Jaimee S. Ghost's Blog
December 20, 2019
A free Christmas short!
So, with the Christmas season finally getting me into the spirit, I figured why not take a trip a few years into the future with some boys from the Dark Side of the Moon series. This shortie is from Christian's POV, and gives us a sneak peak at what to expect a little bit further down the line. Christian is a little grumpy...But I love him nonetheless. Enjoy!
THE SENTINEL
“Christian, stop glaring at your dinner. Your eye is twitching.”
My cousins all laughed and I sat up straighter in my seat. I was pretending that my raw steak was the live animal, grazing in the grass and unknowing of my stare. Unknowing that it was my prey. My instincts were getting a little out of my control since I was sixteen, soon to be seventeen, and going through werecat puberty. I hadn’t reached the age of full maturity yet, which was nineteen, but it was coming soon. That, according to my dad, was even worse than the puberty stage.
My mom shook her head at me but continued talking to my aunt about some TV show that they watched together. Everyone else seemed to be into their own conversations as well, my younger cousins secretly throwing peas at each other that they refused to eat. It was Christmas. Dinner was always a chaotic ordeal in our home but on Christmas even more so. Everyone felt the need to be at our house--the Alpha's house--at all times meaning it was always loud, busy, and crowded.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I did wonder what it would be like to have a quiet house, though. Sometimes the noise and the parties would last well into the night and while I was used to it, a guy needed a break. Or maybe it was the puberty hormones.
Sighing, I picked up my fork and took a bite of the raw steak, my canines lowering. Cats liked their food raw and juicy, thanks, not cooked dry like the wolves. I felt someone’s eyes on me and looked toward my dad. His gaze was too strong to hold most times. I could only look at him for so long without feeling like peeing my pants. He was a scary dude, and not just because he was alpha, either. Well, maybe that was mostly it. But I felt like even if he wasn’t, he’d be someone I didn’t want to fuck with.
You’re eating like an animal, he mouthed to me. Use your knife.
Two scoldings in one day. My anger spiked, nostrils flaring, but I shoved it deep, deep down below my stomach. My father took no back talk, no disrespect. I’d find myself a cold and lonely kitty out in the streets before my father would allow his rule over his pride to be disrespected.
I picked up my knife like a good boy without saying a word.
“What’s eating you, Chris?” My cousin Ansel said. He was sitting on my left. “You look grumpy.” Ansel was growing up to be a nice cat, tall and strong for a fourteen year old. He wasn’t taller than me, but he certainly had to be taller than a few other people in his classes. His voice had been starting to get deeper, however, and the lisp he had as a child was starting to sound more and more ridiculous. My name always came out sounding like Chrith.
“I’m tired,” I said shortly. I wasn’t really a guy of many words. When I was a kid, I remembered talking everyone’s ears off, but one day my dad lost his temper on a bad day and roared for me to shut the fuck up! Ever since then, I made sure to say as little as possible. Didn’t want to upset dear old dad. Or anyone else for that matter.
“Eh, I don’t think that’s it. You’re a horrible liar.”
“And you’re a horrible talker but no one says anything about that, do they?”
Dammit. Ansel scowled at me and turned his shoulder, choosing instead to speak to one of his sisters. I felt like a dick; it was Christmas after all. But at this particular time I did not care. Ansel was probably the closest thing I had to a brother in this family since my parents (shockingly) did not create anymore kids. He was also probably the closest thing I had to a friend--I didn’t get along with very many people, and so few of them were shifters that it made it incredibly difficult to engage in conversation without exposing us. I should definitely be more nice to him...but he also knew me better than almost anyone.
I finished my steak and the potatoes and peas, took the plate to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher. My family got a little extreme around Christmas, decorating every single room with lights and garland. The kitchen was no different. I turned and left, intending to go to my room when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and saw Cypher’s coded name on the screen--Creature. He’d texted me.
I swiped the message open and saw that it was a meme. I grinned, because the thing was fucking ridiculous, and texted back, 'Omg.'
Strangely, Cypher was one of the people that I managed to get along with best. We hadn’t seen very much of each other as kids, but when we did it had been awesome. He was five years younger than me, making him eleven. That was exactly why he had a code name. If anyone found out that I was texting the eleven year-old heir to the Woodall throne (maybe?) they would think I was a total weirdo.
Instead of going up to my room, I snuck out of the door that led to the garage, stepping carefully over what seemed like thousands of shoes, then out the garage door into the night. The Woodall home wasn't far, a quick run. I took a deep breath and let my cat, the leopard, free. We ran in the shadows, through the cedar and oak trees on the familiar path that would lead toward Cypher.
Cypher. What a stupid name. Creature was more fitting.
When I started to get close, I could see the lights of their secluded home through the foliage. Their home was huge but a bit smaller than ours. They didn’t have as much family living in the home as we did. Cypher’s room was the third floor, the attic, which he shared with his cousin Brandon, or better known as Buffy. The space was certainly big enough for two preteen boys.
I had a tree that I liked to perch on. Cats liked being high up. As my leopard, I scaled the solid, firm oak tree and found my branch. There was a raccoon on it. I hissed at it, huge fangs flashing, and the thing had the nerve to take a swipe at me with a claw. It missed, and I sank low to the branch in pounce position, fangs still flaring, and growled menacingly. The raccoon finally submitted and left to go find somewhere else to nap.
I shifted back and luckily my clothes stayed on. Thank the Moon for that. It was chilly out with it being December and all. My body ran hotter than most, so they were all I needed to stay warm. I pulled my knees up to my chest, my back against the trunk of the tree and waited.
Downstairs in their living room, I could see through the enormous bay windows that the Woodall Christmas tree was up and twinkling. It was a real tree, that was easy to tell, and was covered in red, green, and gold lights. Ornaments. Candy canes. All the presents underneath had been opened already--there was only the shredded paper left.
I could see Mr. Aden’s arms swinging wildly, the mug in his hand sloshing a bit as he animatedly told a story to the wolves in their den as they sat on the couch and on the floor. Mr. Wyatt laughed raucously, as did the others whose names I wasn’t sure of. A woman--Buffy’s mom--and Mr. Brandon held onto each other as they laughed. Miss Miranda was hitting Mr. Kyle on the leg as she laughed and it seemed to be painful seeing as he swatted her hand away.
I didn’t see Cypher until he raced up the stairs, Buffy hot on his tail. They had boxes in their hands--some sort of handheld game. They got the exact same one. They came crashing into their room and launched themselves onto Buffy’s bed. They took the games out of the boxes and started figuring out how to play.
Something in my chest sighed upon seeing Cypher. Every time. Just--a collapse of breath. It felt like...relief. My mind and my body settled.
He’d had a good Christmas. His face was alight with the joy that I’d seen on my cousins’. With there being so many kids in the family, I wasn’t given a gift; money was spent instead on the younger kids. When I was thirteen, sure it had stung. But I was used to it now.
Cy used his tiny feet to push Buffy off the bed for some reason. I chuckled a bit at that--he was such a little shit. Buffy got up, red-faced and angry and Cypher just laughed away. They played their game and I watched them and their family until the house eventually went quiet. Everyone went into their prospective rooms. Mr. Aden had slumped over and fell asleep on Mr. Wyatt in the den. Buffy’s mom and dad put their youngest baby to bed then closed their blinds and another guy I didn’t know turned off the remaining lights in the house. Cypher and Buffy stayed up well into the night. Eventually, my phone buzzed, then buzzed again as I checked the first message.
The first one was my mom. 'Are you playing sentinel?'
I typed a quick reply. 'Be home soon.' She knew I was lying, but she didn’t comment on it. 'Be safe.'
The second message was from Cy. I hadn’t even noticed he’d picked up his phone. 'Dude. U hav to get a Nintendo 3DS. Its so fun!!!!!!!!!'
I wanted to reply something stupid like “looks like it” but then Cypher would know that I was watching him and that...could not happen. He couldn’t know how fucking weird I was. He’d probably tell other people then I would be known as the town peeping tom or something. But also...These moments were private for me. They kept me calm. How did you tell someone that you wanted to watch them outside their window for extended periods of time and not sound like a fucking idiot? What were they supposed to say? 'Oh yeah, dude, perfectly fine. You just keep doing that.' Not creepy at all.
I texted him back: 'I’m good. Not a video game person.'
'U should be!!! So we can play!!!!'
I didn’t respond to that. I saw that he had (finally) put his pajamas on and was in bed fighting sleep to text with me. He needed his rest--Christmas was totally draining. He’d have plenty of time to text me tomorrow and he probably would.
I kept watch over the house long after everyone slept. The raccoon tried to make a reappearance and I shooed it off again. Eventually, I settled into a doze myself and when my ear started twitching at the sound of the birds, I knew it was almost morning. Opening my eyes, I saw the sky taking on a slightly lighter shade of blue. The sun would be up soon. I listened closely to make sure no one else was around before shifting back to leopard form and descending from the tree. I loped back home, sneaking back in the way I came. Shifted again, I checked my phone and saw it was five-thirty AM. My aunts Sierra and Leah were in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating breakfast in the nude. Couldn't get past them unnoticed. They only glanced at me as I walked through the kitchen to the stairs. I took a pee then collapsed in my bed in my room that I shared with Ansel and Bee. Ansel cracked an eye when I settled under the covers, but went right back to sleep.
I rested well knowing that Cypher was happy and safe.
~
I slept on my back. This, unfortunately, meant that when I first opened my eyes in the morning, it was to some unusual sights (seeing as I shared a room with two other teenage boys). The unusual sight this morning was my father.
He sat on my side, arms crossed and staring at me. I admit that it made me uneasy, but I rubbed my eyes as I struggled to sit up straighter to greet him properly. “Good morning.”
“It’s two PM.”
My eyes widened. I had missed our morning run. I completely forgot all about it, distracted by my mood and by Cypher. Shit. “I’m sorry.”
As I awaited my punishment, my father continued to stare at me. I held his gaze for as long as I could, but eventually I looked down to the plain blue comforter. His hand landed gently on my shoulder. “It’s okay, son. It’s the day after Christmas. We ran yesterday morning--I’ll let you relax today.” I sighed in relief.
“Won’t happen again.”
“Why do you stay out all night?” He asked, his golden hair shifting as his head tilted to the side.
I licked my lips. Part of me was afraid to tell him a lie because maybe my mother had told him and he was testing me. But if he truly didn’t know already, I didn’t want him to. My mom knowing was embarrassing enough.
Something in me was terrified to lie to my alpha, though.
“I watch over Cypher.”
“Cypher?” He was confused.
“Cypher Woodall.”
His eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “You’re at the Woodall’s house all night long?”
“No, no. I sit outside. I...I watch.” I licked my lips again.
My father squinted at me, silent for a moment. “Why?”
Why. What an excellent question. One that I had the most pathetic answer to. “I don’t...know.”
“You don’t know.” He was getting agitated now.
“I--.”
“Are you spying on them?”
What? “No!”
“Then what reason do you have to be over there?”
“I just...It...It’s just a feeling. Sometimes I need to do it. It calms me down.”
Something darkened in my father’s eyes then. He didn’t comment further on it. “How have you been feeling?”
“Like shit.” Whoops. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. I’m sure you do. You’ve been acting a little feral, like you’re in the wrong skin when you’re like this.” He nodded at me, gesturing to reference my humanness.
I nodded. “It’ll sort itself out soon. Try to keep that temper in check. You’re scaring the babies.”
The babies, to my adult family members, meant anyone in the family below the age of ten. “I’ll try.”
“And...try not to go over there so much anymore. If Wyatt catches you watching, I’m not sure how he’ll respond. We’re on good terms but it can tilt either way at the drop of a hat, yeah?”
I nodded again. He ruffled my bedhead and left without another word. What a nice morning chat with my dad.
I got up and showered quickly. We shared a bathroom with my other set of cousins and luckily it wasn’t occupied, but we always left the doors open anyways in case someone needed to use the restroom. Modesty was not a cat trait. Neither was having boundaries. I put on a t-shirt and gray joggers that were fading from being washed so many times. Barefoot, I headed downstairs for some food.
Everyone was up and about. Absently, I fixed myself some breakfast as I moved around the limbs and bodies of my family. The leopard in me begged for another raw steak but I denied it for cooked eggs and bacon instead. Lots of it. I was pretty sure I cooked the entire dozen of eggs and half a pig’s worth of bacon. I sat at the kitchen table, alone surprisingly, and tapped around on social media sites on my phone until I felt someone sit next to me. The other parent. She gave me a toothless smile and nudged me with her elbow.
“How was your watch last night?”
Her easy smile made me want to return it, so I did. Kind of. “He got a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas.”
She laughed. The thing about my mom was, when she laughed, she always threw her head back and her hair cascaded around her shoulders to her back. She rested her cheek on a fist propped up by her elbow. “And he was delighted by that I’m sure.”
I nodded then shoved a bunch of eggs in mouth and washed it down with milk. The glass was nearly empty and I had just poured it. Someone I didn’t see set the gallon jug of it on the table beside me. I grumbled a thanks to whoever it was and poured up another glass.
“You should invite him to game night with us one night.”
I chewed my bacon and looked at her strangely. “Why would I do that?”
“Because he’s your friend, silly.” She booped me on the nose. I twitched it.
“I have no friends.”
“Bullshit.” I glared at her. “Stop being so prickly and maybe you’d have more. Invite him to hang out with us sometimes. No one cares that he’s eleven, Chris. We just want to see you happy.”
I swallowed a piece of bacon whole. “They’ll think I’m weird, mom.”
“No more than they already think you are.” She shrugged. “We’re people who can turn into giant cats. What’s weirder than that?”
Well… “Do you think Mr. Wyatt will be okay with it?”
She looked up to the ceiling in thought. “Hm...You never know with him. But I’d like to think that he would be okay with it since Cypher is the same age as Bee. It should be fine, honey. And we’ll be here. Tell him to come by tonight. I’ll tell everyone it’s game night.”
I sighed. “Okay, mom. I’ll ask.”
“Good.” She kissed me on the side of the head. “I’m going to go relax with your aunts. See ya later.”
I had never been the one to text Cypher first, but after building some courage to have a social interaction, I typed out the text. 'Game night tonight. Wanna come?'
'Omg that sound so fun!!!!! Lemme ask Dad!!!'
I waited a few moments, put the plate in the dishwasher. It would need to be turned on soon since it was full.
The phone started ringing. Like, actually ringing. As in, a phone call. I panicked.
“H-hello?”
“Christian?” It was Mr. Wyatt. Fuck! He was an alpha too, and I was still something of a cub. His voice made me nervous. I fled the kitchen in a hurry, searching for one of my parents, tripping over my own legs. My mom was on her way up the stairs. “Hello? Christian?”
“One second!”
I grabbed my mom’s hand before she could get too far away. She looked at me, eyes wide as I thrust the phone into her hands. She took it, answering, “Hello?”
I heard Mr. Wyatt’s voice. “Fiona? This is Christian’s phone, right?”
“Yes, he...gets a little panicked about phone calls. What’s up?”
“I hear there is a game night happening that Cy is invited to.”
“Oh, yes! We’d be happy to have him and the other young whelps join us.” I only wanted Cy to come, but that was beside the point.
"You'll all stay decent around my boys?"
Mom laughed. "Of course!"
“Well, alright. I’ll talk to Aden. We’ll drop him and Buffy off. What time?”
My mom gave him the details then ended the call, pressing the red button on the screen. “There. Was that so hard?”
“So he’s coming?”
“Yes, dear.”
This time I couldn’t even hide the smile.
~
“DUDE! You totally cheated!”
I growled in my chest. “I did not!”
Cypher, red in the face, pointed at the game board. “You cannot move that many spaces! It’s illegal!”
“It’s not illegal, it’s against the rules!”
“So you admit it!” He was standing on his pillow now, his finger thrust in my face. “You are a perpetrator!”
“Do you even know what that means?”
He found a pillow and chucked me in the head. I fell over, laughing and he and Buffy started to attack me with pillows. Eventually Ansel and Bee, the only other cousins allowed to play with us in the sitting room, started hitting me as well. After a few moments, everyone tired themselves out and collapsed in a pile breathing heavily, the game pieces forgotten.
“Chris is a perpetrator,” Cy announced.
“You don’t even know what that means!”
“Chris, you totally cheated, dude.” Ansel punched me in the arm. I punched him back, then he punched me again and we ended up wrestling which of course ended up with me having him in a chokehold.
“Say you give,” I told him.
“Never!” I tightened the chokehold as he laughed and Bee crept closer, his hands up, fingers crooked and splayed.
“Last chance. Say you give.” It was a common game we played. My cousins liked to start wrestling me because I was so much bigger than them and they liked the challenge. I’d have them pinned in a position while another cousin crept closer, ready to tickle should my victim refuse to “give.”
“I don’t give, you oversized Hello Kitty,” Ansel said through clenched teeth.
“Bee, get him!” Bee pounced and proceeded to tickle the everloving fuck out of Ansel as I held him tight, but not tight enough to actually hurt him. After squirming like a fish out of water and screeching like a hyena, he finally yelled, “I give! I GIVE, Chris!”
Bee and I let him go and he rearranged his clothes, fixing himself up after that humiliating takedown. “I hate you guys!”
“I don’t think you mean that,” Cy said, grinning. Something I hadn’t noticed before this moment--he had a small gap between his two front teeth.
We went back to playing games, a different one this time. Cypher won and did a victory lap around the room while Buffy tried to trip him. It was adorable.
Eventually we settled and watched a movie. My mom and aunt brought us hot cocoa and we lounged, mostly on the floor, all of us touching in some way as was the way of shifters. Pack animals, we were. Being close to one another was an instinct--done mindlessly with those you care about. And even though we came from totally different families, Buffy and Cypher settled in with us easier than I thought possible. My dad had told me stories of the long history of wolves and cats, and how tenuous their relationship was. But this--here, in this room--sat the next generation of the two types of shifters. Maybe it was because we were so young, or maybe it was because of the Moon and all her uncertainty, but something in me couldn’t imagine ever raising a violent hand toward these guys.
Cypher fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. It was interesting to see his messy brunette head up close instead of from the distance of my perch. He was safe, happy--and with me. My fierce protective instinct was sated.
There couldn’t be moments much better than this, and I didn’t even know why until much, much later.
Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more cats and wolves. <3
THE SENTINEL
“Christian, stop glaring at your dinner. Your eye is twitching.”
My cousins all laughed and I sat up straighter in my seat. I was pretending that my raw steak was the live animal, grazing in the grass and unknowing of my stare. Unknowing that it was my prey. My instincts were getting a little out of my control since I was sixteen, soon to be seventeen, and going through werecat puberty. I hadn’t reached the age of full maturity yet, which was nineteen, but it was coming soon. That, according to my dad, was even worse than the puberty stage.
My mom shook her head at me but continued talking to my aunt about some TV show that they watched together. Everyone else seemed to be into their own conversations as well, my younger cousins secretly throwing peas at each other that they refused to eat. It was Christmas. Dinner was always a chaotic ordeal in our home but on Christmas even more so. Everyone felt the need to be at our house--the Alpha's house--at all times meaning it was always loud, busy, and crowded.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I did wonder what it would be like to have a quiet house, though. Sometimes the noise and the parties would last well into the night and while I was used to it, a guy needed a break. Or maybe it was the puberty hormones.
Sighing, I picked up my fork and took a bite of the raw steak, my canines lowering. Cats liked their food raw and juicy, thanks, not cooked dry like the wolves. I felt someone’s eyes on me and looked toward my dad. His gaze was too strong to hold most times. I could only look at him for so long without feeling like peeing my pants. He was a scary dude, and not just because he was alpha, either. Well, maybe that was mostly it. But I felt like even if he wasn’t, he’d be someone I didn’t want to fuck with.
You’re eating like an animal, he mouthed to me. Use your knife.
Two scoldings in one day. My anger spiked, nostrils flaring, but I shoved it deep, deep down below my stomach. My father took no back talk, no disrespect. I’d find myself a cold and lonely kitty out in the streets before my father would allow his rule over his pride to be disrespected.
I picked up my knife like a good boy without saying a word.
“What’s eating you, Chris?” My cousin Ansel said. He was sitting on my left. “You look grumpy.” Ansel was growing up to be a nice cat, tall and strong for a fourteen year old. He wasn’t taller than me, but he certainly had to be taller than a few other people in his classes. His voice had been starting to get deeper, however, and the lisp he had as a child was starting to sound more and more ridiculous. My name always came out sounding like Chrith.
“I’m tired,” I said shortly. I wasn’t really a guy of many words. When I was a kid, I remembered talking everyone’s ears off, but one day my dad lost his temper on a bad day and roared for me to shut the fuck up! Ever since then, I made sure to say as little as possible. Didn’t want to upset dear old dad. Or anyone else for that matter.
“Eh, I don’t think that’s it. You’re a horrible liar.”
“And you’re a horrible talker but no one says anything about that, do they?”
Dammit. Ansel scowled at me and turned his shoulder, choosing instead to speak to one of his sisters. I felt like a dick; it was Christmas after all. But at this particular time I did not care. Ansel was probably the closest thing I had to a brother in this family since my parents (shockingly) did not create anymore kids. He was also probably the closest thing I had to a friend--I didn’t get along with very many people, and so few of them were shifters that it made it incredibly difficult to engage in conversation without exposing us. I should definitely be more nice to him...but he also knew me better than almost anyone.
I finished my steak and the potatoes and peas, took the plate to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher. My family got a little extreme around Christmas, decorating every single room with lights and garland. The kitchen was no different. I turned and left, intending to go to my room when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and saw Cypher’s coded name on the screen--Creature. He’d texted me.
I swiped the message open and saw that it was a meme. I grinned, because the thing was fucking ridiculous, and texted back, 'Omg.'
Strangely, Cypher was one of the people that I managed to get along with best. We hadn’t seen very much of each other as kids, but when we did it had been awesome. He was five years younger than me, making him eleven. That was exactly why he had a code name. If anyone found out that I was texting the eleven year-old heir to the Woodall throne (maybe?) they would think I was a total weirdo.
Instead of going up to my room, I snuck out of the door that led to the garage, stepping carefully over what seemed like thousands of shoes, then out the garage door into the night. The Woodall home wasn't far, a quick run. I took a deep breath and let my cat, the leopard, free. We ran in the shadows, through the cedar and oak trees on the familiar path that would lead toward Cypher.
Cypher. What a stupid name. Creature was more fitting.
When I started to get close, I could see the lights of their secluded home through the foliage. Their home was huge but a bit smaller than ours. They didn’t have as much family living in the home as we did. Cypher’s room was the third floor, the attic, which he shared with his cousin Brandon, or better known as Buffy. The space was certainly big enough for two preteen boys.
I had a tree that I liked to perch on. Cats liked being high up. As my leopard, I scaled the solid, firm oak tree and found my branch. There was a raccoon on it. I hissed at it, huge fangs flashing, and the thing had the nerve to take a swipe at me with a claw. It missed, and I sank low to the branch in pounce position, fangs still flaring, and growled menacingly. The raccoon finally submitted and left to go find somewhere else to nap.
I shifted back and luckily my clothes stayed on. Thank the Moon for that. It was chilly out with it being December and all. My body ran hotter than most, so they were all I needed to stay warm. I pulled my knees up to my chest, my back against the trunk of the tree and waited.
Downstairs in their living room, I could see through the enormous bay windows that the Woodall Christmas tree was up and twinkling. It was a real tree, that was easy to tell, and was covered in red, green, and gold lights. Ornaments. Candy canes. All the presents underneath had been opened already--there was only the shredded paper left.
I could see Mr. Aden’s arms swinging wildly, the mug in his hand sloshing a bit as he animatedly told a story to the wolves in their den as they sat on the couch and on the floor. Mr. Wyatt laughed raucously, as did the others whose names I wasn’t sure of. A woman--Buffy’s mom--and Mr. Brandon held onto each other as they laughed. Miss Miranda was hitting Mr. Kyle on the leg as she laughed and it seemed to be painful seeing as he swatted her hand away.
I didn’t see Cypher until he raced up the stairs, Buffy hot on his tail. They had boxes in their hands--some sort of handheld game. They got the exact same one. They came crashing into their room and launched themselves onto Buffy’s bed. They took the games out of the boxes and started figuring out how to play.
Something in my chest sighed upon seeing Cypher. Every time. Just--a collapse of breath. It felt like...relief. My mind and my body settled.
He’d had a good Christmas. His face was alight with the joy that I’d seen on my cousins’. With there being so many kids in the family, I wasn’t given a gift; money was spent instead on the younger kids. When I was thirteen, sure it had stung. But I was used to it now.
Cy used his tiny feet to push Buffy off the bed for some reason. I chuckled a bit at that--he was such a little shit. Buffy got up, red-faced and angry and Cypher just laughed away. They played their game and I watched them and their family until the house eventually went quiet. Everyone went into their prospective rooms. Mr. Aden had slumped over and fell asleep on Mr. Wyatt in the den. Buffy’s mom and dad put their youngest baby to bed then closed their blinds and another guy I didn’t know turned off the remaining lights in the house. Cypher and Buffy stayed up well into the night. Eventually, my phone buzzed, then buzzed again as I checked the first message.
The first one was my mom. 'Are you playing sentinel?'
I typed a quick reply. 'Be home soon.' She knew I was lying, but she didn’t comment on it. 'Be safe.'
The second message was from Cy. I hadn’t even noticed he’d picked up his phone. 'Dude. U hav to get a Nintendo 3DS. Its so fun!!!!!!!!!'
I wanted to reply something stupid like “looks like it” but then Cypher would know that I was watching him and that...could not happen. He couldn’t know how fucking weird I was. He’d probably tell other people then I would be known as the town peeping tom or something. But also...These moments were private for me. They kept me calm. How did you tell someone that you wanted to watch them outside their window for extended periods of time and not sound like a fucking idiot? What were they supposed to say? 'Oh yeah, dude, perfectly fine. You just keep doing that.' Not creepy at all.
I texted him back: 'I’m good. Not a video game person.'
'U should be!!! So we can play!!!!'
I didn’t respond to that. I saw that he had (finally) put his pajamas on and was in bed fighting sleep to text with me. He needed his rest--Christmas was totally draining. He’d have plenty of time to text me tomorrow and he probably would.
I kept watch over the house long after everyone slept. The raccoon tried to make a reappearance and I shooed it off again. Eventually, I settled into a doze myself and when my ear started twitching at the sound of the birds, I knew it was almost morning. Opening my eyes, I saw the sky taking on a slightly lighter shade of blue. The sun would be up soon. I listened closely to make sure no one else was around before shifting back to leopard form and descending from the tree. I loped back home, sneaking back in the way I came. Shifted again, I checked my phone and saw it was five-thirty AM. My aunts Sierra and Leah were in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating breakfast in the nude. Couldn't get past them unnoticed. They only glanced at me as I walked through the kitchen to the stairs. I took a pee then collapsed in my bed in my room that I shared with Ansel and Bee. Ansel cracked an eye when I settled under the covers, but went right back to sleep.
I rested well knowing that Cypher was happy and safe.
~
I slept on my back. This, unfortunately, meant that when I first opened my eyes in the morning, it was to some unusual sights (seeing as I shared a room with two other teenage boys). The unusual sight this morning was my father.
He sat on my side, arms crossed and staring at me. I admit that it made me uneasy, but I rubbed my eyes as I struggled to sit up straighter to greet him properly. “Good morning.”
“It’s two PM.”
My eyes widened. I had missed our morning run. I completely forgot all about it, distracted by my mood and by Cypher. Shit. “I’m sorry.”
As I awaited my punishment, my father continued to stare at me. I held his gaze for as long as I could, but eventually I looked down to the plain blue comforter. His hand landed gently on my shoulder. “It’s okay, son. It’s the day after Christmas. We ran yesterday morning--I’ll let you relax today.” I sighed in relief.
“Won’t happen again.”
“Why do you stay out all night?” He asked, his golden hair shifting as his head tilted to the side.
I licked my lips. Part of me was afraid to tell him a lie because maybe my mother had told him and he was testing me. But if he truly didn’t know already, I didn’t want him to. My mom knowing was embarrassing enough.
Something in me was terrified to lie to my alpha, though.
“I watch over Cypher.”
“Cypher?” He was confused.
“Cypher Woodall.”
His eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “You’re at the Woodall’s house all night long?”
“No, no. I sit outside. I...I watch.” I licked my lips again.
My father squinted at me, silent for a moment. “Why?”
Why. What an excellent question. One that I had the most pathetic answer to. “I don’t...know.”
“You don’t know.” He was getting agitated now.
“I--.”
“Are you spying on them?”
What? “No!”
“Then what reason do you have to be over there?”
“I just...It...It’s just a feeling. Sometimes I need to do it. It calms me down.”
Something darkened in my father’s eyes then. He didn’t comment further on it. “How have you been feeling?”
“Like shit.” Whoops. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. I’m sure you do. You’ve been acting a little feral, like you’re in the wrong skin when you’re like this.” He nodded at me, gesturing to reference my humanness.
I nodded. “It’ll sort itself out soon. Try to keep that temper in check. You’re scaring the babies.”
The babies, to my adult family members, meant anyone in the family below the age of ten. “I’ll try.”
“And...try not to go over there so much anymore. If Wyatt catches you watching, I’m not sure how he’ll respond. We’re on good terms but it can tilt either way at the drop of a hat, yeah?”
I nodded again. He ruffled my bedhead and left without another word. What a nice morning chat with my dad.
I got up and showered quickly. We shared a bathroom with my other set of cousins and luckily it wasn’t occupied, but we always left the doors open anyways in case someone needed to use the restroom. Modesty was not a cat trait. Neither was having boundaries. I put on a t-shirt and gray joggers that were fading from being washed so many times. Barefoot, I headed downstairs for some food.
Everyone was up and about. Absently, I fixed myself some breakfast as I moved around the limbs and bodies of my family. The leopard in me begged for another raw steak but I denied it for cooked eggs and bacon instead. Lots of it. I was pretty sure I cooked the entire dozen of eggs and half a pig’s worth of bacon. I sat at the kitchen table, alone surprisingly, and tapped around on social media sites on my phone until I felt someone sit next to me. The other parent. She gave me a toothless smile and nudged me with her elbow.
“How was your watch last night?”
Her easy smile made me want to return it, so I did. Kind of. “He got a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas.”
She laughed. The thing about my mom was, when she laughed, she always threw her head back and her hair cascaded around her shoulders to her back. She rested her cheek on a fist propped up by her elbow. “And he was delighted by that I’m sure.”
I nodded then shoved a bunch of eggs in mouth and washed it down with milk. The glass was nearly empty and I had just poured it. Someone I didn’t see set the gallon jug of it on the table beside me. I grumbled a thanks to whoever it was and poured up another glass.
“You should invite him to game night with us one night.”
I chewed my bacon and looked at her strangely. “Why would I do that?”
“Because he’s your friend, silly.” She booped me on the nose. I twitched it.
“I have no friends.”
“Bullshit.” I glared at her. “Stop being so prickly and maybe you’d have more. Invite him to hang out with us sometimes. No one cares that he’s eleven, Chris. We just want to see you happy.”
I swallowed a piece of bacon whole. “They’ll think I’m weird, mom.”
“No more than they already think you are.” She shrugged. “We’re people who can turn into giant cats. What’s weirder than that?”
Well… “Do you think Mr. Wyatt will be okay with it?”
She looked up to the ceiling in thought. “Hm...You never know with him. But I’d like to think that he would be okay with it since Cypher is the same age as Bee. It should be fine, honey. And we’ll be here. Tell him to come by tonight. I’ll tell everyone it’s game night.”
I sighed. “Okay, mom. I’ll ask.”
“Good.” She kissed me on the side of the head. “I’m going to go relax with your aunts. See ya later.”
I had never been the one to text Cypher first, but after building some courage to have a social interaction, I typed out the text. 'Game night tonight. Wanna come?'
'Omg that sound so fun!!!!! Lemme ask Dad!!!'
I waited a few moments, put the plate in the dishwasher. It would need to be turned on soon since it was full.
The phone started ringing. Like, actually ringing. As in, a phone call. I panicked.
“H-hello?”
“Christian?” It was Mr. Wyatt. Fuck! He was an alpha too, and I was still something of a cub. His voice made me nervous. I fled the kitchen in a hurry, searching for one of my parents, tripping over my own legs. My mom was on her way up the stairs. “Hello? Christian?”
“One second!”
I grabbed my mom’s hand before she could get too far away. She looked at me, eyes wide as I thrust the phone into her hands. She took it, answering, “Hello?”
I heard Mr. Wyatt’s voice. “Fiona? This is Christian’s phone, right?”
“Yes, he...gets a little panicked about phone calls. What’s up?”
“I hear there is a game night happening that Cy is invited to.”
“Oh, yes! We’d be happy to have him and the other young whelps join us.” I only wanted Cy to come, but that was beside the point.
"You'll all stay decent around my boys?"
Mom laughed. "Of course!"
“Well, alright. I’ll talk to Aden. We’ll drop him and Buffy off. What time?”
My mom gave him the details then ended the call, pressing the red button on the screen. “There. Was that so hard?”
“So he’s coming?”
“Yes, dear.”
This time I couldn’t even hide the smile.
~
“DUDE! You totally cheated!”
I growled in my chest. “I did not!”
Cypher, red in the face, pointed at the game board. “You cannot move that many spaces! It’s illegal!”
“It’s not illegal, it’s against the rules!”
“So you admit it!” He was standing on his pillow now, his finger thrust in my face. “You are a perpetrator!”
“Do you even know what that means?”
He found a pillow and chucked me in the head. I fell over, laughing and he and Buffy started to attack me with pillows. Eventually Ansel and Bee, the only other cousins allowed to play with us in the sitting room, started hitting me as well. After a few moments, everyone tired themselves out and collapsed in a pile breathing heavily, the game pieces forgotten.
“Chris is a perpetrator,” Cy announced.
“You don’t even know what that means!”
“Chris, you totally cheated, dude.” Ansel punched me in the arm. I punched him back, then he punched me again and we ended up wrestling which of course ended up with me having him in a chokehold.
“Say you give,” I told him.
“Never!” I tightened the chokehold as he laughed and Bee crept closer, his hands up, fingers crooked and splayed.
“Last chance. Say you give.” It was a common game we played. My cousins liked to start wrestling me because I was so much bigger than them and they liked the challenge. I’d have them pinned in a position while another cousin crept closer, ready to tickle should my victim refuse to “give.”
“I don’t give, you oversized Hello Kitty,” Ansel said through clenched teeth.
“Bee, get him!” Bee pounced and proceeded to tickle the everloving fuck out of Ansel as I held him tight, but not tight enough to actually hurt him. After squirming like a fish out of water and screeching like a hyena, he finally yelled, “I give! I GIVE, Chris!”
Bee and I let him go and he rearranged his clothes, fixing himself up after that humiliating takedown. “I hate you guys!”
“I don’t think you mean that,” Cy said, grinning. Something I hadn’t noticed before this moment--he had a small gap between his two front teeth.
We went back to playing games, a different one this time. Cypher won and did a victory lap around the room while Buffy tried to trip him. It was adorable.
Eventually we settled and watched a movie. My mom and aunt brought us hot cocoa and we lounged, mostly on the floor, all of us touching in some way as was the way of shifters. Pack animals, we were. Being close to one another was an instinct--done mindlessly with those you care about. And even though we came from totally different families, Buffy and Cypher settled in with us easier than I thought possible. My dad had told me stories of the long history of wolves and cats, and how tenuous their relationship was. But this--here, in this room--sat the next generation of the two types of shifters. Maybe it was because we were so young, or maybe it was because of the Moon and all her uncertainty, but something in me couldn’t imagine ever raising a violent hand toward these guys.
Cypher fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. It was interesting to see his messy brunette head up close instead of from the distance of my perch. He was safe, happy--and with me. My fierce protective instinct was sated.
There couldn’t be moments much better than this, and I didn’t even know why until much, much later.
Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more cats and wolves. <3
July 5, 2016
Getting There...
I'm getting the hang of this book cover creating thing. The last two were...simple...but for the last book in the Trilogy (yes, with a capital T!) revolving around Aden and Wyatt, I've decided to get just a tad more fancy! I am still writing and book 3 should be out in the next few months...Thank you to everyone who's added/read/rated the previous two books and my one stand alone (for now), Still Not a Kiss: Episode One! Happy Summer and happy reading!
P.S., talk to me! I don't bite!
#Ghostie #GhostHouse #IsThisHouseHaunted? #IThinkSo
P.S., talk to me! I don't bite!
#Ghostie #GhostHouse #IsThisHouseHaunted? #IThinkSo
April 8, 2016
Trying Something New? Who, me?!
Do I dare venture into the world of f/m literature?!!!! Ever since I picked up my first m/m book in 10th grade I haven't been able to really sink my teeth into anything else. M/m is a world of its own and has it own acronyms, cues and such, would I even understand this new world of f/m? lol I only remember having read one adult f/m book and that was actually in the 7th grade....would I find het books anywhere near as intriguing as m/m??!!!! In searching for books, I've come across a few m/m/f but never tried those either....I've also got a few f/m that have been sitting on my to-read shelf for months (some for YEARS now) and haven't dared to read them....when will I get up the courage?!!!!
