Page 3 of Guarded By a Monster

My brothers and I were created for a specific reason, and each of us filled a role within our team of six. Roul and I were the muscle. We protected the others. Identified threats first, and were the first to go in on any mission.

Kendal, Drym’s mate, said it was natural for us to still be on edge. We’d been free less than a year. She also declared us touch starved and hugged each of us every day. I looked forward to those hugs more than I cared to admit.

My ears twitched as a faint sound carried through the woods. Without thinking, I moved forward. Our preserve was large, but a neighborhood backed up to it on one side. The home site I’d chosen was closest to it. I knew better than to wander this close to humans, but I was bored and it was the middle of the night.

I reached the fence that encircled our property and scaled it easily, landing softly on the other side. The trees were thinner here, so I stayed as far in the shadows as I could manage.

The source of the sound stood on a small stoop, outlined by light spilling from an open door. Her hair shone like the sun as it flowed around her shoulders and down her back. She took a hesitant step onto the grass, then another that brought her closer. I willed her to keep going, to enter the forest and wrap her arms around me.

An impossible dream. I was a monster. She would run screaming if she saw me.

She stood so close I could smell her fear. Anger rose in my chest, swift and complete. I scanned the area for any threat but found none.

“Where is that furball?” She crouched down and whisper yelled, “Kitty, kitty! Dinner!” She tapped the side of a metal bowl. “Whisker McFluff, come on up.”

Behind her, several cats watched her with varying levels of interest. Most seemed focused on the bowl she held, rather than her. One rubbed against her leg and meowed loud enough to make me twitch.

All the feline heads swiveled toward me.

The woman stood and seemed to stare directly at me. I held my breath and locked my muscles. After a few moments, she sighed, put the bowl down, and went inside, herding the cats away from the door as it closed.

I watched as she wandered through her house until she disappeared and all the lights went off. I crept closer, sniffing at the bowl of cat food she’d left out for the wayward feline and chasing a fresh, light scent from where she stood to the doorknob.

Under the fear, she smelled like sugar and sunshine.

Was she afraid for her missing cat, or was she scared of something else?

I went back to the meager shadows of the tree line and settled into a crouch. I decided since I was already awake, I would watch over her. I wouldn’t let anything hurt her, and she could rest.

An hour later, I heard almost imperceptible footfalls stalk closer. I tilted my head at the gray-and-white striped cat that sat next to me.

“Are you Whisker McFluff?”

“Merreow.”

“You shouldn’t scare your mistress like that.”

The cat purred and rubbed against my leg. I drew my silicone-coated claw down its back and marveled at the feel of its fur under my hand. So many new things we’d been able to experience since escaping the lab. Thanks to Kendal, we no longer had to fear our claws accidentally slashing something. She kept a steady supply of what she called “wyrfang claw caps” available. The silicone caps fit snugly over our claws, dulling them enough to lessen our worry. We still had to be careful, but we could touch things without slicing them to ribbons.

Mine were purple.

“Come on then,” I said to the cat, “let’s see if we can get you inside where you belong.”

I crept toward the back door, making sure the cat followed. I grumbled at finding it unlocked. Silly female. It had to be the cat she feared for—otherwise she would have locked her door, right? In either case, I would continue to watch over her.

Her smell was stronger with the door open. I took a deep breath, trying to memorize every nuance of the scent. Standing in the doorway, the cat purring as it rubbed figure eights around my legs, I felt a sense of peace.

“Who’s there?” Her voice was soft but steady, like someone used to calming frightened creatures.

I leaped back, crouching to make myself as small as possible as I scurried to the relative safety of the tree line. I pricked my ears and turned my head to train my good eye on her, adjusting my stance to compensate for the permanent reminder of the lab's cruel tests.

My jaw clenched.We should put him down and start over. He is damaged and may not be useful anymore.

I shook off the memory and trained my focus on the woman.

“Oh!” She scooped the cat into her arms. “Whisker!” I heard her sniffle. “You stay inside, you bad kitty.” She put the wayward feline indoors, then stepped onto the small stoop and closed the door behind her. One step forward, and she reached the end of the small block of concrete.

She wrapped her arms around her torso, and my own itched to pull her against me. She squinted and took a deep, shaky breath.

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