Hammers in the Shadows

Part Two: Hammers in the Night - Chapter Sixteen

I nodded slightly and sighed, perhaps in this case my mate was correct. It still disturbed me that a child Tanya's age could act like a toddler in her sleep, but if it meant that she could sleep... I would rather that than the alternative.

Three hours later I walked around the large custom made couch bus with the driver, Igor, two Protectors, and Tanya. I was carrying my tablet in a soft attaché case along with a few supplies for Tanya's needs. She'd taken her time waking up that morning and I could tell that the pacifier had done something to get her to relax a bit, though once she was fully conscious she'd been more than a little embarrassed about using it.

"Igor, we better get on the road soon." I said as we performed a walk around of the bus to ensure that it was ready for the trip. The vehicle, like our other two busses, was a custom job that had fewer seats than a normal vehicle of it's size due to the size of those who would be boarding it. "We want to reach the airport by the time the charter plane arrives at thirteen hundred. I would rather we not leaving them waiting around for us to get there."

Igor nodded, crouching down to check the trailer hitch. We were going to be bringing the trailer with us since Vera had said that she was sending us a few larger items of cargo that she thought that we could use.

After making sure that everything checked out we boarded, and I found myself a seat that was relatively close to the driver. Seated right beside me was my daughter, though I knew that she was feeling particularly kittenish today and I would have to live with it, though sometimes it did cause me to wonder.

I was lost deep in thought about the situation with my daughter, and how best to help her become a normal cub her age when one of the Protectors behind me cleared her throat.

"Yes Ivanovna?" I asked after shaking my head to clear my head of that line of thought.

There was a slight pause before the Protector answered, "Sir I am not sure how much it will help you but sometimes you have to let a cub figure things out on their own. Forcing them to change because you think it will make them normal is probably the worst thing that you could do."

I turned and looked around the seat to her, "I didn't think I had asked." I told her.

"Sir you were thinking loudly enough that even the dullest cat on this bus could hear you." She replied, "I am sorry if I am imposing a bit sir, but if what I am feeling is true you are worried about her future."

To that I had to nod slightly. "The damage that Yasmira did to her and the other cubs was rather extreme, how could they do such a horrible thing? These were their next generation, without these cubs their group would eventually die."

"That's the thing with Rogues sir. Once they go beyond a certain point they don't really consider the consequences of their actions and how those actions will impact those around them."

"Yes," I sighed looking over to where Tanya had gotten herself wrapped up in a game on my tablet. "But even then, every instinct in their body should have told them that causing so much pain and suffering in their cubs was wrong. Hell, even a human under normal circumstances can't help but be driven to care for and protect the next generation." I told her softly while watching Tanya, she had her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on solving the puzzle on the screen.

"I understand that sir, I just thought that I'd tell you how I, and my cat, feel about the situation. Hell, if you'd given me the chance I would have ripped Vladimir's guts out and watered his spine..." She said and the mental image that gave me caused me to grimace. If anything, some of our Pride females had decidedly grisly ideas about what they would have done had they managed to catch Vladimir before I punched large holes in his brains.

"Thanks for that image Ivanovna, though I think my eternal punishment is fitting enough." I told her with a grin, "Though that does tell me that getting on the bad side of our Pride females might not be an idea that would be conducive to a particularly long life." I commented.

She gave a chuckle of her own. "Does it help you understand when you learn that I was up on the Dashka three months ago... I knew what I was doing when I put three bullets into each of those foul animal's guts." She told me

After a moment's consideration, I nodded, "Yes it does, and that does sound like something that a female would do. Most of us males tend to prefer to end it quickly and let the Goddess sort out the guilty and the innocent."

She nodded and then sat back and picked up her book again, "I am glad that I could give those animals a good send off, I hope they are going to enjoy the next few centuries rotting in that miserable dry hole that you found for them."

I nodded as well as I sat back and closed my eyes as I thought about the people who were coming to join our Pride in a short time.

Here's this chapter, I am afraid I have to slow down the posting again. Next one will be Friday, I now have the issue that getting out these edited chapters has meant that I haven't had a chance to write new ones. Furthermore once I write them I have to make sure that they are up to a standard that you have gotten used to from me.