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.

Thanks to the reviewers who dropped me some wonderful lines after chapter 12: Kaori, Xu Chang, Dyna, Patty 40, Morgan, Calic0Cat, Sevenall, Arithkenshin, CleverYoungThief, and Lainwyn. And, of course, KatiKat, who bears the blame for the cliff-hanger that made everyone fear the worst. Hehe.

     "No!" Duo's shout was ripped from his throat. Meiran, her back to the attacker, looked shocked.

     Then Wufei was there. He caught Meiran by the waist and spun her around as he brought up his sword. He parried the knife, twisted, and the knife was flying through the air. Faster than eyes could track, the Jaguar slammed his pommel into the Fox's face. His left arm was still tightly around Meiran, pushing her up against his back, blocking her with his body.

     There was a pause, and the crowd held its breath as the Fox blinked twice. Blood poured down his face from his nose, and he fell like a stone to the ground. The watching crowd sighed, a breath of relief. Duo could see Meiran's body shivering, uncertain, as she clutched at Wufei, her face buried in his ponytail. Treize stepped over the fallen Fox, taking a long look at the unconscious Creature, before he bowed to Wufei.

     "I'm in your debt," he said quietly. "We'll take care of this reprobate." With that, he snapped his fingers and two Foxes appeared. They dragged the attacker to his feet and unceremoniously carried him off. Treize sighed, shook his head, and turned to regard Wufei carefully. Meiran was slowly disengaging herself, stepping around Wufei to see what had happened. Treize smiled at her, his red ears perking, and he bowed again.

     "You have a strong protector," the Fox Leader told her. "I suggest you keep that one."

     Meiran blushed, frowning. She still wasn't certain what exactly had happened. She only knew that one second Duo was yelling at her, then the next thing she knew, she was squashed up against Wufei's bare back. Not that it was a bad thing, she thought briefly, recalling the way his hair smelled like cinnamon and something distinctly Wufei. She blushed again, her gaze squarely on the ground.

     With a slash of his bushy red tail, the Fox Leader grinned suddenly and sauntered off through the crowd, accompanied by the rest of the Foxes. The group left behind was a little breathless at the sudden events, until Duo whooped.

     "Wufei, you kick major ass!" The thief threw his arms around the Jaguar's neck. Wufei made a strangled sound, then froze as the thief whispered in his ear. "Thank you, for everything." Then Duo pulled away with a wide grin, and the Jaguar-boy could only blink in surprise.

     Wufei tried to scowl, but a smile was tugging at the edge of his lips. He ducked his head and made a show of accepting his scabbard from Trowa and sliding the blade away. His attempt at self-control was ruined when next Sali hugged him. His claws came out as he hugged her fiercely, instinctively trying to hold on tight, and Heero noted the little bit of shaking. A minute later the two siblings separated, and Wufei seemed a little more relaxed.

     "We should celebrate," Solo announced from behind them.

     The Jaguar Elder smiled at the Coyote, a clear sign of her pride in Wufei overriding her usual common sense to avoid Coyotes. Quatre put his arm through Duo's, and the two friends joined up with the group. Over on the side of the circle, Jasmine was working her way through the list of Creatures waiting for their winnings.

     "Didn't Trowa and Heero bet?" The half-Fox flicked his ears at Jasmine's voice, tabulating the winnings for each bettor.

     "They can get their winnings later," Quatre said, and laughed. "Jasmine's going to be there for awhile."

     Trowa joined the two shorter Creatures, and the Lynx looped his arm through the Jackal's as well so the three were walking abreast. Ahead of them Wufei was walking with Sali, the Jaguar Elder, and Heero on the outside. Meiran was nowhere to be seen. The Coyotes had left to get their winnings from Jasmine, except for Solo and Kio who trailed along behind Duo and his two friends.

     "Your little brother is an amazing fighter," a soft voice said in Heero's ear. The young Wolf-girl slipped her arm through his, and used the excuse of the close group to press herself up against Heero. "Did you teach him?"

     "Some," the Wolf replied proudly, then realized it was Relena. He tried to shake off her arm, but she didn't budge, and he settled for glaring at her. The young woman laughed, as though he'd said something amusing, and Heero scowled. He'd thought at first that it was the Fox shoving up against him again. The Wolf-boy had spent the fight assuring himself that he was glad Duo had decided to go hang out with the Coyotes. He certainly didn't need some red-tailed pest squeezed up against him the whole time. And if he fidgeted during the fight, enough to make Trowa cuff him, that definitely didn't have anything to do with the Fox.

     But they were talking before the fight, Heero reminded himself, trying to pull away from Relena without bumping into the Jaguar Elder. He scowled, thinking. The Fox had made himself scarce... The Wolf-boy was puzzling it out in his head, and cast a suspicious look at Relena. She was waving to someone, then caught his look and smiled at him, her blue eyes wide and innocent. Heero tried one more time to shake her off, but she didn't budge. And short of pushing her away, he wasn't sure what would get her to leave him alone. Especially, he thought glumly, when he'd been hoping a little that they'd all go swimming again.

     He sighed, and let Relena drag him towards the Jaguar encampment.

     The night was wearing on, lit only by the magnificent bonfire the Jaguars had set up in Wufei's honor. Many of Osag's other students were present, and the Jaguar Chief even made a point of congratulating Wufei formally. The black Jaguar had done his best to reply as politely, but the effect was ruined when a Coyote bumped into him. Fortunately the Chief laughed, and the solemn moment was past.

     Relena didn't budge from Heero's side the whole time, and the half-Wolf ended up sitting on a log near the fire, staring crossly into the flames. Quatre kept an eye on the Wolf-boy, curious about the way he'd avoided nearly everyone all night. Most of the time, however, the Desert Lynx was trapped, politely listening to every Creature present repeating the story of Wufei's fight and his valiant rescue of the future Chief. Strangely, the future Chief didn't make an appearance, obviously finding something else to amuse herself. Quatre glanced over at Heero again, and was pleased to see Duo was sitting next to the Wolf, although Heero didn't seem to have noticed the company. Then the Lynx noticed where Duo's hand was, and frowned a little.

     Trowa, next to the Lynx, caught the expression. "What is it?"

     "Nothing," Quatre muttered, and smiled at the group of Creatures around him. "I'll...be right back." He made his way over to the fire, and leaned over behind the half-Fox. "Duo," he hissed. "I want to talk to you."

     Duo's bushy tail wagged, and he hopped up with a smile. "What's up?"

     The Lynx frowned and led his friend over to a quiet spot away from the fire, then rounded on the half-Fox. "Why are you stealing from Heero, again? Are you crazy?"

     The Fox's jaw was open, surprised, then he dropped his eyes. The Lynx's brow wrinkled as he watched his best friend visibly deflate in front of him. This wasn't the reaction Quatre expected, and he stepped closer, rubbing noses with Duo to reassure the Fox.

     "Sorry, Duo," Quatre whispered. "I didn't mean to get angry. I know it's just for fun."

     "I wasn't stealing," Duo replied quietly. "I was...putting stuff back."

     "Putting it---" The Desert Lynx's blue-green eyes were wide as he registered the statement. "What are you talking about?"

     "I was just going to tease him, see if he'd noticed," Duo said. He shrugged, unwilling to voice the peculiar hope that Heero would chase him across the Gathering. He hadn't had that much fun in ages, he told himself, and sighed. Now that he knew Heero hadn't thought it was fun to play with him, there wasn't much point in starting anything.

     "Because why?" Quatre prompted.

     "Nothing," the Fox replied sullenly, and shrugged again. "Doesn't matter. Another two days and it's all over, anyway, and then we're going back to the prairie for the summer." Duo smiled, but his best friend could easily see the forlorn quality of the expression. The Fox's tail was hanging low, and his ears were laying back a little.

     "What's going on?" The Lynx crossed his arms and made a show of looking stubborn.

     Duo raised his eyebrows, and chuckled. "Oh, don't even try that on me," he told the other young man. "You can't glare to save your life."

     "I can, too," Quatre said, nettled.

     "No, you can't," Duo teased, and grinned. "Let's go see if Solo's brought any of that saltpeter with him."

     Quatre's eyes went wide, and he grabbed Duo's arm. "No way! That would ruin things! We're having a great---"

     There was a sudden explosion from behind them, and the bonfire went up in a blaze of multi-hued sparks. This time, however, the Jaguars didn't run. Instead, they applauded and cheered along with the Coyotes, and the celebration continued without pause, long into the night.

     "Duo, Quinta's here to see you," Leo called. He took another bite of his breakfast pastry and grinned, wagging his tail. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "And he's got a girl with him."

     The half-Fox looked up from what he was doing. He could see the Desert Lynx standing at the edge of the encampment, surrounded by Coyotes leering happily at the Lynx-girl half-hidden behind Quinta. Duo rolled his eyes.

     "Make them leave her alone," he told Leo, then waved at Quinta, who trotted over. The girl followed behind him, her hand tightly clasped with the Lynx-boy's.

     "Morning, Duo," Quinta said, settling himself cross-legged by the Fox. "What are you doing?"

     "Making something," the Fox replied with a cheeky grin. "What does it look like?" He bent his head over the copper wires, twisting one carefully with a strange tool, and then set it the copper in the fire for a second before pulling it out and going back to work on it with the pincher-like tool. "Hello," he added belatedly, cocking his head at the girl.

     "This is Cara," Quinta said shyly. The girl's brown eyes were large, and she nodded at her name, a hesitant smile on her face. Her shoulder-length hair fell in her face as she moved, the two plaits framing her round face sweetly. "It's okay," Quinta told her. "He won't steal anything, as long as you keep both eyes on him."

     Duo made a face. "I'm not that bad."

     "No, you're that good. Iria wants her necklace back, by the way."

     The Fox flashed an innocent look at the girl, who giggled. "I gave it back last night!"

     "And it's missing again this morning," Quinta replied. His ears were forward, and his eyes twinkled.

     "Fine," Duo said, and put down the metal in his hands. Digging into his pouch, he handed over the blue bead necklace.

     "What are you making?" There was a slight line between Cara's brows as she canted her head at the strange net of copper resting in Duo's lap.

     "It's a comb," he replied proudly. Duo put the tool down, and his braid slid across his shoulders. It was messy from sleep, with half of the golden-brown hair coming out of the plait. He tossed it back over his shoulder and held up the copper in his hands, trying to demonstrate as he held it against the top back of his head. Cara giggled, and Duo grinned at her. "See, it goes in the hair like so, right? It's supposed to be like flowers, but I'm having a hard time getting the metal to bend in tiny swirls." The thief brought it back around to stare at it, and frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think it's working."

     "Who's it for?" The girl leaned forward, studying the comb. It had four straight prongs, with the fifth one still a little twisted. The top part, about the size of Duo's palm, was an intricate network of copper wires, with ends twisted so they reached outward in a sunburst-type design.

     "It's for the bride price," Duo said, his voice low and serious. "For Wufei. But I don't think it's going to work." He sighed.

     "I think it's pretty," Cara said. "It just needs..." She pursed her lips, thinking, then glanced down at the necklace in Quinta's hand. "It needs beads, hanging off it. Blue beads."

     Quinta's eyes grew large. "Cara..."

     "Don't worry, I won't use that necklace." The Lynx-girl put her hands up, and took down her own necklace. "You can use this."

     "I couldn't..." Duo's indigo eyes were large.

     "It'll give Quinta a reason to get me a new one," she said airily. The Lynx-boy flushed, and Duo hid his smile as he accepted the necklace. Cara pointed at the starburst ends of the comb. "Hang a bead off each of those, and they'll stand up at the back of her head and catch the sunlight. It'll be really pretty, with the copper color."

     Duo held up the necklace against the comb, measuring the idea with a critical eye. Then he put both behind his head, and turned to the two Lynxes. "What do you think?"

     "I think it looks good," Quinta said, then frowned. "But your hair is a mess."

     "Yeah," the thief replied, shrugging. "But I woke up early with the idea, and wanted to start on it right away." He lowered the comb and necklace again, giving the girl another thankful smile.

     "Duo," the Lynx-boy suddenly said, his head tilted to the side as he examined his cousin's best friend. "Where are your armbands?" Even as he said it, he realized Duo wasn't wearing his anklets, either, or his necklace.

     "Those old things?" The thief shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured I was overdressed for a Gathering."

     "Right," Quinta replied, understanding immediately. "Are we going to see you at the archery competition? Quatre is saving us a place."

     "Good thing you reminded me." Duo was already prying the necklace's fastener off, his head down as he concentrated. "I'm coming. I just want to get a little more done on this, and I'll see you there." He glanced up with a quick smile, then bent his head back down to his work.

     Quinta smiled and shook his head, taking Cara by the hand. At the edge of the encampment he chatted for a few moments with Leo, reminding the Coyote to get the Fox to the competition. Quatre's demand, he explained. Sano had joined them, and the two Coyotes promised to hustle the thief along personally if need be. Satisfied, the two Lynxes departed. Duo covertly watched them go, then went back to unstringing the beads.

     I'll just find them after the competition, he decided. I want Heero to win, so it's better if I'm not there to bother him. Duo sighed, and began creating loops to hang the beads.

     The third round was up, and Trowa leaned over to restring his bow, preparing to step back up to the line. Seven Cougars were pulling the targets back another twenty feet. His red-brown ears perked at the sound of Quatre's laugh, then pushed the awareness away, letting his focus narrow down to the target moving away from him.

     Over on the side, Quatre watched anxiously, and tabulated the scores in his head.

     "Well?" Quinta asked breathlessly. "Six archers just sat down. What's going on? They all hit the target."

     "But only Zechs, Heero and Trowa made bull's eyes," the white-blond Lynx pointed out. "And those other two were on the line."

     Quinta nodded. "I saw that. But what happens now?"

     "They keep moving the targets away until someone misses," Wufei interrupted. He cradled his new ceremonial Jaguar blade close to his hip, unaware he'd been caressing it for several minutes. Cara noticed and giggled, and Quinta shushed her. The Jaguar-boy looked over, perplexed as to what was so funny. "I'm not sure which will win. All three are excellent shots."

     The next round stepped up, the bows twanged, and seven arrows simultaneously buried themselves in the targets. There was a moment while the Cougars retrieved the arrows, measured the distances from the center, and gave their measurements to a waiting Jackal. The darker Jackal trotted back to the judges. A minute later the Jackal approached two of the Creatures, who bowed their heads and stepped away. Zechs ignored their departure, his eyes glancing over the crowd. Trowa, next to him, was running his long fingers over the fletching on his next arrow. Heero's head was down, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

     Wufei frowned and nudged his sister. "Sali, what's wrong with Heero?"

     She shrugged. "He's been acting really moody every since yesterday afternoon. Hasn't said anything."

     "Do you..." The black Jaguar lowered his voice so only his sister could hear. "Do you think it's something to do with the fight? He seemed fine before that."

     "I don't know," she answered, a thoughtful note entering her voice. The Jaguar warrior sighed, and pulled her twists of golden-brown hair to rest over her shoulders. "I thought he'd be happy, now that you're all set." Sali glanced at her little brother affectionately. "No need to get married, now, right?"

     "Right," Wufei replied automatically, then made a face. No reason at all, he thought, and mentally shrugged.

     The Cougars had removed two of the targets, and the other five targets had been pulled back yet another twenty feet. The watching Desert Lynxes could easily distinguish the centers, and Quatre wondered whether the northern Creatures were used to sighting such long distances.

     "Can they see that far?" Quinta asked, obviously thinking the same thing as his cousin.

     Cara leaned forward, squinting. "Didn't you say that Jackal's been to the desert?"

     Quatre nodded. "That's what he says."

     "Then he should be used to it, if he hunted while he was there." She ran a quick glance over the rest of the archers, and shook her head. "The rest look like Creatures too used to trees and hills being in the way."

     The Desert Lynxes agreed quietly, and watched as five arrows flew nearly at once, aiming straight for the targets. One missed completely, the second hit near the edge. Zechs' arrow, with its white fletch, was partway between the edge and center. Heero's looked like it was closer to the center, but only Trowa's had hit the center.

     "Looks like that was enough to show the difference in their skills," Wufei observed.

     The Cougars measured, the Jackal recorded, and within minutes Trowa was pronounced the winner, with Heero in second and Zechs in third. The older Wolf scowled at Heero, but dutifully bowed to Trowa and then the judges. The half-Jackal, meanwhile, was solemn, but his red-brown tail was wagging hard as the two judges presented him with a set of blue-fletched arrows, several pairs of winter linens, and six elk teeth.

     "What did I miss?" An excited voice asked as Duo landed on the blanket between Quatre and Quinta.

     "Just everything," Sali replied dryly. "Trowa won."

     "Great!" The half-Fox's tail started thumping, and hit Quinta several times before he retaliated by sitting on Duo's tail. The half-Fox shrieked, laughing, and tugged to get his tail back.

     "Congratulations," Quatre said, standing.

     Quinta stood up as well. Trowa was nearly grinning, his green eyes bright with embarrassed pleasure. Duo scrambled to his feet, nodding his agreement. Heero came up behind Trowa, a small smile playing on his lips as he observed the Desert Lynx smiling at the half-Jackal. Then the Wolf's eyes slid across to Duo, and he frowned.

     Where has he been? He wasn't watching the competition. Did he just get here? Heero pulled his shoulders up, trying to undo the knots in his muscles, and let his arms drop as he slung the quiver over his shoulder.

     Duo noticed the frown and balked slightly, then pasted a grin on his face. "So! What are we doing to celebrate?"

     "I'm giving these to Wufei," Trowa replied.

     There was a pause.

     "That's not the normal routine for celebrating," the black Jaguar finally said.

     "No," the Jackal said with a small smile. "It's for the bride price."

     "What bride price?" Wufei's eyes narrowed to slits, and he glanced around at the rest of the group. Duo gave him an innocent look, and Heero dropped his eyes. Quatre flushed a little, and Trowa simply held out the prizes. "What are you Creatures planning?"

     "Didn't they tell..." The Jackal's ears drooped, and he glanced over at Quatre, who gave a minute shake of his head. Trowa's brows came down, and he sighed. "We've been getting together stuff for you to present..." His voice trailed off as he became aware of the way Wufei's ears were flat against his head, and the lashing black tail around the Jaguar's slim ankles.

     "I don't need to marry anyone now," Wufei replied stiffly, drawing himself up to his full height. He was at least an inch taller than the Lynx and Fox, even if he was still shorter than his foster-brother and the Jackal. Wufei twitched the sword at his side, and added haughtily, "besides, she doesn't want to get married, anyway."

     There was a pause, and a small frown developed on Quatre's face, but he made a concerted effort and the frown disappeared. The other Creatures shifted, embarrassed, and most stared at their feet.

     "Oh." Trowa pulled his arms back, then stared at the prizes and held his arms out again. "Then these are for you, now that you're sword master. You'll need them for your new home."

     "My new home?" Wufei's eyebrows shot up, and he looked at his sister, who laughed.

     "Of course," Sali told him, amused. "You're moving into the sword master residence, next to the Chief's house. There's a small room upstairs where the sword master lives."

     The Jaguar-boy blinked. He knew Osag lived upstairs, but he hadn't thought this meant Osag would have to move. Sighing, he pushed the thought away, seeing Trowa's arms still outstretched. "Fine, then," he grumbled, and took the linens and the pouch of elk teeth. "But you keep the arrows. I don't need those."

     Trowa nodded happily, and his tail wagged twice around his ankles.

     "Let's get some food," Duo interrupted, throwing his arms over Quatre's and Quinta's shoulders. "Archery is hard work!"

     "You missed the whole event," Quatre reminded him. Quinta simply rolled his eyes.

     "Well, hearing about it is hard work, too," Duo said, not bothered in the least. Turning the two cousins, he led the way. Trowa, Sali, and Heero followed.

     The group split off. The Cougars were hosting and the Jackals would be accepting that afternoon. Heero, Trowa, Wufei and Sali headed to get seats, leaving Quatre and Duo behind. Quinta and Cara had left just after lunch, planning on finding a replacement necklace, with Cara leading the way.

     "She got over her shyness fast enough," Duo observed. "I'm still hungry."

     "You're always hungry," Quatre replied. His gaze was caught by the sight of a young black Jaguar-girl standing by one of the trading booths. She was looking off into the distance, not even paying attention to the trader trying to interest her in a pretty yellow scarf. The Desert Lynx realized it was Meiran, and jerked his head towards the girl. His plaits bounced in the movement, and he tugged at Duo's arm. "Let's go. I have an idea."

     "Your ideas get me in trouble," Duo said.

     "That's my line," Quatre retorted, not missing a beat. "Meiran?"

     The young girl nodded, confused, then realized who the two were, and her face relaxed into a wary smile. "You aren't going to kidnap me again, are you?"

     The Desert Lynx laughed and shook his head. "No, we just wanted to find out what you think about something."

     "What?" Her gaze shifted to Duo, who smiled shyly at her. Meiran's hand instinctively clutched at her leather pouch, and she returned her attention to Quatre.

     "Wufei's now the sword master," the Lynx said, a note of hesitation in his voice. "Which means he doesn't need to get married...I know you said you expected the bride---"

     "WHAT?" Meiran shouted, then blanched as several nearby Creatures in the crowd turned around to look. Scowling, she grabbed Quatre and Duo by the elbows and dragged them over to a quiet spot. Turning on them fiercely, she put her hands on her hips. Duo made a face and cowered a little behind Quatre, but the Lynx stood his ground. Meiran narrowed her eyes at them both. "What is this? He has me kidnapped – twice, I might add! – and now he's not going to even do it right?"

     "Do you want him to?"

     Quatre's reply caught Meiran completely off-guard, and she gaped for several seconds before recovering. Tossing her head, she affected disinterest. "No. Not really. He's just a half-Jaguar."

     "Who's also now one of the highest-ranking Creatures in your Clan, and of marriageable age." The Lynx's face was perfectly neutral.

     "You're right!" Meiran made a face of disgust. "And now it's clear he didn't really want to marry me. I'll be the laughingstock of the entire Clan! They'll all say I was just a stepping-stone. He didn't really want to marry me." Her words ended on a sulky note.

     "Does everyone know you were...kidnapped?" Quatre asked the question delicately, watching the girl closely.

     "Well, no." The Jaguar tossed her head, and the gold bands on her ponytails caught the mid-day sun. "I wasn't going to tell anyone," she said imperiously. "But if they knew, they'd laugh," she added firmly, then a determined light came into her eyes. "I am so going to kick his ass," she announced.

     A second later the two friends were staring at an empty spot in front of them.

     "Where'd she go?" Duo blinked, and looked around. "She took off like lightening!"

     "Come on," Quatre said, tugging at Duo's hand. "We've got to catch her."

     As the two took off after the Jaguar-girl, Quatre had only one thought in his head. My first Gathering, he wailed mentally, and all I seem to be doing is chasing after Creatures to keep them from pounding the stuffing out of other Creatures. This sucks!