I've been meaning to re-write Brithday Presents into a full length story, but the execution is proving difficult. In the mean time, I have made headway on other projects, one of which is a longer story about Lofae who appears in Deliverance and Manifesto. She is hard but surprisingly entertaining to write.
Here's the start of the story, no doubt still riddled with errors. Intended for an adult audience.
BIRTHRIGHT
<The Opening Action-y Part>
Pain eviscerated my arm as the wolf’s teeth sunk in, but it was the creature’s hunger that I felt even keener. With my free hand, I grabbed hold of its scruff and used the last drops of my power to take hold of its will.
“By all means, do indulge,” I managed through my gritted teeth. This body was beautiful once, but it had not measured up to the trials of the Surface. Upon my order, the wolf ripped my arm clean off with a jerk of its head, and began to devour it whole. It would be stronger still after it had feasted on the rest of my flesh.
I half laughed, half screamed as I fell to the cold forest floor. The pain this body endured as the wolf came back for seconds was beyond anything that the original occupant had experienced in her lifetime. The closest she had come to being eaten alive was when she was captured by wart trolls and forced for a brief few decades to entertain them. It had been an educational experience, one she later drew on to extract obedience in her own climb to power.
Pain always had a lesson. Even now I lingered in this body, on the brink of death, to hear it whisper its secrets to me. Only when she was dangerously close to the edge did I reluctantly detach from her and slither my way down to where the wolf gnawed on the body’s thigh.
He barely looked up when I climbed onto his face, but let out a high pitched whine as I flattened my rubbery body against the insides of his cranium and dug my long, stringy limbs into the soft nervy mass of brain. Like the wolf, I was not particularly enthused about this arrangement either. My usual preference was for hosts of higher form than beasts, and more attractive if I could manage it. This temporary form was a depressing necessity until I could learn the Surface world better. Still, I gave a contented sigh and tried to ration my feeding. It would take perhaps a few weeks to learn the wolf’s instincts. If I wanted to survive, I had to keep the brain intact until then.
The meat of the Melanthe warrior smelled rather odd to the wolf. Not his usual fare, but one did what one could to cling to life. As he fed, I gathered what intelligence I could from his fatty folds. The mysteries of the Surface, revealed, surprised me. Brightness was not, in fact, a malevolent hell creature that blinded and scorched its prey, but a marker of time. There were also seasonal temperatures to adhere to; passages of time when Brightness hung long in the sky and food was plentiful, contrasted with time when she did not and the earth became barren. Currents of air did not signal the imminent arrival of doom, they served to bring closer the scent of unseen predators and prey.
This season of Cold was particularly brutal. He had to stay away from all the frantic activity of the Monsters who not only encroached on his territory, but destroyed it so that no other creature could have it. A lone wolf could not retaliate against the Monsters so he bore the injury with much anxiety and continued to mark what he could with his irrefutable pungency.
As soon as the carcass was devoured, I steered the protesting wolf closer to his Monsters. The more I learnt of them, the more convinced I was that theirs was a civilization that I was more acquainted with. Space was vast on the Surface, and though I cowered in the face of the infinite nothingness that stretched above me, the wolf was not bothered. I deferred to him in this regard, for he was better at recognizing the dangers of this world than I was. We kept mostly to the trees, edging out only once to cross a frozen stream. After half a day, the digestive pain became too much for the wolf to continue. We wasted the latter half of the day vomiting and defecating liberally, losing more strength that we had achieved from eating the Melanthe in the first place.
Food was scarce, but I managed to reach out and stun a few pheasants. They were barely a mouthful each, but I pressed the wolf on. Three times the Brightness came and went. We covered an incredible distance, leaving no doubt in my mind that the wolf had been a good choice of host.
After a while, we reached a giant pine visible in the skyline even from afar. The scent in the area brought a confusing tumble of memories. The creature who lived there was strange. Not a threat per se, but still better to be avoided. On my order, the wolf crept close enough to see the small dwelling dug in around its roots. There was an open chicken pen with no less than ten fowls roaming as they pleased around the property. We were hungry, but the wolf whined and backed away.
Why can’t we? I asked, digging into his thoughts for a reply.
The creature of the wolf’s memories smelled of seeds and fruit peels. Even now the scent rose from within his dwelling. That, along with movement, marked the tree occupied. The creature had a way to make all animals do his bidding. Once, he even sent the wolf on an errand to the Monsters to warn them of the running fire which had consumed much of these woods many seasons ago. My own understanding bridged the gap in the wolf’s comprehension. This new being could kasta.
Fortunately, so could I.
Is he a Monster too? I posed to the wolf as I prepared a few spells. The wolf’s body was not the most adapt in spell craft, lacking both the physical and vocal range for such preparations. But I did not survive Below with want of expedience.
Vision was not his best sense, so not as ingrained in memory, and I had to make do with blurry recollections. Nevertheless, he smelled more pleasant to the wolf than other Monsters, but he sounded much the same.
I forbid the wolf to crawl on his belly. If the creature was as he described, then his presence was already known. Instead, we walked with authority to the door of the dwelling. The door did not immediately open, so we scratched it with our jagged claws until we heard footsteps.
Thinking himself to have mastery over the animal domain, the creature within was scarcely prepared when I took complete control of the wolf and lunged. My teeth bit into the creature’s leg. It was not a killing wound, but the spell would do the rest.
He was too startled to even cry out as he fell back.
Then I was running away, scattering chickens without so much as a glance back at the creature I had bitten. I stopped at a distance further than the creature, now under the effect of my poison, could manage. The wolf was cowered by being ridden so hard. It must have been a new flavor of discomfort to have my spindly, dexterous limb entangled so far into his brain. While we waited, I let him gain some control of his functions again. When I was sure that the creature was too weak to counter-kasta, we returned to tree at a trot.
By the time we returned the creature had been rendered immobile except for his eyes which were wide and straining to see in every direction. Up close, I could see that this creature had crinkly pale skin, so unlike the tough black hide of the Melanthe. Otherwise, the similarities to Melanthe were striking. Both had four main limbs; two feet for walking, and two delightfully dexterous hands for everything else.
We licked across the creatures lips and tasted the remains of a sweet meal before hovering our snout over his eyes so that I could protrude two of my limbs tentatively from the wolf’s nostrils. The motion made the wolf sneeze, which jolted me painfully, and I seized control of his motor functions before it could happen again. With great care and anticipation, I reached out and dug my tips around the fallen creature’s eyes, groping blinding for his brain. I found it easily enough and immediately began to feed hungrily.
No! No! No! No! Venatrix protect me! The creature, Kite Tallpine, thought-screamed.
The buzz of his panic made me giddy, but I was no so insolent as to neglect the acknowledgement of his deity. I sent my assurance to his ‘Venatrix’ that protection against my hospitality was unnecessary. Who can say if gods hear the prayers of mortals, but it never hurt to mind any being that could crush you with a thought. The lack of divine intervention at this point was surely invitation to devour as I pleased.
Kite’s resistance was weak as I pillaged his mind. Born a half caste of a human and a flavor of fey, his existence was one of contention. A half century of life thus far had yielded little but mild melancholy broken briefly by the company of a human woman who he turned out after she became pregnant with his child. His story was altogether dull, but peppered brightly with knowledge of the Surface. I dug further into his brain, delighted by the large fatty folds of the cortex marinating in juice.
Please, tell me what you want and I will give it to you, Kite pleaded with me.
I found my way to Kite’s modicum power stores which had been central to his survival out in the forest. Kite was also gifted with weak Vision from his mother’s side. Not enough to be useful, but every now and then he would see something on the breeze. I brushed my power against it to curious effect.
A vision beset us.
I was surrounded by a mighty, jeering horde. My hands, feminine and human, gripped a wicked frosted dagger. Standing before me, already beaten, was a large man in fanciful draperies. His appearance was a far cry from beautiful, yet there was a none too subtle allure about him that was impossible to rationalize.
The similarities in appearance between this man and Kite were undeniable.
My… son? Kite gasped, a little wonder peeking over the terror.
I plunged the dagger into the man’s chest. It lodged into him with satisfactory firmness, and tore his flesh equally as I withdrew it again. Blood began to drench the man’s clothes even before he toppled.
I held the bloody dagger to the sky as raucous cheering thundered around me.
As the vision faded, I concentrated once more on my meal, which was now flavoured with despair.
Do you suppose I’ll have the chance to taste him too? I asked Kit maliciously. Will he cry to the gods and beg like you did?
No reply was forthcoming, though I didn’t expect any as by that point I had consumed down to the chewy cerebellum. My limbs licked down his spine and stripped it of the core nerves. By then, I was bloated, but given that my next meal was not confirmed, I over consumed out of caution.
Here's the start of the story, no doubt still riddled with errors. Intended for an adult audience.
BIRTHRIGHT
<The Opening Action-y Part>
Pain eviscerated my arm as the wolf’s teeth sunk in, but it was the creature’s hunger that I felt even keener. With my free hand, I grabbed hold of its scruff and used the last drops of my power to take hold of its will.
“By all means, do indulge,” I managed through my gritted teeth. This body was beautiful once, but it had not measured up to the trials of the Surface. Upon my order, the wolf ripped my arm clean off with a jerk of its head, and began to devour it whole. It would be stronger still after it had feasted on the rest of my flesh.
I half laughed, half screamed as I fell to the cold forest floor. The pain this body endured as the wolf came back for seconds was beyond anything that the original occupant had experienced in her lifetime. The closest she had come to being eaten alive was when she was captured by wart trolls and forced for a brief few decades to entertain them. It had been an educational experience, one she later drew on to extract obedience in her own climb to power.
Pain always had a lesson. Even now I lingered in this body, on the brink of death, to hear it whisper its secrets to me. Only when she was dangerously close to the edge did I reluctantly detach from her and slither my way down to where the wolf gnawed on the body’s thigh.
He barely looked up when I climbed onto his face, but let out a high pitched whine as I flattened my rubbery body against the insides of his cranium and dug my long, stringy limbs into the soft nervy mass of brain. Like the wolf, I was not particularly enthused about this arrangement either. My usual preference was for hosts of higher form than beasts, and more attractive if I could manage it. This temporary form was a depressing necessity until I could learn the Surface world better. Still, I gave a contented sigh and tried to ration my feeding. It would take perhaps a few weeks to learn the wolf’s instincts. If I wanted to survive, I had to keep the brain intact until then.
The meat of the Melanthe warrior smelled rather odd to the wolf. Not his usual fare, but one did what one could to cling to life. As he fed, I gathered what intelligence I could from his fatty folds. The mysteries of the Surface, revealed, surprised me. Brightness was not, in fact, a malevolent hell creature that blinded and scorched its prey, but a marker of time. There were also seasonal temperatures to adhere to; passages of time when Brightness hung long in the sky and food was plentiful, contrasted with time when she did not and the earth became barren. Currents of air did not signal the imminent arrival of doom, they served to bring closer the scent of unseen predators and prey.
This season of Cold was particularly brutal. He had to stay away from all the frantic activity of the Monsters who not only encroached on his territory, but destroyed it so that no other creature could have it. A lone wolf could not retaliate against the Monsters so he bore the injury with much anxiety and continued to mark what he could with his irrefutable pungency.
As soon as the carcass was devoured, I steered the protesting wolf closer to his Monsters. The more I learnt of them, the more convinced I was that theirs was a civilization that I was more acquainted with. Space was vast on the Surface, and though I cowered in the face of the infinite nothingness that stretched above me, the wolf was not bothered. I deferred to him in this regard, for he was better at recognizing the dangers of this world than I was. We kept mostly to the trees, edging out only once to cross a frozen stream. After half a day, the digestive pain became too much for the wolf to continue. We wasted the latter half of the day vomiting and defecating liberally, losing more strength that we had achieved from eating the Melanthe in the first place.
Food was scarce, but I managed to reach out and stun a few pheasants. They were barely a mouthful each, but I pressed the wolf on. Three times the Brightness came and went. We covered an incredible distance, leaving no doubt in my mind that the wolf had been a good choice of host.
After a while, we reached a giant pine visible in the skyline even from afar. The scent in the area brought a confusing tumble of memories. The creature who lived there was strange. Not a threat per se, but still better to be avoided. On my order, the wolf crept close enough to see the small dwelling dug in around its roots. There was an open chicken pen with no less than ten fowls roaming as they pleased around the property. We were hungry, but the wolf whined and backed away.
Why can’t we? I asked, digging into his thoughts for a reply.
The creature of the wolf’s memories smelled of seeds and fruit peels. Even now the scent rose from within his dwelling. That, along with movement, marked the tree occupied. The creature had a way to make all animals do his bidding. Once, he even sent the wolf on an errand to the Monsters to warn them of the running fire which had consumed much of these woods many seasons ago. My own understanding bridged the gap in the wolf’s comprehension. This new being could kasta.
Fortunately, so could I.
Is he a Monster too? I posed to the wolf as I prepared a few spells. The wolf’s body was not the most adapt in spell craft, lacking both the physical and vocal range for such preparations. But I did not survive Below with want of expedience.
Vision was not his best sense, so not as ingrained in memory, and I had to make do with blurry recollections. Nevertheless, he smelled more pleasant to the wolf than other Monsters, but he sounded much the same.
I forbid the wolf to crawl on his belly. If the creature was as he described, then his presence was already known. Instead, we walked with authority to the door of the dwelling. The door did not immediately open, so we scratched it with our jagged claws until we heard footsteps.
Thinking himself to have mastery over the animal domain, the creature within was scarcely prepared when I took complete control of the wolf and lunged. My teeth bit into the creature’s leg. It was not a killing wound, but the spell would do the rest.
He was too startled to even cry out as he fell back.
Then I was running away, scattering chickens without so much as a glance back at the creature I had bitten. I stopped at a distance further than the creature, now under the effect of my poison, could manage. The wolf was cowered by being ridden so hard. It must have been a new flavor of discomfort to have my spindly, dexterous limb entangled so far into his brain. While we waited, I let him gain some control of his functions again. When I was sure that the creature was too weak to counter-kasta, we returned to tree at a trot.
By the time we returned the creature had been rendered immobile except for his eyes which were wide and straining to see in every direction. Up close, I could see that this creature had crinkly pale skin, so unlike the tough black hide of the Melanthe. Otherwise, the similarities to Melanthe were striking. Both had four main limbs; two feet for walking, and two delightfully dexterous hands for everything else.
We licked across the creatures lips and tasted the remains of a sweet meal before hovering our snout over his eyes so that I could protrude two of my limbs tentatively from the wolf’s nostrils. The motion made the wolf sneeze, which jolted me painfully, and I seized control of his motor functions before it could happen again. With great care and anticipation, I reached out and dug my tips around the fallen creature’s eyes, groping blinding for his brain. I found it easily enough and immediately began to feed hungrily.
No! No! No! No! Venatrix protect me! The creature, Kite Tallpine, thought-screamed.
The buzz of his panic made me giddy, but I was no so insolent as to neglect the acknowledgement of his deity. I sent my assurance to his ‘Venatrix’ that protection against my hospitality was unnecessary. Who can say if gods hear the prayers of mortals, but it never hurt to mind any being that could crush you with a thought. The lack of divine intervention at this point was surely invitation to devour as I pleased.
Kite’s resistance was weak as I pillaged his mind. Born a half caste of a human and a flavor of fey, his existence was one of contention. A half century of life thus far had yielded little but mild melancholy broken briefly by the company of a human woman who he turned out after she became pregnant with his child. His story was altogether dull, but peppered brightly with knowledge of the Surface. I dug further into his brain, delighted by the large fatty folds of the cortex marinating in juice.
Please, tell me what you want and I will give it to you, Kite pleaded with me.
I found my way to Kite’s modicum power stores which had been central to his survival out in the forest. Kite was also gifted with weak Vision from his mother’s side. Not enough to be useful, but every now and then he would see something on the breeze. I brushed my power against it to curious effect.
A vision beset us.
I was surrounded by a mighty, jeering horde. My hands, feminine and human, gripped a wicked frosted dagger. Standing before me, already beaten, was a large man in fanciful draperies. His appearance was a far cry from beautiful, yet there was a none too subtle allure about him that was impossible to rationalize.
The similarities in appearance between this man and Kite were undeniable.
My… son? Kite gasped, a little wonder peeking over the terror.
I plunged the dagger into the man’s chest. It lodged into him with satisfactory firmness, and tore his flesh equally as I withdrew it again. Blood began to drench the man’s clothes even before he toppled.
I held the bloody dagger to the sky as raucous cheering thundered around me.
As the vision faded, I concentrated once more on my meal, which was now flavoured with despair.
Do you suppose I’ll have the chance to taste him too? I asked Kit maliciously. Will he cry to the gods and beg like you did?
No reply was forthcoming, though I didn’t expect any as by that point I had consumed down to the chewy cerebellum. My limbs licked down his spine and stripped it of the core nerves. By then, I was bloated, but given that my next meal was not confirmed, I over consumed out of caution.
RSS Feed