Title: Of Cats and Wolves
Author: Sol aka Zefyr
Muse & Beta: Katikat
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+TBA hehe.
Rated: PG or PG-13 at most
Warnings: Minor OOC due to AU situations; shonen-ai; fantastical animal/people mixes; gratuitous use of improper Gaelic; crazy adaptations of Siberian and Native American traditions.
Archiving: please ask first, since this is a somewhat combined effort
Disclaimer: We don't own, but we're having fun anyway. No harm meant.
Summary: In a world of Creatures, Heero is a young half-Wolf who wants only to help his adopted brother, Wufei, find a good mate. Really. Trowa, a half-Jackal, helps, and it goes downhill from there...

NOTE:
This is a joint effort. KatiKat wrote the teaser, then I saw Asuka's art for the werepervs, and then I watched Cat People right after re-watching GW epis 1-5, and... the rest is history. The prologue (chapter 1) was written by KatiKat, although we had to edit it slightly for the purposes of the longer story it now fits into. I've written the rest of the chapters, with KatiKat doing the beta on each part.

You can find more of KatiKat's work at www. geocities. com/mystera_k. Just remember to add the www and take out the spaces. ;-) 

     "Huisge would have fed us better," Heero said before shoving the last of the Mountain Jaguars' am'bhidh into his mouth. Trowa grunted. His foster-father still cooked as though dealing with an entire Pack, even when it was only the two of them at home.

     "This is plenty of food," Wufei retorted, still picking at the edges of the pastry. It was stuffed with a mix of herbs and pheasant meat, but he'd burned his mouth on the first bite and was being cautious. "One should be enough."

     "Little brother, I'm not a feline." Heero raised one eyebrow at Wufei and reached for another one. Trowa raised both his eyebrows and smacked the Wolf-boy's hand away.

     "Mine," the Jackal growled. "You had two already."

     "Eat faster," Heero said, but Trowa had already snagged the pastry.

     They were sitting on the edge of the gathering field, having successfully coaxed lunch out of a female Mountain Jaguar selling an'bhidh pastries. Anjie was one of Salli's frequent customers, using the young female Warrior as bodyguard and protection when traveling. Anjie's main income was from buying and selling winter linens to Wolf clans, and she'd grown used to feeding not only Salli's younger half-brother but also the boy's adopted Wolf-brother. Trowa was one more mouth that she accepted with good-natured resignation.

     Wufei was picking at his second pastry, and trying to ignore the way his two friends were studiously watching his every move. Finally he sighed, breaking the pastry into two pieces. "Fine," he muttered. "Go ahead. I can't eat with you two staring at me like that."

     To his surprise, neither friend took him up on it. Abashed, Trowa shook his head, while Heero's eyes dropped.

     "Eat it, Wufei," the Jackal reproached the half-Jaguar. "You don't eat enough as it is."

     Wufei paused, and when neither of the other boys moved, he shrugged and pushed one of the halves into his mouth. A second later he'd spun around and was almost spitting it out with a choking sound.

     "What?" Heero gaped. "Wufei? What? Are you okay?"

     Trowa, however, had caught an extra detail that had missed Heero. Just as Wufei had been trying to fit one-half of the pastry into his mouth, a young girl had walked past, just behind Heero. Trowa had clearly seen her glance Wufei's way, take in the sight of the pastry crammed into his mouth, then turn to her friends and giggle.

     The girl was dressed like a young unmarried woman of the Mountain Jaguar Clan, Trowa noted. Her jet-black hair was pulled back in two ponytails at the sides of her neck, and each was wrapped with gold ribbon. Her lightweight linen top was sleeveless, and laced loosely across the shoulders so the fabric draped gently across her chest. Her loincloth wasn't cut straight like Wufei's, but became fuller as it fell to her ankles, while still exposing the heavy black down on her legs. Trowa noted she was also a black Jaguar, like Wufei; an unusual coloring. The girl was wearing intricate knot work gold arm bands both on her upper arms and around her wrists, and that alone was enough to tell the Jackal boy that it was a very wealthy young woman who'd just giggled with her friends.

     Heero, meanwhile, was staring at Wufei like he'd gone mad, which for Heero consisted of raising both eyebrows. When no one said anything, the laconic Wolf-boy's eyebrows came down and his hands clenched into fists, ready to take out the nearest threat to his closest friend. Trowa sighed and stepped forward, thumped Wufei on the back twice, and shook his head at the Wolf.

     "Girls," Trowa said, jerking his head in the direction behind Heero.

     "A very particular girl," Wufei added, then coughed. Trowa thumped him twice more, and Wufei finally moved away from the taller boy's reach. "Enough with hitting me," the Jaguar cried, then lowered his voice to a annoyed whisper. "That was Meiran, the Chieftain's only daughter."

     "And?" Heero scratched his ear with a single claw. "What about her?"

     "She's insufferable!" Wufei hissed. "Every time I have to deliver scrolls to the Chieftain's hall, she's there. She's rude, imperious, loud, and talks too much!"

     "And you like her," Trowa added.

     The half-Jaguar turned beet red and sputtered for several seconds before getting his voice back under control. "Like her? I can't stand her! She's... unbearable!"

     "Right, little brother," Heero said, and studied his claws.

     Wufei looked back and forth between the two boys, his eyes narrowed. "Think what you like, but I can't stand her," he cried. "One of you eat this," he ordered, pushing the uneaten pastry half at Trowa before stalking off. "I'm going to find my sister," he called over his shoulder.

     The two young warriors watched their friend's sleek figure slip into the crowd. Trowa absently bit into the pastry, then offered the rest of it to Heero, who took it without comment and finished it off.

     "You think he does like her?" Heero wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

     "When have you ever seen your little brother get so excited about anything?"

     "True." Heero sighed and shook his head. "Dances start in an hour, and I wanted to see what the jewelry smiths have."

     "More decorations?" Trowa snorted, but fell in line with his friend.

     Heero cast him a sideways look. "Just some wrist guards."

     "What happened to the other ones you had?"

     "I traded them for winter leg linens, last fall." Heero cast his eyes around the gathering as they threaded their way through the crowds.

     "You never seem to keep your winter leggings from year-to-year," Trowa chided.

     The Wolf-boy shrugged. "They wear out."

     The Jackal rolled his eyes, behind his friend, and dropped the topic. He knew full well that Heero would buy one set only and wear it until it disintegrated. For that matter, the half-Wolf had had his nipples pierced with heavy silver rings only the summer-start before, when the Wolf celebrated his nineteenth year, and even that at the Jaguar's insistence. Heero still had no ink on his body, nor did he decorate his loincloth. He hadn't even put his Clan's mark on it.

     Wufei had mentioned, in a rare confessional moment of worry about his adopted heart-brother, that Heero seemed intent on to keep himself separate from the rest of the Mountain Wolf Clan. It was as though, having been ostracized throughout his life, the young Wolf warrior was determined to retaliate in the only way he could. It worried Wufei. The half-Jaguar was aware that canine rank, like feline rank, would be strongly influenced by choice of mate. He didn't want to see his heart-brother lonely, or alone.

     Trowa sighed, watching the half-Wolf peruse a jeweler's stand. He agreed with the Jaguar-boy. Heero's isolation wasn't healthy. The Jackal's hair prickled on the back of his neck, and he looked to see the half-Wolf canting his head up at the taller warrior. Heero's silver tail swished around his legs several times, a sign of the warrior's mild impatience.

     "You're thinking about something again," Heero observed, a note of long-suffering patience entering his voice. He glanced down, flipping over a wrist guard, then shackling it across his wrist with in a smooth motion. He frowned, noting that it was also too large. "You're starting to get that look that Wufei gets."

     "Just wondering who's dancing today," Trowa parried, his eyes still distant.

     "The Desert Lynxes," the jeweler replied before Heero could speak. The old Coyote had an eye patch over one eye, and his close-cropped dark blond hair was speckled with silver. His ears and tail were dark gold, but the brown guard-hairs on his tail were tipped in white as well. "They usually go to the gatherings farther south."

     Trowa noted with silent amusement that the trader's eyepatch was also decorated with heavy silver knot work. Several charms hung from the outside cord going to the man's ear. Looks like a Coyote who'd spent too much time with the Wolves, the young warrior thought.

     "It's a long way for them to come," Heero agreed. He unshackled the first guard and dropped it back on the burgundy felt covering the makeshift table. "It'd have to be two months of traveling, and that would put their start before winter ended."

     "Aye," the Coyote said. "Heard they wintered north of their usual grounds. They do that when summer was harsher, and they couldn't store up for a safe winter. Move into the mountains north of the desert, stay with the Rock Cougars."

     Heero ignored the man, having determined none of the wrist guards he liked would fit his slender wrists. His arms were strong, and his legs were muscular, but sometimes he silently fussed that he'd inherited his mother's delicate wrists, ankles, and neck. In the next thought, however, he always took it back. Those traits, and his dark brown hair despite being silver-furred, were the only things left of her. Sometimes human women survived bearing a half-Creature, but sometimes they didn't.

     The Wolf sighed, pulling his thoughts back to the present. He was about to walk away from the table when a soft glint caught his eye. He pointed to it, one eyebrow raised in a silent question.

     "It's a hair-round," the trader said, not making any moves to take it from its case.

     Heero realized the man was studying his short, choppy dark brown hair, and scowled. He didn't see any reason to explain himself. He glared at the trader, unmoving, his hand still out.

     The trader raised his eyebrows and gave an uncomfortable laugh. Reaching into the case, he handed the metal object to Heero, who turned it over in his fingers. An intricately woven gold hair-clasp, designed to open in two parts and lock down around the wearer's hair. Some of the knot work bands ended in ginko leaf shapes, which Heero knew would match Wufei's new armbands. Satisfied, Heero put the hair-round down on the table.

     "Wrap it," he ordered, digging through the bag over his shoulder. There was a clattering sound as objects clicked against each other in the soft leather pouch. "I'll give you six elk teeth, and sixteen weasel columns. And one hole-rock."

     Trowa pursed his lips. His eyes darted between the hair-clasp in the trader's hands, and his friend's intent expression. The price was low for such an elaborate gift, but at the same time, grown men would boast loudly if they'd taken down three elk in the space of a winter. Three female elk, for that matter, as the teeth in question came only two to an elk. They were used in the coming-of-age dresses for Bobcats, and would demand a high value in trade. The trader narrowed his eyes appreciatively, gauging the young man before countering. Heero rifled through his bag once more, both to count and to tempt the trader with the faint chime of weasel columns. Finally, the trader named a price above Heero's original offer. When the two were done haggling, the Wolf had dropped six elk teeth, twenty-two weasel columns and two hole-rocks in the trader's hand. Heero took the linen-wrapped hair-round and carefully tucked it away in his pouch.

     "Two hole-rocks," Trowa said as they walked away. "Damn, they're even rarer than elk's teeth."

     "Found one just this morning," Heero replied smugly. He patted the pouch as it settled down on his hip. "If little brother's going to impress that girl, he shouldn't be wearing cheap copper in his hair."

     Trowa hid a smile. Heero was abrupt, often rude, competitive, and had social skills that would make a pregnant alligator look outgoing. But the half-Wolf was also undoubtedly committed and loyal to those he considered friends, and would do anything in his power to help them achieve their ends. Once again the Jackal found himself wondering what he'd done to deserve such a friendship, and once again he found himself wondering when he and Wufei would be able to repay Heero's devotion.

     Sighing, the Jackal set his shoulders and strode after the Wolf, who was already two tables down and glaring at yet another trader. Trowa scratched his ear with one claw and wondered why Heero ever got rid of his wrist guards in the first place. Finding anything small enough for his wrists and ankles was always a search. Those had better have been some warm winter linens, the half-Jackal complained to himself. He didn't want to spend all day traipsing around watching his friend get more and more annoyed by the shopping experience.

     Getting to Heero's side, though, he was surprised to see the Wolf had tried on a set of wrist cuffs and was regarding them with something akin to pleasure. Trowa hid a small smile and studied the wrist guards carefully. They were wide, silver chased with heavy iron markings that were remarkably similar to the design on Heero's ear cuff. Trowa studied the design, compared it to the ear cuff, and whistled softly.

     "That's uncanny." The Jackal's eyes flicked back and forth between the two guards and the cuff. "What are the chances?"

     "Actually, sirs," the River Bobcat behind the table said, "it was a special order. My apprentice made it, but the customer didn't want them. Said they were too small." Heero frowned, and the trader smiled weakly. "And weren't the right design, either," the Bobcat added, trying to cover the unintended insult. Seeing the Wolf's expression unchanged, the Bobcat swallowed hard and pasted the smile back on his face. "And I'll give them to you half-price, as a token of my esteem for a Wolf who's already wearing such an unusual pattern."

     Heero's glare came down a notch, and he nodded, digging into his pouch for his remaining weasel columns. The spinal columns from weasels were time-consuming to preserve, but were used by both Hunters and Warriors in much of their beadwork for fancy dancing. The individual spinal bones were strung on a leather cord and traded in complete sets. With Heero's long hours tracking and hunting on his own, he usually had a greater store of the useful barter, since he didn't have to share. It was another unusual behavior that set him apart from the rest of the Mountain Wolves, who always hunted in packs.

     Presently the two young warriors were back in the main crush of the crowd. Trowa bounced up on his toes, easily able to see over the press of bodies. A second later he was flashing a grin at the shorter half-Wolf. Heero was busy twisting the wrist-guards, still admiring the abstract metal work covering the two-inch wide cuffs. There were links on the outer edges, allowing Summer-start and Summer-end arm-linens to be linked between wrist guards and arm guards when the weather started turning cool. Additional baubles could be hung from the lower loops, so the charms could flutter against the back of the hand and chime when the wearer moved his hands.

     The Jackal shook his head and raised his eyebrow at Heero, waiting for the Wolf to notice his impatience. "Are you done admiring those?"

     Heero started, a guilty look flashing over his face before he scowled again. "I'm not admiring them. I was checking their workmanship."

     "You're supposed to do that before you buy them," Trowa replied amiably. The Wolf-boy's scowl grew deeper, and the taller warrior knew to drop the subject. "I want to get a good spot for the fancy dancing."

     "Why the sudden interest?"

     Trowa didn't say anything, but shrugged noncommittally. Heero rolled his eyes, and turned his attention to the festival crowd as they moved towards the dancing grounds.

     The Bobcats were dressed in their preferred browns and mustards, with minor flashes of white trim for the laced vests that both genders wore. Between them, the Jaguar Clans moved with sleek power, their ankle-length cloths in every color of spring wildflowers: blue, green, pink, yellow, and orange. Heero even caught sight of one Jaguar in a purple loincloth, his spotted tail waving merrily as he escorted a young Jaguar maiden. In comparison the Wolves seemed lackluster, the short white loincloths and unadorned leather belts unobtrusive except for the way various collars, chest-guards, wrist and arm cuffs, and piercings caught the light with dull metallic reflections.

     When the crowd parted momentarily, there was a blaze of a red fur tail. It caught Heero's eye, and he followed it until a flash of white and gold stepped in the way. Heero belatedly realized the second Creature had to be a Desert Lynx. Before he could get a better look, the Creature was gone.

     Beside him, Trowa tensed. Heero glanced over at his friend. "Did you see that?"

     "It's one of them," Trowa said, shooting the half-Wolf a secretive smile. "I met one or two while traveling south this winter."

     "You didn't tell me you'd gone that far," Heero muttered, then thought back to something he'd been considering earlier. It had occurred to him while he was buying the hair-round for his little brother. "Speaking of felines, I've come up with something to help Wufei get a mate," he proclaimed. Trowa blinked, and just barely managed to bit back a sarcastic exclamation of worry. Heero continued, not noticing the look. "Felines have three marriage paths. Price, Elopement, or Abduction."

     "Same as Foxes and Jackals," Trowa said, trying to be casual. He hoped Heero wasn't about to say what he thought the Wolf was about to say.

     "I'm going to kidnap that girl, for Wufei."

     Trowa stopped in the middle of the path, and closed his eyes. Yes. Heero had been about to say what he thought the Wolf had been about to say. Sighing, the half-Jackal opened his green eyes and trained them on his best friend. "Heero, we can't just kidnap a girl. If we do, her reputation could be ruined by having gone off into the woods with someone her family hadn't met."

     Heero frowned, shifting in place uneasily. "Not if he treats her properly afterwards, which he will. Or I'll kill him."

     "You still can't kidnap her." Trowa's shoulders slumped, recognizing the obstinate light flaring in Heero's blue eyes. "Well, not without letting Wufei have some say in it."

     "He'll get say in it," the Wolf retorted. "You go find him, and I'll get her. Then he can say yes to his new mate. Meet you at Wufei's rock in a half-hour." With that, the Wolf revealed his sharp incisors in a quick move that passed for a warrior's grin. There was a flash of silver tail, and Heero disappeared into the crowd, leaving a stunned and irritated half-Jackal in his wake.