Pussy Cat Pussy Cat - 2. Chapter 2

Gods I’m glad to get out of there, not that it’s that much better out here. There is a LOT of smoke. On wow, the smoke is eddying and I get to see Felix clearly for the first time.

He’s taller than me; about the same size as Sar and not as slender as I’d thought. He looks sleek and toned; not what we usually find in cages. His hair is tawny and seems to be striped, although it is difficult to tell, as it is woven with feathers and twisted scraps of brightly coloured cloth. And his eyes... oh my god his eyes... They are golden - well kind of yellow actually but definitely golden yellow.

As soon as we hit the ground Felix freezes and goes stiff. Oh shit: I may have forgotten to mention that other members of the Council were helping us out with raiding the circus. We would hardly have been able to do it all by ourselves would we? However, it does mean that we are now faced with a semi circle of interested parties, which include three vampires I don’t know, Sar, Pixie, Rover and two strange weres... big ones. Actually one of them is a very pretty silver grey and... Focus, Glory. It is worrying to see so many strangers who might not want to kill me right now but not so very long ago would have.

Ooookay. I turn to Felix but – hell, he’s going to run. As I think it he moves. God can he run fast. I haven’t got a chance of catching him on foot but he can’t run as fast as I can fly. Launching myself into the air I follow him through the smoke, until he comes out into a clear space, then I swoop, catch him and fly straight up.

Damn him, he’s fighting like a tiger and I am going to drop him.

“It’s a long way down, Felix.” He must have looked down because he finally stops struggling. “I really don’t want to drop you, but you’re making it really hard not to.”

“What the fuck are you?”

“You know... I’m not really sure about that. I’m a mix of all the races. I’m sure I mentioned it.”

“No, you fucking didn’t.”

“Didn’t I? I meant to.”

“You said I was safe. You fucking said I was safe, you bastard.”

“You were, until now. Those vamps were... are members of the Council. They were trying to save your arse.”

“S...save me?”

“Of course, you idiot. If they had wanted to kill you they would have just gone into the cage and done it. Why would I have gone to all that trouble to get you out of there?”

“Oh.”

He’s gone quiet. I wonder what that means. He’s thinking about it. He’s getting heavy. I’m getting tired and royally pissed with all of this.

“You weren’t going to run.”

“Yeah... I meant if there weren’t a gang of bloodthirsty weres and vamps outside waiting to spill my blood.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“I’m sure I mentioned it.”

“If we go down now do you triple, super, cross your heart promise not to run away again, no matter what? I promise if there are any hungry vamps or weres I won’t feed you to them.”

“Yeah... I guess. Look I...”

What’s that sound... like a weird pop? Oh shit... oh shit no...”Noooo.” Felix is a dead weight and I feel as if my shoulders are about to dislocate but I am not going to let him go... I’m not. I’m not taking him down either - and when I find the fuckwit who shot him I am going to tear his heart out; or at least give him a good slapping. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He’ll never trust us now. I bet it was a were: stupid fucking mongrels. Owww. He’s so heavy; I’m sure it’s pulling my arms out of the sockets.

What’s that? Oh... just Pixie.

“Are you coming down at all today?”

“Not unless you want me to kill someone. Which stupid fuckwit did this?”

Pixie smiles, one of those wicked grins he does so well, “One of the Council weres. Sar is tearing him a new arsehole as we speak.”

“Well, no more than he deserves. But I’m not going down there; not now.”

“You can’t fly home, not carrying him.”

“No, but I can make it up the hill... that spot where I was waiting before. Tell Sar to meet me there... and none of those fucking twats.”

Pixie’s grin almost splits his face in half. “Do you want me to come with?”

“I think I can manage. I’ve got a lot stronger flying... as you are going to find out someday soon.”

“In your dreams,” he taunts as he drops like a stone. I am really going to have to stop taunting him. I would have so much egg on my face if he won. Gods my arms are killing me; he’s heavier than he looks. Ah well... shit or bust.

Phew... I didn’t think the hill was so far away. Hell, he’s heavy. Ow. Ow. Ow. At least we’re out of that smoke now and I don’t feel like I need to cough all the time. Woo hoo... there it is. Thank heaven; I didn’t think I was going to make it.

It’s such a relief to let him go; lovely to stretch my arms and ease my back and wings. Ooops, I feel a bit guilty about fluttering around before I check if Felix is okay.

Well, he’s breathing so that’s a good start isn’t it? Where’s the dart? Oh shit, it’s big. I wonder what they were intending to shoot with it. He’s well out of it and, to be honest, I think he is going to be for ages. Actually; he’s gone awfully pale. Oh great. I’m stuck here with an unconscious were cat who may or may not have been overdosed. What the fuck am I going to do if he stops breathing?

Oh well, may as well sit down to wait. And while I’m here I may as well check Felix out a bit more thoroughly. He’s very striking; even without considering his hair which is... amazing. I have never seen anything like it. It’s hard to see the colour under all the feathers and stuff. It looks tawny and striped. Tabby then; kind of like me, except my hair is silver and black; probably because of all the other bits of me.

I can’t help touching one of the feathers. It’s black: a crow or a raven. Some of them are white and look like goose and there are smaller ones I can’t identify. The rags are really colourful: every colour imaginable. It’s quite fascinating and I have to touch. The whole thing feels stiff but it seems to flow when he’s moving.

His clothes are weird too: bright and tattered – not because they are torn but deliberately. He’s pretty awesome actually. He is solid looking, as if he works out and I can testify for how heavy he is, even though he is sleek and there is not an ounce of spare flesh anywhere. I can see his stomach through his tattered clothes and it looks tanned and tight.

He’s very pretty and if it hadn’t been for Sar I might have considered touching him. Actually, I am considering it but I would never be unfaithful to Sar and I am such a sensual creature that one touch would not be enough. Besides, he’s unconscious and may be dying so it would be totally inappropriate to touch him. Although... what harm could just a little touch do? I like touching and I AM a cat after all... and so is he. I really should check that he is still breathing and...

Mmmm, that’s nice. He’s really toned and his skin is warm and soft. I feel like curling into him and purring, but I’m not totally stupid. But he smells so good and... and... Woah, Glory NOT a good idea. NOT the way to go but, oh wow that’s nice, so nice and... Right! That’s it. I’m getting up before I do something I regret. I’m kind of closeted with Sar at home but hell, I’m a cat and cats like to fuck – so shoot me.

How did my cheek manage to get so close to his stomach? Oh well, may as well rub it a little; maybe turn my head, just a bit and my ear... Awww...

Okay... pace, walk back and forth and don’t look at him. But I have to check if he’s alright. Well; what would I be able to do if he isn’t anyway? If I go anywhere near him I am going to end up fucking him and that would be REALLY bad. Definitely not ok.

What’s that? Pixie again. He lands neatly; he does everything neatly. “Sar sent me on ahead to check on him. How is he?”

“How would I know? I don’t have much experience with drugged cats.”

Pixie narrows his eyes at me. I will not blush; I will not blush...oops. Pixie’s examining Felix so I really hope he hasn’t seen my ears turning red.

“You could get experienced with this one,” Pixie drawls. Dammit, he has seen.

“He’s unconscious, Pixie.”

“Sometimes they are more fun unconscious.”

“Pixie!!” Little shit. If I could slap him I would. I wonder if he realises how close... no, I did not come close. I was noble and I had the self control to get up and walk away... eventually.

If he hadn’t leaped into the air I really would have slapped him. “I’ll report to Sar. Do you want me to ask him to give you half an hour? You could do a lot in that time.”

“Fuck you Pixie.”

Pixie’s eyes flick to Felix and the winks. “Not me, eh.”

It occurs to me to fly after him but that would be childish. “Piss off Pixie, you suck.” Oops wrong choice of words. Pixie is still grinning, fuckwit.

“I expect he’ll send the weres up to help you carry him down to the cars. I’m sure Rover will be happy to help you.”

“Just fuck off, Pixie.”

I turn my back on him and hear his laughter disappearing down the hill. Great: weres. I’m sinking into a full on pout and I know it, but this is no time to turn into a diva. Of course Sar wouldn’t come: he’s needed down there. As the senior member of the Council and in charge of the operation he’s responsible for the cleanup. He has enough to do without worrying about us. I wish he was coming though; if he was here I wouldn’t be having these inappropriate thoughts about my unconscious friend.

‘Friend?’ Well, he could have been, but it’s pretty unlikely now. Fuck those fuckwits. Gods dammit; why did they have to do something so bloody stupid? Surely they could see we were coming down. Unless they couldn’t... what if they couldn’t see through the smoke? Shit! If they couldn’t see us, they might have shot me; now wouldn’t that have been fun.

Oh why did I have to look at him when I thought that? He’s so... helpless. Yes... helpless and it’s bad to take advantage of helpless people. Wow his hair is wild. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to test out how soft it is in between all that stuff. I bet it’s lovely.

It’s very pretty hair. It’s kind of a light chestnut colour, with golden tabby stripes... I think. It might be the other way around of course. It’s so hard to tell. I bet it’s something special when all the shit is out of it. Oooh, his face is cute. Not as beautiful as Sar; not by a mile but I bet it would be fab to kiss him. But I won’t do that. Of course I would never do such a thing.

Mmmm, his lip are soft, just like I thought they would be. He tastes of smoke, which is unsurprising. Mmm, smoky is good. I like smoky; it tastes sweet when I lick him. I wonder what his ears are like. Most cats revert at least partially to their cat forms when they are unconscious. Actually I’m surprised that he hasn’t reverted more. I suppose it depends on how dominant the human is.

Oooh, his ears are beautiful. They’re bigger than mine; the fur feels... sleeker but coarser. Hmmm, even unconscious he can’t help but respond to light nibbles on his ear and he moans softly. Nope. Can’t take it any further. Time to walk away. The weres will be here soon; very soon. I should really look out for them so they know where to come.

Although... It’s curious that he still responds to nibbling his ears. Maybe he isn’t as unconscious as he seems. What if I...? Oh yeah... His bliss is even stronger than mine. It’s like he’s had an electric shock through him. Oh yeah... oh yeah. He definitely likes that. I know that I like it when Sar trails the backs of his fingers over my belly and Felix moans when I do it.

He’s not awake; nowhere near it. This is pretty irresponsible; if not immoral. He’s really not getting any pleasure out of this. But maybe he is. But maybe this is... Shit. Get out of my head. But I can’t stop the memory of how I felt when Sar had used the bliss to pleasure me right back at the beginning when I was angry with him. I felt violated; as if he’d raped me.

I look at Felix in a new way. He really is helpless. He’s clearly aroused and he’s flushed and restless, but it isn’t because he wants to be and it isn’t with is consent so it really is violation... and I am the one who is violating him. Hell, I’m a bastard: an over sexed, under controlled bastard. I can’t get away from him fast enough. What the hell was I thinking? What the hell was I doing?

Something on the bottom of the hill catches my attention. It’s a long way away but... yes, it’s three wolves. They’re coming at a pretty fast pace. I can tell which one is Rover, even from this distance. I always can, even when he’s in a pack.

Rover is free now. Sar has managed to sort out his little... er... indiscretion - eating the son of an influential businessman, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... or the right time depending on your point of view. So, now that it’s all sorted he doesn’t have to hide out at the house any more.

He’s got in with a pack... of sorts. They’re more of a group of lone wolves who have come together for companionship and safety but with none of the community bonding that goes on among true packs... and none of the hierarchy either. They are always bickering and going off in a huff; but they are good friends and they always come back. Rover could have gone anywhere with them, but he chose to stay close by and he spends more time at the house than anywhere else.

Come to think of it, Pixie has no real reason for being there any longer... well apart from the one he sleeps with. Apart from Falon who actually live there they’re the only ones who are still there from when I first came: the others have moved on. There are plenty of new ones though. There are always kin running foul of the Council. Sar has his work cut advocating for those he thinks worthy. Our house is kind of like a depository for lost souls... wow, am I being poetic today. There is almost always a couple of Damphir there... Sar likes them and likes to fight for them, not just because of me but because they are true innocents.

Sar hates injustice, which is why he hates circuses and now since me, he’s had a vendetta against those who hunt Damphir. He has an uphill job but he’s committed... and every Damphir he saves is one less victim of the horror I had to suffer. I don’t know why everyone hates Damphir so much; and vampires are notoriously hard to change.

Anyway, I’ve established it is Rover so I stand up and wave and he adjusts direction just a little. Although he runs with a pack, he still spends a lot of time with me. Sar is away so often, mostly on Council business, and Rover keeps me company.

He almost bowls me over and licks my face. “Eeew, Rover; slobber alert. Get off me... will you get OFF me.” The huge wolf sits back on its haunches, grinning at me with tongue lolling, panting. “Don’t just sit there, change.” I like Rover in wolf form but, unless he is being mean wolfy, I find it hard to take him seriously.

With the same grin on his face he transforms into an enormous, hairy man: the same man I saw when I first woke in Sar’s house; who totally scared the shit out of me... almost literally... especially when he landed on me to stop me running away.

His two companions transform too; one into an equally large and hairy man and the second a sleek and pretty young woman with silvery hair and ice blue eyes. I remember the silver grey wolf I saw down in the circus. She is just as pretty in human form as wolf.

“Sar’s going mental,” Rover says grinning.

“I hope he is. Who was the fucking idiot who darted Felix?”

“Actually it was me.” I glare at him. Big or not I don’t care. I haven’t been intimidated by a wolf in any form, since Rover.

“And who the hell are you?”

The were hangs his head. “Stan.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that his struggling was putting you in danger.”

“But he’d stopped struggling and if he had fallen he would have been killed.”

“I figured better him than both of you.”

“We were talking. He was fine. We were going to come down. He’s never going to trust us now.”

“I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“And how much did you give him? He’s half dead.”

“It’s a standard dart.”

“Standard for what?”

He looks really uncomfortable but I don’t care. I am winding up and if I have a full blown tantrum he is not going to be happy with the results.

“Calm down, Glory,” Rover says. He’s using the ‘you’re being totally unreasonable’ voice. Fuck him.

“Calm down? I spent ages trying to get him to trust me; to persuade him he had nothing to fear and we’re friends. And now what? When he wakes up what do you think he is going to feel; do you think he is going to feel safe; among friends now?”

“Glory, Sar has already been through all this and that’s why Stan is here. We felt it was safer for him to be with you than Sar.”

I shake my head. What were they thinking? “Okay, I am not going to get into this. I just want to get Felix back to Fougue so he can make sure he’s okay.”

Rover follows me while the other two stay at the edge of the hill speaking together in low voices.

“He’s wild isn’t he?” Rover says in such a strange voice. What... what...? Fuck... what the hell is going on here?

Rover is on his knees, looking at Felix weirdly. I’ve never seen him be so gentle with anyone but me. Why is he stroking his hair like that? He doesn’t do that with anyone else. Why is he doing it with Felix? He doesn’t know Felix.

“It’s beautiful.” He sounds like he’s in a trance or something. I mean okay... Felix is pretty; and he’s crazy and wild and... well yeah, I was kind of drooling over him myself but I’m a cat and Rover is a dog and it’s just... different.

“Don’t touch his ears, Rover. You know... Oh.”

Just like when I stroked his ears, Felix moans lightly and turns his head into Rover’s hand. That’s just not right. Rover shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not right. It’s... fuck. Rover is still stroking Felix’s ears, kind of mesmerised by him and Felix actually opens his eyes. I thought it would be hours before he did that. He looks completely spaced out though. His eyes are glazed. They look really pretty when the sun shines on them... more golden than yellow.

Felix blinks and then his eyes orient on Rover’s and freeze, locked. What? Oh no. Oh fuck no... no...no...no. Not with Rover; not my Rover. Fuck you cat.

“Come on, Rover, we have to get down to the cars or Sar will be after us.” Rover ignores me. What? Rover never ignores me. “Rover. ROVER.”

At last he turns his head to look at me and he’s dazed. Slowly a stupid grin spreads over his face. He’s practically drooling. Trust a fucking wolf.

“We need to go, Rover. I don’t know what the fuck’s got into you but you’d better snap out of it like now.”

“Oh... Oh, wow.”

“Wow what?”

Rover turns away from me; he actually turns away from me. How dare he when I’m talking to him.

“Oh wow, him.”

“Don’t be stupid, Rover. You don’t even know him.”

Felix is out again and I’m glad. I know it’s silly but... Rover is MY friend. He loves ME. Okay he knows I can’t love him back because of Sar but... he’s MINE.

“No.” Rover still looks dazed but he’s snapping out of it. He gives me his stupid grin. “So what do you want to do now?”

“Get down to the cars. I want Sar.”

“What’s wrong?” Rover frowns. He knows me better than I know myself and he can sense I’m pissed off with him and doesn’t understand why.

“Nothing. Can we get going now? How are we going to get Felix down the hill?”

“Felix?”

Rover says the name as if it’s golden and I HATE it. “Yeah... Felix the fucking cat. It’s almost as bad as Rover the wolf.” Why is he grinning like that? “Hey... get off me. Get OFF me.” I’m not really upset that he’s hugging me like that. I like it. I like it a lot. The only thing I’m pissed about is that Felix is unconscious again and didn’t see it. Back off cat, Rover is mine. Selfish? Yeah, so what?