From: br1035@ix.netcom.com
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 1997 12:51:38 -0500 (CDT)
To: FKarchiver@fkfanfic.com
Subject: Sidney Lambert - A Matter of Territory
The characters of Forever Knight were created by James D. Parriott and are
owned by Sony/Tristar.
************************************************************************
A Matter of Territory
Copyright 1997
by Vivian Rutledge
as pantomimed to Bonnie Rutledge
*Good Friday*
Sidney Lambert dozed contentedly on the bed, a satisfied slant to his
ears. It had been a very good Friday so far. Mother had remembered to fill
his bowl with kibble, and his tummy felt warm, full and happy. Sidney lifted
his head sleepily and rotated his body to the left so that he could
absently lick the fur around his slightly bulging stomach. Sometimes,
Mother could be extremely thoughtful.
For instance, she had taken the time to provide him with a favorite
toy before setting off for work this evening. Normally this toy was
guarded and treasured, apparently so that Sidney would not tire in his
enjoyment. Ever since Christmas, Mother had realized how much he liked
to play with the mail. Since she had left a neat stack prominently
displayed on the kitchen counter (and every human knows the kitchen
counter is the first place a kitty looks for the really *good* stuff),
it really must be a special Friday.
Mother had also left clothing on the bed: a pretty white silk nightie,
which Sidney happily lolled upon. It was soft and had that special
Mother/Sidney-smell combination that made him so proud. He yawned and
stretched his torso into an incredible taffy-pull length, then curled up
once more for some satisfied napping. Soon he slept deeply, a small puddle
of drool forming beneath his chin that blotched the silk fabric.
A few hours later, Sidney started alert at the sound of someone
trying to quietly enter his apartment. Purposefully quiet people usually
intended to hide some form of interesting activity. Sidney arched his
back and extended his hind legs, banishing the sleepiness from his
muscles, then bounded of his bed to greet the visitor.
It wasn't Mother, of course. Mother's movements were easily
identifiable, even when she attempted to be sneaky. These sounds were
familiar though, and Sidney chirped in triumph as he recognized the man
making the soft noises.
It was Nick.
Sidney allowed Mother's friend to enter the living room without
protest. Nick was carrying a medium-sized paper bag, and this was worthy
of inquisition.
"Sidney! How are you doing, boy?" Nick spotted him and extended a
friendly greeting complete with a wide smile and baby noises.
The feline wasn't so exuberant, offering a single blink in response.
There was no reason for him to act silly when he said hello unless poultry
was involved.
Sidney wasn't altogether certain he approved of mother's friend.
Sure, Nick had some interesting toys at his loft, and he was much more
generous than Mother with which ones Sidney got to wrestle. Sidney
noticed, however, that Nick smelled too much like Mother recently, and
Mother's scent had likewise become tainted with many Nick odors and not
enough Sidney-smells.
Sidney didn't dislike Mother's friend - in fact, he thought Nick
had an excellent head-scratching technique which he frequently demonstrated
on the cat's brow. Sidney's coolness was simply a matter of territory - he
*had* been there first, and Nick apparently didn't realize the importance
of this detail.
Nick sat on the sofa and proceeded to share the contents of his bag
with Sidney. The cat leaned forward testing the quality of the goods
with generous nose flexing. There were two items: a set of strange antenna
made out of plush white and pink material and a polka-dot bow tie. Their
purpose dawned on Sidney a split second too late. The vampire barely
succeeded in moving faster than the feline-who-did-not-want-to-be-caught.
"Help me out, Sidney." Nick lifted the sudden pile of dead weight
and tried to move the cat into a standing position on the coffee table.
When Sidney was high in the air, his legs dangled down in straight
columns. As his paw pads touched the table surface, Sidney demonstrated
that he was no longer a mammal composed of flesh and solid bone, but a
liquid kitty - designed to settle into a puddle that left his most
attractive and useful anatomy hidden.
Nick frowned at the sudden view of cat rump and sighed. "Come on - I
just want to see if these fit before Sunday arrives. Don't you want to
surprise Natalie for Easter?"
Guilt would not work on Sidney. He was a cat - cats were above
succumbing to such things. Furthermore, Mother's friend was trying to use
guilt to lure him into a *costume*.
Nick really could be a naive human. He should know better after the
Valentine's Day fiasco...
Nick squeezed Sidney into a pair of evil pink satin briefs, then
harnessed two irritating padded triangles on the cat's back. The vampire
insisted that Sidney looked just like Cupid, but the feline had sincere
doubts.
Nick begged Sidney to practice carrying a heart-shaped box filled
with Godiva chocolates between his jaws so that he could present them to
Mother. Sidney didn't want to cooperate, but humored the man once so he
could be left to his own devices. Sure enough, Mother's friend was
delighted enough at the cat's performance to spend the next hour lighting
candles and putting nicely perfumed flowers everywhere.
When Nick wasn't looking, Sidney dragged the dark-red candy
container into Mother's bedroom. The heart was layered in cardboard and
fabric. Sidney tested the feel of the material under his claws, relishing
the quality of the scratchy sounds that ensued. He gingerly stepped onto
the box with both forepaws, and when satisfied, gifted the heart with his
full weight. The cardboard buckled suddenly, causing Sidney to leap off
and assume a defensive posture.
The box was unwilling to attack first, so Sidney risked taunting the
lid with a paw. He peered closely to determine the
container's response, but the red object remained absolutely still. Sidney
frowned sternly at the container. Surely the box couldn't be harmless? To
make certain, Sidney *thwaped!* the side, listening intently at the
resulting disturbance.
Of course! This was a container - there were THINGS inside. The
contents might even be dangerous - like a monster! One that ate Mothers,
or even worse, handsome boy cats! Sidney jumped to work, defending his
domain against the vicious, untamed heart.
Some time later, Sidney overheard Mother's exclamations about the
decorations when she arrived home from work. Nick whistled as he entered
the bedroom to give kitty Cupid his cue. The vampire stopped short in
dismay. Sidney had flipped the box open, then fancying himself a cardiac
surgeon, had ripped the heart's lid into atrial and ventricular portions.
The chocolates were scattered about the floor, some squished, some
punctured, but every one mauled by the feline tribute to Eros. Every one,
that was, except the fudge-dipped cherry that Nick noticed he had pressed
into sticky oblivion underneath one shoe.
Nick was unhappy and proceeded to lift Sidney off the floor in
order to give him a lecture that discussed why hearts weren't meant to be
broken. The cat found himself disturbingly near the man's face. Sidney
observed an unusual, ticklish odor coming from Nick's head. It was a
clean smell, composed of grass and citrus, but it made his nostrils feel
wiggly. Sidney judged Nick's appearance critically, searching for the
change. Same eyes, same nose, same mouth. Mother's friend had shaved, but
that already varied from week to week. The difference lay in...
His hair. Nick's hair often looked curly and bushy, like he hadn't
bothered to lick it in days. Tonight though, it was neat and somehow
mouth-watering. Sidney leaned forward, curling his head over Nick's
shoulder as though he were an infant, and opened his jaws wide.
Nick let his voice trail off, then froze. Suddenly, he let out a wail.
"Eeeuuuugggghhh!!"
Natalie came running. "What? What is it?!"
The vampire scrunched his nose in distaste. "Sidney's eating my
hair."
She detached Sidney from Nick's coiffure and cradled the kitty close.
"It's probably your hair gel. Some shampoos and hair products drive him
insane." Natalie cluckled at the mess on the floor. "He's very susceptible
to boxes as well. And mail. I never let him near the stuff if I can
remember."
Mother set Sidney down on the floor, where he immediately commenced
twitching and flipping over, desperately trying to yank the white flaps
from his back. After a minute of this display, Natalie crouched down and
helped him out of the harness and pants. "Poor baby...you don't like your
little outfit, do you? You do look very handsome though, Sidney."
Sidney purred and licked his person's fingers, then gave Nick a smug
look. After all, Sidney was Mother's 'jolly-good fellow', not some guy
with yummy hair.
Nick looked rather disappointed. "I guess cats weren't meant to have
wings."
Mother thought that was amusing. "Hmm, Nick...Ya think?"
...Now after his failure on Valentine's, Nick should have understood
that cats and costumes did not mix.
The vampire held Sidney's body in place with one hand and tried to
fasten the buckle of the bunny ears with his other. Sidney squirmed
pathetically, not using claws or teeth, but choosing to appear abused and
unhappy instead. That approach was quite successful.
Nick let Sidney go, his face riddled with angst. "You really hate
this stuff, don't you, guy? I don't want to torture you, but what else
can I do for Nat's Easter present?"
Sidney settled insouciantly on a sofa cushion and began to casually
lick a paw. What could Nick do, indeed?
***********************************************************************
*Easter*
"Oh, Nick! He's absolutely adorable!"
Nick smiled, sublimely pleased at his gift's success. His new idea
had worked much better than dressing Sidney up like the Easter Bunny, and
Nat looked so happy.
Nick thought, draping his arm around Natalie's
shoulder while she cooed at the bundle in her arms.
"Now I'm sorry that I made those dinner reservations so early," he
said. "You should spend some time with Albion - get to know him better."
Nat looked up from downy fur of the animal she was petting. "You
aren't trying to burrow your way out of eating a meal with ac-tual mortal
food, are you?"
Nick feigned innocence. "Who me? I'm looking forward to eating steak.
Rare steak. Really." He grinned, reaching out to give Albion a head rub
between his long, floppy ears. "Besides, burrowing is for bunnies - Right,
Albion?"
Nick had given Natalie a rabbit for Easter. A seven-pound, bouncing,
albino boy bunny, complete with a blue ribbon around his neck. Natalie had
been thrilled, confessing she had always wanted one as a little girl.
"You said he was trained?"
Nick nodded. "The breeder said he was the best-mannered lepus that
ever hopped in Toronto."
"Since you brought his food, chewies and basket, he should be fine."
Natalie set Albion on the floor and glowed as she observed the rabbit move
in small bounces across the floor. She stood, smoothing the peach silk of
her dress, and spoke, "Well, Detective Knight, try to control your
excitement. There's a rare steak out there with your name on it, and if
you're good, you get to have dessert."
"Oh...goody," Nick replied then held the door open for her exit.
***********************************************************************
Sidney was unhappy.
He had eagerly waited for the form Nick's Easter tribute would take,
deciding the object would require catly interest and inspection. Never in
his wildest dreams did he expect the gift to be *alive*.
Sidney had peeked at the proceedings from Mother's bedroom doorway,
observing in horror as Nick presented a white, wriggling THING to his
person. To make matters worse, Mother talked to the creature as if she
actually liked the beast. She called it a handsome boy! Imagine that!
Sidney decided to not join the humans. If he entered the living room,
it would be very difficult to abstain from sharing just how much he
disapproved of Nick and his monster-present. Whenever Sidney voiced an
unpleasant opinion, Mother hissed at him. The strategic course of action
was to stay under the bed until they left.
Hearing the people close and lock the front door, Sidney tip-toed
out of his refuge. Keeping his belly low to the floor, he crawled forward slowly, twitching his ears alertly and looking from side to side. Much
to his chagrin, Sidney soon saw that Nick had not taken his creature
with him.
The THING was white, with fur like a cat, but it was *not* a cat. It
did not smell like a cat. Sidney crouched several feet away, sniffing its
aroma with distaste. He shook his head, hoping his nose was mistaken,
then sniffed again. Nope. It was not a cat. No cat would dare look
so ugly.
The white THING had abnormal, long, white and pink growths extending
from its head where ears should be. It was an absolute fiend! It stared
at Sidney, making the fur of his back bristle and his tail inflate like
a balloon. Its eyes were blood red and hideous - what had Nick been
thinking? Surely this THING was dangerous! Mother must be protected!
Sidney's home must be protected!
Sidney leapt at the creature in a hissing, spitting blur, but the
beast simply turned and scooted off. Horrified, Sidney slowly backed away.
He continued to growl, for he wasn't about to let on how unsure he felt.
As he had rushed forward, Sidney had noticed two more deformities in
the THING. It had teeth that slightly jutted past the upper lip, but
instead of having attractive pronounced canines like Sidney and Nick,
this freak of nature had huge incisors that could be of absolutely no
use whatsoever.
When the monster showed Sidney his back, he saw it had a stunted tail
rather than a furry whip. Sidney had seen homely felines before at the
Place-Where-You-Get-Shots with such an ungainly feature and had yowled at
them in pity. Sidney had assumed it was one of the terrible things that
the People-Who-Give-You-Shots do to kitties, like The Operation. Had he
realized these cats had a THING disease, he wouldn't have been so
sympathetic.
Then a thought struck Sidney. His mistake was treating this creature
like a cat. A fellow cat would have realized Sidney's superiority and asked
forgiveness for walking on his floor. But monsters - monsters couldn't be
expected to act cleverly like cats. Obviously, they had no social graces.
Sidney would have to change his behavior towards the THING from
'challenging member of his own species' to 'THING that is so obviously
inferior a handsome boy cat cannot be expected to notice it'.
Satisfied with his decision, Sidney cantered into the kitchen for
some crunchy food. He saw that the THING was already there, putting its
pink nose next to different objects like Sidney's dish and water. The
feline diligently pretended that there was no monster present and began
to nibble at his chickeny bits.
Sidney enjoyed several tasty swallows before he let himself hear the
digging sounds the THING made. The noise was too interesting for a
respectable cat to ignore. Sidney walked up to the cavern that formed his
litter box and looked inside. There sat the THING, its abnormal eyes
staring back at Sidney with a zombie-like gaze.
Sidney thought.
Then the cat detected what the THING was really doing in his box. It
had contaminated his place, *his* sanctum of smell, his territory! It was
unthinkable! It was unconscionable! It was...
Reacting like a reasonable manly feline, Sidney fainted.
*************************************************************************
*Easter Monday*
Sidney felt better.
Before Mother went to sleep, she and Sidney had a discussion
about the monster-present. She formally presented the THING, saying
its name was Albion, meaning white.
Sidney sniffed at that. Of course it was white - that was
clearly visible. The cat began to feel a bit sorry for the THING.
Not only was it funny-looking, but someone had given it a stating-the-
obvious name. Sidney thought informative nomenclature like 'Litter
Box Stealer' would have been more helpful and just as appropriate.
"Albion is a boy bunny rabbit, Sidney."
That news surprised Sidney. The only other bunny he had seen
before had been on TV, and that one had been a lively conversationalist,
saying things like "What's up, Doc?", making humans with silly hats
look funny.
The feline understood television very well. Sometimes he would
watch documentaries about birds with Mother. Though their jerky
movements and high-pitched sounds were fascinating, if he tried to
paw at them from atop the television set he would only hit glass.
TV was entertaining, but it wasn't real - any cat who had seen
'Tony the Tiger' knew this. Besides, the objects onscreen couldn't
be real - they had no scents.
Sidney explained his discovery to Mother using several vowels
and stop consonants. She rubbed his cheeks and agreed cheerfully. "Yes,
Sidney. I know having a rabbit around is a new experience for you, but
he's going to need an animal to show him the ropes and look out for
him. Can you do that?"
Sidney wanted to express doubt, but Mother's enthusiasm was
catching. "Meowp!" he said.
"I knew you could! Who's the handsome man? Sidney is!"
With logic like that, how could a boy cat argue?
When Mother was safely off to work that evening and out of the
way, Sidney spent the night watching Albion tentatively. He admitted
that the rabbit was interesting to observe. The bunny acted foreign,
and Sidney enjoyed pointing each difference out - to be helpful,
of course.
First and foremost, Sidney sampled Albion's food, and it was
absolutely dreadful. Rather than tasting of meat, it had to be made
from vegetables. Vegetables, not even a munchable form of grass.
Mother also gave the rabbit a few chunks of carrot, and he munched them
happily. Sidney tried nibbling on a piece - it was sweet, but not what
he would consider a treat.
He magnanimously batted a pellet of his food to Albion, but the
rabbit simply sniffed it, and continued crunching on his orange
sticks. The bunny simply did not have a palate for fine cuisine.
Once Sidney started listening to the rabbit, he realized that
it wasn't mute as he had previously assumed. Albion was constantly
making soft twittery noises, a non-stop commentary on his new
surroundings. After Sidney became attuned to these sounds, they grew
increasingly annoying.
He would settle down for a nap, ready to savor the peace and
quiet, and there would be Albion, "Wih...wih...wih...wih..." over
and over. Sidney would ask the rabbit keep his thoughts to himself
with a polite yowl. Albion ignored him. Sidney would place a gentle
paw on the rabbit's head to point out that he was in charge and Albion
should do what he said. The bunny would move aside and start chattering
more loudly.
Sidney gave up, resigning himself to sleeping in rooms that did
not contain the rabbit. This solution worked tremendously, unless
Albion began his chewing.
Sidney respected chewing - he really did. There was satisfaction
to be gained from mottling a piece of paper or leaving teeth marks
on a plastic object, but Albion took mastication to extremes. The
rabbit had his own collection of wooden sticks, all dyed brightly to
surprise the eye. Albion would attack these pieces of wood with gusto,
causing an enormous racket as he whittled their blunt ends down to mealy
fragments.
The sounds taunted Sidney like a haunting heartbeat.
Sidney thought he would go mad.
His only option was to steal the chew sticks and put them in a
place where they would be irretrievable to bunny paws.
Hiding Albion's toys was great fun.
Sidney found that the rabbit did have some good qualities. Albion
was an excellent groomer, cleaning with an almost-catly technique. His
whiskers were long and actually quite attractive - nearly as attractive
as Sidney's own.
Best of all, the rabbit could play. Albion didn't understand the
intricacies of proper submissive/dominant wrestling, but he could hop,
dodge and dart, making for great chases. Sidney and he bounced
vigorously through the apartment, swerving and scuttling, only
knocking over a few of Mother's valuables.
In fact, the sunrise brought Sidney and Albion's first co-lecture
from their person about naughty boy behavior. Sidney let the rabbit
take credit for the lamp he broke in a sudden high-speed change of
direction. Sidney volunteered to receive blame for the lead crystal
figurine Albion shattered while jumping over his head.
It was a bonding experience.
***********************************************************************
*April Fool's Day*
Mother scrambled off to work before sunset, but not before the
mammals were fed. Albion received new chew sticks which Sidney promptly
swished beneath the stove.
The feline rowled in triumph as he noted Mother had forgotten to
shut her bathroom door. He gladly demonstrated the joys of the bathroom
to Albion, unrolling the toilet paper into a stream of white in which
Sidney danced and swatted. Once the wall bracket held nothing but a
cardboard tube, Albion hopped onto the pile and joined Sidney in
gratuitous paper shredding.
Next, Sidney showed the rabbit the treasures of Mother's cosmetics.
He fetched and batted a pair of orange sticks their person used for
manicures. Albion mistook them for his missing chewies and promptly
bit them into tiny pieces. Sidney growled his disappointment, then
moved on to the greatest prize of all: cotton balls.
The cat displayed how a cotton ball would stick to his claws. He
then waved his paw frantically through the air, pretending the ferocious
puff was *really* getting him. The cotton blob was no match for Sidney
though, and he concluded his performance by holding the white stuff
stationary with his forepaws and delivering devastating kicks with his
hindquarters.
Sidney dropped the toy in front of Albion, waiting expectantly
for the rabbit to look impressed. The cotton had lost its ballish
properties and now resembled a monochrome amoeba. The bunny answered
with his usual titter and continued munching on the toilet paper feast.
Sidney plopped onto his side dejectedly.
After a moment, Sidney sprang purposefully to his feet. Albion's
disinterest wasn't a bad thing - it meant all the cotton balls were
Sidney's - he didn't need to share!
The next hours passed enjoyably until the animals heard movement
coming from the living room windows. Sidney became a statue, and
Albion sank into silent attention. It was another purposefully quiet
person. Not Nick, for the noises were completely unfamiliar and
Mother's friend had a front door key. He never came in through the
windows.
Sidney thought carefully. There was a tiny resemblance to Nick's
sounds - the stranger made rapid, almost airy movements. That quality
gave Sidney pause. He looked at Albion, wondering if rabbits recognized
such things. The bunny's eyes were half-closed, forming wary slits.
Albion understood.
The stranger was a vampire.
They slowly moved to the bedroom doorway where the stranger could
be observed and sniffed. Could this be a friend of Nick's?
No. The smell had no nuances of Mother's friend, no residue of
old familiarity. Mother rarely carried signs of any vampire but Nick.
There was that other woman - the one with the exotic perfume. There
was also that other man, the one who carried the smells of ancient flesh
and strength - Mother had returned home one Valentine's smelling of that
vampire and Nick, too. This stranger's scent was different from those.
It was a mixture of blood and sweat - the sweat of frightened animals
before death.
Sidney hunched lower against the floor. The odor frightened him.
Albion was scared as well, his ears miserably flat.
The vampire was the tallest person Sidney had ever seen. He
had black hair and a craggy face, coupled with shoulders like blocks
of mortar. His lips were pulled into a fierce grimace. He looked
menacingly about the apartment.
Then he glanced their way.
Sidney tried not to panic and hoped Albion would do the same. The
vampire smelled of human blood, not kitty and rabbit. They were not in
danger. But Mother...
The vampire saw that the animals gave off the hint of life in this
otherwise vacant domain, sneered, then turned away dismissively. He
walked to Mother's desk, ripped out files, then turned on her computer.
He was searching for something, and when he didn't find it immediately,
the stranger crashed his fist through the display's monitor. The stranger
then pulled a small container from one pocket and a lighter from the
other. The computer and desk were doused with liquid, then the vampire
added a flame, setting the bureau ablaze with light.
This man was destroying Sidney's home - what worse things would he
do when Mother got home? The vampire should be stopped. He had to be
stopped.
But what could Sidney and Albion do? Put out the fire? Destroy the
vampire? These were not simple jobs. They required time for planning which
the animals did not have.
The stranger moved across the room and watched the desk burn.
Sidney nudged Albion, indicated that he should follow his lead, then
slunk to the kitchen.
Normally Sidney never bothered the kitchen cabinets. They made
dark, private sleeping places, but Mother stored her cleaning supplies
here, and the stench of chemicals was overpowering. The cat knew where
everything was though, and he had the skills to open each door.
Sidney slipped his paw into the handle on the door left of the
stove, then gave a mighty pull. Albion stood lookout in the kitchen
doorway, but glanced over as the cabinet's latch magnet gave way with an
audible click.
Affixed to the side wall of this storage space, a fire extinguisher
stood at attention. Sidney crawled into the cabinet and hugged the red
metal cylinder tightly with both arms, then fell back with all his
weight. Small plastic guides held the object into place, but Sidney
and the extinguisher were much heavier. It came free, knocked the cat
backwards, then clattered to the floor.
Sidney felt bruised and battered, but didn't waste time feeling
sorry for himself. He meowed to Albion. The next part required the
rabbit's help.
The cat and the bunny lined up side by side and ducked their heads
to rest against the cool metal of the extinguisher. They moved forward,
gradually nudging and butting the heavy object across the kitchen
linoleum and towards the living room.
They made it just over the threshold before the vampire took
notice. He frowned and took a menacing step forward. Sidney saw that
the wall behind and carpet around the desk were burning now and the
flames were spreading. In minutes, the entire room could be flooded
with fire.
The stranger crouched down to pick up the extinguisher. Sidney
didn't know what else to do, so he hissed and bit the stranger's hand.
The vampire snatched his arm back in surprise, recovered after a second,
then wound his fingers around Sidney's throat, lifting him off the
floor. The cat flailed and scratched, recognizing that he was in fatal
danger. The fingers began to tighten, squeezing the breath from
his throat.
The front door crashed open. The stranger released Sidney from his
vise, allowing the cat to drop to the floor in a relieved heap.
Nick roared into the apartment, slamming the vampire across the
room with tremendous force. Mother's friend turned concerned eyes to
Sidney and Albion, wanting to know if they were safe. Nick spotted the
extinguisher lying abandoned on the floor. He picked it up, then began
to spray the flames into submission. Sidney meowed a cheer.
Suddenly, Albion released a stream of load chatter. The stranger
had climbed to his feet and leapt at Nick's back.
Nick turned at the last second and snarled. "Stop this! You're
wrong, Enforcer - she's of no danger to the Community! Leave her alone!"
The vampire ignored Nick's words, swinging a blow in his direction
instead of a vocal reply. They struggled, ramming each other's heads
into the walls and windows, but the stranger was overpowering Nick in
hand-to-hand combat.
Sidney finally panicked. He had just gotten accustomed to the idea
that Nick would save them, and now the stranger was pulling his lighter
out again, using it to scorch Nick's face.
The cat saw Albion rush back into the kitchen and followed. The
bunny hopped to the spot where his chew sticks had been that afternoon.
Now it was just empty space. The rabbit gave Sidney a sad look. The
feline understood instantly - the chewies were made of wood! Each was
shaped like a carrot, about six inches long and half an inch thick. They
were pointy at one end - just like a stake!
Sidney ran across the kitchen, hooking his paw while he stretched
his arm as far as possible underneath the base of the stove. If he could
retrieve only one, Sidney swore he would never hide Albion's toys again.
His paw pads swiped something rough, but he lost it. Sidney tried
once more, then a third time, finally feeling the chew stick move
closer. A fourth and fifth attempt resulted in the narrow end poking
out from beneath the oven. Sidney took it in his teeth and pulled back,
dragging the wooden carrot the rest of the way free.
Sidney grasped the chewie firmly in his jaws and returned to the
living room, Albion trailing close behind. Nick was obviously becoming
weak from the other vampire's attack. His arms weren't pushing at the
stranger anymore, but hung limply at his sides. Nick's face was
horribly blistered - severe burns cratered his cheeks and scorched
his brow.
The stranger was too enthralled with hurting Mother's friend
to bother noticing the cat's actions at the moment. Sidney carried
the wood toy to Nick, nudging the man's dangling hand with his forehead.
Nick's fingers flexed, brushed against the surface of the piece of wood,
then seized it in a desperate grip.
Nick summoned all his remaining energy, hugging the vampire
to him with one arm while he stabbed him through the back with the
other. The stranger screamed, released a few gagging noises, then
collapsed to the floor.
Sidney and Albion sat side by side as they solemnly watched Nick
struggle to sit up. He did so slowly, still suffering from the pain
of his fire wounds. Nick stood, then retrieved the fire extinguisher.
After foaming the last traces of the blaze into extinction, Nick let
the canister fall from his hands. He approached the waiting animals,
scooping Sidney up in one arm, Albion in the other, then sank into the
cushions of the sofa to rest.
Albion was content to curl up at the man's side, but Sidney chose
to sit on Nick's chest and purr. It was fascinating to watch the burns
on his face close, as though Nick's skin was draining the fire away,
leaving not a single blemish behind. After a while, his eyes opened
and met Sidney's gaze. Nick moved his left hand to the feline's head
and began to scratch it deliciously. The rabbit received equal attention
from the fingers of Nick's right.
"What are you thinking, Sidney?" Nick said softly. "How did you
know what to do?"
Sidney blinked, then extended a paw so that he could tease one of
the bunny's ears. Credit should be given where it was due.
"Albion helped? Thank you, thank you both."
Sidney blinked again, then wiggled higher so he could lick Nick's
healed, but smoky, face clean.
Nick chuckled in appreciation. He then sobered, offering the
animals an earnest explanation. "It was a rogue Enforcer. He wanted to
destroy Nat and all of her work towards regaining my mortality. He was
the only one, I promise. I wouldn't be here if your Mom was still in
danger. I'd be at her side. You know that, don't you?"
Sidney voiced his approval and Albion twitched his ears.
"Good." Nick sighed as he looked at the wreck that was Mother's
living room. "She's going to be very unhappy to hear about this mess.
To *see* this mess. You three should probably come to my loft until
I get everything repaired. Do you mind staying there again?"
Sidney turned around in a circle, kneaded Nick's chest several
times, then curled up into a purring ball. Mother's friend really
needed looking after - maybe even more than she did. Albion and he
would have to make sure Nick stayed out of trouble. With the rabbit's
help, Sidney was certain he could handle the responsibility of two
humans. Anyone who bothered with them had better watch out! Sidney
sighed contentedly, snuggling even flatter against Nick's chest.
After all, it was a matter of territory.
*********************************************************************
End of "A Matter of Territory"
Send comments to Vivian via :
br1035@ix.netcom.com
(
geocities.com/~br1035)