Cats and Dogs

Chapter 3: Borrowing

Liam's POV

Life with my roommates had been pretty fun so far. They were always respectful of my wishes and never really bothered me. Minus that one time they tried to determine who was stronger by seeing who could hold me up longer.

We had a lot of dorm dinners and my cat had time to get used to someone in his space enough to not go nuts every time they woke me up to get food or sat on my bed to talk to me.

I had come to find out that I was right in predicting that Owen was a wolf and had also discovered that Morgan was a coyote. They hadn't shifted so I hadn't seen their true animal forms but it had come up in conversation nonchalantly.

Now that I think about it I haven't shifted in a while, I've been so busy settling into the dorms and running all over the place for classes I should really find a place to stretch my legs and get my hands dirty. Or paws I suppose.

As I laughed quietly at my own stupid joke while waiting for the professor to arrive a student suddenly taped me on the shoulder causing me to flinch out of my daydreaming state.

"Hey, mind if I borrow a pencil?" The stranger said. He was noticeably bigger than I was, around Morgan's height and was definitely a shifter, if the golden ears and swishing tail were any indication . And part of the feline family at that.

"Oh, sure," I said handing him a pencil, "rushed morning?"

"Kinda," he says chuckling, "my roommates dog decided he wanted to jump right on my stomach for a walk and I was almost late to class."

"Ah I see." I'm surprised he seems to be in such a good mood, if I was woken up by a slivering dog to go for a walk I would be pissed. Although, me not being a morning person might have something to do with my distaste.

We settle down in our seats next to each other as our professor comes in.

"Good morning everybody, look next to you because the person you are sitting next to is going to be your partner in your new group assignment."

There were many groans at the idea of a group project as me and the pencil borrower make eye contact.

"Partners?" He asks. I almost jump at the chance. It might be the fact that he seemed friendly and laid back but it was most likely due to my feline instincts wanting to impress another cat higher up on the food chain than me.

"Sure!"

He nods as we turn back to our professor as he continues to speak about the details of our assignment.

                __________________

My partner (who's name I had come to learn was Kai) and I had decided to work on our project right away at my dorm. We had been discussing our shifts and I couldn't help but purr a bit when Kai seemed impressed by my Maine Coon even though he was a lion himself.

I seemed to crave his attention, almost like a big brother or a mentor. He was older than me as well since our class consisted of all grade levels so it made sense.

Morgan and Owen were sitting in front of the game system they had installed on the floor when Kai and I walked in and froze their game in surprise at the noise coming from my throat.

"Liam," Morgan began, smile slowly creeping onto his face, "are you purring?"

"What?! No!" I said coughing near the end to get the sound to stop.

Owen stopped watching the spectacle between us to look at the visitor behind me.

"Kai why are you here?" He asked, eyebrow raised in question. Kai waves coming all the way in the room before closing the door and turning back.

"I'm partnered with shorty here on a project." Kai said his hand landing in my hair to ruffle it, effectively starting up my purr again.

"How do you guys know each other?" I asked Kai, tilting my head back to look at him. "All three of us went to high school together. Morgan and Owen just couldn't get rid of me when we went to college. I just hadn't gotten to seeing their new rooms yet but if I knew they were rooming with such an adorable cat such as yourself I would've come sooner." He said making a startled blush ride to my cheeks.

"Careful," Morgan said with a smile that was more threatening than it was friendly, "wouldn't want to turn you into a rug Kai, although we have been looking for some new decoration in here..."

Kai laughed before I felt hands under my armpits and I was lifted into the air in front of Kai as if it was nothing, startling a squeak out of me. "Cmon Morgan look at him can you blame me?" He said holding me out before them. All the attention from Kai was making me preen and a happy purr started up in the back of my throat as my tail swished happily.

"How come he can pick you up and ruffle your hair but when we try to you try and bend over backwards to get away and your ears go flat against your head?" Owen asks, looking at Kai like there was something he was missing.

"It's a cat thing, you mangy dogs wouldn't understand." Kai says causing me to giggle a bit. At this Morgan to stands up and tries to snatch me out of his arms.

"No Kai give Liam back, you are corrupting him, he is supposed to be our sweet little housecat. Your lion ways are destroying him!"

All the swinging was causing me to get a little nauseous and for once I didn't mind it when Owen took me out of Kai's arms into his own.

"Jesus, stop swinging him around like a rag doll he might puke." Owen says as he puts me on the ground me, still slightly swaying at being swung around.

"See now look what you've done!" Morgan says before pouncing on Kai and they start to wrestle.

"Idiots, both of them," Owen says as as Morgan gets pinned to the ground by the lion, effectively learning that a coyote will never beat a healthy lion in a wrestling match, "especially that one." Owen says pointing at Morgan

"Babe!" Morgan says looking betrayed. The whole ordeal causes me to laugh as I think to myself that I'm glad to have found some friends in college when I thought that I wouldn't do anything but study and sleep. Especially if all of my friends tend to be pretty good looking.