Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 132: brought to you by a reluctance to clean

Getting out of a City is harder than one might think, especially surrounded by walls. Also someone's mate dies. Not Neara, in case anyone was unduly worried about Orson...because we all know for who you're reading this.

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Neara's hands remained folded around herself as she was jostled from beastman to beastman, each one arguing why they should be the one to fight.

"I'm a feral; that means my stripes are worth twice what yours are," Benedict sneered, holding his hands in a stop motion.

"I'm the biggest; I should carry her!" Tony had no idea what was going on, but was determined to make his case for Neara.

"I'm at four stripes; my heightened senses need to scout the way ahead for..."

A demonic aura flashed through the group like a heartbeat, leaving the imprint of death on their souls. Neara caught the end of everyone else's shiver once she stopped trembling. Orson was the only one unphased, a thick scowl draped across his eyebrows. "I'm only going to say this once. We need to look as natural fleeing as anyone else. Tony will carry Neara, Benny will stay close by in beastman form so he looks like Winston from far away."

"I don't look anything like..."

"All you white cats look the same." He waved his hand in dismissal. "Winston will stay in a tight circle around them, out of sight, and I will protect the rear. I'm not asking for questions because you'd have to be... well, all right, questions?"

Tony slowly raised his hand, looking at Neara to check if he was doing it right.

"Ugh, of COURSE you'd carry her in your Beast form."

His hand lowered just as slowly.

"We don't have time to take anything and there's nothing here Neara couldn't replicate somewhere else. Do you want to take anyone else?" His green gaze turned on Neara and she looked down, flushed.

"No."

"Good. Then Tony and Benny, on your way."

Tony scooped Neara onto his back, her hands barely finding purchase on his slick shoulders before he fell into Beast form, the smell of him overpowering to the point of nausea. Bears were really too cute to smell this bad.

Benedict ran past with a growl, "It's Benedict," but kept in his beastman form as he followed Tony.

She didn't hear what happened next, the screams of terror echoing through the stone Castle as males roused their females from bed and shuffled them out the door. Small cubs, too young to cry out, were hastily shoved into their mothers laps as the males shoved each other, each looking for the nearest opening. The first scouts gained access to the City quickly, the eviscerated bodies of the guards proof enough. Bear fur tickled her nose as she kept her head low, eyes still searching through the brown fluff for any Scorpions.

A large snake, black with red markings, hissed into their path. Her mouth would've dried brown sugar as she stared at it, heart pounding in her lungs. Tony reared backwards, his roar shaking Neara. The snake darted forward, then screamed in pain. A snow leopard dangled from its throat, hind legs frantically scratching at the rest of its body. A quick flash of light and the snake split in two, droplets of blood sprinkling a wide radius as Neara caught sight of a fluffy head disappearing into the crowd.

Benedict spat out the chunk of snake flesh and coughed, but Tony sped past, intent on reaching the gate before more showed up. Her fingers slipped in the blood-soaked fur and her legs gripped tightly enough she could feel his ribs underneath her thighs. Shay would've made a comment about grabbing his ears or something ridiculous like that, and when she wondered why she couldn't take anything seriously, since this was a life or death situation, the crowd parted in front of them. Well, more like scattered as a team of Scorpions skittered around the gate, some hanging off of it while others balanced on the walls.

Tony's ears pulled back and he snarled again, Neara gripping his shoulder blades as his head swiveled, looking for Benedict. The largest Scorpion noticed her, how could he not, she was white as a sheet, and raised its claws. Neara's heart stopped and her hands froze in the fur. What was happening?

"To...ny," she gurgled, the words slipping back down her throat. She couldn't move. She could barely breathe, like sucking pudding through a coffee straw. Her feet fell backwards, somehow wedging themselves against Tony's hip bones. Thoughts raced through her brain and she tried to remember Morse code. Could she tap it, no, he wouldn't know Morse code unless he was a submarine captain or something, unless that was just in the movies. Tony backed up, his bellows of anger shredding his throat as he lashed out with his massive paws. Benedict streaked in front, his head low to the ground as he coughed in defiance.

Oh yeah, snow leopards couldn't roar in her world either. His tail puffed to enormous proportions, matching his hunched shoulders. Then he disappeared as Neara fell off Tony's back. What was going on?

Her eyes filled with the vision of enormous furry paws dancing in and out of her eyesight, occasionally splattered with blood. Something warm, wet and heavy landed on her face, but she couldn't push it off.

"Agatha!" The feminine voice knocked against her consciousness and she struggled to pinpoint it. She'd been Agatha once... was she still? Soft hands with all the warmth of an iceberg pulled her upright. "We have to get out of here! They're..." a gasp shoved the last word back down and she froze, hands still clasped around Neara's upper arms.

Something stopped her heart and would have made her nauseous if she could breathe. Rather than feeling trapped in her own body, she felt trapped in the moment. Two white streaks caught her eye, then she could move again and the moment had passed.

"Tony, you ignorant fish-for-brains! Scorpion venom paralyzes fe...women! Watch where you're going next time!" Orson's anger thrashed against the walls and manifested in Scorpion carcasses lining the way to the door.

"Where's Neara?"

"ARGH!!!" Orson's shriek of anger hit mythical proportions. "YOU LOST HER?????"

"It's ok, she's right here. Ethel's wrapped around her." Ethel was here too? Thick arms pulled her onto a hairy back and she cried out, reaching for her friend.

"Take Ethel! Take her too!"

A groan so frustrated it could only have come from Orson sounded and Ethel's body flopped next to hers. Whoever they were on lurched into a gallop and Neara's head slowly bounced to look forward. They passed the gates and dove into the dry riverbed outside the City, catching glimpses of fleeing beastmen through the dead bushes lining it. Ethel jerked heavily, then her movements became more frantic. Neara tried to hold her steady, though her movements steadily carried her backwards until Benedict called, "Stop!"

They skidded to a halt and Neara rolled past the beast's hips, falling on top of her friend. Ethel's mouth wrenched open and a horrendous scream pitched outward, tears spurting from her eyes. She continued shaking, even with Neara on top of her.

Benedict ran to them and pushed Neara off, cradling Ethel's head in his hands. A naked Tony caught her and gently sat down, cushioning her fall.

"Ethel, what's wrong?" Neara's lips weighed like they were filled with sand and she couldn't believe anyone actually understood her.

Benedict's mouth froze into a hard line as he rolled Ethel over, her bare shoulders threatening to fly out of her skin.

"No..."