Beastly Love

Chapter 2: Into The Garden

I wrinkle my nose and the sensation stays the same. Eyes closed, I bat at whatever is brushing up against my face. Grass?

Come to think of it, it's hard to open my eyes. The sunlight is so intense, I have to shield my eyes before I open them. Strange. Why is it so bright?

My eyelids flutter and I find myself staring at blue sky beneath the palm of my hand. Startled, I inhale sharply and sit up. I am surrounded by grass and greenery, all manner of forest. The colors are so impossibly vivid, it feels as if I've stepped into a painting. Somehow I ended up in a grassy clearing all alone. Yet, I don't remember how I got here. I don't remember much of anything, really.

My last memory. I was falling. Oh God. Am I dead?

Looking down, I'm still wearing the emerald blouse and brown leather skirt. I'm missing a heel, however, and find that it's been tossed a couple feet away.

Am I dead? Maybe I'm dreaming. Could this be a dream? Am I lucid dreaming? I stand up and try to get my baring. If this is a dream, then it's the most vivid and stressful dream I've ever had. I can use all of my senses. Instead of the dank city smells, I breathe in the damp earth and wind. I feel the warmth of direct sunlight, the sour taste of stale morning breath, even the tall grass at my feet with weeds poking out and uneven rocks. Of course it's so unbelievable that I could only explain it away as a dream, but I'm pretty sure I'm awake. There's no way anyone could dream something as real as this.

So I'm dead. That seems to make the most sense.

I turn and walk into the treeline that's less dense. I figure I should get a better idea of where I am instead of remaining like a sitting duck. I'm somewhat comforted by the sound of birds and other beasts. At least I know there's something out there keeping me company.

I wasn't particularly religious in life, and yet this couldn't be hell. It's so beautiful. Silently I thank God for sending me here, if he had something to do with it. There is still the possibility that I'm not in fact dead. But I should be dead. I fell in front of a moving train. There's no way anyone could survive that.

I pick up my other shoe and carry them both. I could really use a cold glass of water. I start walking and wait until I hear the sound of running water. Thankfully, it doesn't take long before I find a pristine pool of water. I can't say it's a lake because it's not very big. Maybe lagoon would be a better word. Regardless, I take a look at my reflection in the water. I don't look like I've been hit by a train, but I could certainly use a bath.

I shed the pantyhose on the sandy bank along with my skirt, blouse, and underwear. The water is lukewarm from the beating sun. I wade into the pool and begin to make sense of my situation. The peaceful surroundings allow my mind to wind down, but all I come up with are more questions than answers. Where am I? What happened? What do I do next?

I close my eyes and turn my face to the light. It feels nice until something blocks the sun and I open my eyes only to find myself staring into the golden eyes of the largest lion I'd ever seen in my life.

It's looking directly at me. I've never actually seen a lion in real life, only ever on the internet and in pictures. I don't know how big they're supposed to be, but this one's the size of a car. A large car. It's peering down at me from a ledge that borders the lagoon. It's about a yard away, just looking at me. I didn't even notice it approach.

I freeze, my joints locking and mind racing. Just when I thought I could relax, I am now more afraid and vulnerable than ever before. I try not to make any sudden movements. Can lions swim? I don't want to find out. I slowly float away from the lion, not breaking eye contact. It continues to look at me, swishing its tail. Thankfully the pool is large enough that I can stay a safe distance away.

The lion walks the perimeter down to the beach.

Shit, shit, shit.

If I really was given another chance, I'm not about to waste it dying today by lion attack.

I sink underwater and close my eyes. I hope that maybe if I stay underwater long enough, it'll lose interest. There's a disturbance in the waves and I feel something grab onto me. I expect the jaws of a lion to clamp down on me, but instead I'm cradled by arms and rising to the surface.

Startled, I choke on water and have to cough it out of my lungs. All the while, the pair of arms props me up in the water.

"Are you ok?"

I notice for the first time not the pair of muscular tan arms holding onto my naked body, but a pair of golden eyes looking at me with deep concern. He pulls me to his chest and pats my back. I'm too shocked to react. my face is right next to long and thick golden hair that stops at his mid-back. Even wet, I can tell it's gorgeous.

Suddenly, I remember that I was being stalked by a ginormous lion just a second ago and pull away, scanning the beach and peripheral, but don't see the lion. It's so big, I would have noticed it disappear for sure.

"The lion," I say. I look at the man holding me.

"We're not safe here. There was a huge lion here, just a second ago. Did you see where it went?"

His expression changes from concerned to confused.

"Don't worry about that. I'm not going to hurt you. I saved you," he says.

His voice is warm and deep like a hug: Becoming self-aware, I try to cover my exposed chest and cross my legs. I'm being held by the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life, naked and afraid for my life. His eyes are an unnatural vibrant gold I've never seen before. He looks like sunlight in human form. Maybe a Greek god. Maybe I'd gotten it all wrong and I'm now staring at Zeus himself in the afterlife.

"You were going to drown. Why would you do that?"

"I wasn't drowning, I was hiding from the lion."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I didn't want to die!"

"But I wouldn't hurt you."

"Well yeah, but you're not a giant hungry lion."

At that, he cracked a smile and I swear I felt my heart skip.

"Speaking of which, who are you? Where did you come from? And you can stop holding me now, I'm ok. But don't look," I said, pushing away, but he continued to hold onto my body.

"I'm Adam. I'm from the lion tribe. What tribe are you from?"

"Tribe? I'm from the city, not any tribe." Adam looks confused.

"I've never seen a feral female. You have to belong to a tribe."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Actually, I just got here and I'm not even sure where I am. Maybe we could go to the beach and you could explain some things to me."

He swims over to the beach, continuing to carry me.

"Wait!" I say, breaking free and attempting to cover myself while not looking at his equally naked form.

"Let me put some clothes on first. Don't look! Put some clothes on too!" I shimmy my blouse and skirt on quickly.

"Ok. But we need to be careful the lion doesn't come back."

Adam looks just as confused as before.

"Aren't you afraid of a lion? Look, I swear I saw one."

And just like that, before my very eyes, Adam became a giant golden lion.