Different Cheshire Cat

Mysterious Cat

"Heads up, pretty boy!"

Hercyn ducked as a black harpy swooped over him. Her talons narrowly missed his hair as she shot past. The bird woman laughed. A hand tapped him on the shoulder. Hercyn twisted, only to have his upper lip stroked by a cheshire cat's tail as he turned. A manticore extended her tail as he stumbled back, sending him toppling into a mailbox. The trio snickered while he picked himself up.

"Fuck off, cunts." spat Hercyn.

"OoOoOh~" The black harpy and cheshire held each other in mock surprise.

"Please don't hurt us, human. We PROMISE we'll be good." Pouted the cat.

"Yeah, no more mischief from us. We swear!" said the harpy.

"Honest living from here on out." Said the manticore.Hercyn swore under his breath and tried to walk away.

"Oi! Pretty boy! Don't walk away. Let us make it up to you!" called the harpy.

"Come on, let us buy you a drink and we'll show you how sorry we are~" said the cheshire.

The purple cat woman floated just in front of Hercyn, reclining on the air in front of him with a mocking grin. She held herself in the air, forcing Hercyn to stop in front of her.

"Back off." Hercyn shoved the cheshire away. She gently floated away, cast adrift by his push.

"Back off? Or what?" The cheshire floated upside-down in front of him. Her hair drooped from her head, hiding her feline ears.

"Or I'll-"

Hercyn stopped mid-threat. The manticore had positioned herself behind him. Even with his back turned, he could feel her looming over him. The black harpy landed beside him, her talons rasping against the sidewalk as she went. She was only a centimeter or two taller than him, but a lifetime of flying had left her with a chiseled physique that was not to be underestimated. Too many of Hercyn's friends had made the mistake of trying to wrestle their way out of a monster encounter already. The cheshire floated past him to the manticore, propping herself up on top of the manticore's head.

"Why is a nice man like yourself making threats against pretty little things like us, hmm? Not very gentlemanly of you." Said the cheshire.

Hercyn kept his eyes on the ground. "I'm just trying to get some groceries," he muttered.

"What a coincidence! We were just on our way to get some sugar~" said the cheshire. The other two girls snickered.

"Just get out of my way." sighed Hercyn.

"Hmm... I don't know. You seem like a nice guy, but then you went and intimidated us like that! I would be remiss if I let such behavior go unpunished..."

The black harpy licked her lips. The manticore took a step towards him and froze. Her ears twitched.

"What are you waiting for?" asked the cheshire in annoyance.

The manticore let out a quiet hiss. All three girls looked past Hercyn at a police car that had just rolled to a stop at the light two blocks down. They glowered at the cruiser.

"Bastards always seem to know when to show up." grumbled the harpy.

"Let's just take him and go! They can't do shit." insisted the manticore.

"Not worth the risk if we don't know what species is behind the wheel. If it's a hellhound, she's going to be on our heels for a month. Come on, let's get out of here." Said the cat.

The cheshire blinked out of existence. Left alone without their leader, the baffled harpy and manticore looked around until they spotted the cheshire's purple tail slithering into an alleyway.

"I'm sure we'll see you again, cutie." Said the manticore, giving Hercyn a good view of her fangs.

They hurried off after their friend. Hercyn exhaled slowly and unclenched his fists. That was too close. Confrontations like that were becoming more and more frequent as monsters poured into the city. Even with the increased police presence, bolstered by married monster troopers, men were being snagged by monsters at an alarming rate. Trips to get groceries were now becoming a serious risk to Hercyn's bachelor status.

The cruiser turned at the light and parked next to him. Hercyn stared at the window as it rolled down. A lizardman in aviator sunglasses stared back at him.

"Hey, human. Were those girls giving you trouble?" she asked.

"A little." Said Hercyn. It hurt his pride to admit.

The lizardman grunted. "I'll file a report, but I doubt we'll be able to find them. With so many monsters taking residence in the city, we can't keep track of them all."

"I understand."

"My advice? Find someone to settle down with. It'll make things easier. Don't let girls like that sour you on monsters. Stay safe now."

Hercyn watched the window roll up as the lizardman sped away. Glancing at the alleyway the monsters had slipped into, Hercyn nervously made his way towards the grocery store.

The light in Hercyn's refrigerator hummed to life as he opened it, revealing the barren shelves within. He glowered at the empty shelves and drawers. Out of food already. Slamming the fridge shut, he peeked out the window. The setting sun cast long rays of light down the streets of the city outside Hercyn's apartment. Most monsters and men were returning home to their lovers for the night. A perfect opportunity to secure more sustenance.

Contrary to common sense, it was actually a bit safer to travel at night through the city. Since most men were secure in their homes once the sun set, monsters preferred to hunt for husbands at dusk, when they returned home. Those that did prowl the night often lurked in bars or clubs, awaiting intoxicated bachelors who had waited too long to catch a cab. Still, the supermarket was out of the question. Hercyn didn't have a car and taking any form of public transportation at night was a death sentence. He would have to walk to the convenience store a few blocks away to get something tonight.

Rifling through his closet, he found a dark hoodie to slip over his shirt. Hercyn felt like a fool as he laced up his gym shoes. It wasn't like a bit more traction was going to save him from a cock-hungry monster, but one could never be too sure when an extra meter might be the difference between the single life and an impromptu pavement wedding.

Hercyn gingerly descended the stairs of his building. There weren't many monsters living there yet. Most that did were married already. Still, it felt like tromping down the stairs would tempt fate. He had overheard a conversation between a group of monster office workers at a café he passed, talking all about how they would help each other get the man of their dreams into bed with them. Hercyn wasn't sure that there was some mythical 'wingwoman network' that some of his friends claimed to exist, but it was best to err on the side of caution when it came to monsters.

Cracking open the door to his building, Hercyn peeked outside. Not a monster in sight. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he hurried off towards the convenience store.

(End of part 1! New one drops at 10 reads!
See you soon my lovelies~)