In the course of the next two weeks Heero cared for the cat and felt new meaning come to his life.  His father had built a pen as promised but although it was large, the cat never moved from the one spot he had originally been placed in.  He seemed constantly to be very sleepy and never took interest in anything around him.  He ate and drank but that was all and the vet informed Heero that there may be something wrong with the animal and it might be kinder to put him to sleep.

Heero had begged to have one more week to work with the cat and had been told that that was all he would get.

He walked out one morning to feed the animal, calling Russet as he went, the name he had given to the cat because of the colour of his fur.  He started and looked around in surprise when he saw that the cat was not where he normally lay and could not be seen anywhere in sight.

“Russet?  Hey, where have you gone?” Heero looked around him as he searched for the cat.

Suddenly the cougar appeared, prowling round the trunk of a tree and stepping out to look at the boy.  He seemed to have full use of his leg and was looking about himself very alive and aware.  His pink tongue lapped out of his mouth to lick at his whiskers and then he stood square and looked at Heero with intelligence and calculation in his eyes.

“Are you hungry?” Heero asked the cat.

He tossed the meat away from him and towards the cat but the beast just ignored it and looked at Heero as if he were trying to work something out.  Then he walked towards the startled boy and stopped two feet in front of him, his powerful shoulders twitching as he stood looking up into Heero’s prussian blue eyes.  Heero noticed for the first time that the cat had dazzling violet eyes that sparkled like a clear twilight filled with stars.  Those eyes held far too much intelligence for this to be any normal cougar and Heero wondered if there was something special about the cat besides the colour of its fur.

“Don’t you want it?” Heero looked at the cat warily, not sure what exactly he was doing, “I won’t hurt you Russet,” Heero promised, “but you can’t leave yet, you have to get better first and then you can go home.”

The cougar lay on the ground lazily at his feet and rolled his head back on his neck to look up at Heero.  The brown haired boy squatted and then sat on the floor by the cat.  He heard the shush of muscle and fur as the beast shuck his head to rid a pesky fly, but he didn’t seem to bother the animal at all by being there.

He stretched out a hand towards the cat’s back, watching constantly for any reaction.  Russet looked up at him, huge eyes shining with knowing, and Heero knew he was quite safe around the cat.  He placed his hand on the smooth fur of the cat’s back, running his hand down the spine of the animal and then starting to stroke his side.  Russet flopped onto his side, his head lolling on the grass, a deep rumble starting in his chest and flowing between his teeth as a purr.  Heero hadn’t even realised cougars could purr, in fact, he was sure he had read somewhere that they couldn’t.  Well, they obviously hadn’t met his cougar, because Russet was purring right now.

“You understand me,” he told the cat, “I knew you would.  Animals always understand me, but people never do.  Why do you think that is Russet?  Do you think I don’t belong amongst people?” The cat just rocked his head against the floor and continued to purr,

“I suppose you’ll have to go back soon,” he sighed and watched the cat flick his tail, “not that I want you to, but you do belong in the wild, not stuck here in this animal pen.”

The cat’s ears flicked towards him and then he picked up his head and looked at Heero.  There was still that knowing in his eyes that didn’t quite tell of the lesser intelligence that the species was supposed to have.  The huge violet orbs widened and glittered like the cat was contemplating what had just been said.  Russet lifted his right front leg, the one that he had hurt, and waved it in the air, making a rumble in his throat.

“Do you understand me?  Do you know what I’m saying?  Sometimes it seems that you do,” Heero couldn’t understand how the cat could be so expressive if he didn’t understand him, “well I have to go, I’ll see you tomorrow Russet.”

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The next day Heero found that his father was having guests to stay, the Winner family from one of the colonies, and they were very important people.  Heero had met their son before, Quatre was his name, and he didn’t mind the boy.  They hadn’t exactly gotten on, but Heero hadn’t found him annoying, in fact, he couldn’t bring himself to hate the boy, as he did most other people, just ignore him.  Quatre was pleasant and easy to get along with, and Heero supposed he could tolerate him if he had to.

“I have go and feed my cat,” he informed Quatre, “you might want to go and find something to do.”

“I could come with you if that’s all right?” Quatre looked at him imploringly, “I don’t know anyone around here.”

“Let him go with you Heero,” his father had been stood in the doorway the whole time, “that cat of yours seems to be getting quite tame and it will be okay if you’re both careful.”

Heero motioned for Quatre to follow him and walked out to the pen, he was loath to share Russet with anyone, he didn’t know why, and the thought that the cat might let Quatre touch him made him a little anxious.

The chestnut animal was lying on his side in the middle of the clear area of his pen.  The slow rise and fall of his side told Heero that he was sleeping, or at least completely relaxed.  His ear flicked at a fly that landed on his cheek and his tail twitched lazily.

“That’s not exactly your everyday cat,” Quatre commented as they approached the fence, “you don’t go in with him surely?  What is he anyway, he looks like a cougar but he is the wrong colour.”

“He is a cougar,” Heero told him smugly, “he’s just special, and of course I go in with him, I trust him.”

Quatre shrugged, but he didn’t look as if he trusted the cat, in fact, he looked a little afraid and Heero thought this might be the time to show just how much he trusted the animal.

Walking into the pen, he called softly to the cat, waiting until Russet looked at him until he produced the meat.  The cougar stretched, standing up and making his way slowly to Heero.  The said boy offered the cat the meat and let him take it directly from his hand.  He heard Quatre gasp from the fence and smiled wickedly, this was impressing even him.  Russet seemed to notice his need to show-off and, standing on his hind legs, he placed one front paw on each of Heero’s shoulders and licked at his nose.  Heero wrinkled his nose and turned his head away slightly.

It occurred to Heero that the animal wasn’t putting that much weight on his shoulders, if he had wanted to, he could have pushed Heero off his feet, but instead Heero could barely feel the huge paws that rested against his shoulders.  This was another time when Heero thought about how much intelligence the cougar had, he had known that Heero wanted to put on a show, but not just that, he had actually helped him!

Heero turned to look at Quatre, who looked as if he would bolt for help at the first sign of trouble, “Come on over,” Heero called, “he won’t hurt me and he won’t hurt you either,” for some reason, just being with the cat put him in a better mood and he suddenly didn’t mind having Quatre round at all.

The flaxen haired boy looked hesitant and then stepped through the gate and came towards them.  Russet dropped back to the ground and sat by Heero’s side, seemingly protecting him.  He looked like a huge guard-dog, but not a dog.

Quatre made a point to walk to the opposite side of Heero and watched Russet warily.  He gave a little frightened smile when the cat looked at him and lay his hand on Heero’s arm but Russet growled low in his throat and rose a little so he dropped it again.

“Very protective of you, isn’t he?” Quatre commented as he continued to watch the beast.

“Yes.  It’s a shame he will have to go back in two days,” he sighed and lay his hand on the cat’s head, “but he can’t stay here any longer, his leg isn’t completely heeled but he can hunt and he can’t stay here much longer, he’ll get too used to the lazy life,” he smiled sadly at the cougar and moved to go.  Russet rubbed his head against his leg and made a strange mewing noise but Heero ignored him and carried on walking, if he didn’t leave now he wouldn’t for the rest of the day.

Quatre trotted after him making various comments about the animal and asking questions, which Heero was all too happy to answer.  He liked to know more about Russet than anyone and liked to show that he did.  That’s how the rest of the day wore out and by the end Heero wanted nothing more than to keep the cat forever and learn everything there was to know about him.

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