Hello, everyone! I apologize for being so late with this chapter; it was very stubborn and didn't want to come out. So if it feels a bit 'off' compared to my usual stuff, I'll make up for it with the next chapter. Anyway, thank you for your patience, and enjoy!

Interlude IV

Fluffy white clouds slowly passed my vision as I stared out of the window, thinking of nothing really all that fascinating, while my chin was propped up on my hand. The atmosphere had the feeling of a content and lazy Sunday afternoon, even though it was actually a Friday. Every once in awhile I could hear a bit of soft talking in an unfamiliar language (I really need to learn the Wakandan language), occasionally interrupted by a loud snort of a sleeping Asgardian as he slept peacefully nearby.

: I guess Thor doesn't have a big problem with not being the one flying. : I smirked to myself before turning back to the clouds outside. While my brain was preoccupied, my hand moved from under my chin to thread through my hair, and I grimaced at the length. Usually I keep my hair short—just above touching my shoulders—but since I had been crazy busy these last few months my hair was now down to my shoulder blades. Yeah, I'd say it was definitely time to get it cut again.

As I mused over the imminent fate of my locks, a large and dark-skinned hand gently rested on top of my own hand and pulled it away from my hair, even as a pair of lips pressed a soft kiss to my temple.

"You have beautiful dark hair, my Rose." T'Challa complimented as he sat beside me, folding his arm around my waist. "It is also a good length for you. Why do you not leave it long?"

"Because it gets in my way," I answered as I turned to press my cheek against his chest, "And it's much easier to manage when I'm in a hurry." T'Challa said nothing in response but I had a feeling that he was going to try and persuade me to grow it longer. Try being the key word here.

Instead he leaned back against the couch, pulling me down with him, and let the peaceful air surround us in a state of sleepy bliss. Of course there were a few times when Thor would grumble in his sleep, but aside from that everything was quiet in the private jet.

Now someone might be asking why the three of us are on a private jet, and where the rest of the Avengers are. The answer was easy: the others are back in the States either doing hero work or off on their own little personal thing. T'Challa, Thor and I are heading to Wakanda for research and development purposes.

A few days ago, T'Challa—my ever curious ca—uh boyfriend!—had a thought about the whole 'global snowball' event that there might be another way to detect magic and track it should the need arise again. When T'Challa presented this idea to Thor, the Asgardian prince agreed and generously offered the Wakandan scientists the chance to study Mjolnir. Privately I wondered if T'Challa did all of this so that Thor wasn't dwelling on the fact that he was pretty much marooned here on Earth/Midgard for the rest of his life. If that had of happened to me, I'd be feeling pretty low too, and grateful for a chance to do something constructive.

As if sensing my thoughts, T'Challa tightened his grip around me just a little before his fingers began to trace invisible patterns on my hipbone, quietly humming a tune under his breath. I rubbed my check against his chest in response before pressing my ear against his heart, my body relaxing as the soothing rhythm lulled me into a doze.

Outside of the window opposite us, fluffy white clouds slowly passed us by.

######

When I woke up a few hours later, we were just about ready to land in Wakanda. Once the plane finally stopped moving, we were escorted to the palace. We hadn't even gone inside before T'Challa and Thor were swamped by scientists who wanted to know everything about Thor's hammer and its magical properties, so eager to be studying such a rare object. Normally I would join in with a few ideas of my own, but I had promised myself that I was going to take things easy on myself, so no research for me.

Before I got the chance to sneak off and do some quiet exploring, I spotted a smiling Chantè as she quietly slunk over to my side. After the last time I was in Wakanda we had a few chats over video chat, but between her training to be a ceremonial bride, and me being both Avenger and girlfriend to T'Challa, we haven't had that many opportunities to talk.

"It is good to see you again, Briar." Chantè greeted me with a firm hug, "and in such good spirits, too. Has something happened between you and the king?" That innocent grin wasn't fooling anyone, especially me. I knew that T'Challa had called his second-in-command a few months ago to announce that he and I were dating, and apparently there were a few high pitched squeals of joy in the background. So she definitely knew that something had happened between T'Challa and I, and I just hoped that nothing gets insinuated.

"It's good to see you too, Chantè," I smiled back, "How's your training coming along?"

"Wonderfully," She then proceeded to tell me all about the progress she's made, from hand knives to bigger weapons; and all of the diplomatic things to learn about her place. Something, might I add, that makes the work load I had in Oxford look like nothing compared to what she's got to learn. But aside from the insane amount of lessons, Chantè somehow manages to find time to herself and either call me or watch American TV shows.

She was in the middle of telling me about watching Captain Planet—which made me want to do the same—when out of nowhere I felt something small, fuzzy and somewhat heavy plough into my leg, and this mysterious creature proceeded to wrap its sharp arms around my leg and lick at the back of my knee. I finally steadied myself to look down and discovered my new attachment was a little panther cub.

"It looks like you have a new friend, Briar." Chantè teased me.

"Aw! Isn't he adorable?" I cooed softly before reality smacked me in the face, something Chantè noticed immediately. Wherever a baby goes wandering, you can bet that there's a mama and/or a papa nearby. Speaking of which…

"Oh, dear," I breathed as a much bigger panther, plus two leopard cubs, appeared from the garden bushes and silently padded over to my side. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder keeping me grounded, even though my adrenaline was screaming to run away. It took everything in me not to jump and run when mama panther started sniffing at me.

"Do not move, my friend: just let her smell you." Chantè softly instructed me, "She and her cubs will leave afterwards." I know she was trying to keep me calm, but I was feeling anything but calm! One part of me was scared witless that I was so close to a big feline predator, but the other side of me was crazy happy that I was so close to a big cat predator, which admittedly is a once in a life time offer.

As if sensing my conflicting emotions (which it probably could) the magical staff I always keep by my side began to glow, catching mama panther's attention and interest. As she pressed her nose against the wood to sniff, her eyes began to glow just as mine did. It lasted for a second, maybe more, before our eyes went back to normal. Momentarily forgetting my fear, I rubbed at my eyes, hoping to sun spots would go away soon.

"Briar, are you alright?" Chantè questioned with concern lacing every word.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I honestly answered her, "that was kind of strange though."

"Indeed, it was." A smooth and silky voice purred in agreement, and it took me a few seconds to realize that if had been the mama panther that had just spoken. At least I think it was.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say something?" I asked in a polite voice, even though I'm sure it had raised an octave or two.

"Of course I did." She answered simply, "and I presume you are Briar Rose Stark; the young human cub that Mitali the elephant spoke so highly of?" Her question did leave me a little confused for a moment (how did a panther know my name?) before I realized that she spoke of Mitali, and that I understood what had happened. My magi-staff had created a way for me to hear what animals say, and vice versa, just like with Mitali months earlier.

"I am her, yes." I nodded, and then spotted Chantè with a very confused face. "Long story short: magic in my staff can create a link between me and animals so that we can talk to each other."

I guess this sort of thing is a common occurrence here in Wakanda; after my explanation, Chantè looked like she understood. Then again, this place is as much steeped in mystic arts as it is in modern science.

Before the three of us could compare notes on what just happened, there was a squeaky little growl from my leg, effectively reminding me that there was a cub attached to my leg, and still licking the back of my knee.

"You know, I really hope I don't get eaten by this cute little guy." I remarked in a half serious half flippant tone, something that made the mama panther laugh (if an animal can laugh).

"He won't eat you, little one." She assured me, "He is just fascinated with your scent."

"What did she say?" Chantè whispered in my ear. I forgot that the link only works on me, since the magical-staff is attuned to my being.

"Apparently I smell nice." I answered before giving a little shrug. "Oh, well. I've smelt worse." Both Chantè and the panther mother laughed at my quip, and the last of my adrenaline and panic began to fade away.

"So tell me, young one," the mother panther addressed of me, "what brings you back to Wakanda this time? I hope it is not another village in distress." There was a undercurrent of teasing in her tone, but I'm frankly wondering just who hasn't heard of that incident, let alone how long people—and animals—are going to keep throwing that at me.

"Hardy ha-ha," I laughed dryly, "No, no heroics this time. The king and his scientists wanted to study a magic hammer. I came along for some rest." That and to get out from under the gazes of two certain someone's, though that was probably my fault. Never answer a call from your brothers (biological and/or otherwise) when giving your boyfriend a back massage; it's just not worth the loss of sanity…or the endless string of innuendoes…or the dreadful attempts of 'The Talk'. The last one still gives me nightmares.

Thinking of my boyfriend, I looked over to see that T'Challa and Thor were still engrossed with the conversation with the scientists, only now they were joined by W'Kabi and two of the senior Dora Milaje. The two ladies noticed me, and one gave a friendly wink as the other smirked at the cub attaching to my leg.

Out of the blue, I admitted something to Chantè that I'd been hiding since the first time I met her. "You know something? I was really terrified of you Dora Milaje."

"Oh? But why were you scared of us?" She inquired, "We all like you, especially before you became the king's girlfriend."

"True, but I didn't know that you all like me." I pointed out to her, "I didn't think you ladies liked me, or at least tolerated me enough to date T'Challa without the negative commentary." Chantè silently raised her eyebrow at me, and then her face melted into a warm and friendly smile as her arm slung itself over my shoulders.

"We would never do that," She promised me, "Not when you show a lot of promise, both as a nice person and a brilliant warrior. Besides, it is good that there is a girl out there that can keep the king's ego in check." The look I gave her prompted my friend to smile innocently, only for the both of us to be sent into a giggle fit.

"As I said before, Briar: the Dora Milaje like you." Chantè repeated once the both of us had calmed down from our laughter, "So we have no issue with you being with the king."

"Indeed." The mother panther agreed, "All the animals in Wakanda agree that you are worthy of the human king's love." Aw, well ain't that an ego boost of an ego boost? I repeated to Chantè what the mother panther had just said, and she gave me that 'I told you so' smile that I just had to roll my eyes at.

"Although there is one thing we would like to see more from you." My new feline friend spoke in a serious manner, "You are not as assertive in situations as we know you can be." Hey!

When I repeated this to Chantè, she (at least) had the nerve to look a little bit apologetic as she agreed. Hey, I can be plenty assertive! I mean, look at the time I saved the entire Wakandan kingdom from N'Jadaka, for example.

: Hate to burst that bubble, sunshine, but that was more reaction than pro-action. : The little voice commented in a matter-of-fact tone. : You need to get ahead of the game in order to beat it. : Oi, even my subconscious against me. Sadly, I had to admit defeat on that score.

Briar Rose, despite everything that's happened you are still a shy person.

"We are not saying it should be an enormous thing." Chantè encouraged me, "Maybe something that happens between you and the king that neither take all that seriously. Like a…completion or something."

Hmm, something like a competition between us, huh? Well, the only thing that springs to mind is our efforts to make the other blush, something I am losing at badly. It's not that I don't want to make him blush, but more that I don't know what will make him blush. That, and how extreme can either of us can get away with before we cross a line.

Another squeaky growl, plus a whiskery lick on the back of my knee brought me out of my thoughts…and to an idea that was just perfectly wicked.

"So I just need to be a little more out-going, right?" I mused out loud, to which both Chantè and the mama panther nodded silently, making my smile turn just that little more devilish.

: If I play this right, then revenge shall be mine! : I thought. Restraining the urge to smirk outright, I straightened my posture and strode over to T'Challa. With a squeak of protest, the panther cub followed after me, his mother and Chantè taking up the rear with twin looks of curiosity and concern.

I stopped just behind T'Challa, catching the attention of a few scientists, plus Thor and W'Kabi. I pressed my finger against my lips in a silent plea for everyone to keep quiet. When no one betrayed my presence to the king, I lowered my hand and waited for an opening.

"Is everything alright?" Of course, sneaking up on T'Challa was nigh impossible, thanks to his heightened sense. Oh well, but at least I could put my plan in motion.

"Of course, T'Challa," I answered him honestly, laying honey on my trap. "Though I do have a question for you?"

"Indeed?" The fact that he hadn't turned around yet just made everything so much easier, especially now that my punchline just re attached itself to my leg and continued its business.

"We did have the discussion on how much love and affection we display in public, yes?" I asked in a 'remind me' tone, further keeping him off-guard.

"No outrageous boasts of love; no spontaneous bear hugs—though a gentle one in the event of a hard day is permissible; and as your brother so tactfully put it 'no face sucking in public'." He rattled off a mental list even as he scoured the digital pad in his hands for an unrelated matter, "So yes, we did have that discussion. Why do you ask?"

I barely remembered to keep my plan going after hearing him recited the list pretty much verbatim, which was a little scary.

"Well, bearing all that in mind…can you please stop licking the back of my knee?" You could hear a cricket chirp in the stunned silence that followed. Thor gave me a strange look, but then finally noticed the cub at my leg and broke out into a wide grin. W'Kabi noticed as well and subtly covered his smile with his hand, the two Dora Milaje following suit. A few scientists were snickering to themselves even as T'Challa slowly looked over his shoulder at me.

It must have been my completely honest and serious tone, or that my face was blank except for the little arch in my eyebrow, that made him look at me with an expression of sheer amazement mixed with disbelief and a good dose of 'what in Hell's name are you on?!'. I struggled to keep my face neutral as he began to stammer a response.

T'Challa floundered for a few minutes before our Asgardian friend took pity on the king. He placed his giant hand on top of the king's head and gently tilted his head downwards to my leg, where T'Challa saw the panther cub with its paw wrapped around my leg and licking at my knee without a care in the world. That's when the penny dropped and everything fell into place.

Everyone began to laugh, though Chantè and the mama panther were the loudest in near hysterical laughter, while T'Challa just looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes and his lips firmly pressed together to hide his smirk.

"I will get you back for that, Rose." He whispered as he leaned towards my ear. I just smiled innocently, even as I dabbed my forefinger against my tongue and made a small stroke in the air—point to me, and many more to come after.

: Revenge is mine, and damn it feels good! :

######

"I have to give you credit, Rose." The mama panther tittered a little while later, "That was very bold of you." I playfully dipped into a small curtsey that made her laugh again.

After I had played that little joke on T'Challa, everyone decided to go off and do their own thing: T'Challa and Thor followed the scientists to someplace within the palace so they could begin studying Mjolnir; W'Kabi went back into the palace to take care of internal matters (if there were any); Chantè and the two Dora Milaje went off to their training grounds for further lessons in diplomacy. Since I didn't really feel like following anyone, I was left to my own devices, the mother panther and her three babies at my side.

"It appears I may have misjudged you, little flower." My friend admitted, "You do have some assertiveness after all."

"Some, yes, but I'm working on the rest of it." I told her. She gave a soft chuckle as she turned and began to walk away, all three of her cubs obeying her silent gesture to follow her.

"Come." She commanded in a gentle tone, her tail flicking in an inviting manner, "You may see my family." Rather than feeling indignant at being ordered by an animal—or frightened that I was meeting more of her family—I fell into step beside her as she led me into a remote part of the palace grounds. Here the flora grew large and wild, providing lots of shadowy areas that were just ideal for lurking animals.

The cubs began to wrestle among themselves, all three playfully batting at each other amid squeaky little growls. Aw, what I'd give for Voltaire to be here too! He'd love to play with them.

I pushed my thoughts aside as I was led into a large clearing, where I found quite the number of jaguars lounging about. There was a jaguar resting on a log that overlooked the whole area, its eyes keen and ears alert. Another was on the ground sitting beside an obviously pregnant female, gently licking her face, as another had its head resting against the pregnant female's rump. In the centre of the clearing was another jaguar with the same harsh look as the one on the log, with a younger cub sitting beside it as they both watched two fully grown jaguars fighting each other, with a lot more seriousness than a cub would show.

: Now I understand what people mean about the lion's den. : I quietly gulped to myself as a tiny trickle of fear began wiggling its way up my spine. Hearing my soft noise of discomfort, the mother panther brushed her head against my hand and gently purred.

"Do not fear, little flower." She assured me, "You are most welcome here."

"Zuri, what is this human doing here?!" Anyone else get the feeling that she spoke too soon?

The one who noticed my presence was the female who had been overseeing the bout, but now she was up on all fours and baring her teeth in aggression. The two that had been fighting mimicked her pose, adding their own growls to the older females. The one that had been resting against the pregnant female had half risen in response to the others, but wasn't showing any aggression. If anything, this one looked more curious than angry.

"Calm yourself, Boipelo." My friend—Zuri—commanded gently to the other female, "All of you. This human is a friend to us." The jaguar that stood on the log gave a loud derisive snort as it leapt from its perch and padded over to glare at me.

"This…'creature' is a friend to us?" He questioned in a mocking tone before giving Zuri a dark look, "No human is our friend, nor are they welcome here." Clearly his tone insulted Zuri completely as her hackles raised and her teeth bared a loud warning growl.

"Easy there, Tamrat." The jaguar that was tending to the pregnant female called in a calm tone, "Zuri knows her own rules. Besides, are you really willing to attack your queen?" Wait a—what now? Zuri is a queen in this group?! Before I could ponder that thought any further, or move my body so that I can either run or help Zuri, something rustled in the bushes nearby.

: Oh, my god. : I nearly cursed out loud as two more big cats appeared: a regular jaguar and a really big black panther that was just as big and tall as Voltaire. The new jaguar saw me and the others, and instantly sided with the rest of its family, crouching down low as its claws popped out.

: Time to go! : Not waiting for Zuri, I pulled out my magi staff and increased its length. So much for staying out of trouble and taking things easy today: maybe I should have gone with T'Challa. I kept an eye on the pride even as I slowly backed away, hoping to get the jungle growth before any of them moved. If not, I just hope I can scream loud enough for someone to hear.

"ENOUGH!" roared a voice that seemed to echo throughout the clearing, freezing everyone in their place. The great big panther eyed everyone to make sure no one dared disobey him before he rose to his feet and softly padded towards me. The others silently backed away as he came closer, all except Zuri. Either she was being very brave, or she had the most insane amount of stubbornness!

The male panther now stood in front of us, eyeing me off with his bright golden eyes in a way that felt very nerve-wracking. At one point, Zuri tried to speak on my behalf, but a low growl from him kept her silent. She reluctantly sat back on her heels and gave me a fleeting concerned look.

"Kneel, little human." He finally ordered, and no power in the world could help me to resist his words. Unable to break eye contact with him, I slowly lowered to my knees even as my hands began to shake. Once I was settled (but completely freaking out), the male panther took a step closer until we were nose to nose, and staring directly into each other's eyes.

: If I somehow survive this, I swear I will never wander off on my own again! :

Then something strange happened between us.

I felt a soft breeze on my shoulder, though it weirdly felt like someone's hand, offering me comfort…and I found myself relaxing into the touch. Something of a similar occurrence must have happened to the panther, because he began to relax as well. Then, the biggest shock in my life (perhaps) happened: in the panther's golden eyes, I saw T'Chaka—looking at me with a look of pride, and the rest of my apprehension melted away.

The next thing I saw was a great pink tongue as it dragged up alongside my face, and my ears filled with a deep rumbling purr of contentment.

"You are most welcome along my family, Rose." He spoke in a deep and warm tone once he stopped licking my face and backed off a little. For my part, I gave a small smile and bowed my head in gratitude.

It was another matter with the five jaguars that wanted to kill me; they were gobsmacked that I was allowed to stay here and in one piece, and the male and female that had spoken were making noises of protest, which were being ignored for the most part.

"Perhaps next time, Zuri, you could let me know in advance that you are bringing a friend." The male panther remarked teasingly to my friend as he strolled over to her, "If only to keep Tamrat and Boipelo quiet."

"Of course, Zuberi," She purred as she pushed her head under his head and started to nuzzle against his fur. He gave a chuckle in reply as he licked to top of her head. Now that the danger had passed, Zuri's cubs bounded over to her and Zuberi, mewling for some attention as well.

Tamrat and Boipelo gave me one last filthy look before they moved to the far side of the clearing with the three other hostile jaguars. The youngest cub began to follow them though he paused to look back at me in a sort of wistful expression—like he wanted to come closer and examine the human, but a growl from Boipelo stopped that idea fast.

"I would not worry too much about them, little flower." The friendly male jaguar spoke as he came to stand beside me, "They take the safety of the pride a little too seriously, particularly for betas." So Zuberi and Zuri were the leaders here, and Tamrat and Boipelo were their seconds-in-command. OK then, so where does that leave my newest friend?

Wordlessly I was invited to follow my new pal over to the pregnant female and the curious jaguar. "I am Imanu." He introduced himself, "This is my mate Imani, and my eldest daughter Boitumeio."

"It is wonderful to meet you, little flower." The pregnant one—Imani—greeted in a soft purr, "Do not pay too much attention to those who dislike you—they do not matter to your comfort and happiness." You know, something about these two felt very familiar and comforting. I do believe I'll get along quite well with these two.

"Thank you, my friends." I smiled at them both, "I'm honoured to be here." While they took my words in stride, their daughter carefully crept from behind her mother and slowly snuck up to my side, sniffing at me very curiously. Trying not to move all that much, I sat very quietly as Boitumeio investigated me to her hearts content, while I tried not to giggle at her whiskers tickled me.

While I was being examined by a big cat, I thought about my current situation: I am surrounded by a whole family of feline predators—some of whom have made clear they'd rather kill me than call themselves my friends, while the others are perfectly happy to have me around. To top it all off, there is now a jaguar's nose right into my left ear.

Trying not to squeal out loud, I thought it strange that the eldest children were still living with their families, even when the newer generation were either here or on their way.

'Something on your mind, little flower?" I turned my head—to the mild protest of Boitumeio—as Zuri and her family came over to us. Immediately, her rambunctious three cubs playfully pounced onto Boitumeio and me, with Zuri's little panther cub folding himself into my lap and began licking at the crease of my knee.

: And just what's with this cub and my knee?! : I thought to myself before turning back to Zuri, "Just a few things, why? Is something wrong?"

"Not at all; but you have become rather quiet." She remarked as she and Zuberi sat beside Imanu. Zuri regarded me with a feline look of concern, "You were not like this earlier." When I left T'Challa a stammering mess after falsely accusing him of licking my leg—yeah, I can see why she'd be a little concerned.

"I know: it's just that there's a lot to take in at the moment." I admitted, vaguely gesturing to her and the others. "It's not every day that I'm invited to meet a family like this one." Wasn't that the truth?

Zuri and the others must have understood, and Zuberi directed the conversation elsewhere…kind of. That old saying about cats and curiosity must also apply to their bigger cousins, because they all asked me question after question about myself, and they begged (or in Zuri's case demanded) for long details.

I lost track of the time, but I'm guessing my 'interrogation' had lasted for quite a while—they haven't even begun asking me about my relationship with T'Challa yet—when I was thankfully spared by Amara, the eldest daughter of Tamrat and Boipelo.

"Yes, yes; the human's life is very fascinating." She snidely remarked as she lazily stretched her body, at the same time drawing the ire of Boitumeio and Zuri to name a few. "But it is almost time for us to hunt our evening meal, and I doubt our….guest would eat what we do." You could really hear the revulsion in her voice when mentioning me, and as tempting as it was to sink to her level and smack her in the face, I decided to take the high road.

"Actually, it is getting pretty late. I should probably find T'Challa before he worries." I announced to the others as I slowly pulled the now sleeping cub off my lap and quietly passed him to Zuri.

"Very well, Rose." Zuberi nodded. He then cast a glare over at the obnoxious jaguar family, a look that made them all flinch in a small amount of apprehension. Ooh, karma, how much I love thee?

"Mavuto, would you care to show our friend the path home?" Zuberi asked of their youngest child, even if his tone was clearly ordering him to do so. The youngest cub hesitantly stood on all fours and slowly made his way closer to me, as if expecting something bad to happen.

"Um…t-this way, h-human," He nervously demanded before flinching at Zuberi's soft warning growl, "Ah! I mean, R-Rose!" I gave my new friends one last wave goodbye before getting up and following the nervous young jaguar down the same path that Zuri had lead me down earlier today.

And I've got to say, I've never met such a scaredy cat in my life, pun not really intended.

Mavuto seemed to be trying to keep one on the trail in front of him and the other on me behind him, so he really wasn't doing a grand job of paying attention to where he was walking.

THUNK!

"Ow!" Head, meet tree trunk.

"You know, far be it that I tell someone else how to go about their way," I began as I knelt beside the poor jaguar as he shook his head, "But maybe you should focus one thing at a time." My words didn't seem to install that much confidence or courage into my furry guide, but at least he was letting me get this close to him without panicking.

"But you are a human, are you not?" He questioned cautiously.

"Yes, and you're a jaguar." I nodded slowly, not really seeing where this conversation was headed.

"It is just…" He trailed off into a soft mumble, so the most I could hear was something having to do with 'skin'. Why do I get the feeling that I won't like where this is going?

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that again?" I asked in a polite and patient tone.

"Do you not want my skin?!" He exploded angrily. Mavuto then realized what he had just done and immediately shied away from me, in case I reacted badly to his outburst, though he needn't have bothered moving away from me: I was too busy trying to digest what he had let out.

"Want your—ew, no!" I exclaimed in disgust, "No! I don't want your skin! I don't wear another animal's skin, especially since most of my friends are animals!" It then like someone had dropped a tonne of bricks onto my head, and everything (or nearly everything) began to fall into its proper place.

"Mavuto, what have your parents been telling you about humans like me?" The poor, startled jaguar was clearly shaken by my own outburst, perhaps even having second thoughts about whatever he'd been hearing.

"J-just that you humans like to chase my kind until we are so tired we cannot run any further." He slowly began, "Then you take your knives to our hides, while our hearts still beat, and you—"

"Ok, no more, no more!" I quickly exclaimed, doing my best to keep the mental images out of my poor little brain. You know, I'm really starting to dislike Tamrat and Boipelo, not to mention Little Miss Snide Face—otherwise known as Amara. And heaven only knows what's gone into Dakarai and Añuli, thanks to all the horror stories their parents have been filling their heads with.

"As for…all that earlier stuff, I don't do any of that. I even hate and condemn the people who participate in things like that." As Tony and pretty much the entire elite class well know, thanks to an incident some time ago where an absolute idiot asked me out to hunt elephants with him. Let's just say that he won't be asking that of anyone ever again...or be able to look in the mirror the same way.

"So you…you do not want my fur?" Mavuto slowly asked as he timidly crept closer, "Or my heart?"

"No." I firmly answered him, keeping as much disgust out of my voice as I could. My words seemed to get through to some part of him, and the fear he was holding inside was beginning to fall away. Maybe instead of being angry at his parents, I should show Mavuto that I can be just as scared of him as he could be of me.

"So I guess I'm not the only one scared here." I remarked out loud. Mavuto titled his head in curiosity, silently asking me to explain what I meant. "Well, I was surrounded by a whole bunch of predators that could easily kill me, faster than I can blink." His ears fell sharply against his head and his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"But we would never do that to you," Mavuto protested in a calm tone, even as his growl was becoming very pronounced. "You came under the protection of our pride's queen, and you are the mate of the human king."

"Maybe so, but that didn't matter to your parents all that much." I reminded him. Mavuto opened his mouth to give a response, but nothing came out. Eventually he closed his mouth and looked to the side in shame over his parents actions.

"I see your point, and it is a good one." Mavuto mumbled softly. He lifted his head a little to give me a hopeful look. "Perhaps, if you are not afraid of me…we could start over?"

"I would like that very much." I smiled back at him. To cement our new budding friendship, Mavuto rubbed his face against mine, licking cheek. Having a cat lick you is the strangest feeling ever, mostly because of their scratchy tongue, especially if they are licking your face.

To thank him for gesture, and for taking the first step, I gave him a good scratch under his chin, something that he clearly loved a lot.

: I have high hopes for this kid. : I told myself as we began moving again, this time side by side, and the air began to fill with all the questions that Mavuto wanted to ask me earlier. For every question he gave, and every one that I answered, I asked my own about his family, in particular why everyone was together as a giant pride.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful Mavuto; I'm just very confused." I assured him, "I always believed that jaguars left their parents after a certain age to go out on their own."

"You are not mistaken, Rose." He replied, "Normally, a jaguar would leave their parents at a certain age, but usually because there is not enough food or space for all to stay in one place."

"But I take it that's not a problem for your family?"

"The palace gardens alone are large enough so that if one of us wished to be alone, we do not have to be concerned with running into our other family members. Also, if we find ourselves short of food, the humans in the palace freely give us some of theirs, though we rarely face that problem."

Hmm: not a bad arrangement, actually. Mind you, I also suspect that the jaguars and panthers stay within the palace grounds because it offers a level of protection from poachers and other bad people like them, but that's just a suspicion.

Mavuto and I continued our delightful chat until we broke out from the wild undergrowth and into the brilliant light of sunset. As my eyes readjusted themselves, I heard someone calling my name. When my eyes could finally see again, Thor was standing in front of me, a relieved look upon his face.

"There you are, Lady Briar," He spoke, "T'Challa and I had not seen you nor heard from you since this morning; the king was beginning to worry." Oops, I guess I was gone longer than I thought.

"Rose, this is where I shall leave you." Mavuto announced, eyeing off the giant Asgardian with a bit of worry. To spare my poor friend from having to put up with any more humans (or off-worlders), I gave Mavuto one last scratch around his ears and said goodbye. Then, with a friendly lick to my cheek and a flick of his tail, Mavuto disappeared back into the jungle.

"A new friend, I gather?" Thor questioned teasingly. Saving that topic for later, I directed the conversation to what he and T'Challa had been up to all day. Since 'mortal science' wasn't really Thor's area of expertise, he could only give me a glossed over version of whatever happened.

They had called it a day only an hour ago, and that's when T'Challa realized that I hadn't followed him, or Chantè when he asked her, hence why Thor was flying around.

Well, I am kind of hungry myself, so maybe joining my boyfriend for dinner was a good idea. I just hope he doesn't try to get me back for this morning.

######

It was the sudden silence that woke me up.

Even though Wakanda doesn't have the exact same night-time sounds as New York, it did have a jungle life and I could always hear some distant animal creating a hullabaloo or two. But tonight there was nothing, totally and utterly quiet.

It made me worried.

Pushing the bed sheet off, I softly slipped out of my bed and padded over to the large open window. From this vantage point, I could see a fair distance away, but only in the daytime; night time was a tougher time to see anything.

: Maybe I'm just being paranoid. : I told myself, which would explain so much. I'm so used to having Voltaire snoring nearby, or even T'Challa sleeping beside me that total silence seemed very unnerving. I was beginning to be tempted to sneak my boyfriend's bed a cuddle up to him. I know T'Challa wouldn't mind—he'd welcome it—but the Wakandan council was another matter; they were rather 'old-fashioned' when it came to unmarried people (in particular their unmarried king) sleeping together. So for the sake of propriety, T'Challa and I were in separate beds…while here in Wakanda.

The only down side now is that I'm left alone to deal with my paranoia.

Deciding that there was nothing wrong, I turned around to go back to bed, figuring that maybe in the morning I could persuade T'Challa into playing hooky so we could get some private cuddling time.

I just reached the edge of my bed when there was a scratching noise at the door, swiftly followed by a loud yowl that sent me jumping into the air before diving for me my magi-staff. As soon as my fingers enclosed around the wood, the yowling turned into words that I could comprehend.

"Rose! Rose, open the door, quick!" Mavuto pleaded, snapping me out of my panic. I pretty much threw myself at the door and pulled it open. In hindsight I probably should have given myself a second or so to calm down, but I didn't—when I opened the door, Mavuto had been scratching again, and instead of getting the wood, his claws scared against the skin on my thigh, just above my knee.

For the record, yes—having sharp claws dig into my leg does hurt like holy Hell. No, Mavuto didn't cause much damage to said limb that would end up in some sort if impairment later on. Quite frankly, I was a lot more concerned by the fact that Mavuto was covered in mud and bleeding claw marks than my own injuries.

"Rose, help us! A rogue panther is attacking my family!" And after that, I also didn't care if I woke up the entire palace. I barely paused to put some shorts on—did I put shoes on?—before I snatched up my weapon again and shot out after Mavuto.

All I was concerned about is whether or not I could make the difference between a family surviving or…yeah, I'd rather not think about the 'or'.

######

: You know maybe you should have thought this through a little bit better. : If it weren't for the fully grown and incredibly pissed panther chasing me, I'd probably agree, but it was too late for that now.

When Mavuto and I got to the rest of his family, I discovered that Mavuto had underestimated the situation: it wasn't just an ordinary panther attacking them all—this thing is bigger than Zuberi, and he's about the size of Voltaire, not to mention stronger too. Zuberi, Tamrat and Dakarai were already down with some serious looking wounds; Boipelo and Zuri were doing the best they could; everyone else had gathered around Imani and the rest of the cubs, acting as the last line of defence.

Heaven only knows what forced me to move, but there I was getting, between the bad panther and Zuri and swinging my staff baseball-bat style into his face. Something it really did not like, at all.

"Foolish little human." He snarled at me, "I shall teach you to cross me!" It was a bit of a blur after that but it eventually boiled down to me getting this thing away from the injured pride and further into the jungle. By the way, it's hard enough getting through here in the daylight, but at night? Forget it!

I stumbled out of into a wide open clearing and hit the ground just in time for the panther to sail clean over my head, his claws out. That definitely would've been end of me if I hadn't dropped just in time! He hit the ground with a hard thud, dazing him only for a short second or two, but just enough time to keep him off balance.

Breaking my staff into eskrima sticks, I conjured pair of whips and began striking at the grounds nearby his paws, never giving him a chance to gear himself attack again. But I was definitely giving him plenty more reason to want to kill me.

Only I didn't expect what happened next to happen at all.

From the bushes behind my feline opponent jumped out Amara, and she looked way more angry than she did earlier today. She attacked the rogue, and I couldn't help but think that this was like the fight between Simba and Scar in The Lion King, only this fight was a lot more brutal. I could only watch from the sidelines as these two fought it out, even though I knew Amara was way out of her depths here.

"Why do you fight me, Amara?" The rogue demanded as the circled each other, "You and I are destined to be together!"

Together, as in—

"I will never be yours, Jelani!" Amara screeched viciously and went into a killer's frenzy on 'Jelani', even though he was giving back as good, if not a lot better.

: So Jelani was willing to attack an entire pride just to get to Amara? : I thought to myself. Well, he has a big pair of brass, I'll give him that much. My mind snapped painfully into reality just as Jelani landed a sickening blow against the side of Amara's head that sent her face first into the ground, and with enough force to leave her dazed for sure. If that was against a human like me, I would definitely be dead.

Amara was lucky enough to be spared that fate, but that blow didn't do her any favours while Jelani didn't look at all hurt from their encounter. Geez, this thing must have been into something heavy before coming here; he didn't look hurt after fighting the prides heavy-hitters, it didn't look like Amara any hits in at all, and he totally forgot that I was here as he stalked over to Amara.

"Now the fire in ours heart shall be as one." He declared as he stood over the defenceless jaguar. Amara desperately began to crawl away, but cried out in fear and pain when Jelani latched his mouth around the back of her neck…just as an idea smacked me in the face.

"Oi, Jelani!" I shouting, catching both of their attention. "Forget someone?" Jelani raised his head from Amara's neck to growl at me, irked beyond measure that I had dared to interfere with his business yet again.

"What's the matter; too weak to finish off a human?" I taunted him, "You're weaker than Zuberi!" Oh yeah, that really ticked Jelani off! He threw himself off of Amara and stalked angrily towards me.

"You are going to suffer, slowly, human." He promised.

"Are you insane, human?! Run!" Amara shrieked at me, but I kept my ground—why was I still kneeling?—and my cool. Jelani came closer, and closer, and close—got him!

Before he could take another step, I aimed both ends of my staff at him, and fire shot out to surround him. Jelani shrieked in loud terror, even as they began to turn into roars of angry defiance, but the ring of fire was unflinching.

: Well, now that you've trapped him…what next? : My inner self asked me.

Ah. I knew I was forgetting something.

: WHAT?! :

Before my sub conscious could curse me any further for my foolishness, Jelani finally found the courage (or something resembling it) to leap over the ring of flames, claws out stretched and sharp teeth bared…only to have a hammer slam into his side mid-flight. I cringed as several somethings went crunch inside Jelani's body from the impact of the hammer alone, and then he fell to the ground in severe pain. Amara and I could only stare at the gasping form that was our brief nightmare before I followed the hammer's path back to its owners awaiting hand.

"Dare I ask?" Thor simply questioned me as he landed beside me. In the distance behind us, I could hear faint shouts as people scoured the jungle. I gave one last look at Jelani before turning my face up to look at Thor.

"Let's say I'm a magnet for trouble wherever I go, and leave it at that."

And that's that! Eh, some of it was up to my usual standards, but I feel like there are a few flat pieces in there. Oh well; I'll do better next time.

And how about that family of panthers and jaguars, huh? Don't worry if you miss stuff, I'll probably explain it all better in the next chapter. Until then, please review (nasty comments will either be ignored or forwarded to the Hulk to be dealt with) and have a good day!