Micah’s story:

I watch Rosy as she lies sleeping, it is just after breakfast and she is curled up asleep on top of my bed covers. I would go in and put a blanket over her but I know any movement in the room is sure to disturb her, plus the morning is warm. The last week has been chaotic, phone calls to attend to and several Alphas turning up unexpectedly. The strain on Rosy has made her extremely nervous and she refused to let Doc do the ultra sound to check on the kitt when he arrived with the portable machine.

"She gone back to sleep already?" Steven asks quietly from just behind me and I glance over my shoulder at him.

"Yeah," I confirm as I move away from the door and head for the lounge room so our conversation doesn’t disturb her. "She said she wanted to change clothes to go into town about a quarter of an hour ago. I came to see what was taking her so long and found her asleep."

"She wouldn’t need to be sleeping now if you two hadn’t been going at it most of the night," Steven chuckles softly.

A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth and I feel a lightness of mood as I remember how Rosy encouraged my attentions the night before. It was the first time since I let her out of the cage and the sudden change in my status that she allowed me to do more than hold her. I explained to her several times that until there was an official engagement, announced to the werecat community at large, relationships were conducted openly in the presence of others. My main concern is how Rosy still insisted on retreating to my room for any intimacy between us as if it was something to be hidden from the others.

"Rosy nearly ready to go to town?" Jazzy asks eagerly as we walk into the lounge room.

"I’m sorry Jazzy, but Rosy is asleep," I tell her gently. Jazzy frowns and crosses her arms over her chest, annoyance clear in every line of her body.

"Maybe we can go tomorrow if Rosy doesn’t feel up to it later," Dwayne says quietly.

"But Rosy needs new clothes now! Everything is getting too tight, Rosy even said so herself," Jazzy snaps in irritation.

I think about the way most of Rosy’s tops now fit firmly over her breasts and I remember how she complained only this morning when her favourite jeans were uncomfortable over her stomach.

"I’m sure Rosy will want to go shopping later after she wakes up," I tell Jazzy soothingly.

"Rosy wouldn’t be sleeping now if you had let her sleep last night," Jazzy mutters as she turns away. I can’t help the chuckle that starts deep in my chest and bursts forth making Jazzy turn and frown at me in irritation.

"Don’t be so pleased with yourself," Jazzy snaps. "Being pregnant means Rosy needs all the sleep she can get."

"You had better tell Rosy that," I say with a wide grin. I can’t help feeling good about the events of the night before. "I wasn’t the one who started it and I wasn’t the one who couldn’t get enough of the touching."

"So things are getting better between you and Rosy?" Jazzy asks hopefully. "You’ll be asking her to marry you soon?"

"I’m busy building a relationship with Rosy at present," I tell Jazzy firmly. "Rosy and I don’t have years of knowing each other behind us. We need a good solid foundation to grow from."

I don’t tell her I have been desperately trying to rekindle a spark of the matebond I was sure was forming between us before Rosy lost control and nearly changed while wearing the collar. I don’t mention to anyone that I can no longer feel her presence at the edge of my mind. Every time I concentrate and search for her all I find is a weird nothingness where I am sure she used to be.

"I know all that," Jazzy says rolling her eyes as she turns away. "But there’s going to be a baby kitt in a few months."

"All the more reason to build a friendship," I say firmly.

"Well you’re stupid if you don’t ask her to marry you soon; otherwise Rosy is going to be clearly pregnant in the wedding photos," Jazzy says and walks over to where Mitchell is studying some papers laid out on the kitchen table.

"Do you think the records in front of you are complete?" I ask Mitchell as I sit in the chair I had previously been sitting in before checking on Rosy.

"Some of the addresses and details on the strays living in the clan territory need to be updated," Mitchell says with a frown as he glances up. "These records of Wade’s aren’t up to date. I bet there is another newer book in his study."

"I can go back over my diary to get the relevant information," I say with a sigh. "I’ll get it later; if I go into my room now I’ll only wake Rosy up."

"I take it things are improving between you and Rosy?" Mitchell says evenly without looking at me.

"Yesterday and last night were parts of a real good day. Steady progress and no backsliding," I say smiling to myself.

"Just as long as she’s coping after nearly freaking out with all the tension around Wade," Sam says quietly as he takes a seat at the table. We focus our conversation on the papers in front of us, both Mitchell and I making notes with pen and paper as we talk. None of us object when Jazzy starts asking questions and wanting to know how everything works. I am glad to see Mitchell encouraging Jazzy’s interest in traditionally male areas to do with the security of the clan.

"Is it too late to go shopping today?" Rosy’s softly spoken question surprises me and I look towards the lounge room to see her. I take in her skirt and top, one of the few times I have seen her in anything other than shorts or jeans.

"We can go shopping and have lunch in town before heading back," Jazzy says happily with a quick glance at her watch.

"Shopping shouldn’t take long," Rosy says uncomfortably. "I’m not getting a lot of things."

"Pick out as much as you like. I want you to be comfortably dressed," I tell her with a smile. "I would go with you but your Uncle, Kurt Black will be here in a while to talk with Mitchell and myself."

"I’ll make sure Rosy gets everything she needs," Jazzy says happily. "Marissa gave me a list of things in case Rosy didn’t know what she would need."

"I’ll be there to make sure you don’t give Rosy a hard time," Dwayne says as he walks over to pat Jazzy on the head as if she were still a child of eight or nine.

"Don’t worry Jazzy, I’ll be there to protect you," Malcolm laughs from the lounge room. A low angry rumble comes from Mitchell as he gets to his feet and I see Rosy visibly flinch at his growl.

"I’ll go wait in one of the cars," Rosy rushes to say as she heads outside.

"I’ll walk you out to the car," I say as I hurry to my feet and follow her. Rosy is waiting just outside the quarters and gives me a slightly nervous look as I come out the door. She glances past me as if expecting others to be following me before turning towards the two vehicles parked close by.

"Which car do you want to ride in?" I ask lightly.

"Rosy’s riding with Donny, Malcolm and me," Chris says as he comes out of the quarters followed closely by Donny and heads for Malcolm’s restored Monaro.

"That leaves Dwayne, Timny and Kirby with Jazzy doesn’t it?" I remark as I work the travelling arrangements out.

"Yeah," Chris agrees as I open the car door for Rosy while he goes around to the other side.

"You pick out whatever clothing you need for yourself," I tell Rosy as she hesitates with a glance my way. "Don’t worry about the cost - I can afford to spend whatever it takes to make sure you’re comfortable."

"I don’t need a lot," Rosy protests quietly.

"Maybe you’d like to pick out something you like so I can have the fun of taking it off you tonight?" I whisper near her ear. Rosy blushes instantly and ducks her head as she gets into the vehicle hurriedly. She chances a sidelong glance my way with red cheeks only to look away shyly. I glance into the back seat and see the way Donny is watching our interaction with interest but Chris elbows him and shakes his head at my youngest brother.

"Looks like I’m holding everyone here up," Malcolm says as he walks towards his car.

"Keep flirting with Jazzy, and Mitchell is going to kick your arse," I warn him as he opens his door.

"All of us will survive it if he does," Malcolm says lightly and I shake my head with a frown. I worry how Rosy will handle the aggression if it happens.

"I’ll see you when you get back," I say to Rosy and lean in to drop a quick kiss on her lips when she glances my way. Her lips part beneath mine and she kisses me back until I ease away. Now is not the time or place for the passion that simmers below the surface of our kiss. I shut the car door and step back as Malcolm starts the engine; he slips the vehicle into gear and drives slowly along the drive. Dwayne is only a couple of minutes behind in his SUV and follows at a more normal speed. I head back inside to the kitchen and the paperwork we need to straighten out and update.

Rosy’s story:

I look at the top Jazzy holds up for my inspection and I shake my head. It’s too girly for my tastes but would suit Jazzy when she starts her own family.

"Hey Jazz want to come look at the x-box games?" Donovan asks. I glance at him where he is standing watching his sister hopefully.

"No Donny, we’re here shopping for Rosy not for another game for you to play," Jazzy says sternly. I hear the slight laughter that comes from the five toms near by and I glance at Dwayne, Kirby, Malcolm, Timny and Chris where they are standing by a magazine rack. I don’t have to look to know Malcolm would be looking at the latest playboy while Dwayne would have a Four Wheel Adventuring magazine.

I glance at the trolley with maternity bras, loose t-shirts and maternity jeans in it before glancing at Donovan. "I’ll have a look Donovan. I got all I need for now picked out," I tell him.

"Wait a moment you pair," Timny orders before putting some magazine back and walking towards us.

"Give me five minutes to run these things through the checkout and pay for them and I’ll be right behind you," Dwayne says as he takes hold of the trolley with my shopping in it.

"Meet you at The Eatery in half an hour for lunch?" Malcolm asks.

"Sure thing," Timny acknowledges even as Dwayne adds his agreement. Donovan leads the way out of the shop and I glance across the road at the small café Malcolm mentioned. The breeze is hot and reeks of the smell of exhaust fumes and hot bitumen as we walk along the sidewalk. We pause at a street as we wait for a break in traffic so we can cross the road. I can feel the heat of the road through the thin soles of the sandals I wear and I look around uneasily not liking the smell of so many hot and sweaty humans. The games shop is at the far end of the block of shops and I am glad when we walk in the door. A feeling of unease touches me briefly but Donovan grabs my hand with an excited gasp.

"They’ve got the latest Alien Invasion style game here," Donovan cries excitedly and rushes towards the display. Behind us Timny laughs and I smile to myself as Donovan lets go of me in his excitement.

"Can I help you?" The salesman immediately descends on us and although his words are directed at Donovan his eyes don’t leave my body.

"Yes I want to see what games that have been released this last ten days," Donovan says confidently.

"Certainly, come this way," the salesman says to me before turning and leading the way towards the display wall at the back of the store. "What exactly are you looking for?" Again he looks at me and I notice Donovan frown.

"You’d do better to talk to Donovan. He’s the one interested in looking and buying. I’m just here for the exercise," I say and look away trying to convey my disinterest.

"You don’t look like you need the exercise," the salesman says flirtatiously.

"My boyfriend said that as well this morning but I did promise to take his little brother shopping," I say without looking his way as I wonder why Timny isn’t stopping this.

"He’s a lucky man," the salesman says and Donovan clears his throat drawing his attention.

I frown as I glance around looking for Timny. He is half way to the back of the store and I immediately see the two slightly scruffy looking guys standing in the walk way between him and us. I don’t need to smell them to identify them as strays as they take a step or two blocking his path. I turn my head at a faint sound not far from me and fear wells up in me almost stopping me breathing for a few seconds as I recognise the well built form beside Donovan and the salesman. He glances my way and smiles as his black hair falls over his forehead nearly covering his silvery grey eyes.

"This is a top game, you should try it. Big Five they call it. It’s about capturing the five most famous animals in Africa. Must be exciting to go after a big cat, don’t you think?"

Donovan must have gotten a smell of the tom talking or recognised the veiled hint because he stepped back towards me with a nervous smile not once taking his eyes off the mature tom so close to him. I hear a soft sound behind me and glance back over my shoulder. One of the strays is standing toe to toe with Timny and I see Timny stagger slightly. I move swiftly to grab Donovan by his arm and pull him towards me several steps.

"We’re late for lunch. We will just have to come back," I say firmly without taking my eyes from the black haired tom. Donovan doesn’t take his eyes from the tom and I have difficulty guiding him along backwards.

"Where’s Timny?" he whimpers as I jerk at him to lead him towards one side of the store.

"He let one of the strays get too close," I mumble just loud enough for Donovan to hear. Donovan glances around and I feel him start trembling and I know he has started to panic as he realises we are without protection and there are strays in the shop.

"We can’t do anything to help him. We need to get out of here," I tell Donovan under my breath. The two strays leave Timny who slowly sinks in a drunken manner to sit in one of the side aisles between rows of dvd’s, games and movies. I meet Timny’s eyes for a second before focusing on the two strays heading our way as if they are merely browsing through the goods on sale.

Two strays in front of us, and one behind. The memory of those cold grey eyes from other times crowd into my mind and I would prefer to face the two strays rather than the owner of those eyes.

"The other one’s not far behind us," Donovan whispers and I tense as I reach near where the two toms wait to ambush us. I see the gleam of a blade and tighten my hold on Donovan’s arm. A fast flick of my other hand sends a row of dvds tumbling onto the floor and I jump to the side as if startled.

"You clumsy clod," I say loudly attracting the attention of everyone in the store. "You knocked those on the floor on purpose! I saw you do it!" Indeed the tom looks guilty with his hand extended towards where the fallen items had rested an instant before. Only the presence of half a dozen potential witnesses keeps the two strays from trying to stop me as I dodge behind two rows of dvds and keep them between me and the strays.

"Come on let’s get out of this store," I say as I drag Donovan after me. He has the presence of mind to turn and follow me and I spare one quick glance for Timny who is holding one of his hands tightly against his side while he fumbles for his phone. I know that if I leave Donovan behind to make a run for it by myself he will face the same fate as Timny.

I burst out into the heat of the day to immediately smell the strong scent of a stray close by. I dart to the side as a lanky form straightens from the storefront and I am forced to lead Donovan away from the direction we need to head in.

"Keep moving Donovan," I say between gritted teeth as I walk fast. Donovan manages to catch up to me and I glance around quickly. I catch sight of another form slinking among the people across the road in front of us as well as another on the other side of the road.

"They’re hunting us," Donovan gasps sounding terrified as he too identifies the predatory movements of the strays on the street. I grab his hand and pull him along with me as I walk fast.

"I know, I know," I chant nervously. "Follow me and stick close." I reach the roadside curb and hesitate a moment as the tom on the other side of the road steps onto the crossing. I tug on Donovan's hand and turn down the street instead of crossing the road.

"Run," I hiss and take off. Donovan is only a step behind me and I stick to a pace he can manage. A form too stealthy to be human steps around the corner before we reach it and I swerve towards the road. I dart through traffics ignoring the blaring horns but realise Donovan has hesitated. He arrives at my side of the road nearly a minute after I do and I see the toms from behind us on the same side of the road and closing in on us.

"Rosy! They’re hunting us," Donovan says sounding close to panic.

"Stick with me," I say and dart back into the traffic. Donovan hesitates and I lose sight of him for a moment as a bus goes between us. When I glance his way again he is struggling between two bigger figures and they both have a tight hold on his upper arms. A black haired figure crosses the road nimbly and I stand on the centre line of the street watching with horror as he walks towards where Donovan is being held. I take a deep breath of air that smells and tastes of foul exhaust fumes and make my way back to the side of the street Donovan is on. Not surprisingly no one seems to take notice of the drama going on in the street.

"Hey Rosy," the black haired tom says with a triumphant smile. "Long time no see. Looks like your little friend here would appreciate your company. I think he’d like it much better if you were with him than if Terry were to ride in the back of the van with him, don’t you agree?"

"You let that pervert Terry near him, Kendal, and I will personally shred your sick pet then come after you," I hiss in a low under tone.

"Don’t be like that little Alley Cat. We’re old friends remember; we go way back," Kendal purrs at me.

A courier van comes to a halt at the curb near Donovan and the two toms holding him. The back door is slid open and in the blink of an eye Donovan disappears inside. I shift uneasily on my feet and Kendal Darnel smiles.

"Your choice Alley Cat, either you join him voluntarily or we leave with just him and I come back for you later," Kendal tells me. "I’ve been watching and waiting for you to show yourself here in town for a couple of months now. Word on the grape vine was you were holed up somewhere around here. Though I must admit I thought you would be with Jasper again, not some clan cat."

I remain motionless as I stand staring at Kendal in what I am sure is wide-eyed horror. I know this is where my life returns to the old, familiar nightmare of life as Kendal’s plaything. I hear a horrified smothered sound come from inside the van and a familiar chuckle. I am unable to stop my own furious snarl as I step close and hesitate for a few moments.

Get in; don’t make me wait any longer.

I know I didn’t actually hear the words but I feel the compulsion to do as Kendal wants, and I look his way. The smile is still on his face but fails to reach the cold almost gunmetal grey of his eyes. The almost silent sounds of a struggle within the van reach me and I look at Kendal once again. Kendal reaches for the door to shut it but I move fast, slipping beneath his arm to get into the van. The door is slammed shut behind me but not before I see the bulky form bent over Donovan. I don’t hesitate as I launch my attack. My knees meet yielding flesh and my fingers curl into long greasy hair as I grip and pull savagely.

"Get off him, you pervert," I snarl. The reaction is instant and I realise he must have been waiting for me as a heavy hand smacks me in the side of the head and a second hand connects with my ribs in a strong punch. I kick out savagely with my feet and have the satisfaction of hearing his gasp of agony before someone else slams me against the side of the van that is now moving. I lay still as I gasp to get air into my burning lungs and I feel a trembling figure huddle down beside me.

"He told me he’s going to slit my throat," Donovan whimpers in fear and I turn to wrap my arms around his young body. He slips his arms around my ribs and buries his face in the crook of my neck as he begins crying in earnest.

"Looks like Alley has a soft spot for the young tom," Kendal says in the front of the van and I growl savagely.

"You keep Terry away from him," I warn angrily.

"You might want to think about the way you behave and how much co-operation you give us," Kendal warns and turns on the radio turning it up so it covers any noise in the rear of the vehicle. Strong hands pull Donovan and me apart. He is left to huddle against the wall but I am pulled into the centre of the floor and hands reach eagerly beneath my knee length skirt even as I kick out wildly.

"You be a nice little she and open those legs of yours so I can get reacquainted with that sweet cunny of yours and I’ll leave the tom alone," a husky voice says near my ear as rancid breath flows over my face. Strong fingers reach between my clamped thighs and rip at my undies and I have no option but to allow the vile actions as my legs are forced apart. Terry staggers and falls onto me heavily as someone bumps against him, he curses and slams his elbow back hard.

Donovan gives a cry of pain as I crawl from beneath several struggling bodies. I try to scurry out of the way only to throw myself onto the back of some stray as he tries to hold Donovan for Terry to hit freely. I feel my fingernails gorging into his face and he releases Donovan as he tries to remove me from his back. I hit the floor of the vehicle hard and find myself wishing there were windows instead of solid panels in the cargo area of the van.

"Get the fuck away from both of them!" Kendal growls savagely. His voice has taken on a harsh gravely quality and I know from painful experience his cat it not too far away. I hear the stray toms move to near the door of the van and I crouch where I am as I hear Donovan moving away from them.

I crawl over to huddle beside Donovan and lean my head against the side of the van with my eyes closed tightly. I hear Donovan move slightly but I don’t open my eyes as I concentrate on checking for any signs that my baby’s existence has been endangered. I feel his damp cheek rest against my shoulder and take comfort in the slight gesture. I open my eyes to find Terry watching me with hooded eyes and I glare back at him silently. He glances at Donovan assessingly and I move fast to punch him in the face when his eyes leave me.

"You bitch! You piece of rotten dog shit," Terry screams and launches his own attack of furious slaps and punches to my head and shoulders. I kick, scratch and punch furiously in self defence, then Terry is being dragged away from me where I huddle whimpering with pain.

"What the hell was that about," Kendal demands angrily from the driver’s seat as the vehicle slows and comes to a halt on the shoulder of the road.

I want to get up to try to look out the windscreen or the windows on the rear doors but the looks I catch from the stray near Terry, as well as the stray at the rear door, stops me.

"The bitch hit me," Terry yells and I hear the sound of a hard slap.

"Sorry Kendal but she attacked me for no reason," Terry whines.

"In all the years I’ve known her she has never once attacked. Defended herself, yes, but stage an attack? Never. What did you do?" Kendal demands tightly.

"I was only looking at the tom-kitt," Terry whines and I hear Kendal chuckle.

"Looks like we found a way to control Alley Cat," Kendal says quietly and I feel a shiver of fear.

Micah’s story:

"The petition I put to the board to have my maternal clan’s territory reinstated with Rosy as the female heir has been granted on several conditions," Kurt Black says as he glances between Mitchell, Sam and myself. " Firstly, Rosy is to be married before the birth of the kitt she carries now. Not just a token marriage but in a marriage that is functioning and she is happy in. Secondly, Rosy has to prove herself a competent mother and devoted wife because of Jeddah’s desertion of her sons and Ray. Some of the Board members fear that with her unorthodox upbringing she may be inclined to follow in her mother’s footsteps."

"Some on the Board think Rosy could run off leaving any kitts she has behind?" Mitchell asks with a frown. "Rosy seems to want this kitt, as much as any other expectant female werecat I’ll heard of."

"Apparently during the last meeting Wade advised against returning Black territory to Rosy as the Black Heir until she has proven she will be present all the time," Kurt says tightly. "He presented a history of her running away from the Williamson Clan."

"I never heard of Wade discussing Black territory on the meeting’s agenda," Sam snarls in angrily.

"Wade had a report already typed up to present to several key Board members. The subject was not officially raised at the meeting. He did it all through back doors which prevented me speaking on behalf of my niece," Kurt says darkly.

There is silence for several seconds as we all take in how carefully Wade planned his attempt to keep control of territory placed under his care until either Sam or Mitchell sired a daughter.

"I have also relayed to the Board the fact Jasmine seems to be recovered to full health after her recent illness, which may make the Board reconsider her future as a possible Matriarch," Kurt states levelly.

"Why the support for Jasmine?" I ask curiously. My mobile shrills a demand for attention and I get out of my chair and move away from the table as I open my phone and put it to my ear.

"Micah, we got strays

– a number of them here in town," Dwayne says immediately in a worried voice before I even speak.

"Get Rosy, Jazzy and Donny to a very public place. You, Malcolm and Kirby stay with them while Timny and Chris do a cautious scout around to see if they can determine how many there …" The other end of the line goes dead and I frown as I look at my phone in worry. I close the phone to end the call, reopen it and press the button to speed dial Dwayne’s mobile.

"Get all the warriors together," I order. "Strays in town," I say as the conversation at the table halts, I look at Sam intently as I listen to Dwayne’s phone ring out. I press redial as I begin pacing. Sam and Mitchell are on their feet almost instantly while Kurt gets to his feet and turns to head outside.

"I’ll get my team ready to be at your disposal," Kurt says as he leaves the room. Dwayne’s phone rings out and I hit redial again, I am just about to punch the wall in frustration when the other end of the phone connection clicks.

"Dwayne I …" I begin on an angry growl.

"It’s Malcolm," Malcolm says even as I recognise his voice. I can hear a lot of indistinct voices in the background as he speaks and then takes a deep breath.

"We need Doc ASAP and search teams," Malcolm says in a clear but rushed voice.

"We’ll be ready to leave to meet you in two minutes," I say with confidence.

The voices in the back ground rise and I can hear Jazzy’s voice but I can’t understand what she is saying her words are so slurred. One thing I do understand is the near hysterical tone of her voice.

"Shut Jazzy up, shut her up!" Malcolm snaps and I growl vowing to make him pay for that order when I see him next.

"We’re holed up in a back lane at present …" Malcolm starts.

"I said get to a very public place," I snap in fury.

"Shut up and listen! We are behind the computer shop in that quiet lane with the bricked off dead end," Malcolm says and takes a deep breath. "I’ll be doing recon in the Monaro, searching. Get here fast, Timny has a blade snapped off up under his ribs and we’re pretty sure the strays have Rosy and Donny."

"No!" The word leaves me in a shout of rage and pain. Nightmarish images run through my head, the state Rosy was in when she was first found. The horrible corpses left behind when rogue strays managed to get a clan cat by themselves. "No!"

I hear running footsteps enter through the screen door and then Steven is in the lounge room, slowing to a walk. His eyes are searching my face and I turn away as I realise my eyes are burning with tears.

"How…?" I manage.

"Timny was with them, Donny wanted to look at the latest games," Malcolm says and I can hear the stress in his voice. "Strays managed to separate them and ambush Timny in public, in the store. That’s all he managed to tell me before he passed out. Jazzy is hysterical, Dwayne is managing okay at the moment. I don’t think he has allowed it to sink in. Give me a sec."

There are muted voices on the other end of the phone as I struggle against the pain, terror and panic that threaten to overtake me. I hear the sound of Malcolm's Monaro and I grit my teeth, as all voices are lost beneath the noise before the engine stops.

"I’m going searching for any sign of them now. Just get here as fast as possible," Malcolm orders. I hear the phone being passed to someone else and then the Monaro starts and soon moves away. I hear someone breathing on the other end of the line and take a deep breath myself.

"I need to go so I can call Doc," I force myself to say.

"I’ll make sure someone coherent is always on hand," Kirby says quietly. "Chris or me by the looks of things."

"I got to go," I repeat myself and close the phone.

"Who did we loose and who is injured?" Sam asks quietly and I tense as I realise what I have to tell everyone.

"Someone go get Wade," I manage between clenched teeth. "Someone call Doc. Timny has a stab wound with the blade still inside."

"Anyone else injured?" Justin demands and I turn to face the lounge room as I shake my head.

"Malcolm said … said they think the strays have Rosy and Donny," I manage around the lump in my chest.

"Donny? What would strays want with Donny? He’s just a kid, he’s not …" Justin’s voice trails off and his eyes go huge as he gasps for air. "NO! No! They’ll kill him!"

Justin turns to run for the door but Mikkarl grabs him, wrapping his arms around the younger tom and holds him. Steven is pale as he steps forward but I shake my head at him, the pain and terror is too intense for contact at the moment.

"Oh God," Sam mumbles as tears run down his face. "Rosy, Donny."

"Pull yourselves together!" Mitchell snaps and I take a deep breath as I step forward as well. I can see pain and fear in his eyes that match the emotions churning inside me.

"We need to get moving! Steven call Doc," I say as I meet Mitchell’s eyes.

"I’ll go speak to Wade," Kurt offers and heads outside leaving a team of four warriors behind.

"I’m guessing this is an organised attack, not a freak occurrence. Malcolm said there were several strays," I say as I look around those in the room. "First off we need to get our wounded and vulnerable back here to safety."

"Then we go after the strays, kill the bastards and bring home whatever they’ve left of Rosy and Donovan for us," Mitchell says in an ice-cold voice.

I give a curt nod and turn away as I close my eyes and feel inside myself for any semblance of Rosy’s presence. All I find is the void left behind when she lost control.

Rosy’s story:

I sit with my back against the wall furthest away from the door and stare at the wall opposite me silently. Donovan is curled up asleep on the few threadbare blankets that have been given to us; he twitches and moans in his sleep and I turn my face away. We have been captives of Kendal Darnel, his father Vaygar and their gang of stray toms for a week now. Donovan’s childhood innocence has not been stripped from him totally, but he has seen too much done to me to be ever the same again.

I quickly made a deal with Kendal exchanging my lack of fighting his every touch for protection of Donovan from any who wished to harm him. One benefit of not fighting every whim of Kendal’s is that food is delivered twice a day. While it is generally cold and unappealing there has been enough for one normal meal each time. Donovan no longer tries to make me take the biggest half of the food because he has finally met with real hunger and eats his share without protesting.

The sound of footsteps outside the small dingy room has me shaking Donovan’s shoulder roughly before standing to watch the door warily. Donovan wakes quickly, gets to his feet hurriedly. He moves closer to me but makes no sound as we watch the door. A key turns noisily and the heavy door creaks as it is pushed open to allow Kendal to walk in followed closely by an older grey haired version of him. I am relieved it is not Terry with his taunts about us being locked up in this room never to see the outside world again.

"Well well well, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen you with my own eyes," Vaygar Darnel drawls as he walks in and paces from side to side as he studies me. "Kendal has been telling me you’re quite fond of this tom-kitt here."

I make no reply and Vaygar doesn’t seem to need one. He approaches me slowly and when he is getting too close for my comfort I growl low in my throat at him. He stops and slowly runs his eyes over me before turning his head to study Donovan.

"Ahhh, now it’s beginning to make sense. Found a couple of toms you actually like haven’t you?" Vaygar asks with a friendly smile. "Unless I’m mistaken, you’ve gotten more than a little friendly with one of them."

He raises an eyebrow as his eyes slowly travel down my body, stopping on my breasts and hips for a few moments before moving on. I realise with a start he has recognised my fuller breasts and the slight fullness below my navel as a sign of early pregnancy.

"Kendal, when was the last time they were given food?" Vaygar asks.

"They were given a few scraps this morning. Not a lot, but I’m not wasting good food on the tom there. Although Alley is easier to handle with him around," Kendal tells his father.

"You mean I don’t fight when you rape me," I snarl at him. Kendal raises his hand and steps forward as if he is about to backhand me but Vaygar casually raises a hand and shakes his head.

"I don’t think you want to be doing that and you might want to ease up on your use of her from now on," Vaygar tells him.

"It won’t be long before I’ve bred her," Kendal says with a glare at me.

"Another tom has beaten you to it by the looks of things. Well never mind, you can either sell the kitt or drown it before it draws a proper breath. Unless of course it’s a she - then we keep it and breed it when it’s big enough," Vaygar says without emotion.

"No," I scream and lunge for Vaygar with my hands curved into claws for scratching and grabbing. He is expecting this move and backhands me so hard I hit the wall behind me almost knocking myself out. I feel Donovan’s arms around me restraining me when I would have attacked again and I struggle briefly, but even he is too strong for me, stunned by my collision with the wall.

"Don’t, don’t," Donovan pleads when I try to regain my feet from where I have ended up sitting on a lean against the wall. Common sense slowly seeps into my mind and I content myself with a hiss when Vaygar looks my way.

"You’ll do well to listen to the tom or we can just beat the kitt out of you here and now," Kendal tells me cruelly. Commonsense returns and I turn my face away from him not wanting to give him any further cause to hit me.

"Are you married to the tom that served you by any chance?" Vaygar asks in a friendly tone that makes me feel uneasy.

"My brother loves Rosy, and they’re gonna be married real soon," Donovan spits hurriedly in his anger.

Vaygar laughs softly and shakes his head as he eyes me with a calculating look on his face.

"So, he’s so eager to gain control of the land that is rightfully yours, that he bred you before he wed you did he?" Vaygar asks evenly.

I place a hand on my stomach protectively at the glitter in Kendal’s eyes as he curls his top lip. The idea that there is land connected to me swirls uneasily in my mind along with the knowledge that Wade planned the kitt I carry. I fold both arms over my lower ribs as I hug myself in an effort to calm the fear that begins to take form in my mind. I become aware of Vaygar still watching me closely and I turn my face away rather than allow him to see that what he said is getting to me. I listen as the two leave the room locking the door behind them, and I feel Donovan begin shaking behind me.

"We have to do something. We have to escape so we’re not here when the kitt is born," Donovan whispers hoarsely.

A part of me feels relief that Donovan doesn’t seem to realise what Vaygar said. I don’t think I would be able to handle the questions he would be sure to ask. Or maybe I would be forced to listen to all his claims contrary to Vaygar’s assumption, and I know I couldn’t handle that either.

"We can’t. You can’t outrun mature toms in either form. We try to escape, and fail, and they’ll kill you outright and they’ll beat me so bad I loose the baby. That’s if they don’t beat me to death doing it," I say dully. I feel Donovan begin shaking again and I hear the little sounds that come from him as he cries.

"If it’s a she, I’ll kill her myself before I let them take her from me," I vow softly as I remember how I was treated the first time they held me captive.

"You can’t," Donovan cries horrified.

"What? Let them raise her and have some tom on her, rutting, trying to breed her before she’s even physically mature?" I hiss angrily. I move away from him uncomfortably and he shakes his head as tears pour down his face.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Donovan mumbles and I allow him to approach me. I feel Donovan bury his face against the back of my shoulder and sob brokenly. My head aches and Donovan looks terrible when he finally cries himself out. He moves to sit beside me and we both lean back against the wall too worn out emotionally to talk or try to imagine if and when we’ll be rescued. I grow tired in the heat of the middle of the day and I am half asleep when I hear a key turn in the lock on the door. I jump to my feet only to nearly fall over immediately and realise I must have a concussion, judging by the dizziness that grips me.

"Looks like you two are to start getting the royal treatment," the larger of the two stray toms in the doorway tells us as he tosses a plastic bag containing take away boxes on the floor near the middle of the room before carefully dropping a bag of drinks just inside the door. Both toms retreat backwards and shut the door locking it behind them. I glance sideways at Donovan before pushing away from the wall.

"I can get it," he protests but I growl a low warning and he remains where he is. I have drilled it into him time and time again not to get where any of the toms can get a hold on him and drag him out the door before I can get hold of him. He knows I tell the truth when I say they’ll kill him if they can separate us, but what he hasn’t learnt yet is what Terry likes doing with young boys of both the cat and human varieties.

I brace a hand against the door warily as I bend down to lift the bag of water bottles before moving sideways away from the door and back towards Donovan and the food. He meets me at the food and picks it up before grabbing hold of my arm to help me back to the rear wall. I slide down the wall thankful to sit down once again and allow Donovan to open the boxes of food.

"There’s two pieces of chicken in one and three in the other. Chips, mashed potatoes and gravy, two bread rolls in each box …" he tells me with growing excitement. Until now we have only been getting one meal to share between us.

"You take the three. I’ll be lucky if I can eat the two and keep it down," I say tiredly.

"Eat what you can and we’ll keep the rest for when you feel better," Donovan tells me and tears fill my eyes at the way he sounds so much like Micah. I pick at one of the pieces of chicken only to find it is rather bland and tasteless as I chew at it slowly. I eat the meat from one piece before I close the box and lean back with my eyes closed.

"This tastes like crap," Donovan mutters.

"More like cardboard but it’s food," I say quietly.

"Micah and the warriors are so gonna kill these strays when they find them. They’ll rip them apart and piss on them," Donovan mumbles.

"There are at least two of them they’ll keep to kill slowly if they can," I tell him.

"What make an example out of some them? Show other strays not to mess with our clan?" Donovan asks.

"Revenge, payback, and justice – whatever you want to call it. It’s not the first time they’ve gone up against the Clan’s warriors," I tell him softly.

"How do you know?" Donovan asks idly.

"Their smell, their scent. One scent was all over Mitchell and another all over Dwayne after they were ambushed when Alex was injured," I tell him.

"Which ones?" Donovan hisses angrily.

"You’re too young. You don’t have the experience; either one of them would shred you before you could blink." I tell him quietly.

"How well do you know these strays?" Donovan asks curiously as he chews on a warm potato chip.

"They’ve held me captive several times before but I’ve always managed to get away. There was only ever just myself to worry about. Vaygar won’t stuff up and let us escape. Kendal might though," I say softly.

"Were they this nasty to you before?" Donovan asks.

"This and worse," I admit tightly. Donovan stirs his potato and gravy with a chip watching as he mixes the white of the potato through the gravy.

"Do Micah and the others know what the strays do to you?" he asks in a faint whisper.

"Remember how bad hurt I was when Sam, Mitchell, Dwayne and Alex first found me?" I remind him.

"Yeah and Micah made Alex ride home with Steven cause you were scared of him," Donovan says.

"Strays had me locked in a cage when they found me, and the guys could see what they’d been doing to me. I was so scared of them all," I mumble, "I even bit Mitchell."

"Why were you scared of them? They’d never hurt you," Donovan says seriously.

"I didn’t know that then. All I did know was that every tomcat that ever got near me had hurt me or tried to maul me. I’d even come across strays that had been killed by clan cats. Out in the middle of nowhere with only other werecats to go there and find them, killed in horrible ways that terrified me. And there I was wounded badly, locked in a cage and surrounded by clan cats. I was sure I was about to be killed, or worse," I tell him flatly. Donovan is silent for a while and I try eating my potato and gravy. There is no spoon and I have to use a chip to scoop it out of the small container.

"Do you think they’ll feed us tonight?" Donovan asks.

"Now you know why I always eat every chance I get. It’s scary not knowing if you’ll be given food again soon isn’t it?" I comment.

"You guard your food because strays used to take it off you after giving it to you didn’t they." Donovan doesn’t ask just states this. Whenever Terry comes calling with the food, the toms with him do it to us. It is an attempt to separate me from Donovan so that they can get their hands on him without facing my swift and desperate retaliation.

"I wish we were back at the compound so bad. I want to smell like Micah not strays. Hell I’d even let your father touch my belly if we were back home," I say wistfully as I stare at the line of slight brightness beneath the bottom of the door. The room is dim, there are no windows and the only light that enters the room come from narrow slits in the brickwork high on the walls. Slits that do little to let the stifling heat out during the day and channel all the warmth out at night without letting the stars or moon be seen. We fall silent as Donovan finishes his food and I close my container up. I lie down and curl up on my side to sleep knowing if I don’t wake at the slightest sound Donovan will wake me up. We take it in turns to sleep, one of us always on guard.

Micah’s story:

I watch Wade as he enters the lounge room of the quarters. Lines of worry and grief are etched deeply around his eyes and his mouth, his step has been robbed of some of its lightness and he stops as he faces me.

"Micah." He gives me a respectful nod and I watch him silently. I have little to say to anyone these last few days. Finding no trace of Rosy or Donny has been heartbreaking but hearing the description of the ‘person’ the salesman from the shop saw talking to them was beyond heartbreaking. Kendal Darnel, who to all clan warriors’ knowledge travelled in the company of a stray called Terry – infamous for his homosexual and cannibalistic tendencies.

"I want to hold a service for Donny," Wade says quietly. "Marissa needs some kind of closure. Hell all of us do."

I hear Jazzy start crying where she is curled up on the lounge in one of Donny’s favourite jumpers. I glance her way to see Steven sitting down with her to comfort her while Timny turns his head to look her way from my recliner chair where he is resting. It is the first day Doc has allowed him to be out of bed after cutting him open to remove the wicked blade left in his chest. Blood loss and infection had nearly killed him in the first two days. If it were not for the assistance of Kurt Black’s warrior, who was trained as a Saint John’s Emergency Medical Technician, Doc would have been unable to save Timny’s life.

"Donny’s not dead! Rosy will fight to keep him alive! I know she will," Jazzy protests but her words lack conviction.

"I’m sure you’re right Jazzy," Wade says softly as he walks to the lounge to look down at her. "But Rosy will be fighting to keep the strays off herself as well. She can’t do both, self preservation will win out." It is the first time I have heard my father sound so old and tired.

"We could hold a prayer evening for the both of them," Mitchell says as he walks into the lounge room followed by Sam, Dwayne and Mikkarl. They have been away for the last week searching for signs of the strays that were in town.

"Mitchell! Tell Daddy Donny isn’t dead!" Jazzy demands as she jumps up off the lounge to fling herself into his arms and begins sobbing in earnest once again. Mitchell closes his eyes as he holds her close, burying his face in her hair.

"We didn’t find any… there was no visible signs of anything," Mikkarl says gravely, stumbling over kind wording for Jazzy’s sake. Despite the lack of any signs of violence, we all know it is no guarantee of anything if this Terry is involved. There simply might be nothing left to find.

"A prayer evening where we all pray Rosy and Donny … we pray we find them soon," I say, my voice feeling gravely from all the tears I have shed in the privacy of my room.

Rosy’s story:

Kendal’s physical demands on me lessen and in their place comes the touching, the petting, as he tries to form some kind of closeness with me. Always his voice is there in my head, invading and forcing its way deeper into my mind. Often his sessions end with me having to allow him to scent mark me as his voice repeats ‘mine’ in my head. I grit my teeth each time and turn my face away from his as his body rubs against mine. His touch is so different to the way the toms of the clan used to touch me while imparting comfort, company, and simple contact. None of these things are in Kendal’s touch. I am only aware of his desire to possess me, to own me. There is no kindness or gentleness in him.

The other strays rarely come near us except to bring us food, though Vaygar visits every few days. He is interested in my pregnancy, using threats to gain the chance to put his hand on my stomach. Donovan is slowly being exposed to all the nasty little ways strays differ to clan cats. When my skirt becomes too small to comfortably fasten over my growing belly, it is Vaygar who brings me a length of material to wrap around myself and tie like a sarong so I can adjust it as time passes. A present I have to pay for by allowing his touch.

The weather cools down and soon Donovan and I curl up together at night for warmth as well as comfort. As weeks pass he is becoming more and more like his older brothers, no longer an over indulged teenager but a very compassionate young man. He rubs my back when it aches and holds my hair back when I am sick because the constant diet of take-away food doesn’t agree with my pregnant body. I lose my suspicion of any of his actions as he takes care of me best he can while I keep Terry and one or two other toms from trying to grab hold of him. He holds me when I wake from my nightmares and curls around me draping a hand protectively over my stomach.

Then comes the day Vaygar comes into our room by himself; he paces back and forth silently, clearly upset. Tears sparkle in his eyes revealing he has more softness to him than his son has.

"I always thought it would be some mongrel clan cat that done it," Vaygar tells us harshly without pausing in his pacing.

"Vaygar?" I prompt softly as something rolls uncomfortably in my stomach as if I have eaten rancid food. A deep feeling of unease disturbed my sleep all night driving me to pacing the confines of the room for several hours in the middle of the night.

"Some stinking human bastard shot my boy!"

"Where is he?" I demand urgently. My first thought is that Kendal can’t go to human medical facilities or he’d risk exposing us all.

"He’s dead," Vaygar says flatly.

A corpse for humans to examine, our best chance for escaping gone …

"Oh shit," I breathe softly. Vaygar looks at me through narrowed eyes and I glance away uncomfortably. I don’t know what to say to him. His son is dead and while I feel compassion for Vaygar I have no regret that Kendal is dead. Hopefully his voice will now be gone from my mind just like Jaspers.

"Kendal kept insisting he thought you were starting to come around …" Vaygar murmurs and watches me through narrowed eyes.

"I am sorry your son has died," I mutter, because there went the best chance of escape and survival for my own child.

"I’m nearly inclined to believe you," Vaygar says suspiciously and I glance his way nervously. "Maybe I’ll even let you come out while we bury him …"

I turn watchful eyes on him and realise he is baiting me to see if I will take the chance to try to escape and I know that to do so while Vaygar is so upset would seal my own death.

I shake my head. "So one of your toms can sneak in and kill my friend? I don’t think so. If you haven’t noticed I need him to help me keep warm and to look after me when the crappy takeaway makes me sick," I say bitterly and turn away.

I can feel Vaygar watching me closely and the minutes stretch out until finally he decides to speak once again.

"You won’t be needing him anymore. You will be my mate now," Vaygar says.

"No, no, I need him," I protest. I hear an eager chuckle from Terry who has appeared in the doorway and I swallow desperately knowing what Donovan’s fate will be if I can’t convince Vaygar. I take a deep breath as I force a smile onto my face. I know it’s not very convincing but I keep it in place as I take a step towards Vaygar.

"You let him live and I promise I’ll be nice to you," I say and hear my own voice shaking. "I won’t fight you and I will do what ever you want."

"You have no choice but to do what I want," Vaygar says in a hard tone.

"You can force me to let you do as you want … or I can accept what happens willingly. No fighting, no resisting … anything," I say softly and take a couple more steps forward. "And when this kitt I carry is born if it is male he can take it back to its father. I won’t try to stop you taking it from my breast."

Vaygar’s eyes darken instantly and I know I have found a bargaining tool for Donovan’s life.

"No!" Donovan yells. I hear him rush towards me and I move closer to Vaygar. Donovan’s footsteps stop behind me and there is a half sob, half deep breath. "Rosy?"

"You know what I intend to do to you to bond you to me …" Vaygar begins.

"I’ll let you do it," I say softly. "I’ll willingly accept you as a mate once my kitt is gone."

"No, it will be now. I will give you a day, two at most to think about it. Then I take what I want," Vaygar announces. He turns swiftly and leaves locking the door behind him leaving only Donovan and me inside.

"Why couldn’t it have been Terry, he’s a creep," Donovan mutters. There is silence between us for a while before Donovan looks my way.

"What is Vaygar going to do to you?" Donovan asks. I don’t reply, I look away from him and refuse to look back at him as horrible thoughts churn in my mind. I know Vaygar is going to mount me and force me to allow him to lock up inside me, and probably not just the once. He will most likely want to repeat the act several times. Then he will be able to get into my mind whenever he wants.

I close my eyes and lower my head as I feel tears creep from beneath my lashes, Terry’s taunts about being locked up in the room ring in my head. There is no sunlight, no breeze, and no fresh air. If it wasn’t for Donovan’s constant company I know I would be crazy by now. I shudder as I gasp for air as the walls begin to close in. I know it is only in my head but it happens more and more frequently as panic hits.

Bile rises in the back of my throat and I lean against the wall as I retch until there is nothing left to bring up. Finally it stops and I wrap my arms around my lower ribs as I hug myself in a vain attempt to find some kind of comfort. I become aware of Donovan talking to me. I can’t follow what he is saying but I listen to his soft voice. I move closer and cuddle into his side; it is the only comfort he can offer. His arm goes around my shoulders while his other hand rests against my rounded stomach. I feel the baby roll lazily and put my hand over his to guide it to where the baby is moving. He makes a soft sound in his throat and nudges against my neck to bury his face there.

I am asleep when the key turns in the lock. I rush to get to my feet but I am groggy from being woken up and I am clumsy from my advancing pregnancy. I am now getting close to five and a half months gestation. Terry is the first through the door and as two other toms follow him I realise they have come for Donovan. I am snarling as I pace back and forwards in front of Donovan where he has risen to stand with his back to the wall, and Terry laughs as he eyes me.

"You were never game to do more than scratch and run. Why should I believe you now?" He taunts me and heads for Donovan. I hesitate but when he is level with me I launch my attack from the side. Terry roars with pain as I cling to him with my legs hooked around his waist, one arm around his neck in an attempt to choke him while I gouge at his eyes with my right hand. He yells and tries to pull my arm from around his neck and when this fails he punches over his shoulder at me blindly. My throat is hurting and I realise I am shrieking with fury before I duck my head to sink my teeth into his ear. There are startled yells from the other two toms and yells of anger from Donovan but I am too busy trying to maintain my grip on Terry as he spins around frantically.

"Someone get this bitch off me," Terry screams and I feel the piece of his ear in my mouth tear apart from the rest of his ear. He screams and I spit out the piece in my mouth and go for another bite. I see stars as he slams backwards against a wall and my hold loosens; he jerks and twists wildly and my arms flail as I go flying into a corner.

White hot agony blossoms in my left elbow and then I am flinging myself at Terry before he can get near Donovan who is putting up one hell of a fight against one of the other toms. Terry meets me with a hard backhand to the side of my head, but I return to attack again and at last I see a flicker of doubt cross his face.

"What the hell is going on here?" I hear Vaygar roar as I am grabbed from behind and thrown away from the fight. I land awkwardly on my left arm and scream with pain as I cradle it to my body. I look up to see Vaygar and several of his trusted toms breaking up the fight and Donovan manages to retreat and stand beside me where I sit against a wall. He keeps glancing down at me in concern but he is also aware of his own danger.

"What is going on here?" Vaygar demands angrily once again.

"You sent them after my friend," I accuse as I struggle to my feet cradling my arm. Vaygar glances at my arm with some concern before looking at Terry and the two toms beside him.

"Is that right? Did you come in here after the tom-kitt?" Vaygar asks evenly.

"Yeah, figured you’d want him out of the way so you can have her anytime you want her," Terry says with a leer.

Vaygar moves so fast I barely see the glint of the blade before Terry staggers and clamps both hands to his throat. The tom beside him also spouts a crimson fountain from his throat as Vaygar swings his arm a second time. The third tom steps back hastily but there is a slight move of Vaygar’s arm and the blade arcs through the air to land in the centre of his chest. I watch stunned as massive amounts of blood pours between Terry’s fingers and his knees give out. Beside me Donovan gasps and I watch Vaygar, not daring to move; he turns his head slowly to regard us.

"Are either of you going to give me any trouble?" he asks as if making normal conversation.

"No, we’ll behave," I say in a voice barely above a whisper as I glance to where the three toms are dying and look back at Vaygar hurriedly.

"It looks like we understand each other pretty well," Vaygar tells us. "How bad is your arm?"

"I think my elbow is dislocated," I say quietly.

"Mike go get my first aid kit," Vaygar orders and walks towards me. I drop my gaze but stand my ground as he approaches me; I am trembling nervously as he takes hold of my left wrist and gasp as he moves my arm slightly as he studies it. Without warning he gives it a savage jerk and I scream with pain as my knees buckle. He lets go with a final little twist and I cradle my arm against my chest as I pant with the pain.

"I believe it is back in place now," Vaygar says smoothly and watches me for a few moments. "What? No thank you?"

"Thank you Vaygar," I say obediently between teeth gritted with pain.

"Now let me see to your young friend here," Vaygar says as he moves towards Donovan and I force myself to my feet hurriedly.

"I can do it, no need for you to bother with him," I say moving in front of Donovan.

"Suit yourself," Vaygar dismisses us and heads for the door. He stops to look at the three dead bodies and glances towards one of his toms.

"Dispose of the bodies. Take them somewhere and throw them in a hole and cover them over. But first stay here and help Mike to see to their injuries and no harming either one of them. Do I make myself clear?" Vaygar orders with a quick glance my way.

"Yes Boss, crystal clear," the tom replies.

I breathe easier when Vaygar leaves and I glance at Donovan to check how he is. He has a deep cut over his left eyebrow and will have a black eye as well as a bruise that is forming on the opposite side of his chin. He moves uncomfortably and I am guessing he has sore ribs by the way he moves carefully. I realise for the first time that he is now taller than me, and his shoulders although thin have an impressive width to them. Mike returns with a cardboard box and hands me peroxide and some gauze. Donovan helps me soak the gauze with the peroxide before I clean the cut above his eyebrow. He winces but holds still under my ministrations; I give him a tight smile before turning and looking in the first aid supplies.

"I need a few butterfly clips or a piece of sticking plaster," I tell the tom guarding it. He grunts at me as if he’d like nothing better than to deny me what I ask for but he cuts three small pieces of plaster and I use them to hold the cut closed. I move back to where Donovan stands against the far wall and we watch as the bodies are dragged out of the room, the door closed and locked once more.

"Is it only your arm?" Donovan asks worriedly. I go to give a snort but it comes out as a sob and Donovan eyes me with concern. "Rosy?"

"Now I know why I never actually got into a fight before," I say and Donovan takes hold of my good hand and pats it consolingly.

"At least Terry’s dead," I mumble and close my eyes as I lean my head back against the wall.

"Why were you so scared of that tom, Terry?" Donovan asks. I shake my head and don’t answer because I don’t want to be the one who destroys the last shreds of Donovan’s innocence. It is late when another meal is brought to us; this time the tom doesn’t seem wary of me and thankfully places the food well away from the nearly dry blood on the floor. I let Donovan retrieve it and when he opens the cardboard boxes I begin crying when I see it is another lot of greasy takeaway.

"Rosy?" Donovan looks at me with concern and I shake my head at him.

"I can’t stomach another meal like that," I say and begin sobbing in earnest. I can hear Donovan trying to console me but I have reached the end of my endurance for the time being. Knowing I face a meal that is nearly guaranteed to come back up is almost more than I can bear. I manage to eat a little of the least greasy of the deep fried chicken Donovan pulls apart for me but when he offers me some chips I turn my head away and lay down to curl up in a tight ball of misery on the cold floor. It is only a matter of minutes before my body rejects the food and I retch painfully until there is nothing left in my stomach. I sob weakly in misery before I hear faint sounds of movement from Donovan.

Donovan brings our blankets to me and I manage to crawl onto the thinnest one before he covers me with the others. I am nearly asleep when he crawls under the blankets with me and cuddles up to my back. He cuddles me close and rests his chin against the top of my shoulder, it is a long while before I begin to relax.

Micah’s story:

Marissa is sitting on the grass between two headstones when I go to visit Alex. I hesitate a moment; I really would prefer to be alone to speak to my brother but she turns her head and looks my way. I move forward to stand beside her and stare down at the freshly dug dirt around the second marker.

"I needed more than my memories of him," Marissa says in a small wounded voice. "I know you all tell me not to hold out hope he is still alive, but I’m his mother. I ask Alex to watch out for him every time I come here, I can’t help it."

I listen to Marissa’s soft cries as her shoulders shake and I sit down behind her to pull her back against my chest. I don’t say anything; I don’t think there are words to tell her how very sorry I am Donny is gone. I hear the sound of someone clearing their throat and look behind me to find Steven standing a ways off looking uncomfortable.

"Do you want me to walk you to the house?" I ask Marissa quietly. She simply has not been coping since we lost Donny.

"No," Marissa says and sniffs daintily. "I want to have a long talk to Alex." I pat her upper arm gently before getting to my feet and walking over to Steven. He glances at Marissa with worry on his face then looks back at me.

"Andy rang to let us know that yesterday he sent a team just off their clan territory to help clean up some feral dog activity. There’s a pack of feral dogs killing livestock in the bush bordering the local creek that runs through several major beef properties. He asked the team to scout some remote, unpopulated areas on the way home," Steven says quietly. Andy is his oldest brother, head warrior for Mal Inness.

"Tell him thanks when you’re talking to him next," I say with one last glance towards Marissa before moving away to give her some privacy.

Since Rosy and Donny’s abduction there has been a lot of moral support from clans in New South Wales as well as Eastern Queensland. Searches have been made and strays who live within clan borders have been questioned to see if anyone can find some clue to where they have vanished. The abduction of a clan she-kitt from the heart of clan territory has worried most of the ruling Alphas. If it can happen once, it can happen again.

"Mitchell wants to take Jazzy hunting for lunch. He hopes it will take her mind off the fact we didn’t have a body to bury when Wade laid the headstone," Steven says quietly.

"Actually that is a good idea," I say and glance back at Marissa again. She has a hand resting on Alex’s headstone and I have no doubt she is talking to him as if he could still hear her.

"I’ll go see Wade and ask if he wants to take Marissa hunting as well," I say with a faint smile. "I think we all need the freedom of being cats for a while."

Steven falls into step beside me as I head back towards the quarters. I am aware of Steven glancing my way several times before he finally speaks.

"We’re all working ourselves to a frazzle," Steven says in a controlled tone and I stop walking to turn and face him.

"Is this coming from you or everyone?" I ask coldly.

"I’m your partner Micah," Steven says evenly. "There’s been no talk among the warriors but I thought I would say something. Everyone wants to find Rosy and bring her home but we need to be in top fighting form to do it. I know Doc cleared Timny to go back to work but the guy is still not fully fit, and Chris is carrying a sprained wrist that is slow to recover."

"Both Dwayne and Malcolm are carrying enough guilt over what happened to sink a battleship. Mitchell is torn between staying to look after Jazzy and searching for his sister. Sam, well Sam’s doing the work of an entire team out in the field. Mikkarl, Justin, Kirby and Callum are holding up real well for young toms. You and I go out when Sam and Dwayne are here to back up Mitchell if Wade was to so much as twitch a whisker," Steven takes a deep breath as he looks away breaking my stare.

"Either we need more warriors or we stop searching, and no-one is willing to stop looking for Rosy until she is found," Steven says evenly as he meets my eyes once again. He is the first to not include Donny when talking about searching and I reluctantly admit to myself it is time to accept the fact we will probably never recover any part of Donny to bury beneath his headstone. After nine weeks of searching it is time to admit the truth to ourselves. I concentrate briefly as I feel for any trace of Rosy but I find nothing. The more time that passes the dimmer the memory of how she felt seems to get, and every time I reach for her only to find nothing sends a bolt of pain deep into the heart of me.

"I’ll talk to Mitchell and see if he wants more warriors and if so who he prefers. I’ll call Timny and Chris back, order them to rest for a week and see how they are then," I say as I run a hand through my hair pushing it back off my forehead. "You go tell Mitchell we’ll all go hunting and I’ll go see Wade."

"Do you want Mitchell to go see Wade as well?" Steven asks. Wade has given some resistance to Mitchell and I being in command but failed to get any support from his peers when word got around he was insisting on punishing a pregnant she-kitt.

"No, I can handle Wade on my own," I state firmly before heading towards the main house. I am not surprised to find Wade waiting for me at the door when I approach the back of the house and the entrance we have always used when coming or going from the quarters. He is standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, his feet at shoulder width apart.

"We are taking Jazzy hunting for lunch," I tell him without preamble. "All warriors who are here shall be going along. Rather than leave you here alone with Marissa with no guard in case something happens I am inviting you both to come on the hunt."

"Am I to be relegated to staying with your mother and your sister on the hunt?" Wade demands tightly. "Only fit to stand as a last defence if something goes wrong?"

"I am really starting to get tired of this attitude of yours," I say coldly. "You make out you have no worth in this clan anymore, that your value is less than the lowest of the warriors. Mitchell and I have our age and strength on our side and you’ll never lead this clan again. But you have a lot of experience to offer in support of your daughter’s chosen tom if you were to put your injured pride aside!"

"I will have to see what Marissa wants to do for lunch," Wade says as he looks away from me.

"She is over at the grave talking to Alex at the moment," I say letting him break off the confrontation. Wade lets out a weary sigh and runs a hand through the hair on one side of his head.

"A hunt for lunch would be a good idea then," he admits tiredly. "I had better go to her."

As I watch him walk away I notice how much the loss of Donny has aged him. I think of Marissa talking to a headstone and shake my head sadly before heading for the quarters. In the quarters I head to the kitchen to grab myself a drink before heading to my room to get my work diary. In the lounge room I can hear Mitchell explaining something to Jazzy while Sam sits with them. I sit on the edge of my bed and frown at my work diary before tossing it back on my bedside unit and stretching out on my bed. I am tired from too much work and too little sleep. I only mean to relax for a few minutes and close my eyes with a tired sigh.

"Hey Micah, you might want to wake up," Steven’s voice brings me awake with a jolt and I sit up to look around slightly dazed. He is sitting on his bed leaning back against the headboard of his bed.

"It’s just about time to get moving if we want to hunt," Mitchell says from the doorway.

"I’ll be out in a minute," I say as I rub my face and get to my feet stiffly.

"Jazzy is looking forward to being able to go for a good run," Mitchell says and heads back towards the other end of the building.

Rosy’s story:

Morning seems to take forever to come around. When the door is unlocked and opened I have been awake for hours. I am on my feet despite the stiffness of my muscles. Two toms come into the room. One carries two plates and a bag of water bottles while the other carries four or five new blankets still neatly folded. I stay against the wall with Donovan while the food and blankets are left in the middle of the room and the toms leave locking the door behind them once again.

"Real food, they gave us real food," Donovan is as shocked as I am as we look at the plates containing sausages, steak, bacon and poached eggs along with a piece of toast on each plate. I grab a plate and immediately begin stuffing the eggs into my mouth, I moan in pleasure and Donovan laughs as he stuffs sausage into his mouth. I look at the amount of greasy food on my plate and pick up all of the thick sausages and drop them onto Donovan's plate along with my steak. I haven’t been able to keep food down for the last few days but hopefully if I just concentrate on the poached eggs I will manage to keep this lot down.

"You can’t give me your food! You need it for the baby," Donovan hisses angrily at me.

"I’ll have one of your eggs," I say as I grab it before he can complain and pop it into my mouth quickly. He frowns at me and I pause to growl, warning him not to mess with me. When we are finished I put the plates by the door and spread one of the blankets so I have a thin pad between my body and the cold floor as I lay down to let my meal settle. Donovan moves to sit with his hand resting on my stomach where the baby kicks occasionally. Several times through the morning we are disturbed by unusual activity outside of the room and we can even hear shouting and running at one stage. A simple meal of steak and vegetables is brought to us in the middle of the day and I eagerly eat the rather bland mix of carrots, beans, peas and capsicum that is on the plate with mashed potato and pumpkin. I watch as Donovan eats all of his food even licking his plate to get the last smears of juice from the steak. He sighs and leans back against the wall while I lay down again. It is mid afternoon when the unlocking of the door alerts us and both Donovan and I are standing against the wall when the door opens and Vaygar comes in carrying a chair followed by the tom Mike. The door is shut behind them and Vaygar places the chair in the middle of the room.

"Did you have enough to eat?" Vaygar asks quietly.

"Yes thank you," I answer after a moment’s hesitation.

"And did you get the extra blankets?"

"Yes thank you."

"Well maybe you should show me how grateful you are. Come around here behind the chair, take hold of the seat of it and bend forward," Vaygar orders. I hesitate a moment and Vaygar shrugs.

"The young tom will do just as well if you’re not willing to show your appreciation."

"No," I protest and hurry to do as he ordered.

I swallow the bile that rises in my throat as I hear Vaygar move in close behind me. He tosses the hem of my make-shift skirt up over my back and pushes against the inside of one of my knees making me spread my legs further apart.

"A very … stimulating view wouldn’t you say Mike," Vaygar says lightly. I tremble with revulsion as I feel his finger touch my exposed inner folds and both toms behind me chuckle.

"She seems very eager Boss," Mike comments and I bite the inside of my cheek hard to stop an angry retort.

"Exactly what is that tom-kitt to you? It’s obvious you’re not letting him mount you," Vaygar comments. His fingers tease and stroke instead of hurting as I try to close my mind off from what is about to happen to my body.

"He’s part of the clan I’ve been adopted into," I say hoping this will satisfy him. I try not to think of what his fingers are doing to me or the sound his zipper makes when he moves closer. Someone pounds on the door from the outside and Vaygar inhales sharply.

"What the hell do you want?" He demands angrily.

"Boss we got clan cats close by snooping around," someone calls from outside. Vaygar swears under his breath and I think I hear the rasp of his zipper as he moves towards the door. Both him and Mike leave the room and I let out a sigh of relief as I hear the key turn in the lock.

"Rosy," Donovan questions shakily as I straighten and move away from the chair. I don’t answer him as I move to sit against the wall with my legs clamped tightly together, but it doesn’t stop the memory of those fingers or the knowledge Vaygar will be back.

"Rosy? … Some of them would use me like a she wouldn’t they?" There is horror in Donovan's voice as he makes the connection. "That’s why you … Terry is … was one of them."

"Welcome to the world of strays. Lovely place isn’t it?" I say bitterly without looking at him. What food I have eaten rushes back up with the bitter taste of bile and I retch until there is nothing left in my stomach. I become aware that I can hear Donovan crying, bitter sobs as he tries to smother the sound with his hands. Finally I crawl to where he has sunk down against the wall and wrap my arms around his shoulders and bury my face in the crook of his neck.

"I can’t ask you to take my place," Donovan sobs into my shoulder.

"Well don’t ask. Just be there to hold me when Vaygar has finished and left the room," I tell him. "But make sure you wait until he has gone or he will kill you for touching me," I warn in a whisper.

We stay like that for hours and it is well into the night when some tom drops a large saucepan of half cold stew just inside our doorway along with one small bottle of water. We eat using our fingers and I reach for the vegetables in the thick mixture while Donovan hunts out the meat. Again my stomach refuses the slightly greasy food and I am left empty and drained after being sick.

Shouting and running wakes me several times before dawn and I am tired when I get to my feet to use the bare dirt corner of our room since we have no bucket or tin. We have long got used to the sour smell of urine and faeces but the smell is still bad during the warmer part of the day. Breakfast comes closer to noon and it is only a loaf of sliced half stale bread with a packet of sliced cheese and several bottles of water. I sip at the water and nibble small pieces of crust desperate to be able to keep food in my stomach. I feel weak and light headed this morning and I know I can’t go on like this much longer.

We are still eating when a lot of yelling and shouting breaks out. There is something different to the noise and I get to my feet hurriedly. Donovan follows my example and we are both barely on our feet when the door is unlocked and two toms I vaguely remember come in. One heads towards me with a scowl on his face and I hiss as I back up against the wall.

"I’ll take her, you kill him," he says to his companion as he lunges forward and makes a grab for me. I try to duck away from him but he catches hold of one of my upper arms and I turn on him desperate to get free. My hooked fingers catch his unguarded face and I sink my teeth into his wrist. He yells and lets me go as he jerks his head back and I kick out aiming for his groin. My kick connects solidly leaving him to collapse on the floor clutching himself as he retches and I turn and race for the tom grappling with Donovan. He glances my way with surprise as I clasp my hands together and swing them at him like a club.

Donovan takes the chance to throw a punch at his face and suddenly the room seems full of toms as I am grabbed and thrown across the room to collide with a wall. I screech my fury as I turn to rejoin the fight, but I see there are two new comers and they are on Donovan’s attacker while he moves away to watch with a wide grin. There is another tom standing over the tom that had grabbed me, holding a knife that is dripping blood while blood sprays from the slashed throat of my attacker. Donovan rushes to my side and I tug him to the corner furtherest away from all of the new toms. He resists me but I persist and in my fear I use strength I am not aware I had possessed.

"Clan warriors, Rosy! They’re clan warriors! We’re being rescued," Donovan shouts at me excitedly. I tremble with fear and excitement as the two toms turn our way while I automatically step in front of Donovan and snarl protectively.

"My name’s Lance Baxter, that’s Loci and David Francis. We’re warriors for the Stephan clan. I believe you are…"

"Donovan Williamson and Rosy MacIntosh," Donovan says as he goes to step around me but I grab his arm preventing him protectively.

"Remember you met us when you were at the clan meeting with your brothers." It is either Loci or David; I don’t remember which is which.

"Timny …" Donovan starts to ask but his voice trails off.

"He’s alive, he was in a bad way for a while. Nearly bled to death but he’s okay now as far as we know," Lance says taking a cautious step towards us.

"Remember your brothers had words with Loci over something he said," David tells me. Lance picks up one of the folded blankets and moves towards me but I take a step backwards jerking at Donovan's arm to make him move back with me.

"Dave, Loci, go see if the others have cleaned out the last of the strays," Lance orders and I glance at them as they leave the room without complaint.

"Donovan, Rosy might like to wrap this around herself. Her clothes are a bit worse for wear." I glance down at myself and I am surprised to see that one shoulder of my top has been torn and my top gapes open showing the upper swell of my breast on that side while the rest of the top hangs drunkenly hiding the swell of my stomach. Donovan moves forwards to take the blanket from Lance and I let him wrap the blanket around me, I am starting to shake with reaction and he keeps his arms around me not letting me go.

"Once we’re sure we have all the strays accounted for someone will take you home," Lance tells us.

"Can you call ahead and let everyone know we’re coming home?" Donovan requests.

"Lance," a vaguely familiar voice calls and Lance looks towards the doorway.

"In here," he answers.

"We got all of the strays. Kell and I managed to take out the older Darnel, but we can’t find Kendal anywhere though," a tom says as he walks into the room. I let out a startled gasp as I recognise Conner Stephan; he glances at Donovan and me and gives a huge smile as he nods.

"Rosy! It is you," Conner turns his attention back to Lance. "One of the strays got Danny before anyone could do a thing."

"Damn! Pardon the language Rosy but one of our warriors was killed," Lance says with feeling.

"Can someone bring pieces of clothes off the dead strays so I can check for scents? I’m sure some of them where in on the attack where Alex was killed. I’ll know the scents if I smell them," I say quietly as I remember this.

"We certainly will do that. Now how about we get you pair out of this room and to somewhere more comfortable while you wait?" Lance asks.

Donovan guides me as we follow the two toms from the room and Conner tries to drop back to speak to me but Donovan growls on several occasions. I end up in a room where Donovan and I sit in lounge chairs that stink of strays and I stare out the window at a miserable overcast sky. I go through the ordeal of sniffing scraps of cloth and break into tears as I find the scent that had been on Alex. By the time it is over there are four scraps of cloth in plastic bags in a pile waiting to be taken back to our clan when Donovan and I are taken home. It is within an hour that Donovan and I are helped into a van with Conner and Lance and I watch the huge sprawling house disappear into the distance.

"How long where you there?" Conner asks Donovan quietly.

"Since the day after we were grabbed. Did you call Micah? How long before we get home?" Donovan asks.

"Did they…" Conner’s voice drops off and I hear him swear violently. "We got about a four hour ride ahead of us but they’re all going to be there waiting for you."

"Can we get a decent meal somewhere along the way?" Donovan asks.

"Sure, no trouble. You both look like you need a decent feed," Lance says from the driver’s seat. I shift to lie down on the back seat where I am by myself and I hear a worried gasp from Donovan.

"You alright Rosy? Is something wrong?" He asks worriedly as he undoes his seatbelt and moves to squat near my feet.

"I just want to sleep," I tell him tiredly as I close my eyes.

"I’ll be right there in the seat just in front of yours," he promises quietly but I shake my head.

"It’s okay now," I say with a yawn.

"I’ll be up the front with the guys but if you need me just call," Donovan tells me quietly.

Micah’s story:

It had happened so fast. One moment I was just back after returning from a successful hunt for lunch, the next moment Steven was handing me my phone with a worried look on his face after answering it. I still find it hard to comprehend the words Conner Stephan uttered – both Rosy and Donny were alive and rescued from the strays that held them prisoners.

The hours since the call have dragged by, we know our rescued survivors are on their way home but a phone call has warned us bad weather and Rosy’s carsickness is making the travel slow. Sam and Steven made phone calls to our warriors who were out searching and now nearly everyone was home. I glance around the lounge room at the others. Even Wade and Marissa are present. Wade finally coming into the quarters after his self imposed exile at the main house since loosing control of the clan. I know Mitchell and I have some formalities to finalise to take over complete control of the clan but I am sure we will manage them smoothly.

"They should have been here by now," Jazzy frets yet again. She has worried over every minute that has passed since the original arrival time passed without sign of them.

"The warriors stopped so Rosy could have a break from travelling," Doc says quietly. "From what Conner Stephan relayed to me of Donny and Rosy’s condition both of them are weak. Your brother will benefit from the short break as much as Rosy."

When I recovered from the shock of the good news I called Doc asking him to come and tend to any illness or injury Rosy and Donny have after their ordeal.

"They both would want to get here as fast as they can!" Jazzy protests and turns to Mitchell for comfort.

I watch Jazzy for a few moments before glancing at Mitchell. I am greatly impressed by the way he is handling himself. I know he must be frantic about the delayed arrival of his sister but he is putting Jazzy’s needs before his own. So far he has managed to prevent her making herself sick or becoming hysterical over the knowledge Rosy, and probably Donny as well, was so ill.

My phone rings in my pocket pulling my mind from my worries over Jazzy as well as Rosy and Donny. I take it from my pocket and open it to put it to my ear as everyone in the building goes silent.

"Another minute or two and we’ll be just about to turn into your driveway," Conner says. "Where do you want us?"

"Straight to the quarters. How are they?" I demand as I head for the front door. I can hear others following me.

"Donny is just about busting at the seams to get out and Rosy is awake now but she was sick again," Conner tells me, his voice laced with worry.

"Doc is right here … we can see your lights, you just turned into the driveway. See you in a few moments," I tell him and I close my phone hurriedly. The quarters have every light on including the outside spotlight and the rain is falling heavily as the van comes to a stop.

"Everyone back to the lounge room so they can get in out of the rain quickly," I order. I can hear Donny’s voice inside the van. The back door is slid open and he emerges even as he glances behind him distractedly for a moment.

"Get out of the rain you brat," I call happy to see him. Donovan turns towards me and rushes over to throw his arms around my neck. I hug him close, trying to remember not to squeeze too tight in my joy at seeing him alive. I try not to think about the fact I can feel nearly every bone in his body as I ignore the foul stench that comes from him. Combinations of unwashed body, filth, sweat, blood and stray scents.

"I tried to look after her," Donny sobs. "I did everything I could."

"Don’t worry about it," I order firmly as I ease his hold on me and turn him towards the hallway. "Get into the lounge room, we’re blocking the way so Conner can’t get Rosy inside."

As Donny moves into the hallway I see Dwayne put an arm around his thin shoulders and I know he will be taken in where everyone can greet him. I hold the door open as Connor carries Rosy inside wrapped in a blanket. I get a glimpse of her pale face, her dark eyes seeming too large in the drawn, thin features. Her feet stick out from the bottom of the blanket and I numbly note the filth that seems ingrained in her bony feet as I follow Connor.

"Straight to the lounge room and put her on the lounge," I hear Doc order.

"Let me go," Rosy protests in a strained voice and Conner immediately sets her on her feet carefully. She stands with one hand against the wall at the end of the hallway and entrances into the lounge room and sunroom. A second’s hesitation and she heads up towards the bedrooms.

"Rosy," Donovan calls worriedly from the lounge room doorway.

"I need a shower first Donovan, you know I do," Rosy calls back quietly. I follow her in case she collapses but she makes it to the bathroom door safely and glances back over her shoulder with wide frightened eyes before hurrying inside and slamming the door shut.

"Leave her be, leave her be," Donny begs behind me.

"We’ll give her sometime to herself," Doc says softly as he takes Donny by the upper arm and urges him towards the lounge room. "Let’s go to the lounge room so I can check you over, or do you want privacy in a bedroom?"

Donny hesitates for a moment then he shakes his head, I hear him mumble something under his breath as I follow them to the lounge room door.

"Should someone stay near the bathroom in case Rosy needs something or collapses?" I ask Doc with a worried glance towards the bathroom door.

"Someone can go and check on her if she hasn’t shown signs of coming out when I finish talking to Donny," Doc says quietly. "Last thing she probably wants is to be around tom cats."

"Come and sit down Donovan," Marissa implores softly.

I walk into the room to see Donny sit in my favourite chair with a quick glance my way. Doc is already taking his pulse and temperature while Marissa holds his other hand tightly.

"Can you tell me what injuries I need to look for?" Doc asks softly when he takes the thermometer from beneath Donny’s tongue.

"I’m not the one who’s been hurt! Rosy needs you more than I do," Donny says even as Doc looks at a healing gash above one of Donny’s eyebrows.

"It was horrible what they’d do to her! Kendal Darnel kept threatening to kill me and another tom kept trying to grab me to get me away from Rosy. He kept trying to trick Rosy so one of the ones with him could get to me to grab me," Donny says as his eyes fill with tears. "It was horrible, they kept trying to get me away from Rosy and she’d start screaming and attacking them … a couple of them would hit her and knock her down but she just kept getting up and going after them and I couldn’t protect her!"

Donny is crying as he speaks. He pushes Doc’s hands way and draws his legs up against his chest as he rocks back and forth slightly. Marissa is murmuring softly to him as tears stream down her face but he isn’t listening to her, I doubt he is listening to anyone.

Rosy’s story:

I am terribly aware of everyone staring at me as I walk into the room keeping my eyes on where I am walking as I make my way around to the front of the lounge. I sit in the middle and glance around nervously at the feet of all those in front of me, somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought that they should be happy I am back but no one makes a sound.

"Hi Rosy. I just want to check and see how you are," Doc tells me quietly. I nod silently and let Doc swing my legs around so I lay back on the lounge; he squats beside me and puts a thermometer under my tongue before taking me by the wrist and feeling for my pulse.

"That’s good," he comments before reaching for the thermometer, checking the reading and nodding approvingly. "That’s good too, now I’d like to feel your belly."

I make no protest as he lifts the hem of the shirt I wear to expose the swell of my stomach. I have to lift my hips so the shirt can slip from beneath my hips and I hear soft gasps as my stomach can be seen. I am not sure if the gasps are for the slight swell of my stomach or the bruises showing clearly on one side of my ribs and on the top of my hip. Doc pushes the sleeve up to uncover my elbow and winces as he eyes the swollen and discoloured joint.

"That’s from when Rosy jumped on this big tom called Terry when he tried to take me away …" Donovan tells Doc but is cut off by Steven.

"Big tom, dirty long mousy brown hair with a broken nose?" Steven demands as he describes Terry. I hear angry hisses from several others and Donovan growls.

"Rosy bit a chunk out of his ear and scratched up one side of his face near his eye."

"Does the baby move?" Doc asks tensely.

"Yeah and I wasn’t letting that bastard get his hands on Donovan," I hiss back defensively. I don’t care what they think, I am glad I saved Donovan.

"Ok, I got the ultra sound machine here and I’d like to see how the baby is," Doc tells me.

"Please," I say softly and look away when my eyes fill with tears. The few moments wait while Doc double checks the machine is on seem to take forever and someone hurries to turn the TV on as Doc squirts cold gel on my belly. I watch the screen as he runs the probe through the gel and then I can see the spine of my baby. I watch as the baby rolls over and kicks at the probe.

Doc laughs. "Cheeky little kitt just kicked at the probe."

"It’s alive?" Micah demands.

"Alive and kicking I’m happy to say," Doc says moving the probe. I watch as he moves the probe around as if checking the entire body of the small moving figure I can see onscreen.

"Do want to know what it is? A girl or a boy?" Doc asks.

"Out door plumbing," I say.

"Yes," Doc confirms.

"What are you talking about?" Wade asks impatiently, "Can’t you just tell us what it is?"

"Rosy?" Doc asks and I nod my permission.

"It’s a boy," Doc tells everyone.

"I knew it," Jazzy exclaims as she claps her hands and jumps up and down.

"You look like you need a good sleep," Doc comments to me.

"I need something to eat first," I say aware of how long it has been since food stayed down.

"What do you want to eat?" Jazzy almost demands.

"Anything as long as it’s not take-away and not greasy," I tell her.

"Those weird eggs," Donovan exclaims.

"Poached Donovan, not weird," I tell him.

"I could poach some eggs. Would you like some bacon to go with them?" Marissa asks.

"Only a couple of pieces of bacon with three or four eggs," I say.

"I’m hungry too," Donovan volunteers. "They never gave us enough food for both of us!"

"I can see that," Doc tells him quietly. "Eggs are good Marissa." Doc turns off the machine and takes his time cleaning the gel off my stomach. When he is finished he looks me in the face his expression serious.

"Any cramping, bleeding or discharge?" Doc asks.

"No, but sometimes I get muscle cramps," I answer.

"Ok," Doc says, "But you are to take things easy. I’ll check on you again in the morning and until then I don’t want you doing anything more than eating, sleeping or going to the toilet. Understand?" he orders firmly.

"Yes," I say with a nod.

"We’ll make sure Rosy does as she’s told," Sam says and I glance at him where he stands with his arms folded across his chest. Sam glances down at me with his no-nonsense look and I give him a tentative smile. He smiles back and I feel a sense of relief. I roll onto my side and pull my knees up towards my stomach, Donovan approaches with a blanket and I close my eyes as he covers me up tucking it around my feet and shoulders.

"Come away and let Rosy sleep Donovan," Wade orders quietly.

"I’m not disturbing her," Donovan tells his father.

"You stink like stray," I tell him. I hear Donovan give a little snort but he takes my hint.

"Justin you got some clothes I can borrow? I need to have a shower." Donovan says and I notice his voice has deepened.

"I think mine might fit you better," Dwayne tells him quietly and I listen as they leave the room. Someone follows them after several moments and I rub my cheek against the old flat pillow that lives on the lounge. It has a smell that contains all the scents of those who live in the quarters all mixed and mingled together bringing a sense of security.

"Rosy? Rosy?" Jazzy’s voice wakes me and I open my eyes reluctantly to find her squatting in front of me peering into my face. I jerk my head back in reaction and wince as the muscles in my neck and shoulders protest stiffly.

"Rosy, your food’s ready." Jazzy tells me as she keeps eye contact. I blink several times before closing my eyes and yawning. I stretch slowly before opening my eyes and looking around.

"Where do you want your food?" Marissa asks softly and I push myself up into a sitting position. I glance around the room and see everyone even Conner and Lance are present except for Donovan and I realise I can hear the shower running in the background. I hold my right hand out for my food and Marissa places the plate on my lap before putting a knife and fork on the plate.

"Thanks," I say and pick up the fork in my right hand as I rest my left arm on my leg on the far side of the plate.

"Here let me help you," Marissa says picking up the knife and reaching for the fork. I hear the chorus of shouts and yells as well as the sounds of toms rushing towards us. I close my eyes tightly and turn my face away as I drop my fork and grab a handful of pillow. I am unable to do anything about the snarl that rises in my throat but I hold myself still as I feel the plate lifted from my lap and the soft rush of air as Marissa is moved away from me. Strong arms encircle me and I can smell Sam as he pulls me firmly against his chest.

"I’m sorry Mum, we should have thought to warn you," I hear Micah say quietly.

"You’re doing real good Rosy," Sam says near my ear and I turn my head to bury my face against his chest. I can hear the slight noise as my food is cut up and I catch the aroma of warm egg yolk and I swallow hungrily as my mouth waters.

"Shit! She’s more stray than a feral," I hear Lance mutter.

"Have you ever seen a stray that has controlled the urge to guard their food like Rosy just did?" Wade demands and I am surprised to hear him speaking in my defence. "Rosy has had a lot to overcome and she was doing really well until Donovan and her were taken, if I say so myself."

"Maybe I was mistaken," Lance says.

"Who upset Rosy?" Donovan asks in disapproval as he walks into the room.

"Mum just wanted to cut up Rosy’s food for her," Jazzy says as if nothing has happened.

"Cut it up before you give the plate to Rosy. The strays were always trying to take our food back once they’d put it in the room they had us locked in, only none of them were fast enough to get it off Rosy if she got hold of it," Donovan tells them calmly.

"They gave you food and then took it away from you?" Doc asks in concern.

"No they always dropped it on the floor or put it just inside the door. Rosy always got it because one of the strays kept telling …" Donovan starts to explain.

"Terry, it was Terry," I say in a snarl against Sam’s chest.

"Yeah him, he told the others if they got hold of me to drag me outside. Rosy never let me near the door and never let them get between me and her," Donovan says as if making everyday conversation.

"Your food is waiting for you Donovan and I got Rosy’s ready so she can eat it now," Marissa says quietly.

Sam releases me slowly and guides me back onto my seat on the lounge before taking the plate from Marissa and putting it on my knees; I accept the fork he offers me and dig into the food hungrily. Donovan brings his plate of food to sit on the floor near me and he eats in silence. Slowly conversation starts among the toms and I listen to the sounds of their voices not bothering with what they are saying. Donovan finishes his food before I finish mine and although he eyes the bacon on my plate he doesn’t say anything. I stab a piece of bacon with my fork and offer it to him.

"I’m right," he tells me.

"We’d best get heading off if we intend to make it to the funeral for Danny," Lance talks to the room as a whole.

"Can you pass on our condolences and apology that none of us can make it but we need to look after Donny and Rosy at the moment," Micah says formally.

"Don’t forget those thermoses of coffee," Dwayne says.

"We got them," Lance reassures him. Conner walks over to squat near me and I look his way but don’t quite meet his eyes. "It’s been good to see you again although it hasn’t been the best of circumstances." I glance at him but he is looking at the small swell of my stomach, "I had been hoping … well a bit late for that now. I should have listened when Edwin was so full of talk about coming back here … oh what the hell Edwin isn’t here to object!" Conner mutters.

Micah’s story:

I watch as Conner walks over and squats down to say his farewells to Rosy, I’m shocked when he leans in and kisses Rosy on the lips. She recoils from him drawing her knees up to her stomach and raising her arms up between them to shield her face and chest.

"Nonononono," Rosy chants on a long sob.

"Oh no you don’t," I snarl and shove Conner away planting myself firmly between them. "You have outstayed your welcome Conner," I warn savagely.

"Rosy, if you ever need a friend or a place to stay for whatever reason …" Conner lets his remark trail off as I growl and take a step towards him.

"It would be best if you left," Sam says coming to stand beside me while Mitchell moves to my other side.

"Conner Stephan! Leave immediately!" Wade orders stepping forward to stand at my side. The sound of vomiting draws my attention and I turn my head to see Rosy leaning forward as she loses the food she ate.

"It’s over now Rosy, it’s over now Rosy," Jazzy chants and I can hear the worry in her voice.

I move towards Rosy leaving the others to see Conner from the premises and I can only watch as Doc checks Rosy while Donny hands Jazzy a wet tea towel. Jazzy brushes a few stray hairs back off Rosy’s face and places the damp tea towel on her forehead.

"How is she Doc?" I ask quietly.

"I think its reaction catching up with her," Doc says softly.

"Do you want to sleep out here or in on a real bed?" I ask Rosy quietly.

"With you," Rosy says without opening her eyes.

"Donovan, you ready to go home and let everyone here get some sleep?" Marissa asks in a whisper.

"I’m sleeping here," Donny says sounding startled.

"Go sleep at the house even if it is just for tonight," I tell him knowing Marissa needs him close.

"If Rosy has a nightmare she might need to know I’m here," Donovan argues.

"We can take care of Rosy," Mitchell tells him kindly.

"It will be easier for Rosy if I’m here," Donovan tells him.

"Donovan," I say turning my head to look at him.

"Yeah?" Donny asks warily.

"They’re our parents," I tell him and he regards me silently for a few moments.

"You know no-one believed we’d see you alive again after strays got hold of you. Maybe if it had been within the hour or even a day …" I tell him stretching the length of time we had been able to realistically hold out hope for him.

"Go sleep where they can look after you. Don’t worry about me. Do they," Rosy says and motions at us all, "look like they can’t look out for me?"

"You sure?" Donovan asks doubtfully.

"Go be a kid while you can," Rosy says firmly even though she looks weak. Donovan smiles and kisses her on the cheek before standing up.

"I’ll see you in the morning then," Donovan promises. I watch him leave the room and Marissa follows him like she’s scared to let him out of her sight, Wade pauses to look at Rosy.

"Thank you Rosy. Thank you much more than I can ever say," Wade tells her before walking from the room.