Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
This chapter was a bear to write. Why, I don't know.
Once again, this story would not be the same without your voice Misarae. Thank You!
Jake felt a rush of jealousy as the waiter kissed his fiancée's paw, but he let it go. He took Felina's paw in his and said, "Our chariot awaits." He led Felina out of the restaurant and to the parking lot. He reached into one of the saddle bags, and pulled out two jackets. He helped her into one of the jackets. Then he placed his own jacket on. They both mounted the motorcycle, took one last look at the restaurant, and took off down the road back to the hotel.
Callie was sitting in the living room, scratching Persival behind the ears while watching the news. After a commercial finished airing, the news resumed and Ann Gora was shown. She stood in front of what could only be one of the cages at the MegaKat City Zoo. Ann said, "This is Ann Gora, Kats' Eye News. I am happy to report that the MegaKat City Zoo has a new resident. The zoo has recently acquired a white, female jaguar, which was rescued from an illegal breeder outside the city." As Ann spoke about the jaguar, her words piqued Persival's interest. Once the jaguar was fully shown, Persival stood up on all fours and started swishing his tail around. His tail hit Callie hard enough to knock her onto the floor.
"Are you ok, Persival? You have never acted like this before, as far as I know," Callie asked as she got up from the floor.
Persival answered, his gaze never wavering from the TV, "I'm sorry, mistress. I think I have just found my mate."
"What do you mean you think you have found your mate, Persival?" Callie asked.
"I have found the mother of my cubs, mistress," Persival said.
"Persival, how do you know if she even likes you?" Callie asked.
"I am not sure, mistress. I just know that she is going to be the mother of my cubs," Persival said.
Callie rolled her eyes and went to find her grandmother, leaving the lovestruck Persival to stare at the TV screen. Callista might be able to shed some light as to what Persival was talking about. Callie found Callista in the kitchen fixing a cup of tea. Callie said, while leaning against the door frame, "I think Persival is in love."
Callista stopped what she was doing and turned to Callie. She said, "Did he find another winged puma that I don't know about?"
"No, he and I were watching the news when a white, female jaguar came on the screen," Callie said, then chuckled. "He is just staring at the screen with his mouth open and his tail knocking over everything in its path, just like a love-struck kitten."
"Oh brother, I knew this was going to happen one day. Although I was hoping that it would happen later rather than sooner," Callista said as she stirred her tea. "I guess we will have to take Persival to meet his potential mate," Callista took a sip of her tea after she finished speaking.
"How are we going to do that? We can't exactly take a winged puma to the zoo. They will try to lock him up and put him on display. He wouldn't last more than a day in a cage. He is too refined and likes the finer things in life," Callie exclaimed.
"Good point, Callie," Callista said. Then she thought for a minute and continued, "We could turn him into a cub again and pass him off as a stuffed toy. Oh, that would be so cute! Having his head sticking out of your purse as you carry him through the zoo." Callista beamed as she said the last sentence.
Callie shook her head at her grandmother's comment as she thought, "Callista and Felina are going to get along real well when they finally meet. They have such similar senses of humor." Callie finally said, "Do you think that Persival will go along with that plan? He did not exactly enjoy being turned into a cub before. What makes you think that he will let that happen again?"
"If he is that infatuated with that female jaguar, he will do anything he has to in order to see her up close and personal. Persival will just have to stay in your purse in order for it to work," Callista replied and took another sip of her tea.
"If you say so, Callista. I am just envisioning him crawling out of my bag as soon as he sees that jaguar. Then trying to woo her into being the mother of his cubs," Callie said.
Callista thought about what Callie just said. Persival was only male, after all. It made sense that he would lose all common sense when a female was involved. The Commander was another perfect example of how the presence of a female could affect a male. She chuckled at the notion of Ulysses acting like a love struck kitten. Then again, he was always tongue tied when he was around her.
Callie tried to figure out what her grandmother was thinking as she watched Callista's changing facial expressions. Then she heard Callista chuckle. She knew that meant that there was either trouble brewing, or she was developing a plan that would work, but no one would be happy with the implementation. Callie eventually asked, "I heard you chuckle for a second. What is going on in that head of yours, Callista?"
"Oh, not much. I was just contemplating the thought processes of males in regard to us females, and how they stop thinking rationally when they are attracted to one of us," Callista answered.
Callie remembered when she started dating, and how the toms she dated did not think with their heads most of the time, especially when she wore a short skirt. She then said, "Persival would not dare act like that. He is not a normal tom. He has always treated me and every other she-cat with the utmost respect at all times."
"Yes, he does, but he is not attracted to you or any of your friends. This is much different. Do you remember when you had your first tom-friend back in high school, and how you acted differently around him? It is the same thing with Persival. He is going to act very strangely around this jaguar. You are not going to recognize his behavior when he is around her. Just wait and see," Callista said.
"I guess. Let's go and talk Persival into letting us turn him into a cub again so he can meet this jaguar," Callie said. Then the both of them went back into the living room and the awaiting Persival.
Persival had figured out how to work the remote for the TV, and had the news feed on a constant loop so he could watch the report over and over again. He was definitely attracted to this jaguar, so much that he could not remove his gaze from her image on the screen.
As Callista and Callie walked back into the living room, they saw Persival watching the screen with great intensity and using the remote to rewind and play the news report over and over again. Callista asked him, "How would you like to meet this jaguar?"
Persival came out of his trance when he heard Callista speaking. Then he turned to her and replied, "More than anything, Milady."
"In order for you to meet her, you will have to be turned into a cub again just for a short time and ride in Callie's bag disguised as a stuffed toy. That means, no moving around once you are in public. You will have to stay perfectly still," Callista said to Persival.
"I'll do what I have to, mistress, in order to meet her. When are you planning to do this?" Persival asked.
"We can go within the hour, if you want?" Callista replied.
"Yes, please, mistress. I do want to meet her. However, would it be better if we went later in the day so there is less of a crowd?" Persival asked.
Callista placed her paws on her hips and asked in a stern tone, "You are not planning on doing anything foolish are you?"
"Never! I always treat females with the utmost respect at all times. I will stay in Callie's bag as you requested, Milady," Persival replied.
"You had better. Otherwise, you might end up in a cage," Callista said. Then she turned to Callie and asked, "Care to try to change Persival into a cub?"
Callie looked directly at Callista and said, "I really don't know how to, and I am nowhere near ready to try anything that complicated yet. I can't even make an egg without creating a disaster, and yet you want me to turn Persival into a cub?"
"Don't be so dramatic, Callie. It's easy. All you have to do is concentrate on the task at hand, and make sure that you are not distracted," Callista said.
"Are you sure? I don't want to change him into a puma with a big head on a cub's body, or worse, creating duplicates of him," Callie said.
"Of course I am sure, Callie. You have the potential to be one of the most powerful sorceresses in history. All you have to do is practice and concentrate," Callista assured her. Then she placed a paw on Callie's shoulder to show her confidence in her.
"Alright, I'll try," Callie said.
"No! If you have that type of attitude, Callie, you are setting yourself up for failure before you even start. You have to be confident that you can do it and you will be able to cast any spell you want," Callista said sternly.
Callie shifted her gaze to Persival. Then she quickly waved her paw, and Persival was turned into a small puma cub with tiny wings. Callie shifted her weight onto one leg, placed both paws on her hips, and said, "You were right, Callista. I just needed that little push to gain the confidence in myself that I could do it."
"You did a great job, Callie. Persival doesn't look too bad, and everything is still in the right place," Callista said as she examined Persival.
Persival wanted to say something, but all that came out was a little mew.
Callie picked Persival up and cradled him in her arms, just like a kitten. Then she stroked him between the ears. Persival let out a purr.
Callista laughed while looking at the pair. She said, "You look just like a mother cradling a newborn kitten, Callie. If you act like this while holding Persival, just imagine how you are going to be when you have your own kittens. You are going to be an excellent mother."
Callie chuckled at Callista's comment, then she said while petting Persival, "You think so? I have my doubts."
"You have nothing to worry about, Callie. I was a good mother to my daughter, and she was very good mother to you. It's in your genes to be a great mother, Callie," Callista said.
"We had better get going. I don't exactly know when the spell is going to wear off. The last thing I want is to try and haul around a full grown Persival in my bag," Callie said.
"Off we go, then," Callista said. She waved her paw over the group, and they were instantly teleported to just outside the zoo.
Once Callie regained her balance from the landing, she said, "I have to learn how to do that. Teleportation will come in handy when I am running late to the office, or if there is a SWAT emergency while I am at the house."
"Yes, it is a neat and useful trick, Callie, but if it is used incorrectly, you can end up in the completely wrong place or worse. It took me years to master it. Then again, I didn't have a beautiful teacher to learn from," Callista said as she ran a paw through her hair.
Callie had to roll her eyes at her grandmother's comment. Although, she was right. Callie did have someone to train her how to use magic versus having to learn it on her own. Callie then said, "Shall we go in and let Persival meet the love of his life?"
"Definitely, we can't keep true love waiting," Callista said. Then she turned her attention to Persival and said, "You had better not do anything foolish in there. I do not want any trouble from you, understand?"
Persival just let out a mew, since he could not talk in his current form.
They all went in, made a bee-line to the jaguar exhibit, and waited for their turn to get to the front of the line. Once they finally did, Callista and Callie looked for the white jaguar that was supposed to be in the exhibit. Callie found it first, followed by Persival. Callie tapped Callista's shoulder and pointed to the top of the exhibit where the jaguar was located.
Persival, on the other hand, was not staying put as he had been asked to do. He wiggled his way out of Callie's bag and made his way to the enclosure. Once there, he studied how to get in. Once he found a way into the enclosure, he made his way to one of the small caves in the exhibit. Then he proceeded to mew loudly in an attempt to attract the female jaguar's attention.
Callie noticed that Persival was no longer in her bag. She looked around the exhibit and saw Persival disappear into one of the small caves in the enclosure. Then she heard Persival's mewing coming from the cave. She leaned over to Callista and said, while pointing to the cave that Persival had gone into, "Persival has gone into that cave up there, and is now calling out to the jaguar."
Callista looked in the direction Callie was pointing to. Then she placed her paws on her hips, and closed her eyes in order to mentally talk to Persival.
Persival was mewing when he heard Callista's voice. She said through telepathy, "What do you think you are doing, Persival? Get back here now before you are discovered!"
Persival replied, "I am sorry. I cannot do that, mistress. I need to communicate my feelings to her." Then he severed the mental connection to Callista.
Callista was furious. Not only had Persival disobeyed her orders, he had blocked her from his mind. She crossed her arms and then said to Callie, "Wait until he gets home. He thinks that he is going to get away with disobeying me. Oh, he thinks being turned into a cub was a punishment? Let's see how he reacts when his wings are taken away from him."
Callie replied, "Go easy on him, Callista. He is in love with this jaguar."
Callista's shoulders relaxed slightly as she took in Callie's words. "I'll think about it, Callie," Callista said, realizing that Persival wasn't the only one not thinking rationally at the moment. She took a deep breath, tamping down her worry about Persival getting hurt. "I hope that he gets to talk to her and find out if she is really the one for him," Callista said.
On the other side of the walkway they were standing on, there was a small, female kitten who had lost her parents in the crowd. She was frantically calling out for her mother or father to find her and make her feel safe again.
Callie heard her cries and said to Callista, "Keep an eye out for Persival. I am going to see if I can help that little kitten over there."
Callista smiled at Callie's big heart, then she thought to herself, "If Callie has any doubts in her mind that she is going to be a good mother after helping this kitten, she is going to need to see a doctor or something."
Callie walked across the walkway to the kitten. She crouched down to her level and placed a comforting paw on her shoulder, then asked, "What is wrong, little one?"
The kitten looked directly into Callie's eyes and said through a sniffle, "I got lost in the crowd of cats trying to see the new jaguar. My mother was holding my paw when another cat bumped into me. I was forced to let go of my mother's paw. Then I lost them in the crowd. They were standing just over there by the tree when I last saw them." The kitten pointed to a tree to the left of the jaguar's enclosure.
"It's ok, we will find your parents. My name is Callie. What is your name?" she said to the kitten in a very calming tone.
"My name is Sarah, and you have a very pretty name," Sarah replied.
"Why thank you, Sarah, now let's go find your parents. I am sure that they didn't go far," Callie said. Callie stood up and looked for Sarah's parents, but she had no idea what they looked like. She thought that she could ask Callista to help her in the search, but she was too far away for Callista to hear her. Then Callie realized that if Callista could talk to Persival telepathically, why couldn't she do to the same to Callista? Callie concentrated, then called out to Callista with her mind, and asked, "Callista, can you see into Sarah's mind and give me a clue as to whom I am looking for? She lost her parents in this crowd."
At first, Callista was shocked to hear Callie in her mind. Then she replied, "Sure, I can do that, Callie. Just give me a minute and try to keep her calm."
Callista concentrated on Sarah and started to probe her mind, just to see what her parents looked like and what they were wearing. After a few seconds, she saw an image of Sarah's parents. They were a short, red-headed she-cat and a taller tom with black hair and short fur. Both were wearing matching t-shirts and jeans. Callista looked around to see if she could spot Sarah's parents from where she was standing, but she could not find them, either. She then had another idea. Callista reached out to Persival with her mind again. This time using even more power to break Persival's mental barrier, she said, "I hate to bother you, Casanova, but Callie is trying to find the parents of a lost kitten. I need you to fly above the crowd and look for them."
Persival heard Callista's request to help find the kitten's parents. Even though he wanted to talk to the jaguar, and he was slightly upset at Callista for interrupting, he knew deep down that helping the kitten find her parents was far more important. He replied, "Of course, mistress. I'll help in any way I can. Who am I looking for?"
Callista sent the mental image of Sarah's parents to Persival. Then he took off out of the cave faster than a gunshot, so he would not be seen. Once he was in the air, he scanned the crowd of cats in an attempt to find Sarah's parents. He quickly found them. They stood about 25 feet away from the crowd, calling out for their daughter. From what he could see, Sarah's mother was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. Persival mentally called out to Callista and Callie, "I found them. They are standing about 25 feet to the left of the exhibit. Please hurry, the mother is really quite worried."
Callie replied to Persival, "Ok, Persival, and thank you. I will get Sarah back to her parents right now." Then she turned to Sarah and said, "One of my friends found your parents. Let's get you back to them. They are really worried about you."
Sarah started to smile since she was going to be reunited with her family. She said to Callie, "Thank you for finding them for me. How did you talk to your friends? There's nobody else here, and I didn't hear you say anything."
Callie really didn't want to reveal the family secret, but she did not want to lie to Sarah, either. She said, "My friends and I can use magic, and we can use our minds to talk to each other." Then Callie looked up in the air to find Persival. She found him hovering slightly to the left of where they were. Callie said to Sarah, "Do you see that flying cat up there?" Callie pointed to where Persival was hovering. "He is one of my friends. Now, you have to keep this a secret between us. You can't tell your parents or anyone else, ok?"
Sarah beamed when she saw Persival hovering above them. He looked so adorable with his wings flapping to keep him aloft. She said to Callie while not taking her eyes off Persival for a second, "I can keep a secret." Then Sarah asked, "Can you be my friend?"
"Of course, Sarah. I would like nothing more than to be your friend. Now, let's get you back to your parents," Callie said, and took Sarah's paw in hers as she led Sarah back to her parents. Callie waved at Persival, and he took off back to the cave to try to attract the jaguar again.
Once Callie and Sarah emerged from the crowd of cats trying to get a look at the jaguar, they found Sarah's parents sitting on a bench, with Sarah's mother crying hysterically. Sarah broke free from Callie and ran to them. Sarah's mother and father got down on their knees as Sarah ran to them. They opened their arms as Sarah ran into their waiting embrace. They all smiled as tears of happiness left their eyes as they hugged each other.
Callie wiped a stray tear from her own eye as the scene played out before her.
Sarah's father was the first to speak, "Thank you, miss, for finding our daughter."
Sarah's mother spoke next, "Yes, thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you. Sarah means the world to both of us."
Callie just smiled and replied, "You are welcome. I am just happy that I could help get her back to you safely." Then Callie walked over, knelt down next to Sarah, and said to her, "Be a good girl for your parents, and they might let you come over and see me and my friends sometime." Callie took one of her business cards out of her bag, along with a pen, and wrote her cell number on the back. Callie then said, "Anytime you want to talk, you can call me at the number on the back of this card. Go enjoy the rest of your day with your parents, Sarah." She gave the card to Sarah.
"I will, Callie, and thank you for helping me," Sarah said, then she pulled Callie into a hug, which Callie returned.
Callie stepped out of Sarah's embrace and said before leaving, "I will talk to you soon. Bye!" Callie waved at Sarah and her parents as she walked back to where Callista was standing.
Callista saw Callie emerge from the crowd. Once she was close enough, Callista took Callie into in her arms and said, "I don't think that I could be any prouder of you than I am now. You handled that situation better than I would have." Callista smiled as she hugged Callie. She then said, "I didn't think that you could use the mental side of your powers yet, but you proved me wrong, Callie."
Callie was very happy that her grandmother was so proud of her. She had just done what she thought was the right thing to do. As far as using the mental side of her powers, she was not exactly sure how she had used them, either. Callie just knew that she had to get help from Callista as fast as possible, and trying telepathy seemed to be the fastest way to do it. Callie said, "I did not know that I could use them, either. I was just so focused on helping Sarah that I blocked all else from my mind and did what felt natural at the time."
"It took me a real long time to develop that ability, Callie. You seem to have mastered it on your first try. I really need to test you to see exactly how far your powers have grown in such a short time," Callista said.
Callie savored Callista's embrace. Then she remembered Persival and started to look around for him. When she realized she couldn't see him, she asked, "By the way, where did Persival go? The last I saw him, he was flying above me and Sarah."
Both Callie and Callista looked back at the enclosure to see the jaguar heading heading into the cave where they could only assume Persival had returned after helping Sarah. Apparently, persistence had paid off. Both Callie and Callista went to find a cup of tea and a bench to wait for Persival to finish his date with the jaguar.
End of Chapter.