The Shunned (closed for LoganDarkHolme and DarkWarrioress)

[LoganDarkHolme]

I wish I knew why you did what you did his tail twitched as he looked to her, nose twitching as he scented the air, unable to stop himself as he purred when she stroked through his fur, tail swaying behind him, he looked to her as she rested against him I have a feeling there is so much more to you than meets the eye he snorted, head cocking to one side, his neck stretching out he snuffled his nose into her hair, scenting her, the feel of her body as she pressed against him sent a ripple through his Fur. He needed to run, he should run, he had spent more time with this female then he has spent around any humans in a very long time, and it irked him to no end, and his stomach was rumbling, he needed food, to hunt........They’re going to come for you, you know, that made him snarl, and he watched her recoil from him, he huffed, the scent of fear wafting from her as she stared at him, he could see she was debating if she needed to run, but there was a spark of her curiosity, I wanted to just leave you here, where you belong. There are people who are not going to let that happen he knew that, the fact she was even here now, told him that he was no longer going to be safe, despite his best attempts to remain hidden, a fear he'd succeeded in for nearly 10 years. he licked her cheek, purring gently as he nuzzled her.

Watching as she rose to stand, she looked around and he canted his head to one side, his tail twitching, like she was taking one last look around, You be careful, Cat. I’m assuming it’s the Cartel out here, they’ll be hunting you he huffed, rubbing his nose with his paw, and grumbling, he chuffed as she began to weave her way back along the rocks, his eyes following her, watching as she stopped at the edge of the water and looked back at him. he had a lot going through his mind, she was right, she had a job to do and he couldn't fault her, her actions in the last few days gave him a good read of her person and she didnt mean him any harm, not any real harm. He should have tried harder to get those samples and destroy them. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. he lay there for some time, soaking up the sun before he rose to his paws. he too made his way across the rocks and into the Forest, He needed to hunt, Over the next several days he passed by the womans camp as he made his rounds, checking to make sure the scientists were safe while watching and hunting any smugglers he might have come across.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

It had been several days since the big cat had been seen last. Sam sat at her lab table simply staring at the vial that contained the cat’s blood. She didn’t know why she had held a vial back from sending nor did she understand why she was hesitant to study it. There wasn’t some big secret or anything, was there? Setting the vial back into the holder, she sat back, picking up her cup of coffee and taking a sip. Her eyes never left the vial. There was something about that cat, however. It’s just when she looked into its eyes, there was an intelligence there that was uncanny. She couldn’t explain her own unusual behavior either. There were things she had done around him that she normally wouldn’t have done around a wild animal. Strangely, she was drawn to him in the most unexplainable way. With a sigh, Sam sat forward again and turned to pull a clean slide from its container. Setting aside her coffee, she took the cork from the vial and put a drop of his blood on the slide before smearing it with another clean slide. Placing it under her microscope and peering into it. She backed up and blinked. Then looking at the specimen again, she couldn’t believe what was in front of her. This. This couldn’t be true. Could it? Just then, her satellite phone went off.

“Hello?”

The conversation wasn’t long and by the time Sam got off the phone, well, she wasn’t happy. She had been ordered to bring the cat back to the U.S. for scientific study or lose her job. She almost told them right there and then what they could do with their ultimatum. As much as she loved her job, she could go elsewhere. However, prudence reminded her to think before she spoke. So, she politely hung up the phone then wanted to throw something against the wall. Even if she did do as they say, how was she suppose to catch him a second time? He wasn’t simply going to walk into an open cage because she opened the door for him.

Getting up from the table, she grabbed her hat and headed out. She needed a walk and time to think. Grabbing her gun, she slung it onto her back and started walking, finding herself on the trail to the waterfalls. He wasn’t there, she was almost sure of it. He hadn’t been spotted in a while, more than likely he was walking his territory.

She found a huge rock to sit on and contemplate the falls. Just the sound of the surrounding forest and the water falling, splashing into the pool below was enough to make her relax. The sun was warm, there was a small gentle breeze, she stretched out on the rock, gun at hand, just in case and she let her eyes close on her folded arms.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

It had been several days and he'd roamed the length of his territory and back, and found nothing, no sign of any more smugglers, which could be a good thing, or not, it was too quiet from the the way things had been in the last handful of months, he'd lost track of the days and only knew of the changing seasons. He'd hunted, fed, returned a lost child to his village, much to everyone's gratefulness. it had been about 4 days since he'd returned to the falls, he'd made it a point to make a circle around the scientists camp, hoping by now they'd have packed up and left, since they'd gotten what they came for. mostly.....but it was just a tiny bit happy to see they were still there, well, ok, he didnt care to see them, but the woman, dusk had begun to rise when he'd returned to the area, and he did a loop around the camp, remaining deep in the brush, his keen eyesight telling him the female was not in the area. he'd hunkered down and watched the camp for a while and only saw they testing soil samples, and tree's and doing what scientists do. with a huff he padded deeper into the forest and headed towards his cave.

his ears on a swivel he listened as he walked, the sound of running water and the other various noises telling him all was silent, he padded to the edge of the river and his ear twitched, a soft sound catching his attention he turned to stare out into the water and there, he spotted her, stretched out on his rock, and his head cocked to one side watching her for a moment. she didnt move, his ears swiveled forward as he focused on her, her breathing was even, her heart rate was slow, he huffed softly, she'd fallen asleep on his rock, as he'd done many a time before. He padded to the edge of the water and leaped from rock to rock till he reached her, silently, he stared at her, taking her in. she was beautiful like this, relaxed, his nose tickled along the back of her calf as he sniffed her, that clean feminine scent that roused the human beneath the fur, trailing higher, up her spine and he couldn't resist the temptation as he licked her, the small patch of skin at her lower back where her shirt had ridden up, purring as her taste teased his senses, he watched her body twitch, her eyes open as she blinked looking around as if wondering where she was, then she rolled to her side and spotted him, and froze

 

[DarkWarrioress]

She wasn’t truly quite awake yet, but something had tickled her skin. That’s when she had rolled over to her side and froze. Staring at her were the amber eyes of the panther she had come looking for. As she stared back at him, it donned on her that she had done an extremely foolish thing. She had fallen asleep out in the open. Granted it was the big cat’s territory and something told her, from his past behavior, she had nothing to fear from him. He was still a wild animal however.

“Hello,” she stated softly, “I came to see how you were doing. I’m guessing all healed up by now.”

She laughed softly. He really was a handsome cat. Sleek. Black. Powerful. She sat up and rubbed her face before she looked at him again.

“I don’t expect you to understand me, but my superiors called me this morning. Your blood isn’t going to be enough for them. They want you. If I don’t bring you back, they’re going to fire me because I refused to do it.”

She ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation and looked at the falls.

If only life could be easy. If only humans could be satisfied with what they had. That wasn’t going to happen here and either choice she made, wasn’t going to make her happy.

“I don’t expect you to simply walk into that cage again. So, please, please, just go. Go to the other ends of your hunting grounds. Just don’t make it easy for me to tranq you.”

Her eyes wandered over his sleek form.

“This is where you are the happiest, not in some concrete jungle,” she smiled a little, “caged up and never let free to roam ever again. I love my job and my job is about animals but I don’t like to cage them up and perform experiments on them or try to figure out what makes them who they are. Like I said, I don’t expect you to understand me, but I hope some part of you recognizes my tone and my concern for your welfare.”

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

I came to see how you were doing. I’m guessing all healed up by now. he canted his head to one side as he watched her, a passive look on his face, tail swaying slowly behind him as he watched her stretch and look around, his head twisted as he looked around too, seeing her gaze take in her surroundings and a look came over her face as she realized she'd fallen asleep in the open, the brief flare of panic souring the air around her and he huffed to clear his nose of the acrid smell. he again focused on her as he sat on his haunches, an eyebrow arched as she stared at him, he could again see that look of awe in her gaze. I don’t expect you to understand me, but my superiors called me this morning. his ears swiveled forward at that statement and he shifted his weight on his paws as he sat up a little straighter, a low rumble starting in his chest as he grew apprehensive at that one single statement Your blood isn’t going to be enough for them. They want you. that brought a snarl from him, lips peeled back, fangs bared, yep, he knew that was going to be what she had to say, he should have done more to destroy those blood samples, god damn it, why didnt he??? If I don’t bring you back, they’re going to fire me because I refused to do it.

he snarled again as he set to pacing, the rock wasnt huge by any means, but it gave him enough space to pace a small path, he fucking knew this would happen, had done everything he could do to hide, to keep his blood work from catching anyones eye, all shifters were taught at a young age about the dangers of being exposed, and now because of a pair of jiggly breasts and beautiful captivating eyes, he'd ignored every instinct he'd had and for what? nothing, nothing at all, and now he was on every scientists radar, or would be, the anamolies in his blood would be the talk of all circles of science. I don’t expect you to simply walk into that cage again. So, please, please, just go. that stopped his pacing and he just looked at her, giving her a speculative look, damn right he wouldnt just walk into that cage, fuck that, why did he fucking care? he could vanish fucking thoroughly in this forest.......but the cartel, they knew her group, maybe knew her, information was easy to buy, so what if they did fire her? they would just send some other jar head drop out to bring him in, he was already a hunted cat...... the cartel he could deal with.....but .human scientists? mercenaries? they'd be hunting him to the ends of the forest and back now, with, or without her.......

Go to the other ends of your hunting grounds. Just don’t make it easy for me to tranq you. he stared at her, tail twitching in irritation as he weighed his options, yes he could run, she would lose her job and in just this short time he figured he'd had a pretty good read on her by now, it was clear she was passionate about animals, she'd fought like hell to save him, well, he wasnt gunna die from those injuries but she hadnt known that, she figured she was just talking to a smarter then average cat and hadnt been so keen to sensor her thoughts around him. She geniunely cared, and that was a hard thing to come by in a human, he couldnt let her lose that passion........and he half wondered what she would look like if lust darkened her gaze instead.......he pawed himself in the face and growled, the fuck had that thought come from?

This is where you are the happiest, not in some concrete jungle, caged up and never let free to roam ever again. I love my job and my job is about animals but I don’t like to cage them up and perform experiments on them yea, he understood that about her, in what little time she'd had him in the cage, the scent of her concern and sadness seeing him there was the only thing that had stopped him from attacking them all, he'd had time to sit and listen, and understand them, and they'd come prepared, he'd been stuck in that cage, much to his annoyance, but it had allowed him to understand her motives, and the people she had with her were honest people too, his thoughts returning to her rant as she had continued to talk, or try to figure out what makes them who they are. Like I said, I don’t expect you to understand me, but I hope some part of you recognizes my tone and my concern for your welfare. he paced back to her, watching as she went stock still as he padded close, the scent of fear from her had lessened after his snarl and subsequient pacing fit, he stared into her eyes for long moments, a low growl/purr rumbling his chest, as if sizing her up, slowly, he stretched his head towards her, nudged her cheek with his nose and nuzzled her before he licked her cheek, huffing in irritation, again he watched that frown mar her features as she studied him, her mind again beginning to turn, he liked that, she had a wonderful brain behind those pretty looks.

Sighing he turned, surverying the lake, his tail twitched, he looked up, scanning the trees, he knew what was coming, with or without her, they would come, the question was, if she was there, could she help him later? he scented no deception, no lies, no change in her heartrate as she spoke. everything she had said to him was truth. so did he run? let her lose her job and have god only knows who come after him? and probably do far worse to him, he set to pacing again, snarling, contemplating, would the cartel's still come after her after her group left? if anything for spite? their people were killed, in her camp, they wouldnt give a fuck about the particulars, they defied the cartel, they would have to be made an example of. at least in the citys she would have "some" protection, maybe........but if he let her take him back, she would still be there? honestly it would be easier to escape a lab, much easier..............he huffed as he paced a good 10 minutes, all the while he was acutely aware of her watching him, studying him, she knew he wasnt normal, or at least suspected he was smarter then an average cat.

once more he snarled in frustration, pawing the water in quiet obviously a tantrum he splashed and pawed and swatted at the liquid like it had offended his mother, panting he turned to face her, muzzle and face dripping wet, he swiped his tongue around his face before he approached her, huffing, he dipped his head down, his jaws locking around her tranq gun, she'd had resting beside her, lifting it he dropped it in her lap, snarled at it and looked at her, he stepped back from her, his chest expanding he roared, his head thrown back, mouth open, teeth bared, he roared his outrage to the tree tops, birds, critters for miles scattering and running for their lives. His roar died after nearly 3 full minutes, he heard footsteps, shouts, watching the startled and frightened face of the women he pawed the water and splashed her with it, leaping away from her as she held up an arm to block the splash, and give him time to run, he saw her team running, guns raised and he took off in the other direction away from them. Let the hunt begin

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Sam watched the great cat and she found him to be...strange, to say the least. She had dealt with a lot of animals in her job but he was ...different. She couldn’t quite lay her finger on why, but there was something about him... antics with the water made her laugh. He seemed frustrated by something. Then he let out a scream that startled her. It shouldn’t have. She knew panthers had a scream, however, it brought her crew along with their guns. She looked in their direction, raised a hand to stop them from coming any closer. Sam turned her head back to the panther in time to get splashed with water before he bounded off. She stared after him with a shocked look on her face. Her mouth had fallen open in surprise and realizing it, she closed it, wiping a hand over her face as she walked toward her crew.

“I’m fine. You know that panther would not have hurt me. “

She glanced over her shoulder to the dense forest he had disappeared into. She wanted more time with him, but now, she had to devise a scheme for catching him, which was not going to be an easy thing to do now. They had caught him once, he’d be wary, no matter how much he seemed to like her company.

Three days later Sam was up at dawn, checking her equipment. Their plan had been made. The men had gone out earlier to see to implementing it. She gathered up what she needed and set off to meet the men. When she had gotten to the place where they had set everything up, she discussed with Roberto what they had already set up then she sent him off into the jungle with the rest of the men. Sam looked around and then set off into the jungle herself.

She found a nice cosy little area to conceal herself and settled in to wait. She had brought her notebook, hoping to catch up on her observations while she waited to see if the cat would appear today. Sam shed her tranq gun, setting it beside her before took pen and notebook in hand.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

How many days had it been? Two? Three? He couldn’t recall, he’d spent his waking hours stalking his territory, snarling, pacing, hunting. God damn it all to hell, he was trapped now, and he knew it. Why the fuck did he bother saving her in the first place? He should have just run and let the cartel kill them, he’d been killing the cartel and smugglers and traffickers in this forest for decades now. But no, a pretty pair of eyes and a soft voice and he and his beast just roll over like a kitten for scritches. He snarled again then outright roared his rage to the skies, birds and animals scattering in fear. He was miles across his territory this day. he needed time away from that woman. Time away from her scent, her voice, those fucking gentle eyes. DAMN IT. He continued to pace and snarl as he considered his options, he’d remained concealed, just a myth, stories to the locals. They knew he was real, but he kept his actions so sporadic that even the locals didn’t really understand the truth of him, which was how he wanted it…….. he knew he couldn’t return to the falls; she’d know that would be a normal spot and more then likely was trying to bait a trap. She’d warned him she was going to, but he really didn’t see a choice at this point.



Now that his bloodwork has hit the scientific tables, she was going to be the last of his problems. Bounty Hunters, Trophy killers, Mercs, people far less friendly than this female and her team. At least with her he had a chance, he could move territories sure, but the world was getting smaller every year. And safe spaces had been growing to be in short supply…………………..fuck…… it was another day before he returned to his usually haunts, he’d leapt up into the sturdy trees, he’d spent enough time on the ground in the last week that she more than likely wouldn’t think to look up, and so he lounged, he’d found a sturdy branch over looking the falls and waited. He watched her as she came and went, her team baiting traps, his tail twitched lazily, as the sun began to set, his eyes hyper focused on her, she thought she was cute, was hiding, he covered a snort as he watched her writing in her book.



With a huff as the sun began to set he watched her tuck her pad and pen away and grab her gun, he remained in the tree until the sun was down then hopped down. Ears on a swivel as he listened, he moved to the water and drank his fill, his eyers constantly scanning, he padded silently towards her camp, hunkering down as the men moved around, their camp fire illuminating their faces, heard their soft voices as they spoke about random shit, again he circled around to the back of the camp where he knew her tent was, and where the cage was, silently he leapt up ontop of the cage, tail twitching with amusement, he pawed at the heavy steel door, wedging his nose under the bar he gritted his teeth, fucking hurt, but he managed to raise the heavy steel and get more of his body under it leveraging it up, getting more of his body was under the bars, then he pawed it over, the heavy SLAM of the door crashing against the bottom of the cage had shouts of alarm at the sudden loud noise.



He watched as Sam’s tent flap flew open, his lantern and her rifle in hand he stood on top of her cage, his head cocked as she looked around, then the light hit him, passed him, then swung back his way, his eyes glowing in the lamp light, he chuffed at her, seeing her jaw go slack he chuffed again, damn that look was cute on her. Yawning as it bored he saw her and a few others swiging their rifles his way and he leapt back just as one dart whizzed back his ear and he vanished into the shadows once more, taking again to the tree’s quickly as several men began following him

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Darkness had settled around them. She could hear the men moving about outside as they started dinner and started to relax from their day. Alone in her tent, she had stretched out on her bed to relax… until there was a loud metallic SLAM. The cage… but what the hell? She jumped up from her bed and grabbed her lantern in one hand, her rifle in the other as she threw back the her tent flap and looked around, raising the lantern high. Several of the men where gathering as well, some held lanterns, others held rifles. Her lantern’s light washed over the big metal cage that had once held the panther. The lantern swiftly swayed back in the direction of the cage. Had she just seen…… her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. The beast had the audacity to chuff at her. Not just once, but twice! Before she could do or say anything, a dart flew past him and Sam yelled at the man who had fired. She couldn’t blame the man. It hadn’t mattered in the end. The smart assed panther had leapt off the top of the cage and vanished into the growing darkness.

“Leave him. We won’t find him in this growing darkness.”

She addressed the few men who started after him. She, herself, turned, muttering, back into her tent, setting her rifle aside and putting the lantern on her worktable. She moved over to a shelf and took down a bottle and glass, pouring herself a stiff drink. Flopping into her chair she took a sip from her glass and brooded. That damn cat. He was far too intelligent for his own good. He probably had been watching them as they set traps for him. She wouldn’t be surprised if she found them sprung. There was something not quite right about that damn panther. Even his blood showed something abnormal to it. She was glad and yet she wasn’t, that she had withheld one vial of blood for herself to examine.

Not too long after, Roberto brought in a plate of food for her and left it on the table for her. She thanked him for his thoughtfulness but had no interest in food at the moment. Right now her blood was boiling over the panther. He was taunting her. Thumbing his nose at her so to speak but he kept coming back here and she couldn’t understand why. She wished she could explain to him and make him understand what was going to happen to him if she caught him. It made her sad to think about it. There would come a time and point where tests and observation was not going to be enough for them. They were going to want to cut him open and study his brain and any other part of him they thought would give them answers and it pained her to think about that. The only thing she could do was refuse to cage him again, knowing it was going to cost her, her job. Was her job really worth his life? Maybe she could think of some way to save him before it got that far. She swallowed more of her drink. Sam loved animals. It’s the main reason she became a zoologist in the first place. She studied and wanted to save them. This panther was no different. She was so torn about this assignment. She had been given a paid assignment and they were paying her wages. She had to live, didn’t she? Sam had never felt so torn in her life. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his face. His eyes and if she really tried, inhaled really deeply, she could even smell him. She caught herself closing her eyes and stood up abruptly, polishing off her drink and striding outside in search of Roberto. She had a plan formulating.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Leave him. We won’t find him in this growing darkness. he chuffed a laugh as her words echoed into the night. no they wouldnt find him unless he wanted to be found , the first time was just a fluke, he had let his guard down and she'd snuck up on him. that wouldnt happen again. he laid in his tree, tail twitching as he listened to the sounds from her camp, he knew what needed to be done, that in the end he would have to let her trap him again. and it irritated the hell out of him that he just couldnt let her or her people suffer the consequences, that he couldnt just run and hide as he'd done for decades now...........he growled lighty in irritation, as the noises settled, he closed his eyes and fell asleep in the tree overlooking their camp.

He was awake with the first rays of sunlight, yawning he rose to his paws, stretching as only felines could he climbed down the tree he'd spent the night in, and made his way to his lake, drinking his fill, he sniffed the air, no one had been in this area yet, the scent of humans dull, faded from time. his ears on a swivel he listened, his head cocked as he padded and jumped from stone to stone over to the falls, looking around before he slunk into his cave, padding deep into the cavern to the makeshift camp he'd set up so long ago, allowing himself to shift back to human form he gathered up his meager possessions, tattered clothing that he hadnt used in decades, moth eaten and torn, and his ID. with a sigh he left his cave for probably the last time

 

[DarkWarrioress]

When had this become so hard? When had her job, her passion, become a lead weight around her neck. This dilemma was the one thing that weighed her conscience down. She didn’t want to catch him. She didn’t want to ship him to the States and have the scientists poke and prod and anything else they were willing to do to figure out why he was what he was. he was a beautiful animal that deserved to roam free here in his jungle, to be able to do what he had always done.

Sam had been up all night pacing her tent. At first light she had called Roberto to come to her and after they had sat down, she told him exactly what they were going to do. The panther was far too smart to fall for any of their traps. In fact, the big smart ass had tripped each and every one and she had the feeling he had chuffed about it each time. He was maddening, but gorgeous. No one, she had emphasized to Roberto was going to shoot him but her. Bo matter what was to come, they were to stand down. She was sure he wouldn’t hurt her. He was watching them, she was sure of it. He was just too smart not to. As the sun was starting to rise and with a heavy heart, she sent Roberto and the team out one way to lay more traps and snares, each one just a little more elaborate than the last. Sam watched the trees as well as the tall grasses as she waited for him to appear and trip all their traps again.

The morning light was just beginning to grow stronger as the early morning waned into later hours. What light filtered down to her, felt wonderfully warm on her skin. It did little lighten her mood but she still could appreciate it. She caught herself almost falling asleep when something snapped her back to full awareness. Her thumb gently eased the safety to off. He was out there. She could feel him and he was headed her way…..

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

He’d slept off and on, having moved from tree to tree, he could hear her pacing her tent, and he lounged on the branches that hid him from their sight, in the darkness of night they’d never seen him and so he lounged, and rested, and contemplated. The annoying chirping of birds woke him as the sun began to rise, he opened his muzzle wide as he yawned, his tail twitching lazily he rose to his paws, looking down at the camp from the dense foliage he noticed a fair amount of them were gone, more then likely setting more traps, his tail twitched in irritation, no matter how, or no matter the course, he had to do what he had to do to protect them from themselves and from others. Sighing he jumped from tree to tree till he figured he was far enough away then jumped down. He lifted his nose, his lips peeling back as he scented the air, nose filtering through the scents, he caught the sweeter scent he’d memorized and followed it deeper into the forest. His ears on a swivel the scents of the men and other scientists telling him more then their tracks where they had been and where their traps were. And he avoided all of them.



He found her, on a cushion of moss he paused mid step as his eyes focused on her, she almost appeared asleep if it hadn’t of been the steady beating of her heart and her breath. She almost seemed to know he was near, the subtlest tensing of her body as he approached her, a low growl rumbling his chest his eyes swiveled back and forth as he listened, he saw her hand move slowly towards her tranq rifle and he rolled his eyes. He padded to the edge of the tree line for this little grotto and watched her his tail twitched, his head canting to one side, he listened, he didn’t scent anyone but her, but they’d gotten smarter about his own abilities to avoid hem, it didn’t mean her other team members weren’t there.



He growled low again, watching her,

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Something snapped her out of her sleepy haze. She didn’t stir, didn’t open her eyes and instantly she knew who it was. The cat. She heard him growl lowly. Her finger crept to the trigger and passed over it to flick the safety off and just as slowly slipped back to the trigger. With her eyes still closed, she listened, trying to hone in on his location. Sam prayed her team stayed wherever they were and didn’t interfere. This was closest they had come to capturing him again. Funny thing, that. He was way too smart to allow himself to get captured again.

In a sudden flurry of movement, without further thought, she swiftly rolled to her back and brought the rifle up to her shoulder as she did so. There he was in her scope and with the very slightest of adjustment, aka shifted the rifle minimally, she pulled the trigger and heard the dart thud softly into its intended target, namely, the cat. Sam sat up, lowering the rifle’s barrel toward the ground. Silently she watched the panther. At first, he simply stood there, staring at her with those huge beautiful eyes of his and just for a moment she had a pang of regret and wished she hadn’t fired the gun. Tears filled her eyes and made him blurry. She blinked. Once. Twice. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks and watched as he started toward her.

Oh god. Had she not prepared the tranq right? Had she not used enough? She started to raise the gun again and slide it open while her fingers scrambled for the extra shot she had laid nearby. She never took her eyes off him as he loomed closer to her body, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. Her tongue nervously swiped across her dried lips.

Oh please, please… don’t make me shoot you again. She slid the tranq into the chamber and shot the bolt home. There was another soft thud, only louder this time as she watched him fall to the ground. Quickly, she pressed the safety to on and scrambled to her knees as she reached out to check his pulse. He was still breathing and out like a light. Sam breathed a tight sigh of relief. She ran her hand over his side. So damn soft. She lowered her head to his ear. Her lips brushing against it as she whispered.

I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t want to do this. I wanted you to be able to stay here, in the jungle where you belong. Please. Please, don’t hate me for this.

She buried her face against his neck, wetting his fur with the tears she couldn’t help but shed. Sam wasn’t sure how long she hung over him like that. She heard her team members approaching and withdrew from him, wiping away the tears before the others saw them. Getting shakily to her feet, gun in hand, she waited. It wasn’t long before Roberto and the others showed up.

“Missy! You got him. The black devil.”

“Roberto. He’s nothing of the sort. He has done nothing more than protect the people here in the jungle from the bad people around. What’s going to happen to the people who live here without him?”

Sam looked down at the sleeping cat and again felt a pang of deep sorrow. The jungle was going to lose its protector from the cartel.

“Roberto, please see to it that the cat gets safely into the cage again. I’ll go back to camp and inform my superiors that we’ll be leaving as soon as transportation can be arranged.”

Sam glanced around at the surrounding jungle. She was going to miss this. Hell, if truth be told, she was going to miss the big cat more. He certainly had a personality. She started back toward camp. She could hear Roberto shouting orders to the team as they scrambled to get the cat secured and into the cage they had hid in the jungle out of his sight. Her lips turned up in amusement. Damn cat. She wouldn’t doubt that he even knew where the cage had been hiding. The smart ass.

With their main job done, night crept in. The cat was still asleep in his cage behind her tent. She had gone out to check on him a couple of times. Sam had placed her phone call back in the states and her employer had been more than pleased with her and was looking forward to seeing the cat. She was just thinking about turning in when Roberto appeared outside her tent flap.

“Missy Sam? I have something strange here. You should see this.”

“What is it, Roberto?”

Sam came to the tent flap and stepped beyond it. Roberto stood there with something in his hand. Sam frowned. Roberto held it out to her. As she took it, she realized it was an old fanny pack. She glanced at it then at Roberto, a question in her eyes. He shrugged.

“We found it on the cat.”

“How weird. Thank you, Roberto.”

She turned on her heel and re-entered her tent, going to her desk and sat down. She stared At the fannypack a long moment. Studying it. There wasn’t anything fancy about it. She knew the cat had collected guns and ammunition from the cartel. Slowly she unzipped it and dumped the contents on her desk and just as slowly, she started to shift through it. Oddly, it held an old driver's license, a passport and even a small amount of cash. She held the driver's license in one hand, the passport in the other. How did the cat get these? She stared at the photo in each. Same person. A handsome man in her eyes but again, how did he get these and why did he have them? The man in the photo had deep, disturbing eyes. Well, disturbing to her at least. She ran the pads of her thumbs over both pictures then shook her head. What was she doing? What was wrong with her? Hastily, she crammed the belongings back into the fanny pack and zipped it closed. Setting it aside she told herself she would make sure its contents went with the cat as well. She got ready for bed and once settled there, she stared up at the roof of her tent. She was certainly going to miss all this. The soft buzzing sounds of the surrounding jungle, the murmur of voices outside as her team got ready to settle down for the night as well, the freedom to do as she pleased, come and go as she pleased without someone questioning her or asking for an accounting of her time or no one seemingly looking over her shoulder every hour. A slight, soft, sad smile played upon her lips. Even more, she was going to miss this cat. There was just something about him. Ah well, he was going into the hands of the San Francisco Institute of Wildlife Studies and there was no longer anything she could do about it. She would travel with him, make sure he got settled into his new home and she would get back to her job in the Bay Area. She would survive this as would he. Or so she kept trying to convince herself.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

He watched, he waited, his pupils turning to slits as he hunkered down, watching her small movements, saw her turn the safety off, watched her hand slide back to the trigger, his tail twitched, she was trying to be subtle, but, well, she wasn’t…..however, when she moved, she moved a lot faster then would have given her credit for as she rolled, aimed, and fired, he blinked then leapt up as he dart pierced his shoulder, like a bee sting, he gave the tiniest snarl, he padded towards her, his eyes focused on her with intent, Oh please, please… don’t make me shoot you again canting his head to one side as tears began to trail down her cheeks, he watched her feel around till she was able to reload her gun, he took a breath, this was the only way he could protect them, he hoped, she was so shaky he wasn’t sure if she was gunna end up shooting him in the face at this point. But he felt the second dart strike him in the chest, felt the burn as the drugs coursed through his system.

He blinked a few times before his muscles grew weak, his gaze never left her as he slumped to the ground, his breathing growing labored, I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t want to do this. I wanted you to be able to stay here her voice faded, the fire in his veins bringing darkness with it, until unconsciousness finally took him, was she crying?....


***A Week Later ***

Time had become fluid, he would start to surface, fighting to wake, he’d hear snippets of sounds, noises, voices, muffled, distant, like he was in a tunnel, then the darkness would claim him again.


***days later***

we cant keep him sedated, we have been through everything we have in stock, something in his blood……..he’s adapting…….the scientists are still trying to figure it out god he had the worst case of cotton mouth………..wait……….scientists?.......Dr. he’s waking up again, and we have no more Tranquilizers that are effective Doctor? Where? God his head was pounding like he’d had a 3 week bender, his body was on fire, god it fucking hurt……..exit the room and Close the cage cage? The clash of ringing metal caused him to flinch and he snarled, god that sound irritated him, the fuck was he? Lets just sit back, see what he does that fucking voice, his nose twitched, antiseptic? He snarled, bleach and heavy cleaner, he snarled again, huffing, trying to clear his sinuses, slowly memory began to return, The woman……..the forest……fuck……the cage…………

An eye cracked open, then closed it, fuuuucccklkkk too bright, his paw twitched, well, that was a good sign, well, might as well try to wake up from this hell, a low growl he forced his eyes open again, growling as light assaulted him, he was laying on………bedding? Of some kind, he had expected cold steel, but some kind of padding….slowly he felt his muscles beginning to wake, to react, to move, his tongue was thick, dry. He opened his eyes, laying there, his vision slowly focusing from lack of use, it took a try but he managed to roll himself to his stomach.

Growling he lifted his head, blinking several times, pawing at his eyes trying to clear them damn is he big, I know ive said it before, but, seeing him move now a woman’s voice trailed off, he felt his tail twitch, it wasn’t the same female. Finally his vision cleared as the last of whatever the hell they’d been using on him burned from his system as his adrenaline spiked in awareness. First thing he noticed was that he was in a large enclosure, it wasn’t a cage, he smelled grass, water, moss, ok well, it was a cage, he was trapped, for now… there was a younger male and an older female in white lab coats watching him from behind a door, clipboards in their hands. His gaze catching a name badge, “San Francisco Institute of Wildlife Studies” well, at least he was state side, and not some backwoods voodoo lab, Sam had transported him to California, Custom’s musta had a Fit.

His legs were weak, but he managed to get himself to his paws, stretching he felt more than one muscle and bone pop as he stretched, unable to stop the yawn and the following growl before he shook his fur out, looking down at what he’d been laying on, well, looked like some giant dog bed, rolling his eyes in annoyance he scanned his enclosure again now that he was more alert, a large silver bowl with fresh meat, and he had a pool of water to drink from. Fuck, he needed water, ignoring the humans watching him he padded to the lake, looking at the waterfall they’d set up, he assumed it cycled his water to keep it fresh and looked deep enough he could swim in it.

Drinking his fill and happy to get rid of the cotton mouth he turned his attention back to the woman and man watching him, padding to the door, he sat, staring at them, feeling his brows furrowing, they looked back at him but he saw the young male beginning to slowly twitch, all he did was stare at the man, his tail twitching with irritation Why does it feel like he’s plotting how he is going to murder me the man said quietly, the woman staring with fascination, writing something on her board, his eyes fell to the card reader beside the door, and the key lock on the door handle to his enclosure we still cant Type his blood, which is confounding the other researchers, they think its some kind of genetic anomaly with his species, he is obviously black panther by his markings, but he is too big, its clear he’s a hybrid mix, we just can tell what the Female Doctor said

Sighing he turned, stalking back towards the bowl, he didn’t know how long he’d been out, but his stomach growling make the decision for him that he needed to eat. He’d would need to gather more info before he tried to make his escape

 

[DarkWarrioress]

It had been about a week and a half since she had gotten herself, her team and the panther back to the states. No matter what misgivings she had about bringing him back, she had done it and she had moments when she despised herself for doing so. Now, he was tucked away in the San Francisco Institute of Wildlife Studies. Hopefully, comfortably. Sam had asked her boss what they were going to do with the panther and he had made Sam feel uneasy with the vagueness of his reply. She knew they legally couldn’t harm him or even worse, kill him for the sake of their precious research, but unofficially, she knew it sometimes happened. Claimed the animal was rogue or had some sort of disease and had him put down then slipped someone some money and they had their research animal. If only she could find a reason to get in to see him.

Sam’s job was across town, not far from her home. She was renting a little cozy house from a gentleman whose grandmother had passed away not that long ago. It wasn’t much, a simple one bedroom and bathroom, kitchen and living room. She had a small fenced in backyard where she had patio furniture and a small garden she had just finished putting in. Sitting in her small backyard with a glass of iced tea, she wished again for the millionth time that she was back in the jungle. Life seemed so uncomplicated back then even with the cartel running amok there and she knew it was because of the big cat. She had, unconsciously she knew now, depended on him to keep them safe.

Come on, Sam. Admit it. You miss that big, black, sassy panther, she thought to herself with a soft sigh of resignation.

She never thought she would miss him this much. She often wondered how he was doing. If he was coping with his captivity. She had friends at the Institute and she called in a favor or two get any word about him. It took him longer to shake off the sedative than she thought and despite that, he seemed to be handling his new prison well enough. She was working on a way to get in to see him for herself. Hopefully, her friend could make that happen and once again, she questioned her deepening connection to the cat.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

The days passed slowly, with no sun, or window, to be able to tell what time of day it was, the only way he could tell was by the changing of the scientists. During the day there were two younger scientists a man and a woman who genuinely seemed happy to be able to study him, their scents were always clean, unafraid, with a tint of curiosity, but he sensed warmth, they enjoyed their work. but it was the scientist at night that had more than once had caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end his eyes were crueler, colder, and they always watched. he knew they had been dosing his food, he didn't know with what. At first it was tasteless but more and more he realized they were upping the dosages and he assumed it was more tranquilizers to try to put him down so they could try and run more tests, with him awake nobody was brave enough to try to step into the cage with him.


His ear twitched as he listened to their conversations. They wanted more blood, wanted more hair samples. They’d sent his blood off to other labs, but they too had confirmed his blood was untypable, contaminated. And it was obvious they were becoming frustrated that their tranquilizers had no effect on him. Even when he tried to take time to actually catch a nap to conserve his strength he heard them whispering and more than once he heard the latch on the door click like they were going to enter, until his head lifted and it was promptly slammed back into place. He started to make it a game of it. He would lay down pretend to yawn like he was falling asleep, just to see how long it would take them before they tried to enter his cell. Sometimes he would at least wait till he'd hear one or two footsteps before he would lift his head and just stare at the intruder. An action that more than once would bring the smell piss as they screamed and ran from the cage. but he never made any move to attack, he would just let his tail twitch with his amusement.


Then one night as he lay dozing on the pad they had given him he had heard the soft voices as they approached his cage, heard that ragged old voice of the old bastard, We need more blood, I WANT samples, I don’t care how we get it, there is something about his fucking cat that isn’t right and I want to figure it out, he heard another voice, deeper, that he didn’t recognize, the scent of gunpowder, blood, violence, he forced his body to remain calm as he laid there listening their footsteps approaching his cell Theyre too scared of hurting this pathetic cat to really do anything to him, but im not, you’ve seen the blood work, its not contamination, there is something different, and I want answers, im tired of being stuck with idiots who cant see past the ends of their noses. Too afraid to get the real answers


He fought to stifle a growl at that statement, then another voice, he assumed from the armed man What about cameras? there was a scoff from the old bastard the cameras are under going a maintenance update and will be offline for the next half hour, more then enough time to get what we need and get out again the cat stifled a growl, his tail lashing we cant kill him, and his fur will hide any injury as long as there is no blood his hackles rose its fine he heard a crackling noise then the lock being shoved back, he remained still, as the thud of a boot hit the concrete and he cracked open an eye. The unknown male was dressed in black tactical gear, a long baton extended at his side crackling with electricy, a Shock stick he realized, the man froze as he saw he was being watched then a cruel smile twisted his lips you were kiddin doc, this fuckers huge, I would love to mount his hide on my wall with a snarl the panther rose to his paws, hackles raised the man just smiled wider, holding the shock stick like he knew what he was doin, the old bastard tucking himself in against the wall behind the man.


The man advanced on him as the panthers body coiled, tail whipping furiously behind him and then he lunged, the panther was surprised at how fast the man moved as he lifted the shocker stick and slammed it right into his neck, a snarled roared left his muzzle as he swung his paw, batting it away, claws catching the fabric of the males body armor, the panther backing himself tighter into the wall, his eyes never leaving the mercenary, or guard, whatever the fuck he thought he was. His eyes strayed to the old bastard in the corner, saw the glee in his eyes and his anger only mounted, again he focused on weapon wielding asshole, the concrete did not help as his claws scrapped along it, unable to find good traction he leapt at the man, wrapping his jaws around the fuckers leg, past cloth and skin, biting deep the man shouted then again electricity tore through his body as the panther was again stabbed with the stun baton but he refused to let go. His jaws clamping down he felt the bone crack beneath the power of his bite and the man teetered before falling back, only then did the panther release his leg, his paw swinging out the stun baton was torn from the man’s hand, well, the man’s hand was torn from his body, but who wants to quibble over semantics, and the panther pounced.


The Merc tried to fight, punching, kicking at the large cat with his good leg and the panther let his claws tear and rend, venting his frustration he tore the Merc apart, his back claws finding a way passed the body armor he sliced the mans stomach open before his jaws snapped around the mans head, and with one vicious snarl snapped the mans neck, and tore the head from his shoulders. Panting heavily his eyes flew to the old man against the wall, too horrified to move he quickly realized he was the panthers next target and tried to dash for the door. But the panther had other ideas, leaping off the body he put himself between the open door and the scientist, he was quickly retreating back into the cage as he realized he was trapped. the panther watched, eyes narrowed as the man picked up the shock stick off the ground, his grip loose, trembling so hard he couldn’t keep a good hold on it. Alecsi had had enough, with an Exhale the panther leapt at the old bastard, and shifted mid air, his now Human body colliding with the scientist he collared the mans throat in his hand, easily batting away the stunned bastards hand and knocking the stun stick free.


“YOU, have something of Mine, and I want it back” he growled and the old mans eyes rounded comically huge, his jaw slack and Alecsi tightened his hold on the fuckers throat, his other hand quickly checking the pockets, finding an access card, car keys and the mans wallet, “Give me your coat” he growled, the old mans mouth just bobbing open and closed like a fish “I said Give it” before he slugged the old bastard knocking him out. The mans pants where too small, but took the labcoat a little tight around the chest but he would have to make due, he didn’t know how much longer he had before the cameras came back on. It was now or never, with his panthers speed he took off out of the room, using the keycard it took him only minutes to find the exit to the lab, he had been right, there was only a skeleton crew, and cleaners, easy enough to avoid he slipped into the night. He needed to find clothes, and then he needed to figure out where he was, and where his Samantha was.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Days came and went. Her friend had gotten permission for her to visit the panther but she hadn’t gone yet and she wasn’t sure why. Oh, she had started out to see him but stopped short of actually going in. Instead, Sam told herself that she would be late for work or she had forgotten to do something. What was it that had kept her from seeing him? She wanted to, God only knew how much she wanted to see him, to make sure he was being looked after, taken care of. Each time her fingers found the door, she drew back as if the door burned her, then she’d whip around and walk as fast as she could away from there. Telling herself she’d make time another day.

Then, one morning she was fixing herself some coffee. The tv was on in the living room to the news and something caught her ear. Sam whipped around, her ears straining to hear the news. She found herself in the living room, standing in front of the tv. He had broken free. Her panther was roaming the city and while her heart jumped with joy for his freedom, her mind registered that this was not a good thing. They could kill him. The public didn’t know about him. They didn’t understand him like she did. She had to go out looking for him. She had to. Reaching for her cellphone she quickly dialed work, making up some excuse for not coming in. Just as quickly she hung up and went looking for her tennis shoes. Her mind was going a mile a minute, trying to think where he could be and where should she start to look for him. Other questions kept forming in her mind, like, how had he managed to escape? Where could he possibly be?

She stood outside of the Institute, her hand on the door, wondering for just a moment, how she was going to feel seeing him again. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside, letting the door quietly close behind her and again wondered, what had she stepped into. The whole place was in an uproar. People were scurrying to and fro. Sam stepped over to the reception desk and tried to wait patiently for the receptionist to get off the bloody phone. Eventually, she put the phone down and turned to Sam with a nervous smile.

“Good Morning,” Sam put on her polite face.

“Um. Good Morning. What---how can I help you?”

She ran her fingers through her hair and was biting on her bottom lip.

“Wow. Sorry to bother you. It looks like something important is going on today.”

“Um. Er. Yes, sorry about this. We sort of have an emergency going on at the moment.”

Sam’s eyebrow rose as her eyes widened.

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. My name is Samantha Hughes. I’m here to see Dr. Alexandros about the panther I brought back from Central America.”

The woman blinked, then blinked again.

“Dr. Hughes. Uh—uh--- hang on just a moment, let me get Dr. Alexandros.”

The woman got on the phone again and Sam turned away from the desk and looked around her. Why hadn’t she noticed the police when she came in? What the hell was going on here this morning?

“Dr. Hughes?”

The woman’s soft, nervous tone caught her attention and Sam turned back toward the desk.

“Yes?”

“Dr. Alexandros will be right with you.”

“Thank you.”

Sam gave the woman a soft smile and once again turned her attention to what was going on around her. It didn’t take Dr. Alexandros long to put in an appearance but the man who always looked impeccable, was looking quite disheveled.

“Samantha. Good to see you.”

He extended his hand and Sam shook it.

“It’s good to see you too, Dr. Alexandros. It seems like I came at a rough moment.”

“Indeed. Indeed. Come, let us go to my office to talk.”

He led the way and closed the door behind him as they entered his office.

“Please. Have a seat.”

He came around her and sat behind his desk.

“We seem to have a bit of a problem this morning. The panther you brought back is missing. Somehow, he has gotten out of his cage.”

“But how? What happened?”

The doctor shook his head and shrugged.

“We’re not sure. However, the police have been informed and they’re combing the city for him as we speak.”

Sam came to her feet, looking shocked.

“Dr. Alexandros, would there be a problem if I could see where he was kept?”

He studied her a moment before speaking.

“I don’t see where that would be a problem. Here, wear this.”

He reached into his desk and pulled out a pass for her to wear. Sam took it and fastened it to her blouse.

“I won’t get in the way, I promise and I know where to find his cage.”

She hurried to the doctor’s office door and opened it. She didn’t give him time to say anything, closing the door quietly behind her before scurrying off to the big cat’s holding area. She didn’t like where he was housed. It just didn’t seem right. Even now as she stepped into the sterile area where he was recently held. Sam looked around. There wasn’t much to see. Still, she wandered the room, checking out the lab tables as well. There was much relief in realizing he was no longer here, but at the same time, she was extremely worried. What would they do when they confronted the panther? Hopefully, they would simply tranq him and take him back to the Institute. Something caught her eye that was crunched in a corner of a work counter. Stepping closer to the counter she reached for it. It was the fanny pack she had turned in with him. A brief glance around to insure she was alone and she took it, tucking it into her purse. Sam wasn’t sure why she took it, but hopefully, it would come in handy at some point. One last look around and she let herself out, quickly making her way out of the Institute. Sam heaved a deep breath and hailed a cab. Where was he? And was he alright?

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

It hadn’t taken him long to escape the building using the pass card he’d taken off the Scientist, once he was away from the building he shed the lab coat and shifted back to his fur. He could figure out exactly where he was come morning, but right now he needed to vanish into the hills and survive the night. He’d no doubt that come morning the research center would probably try and assemble a capture team to get him back, but he wasn’t worried, not tonight he just had to find cover and lay low. He continually sniffed the air as he padded along, sifting through the natural smell of the woods and the creatures that lived in this area, he’d catch a whiff of a human every so often as he happened upon walking trails, or naturally created trails by wildlife, it didn’t take him long to hunt down a deer and eat his fill.



It was only when he had finished taking a drink of water from a stream he realized the sounds of the forest around him had gone quiet. His ears on a swivel he looked around, sniffing the air he didn’t smell anything, the fur on the back of his neck raising he felt eyes on him a low growl started in his throat as he heard rustling, and his eyes raised up into the trees, several Raven’s where pearched, watching him. He canted his head to one side, curious as he watched more Ravens land on the branch, he felt a prickle along his spine as he stared at the birds and they stared at him, then he watched one big bastard flutter down and land on the ground infront of him, and he blinked as the Raven shifted into a Human form. Blinking he stared up at the man before he too shifted Youre a long way from home cat the man said You’ve been all over the news, largest cat ever found, the man crossed his arms


Alecsi sighed as he crossed his arms, three more Ravens landed beside the man infront of him and shifted “yea, youre right, I am a long way from home, im not looking to cause problems” Alecsi then began retelling them about Sam, the issues with the Cartel and his blood work hitting the government grapevine, it took some time but eventually the Ravens relaxed “Look, im just trying to find Sam, she might still be in danger, I could use a place to sleep tonight and some clothes, if youre willing to help me?” Alecsi asked, the lead man stared at him a long moment, seeming to exchange an entire conversation with the two other males beside him with just a few looks, then the youngest of the three nodded [/I] Im Kevin [/I] the youngest male said, the Leader offered his hand Vince. come on, he older man nodded his head and shifted back to his Raven form. Follow us cat, the boy said as he too shifted, with a shrug Alecsi shifted too, chasing the Ravens deeper into the woods and into the hills.


4 days later, after Alecsi had rested, the Raven’s having used their resources to help him find the information he’d been after he bid the Raven’s a fairwell, happy to have found and spent time with others like himself, getting him caught up on events around the country, studying maps of the state, changers, hiding places for shifters. Of course Alecsi knew he wasn’t alone, but to find how many other species lived in just this state alone amazed him. Here, got ya something cat Vince said as he handed Alecsi a thick envelope, he blinked as he opened it, and blinked again New ID, new papers, we found your info for your old bank accounts before you left the country….. taking the new cards and ID he slipped them into his pocket with a nod and a hand shake “your Sam is in town, apparently she is looking for you, our…….computer guy……..found a trail of internet searches, she’s been to the institute, we assume about you. The institute is keeping your vanishing act under very quiet wraps, plus, well, they don’t know the Human you, so. Good luck

Alecsi smiled and took the car keys Vince held out and nodded, he had a Female to track down, looking down at himself, and new clothes…….he wasn’t a Tshirt and Jeans kinda guy like these Ravens where.. Time to hunt

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Back in her apartment, Sam stared at the fanny pack she had placed on the coffee table with the contents spread out on the glass surface. Where had he gotten these? Why had he kept them? Maybe he taken them off a dead cartel member back in the rainforest? Sam reached for her coffee cup and sat back on her sofa, slowly sipping the hot liquid. And where was he? She found it strange that she hadn’t heard a word on the news, despite the chaos at the Institute. Then again, maybe everything was hush-hush to keep there from being mass panic in the city. A city the size of San Francisco and the knowledge that a huge black panther had escaped from a well known Institute, well, mayhem would ensue. Sam hoped the cat was hiding out. Everything in her wanted to jump up from the sofa and go looking for him but she resisted the strong urge. Her chances of finding him were slim. He was a nocturnal creature and the city was large. At night, with his coloring, he could slip around under the cover of darkness and while humans slept. Still, she was worried about him. Really worried. She felt responsible. She had brought him here. With a soft sigh, she leaned forward and shuffled the contents of the fanny pack back into it.



Two days later, Sam was going crazy and needed to get some fresh air. It was Saturday and she needed some fresh air and sunshine. The Golden Gate Park was one of her favorite places. She had visited the Japanese Tea Garden so many times and who could blame her? It was beautiful. There was so much to see and do. Fisherman’s Wharf wasn’t too far away. Sam loved it there too but for today, she wanted to enjoy the park. Spreading her blanket on the grass and setting her lunch aside, she stretched out and let the sun pour over her. The warmth of the sun, her sunglasses in place and her hat falling over her face, she snoozed. She hadn’t been sleeping well of late, filled with worry for the big cat she had come to know. He still had not been recovered which meant he was roaming the city, somewhere. What if someone tried to shoot him because they felt threatened by his presence? Sam knew he could take care of himself in the jungle but this was not the jungle. She prayed he remained safe and would be back at the Institute before too long.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

His nose twitched, hands tucked into his pockets as he walked the streets of San Francisco’s outskirts, having spent so long in the wilds, he’d forgotten the smells, the…….stink…..of so many humans, he kept his head low, trying to keep from snarling at all the sounds assaulting his ears. He’d spent the last few days in the San Padro Valley Park and worked his way up into Montara Mountains. Hunting during the night, then come daylight he would make his way back into the city, just trying to get the lay of the land. He’d been studying the file the Raven’s had given him about Sam, the wildlife institute he’d been held at, and only a minor bit about the cartel he’d been fighting over the last several years and their American connections. It wasn’t much, all the raven’s had found was that Sam had returned to San Francisco, but they didn’t know if it was for work or not.



Hey, Mack,……. spare a buck? Alecsi was roused from his thoughts as 4 hooded figures stepped from a side ally, blocking his path, Alecsi’s nose twitched again as their rancid scent, sickly sweet meat, alcohol and something else he couldn’t quiet put his finger on wafted to him, they looked pale, eyes hollowed and cheek sunken, obviously sick, or something, he made to sidestep them but they moved to block his path and Alecsi sighed with irritation “piss off” he grumbled, and made to move away from them again. Only to have them block him a second time perhaps you didn’t hear us? I said, Spare a buck? and the man pulled a knife from his pocket.


Alecsi’s hand flexed, then balled into a fist, he titled his head, looking at the man from under the brim, of his hat, a low growl starting in his chest “and I said, piss…….off” the last word coming out a growl, staring the man dead in the eyes, letting his own eyes shift to those of his cat, the pupil of his eye elongating, turning into a thin slit, causing the man to recoil Yoooo, what the fuckk brooooo, those contacts? Alecsi felt the air shift behind him and he turned, stepping to the side as the blade of a different knife caught the edge of his jacket, tearing it but missing him completely. He snarled, his panther’s fangs extending past his lips he grabbed one of the hooded figures and threw him, launching him clear across the street as people shouted in alarm and surprise.


Quickly Alecsi twisted around again, meeting the oncoming fist of another, Alecsi’s nails shifting to claws he drove his hand into the mans, claws piercing through the flesh and bone, the man screamed in pain as Alecsi twisted his fingers, severing every major tendon and muscle as he withdrew, then slashed out, tearing the mans jacket from him, the other two men staring in horror as Alecsi turned, growling viciously, they ran………not so stupid after all. It was then he heard siren’s on the wind and cursed, looking quickly around at all the spectators, their phones raised and he assumed recording, cursing again he ducked his head to hid his face behind the brim of his hat and ran into the ally.


Jumping a wall with the power of his legs he made his way towards Golden Gate park, well, this wasn’t how he wanted his day to go, he moved quickly, it took him nearly 10 minutes before he reached the edge of the park. Finding a decent patch of heavy trees he allowed himself to take a break. Well, so much for keeping a low profile, just from the TV’s he’d passed, the news he read, likely his picture was gunna be all over social media, if not a video of him attacking and whipping the hell outta those 4 punks. But, if he was going to draw Sam out, or the cartel, IF they decided to come after him here……he’d been debating his moves the last several days, and how to find her, the best option was to have her come after him, which means she needed something to tell her where to look. Looking around he shed his clothes, tucking them under some thick brush he shifted, the huge panther stretching out, pawing the ground. He had no particular direction so he just began to wander.

Slinking in and out of the tree’s, sniffing the air, following the scents of cooking food, humans, the scent of horses, came upon a set of what looked like Horse riding fields, and he prowled the fence, watching the girls on horseback, one horse getting close and spooked as it saw him, whinning and rearing up the girl on its back screamed, and the panther dodged back into the trees. Quickly finding himself running through a Golf course, stopping to sniff the air, hearing voices he turned, several men standing about 50 yards away, looking right at him, he saw flashes, realized they were taking pictures this would definitely make the news, Alecsi grinned to himself as he again vanished into the woods, returning to his clothes he shifted and dressed. Now, he’d just have to wait, news of a panther, his pictures in the news, in Golden gate park, Alecsi grinned

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Sam was idly swiping through the news on her phone when she abruptly sat up and stared at her phone. Her cat (she thought of him as her cat) was on the loose here, at the Golden Gate Park or had been just recently. Her head swiftly turned one way and the other as if she thought she’d find him right there and then. Her mind was racing as well as her heart. Jumping up she threw everything that was lying about into the basket she had toted along and started running toward her car. Where was he? Where did she look for him? Everything seemed so hopeless, she wanted to cry. Crying did little good except to ease her unease but right now, she had little time to indulge herself. Throwing the basket in the car, she locked it and slammed the door shut. She started to wander the park.



Sam felt helpless. She wandered around aimlessly, remembering to look up into the tree branches overhead as she passed under them. It would just be like that damn cat to be lying on a tree branch, his tail idly swishing back and forth as he watched people pass under him. Somehow, she just knew he would get a kick out of that. This cat… there was just something about him that she couldn’t quite get a handle on. He had a personality, that’s for sure. The park was huge and there was no telling where he was or if he was even still in the park. So far, she hadn’t witnessed any screaming people fleeing in fear of their lives at least. Still, she continued to wander the park on foot and would continue to do so until sundown.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Alecsi had to admit, he was impressed by the cities response time, it couldn’t have been more then an hour since he had let himself be seen before he spotted Police, and what he assumed were DNR agents with rifles, tranqs? Probably, he listened to their announcements telling people to leave the park, that it was closed while they hunted the escaped cat. He weaved his way in and out of the tree’s as he avoided the police, but they had spread out, the park was large and they had a lot of ground to cover, and he assumed, if he’d been reported on the news Sam would probably come running, he’d have to track her down while avoiding the authorities. Annoying…..



He made his way back towards the Horse stables, watching as the workers scrambled to secure the horses, who again, began to freak once they caught wind of his scent, even though the workers couldn’t figure out why, he leaned against the fence, he sighed, checking his watch, it was another 45 minutes before his ear twitched, he caught heavy breathing approaching, keeping his head down he gazed out beneath the brim of his hat, his lips twitching as he spotted Sam, taking a drink from a bottle of water, a map in her hand, a curse on her lips, his chest rumbled a soft laugh as she passed behind him “Didn’t ya hear? Some big cat loose in the park, dangerous to be alone” he rumbled, his voice a deep timber, a subtle hint of a cajun accent, he kept his back to her as he looked out over the horse stables “but, you don’t look like a park goer” he said,

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Sam found herself walking by the horse stables. She loved horses and wanted to stop and admire them but she had a panther to track down.

“Didn’t ya hear? Some big cat loose in the park, dangerous to be alone”

She hadn’t noticed the gentleman standing at the fence watching the hoses. She stopped and looked around. There was no one else but them so he must be talking to her. Sam slowly walked up to the fence and stared out at the horses before she slightly turned toward the stranger.

“Oh, trust me, I heard. In fact I’ve been going crazy trying to find him.”

Her voice was laced with worry as were her eyes. She didn’t expect the man to understand. He didn’t know she felt so responsible for all this. For the panther even. Of course, he didn’t know a lot of things. He couldn’t.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone either, you know. Panthers are dangerous creatures. This one---”

She broke off abruptly. There were details he didn’t need to know. Sam ran her fingers through her hair with a soft frustrated sigh.

“If you’ll excuse me. I have something important to see to. Thank you for the warning.”

She turned away from the fence and decided she should take her things to the car. She was so close. He was here, in the park. She hated to leave. Of course, the park would be, if it wasn’t already, cordoned off and was filling up with the police and people from the Institute. How much longer would she be allowed to roam the park searching for him? She was feeling a bit upset with herself for not having her work badge on her that identified her as a doctor of animal science. She tossed some final words over her shoulder at the man still standing at the fence.

“You should leave. The police will shutting down the park any time now. Take care.”

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Oh, trust me, I heard. In fact I’ve been going crazy trying to find him Alecsi chuckled softly at her admission, his eyes still on the horses, the brim of his hat shielding his eyes as he smiled at that, feeling her step up beside him he glanced at her briefly before returning to the field and the trainers finally rangling the horses into the stables. He felt her turn away from him and turned his head slightly, watching her through his periphery "find him? you a cop? no, too pretty, researcher im betting" he stated, watching as she again looked around, her hands on her hips, her frustration, fear, wafting to him and he breathed deep, taking her scent one more into his lungs, and he had to fight, hard, to keep from growling, clean, with a hint of lavander and citrus, her shampoo maybe? he didnt know, You shouldn’t be out here alone either, you know. Panthers are dangerous creatures. This one---

he chuckled again at her statement "Naw, im alright, the Panther and i have an...understanding of each other, we are no threat to one another...." he turned as she began to walk away, watching her pert ass bounce, and this time he did growl, cutting it off almost as quickly as it started, hearing her words as she tossed them over her shoulder “If you’ll excuse me. I have something important to see to. Thank you for the warning tucking his hands into his pockets he called after her "Good Hunting.....Samantha....although, i think your panther, may find you first.." he watched her stiffen as his words registered but he'd already slipped into the corpse of trees near the fenceline, his legs carrying him swiftly into the denser brush he leapt up, catching a branch and hoisted himself into the trees, hiding in the foilage as she quickly chased after him, heard her call out, then curse as she failed to find him.

he waited till she was far enough away then jumped down, tailing her at distance as she moved back down the path, and it took him only a minute to realize she was heading to one of the parking lots and assumed she may have been heading to her car, dipping into a bush he shed his clothes, black mist swirling around his form he shifted, circling wide he avoided fire and police, getting to the parking lot before her, not many cars left he quickly scented out her car, sniffing around before he hopped up onto her cars roof, settling down on the sun warmed paint, his tail twitching he waited, his head on his paws. it was only minutes later she emerged from the walking path, her head down as she dug through her purse, she walked right up to her car, his tail twitched in amusement as she dropped her keys, and cursed. it wasnt until she got her car door open , he tilted his head towards her, and licked her forehead, and yea, the look on her face was absolutely priceless as she shrieked and tripped, falling on her ass staring up at him

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"Good Hunting.....Samantha....although, i think your panther, may find you first.."

She had taken perhaps one step, maybe two, stiffened and swiftly whirled about. He had called her by name. Hadn’t he? He wasn’t where she had left him. Right there at the fence, watching the horses. Where had he gone and so quickly? She moved quickly back to the fence and looked right, then left. Which way should she go? And would she even find him at this point? Instead, she cussed. Loudly. Slowly she turned back to the path that led to her car. As she walked down the path, she grumbled. Well, that had been strange to say the least.

She shifted her purse so she could dig out her keys. Why hadn’t she put them in her pocket instead? Or better yet, why hadn’t she cleaned out her purse? Tissues. Nope. Chapstick. No. Notebook. UGH! Her fingers felt along the bottom of her purse. Sam had gotten to her car and stood there a moment, rummaging along the bottom of her purse until her fingers found the coolness of metal. Ah-ha! Her keys. She finally pulled them out and unlocked her car door, leaning in she dumped everything but her purse into the backseat and that’s when she felt it. Something or someone licked her forehead. She gave an earth rendering shriek and fell backwards, right on her ass in the parking lot. She blinked, staring up at him and blinked again.

“YOU!”

She cleared her throat and spoke again, only softer this time as she scrambled to her feet.

“Come on. Get down from there. The police and Institute are looking for you as if you didn’t know. Come on. Jump down and get in my car. Unless of course you want them to tranq you and take you back to the Institute?”

She asked the last with a raised eyebrow as she held open the door and waited for him to get in. In the meantime her eyes were scanning the park behind her and the parking lot in front of her for law enforcement and wandering how she was going to explain why she had the missing panther in her car. She was going to jail. She just knew it. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.

Okay. Okay, Samantha, get a grip. First there was a strange man who called her by name and she distinctly hadn’t told him her name. Then the cat had shown up on the roof of her car like he was just out to sunbathe. She needed to get this cat home to her house and then she needed a stiff drink.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

YOU! Come on. Get down from there. ok, that was no less amusing and his tail twitched, his head cocking to one side as he chuffed a laugh at her, his nose trailing over the side of her face as he sniffed her, licking her cheek again The police and Institute are looking for you. As if you didn’t know. Come on. Jump down and get in my car. Unless of course you want them to tranq you and take you back to the Institute?” he rolled his eyes, rising to his paws he stared down at her, his ears on a swivel he got off her car, careful not to scratch it with his claws, hesitation and fear peppering the air from Sam as he looked up at her, saw her looking around, head cocked to one side, tail swaying he licked her hand, sitting on his haunches he looked around as if bored however his ears continued to flick and he caught the faint sound of footsteps, feeling her move and open her car door he placed his body between hers and growled, looking out as he heard a shout MA’AM, MOVE AWAY, SLOWLY, a cop with his gun raised in their direction and pointed at him, Alecsi’s hackles rose as he snarled, his body tensing as he felt Sam tense behind him,



HEY, OVER HERE, FUCKIN CAT, RIGHT HERE, the cop was waving his arm, clearly trying to gain his attention and again Alecsi rolled his eyes, then he heard it, more foot steps coming from the other side of the car, sirens wailed in the distance and Alecsi silently cursed MA’AM, STAY THERE, DO NOT MOVE the cop inched closer and Alecsi swiped his paw in the air towards the cop snarling, this was not how Alecsi had wanted this to go, THE CAT HAS THE WOMEN PINNED BY THE CAR, LOOK OUT, CIRCLE AROUND the cop was shouting to his backup, and the panther’s head swiveled to look to Sam, then to the brush, calculating his odds, he heard the slide of Rifle’s cocking. Alecsi didn’t think the cop in front of him would shoot with Sam behind him incase he hit her and his muscles bunched, he heard sam Talking, but wasn’t paying attention, as the cop neared Alecsi sprung, uncoiling like a snake he leapt at the cop who ducked in fear, stumbling as he passed over the falling officer and took off at a dead sprint, several gunshots cracked the air and he snarled as he bolted into the tree’s, his body stretched out as he ran hard.


It would be minutes before the officers regrouped and gave chase, he made a B-line back towards where his clothes were stashed, all but sliding on the loose dirt, the change washing over him quickly, he grabbed up his clothes, his chest heaving with the sudden exertion he was just placing his hat on his head when the cops ran up to him where did it go? Did you see which way the cat ran? Alecsi just blinked and pointed “Cat saw me and headed that way” he pointed back towards the horse stables “Fucker’s huge, good luck” he feigned trying to catch his breath as if he’d been startled by the animal as the cops continued to run Get out of here Sir, leave the park for your safety Alecsi merely nodded as he made his way back towards the parking lot hoping Sam hadn’t left yet, several more cops and a few trappers giving chase as more siren’s wailed. That had been too fuckin close, not at all what he had planned, Turning he adjusted his hat so the brim was low, just barely covering his eyes as he heard Sam yelling.

“well, this is an exciting day, “ he said to no one in particular as he approached Sam and a small handful of officers talking into their radios and apparently interrogating Sam,