I hadn't even opened my eyes yet when I started to feel my body. I didn't know how long it had been. Probably hours since I passed out. My body ached, my muscles strained and sore, my entire body feeling like it went through hell and back.
More than anyplace else, my abdomen and crotch were the most affected areas. I forced my eyes open slowly, rays of sunshine breaking through them into my not-at-all-adjusted eyes. I could surprisingly move my hands, no longer tied up with vines. It must've happened long ago enough for there to not even be marks anymore.
And just as soon as I felt my body, the feeling came back to my head. With vengeance.
"Argh... hells, that's nasty..." It felt like someone was slowly tightening a vice around my brain. I wondered to myself "How am I still alive?" still getting used to moving my body again after all the time I was out. I sat up as I held the back of my head but as I got up, the thoughts about how badly I was hurting went away quite quickly when I saw who was sitting across from me.
The tiger girl, kneeling right there not 5 feet away from me clenching her fists tightly. Her face was slightly red and her eyes painfully focused on me like she was steeling herself for something. She was dressed in her 'armor' and even I was at least dressed in my undergarments.
Instinctively, I reeled back and distanced myself from her. After a brief moment of tense silence between the two of us and surprisingly no action on her part, I gained a bit of confidence and confronted her. "Why are you still here? And why am I still alive. Do you want to toy with me? If you're already willing to attack me like this, then the least you could do is finish the job!"
She tensed up even more, seeming almost on the verge of tears as I yelled at her. I was taken aback. Why was she acting this timid and restrained. I adjusted my tone but still remained on guard in case it was a farce. "I know that you can speak, so out with it. I already apologized for intruding on your turf before, I was ready to leave and yet you showed no mercy to me. If you have anything to say, if you want to finish me off, do it now!" I demanded.
Still wordless, she shut her eyes tightly as if she was struggling to keep herself together and then... she bowed almost deep enough for her face to hit the ground and remained there without looking up. "I can't even begin to express how sorry I am. I have defiled you and acted like a savage beast. I am unforgivable and I am shamed for what I've done. I can only beg from the bottom of my heart that you will hear me out."
I was stunned into silence. Not only was the blood-lust fueled beast from before nowhere to be seen but she was remarkably literate and well-spoken. I answered with a just as carefully crafted response "...huh?"
She snapped up like a spring and in a panic yelled out "I'm not like that! Yesterday, that wasn't me!" She clutched her chest, reaffirming her sincerity.
I readjusted myself, gathering my thoughts to formulate an actual response this time. "I... I'm confused. Forgive me, this is all a bit much to take in. You WERE the beast that attacked me and my men yesterday, right? You DID try to slash them into pieces and you DID force me to do... you know what. Apparently a lot longer than I was aware of even." I said, slightly groaning at the pain of my aching muscles.
She hung her head in shame and again made slight apologetic bows to me. "I'm aware of what I've done. I used you, way past the point of your consciousness leaving you. I was satisfying my most primal, base urges and I hate them almost as much as you must despise me right now. I mean it." She confided in me, sincerely facing me eye to eye.
Surprised by her willingness to communicate with me, I began to get invested in what she was telling me and found myself wanting to talk more. "I'll decide to believe you there."
"You are?"
I chuckled. "What do I have to lose at this point? Might as well see where this conversation takes us. First and foremost, you've never even told me your name."
She hesitantly smiled a little. "My name is Shime. Member of the Hirako Clan."
"Julian Laroute. Sole heir of the Laroute family of Acadia. You know where I come from, there's a bit of a different order to getting to know a person."
Finally, she chuckled at least a little. "I see. Humor. I understand and I am honored to learn your name. Lord knows I'm not worthy of it." She once again took on a solemn look but this time, I wouldn't let her fall silent again.
"We're starting over. If what you said is true, and the You from before isn't the real you, then everything before now doesn't matter. We'll be on equal grounds that way. Tell me more about those urges. How do they work?"
She took on a serious and composed posture and despite the embarrassment, explained herself to me in great detail "Every few months, my species, the Jinko, go into an unquenchable heat cycle. If you have a male partner at that time, it's not that severe since you can satisfy them as soon as they start. But if you're like me, and you don't have one, especially over a long time, your body starts to crave it more and more against your will. At some point these urges get so great that your mind snaps and your body acts on its own. You try every possible way to relieve yourself but your body will never be satisfied until you have a man pour his seed into you. If you can't find one, it is like you're suffering from withdrawal and the anguish is unimaginable. That's why I did the things I did. When I... when I saw you... I broke. You were the first man I saw in weeks and my mind was just consumed by a lusting cloud of desire. Everything I could think of was related to ravishing you... using you for pleasure."
I leaned in more, intrigued by her explanation and started to actively investigate further. "So, if you know about these unavoidable issues you have, why are you out here? It doesn't seem like your clan is anywhere nearby."
"How did you figure that?"
"You wouldn't take a bath and umm... present yourself as openly as you did if you would expect people to look for you at any point."
Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red, which she quickly tried to downplay by clearing her throat and facing away slightly. "I see. You're pretty perceptive. Yes, I'm very far from home actually. My clan lives on the other side of the eastern mountain chain. We lead a monastery there."
