Forever in the Underworld Ch. 06

Doubt has festered in my mind lately. Thoughts come to me heavier and stronger than before. Events beyond my control have made my life miserable, but I have never regretted my own choices before. Why do these emotions surface now, when I have long since lost all that which I held dear? I search but cannot find the answer.

Stilling the hunger has become my only solace on these long, dark nights. I think of her every day.

Not even the wonders of the forest can hold my attention for long. I see a majestic and crowned elk reaching for the stinging needles on a pine branch. A loon moans sorrowfully through the dancing mist above a black pond. The red light of a decaying day shines back at me from the eyes of a lynx and her young. Thousands of creatures rustle through the moss and leaves in the undergrowth, oblivious of prowling foxes.

Beauty surrounds me, but everything seems tainted.

All I do these days is cry.

-----

My new role had changed something essential in me. The path back to a human life was no longer open to me, and with that realization, everything shifted. With no other choice left, I found it surprisingly easy to adapt. Being a nymph seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world when I was with Skuld.

Even the trolls seemed to know that I no longer had any hope of a human life. I was free to roam the outside world and enjoy the same freedoms as any other nymph in the mountain. Although I remained at the bottom of the social order, I found a semblance of peace. Finally, I was treated in the same way as my equals, even if the transformation had sent me down an unexpected path.

I threw myself into that freedom with all the youthful energy my new body granted. Together, Skuld and I lived out our happiest days -- exploring the wilderness and cavernous depths together and making love underneath the stars each night. She showed me all her secret places and hidden beauty hidden far from the eyes of men and trolls alike.

Within the mountain I experienced the deep bond that tied all fairy-folk together. It was a rigid society bound by harsh rules - especially for women. Yet somehow it held a strange balance between might and allure, cruelty and grace. Like a reflection of the duplicitous nature of the world that had born us.

Still, behind my contentment a quiet fear festered. Could this life really last? How could I go from being distrusted and feared one day and fully accepted the next, without consequence? I tried to let go of the doubt, but every moment I spent with Skuld felt fragile, like it was our last time together. The only thing that released me from my worries was the intense ecstasy she conjured in me when we shared our leafy beds.

After the initial euphoria slowly faded, leaving my mind open to other thoughts, I began to reflect on my purpose in this hidden world. I knew well what the stories said about nymphs. Ever since I was a little boy, I had heard tales of men being seduced by these wonderful forest creatures and stripped of every ounce of life force.

This dawned on me as days went by and I felt increasingly tired. Despite hearty meals and restful days, there was something in me that never truly replenished. The energies that enabled me to race through the mountains without end or enjoy hours of pleasure now seemed to seep away with each passing night.

Skuld noticed. Reluctantly, she explained to me the sinister side of our existence. She called it "the hunger". Every nymph felt it from time to time. Trolls believed it to be similar to their gluttonous taste for human flesh, but this was something deeper - something rooted in the core essence of the Underworld. A force only the nymphs truly understood.

We were the link between the ancient Earth-Mother and her damned offspring. She, who had birthed us all, eons before humans and their like arrived. Through our wombs we carried a bond to her. A fruitful barrier against the human powers threatening to destroy Nature and its inhabitants. Our abilities were a blessing and a curse. Like every being needed to kill in order to replenish, nymphs needed to seduce.

Skuld took me on my first hunt.

It was a frightening experience which I will always remember. We wandered several days from our home, reaching a human settlement on the outskirts of civilization. Humans were the people that had born and raised me, but I felt little remorse for what I was about to do. I did not know these individuals like I had learned to love Skuld and my new people.

Besides, the hunger had grown strong, obfuscating my inhibitions. I needed this. Even though I had never experienced it, my body yearned for the erotic fulfillment of the hunt. For my own joy and replenishment, but also for Skuld. I wanted to stay in this life with her -- for her.

We found him on the edge of the forest. The steady, rhythmic sound of his axe-blows told me that this was a healthy, strong man in the prime of his life. Today he would experience pleasure beyond imagination, but also drown into deep, obsessive despair. The irony was not lost on me.

As I saw the bare torso with muscles straining to uphold the rhythm of the axe, my body betrayed me by sending waves of heat through my loins. Part of me still thought of myself as a boy in a girl's body. I did not think that I could feel this kind of desire. My body told me otherwise. As soon as new images of him entered my imagination, warmth and wetness blossomed between my legs.

Skuld smiled knowingly at me, reading my body like an open book. Her eyes betrayed excitement.

"Do you feel it? Your body knows it will feed tonight."

I knew her predictions were right. The more I looked at the man, the more my body ached for him to take me, to lay me down and fuck me till I fainted. I imagined his huge, warm limb enter me and tear my body apart in thrilling orgasms.

"You're panting so loud they'll hear you," Skuld whispered. "Try to master the hunger and use it to your advantage. There is nothing more arousing to a man than the faint hint of sexual desperation beneath a girlish modesty."

I did not understand at first, but somehow the female part of my mind instinctively gathered the composure I needed. All I wanted was to throw myself at him and lower myself onto his cock. The only thing that held me back was a subconscious promise to my body: I would know satisfaction.

The powers that inhabited my new flesh seemed to know what was coming, and they blossomed. He never stood a chance.

It was easy enough to lure him beyond the reach of his fellows.

A glimpse of enticing movements through the trees. A teasing whiff of pheromones on the slight breeze. The heedless chase into the wilderness quickly whipped him into a frenzy.

His pants were nearly torn by the immense pressure of his manhood. Smelling, searching and yearning for my scent. We were all alone but for Skuld, skulking somewhere in the dense foliage.

It was time.

I stumbled deliberately, collapsing on the ground and uttering a pitiful yelp. My flustered cheeks could easily be mistaken for exhaustion or fright, and my heart kept hammering like the immense hide-clad drums in the King's Hall.

He was strong. Hands gripped my arms just like he handled his tools. With the firmness of trained muscles, but also the skilled gentleness that allows for flawless precision.

I was just as worked up as him and had a hard time waiting for his searching hands. My fingers found the laces of his trousers and freed the aching flagpole inside. It was as hard as the roots pressing into my back, and just as warm as Skuld's loving thighs. I needed it inside me.

Whilst I freed his aching shaft, he ripped my dress apart and kissed me hard. I answered his lips' caress with mine and filled his nostrils with my sweet breath. Our tongues entwined like newborn snakes experiencing their first taste of spring. His thick drake pressed against my abdomen, already searching for its dark, moist lair.

When he entered me, I had no choice but to empty my lungs in a long howl of pleasure. There was no other way to express my joy.

I arched my back as he grasped my sides and lifted me off the ground with each thrust. My eyes rolled in their sockets, swimming across our surroundings whilst seeing everything and nothing all at once. I caught a glimpse of Skuld, hidden beneath a juniper tree, rhythmically pleasuring herself as she watched the frenzied spectacle.

It did not take him long to reach his goal.

I wanted him to go on forever, but neither of us had any control over the situation. After a few powerful thrusts, I could already feel his body trembling. His pelvis strained in preparation for the oncoming torrent.

The strong grip of his hands would have dislocated the joints of a human girl, but I was built for this. My legs were spread unnaturally wide as I welcomed him into me again and again, begging him with every ounce of otherworldly power. His intensity increased beyond my expectations, and his short grunts became elongated moans.

I knew I had what I wanted.

His member rapidly began to pulse, and suddenly powerful gushes of his essence surged against my inner walls. With the release, he lost all control of his muscles, boring hard nails into my white skin. I was oblivious to the pain.

His thick bursts sent me over the edge and resulted in the most incredible orgasm I had ever experienced.

My eyes searched for Skuld and found her. Mouth wide open, eyes half closed and watching me with undisguised satisfaction.

Now I knew.

Skuld could never have prepared me for the surges of energy that erupted within me. Each onslaught of his seed filled me with more than essence. Along with it, something else meandered through his throbbing limb. An almost crackling surge of energy.

I could feel the energetic warmth spread through me as a lightning storm. Entering every muscle and synapse in my body, filling me with ecstasy and power. This was what I yearned for - his life. The living energy that resided within his body.

A flicker of doubt at the back of my mind tried to surface, but it was quickly subdued by the incredible sexual power that overwhelmed me. My body was still beyond control. All my senses were spent on the ecstatic sensations.

His brutal onslaught continued until we in unison gasped for air and collapsed on the ground.

Hours later, the man left the forest as wrecked as I felt rejuvenated.

Now I knew the cost of this new life, but it was a price I felt prepared to take.

Skuld kissed me back into consciousness an hour later, smiling like she always did. This time, however, her eyes betrayed renewed interest. We shared something greater now. A tradition that kept us anchored to each other and this mythical world.

With hands and eyes locked together, we walked through the moonlight back towards our home.

---

Days fell back into their strange and happy routine. But now, my recharged senses seemed to register everything so much more. Every emotion felt stronger and every taste more intense. I wondered how long it would last. And when I could go on my next hunt.

Besides the occasional household service and entertainment, there was little required of the nymphs residing in the Underworld. Even though our status was low, there was a special reverence set aside for us. Our femininity brought us closer to the Earth-Mother than any other residents.

True enough, the old faith had been reduced to habits and seemingly random rituals. But still, the ancient lifespans and lineages could not entirely shed the traces of ancient beliefs.

So, I was usually free to spend my time with Skuld. We found great joy in each other's company and happy nights.

From time to time, I could not avoid meeting the menacing presence of Burr, the troll that first had caught me in these caves. Terror still gripped my heart each time, and I wanted to pay him back. Show him that I relished the new life he had forced upon me.

So, I made sure he could witness the affection between Skuld and me. His lost claim to power and his enemy. He knew Skuld loved me, and there was nothing he could do to hinder it.

But I should have learned by now that nothing good ever lasts. The human voice within me kept saying that I should not be lulled. Subterfuge and deceit were the Troll ways. A life in darkness eventually taints every soul in the Underworld.

I should have paid more attention to it.

One day, a messenger arrived. It was a summons to her father, the King.

I instantly knew something was wrong. Another moment had come which would change my life forever. I stayed at home waiting for her in tense agony. After two hours he returned alone, with a stoic face betraying nothing of what was happening.

"You. Come." His voice was emotionless and stoic.

I followed him back through the caves, feeling like a prisoner on the way to my execution. People quickly noticed the tension and stared at me as I passed, but none of their faces made me any wiser.

As I approached the throne room and heard the familiar sobbing of my beloved I began to panic. There was obviously bad news ahead, but I decided to be brave for her.

A second later I saw Skuld's tear-streaked face, and the determination vanished like mist from the sun. I tried to smile, but her sorrowful eyes made it impossible. Through my own glossy eyes, I could see the troll King on his throne. His gravelly voice began to sound.

"Skuld says she still loves you. You have a pleasant appearance, but why she chooses you before a warrior I do not understand. This can not go on." The deep, rasping voice sounded like stones being chewed by a flood.

He paused, and tension grew amongst the growing number of onlookers.

"Instead of a son, I now have another girl. What use are you to me? To the people!" Some of the surrounding trolls laughed out loud when he said this.

"You are like this now. Forever. And so you cannot marry my daughter. Bad enough that my grandchild is born without a father."

My mind went blank with this sudden revelation.

The thought had never even crossed my mind. Was she with child? And I was the father? Or mother?

The King's words etched themselves into my dreams and would stay with me forever. But the revelations were not through yet.

"The marriage is over. Burr will be Skuld's new man and future King. You are just a nymph. You must stay here. Skuld is not yours anymore."

The last five words echoed over and over through the throne room and seemed to grow and wane like the tides of an ocean I would never see again.

Skuld was standing in front of me, but I could not bear looking at her. I turned away and stared directly into a pair of red, triumphant eyes amongst the onlookers.

The ugly face of Burr was torn in half by a wide grin of rotten, yellow fangs. Lips slick with droplets of greenish saliva. The hideous troll walked over to the throne and took his woman's arm.

As he led her away, she looked back at me with tears in her eyes. I desperately fought the desire to break down.

-----

I fuck another man again today.

As he lays me down in the grass and talks to me with passion in his voice, I feel an ounce of happiness.

My body aches for his caress and my sex is longing to be filled. My heart races when he tells me how beautiful I am. I close my eyes. Imagine the soft, tender hands of my girl.

I scream when he enters me.

Energy surges through my body and drives me into a frenzy. My fingernails tear deep rends in the skin on his back. My thighs hold him tightly. My tongue twirls around his own.

His frenzy is the opposite of mine. It is the desperate attempt of a man knowing he will never see pleasure like this again. Trying to prolong the inevitable.

With his release comes a sigh so long that I begin to wonder if the wind is blowing through the wounds in his back. The eyes that were filled with sexual madness are now dull and uninteresting.

He falls asleep instantly. I could not have woken him if I had wanted to.

I lay there for a while. Feeling the warmth of another body on top of me.

His rasping breath reminds me of the eternal echo of the King's voice. I cannot stand it.

With refueled strength I throw him off me and run. How long or how far I do not care. I only know that when I stop, I am exhausted.

I still feel the throbbing sex between my legs. A glistening streak of semen reaches all the way down my thighs. Pure life-force soaking into the black earth of my footsteps. Sickness wells up in me and I empty my stomach on the ground.

I feel more wretched than ever.