Cats and Dragons

[Demeter]

Shadwell tettered on his somewhat precarious perch. The boulder had a narrow top, causing both front and back paws to be squashed together. With wiggle of his butt, Shadwell hopped, canteens of water flopping against his sides. He continuted hopping from boulder to boulder until he reached the narrow ledge he was calling home for next week or so. He shook off the rigging he and the human used for transporting goods when out in the wild. After a quick stretch, Shadwell retreated and Cameo, grumbling about cold mountain air, stood in his place.

Cameo ducked into the small cave, though he wouldn't call the hole in the mountain side a cave, and hunted through his pack for clothing. Once he was dressed, he went out, flopped on the ledge and took a nap.

Cameo dozed lightly, like all cats did. It had been a lengthy day. First the drive to the ranger station, where he left his car in the care of the rangers. Then the hike up to the mountian. That was completed in cat form with Shadwell hauling the pack behind his powerful body. Then there'd been camp set up and water fetching.

He didn't need much to survive a week on the mountian side. He just needed time to be alone. To long in the city, even one as small as Cedar Valley, tended to squeeze him after a while and he needed the wild paths of the mountains. Even in Shifter-Friendly Cedar Valley, there just wasn't room for a cat to really run. Or to think.

Cameo rolled to a sitting position and stared out at the woods. Grunting, because he just wasn't comfortable as a human right now, Cameo stood and stripped. He let Shadwell surge to the surface again and the big, black cat flopped down on the ledge, front paws dangling over the edge.

[Maira]

While the mountains just outside of Cedar Valley weren't as isolated as most Brood preferred, they suited Graethyn's needs just fine. he had evenmanaged to find himself a nice system of caves to utilize as his den. Having laid claim to the area as his territory, he was very aware of the goings on surrounding his den. So, when an unfamiliar werecreature entered his territory he decided to go investigate

Most werecreatures that came into Grae's territory, with the exception of a few, typically only came for a day or night. Just long enough to hunt and go for a good run. When he finally found this new werecreature he saw the strange contraption loaded down with all sorts of gear and supplies strapped to him and he realized that he planned on being around for a while.

Glad that the sky was overcast, so that his white-grey body blended in well with the clouds, Grae followed the black feline for a while. When he seemed to have found a place for his stay in the mountains, Grae let the winds carry him away, back toward his own den. He would sense when the cat once again moved through his territory.

[Demeter]

The next morning, when Shadwell woke to an overcast sky and chilled stone, he vowed to hijack Cameo the next time the human had an itch to get back in touch with nature. He'd shuffle them down to Rio or somewhere else warm where he could lounge on a smooth tree branch and not cold rock. Shadwell, snickering to himself, retreated from the morning to let Cameo shiver in the mountain air.

Cursing his other half, Cameo quickly dived into clothing. Oh, he knew of the cat's plans to kidnap him down to Rio. At the moment, he'd agree to it. Wondering what possessed him to hike into the mountains while the northwest was still hip-deep in winter, Cameo poked at the dying embers of his fire. Once the blaze was once again roaring, Cameo set about to making coffee and breakfast.

Once that was finished, Cameo went exploring. He'd found a tunnel last night, hidden away behind the back of cave. Grabbing up his flashlight and a small pack of supplies, he delved into the mountainside. He didn't know how long he traveled in the dark until he came to the systems of larger carverns. And the sense that something else lived there.

[Maira]

To say that Graethyn was a heavy sleeper was a serious understatement, especially when he was in the form of a man rather than that of a dragon. Luckily for Grae he had chosen to sleep as a dragon the night before due to the cold weather and he woke up suddenly aware that something was not right in his den. Instead of jumping into action and running rampant through the system of caves that was his den to find the wrongness, the white-grey beast stayed still and listened.

After only a moment, Grae pinpointed the wrongness and an almost inaudible growl escaped him. It was the werecat he'd found prowling his territory the day before, in human form judging by the faint scent he was now able to discern, prowling about the farthest reaches of his den. He doubted that the cat knew just what lived in these caves and he wasn't about to let him know. Shifting into his human form, Grae hurried to put on some clothes and then set off in search of the intruder.

A few minutes later, Grae silently turned into the same passage the cat was in and he cleared his throat to get his attention. When the cat jumped and turned at the noise, Grae spoke. "You're trespassing," he said matter-of-factly then waited to see what the cat had to say for himself.

[Demeter]

Cameo didn't freak out when the man seemed to appear suddenly. He merely raised a brow and glanced around the tunnel. "Not much to trespass. Who actually lives in a cave?"

He glanced at the man, scanning up and down while trying to get a reading on just what he had encountered. He didn't feel like anything that Cameo had seen before. There were shadows around the man but they were all naturally made but there was something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He didn't retreat or advance. He just stared and waited for answer as to why someone would purposefully remain in a cave. He'd selected his ledge because it offered shelter. He would have done the same thing no matter where. Not to mention that he didn't plan on staying here long.

Then again, he was curious about this being. He inched forward, wanting to try and get an idea of the just what the man was. He also wanted to get a look at the man without shadows obscuring his features.

[Maira]

The cat wanted to know who lived in a cave and he was inching closer, presumably to get a better idea of just who or what was in the tunnel with him. Feeing rather irritated, Grae let a very minimal shift happen. His eyes went fully dragon, a hint of scales shimmered into appearance on his face and neck, and a small wisp of smoke escaped his right nostril as he gave a now pointy toothed grin. "I live in cave. At least when the mood strikes me." That said, he once again suppressed the dragon and returned to his fully human form.

The look in the other man's eyes was worth his little peformance. He didn't look scared exactly, just more wary and a bit less confident. Good. Taking a couple steps closer to the man so that they were only arms' reach apart, Grae asked, "So, what brings you to my home?"

As he waited for the man to answer Grae slipped behind him, and with gentle pressure on his back, nudged him to move him farther into the cave. Having already shown him a hint of his true nature something inside him now wanted to take him deeper into his den. Grae wasn't sure if he agreed with that, but he had learned long ago to trust his instincts. They were very rarely wrong.

[Demeter]

Cameo let himself be propelled farther into the cave. Shadwell wasn't screaming, so Cameo just went with it. In fact, Shadwell seemed quite happy to be in the presence of this man, if the idea of purring was coming from him. Cameo firmly told Shadwell to shut up and turned his focus to the man. "While I wouldn't call a cave a home, per se, I'm here because I needed some shelter and as it is gray and cold and miserable outside, I thought I'd explore the cave."

"Of course, I've been known to live in a tree. Then again, I'm normally in the Amazon when living in a tree. Where it is warm. Where I would have been if I had been able to get a flight out but noooo, stupid Shadwell couldn't wait. He just had to be out in nature so here I am, in your cave, where it is still cold," he muttered to himself while walking ahead of the dragon.

He glanced over his shoulder and quite obviously looked him up and down. "Least you are pretty to look at," he said. He rolled his shoulders and tried to settle himself. For the last couple of weeks, he'd been...itchy, like his skin had been stretched too tight. He'd thought that it was because he'd spent to much time around people, around death, so he'd escaped into the forest. That normally worked but he still felt that way. And the spot where the dragon had touched him, even through the layers of clothing, felt like it was on fire.

Giving a shake of his head, Cameo stopped and turned around. "I'm Cameo and I would like to think that since you are herding me into your home, that you would give me a name as well?"

[Maira]

Grae listened intently while the cat spoke. He didn't bother to comment when he was called "pretty to look at" but a small smirk did turn up the corner of his mouth. If he was going to be honest with himself, he found the cat rather attractive too. When the cat finally gave him his name, Cameo, and asked for his in return Grae smiled and nodded before answering. "It -is- only fair that you know my name. The name I typically go by is Graethyn, or Grae." Just about that time, they turned one last corner and slightly warmer air drifted towards them. "Welcome to my cold drafty dragon's lair," Grae joked.

A couple more turns and they were in Grae's human living quarters. He had bypassed the areas he inhabitted when in dragon form because they were colder and the poor cat seemed to have a serious grudge against the chilly northwest weather. Grae's human living areas were actually pretty toasty as he had long ago found underground hotsprings and had found a way to channel their warmth up to his quarters. The dragon may not mind being cold, but the human wasn't overly fond of it.

The furniture was a bit sparse and rustic, almost like what one would find in a camping or hunting cabin, but it was functional and comfortable. As they entered the living room, Grae watched Cameo's reaction. The few non-dragons he had brought to his home in the past had always been surprised that he didn't live in the reputed dragon's obsession with wealth and gold. Many of his kind truly did suffer from that affliction, it was practically an addiction for some, but luckily he wasn't one of them. Now that wasn't to say he didn't have wealth or gold tucked away somewhere but he tended to keep it all in a lockbox or Swiss bank account.

"So Cameo, is this as bad as you were picturing?" Grae asked, again with a small smirk turning up the corner of his mouth.

[Demeter]

Cameo practically slithered over to a vent that had warm air pouring out of it. Had he been a cat at that very moment, he would have curled up over the vent and purred up a storm. There had to be a hot spring nearby and he wondered if he could get himself to it and just stay there. He stood by the vent, hands held in the stream of air. He glanced at the dragon. "It's not half bad but it's still a cave. "

Resisting the urge to curl up, he surveyed his surroundings. The space looked quite lived in and a whole lot more comfortable then his drafty ledge. He turned to face Grae. "So why are you hanging out in the mountians? There has to be a reason why you'd decide to live way out here instead of closer to town."

Cameo made a circuit around the room, running his finger over the various furnitions. He glanced into the caves that split off from this main room, catching sight of other rooms. He stopped once he was in front of Grae. "So, nowthat you have me here, what are you going to do with me?"

[Maira]

Grae couldn't help but laugh at Cameo as the poor cat practically bolted toward one of the warm air vents. He swore he heard a hint of purring as Cameo tried to warm himself up. "It is still a cave, you're right. But at least its a warm cave." This last Grae said with an actual smile on his face. He watched as Cameo prowled around the room, taking in the furniture and decor (or mostly lack thereof) and thought a while before answering any of the cat's questions.

"I don't live here full time, mostly just on weekends since I work during the week in town. As for why all the way out here, well, I'm a dragon and its just what we do." The other question, of what he was going to do with Cameo now that he had him there, well that was a rather loaded question. Should he play up the dragon part of him and threaten to have him as a snack, should he give into the feelings of attraction for the other man and drag him off to bed, or would it be better just to offer him a nice hot breakfast? Voting in favor of the latter as the least offensive, Grae pointed toward the tunnel that led to his kitchen, "My kitchen is that way if you want to join me for breakfast. Nothing fancy mind you, just bachelor food, eggs, toast and bacon."

[Demeter]

Cameo had not only talked himself into the dragon's lair for the rest of his stay in the woods but had gotten himself down into the hot springs. Where he seriously considered just setting up shop and staying for the rest of life. This was almost as good as a good branch in the middle of the Amazon over the river in the middle of the hottest month. Almost but not quite.

Cameo retreated from the warm room, where he'd spent the better half of two hours. He found Grae in the maining room of his cave and sat down next to him. "Thank you for the use of your spring. I feel almost normal now. I'll probably be able to stomach the idea of returning to civilization now. What about you? Do you always hide out here on the weekends?"

[Maira]

Breakfast had been quick and then Grae had showed Cameo down to the cavern that held the hotsprings that heated his den. He laughed when the cat sighed with sheer pleasure at the warmth and then excused himself back up to putter around and tidy up from breakfast.

He had just finished with the dishes and was sitting down getting ready to tuck into a good book when the cat reimerged. At Cameo's comments about feeling almost normal and able to stomach civilization now, Grae laughed and nodded in understanding. Then, when asked if he always hid out in the mountains on the weekends, Grae actually set his book down and looked at the man sitting next to him contemplating how to answer.

Finally, deciding to go against all of his normal rules of privacy, Grae asked almost hopefully, "If I tell you yes, does that mean you're going to hit me up to use my hotsprings every weekend?"

He really wouldn't mind seing the cat on a more regular basis, this one weekend probably just wasn't going to be enough time for them to get properly aquainted. Or for Grae to convince the other man to go to bed with him. It had been quite a while since he'd actually actively pursued anybody and he really didn't want to rush into anything that he wanted to be more than just a short term thing. And he definitely wanted something more than short term with Cameo. He wasn't sure why yet, but he just knew he did.

[Demeter]

Cameo slid a glance at Grae, "Well, maybe not every weekend but you shouldn't be surprised if I show up at your cave, wet cold and miserable. Hopefully, you'll pity me and let me camp out in the hot springs. And I'm sure I could find some way to repay you for your kindness."

Cameo scooted just a tiny bit closer to Grae, pretending to try and get a look at the book the dragon was holding before looking up at him. "I don't normally do or say things like this, Grae, but there is something about you that makes me feel utterly comfortable in saying this," Cameo half turned towards Grae and stroked one finger down the length of his chest. "I'm sure that I could find some way, some very personal way to return the kindness you have shown me. I imagine that most dragons would have kicked me out of their caves. Why have you let me not only warm myself up but let me stay?"

[Maira]

Well, it wasn't exactly the answer that Grae was hoping for, but it was good enough. It looked like he would have a reason to come out to the mountains every weekend just on the off chance that Cameo would be showing up all bedraggled and wet in need of some time in the hotpsrings.

Then the other man scooted just a bit closer, seeming to want to see what book Grae was reading so he turned the cover toward him. Only, instead of looking at the book Cameo was now looking at Grae. Cameo's finger was also trailing down Grae's chest and he was saying something about feeling comfortable around him. And then the silly cat basically offered himself up on a silver platter to be taken to bed as payment for the use of the hotsprings. Only Grae wasn't sure that was the real reason Cameo was offering.

Regardless of the reason for the offer Grae's nostrils flared and his breathing, which was normally so well controlled, quickened just a bit. At Cameo's questions the dragon in Grae muttered something about a fun new toy to play with, but Grae ignored the beast. Instead he answered simply but without actually answering, "I'm not most dragons, cat." Then he went against his earlier plans of taking his time to woo Cameo to his bed and firmly grabbed the other man's hand that was now tracing circles on his stomach. He brought the hand to his mouth, nipped the offending finger and then kissed the top of the hand. If there had been any question as to his interest in Cameo, Grae was pretty sure he'd just erased it.

[Demeter]

Cameo felt his eyes shift into something more cat like when Grae nipped at his finger. Within seconds of Grae's lips on the back of his hand, Cameo had levered himself up and plopped himself down on the dragon's lap. Message received that his interest in more than simple friendship was returned, Cameo acted on impluse alone.

Something he rarely did. When he took lovers, they were carefully cultivated but he hadn't slept with anyone in over a year. They'd all been missing something, some spark that would catch his interest. Grae obviously had that something extra and Cameo wanted to see where it would lead. He drapped his arms over Grae's shoulders, leaned back just a little and smiled at him. "The reason I won't be able to visit every weekend, and I have a feeling that I would enjoy spending not only the weekends with you but the weekdays as well, is that I have a job that does required me to work some weekends. It's very against my will that I won't be able to play in your hotspring every weekend."

Cameo wiggled forward and nipped at Grae's jaw. "And its very against my will that I won't be able to play with you every weekend." He dipped his head down and pressed his lips to Grae's. It was almost too much; the taste, smell and feel of Grae almost overwhelmed him and he pressed forward, wanting more of the dragon.

[Maira]

If he were the feline in the situation Grae would most definitely have been purring in response to Cameo's actions. The cat was square in his lap and making it very very difficult for the dragon not to just grab him and drag him off to the bedroom. First it was the things he was saying, then there was the nip to his jaw. When Cameo leaned in and pressed his lips to Grae's it was all over.

In a blur, Grae had them both upright and he was practically dragging the younger man with him while also trying to deepen the kiss. He wasn't exactly sure how they made it there, but suddenly they were in Grae's room and making a beeline for his kingsized wooden four-poster bed. A few steps away from the bed Grae swept Cameo up into his arms and then tossed him onto the mattress.

The younger man landed in a bit of a sprawl on his back but the look in his eyes caused a low growl to rumble in Grae's chest. There were so many thoughts going through his head as he stared at the man who was about to become his lover, among them was how the hell was he going to survive being restricted to only seeing him on some weekends. One way or another they were going to have to work out the details about seeing each other ont he weekdays as well. A frustrated dragon wasn't good for anybody, a sexually frustrated one was even worse.

After only a moment, long enough to take in the sight of Cameo fully as he sprawled on his bed, Grae shoved all thoughts that didn't pertain to the immediate future aside and then he joined Cameo in bed.

[Demeter]

Cameo was very comfortable in his nest of dragon and blankets. It was some time on Sunday morning and he was seriously contemplating the idea of playing hooking from work for a few days. The idea of having to leave this cave didn't sit well with him. not when he'd have to leave Grae behind.

Cameo wiggled around until he was staring at Grae. They were back in his bed after spending all of yesterday and the night in all the different rooms of Grae's cave. At one point, they'd been in the hot spring, bathing after their various escapades but they'd needed a bath after that bath because they just couldn't keep their hands off each other.

They'd eventually passed out but now Cameo was awake again and the kitty wanted to play. He wiggled a little more until he was able to ease a leg over and straddled the sleeping dragon. He leaned forward and nipped at Grae's neck until the man woke up. "So, Grae, I was thinking that I could just stay here for a few more days, if that's okay with you. Maybe, if I can keep my hands off you, and you can keep your hands off me, for more than a hour, we can get to know each other."

[Maira]

Saturday they spent the entire day enjoying each other, most of Sunday was the same (when they weren't sleeping). By Monday both men had called off work and they were now settled in Grae's kitchen waiting for the coffee to brew. "So Cameo, what are we going to do about this. Obviously just seeing each other here ever other weekend or so isn't going to work out. I live in Cedar Valley and I'm a teacher so my hours are pretty steady."

Before Cameo could answer, the coffee pot beeped and Grae got up to pour them both large mugs of the hot liquid. He took the cups to the table, then went and grabbed all of the fixings, taking those back to the table as well so that Cameo could fix his the way he liked it. He settled himself back in his chair and watched as the younger man fixed his coffee, sipping at his own as he patiently waited for an answer.

[Demeter]

Cameo resisted the urge to spin around in a circle as he walked through the park on his way to meet up with his dragon. On Monday, when he'd learned that Grae lived in Cedar Valley, he'd cracked a big smile and crawled over the kitchen table to snuggled into the dragon's lap. "We'll isn't that interesting," he said while toying with Grae's hair. "I just happen to live in Cedar Valley as well. What part of town do you live in?"

When it turned out that they lived within a few miles of each other, Cameo purred. And to think that they'd had to go all the way out to the middle of no where in order to find each other. They talked of their favorite places in town and just grinned at each other. They took Tuesday for themselves as well and explored the tunnels of Grae's cave. On Wednesday, they returned to civilization and had to go their own ways but Cameo had the dragons number scrawled on his arm and plans to meet up with him on Saturday. They would see if what they had in the mountains could exists in the city.

Cameo reached the agreed on meeting spot, a large stump at the middle point of the path through the park, and glances around to see if Grae was there. At first he didn't see the dragon. The path wasn't busy but the day was cold and gray so Cameo would be as to spot Grae the moment he showed up. The jaguar leaned against the stump and stated anxiously in the direction Grae would appear from. He wondered if Grae had decided not to come but them the dragon rounded the corner. Cameo grinned and called out Grae's name before walking up to him. "Missed you," he said before placing his hands on Grae's shoulders and boosting himself up to wrap his legs around the dragon's waist. After kissing the dragon silly, Cameo leaned back, hands hooked on Grae's neck, and said "I really, really missed you. Do you want to skip lunch and just go back to my place?"

[Maira]

The unplanned extended weekend was amazing. It had been a really long time since Grae had felt like he connected with somebody so easily and so well and he was more than a little excited to learn that his meetings with Cameo likely wouldn't have to be limited to the mountains as they lived only a few miles from each other in the same city. So, when they had finally headed back into town and had made plans to meet that Saturday, Grae found it a bit hard to focus the rest of the week.

Saturday had finally come and he was eager to get to the park early so he could surprise Cameo with a bit of a scavenger hunt through the wooded part of the park to find the spot he knew would be perfect for a picnic lunch and very private for any other activities that might happen. Only as he was getting ready to leave the house, picnic basket in hand, his phone went off. Normally he would have ignored it but the ringtone was familiar and he knew that something had to be up for that person to be calling.

He'd set the picnic basket down to take the call from his sister's best friend Rhea and then once he heard the news he had to find a seat. His sister had been in a bad car crash the evening before and even though she was going to be okay her recovery was going to take a relatively long time. She tried to convince him to stay down in Cedar Valley because apparently Lilia had told Rhea to tell him to stay, but instead of arguing with the younger dragon, Grae just hung up on her. He hurriedly booked two tickets to Alaska and was thankful not for the first time that some of the clan elders had been forsighted enough to build an airport in the town closest to the Holding.

Once he'd printed out the boarding passes, Grae quickly packed a bag with enough clothes for a longish trip. He also put in a call to the school he taught at and asked them to email him any papers he'd need for a leave of absence do to family medical emergency. He didn't have time to go to the school and fill them out right then because his plane left in 3 hours and he still had to go meet Cameo in the park.

By the time Grae finally reached their meeting spot in the park he knew he was late, but luckily the jaguar didn't seem to mind. In fact he greeted him very enthusiastically and Grae almost forgot he wasn't going to get to take advantage of that private picnic spot this time around. Once Cameo detached his lips from Grae's, the dragon took a moment to get his wits back about him and at the younger man's question Grae countered, "How about an impromptu flight to Alaska?"

If the situation weren't so serious, the confused look on Cameo's face would have caused Grae to laugh. Instead he smiled weakly and then proceeded to explain why he was flying out. "My sister Lilia was t-boned yesterday sitting at an intersection in our home town. Some idiot from some place warm was driving an old beat up truck in the snow without chains on and lost control. Luckily with her being a dragon she'll heal, but if she'd been a human she would have died."

When Cameo didn't immediately say anything, Grae forged on with his crazy plan and sort of blurted out, "On the off chance that you would actually be able to get away I got you a ticket to come with me. Its open-ended so you can leave whenever you need to, but I really didn't want us to not get to know each other before we even really got a chance." At this point he pulled out the second boarding pass and handed it to Cameo so he could see the flight details and hopefully not freak out about Grae being a crazy clingy codependant freak. He really just didn't want to pu any chance he had with the cat on hold when he no idea when he'd be coming home.