The Kitty Cat's Mates (ManxMen)

3 | The Knight in Shining Fur (?)

Alexis Papas as Zachary Lykaios

King had a moment to examine the obvious leader of the wolves. He noticed a large burnt patch on the silver werewolf's chest. Yet its sculpted body belittled its scar, and nonetheless, it was a threatening mammoth. 

"We have to go," Pandora warned again. She had a bad feeling.

"What about our—" King felt eyes bore on him. He turned his head towards where his gut was pulling him, and his heart skipped a beat. 

There was an enchanting pair of cerulean eyes on King. It was glowing bright blue, like some sort of light in the ocean, and King felt pulled by it. It was kind of magical, almost so magical... Not until the owner — the grey werewolf — sneered. It directed its attention at the three and started snarling.

"Yeah. I think we should leave," Bryce agreed, slowly backing off, "I don't think negotiating is on the menu right now."

The other werewolves darted their eyes back and forth at each other. In time, the confusion on their faces seemed to fade, and their stance turned to that of a predator.

"Pandora? Plans?" Bryce swallowed.

King gripped Bryce's hide. "I really don't fancy being dog food," he barely whispered.

Pandora scowled, backing off together with her cousins as the werewolves crept towards them. "In three," she hinted. "One—"

"Three!" Bryce yelled. Pandora didn't take the time to roll her eyes. Immediately, they dropped in all fours and then thundered away into the forest. With a monstrous roar from the grey beast, the werewolves lumbered after them, barking and teeth snapping on the air like wild, mad dogs. 

"The hell is their problem?!" Bryce growled.

"I don't know! Just keep running!" Pandora snapped.

King turned his head, eyes dilating at the canines racing towards them from behind. Pandora maneuvered around corners and cuts like an agile cat, evading timber obstacles. Bryce followed suit, not bad himself, and having a surprisingly fast framework despite his bulk. Looks like the old training paid off. 

King was still on Bryce's shoulder, appearing like he was riding a wild bull. He was doing a great job of gripping his cousin's scruff since there was no bridle. So it was either hold tight or fall with all might.

The terrace levered up. King could see the setting sun from the horizon peeking behind the trees. On one point, the werecats found out that they were now on the edge of a towering cliff. What they didn't know was that there was a floorless gap in the direction that they were heading in. 

Pandora realized it first. She peeked at the edge of the fissure, calculating. "Get ready," she said. "We're jumping."

Bryce emitted a raspy gurgle of excitement. A chill crawled up in King's spine instead. 

"What?" King asked as the two continued to thunder towards the nonexistent floor. His heartbeat soared, and his grip on Bryce tightened automatically. He wasn't a fan of heights. "Hey."

Pandora eyed King. Then she sped up, and whoosh! She leaped down the sixty-something feet of air.

"Hold on tight, King!" Bryce warned. Well, King already was.

"No—" King bit his tongue, and he gasped when his life flashed before his eyes. 

Bryce leaped. 

"AHHH!"

The next thing that happened, they were falling. A sick sensation barraged King's stomach as the air whooshed around him. He tried to scream, but he choked from the wind. His muscles stiffened from shock until he eventually lost his grip on Bryce.

"King!" Bryce yelped.

King's body dangled helplessly on the air that was twenty-two feet to the ground. He couldn't land like a cat, unlike his two cousins, though he could probably survive it. Probably. 

His face paled. Oh shit. 

In a split-second, Bryce caught King's arm. He tucked him into his chest and, grimacing, had a brief moment to balance his feet for landing. His fall failed, and he collided with the enormous trunk of the tree instead, breaking it in half and causing him to lose his grip on his cousin.

King, on the other hand, had hit crowds of branches on his way below too. And then, he fell back on Earth, planting face first on the soil... At least he was okay. Although his leg felt like it was still being pinched by a crab.

King spat, tasting putrid in his mouth. He grunted and tried to push himself up while staring at Bryce who was slumped on the ground a few feet away from him. King's body ached, but like usual, half of his genetics were patching him at an incredible pace. He frowned when Bryce remained unmoving, until the latter groaned, "Food," in a hoarse, burbling voice.

Pandora landed a couple of meters away from them. She patted herself and was about to race towards their direction when the wind whispered from above. Her eyes darted upwards and King was about to do the same. But before he could, a sinister silhouette had already zoomed down in front of him.

King swallowed hard.

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