My mind feels as if it is stuffed with cotton wool and my eyes open reluctantly as I struggle to work out where I am, everything starts to come back to me slowly and I have to grit my teeth to prevent an outburst of anger and fear. I move my head slightly to look around and the room swims dizzily, I close my eyes and wait impatiently for my dizziness to pass. When I am finally able to look around without feeling as if I am going to pass out or fall over I open my eyes to narrow slits and peer around the brightly lit room. Fear flutters in my stomach as I see bars on the window and the bars that make up the door. I hear someone walking close by and close my eyes feigning that I am still under the influence of the drug.

"Shouldn’t she be coming around soon?" Steven asks.

"Doc said she should be coming around about now." Sam sounds solemn and I want to scream at him for allowing this to happen to me.

"Should we go away and leave her be for a while?" Steven suggests.

"That’s what Doc advised. He reckons she’s going to be pissed off when she comes around and I think he’s right about that." I listen for regret in Sam’s voice but hear none. "Damn Edwin to hell and back! Grabbing her like that was stupid!"

"A sister for you and Mitchell huh? No wonder Mitchell has been over-protective of her. I was starting to wonder how friendly he’d gotten with her," Steven says quietly.

I am silent as I listen to them move away and wonder how long before they start to worry when I show no signs of coming out of the drug. If I can get one of them to open the door … I doze on and off for a while all the while recovering even more from the drug. The shadows tell me it is mid afternoon when I wake fully. The dark silhouettes of the bars grate on my inner cat and the need to be able to run in cat form and forget my worries for a while is starting to get nearly unbearable. My muscles are starting to get stiff from remaining in the same position when I hear someone approaching the room once again.

"Rosy? Rosy?" I recognise Sam’s voice even though it is thick and strained with worry, "Hell! She should be awake by now!"

"Go get Doc, I’ll see if I can do anything for her," Micah orders. I struggle to keep my breathing even as I hear Sam hurry off and keys jingle in the lock of the door. Micah definitely is not my choice to go up against but I have no choice if I want to escape.

"Rosy! Rosy wake up! Rosy come on! Time to wake up!"

You weren’t this worried when I was drugged and put in here were you? I think angrily.

"Rosy, come on baby, be all right sweetheart," His voice comes from much closer than I am expecting and I can’t help opening my eyes in surprise.

I recognise the moment he realises what I am up to but I am already hurling myself off the bed in mid shift. The pain is incredible as his arms touch me and I fall to the ground, now I know why not to touch someone who is shifting - it’s indescribable agony. I make it to my feet and charge Micah a second time aiming high on his chest and to one side, I sheath my claws at the last possible moment but the impact of the collision is still immense as I hit him in the upper right chest knocking him over backwards.

I hear him grunt in pain as I pick myself up and then I am running for the door. The room is part of the stone building and I bolt for the door, I am in full flight as I reach outside and lower myself towards the ground slightly as I race across the open ground. I hear shouts behind me but I am going too fast to understand what is being said, I halt near the tree line to look back towards the buildings and turn back towards the trees as I see Micah appear from the stone shed in cat form to head towards me along with three cats from the quarters where the others are in the process of shifting.

I know this is no run for pleasure as I speed into the trees and I will have to outsmart the cats behind me on their own well known home territory. Even as I run I am planning my next moves, take them far from home and loose them then sneak back and get my things … I am one pissed off kitty and they will feel my wrath. Once I am free and clear I will return to my mountain retreat and hide there until I find another place I want to be. I slow as I take time to regain my breath, my body has recovered from the last traces of the drug and I stop and take time to empty my bowels and bladder before furiously kicking twigs and dirt over the droppings with my back feet. I glance back and am pleased to see that there is no way they will miss my insult if they enter the clearing - I have scratched up a large area in my rage.

I turn away from the clearing and head into the bush; it is not going to be easy to loose the toms on their home territory. They know I am in good health and won’t be looking for me collapsed somewhere or hiding by water. This is going to take all my acquired tricks

– werecats hunt by sight not smell so I’ll take to the trees as often as possible to be above the usual field of sight. Most cats run down hill when chased, it is easier and faster – I’ll head up hill. Avoid large open spaces, stick to the shadows beneath thicker growth. And the list goes on … My inner cat growls as the thoughts run through my mind; her mind turns to the toms. She likes them but I picture the bars of the door and on the window. A snarl escapes us and she pushes me on, she hates cages as much as I do.

It is nearly a month since I was betrayed, betrayed by those I had hoped were my friends. My only solace had been when my period had turned up on time ruling out the threat of pregnancy after being served while in cat form. I look out over my valley and watch the small flock of birds wheeling over the tree tops, the crackle of leaves as something moves near by catches my attention but I look back towards the birds. I still have my phone, still have the phone numbers but to use them was to open up the opportunity to learn the results of the blood test I knew Doc would have done. But I didn’t need to hear what he has to say, there was no way they could be my brothers. As much as I want them to be and as much as I care about them as if we were related there is no way we could be, they were born werecats and I was born human. I hadn’t shifted until after being attacked by the werecat as I had said. But a tiny part of me knows it’s true – I am not a stray. The strong pull I still feel for Sam and Mitchell. My nature as a child with the always constant driving need to be out in the bush or watching small animals as they go about their daily existence.

The wind picks up and I turn my face into it closing my eyes and lifting my chin as I read the secrets it holds in its folds. Loneliness haunts me and I open my eyes to look out over the valley once again, I throw my head back and let go with a fair imitation of a dingo howl as my human throat will allow. I have difficulty imitating the cry I would give in cat form. I get to my feet and head back towards my shack, the late evening sun is casting long shadows and I shiver with the dread of the lonesome night to come.

Supper is a meal of dehydrated camp stew cooked in my fire pit with tinned peaches as dessert. I sit out in the night watching the feathery clouds float across the sky; I hold my phone in my hand already attached to the machine to hide my location. I know I will call because I have been longing to ever since I got home, the bond that had formed between me and the toms was much stronger for me than I had realised when I had run from them in anger. I look up Pete’s number and press the call button as I listen I hear the ring on the other end and wait on edge for it to be answered.

"Hallo Peter speaking."

"Hi Pete it’s me," I say softly.

"You okay?" Pete asks anxiously.

"You’ve been told I guess," I close my eyes and lean my head back against the tree.

"Yes I was told. You know they’re all very worried about you," Pete tells me gently.

"They shouldn’t have tried to force me to stay there. I’m not one of them," I protest even as the idea settles more easily in my mind.

"That’s not what the results of the test say Tawny. You’ve got family who want you," he tells me gently.

"All my family is dead and those werecats they’ve proven I can’t trust them." I say bitterly.

"They were trying to do what they thought was best for you," Pete tells me with a sigh.

"They should have given me time and space. All they did was try to prove my entire life a lie!" I say and choke back a sob.

"Let’s not argue about this Tawny. Are you safe where you are?" Pete asks.

"Yeah,"

"You got shelter and food?"

"Yeah," I can hear him breathing on the other end of the phone and know he is lost for what to say to me. I squeeze back tears and wish I were there with him so he could tell me I was going to be alright, that everything would be fine.

"Pete?"

"Yeah Tawny?"

"Can you tell them I’m type of ok?" I ask before ending the call. I drop the phone on the ground and begin tearing my clothes off. I need to run, to become a cat and not worry about all things human for a while.

Time becomes a blur as days merge together and time is measured by when I need to hunt to eat, I spend more and more time as a cat loosing my turmoil in animal instinct until all that is left is the need for company. I leave my shack in human form with a backpack and head down towards the towns, my phone is in my jacket pocket with a flat battery and the charger is in my backpack. It takes me a week of constant travelling but finally I turn into a remembered driveway just on sunset and start the two-mile walk on foot. My sneakers are worn nearly through and I walk along on the shoulder of the road on the thick grass where it adds cushioning to the thin soles.

With the coming of night the air is becoming cold and I pause long enough to pull my long hooded jumper from my backpack and I wrinkle my nose in distaste - its smell is strong with dust and grime. I pull the hood up over my hair keeping the cold breeze from travelling down my neck and I hunch forward tiredly as I resume walking. I start to pick up scents on the wind and it lifts my dragging feet urging me on. I know that just around the corner I will be able to see the lights of the buildings and I smile to myself as I jostle my backpack to ease where it is cutting into my shoulders.

"Stop right where you are! Get down on your knees, hands behind your head or you will be tasered!" The voice that comes out of the dark is strange and I stop instantly before starting to back away.

"Stop right where you are! You will not be warned again!"

I stop moving and shrug one arm out of the backpack so it falls to the ground as I silently curse myself, I should have been aware of whomever it was.

"Get down on your knees with your hands behind your head or you will be tasered!"

Silently I drop to my knees and slowly raise my hands to touch the sides of my head, I hear a slight noise not far ahead of me but to the right and as I turn my head slightly to look I am suddenly shoved hard between the shoulder blades from behind. I manage to get my hands between my face and the ground before I hit but a hard knee lands in the small of my back and fingers bite into my left wrist as my arm is twisted up hard behind my back.

"Come on fight!" He hisses as I tense up but I am in control of my panic enough to know that to fight would be very stupid. He is a werecat and going by the weight on my back and arm much bigger than me.

It is all I can do to hold still as handcuffs are snapped onto my wrist and my second arm is wrestled behind my back, I am cuffed hard on the back of the head and I stop resisting.

I hear a strange click to my right and a faint static sound, "Edwin we have an intruder here, a cat." a male voice says. "Robby has him in handcuffs,"

"You and Robby bring him over to the stone shed, we’ll be there waiting." I recognise Edwin’s voice and I am too scared to call out for fear the two who have me will realise I am female.

"Ummm, Mikkarl. I think it’s female," Robby says from behind me as he moves his knee off my back and pulls at the side of the hood that is covering my face.

Click, "Edwin are you lot expecting Sam and Mitchell’s little female friend to visit?" Mikkarl asks.

"No we haven’t heard from her, are you … is she blonde? White blonde?" I can hear the excitement in Edwin’s voice. "Rosy! Can you hear me? Mikkarl and Robby are fine they won’t hurt you! Can you bring her over to the quarters?" Edwin demands.

"Are you Rosy?" Mikkarl asks as he squats where I can see his shoes.

"Yes," my voice is soft with fear and I am relieved when I hear the faint tingle of metal on metal and feel a hand touch the handcuffs on my wrists.

"I’ll take these handcuffs off you okay Rosy, and then we can go to the warrior’s quarters," Robby tells me from behind my back. "I hear you know my brothers Chris and Malcolm and Mikkarl’s brothers Pete and Steven," he talks as he frees my hands.

With my hands free I stand up cautiously and glance towards my backpack. They both look towards my backpack Mikkarl even reaching for it and I spin away from them and bolt towards the quarters as fast as I can go on two legs. I hear no sounds of pursuit but I don’t slacken off my speed even as I jump half seen obstacles in the dark. I can see the buildings in full view now and head for the quarters, two figures are walking over from the main house and two more wait near the door of the quarters and I slow with a cautious glance over my shoulder as I strain my ears for sounds of pursuit. I slow to a walk and breathe deeply to catch my breath, I stop for a moment to take a proper look behind me and see the two toms well behind me jogging steadily.

"Hey Rosy!" Malcolm calls from the front of the quarters and I head that way looking around for more of the toms.

"Where’s Mitchell?" I ask when I am close enough to see Malcolm and Timny clearly.

"Sam, Mitchell, Dwayne and Justin are out on a job. So are Micah and Steven," Malcolm tells me as he approaches me where I have stopped.

"Justin? Isn’t he just a kid?" I ask.

"He’s on his first job, it’s a simple one." Edwin says as he and Chris get close enough to talk at a normal level. "It’s good to see you,"

"Mitchell’ll be back won’t he? And Sam?" I ask worriedly.

"Yeah they just got a few minor things to do on the way back. They should be here not tomorrow evening but the one after," Malcolm tells me.

"Who are they?" I ask glancing at the two toms that were getting much closer.

"Dad put on two new warriors since Justin is so young," Edwin says and glances towards the quarters’ door. "Want to come inside?"

I glance towards the door and back at Edwin and catch the way he’s glancing between the other three and that’s when I realise they think I’m about to flee because Mitchell and Sam aren’t there.

"Yeah, you got anything to eat? I didn’t stop to hunt at lunch," I say as I head for the door voluntarily. I hear a sigh of relief from someone and glance back over my shoulder at the toms before going through the door and heading for the kitchen. I stand back near the table and watch happily as Edwin starts making me an extravagant sandwich. I start nervously when the door bangs and I move closer to where Malcolm and Chris are watching Edwin make my sandwich as the two toms I don’t know enter the quarters. When they come into the kitchen I slip past Malcolm and Chris closer to Edwin and glance towards the new toms nervously.

"These are Robby and Mikkarl, Rosy," Malcolm tells me quietly. I give a slight nod of understanding before turning my attention back to Edwin and my food.

"At the table or on the lounge?" Edwin asks with a glance at me.

"Lounge room," I decide quickly and follow Malcolm and Chris past Robby and Mikkarl.

I happily sit between Malcolm and Chris on the lounge and take the plate when Edwin hands it to me, I can’t help curling one arm around it but make no fuss about using both hands when it becomes clear I can’t manage the sandwich one handed.

"Where’s Timny gone?" I ask suddenly as I realise I haven’t seen him inside the quarters. I notice Edwin exchange quick glances with the other four and hear the slightest noise behind me and I half turn in my seat to look behind me suspiciously, both Robby and Mikkarl are near the door that leads towards the exit.

"He’s gone to let Wade know you’re here," Chris says quietly.

"Oh," I say and give a shrug as I turn my attention back to my food; I have no intention of leaving before I see Mitchell, Sam and Dwayne. "So is there any more food I can have?" I ask as I finish the last of the sandwich.

"When did you eat last?" Edwin asks as he takes my plate.

"I hunted just before dawn this morning," I say with a shrug as I turn around and kneel on the lounge to watch Edwin over the back of the lounge as he heads towards the kitchen. I turn my head to the other side and look at Robby and Mikkarl who are watching me with undisguised interest.

"How long have you been working here?" I ask curiously.

"It’s been a bit over a month now," Mikkarl tells me with a grin obviously pleased to get my attention.

"You can come sit down ‘cause I’m not gonna try to run away," I say as I glance between Mikkarl and Robby before looking at Edwin where he has stopped coming out of the kitchen with a cold cooked chicken on a plate. "I’m not stupid; I know what you are thinking."

"Well you got to admit you have made a habit out of running away," Malcolm tells me and I glance at him.

"And I suppose none of you have made me so miserable here that I’d want to leave?" I challenge him as I hold his gaze levelly.

"None of us ever meant to make you miserable." Wade says as he appears in the doorway.

I leap backwards off the lounge hissing and spitting in fear at the sudden and soundless arrival of the Alpha, I back up several steps before I can stop myself. I drop my head slightly as I eye Wade then glance at Malcolm and Chris who are unworried by the sudden arrival of their Alpha. I calm down when there is no sign of threat and I take my cue from the calmness of the toms. I move closer to Malcolm who is the larger of the two, mindful of keeping him and the lounge between Wade and myself.

"Wade," I say respectfully with a bob of my head.

"It’s good to see you came back by yourself Rosy," Wade tells me, "I’m sorry about the reception you first got but we didn’t know to expect you."

"I don’t know how to contact you." I say softly, hesitantly.

"I’ll have make sure that is remedied," Wade tells me with a smile, "I hope you’re going to stay at least until Sam and Mitchell return. I know they’ll want to see you."

"Of course I want to see them! And Dwayne," I say and look down at my feet as I remember the trouble I got into when I had claimed them as mine in front of Wade.

"Well I’m sure you can find a place here to stay for the time being, anyway I’ll leave you to catch up with the warriors here and probably see you now and then over the next few days." Wade tells me with a friendly smile.

You think I’m going to run away from here, I think as I drop my gaze so he doesn’t read my thoughts in my face.

"See you tomorrow Rosy. Guys," Wade said before turning and heading for the door, I watched him disappear and listened for the door to open and shut before I began to relax.

"You still hungry Rosy?" Edwin asks from the kitchen doorway and I turn my head to look at him, he has an entire chicken on the plate he holds.

"I hope that’s not all for me, I’m not that hungry." I tell him with a grin.

"That’s okay, what you don’t want can go back in the fridge." He tells me as he walks into the lounge room and motions towards the lounge. "Sit down and I’ll give you the plate,"

I look at the empty space on the lounge between Malcolm and Chris; hesitate for a moment then sit down turning my head to watch Edwin as he carries the food to me. I take the plate and sit it on my lap holding it with one hand while I pull a drumstick and thigh off and concentrate on that. The flesh is tasty and I chew eagerly stripping it from the bones quickly with my fingers before stuffing it into my mouth. I finish off both thighs and drumsticks before I am satisfied and I look at the plate slightly puzzled over what to do with it now.

"Want me to put it in the fridge for you?" Edwin asks.

I look at him in surprise and nod my head, "Yeah thanks. That was good," I grin at him and he grins back.

"You’ve got grease all over your face,"

I laugh and get to my feet when he takes the plate before I head for the bathroom and wash my face. I glance at the shower and then down at my grimy hands.

"I’m going to have a shower." I say as I walk out and grab my backpack before heading back towards the bathroom.

"You know where we keep the clean towels." Malcolm calls after me.

The shower is a luxury that I have nearly forgotten how good it feels and I take my time as I wash my hair and clean myself using a pretty floral soap I found in the towel cupboard still in its packaging. I dig through my backpack to find my nicest t-shirt and shorts to wear and head back out to the lounge room feeling much better. I climb onto the lounge between Malcolm and Chris and glance over my shoulder at Robby and Mikkarl before turning my attention to the TV to watch Edwin and Timny playing some violent combat game. I hesitate a moment before pulling my feet up onto the lounge and leaning into Malcolm’s side, I yawn but continue to watch the game on TV until my eyes start to drift closed. I open my eyes and come fully awake with a start as I realise that I am about to fall asleep.

"I want to go to sleep." I say quietly and Chris gets to his feet.

"Do you want to walk or be carried?" I look up at him surprised, I’ve never been given the option and suddenly the idea of being carried instead of having to walk is appealing. The thought of being held is welcome.

"You can carry me." I say allowing the privilege. Chris’s arms are large and reassuring when he picks me up and I cuddle into his body trustingly. He carries me along the room where the bedrooms are until he comes to a door and stops.

"In mine and Malcolm’s room or Mitchell and Sam’s room?"

"Yours and Malcolm’s," I say and yawn, "I’m tired, really tired." I don’t mention the fact I am longing for company.

"Ok then," Chris says easily.

The bed I am lain on in big and soft and I cuddle into the pillow and warm blankets, I am vaguely aware of the blankets being tucked around me but I am too tired to do more than close my eyes and endure the attention. I must have drifted off to sleep almost immediately as next thing I am aware of is the bed moving slightly as a large body climbs onto the bed, I roll away from the movement onto my stomach and go back to sleep. I’m disturbed sometime much later when a large warm body comes to a rest against my side, I only become half awake and don’t protest as a strong arm pulls me against a hard body. I roll onto my side with my back to the warmth and go back to sleep once again.

I wake with a cry of fear, I don’t know where I am and it’s dark so I can’t see who belongs to the warm body pressed to mine. I can smell werecats - clan cats and my terror mounts as I struggle to sit up but a strong arm holds me down.

"Rosy! Rosy! Wake up! Wake up Rosy!" I recognise the voice, it’s Chris and I reach towards him desperately. I turn towards him and wrap my arms around his body pressing my face against his bare chest searching desperately for the reassuring sound of his heartbeat.

"It’s ok, it’s ok," He croons softly and I cling to him as my tears begin to flow. He holds me close rubbing my back with one hand from between my shoulder blades to the small of my back. When my tears have run their course I close my eyes and simply lay there listening to the steady beat of his heart. His body is warm against mine and sometime while crying I had realised we were both under the covers and aside from my thin clothes there was possibly only a pair of boxer shorts or jocks between us. Strangely enough I’m not afraid of him and find comfort in his closeness, his breathing has evened out and I know he is asleep once again even while I lay there just enjoying the contact.

Chris makes some sound deep in his throat waking me and I turn to him more fully and slide my arms up around his neck, he makes a sound of contentment deep in his throat and his hand rubs the small of my back. I give a soft sigh of pleasure as he finds a sore spot and arch up against his body sleepily, his arm tightens around me and I cuddle into his warmth. I wake to the moist warmth between my thighs, the faint throbbing ache there is vaguely familiar but I can’t place it. I yawn and stretch arching into the warm body against mine, delightful sensations radiate from my breasts and groin and I close my eyes as I move experimentally. It is such a long time since I recall having experienced these delicious sensations but I sure like them, the hand against my lower back tightens slightly then slips lower to press my hips against something that is hard and throbbing. The sensation is echoed low in my stomach and I move experimentally once again wanting this dream to continue. I find myself pressed into the mattress on my back and a hand cups my breast, the touch is gentle and surprisingly enjoyable as my nipple is rolled gently between two firm surfaces. I catch my breath as something warm and moist claims my nipple through the fabric of my t-shirt and I take a deep breath as I arch into the gentle suction that is applied.

The attention is switched to my other breast and my stomach quivers as I feel something move down over my ribs and stomach to pull at the hem of my t-shirt. I’m not prepared for the intensity of the sensations when my t-shirt is pushed up above my breast and what could only be a mouth claims the tip of my breast. I move restlessly and the hand travels down my body once again as the mouth claims my other breast. My first instinct is to press my thighs together tightly fearing pain even in my sleep but the touch is light as it trails across the material of my shorts, pleasure comes from the mouth at my breasts but uncertainty comes from the light touch that skims over my lower stomach. Fingers trace light circles on the top of my thigh and slowly edge higher under one leg of my shorts, I instinctively open my legs as the touch reaches near the inner crease of my groin.

Fear and pleasure mix in equal parts as fingers divide my folds finding the moist heat there, I jerk as sensation shoots through me concentrating in the passage that the fingers dance outside of. I tense not liking the mix of fear and pleasure, it reminds me too much of pain. The mouth at my breast stills and slowly lifts, I hear the deep breath as he inhales my scent.

"What the…" I hear the surprise in Chris’ voice and tense as I realise this is not a dream that someone was actually touching me. I can smell his arousal but also there is stress becoming apparent and he eases his hand out of my shorts.

"About time you woke up! I thought I was going to have to kick your arse so you didn’t wake her up and scare her half out of her mind!" I hear Malcolm growl barely audible. I roll away from Chris and I hear both toms hold their breath as I move, I feel Chris pull the covers up over my shoulders and I grit my teeth so I don’t tense up and alert him to the fact I am awake. I feel him put a row of pillows between us and remain motionless as he makes himself comfortable. I remain awake long after both toms begin to emit slight snores; the slight tingling of my body is strange and confusing. It is so long since I have been touched in such a way that hasn’t been extremely painful and aggressive.

I wake with a start surprised to find I had fallen asleep, the light through the doorway tells me the day has well and truly started. I stretch with a yawn and smile to myself as I spend a few moments enjoying the big comfortable bed. I climb out of bed feeling well rested and a bit surprised to see my backpack sitting in full view where I couldn’t miss it and I check it out carefully but other than Malcolm’s scent on one of the straps it seems to be untouched. I take the chance for a shower and change into fresh clothes before I head out towards the lounge room where I can hear the murmur of the TV.

"Hey guys can I use the washing machine?" I ask before walking through the door. I come to an abrupt halt as I see Wade and Doc sitting with the warriors.

"Good morning Rosy, I came down about half an hour ago to see how you were and I thought I’d wait around since I’m sure you appreciate a chance to sleep in," Wade tells me with a friendly smile.

"Wade," I acknowledge with a cautious nod.

"Hallo Rosy, Wade asked me to come by and make sure you’re in good health," Doc tells me levelly.

"Don’t bother. I’m fine except for sore feet from my trip here and I could probably do with a preventative treatment for parasites considering I’ve been eating on all four most of the time since I was here last," I say tightly, "but I’ll take care of that myself. I don’t trust you - your got a habit of either sticking me with a syringe and knocking me out or supplying the syringe and drug for someone else to do it," There is no mistaking the angry growl in my voice as I direct my comments to Doc.

"I’m sorry things happened to make you feel that way," Doc says gently.

"Well I suppose Doc can leave some ointment for your feet if you think you need it and some of the warriors can take you into town so you can get anything you need," Wade seems okay with my stand and I give a faint nod but don’t tell him I have no money with me to make any purchases.

"Hungry Rosy?" Edwin asks as he gets to his feet. I watch suddenly cautious as both Wade and Doc get to their feet, Wade pulls a thick wallet out of his pocket and opens it to drop a thick clip of notes onto the seat he was sitting in.

"I’m sure you boys would like to treat Rosy to a good time," he says before heading for the doorway. I move back well out of his way and watch as he and Doc leave.

"Rosy? You want something to eat?" Edwin asks and as I turn my attention to him I realise he has been trying to get my attention. I smile and drop my backpack before walking into the lounge room.

"Yeah, a feed would go down real well." I say and head for the kitchen, "Don’t worry I’ll cook it myself," and with that I open the fridge and look at its contents with interest. I grab the left over chicken, some grated cheese and a pack of tortilla wraps from the bench and quickly set about making some layered melts to go in the microwave.

"Did you sleep well?" Malcolm asks.

"Considering I’ve been making do with three or four hours a night on the way here I slept real well," I say without glancing his way.

The microwave chimes and I take out my breakfast before cutting it into pieces then turn and drop the knife into the sink. I feel rather than see the hand that takes a small piece of my food and my reaction is instant and instinctive as I grab the offending wrist in a forceful grip.

"Hey!" Mikkarl squawks in surprise. I turn my head towards him slowly, anger boiling just beneath my control.

"Do … not … ever … touch … my … food," I growl stressing each word.

"Rosy," Edwin’s voice is low and cautious, "Let Mikkarl go so he can move away from your food. He didn’t know any better."

I keep my glare fixed on Mikkarl but manage to force myself to release his hand. Strangely warning him has been enough for me and I don’t need to lash out in defence of my food but I do continue to growl a low warning as he steps away. I sit down and turn to my food eating hungrily, meals have been lean while I travelled and my weight has gone down a little bit.

"How long since you ate regular?" Chris asks as he sits opposite me at the table.

"I have been eating regular." I say with a shrug, "Been hunting each night, filling up each morning and walking all day or catching lifts."

"One meal a day?" Chris sounds surprised and I glance at him.

"It’s easier to travel fast on an empty stomach and sleep on a full one. Learnt that running from clan cats." I say levelly.

"And what if you shift don’t you need to eat to shift?" Edwin asks.

"Mice, rats, frogs, rabbits and fish generally provide a lot of energy when they’re fat." I say with a shrug as I contemplate the last mouthful of food in my hand, I glance around the room and spot Mikkarl standing well back away from me.

"You want to try it?" I offer holding the mouthful of food out towards him. Mikkarl grins a cocky smile at me and moves forward.

"Yeah," he takes the offered food from my hand and pops it into his mouth chewing it with relish.

"I can remember a time you would have licked your plate clean rather than chance someone else getting any of your food." Edwin tells me sounding surprised.

"There’s more food in the fridge and if I’m hungry you won’t stop me helping myself." I say with a shrug but dart a quick glance his way to make certain this is so.

"Ah so you’re starting to learn how clan cats work." Malcolm comments sounding pleased.

"So what are we doing today?" I ask brightly "Going hunting?"

"No. A trip to town. You can put a load of washing on and it’ll be ready to hang out or chuck in the dryer or bin when we get back." Malcolm tells me.

"Yeah and it’ll be our treat," Chris says with a wide grin.

"We know you would have been eating three times a day if you’d had money." Edwin cuts in. "You’re barefoot at the moment and those sneakers you arrived in, well you might as well have been barefooted then."

"Ok! So I wore my shoes out ‘cause I was in a hurry to get here! Is that what you wanted to hear?" I demand angrily.

"You clear out when all we want is to look after you, can’t you just let us look after you when you’re here?" Chris asks quietly. I grit my teeth and turn my head away, I have been on my own looking after myself for so long it is strange to even contemplate letting them provide food and cook for me.

"I’ll go to town with you but I don’t promise anything," I mutter tightly.

"I’m going who else is?" Chris asks as he gets to his feet.

"I’m driving, we can take my 4WD." Edwin’s tone brooks no arguments as he glances around the room.

"Count me in," Malcolm says as he grabs my empty plate and heads for the kitchen.

I head off to put my washing in the machine and set it so it will wash while we’re away. By the time I return to the main part of the building the three toms that are going to town have all changed into clean shirts and jeans and I feel self-conscious at the worn state of my clothes. All my nice stuff is gone, lost when my house was packed up and moved months ago. I gasp as I realise some of my clothing should still be here.

"Did my stuff get thrown out? The stuff Pete and Micah packed up and moved here?" I ask eagerly.

"I don’t know." Edwin says before turning towards the doorway and rattling his keys, "Come on."

I follow them outside and climb into the back of a four-wheel drive with Malcolm while Chris gets in the passenger seat in front. The drive into town is a lot quicker than my journey out yesterday afternoon and I look around with interest at the empty fields before we turn onto the highway. Chris is fiddling with the radio turning it from station to station and I listen to the music with interest, it is one thing I have missed being away from civilisation.

"So what’s the country like where you’ve been living?" Edwin asks curiously.

"Well there’s dirt … plants … the odd animal." I say dryly and glance his way.

"What no birds or water?" Chris asks with a laugh.

"Oh yeah there might be some of them." I say looking out the window.

"Where do you want to go first?" Edwin asks.

"Where ever. Where do you need to go?" I ask as I glance from one to the others.

"Shoe store for a start, somewhere for some jeans and t-shirts or do you prefer dresses?" Chris asks from the front. "Or we can pick out stuff for you and guess your sizes."

I groan and close my eyes as I realise I will have to go along with this or end up with heaps of things that would probably give me a heart attack. "Jeans, t-shirts, cut-offs and dresses are for special occasions only." I groan.

"Now see, being co-operative isn’t that hard." Chris tells me.

"Don’t you three feel mean ganging up on me? Poor innocent little me who hasn’t done a thing to you." I complain then add, "this visit,"

"We’re not ganging up on you." Edwin grins at me in the rear view mirror.

"You cats are so going to eat my dust when we go hunting." I mutter.

"What you going to run away again?" Malcolm asks with an intense look.

"I don’t run away, I go where I can be alone so I can think without having anyone around." I mutter feeling bad that they feel I’ll run and I know I haven’t done anything to convince them otherwise.

"Want to go for pizza when we finish buying what you need?" Chris asks breaking the tense silence.

"Pizza isn’t my thing. There a good fish shop that cooks fish or does sushi," I glance his way with interest.

"Sushi?" There is disgust in Edwin’s voice.

"No, I like the prawn chips that sushi shops have."

"And caramel popcorn with nuts in it or peanut brittle," Edwin adds.

"And red apples straight from the tree, still warm and sweet from the sun." I add with a grin.

"And bacon," Chris adds.

"Yeah bacon is always good. And onions fried on the grill until they’re all soft and got those crispy bits through them." I say and feel my mouth begin to water. "Damn! Now I’m hungry again!"

The three toms chuckle softly and I smile in spite of myself, "Okay," I say, "enough torturing the stray."

"You’re not a stray you know, those tests … oooffff!" I slam my elbow hard into Malcolm’s ribs and he eyes me with displeasure, "What is it with you?" He demands.

"You’ve started to piss me off." I say levelly as I glare at him.

"Knock it off you pair!" Edwin orders from the front.

"Tell her she’s the one who’s deluded!" Malcolm growls. It’s too much for me and I swing my legs around and lift them onto the seat and start kicking Malcolm’s thigh, even as I do it I am aware of how much force I put into it and only aim to punish not maim.

"Ouch! Shit! Stop the fucking car! She’s gone nuts back here!" Malcolm howls as I put my feet to good use.

"Bloody hell!" Edwin swears as he brakes abruptly. I stop kicking Malcolm and turn around to sit in the seat properly.

"You might stop and think next time before pissing me off." I growl at Malcolm before half turning towards the window in my seat. Edwin slows right down and I know he’s glancing in the rear view mirror but I don’t look his way.

"Everything settled back there now?" he asks.

"Pull over, Chris can ride in the back with her," Malcolm declares angrily.

"What afraid you’ll catch fleas?" I ask sarcastically.

"I am not about to stay where you can kick the crap out of me when I can’t even slap you because you’re a she-kitt." Malcolm snaps angrily.

"Well if I’ve kicked that crap out of you what’s your problem?" I demand.

"No more kicking or hitting or I will stop, drag you out of my car and gaffa tape you to the roof," Edwin warns angrily.

"So shredding his fancy shirt is okay|? I ask with raised eyebrows.

"Rosy," Chris warns but I can hear the laughter in his voice.

"Ok, I’ll behave but I want ice cream." I announce. I can hear Chris smothering his laughter and a snort from Edwin.

"And you got to let us buy you heaps of stuff for kicking me!" Malcolm orders.

"I might consider one thing you like and that’s all." I tell him dryly.

"I thought all females where supposed to love shopping," Edwin comments.

"Oh I generally do but it’s your father’s money and I am sure there are strings attached to it." I say dryly.

"You know I’m not going to even try to explain how things work, because you’re going to believe what you want, or think the worst anyway." Edwin snaps angrily. I sit looking out the window for the rest of the drive, Edwin’s words making me wonder. Was I closing my mind simply because I didn’t want to see anything good in clan cats?

I look at the wealth of clothes laid out on the bed, clothes I had let the toms urge me into choosing. Though I must admit there were several pairs of jeans I had simply had to have, soft-brushed denim that would be sheer luxury to wear. I jump nervously at the loud knock on the door.

"Come on, hurry up," Timny calls and I grimace as I hear him head back to the lounge room. The toms want me to try the clothes on and show them. I glance at the half a dozen different tops, two pairs of cut offs and three pairs of jeans and shake my head deciding I’ll show them two outfits and that’s all. I quickly change into a pair of jeans and one of the tops before opening the door and heading for the lounge room.

"Now you look like someone cares about you," Edwin says in approval as I turn slowly to let the toms look at the outfit. I head back to the bedroom and change into the cut offs that come to just above my knees and a top that buttons down the front before heading back out to the lounge room.

"What about the other cut offs? I want to see them, my leg’s killing me." Malcolm complains. I frown at him, the other cut offs were his idea and as much as I would like to get out of trying them on he had been limping since getting out of the car. I head back to the bedroom and exchange the cut offs pulling the others on, they are much shorter but I like the way they feel on and head out to the lounge room once again.

"Nice," Edwin says in a low purr and I don’t miss the look in his eye. I sit on the lounge between Malcolm and Chris and Malcolm flinches when I swing my legs up onto the lounge but I rest my feet in his lap and grin at him.

"You can rub ointment into my feet since you made me hurt them on your leg." I tell him.

"You just want a foot rub." Malcolm chides but reaches for the ointment Doc had left while we were in town.

"I liked the other cut offs," The voice from the kitchen startles me and I gasp as I turn and look over the back of the lounge to see Steven leaning against one side of the doorframe while Micah is standing back a little way in the kitchen.

"They really hugged your butt," Steven grins. "I see you been letting the boys spoil you."

"We’re trying," Edwin says and I glance at him to find him watching me, "and Rosy is being pretty good about it. Aren’t you Rosy?"

"It was the prawn chips and ice cream." I say loftily even as a smile tickles at the corners of my lips.

"That reminds me Rosy, isn’t there something you got to take," Chris asks from beside me. I frown at him as I think about the amount of tablets I need to take to rid myself of any parasites I may have picked up eating fresh kills.

"A couple of you sit on her and I’ll shove the tablets down her throat, she tries to bite me and I’ll bloody well bite her back." Micah growls.

"I’m not sitting on her. My ribs and legs don’t need to be matching sets." Malcolm grumbles.

"Oh give me a glass of water or juice and I’ll take the damn tablets." I say and lie back on Chris’ lap and let Malcolm take my feet into his hands.

I know by the way he holds both feet he doesn’t trust me not to try to jump up and try to escape taking the tablets I have already admitted to hating. A large hand soon appears over the back of the lounge and I take the glass of juice and hold my other hand out for Edwin to put some of the tablets in, the first lot of tablets go down easy enough but when it comes to the rather large and foul tasting two to prevent tape worms I pull a face and try to sit up. Chris takes hold of my shoulders and refuses to let me sit up, I frown at him but tilt my head back and drop one of the tablets down the back of my throat and swallow desperately. The second one follows quickly on the heels of the first and I try to sit up, I am immediately helped up and I drain the glass of juice hurriedly.

"Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!" I shudder and grimace at the after taste still left in my mouth.

"Your feet are a mess," Malcolm remarks as he gently massages one foot.

"My shoes got wet and I didn’t stop to take them off or dry them out." I mutter as I lay back and enjoy the foot massage.

"They’ll be right once I shift," I pretend not to see the glance between Edwin and Malcolm and sigh as I close my eyes and relax. I hear both Steven and Micah come around into the lounge room and open my eyes for a few moments to see where they seat themselves before closing my eyes once again.

"How long has she been here? Did one of you catch her unaware," Micah asks

"She turned up just after dark last night," Edwin answers.

"She came back of her own free will," Micah queries sounding surprised. "Is she coming into heat? She’s not due until …" his voice trails off and I slap him in the back of the head hard.

"Hey," Micah growls angrily and glares at me.

"Mind your own business," I snap angrily.

"Maybe I consider it my business," Micah purrs at me. I eye him nervously, I don’t have Mitchell, Sam or even Dwayne to protect me and I feel very vulnerable as he eyes my prone body.

"You don’t have to look at me like that; you’re as safe as you want to be." Micah says when he meets my eyes. I turn my face away hurriedly and close my eyes as I lay with my face turned towards Chris’s body. Malcolm keeps massaging my feet and slowly my tension leaches away until I find myself starting to drift off to sleep.

"I suppose she’s got a full belly, and she is about to sleep it off, real little cat isn’t she." Micah comments.

"Oh bite me!" I mutter and I am shocked when my hand is lifted and I feel teeth bite the base of my thumb gently. I jerk my hand away and sit up wide-eyed only to find Micah is watching me with a huge grin.

"You did invite me to bite you." He tells me. I get to my feet and head for the bedrooms.

"Chris I’m going to lie down on your bed and have a sleep." I call back over my shoulder.

"I’m staying here," He calls back to me.

"Just letting you know I’m going into your room." I tell him before disappearing into the room. I soon find I am unable to go to sleep and after about half an hour I come out of the room and head for the outdoors.

"Hey! Where you going," Micah challenges as he gets to his feet.

"For a run," I answer without looking back at him.

"No shifting," He warns and starts after me, immediately I stop and swing around to face him.

"Are you trying to prevent me leaving if I decide to," I demand angrily.

"You haven’t seen your … toms yet." Micah chooses his words carefully as he makes his argument.

"Well stop trying to drive me away," I snap and turn away to head outside.

"Wait for us," Malcolm calls and I turn around angrily to face the quarters when I am nearly twenty yards from the door. I relax when Malcolm, Chris and Timny come out but no others.

"Where you going," Malcolm asks as he falls in step behind me.

"For a walk since I’m not allowed to shift." I mutter angrily.

"Don’t worry about Micah, he’s just happy that your back and he doesn’t want you disappearing again in a hurry." Chris says as he comes up on my other side.

"The way he was acting it wasn’t me running off that he had on his mind." I mutter to myself angrily.

"Oh come on, give Micah a chance. He liiiiikkkkkessss you." Timny says drawing out the word.

"Shall we change the subject before I get pissed off and shift," I demand.

"Would shifting involve take our clothes off?" Malcolm asks wriggling his eyebrows. I glare at him a moment before realising he is teasing me.

"You lot would have to turn your backs and close your eyes and keep them closed." I declare and resume walking.

"Where are we going?" I ask as we reach the tree line.

"You like swimming?" Chris asks.

"Yeah,"

"We got a neat swimming hole; you can strip down to your top and undies. We’ll keep our underwear on just for you." Malcolm tells me.

"Don’t worry I won’t ruin your arsehole image by telling anyone you can be sweet when you want to." I shoot back.

"Why thank you," Malcolm says with a laugh.

The swimming hole proves to be very good and I am soon having fun splashing with the toms forgetting to be self-conscious of the fact the water makes my top cling to my body or the fact that my shorts rest on the bank out of reach of the water. I scream and giggle as they splash me or pick me up and toss me into the air to fall in the water, I squeal and run for the shore only to let one of them catch me and drag me back to the deeper water where I get dunked or help two of them dunk the other. When I finally do climb out I sprawl flat on my back and lay in the dappled sun pleasantly exhausted, Chris comes out to sit beside me while the other two continue to muck around in the water.

"Seemed like you were having fun." Chris comments.

"Yeap," I say with a broad smile. He grins back at me and brushes my hair off my forehead. I feel my body start to tingle at the look in his eyes and look away from him.

"How long will they stay in there?" I ask.

"Either until they get hungry or one of our phones goes off." Chris says as he stretches out beside me. I glance at him and try to ignore the way my body starts to feel as I remember him touching me last night, I stare up at the wisps of clouds through the leaves and try to keep my breathing even.

"You’ve gone all quiet." I hear the trace of concern in his voice and realise he’s heard the way my heart has started beating faster.

I glance at him from the corner of my eye and he’s watching me closely and I look away hurriedly. I don’t want to notice how well muscled his shoulders are or the way they look all slick and smooth wet from the water, I feel my nipples tighten making my breasts ache strangely.

"What’s wrong?" Chris asks softly and I glance towards him nervously then look away at the others in the water. "Rosy?"

"I’m going back in the water." I say jumping up and rushing into the water.

"Back for more are you!" Malcolm laughs at me and grabs me by the waist, before I realise what he is about to do he has lifted me level with his shoulders. He tenses and I hear him sniff before he tosses me into the water.

"Go cool off," He laughs as I stand up spluttering. Timny splashes me and I squeal before splashing him back, several times I look to see where Chris is but he’s still sitting on the grass and I ignore him as I laugh and splash and play.

"Rosy seems to be having fun," I hear Chris say. I glance across at Chris to find he has stood and walked over to Malcolm who’s checking his phone, I hear Malcolm laugh softly and I look away as he glances my way.

"What the heck did you do to make her run back into the water?" Malcolm asks so quietly I almost can’t hear him.

"Nothing, she was fine one moment and the next she started getting agitated and ended up going back in the water." Chris says quietly. Malcolm starts laughing and I glance their way for a moment before turning my attention back to Timny in a hurry as he splashes me all up the back. I glance back towards the two toms on the bank and Timny catches me unaware dunking me as I look away from him, I come up coughing and choking while Timny grabs my arm and steadies me.

"Was she trying to catch a fish?" Chris laughs as both he and Malcolm join us in the water.

"Must have been." Timny says with a laugh. I splash at his chest and squeal as he splashes me back, I find myself thrown in the air by Malcolm and hold my breath before I hit the water.

I don’t notice when Timny leaves the water and when I do finally notice his absence I realise that both Timny and Malcolm have left the water and are well away from Chris and me.

"You look like you were having fun," Chris says easily and I glance at him with a smile.

"Yeah. It was lots of fun." I say happily.

I feel something catch at my top and glance down automatically, Chris has hold of my top and when I meet his eyes he moves closer. I lick my bottom lip nervously and then his mouth is on mine, brushing lightly over my mouth a moment before he lifts his head. I blink up at him for a few moments then he lowers his head and this time when his mouth closes over mine his tongue traces the seam of my lips before gently slipping into my mouth. I kiss him back enjoying the experience for a few minutes before he lifts his head, I push away from him and head for the bank. I can hear him following me and when I reach the grass he catches up with me in a hurry and pulls me to a stop, his mouth is much more demanding this time and I press against him as I slip my arms around his neck.

"Shouldn’t we stop Chris?" Timny’s question breaks into what is happening and I stiffen in Chris’s arms, turning my face away from his.

"No leave ‘em he won’t hurt her or do anything she doesn’t want him to do." I hear Malcolm answer quietly and I hear faint noises as they move away. I realise Chris has picked me up and is easing me down on to the grass on my back, I turn my face towards him startled but he smiles down at me and stretches out along side me. He strokes the side of my face gently for a moment before kissing me lightly and lifting his head to look down at me again.

"Not scared are you?" he asks softly.

"A bit … but …" I stop talking and bite my bottom lip and drop my gaze to his chest, "You didn’t hurt me when you touched me last night." I whisper nervously.

"O …k … so you were awake." Chris says softly.

"I didn’t know … I thought … I’d been …" I stammer nervously.

"You thought you were dreaming because it felt nice?" Chris guesses as he lowers his head to kiss my neck.

"Yeah," I say with a nervous gasp and jerk slightly as his hand finds my breast, the sensations are as I remembered them and I hold still as he unbuttons my top and pushes it aside to uncover my breasts. His lips move down my neck leaving a pleasant tingling in their wake while his hand brushes lightly over my ribs, I gasp and jerk as it moves lower and Chris lifts his head to kiss me.

We kiss for a while before he lifts his head and trails his lips down my neck, I gasp and arch into his mouth as it covers my breast and he begins sucking gently. The sensations he causes as he turns his attention from one breast to the other and alternates between sucking gently, biting gently and licking soon has me moving restlessly. The hand that trails across my thighs has me opening my legs and I tense as his fingers slip beneath one side of my underpants, I am totally unprepared for the intense sensations that surge where he touches and I gasp as I spread my legs wider and grab at his shoulders. Chris lifts his head and kisses me, I whimper into his mouth as his fingers explore my dewy folds as I move my hips against his hand.

I pull my mouth away from his and gasp for breath as the intensity of the sensations build. I whimper and turn my head to press my mouth against his shoulder. The strong feelings well up and something tightens down low in my stomach, I am only aware of the sensations coursing through my body and I whimper wanting something I can’t identify. Wave after wave of sensation bursts over me and I gasp as I close my thighs tightly on his hand, I whimper and allow him to push my thighs apart again as he continues to make the exquisite sensations bloom. When the last shudder of pleasure moves through me I open my eyes slowly and tense as Chris moves over me to lie between my thighs.

"No! No!" I cry in fright and push against his chest, he rolls away from me and I scramble into a sitting position.

"It’s alright Rosy, I’m stopping, I’ve stopped. I promise I won’t do anymore to you." Chris pants as he holds one hand out towards me in the universal signal for stop, I gasp as I pull my top closed trembling as I watch him.

"Chris! Time we headed back." Malcolm calls and I glance towards the direction where his voice came from but I see no sign of either him or Timny.

"Give me a minute!" Chris yells back and I look at him, he grins at me in a strained kind of way and takes a deep breath. "I’m not going to hurt you I promise, and we’d best get dressed."

I scramble backwards keeping a wary eye on him as I search with one hand for my clothes, as he pulls his jeans on over his jocks I realise he is still very aroused and yet he is not forcing himself on me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I try to control my fear.

"You alright Rosy?" I hear the concern in Chris’s voice and open my eyes to glance at him; I look away quickly but give a faint nod.

"You weren’t trying to hurt me." I state and my surprise is evident in my voice even to me.

"I enjoyed that as much as I hope you did, why would I want to hurt you?" Chris tells me softly. I stand up and pull my cut offs on before buttoning my top up; I glance at Chris and find him waiting for me.

"Come on, let’s go find the others." Chris says and leads the way towards the trees. As soon as we reach the trees Malcolm and Timny appear out of the shadows and I realise with embarrassment that they probably were where they could see and hear everything that had happened. I am surprised there are no dirty comments and other than a concerned glance from both of them they act like nothing unusual has happened.

As we walk I dart embarrassed glances at Chris and can’t help wondering what he thinks of me after I let him do that, a sick feeling begins to grow in my stomach. I’m sure we’ve just messed our friendship up and I grimace unhappily as I walk with my head down for a few moments.

"We’ll catch up in a minute." Chris says as he catches hold of my arm. I glance at him nervously and look away hurriedly when I see him watching me. Malcolm and Timny continue on without a word and I bite my bottom lip nervously as I wait for what Chris has to say.

"You okay Rosy? You don’t want to shred me for what happened?" Chris asks softly. I shake my head slightly as I glance at his face and glance away only he catches my chin in his fingers and tilts my face up to drop a quick kiss on my lips. I blink at him in surprise and he grins at me.

"Feel better now? I know I do." He tells me with a smile.

"Yeah," I say softly and let him take my hand. We soon catch up to the others and when I try to pull my hand free Chris looks at me with a raised eyebrow and keeps a firm hold on my hand until I stop trying to pull free. When we reach the tree line at the compound the three toms stop and Chris looks at me, I meet his eyes for a few seconds before dropping my eyes. He lifts his hand that holds mine, he gestures towards our entwined fingers.

"Are you alright with this?" he asks softly.

"What do you mean exactly?" I ask uncertainly.

"Not trying to hide what everyone is going to smell on us. Or if you prefer we can forget it happened and that’s the end of it?" Chris tells me quietly. I stand there not sure what to say, I glance at his face uncertainly before glancing away.

"Maybe you’d be better off letting her know what you want from her after what she let you do." Malcolm speaks up without turning our way.

"I’ll be happy with what you allow me to do when you let me. When you say stop I stop." Chris tells me evenly.

I hesitate a moment then nod. ‘Okay," I hang on to Chris’s hand as we all head towards the quarters and I scan the grounds nervously. I am very tense when we reach the quarter’s door and follow Chris inside, everyone is in the lounge room and Chris pauses in the doorway before glancing at me.

"Looks like Rosy is serious about sticking around until Sam and Mitchell get back." Edwin says and turns back to the game he’s playing on the x-box with Mikkarl.

I sit on the lounge with Chris still clinging to his hand, I hear Micah take a deep breath and glance his way to find him turning his head towards us slowly. His chair goes flying as he jumps to his feet before stamping from the room angrily, the door bangs with an ominous sound and several of the others turn to stare after him.

"What’s wrong with him?" Steven wonders out loud.

"That," Edwin says with a motion over his shoulder.

"I thought Micah liked Rosy." Robby sounds slightly confused.

"Yeah he does but obviously Rosy has decided she likes someone else. Isn’t that so Chris?" Edwin says dryly.

"What!" Steven sits up in his chair abruptly and looks at Chris and I. I fidget nervously and Chris squeezes my hand gently.

"It’s a wonder you didn’t try sneaking around and hiding what you done." Steven says looking at Chris.

"You can’t hide a smell that easy." Edwin remarks with a loud sniff.

Immediately Steven, Robby and Mikkarl sniff the air and Steven growls low in his throat, I tense as he gets to his feet but he leaves the room the same way Micah did and I glance sideways at Chris uncertainly. Chris releases my hand and puts his arm around my shoulders pulling firmly against his side; he rubs his chin on the top of my head and turns his attention to the game being played.

"Want to have a turn playing the game Rosy?" Edwin asks with a grin over his shoulder.

"No thanks." I say declining his offer.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully and it is just on dark before Steven and Micah return, supper is the usual noisy affair and I still am hesitant to get too close to the toms while they are dishing out their food. I fall asleep on the lounge afterwards and when Malcolm wakes me telling me to go to bed I refuse saying I want to stay on the lounge because I like the company when I sleep. I wake in Chris’s bed with his warmth wrapped around me; I sigh and yawn before easing out of his embrace and heading for the bathroom for a shower. The smell of cooking food has me heading towards the kitchen and I hesitate in the doorway when I see its Micah and Steven at the stove.

"Hungry?" Micah asks without turning around.

"Yeah," I answer.

"Help yourself then," Micah says, "I don’t bite unless invited." I frown as I hear Steven swallow a laugh but decide to eat instead of argue, I move to stand near the counter and look at the wide range of food cooking.

"Pancakes," I breathe with satisfaction and reach for one. Micah picks up a jar of honey and trickles it onto the pancake I hold and I grin with satisfaction as I lift it to my lips, I am on my third pancake before I realise that all three of us are picking up pancakes from the same plate and eating them. I glance at Steven who is picking up a pancake and he grins at me as he stuffs it into his mouth.

"Figured you’d become civilized after a while." Micah says evenly.

I stuff the pancake in my mouth to stop an angry comment about being civilized. When I’ve had my fill of pancakes I take a piece of crispy bacon and nibble on it as I watch the two toms finish cooking the sausages and scrambled eggs to go with the pancakes and bacon. I check that the coffee is ready before getting myself a glass of juice from the fridge and sitting at the table.

"Should have known you’d be out here where the food is." Chris says with a grin as he comes into the kitchen.

"You missed all the fun, Steven there is lucky he didn’t loose a hand." Micah says with a laugh.

"What happened?" Mikkarl asks as he walks into the room with the rest of the toms.

"Rosy caught Steven eating off the same plate as her." Micah explains.

"I thought she was going to crush my wrist yesterday morning when I touched something on her plate. What did she do to you?" Mikkarl asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Went all civilized and just looked at me." Steven laughs and glances at me, I poke my tongue out at him and ignore the laughter that causes.

"Remember Rosy did give you her last bite of food Mikkarl." Edwin cuts in.

"Ok, so I’m a civilized stray. Big deal," I mutter.

"Don’t be so hard on yourself. It makes it much nicer to be around you." Chris says bluntly. The conversation gets changed to other topics as everyone sits down and helps themselves to breakfast, Chris offers me a piece of extra crisp bacon and I grin before nibbling slowly on it enjoying the salty flavour and crunchy texture.

"There any good fishing places around here? Maybe with an overhanging bank?" I ask curiously.

"Remember we agreed no shifting," Micah says calmly and evenly.

"I remember no such thing, I only remember some overbearing male chauvinistic pig ordering me not to shift." I say just as calmly as I look at him where he sits directly across the table from me.

"What did you just call me?" Micah asks tightly in the sudden silence.

"Sounds like you think the description fit," I say and snap the piece of bacon with my teeth.

"Rosy, Micah is the dominant tom. You do not speak to him like that." Chris warns sternly.

"So it’s okay to think it and believe it just not say it?" I ask as I look straight at Micah.

"Just because you’re a she-kitt do not think you will not be put in your place." Micah warns in a hard voice.

"I don’t need to shift to catch fish," I say dryly, "fishing pole, net, trap or even bare hands. It’s easy if you know how."

Micah growls low in his throat as he gets to his feet, I realise I have been glaring at him and hurriedly drop my gaze and lower my head in submission. In the past when I have felt threatened I had always acted aggressively in return.

"Do not try to stare me down. It will get you no where." Micah warns coldly. Sounds outside catch my attention and I look towards the hallway, boots crunch on the gravel outside for a few moments before the screen door opens.

"Shit she’s got good hearing," Robby whispers. Wade walks into the room and glances around everyone at the table, he nods as if to himself.

"Jazzy and Donny will be spending the day here." Wade announces, "Micah and Edwin, you two look out for your sister."

"Great," Micah mutters to himself and Wade looks his way with a frown.

"Is there a problem I should know about Micah?" Wade asks.

"No there’s no problem Boss, I’ll see to it." Micah says and by the tone in his voice I know he has looked my way.

"Good morning Rosy, I’m glad to see you’re looking much more … rested today." Wade says tactfully, "Sam’s team should arrive home shortly before dark."

"Thank you Wade," I say evenly. I am becoming more used to him and although I still find him very intimidating I am getting more confident around him, as long as he doesn’t appear by surprise.

"Can I have a word with you outside?" Micah directs his question to his father and Alpha.

"Sure," Wade agrees and they walk out of the building.

"Rosy, look at me for a moment." Edwin sounds very serious and I glance his way, his dark eyes hold my attention. "Now this is very serious Rosy. You have to be really good around Donny and Jazzy no matter how much they annoy you …"

"I like Donovan," I cut in.

"That’s good," Edwin smiles at me, "but you have to be nice to Jazzy as well. Even if she makes you mad with her … "

"Because she-kitts are special." I say.

"Exactly," Edwin says seriously and I nod, "Jazzy is little more then a kid and there is no way you are to shift while they are here understand?"

"Why?" I ask curiously.

"Because I forbid it." Micah says from the doorway. I look his way and nod my acknowledgement of his order.

"Promise you’ll try to be on your best behaviour?" Edwin asks levelly.

"I promise to be nice to them and I promise not to hurt either of them." I say as I meet Micah’s gaze and he nods. For some reason they seem to need my reassurance even though I never had any intentions of hurting either of them.

"Exactly," Edwin says softly, almost on a sigh of relief.

"Let’s get this place cleaned up before they get here." Micah commands and even I get to my feet to help. I am putting the cushions back on the lounge after dusting off all the crumbs from the previous night when I hear running footsteps and then the screen door bang, I turn around in time to see Donovan run into the room ahead of his sister before he grabs me around the waist and hugs me.

"I’m so glad you came back Rosy! I haven’t got to go hunting with you yet!" Donovan exclaims and leans back to look up at me, not that there is much difference in our height.

"Hallo Rosy, I bought my hair brush and hair bands so I can do your hair up for you." Jazzy says shyly.

"Hallo Jazzy, Donovan. Can I do your hair when you finish mine?" I ask as I smile at her, already I like her.

"Mum’s already done it but you can do it again." she offers seriously. We end up sitting in the lounge room, me on the floor with Jazzy perched on the lounge behind me while Donovan settles down to a game on the x-box with Edwin while all the other toms gather around, Micah on one side of Jazzy and Steven on the other while Chris stretches out near me.

As time passes I am surprised to find Jazzy is older than the twelve or thirteen I had first thought her to be, she is eighteen but had suffered from an early childhood ailment that had seen her fail to grow as she should have. But now she is recovered and is starting to catch up with her age group. She had asked me once to shift so she could see my spots but Micah had immediately cut in saying I wasn’t some play toy and not to bother me about shifting. Lunch is thick sandwiches made by several of the toms and I lay on my back waiting for Jazzy to take her pick of my sandwiches with my plate sitting on my stomach when her plate of sandwiches holds no appeal.

"Daddy said we got to be careful because you’re a bit feral." Jazzy tells me levelly.

"Yeah, I probably am." I admit easily.

"Mom said you didn’t know Sam and Mitchell are your brothers because you got stolen by a human father." Jazzy says innocently sparking my temper.

"I don’t have any brothers, I’m a stray." My voice is hard.

"Rosy!" Micah’s warning growl is hard as he gets to his feet.

"And my father didn’t steal me he raised me as best he could by himself. I know we didn’t have a lot at times but I never went hungry and I never wanted for love and affection or attention, he always put me first no matter what!" I snap and turn my face away from her but find several of the toms watching me so I cover my face with both arms but stay on the floor where Jazzy is using me as her table.

"I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or angry." Jazzy says and I feel her pat my shoulder gently.

"Don’t worry about it," I say brushing her concern off.

"I’m sorry." Jazzy insists and I move my arms to look at her, she looks totally dejected.

"You didn’t make me angry." I whisper to her and she looks at me, "It was your big brother growling at me. I hate getting growled at it makes me growl back."

Jazzy laughs clapping her hands over her mouth and I hear Micah snort.

"That’d be right, make me out to be the bad guy." he grumbles and Jazzy laughs again. I watch as she continues to pick at my lunch until only several small crusts are left on the plate, all the other sandwiches have been eaten but I am content to just be allowed to interact with Jazzy and Donovan. Soon Jazzy lays down using my shoulder as a pillow and Donovan moves to use my stomach as a pillow, I lay there with my eyes closed and have nearly drifted off to sleep when the screen door bangs and boots stomp noisily into the quarters.

"You are back," Micah sounds slightly surprised and I frown as I open my eyes.

"Yeah we finished up quicker than we thought we would." Sam’s voice has me turning my head to look towards the doorway but I can’t see anything because the lounge is in the way and I can’t move because of Jazzy and Donovan who are asleep.

"You better come around here," Steven says from above my head and I turn my face towards the place they will walk into my sight.

"Something wrong?" Sam asks.

"Mikkarl and I caught a trespasser two nights back, made it to only half a mile from the main house." Robby says sounding stern.

"Shit!" Mitchell says and I nearly wriggle with excitement. He leads the way into the lounge room but doesn’t notice me at first, it’s Sam who spots me first and he grins widely as he elbows Mitchell.

"Look on the floor." Sam says.

"Rosy!" Mitchell exclaims with excitement, "Did you come back by yourself?"

"Yeah," I say and glance past them at Dwayne and Justin before looking back at Mitchell and Sam, "It’s great to see you again!"

"Donny, wake up. Jazzy come on wake up kiddo, you need to let Rosy get up." Micah says as he moves to touch Donovan’s shoulder and lift Jazzy and put her on the lounge.

I get to my feet in a hurry and run to give Mitchell a huge hug before turning to Sam for a hug, I give Dwayne a hug and grin at Justin who grins back and startles me with a hug as well.

"I see you’ve been getting to know Donny and Jazzy." Sam comments.

"Rosy’s great," Jazzy declares and I grin at her.

"We’ve been doing girl stuff while Donovan played silly old boy games." I say with a laugh and glance between Mitchell and Sam.

"Well I don’t know about anyone else but I could do with a decent cup of coffee," Sam announces as he heads for the kitchen. I sit on the lounge with Jazzy while most of the toms head to the kitchen, Donovan returns shortly with a drink for him and Jazzy and I grin when Chris comes back with a glass of juice for me. He sits on the arm of the lounge beside me and remains there when all the others return. Mitchell returns and goes to sit on the floor against my legs between Chris’s legs and me, he pushes at Chris’s legs.

"Move." Mitchell orders.

"No you move," Chris tells him in a firm voice.

"So what’s everyone been up to?" Sam asks as he stretches out in a chair not far from the lounge then grins at me, "Besides coming to visit."

"Well Chris has been doing your sister." Micah announces as if discussing the weather.

Sam snarls as he gets to his feet and points at Chris. "You outside now!"

"Yeah!" Mitchell snarls as well as he stands over Chris. Chris stands up making Mitchell who is smaller step back; he glances from Sam to Mitchell and back again before glancing down at me.

"I’ll be back shortly," he tells me before heading outside.

"Leave him alone!" I protest as I get to my feet but Steven grabs me and prevents me from following the three toms outside, I turn on him but he shoves me so I fall back into my spot on the lounge.

"Don’t be nasty to Rosy!" Jazzy admonishes Steven as she takes hold of my hand.

"Let Chris sort this out himself," Malcolm tells me as I look towards the hallway worriedly.

"Did you get to kick any stray’s butts?" Donovan asks Justin.

"We mainly patrolled the border but we did chase a stray for a couple of hours before he headed back into no-mans land." Justin says proudly.

"Justin done real well." Dwayne says. I hear several dull thuds from outside and get to my feet but Steven stands up and I sit back down reluctantly.

"Stay," Micah orders firmly. I glare at him where he stands near the doorway with his arms crossed across his chest and he grins back at me. I turn my face away from him and notice that our arguing is upsetting Jazzy I sit back down, put my hand on hers and she grips my hand tightly.

"We came across four new strays, a couple of older strays had told them enough for them to be able to blend into human society." Dwayne remarks.

"Do you know who these older strays are?" Micah wants to know. I look towards the door worriedly as I hear the screen door open and footsteps head inside. I am relieved when all three toms come into the room with no signs of injuries and Chris resumes his seat on the arm of the lounge but lets Mitchell sit against my legs.

"You and I are going to have a serious talk later Rosy." Sam tells me sternly. I turn my face away from him without responding and glance down at Mitchell where he has propped an arm across my knees to lean on me.

The screen door bangs again and I jump nervously making both Chris and Mitchell glance at me, I hear the faint sounds of footsteps and look towards the door.

"You’re back early. Donovan, Jazzy come on let’s go back home." Wade says.

"But Daddy!" Jazzy protests, "I want to stay here with Rosy! The boys are being mean to her!"

"I’m sure Rosy can take care of herself, now come on before your mother comes down here to drag you home herself." Wade tells her. Donovan and Jazzy get to their feet reluctantly and follow their father from the room. I listen intently to be sure Wade has left before I relax totally once again.

"You’re really doing much better Rosy!" Sam says warmly.

"Rosy is a lot better with food as well aren’t you?" Micah smiles at me. I shrug and look away but their remarks make me feel happy just knowing they understand it isn’t always easy for me.

"Since we’re all here how about we go on a hunt for tea?" Micah asks.

"Do I get to go this time as well?" Justin asks.

"Yeah, your one of us now." Edwin tells him.

"If we leave now we can take our time." Steven says standing up and pulling his shirt off over his head.

Several others get to their feet and follow his lead and faced with the choice of both staying here and being surrounded by naked toms or changing elsewhere I opt to hurry to Chris and Malcolm’s room. I leave the door slightly ajar and quickly strip my clothes off, shifting only takes the usual moment and I have plenty of time to stretch and flex my claws before I nose the door open and head back towards the others.

Steven and Edwin are finished changing and I give a slight snort before heading outside, I sniff around the quarters with interest noting the different scents as I go. The screen door bangs several times and I lift my head to glance towards it, I recognise Mitchell as one of the cats and bound over to greet him. Chris rubs his head against my shoulder and I purr as I turn to rub against him, I glance at the doorway as more cats emerge and I step forward to greet Micah. He goes to lick my neck and I remember the last time we ran together and hiss at him as I move away from him, the small cat just behind him catches my attention and I move towards Justin with a purr. I allow him to rub himself up and down both my sides before stepping away to greet Sam, everyone is here now and we all twine in among each other before Micah roars and opens his mouth baring his teeth in a wide yawn.

We all look at him and I hiss uneasily before moving to put as many of the toms between us as possible. Micah leads off towards the tree line at a trot and I fall in with the others, I move alongside Chris and match my pace to his. When Micah changes to a lope I give a few high leaps before taking off after the others, Justin gives me a nervous look but I pass him by without worrying about him as I move through the clan to run level with Mitchell and Edwin. I listen intently to the sounds around me and when I hear the tell tale rustle of a mouse I don’t even break stride as I snatch it up chewing it once before swallowing. Several more mice follow the first but all they do is serve to welt my appetite and I am keen to begin the hunt for real.

We pause at a stream to lap water and I watch small fingerlings swim away hurriedly, there are several frogs singing near by but I ignore them as I lift my head and survey the stream for possible fishing places. Soon we are travelling again and I find myself just behind Micah with everyone else behind me, I glance over my shoulder several times but none of them appear threatening and I continue on at the same steady pace. We stop when we come to a tall fence and a locked gate; I look away when Timny shifts back and retrieves as key from a hidden compartment to unlock the gate. I refuse to follow the others through the gate until Timny shows me what is virtually a were cat door in the gate that opens only outwards. I hesitate several moments then race through as if I expect the gate to crash closed on me.

"This is a specially stocked pasture for when we want to be sure of a kill," Timny explains before shifting back to cat form.

I sniff the ground with interest surprised to find the scent of cattle and goats along the inside of the fence. Micah leads the way along the fence and I look around with interest, brush grows thickly near the fence on both sides and I sniff at it as I go past to tell what has passed here recently. Micah stops at the edge of the undergrowth and looks out onto a large field, I stare out at the small herds of cattle and goats. None of them have horns and none of the cattle have calves at foot, all are fat and shiny and my tail twitches as I look at them. As I watch the toms start peeling off in groups, Steven, Mikkarl and Timny go in one group. Malcolm, Chris and Robby in another, while Justin, Micah, Edwin and Dwayne slink off together leaving me with Mitchell and Sam.

Sam nudges my shoulder and I follow him and Mitchell along the tree line closer to the herd of cattle I watch as Sam and Mitchell drop down to stalk closer to their chosen beast. I look around and see all the others following suit before I drop to my stomach and creep closer, we are nearly on the herd before I hear the heavy tread and freeze. A deep low bellow sounds and I press my ears back against my skull as I recognise the sound of a bull calling to a female, I press myself to the ground. Sam and Mitchell are suddenly with me and I need no urging to retreat from the herd, I feel the breeze ruffling my fur and I cut across the breeze so it doesn’t take my scent to the cattle.

A couple of the cattle call replying to the bull and I pause to lift my head and look back at the herd, the bull is a large brindle brute and I hurry to slink closer to the tree line. The bull gives an angry snort and I turn to see what has distracted him from the cattle, two black cats are fleeing from the vicinity of the bull while two others stand their ground as the bull advances towards them pawing the ground and snorting. Huge chunks of dirt fly back over his shoulders and I jump startled as Sam races towards the two cats standing their ground.