Chapter Ten
Always Expect The Unexpected In Hell
SWORD and SHIELD
It had been two hundred and fifty hears since the day Yao and Kiku first met each other. Kiku remembered him well; the Dragon Li cat had been suffering from kennel stress* when he first arrived. Whenever a scientist tried to approach him, the cat would lie flat on his belly and shiver, sometimes growling at the other cats and people. When Kiku approached, however, his brown eyes lit up and he stood. For a while, Kiku had been looking for a partner, but he hadn't found anyone suitable; however, when that Dragon Li, afflicted with kennel stress stood up and meowed, Kiku knew he'd finally found what he'd been searching for.
They officially bonded only two weeks after they met. From the moment Yao and Kiku met each other, they were inseparable. Although their pens were quite far away from each other, one would often sneak out of his pen and go to the other's. Their love and dedication for one another was so strong that even the normally stoic scientists smiled a little when they saw the two cats cuddle together on cold nights. Through the two-hundred and forty-five years they were there, they didn't lose any of that love or dedication. Yao and Kiku, the Sword and Shield, were the epitome of what a partnership should be.
None of that love had gone away since they had joined the gang; if anything, their bond had grown stronger. Although they no longer had to sneak out of their pens at night, or even train together anymore, they always went on missions together. They were still inseparable; one was rarely ever seen without the other.
"Yao," Kiku murmured one night, resting his head against the other's chest. "Watashi wa anata o aishite.*"
"Wǒ yě ài nǐ*," Yao answered him, gently putting his arms around Kiku's shoulders and kissing the tip of his fluffy ear. "Happy 250th anniversary."
GOLD and SILVER, WINE and SHOTGUN
Feliciano had been waiting for six weeks now to tell his secret. He had to wait until Maria gave him the okay, and then he went to the Leader and Alfred to speak to them.
"There's something very important I need to talk to you about," Feliciano told them as they sat at the table in Arthur's kitchen. "About six weeks ago, I got a dream from an angel. She told me that her name was Maria and she had something very important to tell me, a big secret. Last night, she visited me again, saying that now was the time to tell you guys about it. Now, here's what she said..."
After Feliciano had finished delivering his message, both Alfred and Arthur were wide-eyed and staring.
"And you're absolutely positive that this is going to happen?" Arthur asked. Feliciano nodded rapidly.
"I wouldn't lie to you. I'm sure it's true."
"Something like that hasn't happened in a long time..." Arthur murmured. "The last confirmed case was a cat from Africa, and he was born three hundred and twenty-five years ago. It's possible, but it's highly unlikely. And you're saying we're going to have to protect him until it happens?"
"Yes," Feliciano replied. "The Loyals, too, will be searching for him. They have their own beliefs about what this means and they want it for themselves. They believe that it's the sign that their king is coming, and they'll try to use him as a gift offering to him. At least, that's what Maria told me."
"Alright. You may go now, Wine." As he stood to leave, Arthur suddenly called out, "Wait!" Pausing, Feliciano turned to look at him. "What...what did you wish for?"
"I wished for all of us to come out safely," he replied, closing his eyes and smiling. "And that's it!"
When he returned to 1A, Feliciano gave a yawn and started off towards his room. He'd been talking with the Leader for quite some time; it was already 11:00, and he'd left at 7. As soon as he opened the door, he was met by Ludwig, who looked down at him.
"You're back," he murmured. "You were gone for quite some time, Feli. What exactly where you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Feliciano replied innocently. "Just gang business, that's all." Ludwig still looked unsatisfied, but he leaned down to hug the Italian anyway.
"Alright. I'm off to go see Scar for a minute, but I'll be back soon."
"I'll wait for you," Feliciano told him, before breaking away and stepping into the bedroom. It hurt him to keep it from Ludwig, but it wasn't time for him to know yet. If he found out now, there'd be no telling what he'd do.
"I'm sorry I have to keep this from you Ludi," Feliciano murmured to the air. "But it's not time for you to know yet."
"So you believe him?" Alfred asked his partner that night.
"Of course I do," Arthur replied. "Feliciano wouldn't lie to me about something so serious. Besides, what reason do I have not to believe him?" Shrugging off his jacket, Arthur threw it on the couch, before getting up, the tags on his collar quietly jingling as he stood.
"Well if it is true, don't you think we should prepare for the Loyals to attack?" Alfred suggested.
"No," he replied. "If we do that, then they'll think we're afraid of them and they'll bring lots of soldiers. The only thing we have to do is show them how serious we are about protecting our territory."
"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Alfred asked curiously.
"...you'll see as soon as we get some prisoners."
Meanwhile, in a laboratory...
"So, Sundita," Jones was saying to a red-haired cat shifter. "Are you willing to help us with this little...problem?"
"Of course I am," Sundita grinned, flashing his deadly metal teeth. "However, I only ask for one thing in return. There is a certain shifter that we must take into our possession. He is needed to complete our ritual to welcome our sacred Leader into our presence."
"As long as it's not either Alfred or Matthew, you're fine to kidnap, sacrifice, kill, rob, or do anything to anyone that you'd like," Jones told him. "The money will arrive after you finish your first raid. Thank you for your services."
Again, the scientist who sat outside of the door's eyes widened. He had to warn the Hellcats in person somehow, without getting killed. That would turn out to be much easier said than done.
DOG and WOLF
This was the fifth time Gilbert had gotten sick that day. Currently he was bent over the toilet, emptying his stomach of anything he'd eaten that day. Ivan sat next to him, gently rubbing his back and shoulders. Eventually the wave of sickness passed and Gilbert wiped his mouth off with a towel before flushing and leaning against Ivan.
"I don't think this is just a bug, snezhnyĭ bars," Ivan murmured, gently stroking his soft white hair. "Maybe you should go to see Scar..."
"Not...not yet," Gilbert murmured, sighing as he rested his head in Ivan's lap. The Russian rubbed gentle circles on the snow leopard's stomach to ease the feeling of sickness.
"The next time you get sick I'm taking you to see her," Ivan told him. Gilbert didn't argue, he just closed his tired red eyes and started to drift off to sleep. Sighing, Ivan picked up the sleeping cat from the floor and took him to his bed, hoping that tonight the snow leopard would be able to get some sleep.
However, it was not to be done. Not thirty minutes later, the cat groaned in his sleep, before waking up suddenly and running to the bathroom again. Giving a heavy sigh, Ivan got up and followed him, watching as he leaned over the toilet again, continuing to vomit. As soon as it was over, Gilbert looked up at Ivan with sickly eyes, and the Russian tiger pulled him into his arms.
"You're definitely going to see Scar now." The smaller cat just let out a soft huff of disapproval, before his head fell against Ivan's chest and he promptly went back to sleep.
FLOWER and SCAR, DOG and WOLF
It was 12:00, midnight, and the Healer's Den was still open. The only reason for this was because Elizaveta couldn't sleep. No matter what she did to try and get to sleep, it only made her even more energized. On this particular night, that may have been a good thing, considering what happened.
Hearing the knock at her door, Elizaveta jumped up from where she'd been sitting on the couch and went over quickly to it. Opening the door, she noticed Ivan standing there with Gilbert in his arms, passed out, body limp and tail twitching ever so often.
"Good evening Wolf," she greeted, letting the bigger cat in. "What's the matter with him?"
"That's what I came to you for," Ivan murmured, gently resting Gilbert down on the couch. "He's been really sick lately, but I don't know what's wrong with him. He just keeps throwing up, and he complains of nausea whenever he eats something. Because of that he hasn't been eating very much..."
"Huh," Elizaveta murmured, looking down at Gilbert, who whined a little and turned on his side. "Does he have a fever?"
"He's been slightly warmer than usual, but nothing drastic," Ivan replied, sitting on the couch at Gilbert's feet. "Why?"
"Just asking. Has he gained any weight?" Elizaveta asked.
"I don't think so," Ivan replied. "But he might have. I heard him talking about it not too long ago..."
"How long have these symptoms been going on?" she asked again, pressing her hand to Gilbert's forehead. Sensing that his temperature was normal, she pulled her hand back.
"About two weeks," Ivan replied. "Do you have any idea about what it could be?"
"Yes," Elizaveta murmured. "But we'll have to wait for Gilbert to wake up before I can figure it out." Just as she was saying that, the snow leopard opened his blood red eyes and sat up.
"What am I doing here?" He asked, blinking his tired eyes and yawning.
"I told you the next time you got sick I was taking you to see Scar. I didn't lie," Ivan murmured. "She was just about to figure out what was wrong with you."
"Tell me," Elizaveta started to say, moving to sit on Gilbert's other side. "Have you gained any weight recently?"
"A little," Gilbert replied, gently rubbing his stomach. "I don't know why though."
"Alright, two more questions. First off, tell me if this hurts." She gently pressed on a certain spot on Gilbert's stomach, and he frowned, pushing her hand away.
"That hurts," he whimpered, and Elizaveta took a step back.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I barely touched you!"
"I-I'm sure," he murmured, voice unnaturally high and fearful. "What's wrong with me?"
"I need to ask one more thing to confirm it," Elizaveta told him. "Tell me, did you have a heightened want for sexual activity any time in the past two months?" Now that he thought about it, he had. It had been a very strong and unnatural urge for sex, but he hadn't thought about it until now.
"Yes," he replied uncertainly. "Why?"
For a moment, Elizaveta was silent, before falling back on the floor. "If...if all of that's true...then..."
"Then what?" Ivan growled dangerously at her. "Spit it out!"
"Then Gilbert is pregnant," Elizaveta replied. Just as she was getting up, Lilli appeared in the doorway, looking somewhat concerned.
"Are you okay Eliza?" she asked.
"Lilli, I need you to run and get the Leader and Silver as fast as you can," Elizaveta told her. "Tell them we have a situation."
GOLD, FLOWER, DOG, SILVER, SCAR, AND WOLF
"So what Feliciano told us was true," Arthur murmured, sitting on the floor in front of Elizaveta's couch. Gilbert was sitting with his head in his hands, tears rolling down his cheeks, and Ivan had one arm across Gilbert's shoulders. Lilli was standing, watching Elizaveta who was pacing the carpet. Alfred sat next to him, a confused look on his face.
"What does Feliciano have to do with any of this?" Ivan asked, looking up from his lover.
"He told us that this was going to happen earlier today actually," Arthur told them. "He'd said that an angel had come to him in a dream and told him all about it. Supposedly, the birth of your kid is a sign that the gang will become invincible. It's also supposed to symbolize the shutting down of the Facility and the beginning of a new era," he started to explain. "However, the Loyals are out for it as well. According to their books written down by their previous leaders, their god that they believe in is supposed to come down to receive the child of two male cats from this very gang. Due to this, both Gilbert and the child are in very serious danger. The rest of us are supposed to protect them both until it's born; after that, the Loyals are supposed to fall apart."
"So we have to protect him until it's born, and then afterwards, all our troubles will be gone?" Elizaveta asked. "It all seems like bullshit to me, if you ask."
"Well, the first part of his prophecy came true," Alfred countered. "Obviously, there has to be at least some truth in what he's saying."
"I agree," Lilli murmured. "But I think that ultimately, it's Dog and Wolf's choice. They're the ones who are the parents, after all."
Ivan gently nudged Gilbert, who finally took his face out of his hands and looked up, a few tears still glistening in his eyes and tear streaks running down his face. "Gil?" he asked. "Is this...what you want?"
"Ivan, I don't mind, really," he told him, sniffling in between his words. "It's just...now is really a terrible time to be expecting a baby and...you know how much my bruder hates us being together...when he finds out, I'm sure he'll be angry." Then, a smile cut across his face. "But...this is still our baby. And apparently, he's needed. I could never live with myself if I killed our own kid, so...I'll keep it." Leaning up against Ivan's shoulder, Gilbert looked up at him. "I'm happy to be having our baby."
And, suddenly, the course of their lives had taken a strange new turn.
[* kennel stress- categorized when an animal, normally a dog, develops compulsive behaviors due to being kenneled for a long period of time.
* Watashi wa anata o aishite- I love you in Japanese
* Wǒ yě ài nǐ-I love you, too in traditional Chinese
Sundita Madhav Singh-an Indian-Irish Loyal, Sundita rules the Loyals with an iron fist. He has red hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. He also has metal teeth. Sundita is a crazed follower of the fictional god he and the rest of the Loyals worship, a god named "Sundara." Supposedly he is supposed to come in the form of a young boy. Sundita is highly dangerous and good at what he does; he rivals Arthur in ruthlessness.]
