8

Ah, the Malagasy jungles... Or rather, that's what they feel like. Only a few lemurs live here...as do only a few humans.

This is the Afrosoricida Dimension. It's a world where the tenrecs, otter shrews, and golden moles are the longest-lived races, if not the strongest.

This is the realm of the tenrecs. Or rather, it's one of them. In this world, the tenrecs have four realms: the lakes, the trees, atop the ground, and beneath the same. In all four realms, certain tenrecs resemble hedgehogs, shrews, opossums, rats, and/or mice. Most of them, though, resemble hedgehogs.

This is their grounded realm. Down here, the grass is as tall as trees...as are some of the fungus species. It's cover for the local tenrecs...as well as both threats to them, and wild game that they're a threat to. Most tenrecs are hardly as gluttonous as their kin, the otter shrews. But their men do love the Hunt just as much as any human man does...if not more.

The Hunt is a big deal in this world. There are a lot of wild bugs that need slaying.

There are also insectoid demons that need the same even more. Many of them are Deathforce zombies. Some of them are Bloodforce vampires. Either way, they're a threat to tenreckind. Many are so much so, there's a bounty on them.

Atop a gravel pebble, Elias sits...and whets a splinter into a spear. He's still not sure why he's doing this. Even though he's spent time among the ranks of Turkish-German hip-hop lovers, he's still no better with weaponry than he wasn't as an infant. Even so, he still doesn't know what to expect, while trapped in this world. And if experience has taught him one thing, it's that welfare favors the prepared.

It's hardly a Greek relic, his spear. But then, Elias has got a feeling that when the Spartans first started out, long wooden rods was all they had to work with. They must've been made of olive wood. Elias has heard things about Greece; it's not quite a desert, but there are a lot of mountains, and only the softwood trees stand a chance of manifesting forests. But at least that was never a big deal for the Lebanese; hell, their state tree is...some kind of alpine pine.

At last, Elias thinks he's spent too long developing the spear. That, and he keeps flinching, big time, whenever the smallest of Malagasy critters races past him. At his new size, even the smallest of critters can be an overwhelming perception.

Elias is still a thousandth his normal size. He was half-hoping this world would restore him to normal...but by the looks of it, he's still got a lot to learn down here. Either that, or someone's just trying to give him a fashion makeover. Elias...just doesn't understand why HE'S getting this makeover.

Overhead, there are rollers. They're colorful birds, that're kin to kingfishers, that like to fly in acrobatic loops in the air...all while sniping winged insects in midair. Elias especially dreads these birds. He supposes he should be thankful that they only attack airborne bugs. Naturally, Elias can't fly. And he can't think of a single creature in this world who'd give him a free ride. OTOH...he hasn't been in this world for very long. Even so, he's not sure how he feels about getting stuck here. But of course, he's perfectly willing to settle for his new circumstances, if time reveals that there's no way back...

At last, Elias dismounts the pebble. Armed, he proceeds out onto open ground.

It's a scary world out here. Out here, he's like an exposed nerve. Anything could happen. He's also a big bright blip on the hunting radar of every creature out here.

He's pretty sure he shouldn't do this. But he won't survive for long out here if he can't get around. He needs to know if this spear will be enough. He needs to know if HE'LL be enough. He has to be. He still has no idea what the fuck President Ophir was thinking, when she kidnapped him from his life in the German States, and made him her personal sex slave.

But of course, the Germans DID have quite the row with the Jews during WWII, Elias has been told. For all he knows, Ms. Ophir just wants revenge. Seems strange, though; she's older than him, and yet...she seems too young to remember WWII. And even if she was, she'd have to be living in the German States during WWII to know, or feel, anything about that. But of course, Elias is aware of over-empathic types, who don't necessarily have to be raised among the grieving to sympathize with them, and hence join their cause. From what Elias has heard, that's how missionaries are born.

Still doesn't make sense, though, considering that Ms. Ophir is no missionary. She's an ex-amazon, and an ex-MoJ. She avenges Jews, but not versus Germans. Elias would also be shocked if there was a German minority living in Tel-Aviv...let alone Jerusalem. Again; Ms. Ophir must be mad, thinking that Elias can adapt to a live among Semites, Hamites, Cushites, and the occasional black African, Turkic fellow, and East Indian.

She must've lost a bet. In fact, Elias is almost willing to bet on it himself. He'd be even more willing, if not for his tiny size. She's clearly being put up to this, by some shadowy conspiracy she's too ashamed of to introduce him to. If she was, that would certainly explain why Ms. Ophir doesn't seem to have the will of a "Jew Avenger" who targets post-Nazi Germans specifically.

Enough of that; Elias has got to focus. Again, he's exposed...

Far away, blades of grass rustle. Somewhere out there, something darts from bunch to bunch, in a hurry. They're fast. And even worse, those noises are getting louder.

Terrified, Elias cocks his spear. He's prepared to do battle with what reveals itself...if it kills him.

He sees her. She gets closer. She's got spines on her back. She's got a long, black-tipped nose with whiskers. Her eyes are beady, and black. And she's got claws like a mole's.

If Elias wasn't so small, he'd think she was cute...for a she-tenrec. Alas, tenrecs are carnivorous. And Elias just so happens to be as small as a tenrec's favorite food; bugs. Elias sure hopes this one prefers spiders...or full-fat foods. Otherwise, this could potentially end very badly for little Elias.

She's coming on fast...and very strong. She wouldn't have half that much power, Elias knows, if he wasn't so small. That way, she wouldn't be so much bigger. As much as Elias hates to admit it, he misses the days when boys were bigger than girls.

She screeches to a stop, building a furrow and throwing up dust behind her. She and Elias are now nose-to...cock.

Elias's is a small cock...concealed within a pair of red briefs. Even so, the great tenrec's nose wiggles around it, bumping it several times. Elias trembles, gasps, and hiccups a few times, as she does this.

Elias isn't sure how he feels about bestiality... But then, if it pisses the conservatives off, he just might be willing to give it a try. Too bad they're not here to watch...that he knows of.

The trees, up high, are home to quite a few Malagasy serpent eagles. They pose a threat to tenrecs...but they pose a certain threat to snakes. Hence, the eagles are occasional allies of the ground tenrecs. But then, most predatory animals in this world are temporary allies to tenrecs. Tenrecs are a tough swallow for a lot of bigger predators; spiny backs, and all that. Sharks don't eat puffers for the same reason.

Alas, if a fisher can eat a porcupine, then surely there's something out here that can eat a tenrec... And sadly, they're just as much a threat to the tenrecs as all of this world's insectoid demons are...

There's something feminine about her behavior...as well as her expression. Elias lets down his guard, as he starts to sense that this poor girl isn't here to cause him harm.

Relieved, Elias falls over backwards...and loses himself, swaddled in something very large and furry.

From here, it takes him a few moments to realize that something bigger has just snuck up behind him. Next, he panics.

Whatever it is, she's got teats...and a lot of them. Her nose is longer...as are her whiskers. Her ears are bigger. Her eyes are cuter. Needless to say, she's more mature-bodied than that smaller she-tenrec.

She's a tenrec, too. As soon as she senses Elias's presence in her fur, she starts getting too friendly with him. She cuddles him. She just adores how powerful and reverent he feels, sandwiched between her teats...

With Elias stowed and terrified between her teats, she lumbers off. Behind her, her neighbor's daughter scurries away. She lumbers happily, as snakes injure themselves while striking her. Snake eagles try to grab her...but drop her, with sore and impaled feet.

In this forest, shrubs tend to grow very tall. Some of them stick together, and form copses.

Within such a copse, a few tenrecs have settled. As solitary creatures, they've all built mounds between their own berths, and those of their neighbors.

Here, Elias's new hostess lies on her back. Again, her spines are only a threat to those who try to approach her from behind...although it is possible for her to get stuck with them. Elias is inadvertently taking advantage of the living proof of that. Not to worry, though; Elias might be German, but he knows very well to avoid a hedgehog's spines.

Elias sometimes wonders if his ancestors tortured hedgehogs in the Holocaust, as they did Jews... But then, hedgehogs would have to be kosher creatures, in order for the Nazis to stand a chance of having fun doing that... And if Yahweh ever ordered his nation to not eat hedgehogs, Elias would understand. He's just...wondering where the hell Yahweh was when fishers started eating porcupines.

From one of her teats, Elias gorges himself on his new hostess's breast milk. He doesn't remember how...but he's starving. At least this tenrec sure saves up a lot of breast milk. Funny; she isn't even pregnant...that Elias can tell.

Alas, if she is pregnant, Elias doesn't really want to join her litter. So, he waits until she's asleep...

All around them, some of the mouse-, rat-, shrew-, and opossum-like tenrecs flick their tails like whips, while rolling around in their berths. They wiggle their noses, too...as well as their whiskers. These beasts probably get up for midnight snacks a lot. Elias would hate to think that they defecate where they sleep.

Tonight, Elias gives his very generous hostess the slip. She's nice, but... Elias misses humanity. Or rather, he misses humanity's presence. Plus, he's not over Ophir yet. He knows he should be. He knows that common sense would cure him of her memory in an instant. Even so, he's not over her yet. And what's worse, he can't swear he ever will be.

Free of the tenrecs, he sneaks through the woods. For him, that's not hard. He's among the smallest things out here. He can move without making a sound. And when he talks, few hear him. Not that he'd want to talk, or even need to...

And yet, the villainous leviathans of this world can still sense him. He's about to meet one of them. And hence, he's about to start wishing he'd stayed with the busty tenrec.

High in a tree, a cat snake sleeps. Her eyes open. Her nostrils open, and take in a strong whiff of air. She's picked up Elias's trail. He's down there, somewhere. Her intuition tells her that he'd be an easy target...and very fun game.

So, down the tree trunk she goes. She's very close. She won't have to go very fast...or even very far, to get to him...

Elias stands petrified, as the rat snake surrounds him with her coils. She's built a fort, with herself, all around him. The only way out is literally through her.

High over him, like a crane, she hangs her very long neck. She can see him. To her, he's in black-and-white...but she can still see him. Alas, she can't hear him. But then, it's just as well. He seldom ever talks.

She flicks her tongue. To him, it's very long...and very fast. He's trapped. She's got him, now. And she's loving it.

In a way, he is, too. He's hard now, in fact. He's not sure why. Not only is she older than him, in snake years...but she's a different species.

She's mildly venomous. But then, to Elias, she might as well be fully venomous...because she's so big, and is now so inescapable. But then, Elias must say that he wouldn't like his chances, if he had to outrun her. She's half-black and half-yellow, and her half-black parts help her blend in with the night.

From above him, she can see him. And she can sense that he's in rut. That's good; she's in heat. It's time to torment him. And she's going to have a lot of fun doing it.

She bares her fangs, just to show them off to him. He whimpers, and crouches over, dreading the bite...

Out there, something big stirs. The cat snake hears this, turns her head, and peers. Her own intuition spooks her. Hence, she slithers away in a hurry.

In a flash, the defenses all around Elias are lowered, as they slither away with their host...if they were even there to defend him to begin with. But then, if they were there to defend him, they probably weren't so much defending him from danger, as they were from rival female cat snakes who'd do the same thing to him.

But then, the cat snake might as well have left her guard up. Because what's coming has similar intent...if she's not here already.

From the undergrowth nearby, a big pair of brown eyes peer. Moments later, they vanish.

Elias cowers on the ground, as a great brown amazon steps out of the undergrowth. Her legs are bare...and gorgeous. Her entire body is. She wears a one-piece that, for some reason, sports the Malagasy tricolor: green, red, and white. Funny; Elias wouldn't have known if the Malagasy state exists in the Afrosoricida Dimension...

She stands right over him. He's right between her huge feet. High above him, her brown legs tower over him, like an arch. The arch's keystone is her camel toe...concealed within her lower one-piece. (This part of her one-piece is green and white...rather like the flag.)

Elias tries to stay quiet. He's almost afraid of being seen. But then, he's got a scary feeling that he has been seen. And yet, at the same time, he also wants her to see him... Just not as a bug, of course...

She has seen him. Before him, she takes a knee. Her knee makes a quake, as she sets it down. She lowers her index nail to the ground. Before him, it's like a very huge, very polished ramp. She flaps her long straight brown hair, and orders him to mount her nail.

He does. She stands. He gets dizzy, on her way up. He hardens.

Now, she stands. Now, she peers down at him, flaps her hair, and smiles. She's got big lips. He sure hopes they don't open for him, anytime soon...

He watches, below him, as she adjusts her top. Her rack is huge. He almost wants to go rappelling down into it...if only she'd have him. God, brown women look SO hot, when they're this big...

Now, Elias is at his new amazon friend's mercy. He certainly hopes that this one is more like Ms. Ophir...if there are any worse than her. Elias is pretty sure there are. He just...hopes never to meet them. Or at least, not when he's like a bug to them. But then, if he truly was, it seems like they'd never take a long-enough look at him to be able to tell that he wasn't a bug...