Chapter Seventeen

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

A cool wind blew through the forest bringing with it the scent of damp dirt, pollen from the many flowering plants, fresh spring water somewhere nearby, and the distinctive odor of a brown hare peacefully nibbling dandelions. Unknown to the hare, a pair of golden eyes watched it from behind some shielding bushes. Not taking its eyes off the oblivious hare, the big cat slowly inched forward then halted. Strong muscular shoulders squared together as a pair of back legs arched higher in preparation to spring on its prey.

Then in a burst of power, the huge dark brown cat leaped over the bushes and landed with paws outstretched onto the hare, immediately sinking large canines into its neck. The hare let out a terrified shriek before falling silent.

With a sense of pride and delight at catching a meal, the big cat lifted its prey up, paused to sniff the air for other predators that might try and take his food, then, reassured he was alone, he hurried off toward a huge oak tree.

Pushing through the underbrush, he reached his destination. Sitting at the base of the tree and waiting for him was a light brown female cat. Her inquisitive eyes roamed the area studying her surroundings. Suddenly, her ears flicked forward, catching the sound of rustling leaves and a familiar scent struck her nose, signaling the return of her mate.
He appeared to the left of her position, the hare hanging and bleeding from his mouth. Her heart immediately cried out in sorrow at the sight but her primal side simply purred with approval and hunger. Abi immediately pushed that primal mind back but it fought her. Her ears went flat and she sucked in air as she fought her wilder side for supremacy within her mind.

Concerned, her mate dropped the hare and hurried to her side, beginning to nuzzle her face, comfortingly. After a long moment, she was able to regain control and lift her head to stare into her mate's worried eyes.

"Abi, what's wrong?" He asked, on their private mental link.

"Nothing really. I was a little upset at the sight of the dead hare but my primal side was pleased and hungry. I felt overwhelmed and pushed it back but that only made it angry and upset," she explained feeling that primal mind wanting to rush forward and eat the hare her mate had brought.

"Don't fight it, love. You must learn to work together," Feral warned her, pressing his body against her to provide comfort and support.

She stared him thoughtfully a moment then nodded before turning inward. Inside her mind, she feel her primal self but not see it. The emotions pouring at her were angry and sulky. It gave the impression of wanting to strike at her for blocking it from doing what it wanted.

Sighing, she quietly sent out a wave of soothing emotions, attempting to calm it enough to listen to her. It helped a little and it seemed to be waiting so she told it they had to work together. She was dominant in this partnership and was in control of the body but she would let it do what it needed to if it would only cooperate with her. The response she got wasn't what she hoped for. The primal self hissed and made it clear it wasn't happy with that statement at all.

Sighing, Abi tried continued to try and reason with her primal self but got no where. Frustrated, she left her inner mind and looked once more into her mate's eyes. She hoped he would have some advice for her on how to deal with this situation. Surely, he'd been through this himself too? She thought.

When he saw her unhappy expression, he could guess what had happened. "Not listening to you, eh?"

"No. I'm assuming it has something to do with trust?"

"Yes. You have to earn it's trust and believe me it will take a long time and constant sending of reassurance and tranquility toward it to finally get it to understand it will never be in charge and that cooperating is best for both of you. It took me nearly a year to get it to trust me," he said ruefully, remembering how hard it had been for him after his first transformation and how stubborn his primal self had been.

The primal self was always there, watching through a Saharas eyes from birth waiting until the moment when the cub was old enough for its first transformation then it would attempt to take over and do what it wanted to do. Every cubs goes through training to teach them how to gain their primal self's trust. More than that, a cub must have a strong will and a great deal of persistence before gaining the primal self's cooperation but worth it when accomplished.

"Really? You mean it wasn't just a walk in the park for you?" Abi asked, a bit surprised that someone with Feral's forceful personality wouldn't have succeeded more quickly.

Feral gave an embarrassed snort then laughed. "Not hardly. Our primal self is a reflection of our unconscious desires."

Frowning, Abi started to ask, "So, then how do I tame…"

"You don't tame it, you teach it to work with you, my love," he gently, but firmly told her.

"Okay, so how's that accomplished?" She asked, determined to do this right.

"Meditation is the first step and I'll teach that," he promised nuzzling her face.

She sighed then realized her primal self was no longer trying to push against her. Apparently, interacting with her mate was one of the other ways to calm it down. Good thing to know, she thought.

Seeing his mate was now more at ease; Feral went back to where he'd dropped the hare. Sending a thought back at her, he asked, "Do you think you could eat now?"

"Yes. Seeing it has made me realize I'm very hungry which is probably why my primal self was so angry with me when I refused it at first." She was certain she was right because she could feel it getting excited again.

"You are correct about that," Feral agreed, picking up the hare in his mouth and bringing it over to her, dropping it at her feet. Pushing it closer to her, he felt his own primal self purr with pleasure at providing for its mate and was anticipating the arrival of cubs soon.

Abi's stomach growled loudly and demandingly. If she'd been in her Kat form, she'd have blushed at how loud it was. She heard her mate chuckle at her over their mind link as she dropped down and nosed the carcass before beginning to rip at its flesh and eat.

He sighed with contentment, laying down next to her and watching her eat. This was just step one in a long journey of gaining her primal's trust but he would be by her side the whole way during her training. Hopefully it wouldn't take her quite as long as it had him.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

In a cyber café that provided laptops at every table for their diner's use, Raina sat at a corner table reading with a cup of tea cooling at her elbow. Her job was to research the strange activities that swirled around Megakat City. She needed to find out when they'd begun to occur and how they had grown from something barely noticeable and minor to the very strong and dangerous levels they were now. Despite some significant digging into the city's archives, she still couldn't pinpoint the odd activities origins. Sighing, she was beginning to think she'd have to search into the distant past to find what she was looking for.

A ringing bell sounded through the café causing some to look up from their laptops, except for Raina who ignored the sound as she switched search engines to begin another hunt somewhere else.

Unknown to her, Jake Clawson had been the one to enter the shop. His amber eyes sought out his favorite seat and finding it empty, headed for it, giving the cafe's staff a wave. They were used to seeing him here as he was a regular visitor.

As he approached his table he glanced to the table next to his and paused in misstep, his eyes widening. There was the female with the auburn colored hair he'd nearly run down with his truck, working on something and not looking up at all.

Feeling his heart speeding up and pounding in his ears, he resumed walking to his table and placed a paw on the chair, pausing again to study Raina's profile. He could see she was deep in thought as she studied a particular web page. Curious, he couldn't resist leaning closer and trying to see what had captured her attention. On the screen was a very old news article about the death of a corrupt judge.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Jake ask hoping to get her attention.

"No, you can sit there," Raina said absently, still not looking away from the screen at first but startled the next second when she realized she recognized the voice. Her heart suddenly stuttered and her breathe quickened, her paw clenching the mouse, unsure what to do now. Her yellow eyes flicked upward to stare at Jake as he sat down next to her, giving her a warm smile.

"Hello, my name's Jake Clawson, you new around here?" He brought a paw up to her.

"Uh, umm…yes, I…I…just moved here," Raina stuttered, her face coloring, as she reluctantly shook his paw and feeling that zing of connection then released his paw as if it had burned her. Her primal self immediately growled, wanting to get a lot closer to its mate. It wanted to nuzzle and take him...now.

Jake might not know about the female's internal struggle but he could smell her interest as well as her nervousness and it sent his heart soaring and increased his desire to be closer to her. Her scent bewitched him with the odor of jasmine mixed with lavender. Without planning to as he wasn't given to be so forward with any female, Jake found himself wrapping an arm around Raina's waist as they sat close. He wanted to kiss her senseless, leaning even closer to inhale her glorious scent into his very being.

"What is your name beautiful one?" He asked his voice low and husky.

Raina shivered with pleasure at the sound of his voice as she stuttered, "It's R-R-Raina." Forgetting to use her fake name as her eyes were drawn to stare into his. She could see desire, happiness, want, and need there in the depth of his eyes, briefly wondering if hers mirrored the same to him.

In that same low, husky voice, Jake asked casually, "Is your friend around?" He'd already cast about for the male he'd seen in Raina's company the other day, not seeing him.

Raina could hear the barest trace of aggression in Jake's voice as he asked that. She was grateful Karel was with Kazuma and Antonia right now. She didn't want to think what might have happened if they'd been here with Jake behaving as he was. He might not be as strong or fast as a Saharas but he was a warrior trained and wouldn't back down from a fight for his mate even if he didn't know that was why he was doing it. She couldn't bear for him to be hurt.

"No, he's with some friends," Raina said shifting closer to Jake.

"You two a couple?" Jake asked realizing that was really a forward question to ask someone he'd just met but he couldn't seem to help it.

Raina nearly choked with laughter but shook her head and controlled herself. "Oh no, we're just good friends."

Smiling inside at the answer, Jake asked one more very personal question, "So, is there anyone you're seeing right now?"

"Not at the moment,…why?" Raina asked getting more bold herself.

Jake blushed, raising a paw to his check and scratching it with a claw before answering slowly. "Uhm...I want to apologize for almost hitting you. I wasn't paying attention which was stupid of me. I'd like to make it up to you by, perhaps, taking you out on a date." He winced inside. He couldn't believe how forward he was being with Raina but something inside him kept pushing him to get to know her better.

Silence fell for a long uncomfortable moment. Raina could feel her face heating up while her primal self purred with pleasure at the chance to stay in her mate's company. As the silence continued, Jake was beginning to think he'd blown it by being so pushy. He was about to apologize for his behavior when she nodded. The breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding exploded out of him.

Before she could change her mind, he gently pulled the fawn colored female against his body and heard her breath hitch in surprise but she didn't try to push him away. If anything, she willingly pressed against him, her body shivering a little with need. Saying nothing, Jake leaned in and stole a kiss.

She didn't even squeak when Jake tapped her lips requesting entry, only opened her mouth slightly allowing him to plunge in. As the kiss deepened between them, they forgot where they were as they tried to get closer.

Raina wanted desperately to wrap her arms around him; wanted to feel his bare body close to own fur, nuzzling and rubbing each other, kissing and making love with abandon. Her primal self was delirious with joy, pouring more heat through her.

It took all her will power to gently pull away from the scorching kiss, remembering they weren't alone here. She could hear her mate panting heavily near her ear as he tried to recover as well.

'I've got to have her or I'll burst.' he thought his body on fire while his mind still buzzed from the hot kiss.

Raina's senses were still dazed from the passionate moment but she managed to shake off some of what she felt to look around them. Most of the customers weren't even looking their way, too engrossed with their computer. The staff gave her a small smirk which made her blush even more and turn her gaze back to Jake.

Jake had also done a quick scan around and was mortified by the knowing looks of the café staff. 'Crud, what she does to me should be a crime.' he thought, 'but I like it.' He felt an intense desire to kiss her again. Leaning close, he was about to do that when she turned her head away. He startled himself by the growl that came out of his throat. Shaking himself mentally, he reached out and took her chin gently in his fingers and turned her toward him.

"Just one more kiss," he said voice dark with passion.

"Wait! Shouldn't we be discussing that date you mentioned?" Raina said hurriedly.

Jake blinked, suddenly derailed from his intentions by the question. Trying to clear his head, he released her chin slowly and said inanely, "Uh...right..."

0~0~0~0~0~0~0

Urabe let out a frustrated sigh as she stared into the green eyes of the tom she accidentally crashed into when at the grocery store. She'd been picking up a few things and had just left the check out line when her cell buzzed for her attention. Taking it out, she saw a text from Raina saying she intended to stay the night with Jake rather than return to the safe house. She was so distracted, she ran right into the sandy tom. She mumbled an apology to the male before looking back at the incomprehensible text.

"No, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was heading," Chance Furlong apologized.

He couldn't help but stare appreciatively at the very attractive dark brown female with the gold eyes even though said eyes had glanced back up from her phone to give him a look filled with hate and anger. He blinked in surprise. He'd never met her before that he was aware of, so where did the anger and hatred come from?

"That's not the only thing you're not watching," Urabe hiss out before turning away and walking out of the store with her groceries.

Confused by her attitude and not sure why he cared, Chance suddenly went after her. Outside the store he caught up with her and grabbed her by a forearm.

"Wait a second!" He demanded.

Urabe growled and turned her head toward him, eyes glaring coldly which made him quickly jerk his paw away but not leave. That touch to her bare arm had sent a jolt of something hot and needy through his fingers and his entire body. What the heck was that?

The female's eyes lost their angry look for a moment before it returned twice as strong and even more furious. "Stay away from me!" She snarled loud enough for those around them to hear and stop to stare in some concern, wondering what was going on between the handsome striped sandy tom and the stunning dark brown female.

Growling deep in her throat, Urabe pocketed her cell phone, sidestepped Chance while clutching her groceries tightly in her arm, then stomping off down the sidewalk then turning the corner for the rear of the store before anything more could happen.

It wasn't that he'd accidentally run into her or that he was that insufferable SWAT Kat, T-Bone or even that his partner was even now making a tighter bond with Raina. No, it was because she had felt that jolt as well as the tom. Knowing what it meant had made her angry at the fates. How could they do this to them?

Quickly putting some distance between her and Chance, she cursed the heavens for such bad timing. They must be laughing their ethereal heads off right now, she fumed. She couldn't believe they'd decided it would be fun to pair up two female Saharas with those two vigilantes.

However, the mere thought of wrapping herself around that brawny tom made her face and body burn with need. She faltered in her tracks for a moment then her anger flared again, forcing the heated sensations and thoughts away as she made for the parking lot at the rear of the store. For a moment, she was so flustered, she couldn't find her motorcycle at first in the full parking lot.

As she searched, Chance had gotten over his shock at her sudden departure and went after her. His green eyes searched and found her walking down the center aisle of the parking lot and reaching a really sweet looking ride. With a burst of speed, he jogged down the row of cars trying to catch up to her before she could leave. Fortunately, she was putting the groceries into her saddle bags so he ran a little faster.

"Wait! Please!" He called to her urgently.

Finished with stowing her goods, Urabe climbed aboard her bike, her paws had just taken hold of her helmet when she paused, hearing Chance asking her to wait. She didn't have time for this. She needed some time alone to figure what to do about Raina's, and now her problem, with these two males.

One thing confused her...why, after touching him and being with him several times recently, she now suddenly saw him as her mate? Unless...it was because he'd touch her bare arm. All those other times she'd been covered by her special suit. Not an inch of her body was uncovered nor her face which was hidden by a gas mask.

Shaking her head, she pulled her helmet on and turned on her bike. Unfortunately, she couldn't turn off her mind as she thought about the other reason they hadn't made skin to skin contact. Chance's own SWAT Kat outfit. He wore gloves and even though his arms were bare, her's weren't so no contact...but now all that had changed with one innocent touch. Damn! Ignoring the frantic male running toward her, she backed out of the parking spot.

"Stop, damn it!" Chance yelled, heatedly, narrowly being hit by Urabe and her motorcycle as it switched to forward motion and zoomed out of the parking lot and out onto the road. 'Why did she ignore me?' He wondered, frustrated and deeply hurt for reasons he didn't understand. He didn't know her, yet her scorn cut him deep.

Why was that? Why did he feel so bereft that she'd left as if she was something more to him than just a passing female. Too many questions and no answers made him angry and upset. He clenched his paws then brought up the one that had touched her and stared at it. It had been just a touch but that single gesture had set off an avalanche of need and desire. He strongly wanted to go after her and make her acknowledge him.

"Damn it, I don't even know her name," he said aloud. Walking back slowly to the store where he'd intended to pick some things for himself and Jake, Chance's mind went over every detail of his encounter with the strange female.

She was dark brown, stunningly attractive, and had the most distinctive gold eyes. Wait! Gold eyes! Those were a rare genetic trait. The only other person he knew with that color was Feral. Could she be a relative of his? But how was he going to find out? No way would Feral answer his question, more likely he'd threaten him with bodily harm if he learned of Chance's interest.

However, there was someone he could ask and she just might give him the answer. A slow smile tugged at his lips. Oh yeah. Now all he had to do was find a way to meet up with her. It wasn't like he could just go right into Enforcer Headquarters and ask for her. They only saw her when they were the SWAT Kats.

Shaking his head. He had to find a way to get a hold of Felina Feral. He couldn't wait until they accidentally met up as usual, that could take too long. This would take some planning, he mused as he went back into the store.