{"submission_id":"2610035","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"630843","keyword_name":"broken home","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1"},{"keyword_id":"4364","keyword_name":"chicken","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2356"},{"keyword_id":"22821","keyword_name":"drug use","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"347"},{"keyword_id":"123","keyword_name":"female","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"787487"},{"keyword_id":"1068","keyword_name":"f/f","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"6644"},{"keyword_id":"12252","keyword_name":"f/m","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"5392"},{"keyword_id":"7408","keyword_name":"gecko","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1541"},{"keyword_id":"2844","keyword_name":"german shepherd","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"6351"},{"keyword_id":"8479","keyword_name":"group sex","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3425"},{"keyword_id":"3274","keyword_name":"loss","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"280"},{"keyword_id":"165","keyword_name":"male","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"904470"},{"keyword_id":"630842","keyword_name":"night terrors","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1"},{"keyword_id":"416","keyword_name":"oral","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"50261"},{"keyword_id":"11586","keyword_name":"overdose","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"36"},{"keyword_id":"133082","keyword_name":"panther chameleon","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"5"},{"keyword_id":"216","keyword_name":"teen","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"23261"},{"keyword_id":"268","keyword_name":"tiger","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"31001"},{"keyword_id":"77","keyword_name":"vaginal","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"37381"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"2","create_datetime":"2021-12-24 18:43:57.986269+01","create_datetime_usertime":"24 Dec 2021 18:43 CET","last_file_update_datetime":"2021-12-24 17:40:11.625852+01","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"24 Dec 2021 17:40 CET","username":"AmethystMythDen","user_id":"879134","user_icon_file_name":null,"user_icon_url_large":null,"user_icon_url_medium":null,"user_icon_url_small":null,"file_name":"3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"300","thumb_huge_y":"200","thumb_large_x":"200","thumb_large_y":"133","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"80","files":[{"file_id":"3853941","file_name":"3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"2610035","user_id":"879134","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"341b7f6fe6a7c587c77d233dbd12f26d","full_file_md5":"341b7f6fe6a7c587c77d233dbd12f26d","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"5b52c714dd07ede737c6c7554c6f37e7","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2021-12-24 17:40:11.625852+01","create_datetime_usertime":"24 Dec 2021 17:40 CET","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3853/3853941_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_1.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"300","thumb_huge_y":"200","thumb_large_x":"200","thumb_large_y":"133","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"80"}],"pools":[{"pool_id":"75851","name":"Eon City","description":"In a world of bad dreams, life continues. These are their stories.","count":"2","submission_right_submission_id":"2617415","submission_right_file_name":"3865909_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_2.doc","submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3865/3865909_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_2.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3865/3865909_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_2.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3865/3865909_AmethystMythDen_iridium_chapter_2.jpg","submission_right_thumb_huge_x":"300","submission_right_thumb_huge_y":"200","submission_right_thumb_large_x":"200","submission_right_thumb_large_y":"133","submission_right_thumb_medium_x":"120","submission_right_thumb_medium_y":"80"}],"description":"Welcome to Eon City. Population: 70 Million Anthros. This story focuses on the life of one Iridium Vallas, a Panther Chameleon/Gecko Hybrid. ","description_bbcode_parsed":"Welcome to Eon City. Population: 70 Million Anthros. This story focuses on the life of one Iridium Vallas, a Panther Chameleon/Gecko Hybrid. ","writing":"[i]The small Panther Chameleon ran through the dark empty halls. Her breathing, erratic from the sobbing cries of fear she kept emitting made every step difficult. Ahead of her, she could see the doors out of the hallway coming closer, though so much slower than it should be given how hard she was running. Behind her, she could hear the slow, rasping sound of the creature pursuing her. It sounded like knives running across concrete and was steadily getting closer. \n\nShe was almost to the door when her legs gave out and she fell. She tried to curl up into a ball, but her body wasn't responding. Tears and choked sobs escaped her as she heard the thing getting closer. When the sound stopped, she slowly looked up against her will. She could see the tall form of the thing that had once been her mother staring down at her, it's bleeding eyes no longer possessing that spark of life that she remembered.\n\n``Naughty children must be... punisssssshed.'' The thing rasped it's voice sounding like the hiss of a thousand snakes. The big bulging eyes of her mother were watching her, no affection in those orbs, just malice, and spite. The thing slowly, with arms that seemed to rebel against the notion, raised its claws until they were at the height of its chest. \n\nShe tried to crawl away, fighting through the sudden lethargy of her body. But it did no good. Those claws bit into her leg, white-hot pain flashing through her as the sharp claws pushed through her skin, digging into the muscle of her small frame. She screamed, and the creature seemed confused. \n\n``Doessss it hurt?'' It rasped. She screamed again as the claws pulled, dragging her along the ground by the wound in her thigh. She didn't even notice as the scenery changed around her, from the dark abandoned hallway to the bedroom she shared with her twin siblings. What she did notice was when the claws left her leg and wrapped around her face, effortlessly picking her up. \n\nThe large glass window of her bedroom cracked as her face was smashed against it, splinters of glass lodging in her gray skin as she screamed. She was pulled back and then again smashed into the window, cracking it further. One more time she was pulled back, and this time the glass shattered when she hit it, shards of glass gashing her body all over. She couldn't even scream anymore, the pain and horror having reached a point of numbness. She was held out of the window, twenty-seven floors above the hard pavement from a time long gone. \n\n``Why did you let me die?'' The thing whispered, though this time with the clear voice of her mother ringing through. ``You deserve this.'' \n\nAnd then she was falling, the ground rising to meet her as she found it within herself to scream one, last time...\n[/i]\n- - - - -\n\nIridium awoke as she did every morning. A sudden inhalation of breath, the repressing of a scream, and the wide frantic eyes of someone fighting for their life. She was in her bed, her pillow soaked with her tears, tangled in her comforter. She looked around her room, breathing deeply as she attempted to calm her heartbeat. \n\nHer brother and sister lay in their bed off to her left, both breathing shakily as they were tortured by their own night terrors. Their father had long since stopped trying to get those two to sleep separately, letting them have the solace of each other as small comfort in their perpetual nightmares. She often got jealous of the two for their closeness, but would never deny them it. Getting up slowly she looked at her clock. Five A.M. She rarely slept longer anymore, not since... Mom died. She shook her head and pushed the thoughts of her dream away. Though every time she blinked on her way to her morning shower, the image flashed through her mind of her mother's bleeding face. She sighed. \n\nThings had been this way for as long as she had been alive. Apparently, there used to be a time, only decades past, where people had lived without nightly terrors. But now, people had only bad dreams. Night terrors that only got worse with age, driving many to madness before their early forties. \n\nHer mother had been one such person. One day she was holding a veneer of happiness, giving her all for her family. The next, Iridium saw her mother wheeling away on a stretcher after she jumped from the fiftieth floor. Since then, her night terrors had revolved around her mother, and the guilt she felt for not being able to save her. She took care of the house now, rarely making time for school or friends. Her remaining time was spent desperately trying to keep up with her hobbies. \n\nShe let the scalding hot water wash over her scaly skin, its gray tones turning a little red from her body temperature rising. As the steam rose, she imagined the hot water washing away the pain of her dream. Soon she felt herself relaxing, and began cleaning her body with her strawberry-scented body wash. The feeling of the loofah against her scaly skin always made her smile, small comforts being an important part of her world. \n\nShe finished her shower with a sigh, turning off the water and stepping out of the large tub that came with their apartment. She toweled herself off, looking at herself in the mirror. Her large, bulging eyes blinked, vaguely off-putting to most. She liked them however. Her grayscaled skin was something she'd always been self-conscious about. While it could change colors it wasn't anywhere near as striking as her brother's sometimes kaleidoscopic skin. \n\nShe had some body issues, she'd admit to herself. Her breasts were small, a little under B-cup. Her mammalian friends all had bigger, more impressive busts. Her thin, underfed body showed more of her skeletal structure than she would like. Her ribs and hips were both lightly poking out, and her hands were a little wider than her frame would normally suggest. She didn't like the way her body looked, but she did the best with what she had. \n\nShe walked back to her room naked, knowing it was early enough that nobody else in the house would be up. Not that she would really care. While she may not like the way she looked, her family wouldn't judge her. Her mother had been a bit of a nudist, and she took after her in that way. \n\nShe got to her room, seeing her siblings were still asleep. Her little sister had begun to cry in her sleep, her head moving back and forth as she tried to deny whatever it was that she was seeing. Iridium wished she could wake her sister and end her torment, but it would just leave her more tired during the day and risk an afternoon nap. It would just add another nightmare to her plate.\n\nIridium got dressed into a large shirt that went down to her knees. It was her cooking shirt, one of her absolute favorites since it was her dad's old varsity hoodie. It was heavily worn, and one of her dad's prized possessions. He had given it to her as a cooking shirt, and though it had confused her at the time, she found she loved wearing it. \n\nShe looked over at the clock in their small kitchen and saw it was five thirty. Her father got up at six, so she had time enough to cook breakfast, and then she would clean up while he ate. Her siblings would be up around seven, so while they were asleep she could tidy up the living room from where they had left their snacks and toys last evening. Then she could make sure they had breakfast and tidy up the house. With any luck, she'd be able to make it to school today. \n\n- - - - - - \n\nIridium dashed through the doors of her high school, shouting in triumph and immediately putting her hands on her knees and gasping in deep breaths. She had had to run up all ten flights of stairs to the floors that contained her high school and had barely made it on time. As it was she wouldn't have time to get breakfast at the cafeteria and would have to wait till lunch. Her stomach groaned out as she slowly moved to homeroom. \n\nWhen she got to her seat she sank into it, her head laying onto her arms while she blinked blearily. Her morning had been more hectic than she'd expected. Her brother Eric had had a meltdown during breakfast, and Heather had blamed her, saying she's so busy trying to take their mother's spot that she'd forgotten to care what they thought. She had tried to explain herself, but the twins ran off, leaving for school and not listening. She'd had to have a good cry after that, which was why she had left for school instead of cleaning the kitchen after breakfast. \n\nShe was emotionally exhausted and the bell hadn't even rung. Oh, there it was, the vibrations hitting her head and bouncing around in broken melody. She groaned even harder as her head pounded, throbbing in time to the sound of her teacher's heels clacking on the tiled floor. As she looked at the digital board she took in her teacher. Ms. Valencia. The tiger woman had no excuse for how good she looked in her professional attire. \n\nA tight, form-fitting blouse of white struggled against her decently sized bust. It drew her eyes down her toned stomach, which she could see by way of a gap between the tight blouse and her ridiculously short skirt that showed off her furred thighs. They looked strong and for a brief moment, Iridium felt heat building upon her face and knew her cheeks likely had a dusting of pink. She slowed her heart rate and the heat building up on her cheeks died down. \n\nIt did serve its purpose of getting her to give her teacher her full attention. As the woman's smooth voice washed over her, talking about what they could expect of the upcoming week, she was surprised to hear they'd be having lessons on Dreamers today. It wasn't often the school talked about the topic, and she always loved to learn more about those people not haunted by the night terrors of the common person. She, like most people, glamorized the life such people must live. \n\nThe lesson wasn't until after lunch though, and first, they were doing math. She took out her notebook and began the problems.\n\n- - - - - \n\nLunch was a lovely affair. Her entire year was there, crowding the cafeteria and chatting amongst themselves. Here and there were upper-classmen who were skipping class to hang out with a younger crowd. In a society like theirs, student morale was considered more important than attendance, and it wasn't uncommon for people to ditch class for time spent with their peers. Even now she could see one of her year mates giggle, getting up from her seat to find a private spot with one of the seniors. \n\nHer friend Matt sat on a seat across from her, his mouse ears wiggling at odds with his feline face. He was calico patterned and often had... strange tastes. His lunch today consisted of a tuna and gouda sandwich. With no preamble, he launched into talking about his latest video game, and she tuned in and out without really listening, which he didn't seem to notice as he droned on and on, talking more to himself than her. \n\nShe rolled over her past few weeks of memories and could see that her siblings might have a point. She had been distant lately, so distracted by taking on the housework and balancing school, social relations, and stressing over how much money her father was throwing at the belief that something else was behind his wife's suicide. While she agreed the circumstances behind her mother's death were suspicious, they were starting to run low on necessities. She couldn't pull money from anything and her dad didn't seem to realize this. He was getting desperate, and something was going to give eventually. \n\nShe turned her attention back to her classmates and noticed the cafeteria had gotten quiet, whispers spreading outward. She stood up from her seat to look in the direction the whispers started, a gasp escaping her as she saw what had happened.\n\nYellow feathers scattered across the floor around a collapsed bird. Angelica, she remembered the hen's name. A red foam was escaping her mouth, with furrows on her face from her nails. The whispers reached her table and a red-maned wolf whose name escaped her whispered to her. \n\n``She overdosed on NeverSleep. She must have taken it at the end of class, right before lunch. She's the fourth overdose this term.'' Iridium didn't answer, her eyes locked onto the girl's face and the blood that was slowly hitting the floor. \n\n- - - - - \n\nAs she filed back into class, she noted with trepidation that the writing on the board no longer said Dreamers, and instead now read NeverSleep. Other students filed in and groaned at the message, though it was muted with what had just happened.\n\n``Class, I know we were going to talk about Dreamers today, but as most of you know, we have lost another student to this drug.'' The somber mood in the room was palpable as she pointed towards the board. ``I cannot stress to you young adults enough that these drugs are not an effective way to deal with our dreams. Everyone here has had these dreams our entire lives. I'm not even old enough to have any memories of good dreams. But... using these substances, which are almost always made in imprecise and dangerous ways, will destroy you. It isn't worth it.'' She shook her head, looking vaguely lost, and for the first time, she noticed how young her teacher was, only a few years older than herself. The bags under her eyes spoke of the same haunted sleep everyone else suffered through. The knowledge that she woke up every day and tried to give them an education touched Iridium. \n\nShe wished she could help her teacher, help everyone. But what was she to do? She was fifteen and had no talent at anything that could help someone. She slouched in her seat, feeling awful as the lesson continued, outlining all the horrible ways the drug hurt you. It even showed the typical form the drug came in, which was a small injectable liquid that glowed a bright green. And warned about how precise the dose had to be not to be lethal. All in all, a single mistake with this drug would kill you. \n\nAs Angelica learned the hard way. \n\n- - - - -\n\nWhen Iridium got home, she noticed that her brother was sitting on the couch while her sister was waiting for her in the kitchen, an annoyed look on her face, tapping her foot.\n\n``Hey, Heather... Did school go okay?'' She asked, trying to hide how tired she was. \n\nHeather scoffed. ``School was fine, I wanted... to apologize to you. Eric explained to me that while I am annoyed, it's not okay to take it out on you. You're trying.'' She shrugged. ``Just remember that your not Mom, okay?'' Iridium nodded and tried to give her sister a hug. Heather shoved her off with a small growl, before stalking off with a pout. Iridium did her best not to laugh, but a snicker escaped. Heather heard and froze before stomping off. \n\nIridium looked around the kitchen, noting with surprise that it was clean. She felt her heart swell at the thought of her sister trying to make things right. Since they still had time until dinner, she decided to put off her housework to spend some time with her siblings. \n\nThey watched TV together. One hour turned to two, and soon it was evening and their father hadn't made an appearance yet. Iridium grew worried, even more so as the evening rolled onwards. Turning into the night. Nights were long here, and yet as it grew towards the thirtieth hour of the day, her father still hadn't returned. Her siblings noticed too and began to get restless. As it came time to sleep, she tucked them in, and then sat in the living room, waiting for him. \n\nHe showed up with only an hour left before the day ended. She looked up blearily as he stumbled in through the front door. Even from across the room she could smell the fumes of alcohol wafting off her father. He drunkenly wandered towards the kitchen, and she got up and followed him. She found him slouched heavily over the counter. \n\n``I can't believe it... won't believe it.'' He muttered as he swayed. She moved closer to him and flinched when he spun to see her. ``Iridium! Where is dinner?'' He yelled. She put her head down, and he continued. ``I work all damn day, and I can't even come home to a nice dinner?!'' He raged, and she feared her siblings would wake at the noise. \n\n``Damn it, Alexa! I've told you before the house depends on you! I work, you take care of our family! That's how this works.'' She was stunned cold. He had called her by her mother's name. She felt faint as she realized he had lost his grip on reality at this moment. \n\n``Dad... Dad it's me... Iri.'' She said, her voice cracking. He looked at her, blinking sluggishly. ``Dad... it's really late... why didn't you come home earlier?'' She lightly pressed on. He swung his head away, refusing to look at her. ``I know it's hard... but please Dad... we need you.'' \n\nHe shoved off the counter, looking steadfastly away from her. He began to stumble away, leaving Iridiums heartbreaking on the counter as he shuffled to his room, closing the door slowly behind him. She was left in the dark kitchen, looking after him, tears falling from her eyes.\n\nShe looked at his door, then her own. Teetering on the edge of panic as she saw her remaining parent circling the drain. Her knees threatened to give up as she felt like she was on the edge of a massive chasm, down which all her happiness was threatening to disappear. Her heart began to beg for a miracle. \n\nShe slowly crept towards her father's door, hesitating in the doorway. She pushed it open and looked at the passed-out form of her father, face down on the bed. She sighed with relief that he was still breathing, but a faint light caught her attention. It appeared her father had something in his hand before he passed out. She inched closer and gasped at what she saw.\n\nThe glowing green of a syringe of NeverSleep. \n\n- - - - - \n\nIridium laid in her bed, her eyes wide, her breathing quick yet labored. She had left her father behind after seeing the vial. She didn't know what to think. She couldn't process it, every time she closed her eyes she saw that horrible green color and was gripped by mind-numbing cold. \n\nShe was going to lose her father.\n\nShe knew it, deep down in her bones. If he continued down this path, her father would die. It'd just be her and Heather and Eric. And she knew she couldn't do this on her own. \n\nShe had a feeling she knew what she would see in her night terrors tonight. The image of finding her father dead made her cry even harder. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want this torment anymore. The urge to go and grab the green injector from her father and use it herself burned at her and she clenched her sheets with a determination that belied her terror. \n\nShe wouldn't sleep. She couldn't dare sleep... She couldn't....\n\n- - - - -\n\n[i]She was walking down the hallway again. But something had changed. Where before this place had always been dark, foreboding. With sounds of claws on concrete or screaming. But tonight, it was lit up from large windows letting in the golden orange glow of sunset. She could hear the voices of families through the doors she passed. \n\nShe walked for a time, her steps audible through the empty hallway. She felt something burning within her core, a pleasant heat that reminded her of a blush but spread through her whole body. It tingled and grew stronger with each step, and she noticed with some embarrassment that it was stronger in her pelvic area. She could feel herself growing wet, a new situation for her. She knew about puberty and hormones, but beyond the occasional flush she had never felt a heat this... intense. \n\nShe could see the door to her apartment and behind it the muffled voices of her family coming from inside. She pushed open the door and she could see the apartment she'd lived in for so many years was totally different than when she had fallen asleep. \n\nThe rooms had been cleared away, and the apartment appeared as one big living space surrounding a huge bed that could have easily held ten people. And it was full. It took her a minute to understand the chaotic sight of bodies writhing lewdly upon the bed. Not a single body had a stitch of clothing on it, and a musky scent that lit up her body permeated the room. \n\nShe looked closer and was surprised to see herself at the center of the bed, being serviced by two people that she recognized with surprise. Ms. Valencia lay between her legs, licking and nibbling on her pussy, while Matt sucked on her breasts, his oversized front teeth gently scraping her nipple. She moaned out in pleasure as a german shepherd she had seen in the hallways from time to time lined up his red rocket to Ms. Valencia's hot sex, thrusting in and making her teacher moan into her lips, which in turn provoked a stronger reaction from her. \n\nShe blinked and she was no longer at the door, but in her doubles space, with her teacher's head between her thighs, the gray tone of her skin shifting in chaotic patterns as pleasure dominated her head, wiping out all rational thought. Matt's teeth grazed over her sensitive nipple and she shivered in delight. Her teacher's beautiful young face looked up at her, her golden tiger's eyes looking up into her own covered in a haze of lust. It made her feel wanted, adored. A feeling she'd never experience before ran through her body and she grabbed the tiger woman's head, grinding her sex into her face as she experienced a surge of pleasure, unlike anything she'd ever experienced. \n\nMs. Valencia pulled back, her facial fur dripping with her student's excitement, and yowled as she orgasmed from the student knotting her, himself blowing his load into her fuzzy feline sex. Similar sounds came from the rest of the bed's occupants, as they, slave to their passions, used each other for pleasure. \n[/i]\n- - - - -\n\nIridium awoke with a gasp at five AM, head spinning as she lay in moisture, not on her pillow, but soaking her legs and underneath her. \n\nThat... had not been a nightmare. \n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"The small Panther Chameleon ran through the dark empty halls. Her breathing, erratic from the sobbing cries of fear she kept emitting made every step difficult. Ahead of her, she could see the doors out of the hallway coming closer, though so much slower than it should be given how hard she was running. Behind her, she could hear the slow, rasping sound of the creature pursuing her. It sounded like knives running across concrete and was steadily getting closer.
She was almost to the door when her legs gave out and she fell. She tried to curl up into a ball, but her body wasn't responding. Tears and choked sobs escaped her as she heard the thing getting closer. When the sound stopped, she slowly looked up against her will. She could see the tall form of the thing that had once been her mother staring down at her, it's bleeding eyes no longer possessing that spark of life that she remembered.
``Naughty children must be... punisssssshed.'' The thing rasped it's voice sounding like the hiss of a thousand snakes. The big bulging eyes of her mother were watching her, no affection in those orbs, just malice, and spite. The thing slowly, with arms that seemed to rebel against the notion, raised its claws until they were at the height of its chest.
She tried to crawl away, fighting through the sudden lethargy of her body. But it did no good. Those claws bit into her leg, white-hot pain flashing through her as the sharp claws pushed through her skin, digging into the muscle of her small frame. She screamed, and the creature seemed confused.
``Doessss it hurt?'' It rasped. She screamed again as the claws pulled, dragging her along the ground by the wound in her thigh. She didn't even notice as the scenery changed around her, from the dark abandoned hallway to the bedroom she shared with her twin siblings. What she did notice was when the claws left her leg and wrapped around her face, effortlessly picking her up.
The large glass window of her bedroom cracked as her face was smashed against it, splinters of glass lodging in her gray skin as she screamed. She was pulled back and then again smashed into the window, cracking it further. One more time she was pulled back, and this time the glass shattered when she hit it, shards of glass gashing her body all over. She couldn't even scream anymore, the pain and horror having reached a point of numbness. She was held out of the window, twenty-seven floors above the hard pavement from a time long gone.
``Why did you let me die?'' The thing whispered, though this time with the clear voice of her mother ringing through. ``You deserve this.''
And then she was falling, the ground rising to meet her as she found it within herself to scream one, last time...
- - - - -
Iridium awoke as she did every morning. A sudden inhalation of breath, the repressing of a scream, and the wide frantic eyes of someone fighting for their life. She was in her bed, her pillow soaked with her tears, tangled in her comforter. She looked around her room, breathing deeply as she attempted to calm her heartbeat.
Her brother and sister lay in their bed off to her left, both breathing shakily as they were tortured by their own night terrors. Their father had long since stopped trying to get those two to sleep separately, letting them have the solace of each other as small comfort in their perpetual nightmares. She often got jealous of the two for their closeness, but would never deny them it. Getting up slowly she looked at her clock. Five A.M. She rarely slept longer anymore, not since... Mom died. She shook her head and pushed the thoughts of her dream away. Though every time she blinked on her way to her morning shower, the image flashed through her mind of her mother's bleeding face. She sighed.
Things had been this way for as long as she had been alive. Apparently, there used to be a time, only decades past, where people had lived without nightly terrors. But now, people had only bad dreams. Night terrors that only got worse with age, driving many to madness before their early forties.
Her mother had been one such person. One day she was holding a veneer of happiness, giving her all for her family. The next, Iridium saw her mother wheeling away on a stretcher after she jumped from the fiftieth floor. Since then, her night terrors had revolved around her mother, and the guilt she felt for not being able to save her. She took care of the house now, rarely making time for school or friends. Her remaining time was spent desperately trying to keep up with her hobbies.
She let the scalding hot water wash over her scaly skin, its gray tones turning a little red from her body temperature rising. As the steam rose, she imagined the hot water washing away the pain of her dream. Soon she felt herself relaxing, and began cleaning her body with her strawberry-scented body wash. The feeling of the loofah against her scaly skin always made her smile, small comforts being an important part of her world.
She finished her shower with a sigh, turning off the water and stepping out of the large tub that came with their apartment. She toweled herself off, looking at herself in the mirror. Her large, bulging eyes blinked, vaguely off-putting to most. She liked them however. Her grayscaled skin was something she'd always been self-conscious about. While it could change colors it wasn't anywhere near as striking as her brother's sometimes kaleidoscopic skin.
She had some body issues, she'd admit to herself. Her breasts were small, a little under B-cup. Her mammalian friends all had bigger, more impressive busts. Her thin, underfed body showed more of her skeletal structure than she would like. Her ribs and hips were both lightly poking out, and her hands were a little wider than her frame would normally suggest. She didn't like the way her body looked, but she did the best with what she had.
She walked back to her room naked, knowing it was early enough that nobody else in the house would be up. Not that she would really care. While she may not like the way she looked, her family wouldn't judge her. Her mother had been a bit of a nudist, and she took after her in that way.
She got to her room, seeing her siblings were still asleep. Her little sister had begun to cry in her sleep, her head moving back and forth as she tried to deny whatever it was that she was seeing. Iridium wished she could wake her sister and end her torment, but it would just leave her more tired during the day and risk an afternoon nap. It would just add another nightmare to her plate.
Iridium got dressed into a large shirt that went down to her knees. It was her cooking shirt, one of her absolute favorites since it was her dad's old varsity hoodie. It was heavily worn, and one of her dad's prized possessions. He had given it to her as a cooking shirt, and though it had confused her at the time, she found she loved wearing it.
She looked over at the clock in their small kitchen and saw it was five thirty. Her father got up at six, so she had time enough to cook breakfast, and then she would clean up while he ate. Her siblings would be up around seven, so while they were asleep she could tidy up the living room from where they had left their snacks and toys last evening. Then she could make sure they had breakfast and tidy up the house. With any luck, she'd be able to make it to school today.
- - - - - -
Iridium dashed through the doors of her high school, shouting in triumph and immediately putting her hands on her knees and gasping in deep breaths. She had had to run up all ten flights of stairs to the floors that contained her high school and had barely made it on time. As it was she wouldn't have time to get breakfast at the cafeteria and would have to wait till lunch. Her stomach groaned out as she slowly moved to homeroom.
When she got to her seat she sank into it, her head laying onto her arms while she blinked blearily. Her morning had been more hectic than she'd expected. Her brother Eric had had a meltdown during breakfast, and Heather had blamed her, saying she's so busy trying to take their mother's spot that she'd forgotten to care what they thought. She had tried to explain herself, but the twins ran off, leaving for school and not listening. She'd had to have a good cry after that, which was why she had left for school instead of cleaning the kitchen after breakfast.
She was emotionally exhausted and the bell hadn't even rung. Oh, there it was, the vibrations hitting her head and bouncing around in broken melody. She groaned even harder as her head pounded, throbbing in time to the sound of her teacher's heels clacking on the tiled floor. As she looked at the digital board she took in her teacher. Ms. Valencia. The tiger woman had no excuse for how good she looked in her professional attire.
A tight, form-fitting blouse of white struggled against her decently sized bust. It drew her eyes down her toned stomach, which she could see by way of a gap between the tight blouse and her ridiculously short skirt that showed off her furred thighs. They looked strong and for a brief moment, Iridium felt heat building upon her face and knew her cheeks likely had a dusting of pink. She slowed her heart rate and the heat building up on her cheeks died down.
It did serve its purpose of getting her to give her teacher her full attention. As the woman's smooth voice washed over her, talking about what they could expect of the upcoming week, she was surprised to hear they'd be having lessons on Dreamers today. It wasn't often the school talked about the topic, and she always loved to learn more about those people not haunted by the night terrors of the common person. She, like most people, glamorized the life such people must live.
The lesson wasn't until after lunch though, and first, they were doing math. She took out her notebook and began the problems.
- - - - -
Lunch was a lovely affair. Her entire year was there, crowding the cafeteria and chatting amongst themselves. Here and there were upper-classmen who were skipping class to hang out with a younger crowd. In a society like theirs, student morale was considered more important than attendance, and it wasn't uncommon for people to ditch class for time spent with their peers. Even now she could see one of her year mates giggle, getting up from her seat to find a private spot with one of the seniors.
Her friend Matt sat on a seat across from her, his mouse ears wiggling at odds with his feline face. He was calico patterned and often had... strange tastes. His lunch today consisted of a tuna and gouda sandwich. With no preamble, he launched into talking about his latest video game, and she tuned in and out without really listening, which he didn't seem to notice as he droned on and on, talking more to himself than her.
She rolled over her past few weeks of memories and could see that her siblings might have a point. She had been distant lately, so distracted by taking on the housework and balancing school, social relations, and stressing over how much money her father was throwing at the belief that something else was behind his wife's suicide. While she agreed the circumstances behind her mother's death were suspicious, they were starting to run low on necessities. She couldn't pull money from anything and her dad didn't seem to realize this. He was getting desperate, and something was going to give eventually.
She turned her attention back to her classmates and noticed the cafeteria had gotten quiet, whispers spreading outward. She stood up from her seat to look in the direction the whispers started, a gasp escaping her as she saw what had happened.
Yellow feathers scattered across the floor around a collapsed bird. Angelica, she remembered the hen's name. A red foam was escaping her mouth, with furrows on her face from her nails. The whispers reached her table and a red-maned wolf whose name escaped her whispered to her.
``She overdosed on NeverSleep. She must have taken it at the end of class, right before lunch. She's the fourth overdose this term.'' Iridium didn't answer, her eyes locked onto the girl's face and the blood that was slowly hitting the floor.
- - - - -
As she filed back into class, she noted with trepidation that the writing on the board no longer said Dreamers, and instead now read NeverSleep. Other students filed in and groaned at the message, though it was muted with what had just happened.
``Class, I know we were going to talk about Dreamers today, but as most of you know, we have lost another student to this drug.'' The somber mood in the room was palpable as she pointed towards the board. ``I cannot stress to you young adults enough that these drugs are not an effective way to deal with our dreams. Everyone here has had these dreams our entire lives. I'm not even old enough to have any memories of good dreams. But... using these substances, which are almost always made in imprecise and dangerous ways, will destroy you. It isn't worth it.'' She shook her head, looking vaguely lost, and for the first time, she noticed how young her teacher was, only a few years older than herself. The bags under her eyes spoke of the same haunted sleep everyone else suffered through. The knowledge that she woke up every day and tried to give them an education touched Iridium.
She wished she could help her teacher, help everyone. But what was she to do? She was fifteen and had no talent at anything that could help someone. She slouched in her seat, feeling awful as the lesson continued, outlining all the horrible ways the drug hurt you. It even showed the typical form the drug came in, which was a small injectable liquid that glowed a bright green. And warned about how precise the dose had to be not to be lethal. All in all, a single mistake with this drug would kill you.
As Angelica learned the hard way.
- - - - -
When Iridium got home, she noticed that her brother was sitting on the couch while her sister was waiting for her in the kitchen, an annoyed look on her face, tapping her foot.
``Hey, Heather... Did school go okay?'' She asked, trying to hide how tired she was.
Heather scoffed. ``School was fine, I wanted... to apologize to you. Eric explained to me that while I am annoyed, it's not okay to take it out on you. You're trying.'' She shrugged. ``Just remember that your not Mom, okay?'' Iridium nodded and tried to give her sister a hug. Heather shoved her off with a small growl, before stalking off with a pout. Iridium did her best not to laugh, but a snicker escaped. Heather heard and froze before stomping off.
Iridium looked around the kitchen, noting with surprise that it was clean. She felt her heart swell at the thought of her sister trying to make things right. Since they still had time until dinner, she decided to put off her housework to spend some time with her siblings.
They watched TV together. One hour turned to two, and soon it was evening and their father hadn't made an appearance yet. Iridium grew worried, even more so as the evening rolled onwards. Turning into the night. Nights were long here, and yet as it grew towards the thirtieth hour of the day, her father still hadn't returned. Her siblings noticed too and began to get restless. As it came time to sleep, she tucked them in, and then sat in the living room, waiting for him.
He showed up with only an hour left before the day ended. She looked up blearily as he stumbled in through the front door. Even from across the room she could smell the fumes of alcohol wafting off her father. He drunkenly wandered towards the kitchen, and she got up and followed him. She found him slouched heavily over the counter.
``I can't believe it... won't believe it.'' He muttered as he swayed. She moved closer to him and flinched when he spun to see her. ``Iridium! Where is dinner?'' He yelled. She put her head down, and he continued. ``I work all damn day, and I can't even come home to a nice dinner?!'' He raged, and she feared her siblings would wake at the noise.
``Damn it, Alexa! I've told you before the house depends on you! I work, you take care of our family! That's how this works.'' She was stunned cold. He had called her by her mother's name. She felt faint as she realized he had lost his grip on reality at this moment.
``Dad... Dad it's me... Iri.'' She said, her voice cracking. He looked at her, blinking sluggishly. ``Dad... it's really late... why didn't you come home earlier?'' She lightly pressed on. He swung his head away, refusing to look at her. ``I know it's hard... but please Dad... we need you.''
He shoved off the counter, looking steadfastly away from her. He began to stumble away, leaving Iridiums heartbreaking on the counter as he shuffled to his room, closing the door slowly behind him. She was left in the dark kitchen, looking after him, tears falling from her eyes.
She looked at his door, then her own. Teetering on the edge of panic as she saw her remaining parent circling the drain. Her knees threatened to give up as she felt like she was on the edge of a massive chasm, down which all her happiness was threatening to disappear. Her heart began to beg for a miracle.
She slowly crept towards her father's door, hesitating in the doorway. She pushed it open and looked at the passed-out form of her father, face down on the bed. She sighed with relief that he was still breathing, but a faint light caught her attention. It appeared her father had something in his hand before he passed out. She inched closer and gasped at what she saw.
The glowing green of a syringe of NeverSleep.
- - - - -
Iridium laid in her bed, her eyes wide, her breathing quick yet labored. She had left her father behind after seeing the vial. She didn't know what to think. She couldn't process it, every time she closed her eyes she saw that horrible green color and was gripped by mind-numbing cold.
She was going to lose her father.
She knew it, deep down in her bones. If he continued down this path, her father would die. It'd just be her and Heather and Eric. And she knew she couldn't do this on her own.
She had a feeling she knew what she would see in her night terrors tonight. The image of finding her father dead made her cry even harder. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want this torment anymore. The urge to go and grab the green injector from her father and use it herself burned at her and she clenched her sheets with a determination that belied her terror.
She wouldn't sleep. She couldn't dare sleep... She couldn't....
- - - - -
She was walking down the hallway again. But something had changed. Where before this place had always been dark, foreboding. With sounds of claws on concrete or screaming. But tonight, it was lit up from large windows letting in the golden orange glow of sunset. She could hear the voices of families through the doors she passed.
She walked for a time, her steps audible through the empty hallway. She felt something burning within her core, a pleasant heat that reminded her of a blush but spread through her whole body. It tingled and grew stronger with each step, and she noticed with some embarrassment that it was stronger in her pelvic area. She could feel herself growing wet, a new situation for her. She knew about puberty and hormones, but beyond the occasional flush she had never felt a heat this... intense.
She could see the door to her apartment and behind it the muffled voices of her family coming from inside. She pushed open the door and she could see the apartment she'd lived in for so many years was totally different than when she had fallen asleep.
The rooms had been cleared away, and the apartment appeared as one big living space surrounding a huge bed that could have easily held ten people. And it was full. It took her a minute to understand the chaotic sight of bodies writhing lewdly upon the bed. Not a single body had a stitch of clothing on it, and a musky scent that lit up her body permeated the room.
She looked closer and was surprised to see herself at the center of the bed, being serviced by two people that she recognized with surprise. Ms. Valencia lay between her legs, licking and nibbling on her pussy, while Matt sucked on her breasts, his oversized front teeth gently scraping her nipple. She moaned out in pleasure as a german shepherd she had seen in the hallways from time to time lined up his red rocket to Ms. Valencia's hot sex, thrusting in and making her teacher moan into her lips, which in turn provoked a stronger reaction from her.
She blinked and she was no longer at the door, but in her doubles space, with her teacher's head between her thighs, the gray tone of her skin shifting in chaotic patterns as pleasure dominated her head, wiping out all rational thought. Matt's teeth grazed over her sensitive nipple and she shivered in delight. Her teacher's beautiful young face looked up at her, her golden tiger's eyes looking up into her own covered in a haze of lust. It made her feel wanted, adored. A feeling she'd never experience before ran through her body and she grabbed the tiger woman's head, grinding her sex into her face as she experienced a surge of pleasure, unlike anything she'd ever experienced.
Ms. Valencia pulled back, her facial fur dripping with her student's excitement, and yowled as she orgasmed from the student knotting her, himself blowing his load into her fuzzy feline sex. Similar sounds came from the rest of the bed's occupants, as they, slave to their passions, used each other for pleasure.
- - - - -
Iridium awoke with a gasp at five AM, head spinning as she lay in moisture, not on her pillow, but soaking her legs and underneath her.
That... had not been a nightmare.
","pools_count":1,"title":"Dreams Chapter One: Just Another Day in Paradise","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"3","name":"Violence","description":"Mild violence","rating_id":"1"},{"content_tag_id":"4","name":"Sexual Themes","description":"Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"1","views":"22"}