Shifting

by Shifting (anth. )(Rob Knight Editor)(Torquere)(lit)

  Man good.

  Purr.

  Man pet. Scratch. Sleep.

  Good.

  ***

  When An neal woke he was over warm, finding it difficult to breathe, and rather... Well, sticky.

  The over warm and breathing could be laid at the fact that Feris, in all of his leonine glory, was stretched out atop him. His cheeks heated as he realized that the sticky could also be laid firmly at Feris' big paws.

  Oh, dear.

  Feeling the need to move, immediately, An neal gave Feris a shove, rolling the lax form off him.

  Feris slid off, one eye half opening. The rough tongue licked at his cheek and Feris settled bonelessly beside him, low purrs rumbling against him.

  There. Now he could roll away and go to clean himself up a bit. Be away from Feris so he could think.

  As he made to move, one big forepaw came to rest on his chest. So much for that. Prying at the paw, Anneal moved again, sliding sideways. Feris' head lifted, the golden eyes glowing in the darkness of the cave. A low growl sounded.

  "Feris, I have to go and piss." That should make Feris let him go. And was not a lie, either.

  Feris growled, sounding unhappy, but the big head lowered, the eyes closed and he was allowed to go.

  Scooting out, Anneal crawled to his feet and headed to the opening of the cave, doing his business quietly, scrubbing his hands clean before going back inside. Then he stripped off his leggings and quietly scrubbed down.

  Feris shifted and he could feel the cat's eyes watching him.

  Once clean, he stirred the fire just enough to have light, and pulled out his precious paper and ink, intent upon doing something that would take his mind off what had occurred before.

  Feris got up, stretched and came to sit next to him, the cat's large head, settling on his thigh.

  How could he resist such an overture? Anneal reached out to scratch those finely set ears, using the other to continue his scribbles.

  It was not that what they had done together was wrong. Not at all, despite the fact that he was raised to believe it so. Feris had an innocence to him that would not allow that sort of recrimination. Anneal simply did not know what to do. Did not know how it would change how they were together.

  And his scribble had taken on the shape of a large, lax cat.

  Feris began to purr for him, the low noises rumbling and familiar, as were the occasional licks to his legs, his belly.

  All he could do was to continue on, he supposed. As he always had. Anneal smiled down at Feris. "What am I to do with you, hmm?"

  Feris reached up, licking his cheek.

  He laughed aloud, showing Feris his drawing. "Yes. Well I suppose there is that."

  Feris' nose touched the drawing and his cheek was licked once more before Feris settled again with the big head on his thigh.

  Perhaps things would not change so much.

  ***

  For a whole day he let himself stay with An neal, but when the man made cake, he had shifted to share a meal with An neal.

  He was feeling distracted though, even from cake.

  He wanted to press their lips together again. And their bodies, even though An neal wore his clothes once more.

  He took An neal's piece of cake from the long fingers.

  "Is something the matter, Feris?"

  "No."

  He pushed their mouths together, gasping again at the amazing feeling.

  It was real, he had not imagined how it felt!

  An neal moaned and pressed against him, squishing the cake between them.

  Their mouths pressed tightly together, An neal's tongue coming into his. Such pleasure! His shaft was growing hard.

  "Mmmm." An neal moved against him, closer, hands sinking into his hair.

  He whimpered, hands moving to clutch at An neal.

  In return An neal clutched at him, hands moving over his neck, his back, to grasp his bottom, hands squeezing his cheeks.

  "An neal!" He wanted to feel An neal, to feel the warm skin he knew was there underneath all the silly clothes An neal always insisted on wearing.

  He tore at them.

  For once An neal did not fight him or make squawking noises, helping him instead. Soon there was nothing between his skin and An neal's.

  An neal's skin was hot and soft and it made him tremble, made him want very much.

  It had always seemed that An neal liked his skin too, the way he looked when he thought Feris was not watching, and the man proved it, stroking his back, licking his neck.

  He moaned, moving instinctively, rubbing.

  An neal rubbed back, breathing hard, then moved, letting go of him, and for a moment Feris thought An neal would try to stop what they did. But then An neal slid one hand between them, pushing down to grasp his shaft, fingers closing about him.

  He called out and bucked, shaft sliding through An neal's fingers. Oh! He had never. No one. It. "An neal!"

  "Yes. Oh. Feels good." He was stroked and measured and squeezed, An neal urging him on with soft words.

  "An neal!" He called his friend's name again as that feeling overtook him once more. So much pleasure, so good and his own scent strong between them.

  "Mmm." Nuzzling his shoulder, then rubbing cheeks like himself would, An neal smiled at him, hand coming back up from between them. Then An neal licked that hand clean, tasting him.

  He purred, licking at An neal's hand, too.

  "Feris." An neal still moved against him, still hard.

  Carefully, watching An neal's face, he put his hand between them, returning the touch given to him. Oh! An neal was hot and hard.

  Thrashing, An neal grabbed him again, hands hard and urgent. "Feris! Oh, yes, please."

  He grunted. Good. An neal liked this, too.

  He continued to slide his hand along An neal's hot and hard.

  An neal continued to beg, and to praise him and pet him, hips pushing that scalding length of flesh into him over and over.

  He purred, leaning down to put his lips against An neal's again.

  The touch of their lips was hard this time, An neal pushing into his mouth, tasting him everywhere. Then the hot and hard in his hand throbbed, covering his fingers in hot liquid.

  He growled, the scent of An neal's musk filling his nose. He brought his hand up, mimicking what An neal had done and licking his fingers clean. Sharp, salty, An neal.

  "Oh. Oh, Feris." Dazed, voice a bit slurred, An neal looked at him and smiled. Not upset then.

  "Good, An neal."

  He rubbed their cheeks together like himself would do and then pressed their lips together like he could do.

  Yes, it was good.

  ~Chapter Ten~

  Anneal woke to the sound of retching, harsh and low and utterly miserable. Feris was not beside him, so it had to be Feris who was sick, but Anneal had never seen his friend sick, so it took a moment to register.

  Taking up his tunic and putting it on, Anneal took a blanket to the edge of the cave and put it about Feris' very human shoulders.

  "Feris? What is the matter?"

  "Sick," muttered Feris. "Worse for himself."

  Oh, no. "Do you feel chilled? Or feverish? Or is just your belly?" He felt Feris' face, and there did not seem a fever, but Feris was always hotter than he, even as a man.

  Feris shook his head weakly. "Stomach hurts."

  A sudden thought popped into his head. "Did you eat all the cake, Feris? The one I had hidden away as well as the one I made you today?"

  The golden eyes looked sheepishly up at him, their usual glow missing, the yellow more dull than gold. "Yes."

  "Oh, Feris." There was no censure in his voice, for there was none in him, nor exasperation. Feris had so few luxuries that it was no wonder his cat-man wallowed in his cake. But the amount Feris had consumed would make someone unused to sweets quite ill.

  "Come, it is too cold here. If you need to void again you can use my bowl." He drew Feris back in to the cave, letting him curl u
p in one corner. Feris hunched in around himself, shivering. Poor Feris. Anneal stroked the sweaty hair back off Feris' face and covered him snugly with the blanket. "I have some herbs that will make a tea to settle your stomach. Just stay here and relax."

  "Don't worry, not going anywhere," Feris noted plaintively.

  He hid a grin by turning about to stoke the fire and find his little row of clay pots. He was proud of how homey the cave had become. The tea took only minutes, and he was soon back at Feris' side, helping tip the tea into Feris' mouth.

  Feris drank about half before turning his face away and then lay with his head on Anneal's lap, one arm going around his waist.

  The seemingly small amount should be enough, actually, and Anneal set the rest aside, holding Feris close and stroking the soft skin of one cheek. As furry as Feris was while a cat, he was remarkably unhairy as a man.

  Feris half-purred. "I'm sorry, An neal."

  "What for? I think I am to be congratulated for making cake you like. And you have learned a lesson, hmm?" Already he could feel the tremors easing, Feris relaxing under the influence of herbs and touch.

  "Too much cake is bad," Feris muttered.

  "Yes." He hid another smile against his own shoulder. "Very bad."

  Never would he wish Feris ill, but it felt good to care for Feris, help make him better, like Feris had done for him so many times.

  "Sleep now, if you can."

  Feris nodded. "Feels better now."

  The golden eyes closed, Feris' breath growing slow, head becoming heavier.

  He would stay up and watch over Feris until he was well, which should not be long the way Feris had responded to the tea. It was still important to be sure, though, for Feris had come to mean the world to him.

  ***

  Feris was feeling better. He went and sat beside An neal, very close, touching along one side.

  An neal took good care of him. Even when he wasn't sick.

  "Thank you, An neal."

  "You are most welcome, Feris." An neal smiled at him, hand coming out to rest on his chest. "You look much better."

  "Yes, I am better." He stroked An neal's hand. "You make me feel good."

  He really looked at An neal, to make An neal understand he meant more than just when he was sick.

  A bright smile lit An neal's whole face. "You make me feel good, as well. Very good, Feris."

  "We have no rules about who we lie with here," he noted.

  The smile got wider. "I know. And you are very special, Feris. You would be special enough to break the rules if they were in place."

  Oh. He beamed at An neal and reached to touch one cheek.

  Turning, An neal pressed a soft touch of lips into his palm. A kiss. An neal called it a kiss.

  It felt good. I made him feel good all over.

  "I am very glad you came to my cave, An neal."

  "So am I." Opening his arms wide, An neal nodded. "So am I. Sit with me?"

  He nodded. Shifted.

  Sit in man's lap.

  Purr.

  Good.

  Man good.

  Man his.

  Good.

  ***

  The cave was spotless, a fact that made Anneal happy and Feris somewhat disgruntled. The thought crossed his mind to make Feris a cake, but after the illness incident, Feris was much more cautious about that.

  So Anneal determined that he should spend some time with just Feris, to make up for all the sweeping and airing and scrubbing.

  He got out his precious store of paper, taking a piece he had used but spoiled with a spill of ink and turned to the back of it, then set out his pen and ink.

  "Feris? Would you like to learn how to write your name?"

  "My name? Why?"

  "Because it is a useful skill?" Anneal grinned over. "And because you can sit close to me and have me hold your hand?"

  "Oh. Okay." Feris gave him a smile and came to sit close. Very close. The golden eyes were warm, glowing at him.

  The last weeks had seen them grow closer, their odd friendship developing into something much deeper. Something he liked very much.

  "Good." A short cheek rub, and they were ready. "You hold the stylus like this." He put the pen in Feris big hand and showed him the finger arrangement.

  Feris looked awkward, the big hands holding the stylus hard enough it was bending under the pressure.

  "Gently, Feris. Like you would touch me." He laughed as the touch immediately softened. "There. Good." He gave Feris' fingers a gentle pet. Feris gave him a little purr and wriggled a little closer. Letting himself nuzzle Feris' neck for a moment made him dizzy with the scent of man and musk. "Right. Now, dip the end of the pen in the ink. Just a little, as we only need to make one letter at a time."

  Despite his warning, Feris dipped the pen in too far, growling and dropping the stylus as ink coated his fingers.

  Grabbing an old scrap of cloth he kept for just that reason, Anneal wiped at Feris' fingers. "It is all right, Feris. It will scrub off. Please, try again?"

  Feris gave him a look and then picked up the stylus and awkwardly fit his fingers around it. This time the dip was more careful.

  "Excellent." He closed his fingers about Feris' again, knowing he would have to control the pressure of the pen against the paper, or they'd have holes to avoid.

  "Now, the first letter is simple, because it's all straight lines." Together, their hands moved under his guidance, forming an F.

  "That means Fer?"

  "That just means the fuh sound at the beginning." He smiled, turning so they bumped noses. He did not know why it was so important to him to teach Feris to do this. Perhaps because Feris taught him something every day.

  Feris nuzzled his cheek. "Okay."

  "The next two letters we add will combine with it to make Fer." He helped Feris dip the pen once more, and create a wobbly E. The R was much harder, as the curve almost defeated them, but after the second attempt, they had it.

  Feris growled. "This is hard."

  "It is. It is a physical skill like any other. It takes time to learn." Using his free hand, he petted Feris' back, soothing. "Only two more. You're doing so well."

  Feris pushed back against his touch. "Do I get a reward for finishing?"

  Greedy Feris. But then, so was he. "Yes. You can claim whatever reward you wish."

  "I will claim you."

  "Oh, good." Of course, he had to steady his hand after that so it did not shake. "The next one is the easiest of all." They made an I.

  "I like that one," Feris told him.

  "I thought you might." Oh, but Feris would hate the S. "The next is much harder," he warned.

  Feris gave him another look and growled again.

  "But it is the last one." He gifted Feris with a light kiss. "Then we will be done and you can have your reward."

  "All right. Show me."

  The S took a seeming eternity, but came out surprisingly perfect, and he chortled his glee, smacking an open mouthed kiss on Feris' lips. "It's perfect. And now you've written your name!"

  "Good. Thank you." Feris put the stylus down very carefully and then pushed him to the ground and kissed him.

  He wanted to laugh, not so much at Feris, but just for joy, but he kissed back instead, hands tangling in Feris mane of gold hair. Feris' tongue slid along his lips and dipped in between them, touching and tasting. This was still so new, so precious.

  Feris was so eager to taste and explore, so unselfconsciously loving. Never had he had a lover who was not motivated by politics or simple lust. The feeling was marvelous.

  The big hands that were so awkward holding the pen didn't feel awkward at all as they moved over his skin, exploring his contours.

  Pushing up into the touches, Anneal took one of Feris' hands in his, pulling it to his chest, moving it to one nipple, showing Feris how to tease. The feeling left him gasping, even though he knew it was coming.

  He did the same for Feris, taking one tiny nipple between his
fingers and pressing. Feris roared, pulling away from the kiss and staring down at him with wide eyes. His lover plucked at his nipple again, watching him carefully.

  He moaned, arching, his own fingers tightening of their own volition. The feeling went all the way to his toes.