Spears of Uu'kata

Chapter 35 - Distortion

It was hot, too hot. Then, so cold. Charlotte's teeth chattered so hard she thought they might break. Lights and images flashed.

Charlotte listened to the tattoo of the rain and the rumble of thunder, entwined in large bodies. Hands caressed, voices whispered soothing words.

Her head pounded, screamed. A constant thump, thump, thump in the back of her skull. It was like a heartbeat in her head. She could feel something inside her, moving, growing, reaching, and entwining itself around and through her very nervous system. No, she couldn't just feel it. She could see it. Her organs. Her circulatory system. Her nervous system. All of it. And it was all filled with light. She could see the scars beneath her skin and the damage done by the creature she'd fought in the woods. She could feel it healing, flesh and bone knitting back together. She felt agony and pleasure, a deep aching loss, and something great and marvelous gained. She had moments of blistering clarity that made her want to scream, then such mind-boggling confusion she wanted to weep. And then suddenly...

Charlotte blinked up at what looked like a ceiling. An actual ceiling. It was made from massive wood rafters and planks and the roar of the rain pounding upon it from outside was such a beautiful, alien sound that she just... listened.

Where am I? she wondered. Blinking a few more times and frowning. She could smell woodsmoke and leather, along with a floral smell she'd learned to associate with Shodara. The room was dark and though there was a chill in the air, she was warm, sandwiched, as it was, between large Uu'k'asht bodies.

She raised a hand and rubbed her eyes, turning her head. Shodara slept cuddled up to her on one side, arm laying on her chest, hand around her throat as though she'd been monitoring her pulse. Looking the other way, she saw Echnar, his thick arm draped over her hips.

Wincing, Charlotte pushed herself up and looked down. In the dark, the shadows laid like slashes across her flesh.

I'm naked, she realized, raising her hand to feel her hair, which was a total rat's nest. Something seemed off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

How much did I fucken drink last night? Obviously, I had a great time...

Glancing at Shodara, she noted that she was also naked, and so was Ahnekk, sleeping on the other side of her.

She frowned, blinking and rubbing her eyes. There wasn't any source of light in the room. So... why was she able to see so well? Everything seemed awash in some kind of silver-blue luminance. But where was it coming from?

The right side of her head throbbed once, right behind her ear, and she winced, raising her hand and pressing it to...

She felt a tender, raised scar behind and below her.

What the fu...

A giant cat creature. Drums, the knife, the pain. The Skath...

Charlotte gasped and felt around at her skin, heart suddenly hammering as panic gripped her, clamping down around her ribs. She whimpered and clawed at her flesh once before the bed moved. Arms encircled her, gripping her wrists and pulling them down to pin against her chest as she kicked her legs, pushing against her sudden captor.

"No, no, no, Charlotte. Don't harm yourself or the Skath. Just breathe," said a deep, rumbling voice.

"It's inside me. It's inside me!" she cried, eyes blurring as panic twisted her up. She tried and failed to pull her wrists free, kicking at the bed.

"It's okay. It's alright, little one. It was the only way to save your life, but you must not harm yourself," the voice said gently, lips grazing her ear. Prickles of pleasure skittered down her neck and her eyes nearly rolled up inside her head as her body heated.