Opposites Attract

by Mary Alice Pritchard

  “Damn!” She pushed her hair back from her face. She needed a good work out. She’d go to the gym and push herself until she couldn’t think. That would do the trick. She’d work out, shower and drink the rest of the bottle of wine. That would mellow her out. Then she would be able to concentrate on her book. She needed to relax before she jumped back into the mess at work. Gail grabbed another set of sweats and shoved them along with her clean shoes into a bag and headed for the gym.

  The drive took nearly twenty minutes since the circle where she lived was a good fifteen miles outside of town. She loved the place and huffed when this brought her back to the woods and the black cat sneaking back into her head. He’d gotten under her skin and it looked like he would stay there.

  She drove herself doing rep after rep of weights. She found a sparing partner to kick box and went four rounds with him until he called it quits.

  “You’re too damned pissed at someone today for me to risk my neck in there with you. Try Dozier over there. He’s more your league.”

  “Come on, Spencer. I’ll tone it down. Besides, I’m tiring out some now,” she pleaded.

  He shook his head and peel off his protective gear. Then he called over to the burly man bench-pressing weights. “Hey, Dozier. Gail needs a sparing partner.”

  “What’s wrong, she kick your ass?” He settled the weights in the rack and sat up.

  “I need to get home. Sandra wants to hit a movie this afternoon,” he said. Then pointed at Gail standing in the ring leaning on the ropes. “She’s in a pisser of a mood so watch your balls.” Grinning he strode to the locker room.

  Gail shrugged and started to get out of the ring. Dozier headed towards her.

  “Hey, thought you needed a sparing partner. Don’t go. I’ll give you a run for your money.” He approached the ring and grabbed the protective gear before swinging under the ropes.

  Shit. He’s going to flatten me. Maybe it would knock a certain tall dark and cute cat out of her head. It would be worth it she decided and knocked her gloves together.

  “Come on. Don’t have all day.”

  Chapter Three

  “Hey, Gail.” Randy Smith called out over the sound of printers and clicking keys from across the room. Her short spiky red hair bobbed up and down as she all but ran towards her.

  “Did you hear? They found a body not far from where you live. Out in the Clover community. Said it was attacked by wolves, all torn up.” Her eyes sparkled as she related the news.

  “Probably someone died, and the wolves scavenged the body. I seriously doubt wolves would attack a human. It’s not something they would do. Not unless they were provoked.” They didn’t usually scavenge though. They killed their food.

  “Well, they’re saying the wolves killed whoever it was. It was on the news this morning.” She wore four gold hoops in progressive sizes on each ear. They swung back and forth as she talked.

  “I guess I’ll be watching out for rogue wolves then. Thanks for the information.” She shrugged and got back to work. Her boss would be out at her desk like a wild dog if he caught her talking.

  “You be careful. You never know with wild animals.” Randy bobbed back to her desk.

  Could it really be a pack of wolves that killed the person? They ran in packs so it would be more than one or two. Could it be weirs? She hated to think so. They didn’t need to call attention to themselves. There were hundreds of them in the area. Wolf weir were stronger than most of the other animals, more turned after wolf attacks than with any other weir. The fact that her neighbor turned cat suggested a particularly vicious attack by a weir cat to have passed lycanthrope to him. She’d been attacked by a bobcat as a teenager while hiking in an Arkansas State Park.

  “Did you hear her? Do you think there’s a pack of wolves killing people?” Carter leaned over the top of his cubical.

  “See, that’s how rumors start. No, I don’t believe wolves are attacking people. We’ve had wolves around here for years without anything like that happening.”

  “Well, there’s always a first time.” He popped back down from his vantage point as their boss opened his office door.

  Lunchtime came and the dead person found in the woods topped the gossip list. By the end of lunch, the story had grown until Gail wanted to scream. Now they had wolves running all around the little communities waiting to attack children. They warned each other to keep their kids inside and don’t go out after dark. Sound advice most anytime though as far she was concerned.

  *****

  Jason stretched in his cat form and ran through the pet door out into his yard. Sniffing the air he found no scent of bobcat or anything else other than some rodents burrowing in the woods. He trotted along the back of the yards toward his sliver of land so graciously offered by his little she cat. Having a place to run free felt good though, and he counted himself lucky to have persuaded her to give it up.

  The night seemed less alive than usual, but he couldn’t feel what was wrong. The trees and grasses didn’t move in the wind and the rodents and small game grew still and silent. He slowed his pace until he walked and stopped at the edge of his parcel of land. Still he couldn’t place what bothered him.

  His need to run finally got the best of him, and his cat took off into the woods to explore his area. He stopped and rubbed against trees and chewed on saplings. He made his way to the left side until he smelt the bobcat’s scent on trees. There he moved back a few paces and marked his territory to let him know his boundaries. He wouldn’t intrude and thumb his nose at her by marking his area too close to hers.

  The tall grasses on the opposite side proved to be a haven of field mice. But though he could smell them, they weren’t out and about for him to hunt. Curious, he sniffed around and came up with nothing for his trouble. He delved deeper into the grasses and marked the edge of the field before turning back to the woods and traveling deeper than he usually went. He wanted to explore so he’d know every part of his territory.

  The scent hit him just before the wolf appeared. Its musk perked his nose and he stepped back just as it crouched from behind a clump of briars. Then another appeared and Jason knew he was in serious trouble. They’d know he was weir, but that didn’t seem to make a difference to them. They stalked him in a low crouch moving closer and closer as he took slow steps backward. He’d heard about the body found outside another community close by, but he’d taken no heed of it. Perhaps he should have.

  Just as he backed into a tree, they lunged. Turning around he raced up the tree and clung to the bark as he climbed to a high branch. The wolves growled and barked at him circling the tree below. The pack was a small one by most standards. There were only four of them, but even one would be too many for him. The largest of them jumped against the tree digging at it with nails and teeth, but he couldn’t climb. Sometimes it was good to be a cat. Especially right then.

  Nearly an hour passed before they gave up and drifted deeper into the woods. Jason remained in the tree until nearly midnight. Then sniffing the air one last time, he climbed down and raced for home. He needed to warn the little bobcat and hoped she hadn’t already met up with the pack of wolves.

  Maybe I can even find out her name this time.

  Once inside the safety of his kitchen, he changed and headed for the shower. He’d wait on her porch till she came back if need be, but he’d warn her tonight before she went to bed. He’d more than likely miss her otherwise. She left early each morning and Jason wasn’t sure how soon after she got home she would go out.

  No answer when he knocked at her door, so he settled down on the front steps and waited until he heard her open and close her back door. Even before he knocked, the door flew open and the pretty she cat stood scowling behind the screen he hadn’t gotten the chance to open.

  *****

  “What in the hell do you want now?” She asked.

  “Can I come in? There’s something I think you should know about.” His hand remained on the screen door handl
e without pulling it open.

  Huffing out a breath she stepped back from the door. “Sure come in. But it better be good. I don’t like little cats in my house.” She deliberately made the word cats sound like an insult.

  “Thanks.” He opened the screen and walked in, closing the door behind him.

  “Now what is so important you need to come over at this ungodly time of the morning?”

  “Did you hear about the wolf kill?”

  “Yes, but I seriously doubt they killed whoever it was. They just mauled the body when they found it. I don’t need you coming over just to tell me what’s all over the news.” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

  “Well, there may be some truth to it after all.” He jammed his hands in the pockets of his tight jeans drawing her attention to how good they looked on him.

  “I seriously doubt it. What are you trying to get at?” She drew in a deep breath willing her hormones to settle down.

  “I ran up on a pack of four wolves tonight. They chased me up a tree.”

  “And this bothers you why?” He was a cat for God’s sake. Anything bigger than him would attack him.

  “They were weir.”

  This stopped her. She uncrossed her arms and gaped at him. “Weir? Are you sure?”

  “I could smell them. You can’t get the smell of weir unless you are weir. They knew what I was and it irked them. They actually tried to wait me out.” Jason pulled his hands from his pockets and spread them out by his side.

  “Shit. Then that kill was probably a weir kill. That’s why no one has denied it on the news reports.” She ran her hands over her face and paced. “This means everyone around the outskirts of town is going to be trigger happy now.”

  “I’m not running until I have to. I’ll stick close. Not until they move on anyway.”

  “I guess I’m not either. Damn. They can’t be rabid since we have immunity to most everything.”

  “They’re acting on their own. They meant to kill me, and I can almost bet that’s what the other kill was, another weir. The body was naked.”

  “They’ll do an autopsy and there will be blood abnormalities.”

  “If something isn’t done, they’ll expose us all.” He planted his hands on his hips.

  “You know, we aren’t exactly predator enough to fight them.”

  “Do you know anyone that is? I haven’t been here long enough to meet other weir - other than you.” Jason ran a hand through his hair.

  “There’s a club here in town for weir. Humans are discouraged from going in with all the bikes and the bouncer. They get away with it using the fire code to say it’s full.” Gail sighed and wondered if she could take him there without starting a fight. They didn’t much approve of the lesser weirs.

  “Any chance of convincing some of them to help take the bastards down?”

  “I guess we’re going to find out. I know a few wolves and a cougar there. All I can do is ask.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “It’ll have to be tomorrow night and early. They’ll probably want to run later.”

  “So how will they take my being a cat?” Jason asked.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure, but they aren’t very fond of some of the lesser weirs. We’ve got a hawk and a dog who occasionally show up there. They get a lot of ragging but no one’s been hurt yet.” Her eyes gauged his reaction. He didn’t look scared, but he did look cautious.

  “Still want to go?”

  “Yea, I still want to go. We’ve got to convince someone to take this seriously.” She watched him roll his shoulders. The muscles rippled under his shirt. The heat was still weeks away, but she felt the pull of it deep inside.

  “Look, meet me here at six tomorrow evening and I’ll take you with me. Just remember, don’t look scared or intimidated and they’ll probably leave you alone – for the most part.”

  “I’m not scared and I won’t back down. You should know that about me.” He grinned and it transformed his face, almost making him handsome.

  “Okay, see you then.” She drew in a deep breath.

  “Think you could tell me your name? It might help.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell and thought better of it. It would be natural for him to know her name if they went to the bar. Come to think of it… she didn’t know his either.

  Gail. My name’s Gail. What about yours?”

  “Jason. Good to meet you.” He grinned at her.

  She just nodded her head towards the door. He took the hint.

  *****

  Gail made it home early for a change and after showering, selected her clothes for a night out at The Bear Claw. It was named for the owner, Harry Lippincott. He turned bear and no one messed with him. Not even the cougar or the wolves. His word was law inside the bar. She picked out her favorite ragged jeans and a deep green blouse that buttoned up the front but left her arms bear with a generous amount of cleavage as well as some skin between her jeans and the blouse. She always dressed just a little bit sexy since she faired better that way than as another predator, since she wasn’t at the top of the food chain.

  At precisely six Jason knocked on the door. Gail opened it to find him in tight jeans and a tight tee. She could see the definition of his muscles through the shirt and it jump-started her heart. His eyes grew wide for a second before he masked them. She wondered what he was thinking and then thought better of it.

  “Ready?” He asked.

  “Yeah, we need to get there or it will be too crowded to talk to anyone. Just follow my lead. You smell like cat so maybe they won’t guess what kind. If someone asks just smile, and keep it to yourself.”

  “Don’t worry. I know how to bluff.”

  She also wondered what his chest and abdomen looked like without that shirt on. She felt the saliva fill her mouth at the thought of running her tongue along his muscles and down to just below his pants line. She gave herself a mental shake, and grabbing her door key, followed him out the door, locking it behind her.

  The Bear Claw looked to be well on its way to being full when they drove up. A line of bikes lined the front of the building with mostly trucks parked in the rest of the gravel parking lot. Gail indicated a space towards the back and was surprised when he backed his truck in. Yeah, he was cautious. Good.

  They got in past Bull, the bouncer… a wolf, not an actual bull. The room smelled of sweat, stale fries and weir. Their odors mixed and drifted to her nose… wolf, cougar, bear and bobcat. That meant Danny was there somewhere in the press of bodies. No doubt dancing. He loved to dance. He was one of her partners during the heat. He tended to ignore her the rest of the time, which was fine with her.

  “Hey Gail.” A thin man with black hair and pale blue eyes waved at her from the bar. “Come on up and order a drink. Haven’t seen you since the moon run.” Roger patted the chair next to him.

  She made her way to the bar and then introduced Jason to him. “He’s with me. Is Gage here yet?” She looked around trying to see over the heads dancing and talking. She didn’t see him, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t there.

  “Yeah, I saw him earlier. Not sure where he is now, but he was talking with Sarah. You thinking of hooking up with him?” Roger cocked his head with a puzzled expression in his eyes. He was a hawk and had approached her several times during the heat.

  “Naw, just need to talk to him about something. Thanks, I’ll look around for him.” She nodded at Jason and they pushed through the bodies to the back of the room. She spied Gage at a booth with two other wolves and Sarah sitting on his lap.

  “Great. He’s busy. There’s a table over there, let’s get it and we’ll wait.”

  “He smells okay, not like the wolves who chased me. I’m not sure about the other two. I didn’t get close enough to smell them.” He took a seat across from Gail.

  “Smell anyone in here that smells like one of the rogue wolves?”

  “Naw, but it’s tough with so many of them packed in here.” He jerked his head bac
k to the booth where Gage continued to talk with the other wolves. “Do you know the other two sitting with him?”

  “Yeah, Gary and Todd. They’re okay. I don’t deal with them much. Gage and I danced a few times and I trust him more than any of the other wolves in the room.” She drew in a deep breath and caught the attention of one of the waitresses squeezing through the bodies.

  “What’ll you have?”

  “Whiskey sour.” She turned to Jason. “What about you?”

  “Give me a Bud.” He continued to look around the room.

  “This place is a little bit claustrophobic. How do you deal with it?”

  She smiled and laughed. “We don’t stay very long or we drink a lot. I usually run after I’ve been cooped up in here for too long, but I don’t come here that often. Mostly in the heat.”

  “Know of any other cats my size?” He smiled and she nearly forgot to breathe again.

  “Not really, unless you want to count a lynx. She’s in and out but not even as much as I am. I think her name is Barbara, but I’m not sure.” It bothered her that she felt a twinge of anger at the thought of him with Barbara. Which was stupid since none of them had just one partner. True, she only had two and most of the others had four or five, but that’s all she wanted.

  “You know you don’t have to dance with another cat. Wolves can be fun too.” She smiled at the frown on his face.

  “Wolves just aren’t my style. I prefer other cats.”

  “Well around here you can’t be very picky. Not a lot of anything but wolves.”

  “There’s you.” She jerked and saw him struggling not to smile.

  “You’re crazy. I’m so not going there.” She jumped up when she noticed Gage by himself other than Sarah. She felt Jason follow her and cursed the attraction she felt for the tomcat. It pissed her off.