The Lios Woman's Desperate Quest for Freedom and Protection

The Fall of Paradise: Chapter Four










Chapter Four: To Conquer with Kindness










Avriel tiredly leaned back against the door and studied her new guest with curiosity. The Lios looked like a panther-headed woman with a short black pelt, she was dressed in a leather dress that was split up both sides, to allow freedom of movement, and belted at her waist. It hid most of her figure from view. She had hands with surprisingly delicate claw fingers and a light dusting of fur across the backs of her hand and fingers, while the palms were unfurred and revealed that the Lios woman was pale skinned under her black fur. Her eyes were a greenish yellow and the pupil was opened huge to catch the dim light in the cavern and they reflected it back light twin lanterns in the darkness as she studied Avriel in return.

"Thank you, we owe you our lives," the woman said tilting her head back. Avriel nodded to her but when Sidney continued she started in surprise.

"To tilt back the head and expose the throat is a sign of submission and trust. She is accepting you as more dominant then her," Sidney explained.

"What does that mean exactly," she asked Sidney.

"Basically it means your in charge and she will follow your orders, however it also means she will look to you for protection," Sidney explained and Avriel sighed and let her eyes go back to the Lios.

"What is your name," Avriel asked.

"Tara and my daughter is Lara," Tara replied.

"Alright, let's get you settled in, then you can explain why you are here," Avriel said and led them toward the house. She set them up in the captains quarters sharing her bed until the nanites could either add another room to the structure or build a new building for them.

"I was born in Prowelurgaence," Tara began, she was sitting on the bed with Lara curled up in her lap sleeping.

"Let's call it Prowel I doubt I could pronounce that and we'll call this cavern Base, alright," Avriel asked cutting in and Tara nodded.

"I was born in Prowel, it is a small Lios village to the north of here," Tara began again but was once again interrupted as Sidney spoke this time.

"Avriel the Lupos from earlier has returned and is watching the front entrance again. I believe he was here long enough to witness the fight between the Lios and us as well," Sidney said and Sidbot rolled into the room and a three dimensional image of the Lupos began projecting from her eyes. The Lupos was standing on a tree limb watching the entrance of Base and not moving at all. The canine figure, which Avriel figured was male from lack of breasts, wore only a kilt a great deal like the Lios' garb and carried a spear strapped to its back and a small leather shield on its left arm. Azriel lifted a small arm to reach out and try to grab the hologram of the Lupos but didn't make a sound when his hand passed through it although if face scrunched with annoyance. Avriel let out a small laugh at him and gently brush a hand through the silky strands of his golden hair and rubbed her nose against his. He gurgled in delight and grabbed fistful of her hair as it swung into reach. Lara woke at the sound of Avriel's laughter but mewled and curled into a tighter ball of fur and drifted off again immediately.

"Keep a drone on him without it being observed if you can until he leaves. Inform me if he moves closer to Base," Avriel ordered Sidney.

"Yes, Avriel," she replied and Sidbot rolled out of the room. With the robots departure Avriel turned back to Tara and waited for her to continue.

"After I was born I was with my mother always, learning cleaning, cooking, basic first aid, and sewing among other things. The females of the Lios with the exception of one clan are not allowed to train in weapons or fighting. They are taught to rely on the males and to take care of the men in return for their protection. While most are content with this way of life some don't like it and the males began to view the females as property with no rights. Most of the women won't fight back either because of fear or they believe the males have some right to rule their lives and the males treatment of the females have been getting worse," Tara said. Avriel hadn't been around any Lios before and she found it difficult to read Tara's features since they were so far from her own but the Lios' body language meant they were coming to the bad part of the story.

"Arranged marriages are not uncommon in the Lios tribes and most times the bride is not consulted although she has the option of refusal to wed the man picked for her. When I was sixteen the mother and father arranged for me the wed a male Lios by the name of Slant," Tara said.

"We've met," Avriel interjected dryly.

"I know, I saw," Tara said and her lips pulled back from her teeth in a frightening display of pointed teeth. Avriel was stunned by the sight until she realized Tara was grinning at her and she smiled back.

"Well we were betrothed but Slant is not a good male. He would have been unfaithful and he was often violent to women he lay with so I refused the match. My Papa said that I should at least meet with Slant and tell him my decision in person. He told me he would not leave me alone with Slant and that he would be there with me," Tara said and a tear rolled down her furred cheek as anger began to fill her voice.

"So I agreed to my Papa's demand and we went to meet with Slant. When we arrived at Slant's hut my Papa had me enter first and then he slammed the door closed behind me. I tried to open the door but he must have barred it with something because it would not budge. Slant was waiting for me inside of he laughed at me when I tried to open the door."

"Nobody turns me down," he said.

"Then h-h-he forced...," Tara unable to say it broking into racking sobs and Avriel wanting to comfort the woman slid next to her and wrapped her arms around her. Tara's black fur was silky and soft and Tara clung to her as she cried. The Lios' shoulders shook and she made an odd huffing noise instead of sniffles, Azriel woke from the sound but lay were he was and didn't make a sound he just watched them. Finally Tara's crying slowed and then stopped with a huffing sniffle. She pulled back away from Avriel to sit up straight and then forced a small grateful smile at her.

"Sorry," Tara began.

"There is nothing to be sorry for," Avriel said interrupting her.

"After he stood over me as I lay weeping on the ground and laughed at me. Rage filled me and the world seemed to go red and I lashed out at him with my foot in to his groin. There was a squishing feeling as one of his testicles crushed between his pelvis and my heel. He let loose a scream so loud the next tribe over should have been able to hear it and dropped to the floor. I scramble to my feet and ran at the door when I heard a sound on the other side. My Papa must have become concerned at the sound of the scream and he unbarred the door. I slammed into it with all my weight going as fast as I could and the door flew open and it caused my Papa to stumble back as I ran out. He was fast enough that he caught my arm before I could flee and he jerked me to a halt."

"What have you done," he demanded anger on his face.

"I was so hurt and angry and I hated him more than Slant for his betrayal. I reached out with my claws and raked them down his face. He must not expected me to attack him because he was to slow to stop me and I lay open the skin on four parallel diagonal cuts across his face. He lost an eye; my claw sliced it cleanly in two as my clawed finger slid into the socket. He shoved me away from him and howled as he clutched his face. 'Now everyone can see the monster that lives in you by simply looking at your face,' I hissed at him and ran towards our hut. When I burst into the room my little brother was there asking my mother where I was but my arrival interrupted her answer. When she looked up to meet my eyes I knew that she knew what they had done. She had a sad tormented look on her face as she looked at me until her nose flared at the smell of blood and her eyes dropped to my blood soaked hand.

"What have you done," she asked echoing my father. I wanted to hurt her like I her him but I didn't, she didn't help them in anyway except by doing nothing to help me. I was in a hurry anyway and ran to the pile of my belongings in in tiny room. I grabbed everything and shoved it into a pack I had made when I was a young girl.

"What are you doing? Where is your father," my mother demanded from the doorway to my room.

"'I am leaving, and Papa is bleeding in front of Slant's hut,' I answered her and ran from the hut as she screamed after me to come back. Slant is Rashak's son and hurting him would have been seen as an insult to the Rashak himself so I ran into the forest. I had only my few belongings and a hunting knife that all of the women are allowed to have so we may clean the kills the males bring back. That was two years ago and I have been hiding ever since, I began to swell with child less than a month after I ran away I considered taking some herbs to rid myself of the child but in

Explore my other stories

THE END