Beauty & The Beast

Tebhet reached up to touch her fingers to the side of Djeretu's face. The Apsiu cocked his head slightly, as if puzzled, but didn't object to her curiosity. She traced the edge of his jaw and down his muzzle, feeling the short coarse fur. Her hands came to the red lappets hanging down in front of his ears; after feeling the cloth she reached up further to remove the light leather cap from his head. He snorted slightly, nostrils flaring, and lowered his ears a fraction--she had a feeling the Apsiu rarely removed their headwear--but again he allowed it to be removed. Tebhet stared at him. She'd never seen an Apsiu without his skullcap and colored lappets; his large brown eyes stared back, as curious as hers. He seemed to wonder what she found interesting.

She smiled slightly. "You're handsome."

His look humored her a little. "I am Apsiu."

Her smile deepened. "You're a handsome Apsiu."

He didn't reply at first, just looking at her as if still trying to determine what held her interest. "Your people usually find mine repellent," he finally said, his voice gentle, as if informing her of something she should know.

"They're wrong." She stroked his muzzle. "There's beauty there."

Surprise in those large brown eyes. "Beauty?"

Tebhet paused and then leaned toward him, almost tentatively placing her lips to the tip of his long muzzle. He snorted again; she felt his breath on her face. She touched his jaw and felt his mouth open--a little. His tongue flicked out first, to meet hers; evidently the curiosity went both ways. She opened her mouth fully; Djeretu tasted the inside of her, his tongue running along her teeth. Her own flicked against his long lower tusks.

She reached to carefully pull off his armor, removing his lined kilt. He didn't remove her clothing so she stayed dressed, for now. Tebhet ran her fingers down the Kana's broad chest, the hard muscles of his abdomen, alighting upon his sheath, encasing his member. As she kissed him she examined it. The Apsiu Kana were generally more muscular, if not bigger, than humans; as a Kana elite Djeretu was no exception. He was better endowed than any human she'd seen, and this she admired as well. Almost unconsciously her fingers trailed underneath, cupping and squeezing him gently.

She sensed a catch in his breath, a tightening of his muscles. His wings fanned the air slightly. She broke the kiss and looked up at him.

"You dislike it," she guessed.

He shook his head. "Our females...usually do no such thing," he murmured, his voice husky. "But...it is pleasurable."

She smiled. Her touches roused him, so he rose hard from his sheath; she continued stroking him lightly as they kissed again.

Even his kiss was unusual. The more aroused he became, the more he bit at her slightly, just hard enough to sting, his teeth scoring her lips. She supposed it was something the Apsiu did. She sat up, pulling her dress up over her legs. She grasped the stiff bristly mane at his nape to pull herself up into his lap; clasping his sides with her knees, she joined herself to him, earning a low growling moan from Djeretu as he slid inside her. She took his hands, placed them on her hips; his claws sank slightly into her skin as she put her arms around him, burrowing her face against his breast and holding him tight. She breathed in his lightly musky scent. It intoxicated her, made her giddy, like the sweet sting of pleasure-pain of him deep inside.

His muscles strained against her. She rocked her hips, coaxingly; the Kana seemed to understand, as his hands pulled her to him, his own hips pushing, filling her with himself. Tebhet panted into the fur of his breast. Her fingers clutched his back; her thighs quivered at his sides.

Djeretu nuzzled against her neck, behind her ear. His teeth bit lightly at the lobe. Tebhet sighed and lifted her head to arch her neck for him. With one hand she reached underneath their shifting bodies to cup him again. The slight rasp in his breath increased; his heat throbbed inside her.

"You've been alone," she whispered. She shut her eyes, let him rock into her.

When he spoke his voice was thick, low and throaty almost. "I have not...been with a female in a long time. Since my last mate I've never found one suitable." The barest pause, a silent questioning. "You haven't been with a male in some time."

She would have shook her head, if able. "No." The faintest whisper. "I never found one suitable."

"Yet you come to me--an Apsiu." His hand touched her face.

"Yes." She nestled against him. "You're suitable. There's beauty in you."

She could hear his heart pounding in his chest, continued her gentle squeezing-stroking. "Beauty is not the reason we...do such things."

Tebhet looked up at him through glazed eyes. "What is?"

Djeretu stared back down at her; a light burned in his eyes now, burning, she supposed, for her. "Kana sons," he said. "He who fathers many has much honor to bring to the Apsiu. Anything else...is only secondary."

She put her head to him again. "I don't know if we could have children together."

"This isn't the reason you came to me."

"No. It's not." She stroked his side, breathing more deeply as he moved. "I came to you because I fell in love with you. There must be another reason why you've accepted me, if not for children."

"Yes," he said. It was more than enough for her. She sighed and touched his wings, hands trailing over the membrane, tracing the bones; Djeretu snorted, loudly this time. Tebhet realized the wings must be a Kana pleasure spot, at least Djeretu's. She caressed them, pressing her face to his breast; felt him clutch her more tightly, his motions growing into a strong thrusting, deep, quick, almost animal. His breath came faster as well, rasping raggedly in his throat so he almost groaned.

She pulled back, taking him with her, down onto the bed. Djeretu continued thrusting atop her, letting out a husky guttural growl which grew slowly into a high rasping whine as he finished, pushing deep, wings flaring wide and head going back. Tebhet gasped and shivered at the thrill of pleasure that passed through her, but took the most interest in seeing his own climax. After a suspended moment the Kana's wings descended with a faint rustle; his head tipped forward again and Tebhet watched the slowing rise and fall of his chest. She caressed his side as he caught his breath.

Djeretu opened his eyes--with a little effort, she saw--to look down at her as she did so. She smiled at him. When he noticed the state of her clothing she pulled the dress off and took his hand, touching it to her. He paused, as if uncertain, before very gently touching her breast, one claw tracing around the nipple. He watched it grow hard and stopped touching her.

"This is what happens," she murmured, bringing his hand back. "For me. The same as it happens when I touch you."

He frowned slightly. "You wish...you wish for nesakh'ai again?"

Tebhet frowned back. "Nes--nes-akh--?"

"It's our word for--this. This--what your people call it--to make love."

Tebhet's face lit up. "Oh. Nesakh'ai." She smiled at him. "I enjoy being with you, Djeretu."

"Over humans."

She took his hand and looked at it, the sharp claws in place of where a human's fingernails would be. He seemed to understand her scrutiny and curled his hand into a fist.

"It's not that," she said softly, still touching his hand. "It's only...with our people when you fall in love, there are supposed to be no boundaries. It doesn't matter who you love or why. You just do."

"I know this is not true." Djeretu's voice took on a hard edge. "I've seen separations among your people--higher and lower--the same as mine. In that we're no different."

"I know. It's supposed to be true. We all idealize things at times."

"This is among your people. Not mine."

She looked up at him again. "It doesn't go that way among the Apsiu?"

"Not with the Kana."

She waited for him to elaborate before realizing he wasn't going to. "Why is that?"

Now the Apsiu looked caught, embarrassed and stumbling for an answer. "It...it just is. We've never had use for that. The highest honor besides valor in battle is to father many Kana sons who will fight better than we have. 'Love,' that--that never figures--figured into anything."

"So what's it for, with your people?"

"It's for nothing. It only gets in the way. Only the Moru have time for that, if at all."

Tebhet fell silent a moment. "You've fooled me, at least. This seemed sincere."

Djeretu flushed. "I was never insincere--I never fooled you. What happened, it..." He stumbled again, unable to find the right words despite his knowledge of the language, and growled with frustration. "Akh'ta nenhai thupa mkha'a'ta!"

Tebhet flinched away. Djeretu flapped his wings once and clenched and unclenched his fist. He still growled as if angry, but she could tell he was upset only over his inability to say what he was thinking.

She tried to say it for him. "This does happen among your people, doesn't it...it's just something you never speak of. And try never to cultivate if it should arise."

The Kana let out his breath. "I have been with Apsiu females. I will not lie. This is custom among my people. To father many Kana sons. I had two of my own when I lived among the Apsiu."

Tebhet took in a breath. "You had children?"

A nod. "Yes. Two Kana sons. Three daughters. The rest, Moru. One of my sons was killed in battle. He died with honor, and brought some to me. I was...close to the female who mothered him. He was my first son. But after him, she bore me only Moru. I had...I had to find another female. Moru sons bring no honor. The more Moru a Kana fathers, the more ridicule he receives." He paused, and she saw the muscles of his jaw work. "I still do not know what became of her. If she was killed, or sent to work among Moru, or claimed by another Kana. I came to fight for Lord Set after that."

Tebhet touched his face. "So your people do feel it, then."

"I never denied that we did. But it is something we would best do without." He looked down at her again. "And you. You've never told me why you claim me."

Claim... He still thought somewhat like a Kana. "Above all others in the city, I saw you," she said. "I suppose I could have chosen anyone...but after I first saw you guarding the city gate, you were the only one I could think of. It didn't matter to me that you were Apsiu. It might matter to others, but--I've decided not to let them determine how I should feel. I wanted to see what you would determine." She held his arms. "You said I claimed you. Would you claim me?"

A startled look. "You're human. You are not mine to claim."

"We're together. No one is stopping us. Out of anyone in the city, human or Apsiu, who would you choose?"

Djeretu paused. He seemed to think that perhaps this was a test of some kind, that the wrong answer would mean trouble. After a long while he lowered his head a little, his eyes averted and his ears folded back slightly. Even his wings lowered.

"I would claim you," he said quietly. "If I could."

Tebhet sat up to kiss him softly on the side of his muzzle. "We've both claimed each other. No one else can change that." She trailed her fingers down his chest. "You said something earlier...nesakh'ai." He lifted his head at the word. "Among my people, we do this for more reasons than to produce children. We often do it to show love--our 'claim' on one another."

Djeretu stared at her. Tebhet kissed him, turned to lean her back against him, nestling at his breast again. It wasn't long before she felt him reach tentatively for her breasts, touching them lightly as he had before, seeing them grow hard. She reached behind him to caress his wings. Her back arched as she did so; he stiffened and rose beneath her. His breath came faster; she felt his hands seize her, firmly but not roughly; his wings beat at the air; he lifted her and brought her down onto him, her head resting against his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her body from behind to keep her close. Their muscles tightened and shivered in unison; as Tebhet threw back her head with a gasp Djeretu began to thrust, moving strongly and fully, possessing her as a Kana would. With her eyes shut she listened to the rumble in his throat, the low animal growl of the Apsiu; it joined with her soft cries of want and desire.

As they moved upon the bed, as Djeretu thrust into her, he flapped his wings; Tebhet could imagine that they were flying, Djeretu soaring heavenward with her clasped to him, the two of them making love on currents of air rising from his massive wingbeats. The breeze cooled the sweat from her brow. In her dream--and his too, she believed--they ascended on shafts of light, their embrace tighter, his wingbeats faster, until they reached the sun and exploded within each other. They fell back to earth as they were now--Djeretu bowing over her, his wings fanning the air faintly and his breath coming out quick, but slowing; and she still clasped to him, her eyes opening onto the dimness of the room, looking upwards with a faint smile into her lover's face.

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