TirzahsAllure Read online

  Where will this lead me? What will I find at the end of the river? She dozed off, but was awakened constantly by the small furry creatures swinging through the trees and had human-like behavior, but they weren’t human. She’d seen some much larger ones, a different species, and had studied their behavior many times. They all had hands and feet like humans although shaped slightly differently, with one less finger on each hand, and they used their toes as if they were hands. They often walked upright, had breasts to feed their young and used their fingers to pluck insects off each other’s bodies. The very small ones were quite friendly and playful. Right then she wished they’d leave her alone and give their curiosity a break. Surely, they slept sometimes. She sorely needed rest. Finally, she snarled at them. It caused them to scatter and scurry to wherever they called refuge. She could doze off at last, but her keen ears were always on the alert, even while she slept.

  * * * *

  The river seemed endless. Each day it got a little wider, and she had to choose a direction at several forks. Tirzah had traveled for five nights before she came upon a village. It was near the river’s edge and consisted of several small houses built from what looked like dried mud, tree trunks, and branches. The houses were high off the ground. Dawn hadn’t broken yet, so she hid in the thick shrubbery surrounding the village and waited. When daylight broke, she saw more bronze colored villagers, but these looked more civilized than the ones they’d observed at home.

  They wore some form of garments, their hair was cut short and they went about in an orderly manner. Before long, children came running out of a couple of dwellings. They played in the shade beneath the houses. Some ran to the water’s edge where Tirzah saw boats. I was right. There are more advanced humans. Why didn’t my people ever explore further? Should I approach these people or continue? They didn’t look savage but were far from technologically advanced. They were still what she would call primitives.

  She decided not to make contact but to observe them for the day and continue her journey that night. She climbed the tree behind her and lay on a branch. While she studied the villagers, her mind wandered off. If only she could find people who could help them. Wouldn’t it be something if she came home with news that there was an advanced settlement on this planet with inhabitants who could take them into space—people who could help them get back to their home planet? No, she recalled sadly, their planet had been destroyed. But their people had surely found a nearby planet to settle on?

  A mate.

  She really needed a mate. The hunger within her grew every day and she desperately needed satisfaction, both as cat and as a human. She’d seen the love her parents bore each other, their loving caresses and deep caring, and she wanted just such a love. The question was, how could she find it if there was no one among her species at home she felt remotely attracted to? She squirmed on the branch and rubbed her genitals against it as heat attacked her. She kept rubbing until she came and her juices dripped to the ground. Finally, she fell asleep.

  * * * *

  Dusk was falling when she woke up, but she felt rested and wide awake, so she continued her journey. That night, she saw several of the small villages. The farther she traveled, the more civilized the settlements became. Several times, she was forced to change direction when yet another fork in the river appeared. Often, she had no idea which fork to choose, so she’d close her eyes and guess, then mark the fork with her scent at each change of direction or she’d never find her way back. The boats, too, became technically more advanced, and the people covered their bodies with strange clothing. At home, no one wore clothes. The elders’ travel suits had long been used for other purposes so nudity was part of their everyday existence. Tirzah had seen pictures of her grandparents and her mother’s siblings. The women wore gorgeous gowns and the men tunics or spacesuits. She often snuck into her mother’s room to fetch the beautiful crystal and powered it in their little bit of sunlight so she could look at the pictures of their people and Alishura.

  * * * *

  After twelve nights of traveling away from home, she saw something that shocked her. It was a boat, but nothing like the crude long crafts she’d seen before. It lay moored near a village and when she peered closer, she saw several men and a few women standing by the railing. They were white people, like her. Some of them had darker skin and their hair was a variety of colors. They looked very civilized although their clothing was strange. She spied on them as they got off the boat and heard them talking. Their language didn’t sound like any others she’d heard, which was mostly the language of the savage tribes.

  Tirzah’s heart beat faster. There was an advanced culture. There were people similar to her, of various sizes. Some of the men were much taller than the women. Could they shift? If so, what would they shift into? Questions roiled through her mind, especially when she saw a woman step off the boat dressed much the same as the men, except she had long, flaming red hair. What color cat would she be? There was no way she could approach these people without some form of clothing. But where could she get clothes?

  The white people stayed in the village for a while, talked with the villagers and, after some time, got back on the boat. Tirzah watched the boat leave and travel upriver. If there were white humans, there had to be a white settlement. She decided to continue until she found it. She’d keep to the riverbanks and follow the boat.

  Chapter Three

  She found it, a few days later. She estimated she’d traveled for at least sixteen nights. Tirzah had never imagined such an expanse of water could exist. It was beautiful. The water wasn’t smooth, like the lake at home. It had movement, a rushing undulating motion that she could have watched for hours. It also had a sound, a hushing, slapping sound as it rolled onto huge, white sandy banks. It fascinated her and she wished nothing more than to join the people she saw on the sand or playing in the water. Their private parts and the women’s breasts were covered with scraps of clothing. She hid behind bushes as she loped toward the buildings in the distance.

  When she came to the settlement, not too far from the big water, it resembled the cities her parents had described to her where they’d lived in on their own planet, the buildings she’d seen on some of the holo pictures. She was in awe. She saw tall buildings, whitewashed houses, vehicles carried along on four wheels and operated by people of all colors. Even stranger were smaller vehicles on two wheels, powered by a man using his feet to rotate two flat things on two sticks. There were also larger, two wheeled vehicles that made a lot of noise as they rushed about.

  One of the first houses she saw had a long line attached to two poles. The line was filled with clothing. Shifting out of her cat, she stole some of the garments and put them on. The material felt strange against her skin. After running around naked her entire life, material flapping against her legs and her breasts bound by a white gauzy material felt decidedly uncomfortable. Barefooted, she walked along the streets, her heart pounding at her discovery, hardly noticing the stares aimed at her breasts, her bare feet, or hearing the whistles.

  It was all too much to take in at once. She had no idea where to go, what to do or how to find food without the ability to pay. She’d seen people buy food, but how could she get their currency? She felt just as backward as the primitive tribes they’d studied.

  Her feet got sore from walking on the hot stone ground. She wished for footwear like most of the people wore, but where could she get that?

  Stopping near some tables and chairs, she saw one empty table and she sat down to rest. Someone came up to her and asked something. She smiled and shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said in her own language. The people at the tables around her were eating and her stomach grumbled.

  Strange aromas filled her nostrils, scents she didn’t recognize yet found appealing. She studied the food on the tables around her and wondered what it all was when suddenly she picked up another scent, that of a shifter. Impossible, unless someone followed me here. And if they have
, they would have pounced on me by now. Nah, it’s not one of my people.

  Fully alert then, she scanned the people around her, but she couldn’t pinpoint the scent. Not yet. The scent continued to taunt her as she studied them. Many of them had black hair, short, long, medium length, and most of them had honey colored skin. Some had very brown skin and some were very white, like her. But like the people on the boat, they had different hair colors except for the dark people. They all had black hair.

  Behind me.

  Tirzah spun around and gazed into a pair of very dark eyes that seemed to look right through her. She sniffed, and yes, the shifter’s scent emanated from the man sitting alone at a table behind her. She was sure he’d picked up hers from the way he studied her.

  Her heart skipped a beat, then another. His skin was very black. His hair, jet-black, was cropped very close to his head. He had the handsomest face she’d ever seen. His lips were full and sensual and he had a cute dimple in his chin. So there are shifters on this planet, but what kind? From his scent, she knew him to be a cat shifter. Oh, why hadn’t her parents explored further? Would this man be able to understand her if she spoke to him? Do I dare?

  He stood and she noticed how tall he was, at least as tall as the men at home and very muscular. She saw the muscles and sinews ripple under his ebony skin as he bent to pick up a fallen drinking cup. When he straightened, he stepped toward her and said something.

  Her heart pounded so loud she was sure he could hear it. “I don’t understand,” she said softly, but smiled. She hoped her smile was friendly and seductive enough to entice him to speak more to her, to sit down maybe. Seductive? What am I thinking.

  After he threw the cup in a metal container, her heart somersaulted when he pulled out a chair and sat at the table with her. Pointing at his chest, he said, “Cain.” He pointed at her and raised his eyebrows while pointing at his chest again. “Cain.”

  She understood he was telling her his name was Cain. She let it roll off her tongue easily. “Cain. I am Tirzah. Tirzah,” she told him, while pointing at herself. Communication was going to be difficult. He pulled something out of his pocket. It had a small pad with symbols on it and a screen. Her parents had similar devices but none of them worked anymore. The screen lit up and his fingers pushed some of the buttons until a picture appeared on it. He held it toward her to look at. She took the device from his hand and saw a black cat, just like the ones in the forest, except this one was big. When she looked at him again, his face had a questioning expression on it.

  Tirzah pointed at the picture then at him. “Is that you?”

  He nodded and pointed at her. Was it safe to agree that she was also a cat shifter? Why not? She nodded, but how could she explain to him that she was a white cat? When he took the device from her hand, his fingers brushed hers and a jolt shot up her arm. Surely, she hadn’t already found her mate? So soon? Fate. Her parents believed in fate and destiny. Had the gods sent her there so she could find him? Were there other shifters besides him? How she wished she could question him. He fascinated her. His handsome face, his black skin and his eyes sent surges of heat between her thighs, the moisture pooling from her folds.

  Cain put the device in his pocket and stood up holding his hand out to her. Tirzah hesitantly placed her hand in his and from that moment she knew, Cain was destined for her. But did he know that? He tugged her hand and she walked with him. Sniffing his scent again, inhaling it deeply, her instincts told her she could trust this man completely.

  They walked in silence until they came to a very tall building. She hesitated when he pulled her to go inside with him, but his smile was reassuring.

  Her heart beat overtime as she inspected the beautiful big room they entered. There was a lot of shiny gold. Large leaf plants stood scattered here and there. Pictures hung on the walls and there were seats made from material she never knew existed.

  He led her to a small room through shiny gold doors that opened automatically. Once inside, he pushed a button and she felt the room move upward. She tensed. Her parents had told her a lot, but they never talked about rooms that moved. He placed an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. His touch, a delightful sizzling sensation, calmed her sudden jolt of fear. The small room stopped and the doors opened to a long hallway. Holding her hand again, he led her to a door. She watched him pull a small card through a device beside, it then he pulled a handle. The door opened and, tugging her hand, he pulled her inside. The door clicked behind her. For a split second she felt caged, the urge to run overwhelming her. But she still didn’t sense any danger.

  Was this where he lived? If this was his house, it was beautiful. Her heart still raced as she wandered into a large room. There was a wall made of some kind of see-through material covered with sheer white cloth that billowed softly in the breeze blowing through an opening. She saw furniture similar to what she’d seen downstairs. A very large bed stood against the far wall. There were strange devices on cupboards and tables. Filled with wonder, she turned to look at him.

  Without saying a word, he took off his clothing until he stood naked before her. The gods had surely sculpted this man. If she’d thought he was beautiful earlier, she now thought he was magnificent. Did he expect her to do the same? She’d never felt shame or embarrassment at being naked, but this man was a total stranger and so different from her species. While taking in his physique, her body was on fire, especially when her gaze came to rest on the object that could satisfy her lust. It was fully erect and it was big, very big. It was the same color as his skin, the veins prominent. Between the folds of her own sex, she throbbed. Her juices ran down her thighs. She wanted to touch him, but she’d only just met the man, and what did she know about this shifter?

  He shifted right there before her and within seconds she looked at the most beautiful black cat she’d ever seen. He was much larger than the cats she’d seen in the forest. She guessed he’d be as big as she was—maybe even bigger. She noticed his eyes were a very dark blue, contrasting sharply to his black furred face. He sidled up to her and butted his head against her. She took off the skirt and the top she’d taken and shifted for him. In cat form, she dared to sniff him, to lick his face and playfully paw at him. When he shifted back into a human, she shifted back, too.

  “I don’t know who you are, Tirzah, or where you came from, but you’re goddamn beautiful, both as a cat and as a woman. Damn, I’ve done so much research on cats but I’ve never heard of a pure white panther.”

  His voice was a deep, vibrant rumble, very pleasing to her ears. She had no idea what he’d said, but the expression on his face told her it was good. Tirzah glanced down at his genitals and saw he was still fully erect. He desired her, he wanted her, needed her to mate with him, but without communication, she didn’t know if she was ready. She knew she’d met her soul mate, but did he feel the same? Was this the man who’d spend the rest of his life with her? Being unable to communicate was more than frustrating.

  He stepped toward her and reached out to touch her breasts, her nipples. He cupped each breast in his large hands and stroked them softly. His hands glided down her body, stroked her hips, her buttocks, her legs, then the small tuft of fur that hid her pussy and her clit. He continued to play with the fur that was as white as her hair and her cat fur. His hands looked very black against her pale skin. Her heart beat so hard, she thought it would jump out of her chest as he cupped her mound.

  He stopped. She didn’t want him to stop. His touch sent her whole body into waves of desire. Another gush of dampness oozed from between her thighs. Embarrassed, she pulled back from him. He was taller than she—much taller. Looking up at his face, she read the hunger in his eyes that were not black as she’d first thought. They were the same as his cat, but so dark they almost appeared black. Was he a telepath? Could he read her mind? So far, she’d picked up nothing. Were there others like him?

  “I want you more than anything, Tirzah. I’m so thankful I found you. I’ve searched ma
ny places for my soul mate, for a shifter like me, and I’d almost given up hope. But before we can be together, I need to teach you my language. I know you don’t understand me, right now, but you will. I don’t recognize your language so I have no idea where you’re from.”

  Tirzah listened to the words, to the deep timbre of his voice. She was perturbed they couldn’t communicate.

  Placing his hands on her shoulders he turned her to face tall mirrors. It took a moment to sink in that she was looking at an image of herself. Standing in front of him, she saw the contrast was startling, her white hair and pale skin, against his ebony. The top of her head barely reached his nipples. His cock pressed against her buttocks. It was warm, it pulsed with the same need as her pussy. He didn’t indicate he wanted to mate with her. Instead, he walked away from her and picked up a rectangle black case. After opening it, he took out a white object and a long thin object. He motioned her to join him when he sat at a table. She stood beside him and watched him draw. Smiling, she took the long object from his hand and drew on the white pad. She had no idea what it was she was using as she was used to drawing in the sand or on the cliff surface with white, soft pebbles, but it worked and it came out black on the white surface. She drew trees, the forest, some of the small furry animals and pointed at the drawing, then at herself.

  “The forest? You’re from the forest? Damn, of course. You don’t understand.”

  Cain nodded and she thought he understood where she came from.

  “So maybe you’re from the forest. That’s interesting. How do I make it clear to you that I’m almost positive you’re my mate? Let’s begin with teaching you English.”