Strangely, Prel’s reluctance rekindled the spirit of motivation in me. I’d become complacent, losing myself in the haze of sexual desire and that of the potent berries that were so easily obtainable.  The Kintinku provided me with a challenge – not only that of learning to communicate with the cat-man, but to seduce him as well.  At first it was difficult.  I had, in a true sense, become addicted to a heady mix of heightened sexuality and sensuality that the fruit induced.  However, I soon discovered that I was able to recall the sensation without partaking of the berries.  In essence, I was able to bring myself to those heights through the memory of experience, leaving my mind much clearer to learn while my body was still attuned to wanton pleasure.

Between Isshu and I, there was very little change or, rather, it was in such small increments that neither of us was aware.  In retrospect, our time together began to center more and more upon the physical act of, not making love, but engaging in primitive, almost savage, copulation.  My need for him to stimulate me with pain and even fear grew exponentially with each passing day and he, in turn, fed from my psyche, pushing me to my limits and helping me to surpass them until we had both come dangerously close to losing control of our passions. 

That was my nighttime world, the time spent beneath the earth, cloaked in darkness and silence, my wings useless in the confines of the caverns we shared, while Kintinku reflected my daytime world; unfettered and free to spread my wings and travel as far as my spirit desired, often spending hours exploring parts of the island that I had never before seen before returning to our open air classroom amongst the tall grasses where I had rediscovered my love of learning new language.

Prel had done his best to share his travels and his, presumably extensive, knowledge of the island but I needed more.  Much more.  I needed to experience it with my own eyes, especially once I had grown strong enough to lift myself into the air and view it from above.  Strangely, it felt like I had freed myself from constraints invisible to the naked eye.  Once again, much like that day not too long past in the strangely glowing waters deep beneath the surface, part of what made me Olivia shivered away upon gossamer wings, and yet, I felt no loss, only freedom from the tatters of a moral compass birthed in a world almost forgotten.  Yes, my memories of my life before remained and I had not lost who I was but, rather, I had become, or was becoming, more.  I was, evolving within as surely as I had evolved without.  Yes, perhaps these feelings were merely flights of fancy, but they felt right.  Though I had fond memories of the civilized world and most certainly of my companions, especially those in whose company I had been castaway with upon this island, I no longer hoped for rescue. No longer did I fear living out my days in exile. 

oOo

“Tell me about your home.”

As we became more comfortable with each other’s tongue, I felt the need to enlighten myself.  We had established that Prel was an explorer whose travels had brought him far from home to this place. Another Island, one of many that dotted the vast ocean, he’d explained as best he could, drawing a map in the white sand of the beach one morning with a talon while doing his best to give me an impromptu geography lesson of the region.

“Here. Vaha. Candan. Prel.  Tsuta,” he purred, pointing at a large sized vaguely crescent shape as I knelt beside him, one wing brushing his shoulder casually, as I tapped a nearby smaller shape.  Tsuta was his word for the reptilian creatures that had captured us, before exiling me to the darkness.  I shivered at the thought, recalling the creature who’d taunted me with its lullaby like-song.

“Zan?” Here?

He made a flapping motion, and screeched softly. “Inta. Birds, yes?  Many coloured like Vaha’s wings.”  I wasn’t the only quick learner upon this uncharted island.

“Inta.  Birds.  Good to eat,” he said, showing his sharp teeth in what I hoped was a playful smile reminding me that Prel, first and foremost, was a carnivore.

“Also, Tankaku.” Touching his chest to indicate himself, he then brought his taloned hands together to indicate small.

“Tankaku. Cats, non?” I wondered out loud, studying Prel carefully.  While he was, more or less, a mixture of panther and man, his metallic scales often turned my thoughts to the mythical dragons of legend. I dipped my finger into the sand and sketched a feline shape as best I could, smiling when he nodded his approval.

“Oui.  Tankaku, Vaha. 

And so, he did his best to teach me of the world around my small slice of paradise.  To the west was an island of fearsome beasts.  Another where the earth shook and there was a mountain of fire – a volcano, I surmised. One was home to a city of apes, or perhaps monkeys, who sometimes traded with Prel’s people.  Genta-Mahyar, which translated to Water Star in his language was many leagues distance. I guessed that, had I have a sturdy boat on which to sail, it would still have been a journey of weeks.  Without one.  I had discovered, only recently, that Prel had been shipwrecked by the storm that had wracked our camp so many months ago.

“Prel have family? Woman? Jasku?” I’d asked, more than once, curious as to why he seemed in no hurry to return home. Each time he’d answered with a shake of his head, smiling as he tapped the tip of one razor sharp claw against my forehead.

“So many questions, Vaha, make Prel tired,” he’d yawn, before leaving abruptly, disappearing for several hours at a time before returning as if nothing had transpired, leaving me frustrated and, once again, filled with unrequited carnal yearnings which would drive me back underground where I would submit myself to Isshu, my own desires a mirror to his increasingly violent lust, our passions leaving my flesh cruelly marked.  I wondered that Prel never remarked upon the obvious signs of our savage union, having taken note of the way he studied me when he’d greet me once more, his eyes calculating, and yet, silent.

oOo

Isshu waited for me, as always, sensing my presence long before I did his. He rose from the pool, water sluicing from him, appearing as a dark god awaiting the sacrificial maiden that was his due.  Far above us warm tropical rains fell and lightning flashed as yet another summer storm raged, spending itself against the landscape before wandering out to sea once more.  Below, all was silent, save for the sound of my pounding heart and the cascading drips of water as they fell from my alien lover’s black flesh and struck the surface of the pool.

I watched as ripples broke the stillness of the water, moving towards me, snakelike.  Several heartbeats later I felt the brush of his tentacled limbs slithering and coiling around my ankles and calves seductively, moving slowly upwards, the tips brushing against my flesh like tongues.  Desire burst within me and I moaned with lust as I waded deeper into the pool, the water up to my waist as one of his tentacle pushed its way into my welcoming pussy.

I have something to show you, Olivia Delacroix.

“Oh?” I managed, as he pulled me into his arms, a single tentacle coiling around both our waists so that we were inseparable as the one within me began to slowly fuck me, questing deep within until I gasped with pain.

Does that hurt, little insect?

Gloriously.

I felt his laughter in my mind, teasing its way done my spine.  It was cruel and yet… there was love, or perhaps fondness, as well – the affection one would feel for a well loved pet.  He kissed me, savagely, his voice inhabiting my head, leaving little room for my own thoughts.

Would you like me to hurt you some more?

For the love of God, oui.

I felt a second tentacle pushing roughly into my ass, stretching painfully, twisting inside until I cried out, begging for mercy. 

Too much, Butterfly?

Non. Jamais. I managed, already lost in the haze of exquisite pain that my body had become so adept at translating into pleasure. 

I felt his teeth against my throat, sharply pricking into my sensitive flesh and I surrendered myself to him, heat blossoming deep within me as I climaxed suddenly, shuddering against him, my scream erupting from my throat and echoing in the darkness of the cavern.

My mind filled with cold laughter he suddenly freed me, pushing me from him. I fell into the pool with a splash, sputtering as I felt his hand atop my skull, pushing me under before I had a chance to fill my lungs with air, his cock pressing against my lips, his massive head pushing past my teeth and down my throat pulsing violently and thickening as he filled my belly with his seed before pulling me to my feet, his strong fingers gripping my sodden tresses, my scalp burning.

Come. 

He dragged me stumbling behind him from the pool, shivering with spent lust in the chilled air, to the far edge of the pool, releasing me without warning so that I fell to my knees on the unyielding stone.

Watch, Olivia Delacroix.

Carefully, he knelt down beside me, his imposing figure dwarfing me as he placed his hand upon a curiously perfectly circular stone, palm flattened, fingers splayed.  I watched in wonder as it began to glow brightly blue, forming several curious looking markings that reminded me of those within the cave on the beach, discovered a lifetime ago by my fellow castaways.

Watch. He commanded with an intensity that sobered me.  Memorize.

Deliberately, he traced a seventh figure upon the stone with his fingertip, leaving a trail of light that resembled red embers.  A moment later the stone began to move, slowly sinking several inches and then, shifting noiselessly to one side, revealing a small portal, vines clinging to the sides, forming a lattice that could be used to climb.  I glanced up at Isshu, perplexed, my mind awash in curiosity.  It would be a tight fit, especially with my wings to hinder me. It would be an impossible fit for him.

Where does it lead?

With a reverence that I had never seen before, he brushed his fingertips along the rim of the portal. When his voice sounded in my thoughts again there was a longing sadness within that frightened me.

The sky. The stars.  Heaven.  Close it.  Just like I showed you. Write upon the air. 

Perplexed, I did exactly as he said, tracing the pattern he’d shown me over the opening, wide eyed as my fingertip left a trail of fire behind it. When the shape was completed, the stone reappeared and rose, once more sealing the opening, leaving me with yet another mystery to ponder upon as I lay, sheathed in Isshu’s protective coils, in the darkness and let myself drift off into an ocean of vague dreams, awaking in solitude, the memory of my lover’s revelation fresh in my mind, reminding me of my previous life, stirring a different form of desire within my breast, that of the unknown.  There was no hesitation as I made my decision to explore this newfound discovery, sensing that Isshu knew my mind well enough to know that, once revealed, I could not simply ignore the lure of this new mystery.

Happily, my mind had not become so muddled from partaking of the lustberries that I could not recall the pattern I had been shown.  The portal opened once more.  Entry wasn’t easy, for I was forced to carefully fold my wings behind me and, even then, it was awkward as well as exceedingly uncomfortable.  Thankfully the vines were sturdy and free of thorns.  It was a slow climb, but not a difficult one.  Nor was it a long one.  I had feared that, perhaps it was an endless passage deep into the bowls of the earth, one that I would have to abandon long before I reached anywhere of interest. 

My fears, however, proved unfounded as the opening widened suddenly and I emerged into a small cave, not unlike the one that Carter had discovered on the beach what seemed a lifetime ago.  This one was lit by softly glowing lichen that matched the colours of the rainbow.  Whether or not it was a single species or several different species, I was unable to discern, botany not being one of my strengths. They looked quite analogous to my untrained eye.  I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a similar portal with it as well and made a mental note to investigate further, dependent upon any discoveries made upon this expedition.  It occurred to me that Isshu had given me a gift beyond measure, just as Prel had, in awakening my spirit of adventure.  In a way, they were partners in complicity in returning the essence of who I was while not taking away what I had become.

I explored the cave, my eyes growing used to faintly lit chamber, appealing to my sense of touch and smell and hearing as well as that as sight to search for a passage beyond the moss covered walls.  It took little time to discover an indentation that felt unnatural at knee height.  I tested it, excitement flowering within as it shifted slightly to the right. Eagerly, I applied every ounce of strength I could muster and felt it shift perhaps a centimeter, perhaps less. I paused, gathering my resolve and made another attempt.  This time, rewarded not only by more movement, but a faint sliver of light seeping through, revealing a vertical meter long opening in the chamber’s wall. Determination filled me and I tried again with renewed vigor, employing several curses that I’d learned from Bull to bolster my efforts until I had managed to create an opening wide enough to peer into what lay upon the other side of the doorway.

The stars, Isshu had told me. Heaven.  I understood why.  A myriad of stars glittered and winked, just out of reach, blinding me to what lay beyond.  Crystals, perhaps, or even diamonds, embedded into the dark stone creating a blanket of lights reflecting an unknown light source further on.  This time I was able to use both hands to grasp the edge of the stone door.  Planting my heels against the wall, I fought to open it wider, but without success.  Again and again, I tried until I had worn myself out.  Frustrated, I simply lay still, breathing hard, eyes closed until I felt calm filling me.  Isshu, I mused, or Prel would be able to open it, I was sure, and yet, the passage was too small for either of them.  A prisebar, perhaps, although where I might procure one or of how I might fashion one escaped me at present. 

I sat up, pulling my knees to my breast, absently plucking a clump of orange lichen and sniffing it curiously. It had a pleasantly bittersweet smell to it.  Without considering the consequences, I tasted it, tearing off a small portion with my teeth and absently pushing it around my mouth with my tongue, savoring the taste, somewhat reminiscent of honeyed cocoa. My mouth began to water as the unexpected taste overwhelmed me, reminding me of nights spent in Paris sampling the best that the city had to offer.  I could almost feel the tickle of champagne bubbles in the back of my throat as I swallowed the glowing vegetation, reaching out for more as I took a moment to drink in my surroundings, now partially illuminated. 

As I had noted before, the walls were covered in colorful vegetation.  It even hung from the ceiling, reminding me of tinsel at Christmas, and covered the floor, giving it a sponge-like feel as I reclined.  Comfortable enough to slumber upon, certainly.  I considered my situation, looking for a viable solution to my dilemma.  The door, for that’s what it was, I was sure, was meant to be opened. Perhaps a clue was hidden behind the glowing lichen.  Or even a trigger.  Carefully, I began to explore further, using my fingers to test the growth, pushing and prodding, pausing on occasion to taste more of the bittersweet treat, enjoying the memories it dredged up. Passing time reading a book in the tearooms on the Rue des Barres on an autumn afternoon.  Strolling through the markets and Bistros of Rue Montorqueil with a beau. The scent of bread and pastries that teased my nostrils on the Rue des Rosiers…

I snapped back to the present with a suddenness that was almost jarring, my hand pushing into an unexpected depression the wall furthest from the one cleaved by light. Curious, I began tearing at the growth to reveal a rectangular slit that ran lengthways through the rock, one that seemed cut by man-made means rather than natural. Cautiously I squatted, bringing my eyes to the level of the impression, peering eagerly into the shadows, half expecting an insect, or perhaps a rodent, to leap out at me and claw my eyes out.

Nothing of the sort occurred and I drew a breath of relief as I carefully reached within, my heart fluttering as my fingertips brushed against cloth.  Throwing caution to the wind, I grasped the find and slowly slid it from its hiding place, my heart beating against my ribs in anticipation, until finally, it was free and exposed to the soft light. 

“Oh,” I whispered, settling on the chambers floor once more, my eyes never leaving the impossible prize I had just discovered. A cloth satchel wrapped around a book shaped object.  Fingers trembling, I lifted the flap and peered within.  It contained a flat metal box and what appeared to be either a diary or a notebook. All else was forgotten as I reverently placed both items on my lap before, inexplicably, bursting into tears.