A Rose by any Other Name
#3 of The Princess' Distraction
STOP
Read THIS first.
She returned to my cell, before I gained use of my muscles back, with a small potted plant. The thing resembled a rose creeper but it was the palest white, not a hint of the chlorophyll that a plant would normally use to make its fuel was in evidence.
"Now, this plant is quite a beauty I am told, it can't grow without a warm blooded host to sustain it, and I have heard mixed things about the reaction it causes in those it takes to. It cost me a lot of gold for this little one." she said, putting it down before lifting me to the chains and manacles, locking them in place and putting the plant beside my right leg. "Now, be a good boy and hold still, I have heard the first introduction can be a little painful at first but is quite fascinating."
Regaining the use of my limbs slowly, I managed to look down and saw the plant slowly start to move, reaching out to the flesh at my leg it wrapped slowly around my ankle and, gaining the purchase it needed to continue, began to push into my skin.
I screamed now, the pain was excruciating as I felt the vines not push deeper into me, but grow within me.
Reaching down beside my flailing leg the princess carefully clipped the little vines off that had led to my leg and lifted the plant away but as I watched the originating piece shrivelled and died, "That's all that is needed apparently, now it will sustain itself on your bodies own nutrients. Oh do stop yelling, can't you see we are doing science here?" she admonished.
Her words barely registered however as the tearing pain was spreading up my leg and outwards from the first point, I could feel roots splaying out into my muscles, which as I clenched them felt surprisingly uninhibited of movement.
The thing had reached my groin now and I felt the pain rip through some of the most nerve rich parts of my body, causing me to scream again and again. Passing ever further, it began to inch down my left leg and up my torso. Now I could feel in my right leg, around the pain of its initial entry, it slowly working into my bones themselves.
My voice horse, I was panting now as it reached my chest, all of a sudden it hit my heart and caused it to cease beating for a moment before it began again. I hung limply now, the pain the only thing keeping me concious, wanting desperately for some relief.
"Well look at that, isn't it fascinating." the princess said, pointing my leg out to her handmaiden.
Suddenly a fire lit in my mind as it reached my head, I don't know how I felt it, being as there is no pain nerves in the brain, but I definitely felt those roots as they burrowed around the inside of my skull.
I felt now the plant sprout at the top of my head, vines pouring down my back.
Whining, still feeling the thing slowly modify my very bones to its purpose, I finally blacked out, happy to find a little surcease.
Waking I felt very very different. I could actually feel all the new additions to my body, the plant apparently creating a new nervous system not just parallel to my own, but as a supplement to it.
My eye sight was different, and after a while I realised I could see a much greater amount of colours of light, even, as I gazed at the poor sleeping form in the cell opposite, the heat that a body put out.
Feeling somehow stronger, I pulled one arm forward to test it against the metal chain, amazed when the chain ripped from the very wall. Repeating the procedure a few times had me at least free within the cell.
Suddenly I realised how hungry I was, obviously the rose had taken a lot of fuel from me to complete its integration. Growling low I put my shoulder to one metal bar and wedged myself though the gaps in the cage.
Finding the big cauldron of stew we cooked each night to feed to the trio of lost furs, I gulped down bowlful after bowlful, stopping only when I realised my belly was protruding slightly.
Running into the main area I found the keys to the cells and rushed back for the poor wolf, opening her cage and lifting her limp, drug infused, body from the cell, slung her over my shoulder. Backtracking I was just leaving the house outside the palace wall when I suddenly thought, 'How the hell are we going to get out of the city?'
It was then her eyes opened, still a little hazy from the strong drug, none the less she focussed on me with the one eye I could see and I caught a tear roll down her cheek.
"I am getting you out ok? I think I know of a way to get those things out of you, it... it feels like it should work. Its going to hurt though, is that ok?" I asked her.
The eye blinked solidly, tear swept away in the eyelashes I saw a defiance, challenging me to free her of her continual torment.
"Ok then, I will take care of that first, I must say I want to hear your voice again." I said, surprising myself a little, and began to trot along to an old warehouse I knew of.
Testing the doors one by one I eventually found one that gave to my strength, entered and pulled it shut behind us.
The place was full of crates of cutlery, a few had gotten damp and spilled their rusting contents all over the ground. I put the wolf down and stood back a moment in shock, she was bleeding now from a lot of places all over where she had been pressed against me and, looking to my shoulders and arms, I realised that just under my fur, too small to be seen easily was a constant matt of rose thorns, growing seemingly out of my skin. "Oh goddess I am sorry, I didn't know..." I said, looking down at her, it was as I was watching though that I felt the plant within me communicate with me on how to do this.
Walking over to an unspoilt crate I ripped the top off and removed a handful of knives, they were not overly sharp but they would hopefully do the job.
I advanced back on the wolf, noticing several of the grubs were spilling loose of her groin, I said, "This will hurt like you won't believe, but it will stop the worms."
With that I reached back, grasping one of the vine like lengths that trailed back from my head and pressed it to her leg, willing it to grow. And grow it did.
Just like with me, the vine wrapped around her leg quickly to dig into her flesh and begin to grow out within her, now it had taken root, I cut my vine loose, feeling an odd sensation of loss as it was severed.
I leaned up watching her try to scream as the pain ripped through her mind, sharper than the pleasure likely ever had, and dug my paw into her mouth, holding her tongue to keep her from biting it.
As the growth progressed up her leg to her groin, I saw the effect I hoped for, the worms within her body start to try and evacuate their no longer hospitable home. I even saw one or two, writhing under the skin and fur of her belly seem to come apart and be consumed.
She bit down hard on my paw again and again, only the new strength the rose had given my flesh stopped her from shredding the appendage.
As it reached her mouth, I had to withdraw, not willing to risk my paw against her now plant enhanced jaw muscles. But watching, I saw as all the swelling went down in her mouth even as her eyes bulged out signalling that it had finally reached her brain.
Sleep took her then, for the first time without drugs in well over a year and I saw her face relax.
I stood guard all evening until I heard her rouse. "What... what did you put in me?" she asked me.
"The same thing the princess put in me, its some kind of plant, seems benign enough and actually seems to have quite a few benefits, as I am sur-" I was explaining but was cut off short by a leaping tackle by the wolf.
Startled at first, her lips pressing against mine soon let me know exactly what she thought. We lay there for a few minutes, just being with each other, before she pulled back. "Thank you." she said her feelings colouring her words, as she just lay down on my chest, seemingly comfortable despite the facts that she was taller than me and there was row upon row of thorns growing from my flesh between us. Of course, they would be growing from her as well now.
Running a paw up her side, I felt her skin, it was the same, although I found the thorns only pointed one way, so I was able to run a paw along her, from the side of her breasts all the way down to her hips, just letting her feel that we were still alive and still together.
Morning broke sooner than I thought, we were cuddled together, "Mmm its always nice to wake from a dream and find out its real." she murmured softly in my ear.
"We have to get out of the city, its not safe for us here." I said, feeling her nod her head against me.
As we stood I heard her gasp, "Turn around again." she told me and I obliged her.
Paws flowed down the vines on my head, I felt some twine around her fingers without my control, then she touched something that left me feeling a sexual high.
I just moaned softly as she kept touching it, unable to move at the feelings she was putting through me.
Eventually she brought her paw around so I could see what she had found in among my new 'hair'.
Her fingers stroked the petals of a single, wide open, red rose and I felt that pleasure again, whimpering at her. "Its beautiful..." she said, and looking at her I had a similar thought.