cosmicshifts (4 page)

“
You crashing here made my life interesting. I haven’t seen such activity this deep in the woods since one of the hikers got lost and they caught a glimpse of me. News crews and other hunters came into the forest searching for me. It was rather amusing guiding them around the forest and laying false trails.”
Phillip hissed and pulled his teeth back from his lips in what she assumed was a laugh because she could hear the delight in his thoughts.

She could not help but smile from his warm demeanor.
“Why would you pretend to give others false information about yourself?
I would think you wouldn’t want to get caught after everything I saw you do today while knocking down the lights. That brings me to now; what are you exactly? I’ve never come across your species from my database of this planet.”

It appeared that his rather large forehead creased. His eyes seemed troubled for a moment. A few images passed through her mind while he was thinking over how to respond to her. He sighed and then met her gaze.
“
I’ve been alone for many years. After a while, I guess I craved some excitement.”
Phillip shrugged and grimaced again, but she sensed that he was holding something back.
“
There are many names for the beast I’ve become. Humans call me Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, Brown Ape, and a few other slang terms they have come up with to describe me. Most people assume I’m a myth. Some believe there are others of my kind.”

“Are there others of your kind?”

Silence erupted between them while he stilled his thoughts. Then she caught a short burst of images. One of them was the picture of a female with long black hair and a bright smile. There were some feelings that he had associated with this woman, but
Alika
could not latch on to exactly what they meant because the visions were fleeting.
“I don’t think there are any others like me exactly. I’m unique. I’ve never come across them in all my travels, but I have seen signs. It appears that they are a solitary breed. So yes, it is my belief that there are others who resemble what I am.”

“So how do you categorize yourself?”

“
Do I need a label? I am exactly as you see me.
Beast by night and man by day.
Alone for all time.”

Alika’s
heart twisted hearing his words and feeling the deep sorrow of him being alone for so long. She saw the long span of
years
stream through his mind like
neverending
space. The vision of him in the cave when a white substance covered the land and him cold and alone, the only solace being the volumes he read and at times a stray animal who would keep him company. Sometimes he was a man and had nothing but his dreams and the memories of the woman he had loved.
This other woman must have been a mate to him. He has not been with another person in so many years.
Although he was a hairy beast standing before her, she saw the man underneath all the hair and wished to bring him a little bit of peace. It was the least she could do to ease to his soul since the poor man had saved her life.

She got up from the bed and crossed the cave to stand before him. He was over seven feet tall, and her head came to the center of his torso. She realized that he could do her real damage. His hand could encompass her head. Those nails could shred skin through to the muscle if they wanted. And yet,
Alika
knew that he would never hurt her. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the coarse fur of his pelt. Phillip was remarkably clean, with no insects in his hair or clumps of dirt. She did admire that.
I guess I was wrong about him eating some parasite before.
He jumped at her touch.
Alika
slid her fingers over the hardness of his abdomen, touching the man underneath.

“
What are you doing?”
he asked.

She gazed into his deep brown eyes and smiled. “Are you functional?”

Confusion lit his thoughts.
“
What do you mean?”

Alika
slid her hand lower over his stomach to his groin, and she felt the
semierect
shaft and his balls hidden behind a deeper patch of fur. She was happy to discover that his shaft was hairless. She had been mounted by creatures with hairy pricks in the past. It was very uncomfortable with the hair jabbing her in all the wrong places when all she wanted was a pleasant experience.
Alika
stroked his cock a few times until she felt it firm up. Her smile widened before she looked him in the eye. “You are functional.”

A blast of fury seared her mind, and Phillip pulled away from her.
“
I am
functional,
as you say, but you don’t have the right to touch me so.”

She shook her head, not understanding why he was fighting her. “You have been alone for so long. Your mate has gone on. Surely you must yearn for companionship. Let me give that to you while I’m here.
To show my appreciation for you saving me.”

“
I won’t have you pitying me. Why would you desire me in this form?”

“There is no pity,” she said, stripping off the fabric around her and standing before him naked.
Alika
ran her fingers over her breasts and pinched her nipples until they were pert. From his thoughts, she knew that he was attracted to her. From the reaction of his dick pointing at her, she knew that he desired her. She swayed her hips and banished the distance between them, pressing her body against his. His thick pelt scratched her in a good way and made her warm in the chilly cave. She
slid
her hand over his length again, took one of his hands, and placed it on her breast. “I find you pleasing in both forms. I enjoy big, strong men. So do many women on my planet. Goddess
Dirvan
knows that there aren’t enough to go around. You would do quite well
there,
have many women waiting to pleasure you. We are a population where only one male child is born in ten thousand. Come now, Phillip. Let me do this for you.” She stood up on tiptoe and pushed her lips into his.

He did not respond, but his cock hardened and hit the middle of her chest. Now that it was fully engorged, she could see that it was twelve inches long and three inches around. Good. She enjoyed well-endowed males.
Alika
rubbed herself against him and bit his bottom lip. Her
canis
side was emerging. Her teeth shifted a little bit, getting pointier. Her nails grew into claws that she dug into Phillip’s back. It was then that he thrust his tongue into her mouth and returned her kiss with a fierceness that rivaled any of her past lovers. There was a hunger in him that was entwined with the beast that lived within him that wanted to fuck and nothing else. But she sensed that the man was there too, fighting to keep a leash on the animal. He wrapped his claws around her back and raked them down her flesh. She grunted at the pain and welcomed it. He broke the kiss, panting slightly, and glanced at her.

“
Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “No. It feels good. Don’t stop now.”

Alika
grabbed his head and brought his lips back to hers. She plunged her tongue into his mouth and wrapped it around his long, curved fangs. Phillip slid his fingers down her back and grabbed the mounds of her ass. He squeezed them and lifted her up against the cave wall without breaking the kiss. The coolness of the cave wall helped her to focus. He nibbled at her lips with his teeth, trying not to draw blood. Phillip was trying to be gentle, but he was losing control. The hardness of his cock pressed into her belly. She tangled her fingers in his fur and stroked his prick at the same time. He threw his head back and cried out. His howl filled the cave. She grinned and knew that he was close to coming.
Alika
guided his dick inside of her pussy, taking what she could of him. Phillip locked gazes with her and then thrust into her. A little more of her
canis
self slipped out, merging with her alien self. Her legs grew longer, and hair pushed through her flesh. He did not seem to see or care about that. Now that she was a little taller and longer in length, she found that she could accommodate his entire shaft. The man reflected in his eyes had disappeared. His thoughts were all bestial. She didn’t care. Her rational side escaped her as the animal within her came to the front. She threw back her head and clasped her feet around Phillip’s waist, rubbing her toes over his furry ass. He licked the line of her throat, biting here and there, until he broke the skin on her shoulder. At that moment, he drove into her all the way.

Alika
cried out as her big-footed lover hit her pleasure centers. She swiveled her hips and right when he plunged into her for the last time, she felt the warmth of her release also shoot through her.
Alika
squeezed her eyes shut when his claws pierced her flesh. He bit down into her shoulder once more, sending another jolt of ecstasy into her. A deep yowl came from his chest. She followed a moment later, feeling her muscles clench around his shaft.
Alika
rocked her hips against him one last time. White-hot heat rode her spine and rocked her body. It took her a few minutes to return to herself. When she did, she found that she was lying on the bed. Her savior was across the room using the wall to hold
himself
up. He was breathing hard.

“Are you all right?”

“I should be asking you that. I got carried away.”

“I’m fine.”

He grunted.
“
Good. Stay here and use the pool if you wish. I must hunt.”

“Let me go with you.”

“No. I know the terrain, and there are hunters looking for you.
Rest.
I will be back.”

Alika
nodded and knew that he was correct. There were people searching for her. Phillip exited the cave, leaving her to think about what had happened between them. It had been wonderful and a good release. Now she had to focus on the task at hand. How was she going to send a distress call with the meager technology that she possessed?

Chapter Five

Phillip glanced up at the sky and saw that dawn was not far off. The sounds of helicopters filled the lightening sky, and the tang of fresh blood lingered in his mouth. He carried two rabbits he had caught to bring back to
Alika
. Now that he had fed, he could think coherently. It also helped that it was near dawn. His human rationale had returned, and it was easier for him to think clearly. It was tough to believe that he had coupled with her, but it seemed that she had enjoyed it. Something about her cut through his animal urges, and she was able to connect with him the way no other had. When he thought of
Kaylana
, he could not recall her face. He shook his head and wondered if she would care if he was with someone else.

Not that it matters, because
Alika
is going home eventually. She will do whatever it takes to get off this planet. The way she talks about Earth as if it was a swampland, I know she’s unhappy.
He studied the search pattern of the helicopter and noticed that it was getting closer and closer to the cave. The army was looking for them. Phillip would have to be careful and make sure that he was not discovered. He clutched the rabbits and gathered the power that came with his curse. Before the sun fully broke over the horizon, he sped along the backside of the mountain and concentrated on being one with the air so even the instruments of modern men would not be able to track him. Sometimes he wondered if there was any kind of explanation to the magic he carried within him. Maybe one day technology would catch up to him, and they would discover what he truly was. Or maybe they could make it so that the curse was broken, and he would be a man again.
Alika
had mentioned that on her world her people had two forms, and he might be appreciated there.
Funny to think of a world where there are more women than men. I wonder what they do.

The air wrapped around him and cooled his skin, even through all the hair. Phillip moved with an ease that came with years of practice and glided among the trees, staying out of range of the helicopters. Phillip entered an obscure entrance to the cave system and slipped through the brush, making sure no trace of him was left behind to track. Traversing the caverns, he felt the sun rising and was transforming back into a man. When he walked into the cave,
Alika
was sprawled on the bed with a sheet loosely wrapped around her; it clung to her thigh and left most of her back exposed. He saw where he had clawed her, but the marks did not seem to be too severe. Rays of light caressed her jade-green skin. His throat tightened at how beautiful she was. She might have been from another world but they had fit together so well, and she had not balked at his claws or his size. It had felt wonderful to be inside of her. He had become lost to all his base desires and let the beast take over completely. Phillip set the rabbits down by the cave wall and slipped into the pool, hoping not to wake her. He dunked his head under the water. When he came up, he felt along his forehead where she had placed her communication device. Phillip did not feel any protrusions where the device was. It was nice to be able to speak with her, even if it was with his thoughts. He knew that she had picked up on some other things by their connection. Phillip yearned to ask her more, but did not want to disturb her.

After he bathed, he skinned the rabbits and brought them to another part of the cave to drain. He stole what food and water he could from campers he ran into and scared away. At times he ventured into the nearest town and bought supplies, but those were few and far between because he could not be caught out after sunset. Most of the time if he was not too lost to the beast, then he would remember to catch something and bring it back to his lair. He would rather that the meat be cooked, but the beast wanted it bloody. He had taken down a stag earlier that night, ate what he could, and left the remains for the wolves to scavenge. He was no longer hungry, but he was not sure whether
Alika
was hungry or if she wanted the game raw or prepared. At the moment, he could not take the chance of building a fire because the helicopters would see the smoke.

Instead, he wrapped a towel around his waist and sat across from
Alika
, grabbed a leather-bound journal, and wrote about his experiences with the mystery woman that had crash-landed in his backyard.

He must have fallen asleep because he awoke a few hours later, and
Alika
was not on the bed. A jolt of panic rushed through him. Phillip bolted into the other room of the cavern, but did not see her there either. He inhaled and caught her scent leading from the cave toward the surface. He followed it to the entrance, and his worst fears encompassed him. She had gone to scout out the area and would be caught. He raced back into the cave and found some clothes, slipping into some jeans, a T-shirt, and an old pair of hiking boots he had stolen from a camper years before. Phillip ascended to the surface and scoured the ground for any trace of
Alika
, finding her footprints lightly pressed into the dirt. Years of practice had made him a good tracker. He followed the indentations up the mountain and away from her crash site, but toward a familiar path he had not traveled in a long time.

His pace quickened. The earth lent its strength and kept him grounded. The higher he climbed, the cleaner the air became. He prayed that the helicopters were not circling, and that they did not happen to notice a green woman walking around during the day. When he finally came to the precipice, it opened up onto a flat verdant surface with several old pines shading the spot almost in a circle. Phillip stopped when he discovered
Alika
bowing before a pile of stones. The alien woman was clothed in an oversized T-shirt that covered most of her arms and a furry yellow winter hat with ear flaps that was low over her face. A pair of large purple sunglasses covered most of her face, and a pair of jeans that seemed to be too small for her hugged every curve. If a hiker or the authorities had come upon her, they might not have noticed that she was different. He prayed that that was the case.

After watching her press her palms over her eyes and then splay her fingers upon the dirt several times, he coughed to capture her attention.
Alika
stopped and when she spotted him, a wide smile spread across her lips. It lifted his heart. For the first time in a long time, he wanted to be with someone again. To not be so alone was something he had marveled at for a long time. He had wrestled with his heart and wondered if it were ever possible to love once more. Who would ever want a monster? Maybe with
Alika
his curse could be broken. Then again, maybe it was worsening because she would leave him alone eventually. It was not a good thing to open his heart to her. Phillip pushed the thoughts of her staying and maybe making a life with him away because it was not going to happen. If she did stay, it would be a constant battle trying to hide her presence so that she would not be caught. The best choice for her was to find a way off the planet and return home.

“What are you doing here?” asked
Alika
.

“I should be asking you the same thing.” Phillip crossed his arms over his chest. The irritation he felt was rising like hot bile up his throat. He tried to stay the fury, but it blazed through him. A breeze came up, and on it he heard the echo of the machines near the ship. “You shouldn’t be out in the open. Someone may see you. They’re watching the mountains. I can hear them using their machines, and soon they’ll identify your blood that was left behind or maybe follow your footprints if they haven’t already.”

Her brow furrowed. “
Pillup
, it will be okay.”

“
Alika
, you don’t know that. And you’re not saying my name right. I couldn’t tell you before. It’s not
Pillup
.”

“Oh, sorry.
How do you say your
nomen
?”

“Phillip.”

She
pursed
her mouth around his name.
“
Pillup
.”

He shook his head, feeling his frustration ebb. He knelt by her and reached for her, but stopped. “Can I?”

“You may touch me.”

He cupped her face between his hands and felt the smooth skin. Their encounter, even with him being a beast, enthralled him. His heart twisted at the rise of feeling that swept through him. A small moan slipped from his lips at the joy that he was now able to touch her satin cheek and inhale the citrus perfume that he associated with her.
Alika’s
orange eyes sparkled in the daylight. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. She inhaled and waited. Phillip used his thumb and forefinger to pucker her lips.
Alika
was very patient with him while he manipulated her mouth.

“It’s Phillip.” He pursed his lips and exaggerated the
ph
sound so that she could get an idea of the reverberation she was having trouble with.

“Ph…
illip
.”
She pronounced slowly but got the sound right. Her accent was more noticeable, and she swallowed some of her sounds. He doubted that he could do as well with her native tongue.

Phillip watched her mouth form around his name. When the sound came from her lips, a spear of desire shot right to his cock. He could not help but capture those lips in a rough kiss.
Alika
seemed surprised, but she did not shy away from him. Instead, she slipped her fingers along his head and then balled her hands in her hair. She pulled him down on top of her. He was afraid that he would crush her because she was so small compared to him, even when he was human.
Alika
plunged her tongue into his mouth until they touched and tasted one another. His prick firmed up at the thought of entering her once more, this time while he was human. When he saw the makeshift headstone he had erected for his beloved, all the passion drained from him. Guilt sufficed his being
knowing
that he had desecrated
Kaylana’s
grave. Phillip sat up and shuffled off of
Alika
. The spell had been broken. He and
Kaylana
had been happy together until her father had declared him the devil against the tribe. His beloved had sacrificed herself for him, and he had nearly lost his mind.

Phillip held his face in his hands and could not stop the tears.
Kaylana’s
beautiful smile warmed him. What would it have been like to be in the afterlife with the woman he loved? All because of him, she was dead. If only he had never come into her life. Those were questions he had asked himself for a long time. Four centuries of nights had passed, and he was alone.

A soft hand caressed his cheek. He glanced up and saw
Alika
peering at him with concern and curiosity in her eyes. “Why do you cry? Is it for the one who lies underneath these stones? The one you care about?”

“How do you know about her?” he asked.

She ran her fingers along his temple. “I saw her in your mind. Your thoughts are open to me more so when you’re in your second form. Now it’s much more guarded. I saw your mate and felt how you cared for her. This is where you brought her because this was her favorite place to look out over the land.”

He nodded. “Yes. There used to be blue flowers that grew here along with wild blackberries. She loved them. We would climb up here and eat them until the juice stained our faces. Her father didn’t approve of me. He saw me as one who wanted to rip his world apart because I was a soldier. It was my fault she died, trying to save me from her father. When she died I went insane, killed a few of the tribe, and then he cursed me. Sometimes I come here to think and be close to her.”

“That’s why you chose these caves, because you wished to be close to her?”

“Yeah.”

“But she has gone beyond. Why do you hang on to the past?”

“Don’t you have feelings? Haven’t you ever loved anyone? Do you know the emotion?” The anger rising in him was tricky to keep out of his voice. With all the questions she asked, he wondered if she even had a heart.

Alika
placed a finger on his lips and drew one of his hands to her chest. “I have two hearts. L-
lov
-
ve
,” she tripped over the word, “we call it
trima
, but from what I’ve garnered from your thoughts and feelings it is the same thing. This emotion makes you see stars and fills your world so that you see nothing else. I had a mate, a very long time ago, and he lost himself to the
canis
…the beast inside of my people. I share your loss and came here to show my respect toward the one
who
you lost and to the mate I will never see again. You remind me of him in some ways. You feel my hearts beat, Phillip, and know that we are not so different.”

She brushed her lips over his. They were sweet, and it lifted his dark mood. He had not expected to hear that she once had a man who loved her, so she understood his heartache.
Alika
pulled away and left him wanting to feel her sweet mouth on his again.