Cal
The cat almost staggered with relief when the familiar scent of the fox kit drifted to it on the breeze. It had found the kit again, the kit would help it.
There were others, though, in the scents surrounding what must’ve been their den. There were large cats there, but it didn’t worry much. It was vicious, could defend itself, could claw and rip and bi—oh,Matewas there.
On the inside, the cat shrunk, and the man pushed back.
The cat couldn’t let the man out, so it surged to the forefront of their shared mind and hid in the closest thing it could see; a bush.
Soon, it heard the familiar sound of kit coming closer. The cat mewled softly, and the kit rustled through the bush like a cannonball of fur. It pressed against the cat, rolling around and over its bigger form, chattering and whining with happiness.
The cat felt content, but it was weak and hungry, and there were still strangers around. It lifted a paw and placed it over the kit’s head, making the frantic movement and sounds stop. The kit knew what the cat was like. They were so different, but the kit belonged to the cat and the cat belonged to the kit, and that was how things had been for a long time.
When the cat heard the others leave and then soon Mate’s steps—so achingly familiar—around the yard, it relaxed gradually. Kit was still pressed against it, inside the protective gnarled branches of the strong-smelling bush. They were safe, but they were also worrying Mate, and that… that wasn’t a good thing.
When Mate called out, the kit lifted its head and licked the cat’s jaw before sliding out of the bush. There were human sounds, but the cat couldn’t understand them. The tone was kind and quiet, so the kit wasn’t in danger. Not that… not that either of them would be in danger from Mate. Mates weren’t supposed to be dangerous—the cat shrunk back from the thought.
The tiny fox slithered back into their safe place and nudged the cat with its nose. Yes, it would be time to go soon, but the cat waited for something first. For Mate’s sounds to go and stay in one spot. It wasn’t ready to respond to the call yet.
The kit was the cat’s and the other way around. The cat knew it was the mate’s, because that was how mates worked. But it shied away from thinking that Mate was its own. Because nobody capable of hurting you should have dominion over you and the cat—its frantic breathing alarmed the kit, and the fox whined, before nudging it again.
It was time to go eat. Then sleep.
The man inside the cat was quiet again. Good.
Cal felt the sense of relief from the cat as soon as it was inside the house where it knew it belonged. Cal relaxed, too. He could let the cat steer for now. It would let him out when it was ready.
The thought made Cal feel a small wave of surprise. He knew why immediately: he wasn’t ready to be man around Derek, so he let the cat run the show without trying to push through now that they were safely at home. Because this was home. Where his son and his mate were was home.
