In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention

[DragonSong]

The shifter purred when Atiq rubbed her head, but she pulled away after a moment to wriggle out of her clothes, which now clung and hung oddly from her feline shape. Once the spare cloth fell to the floor of the carriage, she gathered it up in her mouth and set it daintily beside her before flopping back down and resting with her head in Atiq's lap, purring lightly.

The only garment she hadn't managed to keep through her shift was her shoes, left behind in the sand. Ah well. She'd only worn them because Atiq wanted her to, she couldn't exactly say she missed them.

Kitty yawned widely as her friend explained to the others where exactly they were going, feeling the carriage lurch into gentle motion beneath them. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against Atiq's hip, purring redoubled.

[DaGlobster]

Kitty was one of Atiq's dearest friends, but he also loved the looks people gave him when he had a big black panther act so docile with him. He smiled at his friends, watching them stare at Kitty's long fangs as she yawned. He ran a hand down from the top of her head to the center of her back, and he kept repeating that motion as she purred and nuzzled into his hip.

Was it a little wrong to intimidate people this way? Yes, maybe a little. But that was how Atiq liked it. Be known for your kindness, but also let people know that you had power behind everything you did.

Even Jalai, who had been prickly towards Kitty, suddenly found himself quiet when presented with her panther form.

"You gentlemen all remember the method? We'll be reviewing the equipment in the field but I want to know if any of you remember anything of what I said before."

His friends all gave each other glances. The silence was all Atiq needed to hear.

And so, as their carriage ride got going, it was almost like a recap of that meeting two weeks ago. His friends started drinking again, but Atiq remained cold sober.

[DragonSong]

While Kitty was almost deliberately unaware of many aspects of human social interaction, she knew by the way that Atiq held himself and the subtle shift in his scent-- perhaps a rise in testosterone? She'd never been quite sure-- that he enjoyed it when she acted the pet with him in front of others.

Which was hardly a problem. She liked being petted and fussed over, and Atiq had been her friend long enough to know all the best places to scratch. She stretched out a little more languidly over the carriage seat and rolled half onto her back, reaching up to bat at Atiq's cheek with a playful little mew, purring all the while.

[DaGlobster]

When she batted his cheek, Atiq paused his talking to chuckle and give the bottom of her jaw and neck a good rubbing with one hand, using the other to catch the stray limb and hold her paw. Oh yes, if she wanted to she could've run amok and torn out the throats of everybody in this carriage, but instead...

"Be calm, my snuggle panther," he said in a low voice, tone playful.

"Look, I've got your little toes."

[DragonSong]

"Mow! Mow-wow. Prrrp!" Kitty wriggled and pulled her paw back, ears perked forward and eyes narrowed in playful affection. Her tail flicked back and forth before she rolled over and sat up beside Atiq. Purring like a thunderstorm, she stuck her muzzle into his neck, pressing her cold nose against his skin before dragging her sandpaper tongue against his cheek.

She could feel the stares of his friends on her, but didn't care. In fact, she got a strange kind of satisfaction out of knowing she held their attention. Almost smirking to herself, as much as a panther could, she allowed her form to melt back into humanoid.

Still crouched beside Atiq, she licked his cheek again and butted her head gently against his temple. Her purring redoubled.

[DaGlobster]

And once again, looks of intimidation or wonderment turned to fluster when suddenly presented with a very sparsely dressed woman.

Not that it stopped them from looking.

Atiq couldn't help but feel the slightest bit embarassed when she licked him, an act that had his friends  exchanging glances at each other. Atiq sensed the mood in the room and spoke up.

"But regardless, gentlemen, we'll be acquainting ourselves with the crossbows once we make camp. For now, let's enjoy the ride over," Atiq said, taking everyone's mind off of things by pulling a wide bottle of bright red wine and started pouring cups.

"But, before we toast, gentlemen... I want to make something clear."

Everyone paused, and turned their attention to him, taken in by his suddenly serious tone.

"I want you all to understand that this is not a day trip, or that safety is guaranteed. These are extremely dangerous animals, so we can't be mess-"

"Ah, come on! Atiq, you gave us the same talk back at your house. Have a drink, you look like a nervous wreck," said Pilo, who snatched the bottle from Atiq to pour him a glass first.

Atiq, ever weak to an offer of wine, refrained from quipping back and merely accepted the glass. They toasted, and Atiq took a light drink from his. He lowered it a bit, and offered it to Kitty.

"To celebrate your first trip?"

[DragonSong]

When she sensed the shifting tension of the place, Kitty sighed and leaned around to pick up her clothes, wriggling back into them halfheartedly. She really did prefer to go about nude, it was more comfortable. But she knew it was making Atiq tense, so she tried to be "presentable".

With a quick smile for her friend, she nodded and reached out for the glass of wine. "Thanks." Almost carefully, she took a sip. She'd had wine before, but never much. Normally just a sip or two from Atiq's glass when he was feeling like sharing.

[DaGlobster]

She sipped on the wine, and there was a look of silent gratitude on Atiq's face. He personally didn't mind when she was naked. Essyrnis were infamous on the continent for their comfort around skin and they'd both grown up as kids.

Over the years they'd seen every inch of each other, there was nothing to be embarrassed about between the two of them. It was when Atiq saw other men (and sometimes women, too!) giving her flustered glances and sometimes shameless staring that he got really weirdly defensive about it.

He gave her leg a little rub as she sipped on the wine. When it seemed she was done, he took the glass back and kept drinking.

They had at least a few hours in the carriage, and it seemed Atiq and his friends were more than willing to talk and drink the ride away.

[DragonSong]

Kitty was a naturally adaptable creature, and she was fine lounging about in the wagon for an hour or so, switching between her feline and human forms, normally with her head in Atiq's lap.

Of course, an adaptable nature meant that she grew bored easily. In panther form, she began pacing the small floor of the carriage. With every pass, the flicks of her tail grew more irritable and her ears pinned further back against her head.

One of the others, Atiq's friend, drunker than the rest, reached down to pat her head, and she went very still.

No one interacted with her that way, save Atiq. She honestly wasn't sure how to response.

[DaGlobster]

Atiq had to give Pilo some credit. For a scrawny guy, he certainly had some balls to just stroke an irritated looking panther like that. Then again, he seemed too drunk to notice or think that she was anything but a large cat.

Atiq went still, the others went still. The only one who didn't notice was Pilo, who had started to stroke her head rather drunkenly, mistaking her stillness for compliance. Atiq wasn't necessarily opposed to people petting Kitty. Everybody just seemed to either notice Atiq's slight jealousy or be intimidated by Kitty, so he'd never had to deal with anybody who did.

But Pilo hadn't given Atiq time to object, or possibly warn him, so the only thing Atiq could do was look at Kitty.

It was completely up to her how to respond, but he seemed to almost beg with his eyes for her to let it slide and just return to him.

"Let's stop the carriage for a little bit, hm? I've got to take a piss," Gedhi said, and Atiq latched onto it. He spoke, still looking at Kitty.

"Yes, let's."

[DragonSong]

The panther was practically vibrating with suppressed tension. For the first time in her life, she felt...feral. Fierce. Wild. She wanted to turn and bite and tear and claw, to feel blood run between her jaws. How dare he presume to touch her without her permission?!

Her eyes locked on Atiq's, a low growl building in her chest. Slowly, very slowly, she stepped away from Pilo, toward her friend.

Then, in a sudden burst of movement, she leapt up onto the carriage seat and took her human shape, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck. That predatory urge faded quickly, but in its aftermath she was...frightened.

She'd never felt like that before.

[DaGlobster]

The growl was what did it, and even Pilo retracted at the noise. Gedhi raised a hand over his brother's chest a little protectively. Everybody jumped when she wheeled about suddenly and was in Atiq's arms.

"Hey, hey, it's okay..." he said, stroking her back. The carriage came to a stop and Atiq's friends were all too eager to step out. He wanted to scold them, but he had a feeling Pilo had learned his lesson. The carriage had stopped on a trail surrounded by sparse forest. The ground was dark and silty, and Atiq knew that they were really close to their destination.

He remained there with her, and kissed the top of her head.

"We've stopped, Kitty. Let's step outside, hm?"

[DragonSong]

Kitty whimpered quietly and nuzzled in closer, lapping her tongue roughly over Atiq's neck and collar in an effort to soothe herself.

"I wanted to hurt him," she whispered, trembling. "I've never wanted to hurt someone, Atiq, never. I-- I don't know what's happening..."

[DaGlobster]

Atiq had to be honest with himself, he'd never seen her like that before either. Sure, she'd get annoyed and yowl when pestered enough, he'd even seen her swipe with her claws sheathed.

But when she looked at him then and growled like that, he could see the predator in her clearly more than ever. Not that he'd ever lost sight of that in the first place, but...

Either way, she needed his attention, so he just held her tight and exposed more of his throat to her, hands soothing along her back.

"You were angry. Defensive," Atiq said, no judgement in his voice.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of your instincts."

[DragonSong]

Slowly, very slowly, Kitty began to relax. She nuzzled and licked at Atiq's neck to calm herself, curling up into a tight little ball on his lap, but the shivers and trembling began to subside.

With a soft sigh, she let her head come to rest against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. Her ears were still pinned close to her head, but she seemed much calmer.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Don't be ashamed of your instincts.

Was she? She didn't know. She was scared, frightened by what she'd almost done, but... But it was also exhilarating, in a way. And she thought that might scare her more.

With a low growl of frustration, one of her companionable licks turned to a nip, then a bite. Her teeth dug into the flesh of his neck-- not quite hard enough to draw blood, but well over the edge of gentle.

Then she realized what she was doing and pulled away with a gasp, eyes wide. "I-- I didn't-- I'm sorry!"

With a panicked yowl, she threw herself off his lap and out onto the ground, hitting the silty earth on four paws as she shifted and scrambling away, trying to find a place to hide. 

[DaGlobster]

"Ow! Kitty!" Atiq said, rubbing the dark spot she'd left on his neck. She'd nipped him before, but that one smarted a little bit more than the usual! It also didn't help that Atiq... kind of really liked being bitten like that, so to have Kitty of all people do that to him confused him more than anything else.

Flushed and rubbing his neck, he looked out over the side of the carriage.

"What's gotten into you today, Kitty?" he called out, rubbing the new spot on his neck, but not that mad at her. He frowned.

"I think you've got too much energy, climb and run around for a little bit," he called out to her, trying to spot her. When he couldn't locate her, he stepped a bit further out, away from the carriage and into the trees, out of sight from the others.

"...Kitty? It's all okay, you didn't hurt me that much," he called out, omitting how that bite to his neck had sent much more arousal shooting through him than anger.

[DragonSong]

The shapeshifter was nowhere to be seen, though she had definitely fled in the direction of the trees.

But Atiq was not alone. In the trees above him, another hunter waited, golden-green eyes glinting dangerously in the dim light. Not many jaguars ventured this close to the edge of the jungle, but it seemed this one was either young and bold, or incredibly desperate.

And perhaps a little foolhardy. Most jungle cats did not bother hunting humans; it was a high risk endeavor with very low chance of success and thus reward.

But this jaguar didn't seem to care. His shoulders bunched up, haunches wiggling back and forth, and suddenly he exploded down from the tree, claws extended and teeth bared.

With a wild, vicious yowl, a streak of black knocked the hunter away from his prey. Teeth flashed silver and her collar flashed gold as Kitty and the wild cat rolled through the undergrowth, tearing and clawing at each other savagely. Blood spattered the ground and one of the cats howled in pain, though it was nearly impossible to tell who the injured party was with how closing entangled they were as they ripped into one another.

[DaGlobster]

Atiq looked around, struck by the silence. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He was in no way a truly worldly man, but he had a true affinity for the outdoors and the natural world itself. He was an experienced hunter, a man of the jungle trapped inside of a nobleman's skin.

Was she stalking him?

"Kitty?" he said again, softer this time. His ears were primed, muscles tensing.

What happened next was almost too fast for him. He heard the shifting of leaves, the creaking of a branch. He looked back and up, and when he saw that the large shape bearing down on him wasn't a panther, but a jaguar, his hand went for the knife at his belt.

He didn't have enough time to draw it, but almost as quickly, a black shape and a flash of gold collar took the jaguar off its feet.

She was larger and stronger, but the two cats tangled together. There was a spatter of blood, and Atiq sprung into action.

"Kitty!"

With the confidence of a hunter, he ran towards the tangled felines. Quickly, before he lost his nerve and the jaguar wasn't distracted by the tangle, he advanced with his knife drawn. He tried to grab the jaguar to give it a very brief pull, intent on striking it on the head with the base of his knife to stun it while giving Kitty some space to breathe.

[DragonSong]

As Atiq struck, Kitty managed to get her back paws in the hostile jaguar's gut and gored downward, feeling her claws tear through skin. Screeching, the massive feline rolled to the side, his blood dripping onto the foliage.

Taking the moment of respite, Kitty changed swiftly back into her human form, staggering to her feet and shoving at Atiq's arm. "Run! Run, I'm right behind you, go!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the jaguar charged with another yowl and Kitty pushed, yelling, "I'll hold him back, run!"

The words were barely out of her mouth before she was in panther form again, panting and smacking the male cat away, her ears pinned and teeth bared as she tried to scare him off.

[DaGlobster]

The first instinct that he acted on was to help her, and even as she shoved he advanced to stand by her. Jaguars were ambush predators, if two opponents stood against it Atiq was confident the gravely wounded hunter would retreat and look for easier prey.

Then, she shoved him. He sometimes forgot that she had the same strength in both her forms, and so he was completely unprepared to be shoved back like that.

She was right, though. Just thirty feet away there was a wagon with crossbows in it! Crossbows for hunting land sharks, but still!

Acting as fast as he could, he turned about and sprinted out of the sparse jungle. His friends were there, talking as they stretched their legs. It hadn't even been a a few minutes since they'd stopped, and they looked shocked when Atiq came sprinting out of the jungle, blood spattered onto his clothes.

"Atiq, what--"

"No time!"

He ran to the wagon and pulled out one of the crossbows and a handful of bolts. Panting, he set the crossbow down and held it there with a foot as he pulled the string back. He loaded the bolt as he started running back.

"Hey, wait!"

And so his friends followed, unclear of what was happening but wanting to see what the trouble was to begin with.

"Hold him Kitty! Hold him!" he yelled out ahead of him.