Enter the Cat Ch. 06

"You will go back to the quarters and I will deal with you when I get back," I roar angrily. If I say anymore now I am likely to do or say something I will only regret later.

"I ..." Rosy protests.

"GET BACK TO THE QUARTERS NOW!" My inner cat adds his strength to my command.

Rosy storms to the jeep, sends a hate filled glare my way then gets behind the wheel. She spins the tyres as she takes off, spraying leaves and twigs out behind the vehicle.

Anger churns wildly as I struggle to maintain control.

"Micah ..." Sam starts and I turn to face him angrily.

"What?" I demand angrily. "Don't discipline her? Don't inform her that when I give her an order she is to obey it?"

I push Sam backwards with a hard shove to the chest and he backs up several steps warily.

"She put all of us in danger! There is not one among us who wouldn't defend her with our life and you know it," I yell angrily. "She told me, your sister told me, there are a couple of bulls, horned cattle and a cow with a calf in there! And she went near one of them."

I see the stunned disbelief form on Sam's face and hear a hiss of anger come from one of the others.

"Rosy wouldn't," Mitchell denies hotly.

"Wouldn't she," I demand in a roar and I am on him before he can defend himself. I send him flying back, nearly knocking him from his feet with my hard shove. I turn around to glance between the others. I am in charge and no one will defy me!

"If Jazzy or Donny had been here they would have been with her," Dwayne says tightly.

"One small mercy," I snap, "they weren't here so they can't think of doing the same thing."

"I'll make sure she understands she has to follow orders," Sam says with a nod. "I'll take a belt to her. She won't be able to sit for a day or two, but she'll learn."

I look at Sam through narrowed eyes. If it had been one of the warriors or even Donny I would have handed out a tough hiding to the offender. Even Jazzy, if she had made the same stupid move, would have been disciplined firmly before handing her over to Marissa for further punishment. Rosy's actions endangered everyone here, whether or not she meant to.

"If Sam can't, I will," Mitchell says and I look his way to see a hard resolve deep in his eyes.

"Rosy disobeyed me, not either of you," I snap. I don't like the idea of punishing her but her reckless act was far too dangerous not to be addressed.

"Micah, we need to get this mess cleaned up first," Sam says quietly.

"Are you telling me my job? Do you think I don't know what I have to do?" I demand angrily as I advance on him.

"Well," I demand when Sam holds my gaze without saying a word.

"Let's get this finished," Steven says and I hear him move away as I continue to glare at Sam.

"I'll punish her for disobeying you and placing herself in a dangerous situation," Sam says quietly.

"Rosy disobeyed me," I say as I turn away. "It falls to me to punish her."

I stretch out completing the repairs as long as I can before heading back. I lead the way on my four-wheeler and park it near the bike shed before heading for the quarters. I know one of the other warriors will put it away for me while I tend to business.

Disciplining Rosy is not something I look forward to and by the time I reach the screen door into the quarters, I have hardened my resolve as I head inside.

"You disobeyed me! Not just once but two separate orders!" I start yelling angrily even before I am in the same room as Rosy as I remember the danger she had placed herself in.

I see her temper flare in her eyes as she faces me squarely. She puts her hands on her hips as she sets her feet shoulder width apart.

"Who the hell do you think you are to try to order me around? Oh blow this for a joke! I do not answer to you!" Rosy yells angrily only to turn and begin to walk away showing blatant disrespect towards me.

Anger rises at the insult and I stalk after her to catch her by the upper arm and force her to stop and face me, to face the consequences of her actions. But Rosy tries to jerk away from me. In her struggle to dislodge my grip, we stumble and fall, and I make no effort to cushion her fall.

"What do you think you were doing disobeying my orders?" I demand angrily.

Her face is filled with fury as I turn her over so I can make sure I haven't hurt her. A clenched fist hits me in the mouth and I snarl as I capture her arms by her wrists and force her arms up over her head.

"You will answer to me," I order angrily.

I pin both wrists above her head and hold them in one hand as I catch her face in my other hand to stare down at her. She bucks wildly beneath me, fighting furiously and I have to force a knee between her thighs as I secure my grip on her roughly.

Suddenly this isn't about her defiance; it's about an outright challenge of my dominance and authority. She has no respect for my authority and my inner cat drives me as I settle my hips in the cradle of her thighs and surge against her. I can feel the softness of her as I grind against her mercilessly.

I am within my rights to take her here and now, asserting my position as the most dominant warrior here. It is my place to protect her, even from herself. And if that means subduing her then that is what I must do.

"Who is dominant?" I demand as I glare into her eyes. Temper sparks in their depths and an angry sob is the only answer from her. I thrust my hips against her; the feel of her feminine body beneath mine stirring desire within me along with the need to subdue her defiance. "Who is dominant?"

"You're dominant! You're dominant," Rosy cries her surrender. I release her and roll away from her before getting to my feet.

I look down at Rosy; she is curled up in a protective ball on her side. Anger flares again and the need to assert my dominance beyond all doubt drives me. If she had been male, such disregard for my authority would have resulted in a beating and my expelling her from the clan. Even now, if I were to expel her Wade would not countermand my authority. He would probably ask why I had not taken it further.

I put my foot on her hips and push her roughly. I smother the urge to kick her and kick her hard.

"I am dominant and if you ever dare disobey me or question that in anyway ever again, I will make you submit to me totally," I yell as I begin pacing angrily. I have not driven my authority home hard enough to satisfy my inner cat and he is demanding I punish her more.

I glance down at Rosy; her arms are curled up around her face and head while her knees are pulled up against her stomach. She is motionless except for the slight

movement of her breathing. The fact she is laying motionless and defenceless on the floor so close to me does little to calm my rage.

"I got you a cup of coffee Micah," Steven says nearby and I realise he is trying to deflect my anger from Rosy. This tells me I need to gain better control over myself.

"I don't bloody well want it," I snap as I continue to pace back and forth beside her, unable to stop myself.

I become aware of all the warriors moving around in the kitchen, at the back of the lounge and in the bedrooms. No one comes near us and I keep pacing restlessly.

I glance towards the kitchen and see Steven, Sam and Dwayne watching anxiously. I ignore them and check to see who is by the lounge. Edwin and Malcolm are there; Edwin watching angrily and Malcolm standing by uncomfortably. Mitchell is in the hall doorway watching his sister angrily.

It takes a moment for me to realise everyone else is also angry at Rosy. Her behaviour is viewed as a threat to the vulnerable members of the clan. There is no room for reckless behaviour in any clan. Her thoughtless actions inadvertently put everyone in danger. All of us, every single warrior and even Wade, would put their life at risk to protect a she-kitt.

Why can't she see that?

I head into the kitchen; I can't afford to let the anger of the situation become any more elevated. I hear footsteps go into the lounge room and I turn around to see Mitchell approaching his sister.

I realise he can see her distress from my punishment. But also he is seeing her as a threat to Jazzy - to his future in this clan.

"Keep away from her," I warn.

I watch as Mitchell moves away from his sister. He sends her several angry glares but keeps his distance. Anger wars with compassion on his face as he moves restlessly. All around warriors are clearly torn between anger and compassion.

I walk back into the lounge room and stop beside Rosy. I grasp her wrists and look at them. When she glances my way I glare at her and she instantly drops her gaze almost submissively. I take hold of her chin, checking for marks from my hold. There are bruises on her cheeks as well as her wrists; I feel a moment's remorse before I force it away.

"Get up and get in my chair until I say you can move," I snap and she moves quickly to do as ordered.

I watch as she pulls her knees up to her chest and buries her face against them as she sits in the chair. Others move to sit in chairs or on the lounge; no one sits near her but I keep a cautious eye on them all the same.

"You want that cup of coffee now," Steven asks.

"Yeah," I say in low growl as I head for the kitchen.

"Are we going after any of the cattle later?" Edwin asks. I send Edwin and Steven thankful glances, I need their calmness.

"The cow with the calf and maybe one of the ones with horns," I say firmly.

"There're two cows with calves. The other one was having her calf and it was stuck so I pulled it," Rosy says against her knees.

"Why the hell didn't you tell one of us so we could eliminate one threat before it became worse?" Sam demands angrily.

"Get out of my sight before I really hurt you," I roar in rage and I watch as Rosy dashes from the room.

I hear Rosy in the sunroom but I have to turn my attention to Dwayne. He is on his feet watching the doorway as he trembles.

"We should never have bought her back here the first time," Dwayne says shaking his head. He takes several steps towards the door with an agonised look on his face. "She's a danger to Jazzy."

Surprisingly Edwin reaches Dwayne before I do—he stands between Dwayne and the doorway. He rests one hand on Dwayne's shoulder in a firm but gentle grip as he silently blocks his path. Dwayne has a tortured look on his face and is shaking with the distress I can smell coming from him.

"Micah," Edwin questions after nearly a minute's silence.

"Rosy told us about the second cow. At least we're not going in unaware of that," I say tightly. "Come on, let's go start the clean up."

I follow everyone from the quarters and hesitate a moment as I glance back at the doorway. The quarters will be empty when we return. No werecat would tolerate such a stern assertion of their mistake unless they understood the ramifications of their actions. Rosy wasn't raised clan and most likely will never be able to learn to be clan.

Finally I look at Edwin who has stripped down to his jeans.

"Go tell Wade to make sure everyone is safely in the main house," I order then pull my shirt off over my head.

Edwin heads for the main house at a fast jog and I kick my joggers off before unfastening my jeans. Everyone is naked and ready to shift when Edwin returns. He looks my way as he unfastens his jeans.

"I didn't give him details - only told him don't trust her if she turns up over there," he says before kicking his last foot free of his jeans.

"We will be getting rid of everything with balls, horns or calves this trip," I say firmly before starting my transformation.

When we are all ready, we head towards the stock paddock at a steady pace. As I run, the realisation steadily comes to me that Rosy had only been following what she knows. She trained in veterinary medicine, so her first instinct would be to help a distressed animal. She would not see it as a future danger. It would simply be a suffering animal that needed her help.

We make the trip in good time and I indicate for a rest stop by one of the stock ponds within the fence line. After a good half an hour resting in the shade we begin stalking through the bush looking for cattle. Keeping the wind in our faces we manage to locate the two young bulls and their group, then the horned bullocks with the two freshly calved cows near by. One heavily pregnant cow stands near the calves in the shade and I glance around my warriors carefully.

I lead the assault on the cattle, aiming for the two cows first. I believe they pose the greater threat with newborns to protect; they are easy kills when we rush them taking them by surprise. The third cow drops her head and charges, but she poses little threat as heavy and clumsy as she is. The calves are easy prey, lying where their mothers left them. We all share in the tender succulent meat, a rare and unusual treat. Since the horns and heavy bodies are able to deal severe injuries to careless cats, the large heavy bullocks are taken down with great care.

Despite the wealth of fresh meat, we eat a light feed before stretching out in the shade out of the afternoon heat. As the heat of the day starts to fade I climb to my feet and lead the way back to the stock pond. We drink and stand belly deep in the cool water before heading off after the young bulls. We will eat our fill from them before heading home. Tomorrow the remains from all the carcases can be removed from the paddock by tractors.

It is sunset as we make our way back towards the buildings. Several of the warriors pause as we walk quickly towards home; they give heavy sighs before resuming their forward movements. The main house is well lit up as we approach but the quarters are in darkness except for the outside light.

Rosy proved herself a liability and a danger but we all were fond of her. There is still a lot of confusion in individuals; I see it in the snarls and laid back ears. Anger with her reckless and dangerous behaviour is winning out over compassion for her situation.

I know most of them struggle to understand how to deal with the fact she most likely won't be there. No one is looking for a friendly spar in cat form and a few of the most dominant toms slink along with tails twitching angrily, myself included.

We all shift back and make use of the garden hose attached to the tank on the side of the building. The water in the metal tank still retains some of the sun's heat and we

take turns cleaning off under the hose. None of us want to walk into the building, be the one to walk through to the bathroom and find all of the rooms empty.

Silently we take seats around the lounge room and Edwin turns the TV set on. I get to my feet after a few minutes and head to the kitchen to grab a beer; I hear footsteps behind me and glance back over my shoulder to see Steven.

"I think everyone could use one of those," he says quietly.

I give a soft grunt and take enough bottles from the fridge for everyone; in the lounge room all take their drinks silently. Justin glances up into my face, one of the few who have made eye contact, before glancing towards the hall doorway.

No one has walked through the building to make her departure official; it's something I'm not looking forward to but needs to be done. I leave my beer on the arm of my chair and head through the door turning towards the sunroom instead of the hall. I flick the light switch on and head for the far end of the room. A small huddled form flinches in the far corner and I look towards it in disbelief.

Rosy! Joy that she is still here fills me for an instant before harsh reality sneaks in. Does she realise how badly she fucked up? Does she understand that I had to subdue her defiance towards me?

The way she keeps her gaze lowered, the hunched shoulders, all of her posture says submission - recognition of my status.

I've disciplined her for her defiance and disrespect, now I have to discipline her for her disobedience. Or do I? She had been following what she knows -- helping the sick or injured. That was acceptable. Now I just have to explain to her to think of the future consequences of her actions before taking them.

"Have you eaten?" I ask forcing myself to remain calm.

"No," her answer is little more than a whisper.

"Use the toilet if you have to, then get yourself something to eat and come to the lounge room," I order and head for the lounge room.

I watch as she walks through to the kitchen, head lowered, clearly submissive for the moment. Heads turn to watch her as she walks through the lounge room, tension and stress flood the room.

"Someone needs to go get a fire permit so we can burn those carcases as well as pick up some wooden fence posts so we can replace that fence post from today," I say breaking the silence.

When Rosy returns she hesitates between the two rooms. After a few moments she seats herself against the wall away from everyone else.

"I'll go into town tomorrow and pick up those few things if you want," Edwin says.

Several of the warriors move uncomfortably. Dwayne glances her way with an angry frown while others curl their top lips. Anger is winning out over compassion. We have never had to deal with someone who simply does not understand why we have rules.

If it were Jazzy, once the punishment was over that would be the end of the matter; everything would return to normal.

"Quit your sulking and get over here," I say in a hard tone. "Sit on the lounge with your brothers and don't give any trouble."

I don't understand why I spoke or what is driving me as I watch her do as she has been ordered. I keep a wary eye on everyone as she eats, and when she disposes of her empty plate I watch with narrowed eyes, looking for any hint of defiance or disobedience.

Everyone is silent as she sits back down. She moves closer to Mitchell, whether for comfort or guidance, I'm not sure. He moves away and glances my way, clearly torn between sitting with her and ignoring her as a troublemaker.

Rosy is the picture of misery as she huddles on the lounge, her arms around her drawn up knees. I can feel the level of tension rising in the room. No one seems to be concentrating on the TV and several vicious looks are directed Rosy's way.

My heart stops for a moment then starts beating frantically as Rosy gets to her feet and heads for the door.

You've stayed this long, don't leave now! I promise I won't give up on you so easily.

"Get back here," I growl.

"I'm tired. I want to go to bed," Rosy says as she stands in the doorway.

She is submissive and possibly remorseful, giving me cause to begin to believe that there might be some hope after all.

"Well get back here. We're sleeping out here again tonight," I order. With both of her brothers reluctant to comfort and guide her, it is the only way I know of to ensure her safety. There is a real chance some or one of the more stressed warriors will try to scare her away seeing her only as a source of danger and tension.

I watch the way both Sam and Mitchell move off the lounge rather than let her stretch out and use them as pillows. I see the misery on her face and the sheen of tears in her eyes as she lays down with her back to everyone. She pulls the blanket up over her head and remains motionless.

"She asleep or just laying there?" I ask after a while. There has been no movement from her.

"I'm not sure," Mitchell answers curtly.

"Malcolm turn the light out," I order.

We watch a couple of sitcoms in the dark. No one laughs or comments on the shows. I am aware of the tense atmosphere but I don't know what it will take to fix the situation. My clan, my warriors are suffering and every instinct within me demands I work out how to make things right. I know I can't go to Wade; he'll only come down on Rosy much harder than I already have, or tell me to deal with the situation.