Title: Of Cats and Wolves
Author: Sol aka Zefyr
Muse & Beta: Katikat
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+TBA hehe.
Rated: PG or PG-13 at most
Warnings: Minor OOC due to AU situations; shonen-ai; fantastical animal/people mixes; gratuitous use of improper Gaelic; crazy adaptations of Siberian and Native American traditions.
Archiving: Please ask separately for this fic and one of us will get back to you, since it’s a collaboration. Also found at www-geocities-com/ mystera_k... Replace dashes with appropriate punctuation.
Disclaimer: We don't own, but we're having fun anyway. No harm meant.
Summary: In a world of Creatures, Heero is a young half-Wolf who wants only to help his adopted brother, Wufei, find a good mate. Really. Trowa, a half-Jackal, helps, and it goes downhill from there...

NOTE:
This is a joint effort. KatiKat wrote the teaser, then I saw Asuka's art for the werepervs, and then I watched Cat People right after re-watching GW episodes 1-5, and... the rest is history. The prologue (chapter 1) was written by KatiKat, and edited by Sol. The rest of the chapters are written by Sol, with beta comments and additional muse-inspiration provided by Katikat.

This took me longer than expected because I had a house-guest all weekend, and it’s only now that I’ve had some peace and quiet to actually sit down and write... without being badgered about being anti-social. [I am anti-social! Where do people get these ideas that I like to hang out? Sigh.] But anyway, many thanks to these people for their reviews, comments, and general cat- and dog-calling: Presser, Little Duckie, Koyote, Kasifya, Dyna, Kaori, sevenall, and Antoinette. I apologize for it being so short, but I want to get back to Drums before I lose sight of just what Heero plans on doing to Duo – or vice versa – once they, uh, get home. Ahem. Anyway... thanks again, everyone – you definitely make it worth it!

 

 

     The lone figure was seated on the rock, and Solo sighed as he made his way down the creek side. The half-Fox raised his head as the older Coyote approached.

     “I’ll go to bed in a moment,” Duo said softly. “I just wanted to look at the moon for a little while.”

     “Your little-whiles always turn into hours,” the Coyote replied. Solo seated himself next to his young charge, and slipped an arm around the smaller Creature’s shoulders. Blowing his sandy brown hair out of his eyes, the Coyote’s brown ears swiveled for a moment, taking in the night sounds of the sleeping encampment behind them. He wrapped his tail around both of them and hugged Duo with one arm. “You’re going to catch cold, sitting out here with not a stitch on.”

     “No, I won’t,” the thief answered, but his tone was subdued. “I’m not a weakling.”

     “Ah.” Solo stifled the urge to smile. “This is about today, isn’t it.”

     “No,” came the quick reply. There was a pause, and Duo’s head dropped. “Yeah, I guess so.”

     “We’re at a Gathering. That bastard was just playing with you. If he did anything, we’ve have rights to take his head.” Solo paused. “And it would have been slow.” There was a flash as the Coyote displayed his sharp incisors, but Duo just shrugged.

     “I know, but he seemed awfully serious about it.”

     “I noticed.” The Coyote rubbed his adopted brother’s ear, a smile quirking the edge of his mouth as Duo’s eyes closed in pleasure. “But you made several new friends tonight, I think. I’d feel better if you just make sure you’re with one of them for the rest of the Gathering. They’re all warriors. They’ll back you up if any of the Foxes give you trouble.”

     “Yeah... warriors who were ready to kick my ass for having fun,” the half-Fox grumbled.

     One of them wasn’t interested in kicking it after watching you swim, Solo thought, but decided to keep that to himself. Nuzzling Duo affectionately, he squeezed the young Fox tightly one last time. Then he stood up, reaching down a hand. “Come on, let’s get you to bed. Long day ahead.”

     “Jaguars are hosting tomorrow,” Duo mumbled, his eyes still half-closed. “I wonder if Quatre’s going to watch.” He yawned.

     “He might be more interested in what the Valley Wolves are doing,” the Coyote replied, and smiled, guiding the sleepy Fox back to the camp. “But I bet he’d be glad of company.”

 

 

 

         

     Across the Gathering, Quatre threaded his way through the woods, following Trowa’s tall form closely. At one point the Jackal stopped cold, and Quatre ran right into him, his nose bumping up against the back of the other Creature’s neck. Recognizing the reactions of a warrior, the Lynx said nothing, and waited.

     After a pause, Trowa turned, and the shorter warrior could see a smile flash across the half-Jackal’s face. “Sorry, my senses stay on alert all the time,” he said.

     “My senses are on overdrive,” Quatre muttered in reply. “I’m not used to having all this stuff around me. Trees, bushes... I feel claustrophobic.”

     “I saw the desert once,” Trowa said quietly. “The sky was huge.”

     Quatre nodded, then realized his position behind the other warrior meant Trowa couldn’t see the movement. “Yes, it is. Do you... travel a lot? I heard Wufei saying something about your stories.”

     Trowa chuckled, and stepped aside on the path to hold a branch out of Quatre’s way. “Valley Wolves aren’t as bad as Coyotes for the traveling instinct, but my pack takes a lot of jobs protecting traders. So I’ve seen a lot. Not as much as Duo, though.”

     “Duo hasn’t seen as much as you’d think,” Quatre replied. “The Coyotes protect him pretty closely. If they came across Foxes...” He let the statement hang, unwilling to voice the reality. With a soft sigh, the Lynx switched topics. “I appreciate you guiding me back to my camp. I’m not sure I could navigate by the stars here. There’s too much in the way to see the sky clearly.”

     “It’s not a problem,” Trowa assured him, as they moved out of the trees and into the wide open field used for the Gathering. “I wanted to put down twenty columns on Wufei anyway. Isn’t your sister holding the bets?”

     “Jasmine,” Quatre said. “My eldest sister. You could’ve just come by tomorrow, you know.”

     “I thought you’d be busy...”

     Quatre glanced at the Jackal’s face, but couldn’t make out his expression with the auburn hair hanging in the taller man’s face. “Nothing too important, just walking around, seeing the sights. You could still come by, anyway,” he added, trying to sound casual.

     “If you don’t mind the extra company,” Trowa said, flicking his head so his hair swung out of his face long enough for him to smile at the Lynx. “Wufei will probably spend the day with Osag.”

     “Who?”

     “The Mountain Jaguar sword master. Wufei is his best student. Better than Osag, from what Heero says,” the half-Jackal added with a smirk. “But knowing Wufei, he’ll want the extra practice.”

     “You think he can win?” Quatre’s voice was dubious, and a little concerned. “I know it’s a Gathering, and the truce applies, but...”

     “If anyone can do it, Wufei can.” Trowa shrugged, leading the way past the cloaked trader’s tents. “He’s unbeaten among the other students, even if he spends most of his time with his nose in a book.”

     “He seems like an honorable Creature,” the Lynx replied. “That was a good thing of him to stand up for my friend.”

     “I think he was trying to impress someone, too,” Trowa added, off-handedly. “Heero and I think he has a crush on a girl.”

     “The one who spoke up?” Quatre grinned suddenly, his sharp teeth flashing in the moonlight. “Good thing she was hauled away by her friends, or he’d probably be hiding under a rock right now.”

     Trowa chuckled, a low sound, and Quatre joined him in the laughter, delighted.

     “So what was Heero doing in the woods with his shirt over his head?” Quatre scratched one of his ears with a claw as he thought back to Duo’s story.

     “I’m not sure,” Trowa said, his voice suddenly grave, but his green eyes seemed amused. “I think Meiran hit him over the head when he tried to kidnap her.”

     “Kidnap her?” Quatre’s voice went up on the last word, and he stopped in the middle of the broad trader’s path, stunned. There was a rustling sound from inside one of the nearby tents, and the Lynx frowned, lowering his voice to a bewildered whisper. “What would a Wolf be doing kidnapping a Jaguar?”

      Trowa shifted uncomfortably. “It was Heero’s idea... he and Wufei are like brothers, ever since Heero’s father found Wufei in the woods as a child after the Wood Jaguars were attacked by humans. That makes Heero a little protective, and he got this idea in his head that if we kidnapped Meiran for Wufei, then she’d have to marry him. It’s one of the---”

     “---ways to marry as a Feline,” Quatre finished for him, starting to walk again. “I know. That’s how my aunts were married. Not the most honorable way to do it, though,” he added in an undertone.

     “Wufei’s only chance at acceptance is a good marriage or being granted a high position in his Clan. Heero doesn’t seem to think the second one is really an option.”

     The half-Lynx considered this carefully before answering. “Heero sounds like a good friend.”

     “You sound like a diplomat,” came the bemused reply.

     Quatre shrugged. “Comes with the territory of being the only son,” he said, but didn’t explain further, his gaze trained on the tents ahead of them. His blue-green eyes were sharper in the darkness than the Jackal’s, and he could see the figure of the guard posted at the Desert Lynx circle’s entrance. “Heero is important to you, am I right?”

     “Yes.” Trowa’s voice was quiet in the stillness.

     And Wufei is important to Heero, Quatre thought, and found his decision was easy. “This Meiran must be pretty strong, to have gotten the jump on Heero. Perhaps next time, if others helped, it would go easier,” he suggested.

     The half-Jackal’s ears perked, and Trowa stopped, tilting his head as he studied the shorter Creature. His red-brown tail wagged slowly around his ankles, although he didn’t speak for a minute. When he did, his voice was surprised. “You would help?”

     “Why not? It’s the least we can do to thank Wufei for what he’s doing.” Quatre smiled up at the Jackal from under his eyelashes.

     “We?”

     “Duo, of course.” The Lynx nearly laughed at the suspicious tone in Trowa’s voice, but stifled it quickly. “My heart-brother. We didn’t find him like Wufei was found, but the Coyotes winter with us nearly every year. We’ve practically grown up together. Besides, he’s the one that started all this. Of course he’ll want to help.”

     “Oh, right,” Trowa said, relaxing, but he immediately tensed as a shadowed form stepped out from the Lynxes’ encampment.

     “State your...oh!” The male Lynx peered at the shorter Creature. “Sorry, my Lord, didn’t realize that was you.”

     Trowa glanced down at Quatre, who was scowling slightly. “You’re nobility?”

     “Not like I had any say in the matter,” the half-Lynx replied under his breath, then spoke loud enough for the guard to hear him. “Aud, that really isn’t necessary.”

     “Right, my Lord.” The grin on the Lynx guard’s face was evident in his tone. “You’d better hurry in, Jasmine’s been wondering where you were. I heard Quinta tell her you were unarmed.”

     “Like claws don’t count,” Quatre rejoined, his tone a little churlish. Sighing, he turned to Trowa with an apologetic smile. “Come on, I bet Jasmine’s still awake.”

     “That’s okay,” Trowa said, and his tail waved around his ankles twice more. “I can place my bet tomorrow morning.”

     “But you---” The young blond caught himself, then smiled to himself and nodded. “Right. After breakfast? Mid-morning?”

     “I’ll see you then.” The half-Jackal couldn’t resist a short teasing bow as he added, “my Lord.”

     “Don’t you start,” Quatre chided, and shook his head as he started into the circle of tents. A few feet later he stopped, whispering into the darkness just loud enough for the Jackal to hear him. “And then we can figure out a way to help Wufei get that girl.”

     The only answer was a soft chuckle as the Jackal headed back to his own pack’s encampment.

 

 

 

 

     “Duo!”

     Trowa raised an eyebrow, his green eyes wide as he listened to the ruckus outside the tent. Puzzled, he looked over at Quatre, who was patiently helping Iria braid the two face-framing plaits into her shoulder-length blond hair.

     “Is this a common thing?” The half-Jackal ears perked at the sound of something crashing nearby.

     “Yes. That would be Duo jumping over the fire pit,” Quatre replied calmly. There was another shout, and Quatre sighed. “And that would be someone trying to follow him.”

     The older Lynx’s hand immediately went to her neck to check for her necklace, and the gesture wasn’t lost on her little brother, who giggled quietly. A second later the tent flap was thrust open, and Duo threw himself into the tent, laughing. Quinta wasn’t far behind him, grinning widely. Quatre looked up, a frown marring his features.

     “Duo, stop corrupting my cousin.”

     “Nothing he wasn’t already capable of doing, Quatre!” The half-fox laughed again, his tail whipping around his knees furiously as he subsided. Then he caught sight of Trowa and his eyes widened. “Oh! You...” The thief stuttered for a second, then regained his composure with a sidelong look at the half-Lynx. “Ah... joining us today?”

     “I came to place a bet on Wufei,” Trowa said solemnly.

     “We’re going to spend the morning shopping,” Quatre said, standing and shaking out his ankle-length loincloth. It was white, but decorated with a border of delicate cutwork outlined in darker blue thread. “This afternoon I’m competing, so---”

     “Ah-hah!” The Fox grinned and snagged some of the fruit leftover from the Lynxes’ breakfast. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.” Peeling the little fruit quickly, he shoved it into his mouth and spoke around it, his deep blue eyes dancing in glee. “I want to bet on Wufei, too.”

     “Duo,” Quatre said, shaking his head. “I’m not going to let you bet with someone else’s money.”

     “You wound me, brother,” Duo retorted, pretending to be hurt. “Would I do that?”

     “Yes.” The answer was provided instantaneously by the three Lynxes, and Trowa stifled a grin.

     “Hmph.” The half-fox scratched an ear and regarded the breakfast remains again. A shadow was cast across the tent flap, and the thief was immediately tense, his tail flicking once as he sniffed the air.

     “That’s Heero,” Trowa said, also recognizing his friend’s scent. “I asked him... to join us,” he added, a little abashed. Quatre simply nodded, however, and took the Fox by the arm.

     “Come on,” the half-Lynx told them.

     Duo managed to snag a handful of grapes, shoving two in his mouth as he was dragged out. Quinta scooped up a few for himself, trailing along behind. Trowa noticed Iria’s exasperated look, and raised an eyebrow at her. She merely shrugged.

     “Help yourself to leftovers,” she said wryly. “It might be the only time you’ll get food when that Fox is around.”

     “Thanks, I ate,” he said politely, and followed his new friends from the tent.

     Heero was waiting outside, and the five began walking, but Quinta quickly headed off in a different direction when a certain blond head appeared in the encampment.

     “Psst, Quatre,” Duo said in a loud whisper. “Quinta’s got a crush, I think.” The Fox-boy was rewarded with an elbow in the ribs, and grinned as he finished off the last of the grapes.

     Once the four had left the Lynx encampment, and were walking past the empty dancing grounds, Quatre sighed and bumped shoulders with the half-Fox. “Duo,” Quatre began, hesitating. “I volunteered us to help Trowa and Heero do something for Wufei.”

     “Does it involve stealing?” Duo’s deep blue eyes were wide, his expression the embodiment of pure innocence.

     “Of a sort,” Trowa admitted. “We... Actually, Heero... wants to kidnap a girl for Wufei.”

     “People-stealing.” Duo thought for a second. “That’s a new one for me.” He pursed his lips for a second, then grinned. “I’m in! What do you want me to do?”

     “I think it’d be best if you distract the Jaguars,” Heero said after a pause. “Then Trowa, Quatre and I can grab Meiran.”

     “Then what?”

     “Then you get out of there,” Quatre said. “Although maybe we should go back for Quinta. I’m not sure I like you spending another day being chased. And angry female Jaguars are way worse than any Wolf,” he added in an amused undertone.

     “This is true,” the half-Jackal replied. He looked like he was having a tough time keeping a straight face. The Wolf-boy growled softly.

     “It was bad enough having to be escorted by Quinta this morning,” Duo snapped, then relented and clapped the Lynx warrior on the shoulder. “I’ll be fine.” Sharply he pushed away thoughts of Solo’s request. The day was gloriously clear, the sky was blue, and just because something bad happened yesterday didn’t mean it would happen again today, the half-Fox reminded himself. Every day is different.

     “No,” Quatre replied, stopping suddenly as he turned to his long-time friend with a set look on his face. Duo sighed and rolled his eyes, recognizing the expression that meant the Lynx warrior had made up his mind. “One of these two should stay with you.”

     “I’ll do it,” Heero said. The other three looked at him, surprised, and he scowled. “But you steal anything, and I’ll turn you over to be whipped. I might even do it myself,” he added in a dangerously cold tone. The Fox took a half-step back, then frowned rebelliously.

     “Duo,” the half-Lynx warned softly. When the half-Fox’s shoulders slumped, a sulky gesture, Quatre nodded, satisfied. Then he turned to the other two warriors, a smile playing along his lips. “I have an idea of how we could do this...”