Alexander the Caracal's Christmas

Alan's Response

"'Irish dog?'" Alan asked, placing himself between Gemma and Cody. "I should remind you whose home you are in, Cody. Not only does Gemma live here, but so do I. She has no interest in you and I will not standby and be insulted by you in my home, now get ye gone!"

Cody was about to attempt to punch Alan in retaliation, only to hear some growling coming from behind him. Looking behind, the Younger Bligh saw Roxana, ears flattened against her skull and a paw raised.

Looking once more at Alan, Cody growled: "You coward! If these damn cats weren't here, you wouldn't be half as brave!"

"I'm brave even without them present." Replied Alan. "Now I am telling you one more time: get ye gone!"

The eyes of the two rivals glared at one another and Alexander wondered if even there Cody would dare attack Alan. The Northern Caracal had scratched him, would it take the Asiatic as well to make the Younger Bligh stand down?

Ultimately, Cody did stand down. Turning, he glared at Roxana and would have kicked her if he did not want a repeat of the last time that he had done so. Long before the coming of Alexander, Cody and his paterfamilias had come to Quebec Castle. When Hippolyta had made a rather flat comment towards him, Cody's first instinct was to try and hurl the six-year-old girl who couldn't swim into the lake. Roxana's response was to get in the way, leading to Cody to attempt to kick her and resultingly needing his right leg bandaged for weeks.

Thus, did Cody walks past the Asiatic Caracal, exiting the scene and leaving Alan, Gemma and the two felines alone.

Running into the library Mr. Adrian Walters, one of the teachers, looked at the four and uttered: "I heard the commotion from the classroom. Are you four alright?"

"We are fine, Adrian." Alan told the old man. "I think it was more Cody than us getting hurt."

Smiling, her reddish-brown eyes on Alan, Gemma said: "Alan came to my defense, Mr. Walters. He was as gallant as Ivanhoe."

Alan could do naught but smile warmly as he turned his gaze towards Gemma. Alexander had heard of Alan and Gemma's childhood games, he as a noble knight and she as his lady.

Giving a sigh of relief, Mr. Walters uttered: "Oh, thank Heaven! I do detest that boy: Cody Bligh! You know when I ran into him in town once, he tried to strike me for the simple fact of correcting him that bats aren't birds!"

"Oh, I can believe it, Adrian." Replied Alan. "Trust me. Cody has been like that for a long time."

"Yes, well, very much happy to know you are both quite alright." Mr. Walters said with a nod. "I am off to make sure he doesn't torment anyone else he comes across. I really do wish that his father would stop coming here, he knows your uncle won't sell one piece of this estate, Alan."

"Stupid is as stupid does, Adrian." Commented Alan. "And the business world is full of stupid people!"

Nodding in agreement, Mr. Walters made his exit from the library. Alone once more, Alan looked at Gemma and she looked at him, both of them gazing into each other's eyes while Alexander rubbed himself against the legs of his master's nephew and Roxana against the legs of the head gardener's daughter. First Alexander meowed, then Roxana, causing Alan and Gemma to break their gazes and kneel to pet their caracal compeers.

"What would we ever do without the two of you?" Gemma inquired.