PS. Love at first bite
Logan, leaning on Gwen's rickety porch fence in the middle of the night, staring at the shards of his former life. Not pictured, cigarette. Cat’s-eye view.
The stray lay still, hiding in plain sight, sizing up his enemy. The human hadn’t noticed him so far. He hadn’t for the past three nights. The stray flared his whiskers and stalked forward through the tall grass. This night was going to be different!
It was bad enough that the stray had suffered a legendary defeat to Lady, the blue eyed temptress, many moons ago, and had lost his territory to her during the daytime… The day she’d arrived no less. That cunning woman. She’d lured him into a sneak attack by turning her back to him, a feigned opening he’d foolishly charged right into. Then she’d turned around right when he was about to claim dominance, holding a big square something in her arms, forcing him to retreat immediately. Remembering the sheer size of the object still petrified him with almost cosmic horror!
Every time he caught her eye, she’d beckon to him, mocking his defeat with a high, melodic battlecry. Sometimes, she tried to tempt him into another trap with meaty delights. He’d just sneer at her from a distance, not giving her the satisfaction of another victory against him.
And now she’d brought Guy along… Guy had shamelessly taken over his porch too. At nighttime! Against the terms of the treaty! Guy was a fool, thinking he’d get away with it without Lady fighting beside him. The stray had defended his territory fiercely against the other warlords in the region, and he’d done so without any servants to fatten him for battle. The stray was the biggest, strongest, most feared cat in the neighbourhood! At least, he believed so… No… He’d proven it. Countless times. He’d even given his ear to do so, and tonight, he was willing give his other, if need be.
The stray angrily swished his tail. He pulled back his ear as he stalked closer, front paws already on his porch. He felt his pupils dilate, taking in Guy’s every detail, analyzing him.
So far, Guy had stuck to the same strategy. He’d thrown open the door, rushed out, grabbed the porch fence, and performed his human fire ritual. The first times, the stray had been too impressed by Guy’s abrasive techniques to dare to approach, but it had gotten predictable. By now, the stray had noticed that Guy didn’t have the same carefree arrogance about him as Lady. Guy was easily distressed, unbalanced, vulnerable.
The stray unfolded his claws in anticipation, ready to rip into flesh, they dug into the old wood underneath him. He wiggled his hind legs to-!
Guy turned to him, amber eyes wide in surprise.
The stray hit the floor, calculating every possible move.
Well, not every possible move, it seemed. Guy slowly crouched down in front of him. The stray stuck out a hind paw, ready to take a step back.
Guy reached out! Hand! Hands were bad!
The stray hissed, loud and clear, freezing them both into a stalemate.
After a while, Guy slowly lowered his hand, almost all the way to the floor. The stray eyed it carefully. What kind of attack was this?
When Guy showed he wasn’t going to move again, the stray did. He slowly stuck out his neck, sniffing the hand, inspecting it for any hidden dangers. He couldn’t find any, other than the stink of the ritual… He looked up into Guy’s eyes. A hue of sadness shone through the warm amber.
Ah. It finally dawned on him. Guy had just acknowledged the stray’s superiority! He’d submitted to him! The stray had to give it to him, Guy was smarter than he looked!
The stray ran his cheek past the hand, to accept the offering. Woah! His hand was so warm! The stray ran his other cheek past, savouring the feeling.
Guy added his other hand, tickling him on both cheeks, spreading the warmth everywhere.
The stray felt something. A feeling he hadn’t felt since long, long ago. The warmth he’d felt in the shed, curled up against his mother and his littermates. A guttural rhythm flowed through his entire body.
Guy moved one hand over the stray’s head and back. It felt amazing! The stray felt his defenses slip.
Ah! Guy had been much smarter than he looked! This had all been a ploy! What a formidable foe!
The stray grappled the offending hand with all his paws, biting down on it as hard as he could!
Guy yelped, ripping his hand free.
The stray rolled back to his feet, ready for another round.
Guy didn’t seem as eager, rubbing his hand. He bared his teeth. “Crazy bitch…” he muttered. The awe in his tone struck the stray with surprise.
‘Crazy bitch’... A title…? It was beautiful!
