Chapter 2

With a decisive flick of his tail,Caleb leapt away.On strong legs,with surestrides,he ran through the forest,dodging undergrowth,vaulting over fallen logs and large stones,climbing low trees to jump from their quiveringbranches when it suited him.The wind raced him,whipping around his ears and flaring his nostrils.His fangs were bared to the night,allowing him to catch the faintest of odors.Before long he found the scent of man again,and gun smoke,and blood.

He skidded to a halt.Like a knife,the blood pierced his mind and stirred his senses.Nosing around,he found a drop of dark lifeblood on a deadfall,still warm.His tongue licked out,and the taste of copper filled his mouth.A heavyscent like wet fur clung to the wood.Picking his way carefully over the rotten limbs,Caleb climbed the deadfall and,on the other side of the forest floor,found another bright patch of blood,a clump of fur clinging stubbornly to the edges of a paw print.Another bobcat,just as he’d thought.Wounded.

With his animal senses,Caleb could easily discern the cat’s path through the woods—here the grass bent in a certain direction,there a few branches were snapped as if pointing the way.Caleb padded on,cautious.Every now and then he paused to sniff around.The trail led to a thicket of tall grass,tamped down in the center.As Caleb approached,he heard a low growl issue from the grass in warning.

He sat back.Cocked his head to one side.Ventured another step and received abreathy hiss as a reward.In the darkness he could see two golden cat’s eyes staring back at him.A guttural male voice spoke in his mind.::Another step and you die.::

Caleb sat back again,then lay down,forepaws stretched out to hold the grass out of his way.He saw a bobcat,yes,much larger than himself,with thick russet tufts at the tips of its ears and red markings along its jaw,reminiscent of a human beard.It took a moment for Caleb’s mind to recall thewords he wanted to say,but as the cat had addressed him in man-speak,he’d do the same.::You’re wounded.::

::There’s fight in me yet.::The older bobcat growled deep in his throat.::Come closer and you’ll see for yourself.::

Caleb didn’t know what to do.He’d met other cats on his monthly travels,but none spoke to him in anything more than standard feline body language.A menacing growl,an irritated whip of the tail,a flattening of the ears to ward him off.But these thoughts in his mind,this voice so unfeline that seemed to emanate from this cat,could it mean…?::You’re like me,::he suggested.At the impatient flick of the other cat’s ear,he added,::You’re human.::

The growl stopped abruptly.Those large eyes narrowed,the slitted pupils dilating.::Sometimes.::

Caleb dared to inch closer,crawling on his belly.He only got a few shufflingsteps before the growl kicked in again.::Watch it,::the other said.

::You’re hurt.::Caleb crept another few inches,his forepaw reaching out tentatively.The smell of blood came off the other bobcat in waves,rich and thick.Cocking his head to the side,he could see a dark patch of matted fur onthe bobcat’s rear left haunch.::Let me look—::

::Stay back!::

The heavy paw swung out of nowhere,cuffing him aside.Caleb rolled beneath the swipe,but there were no claws in it,not yet.Coming to rest on his belly,Caleb now faced the other cat’s side,in a better position to scrutinize the wound.::Let me take a look,::he tried again,daring to move nearer.The growl started again,warning him,so he hurried to explain,::I’m infantry.Trust me.I’ve seen the field surgeon work—::

::And I’ve seen General Grant,::his unwilling companion grumbled.::Doesn’t mean I can run the damn army.Get.::

But Caleb was already stretched out along the grass,nosing the wound.It smelled painful,but not too deep.::I’m Caleb,::he offered,nipping gentlyat the torn flesh.The bobcat growled louder now,his claws splayed and digging in the ground,but Caleb could smell the bullet,could almost tasteit.::You’re lucky this isn’t grapeshot.I think it’s just a miniéball.::

One large paw touched his side,claws unsheathed but held in check,a promise that one wrong move could end his life.Ignoring it,Caleb licked at the woundand tugged at the matted hair until blood ran freely again.With slow,measured movements,he cleaned the area,using his tongue to locate the bullet.One quick bite and it was out.The claws extended,cutting into him,but disappeared when he spat out the lead.::There.::

For a moment their eyes locked,each gauging the other.Just when Caleb was sure the other bobcat would run off,he was surprised to hear a muted,::Thankyou.::

Caleb blinked and ducked his head.::’Twas nothing.You’d do the same—::

::Don’t be so sure.::

Awkwardly,the bobcat twisted his nimble body around to lick at the wound.Caleb watched for a moment,perturbed that nothing more had been said.Did this other bobcat come in contact so often with his own kind that he could easily brush Caleb aside?If so,it must be nice.The night was young,the moon full,and the last thing Caleb wanted was to return to his camp and take up his soldier’s post.The thought of chasing the shadows with a companion excited him in a way he didn’t realize he’d missed.Didn’t this other cat feel that need,too?

Standing on all four legs,he approached the grooming bobcat.Taking a chance,he rubbed his head along the underside of the other bobcat’s chin,a dangerous gesture that mingled his scent with the other’s own.When the bobcat didn’t attack,Caleb bent to attend to the wound.::Let me.::

The reply was instantaneous.::I don’t need your help—::

::I didn’t ask if you did.::

With a huff,the bobcat sank back to the ground,then rolled onto his side,forepaws stretched out in a forlorn gesture.As Caleb concentrated on cleaning the wound,the other cat sighed again.::What is it you want?::

::I’ve never met another like us,::Caleb admitted.He wanted companionship,was that too much to ask?A few hours with a fellow werecat,a few hours away from the war?::I’m a soldier—::

::So you said.::

Each reply was succinct,curt.Apparently the only way Caleb would get a response from this fellow was to ask outright.::What about you?::

No response.He tried again.::You do have a name,I assume?If you want me to guess—::

::I want you to shut up.::

Caleb returned to the wound,licking the fur and the skin until the flow of blood seemed to thin.Twice his companion growled,a deep sound that could almost have been mistaken for a purr,but his extended claws raked the ground and his foot sat pressed against Caleb’s lower belly,keeping him back.He turned to wipe the blood and hair from his nostrils into the grass,and was just about to say the hell with it and move on when the other cat growled,::Brance.::

::Sorry?::

With considerable effort,the bobcat raised his head.Their eyes met again,and something unspoken passed between them,something preternatural and unreal.Something older than instinct itself.::Brance,::the other said again.::My name is Brance.::

Caleb nodded.::Will you be all right?::

He suspected he knew the answer to that.But when there was none,he crept closer,into the intimate space beside Brance’s underbelly.He dared to press his nose into the soft,downy fur just beneath the larger cat’s forepaw.He waited,tensed,for a rebuttal that never came.

When he realized Brance wouldn’t push him away,Caleb eased his body alongside the other cat’s.Curling his paws beneath his head,he hrmphed low,ruffling Brance’s fur.The heat from his companion drove back the cool night.

Brance raised one paw,then set it heavily onto the top of Caleb’s head.His claws came out,but just slightly,just enough to let Caleb know he could hurthim if he wanted to.With something akin to affection,he muttered,::You’rea real pain in the ass,you know that?::

Caleb settled in closer,happy for the company.