Aslan and Petra
grow closer
Aslan watched Bess as she walked away. He noticed she had a rolling gate to her
walk, rather like that of the brown and polar bears. Petra
watched Bess too, smiling to herself for she liked the shaggy dog.
“I’m glad I went
with you Aslan,” Petra purred, the toes
of her right forepaw enveloping Aslan’s left, “I know I shouldn’t say this, but
I’m glad you killed Stifftail, he was causing Ahanu a lot of trouble, and the
poor cub doesn’t need that. Stifftail
was dreadful!”
“It’s like bad
pennies though,” Aslan mewed, “they always seem to turn up.” Petra
looked into her mate’s face.
“You’re
pessimistic,” she mewed.
“No Petra love, not
pessimistic, realistic my dear.
Stifftail wasn’t the first to cause us trouble, and he won’t be the
last. The only thing we can hope for is
that the next trouble for us doesn’t come for a long time yet.”
“I forgot you
had to face Tembo,” Petra
mewed, you had trouble from the word go.”
“We both did,” Aslan
replied, “so let’s, while acknowledging trouble is out there, try and have as
much fun as we can.” He looked at Petra, taking her in from
her nose to her toes. Petra, seeing she was being appraised, rolled
onto her side and waved a fat forepaw at Aslan.
“Would you rub me
down?” She asked. Aslan reached over and touched the toes of
Petra’s left forepaw with those of his right, feeling her instant reaction in
the way her toes curled round his, gripping them tightly.
“Here is my body,
and, and, my paws too!” Petra mewed, “stroke me Aslan, stroke me from
my nose to my toes, and tickle my belly and paws! I want so much for you to do this!
Please!” Aslan kissed her nose.
“Nice and
gentle,” he mewed, gently freeing his paw from Petra’s and using it to stroke her nose. The toes on all four of Petra’s paws curled involuntarily as her
desire for this lion shot through her, electrifying every inch of Petra from her nose to
the ends of her toes and the end of her tail, which tingled gently.
“I’m yours Aslan!” Petra
exclaimed. Aslan took her in his paws,
embracing her tenderly, Petra
snuggling hard into his hug. Aslan and Petra lay together for a
long time, then got to their paws and left for the pool complex. Reaching it, Aslan and Petra waded into the whirlpool, letting their
paws be carried away from beneath them. Petra thrashed about,
mewing like a cub, then, As Aslan turned to help her, she ducked him! Aslan and Petra pawed at each other beneath the water
until they had to come up for air. When
they did, they were laughing helplessly.
Wading to the side of the pool, the two cats scrambled out onto dry
land, their paw pads as wrinkled as prunes.
Padding back along the passage, Petra and Aslan walked over
and beside the vents which blew air from beneath the floor and from both sides
as well as from above, their paws and bodies getting dried as they stood
laughing helplessly as the air tickled their paw pads. Leaving the drying place, the two big cats
made their way to the house and to Aslan’s sleeping place. Petra
followed her mate, taking in everything about him, from the way he held his
head, to the way he walked, his toes slightly scuffing the carpet as he hardly
lifted his paws from the floor.
“I love you so
much Aslan!” Petra mewed, running to him and rolling him
over before playfully tickling his belly and paws. Aslan laughed helplessly, though knew the paw
tickling would be over soon as his paws became desensitised to it, and it was no
longer pleasurable. Paw massage though,
that was another matter. Petra seemed to sense
when his paws became desensitised to her tickling and began to stroke his pads
tenderly, Aslan loving every minute. He
watched her as best he could as she worked her paws all over him from his nose
to the toes of all four paws. Now Petra was taking him to
places she’d been taken by him only an hour previously, and he loved her for
it. Once Petra had rubbed Aslan down from nose to
tail, she lay down beside him, taking his left forepaw in both her own.
“What now?” She asked.
Aslan smiled at her and kissed her nose.
“I suggest we go
for a walk in the wood,” Aslan mewed, “it will be a warm night tonight.” Petra
smiled.
“I love the feel
of the forest floor beneath my paws,” she said, “it’s almost as addictive to me
as paw massage is to Brunetta.” Aslan
smiled.
“Let’s go into
the wood and indulge your addiction then,” he said. Petra
got slowly to her paws, making sure Aslan saw her every move. Aslan followed Petra out of the house, down the garden and
through the gate to where the woodland path ran past the house. Petra
and Aslan padded along the path, knowing patrols were out in the wood making
sure all was well. Petra smiled with pleasure as she felt the
forest floor beneath her pads and toes.
Bouncing slightly on her toes, Petra
looked about her, Aslan smiling as he watched her.
“I love her so
much!” He thought of Petra as she walked off down the path, waving
a forepaw for him to follow her and catch her.
Aslan ran after his mate, and when he caught her up, she rolled on the
track, inviting him to stroke her belly and paws.
“You silly
thing!” Aslan laughed, stroking, and
then tickling Petra’s
belly and paws. Petra laughed and wriggled with joy beneath
his paws as he tickled her. Then
suddenly Petra
freed her left forepaw from both of his and hugged him to her in a fierce
embrace, Aslan shocked at how strong she was.
“While we can’t
have cubs,” Petra
asked desperately, “We can still have fun can’t we?” Aslan kissed her nose.
“This is more
than fun,” he said, “I’m having the time of my life!” Petra
smiled at her mate and touched his nose with her paw.
“I love you so
much Aslan,” Petra
mewed. Petra released Aslan, both of them getting to
their paws and padding along the path.
The two big cats watched each other as they walked along the path.
“Hey Petra! Aslan!” Someone yelled from somewhere in the trees
above their heads.
“Who’s
that?” Aslan demanded angrily, assuming
the rude individual could see what he and his mate were doing and didn’t have
the courtesy to leave them alone.
“It’s Whitie,
over here!” The voice replied, and then Petra saw a fat white paw
waving at them from a nearby tree.
Sighing with exasperation, Aslan snarled at Whitie.
“You didn’t
even check to see whether we wanted to be spoken to!” He yelled, “Petra and I were having a bit of quality time
together, and you ruined it!”
“I’m sorry,”
Whitie mewed.
“I’d stay up
there too!” Aslan yelled, “I might
attack you if you reach ground level.
Aslan felt Petra’s
paw on his, and she was squeezing it hard.
“What now!” Aslan snapped.
“Don’t go after
her,” Petra
whispered, “it’s not the end of the world Aslan.”
“For me it is!”
Aslan snarled, trying and failing to
shake his paw free of Petra’s,
“that bloody snow leopard has no respect!
Let go of my paw Petra! For eohippus sake!” Petra
shot Aslan a look which stopped him cold.
“I’m sorry,” he
mewed, staring down at the ground.
“Eohippus is
worthy of some respect I think,” Petra
said. Aslan tried once more to free his
paw, the soles of all four of his paws now hot and uncomfortable.
“I’ve got to
go,” Aslan said, turning and running away.
“I’ll let him think
things over for a while,” Petra
thought. Padding back to the house, Petra ran herself a deep
bath and clambered in, adding some herbal and menthol stuff fleur kept in the
bathroom. When the atmosphere inside the
bathroom was as steamy as she could get it, Petra settled back to await
developments. She knew Aslan would come
looking for her before long. Petra lay on her back in
the bath inspecting the soles of her forepaws, examining her pads and toes,
picking a thorn or two from between her toes and flicking it into a bin set
beside the bath for that very purpose. Petra twitched an ear as
she heard someone coming into the bathroom.
Looking over the rim of the tub, she saw Pepper padding into the
bathroom. When the cross bred cat saw
her, she nearly turned and fled!
“Petra!” She exclaimed, her paws skidding on the tiles
as she turned to run, “I’m so sorry!” Petra waved a languid paw
at her.
“Come,” Petra said, “join me
here.” Pepper padded over to the bathtub
and dipped a paw into the water.
“Come,” Petra mewed. Pepper clambered into the tub, then submitted
happily to Petra’s
rub down. Petra had wanted to return Pepper’s massage
ever since the cross bred cat had massaged her from nose to tail in the bath
pool. Indeed, Pepper played the same
games with Petra
in the bathtub that Petra
had with her in the pool, curling her toes, frustrating Petra’s attempt at paw massage until the
white lioness tickled Pepper’s pads, just as Pepper had to do when Petra’s toes held
hers. Pepper laughed merrily as the
games continued.
Aslan watched through the bathroom window, angry it was
pepper, and not him playing with Petra
in the large bathtub. He knew Pepper’s
and his play would be entirely different from each other when playing with the
white lioness, but he still felt anger.
He knew his anger was at himself, impotent fury that he, Aslan, who
should know Petra
best of all, made a stupid comment to Petra
about Eohippus. Even though Petra didn’t flaunt her
beliefs, she held them strongest of all among the animals, for she was
Eohippus, sort of. Aslan had made a
blasphemous comment, an unthinking comment which he wouldn’t usually have made
and now he was paying for it. His paws
gripping the sill, Aslan stared through the window, though he couldn’t see
much, just enough to tell that his mate and pepper were playing, there was no
detail to what was taking place. Aslan
leapt down from his place and padded round to the back door, opening it, he
padded in, slamming the door hard behind him.
Furious with himself, he stamped along the passage, right past the door
to the bathroom where Petra
and pepper played. In a sudden rage,
Aslan yanked down the handle on the bathroom door and kicked it open with such
force it smashed back against the protective spring which kept the door from
damaging the tiles and came fast back at him.
Cursing, Aslan exploded into the bathroom all anger and hatred for
himself, which he projected onto Pepper!
“Get out! Get out!
Pepper, leave here now before I do you damage!” Aslan yelled, frightening the cross bred cat
into immobility. Aslan surged over the
tiles like a whirlwind, anger and fury driving him on, Aslan lifting Pepper
from the bathtub in his paws as if she weighed no more than a newborn cub
before dumping her on the hard floor!
Suddenly Aslan felt himself falling, crashing to the floor! Something was on top of him, something large,
fat, and which had a scent he knew well.
Petra
sat on Aslan, making sure he could breathe but not harm her or Pepper, who lay
completely stunned, as if lifeless a few feet away, paws in the air.
“How dare
you!” Petra growled, the lioness in her now
aroused, “how dare you treat my friends like that!” Petra
yelled, not using Aslan’s name, but addressing everything to him. Aslan knew he was stupid and wrong to do what
he did, but it was done, and that was unchangeable now. Petra
smacked Aslan across his nose with her paw, the paw which had been so gentle
hours before now hard and unyielding.
Aslan roared with pain, but it wasn’t pain from the blow from Petra’s paw which was
hurting most.
“I’m so
sorry!” Aslan mewed, almost begging for
mercy, “I didn’t know what I was doing, I’m sorry! I saw you and Pepper playing, and thought it
should be me playing with you, but I’d made a stupid and uncaring comment, and
now you’re playing with Pepper!”
“I got into the
bath while waiting for you to return,” Petra
mewed, “Pepper padded in and we got playing, that’s all! Now this has happened!” Aslan felt more stupid than ever, and he knew
Petra could
feel it. “You have been more than stupid!”
Someone yelled, and then fleur ran in!
“Oh, fleur! I’m
so sorry!” Aslan mewed. Pepper struggled to her paws and crawled
away, not wanting to be present when her mum’s temper exploded. Fleur looked at Petra.
“Let me have a
word,” fleur said quietly, her tone chilling Petra to her marrow. Levering herself off of Aslan, Petra watched as Fleur
kicked Aslan to his feet, and then tripped him, throwing him into the
bathtub! Aslan screamed and landed in
the water with a heavy splash.
“You do not touch
my cub!” Fleur yelled. Aslan, bruised and frightened, watched fleur
and pepper walk away. Grateful Fleur
hadn’t leapt in on top of him, Aslan scrambled from the water, his fur
waterlogged and spirits as low as they’d ever been.
“I’m sorry Petra!” Aslan sobbed.
Petra
watched her mate with disinterest.
“You foolish
cub,” Petra
said, “You didn’t think did you! Stupid,
thoughtless cub.” With that she walked
away. Aslan knew he’d put his paw in it
with Petra and
wished he’d never made that throw away comment which started the whole sorry
episode.
Aslan followed Petra’s
paw dragging progress to her place. He
knew she was very upset by the whole business, and desperately wanted to make
amends.
“Petra, please, let me
talk to you, explain, do something to fix this stupid situation!” Aslan pleaded. Petra
turned slightly, one forepaw raised from the carpet, as if she was intent on
continuing her progress to her place after the briefest of pauses.
“What is there
to talk about?” Petra asked, “You insult me, then you attack
my friend, what is there to discuss?”
Aslan looked at his mate, and Petra
could see he loved her, and was truly sorry for everything, though he didn’t
have the words to articulate how sorry he was.
“I can’t put
what I feel into words,” Aslan mewed pitifully, “I’m sorry for that too Petra. I won’t say or do anything like this ever
again!” Fleur watched Aslan, and he
could feel her eyes on him, as well as those of his mate.
“No, you won’t
do anything like throw my cub out of the bathtub ever again,” fleur said quietly, “if you do, Nice gentle
fleur, with her soft warm paws will become furious violent fleur with sharp
teeth and claws!” Aslan whimpered in
misery.
“I’m listening
and I’m sorry,” he mewed.
“Right, let’s end
this now,” Pepper mewed, “Aslan knows he’s done wrong, and has been punished
enough for what he did. Now we need to
move on.” Aslan looked at the cross bred
cat.
“I hurt you, and
you’re saying all this?” He asked.
“I, Like Petra,
can tell you are confused and remorseful from your nose, right down to your
toes,” pepper replied.
“I was stupid,
and my actions and comments were uncalled for, wrong and disgraceful,” Aslan
said, “if I could turn the clock back I would do so right now.” Petra
walked up to him and kissed his nose.
“I hate it when
we fight,” she mewed, “It tears me apart Aslan, and I don’t want that!”
“I’m sorry Petra love,” Aslan mewed,
making his own private peace with his mate.
“Let it go
now,” Petra
mewed, “come on, let’s go and walk in the wood, just like we wanted to.” Aslan let Petra take his paw in hers and lead him out into
the garden and through the gate to where she’d danced on her toes for joy what
seemed to him a lifetime ago.
“Now let’s walk,”
Petra
mewed. Aslan felt heavy pawed as he
walked, wishing he could see Petra’s
unbounded joy as he’d seen it when they’d been in this spot earlier that day.
“Catch my
tail!” Petra yelled suddenly, running away. Aslan found himself chasing her, and then
catching her as she slowed, deliberately so it seemed to him, so he caught her
tail. Then they rolled on the track,
playfully pawing at each other with fore and hind paws. Petra
hugged Aslan tightly her desire for him renewed.
“Now for me to
chase your tail, and maybe get hold of a paw or two, or three, or maybe all
four!” Petra mewed, rolling Aslan over and tickling
his paws until he was weak from laughing.
“I love you from
your nose,” Petra
said, touching his nose with the toes of her left forepaw, “to your paw pads,”
she added, tracing round the pads of Aslan’s left forepaw. Aslan smiled and hugged her.
“Can I trace
round your paw pads please?” Aslan
asked. Petra smiled and gave him her paw.
“Trace round
them, love them,” she said. Aslan kissed
the pads of her left forepaw, Petra
laughing merrily. Petra knew Aslan loved everything about her,
and he felt safe with her, which was the best thing of all. Petra and Aslan made their way slowly back to
the house where they entered the pool complex and waved to Snowy Half-Tail in
her control room as they passed one of the numerous cameras mounted high on the
walls. Snowy, seeing them, smiled to
herself and followed them on several cameras, testing the camera’s new zoom and
image capture functions. Pressing
buttons and moving a joystick, snowy managed to see the whites of Petra’s eyes as she looked
directly into the camera lens. Zooming
in, Snowy watched as Petra’s
face filled the screen in front of her, and she knew Petra herself was at least fifty feet from
the camera watching her. snowy had
watched many things on camera, from love play between adults, to paw tickling
games among cubs, and adults who wished they were cubs again, to full blown fur
ripping arguments between Yi jie and Liang, who got rather too physically
involved during mundane discussions about this and that, ending up in blazing
arguments over the silliest things, such as the last episode of big brother,
and who should have been evicted last week.
This one always ended in a real rumble, snowy could never work out how
the two pandas got so worked up about such a thing as big brother, it really
nauseated her, big brother, not the lively discussions, though they came a
close second when things got violent, though no blood was drawn. After the frequent scraps, Yi Jie and Liang
would look at each other, both of them drenched in sweat from noses to paw
pads, and ask each other why they did it.
Why fight over something as stupid as big brother? Even though they questioned their behaviour,
snowy had seen the same thing over and over again, it seemed to be a ritual
between the two pandas, rather like drinking to excess on a Saturday night is
for some humans, watch big brother, discuss it, fight about it, then make up
and wonder why they came to blows, then do the same thing a week later. The apposing view points held by the two
pandas were obviously strong enough to come to blows over, and snowy noticed
something else, Shuang and Shen never saw them scrapping, snowy thought they
didn’t’ allow their cub and her mate to see.
Snowy eased back on the joystick, bringing the whole room into focus,
watching over Aslan and Petra
as they played in the water of the bath pool.
Snowy watched the lioness and her mate playing, working her cameras to
find out how much detail she could catch.
She managed to see the pads of Petra’s
left forepaw as the lioness raised it to touch Aslan’s. Snowy smiled as the two cats batted at each
other’s paws and whiskers.
“What a lovely
sight,” Snowy thought as she watched.
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Martin Wilsher © 2006
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Martin Wilsher 2010
Email m.wilsher@btopenworld.com
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