Title: Three Times a Lady.
Author: PocketFarryn.
Rating: Mature.
Pairings: Seth Clearwater/Original Character.
Summary: There's a were-cat roaming throughout La Push, and Seth Clearwater is mesmerized by the idea. He stops at nothing to find it. However, when he does, he automatically imprints on the creature. The catch? She wants nothing to do with a mutt.
Warnings: Violence, language, and adult themes.
AN: Because he's so cute.
"A were-what?" Embry Call questioned through a mouthful of food; his slender black brows furrowing into a confused frown upon his face.
Sam Uley stood a few feet away from the young men gathered around Emily Young's dinner table. He leaned back against the counter-top, arms crossed over his broad chest.
"I said Em got a glimpse of a were-cat near the river when she was out on a hike with Claire," he reiterated with minor irritation.
"They're rare creatures, especially around Washington, but they're just as dangerous as the next beast that's prowling around," Sam added to further his point.
The boys needed to know how serious this new problem was.
"So it's like a giant cat? We have a giant cat problem?" Quil Ateara quirked a brow as he popped a large biscuit into his mouth.
"Does it cough up giant fur balls?" A teasing smirk outlined Jared's snide remark.
Sam frowned. "You guys should be taking this as serious as if we had a bloodsucker on our hands."
"It's a pussycat. Throw some water on it and it'll run away in a hissing fit," Jared chimed in once again.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a large cougar?" Seth Clearwater turned to the woman that had spotted the creature; his head tipping to the side as curiosity sparked within his dark eyes.
Emily Young pushed some strands of her black hair behind her ear, looking up from the pot on the stove. She gave a soft smile. "I'm sure of what I saw. You know, Claire saw the were-cat too. You don't doubt Claire now do you, Quil?"
She knew her comment would cause at least one of the boys to lose interest in objecting. Quil clamped up quickly with a slight pout playing on his lips and looked away in defeat.
"The cat was as large as you boys. My goodness, it was beautiful though. We made eye contact for a split second. Obviously, it didn't attack us. Just simply walked away, as if we weren't a threat."
"You don't think we're beautiful?" Embry laid a hand over his heart in mock hurt.
Emily shook her head, a grin playing on her lips, and turned back to the pot, ignoring the young shape-shifter.
Seth looked back to Sam. "So if it's not a threat, it'll just go back to wherever if came from, right?"
"We don't know that. It didn't attack the girls this time, but there are other innocent people. It might not stay in La Push either, it might migrate down to Forks, and then we'll have a bigger problem on our hands," he warned; his eyes exasperating and menacing.
"Wait," Seth spoke up, "Is it like a werewolf or a shape-shifter? I mean, does it shift into human at any point and does it think like a human too?"
Seth couldn't quite wrap his mind around the existence of other shifters. Which was ridiculous because the young man had seen many strange things since his transformation. The confusion that sparked his questions must have shown on his face because Quil cut in before Sam could utter a word against Seth's curiosity.
"It's essentially a shape-shifter."
"Why would it have any reason to attack other humans? Or eat them for that matter?" Seth asked before he added his opinion, "I doubt it would attack someone after passing up the opportunity to do so to Emily and Claire. They were practically sitting ducks. No offense, of course."
"Who said anything about eating them? Your imagination is awfully wild, Seth." Embry teased with a half grin.
Sam seemed to become frustrated by the younger members' doubt. "We don't know anything about this beast. We have to treat it as a threat, or we'll suffer the consequences of when it turns out to be a danger to our pack, and the humans." The tone in his voice was clear, and it silenced anymore debate around the table.
While the group ate in silence, Seth's imagination started to get the better of him. What exactly did a were-cat resemble? Could it just be a giant cat? Perhaps Emily made a mistake, and it was just a cougar? Was it vicious, and did it pose harm to anyone? On the other hand, maybe it just wanted to be left alone. All these thoughts baffled the young werewolf. He tried to picture the beast with glowing red eyes, and as a saber tooth tiger. He even pictured it as an enormous tabby cat sitting on a branch, cleaning its paw. That thought made him smile to himself.
He wanted to find out more.
Dinner at Emily's ended quickly, and Seth went straight home afterward.
He lunched himself into an intense studying period. Seth never thought he'd enjoy researching one particular subject.
"If there are legends on us, there's gotta be legends on them," he spoke absently.
"What's got you talking to yourself?" his sister inquired, poking her head in the door.
He knew what she would say, knew how she would react, if he told her exactly what happened to be going through his mind at that moment. But then again, she already knew when she frowned at her younger brother.
He gave a grin. "I'm just doing research, sis."
"Seth, don't you dare go running off after this cat. It's just as dangerous as us, and I'm sure it doesn't like dogs," she heatedly spoke.
Seth let out a sigh, staring back at the computer screen. "Yeah, I know. I won't go running off on my own, Leah," he murmured.
She didn't believe him for a second, and it irritated her. Leah left the doorway with a low growl and some colorful words about pesky little brothers.
He frowned, but continued his research. It didn't get him far. Seth couldn't find anything on the were-cat. It wasn't nearly as popular as his species. Letting out a sigh, Seth gave up for the night. He switched off his computer, and climbed into bed. Crossing his arms behind his head, the young man stared at the blank ceiling. Once more, his imagination took a hold of him, and he fell asleep dreaming of the creature with the shady history.
Seth awoke to the loud screeching of his alarm clock. He would have attempted to ignore it, but the screeching only became louder each minute that slipped by. To a normal human, it might have sounded bearable, however Seth had the "sometimes curse" of extraordinary hearing. Right now, it felt like an arrow being shoved into his ears. Finally, he decided it was time to get up.
"Why did I set it on a Saturday?" he groaned, slapping his palm down onto the clock. The half-asleep man didn't think to watch his strength, which he regretted when he turned his newest alarm clock into a pancake of metal. Seth let out a ragged sigh as he forced himself to climb out of bed.
Leah had already left to do whatever it was that she disappeared on Saturdays to do. He didn't care much. The man stretched his arms above his head, grinning when he heard each of his joints pop to life. It always refreshed him a little. He shuffled into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him as he went. Seth turned on the water in the shower, and stripped himself of his articles of clothing. He eagerly stepped into the cold spray of water, groaning in relief as the water eased his tense muscles. The man ran his hands through his hair, turning around so his back faced the jet of water. Showers always felt the best in the mornings.
Of course, while he had nothing better to do in the shower, other than shampoo his hair and such, his mind wandered to the imagines of the were-cat. It bothered him too much to not check up on. He wanted to see the creature for himself. Something tugged at him to do so. He had made up his mind on this, and nothing would change it. No matter how much his sister protested to it, Seth would find this giant cat.
Seth finished up with his shower, stepping out; he wrapped a towel around his abdomen, and proceeded into his bedroom. He shuffled through the closest, picking out a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. Tossing the towel off, Seth hastily dressed, jammed on his shoes, and bounded out the front door.
He could only guess where Emily and Claire had been, what spot they had stopped at when they glimpsed the being. The young werewolf arrived there in record time, surveying his surroundings with curious eyes. However, he found no sign of the creature. Frowning, he lifted his nose to the air, and took a deep whiff. Still, Seth found no unique smell of the were-cat. He let out a low growl of frustration.
"This isn't fair." He stalked beside the river. "I need to see what my opposite looks like."
He let out another low growl. His body trembled with the frustration that leaked into his veins. He felt his transformation coming on, and he didn't feel like stopping it. Without a second thought, his body burst into that of his were-form. He shook off for a moment, easing into the feel of phasing again. His sandy colored fur glistened under the bright morning light, and he began his he wade through the cold river water.
As he came up on the other side, a scent hit his nose like a sucker punch to the jaw. His ears perked up; his eyes darted towards the direction the breeze had wafted. The were-cat was on the move now, stalking through the forest with a silent purpose.
Seth jumped at the chance, charging in the direction the scent came from. He knew in the back of his mind that it wasn't a brilliant idea to sneak up on another mythical creature. That he just asked for a bag of trouble to land in his lap, for a reason to be attacked by the creature. He couldn't help this surge of excitement that rippled through his veins. Seth bounded over a fallen tree, nearly tripping over his own paws, gracelessly rushing across a small valley. He came to an abrupt, and skidding, halt on the other side. The scent was the thickest here; it intoxicated him and wrapped him in such a strange and intense sensation that he couldn't understand it. His ears twitched at the faintest noise.
The hard blow came from his left. Seth was hurdled across the forest, only coming to a halt when he slammed against a towering oak tree. He yelped, slumping to the ground, barely able to keep his vision from blurring on him. He heard the creature, lurking a few inches away. A fierce growl erupted from its throat. Seth was reminded of a show he had saw once, where a tiger made the exact same sound. The sound one would make right after winning a life or death match. It gave a loud and prominent growl of dominance, of anger and menace.
He shook off the growing headache and lifted his head to gather a look at the creature. It felt as though his world had stopped spinning, as if everything came to a sudden halt when their eyes locked.
The eyes were the mere image of crystals against the translucent sunlight. They were sharp, and predatory. Its form was a few inches shorter than his, the fur was thicker and longer than what the shifters possessed. The color was a yellowish tan that faded to white on its underbelly; the black rosettes that decorated its head were accompanied by small spots of the same color that tapered off into larger spots on the hind legs and tail. The were-cat swished its long and elegant tail in a warning to the shape-shifter.
Seth's mind became captured by the beautiful beast that stalked closer to him. It snarled, the teeth glinting against the rays of light that cast through the canopy above. Without giving him a chance to gather his bearings, the were-cat lunged with extended claws. The attack was clearly directed to kill. Seth yelped, barely scrambling out of the way of the ferocious attack.
He skidded around, and bared his own teeth. However, despite his warning snarl, he could not bring himself to attack it. The werewolf found himself frozen in his tracks, staring down the angry feline. It wouldn't stop attacking him, but perhaps there was a way to get around that. The only thing he could think of was to phase back to his human form, and he did so.
If the cat had any shred of humanity in it, then it wouldn't rip his limbs off. He gambled his life on his phase, and he had to hold back a chuckle. He wasn't the gambler of the pack, that was all Jared, but here he was- making the bet of a lifetime.
Seth stood before the were-cat as a man, and not as his counterpart, a beast. Its tail swished, and a low rumble of anger slipped through its teeth. Seth braced himself for an attack, ready to move away if needed. However, it seemed to second-guess attacking a human. Slowly, the were-cat began to back away, eyes remaining locked on Seth.
"Wait," he breathed out, "Please, just wait a moment."
The ears flattened against its head, and it let out another snarl. It crouched lower, continuing to distance itself from the werewolf.
"I won't harm you, I promise," he pleaded. "Let's just talk, okay?"
The creature stopped. Not because he asked, but because it was clearly confused by his sudden words. He acted as though they had been old friends that had had a little dispute. It irritated the feline, and it was apparent by the hiss that escaped its curled lips.
"Seth!" A scream shocked them both. The pack was coming, and coming fast. They knew what had happened, and there was no doubt that their intentions were to destroy the were-cat. He looked at the creature with pleading eyes, eyes that poured emotion it was not familiar with. There was a hiss, and then it fled the scene without a second thought.
It felt as though his heart had been ripped out of his chest. His fingers itched to reach out to the spot that the creature had once occupied. He felt emptied of life, and saddened for a reason he could not explain. It was unbearable.
All he could do was stare after the creature. Even when the pack surrounded him, and asked if he was all right, what happened, and a million other questions, he just kept staring. Finally, Embry and Quil had to pull him back to reality, and Seth reluctantly returned to his home.
"Make no mistake," he growled to his sister, "I will go back tomorrow."