Warning: I can see you!!




The Cats Bride

By

Cait Sith 29




The school bus lurched up to its final stop, filling the area with clanks of a dying engine. Rusted hinges squeeled in protest as sliding doors cracked open to allow gathering high school student’s passage. Single file the students ascended the small stairway onto their transportation to a place most would prefer not to go. Their conversations drummed on with the engine, becoming a collective mess of noise to those not taking part.

Always they got on in the same order, right down to individual faces. The outgoing jocks would pile on first, usually followed by their girlfriends and cliques. Behind them came the less sociable students. The ones that went about their daily lives unnoticed out of habit or choice. And it was just how they liked it; quietly waiting for the days when school was past and life took its course.

Likewise, the last to board was always the same. And unfortunately, he was one that always got noticed. Having a height of only five feet never helped to hide him. If anything the one size too large t-shirt and jeans only drew more curious looks. Add on the only visible parts being long blond hair tied into a pony tail, blue eyes, and an unusually pale smooth skin condition. A casual observer could, and often did, mistake Felix for a very underdeveloped girl.

Not that looks bothered him in the least. It was more of a relief not automatically growing into the fitting image of a male stereotype. Sadly, his peers did not see it that way. In the period of teenage angst a passive nature and unusual looks are all the logic one needs to trip you on the way to an empty seat.

“Watch your step, bimbo!” said one of the jock, earning a few laughs from nearby friends.

Felix did not bother to see who had targeted him today. He simply got back up and resumed his journey to the sanctuary of a nearby seat. Forcing one not to react was often painful, but he anyone that much satisfaction after all these years. Of course the driver took no notice. Nothing short of a brawl would attract that official mediation. Granted it was tempting in theory but, given his scrawny build, not a viable option against kids that played unprotected football in their free time.

The moment passed and eyes turned from laughing at his expense. Bus doors closed and the vehicle twenty years past its prime lurched forward to complete its route. It was just another start to a promising day for the social outcast.

* * * * * *

“That was such a shit idea!” Astro muttered as he tried to stand. Clouds overhead were still spiraling around his vision, helping only his need to vomit.

“Well, why didn’t you say so before!?” Eliot shouted back. His voice carrying an echoed pitched, since most of him lay submerged upside down in a trashcan.

“I did say so before!” Astro replied, grabbing hold of his long time friends flailing knees. With a small grunt he used all his strength to pull Eliot out vegetable style. Not that he extended similar courtesy dumping the smaller boy onto the ground. “First rule of kidnapping a girl; don’t pick a target hanging onto a giant man.”

“So that crap about muscles isn’t just for show.” Eliot plucked a banana skin from his purple sweater in disgust. Standing back up on his feet with the trashcan as a crutch, he pulled the wool snowcap off his head. Instantly a pair of grey furred cat ears folded up from the locks of his matching shoulder length hair. “You know, I thought it was a human compensation thing. Like when your dad fluffs up his tail.”

“Dude, your ears!” Astro hissed, blue eyes darting around the park in a panic.

“Like I give a crap at this point.” Eliot rubbed his temples with one hand, letting his cap fall wherever. His other slipped around to a special cut hole in the seat of his pants to pry a cat tail sticking out from the confines of his belt loops. The relief of having this fifth appendage free and flicking in open air again was beyond description. “We’ve broken enough laws to get executed, even if that bastard prince doesn’t get his bride.”

Astro sighed dejectedly. Although he spotted no one close enough to notice the boys, he made no move to remove the baseball cap covering his own blue furred ears and hair. The tail currently jammed down the right leg of his sweat pants twitched, begging for freedom. Fortunitly after several hours of sneaking around the human world, most of its pain had dulled into a tolerable throb. “But really, El, kidnapping a human? We’re really hitting the bottom of the barrel with this.”

Eliot spat a clot of blood out, nursing the still fresh bruise on his jaw. Damn those humans can deliver a mean left hook. “Not my fault even the wenches would rather commit to us then Kazak.”

“I’m actually surprised you turned down the offer,” Astro said with a chuckle. “I mean, you could have balanced a wine bottle on that speckled ones a-“

“Yeah, won’t do me a lick of good when we’re beheaded as tomorrow’s entertainment.”

“Aw, be positive! I’m sure if we just explain the situation to the prince he’ll…”

The raised eyebrow Eliot gave quickly silenced Astro. When the prince ordered a bride brought for his twenty-first birthday under any circumstance, they understood what awaited failure. They would not be executed as a form of entertainment during the big ceremony tomorrow.

Prince Kazak was no where near that nice.

After a very long and uncomfortable silence, Astro cleared his throat. “Well the humans still have some heavy forested areas. Guess we can get a head start on living a life as outcast refugees.”

“Oh screw it,” Eliot snapped while snatching his hat back up. Re-covering his cat ears, the smaller boy set out down the park path with tail held high. Witnesses were free to think whatever they wanted of it. “Let’s do one more sweep before resorting to fleeing. There’s got to be some form of female life walking around unescorted in this place.”

Astro sighed but fell into step behind his partner in crime. “If we live to see next week, remind me to deck my brother for saying life as a royal retainer was a comfort job.”

“Hell, I’ll hold him for you.”

* * * * * *

“Hey, pretty boy!!”

Felix regretted turning to face whoever was speaking. Not because their familiar voice signaled what was coming, but because his face became exposed to the rock aimed at it. A moment latter the frail seventeen year old boy was on his back writhing in agony with both palms covering a bleeding nose. Through the pain he could still make out a chorus of laughter while leaves crinkled under the weight of footsteps. A pair of hands gripped the collar of his oversized shirt, lifting him like a rag doll.

“So this is how you’ve been getting home lately? Can’t imagine why you’d go to such lengths to avoid me after class.”

“Must be you’re winning personality, Clay.” Felix smirked in an effort to act cool, despite the dirt and blood staining his pale face. A quick punch to the gut put a stop to that.

“Yeah, I just have a way with people.”

Clayton released his grip, letting Felix collapse down on his knees. There was little that could be done while he rummaged through Felix’s pockets and backpack for everything of value. The other teenager outdid him by at least a foot and seventy pounds. None of which was fat, considering the amount of time Clayton spent in the after school gym.

“Try not to avoid me again, kay? Otherwise we’ll have to make up for lost time.” Clayton said appearing satisfied with his looting. Not that there was much to be had. Their relationship had become more of one out of routine than profits. With a parting kick to Felix’s stomach, Clayton left him on the woodland floor without another word.

Felix just groaned and waited patiently for the pain to pass. Clayton was not his first bully, nor was it nearly his worst. Sadly it has become something he simply accepted since grade school. Having mostly inherited dominate genes from his mothers side cursed him with such despised feminine traits.

Even when people caught on they were not looking at a girl, they still questioned other aspects of his lifestyle. Fortunitly, Felix learned to stop giving a crap what others thought. It did not prevent them from voicing it, but it dulled emotional pains. Like all social outcasts, he clung to the hope something better waited after graduation next year.

If he was not focusing so much on his pain, Felix might have noticed something WAS waiting for him several feet above. Not necessarily better, depending on ones point of view.

“Ha, jackpot!” Eliot hissed through his wide grin of feline fangs. The thick grey tail flicked in anticipation beneath where he crouched on the tree branch. “I didn’t think we’d actually find someone this close to the wire, but talk about lucky.”

“Why was he hitting that poor girl though?” Astro wondered from his own, slightly lower, branch.

“Who cares? Her own kind hates her, so she won’t be missed.” Eliot’s smiled waned slightly. Eyes scanned their prey a little more closely. “Although I’m regretting I’ll have to pay my arrangements more to get some padding on her. The prince would still kill us for bringing back a washboard as his bride.”

“Arrangements?” Astro gave him a confused look that quickly turned to disbelief. “Oh god, don’t tell me you’ve made a deal with that girl!”

“What did you think we’d do? Put on some fake ears and hope the prince didn’t notice?” Eliot dropped down, hanging from his branch by both arms. “Let’s just hurry and grab her while we got the chance.”

Both catboys dropped from their hiding spot, landing on all fours with a grace no human ears could detect. Felix never even noticed their presence as he uncurled from his fetal position and moved to stand. He just assumed Clayton had doubled back for more punishment when someone grappled him up from behind.

“Oh haven’t you had enough all…”

A soaked rag cut off the question as it was stuffed into his maw. Felix was awake just long enough to feel chemical vapors sting his nose. They kicked in seconds later and his whole body went limp in deep slumber.

“Wow,” muttered Eliot as he straddled what he thought was a rather unblessed woman over his shoulders. “And here I thought chloroform drugging was a human myth.”

“Poor girl though.” Astro sighed, wiping Felix’s pale face as best he could with his shirt sleeve. “I hope the prince is at least not as violent to her as these apes.”

“Better her than us, I say.” Eliot shifted the body into a better carrying position before checking his pocket watch. “We better hurry back. This is going to be cutting things insanely close.”

* * * * * *

They did not even bother to knock. A swift kick was all Eliot needed to get the door open with an intentionally loud crash. The green colored catgirl beyond this entrance nearly jumped through the roof. Thankfully she managed to keep a hold on the beakers of glowing purple liquid in her hands. Though truthfully, Aiko was more concerned about keeping a hold on the liquid in her bladder after that scare.

“God damn you, Eliot!” She fumed while putting her beakers on their respective desk stands before facing them. “Do that again and I swear I’ll throw whatever’s in my hands at you.”

“I’ll hold you to that if it happens to be your underwear,” Eliot shot back. Ignoring the predictable middle finger retort, Eliot moved to an empty table where he deposited his human load. “On to business though, we found a girl for you to work on.”

Astro offered no comment while falling into the room, silently closing the door behind him. Wasting no time, he flung his cap off into a nearby trash can and worked to free his blue cat tail from the confines of his sweat pants. In seconds he was purring like a newborn kitten while it wagged freely in the air.

“Huh. I didn’t think a brain dead like you could pull off anything illegal.” Aiko giggled as she approached the table. Her lime cat tail curled in curiosity, looking over what had just been dumped on her equipment. While the catboys watched, her face went through a range of emotions; first switching from curious to confused, then moving on to one of shock and ending with a surprising fit of giggles.

“What the hell is so funny?” Eliot demanded while removing his snowcap, although his cat ears remained folded back in a sign of agitation.

“You two have any idea what you’ve done?” Aiko finally said after catching her breath. A few giggles still managed to slip out in her efforts to stay composed.

“Exactly what I said!” Eliot puffed his chest out slightly. Confusion and feeling mocked only fueled his anger. “I got a human girl like you requested. Just hurry up and make her a buxom neko-jin for our spoiled rulers.”

Aiko broke into full out laughter for several seconds. Before Eliot could react, she reached out to give his check a patronizing pat. “It must be nice to be as dense as you.”

Eliot opened his mouth to tell the catgirl where to stick it. But then she did something really unexpected by grabbing the human’s pants and yanking them down to its ankles. The boxers followed a moment later and both cat boys were left gawking in confusion at what had been revealed. After several seconds though, the blunder staring them in the face finally sank in. Their jaws were unable to do anything but hang to the ground.

“Eliot,” Astro finally managed to squeek out. “Is that a…”

“Yeah,” he replied in a neutral tone.

“So that’s really a…”

“Yeah.”

Another long silence filled the room. Aiko smirked, waiting patiently for their respective male brains to fully process their situation.

“Are we boned?”

“Yeah!”

“Ugh. Men.” Aiko rolled her eyes with another giggle. “Afraid I’m going to have to charge triple what we agreed on for this job.”

“What!?” That snapped Eliot back to reality fast. Astro barely recovered in time to keep his friend from diving across the table. “You blood sucking witch! If I go down I’m at least going to take you…wait, what did you say?”

“Well, we did have a deal.” Aiko winked at him. Her expression turned a bit more serious as she gestured at the exposed genitals of their victim. “My potion can still do exactly what I promised to this human. But now I’m going to have to waste a lot of expensive ingredients making it potent enough to…correct your little error.”

Eliot responded with a very low, animalistic, growl. Astro was using all his strength and still could fell his restraint starting to give.

“Of course you have other options.” She continued with smug satisfaction. “Not that I can think of one that doesn’t end with you both in pieces. I know! One of you can play the martyr and take my potion yourself?”

“Like hell!” Both catboys shouted, jumping back a few steps at the notion.

Eliot turned several shades of red, but made no more threatening action towards Aiko. A surprise considering the fit of giggles that response earned from her. With a defeated sigh, his gaze turned heated. “Fine, it’s done. The prince better get a damn hot wife at tomorrow’s presentation and you get to rob me out of house and home.”

“You live in the palace basement,” Aiko countered with a raspberry. “But I’ll gladly take your money anyway.”

“Just make sure she’s ready or there’ll be murder added to my list of crimes!” Eliot whirled on his feet and stormed from the room to avoid retort. Astro only gave Aiko a nervous half bow before dashing out after him.

“What a dick,” Aiko muttered soon as they left. Her face went solemn upon glancing to the human resting rather peacefully on her table. A delicate hand ran across his bangs to smooth them out. It gave the sleek face a much more beautiful appeal. “Sorry, kid. You looked exactly my type too.”

* * * * * *

At first it was hard for Felix to tell if he was still awake or dreaming. Everything was just a big, blurry blob. As his eyes squinted though, it slowly began to improve into many blobs. Each one gradually gained more definition. Babbling sounds also began to register and he felt his ears twitching to catch them. Eventually things soon focused enough for him to gather he was on his back staring at a ceiling. Most of that happened to be blocked by a rather stunning set of sparkling blue eyes. Then his attention tried focusing on their owner; a girl whose beauty far exceeded even the ones he liked to ogle during gym class.

The fact she had short green hair and large matching cat ears made him wonder again if this was all a dream. Her mouth occasionally moved, but vision was clearing a lot faster than his hearing. It took what felt like minutes before he could make out anything she was speaking.

“…you functioning yet, buddy?”

Felix tried to speak, but his mouth felt like a dried up desert. He settled for emitting what he hoped was an acknowledging grunt. Whatever sound came out seemed to please the catgirl.

“That’s great! I was starting to worry that potions side effects would have you knocked out for a month. But it’s nothing a little stimulator can’t balance. You should be fully functional again in a few minutes. I’m going to go get you something to wear and answer the questions I just KNOW you’re going to ask. Just sit tight and whatever you do; don’t panic or scream.” The girl moved out of his field of vision once she had finished. A few moments later she returned with an expression so serious it made his heart skip. “Seriously, don’t scream! Our lives may depend on it.”

Felix was almost thankful for his paralysis now. As she left a second time, there was a lingering urge to do just the opposite of what was advised. For now he just groaned and let his mind at least try to stay relaxed. A headache of massive proportion made it hard to process his surroundings anyway. Feeling was slowly returning to the rest of his body at least, sort of like when limbs lost their circulation for a while. So he did the only thing that seemed logical; go back to sleep. It was not until the catgirl returned with the slamming of doors that he was jarred awake. Felix bolted upright; too scared to care about all the unusual ways his body was feeling in reaction to his movements.

“Hope you’re well rested,” the girl said with a nervous smile. The folded back ears and low tail destroyed her weak attempt at reassurance. In her arms sat a sparking silver laced dress decorated in a wide array of blue and gold ribbons. The sight of it made Felix winch. Surely that was not intended for him. “I’m Aiko by the way. We don’t have much time so I got to explain while I finish you up.”

“I’m Felix, but what are you…” Felix stopped cold at the sound of his alluring feminine voice.

A sudden chill made him realize his body had been stripped naked and he crossed his arms in an attempt for warmth. That was when a really odd sensation began to register to recovering nerves. His chest felt swollen under his arms, yet it did not feel like a painful injury. In fact the two large lumps felt pleasurable, especially around his nipples. At least, until he looked down and got a good look at what he was holding.

“Don’t scream!” Aiko hissed upon seeing the expression cross his face.

“W…what the fuck are these?” Felix chocked out in a barely audible whisper. The rising panic nearly rendered her mouth unusable again.

“I believe humans call them breasts.” Aiko forced a laugh before grabbing hold of Felix’s dainty hand and pulling her to stand. “Hope you’re not fond of small ones either. I’m going to have to add some curves to you in a sec.”

“”What?” Felix blinked and struggled just to remain upright. Aiko ignored the remark as she moved around behind Felix while working to open up the dress. Felix quickly twisted around to follow her actions, catching sight of a butt much more round than she remembered having. But it was the blond furred spinal extension swishing lazily across it that really drew attention. “What the hell happened to me? Is that a tail!?”

“Afraid so,” Aiko said as she worked. There were no signals given, she simply bent down, setting the open dress on the floor before grabbing Felix’s legs to guide them into it. She wasted no time raising it back up to cover the blond girl’s slender legs with the skirt portion. Not even her feet were visible as she tied a green sash loosely around Felix’s slimmer waist. “You’re now a member of the neko-jin, cat demons if you will. Our current location is on a separate plan of exsistence where we live mostly in apathy towards your human world. To be even more precise, we are in my lab on the second basement of the royal palace. What’s going on right now is that yesterday you were kidnapped mistakenly by two of the king retainers. It’s not my fault, but I do apologize for their complete inability to tell a girl from a very beautiful guy.”

Despite the situation, Felix felt herself blush and ears fold back. Curious, she tried to reach up and feel her new cat ears. But then Aiko finished fitting her tail through a pre-made hole in the dress’s seat. Without warning, she yanked Felix’s hands one at a time through the sleeves of an attached blouse. The blouse itself was then lifted up to cover her chest, but not by much as the cut seemed designed for lots of cleavage. Felix felt the fabric in wonder, noting that her breast came no where near filling out the designed cups. There was even enough space that it wrinkled in on itself while Aiko tightened up the straps along her backside.

“Although it was clearly against your will, you were taken back here and made a female.” At this Aiko paused in her fitting to whisper in close to Felix’s ear. The hot breath against fur made the blond catgirl giggle. “That part IS my fault sadly, and I pray you will forgive me for it someday.”

Felix blinked, shocked at how hurt that last sentence sounded coming from this other cat. When she tried to turn and question it though, Aiko cut her off with a sharp tightening of her dress that forced her to face forward again. Satisfied the garment was properly on, if barely hanging onto her modest womanly curves, Aiko moved to stand before Felix again.

“In about fifteen minutes the prince will receive a toast to commemorate the exact moment of his twenty-first birthday.” All this was said while Aiko knelt down to fit crystal glass slippers on each of Felix’s feet. She stood back up only to slip long silken gloves on each hand. Their frilled sleeves did not end until halfway up each bicep and made Felix want to scratch every inch of them. “At that time he will be presented with the neko-jin his most trusted retainers deemed worthy to be his bride. Now listen up, since that unlucky soul happens to be you.”

Felix did not care anymore; she was ready to scream her entire lungs out at this madness. But Aiko seemed one step ahead and silenced it with one hand over her mouth. A tad unnecessary since her glare alone made Felix think twice. From her pocket, Aiko removed a small vial containing some kind of purple fluid. This was drummed along her palms as she resumed the lecture.

“This is very important sweetie. Under no circumstance once you are out there should you move or speak unless directly told to. The prince is a spoiled and selfish brat and he WILL touch you in unpleasant ways to make sure his bride is ‘perfect.’ Bite down on your tongue if you have to, but don’t even blink in a defiant way. If anything is done to remotely displease him, you will be killed on sight. Shortly following that will be my beheading and then a prolonged torture of his retainers for bringing a defective female. Any questions?”

Felix raised her gloved hand on reflex, but did not bother waiting. “Can we just put some guns to our mouths and save time?”