Beast Woman

The gooey aftermath on my fingers got wiped on his pillow. A little torture never hurt anyone and it might even make him like me more…or eat his pillow. If I ever got the chance to see something like that, I think I could die happily knowing I'd just seen the silliest thing in the world.

After a sweaty round of naked yoga – I made sure to cover the windows with various objects and sheets, of course – I found a washbasin that had been left from the night before. The water was cold, but at least the rag hadn't been left in it. I could sponge myself off real quick…or as quickly as one could with freezing-ass cold water before I wandered back over to the bed to assess the clothing that had been brought.

It was some sort of flowy, toga-like thing with some leathery bits…likely breast support. I guess whoever made this particular outfit choice had been aware of my very obvious need for support. These ladies demanded bra-time, that was for sure.

Wiggling into the white cotton dress had been easy. There was no restrictive fabric to be found, even where the billowy sleeves attached to the main piece, and had a gentle scooping neck that showed off the tops of my shoulders while still managing to cover the swell of my breasts. When I picked up the brown leather and looked it over, I discovered that it was exactly as I had expected it to be…a bustier. A big, leather, outside, old-fashioned bra.

I sighed quietly and took the time to loosen the lacings so that it was easy to climb into, then adjust everything before having to re-tighten, then tie the leather straps. I was almost glad that it was difficult to get into because all that movement made me step on a soft little bit that I guess I'd missed. That turned out to be a woolen pair of panties.

I had a feeling they were going to be really itchy at some point or another. I still pulled them on since going commando in a dress was not an option.

They'd provided boots, too, so I didn't have to wander around barefoot. I pulled them on and strapped them down and though I didn't have access to a mirror, I think I looked pretty cute. Gharret's mother seemed to have some pretty good taste in clothing, at the very least.

Carefully, I poked my head out the door and glanced up and down the hallway. It was empty, with a few scattered doors here and there, though I could hear voices echoing from a large chamber that emitted light down the hall. Curiosity got the best of me and I started wandering in the direction of the noise, though I found myself at the junction of a second, shorter hallway, both ends of which ended at L-bends that both opened up into the same large space.

"…What proof do you have that she is from the Otherworld in the first place?" came a calmly demanding voice that echoed down the hallway, albeit at a distance.

"All the evidence I observed made it absolutely clear to me that she is not of this world. Now if you will just wait until-" That was Gharret, and he seemed much closer to the entrance of the smaller hallway that she found herself in. She felt bad eavesdropping on the convo, but…

"Until what? She vanishes? Runs off to the Lion Empire to sell all our secrets?!" another man had interjected, sounding more riled than the others had been. Maybe now was the perfect time to step in…

"And just how-" Gharret began but paused as his ears twitched in my direction as I stepped through the doorway. There were several soft gasps, though I wasn't aware that a nightgown and bedhead were all that attractive…but whatever.

"I apologize for listening in…but I have not a single idea where the Lion Empire is…much less that one existed. If where I am right now is considered part of a kingdom, I don't even know the name of the kingdom, the king, or his queen." I shrugged and wandered over to stand beside Gharret, who had shifted from his 'bored, spoiled prince' look to sit a little more upright on the wooden throne that made him Chief. "On another note, and with all due respect, if you cannot trust your Chief to embarrass the hell out of me looking for evidence, then what business do you have making decisions for an entire village?"

I lifted my chin and looked down on the group of what I assume were Elders assembled at the foot of the wide staircase that separated the main floor from the small rise that the Chief occupied. They all sat on one side of a long table that had been brought over so that everyone could have their meeting comfortably.

"How dare you?! Who the hell do you think you are?! Do you know who I am?!" the one who had spoken second demanded. He, like the others, was older and sported a sizeable set of ram's horns with a balding head and patches of fur exploding from sheep ears.

"Your Otherworlder that you so rudely referred to. And I don't care who you are or what you've done in your lifetime. In the short time that I have been in your presence, I've gathered all the information I need to know about who you are as an individual and what your decision-making processes are." He seemed taken aback as I spoke and though I paused, no one seemed to be jumping in to either defend him or shut me down…so I continued.

"Proud to the point of arrogance. Paranoid and untrusting of your leadership. Possibly guilty of greed or avarice of some sort as well. Those personality traits tend to go hand-in-hand."

"Wh-what?!" he snapped, but I steamrolled over him, raising my voice above his so that it echoed from the rafters of the meeting hall.

"Those in leadership positions have no business possessing these traits. It can and does often lead to poor or rash decision-making to the extreme detriment of the people they are supposed to be protecting and leading. Eventually, they devolve into madness, thus chaos and destruction of their village, city, or country ensue. The people revolt. And burn their cities to the ground. All over one person's inability to maintain a cool head and trust the leadership that THEY, THEMSELVES, installed to oversee the daily, weekly, and monthly functions of the populace."

At this point, the other elders paused, blinking in wonder before turning their attention to their fellow elder, who had turned a strange shade of purple from a combination of embarrassment and rage.

"I can personally assure you…Chief Gharret was EXCEEDINGLY and UNNECESSARILY thorough." With this, I cast a glare over my shoulder at him. He had returned his chin to his knuckles as he listened, tail flopping in a lazy wag as he smirked in my direction. I turned my attention back to the assembled. It was then that I noticed Gharret's mother was among them and grinning devilishly…like a fox in a henhouse. "So whatever he's told you, please accept it as the absolute truth. You owe him that much for basically doing your job for you."

The ram elder in question slammed his fists down on the table he sat at as he jumped to his feet, clearly ready to spar with me. Either that or he didn't have much faith in females. Add misogynist to the list.

"WELL. I NEVER-!" he huffed and began to storm out.

"Oh, yes, please. Walk out on what is clearly an important meeting because your feelings got hurt. Living a long time does not excuse childish behavior, either. Instead of throwing a temper tantrum, perhaps accept your flaws and attempt to change them. It would be the adult thing-" I ranted, though calmly, and found myself cut off by a gentle hand slipping into my own.

I looked down to spy Gharret had used his free hand to snatch mine up before kissing my knuckles.

"You beast…," he murmured softly, his smirk as wide as his mother's.