Cut Scene from Feral Magic

Cut scene from Feral Magic: I cut about 5K from the beginning of Feral Magic to get the hero and heroine together faster...I'm aiming for more readers than my extremely loyal fans. :)

Here is what the story says currently: Purrs roused Dak near dawn and he tensed, stared at the small, black female cat who'd awoken him. He'd gotten no more than a couple of hours of sleep and weariness dragged at him.

After a disrespectful conversation....


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Purrs roused Dak near dawn and he tensed. He'd gotten no more than a couple of hours of sleep and weariness dragged at him.

You are safe Huge Catman, said someone. Dak opened his eyes to a very small cat.

She rose from sitting to all four paws, stretched lingeringly and Dak wanted to do the same. Are all of you so small?

The cat snorted. Those of us who roam free in the city. She moved away a few paces, sat again, lifted her forepaw, spread her pads and groomed them.

Here, the Cats who are as big as you are in a special area for humans to look at and are fed by humans. Another snort. But they are all Cat. As I am all Cat. I sense you are only partially Cat.

Dak's back teeth ground at her slow speech.

She slicked her whiskers with her clean paw, then inhaled lustily. You smell a little familiar. Come along. I will take you to a good human. You will have better luck with her than staying outside in the alleys and streets, Catman who smells like OTHERWHERE.

He rose slowly, shook out his mane, rumbled a low beneath-human's-ears roar at the miniature feline.

Trotting away, she didn't even look back, obviously unintimidated.

He stretched, working the strain from each muscle, flexing each, a warrior's habit. His first few steps hurt his pads, but he put the pain from his mind and caught up with the small female in a few bounds. She stopped at the end of the way, tapped a white looking surface perpendicular to them. Humans call this a sidewalk, for when they are on foot. She sniffed. They have many, many rules. The cat slid a glance at him. Rules Cats of our size can ignore. Rules Catmen can't.
He'd see about that.

A metal box sped by, leaving fumes and dust. Dak jumped.

The cat laughed at him, looking at him with whiskers still quivering, not bothering to hide her amusement. Then she coughed. You must watch for the vehicles. They are dangerous. Her tail flicked. But you have found that out, no?

Vehicles! He'd thought so, but still didn't like the idea of an enclosed box.

She raised a paw as another one went by.

Humans ride in them.

Motorized chariots. Abominable.

The cat had turned to face him, angling her head up. Do not get in one as a Cat. It is very bad. You never know where they will take you. And many who go DO NOT COME BACK! She shuddered, and that made him do so, too, an atavistic reaction.

She ran across the black pavement and Dak followed, fast, though there were no moving metal boxes near them.

A few miles later, in one of the alleys she pounced on a piece of paper. Twitched her ear to have him come over and look at the thing beneath her paw. Note this, the size and shape and colors and especially the texture. If you see anything like this, take it. They are valuable to humans. You may have this one, she offered generously, and maneuvered until it was stuck on one of his claws.

He smelled it, wrinkling his nose as he scented the sweat of many humans. Palm sweat, so this was often touched with fingers and hands. He didn't like it riding on his claw, but trusted the cat enough to believe her that it was important. With a flip of his paw, he stashed it in his aura cache.

Finally they stopped in an alley like the one he'd awakened in.