"Nature."
"Nonsense," Jupiter thundered.
"Nature will out." Venus insisted, rending the heavens with a bolt of lightning.
Antonius stared at the storm brewing outside. Lightning and thunder crashed. The gods were angry about something. He squinted through the lashing raindrops, watching for a small form at the edge of the woodlands. Madria, his cat, was out there.
Shaking his head, he closed the door. He'd not wanted to let her out when the wind started whipping furiously, but her strident meows had persisted until he opened the door. His cat ran past him swiftly into the dark night, a strong will encased in a streaking flash of black fur.
Keeping one ear cocked for her scratch upon the door, Antonius ran his hands over the new lump of clay. His intent was to make a statue, but what form would take shape he couldn't say yet. He let the material speak to him before starting the shaping between his hands.
So far, this clay had sat as still as the rock fence around his garden. Silent.
Thrusting one hand through his hair, he shrugged. It would come. He was just surprised. Never before had it taken days for the material to make its true form known to him.
Deciding to ignore the lump of mud for a bit, Antonius pulled a bowl of chickpeas into his lap and shelled them. The storm raged, as if the gods were truly in the midst of a great baTitlee. Lightning flashed, making it seem almost daylight inside his house, while thunder shook the rafters overhead. He shivered. The temperature dropped as the rain poured down. The howling wind pushed with insistent violence beneath the door and around the window edges. He became concerned for Madria's safety. Usually, she hunted for a mouse or lizard quickly, returning triumphant with the small prey clutched in her mouth. Perhaps she'd taken shelter beneath an overhanging tree.
His neighbor and friend, Decimus, laughed at his attachment to a mere cat, but to Antonius she was more than that. She was a constant companion, except when she hunted.
Madria stayed by his side while he tended his garden and followed in his tracks when he strolled through the woods. Most noticeably, she sat and watched each new creation he carved.
He knew Madria could not truly appreciate the beauty of his statues, but she seemed fascinated by the process. Or perhaps she simply enjoyed his company too.
Antonius led a solitary life. His parents had died years ago, leaving this humble abode. Two siblings had died soon after their birth. The few neighbors surrounding him were also friends, but each led the busy life of farmers, and all had families.
Decimus had married last year and seemed most happy. He joked with Antonius about his carefree ways, but truly, Antonius also wished to wed. But as yet, he'd not met a maiden who set his heart on fire.
He glanced in the corner where he kept a tiny statue he'd made last year. He sold all his other creations, but he couldn't part with the delicate beauty of the feminine form. The suppleness of the feline body had been carved into the gentle, yet firm lines of the statue's curving waistline. The hint of muscularity beneath the stone flesh defied the fuller, voluptuous statues that were so popular. Her hips were slim, made more for running marathons than carrying babies.
The breasts were small and pert, unlike the more pendulous breasts found on most statues. Her legs were slender too, not the thick-limbed fullness of a farm girl. Certainly, if he had used a model for his creation, she would not have been from the servant class. Not quite aristocratic either. Somewhere in between.
He sighed. Maybe therein lay his difficulty. He waited for a maiden as lovely as his creation.
Antonius smiled wryly. He doubted that would ever come to pass. There were comely maids in the villages nearby, but none came close to matching the lithe form he'd carved. Most were big-busted with wide hips, and although they were attractive, they were not what he saw as the feminine ideal.
He'd studied nature to imbue realism into his art. The gentle sway of a weeping willow became transposed into the graceful arch of a girl's body. A doe's long-lashed beautiful eyes were recreated in the lovely eyes of a statue.
Maybe that's why Madria fascinated him so much. He had tried to capture her sleek beauty and carve it into a female form, but failed each time, finally giving up. The delicate statue was the closest he'd come to recreating the feline's sleek form.
The fire in the small hearth crackled and Antonius glanced up from his musings. Was that a scratch at the door?
Jumping up, he pulled the door open, sucking in his breath as a body fell across the threshold. A woman. A nude woman.
He knelt and shook her shoulder, but she didn't stir. Carefully, he edged his hands under her and pulled her limp weight into his arms. She was surprisingly light in spite of her unconscious state.
Stretching her out on his bed, Antonius grabbed an extra blanket and rubbed the dampness from her skin. She was soaked, her long black locks sticking to her body.
He tried to stay detached as he dried her, but it was difficult. She was the most perfect specimen of womanhood he'd ever seen. Clenching his jaw, he ignored his pounding cock.
Her skin looked like the texture of a ripe peach, soft and velvety, while the color was a pale, creamy beige. Her body was petite and delicately made, the breasts modest-sized and tipped with dark rose nipples. On her slim form, the size was just right, in his estimation.
He dried a spot near her waist. It dipped in tightly, then flared out to slim hips. When he eased her onto her stomach, small, round buttocks were revealed. Antonius' heart pounded. How he wished he could stroke her silken skin in lust instead of like a nursemaid.
As he moved the blanket downward, his eyes followed its trail. Her legs were finely formed, even her feet delicately shaped.
Antonius finished drying her, then turned her gently onto her back. He covered her with the remaining blanket, and spread her long hair out to dry. He examined her face-oval-shaped with high cheekbones, set off with dramatically winged eyebrows that slashed like black wings across her brow. Complementing her features were full pink lips, giving her face gave her an exotic air, as if she were not human but a mythical creature.
He shook his head at his fancies. Then he shook her shoulder gently, but she still did not stir. Thick, long black lashes lay against her creamy flesh. It was a startling, lovely contrast. What color would her eyes be? He was tempted to lift one eyelid, but resisted. He wanted her to look at him with clarity the first time he gazed into her eyes.
The girl sneezed and Antonius became worried. A cold would be unpleasant, but the liquid that raTitleed in the lungs could be deadly. Picking up the blanket he'd dried her with, he dabbed at the thick strands of her hair. She shivered violently.
Jumping up, he placed more broken branches into the hearth, heating the small house swiftly. Although spring nights were chill in northern Italy, a large blaze quickly overheated the one room. It was just what she needed, but he was soon sweating. Continuing to dry the mystery woman's hair, he became more worried as her shivers continued.
Antonius knew what he had to do. Stripping quickly, he crawled into the tiny bed and pulled her limp body into his arms. She mumbled, then snuggled against him. He was in an infernum. It was so hot, sweat poured from him. And a heavenly goddess lay clutched in his arms, her sleek curves seeming to fit every line.
Thankfully, her shivers quickly subsided. Antonius was startled when a thrumming shot through his body. Puzzled, he glanced around him, then down at the woman. She was still unconscious, but the strange movement emitted from her. If it were Madria his hands rested upon, he would say it was purring. But she was human, wasn't she?
