Full Moons Rising
Elizabeth Knight
Chapter 18
Bra opened her eyes slowly sometime in the late afternoon. Her eyes gazed up at the clear blue sky, then over to the tall rock walls surrounding her. Shackles bound her wrists and ankles to the wall behind her. She could climb down off the large mattress she'd been laying on, but couldn't make it far enough to get out the door in the side of one wall. It looked like there were several passages in the hallway, but Bra couldn't really see that far to tell.
There was a trey with several unusual fruits on it in the center of the room. Bra gingerly touch a fruit and rolled it around in the palm of her hand. It was small, about the size of a plum or apricot but it was white in color. She probably shouldn't, but Bra was starving. She had the largest appetite all of a sudden. Bra took a small bite, enjoying the sweet substance that flowed over her tongue. It was thick like a light syrup and cool.
"There's water for your refreshment as well, my lady. I had wanted to bring something more tasty, but I thought water might prove to be more useful. I hope the fruit pleases your tastes. If you need anything else, let me know." the voice was but a shadow in the shadows above her. Bra looked up around the opening of the makeshift cell and noticed several other holes near the top. It was as if there was a second layer to be accessible from another location. The crimson cloak fell a third of the way down the wall into the light below. "There's a folded dress on the bolder next to you to replace your own shredded clothing."
Bra looked down at herself immediately and noticed he was right. Her cloths looked as if they'd been mauled by a lion or something. They were bare tatters hanging from her curves. Bra searched her memory for anything that would help her remember what had happened, but everything was blank. The last she remembered was crawling into bed last night with a deep searing fire in her body and a migraine headache.
Shaking her head to clear it, Bra approached the bundle on the rock cautiously. Picking it up, she let it unfurl and recognized it immediately. It was her's to begin with. One of her favorite purple gowns. It hit bottom of her ankles and had a slit up one side. It was a rather simple dress with no other decorative trimmings to it. Glancing back up where the figure had been standing, she checked to make sure she was alone once again before changing into the dress. She picked up the clay pitcher of water and downed a good bit of the cooling substance. She let it run out the sides of her mouth and down her throat to her chest. It felt good racing along and cooling her fevered skin. She felt as if she hadn't had anything to drink in decades, she was so parched.
"Drink all you like. I can bring you more."
The soothing voice echoed off the cave walls as he entered through the bottom door in front of her this time. His hood hung low over his face, and a mask concealed the rest from view. Bra jumped slightly from his unexpected entrance, and the pitcher slipped from her grasp. She looked down at it right before it should have hit the stone floor, but it didn't. It hung in mid-air not going anywhere. Bra glanced up at the stranger, who had his black leather clad hand slightly extended toward the pitcher. He twitched his fingers slightly as if beckoning the pitcher to him, and it flew that direction instantly. He held the pitcher out to her, and Bra caught a flash of dark brown eyes beneath the white mask. She glanced down at the gloved hand that held the pitcher out to her and noticed it too was strangely made. Her captor was definitely one of the natives. His speech was perfect in the English tongue though, betraying nothing of his identity.
Their eyes locked as he looked up at her for the first time. "Take it. I'm not going to hurt you, Bra. Yet."
Kyle paced the walkway in a distracted state. He didn't notice the sun dropping under the horizon, or the moons coming out. He didn't see the dark figure closing in upon him, so lost in thought was he.
He'd come upon his sister in the nick of time the night before. White Fang had laid an ambush for them, and RepSarah had figured it out. If Kyle had been paying attention, he too would have noticed the group of men that had left the council meeting earlier than everyone else. Instead he'd been preoccupied and White Fang had almost destroyed his sister's mate. If it wasn't for the incredible transformation Trunks had pulled off , Trunks would have been a goner for sure. In his giant ape form he'd disabled several of them before his friends had arrived. Zantha had taken off after him, but Kyle had recognized the ki coming for them. It was Vegeta. Kyle had stayed put in the shadows till Trunks took off with Zantha, and then fairly secure in the knowledge she'd be safe, he left himself.
He'd run into Isaru and an unhappy RepSarah on his way back. Neither of them had spoken to him, so they made their journey in silent reflections over the last evening's events. They had arrived back at Kyle's village late in the afternoon and had taken to their beds immediately. The exhaustion of the previous evening and the long journey by foot back to his village had overwhelmed him. Kyle welcomed the sleep that had overcome him. He had drifted into a dreamless sleep that revived his strength and his spirits.
Now he was awake and restless. He felt as if something weren't quite right, but he couldn't place it. He'd left Bra in anger, and that more than likely was what was bothering him now. Now that he'd had time to think it over, he knew he owed her an explanation even if he'd fought with her for her own protection. It would have to wait for a few more days though. He didn't have the strength or the will power to overcome an obstinate Bra, nor did his body think it could handle another onslaught of sensual teasing from his nymph. He clinched his fists and stomped faster as a sliver of desire ran through his body. Just the thought of her lusciousness sent all consuming fires to igniting in his fevered blood. He was drowning himself, and there was no one who could save him now.
"So here you are. I've been looking for you cat-man."
Kyle gritted his teeth and turned to look at the owner of that voice. If there was anyone he didn't want to see right now, it would be him. "What do you want now?"
"I've come to take my daughter back home....again." Vegeta said.
Kyle stopped his pacing to face the maddening Vegeta. His mind raced. What was this about? Bra wasn't with him. "What do you mean you've come to take her home. She should already be there, Vegeta."
"She is not." Vegeta stated bluntly.
"That can't be."
"Did you or did you not see my daughter last night, cat-man?"
"I did, but that's where I left her. She's not here."
"Cat-man don't lie to me. She has to be with you." Vegeta grabbed Kyle up around his throat and lifted him on his toes. "I want to know where she is now!"
"I told you she isn't here." Kyle replied, wriggling out of Vegeta's hold.
"Then perhaps she decided to follow you." Vegeta suggested.
"Perhaps not. We were so tiered after last night, we walked back here. There's no way we could have missed her."
"You must have. Where else would she be?"
Bra awoke again to a burning sensation similar to what she'd felt the night before but much more intense. Her breathing was ragged and the cool air that whipped along the back of her legs didn't seem to be helping cool the fires that burned within her. She looked up in the sky at the full moons rising. Her eyes became transfixed on the bright globes as her breathing spread up. The longer she looked at the globes the worse the burning became. It was as if her body was absorbing the rays falling upon her in the middle of the mattress.
Her mind registered the sound of ripping material as her purple dress gave way to the growth of her muscles and the added light tan tail out the back. Bra closed her eyes and grabbed the side of her head covering her ears as they began to send a searing pain through her head. It built up so much pain, she through her head back and let out a piercing scream.
Unbeknownst to her, curious brown eyes looked down upon the scene unfolding beneath him. He watched as her eyes began to glow an iridescent blue that cut through the dark below to latch upon him. He watched in wonder as her ears stretched to become almost bat like, and her hair went wild, tangling her legs in their lushes strands. Light tan fur began to cover her shoulders and arms. Her legs lengthened slightly as her muscles pushed against the skin that restrained them. Her head flew back and a light burst forth from her eyes and her mouth as the last finishing touches took place.
The light faded and Bra crumpled to the mattress completely unaware of anything but darkness. Sweet, sweet darkness. Gentle hands rolled her over where the light shined upon her up turned face, and the suffocating hair that hung all around her was pushed back. The smooth feel of leather ran along the length of one ear and pried back the lips covering her newly acquired, elongated canines. A leather covered hand ran down her neck to push the massive weight off her shoulders. She felt as if she were cradled, and then laid back down. She didn't have the energy to even open her eyes to look upon her comforter. All was silent in the cave as soundless footsteps made their way across the floor and out of the small confinement area.
Bra slept so long, she had no way of accounting for the time she'd spent in the cave, chained to the wall during the long hours of the day. She counted the number of nights. Each night she'd awaken to a searing pain and a bright light would wash over her, leaving chaos in it's wake. Each night it took longer and longer for the darkness to claim her. Each night she was aware of another's presence observing at first then slightly comforting at it's end. Each night she gained a little more strength, and each night he waited in the shadows for her to finally give in to the mindless darkness waiting for her. But not tonight.
Bra stayed absolutely silent as she felt herself fall forward on the mattress beneath her, and she waited patiently for her captor, comforter to approach her. Her sensitive ears picked out the sound of his long cloak swishing along the rock wall as he climbed down to her. His next to silent footsteps now echoed in her newly sensitize ears as he approached her. She kept her eyes closed, waiting.