Why: Someone was bored. That someone was me. Besides, the world sooo needs more AU fics with Seifer x Squall as the base pairing. I’m kinda being sarcastic, but not. And, Squall naked with cat ears and a tail is damn seksey.

Where: The story takes place in an Alternate Universe where Seifer is a tribesman and hunter to his band of jungle living kinsmen. He wears a loincloth ^.^V. The village his tribe lives in is called ‘Enba’ and it borders the jungle, which is uncreatively named the ‘Borderlands.’

What: Seifer, the hunter of Enba, once had a mission. Only to be set off course by a creature he once hunted. Lah-dee-dah. Weee!

((Have you come up with your own summary yet? Cause I haven’t come up with a decent one so far. Remember that fill in the blank statement in chapter two? Well here’s what I filled in based on the things my friends said. Madlibs are fun… especially with Seifer as the topic of discussion.))

The madlib: Seifer, the [noun] of [place], once had a [noun]. Only to be [verb] by a [noun] named [insert name here].

A result: Seifer, the [kitten] of [Japan], once had a [toaster]. Only to be [eaten] by a [slime] named [Julie]. – from Jason the Kitty

<Author says: what’s with me/Julie and eating Seifer?>

Other results of the madlib will be posted at the end…

Warnings:  The author is a cat lover AND still a pervert. Naked Squall kitty in heat is… shhhhweet. Heh heh… who wouldn’t want to see a Squall kitty in heat with a Seifer… MUAHAHAHAHAH~!

For all other classifications of dangers, see chapter one.

This chapter was written under the influence of techno remixes of ‘Eyes of Me,’ ‘Suteki da ne,’ and ‘Fly me to the Moon.’ Decent remixes, but hell… they kept me working. Oh and the Mass Requiem by Mozart totally powered the battle-esqued scene in this chapter ^-^V.

Wild Rock

Chapter 3

By Julie

It was hot. Very hot and sticky, after all this was a jungle. Seifer shifted around uncomfortably on his bed, kicking off the sheets. The sheer white sheets balled up and fell onto the floor. His eyes fluttered, he was still asleep. Squall looked over at the bundle of sheets; the musky scent of Seifer drifting over, tickling his senses like mad. The cat could not sleep. His mating season was beating him relentlessly as he watched the hunter sleep rather peacefully under the jungle’s drenching heat. Curling up in the basket the blonde man had set aside for him as a bed, Squall sighed.
 

It was apparent that the few people of Enba he had interacted with did not understand what he had to say. They would ‘meow’ at Squall and tell him to stop ‘meowing.’ What did ‘meow’ mean? Squall grumbled; he understood them perfectly. His tail thumped against the side of the wicker basket. The sun was going to rise soon. Seifer would get up, clean up, and prepare breakfast. Soon after, the hunter would get ready to either hunt or take care of his plots of land in the back. The auburn cat hoped the man would go hunting; it would give him a chance to get out and perhaps escape. It would be foolish and suicidal to run through Enba and even think of reaching the jungle without being noticed. Guards were posted around, with nightly rounds, and clusters of them were found at the 4 gates of Enba, each facing a different direction. If Squall were to escape, it would be best to leave from the eastern exit of Enba. For that gate was closest to Kasakoro Lake and the jungle. It was said each of the men and women guards of Enba were given instructions to capture the younger beasts and kill off the older ones. Rumors were rarely confirmed in the jungle kingdom, because survivors never made it back to their homes, alive or dead.

Squall shivered. He was in heat and a bit anxious. Elle and his father would try to stay rational, but Zell would probably be having a seizure by now. The younger blonde cat looked up to the auburn cat and tried his damned hardest to be friends with his ‘hero.’ Squall actually missed both his father and Zell… the two loudest, chipper and perhaps most annoying kinsmen he knew. Yet he cared for them and look where he was now? Poor Elle. He missed his stepsister very much. The basket bed he curled up in felt colder and colder as he thought more and more of his home.

Why did the hunter spare him? Squall growled at himself, he asked too many questions this early in the morning. Best get some rest to tag along with the hunter if he goes out. Speaking of the man, Squall got up from the basket and padded over to the bedding. The hunter was shivering a bit. The jungle air was misty and had cooled down a bit from the humidity and heat that lingered before. Grabbing the bundle of sheets with his teeth, Squall lightly jumped onto the bed, making it shake a little. He tried not to wake the man. The cat kept his teeth on the sheets as he whipped them into the air and over Seifer’s body. That would do the hunter some good by warming him up. Squall felt drowsy and his body felt heavy. The smell of the sheets were seducing him, luring him to lie down for a bit beside the man who captured him in more ways than one.

Not a bad idea, Squall thought to himself, just close your eyes and rest for just a moment.

It was a bit cooler than when he first tried to drift off to sleep. Hence, a good prediction of the weather in the near future would be a rainy period that would most likely be cool and windy. Better get ready to warn the Enba people to bar down their homes and secure whatever young crops they still had out in the fields. It would not be that dangerous, as the typhoon that had hit many months back, but one must always take safety precautions. Seifer mulled over all of this with his eyes closed. Though it was a bit chilly, despite the land and climate being that of a tropical jungle, it was strangely warm. Well, more like there was a strange heat emitting body lying beside him. The hunter blushed. Who could it be? Should he lean over? Last year, it was not a rare occurrence to have young virgins, male and female, barge in drunk on the heat during the night.

His mind laughed at him, could it be Quistis? What would he say? Screw it, he muttered, turning over to see who crawled into his bed this time. Without even taking a second to think, Seifer ripped off the sheets that covered the hot body next to him.

“Hmm? Rrr…” Squall lazily looked up. Why would Seifer come check the basket first? Or had Squall slept through the man’s morning routine? Did he miss breakfast? How could he oversleep? The cat pouted. He hated missing breakfast, especially when Enba food was so exotic and tasty. He yawned and stretched his paws out. The man was still looking at him. “What?”

“Why are you in my bed?”

“….” The cat was speechless. His steel blue eyes were wide, trying to recall the previous night’s sleepy events. The bed, why was he in Seifer’s bed?

This was certainly awkward. Squall panicked, eyes darting around. Last night, he could not sleep. Last night, he saw the shivering hunter. Last night, he went over to the man’s bed and tucked him in… and stayed on the bed. And slept beside the man. Squall wanted to run and dig a whole big enough to bury himself in. How foolish! How silly! How mad this cat must be! He blushed again, sitting up straight in the bed. Seifer noticed, his hand reaching over to tousle Squall’s auburn soft locks.

“Shit, your fever is acting up again. Stay kitty… I’ll go get some medicine.” The man dashed out of bed and to the kitchen.

“It… it’s not the fever.” Squall called out, but then blushed deeper. “He called me kitty? Not beast, not cat… but kitty? Oh, how… how…”

Squall fell back down onto the bed, burrowing into the sheets. Rubbing against them and moaning, hoping the hunter was too preoccupied to hear him.

This cat is starting to really grab onto me, Seifer muttered internally. He added some herbs and floral extractives to an ivory mortar for the cat’s medicine. Frustrated with his recent acknowledgement of his growing adoration for the cat, Seifer ground the mixture roughly with a pestle that came with the vessel. He was hunter, the village’s most renowned and revered hunter, known as the Enba hunter. It was a title that was not lightly given. He killed all animals that harmed the village’s growth; he killed all the animals that helped the village’s growth. Seifer did whatever he could to help the villagers, the kindly people of Enba.

Today would be the last day he would keep the cat here. The beast had to go, regardless of the bond and master-pet relationship that had been growing between them. Seifer’s anger had ground the herbs and roots into a fine green brown mixture of medicine. He scooped out the mixture into a small clay bowl. Sighing, Seifer grabbed a clay dish and dumped a ball of sticky jasmine rice onto it. He mixed together the rice and medicine with some sugarcane seasoned egg and chicken from last night. The cat may not enjoy it as much as the food he stole days ago, but this meal would have to suffice.

With the plate in hand, Seifer returned to his room to see the cat rolling in his sheets, eyes half-lidded with a raw emotion and feeling concealed in them. The cat was purring uncontrollably and mewing softly, lifting his body to rub roughly against the silky sheets the hunter had previously lain in. Seifer almost dropped the dish of food. A pained and loud yowl was released from the cat; it fell to the leafy bedding panting for breath. Poor thing, Seifer looked down at the straw strewn ground, it was hurting that much from its fever. Was naga poison that potent in the cat beast population?

Squall curled into a ball. Way to go, getting all hot and bothered on your captor-savior’s bed. The spot he lay in was wet and sticky. What to do? He couldn’t lick it clean. Not only that, he was sweaty too. This season was the worst by far. Usually being in heat did not bother Squall. It was natural; there was no way to fight it. The mating season had Squall running for and behind the hills. He could not be bothered with rutting male or females. His whole pride had him disinterested in mating and reproducing. None of the pride had him this bothered or this hot. None of them could even replicate a fraction of what this human, this hunter made him feel.

This has got to stop. He cannot do this to his people, his clan. Beasts of the jungle and humans had no bond, nor relationship. As much as Squall had come to adore this man, he could not stay here. The moment the man let him outside of Enba, Squall would have to run as fast and as far, beyond the Kasakoro, back to his home.

The man set the food down onto the bed, noticing the cat was balled up and tense. Disregarding the possible snarls, growls, and hisses that could be thrown at him, Seifer leaned over to pet the suffering creature. Had the fever brought him down that badly? The hunter stroked the fur with feather soft touches, drawing the cat out from is curled up position. It heatedly purred, allowing the man to stroke it so. Its ears perked up and its tail batted around. It felt happy; at least that is what Seifer inferred. Shyly, Squall looked up at the hunter. He stretched out his arms, leaving his tight kneeling position, but not straying far from the white wet spot.

“Eh? What is that…?” The spot Squall sought so hard to hide caught Seifer’s attention. “Great, cat sweat. This fever is really draining you huh? Well, fear not cat, I brought some food and medicine. Eat up while I get ready.”

He misunderstood. Squall let out a deep sigh. The man was oblivious to what the substance was and still assumed the heated blushing and writhing was fever induced.

“You are dense… whatever. And now you’re calling me ‘cat’ not ‘kitty.’” Squall puffed out, looking with distaste at the food in front of him. This would be his last meal here, might as well attempt to enjoy it. Squall was acting spoiled, he berated himself. In the wild the meat was bloody, fresh, and not cooked. He should stop being picky. Edging over to the clay dish, Squall sniffed the meal, recognizing the chicken meat and eggs from last night. So breakfast was leftovers, it would still be delicious, especially since it was tenderized and cooked by the hunter’s hands.

Hyperion was in its case, strapped to the hunter’s back. Seifer tossed a water canteen and some non-perishable foods into his bag. He was planning on being out for a while, in hopes of hunting a few bear boars and toro birds. And Seifer was hoping to get the cat beast as far away from Enba as he could. The cat laid outside, in the hunter’s line of sight, watching butterflies hover in the air. Squall looked forlorn yet attentive, as if he were listening to the fluttering winged beauties above his head. The golden sunlight glittered their gossamer blue wings with a sparkling tint. What lovely butterflies these were. Seifer shrugged, sticking a prepared lunch into his knapsack. He still had to figure out a way to get the cat out of Enba unseen.

“There you are, prince Squall. Your father and sister are very worried.” One of the butterflies landed on the tip of Squall’s ear, tickling him.

“Oh, but not only the king and princess are worried… the whole clan is riled and shaken with fears on how their prince is fairing.” Another butterfly swirled around in the air before landing on Squall’s nose. He sneezed, “HEY! That wasn’t very nice you, sneezing at me.”

“…whatever.” Squall flicked his ears, brushing the reclining butterfly off of it.

“We must head back to the pride at once to announce such fortuitous news. We are the only ones that know prince Squall is unharmed and safe!” the butterfly that rested on Squall’s ears boomed out, as loud as a butterfly could speak.

“Unharmed and safe is practically the same thing, silly.” A few of the butterflies giggled at the loud butterfly. Squall’s tail flitted back and forth; he looked down at his paws. It was good that they, the zealous blue butterflies, would tell his family and kingdom he was safe… but still, it saddened him to leave. Angry at such thoughts, the auburn cat shook his head. He had to be resolute; leaving and never seeing Seifer would be the best thing for both of them. After all, Seifer was the deadly Enba hunter. The blue winged messengers awaited the prince’s commands to fly off.

“Leave me and head back to my father. Tell him, I will try to return today. The hunter has been most hospitable and there is no need for any reinforcements. Thank you, now be on your way.” Squall told the silky blue butterflies. Their giggles and chatter stopped immediately, they had a mission to accomplish, a message to be sent. Without another word, the butterflies sped off leaving the pensive auburn furred cat.

Weapons on his back and bag there too; Seifer was ready for hunting today. Breakfast was uneventful. The cat stayed away from the sizzling slices of meat and the sunny side up chocobo eggs on the griddle. It was a shame, on the last day of them being together, the hunter hoped the cat would wreak all out havoc. Instead, it took what was given to it as a meal and then laid in the sun to sulk. That is, if the assumption is made that cats could sulk.

“Psst, c’mon. Don’t act all pissy, cat. I’m taking you back to the Borderlands today, you know… your home?” Seifer bent down to the cat’s level. It avoided him, turning its whole body away from the talking man. “Hmmm? Are you unhappy that I didn’t save you any of the steak I cooked this morning? You brat.”

“……..” Squall continued to ignore the hunter.

“How did you survive in the jungle without a well-prepared and nicely seasoned meal? I must be spoiling you rotten, cat.”

“No need to converse. Just take me to the forest,” Squall muttered, still refusing to look at the blonde man. “I want to get this over with.”

Seifer laid a wrapped bundle at Squall’s feet. A sweet aroma drifted from the loosely wrapped package. It was a familiar smell. Curious, Squall pawed the wrapping open revealing large pieces of the meat he had stolen from Seifer’s grill the first morning he was at the hunter’s home. It was the marinated bear boar meat the hunter had placed atop his kitchen pot to enjoy for breakfast… only to have it stolen by the feisty cat, Squall. His first thought was to cry and never leave the man. The tall blonde was a killer, a hunter and yet, he was thoughtful, warm and tender. How could that be? Squall couldn’t resist. Before wolfing down the meat that lay before him, Squall looked at the man who knelt next to him. The hunter was grinning; they were sharing a moment they had together.

“Remember this meat you stole? I didn’t even hear you sneak in and take it. Never suspected it at all. Clever little beastie, that’s what you are. Go on… eat it, I made it just for you.” Seifer was about to get up, but then… Squall leaned in closer, nuzzling Seifer’s cheek. Purring loudly, Squall closed his eyes, shutting out the emotions that shone in his eyes. The hunter made no move to get up from his position on the floor. Giving into nagging desires, Squall opened his eyes right before he licked the hunter’s cheek gently, relishing in the saline sweet taste that lingered there. Pushing down the hot urges to jump the man, Squall purred and settled for another nuzzle against the hunter. Seifer did not move nor speak. He was numbed yet warmed at the same time.

“Awwwwwwwww…” a squeal came from behind the pair.

“HOLY SHIT! A BORDERLAND CAT!!” great, the squeaky rat Selphie and her cheesy husband to be had arrived to ruin the moment. Well, it was bound to be broken anyway. “Did that beast just bite you? Give me the signal and I’ll send a shaft through it’s…”

“Don’t you dare!” Seifer snapped, bringing the cat closer. “That is…urr… um. Well, I… I need to bring it back. It’s too young to kill… want to get in trouble with the council of the hunt, Irvine?”

The fox haired sniper looked doubtful and dubious but said nothing when his beloved, Selphie, shot him a life-threatening glare. The cat looked saddened by the lack of intimate contact, but seemed to be content with the close proximity to the hunter. Seifer let go of Squall, the cat settled down to graciously wolf down both slabs of cooked bear boar meat. Meanwhile, the three humans talked about the day’s events.

“Quistis is stuck at a boring diplomatic sorta meal with the leaders of near by tribes. Chieftain Kramer is there too. I think Rinoa got out of the party in favor of her sorceress studies. That means you won’t be seeing your blonde beauty until after sunset. Which is perfect because you don’t come back from hunting until then anyway, Seifer~!” the perky girl tugged on the hunter’s arm making him rise from the ground. Squall ignored the gawking sniper. The man had never seen a live cat beast before. Irvine was drooling; the fur was gorgeous and looked ever so soft. He wanted to rub himself all over the cat beast… well, not in a perverted sense. Grumbling and smacking himself, the sniper tried his best to look away from Squall and his shiny priceless coat.

“Greaaaat. Another evil ploy of yours. This time I might just go along with it… that is if I come back from hunting on time. After all Irvine and you are already taking away from my time.” The hunter pointed at the sun, it was almost noon.

“Oh bother, bring a torch with you, you silly unresourceful man.” Selphie grunted, attempting to push the hunter. Irvine was still trying not to leer at the cat. Squall felt really uncomfortable now.

“Fine fine, if you don’t see me back by sunset to court the loverly Quistis, you may skin me alive and use my pelt as a throw rug.”

“Tch, like I’d want you as a throw rug.” Irvine rolled his eyes. Selphie had her turn at baiting the cat. Squall did not like this couple at all. One was staring at him with much interest; the other enjoyed tackling him and giggling. Noting the cat’s distress, Seifer came to his rescue.

“I’m off, hunting must be done for today. And I’m taking the cat with me too.” Seifer could have honestly sworn he saw the cat sigh with relief from being saved.

“Kitty!! KITTY! Not cat.” Selphie yelled, as if that were Squall’s name. Squall wrinkled his nose at such a horrid sounding name.

“Let’s let Seifer go, we’ve kept him long enough. Now, how do you expect to get that…” Selphie glared at Irvine. “Kitty, there I said it Selphie, happy? How will you get the kitty out of here?”

Looking at the torn cloak in the corner, the one that brought Squall into Enba, Seifer shrugged.

“I know! Let Irvine and me distract the people! Buuuut… you gotta promise to bring the kitty back. Quistis adores him, that’s the only way to properly court her, got it? Hee hee.” The girl did a dance. Squall blanched. The whole point of leaving with the hunter was to not be in Enba from this day forth. And now that bouncy idiot was insisting of keeping Squall here to get Seifer his mate? Nope, that’s not happening. Squall was going to leave for good; nothing would stop him from leaving.

“Distractions?” the blonde looked a bit scared. “From only you two I hope?”

“Heh heh heh…” Selphie made no attempt to explain her devious plans.

The midnight haired sorceress had a wide smile on her pretty face. That foolish couple had unwittingly given her a major clue on how to win the handsome hunter’s heart. The gorgeous Enba hunter was as good as her’s. She could do a victory dance, but that would totally spoil the ultimately cool and beautiful image she had built of herself. Rinoa felt that she was the epitome of beauty, grace, and magical wonder. The sorceress believed she had it all and soon would have more than that. For when the Enba hunter took her as his wife, her life would be complete.

Rinoa couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth. She had to contain the joyous laughter. Save it for after the proposal announcement. That Seifer was as going to be her man. The people around her looked at her. Why was she laughing? Nothing funny was going on. Shrugging, the men and women of Enba continued with what they were doing. That sorceress was a skilled one, but always a bit weird and crazy… especially boy crazy.

“Ah! ‘Tis noon. What a spectacle~! Oh dearest townspeople, do you wish to see the dusky reds to dark amethysts of twilight arise?” Rinoa called out, raising her hands theatrically. They people that did listen to her, looked very baffled.

“What did she just say?”

“I have no clue, man.”

“My head hurts. That girl has got to keep her trap shut.”

“…” Screw the diplomacy; Rinoa was ready to throttle a few people. The couple, Irvine and Selphie, had talked aloud of how Seifer loved the night, especially sunset to twilight. Along with that, the man so adored fireworks, but no merchants had any until the fire festival seasons in the hottest season of all, summer. The people of Enba loved the season and the sparkling lights as well. Why not get two birds with one stone? Or in Rinoa’s case… one big booming fire magic lights display with a darkening spell thrown in to create a night like backdrop around Enba. Not only would she be pleasing the man she sought after, she would be making his people very happy. Rinoa was giddy at the prospect of earning a happy smile from the handsome blonde man. That thought blew her anger out of the water, she felt so light with giddiness.

“The girl has gone glassy eyed on us.”

“If she tips over, just stand her back up again okay?”

“Ahem, what wish to do is make it dark enough to shoot out sparkling fire, similar to fire works, as a show for you wonderful people~!” Rinoa looked a tad bit vapid, floating from the love vibes she was oozing.

“Ooooh!! Really?! Damn cool!”

“This girl has totally risen in her ranks of coolness.”

“Yaaaaay! Fireworksfireworksfireworksfireworks!!”

“Children, calm down. Chores must be done first…”

“Heh! How can children do chores in the dark~?” Rinoa scoffed in a joking manner. Snapping her fingers, long transparent twisted sheets flew from the palms of her hands. They were wispy and long like smoke trailing from a dying fire. The velvety opaque sheets were dark as the night sky. They soared around her like black hawks before flying upward towards the sun. It was high noon; the sun was at its peak. The sheets Rinoa had summoned soared higher and higher, with each height it increased the sheets became more massive, large enough to cover all of Enba. And indeed, the sheets did cover Enba, darkening from opaque dark iris to an even deeper and richer color of purple. The sheets had become the night sky, losing their edges and frays. The people of Enba had stopped what they were doing and all were silent.

The couple that had spoken loud enough to attract Rinoa’s attention smiled at each other. Their plan had worked. Irvine doubted that it would, while Selphie knew the young sorceress would do anything to flaunt her powers AND gain the attentions of Seifer.

“Hee hee hee. Let’s hope Seifer used this time to get out of Enba with kitty~!”

“I still can’t believe this plan worked. Is that sorceress really that dense?” Irvine wrapped his arms around his betrothed. Magic or not, this fake night sky was a little creepy. Selphie silenced Irvine with a kiss on the cheek.

“Shush, dearest… it worked, now all we gotta do is sit, relax and enjoy this wondrous show Rinoa will put on for us~!” Selphie held onto Irvine’s arms. He blushed, rubbing against the top of Selphie’s head. She could be so cute.

Rinoa had brought the night forth, now time for the fireworks. She cheered internally for she had won Seifer and Quistis had not a chance at all~! Raising both arms, she summoned forth a blaze that was worthy of a phoenix.

Squall jumped. The ground shook. Someone was casting heavy-duty magic. Where was the sunlight? Was it not noontime? How did it get this dark so quickly? Seifer was grumbling something about a ‘Rinoa.’ Whatever that was. As soon as darkness covered the whole area, a huge burst of light rose above the houses and trees of Enba. The ball of light cracked like a burst egg as soon as it reached above the village. Sparks of light came from the shattered bits of colored light, looking as if a firebird had hatched and risen from the sparkling ball. What a way to be sent off. The man cooked him something special, he licked and nuzzled the said man, and now… a light show worthy of the gods was being shown.

Rushing off to follow the man, Squall bounded forward. A few more feet and he would be out of Enba. The darkness that fringed on the edge of Enba’s eastern gate billowed like a silky black curtain, dispelling the illusion of nightfall. Once the man and cat ran through the curtains of darkness, they would be outside of Enba and closest to Kasakoro.

“Almost there, cat.” Seifer tore through the opening and into the light. Besides the darkness that had descended over Enba, the remainder of the land was covered in sunlight.

“Sssssssilence, be sssssssssstill. He isssssss coming.”

“He killed my ssssssssister… the foul being.”

“Vengeance ssssssssssssshall be yourssssssss, noble sssssssssire. It ssssssssssshall.”

His back straightened up, as did his fur. It stood up on end. As Seifer ran through the darkness and the eastern gates of Enba, Squall slackened his pace as he followed the hunter. He was glad he did. If he had not, the cat would have never sensed the cold, almost reptilian vibes that filled the air. It was the aura of the naga clan. The nagas had come far too close to Enba. Thank goodness they feared flames, the same flames that lit up the magically darkened skies of the village. The people would be safe for now.

Squall snarled; the hunter he held dear was in danger if the nagas were indeed outside of Enba. Seifer had killed a queen-sized naga, which merited a death sentence from the naga clan. They would spare the man no pain; nothing for the sin he had committed against them. Bracing himself, Squall dove through the darkness into the streaming light. Even if they would be outnumbered, the least the cat could do was die for the man he cared for.

Right after he left Enba, Seifer felt off balance. It wasn’t Rinoa’s magic that made him feel uncomfortable; it was something else. He quickly unsheathed Hyperion. If there was a disturbance, he had to defend Enba to the death. The hunter took his usual stance, preparing to kill those who threatened his home. The bushes rustled and then…

“NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! Meeeeow~!” it was that blonde cat with the black tribal etching under one of his eyes. Seifer let his taut body loosen a bit, for one of the unseen offenders had shown themselves… but this blonde hyper cat had not alleviated the pit of dread that was forming in hunter’s stomach. He had a gut feeling something truly vicious was hiding from him, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As Seifer stood waiting, the blonde cat ran to his auburn friend, Squall. The hyper cat’s tail was flailing about crazily, expressing so much excitement and fervor. Zell was meowing loudly in an admonishing tone. Squall wasn’t paying much attention to his blonde, skittish friend. The auburn cat was cautiously surveying the area. A blue butterfly was zooming towards the pair of cats, out of breath. Even before it could alert the two, Zell was pulled off quickly by something long and scaly.

Squall growled; the hunter saw the long scaly body and knew nagas had come for him.

“SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!! HELP!” Zell howled. He was dangling in the air at the end of a naga’s tail. They were snickering at him. The hunter was wasting no time, hacking at the nagas that slithered too close to Enba. Squall stood faithfully by the man’s side, clawing with rage at the tails and fanged heads that dared to draw closer. Hearing his friend’s distressed call, the cat sighed. Squall wondered what he should do? Save his friend or defend the hunter? Before he could dwell further on it, another naga lunged at the hunter. Wasting no time, Squall jumped up to gauge whatever part of the naga’s head he could.

Zell called out again. Squall was not coming...

A black forked tongue tickled Zell’s cheek; angrily the blonde cat batted it away. Squall would come… he would!!

“Your friend will not ssssssssssave you. He isssssssssss too enamored with the man. Bessssssssssssides, beasssssssssst. I promissssssssssssse not to eat you thisssssssssssss time. We are here to kill the man, the Enba hunter.” The massive snake spat his mentioning of the man who killed his sister with ease. She was to be married to his best friend and now where was she? Probably on the backs of selfish humans as a coat or hung on their arms as an accessory. The Enbas would pay for their insolence and rampant killings for pleasure and avarice.

The hyper blonde cat was quiet, digesting what he heard. Was Squall in love… with a man?

Two silver backed snakes surrounded the man; one had a large laceration on its neck. Nagas with silver backs were not poisonous but they had compact muscles that had a most deadly grip and squeeze. As long as the hunter avoided the coils, he would be fine. The nagas with black markings, the ones that spat poison, were already dead, their emerald bodies strewn all over. Seifer felt that he needn’t worry too much, but a hunter should never let his guard down. He noticed the blonde cat was taken by the nagas, but where to? No time to worry about that, face forward… hack and slash, a few snakes remain.

Yet… where was the auburn cat?

“Zell!!” Squall ran to the heir of the naga clan, a proud and tall snake with golden scales. His sister, the poisonous one Seifer had killed days ago was huge… but her brother was by far the biggest naga the auburn furred cat had seen yet. He was at least 2 of his sister combined. Squall hated to admit it, but he was scared. “Let him go.”

His voice was shaky and Zell refused to look at him.

“What if I don’t want to go with a man lover like you! I can’t believe you…”

Squall shook violently at those words. What did the naga know? What did the naga say to Zell?!

“Zell, snakes aren’t the most truthful ones of the jungle. You know that…”

“Judgmental are you not, prince Ssssssssssquall.” The golden snake tilted his head, his pale eyes glimmering with unspoken mischief and malice.

“Hmmph, true nagas are mostly liars… but…bu…but why are you defending that man? This naga lifted me up high enough with his tail so I could see you… watch you as you fought beside this man, this hunter…”

“I… Zell, I…” Squall didn’t know what to say. The truth wasn’t coming; it wasn’t spilling forth. The truth was ugly, it was to be hidden and shoved down never to be seen like all unwanted desires. He was never to fall in love with a human, a man no less. “Zell…”

“Don’t say anything, I don’t want to hear it! Just shut up!!” Zell snarled, but soon after he regretted it. Squall was his hero, he may be disappointed, but the cat was still his friend since childhood. The auburn cat stood by the naga, looking up sadly at his friend hung high in the air.

“I know you told me not to say anything, but that won’t stop me from apologizing…”

“Ssssssssssssave it, princely little Ssssssssssquall. Firsssssssssssst ssssssssssssssssee your hunter die!” the naga gleefully screeched. Squall whipped around and there was Seifer killing another naga. He did not look dead, nor near death… but wait… behind him were the remains of nagas. Some were still and most were not moving… but a few… the two silver backed ones, the easiest to cut apart but the hardest to kill due to their volatile muscles, had their remains still aching with pained movement. Those two… were still alive, or at least parts of them were. Run, Seifer… hurry and flee from the clearing.

Only one more naga left to kill, a monolith golden one with a cobra like head. This one was certainly king-sized or two times that amount. Seifer smirked; it was a challenge… one he had longed for since the animals he killed lost their dangerous edge. Eating an antidote really quickly, the hunter sped towards the king naga with trusty Hyperion in hand.

His eyes widened in shock and his face contorted in pain. The head of one of the silver back snakes had tackled him. Lifting up Hyperion, Seifer drove it into the naga’s head. Black blood spurted out, covering the man’s body. Minor discomfort, a few bruises, and a thumping increase of heartbeat from the surprise head butt, literally, were all Seifer came out with from the counterattack. Not bad at all, for the hunter. Terrible for the naga though, today was quite a massacre for the nagas. Enba would be making a huge profit from the snakes Seifer had killed today. What a wonderful hunt.

Pulling out Hyperion from the silver back’s head, Seifer continued forward, noting the pitiful blonde cat still hanging off the end of the golden snake’s tail. Not for long, the hunter grinned, brandishing Hyperion at the hissing snake. It was shifting away from Enba, readying itself for a retreat. The hunter charged forward and leapt into the air. He was very close to the naga. A higher jump would have landed him onto the king snake’s head. Looking downward, Seifer saw the auburn cat. Squall stood remorsefully by the naga king, looking with glassy eyes at the hunter. Did the cat look relieved that the hunter was unscathed or were Seifer’s eyes playing tricks on him? He should not be thinking about that, focus focus, the snapped at himself.

A noise of rustling from the bushes drew Seifer’s attention away from cat. Were there snakes that he missed? Impossible. What else could it be? The naga that stood before him had only one tail… but the willows of Kasakoro concealed the rest of its body. It took a second, a mere second to realize his mistake… golden snakes had two tails and one had a…

Squall let out a strangled cry. Seifer had ventured closer, too close. He was in the perfect range for the naga king to strike. One tail was out in the open, clutching onto Zell. While the other lurked in the shadow, this tail was far deadlier with a poisoned stinger. Some king nagas were born with two stingers, others just one. And now, the one stinger the naga king was blessed with had plunged through Seifer’s back. Zell held his breath in. The damage looked painful. Cackling loudly, the naga king withdrew with stinger, whipping it in the air victoriously.

“I bid thee adieu…” the naga king’s eyes held a sinisterly glint. “Although thisssssssss attack hassssssss made me hungry… I wissssssssssh to dine upon the both of you before heading back to my den. I think I sssssssssssssshall. And yet… I think it would be fitting to eat the man who ssssssssslaughtered by beloved ssssssssister.”

The auburn cat rushed over to the hunter, holding back sorrow and tears. He forced all rational thought into his head. It would do the man no good if he were to sob uncontrollably.

“You bastard…” Squall grit out. His claws marked the ground with a deep scar.

“Oh, I am ssssssssscared.” The naga king scoffed before snapping his jaws at the cat. Darting forward, the golden snake was ready to swallow the man and cat whole. Yet that was not to be. Squall had thrown himself at the naga king, digging his sharp claws into the snake’s glassy eyes. It let out a shrill, strained cry. At the ear shattering noise, the hunter was roused from his near death slumber. Seifer weakly opened his eyes. He was a fool for not thinking over his opponent. He deserved to be eaten by a naga king for not thinking… but death did not come. His eyes opened and closed, showing him the cat he was to be rid off… riding atop the naga’s head screaming bloody hell.

“SQUAAAAAALL!” Zell was dropped onto the ground, feeling as if his shoulder had almost dislocated. He was held quite high up by the devious naga. The snake promised to spare the cats and only to kill the man. The bargain was obviously not kept if the king wanted to eat the felines.

Seifer had to blink a few times to clear his vision. He needed to confirm that it was the auburn cat that was defending him. His eyes were still blurred, effects of the poison, but he still saw the cat driving its blood stained paws through the naga’s skull. The king tried to buck the cat off. It would be foolish to stab the cat with its own poison stinger. The snake maybe immune to his own poison but he would not survive the sharp dagger like stinger that would go through the cat and his skull if he were to impale the beast.

The hunter could not watch anymore, the poison was seeping through his system. A blue butterfly drifted above him, landing on his back.

“Foolisssssssssh, beassssssssssst!” the naga king snarled. Only one eye was damaged. The good eye was glaring at the cat. It was no use, the king had to use the stinger and pray he did not perish in the process.

“STOP.” the naga halted. It was the voice of a god. The god of the cat beasts, one who was surrounded by brimstone and searing flames… it was Ifrit.

“Your… excellency… pleassssssssssssssssse, I meant no harm. I only meant to teach the princely one a lesssssssssssssssssson. Mooning over a human.” The king spat. The god was not moved by the words the naga had to say. Butterflies, blue ones, danced around Ifrit… their wing unseared by the red flames of the cat god.

“SILENCE. LEAVE THE MAN BE. RETURN OUR PRINCE AND KINSMEN. THEREAFTER BEGONE.” The angered god boomed out. Cowering from the flames that surrounded him, the naga king capitulated for snakes of the borderlands feared fire above all. He lowered his crown, shaking Squall off and onto the ground. Sneering, the snake would taste his revenge on another day. Ifrit’s aura of flames died down, leaving a tired and battered body before Zell, Squall and the dying human. It was tiring for the king of cats to transform into the godly Ifrit and back… but it was required of him as the leader of the pride.

“…Father?” Squall wiped the black blood of the naga king against the grass. The deadly stinger barely missed him. His father, Laguna walked passed him and to the dying man.

“Stay with him, Squall. I beg you.” Laguna murmured, nudging the still human form. “He has a good heart… but is misguided. I knew his parents and him when I was younger… they were kindly folks. I beckon you, son. Stay with him.”

“Need not beg father.” Squall let his tears fall. Zell stood by, shocked with what the king begged his son to do, but said nothing. The king, who was indeed silly and kittenish, was a wise one as well as a powerful and fair ruler.

“An minor antidote will keep him alive, but it is best to seek out Enba healers.” Laguna pawed through Seifer’s bag, then tossing his son a few poison alleviating leafs. “Quickly too…”

“Sire, we better go… I smell humans coming this way.” The blonde cat looked away from his friend who was now nuzzling the hunter. Squall was trying to get the man’s mouth open to feed him the antidote. Zell limped painfully, his shoulder did not dislocate but it hurt very much.

“Great.” Laguna’s tail wagged in a very uncatlike manner. “Well son, we’re off… take care of him, you hear me? I will send messengers to you soon, alright?”

“Mm, take care Squall.” Zell muttered; his back was still turned to his friend. The two cats hurried off before the Enba humans mistook them as Seifer’s attackers too. Squall stood by the man, refusing to hide. The hunter was shivering; Squall laid atop the man to give him whatever warmth he could.

Angry and worried hands pried Squall off and away from the man he fought for. He scratched and spat violently, the people of Enba thought he was rabid. Warm hands held Squall tightly as the doctors injected something to calm him. The same hands rubbed his back, regardless of the blood and grime that clung to his fur. Blonde long tresses tickled his nose. The smell, the soft rosy smell made he realize the hands that held him were Quistis’. Wet droplets hit his cheeks, was she… crying?

“Se…Seifer.” She cried softly, clutching onto Squall. He froze, what happened to the man? Why was she crying so sadly?! Before he could pry himself from the sorrowful lady, the darkness of sleep and the effects of the medicine dragged Squall downward into a painless spiral of unconsciousness.

*~TO~BE~CONTINUED~*

Time to lighten to atmosphere~! Here are replies to the madlib above. Woo hoo! I like totally killed the drama I created… >_<;; goooo me~!

Seifer, the [lobotomy] of [Vancouver], once had a [cough drop]. Only to be [jumpkicked] by a [Pringle(s)] named [Lex]. – from Rita the Crawford Lover

Seifer, the [strawberry] of [beach], once had a [puppy]. Only to be [swam] by a [sand] named [Karen]. – from Janet the kitty lover

Seifer, the [penis] of [Spain], once had a [feather]. Only to be [eaten] by a [juice] named [Julie].
– from Satan (aka Pegolas), my roommate

<Author says: Once again…what’s with me/Julie and eating Seifer? Not that I mind… MUAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!! I eat Seifer! Yaaay~! He is the Penis of Spain! The Lobotomy of Vancouver and the Kitten of Japan. Hmmm... innnnnteresting.>

Do you have a reply to this mad lib??? Tell me and I’ll post it next time~!

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