New Alliances

A long, protracted, painful yowl filled the Cove as Brigid flung herself towards the tomcat. He didn’t have time to react before she was on him, hissing and swiping out, teeth bared, claws flying. The cat twisted, knocking Brigid off her paws and together they tumbled and rolled, sand arcing up around them as they tussled together. Brigid contorted her body, twisting and kicking out with her hind paws. The tomcats head rhythmically thudded against the sand as she kicked it repeatedly. He waited until Brigid’s hind paw came towards his face again and bit down into her tender under paw. Brigid mewled and thrashed about to get away, kicking the tomcat in the face as she did so, but as soon as she was free and catching her breath he was on her, pinning her down beneath him. They were face to face with each other, she could see his pupils dilate, his whiskers brushing hers. Then he licked her nose.

‘Stop it,’ Brigid cried out, trying to wriggle away, ‘you know I hate that.’

The tomcat laughed and continued to drag his long raspy pink tongue over her nose and across her face.

‘No!’ she cried out again, trying in vain to twist away but laughing at the same time.

‘And you call yourself a warrior,’ the tomcat said, he stopped licking her.

He smiled at her and leaned in closer, gently kissing her on the lips.

‘You’re a monster Nechtan, you’re so horrible to me,’ she said, but Brigid smiled as she spoke, kissing him back.

‘And you’re my little warrior queen,’ Nechtan replied, nuzzling her neck.

Brigid freed her arm and reached up, stroking his ginger fur, caressing the stripes that ran across his cheeks. They always reminded her of angel wings, she thought smiling to herself.

‘I love you,’ she whispered.

‘I love you too, you crazy beautiful queen that you are,’ Nechtan smiled, leaning down to nuzzle her neck.

High up on a rocky outcrop on the cove Talroc sat watching his sister and Nechtan lying in the sand below. The fur on his neck and spine prickled and lifted slightly, and a low guttural growl grew from deep within him.