Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Note: This story is going on a very short hiatus. Myself and my MisaRae are participating in a Novel writing contest for the month of November. We both have to write a short novel of no less than 50,000 words in thirty days.
Enjoy!
Felina brought the van to a stop at the top of the driveway and got out. She looked up at the house that her best friend was going to be living in and said, "Callie, you are one lucky she-cat. Not only do you have your grandmother back in your life, both you and your husband get to live in a place like this." Her eyes then focused on the large wraparound porch and its two large occupants, who were peering down at her. She slowly got back in the van, turned to Callie, and said, "I think the local zoo is missing a couple of its occupants."
Callie leaned forward so she could get a clearer view of what Felina was talking about. As soon as she did, her face lit up, and she quickly slid the van's side door open. Callie ran as fast as she could from the van to the front porch, and fell to her knees in front of one of the residents Felina had been talking about. She then wrapped her arms around him and said, "Persival, Isis is having a very positive effect on you. You seemed to have gained a little more muscle mass since I saw you last."
Persival rubbed his head against the left side of her face and let out a deep purr. He loved having Callie hug him, almost as much as he loved being with Isis. He replied, "Yes, she has, my young mistress. I needed to build up my strength in order to start preparing to father my cubs. Isis and I have been talking, and we want to have our cubs while we are still young enough to enjoy them."
Callie sat back on her feet and asked, "Persival, you haven't gotten her pregnant yet, have you?"
"No, mistress. My mate is not with child as of now. We are waiting for you and your husband to move in and get settled before we start. Persival raised his head to get a better look at the van before asking, "So who is your friend, mistress?" Persival asked.
"That is my best friend, Persival. Her name is Felina Feral, and the rest of cats in the van are also friends of mine," Callie answered. She then turned her head in the direction of the van and yelled, "Come on up, everyone, and meet Persival and Isis."
Everyone got out of the van and slowly walked up the path to the porch.
Chance took the lead and ascended the stairs. He stood on his crutches next to Callie and remarked, "So this is the famous Persival." He turned his head to the right and continued, "I guess that would make you Isis? For a jaguar, you are definitely stunning to look at. No wonder he fell for you. I'm Chance, Callie's fiancé."
"Why thank you, Chance. Although I am surprised that my mate is not acting like a jealous fool after you said that to me. You should have seen Persival after Mark called me beautiful. He was ready to rip the heart out of Mark's body."
Persival quickly turned his head to face Isis and said, "I did not act like a jealous fool, dear. I was only being protective of my mate, and nothing more," Persival responded.
"So you say, my dear. Although I think Mark would disagree," Isis replied.
Sarah ran up behind Chance as he was talking to Persival and Isis. Anxious to see more of the house, Sarah darted around Chance, but tripped over her own two feet.
With an instinct she hadn't realized she possessed, Isis rose the moment she saw Sarah trip, and moved so that the kitten would safely fall on her, rather than be hurt by hitting the unforgiving floor.
Sarah fell forward into what felt like a soft, furry pillow. She opened her eyes found herself looking into the most beautiful pair of ice-blue eyes she had ever seen.
"Are you alright, child?" Isis asked.
"Yes, I am fine. Sorry for falling on you like that. Your fur feels so soft, and you are so warm," Sarah said.
"Thank you, and who might you be?" Isis asked.
"I'm Sarah, and this little guy or girl is either Scarlet or Inferno," Sarah replied as she tickled the dragon gripping her shirt tightly so it would not fall off in the chaos.
"Well, nice to meet you, Sarah. The winged furball over there is my mate, Persival," Isis said as she pointed to Persival with her right front paw.
Persival got up and turned his whole body around to face Sarah, bowed to her, and then said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young miss."
Sarah stood up and went to Persival. The first thing she did was to study his face strong body. She then petted him between the ears, and gave him a good scratch. While she was scratching him, she inspected his wings. Sarah tentatively asked, "Can I touch your wings? They look so soft."
"Certainly, Sarah," Persival replied.
Sarah slowly went around to Persival's left side and extended her left arm. She then hesitantly touched his feathers.
Persival felt her touch, light as it was, and realized that she was holding back for some reason. He slowly extended his wing to her, so she would have better access to his feathers.
Despite his best intentions, Persival's movement made Sarah skitter backwards until she hit something solid. Sarah looked up and almost crumpled with relief at seeing that she had literally run into Callie. Seeing Sarah's distress, Callie put her arms around the kitten reassuringly as she gave Persival a censuring glare.
Persival quickly retracted his wing and crouched down in front of Sarah. He then said, "Forgive me, young one. I was merely attempting to make it easier for you to satisfy your curiosity. I did not mean to frighten you."
Callie turned her attention back to Sarah and said, "Persival may look big and mean, but he is just a pussy cat at heart. He has been Callista's and my protector since he was a tiny cub He will not hurt you, I promise."
"Sarah, I would never harm a little girl like you," Persival replied. Then he was struck with sudden inspiration. "Callie always enjoyed riding on my back when she was a kitten. Would you like to go for a ride?" he asked.
Sensing that Persival was being sincere with his offer, Sarah's eyes grew as big as saucers .She pulled away from Callie and asked her, "Can I?"
Callie responded, "As long as Persival thinks it's ok, I don't have a problem with it. You might want to give me your new pet to hang onto, though; we don't want it to fall." She slowly extended her right arm towards the dragon, and towards the dragon, hoping that it would just climb up her arm instead of biting her like like it had Callista.
The dragon opened its eyes again, and this time saw a paw being held out to it. It cocked its head as it tried to figure out what to do.
Sarah reached over to the dragon perched on her left shoulder with her right paw and gave it a tickle under its chin. It walked onto her right paw and then started to walk up her right arm. Sarah took the dragon off of her arm and placed it on Callie's.
The dragon looked at Sarah and then back to Callie.
Sarah said to the dragon, "Go on."
The dragon crawled up onto Callie's shoulder, sniffed her hair, and then curled up on her shoulder.
Sarah said, "Good dragon." She then turned to Persival and said, "I'm sorry for acting like such a scaredy cat. I have never seen a puma with wings before."
"No harm done, young miss. Shall we greet the rest of the guests, and then go for that ride I promised you?" Persival asked.
"Ok, Persival," Sarah replied, dropping to her knees and hugging him.
As Sarah hugged him, it reminded Persival of how Callie used to hug him when she was a kitten, and he couldn't help but smile. He turned his head ever so slightly towards his mistress and realized that she had grown into a very beautiful she-cat, who was soon to be married and have kittens of her own. He then said, "I remember when you hugged me like this, mistress. I loved how, no matter how hard you tried, you could not get your tiny arms around my neck, as I grew to full size. I miss those times when there was a young kitten around for me to entertain and brighten my day with her smile."
"I miss those times, too, Persival. You were always there whenever I needed or wanted you. I especially loved when I was down, or working way too hard on a project for school and needed a break, you would walk into my room and rub your head against my arm, begging me to play with you, or simply stroke your fur. So of course, I had to stop what I was doing and give you my undivided attention, or else you would put your paws on the arm of my chair and try to lick my face off," Callie said.
"I only wanted to see you laugh and smile, mistress Seeing you frown or scowl is something I cannot accept," Persival said.
Isis watched as Sarah embraced her mate, and how Persival reacted to Sarah. She got up from where she was and laid down next to Persival. She nuzzled his neck and purred in approval of his actions.
By that time, Tina and Katerina had proceeded up the stairs and now stood next to Callie. Tina looked to her left, and saw Sarah with her arms around a large, black puma with white feathery wings, but they weren't alone. There was a slightly smaller white jaguar next to them, who was nuzzling the puma's neck. She jumped up into Katerina's arms and asked, "Who, or what, are they!?"
Katerina caught Tina in her arms and spread her legs so she could support both her weight and Tina's. She softly said to Tina, "I've got you. The big kitties won't get you."
Mark made his way to the door that led to the rear porch, and as he peered through the window, he saw Tina in Katerina's arms, trembling like a frightened kitten. He opened the door and went out onto the porch. He was now dressed in a tight t-shirt that was tucked into a pair of semi-loose-fitting jeans, which were themselves tucked into a pair of boots. He asked, "So what has my tough little sister so scared that she has to seek her girlfriend's protection?"
Tina did not let go of Katerina for even a second as she motioned with her head towards Persival and Isis and replied, "That!"
Mark suppressed a bout of laughter as Tina tried to get even closer to Katerina. Instead of going to Tina to try and comfort her, he went to Isis' side, couched down, and gave her a good petting. He then did the same thing to Persival, and saw Sarah hugging him. Mark turned his head back to Tina and Katerina and teased, "You are scared of a little kitten?" Mark grinned. "I can see why she would scare you, but the other two wouldn't hurt a fly. Tina, Katerina, meet Persival and Isis."
"I think all those muscles are eating away at your brain, Mark. That is a jaguar you are sitting next to, and I'm not sure what the other one is, except a nightmare come true," Tina exclaimed.
Mark let out a laugh and said, "He's no nightmare, I promise, Tina. He has been protected Callie her entire life, and as far as the jaguar goes, Isis is his mate. If Persival was not just a big pussycat, would this tiny little kitten be hugging him?"
Tina cautiously let go of her death grip on Katerina a little in order to see what Mark was talking about. She then saw Sarah tightly hugging Persival without any sign of worry or fear on her face. Tina turned her head back to Katerina and asked, "Can you put me down?"
Katerina complied and lowered Tina to her feet. Then she did something very un-Katerina like; she lightly slapped Tina's butt and said, "I liked having you in my arms."
Tina jumped as Katerina slapped her derriere. She rubbed her butt and then said, "Tonight, my dear, I will get even. Although, you might actually like it." Tina continued her trek to Sarah's side, and got down next to her. She ruffled Sarah's hair and asked, "Care to introduce me to your friend?"
Sarah took Tina's left paw in hers and put it on Persival's head. She said, "Persival, this is my new friend Tina, and the tall, blonde she-cat that was carrying her is her fiancée, Katerina."
Mark heard the word 'fiancée' leave Sarah's mouth and asked, "Fiancée!? When did this happen?"
Katerina replied as she got down on her knees next to Tina, "We just made it official this morning, Mark." She then showed him her ring.
"Well I'll be; my sisters are getting married! Won't Lisa be surprised to hear that you and Tina are. engaged? Since you are all here, Lisa and I were talking this morning, and she wants all of you to be her bridesmaids at our wedding, except you, Felina. She wants you to be the Matron of Honor," Mark said, and then turned to Chance and said, "Chance, I want you and Jake to be two of my groomsmen. Both of you and my brothers will get along very well. My older brother Kevin is my best man, and my younger brother Sean is my other groomsman."
"It would be an honor to be your groomsman, Mark, and I am sure that Jake will feel the same way," Chance replied.
"Glad to hear it, my brother. We have all become a family over the past few weeks. We all love and care for each other so much that Lisa and I don't want to get married without any of you there," Mark said as he put his right paw on Chance's left shoulder.
Felina stood there on the verge of tears. She was already Callie's matron of honor, but she was Callie's best friend. She had been one of Lisa's instructors at the academy, as well as being one of her superior officers, but now they were comrades-in-arms as members of SWAT. Every single member of SWAT had taken an unspoken vow that the others' safety and trust was paramount. That vow created a bond between them all that could not be undone. However, Felina didn't consider herself to be a close friend of Lisa's, no matter how closely their lives were now intertwined thanks to joining SWAT. Felina stared at the ground and kicked some dirt around with her right foot. She then lifted her gaze to Mark and asked, "Why me, Mark?"
Mark turned his head to Felina and replied with another question. "Why you what, Felina?"
"Why does she want me out of all of us to be her matron of honor?" Felina asked.
Mark went to her and put both of his strong paws on her shoulders. He replied, "Felina, Lisa has always has always felt some sort of connection with you. Yes, you were tough on her when we both were at the academy, but she also knew it was your job to be. When we graduated, you gave Lisa a hug when no one else in the procession received one. Since then, Lisa has thought of you like a cousin rather than a commanding officer. That is why she picked you to be her matron of honor."
"Mark, I hugged her because she actually graduated the academy when I thought she would fail or drop out. She was a ballerina who had decided to become an officer just to be near her fiancé, or so I thought. I had to make sure that she was not a creampuff and could handle herself. She proved me wrong. Every time I tested her, or pushed her beyond what I thought she could do, Lisa excelled or shattered whatever boundary I put in front of her. That is why when I take over for my uncle as commander, I am recommending to the Commissioner that Lisa gets promoted to my assistant," Felina answered.
"What do you mean 'when you take over as Commander'? Ulysses will never retire. The Enforcers are his life. There's no way he would ever leave," Mark started.
"That was before he found love again, Mark. He is a changed tom, and wants to spend his time with his new soon-to-be-bride. He showed Jake and me the forms a few nights ago. My uncle is recommending that I take his place sometime next year when I return from maternity leave. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Commissioner's office when he reads that form. He is going to flip his lid," Felina said.
"Felina, I love having my fiancé as my partner every night, and will miss stealing glances at her every night from the driver's seat of the patrol car we both built. Most of all, I am going to miss being with her every moment of the day once we are married. However, your offer would be the best move she could make in her career, especially when we start having kittens. At least then I know she will be safe at headquarters instead of out on the streets," Mark said.
Sarah let go of Tina and whispered into Persival's ear, "I want to go for that ride you promised me."
Persival smiled, since he now had the chance to relive one of his fondest memories from Callie's kittenhood. He said, "Climb on my back and sit just in front of my wings. Then hang on tight!"
Sarah did exactly as she was instructed, and held onto his neck nice and tight. Persival turned to Isis and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes." He then walked down the stairs, extended his wings, and said, "Here we go!" With a single flap of his powerful wings, both he and Sarah took off into the sky.
Everyone except Callie was absolutely stunned at how quickly and easily such a big cat took to the skies. They couldn't help but stare as Persival continued to climb with Sarah safely on his back. Callie found herself smiling wistfully, remembering back to when she was the kitten flying through the air with Persival.
Persival craned his head around to make sure Sarah was completely safe. What he saw was a tiny kitten with a smile on her face. He asked, "Are you enjoying yourself, Sarah?"
"This is the best day I've ever had! Can you go faster?" Sarah asked, excitement plain on her face and in her voice.
Persival turned his head back around so that he was focused on where they were going before he smirked and, "Oh, yes. Here we go!" He then flapped his wings faster and turned towards the ocean. Once he was out over the ocean, he lowered his altitude so he could dip the tips of his wings into the water. Since he was going fast enough to create a small wake behind him, he figured it was safe enough to try to dip one of his wing tips into the water. He lowered the tip of his left wing into the water and it created two streams of water out from behind the tip.
One of the streams of water lightly sprayed Sarah, making her slightly wet. She let go of Persival with her left paw and rubbed the excess water from her face.
Persival lifted his wing tip out of the water, then gave both wings a mighty flap, sending him and Sarah up into the sky. He leveled off just above the low lying clouds that seemed to inhabit the area. Persival slowed down and turned his head to check on his passenger.
Sarah was loving every moment of her flight. She reached down with her right paw and skimmed the clouds. They didn't feel like much, but this was something that none of her friends or family had ever done. She lifted her paw and put both of her paws around Persival's neck. She then turned her head to the left and cuddled against Persival's fur.
Persival figured it was time to bring them back down, so he focused once again on the sky ahead of them before making a slow turn back towards the house. Once their goal came in sight, Persival gradually descended. After a few minutes, he landed on the edge of the property, folded his wings tightly against his body, and walked back to the porch. Once Persival had returned to Isis' side, to Isis' side, he folded his front legs beneath his body, bringing himself lower to the ground so it would be easier for Sarah to get off his back .
Sarah let go of Persival's neck and climbed off of him. Her hair looked like it had lost a fight with a blow dryer, but the smile on her young face told everyone around her that she had a blast riding on Persival's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as best she could, cuddling up against him as she said, "Thank you, Persival. That was the best thing I have ever done. I like you."
Persival closed his eyes, and replied as he enjoyed having Sarah shower him with affection, "You are welcome, Sarah." He then let out a deep purr.
Tina went over to her new friend, crouched down next to her, and asked, "I feel like building a sandcastle. Want to help?"
"Yes, I do, Tina. Can Persival and Isis come?" Sarah replied.
"I don't see why not. They will have to keep out of sight, though," Tina replied.
"I'm going to get changed into my swimsuit. Be back soon," Sarah said as she let go of Persival, grabbed her bag, and ran into the house to change.
Tina watched Sarah run into the house, into the house, and then turned back to Persival before saying, "She is definitely something special. One day, I hope to have a daughter just like her."
End of Chapter