Some time later, in the penthouse suite...
Feral woke late in the afternoon even more stiff and sore than the first time, especially the bite wound on his neck that throbbed painfully. Staggering from the bed, he found his way to an immense bathroom. The bathtub was a small pool. He shook his head in disbelief at the princely surroundings. Sighing he stepped in the very warm waters and moaned in pleasure as his soreness eased away. After soaking for about a half hour, he pulled himself out and found the dryers.
Poking around the cupboards, he found some first aid cream and applied it to the bite. To his relieved surprise, he also found a cream for vaginal soreness that immediately soothed it away. Leaving the bathroom, he searched for his clothes with no luck. He huffed irritably and began searching the huge and incredibly well stocked closet of expensive clothes. Khan's clothes were a little too long and big but didn't look too bad. It would have to do. There were no shoes because apparently no one in Cape Suzette believed in them.
Choosing a reasonably nice looking pair of pants and dress shirt, he decided to leave off a tie. Searching in some drawers, he found an undershirt and underwear. Once attired, he headed for the doors. Opening them, he found his way blocked by the panther guards.
"We're sorry sir. Mr. Khan left strict instructions that you were not to leave the penthouse. He said he would explain everything to you as soon as he returns. Until then, may we get you anything? Food perhaps?" One of the guards asked politely.
"I don't appreciate being made a prisoner when I'm a guest here." Feral snarled angrily "And where are my clothes?"
"I'm sorry, sir! Your clothes were removed at Mr. Khan's command." The guard stayed stubbornly in front of the irate Commander and remained unfailingly polite.
"What in Gods name would he want with my clothes?" He asked in annoyance.
"I'm sorry Commander I don't know. I can understand that you, as a warrior, would be upset at being confined, but we have our orders. Please don't press us or we will be forced to restrain you and if we harm you in any way doing our duty we will be severely punished." The guard pleaded quietly.
Sighing in frustration, he backed down, "Well, I certainly wouldn't want that to happen. I understand orders after all."
"Thank you for your understanding, Commander Feral. Would you like a meal sir? You have missed lunch." The guard asked again.
"No, thank you. I don't seem to have much of an appetite right now." He growled irritably and turned back into the room, the door quietly closing firmly behind him.
'What the heck is going on here? How did I let myself get into something like this?..sigh... Oh yeah, I know how, I was in heat and couldn't resist that tiger who gave me the best, most intense sex I've ever had in my life. But that doesn't give him the right to make me a prisoner.' He snorted at himself. 'Well, there is no way I'm staying here.'
Galvanized, Feral began a systematic search of the rooms for some way out, but there were only two ways in and out of the penthouse, through the door with the guards, or out a window to a shocking drop. Such a choice. He was stuck in a gilded cage. Sighing in defeat, he opened one of the windows and looked out at the view. He was so far up the clouds encircled the top.
Cape Suzette was a very beautiful place. As he watched some water birds take to the air, he became aware of a small seaplane coming closer to the Khan Tower. A crazy idea came to him, quickly he rushed inside and ripped a sheet off the bed. Racing back to the window, he began waving the sheet wildly trying to capture the pilot's attention. Just as he was about to give up hope, the little plane suddenly veered toward him. His heart leaped as it got closer. It was soon very close and he was able to see what looked like a small bear flying on a disk of some kind behind the plane on a cable.
The little bear shouted at him asking if he needed help, excited, he yelled back that he was a prisoner. The little bear yelled to him to hang on and they would come around again. Dropping the sheet, Feral watched as the little bear got back in the plane, then it made a sharp turn and flew dangerously close to the building presenting its open side door to Feral. He guessed what the pilot wanted him to do and didn't hesitate to leap toward the opening as soon as it passed the window. He rolled hard into the plane's small cabin fetching up on the opposite wall.
"Welcome stranger! That was some leap! Do that often?" came the laconic comment from the pilot. Dragging himself to his feet, Feral saw the pilot was a very large bear and his copilot was the small bear he had seen outside on the cable.
"Not if I can help it but I have had occasion to do it as an enforcer. Thank you for the pickup. My name is Commander Ulysses Feral." Feral said in relief as he sat down on a crate on the cabin floor.
"Commander, Huh! Commander of what can I ask and I'm Baloo by the way and this is my copilot Kit Cloudkicker." Baloo introduced himself as he flew his plane down to the bay, his apparent destination.
"I'm Chief Enforcer of Megakat City. I and my Mayor are here on a business trip to see Shere Khan." Feral clarified.
"But if you were a guest of Mr. Khan's, why were you a prisoner in the penthouse?" Kit asked puzzled.
"Uh, well...I'm not too certain why Mr. Khan locked me in his penthouse, but I'm not accustomed to being made a prisoner so decided I wanted to leave, but since his guards watched the door and the window looked out over a sheer drop I seemed stuck with no options that is until I saw you passing by. It was just a wild decision on my part. Didn't think it would work but thought I should at least try." He shrugged off the oddness of it.
"Well, you were lucky Kit saw you and let me know. Still was a crazy thing for you to do and by the way I hope it doesn't get us in trouble with Shere Khan. He is definitely not someone you want to cross." Baloo warned in a friendly manner.
"I don't think that will be a problem. I intend to demand an explanation from him, so don't be concerned. Anyway, I'll be talking to him on neutral ground so he doesn't try to pull that trick again on me. Thank you again for getting me out of there, by the way. I would appreciate a phone when we get on the ground if that's possible?" Feral asked.
"Sure no problem. We work for Higher for Hire and I'm sure Becky, our boss, will let you use the phone in the office. Hold on! We are coming in for a landing now." Baloo said.
Feral watched as Baloo expertly landed the seaplane in the slip next to a small dock with a huge sign on it stating boldly 'Higher for Hire'.
As they were climbing out of the plane, a petite female bear came charging up to Baloo shaking her finger in his face.
"Where have you been? That cargo was to have been delivered more than thirty minutes ago?" She scolded Baloo.
"We had to make an emergency rescue, Becca..." Baloo started to explain but the irate female cut him off.
"A likely story. You are always telling whoppers to excuse your inability to keep to a schedule." She huffed, furious.
"Actually he is telling the truth, Miss" Feral interjected, thinking it was time he spoke up.
Rebecca Cunningham started when she realized Baloo was not alone. The Kat was tall and very imposing. He was dressed rather oddly and looked a little disheveled. "I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Who are you and how did you end up aboard the Sea Duck?"
"My name is Commander Feral. I'm here on an official visit with Mayor Manx from Megakat City. As for how I ended up here...ah...it's rather personal but the gist of it is I had somehow been made a prisoner in a suite of Khans' and was looking for a way out when Baloo showed up and gave me a lift." He explained without getting into too many details.
"Mr. Khan isn't in the habit of making guests prisoners, Commander Feral. So your story doesn't make sense and I still don't see how Baloo managed to rescue you?" Rebecca said skeptically
Affronted, Feral straightened and pushed his chest out in anger, his amber eyes snapping. "I am the Chief Enforcer of my city. I am not in the habit of lying."
"Becky, he was in a room at the top of Khan Towers waving a sheet at me from the window. Kit yelled at him to ask if he needed help and once Feral, here, yelled back that he did we turned back and left the cargo door open and he leaped in. You'd never get me to leap into a strange plane a hundred feet up from the ground and yet he did it without a thought. He's either crazy or he's telling the truth." Baloo jumped in to explain what had happened, still amazed at the stunt.
"Baloo's telling it how it was, Ms Cunningham. Commander Feral made a perfect leap and landed in a roll against the wall of the plane. Takes a lot of guts to do that!" Kit said admiringly.
"Oh well... it still doesn't explain why you felt the need to leave in such a spectacular manner rather than wait for an explanation from Khan." Rebecca shook her head in concern. She really didn't want trouble from Shere Khan over a missing guest.
"I do not like being made a prisoner no matter what the reason. The guards made it clear that I was not permitted to leave until Khan saw fit. I don't know what his reasons were but I prefer to be on neutral ground when he explains himself. To that end, may I use a phone to contact him, Miss...?" Feral asked waiting for a name to be supplied.
"It's Ms Cunningham, Commander. Well I guess there's no harm in that and would probably be a good idea before Mr. Khan discovers you missing." Rebecca slowly agreed as she led the way back up the ramp. They all followed her to the small office. She pointed to the phone on her desk for the Commander.
"You wouldn't happen to have Mr. Khan's phone number?" Feral asked politely.
"Oh sure, just a minute." Rebecca went to her Rolodex and flipped through a few cards before stopping at one. "Here you go!" Handing the card to Feral.
"Thank you!" Taking the number, Feral quickly dialed and waited.
Mrs. Snarly, Shere Khan's formidable secretary answered the phone. "Khan Industries, may I help you?"
"This is Commander Feral, let me speak to Mr. Khan." He growled.
"Commander Feral? Where are you calling from sir?" Mrs. Snarly was stunned but kept her voice cooly professional. Commander Feral was supposed to be in Mr. Khan's penthouse suite and that phone had been temporarily disconnected per Khan's instructions.
"That is not your concern. I want to talk to Khan now!" His earlier anger starting to return by this officious secretary.
"Your pardon, sir! Please hold for a moment." She said carefully polite. It wouldn't do to get on the wrong side of Mr. Khan's new mate. She quickly called up to the security detail at the suite.
One of the guards answered, "Yes?"
"Please check and see if Commander Feral is still in the suite. There is a possibility that he is not. Please check quickly, I will hold." Mrs. Snarly ordered.
Blinking at the phone in surprise, but trained to obey orders, the guard nodded at his partner and they both opened the suite doors and looked around. A quick search revealed no trace of the Commander except for an open window and a sheet lying near it. Shocked and upset the guard reported his findings to the waiting secretary.
Biting her lip in consternation, Mrs. Snarly hung up and pressed the intercom for Khan.
Khan was explaining his plans for exporting the Cape Suzette liqueur Canard when his intercom buzzed. Annoyed, he touched the keypad. "I thought I gave instructions that I was not to be interrupted?"
"Yes sir, you did, however, this is urgent. Would you please switch to your private line, sir?" Mrs. Snarly said tensely.
Puzzled and still annoyed, Khan complied and was connected again with Mrs. Snarly. "What is the problem?" He asked.
"I am sorry sir, but Commander Feral is on an outside line. I checked with the security guards at your suite and they say he is gone. A window is open and a sheet was found lying near it. Shall I put the Commander on, sir?" She asked.
It took all of Khan's formidable iron will to not show his shock that his mate had left the towers by a window. Considering they were more than 100 floors up, the only way he could have survived was to have been picked up by a passing plane. But to do that required nerves of steel and exceptional gymnastic skills. His stomach rolled queasily at what could have happened to his mate if he hadn't been so physically skilled. He regretted not knowing his mate better. He needed to rectify that as soon as possible. Collecting himself, he told his secretary to connect him.
"This is Khan." keeping his voice even, though he felt anything but calm.
"Took you long enough" Feral growled irritably. "Checked to see if I was really gone, didn't you?"
"A rather drastic departure wasn't it? Couldn't you wait for me to explain things to you?" Khan asked carefully.
"I don't appreciate being made a prisoner!" He snapped. "I want that explanation, but on neutral ground. Bring only two guards. I'll be waiting. I'm at a place called 'Higher for Hirer', know it?"
"Yes, unfortunately, I do. I will be there shortly." Khan agreed and hung up. Only that reckless bear, Baloo would do something like rescuing a person calling for help from a window. But the fact his mate risked his life for strangers made his insides tighten. Hiding his consternation, he turned back to his guest.
"Please forgive me, Mayor Manx. An important matter has come up. My assistant can give you a tour of my tower headquarters if you'd like and I will return as quickly as possible." He rose from his desk heading for the door.
"I hope it issn't too serious, Mr. Khaan?" Manx asked concerned.
"No, but it does require my personal attention." Khan said distantly.
"I'd bee deeliighted in taking a tour of your magnifiicent building while you're gone. You run aloong and don't worrry about a thing." Mayor Manx smiled magnanimously.
Nodding at the Mayor, Khan made a hasty exit and hurried down to his waiting limousine that Mrs. Snarly had called for him. In the car, he tensely dug his claws into the armrest. His mate was very angry. He needed to handle this carefully.