The Bane of My Existence

Chapter 5

I was almost there when his scent hit me in the nostrils. A more hideous scent I have yet to encounter. This one particular had all the abilities to raise my hackles with minimum effort. I broke into a low warning growl but should have known better.

Calvin was not one for heeding to warnings. The orange and golden tabby cat only purred loudly. Antagonising me more. I hated that sound, it grated on my ears making my belly crawl in the ache. I snarled and snapped furiously trying to control my rising temper. I did not want to fight. Not now.

Yet I couldn't go ahead with my plans either. Calvin would know and I would never hear the end of it. Shifters do not as a rule ever reduce themselves to mere pets. It was demeaning. And yet I had done just that with Cody no less. The son of our enemy.

Only mum and Raul had known of what I had done in the past and I will not have Calvin know. I turned then knowing it would be futile trying to get to Cody now. Not without announcing the whole thing to bloody Calvin. And what was he doing here? More like whom had he been doing here?

I turned back than moving to circle on him. He leaned back away from my quickly closing in form and hissed loudly. But there was no one here now. Not at this late or should I say early hour. There was no one to protect him from me. Unless of course he chose to don a more fitting feline form. Say a tiger or something. The feeling of elation from a known quick and sure victory spread with ease throughout me. I cocked my head up with all the arrogance of a sure win. A predator knowing she had her prey in hef clutches waiting for that final pounce. The one that would lead to his scrawny feline neck clutched within my jaws snapping into his cervical vertebrae. I tasted the pleasure of his downfall with unbridled anticipation.

Calvin was going down.

I lunged at him. With a quick sure footed leap he dodged my  snapping jaws. Standing to the side he waited cockily for me to recover my footing before artfully dodging my next lunge. I couldn't hold back my snarles and growls of growing rage. Calvin as always brought out the very worst of me.

It was no wonder some fifteen minutes later the night skies lit up to the glare of florescent lighting. I blinked in the sudden shine feeling blinded by the intensity of the garden spotlight but then a name was being called out. On that drew my attention. One that revealed all my secrets to the egocentric Calvin who would no doubt use it in any and every way he could against me. A name given to me by Cody and even now was being quietly uttered by him.

"Sassy? Sassy, my girl, is that you?"

I bit back the snarl at Calvin's immediate and obvious contempt and then whimpered in utter regret as my last pounced missed the mark completely. Calvin had taken off. Speeding into the dark with his glee over this new found fodder for my embarrassment secure in his knowledge. Would that I could knock it out of him. I would have to catch him by the scruff of his neck first and then there would be nothing to stop me from wrangling it altogether.

Cool hands wrapped about my raised fur. Soothing it down. Soothing me. "Sassy?" Whispered that loving voice in awe. "I can't believe its you."

Cody's face burried in the fur of my neck and this time I whined in delight. Wagging my tail and shaking my body in complete welcome.

" God you're a mess!" I leaned back to stare at him then. "Lets get you inside and cleaned up. You're caked in mud. No way am I letting you back on the bed looking like something the cat dragged in."

That analogy was entirely uncalled for. I hissed my breath in affront. Then bit out a sharp bark in reprimand but Cody only chuckled.

"I knew you'd come back someday. I just knew you would."