Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Another fun chapter is here. Enjoy.
Welcome aboard GrantmBaker. Enjoy your flight.
Thank you MisaRae!
Sarah giggled as Tina and Katerina turned their heads towards Callista. Both of their faces were almost as red as tomatoes from being caught showing their love for each other so publicly.
Tina rose to her feet, dusted herself off, and then said, "I am sorry for jumping her in front of all of you, especially Sarah. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I shouldn't have let that happen. "
"It's ok, Tina. You love her. I think it's great that you two are going to get married. I hope when I'm old enough, someone will love me as much as you two love each other," Sarah said.
Tina walked over to Sarah, dropped to her knees, and put both of her paws on Sarah's shoulders. Tina gazed directly into young Sarah's eyes and asked, "It doesn't bother you that Katerina and I are she-cats?"
"Why would it bother me? Katerina is in love with you, and you are in love with her," Sarah stated, as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world.
Tina pulled Sarah to her and embraced her tightly. She closed her eyes as tears started flowing again. Tina then answered, "No Sarah, it shouldn't matter if two cats of the same gender want to marry. You are wiser than some of the cats that make the laws."
"I'm glad, Tina. You and Katerina make a great couple. Can I come to the wedding?" Sarah asked.
Tina pulled back so she could see Sarah's face before replying, "Of course you can come to our wedding. I don't think I would want to get married without you there." She paused, looked to Katerina and asked, "Right, my love?"
Katerina was already standing next to Tina and Sarah when she heard Tina's question. Katerina fell to her knees, embraced them both, and replied, "Yes, I think she needs to be there, Tina. I don't want to get married without seeing that cute little face staring back at me. However, I think she will make a better flower girl. What do you say, Sarah? Would you like to be in the wedding party as our flower girl?"
Sarah's eyes gave her answer immediately. She squeezed both of them as hard as she could before replying, "Yes! I want to be your flower girl!"
Katerina lifted Sarah up, putting the kitten up on her left shoulder as she started to rise to her feet.
Callista put the second tray of rings down on the counter and said, "Every flower girl needs a special necklace or something to signify the importance of their role in the ceremony. Come with me, Sarah. I think I have just the thing for you."
Katerina put Sarah down, and Sarah walked over to Callista. She extended her left paw for Callista to take in hers.
Callista smiled at Sarah and took Sarah's paw in her right one. They then walked off towards the corner of the store where Chance was entertaining himself by looking through the photo album.
Chance heard the two she-cats approaching, turned his head towards them, and said, "You are going to make an adorable flower girl, Sarah. I'm sorry for being so gruff earlier."
"It's ok, Chance. I get grumpy when I'm not feeling good, too. What are you looking at?" Sarah asked.
Chance leaned his crutches against the wall, opened his arms, and said, "C'mere Sarah, and I will show you."
Sarah let go of Callista and went to Chance.
Chance took the risk that his leg would be able to support both his and Sarah's weight, and picked her up so she could look at the photo album.
Callista walked over to the pair and joined them in peering at the album. As she did so, she realized they were all staring at the photo of an old portrait of her and Esmeralda posing in front of her castle.
Sarah looked down at the album, saw the same photo, turned her head to Callista, and then asked, "Is that your great, great, great, grandmother?"
"No, Sarah, that is actually me and one of my best friends, Esmeralda. She may look scary, but she was as gentle as a butterfly.. unless you tried to take over my kingdom or attempted to date me. Then she would eat you," Callista answered.
Sarah's eyes widened, then she asked, "You were a queen!?"
"Yes, I was a queen, many years ago, Sarah. This city was once part of a kingdom called Megalith over 400 years ago. I am actually slightly over 500 years old. My body ages at a much slower rate than normal."
"Wow! That would make Callie what? Two hundred years old?" Sarah asked.
When Callie heard Sarah ask if she was over two hundred years old, she quickly turned to Sarah and said, "I am not that old, Sarah. I am only in my late twenties. My GRANDMOTHER may look really young, but she is ancient!"
Callista tickled Sarah under her chin and said, "I am not ancient, Callie. I am just well-preserved."
Sarah laughed as Callista tickled her. She then asked, "I thought you were Callie's sister? Why would you both lie to me about something like that?"
"Oh Sarah, we did not mean to lie to you," Callista said. She then wrapped her arms around Sarah's neck and said, "Adults sometimes have a hard time accepting things that are out of the ordinary. If I had told your mother I am several centuries old, or even just that I am a sorceress, she probably would have thought I was crazy. The little fib was for her benefit, and not meant to hurt you. Do you understand?"
"I think so. Can I look at more of the pictures, please? You look so beautiful in that long gown," Sarah replied.
"Sure you can, Sarah," Callista replied.
Sarah flipped the pages in the album and stopped at a photo of Callista with what appeared to be a prince or a king with his paw around Callista's waist. Sarah asked, "Is this your husband?"
Callista walked over to Sarah's side and took a look at the photo she was staring at. Callista then replied, "No, he was not my husband, Sarah. Steven came along much later in my life. That is my first tomfriend."
Upon hearing the word 'tomfriend' leave Callista's mouth, the rest of the group came over to where Callista and Chance were standing in order to take a gander at one of Callista's mysterious tomfriends. They all saw Callista in her royal gown with a simple crown on her head, and then they noticed the tom that stood about three inches taller than her. He was wearing a tunic that showed off his upper body, a wide black leather belt cinched around his waist, a pair of form-fitting pants that enhanced his long, muscular legs, and finally, a pair of black boots. The prince was not as built as Mark, but that did not stop them from admiring the prince's body.
Callie leaned over to Callista and asked, "Is this the prince you were telling me and Lisa about?"
"Yes, he is, Callie, and he even looks better without his shirt on," Callista whispered in reply.
Callie took another look at the photo, and imagined the prince holding the exact same pose he was in the picture, but now he stood there with his arm around Callista's waist sans his tunic and shirt. The prince's chest and shoulders were well-defined, as well as his abdominal muscles. She looked a little further down on the prince's body, and witnessed a small tuft of coarser fur right under his navel. She walked over to Chance and whispered into his ear, "When you and I are alone tonight, I am going to dress you in something very similar to what the prince is wearing, just before I rip it off of you and have my way with your hot body."
Chance put Sarah down and wrapped his left arm around Callie's waist. He then replied, "I don't think I can wear that outfit, Callie. I'm a little bigger than that prince is."
"Don't worry about that; it will fit you like a glove," she said, as her right paw slid down his back and landed squarely on his firm butt. She then gave it an affectionate squeeze.
Sarah left the group and wandered over to the display cases to the left of where they were standing. She peered into the case and saw a fiery red, jewel-adorned, egg-shaped object which stood upon a black wooden pedestal. Sarah turned her head to Callista and asked, "Callista, what is this?"
Callista walked over to where Sarah was standing and looked into the display case. When she realized what Sarah was looking at, she replied, "That egg was found outside my castle's walls by one of my guards. I spent months poring over books in attempt to find out what might have laid that egg, or if it possibly belonged to another kingdom that was visiting mine and had been accidentally left behind. Would you like to see it up close?"
"Yes, Callista. I would like that very much," Sarah replied, as her tail swished in anticipation.
"Alright, please be careful while you're holding the egg. It is very old, and even I don't know exactly how fragile it is," Callista said as she went behind the case, opened it, and lifted the egg off of its resting place. As Callista handed the egg to Sarah, she said, "Remember what I just said, Sarah. This is very old, and might break easily."
Sarah took the egg from Callista and slowly brought it to her chest so she would not accidentally drop it. As she held the egg tightly against her warm body, the egg started to move slightly. Sarah felt the egg in her paws starting to stir and asked, "Callista, the egg is moving. Any idea why?"
Callista quickly made her way around the display case and to Sarah's side. She waved her right paw over the egg, and saw the silhouette of what could only be a baby dragon. Callista then said, "I don't know how I could have missed that. I guess the fetus was too small, or I was still too inexperienced in using my powers at the time to have seen it, but what you are holding, Sarah, is a dragon's egg. And from what I have just seen, we are about to witness the birth of the first dragon in over 450 years."
"A baby dragon?" Sarah asked. She looked at the egg she was cradling in her arms, and then the egg moved again, but this time it almost seemed to vibrate. Her face lit up and she screamed, "This is going to be so cool! I get to see a real dragon!"
Tina left the rest of the group, who were still looking at the photo album, and came up next to Sarah. She crouched down to Sarah's level and asked, "What is going to be so cool, Sarah?"
Sarah turned to face Tina and replied, "I'm holding a dragon's egg, Tina. I am going to see a real, live dragon hatching!"
Tina lifted her head to face Callista and asked, "Is this true, Callista? Are we bringing a dragon into the modern world? Is this really a good idea?"
"It will be fine, Tina. I think. Once this little guy or girl hatches, it will look like just a small lizard for a few years. Then its wings will start to grow. But until then, it can live right here in my shop and apartment," Callista replied.
The egg vibrated once again, a little more violently. Sarah looked down at the egg, and saw a tiny little crack near the top. She said, "I think its hatching."
Katerina came over to Tina's side and crouched down to be at the same level as Tina and Sarah. She then asked, "What has you both so captivated?"
Sarah looked past Tina to Katerina, and was only able to say, "Dragon" before with one last heavy shake, the top of the fractured egg popped off, quickly followed by the head of the tiny creature that had been hidden inside. It let out a high-pitched screech, then opened its eyes and saw Sarah's face. The dragon started cooing as it instantly bonded with Sarah and emerged from the remnants of the egg.
Sarah watched as the tiny, scarlet-colored dragon left its former home and crawled up her left arm. It settled down on her left shoulder, and brushed itself against her cheek before falling asleep with its tiny claws firmly attached to her shirt.
"Aw, it's so cute! Can I keep it?" Sarah asked.
Callista reached out with her right paw, and gave the tiny dragon a gentle caress. Without removing her gaze from the tiny creature resting on Sarah's shoulder, she replied, "I don't think that would be a good idea, Sarah. My friend Esmeralda weighed in around 800 pounds, and when she stood on her rear feet, she was over nine feet tall. I highly doubt your parents would want to have a pet that big in your house. However, you can come here and visit it anytime you want." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys to the shop. Callista removed a key from the ring and handed it to Sarah, saying, "This key will open the front door to my shop, Sarah. You are welcome to come here for any reason."
"Are you sure, Callista? I'm only five years old. I don't even have a key to my own house yet, and you just gave me the key to your shop that is full of very expensive things. I don't want to accidentally break something," Sarah said.
Callista got down on her knees in front of Sarah, put her arms around her, and answered, "I trust you, Sarah. I know you will be careful in here, and this little one needs a name. Would you like to name it?"
Sarah took one more look at the resting dragon on her shoulder, and instantly came up with two names. She said, "How about Scarlet if it's a girl, and Inferno if it's a boy?"
Tina said as she gazed in astonishment at the dragon perched on Sarah's shoulder, content as could be, "I think those are great names, Sarah." She then turned to Callista and asked, "Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?"
"To be honest, Tina, I am clueless. From what I read, dragons don't develop reproductive organs until a few weeks after hatching. I guess we will find out then," Callista replied, as she removed her arms from Sarah and stood up. She looked at an old Grandfather clock on the wall and said, "Callie, the house is about an hour's drive from here. If you want to get there in time to have some fun in the ocean, or whatever you have planned, you should get going."
"You are right, Callista. We should get going," Callie replied. She then said, "Behave yourself tonight, Grandma. When Ulysses sees you in that dress, not only is he going to be speechless, he is going to be so overcome with lust, he is going to want to take you straight to the bedroom and make you scream his name."
Callista blushed just a hair, and then replied, "I promise I will be a lady at all times, Callie, at least, while we are in public. However, when we get back here tonight, Ulysses might be the one screaming."
"Whatever, Grandma," Callie said. She turned to Tina, Katerina, and Sarah, and then said, "She is right about one thing, though. We do need to get going. We need supplies for dinner tonight, plus it is such a gorgeous day, it would be a shame to waste it doing errands and such."
Tina and Katerina got up, and then Tina said, "You are right, Callie. It is such a nice day, and I want to build a sandcastle with my new friend." She took Sarah's paw in hers, looked down at her, and asked, "Would you like to build a sandcastle with me, Sarah?"
"Definitely, Tina!" Sarah replied. She then asked, "Can my new pet come too?"
"I don't see why not, unless Callista has an objection?" Tina asked.
"The dragon will most likely sleep for the rest of the day; but tonight, it is going to want to be fed, and I don't know if Sarah is quite ready for that," Callista answered. She reached out with her right paw to remove the baby dragon from Sarah's shoulder.
As Callista's paw got within inches of the dragon, it opened its left eye and saw a giant paw heading straight for it. Inwardly panicking, the dragon did the only thing it could think of to defend itself. It waited until the time was right, and then it bit down on Callista's index finger.
"Ow!" Callista yelled, as she was bit by the baby dragon.
The dragon let go and snorted at Callista, then curled up on Sarah's shoulder again and soon lulled itself back to sleep.
"That little lizard had better learn its place, or when it gets bigger, I will turn it into a handbag!" Callista exclaimed. She then shook her paw and inspected her finger. Not seeing much damage, she said, "I guess the dragon thinks you are its mother, Sarah. I am going to have to teach you how to feed and care for it. Raising a mythical creature is a very large responsibility. Do you think you can handle this, Sarah?"
"I can do this, Callista," Sarah replied. She looked down at the sleeping dragon on her shoulder, and then back at Callista. She then said, "I promise I will do my best to take care of the dragon. Mom is not going to be happy about this, though."
"We will deal with that when the time comes, Sarah. Meanwhile, it is going to need crickets, lots of them, and an eye dropper for water. Feed it every six hours, and give it some water. Dragons like heat, so you will need to keep it warm, especially at night," Callista stated, as she put her paw on Sarah's free shoulder. Callista peered into Sarah's eyes and then said, "I know you can do this, Sarah. However, this cute little dragon will soon be a huge, fire-breathing adult. Though I highly doubt it will ever harm you, since it seems to care for you, just as Esmeralda did for me. You have been given a gift that no other cat has ever had. You get to raise a dragon from birth. This is not something to be taken lightly, Sarah. This dragon has bonded with you, and that bond can never be broken. He or she will be part of your life forever. Do you understand what I am telling you, Sarah?"
Sarah looked down at the sleeping dragon, and then back to Callista. She replied, "I think so, Callista. I will raise him or her the best I can, and when it gets bigger.. well, I'll deal with that when the time comes."
Callista smiled to lighten the mood and replied, "I expect nothing less from you, Sarah. Now go on and have fun for the rest of the day!"
"I will, Callista, and thank you for such a wonderful gift," Sarah said.
Bast and Ptah peered into a cauldron from their home in the heavens. They watched the dragonling hatch from the egg and instantly bond with the mortal kitten. Bast then said, "That was not supposed to happen. Esmeralda's child was supposed to bond with our daughter, and not this mortal. But it's too late now. What's done is done. This Sarah must be something special in order for a dragon to develop such a strong bond with her. My dear husband, we are going to have to keep an eye on this kitten. I have a good feeling she is going to be a very large part of our daughter's life." Bast cuddled into Ptah, who was more than willing to accept his wife's affections.
He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He then said, "Our daughter is very lucky, my dear. Her family continues to grow. They all love and care for each other, and are willing to give up everything just for the chance to see another of them smile. Her life will certainly never be boring! Just wait until she gets married to Ulysses and Callie has her kittens. Our daughter and great-granddaughter are going to have their paws full with raising three demi-goddesses."
End of Chapter