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Swish.

Swish.

Swish.

A small cat watched the tail go back and forth, back and forth above her.  She stood on her hind legs and stretched her paws and batted at it as it went past, timidly at first.  But still the tail waved before her tantalizingly, taunting her as if saying, “You know you want me, but I'm too fast for you.  You have to be better than that if you want what I have to offer…”

The tail dangled above her, just out of her reach.  “Jump!” it seemed to say, “You have to get higher than that!”

The teasing was too much for her.  A gleam danced in the cat's eyes as she crouched down, focusing all of her senses on the prey in front of her—and then leapt.  She soared through the air, and the cat inside of her mrowed in triumph as its claws and teeth found itself latching onto its prize.

But a growl and roar of pain jolted her back to her human mind and she realized what she had done.  Her jaws still firmly locked around what she could fit in her mouth, she looked up into the angry eyes of the lioness to whom the tail belonged, and cringed.

Chipotle laughed, her eyes lighting up in merriment as she picked Roja the kitty up, removing her claws from the lion tail and ruffling her fur affectionately.  “Did the big, mean lion scare you?”

“You set yourself up for that one, Lyonesse,” Bastet said from her perch on a low branch.

Lyonesse just grumbled in reply and started licking her wound.  Giggling, Nilaya took pity and reached over to pet her golden fur, getting her own hand licked as a thank you.

It was a lazy late fall afternoon and the girls wanted to spend most of their time outside as much as they could before winter came in.

“Hey, Callisto.”

“Mm, yeah?”

Nanuq strolled over to where they were laying and looked down bemusedly at them.  “Wow.  You guys have no time on your hands.”

“Pretty much, yeah,” said Brushytail, shielding her eyes from the sun to look up at him.  “Why?  D'you want to give us some?”

Nanuq cleared his throat nervously when he saw Lyonesse glaring at him and licking her chops.  He made sure to give her a wide berth as he came over to Bastet's other side—giving her reason to look at the two suspiciously.

“Erm,” he said in a higher register.  Nanuq cleared his throat and corrected his squeak, trying to be casual with the predator's eyes on him.  “Erm, no, actually, I just wanted to tell Callisto that, thanks to her webcast, we now have twice the amount of viewers than before.  This thing's getting bigger than we thought it would.”

Callisto beamed and sat up.  “Really?”

“Really, really.  Oh, and speaking of, has anyone seen my razor?  I haven't seen it since…since this…this…morning…” he trailed off, glancing over at Lyonesse.  She stared back at him.

“Um.  You know what?  Never mind.  I'm sure it's just hiding somewhere in the bathroom,” he said, backpedaling, wanting to put as much space between him and the lioness as he could.

“Considering the state she's in, I think that's a good idea,” said Nilaya.  “After all, you wouldn't want to deal with an angry lioness, now would you, Nookie?”

Nilaya grinned, then squealed and took off running when she saw half a ton of polar bear charge at her.

“I don't think he likes that name,” said Bastet lazily.

“Nah, ya think?” said Callisto.

“I don't think.  It wears out brain cells I need for keeping you lot in line.”

Callisto growled and took a swipe at her but Bastet dodged, grinning.

Snowtips mrowed and rubbed against Chipotle's bare calves.  Chip made room on her lap for Roja and Snowy and watched them bat each other playfully.

Brushy, sick of the sun always being in her eyes, moved over into the shade next to the now-snoozing Lyonesse, but was soon distracted by all of the leaves falling on her head.  “Confounded weather,” she grumbled.  “Well, if you can't beat them, join them.”

She changed forms, then looked up at the falling leaves in anticipation.  Spying one, she leapt above her and caught it in her mouth, wrestling with it on the ground before forsaking it as it became wet and crumbled and waiting for another one.  This game was apparently fun enough to win the interests of Roja and Snowy, and they joined her in leaf pouncing.

With the cats off her lap, Chipotle gathered a bunch of leaves to make a pillow and lay back on the grass, content on going to sleep in the sun.

“How easily they are amused never ceases to amaze me,” Callisto muttered, watching the over-excited animals.

“Well, you heard her, Callisto.”  Bastet chuckled.  “‘If you can't beat them, join them’…”

Callisto sighed before changing forms herself and climbing further up the tree.  She chose a particular-looking branch and crept carefully out, making it shake all of its own leaves off and creating a whirlwind of leaves for the entertained animals below.

Yo-yo laughed at the show.  Then, grinning with an evil thought, she picked up a pile of leaves and put them on Lyonesse's head.  There was a snort underneath them and Lyonesse sat up, shaking the leaves off her, looking disgruntled and moody.

The lioness changed back into a young woman with a scowling face.  “That was not nice,” she told the younger girl.

Yo-yo put on an innocent grin.  “Since when am I ever?”

“She's got a point there,” Bastet said.

“Humph.”

“If…I am not mistaken, you seem to be acting particularly grouchy today, Lyonesse,” observed Bastet.

“Why, what a brilliant deduction, Sherlock, however did you come up with that conclusion?” Lyonesse said sarcastically, before rolling onto her stomach and hiding her face in her arms to keep the leaves from falling in her eyes.

Bastet raised a brow at Yo-yo, who shrugged.  Snowtips forsook her own leaf-chasing and came to came over to comfort Lyonesse.  She mrowed and started licking what part of her friend's face she could find.

“Humph,” came the muffled response to said licking, but a smothered giggle gave her away.  “Why, oh why did I tell anyone I was ticklish?” she moaned and more of her face came into view.  She glared accusingly over at Brushytail.  “I blame you.”

Brushy yipped and changed forms at once, in the middle of a leap.  She fell on her head and sat up, rubbing it.  “Why me?”

Lyonesse smirked.  “Because you're small and insignificant and easy to blame.  Especially since, half the time, it is your fault.”

“But I didn't do anything this time!” Brushy said.  “At least…I don't think I did.  Wait, what are we talking about again?”

Yo-yo leaned away from Brushy as the other girl leaned towards her, making it so her whispered comment could be heard by everyone.  “Psst!  She's not talking about us short-sheeting her bed, is she?”

“You did what?” Lyonesse said.

Brushytail facepalmed as everyone else started laughing.  “I just gave away our brilliant plan, didn't I, Frac?”

“Yep.  I would say you did, Fric.”

Lyonesse grumbled and looked up to the gods.  “What did I ever do to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment?”

“You existed,” said Yo-yo, nodding sagely.

Bastet whacked her.

“You're not still mad about this morning?” Callisto said, climbing back down.

“What happened this morning?” Bastet asked.

Lyonesse covered her face with her hands and muttered.

Bastet leaned closer to her Pack-sister and cocked her head.  “Can't hear you, darling.”

With a moan, Lyonesse tore her hands away from her flushed face.  “Fine!  I'll tell you…

“I was just sitting at the table, eating my breakfast and minding my own business,” Lyonesse explained.  “When all of a sudden, I heard a WHAM!  ‘Now, who could that be?’  I wondered to myself, because it sounded an awful lot like someone slamming their door in anger.  So, naturally, I went to see what the matter was.  So I set down my knife and—”

“Wait, where was I?  I don't remember hearing any arguments this morning,” said Bastet.

Nuala called down from her perch higher up in the tree.  “Well, while Lyonesse was in the kitchen with the knife, you were in the conservatory with the rope, I was in the library with the candlestick, and Beowulf was in the drawing room with the lead pipe.”

Lyonesse glared up at her through the branches.  “Consider yourself smacked.”

“Smack considered.”

“Anyway, I set down my knife—”

“What were you doing with a knife?” Brushy asked.

“Threatening to kill the next person to interrupt me!” Lyonesse growled.

Brushy cowered.  “Shutting up now.”

“Anyway, I set down the knife I was using to cut up my meat because we still had some left-over turkey in the freezer and it's my job to skip dinner yesterday and today—” there was a slight emphasis on these words, aimed at Brushytail “—and I went to see who needed a talking-to this time.

“So I got to the top of the stairs and the only closed door I saw was from the computer room.  But the only thing I could hear from behind that door was a bunch of laughter, not raised voices.  I was curious.  So naturally, I knocked,” Lyonesse said.  She took a deep breath to continue, but Callisto beat her to the punch.

“And before you go any further, please remember that it was not my fault!”

“What's not your fault?” Bastet asked her.

“I'm getting to it!” Lyonesse said.  Bastet raised a brow at her and she flinched.  “I'm sorry.  Sorry…I didn't mean to snap…but it is your fault!” this last she called up to Callisto, who grumbled in reply.

“In any case, I opened the door and Nanuq answered.  I asked him who slammed the door, and he said the wind.  I asked him what they were laughing about, and he turned red and said nothing.  Wrong answer.  So I pushed past him, and went to see what everybody was standing around.”  Lyonesse paused.  “It was a site.  On the computer.”

“And…?”

“It had a picture of my arse!” she said.

Several of the girls tried to stifle their snickers.  Bastet's mouth dropped open.

“A picture…of your cupa?” she asked.

Lyonesse smirked without any humor whatsoever and nodded.

“The…human anatomy, not the theri?”

Lyonesse nodded again.

“What kind of sick person would take a picture of your netherend and post it on a website?” said Bastet.

The other girl cleared her throat significantly and looked over at Callisto.  “Athei mosakar, I have no biet clue.”

“Hey!  I told you I had nothing to do with it.  It's not my fault you happened to bend down in the middle of my webcast, showing that part of your anatomy.  Blame yourself,” Callisto retorted.

Lyonesse scowled.  “I will plot my revenge, MacBeth, if it's the last thing I do…”

“Playing Duncan, then, are we?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” Lyonesse said, still moody and unreasonable.

“Wait,” Bastet broke in.  “Hold up the cosmos, here.  The panther is still digesting this information.  Why was your netherend posted on a site?”

Elektra smirked.  “Do you even have to ask?”

“Because apparently it's too big for the Den.  It has to be broadcasted everywhere else as well…” said Lyonesse sarcastically.

“It's not that it's so big, Lyon,” Chipotle broke in, grinning.  “It's just that it's so…fine!”

The girls laughed and Lyonesse turned crimson.

“Is not…” she mumbled.

“Do we need to bring Richard over here and examine it to help us convince you that it is?”  Yo-yo asked with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, I don't think that's necessary,” said Amphie.  She joined them and wrung her hair out, getting Roja, Elektra, and Snowy wet.

“You don't?”

“No…he's already seen it.  Up close and personal.”

“He what?”  Lyonesse yelped.

“I'm talking about the picture, not the actual…thing…” Amphie said.

Lyonesse growled menacingly.

“He saw the picture?  How do you know?”  Bastet broke in.

“Because James showed it to him.”

There was a pause at these words.  Then—

“He WHAT?”

The other girls cracked up and Amphie chuckled, remembering.  “He took a picture of the look on Richard's face.  I saw it—he didn't know whether to be stunned, amused, mad, or possessive.  It was priceless!”

“I…am going to kill James.  I'm going to think of the worst punishment imaginable and multiply it by ten,” Lyonesse muttered.  “Then I'm going to execute it.  Very.  Slowly.”

“Hey, whatever you have planned, I'm with you all the way,” said Chipotle.

“Count me in,” Brushy and Yo-yo said at the same time.

“Personally, I'm not seeing what's such a big deal about Richard seeing the picture.  I mean, it's not like he doesn't stare at it every chance he gets, anyway…” Kimi said with a dry voice.

The smile was swept off her face when Lyonesse changed forms and pounced on her.

“Ow!” she groaned and picked herself up after Lyonesse got off of her and changed back.  “That evie hurts!  You can get very physical when you're annoyed, you know that?”

“You've just noticed that?”  Yo-yo said.

“Memo to self: Never mess with an ecitleto lioness,” grumbled Kimi.

“Got that right…” Lyonesse muttered.

“So…does this have anything to do with why Nanuq was acting like a frightened teddy bear around you just now?” Bastet asked.

“Actually, teddy bears are based on the American black bear.  Which he's not,” Callisto said.

“But which you are,” said Chipotle.

“Call me ‘Teddy’ and you die.”

“I had no intentions, whatsoever, of calling you by that name,” said Chip solemnly.

“Liar.”

“No, actually, that would be me,” Lyonesse said.

There were more than a few people who looked up and said “Huh?”

Callisto turned to them.  “You know, I don't think I ever heard the reason behind why you call Lyonesse ‘True’, Bastet.”

Bastet gave her a sly grin.  “Because nobody trusts a lyra.”

As one, they groaned.  Lyonesse mimed hitting the drums—“Bah-dum-ching!”—and everyone started laughing.

Lyonesse grinned at her lovely Pack sisters.  She loved them so much…they were the family she never had.  They were everything she wanted while growing up.  Their ability to change into animals was just a big plus, was all.

She sighed and sat back.  Right now, she didn't care what happened in the future.  Give them ferals.  Give them the press and the media and the outside world.  Give them death by falling rocks.  All she cared about was what was happening in the here and now.

After all, she thought, whatever will be, will be.

With a smile, she started humming.  Snowtips swiveled her ears around at the sound and changed forms.  A human girl sat there, grinning, and she sat up, much to the laughter of everyone else around her.  With a look of wistfulness and a faraway gleam in her eye, as if recalling some long ago past, she cleared her throat and began to sing along to the humming.

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be?

Yo-yo joined in with her own voice, matching in perfect harmony with Snowy's own, and others began humming as well, as if providing background music.

Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me

The other girls joined in, smiles on their faces and swaying slightly.  The breeze picked up a notch and the leaves swirled around them in the late autumn sun.

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera
What will be, will be

Lyonesse smiled at what she'd created.  The others hesitated, not sure if they were going to be singing all of the verses or not, but Lyonesse sang out in a clear soprano, a voice echoing her own past:

Since I was young and went to school
I asked my teacher
“What should I try?
Should I paint pictures?
Should I sing songs?”
This was her wise reply

She held the last note with practiced ease, waiting for someone to take the hint to begin the chorus.  Her face began to turn red, but still she held it, until the girls finally stopped giggling and took pity on her, singing with full gusto.

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera

They looked around them to see who would sing this next verse.  Ayatzi, blushing, cleared her throat and began to sing, soft at first, but grew stronger.

When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead

Kimi looked over beyond the walls of the Sanctuary, no doubt to where her own sweetheart was.  With a sudden realization, she found herself singing along with Ayatzi, strengthening her.  Both of them were parted from their loved ones, and though they could often visit, it still wasn't the same.

Will we have rainbows
Day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said

The women of the Den grew saddened at these words, bringing a lull in the music as they sang the chorus quieter than before.  And when they were finished, everyone turned to Bastet for the last verse.  She smiled softly, petting the hair of Elektra, whose head was now on her lap.

In a beautiful, soft alto that nevertheless carried on the wind, she finished the tale.  Drawing out the words and the melody in a way that it was clear to all that she was talking about them, as her position as the Pack mother.

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother
What will I be?
Will I be handsome?
Will I be rich?
I tell them tenderly

Lyonesse reached over and grasped her dearest friend's hand.  She stroked the ring on her modi's finger and sang the words for her.

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be

Yo-yo and Ayatzi, Elektra and Callisto, joined in.

The future's not ours to see

With strong voices carrying out as one, all of the Pack sisters sang, minds hopeful for the future, but bleak as they thought of the present.

Que sera, sera
What will be, will be.

There was a pause.  No one spoke or moved, not wanting to speak the last words—not wanting to let the world take care of their fate.  Then, Snowtips opened her mouth and sang quietly.

Que sera, sera

With a collective sigh, they collapsed back on the grass and stared up at the sky.  For the moment, at least, they were content with acting like normal girls, with nothing better to do with their time than lounge around in the sun and shade.

“I love being a girl,” Meep said out of the blue.

Chipotle grinned.  “So do I.”

“As do we all, I'm sure,” Callisto said, looking around at the girls on the grass and in the tree.

“Besides,” Brushytail said, as if this settled the matter.  “Boys are stupid.  Throw rocks at them.”

They laughed, and Nuala looked down from her branch, affronted.  “Just because you've had bad experiences with them, doesn't mean we all have.”

“And what about our boys?” Bastet said.  “Surely they aren't all that bad.”

“Oh, no, ours are just fine.  It's the other ones I'm worried about,” Brushy said.

Lilly Dale gave a sly smile.  “Oh, they're more than just fine, in my opinion.”

The others laughed at her and Chipotle nudged her with her foot.  Dale stuck her tongue out and grinned.

“We have the best ones.  I wish we could have more…but what we have is good,” said Nilaya.

“When they're not being annoying, you mean,” Amphitrite pointed out.

“True.”

“What?” said Lyonesse innocently.

Bastet reached down and took a swipe at Lyonesse, not really caring if she connected or not.

“James is counted as one of our boys, isn't he?” Ayatzi asked.

“Of course he is.”  Ente reached over and hugged her, then looked over at Lyonesse.  “And that goes for Richard, too…”

“Oy!”

“Lyon, get over yourself already.  You like him.  Why is that so hard to admit?” said Yo-yo.

Lyonesse sighed.  “Because…I guess…”

Yo-yo snorted.  “Good answer.”

“Thank you,” she said sarcastically.  “It's just…I don't know if I'll be able to fall in love with someone again.  Or if I'll be able to trust anyone enough to let them get too close.  It's…complicated.”

She sat back and began to play with the leaf in her hands, shredding it up and tossing it aside before picking up another one.  Bastet kissed her fingers and then put them on Lyonesse's head.

“We love you,” she said quietly.

“I know,” Lyonesse answered just as quietly.

Katie looked over from where she was playing with a kitten Cori and watched Lyonesse's progress on the tearing-up of leaves.  In a high-pitched voice, she began to imitate them.  “Eeeek!  Eeeek!  Help us!  Save us!  Don't let her rip our hearts to shreds!”

The younger girls giggled and Callisto reached out to whack her sister.  “Quiet, you.”

Mesi looked up at the leaves falling.  “If that's what leaves say when they're being torn up, what d'you suppose they say when they're falling down?”

“Do you think they scream?  In tiny little voices?” said Nilaya.

“Ooh, I know what they say!”  Yo-yo said, the cupped her hands around her mouth and mock-screamed.  “DEATH FROM ABOVE!”

They cracked up laughing and Bastet picked a few leaves from the nearest branch.  She carefully positioned it above a head and let it go.  “Death from above!  I kill you!” she cried in a little voice.  She let another one go, then another one.  “Beware the wrath of Baron von Leafluck!  I bite my twig at you, sire!  We are the falling killers of doom!  Death from above!”

“Are…are you mocking me?” said a stunned voice from out of nowhere.

Bastet gasped and nearly fell off her branch before catching herself on time.  She growled at the young man behind her.  “Never.  Do that.  Again.”

“Wow.  I'm surprised.  You have just managed to scare the unscarable, Perry,” said Brushytail.

“That's not a real word, you know,” he said.

Brushytail stuck her tongue out.  “It is if I say it is.”

“Well…” Perry searched for an argument, then alighted upon the particular word which solved everything.  “Meh!”

“Well said, Leech-falcon, well said…” Lyonesse applauded him.

He bowed.  “Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.”

Chipotle reached over and whacked his legs, which were the only things she could reach from her position.  “You're here every week.”

“Ah no, really?  I failed to notice that.  Thank you for enlightening me, I am placed in your debt.  Now.  You were mocking me, weren't you.  I can tell by your guilty face.”

“No,” Bastet answered at the same time Callisto said “Yes.”

The panther theri glared at her.

“Oh, like he wouldn't have found out anyway.”

To which Bastet replied, oh so eloquently, “Meh.”

“This is a girl party, Perry.  You're not invited,” said Nuala.

“Unless you're willing to become a girl yourself?” asked Snowtips.

Yo-yo grinned evilly.  “Yes…the Lady von Starluck does have a nice ring to it.”

Perry grinned and donned a high-pitched voice, playing with his hair.  “Why, thank you, darlings, for inviting me to your superb party.  It is an honor to be here,” he trilled.

“Booooo!”

“Bad performance, very bad.”

“I throw cabbage at you!  Muck!  Slime!  Filth!”

Perry suddenly found himself in the middle of an onslaught of thrown leaves.  He frowned.  “I didn't think it was all that bad…”

“Yes, well, your audience says otherwise,” Bastet said.  “Off you trot.  Um, I meant fly.”

Perry huffed and took to wing, leaving them all behind.  They cheered in their victory.

“That wasn't very nice,” Bastet told them.

“Meh.”

Chipotle turned to Lyonesse while the rest of the Pack girls started talking.  “So,” she whispered.  “You want revenge on James and Callisto for putting out the video and showing it to your lovey-dovey?”

Lyonesse growled from the back of her throat and changed forms.  A golden lioness stood there, glaring at the chipmunk theri.  Chipotle backed away slowly, realizing her mistake.

“Umm…” she said nervously.  “I meant your boyfriend.”

Lyonesse advanced.

“Your sweetheart?”

A gleam in her eyes, the lioness growled some more as she stalked her new prey.

“Your guy friend.  Your paramour.  Your love interest.  Your boy toy.  Eeep!”

The Pack roared in laughter as they witnessed a lioness give chase around the median.  After about ten minutes of watching said fun, the squealing prey turned into a chipmunk and dashed up the nearest tree, leaving the grouchy lioness to sharpen her claws on the trunk and growl up at her menacingly.

All in all, it was a perfect autumn day.  All the theris knew that winter would soon come, and with it the cold and biting frost, and days of hunger and no warmth.  But right at this moment, the girls of the Pack could just be girls.  Right at this moment, they could lounge around in the sunlight and idly toss fallen leaves at each other.

Because now…life was good.

Callisto yawned and stretched.  She opened her eyes a bit, then winced at the bright sunlight piercing through her eyelids.

Evie east-facing windows, she thought idly, knowing she said that almost every morning and not really caring.  She tried pulling the blankets closer to her, then realized that a) she had no thumbs and b) she wasn't even that cold to begin with.

Must have transformed sometime last night when it got too cold.

Her brain told her that it wasn't ready to arouse yet.  It wanted to go on sleep-mode for just a little while longer…she agreed with it.  But first, to do something with the etsei window…

She grumbled and and opened her eyes again, making sure they were in the shade this time.  That was when she looked down and saw that her fur was not the color she was quite used to it being.

It was blue.  Bright…blue.

Callisto closed her eyes again and groaned.  She could tell already that today was not going to be fun.

And there, on the wall beside her bed as she opened her eyes once more, was a little note taped onto the wall, in very familiar handwriting.  The only signature was an unmistakable big cat paw.

     Callisto—
     This is why it is never a good idea to mess with a lioness's tail.

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