《Children of Nemeah (epic progression fantasy)》The Wilds - Chapter 9
Advertisement
††† Haylee †††
Having herself finally under control again, Haylee closed her eyes and focused. Never before had she willing allowed anyone but Eurydike to watch her shift. Now it didn't unsettle her anymore in front of Siegfried.
When she opened her eyes again, there was no disgust visible in his gaze— only an honest grin… and maybe a slight leer flicking over her half-naked form for an instant. Although her bandages were flexible enough to not rip while she shifted, a few stripes had repositioned themselves quite dangerously, exposing a fair bit of bare skin.
Not that she minded the roguish-handsome warrior casting an eye over her. She'd done the same whenever they had a calm moment after all. Siegfried went bare-chested since his leader vest was shredded in Nemeah, wearing only his thick leather pants and bracers.
She didn't fault herself either— his ridiculously chiselled physique would have drawn any woman's attention. Combined with his sculpted facial features and that powerful gaze, the warrior possessed a masculine kind of allure that appealed to Haylee's animalistic side like none other.
A self-satisfied smirk on Sieg's face made the cat-girl aware of the fact that she was still staring at his body. She passed by him with a dismissive huff, adding a swing to her hips and failing to stifle a grin as he followed her with an amused chuckle.
Haylee aimed towards the small pond where she had left her clothing. She looked back briefly, letting Siegfried know that she wanted him to accompany her. Her heart fluttered rapidly on the way, and her nerves nearly got the better of her. But after Sieg had laid himself bare before her and even accepted her other form, she felt a need to open up as well.
After dressing up and stepping inside the green shelter again, Halyee turned around to find Siegfried stare with a concerned frown.
Advertisement
"Smooth those wrinkles in your face Siegfried," she giggled. "I'm fine."
The secretly compassionate warrior quickly lost the fight against the warm smile that tugged on the corners of his mouth. He really was a good man behind the often stoic and intimidating demeanour.
Haylee took a deep breath to steady herself. Siegfried waited patiently for her to get her bearings.
"Thank you," Haylee intoned with emotion. "Thanks for accepting me as I am."
Siegfried's smile turned into a grin as he held his left arm akimbo against his hip. "I believe it is more than just acceptance, Haylee. I meant every word I said back there," he said softly but with conviction. He sat down in the grass and motioned for Haylee to join him.
Haylee sat down cross-legged in front of him, her eyes unfocused as her mind wandered. Sieg did not press her with questions, and his silent presence calmed her more than words could have.
"When I changed for the first time, it was at home with my father," Haylee began quietly. "My mother died at my birth, and it was only the two of us. Compared to now, my first transition went very slow." A raw tone coloured her voice as she remembered the day.
"My father shouted wordlessly, shaking my body as if he could force the bad spirits to leave my body by force," Haylee recounted sardonically, her gaze darkened. "And somehow, he succeeded in part. My transition stopped halfway, leaving me with disfigured limbs and a crooked hip."
Haylee clenched her hands into fists and ground her teeth at the memory. "I saw only a single emotion on my father's face when the change stopped— disgust. Not fear or pain, not even anger. It was pure disgust."
Siegfried took her small hand into his as if he could lend her strength through the touch. He did not utter a word, allowing her to decide if she wanted to continue. They sat like that for several minutes until Haylee managed her breathing once more.
Advertisement
"Father thought he saved me from the evil spirits as I was still myself. But he couldn't accept that the daughter of his beautiful wife looked like an abomination. And so he tried to revert the changes forcefully." She felt a gentle squeeze from Siegfried and found that her nails had grown out unconsciously. Retracting her claws, she held Siegfried's gaze.
"He held me in the basement, strapped to a table for weeks while he tried to… undo everything." Haylee's voice quivered and bristled with anger. "It took a long time until I managed to shapeshift again after my bones healed. This time I shifted completely. That was the first of many times I saw the eyes of a human stare at my form with fear. And it was also the first time I killed someone."
††† Siegfried †††
Siegfried was torn between sympathy and righteous fury as he listened to Haylee's story. She might not have voiced it explicitly, but the meaning was clear. Her father broke her bones and tried to set them differently. He effectively tortured his own daughter.
The expression on Haylee's face was one of revulsion and loathing for her father. But he could read the pain hidden behind that facade all to well.
By pure strength of will, Sieg forced down his own anger. His next words could affect Haylle significantly, and he had to choose them well.
"I never knew my parents," he voiced in a calm and gentle tone. "But I know they were alive when they abandoned Katharina and me in the slums. Maybe they just saw us as a nuisance. Maybe they feared I was possessed by an evil spirit because of my odd coloured eyes.
"When Bolverk found me, he saw something else. He appreciated me for being different. Much like Euridike appreciated you, I'd wager."
Sieg could see a slight tug at the corner of Haylee's mouth. He was on the right track.
"I will never forget the moment at the gate of Nemeah, when I saw you partly transformed for the first time. I was mesmerised," he admitted, smiling as Haylee brows knit into an uncertain frown. "You looked powerful but elegant, deadly but graceful. A dangerous woman of otherworldly beauty, drenched in her enemies blood like a goddess of war. That was the second time in my life that I was rendered speechless."
Haylee lifted a shaking hand to cover her lower face as she tried to hold back tears. "I-I thought you were staring fo-for finding me repulsive," she stammered with a muffled voice. When her eyes closed and tears flowed, she snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation. A short, high-pitched laugher turned into sobs, and Siegfried took her in a gentle embrace.
"I never found any part of you repulsive, Haylee," Siegfried said softly while caressing her hair. "And the only thing I was afraid of when looking at you was that I would lose myself in those alluring, fierce eyes." He calmly stroked her back as her body trembled in his arms.
"I don’t know why—" a hiccup broke her shaking voice, "—why I'm crying. I'm happy," she sobbed.
Siegfried was content to just hold her as the flood of emotions overwhelmed Haylee. She was weeping tears of joy and relief, and he was determined to never make her cry for any other reason.
Advertisement
Skillmaster : Haven
Skillmaster : Haven Thrust into a position not of his choosing, the cloned intelligence of James Carter must travel through the virtual reality world of Haven, following a quest given to him by the prime god and creator of this new world.. The quest ? To gain access to a virtual log off button which will allow him to log off to his virtual real life Skillmaster : Haven now to be renamed as Skillhaven Alpha
8 187An Id of Primal Chaos
TAG DISCLAIMER: The tags 'Portal Fantasy / isekai', 'High Fantasy', and 'Non-Human Lead' do not take place until later on in the novel. Probably mid-way through the first volume. The 'villainous lead' tag is a very loose tag. Some of the things the mc does can be considered villainous to those with a staunch moral code, however, I have not made the mc out to be overtly villainous. True Title: Advent of the Silent Storm (I came up with the original title a while ago, before I had even written a single chapter. It still kind of fits but this new title fits a lot better. I would change it but I don't know if it would screw up the recommendation algorithm.) Excerpt: My mind wanders through the soup of unconsciousness, still startlingly awake despite my physical form’s stasis. Electricity completely paralyzes the air around me and lightning flashes in a constant strobe of blinding light. The ground, thousands of feet below my being has been wiped clean of all manmade artifice and natural beauty; leveled, through absolute power. My power. Synopsis: Tetal Faelen, a very successful businessman with lofty goals, is introduced to an omniscient being through less than pleasant means. This being has an irresistible offer for Tetal with next to no downside. Tetal can’t help but wonder, “What’s the catch?” Additional Notes: Second novel I have started within the Web of Interconnected Realities. My other novel is not posted on this site so don't bother looking for it. I might post it here in the future.
8 210Watson&Holmes
"I'm a doll, a murder weapon.""I want you to be my partner." What is more difficult to understand than a mysterious case is the heart of the man in front of him.The blood in Watson's hand will be blood in Holmes's hand forever, from now on his decision and act are not just his own, because we're partner.
8 208Blaze
What even is a woman? If you look at it objectively, they're just individuals, pidgeon-holed to a certain type of life. In comparison to men, they're equal in many ways. But this girl... She's more than equal... She's much more than she has yet to realize... Follow Serah as she rediscovers her identity in a new world... As she learns of the possibilities, all the good things one can dream of... of how limited her perspective of the world previously was... Some dreams are truly beautiful... As we walk towards them, sometimes they crumble away into the dust they were formed with... But some dreams... They're worth the journey...
8 224Because Of You
Grace Anderson was left packless and without a family when the most ruthless Alpha to walk on earth decided to avenge the death of his dead father, whom he believes was killed by Graces' very own pack, the Crescent Moon Pack. But how can an innocent pack be capable of such an atrocity? Answer is, they weren't capable of that.One misunderstanding led to hundreds dead, but in the midst of that there was one sole survivor; Grace Anderson, the Alphas younger sister. Traumatized, afraid, and alone Grace set out to explore the world and forget all the pain from her past.Now, three years later, she is back for the death anniversary of her pack. Returning every year on the same day is a yearly tradition, so why would this year be any different?Little does Grace know that this year will change her life forever.Not because she will come across a few new and unexpected people, but because she'll be coming across the one person who ruined her life and is the cause of her pain. That one person is the very own ruthless Alpha that wiped out the entire Crescent Moon Pack.The same Alpha who is also her mate.
8 195Reactions to DR Ships
I decided to join the bandwagon and to my own one. I have no life. cri. SPOILERS FOR V3
8 176