As the texture of his tongue and gentle brush of his teeth found the swell of her breast, she sucked in air sharply. This caused the panther to stop and looked up at her.

"Fare you well?" The vibration of his deep voice surged through her body and shivered her but in a most pleasant and warm way. She managed a weak smile and breathless whisper. "Yes, m-m'lord."

A glittering grin of white teeth met her quaking smile. She realized as he spoke again that his mouth did not form words, it was the muzzle of a great cat and nothing human about it. His 'voice' was only a projection of his thoughts, accompanied by the feral purr from his throat.

There was a flash of golden slitted eyes with his nod, then his head lowered once more to let his tongue swirl over her breasts, roughness taunting her hard nipples.

Her fingers ached upon the iron rings. Her hips shifted beneath his warm soft belly. She arched her back to take best advantage of his questing mouth. Besides the deep burning urge building within her, there was another notion, another desire. She dared voice it. "M'lord, may I… if it would please you, might I be permitted…"

She stopped as his head rose again to look directly at her. His brow was knitted together, eyes narrowed, but not in anger, she thought, she hoped.

"Speak your wish."

She swallowed hard beneath his gaze then glanced up at one hand grasping an iron ring before looking back at him. "May I release the rings, m'lord? Perhaps… to touch you as well?"

A low growling purr rumbled up from his throat. His body pressed more heavily over her as he stretched to nuzzle along her arm and trace his tongue in a hot moist trail to her wrist. His teeth gently clamped onto her wrist and tugged only enough to prompt her to release her grip on the iron ring. She panted as she felt a more solid part of him brush between her thighs when he released her other hand in the same fashion.

As he shifted back, the firmness between her legs left, with the softness of only his belly fur against her once again. His golden eyes regarded her as he tilted his head to one side then back. After one long slow blink, his mental voice and purr spoke. "You no longer wish to escape this beast?"

Her hands came up, fingers disappearing into the fur of his neck, flexing in its plush warm softness. Her whisper drifted through his purring. "No wish to leave, m'lord Cyrus."

He released a deep moaning breath and rolled his head to let her caress his neck more easily. His golden eyes narrowed and closed as his hips settled heavy between her thighs. She felt his long thick tail tapping slowly upon her ankle, beating out a rhythm with his deep purr.

Shortly she was surprised as he rose up on his front paws. He moved back from her and settled onto the mattress between her open legs. She felt his breath upon her exposed softness. He draped one huge paw over her thigh and flexed it, extending and retracting his claws, without damage to her soft skin. All the while his golden eyes regarded her, with but an occasional slow blink. His tail continued its metered tapping upon her ankle.

"M'lord?"

He twisted his head to rest his cheek upon her mound. The tickle of his fur and whiskers reminded her of his earlier attention and she shivered beneath him. There was a long silence from the great cat, making her ponder many possibilities and ache for him to return to his previous activity. Perhaps her boldness disturbed him. Perhaps he was through with her. She sincerely wished this was not so.

Idly he began to lick at his paw then with a slight move, his tongue drew across her thigh. The claws upon her leg became more stinging but she hardly noticed for his tongue was once again lapping into her soft folds. Breathless moans escaped her while his stroking did not pause; yet his voice came to her mind again.

"The taste of you, lass… reminds me of a life long gone. Would that I could…"

She stuttered as her body reeled with his tongue's hot touch. "D-do you not… I mean, in s-service, as you said..." She wasn't making sense but could not form a coherent thought under his tongue's rough teasing.

"Mmm, yes, but not as I once could. Only as this form allows."

Her back arched off the mattress as his muzzle pressed into her wetness, forcing out her partial question in a guttural groan, "Which is?"

She dropped back panting as he rose above her then sat back on his haunches. "Present yourself on hands and knees. I shall show you." It was a soft command.

Of course. Her muddled mind should have put this together already. She curled over onto her side then rose up on hands and knees, presenting her smooth round ass to him. She stepped her knees wide apart and lowered her shoulders such that all of her was visible and available to him.

Looking over her back with a trace of worry, she still smiled. Glittering eyes flashed back at her. His tongue licked out over his muzzle, then he lowered his head out of her field of vision.

Her gasp hissed at the stone wall as his nose pushed up between her thighs. His tongue took in her moisture from this new angle in such a way as to make her stance unsteady, but she held her position. When she felt him move and his furred tummy pressed against her cheeks, she twisted to see his massive paws planted on either side of her. His strong back legs stepped him forward, fur brushing the backs of her thighs.

Her head dropped as his stiffened member slipped tentatively between her legs. He continued over her until she was blanketed with his warm black velvet.

Suddenly she cried out as his jaws clamped onto the nape of her neck. She was not injured but surprised and held securely. His downward pressure at her shoulders forced her ass harder against him and thus, he slipped into her.

Immediately his form's instincts took over. His muscular hips and thighs pounded against her. He might have forced her into the stone wall, if his own forelegs and bite at her neck had not held her in place to take his hard thrusts.

Blinding flashes of pain and pleasure sparked in her mind. Her body was captive to his punishing power. Each stroke began to force a hoarse cry from her, til his haunches pounded too quickly for her to catch air in between.

There was the briefest halt in his strokes, through which she expanded her lungs with air at last. It was all soon forced from her in such a harsh wail that she could not believe herself capable of it. His member within her pulsed his release and in the process, stung deep inside her softest flesh. Lord Cyrus' jaws released her neck as he tossed his head up in a deep belly roar that jarred her beneath him.

As he shook his head and flicked his ears, he shook the bedding and his conquest too. His feral instincts wanted to pull out from her, having spent his seed, but he was not yet soft enough to escape her tightness. As he struggled to free himself, there was remaining pleasure in it, but also a need to separate them both from the painful pressure and stinging.

When at last he slipped from her, the great cat stepped aside. He dropped heavily onto the mattress with his back to her. She collapsed as well and listened to their panting breathing as her mind and body recovered.

He curled up and stared into the darkness. His tail wrapped around his hind legs, the tip slowly tapping on the velvet mattress. His fever was gone, only his sense of loss remained, loss of long ago, for whom and what he once was. "Thus it is, in this form." He exhaustedly muttered within his own mind but she heard it as well.

She could do nothing but achingly roll onto her side and wrap herself against his warm black fur. No other response occurred to her before they were both overcome by sleep.

(Click on candle to return to the Great Hall)

Circe's Beastiary

Atrium
Beasts

Cyrus' Request