Post by ipsey on Dec 17, 2020 8:43:47 GMT -5
She answered the door at the heavy knock. A good and clever peasant girl might not have, but she was not that. “Henri, mon amour, are you so lucky so soon? I am quite hungry!” She called out in a cheerful voice as the door swung open.
If she’d been full, she might have been cautious. But she hadn’t eaten in over a week; here in this hunter’s lodge in the dead of winter, far from any well travelled paths, where game and people were scarce, she woke to gnawing hunger every evening. This evening was no different; but perhaps taking pity on her, Henri had agreed to find something for her to eat.
The man before her was not Henri. He was taller, broader, and coarser, his clothes rough homespun and uncured leather. His teeth were yellow and flat, and some were missing. His eyes were hungry, but not for sustenance like she was. She took an involuntary step back from him. “Hello Pretty…” He cooed at her, advancing into the lodge.
Let me free. Her own voice whispered in her head. Fall into me.
“My Henri, he… he is not far!” She warned him, her fists clenching as she shook her head to silence the voice. “He will hear me!”
“Oh your man? I saw him as he left. My boys will take good care of him.” He grinned an ugly grin as his eyes swept up and down her body. “He begged me not to come here, told me that his sweet little thing was hungry and alone and just waiting for him to bring back a delicious morsel to fill her belly.” He chuckled roughly and tugged at his pants. “I got somethin’ to fill your belly.”
She backed away from him, nearly doubling over at the emotions that roiled within her. She pushed back into a panic away from the man, until her back was up against the wall and he was upon her. His hand closed on her throat, his breath heavy and hot in her face. “Oh, he said you was sweet, but he didn’t say nothin about how sweet you were. Never had me anything so exotic as this. I’m gonna enjoy myself on you, Pretty.” He said with an ugly laugh.
HUNGRY. The voice within her protested. He will violate us.
“No,” She protested weakly. “Henri!” She screamed. She felt like the blood should be pounding in her skull but there was nothing but silence and the voice and his heat as he pressed into her, so present and alive.
“Your Henri isn’t coming, Pretty,” He said as he pawed at her clothes. “It’s just you and me, Darlin.”
And me. The voice said as a laughing tease, purring in her mind. He is not afraid of you, but before he dies he will fear ME.
“No, no, please.” She begged, clinging desperately to herself as her hands batted ineffectually at his. She was still trying to restrain herself, still trying to be gentle.
He grabbed her hands by the wrist and pinned her to the wall, grinning. “That’s enough of that, Pretty. Just try to enjoy yourself.”
The impact of her flesh on the wood of the lodge snapped something in her. She looked in his dull, haggard eyes, her own alight with an inner fire, her mouth falling open with glee. She lost her hold, and when she spoke it was the voice within her that came out.
“Thank you. I think I will.” She said, her voice full of the throaty purr of the Beast. This close, she could not miss him, and when her fangs sank into his flesh he moaned in fear and pleasure as she held nothing back. He knew fear and pain as he died beneath her fangs and fists, and she left him as little more than mauled flesh on the dirt floor.
She stepped lightly out into the dirt and snow, still covered in his gore. The Beast was swift and still, her eyes moving sharply across the landscape until she found his track. She moved without speed, casual and still but hungry. The girl she was watched from within - not helpless, but observant. She did not try and regain control, and the Beast walked freely. From one spot to the next she moved on, following the whim of the wind until she found their encampment.
Henri was poorly trussed and hadn’t bothered to heal his bruises. He saw her first, and she saw the smile in his eyes, the turn of his lips around the gag they had roughly shoved in his mouth. He nodded his permission, and the Beast took out her hunger and rage on the three remaining men while Henri shrugged out of his bindings with a flex of his muscles. Henri held her hand before she could kill the last one, and forced him to drink his own blood to bind him. “A meal for the road.” He explained cheerfully.
Once sated, the Beast fell back asleep within her. Lucienne felt tired and heavy, but full and satisfied. She looked at the blood on her knuckles and fists, and licked them clean while Henri healed himself and sated his own hunger.
“You were beautiful, Mon Petit Lumiére. My Little Lux. Always bright, through good or bad.” He patted her shoulder, and began to dig through their things. “You made me proud.”
“Merci papa,” She said to him absently. He threw a knife at her feet and gestured at her hair, and she took it up, thoughtlessly cutting away at her dark curls and throwing them into the bandit’s fire. “You did this on purpose.” She said. It wasn’t a question.
“You needed to know what it feels like,” He said unapologetically. “It is safer to do this here, in the woods, with no one to see. To show you how it feels when you hunger, and how it feels when you let that hunger control you. You have found the lowest point you can handle, the place where you lose control.”
“What next?” She asked, scraping her scalp clean of the hair. Henri gathered up the best of their belongings, and made them into a bundle. When her head was shaved and her hair burned away, he kicked snow into the fire. Then he lifted one man on his shoulder, and nodded at the bundle. “Pick that one up and bring the bundle. You need to change, mon petit. We will go back to the lodge, and I will gather our things while you freshen up. We will leave Gévaudan at sunset tomorrow and be in Toulouse before the week is over. Once you have learned control, I will take you to my home in Cumberland to train you the rest of the way. We will visit Paris and London on the way, and I will show you many, many wonderful things, my Lux” Henri’s new ghoul chased after him fearfully. He would not survive to the journey to Toulouse.
She carried the man over her shoulder and gathered up the bundle. The walk to the lodge was slower as she moved, weighed down by the man on her shoulder and the Beast’s slumber. In the lodge, she washed and threw her dress on the fire, and changed into the clothes he had found on the bandits. Tired, she lay down into deep sleep before dawn as Henri and his new pet packed the cart.
She woke up to the smell of smoke and a rush of heat. Already the lodge was on fire, though there was a clear path between her and the door. “Hurry up, Mon Petit!” Henri called from outside. “You don’t have much time!”
LET ME GO! The voice cried in her head. This time, she did not fight.
If she’d been full, she might have been cautious. But she hadn’t eaten in over a week; here in this hunter’s lodge in the dead of winter, far from any well travelled paths, where game and people were scarce, she woke to gnawing hunger every evening. This evening was no different; but perhaps taking pity on her, Henri had agreed to find something for her to eat.
The man before her was not Henri. He was taller, broader, and coarser, his clothes rough homespun and uncured leather. His teeth were yellow and flat, and some were missing. His eyes were hungry, but not for sustenance like she was. She took an involuntary step back from him. “Hello Pretty…” He cooed at her, advancing into the lodge.
Let me free. Her own voice whispered in her head. Fall into me.
“My Henri, he… he is not far!” She warned him, her fists clenching as she shook her head to silence the voice. “He will hear me!”
“Oh your man? I saw him as he left. My boys will take good care of him.” He grinned an ugly grin as his eyes swept up and down her body. “He begged me not to come here, told me that his sweet little thing was hungry and alone and just waiting for him to bring back a delicious morsel to fill her belly.” He chuckled roughly and tugged at his pants. “I got somethin’ to fill your belly.”
She backed away from him, nearly doubling over at the emotions that roiled within her. She pushed back into a panic away from the man, until her back was up against the wall and he was upon her. His hand closed on her throat, his breath heavy and hot in her face. “Oh, he said you was sweet, but he didn’t say nothin about how sweet you were. Never had me anything so exotic as this. I’m gonna enjoy myself on you, Pretty.” He said with an ugly laugh.
HUNGRY. The voice within her protested. He will violate us.
“No,” She protested weakly. “Henri!” She screamed. She felt like the blood should be pounding in her skull but there was nothing but silence and the voice and his heat as he pressed into her, so present and alive.
“Your Henri isn’t coming, Pretty,” He said as he pawed at her clothes. “It’s just you and me, Darlin.”
And me. The voice said as a laughing tease, purring in her mind. He is not afraid of you, but before he dies he will fear ME.
“No, no, please.” She begged, clinging desperately to herself as her hands batted ineffectually at his. She was still trying to restrain herself, still trying to be gentle.
He grabbed her hands by the wrist and pinned her to the wall, grinning. “That’s enough of that, Pretty. Just try to enjoy yourself.”
The impact of her flesh on the wood of the lodge snapped something in her. She looked in his dull, haggard eyes, her own alight with an inner fire, her mouth falling open with glee. She lost her hold, and when she spoke it was the voice within her that came out.
“Thank you. I think I will.” She said, her voice full of the throaty purr of the Beast. This close, she could not miss him, and when her fangs sank into his flesh he moaned in fear and pleasure as she held nothing back. He knew fear and pain as he died beneath her fangs and fists, and she left him as little more than mauled flesh on the dirt floor.
She stepped lightly out into the dirt and snow, still covered in his gore. The Beast was swift and still, her eyes moving sharply across the landscape until she found his track. She moved without speed, casual and still but hungry. The girl she was watched from within - not helpless, but observant. She did not try and regain control, and the Beast walked freely. From one spot to the next she moved on, following the whim of the wind until she found their encampment.
Henri was poorly trussed and hadn’t bothered to heal his bruises. He saw her first, and she saw the smile in his eyes, the turn of his lips around the gag they had roughly shoved in his mouth. He nodded his permission, and the Beast took out her hunger and rage on the three remaining men while Henri shrugged out of his bindings with a flex of his muscles. Henri held her hand before she could kill the last one, and forced him to drink his own blood to bind him. “A meal for the road.” He explained cheerfully.
Once sated, the Beast fell back asleep within her. Lucienne felt tired and heavy, but full and satisfied. She looked at the blood on her knuckles and fists, and licked them clean while Henri healed himself and sated his own hunger.
“You were beautiful, Mon Petit Lumiére. My Little Lux. Always bright, through good or bad.” He patted her shoulder, and began to dig through their things. “You made me proud.”
“Merci papa,” She said to him absently. He threw a knife at her feet and gestured at her hair, and she took it up, thoughtlessly cutting away at her dark curls and throwing them into the bandit’s fire. “You did this on purpose.” She said. It wasn’t a question.
“You needed to know what it feels like,” He said unapologetically. “It is safer to do this here, in the woods, with no one to see. To show you how it feels when you hunger, and how it feels when you let that hunger control you. You have found the lowest point you can handle, the place where you lose control.”
“What next?” She asked, scraping her scalp clean of the hair. Henri gathered up the best of their belongings, and made them into a bundle. When her head was shaved and her hair burned away, he kicked snow into the fire. Then he lifted one man on his shoulder, and nodded at the bundle. “Pick that one up and bring the bundle. You need to change, mon petit. We will go back to the lodge, and I will gather our things while you freshen up. We will leave Gévaudan at sunset tomorrow and be in Toulouse before the week is over. Once you have learned control, I will take you to my home in Cumberland to train you the rest of the way. We will visit Paris and London on the way, and I will show you many, many wonderful things, my Lux” Henri’s new ghoul chased after him fearfully. He would not survive to the journey to Toulouse.
She carried the man over her shoulder and gathered up the bundle. The walk to the lodge was slower as she moved, weighed down by the man on her shoulder and the Beast’s slumber. In the lodge, she washed and threw her dress on the fire, and changed into the clothes he had found on the bandits. Tired, she lay down into deep sleep before dawn as Henri and his new pet packed the cart.
She woke up to the smell of smoke and a rush of heat. Already the lodge was on fire, though there was a clear path between her and the door. “Hurry up, Mon Petit!” Henri called from outside. “You don’t have much time!”
LET ME GO! The voice cried in her head. This time, she did not fight.