Author's Notes: Chapter 4 is here! I don't own the Slayers so don't sue little ol me! Viperwolf Amia is just a random handy plot character, so she isn't Lina's and Gourry's daughter. Ihvnnm no this wasn't a result of any sugar or sleep deprivation. This idea has buzzed around in my head for quite a bit. Nothing else to say, so on to the fic! *stands on a cliff and points upwards as lightning crashes in the background*
~ ~ ~ (Can it get worse?) ~ ~ ~
Xellos was almost, but not quite dozing on the floor. It had been a pretty uneventful day so far. Filia had warned any customers not to get close to him under the excuse that she didn't know if he'd attack or not.
So all he had done was sit around for most of the day and be bored. Though when he had tried to bite through the leather strap Filia got mad and waved mace-sama around a bit to change his mind.
Stretching lazily he looked at some of the vases that lined the shelves, then to the tea, books, and finally the mace section. Getting a prickly feeling on the back of his neck he turned and saw Filia hurriedly look back down at her book.
Frowning he looked at her when his ear twitched and then twitched again. He mentally sighed, ignored the cat instinct response and scratched the itchy spot with his hand-paw. Not even a minute later, his ear twitched again, still itchy. He scratched it again with his hand-paw, but like before it was still itchy. Giving into his new found cat instincts he scratched with his back foot this time, and not only did it work, it was much more satisfying. The only bad thing about this was it caused the bell to jingle. Xellos glared at the bell, which was another reason why he wasn't moving around as much.
Filia heard the bell and was about to look up at Xellos when the door opened and two people walked in. Filia closed her book, stood up, and walked over to the elderly looking couple.
"Hellos Mr. and Mrs. Cetrition. How may I help you today?" Filia nodded her head respectfully.
"Hello Filia dear." Mrs. Cetrition looked kindly at Filia. "I'd love to buy some of your raspberry tea today."
"I'm here to do my job." Mr. Cetrition was looking curiously at Xellos. "I'll be back in ten minutes." He walked back out.
"Don't mind him dear." The woman watched her husband leave.
Filia was sorting through the racks to find the raspberry tea so she didn't see Mrs. Cetrition walk over close to Xellos.
"Dearie you cat doesn't look happy."
"He's not mine." Filia replied. "Please don't get to close to him…"
"Nonsense. I know a lot about animals. Especially cats. For one thing most cats don't like to be confined or have anything wrapped around them." Mrs. Cetrition pointed to the bow. "May I take that off of him?"
"I guess…" Filia replied. "But he might attack."
Xellos's ears flattened at the first comment. 'I'm not an animal, I'm a mazoku.' His ears perked up a little when he heard she had offered to take off the bow, so he allowed her to get close.
Mrs. Cetrition knelt down next to Xellos and started to untie the bow. "I can tell you some more about cats too dearie."
"Like what?" Filia was getting curious.
"Well if you pay attention enough, you can tell how they are feeling by their body language. See?" Mrs. Cetrition pointed at Xellos. "I can tell he's feeling happier now. His ears aren't folded back anymore."
Filia made a mental note to stop by and ask more about this subject.
Mrs. Cetrition finished untying the bow and without standing up handed it to Filia. "I bet he's a sweet cat. You just need to know how to get them relax."
'Like I'd ever relax around Filia.' Xellos sauntered away.
Filia raised an eyebrow. "Relax, I don't think that's even possible for Xellos to do." She glared at Xellos who glared right back at her.
Mrs. Cetrition smiled, reached out, and starting massaging behind Xellos's ears.
'Hey! What is she doing?! …That's actually kind of nice…" Xellos sat down and leaned into it a little.
"That isn't the right spot…" Mrs. Cetrition inched closer and started scratching under his chin.
'This is even better…" Xellos was laying down on his back now, he didn't even notice the faint purr he was giving off.
"I know what he is now."
"Eh?" Filia replied shocked, staring at the mostly oblivious Xellos.
"A tummy rubber." Mrs. Cetrition started rubbing Xellos's stomach area.
Xellos flinched but then stretched out and his resounding purr filled the shop while Filia stared on still slack jawed.
"I'm back." Mr. Cetrition walked back in carrying a book. "And I think I know what your cat is Ms. Ul Copt."
"Really?" Filia snapped out of and frantically thought. 'If he knows Xellos is a mazoku then it will ruin my reputation!'
"Yes he is a calinneko, a very uncommon species." Mrs. Cetrition put the book down on the counter and the three people gathered around it to read.
Xellos blinked when Mrs. Cetrition stopped. Rolling back over onto his feet he looked up at the trio gathered around the book on the counter. 'Calinneko? What is that?' Xellos wondered.
Calinneko
An uncommon specie of cat that is quite intelligent, nimble, quick, agile, and elusive. Temperaments vary from one individual to another. The most common fur colors are green, gray, brown, black, orange, blue, and blonde. Uncommon fur colors are platinum, bright red, and violet. They usually have a tabby pattern, tiger stripes, spots, or a mix of all three in their fur. It is rare to find a solid color coated calinneko.
They usually have tufts of fur on the tip of the ear and extremely long fur that is much like human hair that grows on the head. Their front paws are remarkable, they can function like a hand in almost every way that a human's can while retaining re-tractable claws. Their furless almost human-like faces are one of the only furless area of the body, the only others being the neck and paw pads on the bottom of their feet. They lack whiskers, and like most cats the nose is cooler than the normal body temperature. The front teeth are also much like a human's, but the canine teeth and all the teeth behind it are that of a predator's sharp shape.
Usually calinnekos wear clothes just as we humans do and can pass off as young human children if they disguise their paws, tail, and ears. Some gain the ability to speak if they are around humans long enough, though they naturally will make cat sounds.
They can easily travel on two or four feet, though their four foot sprint can easily out distance many fleet-footed humans. They usually sit much like a house cat and not as a human, their tails getting bent into a slightly painful angle unless precaution is taken.
Calinnekos are believed to be a higher evolution of the cat beast-man. Though smaller, they have a lighter more delicate skeleton and build. Through several tests it is proven that they have a quicker response time and can solve problems quicker than their larger cousins cat beast-man.
Few are rarely caught and brought into captivity due to their elusiveness, speed, and cleverness to avoid traps, so their original area is unknown. Little known about their culture, family life, or any social activities. It is believed that they wander the world.
Excerpt from 'It's A Cat's World' by Felix Celnad
The three people looked away from the book and down at Xellos.
Xellos's ears drooped a little and looked away rubbing his arm self-consciously under the combined three stares.
"Well calinneko or not I have to do my job." Mr. Cetrition handed the book to his wife and lifted Xellos (who had opened his eyes) onto the edge of the counter. Taking his light shiner (a small box that focuses a simple light spell) he shined it into the 1/2 neko (now know as a calinneko) mazoku's ear.
Xellos made a low yowling sound in his throat and started to back away. 'Who does this guy think he is?'
Mr. Cetrition being a vet of many years had expected this and maneuvered in advance to be in another position.
Xellos softly yowled again but caught sight of Filia mouthing 'Stand still.' Xellos narrowed his eyes in return. Filia then pulled out her mace and began to polish it while giving Xellos a meaningful 'do-it-or-else' look.
'…When I'm back to normal…' Xellos angrily thought while Mr. Cetrition looked in his other ear.
"Good, no ear mites or other parasites. Need to check his teeth now…"
Xellos resisted the urge to bite down hard on the vet's hand when he checked his mouth.
"No cavities at all, very healthy looking teeth and tongue. Serika could you give me a hand?" Mr. Cetrition looked over to his wife.
Mrs. Cetrition or Serika nodded and walked behind Xellos.
Xellos glanced from the vet's face to his wife's face. 'They've got me surrounded, what are the going to do?' he though nervously as his tail began to puff up and his ears folded back a little.
While he was looking at Mr. Cetrition, Serika moved in quickly and got Xellos into a gentle but firm hold. (Basically she was just gripping him under the arms from behind him while he was in a sprawled out position.)
Xellos had his second hissy fit of the day. 'Couldn't have Juu-ou-sama left me with decent physical strength at least?!' After a few minutes he calmed down and panted to catch his breath. Though his tail was now furiously sweeping the counter as he leaned back into Serika's grip.
Mr. Cetrition took full advantage of this opportunity and lifted Xellos's shirt off a little and began to poke and prod him in the way vets do.
Xellos yowled and started to flail again. Mr. Cetrition ignored this and caught one of Xellos's back paws and studied it. He poked the pink pad and watched the reflex, his toes curled back towards it. After that he checked Xellos's nose to see if it was damp and cold.
When Xellos had calmed down again, Mr. Cetrition resumed the poking and prodding. This time Xellos just sat there, obvious very displeased. Taking the light shiner again Mr. Cetrition shined it into Xellos eyes. Xellos closed his eyes and jerked back. Used to this response the vet repeated the process and held open Xellos's eye. "His eyes are the same color as his fur."
Mr. Cetrition motioned Filia over. "He appears to be healthy. And I believe he has a solid coat color as well, so you may have quite a find here." Mr. Cetrition ran his hand over the sleek and glossy violet fur on Xellos's stomach. Xellos yowled again and glared at the vet.
Mrs. Cetrition let go of Xellos who then scrambled away to a different section of the counter.
"Yes, now that that's done, what else were we here for?" Mr. Cetrition was scribbling down a profile for Xellos.
"Oh yes here's the tea." Filia handed over the tea and received took the payment. "Oh, wait what do I owe for the vet service?" (Xellos hissed)
"Don't worry about it, feel free to bring him in any time. I'd love to study and do some research on him." Mr. Cetrition said as he and his wife walked out the door. (Xellos paled slightly.)
As soon as they left Filia said "Xellos can you get off the counter?"
Xellos didn't reply but instead just hopped off the counter and curled up.
~ ~ ~ (A bowl of milk everyday won't keep the vet away.) ~ ~ ~
Author's Notes: Yay! ^_^ Yes, I know poor Xellie. Any ideas are welcome, if I use them I'll give credit, if I don't just tell me and I'll fix the problem. Yay readers actually like this! And if any of you people e-mail me, I may have a pic of half neko Xellos... ^_^ (I thought no one would care, but you guys actually like it!)
