Southern India, 1907

Kethan Prabhakar had led a normal, well, a fairly normal life. Pausing a second to look back at the Dirigible, sitting on the two steam turbine pods, great propellers idling. Each deck, port and starboard, having a turreted Electric cannon mounted. His archaeologist parents, a London born Father of Hindi descent, his Mother of a well-to-do Battersea household. Still offloading their endless bales of gear, they had nearly forgotten Kethan in their excitement at a new dig. Four giant spider like automata stood ready to be loaded and bear the weight of the cargo and supplies, a fifth spider carrying only a roofed passenger compartment, eight utility and combat automata flanking them. OKAY... A not very normal life at all...

His parent had made this all sound so wonderful, an adventure beyond compare. Take his final year before University, off from school, and they would see to his schooling theirselves. See the world, meet interesting people, have fun. The only part that was going to plan was the schooling. Seeing the World? Well, only if the world was some trench dug into the side of a sandy hill a million miles from nowhere. If only all these three, no, four, people he had met hadn't all been dried up old prunes that made his parents seem interesting, ugh! Fun? Not even close. So, boring. So incredibly boring.

"Keth Dear? Did you finish your homework? Even the History?" Kethan turned to face Mother, her light brown hair in a bun; Kahki Blouse tucked into her jhodpurs, laced boots reaching halfway up her calves.

"Yes, Mom! Even the History."

"What about the..."

"All of it, it's on your desk. I am about two weeks ahead on the syllabus. Can I go into town, go anyplace?"

"Now dear, you know we opened up that new passage today. We can't go anywhere until we map it fully and see if there is anything in there."

"ugh... stupid ruins should have stayed buried..." Kethan said under his breath.

"What was that dear?"

"Nothing mother..."

God in heaven this place was growing more boring by the minute.

Three nights in a row now Kethan had woken from the most intense dreams. He could remember a lush figured woman, hands stroking him erect, then as something vague happened he awoke to another pair of soiled underwear. Sneaking out to rinse the smallclothes in a nearby stream, away from his parents prying eyes.

Tonight she had said something, but he couldn't remember what.

Lips moving in a smile, he woke with her voice still in his ears.

< come to me > The sweetest voice woke him, < hurry! come to me >

Kethan saw that his parents tent was still dark, all the lanterns extinguished, as a full moon shown overhead on the first of its three nights. The brilliant orb illuminating the camp. He could see the faintly glowing eyes of the patrolling automata. < come to me! >

This time, it was clear as a bell. He grabbed his pants, shirt and his crystal lamp, following the whispers. Soon they led him to the dig site, then down into the corridor his parents were mapping. Coming up to a painted wall, covered in what looked like Egyptian images of Bastet, but not quite right. The shapes were all proper, but none of the symbols were of the hieroglyphics his parents had made him study. The problem was Egypt was a thousand miles to the west, most definitely NOT in southern India. < come to me > Now a portion in the upper right of the painted wall seemed to be glowing, pulling his eyes to it. He touched the illuminated area carefully, but it wasn't hot, just glowing. Pressing on it the section sank into the wall, bringing a smile and a thrill of adventure. Finally, something that wasn't boring. Now an image glowed to the lower left; it too sank to his touch. Now a spot high overhead. Then the lower right. The glow, this time, was in the upper left. Now the first figure glowed again. Then last to glow was the cat image at the center. Pressing the ornate cat image, it settled into the wall with a sharp click. With a groaning sigh, followed by a puff of dust as the wall split open. The two halves swinging away from him. Setting foot into the short passage, he entered the main chamber. Walls covered in niches from which stared what seemed to be a thousand cat statues. The light from his crystal lamp was caught and amplified by their eyes. Revealing a huge domed chamber arching high ovehead. In the center was a rune covered sarcophagus with an image on top that looked like his dream. < come to me > Pushing the lid at first nothing happened, a second effort slid the stone lid a bare fingernail width. A mighty shove, and the lid suddenly seemed weightless, rocketing off to shatter on the floor.

Looking in he saw a beautiful woman. Skin a caramel brown, hair in short ringlets of deepest black. Her full breasts rising and falling stood proud. His eyes lost as they searched out all the mysteries previously denied to him. A musky and alluring aroma filling his nose that he couldn't get enough of. His eyes came up and saw her brilliant green orbs open and looking back at him. Delicate features that set his heart pounding even harder. Only her sharp and pointed teeth were not of a human ideal.

Speaking to him in a language he had never heard, but her voice melodious. Trying to sit up, he was quick to assist her. Soon she was standing before him. He was by no means short at 5'10" yet she towered over him. Taking his face into her two hands, she spoke to him long and seriously. The words meaning nothing to his ears, but the tone spoke of promises. Then tilting her head back; she called out what sounded like a string of names. As each word passed her lips, one of the watching statues came to life. What seemed like an hour later all the niches were empty, the floor covered in a writhing mass of purring fur.

Reaching out she stripped his clothes away and then laying him down, he felt the cats flowing around him. She leaned back, face to the ceiling and spoke sharp words. It was like the full moon had entered as the dim room opened to the sky and the silver light of the nearly full moon streamed down, filling the chamber almost like water in a pond. The light pouring into him with each breath, setting his nerves aflame. Leaning down, she washed his body with a long rough tongue. Where she licked first, the mass of cats followed. Leaving no part of him untouched but wanting more. Mounting him, she leaned in and kissed him long and hard. Singing out, as she started moving atop him.

Nipping and biting at him as she moved smoothly atop in in motions he had only heard whispered about in hushed tones with embarrassed glances. She pulled him up to nurse as would an infant, each suck filling him with fire. Arching his back, She joined him with a yowling cry of joy. Laying replete what must have been hours later, the cat attendants grooming and cleaning them. He rose, his clothes in hand and staggered out, the door closing and sealing behind him. Her musk still rising from his skin he walked to the nearby stream to bathe. Staggering back to his camp as the moon just kissed the horizon he fell into an exhausted and feverish sleep. Waking only as the sun passed the zenith.

All day he was distracted, his eyes drawn to the opening into the buried passages. Her scent, her satiated sighs, coming to him on each gust of the wind. His fingers remembering her sleek oiled skin. The sun setting, his parents retiring to their tent to write up the day's discoveries, with hardly a word to him.

That night as the moon rose he snuck away and opening the wall found her awaiting him. This night they made love in a hundred ways he had never heard whispered of in even the bawdiest of tavern ballads. Feasting in her glory. Later he licked her clean, as she had the night before. Noticing tonight that her ears were triangular and near the top of her head. Her lambent eyes split in vertical pupils opened wide. She had a furred tail that made her moan and shiver as he stroked it with his fingernails. By dawn, the fur had sprung up and spread across all her body leaving only her face, breasts, and groin bare by the time the moon had set. He staggered away exhausted; his eyes were barely able to focus, as he fell onto his cot and into fevered dreams. He couldn't bear to wash her scent from him today.

This night she greeted him fully in the form of a giant black cat. He took her yowling and hissing as he knelt behind he, tail coiling possessively about him. Nursing at all six of her paps, he took her from the front as he kissed at her fanged jaws. Then turning her around he took her from behind, leaning forward he took her neck in his teeth as he felt them sharpening to dig in. His jaw extending to clasp her entire neck. His hands playing with her beasts became paws with claws that dug in and held. The tail now swaying behind him becoming a toy for the cats covering the floor. As she howled her joy for the final time, he bit down and his mouth filled with blood that was like a drug he couldn't get enough of swallowing mouthful after mouthful. Fur erupted along his spine and this time, his roar joined hers in a voice deeper and louder than he had ever imagined. He felt new knowledge open inside him, knowing the thrill of the hunt and kill, knowing now the scents and sounds of prey running. As well, learning her ten-thousand secret names and the rituals to call them, the secret paths that ran behind the world and lastly why she must leave. He was still clasping her in his paws as the moon set and his love; his goddess faded into the dawn. He knew what he needed to do to get her back one day.

The secret door closed behind him. The brightly painted icons fading to a bare stone wall, as Kethan stalked out on four feet. Shifting step by step back to a human form, but one much changed. Gone the gangling teenager, now he stood 6'4" and some 280 pounds of muscle. Nude he walked out of the dig into full sunrise, ruggedly handsome. His eyes gleaming brightly as they caught the rising sun. Hearing a shriek, his head snapped to the side, and he saw his mother running away. Without thought he dropped into cat form and gave chase, each fear laden step enflaming him with the chase, he reached out and with one paw batted her to the ground with claws retracted. Stepping over her supine body he roared out victory. In mid roar, the crackle of an electric rifle sounded, and his side exploded in pain. Shot after shot slammed into him, painful and stunning, they did little real harm. Roaring at the rifle wielding automata he raised his paw, claws fully extended over the shivering and sobbing form of his mother.

Realizing in sudden horror what he had been about to do, he turned and with a slash opened one of the pathways at random and stepped through. Leaving behind parents filled with guilt as they cried out their grief of the son that had been consumed by the feline monster.

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