oTitle: 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.

Also thanks to the cheering section who wrote me after the last chapter: Morgan, Loverwren, Wing Zero Angel, Moffit, CZ, N.I., Patty 40, and always KatiKat, who poked me for a 'sleeping scene.' Everyone who takes the time to write just rocks my world. ;-)

     Solo covered his smile with a hand as Wufei trotted up to the campfire. The young Jaguar was doing his best to scowl disapprovingly of the Coyote's rambunctious play, but his eyes were watching longingly as Kio tackled Leo while Sano was holding the second Coyote by the tail. Solo had seen enough of Wufei's nervous shyness to know the scowl was mostly for show, but he liked the kid, and didn't see reason to embarrass him.

     Well, not too much, the Coyote thought. Solo nodded in the direction of the young Jaguar. Kio and Sano knew their leader's moods well enough that they didn't need to hear the command.

     Standing up, Kio grinned wickedly at Wufei just as Sano grabbed the young warrior from behind. Whooping and hollering, the two Coyotes carried the sputtering Jaguar-boy to the creek side. There Sano held him as Kio stripped the cloth and belt off the wriggling boy, yelled for Duo's attention, and the two tossed Wufei into the water. Leo, meanwhile, had crept up behind, and leapt out, shoving Sano and Kio towards the water. Sano went in with a huge splash. Unfortunately, Leo's grab at Kio misfired and Leo ended up in the water along with Kio.

     The three Coyotes shot up to the surface, grinning at each other as the four half-Creatures playing in the water immediately grabbed Wufei to make him the new victim for their play. Kio jerked his head back towards the encampment, and Sano and Leo followed him out of the water. The half-Jaguar's indignant shouts were muffled as he was repeatedly ducked by Trowa and Heero.

     "Have a mishap along the way?" Solo eyed the Coyotes' wet loincloths and dripping tails as the three returned to the campfire.

     "Nothing we couldn't handle, boss," Kio exclaimed, his arm draped over Leo, who grinned and wagged his tail. Sano, meanwhile, grabbed some fresh wineskins. He tossed them to his two friends and sat himself next to Rio, making sure his wet tail flopped in the darker Coyote's lap.

     "Sano, get your tail off me," Rio said, wrinkling his nose. "You stink like a wet dog."

     "I am a wet dog," Sano said, leering.

     Rio's only response was to cuff Sano up the side of the younger Coyote's head, but Sano merely grinned and let his tongue loll for a second as he rolled his eyes. Kio and Leo seated themselves next to Sano. Solo watched them all, leaning back against a convenient tree stump as he waited for them to settle down.

     "Alright, what's the plan," he prompted. He was a good leader, when needed, but the Coyotes didn't stand on hierarchies much, and he led more by simply organizing everyone else's brilliant ideas. Solo liked it best that way, since it meant he didn't have to be thinking hard all the time. He preferred to save his thinking for pranks.

     "Sano says borrowing would be bad," Kio announced. His ears drooped slightly, but with his bedraggled appearance, he was more a humorous sight than a sorrowful one. His sandy-brown hair hung in his eyes, and he shook his head. Water droplets sprayed on Leo, who laughed and shook his head as well. Leo's longer auburn hair, blunt-cut past his chin, stood out as he shook violently, and the fire hissed for several seconds.

     "I think we should demand protection money," Leo replied.

     "I like that idea," Sano added.

     "Protection money?" Solo looked thoughtful. "You mean like humans do?"

     "Yeah, why not?" Sano snagged Rio's wineskin and chugged it before the older Coyote could grab it back. "It's easy. We just tell people that if they give us stuff, we won't turn their tents inside out."

     "Or put salt in their sugar," Leo said.

     "Or put grease on their knife-handles," Rio commented dryly, and turned the now-empty wineskin upside down. "You're going to ruin all our fun."

     "We'll have just as much fun," Sano retorted. "I didn't say we couldn't do anything."

     "Sounds like it to me," Kio said. He did his best to look glum, but the attempt failed when Leo pulled on his tail. Kio yelped, sitting bolt upright before tackling his friend, who fell backwards. The two thrashed around, outside the edge of the campfire's glow, all tails and legs and playful yips. The rest of the Coyotes ignored them and continued to discuss Sano's idea.

     "We could do all our usual pranks, but focus on the foxes," Taro suggested. He was one of the older Coyotes, and Solo's cousin by his mother's side. Taro's dark hair and pelt marked him as a Mountain Coyote, but he'd fallen in with the Prairie Coyotes after deciding he was more suited to a wanderer's life. His calm air was unusual for the group, and it meant the rest listened closer when he spoke. Taro was fully aware of this, and used it to his advantage whenever he could.

     Solo grinned sideways at his cousin, not fooled for a second by the serious expression, and nodded. "Would serve those pompous bastards right. In the meantime, I say we break up in pairs, and tomorrow morning we start getting protection stuff."

     "Payment in advance, with the rest on the last day of the Gathering," Leo said.

     "Do what?" Sano frowned. "I think we should get it all at once."

     "Try, but if they won't give us a bunch of cool stuff, then tell them that phrase." Taro finished his wineskin and tossed it to the side, stretching. "I'm off to bed. Who's watching the cubs? Are they staying here?"

     "I think so," Solo replied, glancing over to the river. The noise had died down, but there were random splashes every few moments. He could hear Duo's laughter, faintly, drifting back across the water. The Coyote leader sighed, thinking of his little brother fondly, and decided to insist the Creatures stay with the Coyotes for one night. He wanted Duo to have the time among other half-Creatures of his own age. "Who's got the spare blankets?"

     "I do," Rio replied. "Courtesy the River Bobcats."

     "We'll have to remember to thank them," Sano said, a mock-serious tone  in his voice.

     "But only after we get cool protection stuff from them," Solo said, and the fireside companions broke up, laughing.

     "Check it out. Trowa's chasing rabbits."

     Kio grinned at Leo's comment. The two Coyotes were standing over the five half-Creatures, giggling softly as they watched Trowa's tail wag in sleep. Each time it came down, it smacked Wufei in the face, who was sprawled up against Heero. The slim Jaguar's legs were draped over Quatre. Wufei mumbled in his sleep, batting at the tail blindly, and finally turned over to bury his face against Trowa's calves. Quatre was sleeping on his side, using Trowa's back as a pillow, and muttered as Trowa kicked slightly at the weight now wrapped around his lower legs.

     "I don't think he's chasing rabbits," Kio whispered, pointing at Quatre, nuzzling against Trowa. The half-Jackal's tail wagged once more, this time hitting Heero, who snorted and rolled over on his back, wriggling closer to Wufei. "I think he's chasing Desert Lynxes," the Coyote said with a wicked grin.

     Duo shifted, realizing the warmth from Heero's body had pulled away. Eyes closed, still deep in sleep, the Fox moved towards Heero, his legs kicking a little as he hauled himself up to drape across the taller Wolf. Then the pile of arms, legs and tails fell silent again, each Creature lost in his own dreams.

     "They're just so adorable," Leo sighed. "Too bad we can't keep them asleep all the time."

     Kio nodded sagely. "It sure would be a lot less damage on our food stores."

     "Our food stores?" Leo nudged his best friend. "You mean the Mountain Jaguar's stores."

     "That who served dinner last night?" Kio giggled. "Not bad for a bunch of hill cats. What was the trick?"

     "A classic. You should've been there. Gato dumped pounded saltpeter in the fire, and when it exploded, the Jaguars lit out in all directions." Leo chuckled, then quieted as two of the sleeping half-Creatures started to stir. After a pause he continued. "And they left their dinner behind. We couldn't let it go to waste."

     Kio nodded gravely. Letting food go to waste would have been an unforgivable crime. "So that's what you four were doing." The sandy-haired Coyote had been busy weaving flowers and knots into the hair of several of the more pretentious wolves. His abilities at stealth were rivaled only by Duo, and the young Coyote practiced whenever he could. "Think we should put the blankets back over them?" Most of the blankets had been pushed off by the exhausted group of Creatures.

     "Good idea. One blanket's by your feet," Leo replied, spreading the other blanket over the sleeping young men with a quick snap of his wrists. It fell gently across Duo, Heero and Quatre. When the edge hit Heero in the nose, the Wolf's ears twitched and the two Coyotes froze. Fortunately the Wolf-boy merely turned his head, nuzzling closer into Duo's hair, who responded with a soft purring sound before falling back into sleep. Leo raised his eyebrows at Kio, who had laid the other blanket across Trowa and Wufei. It buried Quatre, and the small bump under the blanket fidgeted for a second then was still.

     "You think the Wolf's going to be chasing Foxes, now?" Kio did a little dance in place, his eyes wide as he grinned at his friend.

     "I hope not," Leo said, turning serious, and cocked his head as he watched the Duo-sized lump cuddling up close to the Wolf. The Fox's tail was sticking out from under the blanket, and wagged once or twice. "Or maybe our Fox is chasing Wolves... but I really hope not."

     Kio grew solemn, and his brown eyes were wide as he watched the five Creatures sleeping like littermates. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Duo's always so depressed when we leave the Desert Lynxes. He's going to be inconsolable when the Gathering ends." The Coyote's shoulders slumped. "Sometimes I feel bad, dragging the kid all over the place like this. He really deserves friends his own age."

     "Yeah." Leo sighed and slung an arm over Kio's shoulder, hugging the Coyote one-armed. "But there's five more days before the Gathering ends. We can at least let him enjoy it while he's got it, and after that, we'll just have to make sure to try hard to cheer him up."

     Kio brightened. "It has been awhile since I last put his hair in knots."

     "This is true! Now, about that midnight drinking fest," Leo cajoled as he dragged Kio away from the sleeping Creatures. "I know there's got to be a few wineskins left..."

     Heero woke up, a baffling sensation filling his body, and it took a few breaths for him to identify the feeling. His stomach was flip-flopping, and he wondered if it was from going swimming again immediately after eating dinner. It hadn't been his choice, he reminded himself, but Wufei was being so uptight about being thrown in that Trowa and Heero naturally had to throw Wufei in the water again, just to find out if it really was such an indignity. Then Duo had shoved Quatre back in, and the five had spent another hour mock-fighting, splashing loudly, until Solo came and yelled at them to get out of the water and go to sleep.

     Now he was lying on his back, with a fuzzy head just under his chin, and a black tail drifting over the arm curled around whomever was sleeping on his chest. Vaguely he identified the tail as belonging to Wufei, who was curled up on his side. Heero turned his head to look over the smaller Creature, and in the early pre-dawn hour he could just see Wufei's feet tucked into the Fox's belly. The Jaguar was using the Jackal's legs as a pillow, and the Jackal, in turn, was on his back, with Quatre on his chest, pressed up tightly against Duo's back, with the Fox's tail draped over him like a fluffy red blanket. Before he could figure out the perplexing blend of arms, legs and tails any further, that strange sensation filled his stomach again, and he growled involuntarily.

     "Oh, sorry," a soft voice said, and the sensation stopped.

     The Wolf tilted his head, lifting it up a little to see what was going on. Duo's fingers were hovering over one of his nipple rings, and Heero growled again. "Fox, don't you dare steal that."

     Duo gave the Wolf a sleepily innocent look. "I wouldn't do that," he said, his eyes wide. He poked at the ring again, then flipped it up, and flipped it back down again. Heero's arm involuntarily tightened around him, and the Fox squeaked a little, looking apologetic. "Does that hurt?"

     "No," the half-Wolf replied, but his ears were flicking forward, then back, as he tried to catalog the symptoms. His stomach was definitely feeling queasy now, and his nipple was feeling quite hot. There were prickles shooting through his chest, and each time the Fox's fingers stroked the ring, his stomach flipped a few more times. It must have been the wine, Heero thought. I wonder if this is what a wine hangover feels like, he asked himself, considering the question as seriously as he could manage, still half-asleep.

     "Did it hurt when you got them?" Duo shifted a little, until he could rest his chin on Heero's chest. The Fox's legs were trapped by Trowa's arms, and he wriggled in place, giggling softly at Wufei's toes against his stomach.

     "No," Heero replied, staunchly. Actually, it had hurt like hell, but he wasn't about to give some thief the benefit of knowing that.

     There was another twitch of the rings, and Heero forgot what he was thinking about. Duo's touch on the ring, twiddling it back and forth, actually felt rather nice. One of Heero's ears flicked, uncertain, and he struggled with himself for a second before half-heartedly shoving at the Fox. "Stop that."

     The Fox made a face and withdrew his hand, curling his arms up against his body. The abrupt lack of touch on Heero's chest felt cold, and the Wolf warrior scowled. He didn't think the hot and cold flashes were indicative of a hangover, but he didn't usually drink wine. Maybe this was something that only wine did to a Creature. Satisfied that he'd found the cause, he slowly drifted back to sleep. Hopefully by the time they had to get up, the after-effects of too much wine would be gone.

     Dorothy waved goodbye to her uncle and trotted off through the mid-morning crowds, seeking out the honey-blonde braids of her Wolf friend. She suspected Relena was probably still shopping for something to give that rock-headed Wolf. The Bobcat made a face, neatly stepping around a family of Lynxes, and pondered the ultimate stupidity of infatuation. Relena was an excellent hunter, and could shoot a sparrow off a limb at fifty paces without hesitation, but she seemed to lose all sense the moment she caught sight of a certain bushy silver tail. Dorothy straightened her golden top and checked her leather pouch. She'd finally decided on getting a new green breech-skirt, and as long as Heero was off somewhere else, Relena would be a fun shopping companion. The Bobcat flipped her blonde hair off her shoulder, sighting Relena, and waved. The Mountain Wolf waved back, and the two met in the middle.

     An hour later Dorothy and Relena were making their way through the trader's stalls, trying to find the perfect green breech-skirt. They'd narrowed it down to two and were debating the different colors. Nearby a rough tenor voice was talking to the Valley Wolf trader, and Dorothy's fuzzy golden ears perked at the mention of Jaguars. She glanced past Relena and saw two young Coyote-boys talking to the trader. Stealthily Dorothy edged closer, her ears swiveling to catch the conversation.

     "Seriously, old man, you give us stuff, and we'll make sure all the Coyotes leave you alone," the auburn-haired Coyote was saying.

     The trader looked unconvinced. "Sounds like extortion to me."

     The second Coyote grinned. "Haven't had your tent turned inside out this Gathering, have you?" Kio elbowed the first Coyote, who also grinned. Their sharp canines flashed at the trader, who rolled his eyes.

     "This is for a good cause," the first Coyote said. "We've got a friend who's being helped by this Jaguar, see, and the Jaguar---"

     "You're paying that kid to protect the Fox?" The Wolf's words burst out in a rush. "Don't even try to convince me of that. I know all about young Wufei. He's righteous and honorable." The trader looked ready to spit rocks at the idea that Wufei's participation could be bought.

     Leo quickly put up his hands, waving off the trader's fears. "No, no, no," he said. Beside him, Kio's brown eyes were wide and he was shaking his head emphatically. Leo put his hands on his hips, and pulled himself up to his full height, rivaling the Wolf-trader. "This Wufei has his heart set on a girl, and we're returning his kindness by helping him come up with the bride price."

     "Oh," the trader replied, looking relieved. He grinned, then, surprising the two Coyotes. "Why didn't you say so? In that case..." The grizzled Wolf glanced over the table. "Here, a pretty pink loincloth in cotton. Any bride would like that. And here, a leather carrying pouch. Those beads on it are from the Desert Lynx. My wife does the work."

     Kio admired the two items. "Gorgeous handicraft, old man."

     "Don't forget your part of this deal, though," the trader retorted, skeptical. "This old man isn't too old to hunt you down and kick your Coyote butts back to the Prairie if I find so much as a single grain of salt in---"

     "Ah, ah," Leo said, grabbing the items from Kio and smiling widely. "Never fear, we'll make sure you're left alone! Okay, Kio, wave to the nice Creature and let's move along."

     Kio grinned just as his arm was snagged by the auburn-haired Coyote, and the two quickly turned tail and left. Dorothy watched them go, then turned to the trader, who had noticed her interest.

     The Wolf grinned and shrugged. "Wufei's a good kid. Friends with one of the warriors in my son's Pack. I would've helped him get any bride he wanted, if he asked me."

     "But he didn't ask you," Dorothy replied. Behind her, Relena looked up, finally noticing something existed in the world other than two green breech-skirts.

     "Naw," the trader said, and flicked an ear dismissively. "As long as he gets the stuff, that's what matters. Plus, if it saves my wine from being ruined by those good-for-nothing Coyotes, I've gotten the better end of the deal, I say."

     "What's going on?" Relena poked the Bobcat, who turned with a smile.

     "Coyotes raising trouble for a good cause," Dorothy said. "They're helping raise the bride-price for that black Jaguar, to thank him for saving that thieving Fox."

     "The one who stole something from Heero," Relena finished, her pretty face darkening slightly. Dorothy nodded, and Relena frowned further. "That fox should have been whipped from the Gathering for stealing."

     "This doesn't have anything to do with the fact that he stole from the object of your affection," the Bobcat replied dryly, paying the trader for the deeper green of the two silk breech-cloths.

     Relena shook her head, and the iron beads in her hair clattered against each other from the motion. "Absolutely not. It's a matter of principle."

     Dorothy grinned, ducking her head as she accepted the folded cloth from the trader and waved good-bye. Relena trailed along behind, her face thoughtful, and the Bobcat trained her face in an expression of neutrality.

     Wait for it, she told herself.

     "Dorothy, we should do something," Relena announced. "That's not right, that someone could steal from Heero and get away with it like that."

     "I agree," the other young woman said, smoothly, and smiled to herself. It just wouldn't be a fun Gathering if she didn't get to cause a little trouble of her own.