood was not up and Jacques could clearly see his face. He glanced from Jacques to Lucie then back at Jacques. It was too late to hide his face. After a second he replied in English. "I'm sorry, Lucie, I didn't mean to disturb you." He glanced at Monique then back at Lucie. "I was so engrossed that I wasn't paying attention."

"Just get out of here!" Lucie hissed at him as she started trying to pull Jacques away from where Lucas was standing. ~( Come with me, Jacques. Let us get out of here. )~

His swirling mind still locked on 'protect Lucie' mode, Jacques responded to her entreaty. ~( No, I must stay here. I will not let him hurt you. )~

Monique was observing the interaction with surprised interest mixed with a hint of confusion. She spoke excellent English and could easily understand what was being said between the other girl and Lucas. She began to wonder exactly what the relationship was between Lucas and the young woman.

Lucie continued to try pulling Jacques along with her. ~( Do not be foolish, Jacques. He will not harm us. )~

After several seconds of this strange tug-o-war, Jacques glanced back at his stubborn girlfriend in exasperation. Jacques finally took notice of Lucie's unusual reaction to the creature. He was trying to protect her from this creature, giving her a chance to get away, and she was resisting his efforts. ~( How can you be so sure that we are safe? That creature looks dangerous. )~

~( Do you not know anything? )~ Lucie gave out an exasperated sigh. ~( Only false lovers need fear him. )~

As they stared stubbornly at each other it was becoming obvious to Jacques that although Lucie was not happy about the lion-man's presence, she was not afraid of him. In fact he now realized that she seemed to know the creature. Jacques spoke very little English but he knew that Lucie had called the creature by name and he thought that it had sounded like the creature had apologized to her for something. Finally Jacques took hold of Lucie's upper arms and addressed her while keeping a wary eye on the creature. ~( Lucie, what's going on here? Do you know this . . . creature? )~

Lucie gave up trying to pull Jacques away as a burst of annoyance shot through her and she snapped at Jacques. ~( Yes, I know him and he is not a creature; he is my half-brother. His name is Lucas. )~

At this point Monique remarked to Lucas in surprise. ~( She is your sister? )~

Simultaneously Jacques remarked to Lucie in surprise. ~( He is your brother? )~

Continued in Part 2

'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.