Waul was hiding under the settee pressed against the wall. His humans had come back and from the high shrieky annoying laugh of his master's wife she was in a fine mood...which would meant she would want to cuddle him to her busom.
The thouhgt was enough to make him retch slightly.
The study door opened and pair of little girl legs skipped in. He mentally sighed. Alice would bird dog him she always did. There were times he would swear she could understand him maybe read his mind but he had never tried to put that to the test.
She peered under the settee where he was hiding and grinned at him. If a girl could be termed cute Waul supposed Alice would be. She had dimples and curly blonde hair and big blue eyes and she was missing a baby tooth which made her seem incredibly younger then she was.
Waul cringed as he heard her mother's voice.
" Pussy? Puss puss pussy! Come to Momma baby!"
Waul hissed making Alice giggle a little. She stood up and called out " He's outside momma! I saw him out the window! "
Waul went limp with relief hearing the horrible woman go upstairs without him.
He sighed and reluctantly went to Alice.
" Meow." He said flatly
Alice laughed softly. " Nice to see you too...look what I got you! " She displayed a bag and Wauls ears flattened. Clothes. He began to swear silently...oh please no baby clothes. Please oh please oh please...
Alice pulled out a red garment and unfolded it for his perusal. His ears perked up. It was a silk brocade vest wihch displayed dragons when the light shone across it. He studied it pleased. Then Alice pulled out two capes for him made of rich velvet. Black for formal and a Green one for informal. He also had two more vests that had to have cost a packet even if they were small. He supposed this was what he'd be wearing to her boring little tea parties. However they would also look excellent on him for his outings. In his minds eye he saw his diva in a beautiful sleeveless dress sitting on his black cape as they triumphantly walked across the stage.
" One more thing kitty..." She dug and came up triumphantly with a bag of cat nip which sent an excited purr through waul and he found himself rubbing against her pleased.
" Momma said she wasn't buying anymore so you could be stoned all day so I used my pin money to get it so momma can't know. It's just between me and you right? "
Waul gazed at her. He had to stop himself from nodding but he perked his ears up curled his tail trying to look pleased making his eyes as big as he could.
Alice suddenly hugged him and then stood up. " Put your clothes up I have to go unpack and hide this!" She sat the catnip in front of him.
When she left he picked up the red vest and slipped it on pleased by the quality. It had been a long time since he had been treated as the well bred feline he was.
He quickly dragged his clothes to the bed and set them aside. Let the humans think he was just laying on them all day. The catnip he tucked into the pocket of his favorite traveling vest. He took a quick hit and sighed in bliss.
Well almost bliss, His mind had been on Clay McGregor and his gang for most of the morning. He had to visit the town of Green River and warn them. Except what exactly was he warning them off? The town wouldn't fall to a pack of cats. Too many humans and Whylie had some younger dogs helping him and that great buffoon Tiger to patrol and enforce the law there.
Still he wanted to at least warn his diva. He recognized her as his greatest weakness. Though he hoped they didn't know about her the look on Clay's face had clearly told him they knew everything. Those sharp intelligent eyes weren't likely to miss much.
He couldn't head back out to the town till tomorrow when his humans went to church. He decided that tonight he must play the feline grateful for his human masters. Tomorrow at first light he was going to the find some answers. The three felines that were in the town originally were back with the gang. He had smelled them. They had been stupid and slow and starving, easily manipulated. One or all three would tell him what he wanted to know if he applied the spurs properly. Clays one mistake was everyone's mistake. Waul looked like a gentlemen, had the blood and manners bred into him as a gentleman, but that didn't mean he was nice, honest, or fair.
He was thinking up plans and discarding them and coming with new ones so deep in though he didn't hear the study door open. The voice caused him to cringe to the floor with a groan under his breath. He dug his nails in knowing it would do him no good.
" PUSSY! MY BABY!"
He was scooped up.
" Oh No!" Waul moaned trying to get loose. He held his breath as his face was drawn to the enormous bosom in front of him.
Tonya Mousekewitz stood proudly in front f the store. Tomorrow it would open. The family had done it. They had a lovely display of fiddles and all things associated with that. Her father had hit the jackpot. Apparently fiddlin' was a big thing here in the West and he already had a line of clients who wanted to learn. Her and mother finished the light work then took her baby sister and went home leaving Tiger, her father, and Fieval to finish up the minor details.
Tonya dreamily brought the basket out and began to take down the laundry. Suddenly something caught her ears and she perked them up her mouth opening in wonder...
There was a voice in the air. A beautiful tenor. A singing voice so emotional and beautiful she yearned to sing with it. She headed in the direction it seemed to come from and noticed between each line there was the sound of wood being chopped.
" Find me here."
chop*
"Speak to me,"
chop*
"I need to feel you."
chop*
"I need to hear you."
chop*
Tonya peeped around a corner and saw Tar swinging and ax and splitting wood just as easy as you please. He might not have been broad like some of the other mice but since he was bigger his body was more compact and his muscles still rippled. Tonya pulled away and leaned against the barrel listening breathlessly as he sang
"You are my light."
chop*
"That's leading me,"
chop*
"To a place where I find peace,"
chop*
"again."
Tonya peeked around and saw he was gathering all his split wood and was dreamily walking to his wood stack adding the newly cut logs. Although she didn't know it he saw her out of the corner of his eyes and smirked slightly before singing some more stretching his voice.
He leaned against the stack and gazed at the sky for a moment. The very epitome of dark dreams and dashing romance.
"You are the strength that keeps me walking..You are the hope that keeps me trusting."
He began walking slowly to the barrel appearing to be lost in his own song and Tonya watched him disappear around the other side of her, blushing her heart beating a fast pulse. Suddenly from the other side of the barrel Tar placed his hand on hers and pulled her out to the opening.
She gasped and tugged briefly at her hands until she realized he was pulling her into a slow dreamy dance. This time he sang to her intensely and held her close. He had a delicious smell of fresh wood and soil.
"You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose your everything."
They made a slow dreamy turn.
"How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"
There was noise and Tonya glanced over and blinked realizing several ladies were watching Tar. He danced by a broken mirror and she got a look at herself. Her hand me down clothes her patched dress and face devoid of any makeup. Her hair pulled back into a childish ponytail.
What was she doing?
Tonya tried to pull away. Tar went down on one knee and sang to her a moment longer holding her hand to his chest. His long black fur was silky and soft and made her blushed more. She had never touched another's chest that wasn't family.
"You calm the storms and you give me rest,"
"You hold in your hands, you won't let me fall"
Tar let her hand slip away keeping his palm pressed as long as he could against her own fingers as she slid away and she back up. He gave her a look she couldn't interpret but the other ladies hurried to Tars side. He was still holding Tonya's gaze as he finished the last line of his song.
"you still my heart and take my breath away, would you take me in? Take me deeper now?"
* Everything by Lighthouse*
Tonya turned and hurried away home. Tar watched her thoughtfully while the other ladies gathered around him their perfume somewhat cloying. They fanned themselves in the heat made worse by the heavy dresses they wore with their silly hats and stupid hair does.
He politely blew them off letting them know if they wanted to come back another time why he might see about walking around town with one or two of them. Right now though he had chores.
Had to help his family and all that. His lies were so slick and compelling he probably could have suggested they leap off the water barrel and they would have run to do so. He had to stop himself from laughing at them. Stupid mice. Still, he slipped a little note to one or two real beauties to meet him later.
Clay hadn't said anything about not having some fun he had just said get to know the mouse Waul was so enamored with. He didn't see what the appeal was. She was barely out of her teen years and obviously had lived a hard life and was used to work. He hadn't heard her sing yet but he would work on that later. There was only one thing he knew for sure and it was all he needed to know. She was lonely and she was sorely lacking in genteel romance.
Tar walked into his new place and paused at the mirror. He didn't look much different then any other wharf rat but wharf rats were not really known out here since they mostly stayed on ships and spread out their communities by the wharfs. They were big and they were vicious and they held their own towns pretty well. It would take a mean vicious feline to take on a wharf rat and even then there was no guarantee that cat wouldn't get overwhelmed by a pack of them and get turned into lunch. The rats had been known to even run off humans when needed. Mice were not welcome and Tar had heard from his grandfather that there had been a time when mice had actually been on the menu if food got low enough.
They had the distinct honor of spreading plague and Leprosy which equaled more food for them. Back in the days of kings, Wharf rats had been captured and fought like dogs and cocks before humans realized the diseases they carried and outlawed it. The money though that had been bet on them! Especially if they had been pitted against an ally cat my god the money rolled in! The thought made Tar wished he could get involved in some underground fights. He couldn't risk looking threatening though and fighting would definitely make him unwelcome int his boring little water hole.
Tar ran his hand through his long black fur and grinned at the reflection. Yup he stood out in a good way. He decided to tell Clay the only thing he had found out so far is he wouldn't mind eating Waul's little mouse all up.
Catching the double meaning of that he let loose his high squeaky laugh. Boyo wasn't the day just fine?