Even though most of Hepbeth's attention was on finding Tragar and disciplining him, she also kept tuned to the human frequency. She heard Traci's thoughts as the human cub set out for Jozlyn's tower room. Good, Hepbeth thought. Jozlyn tell Traci truth. Then tabbin talk to Traci more. She turned her full attention now upon locating Tragar. She found him sleepily sunning himself by the garden wall. Padding quietly over to him, she suddenly sunk her teeth into his neck behind his ears.
With a loud squawling "Mee-yow!" Tragar jumped up as Hepbeth released her fangs.
By all the musktoo, what was the matter with Hepbeth?! "Hepbeth not nice!" he complained, his ears laid back to show his displeasure as he slowly backed away.
But her ears were already laid back and the thick fur hackles raised from her shoulders all the way down her back. "Tragar leave Roshel alone!" she demanded.
"Roshel not here!" his ears swiveled forwards, then quickly back again. What in the loudest thunder was she talking about?
"Theor den this morning." She took two slow deliberate steps toward Tragar, her head flat out from her extended neck. "Hepbeth discipline Roshel. Tragar leave Roshel alone."
The male snorted, his tail switching wickedly in disagreement. What did this female think she was doing, butting into the affairs of male tabbin? "Tragar do what Tragar want!" He turned his body sideways to the annoyed female and arched his back.
"Hepbeth business, not Tragar business!" she insisted.
When he remained motionless, refusing to back down, she charged and sunk her fangs into the back of his neck again before he had time to react in self-defense. And this time she chewed!
The big male squawled and rolled over on his back, exposing his tummy. He didn't want to risk totally alienating her. He didn't want her to choose Roshel this time.
Hepbeth back off, sniffed and walked away. She'd made her point. Tragar would respect her right to settle her differences with Roshel, or any other male tabbi for that matter. Back in the Keep, out of his sight, she stopped to spit some of his hairs from her mouth. Then she sat down to wash her face. Males were so dumb sometimes.
She resumed her journey through the Keep's halls. Why did males think they had to butt into female business when the female could easily handle things? All the female tabbin she knew complained about this aspect of male behavior. Recently the females had decided to take things into their own teeth. Then the males would finally realize the females meant what they said. Hepbeth would have a victory to report tonight when she tuned into the female tabbin's telepathic chat channel. Males had their own frequency. What they discussed, only they knew. Hepbeth didn't much care.
Well, now that wasn't exactly true. She did hope that Tragar would report on the point she'd had to bite him about today. But maybe he wouldn't let the other males know that a female had made him back down. If he did, he couldn't call himself Tragar the Terrible any more. Maybe none of the males would ever talk about stuff like this to any of the other males. She sat down to consider this and yawned.
Perhaps she'd go after Roshel another time. His was an entirely different type of transgression. She knew she was coming to that time in her yearly cycle when the males would be after her. She didn't want to be forced by her body to choose between Tragar and Roshel and she also didn't want to have cubs this year. She remembered that litter she'd had three years ago. Briefly she wondered how they were doing with their magin. She could talk to them any time she chose. But she didn't choose, unless it was something important that all tabbin should know.
Realizing she was sitting at the bottom of the many stone steps leading up to Jozlyn's lair, she made a decision. She'd go up and ask for some of that special tea Jozlyn had made for her for the past two years so she wouldn't attract the males and have to have another litter of cubs. Then she wouldn't need to bother with disciplining Roshel. Maybe next year.
Hepbeth rose and bounded swiftly up the steps. |
