G/t one-shots and short stories

Sterling Household-Leaves 🌿🍂🍀🐈‍⬛

Emma's diminutive frame darted with a speed that belied her size. Her chest heaved, each breath a sharp stab as she wove through the forest of towering grass blades. The amber and crimson leaf piles offered a promise of sanctuary from the relentless pursuit. With a final desperate leap, she burrowed into the musty haven, the dry rustle of leaves swallowing her presence.

Her heart thundered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the silence of her hiding spot.

A shadow loomed over the leaf pile — Whiskers. The cat's eyes gleamed with predatory interest.

With an explosion of movement, Whiskers pounced. Emma barely registered the motion before searing pain lanced through her side. Razor-sharp claws grazed her flesh,

Emma felt the ground beneath her shift with the cat's every playful bat, her tiny body tossed like a rag doll.

Emma had always known the risks of crossing paths with the giant human's pet, but to be caught in such a cruel game was a fate she had hoped to avoid.

Whiskers' jaws clamped around Emma's body, encasing her in darkness. She trembled against her tongue, anticipating the crunch of bone, but her teeth merely pressed into her flesh. She was being gentle.

Emma's mind reeled. Why prolong this torture? Why not end it swiftly? She struggled feebly as the cat carried her away,

Through the haze of her fear, Emma glimpsed the changing scenery as they passed through the back door, left ajar. She braced herself for the unknown, unable to wriggle free from the soft vise of Whiskers' mouth.

Sterling sat in the living room, engrossed in a book, when Whiskers padded in.

"Whiskers, what have you got there?" Sterling's voice boomed, laced with surprise.

Sterling extended a cautious hand toward the feline; his fingers splayed in a silent request. "Easy, Whiskers," he murmured, his deep voice a soothing thrum. The cat, with a certain grace only animals possess, opened her mouth and released Emma onto the broad plateau of Sterling's palm.

"Let me go, you monster!" she shrieked. "I won't be kept as some pet, dressed up and put on display! Release me at once, or you'll regret it!"

Emma's heart hammered against her ribs as she beat her tiny fist against the human's fingers as they curled around her tiny body.  She knew her chances were slim but refused to cower before him.

Sterling blinked in surprise at the tiny borrower's outburst. He had expected fear, not this fiery anger directed at him.

"Shhh...it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently.

Emma quieted slightly, though her chest still heaved with adrenaline and exertion. She eyed the human warily as he examined her small frame, wincing as he noticed the wounds left by Whiskers' claws.

"Those scrapes look nasty. Here, let me clean them for you," Sterling murmured.

*****

Sterling gazed down at the tiny borrower pinned beneath his fingers. She looked so fragile and helpless. He felt a swell of protectiveness towards her, this feisty little thing.

"There now, just relax," he murmured. "I'm going to take a look at those injuries."

Keeping her immobilized with one hand, he used the other to gently turn her limbs this way and that, inspecting the damage left by his cat's claws. Emma winced as he probed particularly deep cuts, letting out small squeaks of pain that tugged at his heart.

"Poor little dear, Whiskers gave you quite a mauling," Sterling said sympathetically. "But don't you worry, I'll have you patched up in no time."

He retrieved his first aid kit, selecting a gauze roll and disinfectant. Emma continued to struggle weakly, hissing curses at him all the while.