Romancing Aesthetics - In the Jungle
Some new mood boards and some flash fiction for you to read.
Hello, you beautiful book reading beasts!
I have something special together today. I have some new mood boards for you to feast your eyes on. I have to say, I’m well and truly in love with this aesthetic. It’s perfect for this time of year, and oh my, what a delicious theme!
What do you think?
Here’s another you might have seen already, if you follow me on Notes or Instagram:
These were a lot of fun to put together, and every picture I came across sparked my imagination about the classic Tarzan novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I’ve been wanting to explore this story more for a long time now. The idea of meeting someone the way Jane met Tarzan for the first time. Their extreme language barrier! Such great romantic fodder for a bit of fan fiction. And, yes, I did watch the newest movie version with Margot Robbie and Aleksander Skarsgard’s abs… I mean, Aleksander Skarsgard, er… anyway, I thought it was lovely. I loved the way Tarzan’s animal connection was depicted there. It made me wonder how it might be to play around with that theme in the realm of PNR a little more, and add a bit of magic. As for Jane, I’ve been exploring the theme of elementals as a favorite type of super for another story I’m writing. (You remember my Villains cyber fairy tales ;)) I thought, why not give her some special abilities of her own?
All this to say, I finally worked up a bit of writing in this vein for you here in our readers lair and am ready to share it. Without any further rambling, here it is, enjoy!
“The mating call of the Kua-hi Kua-hi pierces through the trees. A frantic echo, a plea from a desperate suitor, forlorn and driven to near madness by the need to find his lady love…”
I stop scribbling in my notebook, bite the end of my pen. My lips turn down in a frown and I shake my head, scratching that last line out.
“That certainly has no business in a scientific journal. ‘Forlorn’ good grief! Jane, what has gotten into you? Absolute drivel.” I mutter, chiding myself as I step further into the jungle. I breathe in deep of the humid, over full air, over full of life and mystery.
There’s nothing like standing alone in the jungle, with all of its rhythms and sounds. The thrum of vibrations beat through every bit of it. I felt it down to my marrow. I’d followed a pair of Fischer’s Lovebirds, watching, only watching at first, their courtship through the trees. Fascinated by the aerial dance that marked the hopeful male’s aspirations, I’d wandered deeper into the foliage than I’d realized. Stopping under a stream of sunlight that pierced through the thick overhead canopy, I turned a slow circle. My ears prick at every sound. Trying, and failing, to ascertain my distance from camp through mere sight and sound, I close my eyes.
Immediately, my nerve endings take over. Acting like miniscule antennae, they pick up a frequency my normal five senses can’t. At least I think it’s them. Honestly, I don’t know what this heightened perception of mine is, this ability to tap into the vibrations of the earth. In all actuality, I had hoped travels as my favorite uncle’s assistant* might reveal it to me. To date, I am left still in wonder of my peculiar ability. Further mind-boggling is what use it might serve. For I’ve always been the type of person who believed the creator made no mistake in us. There must be some reason I am the way I am.
A trail of sweat trickles down my spine, underneath the unholy amount of buttons fastening my gown. I’ll never understand why western fashion dictates set out to torture we females with their utter impracticality. In truth, I envy the inhabitants of this magical, ancient land their freedom from such nonsense. Of course, I’d never tell my uncle this, or any other soul for that matter. They’d be scandalized to know the fantasies my mind works up. I giggle at the idea, knowing that I am entirely alone. Another droplet of sweat trails from my hairline, falling off the end of my nose. A rare breeze ruffles my skirt. I turn toward into it, eyes still closed. All too soon it goes, though, and that is when I realize the pricking of my ears is gone too.
Nary a sound meets my awareness—something that in the jungle is a warning, meaning only one thing. Danger. I open my eyes. My inner sense buzzes stronger than ever, despite the addition of sight.
“Is something there?” I break through the silence. Hoping whatever predator has arrived sees me as a threat and not dinner. “Hello? Show yourself, beast!” I try for bravado.
Still nothing rings out, but a new vibration thrums into the space. I feel it first on the bottoms of my feet, rising through my shoes from deep in the jungle floor. Is that an animal or something else, an earthquake, some other natural phenomenon?
I’m about to speak out again, when strangely, my attention is drawn to a giant tree several meters away. Vibration hums all the way from its roots into its branches. My eyes follow that path upward, but not fast enough. Out of the trees, quick as lightning, something swings from the branches, dropping down right in front of me.
I cry out in surprise.
My focus sharpens on the figure crouched so near to me, ready to lunge. Eyes blue and piercing blink and the sound I made, then narrow. A man slowly rises to his feet, bare, as much of him is. So very much of him indeed. All he wears is some sort of hide covering about his lean hips. A dusty bronzing of sun and dirt color his entirety, hiding none of his musculature, only enhancing it, making him look as wild as any animal. His hair hangs well past his shoulders, dark blonde in color, if I’m not mistaken. I meet his eyes carefully, treating him as I would a fearsome predator. I find in their blue depths everything feral and bold that this land resonates with. I feel a slow simmer of danger contained within his powerful build. He cocks his head slightly, breathes in deeply of the air, testing it, learning it… learning me. Again his eyes narrow, as he takes a step forward.
My fright gets the better of me. I gasp, jumping backward, ready to bolt. My heel catches a tree root the moment I move and I lose my balance, falling backward onto the ground with a thump. Almost instantly, the wild man lunges forward and pounces down over me. Swallowing my fear, I try to remain still. He’s got me completely covered with both of his hands and knees pressing into the dirt on either side of me.
“P-p-please, don’t hurt me.” I stare up at him, helpless for what else to do but plead. Again, he cocks his head as though trying to discern my words. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest it’s beating so hard. He glances down at my chest, gives a short grunt, then lays his head down on my left breast. I suck in a breath and hold it. Dear God, please don’t let me die here today. I know this man is human and not an animal, but the way he moves and acts is way more in line with a lion or an ape. I’m aware of every muscle in his body hovering over me, pinning me to the ground. I stand no chance of throwing him off me. Even if I did, he moves like a panther.
I started muttering prayers under my breath, mindless babble, asking forgiveness for every transgression of my young life. He lifts up a few inches and looks down at me. His brows draw inward as he stares at my lips. Again, he dips a confused slant of his head, as though trying to understand me. One of his hands leaves the ground. He touches his fingertips to my hair, just above my forehead, then slowly passes the pads of them over my entire face. I squeeze my eyes shut tight. His exploration is light, surprisingly so. He traces the lines of my cheekbones, my eyebrows, my chin. Then he passes a feather-light exploration over my lips. My eyes pop open. These bare touches send new vibrations through me, just under my skin, the feelings so keenly acute they nearly override the inaudible growl that inhabits the air around him. With his focus intent, he brushes more touches over my mouth, following the outline of my lips. He looks that part of me over this way and that, making a real study of me, curiosity written all over his face. He pulls the underside of his thumb from the tip of my chin all the way down to the base of my throat. My pulse beats wildly underneath his fingertips where he’s holding me.
Again a small grunt escapes him, then he drops his head down and inhales long and loud against my skin where my neck and shoulder meet.
“Oh!” I squeak, unable to hold it in any longer. His body’s vibrations are thrumming into me everywhere he makes physical contact with me. Which is…, well, pretty much everywhere. It’s starting to have an almost drugging effect. I’m flushed, too hot. My heart is pounding, and this pulsation he’s giving off is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It isn’t the same thrum I’ve known from natural elements, or from any other person or animal. He pushes his cheek more firmly into my neck and slides it up against the side of my face. I’ve seen animals do this type of nuzzling by way of greeting. What I’m most worried about, though, is that the rest of him pressed against me so intimately.
“Um,” I try speaking over the rush of havoc I’m experiencing internally, “I-I… oh dear.” He lifts up. His arms and shoulders flex when he moves, and I can’t help but stare. The oddest thought crosses my mind, a moment of insanity. I wonder what it would be like to run my fingers over his chest, to nuzzle into his neck the way he just did me? The thought plays out in my mind’s eye for a moment while he looks on. Surely, that damnable frisson he’s creating is to blame! I blink. “Uh, uh… this…” I try to rise, “…th-this is… well, do you mind, sir!” I reach up before thinking and push with my hand at his chest. He’s warm and hard there. If he were a real predator, he’d surely have bitten my appendage off just now. Instead, his muscles flex. I stop breathing. I move to snatch my hand back. Before I can, he covers it with his own, holding it there. White hot flares of energy bloom where our skin meets. “Oh!”
His eyes widen. I watch as his lips move, twitching up slowly at the corners.
From out of the trees, peals a loud, high-pitched scream. A chorus of shrill cackles answer back from our heads. Baboons! The wild man’s face hardens as he takes his stare from me to the intruders. While we’d lain on the jungle floor, an entire party of primates had stolen in on us. There angry calls echoed all around us, showing us we were hopelessly surrounded. The man springs up to his feet in an instant. He shouts back at the intruders, a mix of growls and grunts that sound inhuman. This silences them for a moment, but only that. Irate at whatever insult he’d dealt them, they gathered forces and launched their attack.
Before I can scream, I’m pulled off the ground to find myself sailing through the air. Trees blur to green and brown water as I fly past them, clutched tightly in one arm by this wild man of the forest. His other grips a thick vine that he’s used to whip us off the ground and out of the baboon army’s reach. I glance down, wishing I hadn’t. We’re up so high I can’t see the ground, just more blurry leaves and tree limbs. I wrap myself tighter around him, driven by terror. His arm about my waist holds me secure, for which I am grateful. The knowledge doesn’t stop me clutching my arms around his neck and clenching my thighs about his one hip..
No sooner are we out of earshot of the baboons, then we swing to a clearing and drop to the ground. My breath comes in quick, short heaves. I’m still straddling his hip, my feet up off the ground. He lets go of the tree vine and adds that arm to my waist. We stare at one another until new sounds invade the space. No animals this time. I hear voices I recognize. Turning my head, I realize he’s brought me within feet of my uncle’s camp. I huff out a short laugh, relieved, then look back at him. Several breaths pass between us, each seeming to act like a magnet, pulling our lips closer. One last breath away, I close my eyes, giving in to the thrum running in the air around us, through us, buzzing my lips.
“Jane! Jane, dear, is that you over there?”
My uncle’s voice calls from the distance. My eyes fly open the same second my feet touch the ground. Blinking, I find myself alone in the clearing, no wild man in sight. He vanished in an instant. His vibration grows faint even as the whip of tree vine through the air sounds in my ears.
“Jane, there you are. Did you have a pleasant afternoon, niece? I feared you’d gotten lost in your venturing.” My uncle stomps into the clearing, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. “Come help me with some of these translations for my manuscript.”
Dazed, I drag my gaze away from the trees and follow him back to camp, the whole time wondering if I’ll ever see my wild man again.
Copyright 2024 AManda V Shane. First Published as Meeting Jane on the Monsters & Mystics Newsletter. All rights reserved.
Whew! I got a little carried away, I know. Actually, I still don’t feel like I’m done with these two yet. I have another scene in the works for them with, ahem, a little more steam. I’ll put it out as soon as it’s ready. Perhaps, later this weekend. Keep an eye on your inbox. :)
*Note - Be sure to add this newsletter to your contacts so you don’t miss anything. I’ve noticed a bit of weirdness going on in internet-land with newsletters lately.
That’s all I have for now, Monsters. I hope you enjoyed our journey into the jungle today. Be sure to let me know what you thought, or even just say “hi” down in comments or a reply. I look forward to sharing many more story adventures with you this summer, as I hope to find time for more flash fiction pieces and book excerpt shares. Until then,
Stay in the Magic, lovely ones!
Amanda V Shane
P.S. ICYMI, here is the post with the link to read Midsummer Lover for free! Since it’s officially summer, I thought I’d send it out again.
Oh so smexy!!! I need more of Jane and your wild man 🥵
Oh mylanta! I need all of it.