Erik poled the small boat to the shore of the lake and tied it off to the small dock. The hull scraped against the wood planking and the sound echoed off the stone embankments and roughly hewn walls that made up the foundations of the opera house. Stepping onto the dock, he swept the cat up in his arm and strode toward his home.
"Let's get you cleaned up and presentable again, shall we?" Erik entered his living room and hung his hat and cloak on a brass hook. Setting George down on the carpet he removed his dress jacket and examined the shoulders. "I'm going to have to clean this up as well thanks to you," he said with a nod of his head to the cat that had begun to investigate his strange new surroundings.
At the sound of Erik's voice, a small head rose from behind the back of the divan that faced the fireplace and turned to cast large blue eyes upon the man that had just entered.
"There you are, my darling! I have someone I would like you to meet."
The small female stood and walked slowly across the room toward Erik, swaying her hips seductively and never breaking eye contact with the man.
"This is George. He will be staying with us for a time." He gestured toward the brown cat that was presently sniffing at the fringe of a Persian rug.
The blue eyes darted from Erik to the tabby and she immediately stopped in her tracks. She visibly stiffened and her joyful expression was replaced by a look of absolute indignation. She made a sound that was halfway between a scoff and a sneeze. George's ears perked at the sound and he turned to meet the little lady.
Erik sensed the danger but could not stop the brown tabby as he bounded across the room, tail aloft and ears forward, to offer a friendly greeting. The creamy colored Siamese had dropped to a crouch and was on him in an instant. Though George stood at least a head taller than the little female she showed no fear and batted him twice, hard, across the nose. Stunned, the tabby recovered enough to turn tail and run in the opposite direction. The Siamese went pelting after him, ears laid back against her head and a guttural hiss issuing from her throat.
"Ayesha, please! Wait!" Erik made a grab for the two cats as they passed him in a blur. George was running scared and in unfamiliar territory. He zigzagged through the furniture of the living room looking for an escape. Leaping on to the divan he vaulted off the seat back landing heavily upon the keyboard of the large organ. He had not expected the tremendous din that ensued and he frantically scrambled across the slick keys, loose sheets of music scattering in his wake and fluttering to the ground. Ayesha was still in hot pursuit and Erik could hear the click of her teeth as she snapped at his rear. The large tabby gave a frightened mewl as he leapt back to the ground and dashed down a dark hallway leading to several other rooms.
Erik heard a crash from one of the bedrooms and hurried to the hallway as the two cats sped through his legs and back into the living room. Rushing back to his bedroom he found his favorite samovar laid out across the floor. With a disgruntled moan he returned to the main room in time to deftly catch a lit candelabrum that the racing felines had upset in their passing. Ayesha had been momentarily slowed when a large diamond stud from her Persian collar had snagged on a drape hung loosely over a mirror in the corner. George had used the opportunity to dive head first into the narrow mouth of a Ming vase in an effort to escape his pursuer. He had efficiently wedged his head, front legs and shoulders into the opening, but his bottom had proven too large to follow. He was currently scooting across the floor with his hind legs blindly, banging the porcelain artifact against the furniture and the masonry walls, unable to crawl inside and unable to pull out. Ayesha had untangled her self and stood watching as the poor creature bounced off another wall. His pitiful mewling sounded hollow in the vase and she seemed to forget her former anger at the interloper. She sat down on the edge of the organ bench and looked from Erik to the cat as if imploring him to extricate the feline.
Erik had been standing at the hall entrance, still holding the candelabra, wondering which cat to chase after first. Seeing that Ayesha had freed herself he walked toward George who had backed himself and the vase into a corner. Placing a foot on the vase he pulled the cat free with a soft popping noise. George's eyes were huge and dilated with fear, his ears were pressed against his head and he was panting heavily. Scrambling in Erik's arms he clawed his way free and climbed to his shoulders. Ayesha had narrowed her gaze and Erik knew the race would be on again if he didn't show her equal attention immediately. Hurrying over to her, he knelt down and scratched her under her chin.
"There now, you've shown him who's boss, there's no need to terrify him further." She had tilted her head to allow him easier access to scratch behind her ears. Though still eyeing her with trepidation, George leapt down to sit at the far end of the bench. "You are still my precious little lady, but we're all going to have to get along, alright?"
Erik gave a small wry laugh as he began to tidy up the disaster that had become of his home. Life lesson learned today: Do not upset small females; they are far more vicious than they appear.