As Hepbeth got up and walked around to find a new position in the room, Roshel got a whiff of her femaleness. He got up, padded over to her and touched noses lightly, then gently ran his nose slowly along her side toward her rear. When he was almost there, she growled and laid her ears back, her rumbling warning mode. Having been the recipient of Hepbeth's displeasure once too often, the male tabbi turned around and leaned lightly against her side in an appologetic rub before plopping down in his former place near Theor.
Roshel's actions toward Hepbeth annoyed Tragar. Hepbeth was his! He'd found her, had sired her cubs and brought her to the Keep. Roshel needed to be put in his place. He got up and moved toward Roshel in a slow, almost menacing crouch. Even though this was Roshel's den, the location didn't stop him from making Roshel back off.
But suddenly Hepbeth stood, arched her back, laid her ears back and hissed, then spat at Tragar! Surprised, he dropped his ears in submission to her and changed direction immediately, away from both her and Roshel. As he circled slowly toward the door, he felt confused at her reaction toward him. Couldn't she tell he was just protecting her from Roshel's advances? He neared the door and turned to look back. She was still watching him and her stance indicated that she wasn't feeling friendly to him at all. He left. He bounded down the many stone steps and into another room of the Keep. Selecting a place to sit, he began to lick himself all over.
Having dominated both male tabbin, Hepbeth turned her attention once again to the humans' request. "Tabbin help Jozlyn, Theor," she confirmed. Then she padded to the door and left also. If she stayed, that might encourage Roshel.
The lone male tabbi stirred and moved over to the hearth. He stretched his full length on his side and closed his eyes. But his attention was still on the humans. What would they do now and what else would they ask of the tabbin?
A sudden loud squawk and flurry of wings brought Roshel's eyes open again. Uuffi had flown down to Jozlyn's head from one of the high windows in Theor's room.
"Uuffi help--tabbin help--Jozlyn help--Theor help," the a-a rasped as the mage lifted him off her head. He bobbed his little dance in her lap.
Roshel stared at the a-a a moment longer, then laid his head down. He heard the magin chuckling. Uuffi was still insisting on helping. Silly a-a. How did that bird think he could help? He couldn't hear inside humans' heads. Jozlyn said something to Theor, then stood up and constructed one of those potterns the magin used to teleport themselves around the world. She and Uuffi disappeared. The tabbi stretched and yawned and went to sleep. |
