Never An Absolution - Chapter Three -
Never an Absolution Chapter Three (c) Cederwyn Whitefurr October, 2000 All rights reserved.
Ceredwyn was woken by the soft drip, drip, drip that fell from the ceiling and plunked down on her nose. Groggily, she shook herself, then found her paws and ankles bound by tight steel shackles that were chained to the wall. Her broken ankle burst in to agonizing pain that tore its way up her leg like acid and she bit her lip as she felt the stinging tears come to her eyes. Inhaling, she burst in to a choking cough, as the stench of this dark, dank dungeon cell came to assault her highly sensitive senses. Blinking away her tears, she focussed her eyes and gazed pitifully at the cell that held her. It was about thirty paces square, littered with moldy straw and in the far corner, lay the skeleton of some other unfortunate soul. Its empty eye sockets gazed back at her, the skulls grin making her shrink back in terror. An overwhelming sense of dread seized her and she pealed forth a terrified shriek of pent up pain, grief and anger. Smells of rotting meat and the musty, putrid stench of the dungeon burned her nostrils, making her gag and retch. After a few moments, came the scrape of a key in the cell gate, then it squealed open on rusty hinged and a human figure materialized from the gloom.
"Hmmmph" He snorted, as he sized her up.
He was a filthy, unkempt human male, grossly overweight and his unwashed body was riddled with assorted boils, scabs and sores that weeped pustulantly. As he belched and scratched his groin suggestively, Ceredwyn pulled her head back, trying to escape both his intentions and his overwhelming stench. His clothes bulged and stretched over his body, filled with the grease, crumbs and worse of his meals; but was was even worse, was the lice and other parasites that flicked and jumped throughout his clothing.
"Mmmm..." He breathed lustily, leaning in closer, making Ceredwyn gag. "What I wouldn't mind - giving you a good time...."
Choking and gasping, Ceredwyn held her head to the side, trying to pull herself back through the cold stone wall behind her. He grunted, then belched again, and Ceredwyn whimpered as he reached out a filthy hand and stroked her long silken ears...then his other hand grasped her covered breasts and squeezed painfully. Ceredwyn wailed in pain, then instinctively, her knee shot up, wrenching her injured ankle savagely, but she felt immense satisfaction, as her furred knee connected solidly with his unprotected groin. With a strangled gasp, he staggered backwards, then fell to his knees and clutched at his grievously injured groin, as he gurgled and choked. Smiling, Ceredwyn stared at him, her rage building higher and higher within her, fueled by the searing pain from her broken ankle.
"Touch me again - " Ceredwyn hissed through gasps of pain.
Her comment was silenced, as the black furred wolf strode pompously in to the cell, then stared at the filthy hand print on Ceredwyn's robed breast and at the still choking human lying crumpled on the floor.
"You...slut!" Squeaked the human, as he began to rise.
Without a sound, the wolf snapped about and backhanded the human across the cheek, and there came, to Ceredwyn's immense satisfaction, a sharp snapping sound as his jaw was broken. Shrieking, the human spat up blood and fell to the floor again.
"Forgive him, my young...doe." Smiled the Wolf mockingly, as he patted Ceredwyn's cheek, then stroked it. "My servants are a little...uncooperative."
Ceredwyn whimpered and pulled her head away from the wolf, who smiled and roughly locked his paw under her muzzle, and began squeezing, crushing nerves and bone as easily as Ceredwyn would have crushed an eggshell.
"My...still have your defiant streak...do we?" Asked Lord Dorsnek, as he grinned. "I like my mates to be spirited."
Gasping and convulsing, Ceredwyn was forced to turn her head to look at him.
"I'll die - before I let you lay a paw on me...." Ceredwyn gurgled.
"Oh - I do not think so my lovely," Lord Dorsnek growled, then leaned in closer and ran his cold wet nose up her throat. "You'll find - that should you give in to me, that I can be...quite the gentleman...."
Defiantly, Ceredwyn snarled and spat in to his eyes. Dorsnek stepped backwards, then wiped away the spittle and stared at her...then before she could blink, he savagely kicked her splinted ankle. Pain unlike anything she had ever experienced, tore in to Ceredwyn, making her shriek and convulse in agony. It was unrelenting; wave after wave of nauseating and unendurable pain ripping through her and flooding her heart with adrenaline. With a strangled croak, Ceredwyn's eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped in to unconsciousness, falling limply back against the wall, the manacles biting in to her raw wrists, a fine trickle of blood dribbling down her forearms. Noting this, Dorsnek leaned forwards and his long, pink and rough tongue licked up the blood, and he swallowed, then murred softly in pleasure, his tail wagging back and forth enthusiastically. Turning away, he stared at his cringing and grovelling prison guard, then knelt on one knee.
"Master - I wasn't gonna - " Bubbled the man, through his sobs. "Oh please master...I never would - "
Smiling, Dorsnek nodded, then his paw lashed out and grasped the human males groin in a crushing grasp. Instantly, his victim threw back his head and screamed in a high pitched terrified wail, as Dorsnek smiled again, then without effort - effectively castrated the overweight prison guard.... There was a soft wet squishing crackling sound, then warm blood began soaking Dorsnek's paw. His victim gave a few sharp convulsions, then went limp, as Dorsnek growled and rose, then stared at the blood on his paw and he snorted contemptuously, then flicked the worst of it away, and began vigorously rubbing his paw on the humans tattered and lice ridden tunic. Disgusted, Dorsnek glanced at the unconscious Ceredwyn, then he smirked and left the cell bay, and the two human guards standing duty came in and dragged their companion out of the cells, then locked the door once again....
***
For two days, Ceredwyn hung by her wrists, becoming more and more dehydrated and her stomach knotted from hunger. When at last Dorsnek appeared to her again, he carried a haunch of meat that he chewed on blissfully, and in his other paw he held a golden goblet filled with a reddish colored wine. At the scent of the meat and wine, Ceredwyn's eyes flickered open and she couldn't help but begin to salivate.
"My - my guest seems to be hungry - " Dorsnek grunted, as he glanced at Ceredwyn.
His two human guards chuckled softly to themselves, their chain armour creaking as they shifted from one foot to another.
"Tell me doe - " Dorsnek grunted, then belched loudly and smirked. "What would you give - to be set free, and be fed?"
Ceredwyn detected the hidden threat in his words, and he nostrils flared. "From one such as you? I'd rather starve than learn to grovel at your feet for scraps from your sullage dump."
Dorsnek stepped closer, then teasingly waved the wine under her nose, and Ceredwyn was incapable of resisting its scent...but her eyes flew open and she screamed in horror, as the scent became very clear to her....
"Oh Goddess...no...." Ceredwyn wailed, then flailed against her shackles. "You bastard - I know that scent...."
Dorsnek took another bite from the haunch and smirked wider and nodded. "So you should - that young doe fawn is very tasty...."
Ceredwyn began retching and gasping, as tears sprang from her eyes, as she realized that the wine was not only wine...but the blood from young Parnellia, the doe fawn she had struck when hidden in the cavern. Ceredwyn had loved that fawn as if she were her own flesh and blood - and this - was more than she could withstand. Laughing, the two human soldiers jostled each other and their hurtful and mocking laughter lashed Ceredwyn worse than any whip could ever do. her tears streaked down her snout to drip to the dirty floor, and Dorsnek howled his own sinister laugh.
"Yes Doe...she was very pleasant - and later - made an excellent...meal. Are you sure that you do not want a piece?" Dorsnek asked, holding out the grilled haunch of meat.
"You - " Ceredwyn wailed pitifully, then became violently ill, sickened to her very soul.
"What I do to them - will seem gentle...compared to what I shall do with you...." Dorsnek sniffed disdainfully. "However - I can make it stop young one, I can take you from this pain...and lavish you with the finest silks, the best of food, the most richest of trinkets...."
Ceredwyn gagged again, then barely managed to croak her reply.
"At the cost of my innocence and immortal soul?"
Dorsnek grinned, his dewlaps curling upwards and she smiled. "It is a fair trade I offer you - become my mate - and you shall rule as a Queen at my side, with the freedom and rights accorded to royalty! Or...refuse - and remain here, in this...this filth and depravity, and starve yourself to death. I do not really care whether or not you join me - as I have more than enough of your peoples fawns to entertain me...and amongst one of the doe's...I may find one who is more...ammendable...to my offers?"
"God's curse you!" Ceredwyn spat. "They're but fawns...children! What manner of vile beast are you - who would enslave and corrupt the spirits of the young?" With a low menacing growl, Dorsnek leaned in close, his vile, fetid breath making Ceredwyn cringe back.
"I know a lot about your kind my dear...and in three years, the Doe's are able to breed...so keep that in mind. Three years isn't that long a span, and I can wait quite happily - but you can not save them - as you would have long since become as dead as my last..." Dorsnek gestured and chuckled menacingly, as he directed her attention to the the skeleton in the corner. "Last human - who dared disagree with me. Yes my dear - that is the remains of King Dalnarian...who was a proud, well loved and noble man...but a fool. I offered him power - more - than that which the pathetic form he already had posessed...and he declined. I tortured him mercilessly, and I did enjoy it immensely, but to his credit - he did not falter. Eventually, I grew tired of him - and had him confined down here...and he died from his injuries.... Now, I am older, and a lot less...tolerant...that I was back then...so do not displease me...." Ceredwyn wept unashamedly, overcome with grief. As Dorsnek stared at her, he grunted and turned away in disgust.
"I'd rather die - that serve you...." Ceredwyn gasped.
Dorsnek paused at the doorway, then he glanced back over his shoulder. "My lovely Doe - you will come to learn - that there are far worse punishments, than death. Death is a reward - and rewards must be earned...." With that, he left the cell's, his mocking growling laugh echoing back from the stone hallway beyond the gate...
***
Late that night, or early the next morning, Ceredwyn's eyes fluttered open and she drew breath to squeal, but a gentle human hand clamped her muzzle closed, and a soft feminine voice breathed in her ear.
"Shh...please - don't scream, I won't harm you."
Ceredwyn struggled, her shackles clinking and clattering, low whimpering moans coming from her throat.
"Shh...here...drink this - it'll help ease your pain...." Spoke the feminine voice.
Ceredwyn refused, shaking her head weakly, but the figure pressed the bowl against Ceredwyn's muzzle, and began pouring. Ceredwyn choked and gagged, but began gulping eagerly, feeling the cooling liquid soothe the blazing pain in her throat, then its almost magical influence, as it eased and relaxed her muscles and body. Even as Ceredwyn began to take another gulp, the bowl was taken away, and her muzzle was tenderly dried with a linen cloth.
"Please, milady - " Ceredwyn gurgled. "more...water...."
"I can not child - as it'll make you ill. You're badly undernourished and I dare not spend much time with you - as if we're caught - " Spoke the disembodied voice.
"At least - let me look upon your face - and see for myself, who is an angel amongst this pit of demons." Ceredwyn gurgled.
Stepping closer, the figure reached up and folded back its grey hood, to reveal the old, but well aged face of a human woman. Her shock of silvery white hair was tied back in a ponytail and crows feet crinkled her green eyes as she smiled softly and reached up to rest her wrinkled hand on the now sobbing young Doe's cheek.
"I - " Ceredwyn moaned, nuzzling gratefully against the hand.
"Shhhh young one - " Spoke the woman. "I am Angelica - the former mother of that wolf-creature..." Angelica breathed in to Ceredwyn's ear. Ceredwyn blinked away her tears and Angelica sighed sadly.
"I can see your confusion - and I have but little time, but I will try to tell you what happened. Dorsnek - is not his name. His name was Galen...and he was my son. He served as a squire in King Dalnarian's army - and years later, he earned his Knighthood through acts of chivalry and honor. It was a foray in to a lair of evil...that decimated the Knights who accompanied him - and forever stole my child from me. Galen had battled alongside his Knight brothers and sisters, fighting back against the unending tide of evil creatures that laid a swath of carnage through the Knights - and only a handful on Knights made it back - and Galen had found a magical blade on one of the fallen beast-men.... Alas, the next time he used this blade in combat - its evil nature forever destroyed my child's spirit - and gave birth to that creature who has been your captor - Lord Dorsnek. Please young one - even if you must - die, before he takes you and puts you with his evil seed.... He is not the child that I loved and raised - as he is dark and evil to the core now. My child is dead - and Lord Dorsnek, is unreclaimable, as a creature...or man. He has been stricken with the worst of curses - that of the dreaded lycanthropy - but it could have been cured - now, it is too late."
A low, mocking growl came from the darkness, and a pair of blazing red eyes appeared, followed by a shadow that separated itself from the darkness near the cell door.
"My dear - belated mother..." Whispered Dorsnek, as he stepped closer, his dewlaps curling down in displeasure. "What a terrible thing to say about your child...who loves you so very much."
Twisting about, Angelica glared at the wolf that still approached. "You - foul beast - are not the child I gave life too.... I loved my son - and his soul is at peace...and if I have my way - I'll see you dead."
"Galen? Galen was weak - mortal and pathetic...he was nothing more than...cattle." Snarled Dorsnek in rising rage, his ears slicking back and hackles rising.
"Galen yet lives within you - I know that to be true...." Angelica spoke, her voice calm and soothing.
"He is dead!" Dorsnek screamed, his rage rising like steam under extreme pressure. "Now - you shall find out...mother...that you shouldn't have stuck your miserable nose in to my business.... Guards - take Lady Angelica to my quarters...."
Angelica snapped the soldiers hands off herself, and at sword point, they marched her from the cell. Dorsnek smiled, then sidled up to Ceredwyn and patted her tenderly on the shoulder, and stroked lovingly down one of her silky furred ears. Ceredwyn retched and flinched, but he gave a low murring growl, then his rough tongue slurped up her throat and along her cheek. Ceredwyn gurgled and shuddered, then Dorsnek smiled and turned away, his tail wagging softly, his low menacing chuckle chilling Ceredwyn to her very soul...but nothing was worse, than hearing the scraping of the steel cell door, as it was slammed closed with a hollow boom....
To Be Continued...