The Mark of the Leopard

A Gift

"He's not a dumbutt!" Mehleynda glowers.

I chuckle. "Birayn." I say shaking Nala's hand. "Nice to meet you Birayn." She grins. I smile back. "Likewise."

We continue up the stairs. When we reach the top I notice a catwalk on the left going over the living room, dissapearing around the corner. On the right is a lit up hallway. Going down the hall we enter the last room on the left.

"Welcome to my room." Nala throws her arms wide spinning in a circle.

I check out the room. The walls are robin egg blue, with a bult in white book shelf. The comforter on the bed is white, with to many pillows for one person that are different shades of blue.

Nala opens one door of a two door closet and walks inside. I hear somthing fall. "Ouch. Stupid, you can't do that!" She scolds. "Are you okay?" I ask walking closer. She pokes her head out. "Yeah. I just...." She looks in the closet. "Oh crap!" She ducks and a box flys out of the closet. "Meikey! Are you trying to kill me!?" She yells at the box.

"Maybe..." The box replys.

Wait! What?!?

"Now open this box! I've been in here to long!" The box screams. "I told you I can't do that yet. My birthday's not 'til the day after tomorrow. You'll just have to wait." She tells the box. "What's going on? What's in that box?" I ask.

She plops down on her bed. "Kazi's going to kill me." She whimpers rubbing her temples. Then her eyes go wide and she stares at me. "I should be aloud to tell you. Since you're his mate and you're going to find out sooner or later." She gets up, walks over and stands next me, with her arm around my shoulder. "Tell me what?" I ask. "Watch." She says.

She points to her shelf, then a book flys out. The book starts coming towards us slowly, it stops halfway bursting into flames, and falls to the floor in ashes.

I gawk at the ashes. "I'm a witch." Nala explains.

"But I thought they all died years ago." I whisper shifting my gawking eyes to Nala.

"Nope. We just went into hiding." She gasps. "Oh my gosh! I almost forgot!" She picks up the box and puts it back in the closet. "Stay." She commands. "Yeah yeah, whatever." The box grumbles. She closes the door.

"Sorry about Meikey by the way. I opened the wrong door." She smiles opening the door on the other side and walks in. "Ah-ha!" She comes back out carring a cage. "Here he is." She strides to the bed. "Come here." She waves me over placing the cage down. I go, curious. She opens the cage and takes out an animal I've never seen before. He's body is red, brown ears and legs with a white tiped tail.

"What's his name? And what is he?"

"His name's Lex. He's a mix between a mouse lemur and a fox. He's the second rarest critter in the witchwrold. I rescued him form a boa. Isn't he cute?" She asks. "That he is." I answer. His big green eyes bore into mine. Then suddenly he jumps onto my shoulder, and rubs his head on my cheek. "Wow." Nala says with eyes as big as the lid of a pot.

"What?"

"He's never taken to someone that quickly. He normaly growls at people he sees, let alone anyone that trys to touch him. He usally bites thoes ones. Well, he bit Kazi. But, he has never jumped on someone, like that." Lex starts making a little noise, while messing with my hair. I squirm. "That tickels." Nala's giggles her eyes lighting up. "He's playing with you."

"Is he what you wanted to show me?" I inquire petting his head. "Yep. And now I'm really glad. Clarissa said I need to show him to you. I can't imagen why." She tells me. "Who's Clarissa?" I sit on the bed placing Lex down. "She's an orcal. She's the one that told me about you." She answers.

There's a knock at the door.

"Whoever it is go away." Nala shouts.

"But I want my mate."

Mehleynda perks up. "Mate, mate, mate...." She chants. "Okay I get it." I stand up and walk over to the door. "How bad do you want me?" I question. "Birayn." I like the sound of my name on his lips. "Don't do this to me. You've been in there for thirty minutes." I smile. "You're not answering my question." I tell him. I hear him sigh. "If I could come in there without Nala's permission. I would." He informs me. "Are you trying to avoid answering?" I ask. He hisses. "No. Just open the door and I'll tell you." I glance at Nala. "Should I trust him?"

"I never do." She shrugges. I lean on the door. "Can I trust him?" 

"Yes you can. Now please open the door. I get sad without him around." I sigh and open it.

"So tell me. How bad do you want me?" He grabs my hand, hauls me out of the doorway and starts draging me down the hall. I dig my heels down. "Answer me." He sighs again and throws me over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" I yell. "Put me down." He just keeps walking. I huff. Mates. We leave the hallway and go across the catwalk.

He opens a two door bedroom, drops me on a bed, crawls over me and gives me a kiss that scorches my lips. I wrap my arms around his neck, he nips my bottom lip, I grin and open my lips. His luscious toung explores my mouth, and we fight for the upper hand. He wins.

He draws back. "Does that answer your question?" He inquires breathless. I nod pulling his head back down.

"Ow!" He blurts out. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" I ask. "No. I don't know what it was." Getting off the bed, he turns the light on and picks up a pillow. "Lex! You bit me again!" He yells. Lex growls and runs to me.

I bust up laughing at the look on Kazi's face. "Just what is so funny?" He asks. "You." I reply. "Oh really?" He starts crawling towards me slowly. "Down boy." He keeps coming. "I'm warning you. I'll tell him to attack you." I hold up Lex in a threatening way. Lex glares at Kazi, baring his teeth. Kazi pinches the back of Lex's neck, picks him up, takes him over to the door, and throws him over the railing of the catwalk. Then slams the door.

He takes a step to come back to me and freezes. "You little bass*ard!" He hisses, making me jump. Turning, he rips the door back open. "Nala! Come get your rodent!" He bellows out.

Huh? What rodent?

I sit up looking around. And find Lex clinging to one of the bed posts. "How did you get back up here?" I wonder reaching my hand out to him. He jumps on my hand and runs up my arm to my shoulder. Then plays with my hair. I snicker. "You must love to play with hair." I point out petting his tail.

"What is he doing? Why isn't he growling at you? How are you even able to hold him?" Kazi asks.

"Oh Lex there you are." Nala says standing in the doorway. "I was wondering where you went." She walks to the bed. "Here." She holds her hand out. Lex materializes in her hand. I stare in shock.

Nala looks at my face and laughs. "If you keep your mouth open like that, you're going to catch flys. Somthing I forgot to tell you, Lex can teleport. And he's bound to me for rescuing him. So he has to obey me with whatever I tell him to do."

"Oh. Sorry." I look down. Why does that make me sad? "Why are you saying sorry?" Kazi demands. "You have no reason to aplogize." Lex makes a small noise looking at me with sad eyes. I frown. Nala smiles sadly and whispers something in Lex's ear. His eyes light up and he disappears.

I feel something in my hair and reach my hand up and scrach it. Then I hear a soft purring. I survey my shoulder and see Lex sitting there with a small flower in his paw.

"He's your's now." Nala announces. I stare at her wide eyed. "But you just said he's bound to you!" I exclaim. "Now he's bound to you. That means he'll do what ever you tell him. And if you die he dies too, so he'll protect you. Though I think he would protect you without being bound." She grins.

"What? You just bound that little rat to Birayn!?" Kazi yells at Nala. "Yes. You got a problem with that?" She asks folding her arms, glaring at him. "You bet your butt I do!" He growls. "Why? I like him." I pout. He regards my frowning face and sighs. "Fine."

"Ooooh. Defeated by the puppy face." Nala groans then laughs, but stops short. Her eyes roll back and she falls to the floor.

~~~~~End of Chapter~~~~~