Higher Than The Alpha (#Wattys2014) »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

EIGHTEEN

EIGHTEEN – Bit My Tail [Victoria]

Feeling Lex's mind brush against mine was a heady experience.

Lex? I felt stupid at calling for him in my head... until he responded.

Vic?

I grinned as much as my cat face could and pounced on him. Lex took it as the play it was and fell with my gentle push. Nuzzling him, I let my cat take over as she then rolled against him. Brushing our fur against his.

Marking me? Lex asked, amusement running through the bond that was newly created.

Uhh...

Crap, was I? But that seized to matter as Lex returned he brushing... uh, marking.

As we played, red coated tigers appeared. Rolling into a stand, I greeted them, and was momentarily surprised when Christopher's voice entered my head.

As you are now family, we can talk to each other. If you would like to talk to us, it will take a little more concentration that it does to talk to your mate.

I nodded to show that I understood as Caine came up to greet me. I saw Lex go still as Caine greeted me. Once the greeting was over, in which time I ended up swiping at Layke who playfully tried to start playing, my stomach grumbled, and I was reminded that I hadn't eaten anything in a while.

Go hunt with your mate, Victoria, Christopher said to me, and I knew he said it so that we could all hear him. I'll keep these lot off your tail.

JJ disappeared for a second, before coming back with a rabbit in his mouth. Dropping it in front of me.

Lex growled at him. Quit flirting with my mate.

Sniffing the offered rabbit, I huffed at JJ before heading towards where the prey had been, deliberately brushing against Lex as I did. Staring at JJ until he gave me a cat grin.

As I moved into a trot, Lex followed me as I hunted my prey with my cat's hunting skills on my side. The deer hadn't ran off too far. It was a herd of one buck, eight doe, and several young.

As we crouched in the bushes, Lex told me to watch for signs of weakness or age. The main reason was because it wouldn't hurt the herd as much. The second reason was because they were just easier to catch.

We have more strength than speed or stamina compared to other were's, he told me as his fur brushed against mine, making my cat purr at the touch. A werewolf, for example, has a mixture of all three, and can choose which they'd like to use. A werecheetah has more speed. A werebear, strength. A werebird, stamina.

I understand, I said. Picking up on a limp that a doe had as she walked a couple of paces away from the herd for grass. I showed Lex what I'd discovered.

Good one, he said. Follow your cat, she knows how to hunt.

Doing as he'd suggested, I slunk back until I could walk around the clearing the deer had put themselves in without them seeing me. Lex followed.

Every couple of steps, I checked to make sure that the deer hadn't caught my scent. That they were still there, blissfully unaware of my presence.

Creeping closer, through the bushes, I went as close as I dared to look at the herd again. The buck was looking around, but not like he was alarmed. A couple of the babes were play fighting as most the doe's were feeding on the grass at their feet.

Creeping somewhat closer, I knew that it was now or never. Preparing my hind-legs, I pushed out of my hiding spot, eyes on my target. The deer's fight or flight kicked in a second later and they were running. But my second of surprise still counted as the doe with the limp fell and fought to get back up. Just as she got a couple of paces away, I jumped, landed on her, sunk my claws into her body like butter, sunk my fangs into her neck and dragged her down as I felt blood pour out of her body in slow trickles. As I suffocated her, I saw that Lex had taken another doe down and was doing the same.

As the doe's died, I reminded myself that this was a world where it was said that only the strongest survived. And I also told myself that it was feed my tiger or another predator would kill her.

Once I was sure she was definitely dead, I laid her on the grass as Lex dragged his catch over.

If you can't eat her like that, let your cat take over, he said soothingly.

And so I let my cat take over, but I made sure to watch. Why should this be disgusting, it was what we would have done thousands of years ago. We still did it now, just with a title of "slaughter house" over the roof of the building that it was done in.

As I came to the end of my meal, and Lex's his, I licked my paws and cleaned Lex's face of the blood as he returned the favour. Laying in the clearing with the sun on over us, I wondered if it was possible for life to get better. I doubted it. Laying next to Lex, his head on my paws, my head over his, purring as the sun warmed our furs, I couldn't imagine it getting better, because this was heaven.

Hearing a roar some time later in the distance, we both looking in it's direction. When it came again, I knew it was Lex's family calling for us. A sudden thought hit me, were they my family now too? Could I call them brothers? The thought sent a buzzing feeling through me, the only other "brother" I'd had was Charlie. I might have just added another five to that list. The thought made me smile. And a father? I'd never had one before.

As we ran towards the tiger that had roared, our fur brushed every now and again. Coming close, I slowed down. Lex's ears twisted back, signalling he'd heard me slow down, but he carried on. Clearly comfortable leaving me to do whatever I wanted in a forest where we were the big bad.

Creeping around the clearing, I saw Lex move among his brothers and father who were lounging around in a spot made for the sun to warm. Lex climbed a rock in the middle of the clearing before settling down.

Seeing Ink stand and shake his fur, I decided to have some fun. Creeping out of the trees, I saw that only Lusan and Layke saw me. But then, with the knowledge I knew about them from Lex, I would be worried if they hadn't.

Creeping up behind the cat that was at least twice my size, I pounced on his back, nipping his fur.

Ink snarled, swivelling to attack until he saw that it was me who had claws in his back. Using my claws and tail to keep balance, I found it quiet funny that he was so large I could walk on his back... until he shook himself. Landing onto the ground, I lifted my front paws as his head came down to bite me. Pushing his face with my paws, I knew as a fact that the only reason I was winning was because he was letting me.

Curling, I wrapped myself around him like a kitten until I could bite him. In return he bit my tail. I heard a growl and immediately recognised it Lex's.

But that didn't stop us. Using paws, and me gently teeth, we played until Lex's jealousy – that I could feel through the bond like a heavy weight – brought him over to us, to snarl at Ink.

Ink laughed, playfully pushed me over with his gigantic head then went to lay next to JJ.

I was only playing, I reassured Lex as his tiger rubbed himself against me.

Lex merely growled.

Suddenly, Lusan perked up. The others looked at him, Layke stood to look in the same direction as Lusan was. Then as though in sync, the red tigers all stood and came over to where I stood with Lex.

What is it? I asked.

Wolf, Lusan's voice told me. His eyes, like the other's, were scanning the trees.

  

Scenting the air, all I could smell was tiger. But no, there was another scent that hadn't been there before. Scenting the air again, I realised that it was getting stronger, I looked into the trees where Lusan was looking. Only to see a large grey coated wolf with black eyes.

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