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 separately for this fic and one of us will get back to you, since it's a collaboration. Also found at www-geocities-com/ mystera_k... Replace dashes with appropriate punctuation.
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 episodes 1-5, and... the rest is history. The prologue (chapter 1) was written by KatiKat, and edited by Sol. The rest of the chapters are written by Sol, with beta comments and additional muse-inspiration provided by Katikat.

With many thanks and yippees for all the nice folks sending in their comments: CleverYoungThief (it's all about the ears), Morgan (it's the drugs), Koyote (jingle dance coming soon), WingNut (hey, even I need a vacation sometimes!), Tyr (I am completely unrepetent), CinC (uh... yup!), Kaori (read on to find out...), Ketami (well, since you asked...), little duckie (ta-dah!), Zaz (that parallel occurred to me when I was done), cherrystained (next: naked Duo!), Syngi (glad you like!), Casey Valhalla (now it's your turn), Dyna (one or two chapters, at least), feyhowl (Meiran kicks ass!), Hikaru (you can breathe now!), Lainwyn (yes, I do), Jadeduo (of course hell breaks loose, this is Duo!), REI (I manage, somehow *cough*) and Cricket (still enjoying it?). Thanks for reading, everyone!

     The clearing was still, as the assorted Creatures silently watched the half-Fox hang limply from the Fox leader's hand. When no one spoke, Treize lifted his other hand, clearly intending to snap the thief's neck. Heero's tail swung sharply around his feet, distracting the Fox warrior momentarily, and the half-Wolf stepped forward.

     "No," Heero said, his voice a low growl. "That thief has debts that must be paid."

     I didn't chase him across the entire Gathering to watch someone break his neck, the young warrior told himself. I want him to suffer first, he decided. That's all, and then... He wasn't sure how to finish that sentence, but he knew he didn't want to see anyone get their neck broken just for being a half-Creature. Even if that half-Creature was a thieving Fox, he added, continuing the thought despite himself: even a thieving Fox with a handsome smile...

     The wolf scowled, uncertain, as he watched Treize hesitate. The cool smile was still on the Fox leader's lips. Beside him, Heero sensed rather than heard the white-blond Lynx mutter something and nudge the darker blond Lynx. A heartbeat later, the second Lynx was gone, and the two females had closed ranks behind the first Lynx.

     "The item was returned," Quatre said into the silence, his tone clearly reluctant as he undermined Heero's claim. "He paid that debt."

     "But not the debt he owes for a second theft," Iria called out. "That boy owes me, too."

     "Really," Treize replied, shaking the young Fox once more. Duo moaned softly, and Heero could see a trickle of blood making its way down the thief's face from where he'd hit his head when he fell. The Fox Leader shrugged. "Your statements merely prove our reasons for not allowing half-breeds. He has no honor, to steal from good Creatures."

     "He also owes my family an apology," an unfamiliar voice spoke up, and Heero glanced over to see an older Cougar stepping forward. The Creature's sharp incisors flashed as he looked over at the half-Lynx and the half-Wolf opposite Treize. "As do the Lynx and Wolf boys, who followed the Fox right through my tent, and scattered our dinner plates everywhere."

     There were a few muffled giggles from watching Creatures in the back, and Quatre stifled the urge to chuckle. Instead, he inclined his head graciously as he spoke. "Please accept my humble apology, good Cougar," the young Lynx intoned formally. "I was too focused on keeping this Wolf from catching my friend and pounding him into the dirt."

     Even Treize chuckled at that, and he lowered the half-Fox so Duo could stand on his own feet, but he didn't let go of the thief's neck.

     Heero turned his head to regard the Cougar, and also gave a curt nod as he spoke. "My apologies." The Cougar nodded in return. He was only partially mollified; the Wolf warrior's expression hadn't changed although he had said the proper words. Heero paid the Creature's reaction no mind, too focused on the scene in front of him.

     "Is that all?" The Fox leader looked around the gathering, his eyebrows going up as an old River Bobcat came huffing up to the group. "Do you have a claim, too?"

     "I do," the Creature said, one hand on his side as he leaned over, trying to get his breath. After a pause, he stood up, speaking loudly enough for all to hear him as he pointed at the thief, who blinked groggily at him. "That boy stole two apples. He owes me four shells."

     "Pay him," Treize ordered Une, who dug into her pouch and handed the Bobcat a handful of shells. Gratified, the Bobcat took the shells, casting one last dirty look at the half-Fox before leaving. Treize sighed. "And if that's all done, then---"

     He was interrupted by a flurry of blue fabric and black hair, gleaming with gold jewelry. Meiran had thrown herself into the middle, her arms outstretched as she assailed the Fox Leader with an angry look.

     "This is ridiculous," she cried angrily. "You can't possibly be threatening to kill someone simply because one of his parents was human!"

     "I can," Treize said calmly. "And I will. It's our Law."

     "It's a stupid law," the girl retorted, then spun on her heels to face the other half-Creatures. "Do something, you idiots!" When no one moved, she turned back to Treize, her face creased in fury, her black tail lashing around her ankles. "He doesn't deserve to die for being a half-breed." Duo's red bushy tail wagged, a little, at her words. Meiran's mouth twisted as she caught the half-Fox's movement, and she frowned. "Even if he probably deserves to be whipped thoroughly for stealing." The thief's tail stopped wagging and his shoulder slumped a little at her final words. Heero found himself struggling to keep his face perfectly straight.

     "He deserves neither," Quatre said, stepping forward. Before Meiran knew what had happened, he'd gently pushed the girl around and behind him. There was a muffled squawk, and Heero noticed two other young Jaguars grabbing Meiran by the arms. His silver ears swiveled, picking up the sounds of some furious whispering, and then the sound of three pairs of feet stealing away from the group. One of those pairs seemed to be digging in its heels and refusing to go, if the Wolf-boy was any judge of the sounds. Heero rolled his eyes at his own curiosity and brought his attention back to the Fox leader's words.

     "Jaguar or Lynx laws are not ours," Treize was saying, his voice dangerously cold. "I've tolerated enough of this drivel---"

     The Fox's words were abruptly silenced as a thin blade appeared at his neck. Quatre gasped softly, and Heero's eyebrows shot up, following the blade down to the pommel, to the two hands holding it, and up the golden arms to Wufei's face. The young black Jaguar's eyes were set in determination.

     "Drop the Fox," Wufei spat. When Treize didn't move, Wufei nudged the Fox leader with the tip of the poniard and repeated his command. "Drop the Fox, and fight me instead. If you win, you can do what you like with him. But if I win, you let the half-Creature go."

     "Are you laying a claim on him?" The Fox leader's smile was still on his face, and he batted the blade away with a casual motion. Pausing, he regarded the half-Fox's dull expression for a second, then let go of the thief. Duo swayed in place, one hand going to his neck, and then the half-Fox slowly backed away, his eyes lowered. Behind him, Une glared at Wufei, her hand on her empty scabbard.

     "I'm saying your Law is wrong, and I'm willing to fight to back up my statement," the young half-Jaguar replied.

     "This is unexpected," Treize said, and laughed softly.

     In a flash, his own blade was out and had struck against Wufei's with a hard clang. The group around them stepped backwards in alarm, giving the two Creatures room for the fight, but Heero could immediately see that his little brother was outranked by the older Fox. The Fox's poniard was lighter and shorter than a Jaguar blade, and Wufei had to struggle to accommodate the unfamiliar weapon at the same time as fighting a more seasoned, and rested, warrior. The younger Jaguar got in several quick strikes, then over-reached. Treize reacted instantly, catching the young man's stolen blade and flipping it away. A slim blade was now at Wufei's neck, and the Jaguar froze, his eyes wide. Heero was glad to see he'd taught his heart-brother well; Wufei didn't flinch when Treize tapped him on the neck with the side of the blade.

     The Fox leader's blade disappeared then, sliding with a soft snick back into its scabbard at Treize's hip. The taller Creature bowed to the young Jaguar scholar.

     "That was amusing," he said, ignoring the flush spreading across the younger Jaguar's face. "But I'm afraid you're disadvantaged using an unfamiliar weapon." Nudging the stolen poniard with his foot, the Fox warrior flipped it up, agilely catching it and handing it to his second-in-command with a nonchalant gesture. "I think you'd do better if we met again, on even ground. You bring your Jaguar blade, and we'll have a rematch when you're not exhausted from chasing a half-breed."

     Treize stepped back, smiling coolly, just as six Coyotes arrived. The tallest was Trowa's height, and his brown eyes swept the group before coming to rest on the Fox leader. Behind him, the darker-blond Lynx slipped out of the Coyotes' shadows and rejoined Quatre, coming to stand on Duo's other side. Heero noticed the group's rearrangement, and was impressed at how unobtrusively the half-Fox could move when needed. Within a few seconds, the two Lynxes were flanking the half-Fox, and the Coyotes were ranged between the three young men and the Fox leader. A quick look at Treize told the silver half-Wolf that none of it was lost on the older Fox.

     "I suggest a rematch," the Fox announced, smoothly backing away from the bristling but still silent Coyotes. "Two evenings from now, on the dancing grounds, if that's acceptable. The winner takes the half-Fox."

     "Agreed," Wufei replied, his voice as controlled as the Fox leader's.

     "Twenty columns on the Jaguar," a voice cried, and a leather pouch landed in the dust at Wufei's feet. Startled, the black Jaguar looked at Heero, who shrugged. Trowa's lips quirked as the Cougar stepped forward, a broad smile on the Creature's face as he stared down Treize.

     "Covered," Jasmine replied, leaning over and snagging the pouch, adding a handful of columns from her own leather bag. "Two-to-one odds on the Fox," she added, raising the pouch over her head. "Any others?"

     "Forty on Treize," one of the Fox warriors called, and the betting was on.

     The group had attracted more attention, and Heero took advantage of the distraction. Giving Jasmine thirty columns on Wufei, he then pushed his way past three Coyotes laying bets on the young Jaguar. The half-Wolf grabbed his heart-brother by the shoulder and hauled him backwards. Finding Trowa at his side, the three friends turned to find themselves face-to-face with the half-Fox and the two half-Lynxes.

     "We're in your debt," Quatre said, bowing formally to Wufei. The young Jaguar flushed, his eyes darting around nervously.

     "Little brother, she's not here," Heero said quietly. The Jaguar's eyes meet the Wolf's, and Wufei bowed his head, chewing on his lower lip pensively. Heero couldn't resist a sly grin. "But I can make sure she'll be present two night from now..." He barely managed to sidestep the responding elbow in his ribs. The white-blond Lynx smiled at the quick gesture.

      "I'm Quatre," the young warrior said, then pointed to his two companions. "This is my cousin, Quinta, and my heart-brother, Duo."

     "Trowa," the Jackal said, then introducing the half-Wolf and the half-Jaguar. He paused, then let a smile flicker across his face as his green eyes studied the shorter half-Creature. "We saw you dance."

     "That was you... who laughed," Quatre mused, but his aquamarine eyes were sparkling. "Did you enjoy it?"

     "Very much," the taller warrior replied. "Have you eaten yet?"

     "No. We had been about to get food when... everything happened."

     "Ah," Trowa said, his smile becoming more pronounced as he took in the exhausted faces around him. The half-Fox wasn't meeting anyone's eyes, but at least the bleeding had stopped from the cut on his head. Trowa frowned slightly. "Perhaps we should get your friend cleaned up, first."

     "That's our job," a deeper voice said from behind them, and the tallest Coyote stepped into the middle of the group.

     The half-Fox glanced up at the voice, his eyes wide. Heero once again had to stifle the urge to grin; Duo's expression was nearly identical to Wufei's when the half-Wolf had found the young Jaguar sneaking sweets.

     "Solo," the Coyote said, by way of introduction, nodding to Heero and his two friends. Solo's brown eyes were dancing as he regarded the young Fox, and he clapped a hand on Duo's shoulder, shaking the young man a little. "Another merry chase, eh?" Without waiting for a response, Solo grinned at the others around the half-Fox. "I heard you mention dinner, and ours is waiting for us at our campsite if you'd like to join us. Entertainment after dinner is swimming, if you're interested."

     Quatre's eyes grew large, and he started to shake his head, backing up slowly. Quinta was already backpedaling. There was a soft "oof!" from that quarter as the half-Lynx ran backwards into a Coyote's chest. Watching, Duo giggled at his two friends, and then grinned widely as one of the Coyotes swept Quatre up and over his shoulder, ignoring the half-Lynx's muffled protestations. Quinta was tossed over another Coyote's shoulder just as brusquely.

     "That's right, all Desert Lynxes will be in the water at some point," Solo said, and his obvious delight at the two Lynxes' irritation made even Wufei start to smile. "Come along then, can't keep the feast waiting all night," the Coyote said, and the three friends needed no discussion to agree, falling quietly in step behind the Coyotes. The half-Fox fell in next to Solo, already chattering about the chase. The white-blond Lynx stopped his fussing long enough to flash a roguish grin at Trowa.

     Heero, behind them, fingered his leather pouch to make sure the gold hair-band was still there. Bemused, he reflected that next time he had ideas about gifts for his little brother, he'd wait to kidnap a girl until after the gift was safely bestowed.

     The moon was two days shy of full, but light enough to cast shadows across the dark creek. Heero was perched on a rock, his silver ears perking to sounds of the half-Fox being noisily dunked by Solo and Kio, another Prairie Coyote. Trowa was floating on his back, near the rock, splashing with his feet every few minutes. The dinner had been fine venison, with plentiful stores of red wine that tasted suspiciously like the kind Valley Wolves made. The Wolf-boy groaned softly, his stomach pleasantly full, and twitched his bushy tail around himself as the early Spring's night chill set in on his slowly drying body.

     "I'll be glad to get back to the desert," a soft voice muttered, and Heero glanced over to see one of the Desert Lynxes settle in next to him. Quatre, his mind supplied, after a second's thought. Quinta had already been escorted back to the Desert Lynx encampment, clearly exhausted by his run from the Fox camp to the Coyote camp and back again. "This much water isn't right," the young Lynx added, but his tone was amused.

     "You came a long way to get here," Heero said, after a moment's pause, checking once again to make sure the pile behind him on the rock was undisturbed. The half-Fox had been in the creek since dinner, but the Wolf-boy was still nervous about leaving the leather pouch unprotected, even hidden under his loincloth and belt. Trowa's belongings were piled on top, with Wufei's and Quatre's next to it. Heero scratched his leg-fur with his claws and flicked water off his fingertips. His tail was a sodden mass of silver fur, but at least he'd enjoyed his swim more than Quatre had appeared to. The half-Lynx was still damp around the edges, but drying quickly.

     There was a rustling sound, and Wufei joined them. The Jaguar handed the Wolf a refilled wine skin. Trowa flipped over on his stomach, paddling over to the rock and hauling himself out of the water. The Jackal's long hair was slicked back from the water, and his green eyes flashed in the reflected light from the camp's bonfire.

     "Hand that over," the half-Jackal ordered, and drank a long swig off the skin before handing the wine to Heero. The Wolf grunted, feeling the skin, now half-full thanks to Trowa's thirst.

     "We've never been to a Northern Gathering," Quatre said, as though the interruptions had never occurred. A smile flashed across his face, and he made room for Trowa to sit at the edge of the flat rock between himself and Wufei. "I spent days arguing to convince my sister to bring our band. And then we had to argue with Solo to bring Duo. That was almost harder than convincing Jasmine."

     "Why wouldn't Solo let him come?" Wufei's voice was soft, his dark brown eyes pensive.

     "Because of what you saw today," Quatre replied, and sighed. "Foxes are serious about that half-breed rule."

     "It's a stupid rule," the Jaguar muttered.

     The Lynx shrugged, and the group was quiet for a bit. There was movement in the creek by the rock, and Heero moved his foot just as a slim tanned hand crept up the rock face from the water. It patted the rock where his foot had been a second before, obviously searching, and then withdrew. A pause, and the half-Fox's face broke the water surface with a puzzled expression. The Wolf warrior quickly leaned over, put his fingers against Duo's forehead, and shoved the Fox back down under the water. The Fox popped up out of the water a second later, a mock-scowl on his face as he hefted himself up onto the rock, his weight resting on his arms as he kicked lazily at the water.

     "What're we talking about?" Duo's voice was merry, although he shivered slightly as the water ran down his chest in rivulets.

     "Silly foxes," Quatre replied, and pushed at Duo's chest with his foot. The Fox fell backwards into the water, managing to splash the Lynx with the motion. The Lynx grinned, and turned to Wufei, the previous tense mood broken. "Wufei," Quatre said, rolling the name around in his mouth. "'Seeks to fly', right? An auspicious name."  

     "But it can also mean 'five wives'," Heero muttered.

     "I prefer five brigands," Wufei said, making a face at his adopted brother.

     "Five wives could be an auspicious name," Quatre said, uncertain about the tension between the two friends.

     Heero snorted. "Five wives sounds like hell to me."

     "Don't mind them," Trowa interjected. "They do this all the time... and Heero's recently decided he's never going to take a mate."

     "That's too bad," Quatre replied. Before he could say anything else, Wufei nudged the Lynx.

     "Why are you and your cousin named after numbers?" Wufei took the skin back from Heero as he spoke, and frowned. It was already empty.

     "Because..." The Lynx fell silent, ducking his head before seeming to come to a decision. "Eighteen years ago, our band was decimated by illness, and then we were attacked by humans. Our pelts are considered valuable. The few warriors and hunters were able to fight them off, but not before several of our number had been... raped by some of the humans. The children were named in order, as the pregnancies became obvious... I was the fourth. Quinta was the fifth."

     "I'm sorry," Wufei said, but Quatre shook his head.

     "Just don't bring it up around Quinta. Our cousin Treita died, although our aunt Laylah survived. Her sisters... my mother and Quinta's mother... didn't survive childbirth." Quatre sighed and leaned back, staring up at the skies. He didn't even notice as Duo broke the surface, hauling himself out of the water again to prop himself on the rock.

     "Two of the women committed suicide," Duo whispered. "The third woman died in childbirth, along with the baby. This is why the Lynxes are against killing half-Creatures. Their numbers are low because it's a difficult life in the desert, and every mouth is needed to defend or hunt."

     The Lynx nodded agreement, but kept his focus on the skies overhead. The half-Fox shifted, then pushed himself upwards and twisted, squeezing in next to Heero. Bumping the half-Wolf with his hip, the wet Fox brought his long braid around and wrung it out onto his lap as he turned to study the Wolf-boy.

     "What does 'Heero' mean?"

     "One and only," the Wolf replied, a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to talk about how his father had changed his name at birth from the name his mother had chosen, to a name that signified both Odin's loss and gain, in one day. The loss of a wife, and any future children, and the gain of a single squalling baby. Heero stared out across the dark creek, trying to ignore the warmth flooding into his side from the wet Fox pressed up against his hip and thigh.

     "What does 'Trowa' mean?" The Fox leaned over to see the half-Jackal sitting between Quatre and Wufei.

     "It's a human name," the half-Jackal replied. "I was taken in by Wolves, and they can't pronounce the sounds properly. It comes from Truas." He said the name with a liquid sound unfamiliar to Duo's ears, who had traveled widely and heard a number of Creature dialects.

     The Fox tried to mimic the pronunciation, but the closest he could manage was 'true-wahss'. Duo screwed up his face as he repeated the word under his breath. "What does that mean?"

     Heero grunted, irritated on Trowa's behalf. The silver Wolf cast a sideways glare at the thief, but was met with an innocently curious expression.

     "Pity," came the Jackal's reply.

     Even the Fox had to blink at that, and settled back down, chastened.