The Secret, Part 1 (Open post)
He closed his eyes feeling the wind drifting passing through the trees. His black hair blew wildly as he navigated through the branches. He counted the steps in his minds eye as he traveled through a path so often traveled, he knew it by heart. One hundred and twenty paces later his eyes blinked open as he gazed upon the shed, enveloped in the undergrowth. He pulled on the vine that opened the portcullis that would allow him to step inside the darkness of the secret room.
A soft purr issued forth from the darkness followed by a blindingly fast movement which barrelled into him pushing him back against an aged chair that he had fashioned from long ago. He reached down and stroked the fur of the kitten as she playfully bit into his lower lip drawing a moan from his lips. Looking down into the eyes which reflected in moonlight casting a glimmer into their pupils.
The kitten lay her head down upon his shoulder and purred deeply, her eyes blinking shut. He touched his neck where the skin had broken from the playful bite and touched the slim drip of crimson life to his lips where he licked it off. He continued stroking her fur, increasing the pressure of his strokes bringing the purr to a warm growl that hinted of urgency.
As his hands reached down her arching body, her form begin to sparkle brightly as the form he held shift and metamorphed becoming longer, taller and firmer. He felt her mouth press against his as her whiskers receded and her tongue stretched out to lick playfully against his own. A faint noise issued forth from another room in the secret house and unclothed she bounded from his lap in a flash disappearing into the darkness.
He settled down into the chair, breathing deeply to calm himself as she went to attend to her litter. He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it at a coat hanger, missing so it crumped to the floor. He knew she got cold at times and he walked over to the fireplace, tossing the last few logs into it. He reached into a pocket in his crumped shirt and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Using the lighter, he lit the fireplace and pulled open the vent so the smoke could find its way up the chimney.
He pondered the cigarette in his hand, having quit earlier it would be so easy to start back up again. He lit it and took a puff and was startled by a shrieked curse as suddenly it was slapped out of his hands. He turned and gazed at her striking figure. Beautiful even in the darkness, her eyes still sparkling but with angry sheen as she bent over to grab the lit cigarette.
As she bent over he came up behind her and stroked her shoulders, drawing a sharp hiss of pleasure but tinged with a taste of anger. He arched his head over to her lips which drew away from him as she tilted her head to the side, bringing the cigarette up to take a long draw on it.
He sighed deeply and continued to rub his fingers more deeply into her toned flesh. His teeth traced along her shoulders as his hands massaged down to her lower back. Looking back at him, she tried to maintain a decorum of disapproval, but her body reacted to his touch and she closed her eyes. He ran his fingers through her hair, easing the tension out of her body. She sighed deeply and spoke, "Not tonight.. you know I can't tonight my love."
He removed his hands from her body, still aching to touch her skin and nodded knowing that with her heightened senses, she could feel the movement een though she could not see it. Tonight was a special night for her and he would respect her wishes. She leaped through the darkness into a hidden room with catlike reflexes to make sure the little one was sleeping. She then grabbed his hand and pulled him out back into the dark forest, closing the door behind them.
She led him further into the reaches of the trees, squeezing his hand re-assuredly as they reached an open grotto. She motioned for him to sit on a rock on the fringe of the grotto. He sat down and she walked out into opening. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he began to see shapes and forms moving in faint light of the moon. A fire was lit in the center of the grotto, his lover lost among a hundred different felines of all forms that crisscrossed throughout grass near the fire. It seemed a jumble of chaos at first but then their movements seem to take on a subtle pattern. The pride of felines leaped back and forth in a dance that continued to gain tempo as the night moved on. A drum beat sounded and the felines danced in time with the beat of it.
The dance began unhurried, each of them stepping in time, a step to the side, a leap, harmonious in that each movement one of the hundred would move into a different spot that not seconds ago had been occupied by another. The flames within the campfire burned brighter and he tore his attention away from the sight to see the stars twinkling, blinking on and off as if they were also a part of this ritual born from a tradition that began long before any of them had ever breathed the gift of life.
It should seem impossible, but as he stared out into the ritualistic dance, he found that he could spot her and follow her movements although she moved so quickly she seemed to fade from one spot to another within the blink of an eye. Awed, he felt himself touched to be able to witness this event. One that was tied so closely with her heart and her awareness.
He knew that even though he wasn't participating, could not participate, did not have the abilities she and her brethern possessed, he was still able to taste the energy permeating from the gathering. He himself had touched her own heart as she had touched his so many nights ago. He could still remember the beating of her heart when they had first kissed so vividly that he imagined he could feel it right now beating faster and faster from the exertion of the dance.
Minutes became hours as the moon began its descent from the sky to awaken the dusk of a new day. As the darkness began to fade, the dance slowed to a gentle cadence as the sweat soaked felines moved through the final routine of their yearly ritual. The intensity within the air itself began to decline as they all stopped and finally lay still as the energy within them flooded out touching everything in the forest valley.