Written for Kidge Week - Day 5: Games. Probably this is the last one I will have for this Event, but I'm glad I participated for the days I did!
Pidge hummed contentedly, abandoning her newly-finished project as it began compiling and opening a new message from her brother. She grinned as she saw the new 'puzzle' he'd included; another play in the game they'd been challenging each other with. She skimmed past the puzzle to read his message first before giving it proper focus, though.
Reaching out absently as she ran the problem over in her mind from a few different angles, Pidge's fingers trailed over soft fur. The long tail curled lazily beneath her fingers before going still again, and she toyed with the end of it as she thought, distracted. It flicked pointedly and she automatically tightened her grip for a moment.
The movement made her realise what she was doing and a smile tugged at her lips. She tightened her grip again, fingers wrapping firmly around the fluffy tail, and . . . pulled.
A loud yowl, undertones sinking close to a snarl, greeted her playful gesture. Pidge grinned unrepentantly even as the tail was yanked perfunctorily out of her hand. "Hey I was just- Ack!" she yelped as she was sent toppling sideways off the bed.
Pidge found herself pinned on the floor, one foot still caught on top of the mattress, the rest of her tangled into a slightly crumpled heap - and more than a little restricted by the large cat crouched on top of her. He only weighed roughly what she did in this form but that was still too much to be anything other than overwhelming, and he was solid.
Keith growled in her face, whiskers curling forwards and tickling her cheeks. Pidge stifled the giggles the sensation triggered, but probably didn't do a very good job, as Keith's stormy eyes narrowed.
"Sorry?" Pidge tried, and he huffed. She wrinkled her nose as his breath fanned over her face, but freed one arm as he shifted to give her a bit more freedom of movement and reached up to him. Her hand slipped up behind his broad head and her fingertips found the thick fur at the base of one ear, scratching gently.
Keith purred, eyes half-closed with pleasure now rather than suspicion, and Pidge's smile softened. Pressed so close, his purr thrummed through her, and she shivered a bit at the faintly tingly sensation.
Keith shifted a little more off her, paws settling on the floor with a soft shush of velvety pads on wood, but he still leaned close. Pidge raised both hands to rub affectionately along his jaw and cheeks, humming again as he gave a contented, breathy rumble.
It took her by surprise when he abruptly angled his head and suddenly her wrist was caged between big, solid fangs. Pidge raised her eyebrows as her fingers stilled, but she wasn't alarmed - Keith might be much stronger than she was, in either form, but he had impeccable physical control, and she knew he would never hurt her
Keith rumbled at her again, his tail flicking playfully even as his great jaws tightened a little against the slender bones in her wrist.
Pidge contemplated the new puzzle she had been just about to dig into, and the project she'd been working on before that - then how long she'd been sitting at the computer and how long until dusk. Not to mention the way Keith had immediately pounced on her when she provoked him. . .
"Mm, let's go outside." Pidge agreed, poking her boyfriend's face with her free hand.
Keith released her and lowered his head, butting his nose against her cheek gently, then licking it even more gently - barely a ghost of sensation from the would-be painful rasp of his tongue. Pidge sat up as Keith retreated to give her freedom of movement, and nuzzled into the thick fur low on his neck, looping an arm around his chest.
Pidge might have always had her passion for tech and computers, and never particularly been fond of the outdoors, but even she'd had the 'fluffy animals are amazing' phase and fixation. She'd grown out of it, of course, but she had to admit . . . even knowing it was her boyfriend inside the thick, gorgeous pelt, there was something breathtakingly fun about being able to snuggle up to a wild cat.
Keith rubbed his cheek proprietarily against her shoulder and then nudged her ribs, and she released him to climb to her feet. Keith paced at Pidge's side through the house, a dark-on-dark dappled shadow, and Pidge thought it was possible it was more of a delight because it was her boyfriend in the wild cat's skin.
She shook her head at herself as she opened the door to the backyard.
Keith all but bounded through it and then leapt clear from just past the threshold over the porch railing and down into the sunlit centre of the yard. Pidge shook her head, fondly amused, and closed the door behind herself before taking a breath - watching Keith roll in the grass with even more amusement - and melting into her own shift.
She gave a loud, stuttering call as she took flight, and Keith thrashed, quickly flipping off his back and up onto his paws once more. Pidge swooped down and Keith rose onto his back legs, stretching his front paws up as though to snatch her from the air as he echoed her cry with his alarming, almost grating not-quite-roar.
Pidge flipped her tail and dipped one wing, twisting briefly upside down and diving beneath Keith's paws before he fell back to all four paws on the ground. It put Pidge in good position to buffet along his shoulder, claws snatching at his fur as she passed.
It was barely enough to be a minor annoyance for Keith, of course, much less hurt him, but that wasn't the point. She wasn't trying to hurt, anyway. Any more than Keith had been when he closed her wrist in his jaws, although granted he could have done it with a lot more ease than she could now. Keith gave a quick turn to follow her progress, then paused and yawned, pointedly showing off his gleaming, impressive fangs.
Pidge flapped her wings rapidly to gain altitude in the brief pause, but Keith was already moving again in a powerful pounce, a tiny avalanche of muscle homing in on her. Pidge swooped up and tumbled over Keith's head as he landed, laughing in a ragged call of her own when he missed her. It melded well with the saw-like tones of Keith's louder, territorial bellow.
Pidge dove low again, skimming the ground, but didn't quite make her escape back upwards before huge paws landed on either side of her and Keith's body blotted out the sky. She drew in her wings as she landed and hopped immediately sideways, but swiftly found a paw corralling her.
Instead she rolled onto her side, pecking at Keith's paw and chirping at him in a softer tone. She tugged at a beakful of his fur.
Keith's tones softened as well in response, and he flopped onto the grass, twisting to face Pidge before pulling her gently towards him. Pidge nestled into the fluffy fur of his chest for a moment, ruffling her feathers up and then smoothing them down again. Keith purred, the soft vibration veritably shaking Pidge at this size and proximity, and she chirred at him.
She kicked her feet and rolled back upright, flapping her wings a little as she moved away. Keith batted at her lazily without getting up and she hopped nimbly around his outstretched paws, then as she came close enough. . .
Impishly, Pidge grabbed one of her boyfriend's whiskers in her beak and tugged at it.
Keith yowled, loudly enough to hurt her ears, and Pidge cackled as she flung her wings wide and took to the air again in a hasty flurry of feathers. Keith was already up and moving again, and he almost snatched her out of the air before reaching the zenith of his leap and falling back to the grass.
Pidge gave a stuttering laugh of a call and dove again, nipping at Keith's ear. A flash of fangs directly in front startled her and she lost some speed as she corrected so she wouldn't fall - and then was deftly snagged by one big paw. Pidge huffed as she was brought back to the ground, and Keith made a very smug sound, tail flicking.
Pidge slipped his hold again - although this time she suspected he had allowed it purposely - and hopped along the ground just out of reach, cocking her head to eye Keith measuringly. She took to the air again, Keith chasing across the yard after her as she flew, and they played until Pidge's wings were beginning to ache and she was comfortably tired.
She contemplated heading back to the porch, but instead settled - a little clumsily; it didn't make the best landing spot - on Keith's shoulders. She flapped her wings, wincing at the ache - possibly she should fly more - and folded them close again. Keith made a curious sort of sound, craning his head to peer at her, then paced into a sunny spot and lay down. Carefully.
He yawned, this time not a threatening display, and Pidge hopped off him. Keith rolled onto his side, offering a lazy feline grin as he stretched, deadly claws rustling through the grass. Pidge climbed over his outstretched forelegs and then hopped back down into the grass with a soft chirr.
Keith shifted, ducking his head, and rested his jaw along one foreleg. Pidge was nestled neatly in the space between his body and legs. She briefly debated shifting back to her human shape, then ruffled her feathers and folded her legs, nestling into a shallow depression in the yard near the crook of Keith's leg. She spread her wings out in a lazy arc, letting them drape along the ground and soak up the sun.
The clouds kept the sun from beating down too strongly, but it was still hot enough to heat her dark feathers and soothe her sore muscles beneath. Keith had likewise relaxed even further, all but melting into a puddle of contented cat as his fur heated in the sunlight. He started up a soft purr, eyes mostly closed.
Pidge made a low grumbly noise herself and preened absently at a tuft of her boyfriend's fur before going still. Relaxing, she let the heat of the sun zone her out. She made a half-hearted effort to contemplate the puzzle her brother had sent, but she was mostly dozing.
It may or may not have been quite obvious in the text, but as I was writing I had in mind that Keith is a black leopard (panther; as suggested by Mikkimouse) and Pidge is a European magpie (aka the smartest bird in the world). It was totally necessary for reference purposes for me to watch some videos of magpies playing with dogs and they were adorable, it was such a hardship. .