please don't hurt me

[windandwater]

Heero growled low in his throat as he paced through his territory. All the fights to protect what territory he had were really starting to wear on him. Heero sighed, leaning up against a nearby tree truck and hunkering down against its roots. Stretching his paws in front of him, the Lupine took the opportunity to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. He could have been an Alpha, if he had stayed with his Pack. Heero had always been stronger, faster, and smarter than his littermates. Once he reached his majority, he could have had the old Alpha on his back with his throat in his jaws in a minute. But Heero didn't like being around his Pack members. And he really didn't like when the females went to heat and chased him down, trying to entice him to mate. Heero huffed, his tail lashing in annoyance. Because he had refused to participate with the daily life of the Pack, he had been turned out; those that he had considered his friends and family had turned their backs to him, driving him out with snaps and snarls and sharp claws. Well, his life was better now. Heero had retreated from the Pack's territory and managed to carve out a small space for himself. But his Pack and the neighboring one weren't happy to have a Loner in their midst, so it seemed like everyday Heero had to fight to protect himself and his small bit of land. Being a Loner gave Heero the opportunity to live for himself, but it was also very lonely. Besides the fights, Heero hadn't seen a Pack member, hadn't been able to do a little socializing or even exchange polite conversation. No, it was always: "LONER! KILL HIM!"

Feh... idiots. Didn't they know he didn't care what the other Packs did? It wasn't like he was going to try to steal their females or anything.

The wind shifted.

The birds had stopped singing.

Heero's head shot up, every muscle in his body tense as he raised his nose to the air. An unfamiliar scent drifted by, subtle... Heero's ears flattened against the side of his head and he was off like a shot, his claws tearing up the ground as he sped towards the source of the smell.

There was an intruder in his territory!

Racing swiftly and silently through the forest, Heero managed to stop himself before he broke through the cover of trees and undergrowth. The smell was stronger now. Looking carefully, Heero realized that the scent was coming from the river. He growled again. His territory was small, but one part that he particularly enjoyed was the small stretch of river and the grassy lands around it. He never had to go far for water and he guarded that bit of land very jealously. And now some intruder was usurping it!

He would die!

Dropping to his belly and crawling through the long grass, Heero snuck up on the intruder. The scent became stronger the closer he got and Heero frowned. He'd never smelled this before. It didn't have the rangy forest smell of a Pack member. This was... breezy... dusty... like sunshine on cool grasses but with a sharp tang of danger. Oh yes, and definitely male. Still slinking forward, Heero's sharp ears twitched at the sounds of water splashing against the banks of the river and a soft humming sound. Humming? The trespasser had the gall to foul up *his* water and *SING* about it? Heero barely managed to restrain his growl. The Lupine raised his head carefully to catch his first sight of the interloper.

And froze.

If his delicate nose hadn't told him that the intruder was male, Heero would have thought he was looking at a female. Long chestnut hair flowed freely down the intruder's back. He was turned away, humming and running his hands through his mussed hair and fur. A thin chestnut tail lashed through the air idly. Thin... sleek... not furry and bushy... Heero's eyes narrowed. His intruder... was a Feline. Heero's thoughts were confirmed when the Feline turned, purring and humming to himself. He raised one pale hand to his face, and a pink tongue peaked out, lapping at his fingers. The Feline continued to groom himself like he had all the time in the world, and the Lupine realized that everything he had heard about Felines being able to groom themselves for hours on end were true. This Feline ran his hands through his burnished fur over and over again until his coat took on a glossy sheen. The same was done for his long hair, long fingers spearing through the thick mass so the chestnuts strands were untangled and gleamed under the warm sunshine.

Heero continued to watch carefully, noting the armbands the Feline wore on his upper arms. In their world, jewelry was a marking of status and clan. Since he had been ejected from his Pack, Heero wore the clips on his ears that showed he was a Loner, but the gold of them showed off his high status from before. This Feline only wore armbands, tarnished and worn, but no other marks of status. A distinctly evil smirk worked its way across Heero's lips. His Prussian blue eyes tracked the Feline's lithe body and smooth movements, appreciating the strength hidden beneath the chestnut fur. If this Feline had no status, that meant he was not protected by anyone. No status and ties meant no protection for a wanderer.

And it had been *such* a long time since Heero had been with anyone. A rumble of excitement started in Heero's chest.



Duo was purring in contentment as he groomed himself. It had been *days* since he had been able to take a little rest and spend the time to keep himself well groomed. Of course, being the wanderer that he was, Duo had very little opportunity to do much of *anything* that didn't relate to his immediate survival. He sighed wistfully, raising one hand to his face and licking his fingers clean. There had been a time -- once -- when he had had a home and a family, but those days were long past. In reality, they had ended while he was still a young kitten. Duo had never been able to fit in with the others of his kind; they were always paranoid and unwelcoming of strangers. In all his travels, the Feline had never managed to find a place that would welcome him.

Carefully, Duo removed a coiled length of leather from his wrist. He braided his long hair to keep it out of the way, then tied it off at the end with the strip. His violet eyes focused lazily on the river, half-mesmerized by the way the water flowed. His ears twitched as he listened to the soft songs of the birds and the sounds of the gentle breeze. There was a faint sound, like the deep rumble of thunder before a storm... it was... familiar...

At the riverbank, the Feline's ears perked up and he froze, hands still playing with his braid. Turning, slitted-violet eyes immediately landed on Heero, half-hidden in the tall grasses. The Feline scrambled up from his crouch, facing Heero fully and taking on a defensive stance. His cover blown, Heero stood up fully, the sunlight striking off his deep brown fur and the thick tail lashing through the grass. The Feline's eyes widened and Heero could detect the faint scent of fear, adrenaline, aggression and wariness.

For a moment, Duo just stared at the stranger who had managed to sneak up on him. His dark fur covered the more interesting parts, but Duo's keen nose was able to pick up the scent of the male before him. Never before had he seen someone so well built, muscles not bulky, but well maintained. The smell of old blood announced that this stranger was a fighter... a strong one. Duo could feel his heart start to hammer in his chest. He'd never fought against a really strong fighter before. Duo's specialty was cunning and trickery... and when all else failed, he could run very quickly and climb faster than anyone he knew. Then the stranger's tail lashed, and Duo's eyes widened in shock. A Lupine! He was going into heat over a *Lupine*! Duo couldn't bury the hiss that forced its way past his lips. Felines were never on good terms with *any* of the Canines -- Lupines were known to be particularly vicious in toying with any Felines they caught. To think that he had been attracted to one! Duo definitely hadn't fought any Lupines before! His eyes darted quickly around, trying to seek out an escape, but the river was at his back and the Lupine was at his front. Duo swore to himself; he had no choice but to fight.

"My name is Heero," the Lupine announced, a challenging growl in his voice. "You're in my Territory."

The Feline scowled at him. "I'm a traveler!"

Heero smirked, circling around the intruding Feline and forcing the other to keep eye contact with him. As he circled, he slowly drew closer, and the chestnut fur on the Feline's back bristled when he realized it.

"You're in my Territory."

"All travelers are allowed to cross through territories without harm," the Feline spat out. He crouched down, making his body smaller so that he could either flee or fight at a moment's notice.

"Not if they have no Clan," Heero pointed out, still circling the Feline.

One of the Duo's hands protectively clutched at a tarnished armband. Then he sniffed the air, and his violet eyes narrowed even more. "I'll kill you," he hissed, drawing his hands back and showing off his claws. "I won't be the toy of some fucking *dog*!"

At the insult, Heero snarled and pounced. The Feline was quick though, managing to dodge away at the last second. Heero landed heavily on the ground, but rolled in time to avoid a deadly swipe from the cat. Bounding back up to his feet, the two circled each other, Heero growling openly in anger and lust and the Feline spitting in fury and fear. This time, the Feline attacked first, claws swiping through the air in front of Heero's face, and a quick snap far too close to his neck. Heero ducked under both blows and from his crouch, tackled the Feline to the ground, pinning down the spitting, hissing, and very furious cat. But Heero's weight was greater, and gave the Feline a hard shake to take the fight out of him, then placed his hands across his pale neck. Hands in the danger zone, the Feline went limp and mewled.

"Tell me your name."

"Damn dog!"

"You have no Clan, tell me your name."

"Duo. Now let me go! Let me go! I'll never come back! I'll hunt something for you, I'll do whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

"Anything?" Heero lowered his face to the Feline's, then slowly, deliberately, ran his cheek across Duo's. The Feline -- Duo -- froze when it happened again and then started to struggle anew. "No! No! I won't let you take me! Stupid dog! No! I'd rather die first!"

"I don't think you have a choice in the matter. You were in my territory. It's my right to kill or punish you as I see fit. I'm letting you live."

Duo mewled again, a high-pitched sound from the back of his throat.

Heero ignored the panicked cry and flipped Duo over onto his stomach, sitting across his back to pin him down again. The Feline's claws dragged deep furrows in the grass and the sight of the lithe male sprawled beneath him on inflamed Heero's lust further. He leaned over again, pinning down Duo's arms with his hands, and lowered his face to the back of Duo's neck. He took a deep sniff, memorizing the way Duo smelled right at this moment; it was an intoxicating mix of fear, anger, and a slight touch of arousal. The Feline struggled a bit again, but Heero ground himself down onto Duo's body, effectively warning the other boy of what was to come.





Oh god... I'm so freaking evil. How did that NCS get there?!

Comments

[askerian]

I love you, you know that? *__*
Am reading it over again now, I'll try to improve/review/beta it ... but I don't think I can improve it by much. Whee!!!! My furries are alive!! (don't count on me for grammar and spelling, though, we'll ask Mikke-love *groan*)
Now... Off to read it again!!