Companion Guide (Grave Danger)

by K.E. Rodgers

  ****

  Jackson had only seconds to react, but he had heard her approach him. Out of the corner of his eye had watched her run up the bridge, her gate steady. The truth was he had become aware of her before she had him. Despite his youth, he had years of practice in his grandmothers company to see the world not as it appeared to the mortal eye, but at something wondrously different and more than likely strange and bizarre. He’d never met a shape-shifting creature, but his grandmother had. He had grown-up hearing of the were-panthers to the south.

  They lived isolated lives, trying desperately to cling to their ancestral traditions. Forced to assimilate into modern cultural norms or die, the panthers didn’t have a chance at surviving the next century. Most of the males died young and without healthy off-spring there was no hope for their species to survive. Integrating with the humans was not an option in their prideful minds and so a dead end was all that was in their future.

  Jackson leapt onto the ledge of the bridge seconds before the panther lunged at him, her mouth open and teeth barred. He looked down at her as she pivoted on her paws, her golden cat eyes gazing up at him.

  Her body was quiet as she sat on her haunches feet away from him. Her great leap had propelled her far enough away that she would have to be fast if she tried to lunge for him again. If he wanted to, Jackson could easily fall into the water below to escape. He wouldn’t though. He’d rather not go home with soggy clothes and mess up the floor and get an earful from Maude. No.

  He felt anger flow through him, an anger that had nothing to do with the fact that the cat tried to take out his jugular with her sharp teeth. He was just angry at everything. If she wanted to engage him, so be it.

  Ambrose had drilled into them several times tonight not to interact with the panther, to let her be. She wasn’t their responsibility. But she had crossed the bridge. Technically this was neutral territory, neither belonging to the flesh-eaters or to the Eidolon.

  “You want to play, kitty?” Jackson goaded, holding his hand and ushering her to come at him. “I’m fair game, puss.”

  The cat whined a sound that was almost human. Jackson could see her golden eyes were far too intelligent to be simply a cat’s stare. Somewhere inside the furry beast was the mind of a woman; human.

  She was a living, protected by the Eidolon even if she didn’t acknowledge their support or presence. But she had crossed the bridge during his hours. If she were smart she would have stayed safe in her fluffy pink cat bed instead of wandering the streets so late.

  Kasa whined again, her jaw tight as anger at missing the creature swept through her system. He had leapt so quickly out of her way at the last moment; it was almost as if he had been aware of her all along. She thought she had been most stealth. She hadn’t counted on the fact that these things could move as fast as she; like an animal.

  The stories always said that they were lethargic and slow witted, but relentless. Her father had been sick and weak. That was why they had been able to take him down; three against one sick old man. He’d died because he’d been weak, not because they had been strong; or so she had believed. But she was young and at her peak physical condition. Kasa could destroy him and in the process avenge her father’s death by taking down the very monster that had ended his existence. Maybe that had been her reason for coming back to this place, so close to where her father’s life had ended. Not because she wanted to study art at a leading liberal arts college, no, she had wanted to see for herself the ‘things’ that deserved a final death at her hands, paws.

  Kasa lunged again at the flesh-eater, her paws, sharp claws extended, swiping at thin air. He had moved again, sidestepping along the railing. When she tried again, he moved just out of her reach. He danced along the railing, his face smiling as if he were having a good time at her expense.

  “Little kitty has sharp claws, doesn’t she?” he taunted. He reached his hand out as if to pet her head. Kasa swiped at it, but missed. “No, no, don’t be a bad kitty. I only want to pet your furry head. Where is your master, pretty kitty?”

  That angered her to no end. Just because she was an animal did not mean that she had a master to look after her. Humans thought they could put them in locked observatories under the guise of keeping them safe when the truth was that it was they who were the threat.

  He was too high up. She could only reach so far on her hind legs. Her cats’ body was not meant to hold in an upright position for long. If only he’d come down and face her at equal level. She’d take a good bite out of him then. Let him bleed out all over the bridge and leave him for the others to find.

  Kasa reached, putting her paws on the railing as she tried to make another swipe at him. She couldn’t get up there, her body would fall if she tried to get onto such a precarious perch, and her soft paws would easily slip on the smooth stone.

  “Do you want to get up here, kitty?” Jackson asked in a sing song voice. He knew she could leap up on the railing easily enough, however, her four legged form wasn’t meant to teeter precariously on the ledge. His center of gravity was better at it and he could side step her swipes without much thought. She’d give up soon enough and he could go home without breaking the family rules.

  Kasa sat on her haunches, glaring up at the smiling man, letting out a heavy puff of air. She noticed, then, for the first time how young he was as well as the attractive cornflower color of his eyes. Those blue, blue eyes stared down at her from a face that was in her opinion quite beautiful for a monster. But then that was always the lure of these dead things. They looked so pretty and living that you forgot for a moment that they only knew how to kill.

  Jackson’s smile faltered as the cat continued only to stare at him with those far too intelligent golden eyes. She was very pretty for a cat. It made him wonder what she looked like in her more human-like form.

  “What are you thinking about, kitty?” Jackson asked as she continued to watch him. When he moved, her eyes followed. Almost as if she was entranced by him.

  Kasa hadn’t been able to sneak up on him, but maybe she could surprise him. If he was distracted then she could easily make her move. She was strong as a cat, but she was no weakling in her other form. Though softer looking and seemingly less of a threat, her other form could just as easily take down this monster; if she were quick enough.