Disclaimer: I don't own it.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got side tracked on another story. I'll try not to take so long next time, but school is throwing a major wrench in things. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
"And that's what happened." The tent was plunged into silence as the story came to a close. Rei ran one hand down his bandaged arm, golden eyes taking in the weave of the fabric. He had been talking for almost two hours straight, explaining everything in excruciating detail. Something about Kai gave him no doubt that the slate haired shifter would want to hear everything, down to how many blades of grass had been trampled.
The silence in the tent was getting to the point of being unbearable. Rei normally wasn't bothered by silence, but the fact that his mate hadn't said anything was starting to bug him. In the short amount of time he'd been in the tribe before Kai had left, he knew that Kai wasn't one to beat around the bush. If something was annoying the leader, everyone knew about it. There was a rustling of fabric as Kai got to his feet, pulling his boots back on and throwing his cloak back on. "Kai?" The slate haired shifter looked down at his mate. "Yes?"
Rei looked down at his hands, fingers twining together. "Are you mad at me" The only sound was wind circling around the tent. "No. You did a spectacular job. We might have actually lost someone. Now go to sleep." Kai left the tent, going to see that the bandits were disposed of.
Slowly the raven-haired teen shifted, tired from the battle and pervious shifts. He dropped off to sleep, not noticing the shadow that slid from behind the tent.
*****
Kai sat up in the bed, something nagging in the back of his mind. The air of the tent was cold, putting more suspicion in his mind. He got to his feet, footsteps muffled by the carpets on the floor. Unpinning part of the door, his suspicions were confirmed. It had snowed. The snow was knee deep and piled up on top of the tents, helping to trap some heat. He pinned the door closed again and set to stirring the braziers, trying to get them to put out more heat.
Rei was still in tiger form, white body curled into a ball, fur providing little heat. Kai knelt down and slowly reached one hand out, laying it on one fur covered shoulder. One golden eye opened, watching. "Rei, it's too cold to stay out. Shift back and get under the covers." Within seconds Rei was standing in the middle of the tent, shivering with the loss of fur. He practically jumped into the bed, curling up under the covers. Kai lay back down, back to his mate. He could feel the tenseness of Rei's body and it was bugging him. He rolled over, laying one hand the expanse of tanned skin in front of him. "Relax. I'm not going to bite." A small laugh escaped from the neko-jin and he did relax, so much as to move back against the warm body behind him. An arm tentatively wrapped around his waist drawing him back. A sigh was released and both shifters fell into a peaceful sleep.
*****
Rei slipped out of the tent, feet sinking into the snow. Two small, white cats stopped at his feet, looking up at him with wide eyes. He knelt down, fingers scratching behind the ears of the nearest one. The small cat rolled on to its back, paws dangling in the air. The older shifter smiled at the kitten's antics and closed his eyes concentrating. The kittens watched as Rei shrunk, changing into a snow cat, only slightly larger then them.
The smaller cats scattered, initiating a game of hide and seek. White fur moved over sleek muscle as the shifter moved off, searching for the kittens. He slipped around the edge of a tent, body pressed flat against the snow, golden eyes focused on the small bundle of fur that was sitting on the snow, calmly cleaning spotless fur. He crept closer, almost there when something dropped down on to his back. He shifted back to his human form and looked down to find a second kitten at his feet, looking up at him with brown eyes.
He scooped both of the kittens up, watching as they shifted back. Both cubs looked at him, brown eyes shining with interest. One of the twins reached up; chubby hand gently poking the tip of Rei's slightly pointed ear. "You look like a kitty!" Rei closed his eyes briefly, concentrating. The twins squealed in delight as tiger ears appeared in the older shifter's hair. The second twin grabbed his hair, fingers twining in the raven strands. The neko-jin smiled which in turn caused the twins to smile. "I'd better get you home before your mother comes looking for you. Where do you two live?"
Both cubs pointed to a grey tent halfway across the tent. Rei made his way to the tent, weaving among the people that were up. He saw a flash of red and knew without a doubt that is was Tala. "Mooooooooooom!" One of the cubs called out. The door of the tent flew back, revealing a short shifter with greying hair. She lifted one finger pointing at the two cubs, paying on attention to Rei. "I was wondering where you two had gotten off too! I was about to send your father out to." Her rant trailed off as one of the twins pointed to the neko-jin that was still holding on to them.
Grey eyes ran over the figure and she turned bright red, finally realizing who had returned her cubs. She cast her eyes to the ground. "My Lord, I hadn't realized th." Rei's voice cut her off. "Please don't. That's Kai's title. I'm nobody but Rei. She raised her head, smiling. "Thank you for bringing my cubs back. They seem to constantly escape from me." She took one of the twins from Rei, settling the small boy comfortably on her hip. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" The neko-jin nodded, stooping slightly to follow the woman into the tent.
*****
Tala watched as Hajem's servant moved through the camp, brown eyes following the shifters as they went along on their daily tasks. He heard her ask more then once where Kai was. None of the shifters answered, bound by loyalty to the tribe. Something about the girl was rubbing against his nerves. She seemed far too happy in her role in the tribe. She was disdained and looked down upon for not being of the tribe but she seemed to keep a cheer outlook of her life.
Wolborg also seemed to find something funny about the girl. And since the wolf was an avatar of Rahee, Tala knew that there was something strange going on with the girl. He was sure that what ever she had in mind had to do with Kai.
He fell into step next to the girl, moving silently. "What do you want with Kai?" The girl jumped and turned her dark eyes on the redhead next to her. "What do you mean Sir? What would I want with the Tribe leader?" He let out a short, harsh laugh, scaring the girl even further. "Don't shit around with me like that! I can see the way you look at him. I can smell the desire that comes off of you." She looked around nervously; hoping that someone would come and help her. No one did.
Tala saw Rei come out of one of the tent's two cubs clinging to him. He turned the girl, forcing her to look at the neko-jin. "You see him?" She nodded eyes riveted on the teen. "That's Kai's mate. Shifters are notorious for being protective of their mates. I suggest you stay away from Kai if you want to stay alive. Now get out of here." The girl left, almost tripping in her haste to get away from the redheaded shifter. Tala made his way to Kai's tent.
Kai was standing in the snow, mahogany eyes raking over his tribe. Most of the shifters that were out were in some kind of animal form, trying to stay warm in the bitter air. Tala joined his friend, blue eyes closed. The two shifters stood in silence, soaking up what little heat the weak winter sunlight provided. "Tala, I don't suppose you happen to know what happened to my mate?" Tala nodded. "I saw him, five minutes ago. He had Varie's cubs with him. Speaking of the cubs, there they are."
Two small snow cats were running towards Kai and Tala, a larger one following them. Both cats stopped several feet from the two older shifters; brown eyes fixed on them. They moved behind the larger snow cat, eyes never leaving the tall leader. The third snow cat looked up at the slate haired teen, muscles tensing.
Muscles uncoiled and Kai found himself with a snow cat in his arms, the bundle of white fur curling up, a purr emanating from the small body. Golden eyes looked up at the shifter, almost begging to be stroked. Pale fingers wound through, snow colored fur, rubbing the skin underneath in soothing circles. The purring grew louder, gold eyes drifting closed with happiness. "At least you found him." Kai glanced over at Tala, eyes conveying a number of comments, none of them nice. Tala just smirked. Neither of them noticed the figure slipping from behind the tent.
*****
"That bastard! How dare he tell me what to do!" She dropped to her knees once inside her tent, drawing a waterskin from where it rested inside her clothing. A bowl appeared from under her bedding and she carefully dribbled water into it until it was half full. Reaching into her clothes once more, she withdrew a knife. It was a simple, functional knife with no adornment. She drew the blade across the pad of her thumb, biting her lower lip to stifle the small gasp of pain that was trying to escape.
Blood dripped into the water, staining it a faint red color. Her uninjured hand scrambled at the hem of her pillow, nails pulling at the stitching. A small glass vial came free in her hand and she held it up, the light from the small lantern dancing over the silver liquid in the vial. She pulled the stopper from the vial and tipped it over the bowl, watching as the silver liquid flowed into the bowl. The silver mixed with the bloody water, leaving behind a silver mirror swirled with darker streaks.
Dark eyes rolled back as she started chanting the eerie sound almost so low that it was impossible to hear. One hand moved over the bowl in a steady motion, as though trying to clean it off. The chant continued, growing louder suddenly before dropping back down. A soft light filled the tent, drowning out the light from the lantern.
"Have you made any progress?" A low, gravelly voice filled the tent, snapping the girl from her trance. She dropped her hands into her lap; eyes focused on the ground in respect. "Master.. there's a slight complication." She twisted her hands together, knowing that her master was known for his violate temper. When he spoke again, his voice was low and deadly. "There's a complication? Elaborate." She looked at the bowl, eyes laced with fear, as she looked on the image of her master in the silver mirror.
"Well Master, Hiwatari's already got a mate." She bit her lip, drawing blood when wave after wave of magical pain swept over her form. "I fail to see where that is a problem. Farrah, you are cunning and a spectacular concubine, I trust you will find away. Kill the mate. I expect to hear from you soon. And you had better be telling me that you are the shifter's new mate. Or else there will be dire consequences. You have been warned." The mage's image disappeared from the mirror leaving her alone again.
Farrah stared at the now empty bowl, thoughts running through her head at a thousand miles a minute. She rose to her feet, a slightly demented grin on her face. One hand tucked the knife into her sleeve and she left the tent, intent on pleasing her Master.
*****
Kai settled down on the cushion, watching as the other shifters sat down, eyes focused on their surroundings. Tala leaned over and elbowed his friend gently. "Shouldn't Rei be here?" Kai nodded eyes scanning for hidden weapons. "He's asleep in the tent. You'd never think that he sleeps.. Would you get your mind out of the ditch!" Tala was smirking, paying no attention to the looks the slate haired shifter was giving him. "Would someone start this already?" The other shifters jumped at the sound of their leaders irate voice, and all eyes turned to one man singling him out to start.
They were halfway through the meeting when Kai started to feel slightly sick. He closed his eyes, one hand massaging his temple. He could feel blue eyes focused on him and he shook his head lightly, letting Tala know that he was okay. Slowly the feeling got stronger, driving him to the edge. The slate haired shifter got to his feet, startling the other shifters into silence. "Carry on." The moment he stepped out of the tent he dropped to his knees oblivious to the snow that was soaking this clothing. The feeling of sickness was crawling throughout his body.
The sickness vanished and just as he was about to get to his feet he found himself thrown back in the snow. He opened his eyes to be met with feline emerald eyes and four inch fangs.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got side tracked on another story. I'll try not to take so long next time, but school is throwing a major wrench in things. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
"And that's what happened." The tent was plunged into silence as the story came to a close. Rei ran one hand down his bandaged arm, golden eyes taking in the weave of the fabric. He had been talking for almost two hours straight, explaining everything in excruciating detail. Something about Kai gave him no doubt that the slate haired shifter would want to hear everything, down to how many blades of grass had been trampled.
The silence in the tent was getting to the point of being unbearable. Rei normally wasn't bothered by silence, but the fact that his mate hadn't said anything was starting to bug him. In the short amount of time he'd been in the tribe before Kai had left, he knew that Kai wasn't one to beat around the bush. If something was annoying the leader, everyone knew about it. There was a rustling of fabric as Kai got to his feet, pulling his boots back on and throwing his cloak back on. "Kai?" The slate haired shifter looked down at his mate. "Yes?"
Rei looked down at his hands, fingers twining together. "Are you mad at me" The only sound was wind circling around the tent. "No. You did a spectacular job. We might have actually lost someone. Now go to sleep." Kai left the tent, going to see that the bandits were disposed of.
Slowly the raven-haired teen shifted, tired from the battle and pervious shifts. He dropped off to sleep, not noticing the shadow that slid from behind the tent.
*****
Kai sat up in the bed, something nagging in the back of his mind. The air of the tent was cold, putting more suspicion in his mind. He got to his feet, footsteps muffled by the carpets on the floor. Unpinning part of the door, his suspicions were confirmed. It had snowed. The snow was knee deep and piled up on top of the tents, helping to trap some heat. He pinned the door closed again and set to stirring the braziers, trying to get them to put out more heat.
Rei was still in tiger form, white body curled into a ball, fur providing little heat. Kai knelt down and slowly reached one hand out, laying it on one fur covered shoulder. One golden eye opened, watching. "Rei, it's too cold to stay out. Shift back and get under the covers." Within seconds Rei was standing in the middle of the tent, shivering with the loss of fur. He practically jumped into the bed, curling up under the covers. Kai lay back down, back to his mate. He could feel the tenseness of Rei's body and it was bugging him. He rolled over, laying one hand the expanse of tanned skin in front of him. "Relax. I'm not going to bite." A small laugh escaped from the neko-jin and he did relax, so much as to move back against the warm body behind him. An arm tentatively wrapped around his waist drawing him back. A sigh was released and both shifters fell into a peaceful sleep.
*****
Rei slipped out of the tent, feet sinking into the snow. Two small, white cats stopped at his feet, looking up at him with wide eyes. He knelt down, fingers scratching behind the ears of the nearest one. The small cat rolled on to its back, paws dangling in the air. The older shifter smiled at the kitten's antics and closed his eyes concentrating. The kittens watched as Rei shrunk, changing into a snow cat, only slightly larger then them.
The smaller cats scattered, initiating a game of hide and seek. White fur moved over sleek muscle as the shifter moved off, searching for the kittens. He slipped around the edge of a tent, body pressed flat against the snow, golden eyes focused on the small bundle of fur that was sitting on the snow, calmly cleaning spotless fur. He crept closer, almost there when something dropped down on to his back. He shifted back to his human form and looked down to find a second kitten at his feet, looking up at him with brown eyes.
He scooped both of the kittens up, watching as they shifted back. Both cubs looked at him, brown eyes shining with interest. One of the twins reached up; chubby hand gently poking the tip of Rei's slightly pointed ear. "You look like a kitty!" Rei closed his eyes briefly, concentrating. The twins squealed in delight as tiger ears appeared in the older shifter's hair. The second twin grabbed his hair, fingers twining in the raven strands. The neko-jin smiled which in turn caused the twins to smile. "I'd better get you home before your mother comes looking for you. Where do you two live?"
Both cubs pointed to a grey tent halfway across the tent. Rei made his way to the tent, weaving among the people that were up. He saw a flash of red and knew without a doubt that is was Tala. "Mooooooooooom!" One of the cubs called out. The door of the tent flew back, revealing a short shifter with greying hair. She lifted one finger pointing at the two cubs, paying on attention to Rei. "I was wondering where you two had gotten off too! I was about to send your father out to." Her rant trailed off as one of the twins pointed to the neko-jin that was still holding on to them.
Grey eyes ran over the figure and she turned bright red, finally realizing who had returned her cubs. She cast her eyes to the ground. "My Lord, I hadn't realized th." Rei's voice cut her off. "Please don't. That's Kai's title. I'm nobody but Rei. She raised her head, smiling. "Thank you for bringing my cubs back. They seem to constantly escape from me." She took one of the twins from Rei, settling the small boy comfortably on her hip. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" The neko-jin nodded, stooping slightly to follow the woman into the tent.
*****
Tala watched as Hajem's servant moved through the camp, brown eyes following the shifters as they went along on their daily tasks. He heard her ask more then once where Kai was. None of the shifters answered, bound by loyalty to the tribe. Something about the girl was rubbing against his nerves. She seemed far too happy in her role in the tribe. She was disdained and looked down upon for not being of the tribe but she seemed to keep a cheer outlook of her life.
Wolborg also seemed to find something funny about the girl. And since the wolf was an avatar of Rahee, Tala knew that there was something strange going on with the girl. He was sure that what ever she had in mind had to do with Kai.
He fell into step next to the girl, moving silently. "What do you want with Kai?" The girl jumped and turned her dark eyes on the redhead next to her. "What do you mean Sir? What would I want with the Tribe leader?" He let out a short, harsh laugh, scaring the girl even further. "Don't shit around with me like that! I can see the way you look at him. I can smell the desire that comes off of you." She looked around nervously; hoping that someone would come and help her. No one did.
Tala saw Rei come out of one of the tent's two cubs clinging to him. He turned the girl, forcing her to look at the neko-jin. "You see him?" She nodded eyes riveted on the teen. "That's Kai's mate. Shifters are notorious for being protective of their mates. I suggest you stay away from Kai if you want to stay alive. Now get out of here." The girl left, almost tripping in her haste to get away from the redheaded shifter. Tala made his way to Kai's tent.
Kai was standing in the snow, mahogany eyes raking over his tribe. Most of the shifters that were out were in some kind of animal form, trying to stay warm in the bitter air. Tala joined his friend, blue eyes closed. The two shifters stood in silence, soaking up what little heat the weak winter sunlight provided. "Tala, I don't suppose you happen to know what happened to my mate?" Tala nodded. "I saw him, five minutes ago. He had Varie's cubs with him. Speaking of the cubs, there they are."
Two small snow cats were running towards Kai and Tala, a larger one following them. Both cats stopped several feet from the two older shifters; brown eyes fixed on them. They moved behind the larger snow cat, eyes never leaving the tall leader. The third snow cat looked up at the slate haired teen, muscles tensing.
Muscles uncoiled and Kai found himself with a snow cat in his arms, the bundle of white fur curling up, a purr emanating from the small body. Golden eyes looked up at the shifter, almost begging to be stroked. Pale fingers wound through, snow colored fur, rubbing the skin underneath in soothing circles. The purring grew louder, gold eyes drifting closed with happiness. "At least you found him." Kai glanced over at Tala, eyes conveying a number of comments, none of them nice. Tala just smirked. Neither of them noticed the figure slipping from behind the tent.
*****
"That bastard! How dare he tell me what to do!" She dropped to her knees once inside her tent, drawing a waterskin from where it rested inside her clothing. A bowl appeared from under her bedding and she carefully dribbled water into it until it was half full. Reaching into her clothes once more, she withdrew a knife. It was a simple, functional knife with no adornment. She drew the blade across the pad of her thumb, biting her lower lip to stifle the small gasp of pain that was trying to escape.
Blood dripped into the water, staining it a faint red color. Her uninjured hand scrambled at the hem of her pillow, nails pulling at the stitching. A small glass vial came free in her hand and she held it up, the light from the small lantern dancing over the silver liquid in the vial. She pulled the stopper from the vial and tipped it over the bowl, watching as the silver liquid flowed into the bowl. The silver mixed with the bloody water, leaving behind a silver mirror swirled with darker streaks.
Dark eyes rolled back as she started chanting the eerie sound almost so low that it was impossible to hear. One hand moved over the bowl in a steady motion, as though trying to clean it off. The chant continued, growing louder suddenly before dropping back down. A soft light filled the tent, drowning out the light from the lantern.
"Have you made any progress?" A low, gravelly voice filled the tent, snapping the girl from her trance. She dropped her hands into her lap; eyes focused on the ground in respect. "Master.. there's a slight complication." She twisted her hands together, knowing that her master was known for his violate temper. When he spoke again, his voice was low and deadly. "There's a complication? Elaborate." She looked at the bowl, eyes laced with fear, as she looked on the image of her master in the silver mirror.
"Well Master, Hiwatari's already got a mate." She bit her lip, drawing blood when wave after wave of magical pain swept over her form. "I fail to see where that is a problem. Farrah, you are cunning and a spectacular concubine, I trust you will find away. Kill the mate. I expect to hear from you soon. And you had better be telling me that you are the shifter's new mate. Or else there will be dire consequences. You have been warned." The mage's image disappeared from the mirror leaving her alone again.
Farrah stared at the now empty bowl, thoughts running through her head at a thousand miles a minute. She rose to her feet, a slightly demented grin on her face. One hand tucked the knife into her sleeve and she left the tent, intent on pleasing her Master.
*****
Kai settled down on the cushion, watching as the other shifters sat down, eyes focused on their surroundings. Tala leaned over and elbowed his friend gently. "Shouldn't Rei be here?" Kai nodded eyes scanning for hidden weapons. "He's asleep in the tent. You'd never think that he sleeps.. Would you get your mind out of the ditch!" Tala was smirking, paying no attention to the looks the slate haired shifter was giving him. "Would someone start this already?" The other shifters jumped at the sound of their leaders irate voice, and all eyes turned to one man singling him out to start.
They were halfway through the meeting when Kai started to feel slightly sick. He closed his eyes, one hand massaging his temple. He could feel blue eyes focused on him and he shook his head lightly, letting Tala know that he was okay. Slowly the feeling got stronger, driving him to the edge. The slate haired shifter got to his feet, startling the other shifters into silence. "Carry on." The moment he stepped out of the tent he dropped to his knees oblivious to the snow that was soaking this clothing. The feeling of sickness was crawling throughout his body.
The sickness vanished and just as he was about to get to his feet he found himself thrown back in the snow. He opened his eyes to be met with feline emerald eyes and four inch fangs.