Rising with the sun, Feral was excited about going home at last. In the back of his mind, he was afraid he was taking new problems back with him but he refused to let it dampen his enthusiasm. He would deal with any problems as they came up as he always did, although, he wasn't certain how he was going to deal with Felina's situation.
That disturbed and angered him. As he took a hot shower then got dressed, his mind flitted from one possible solution to another without results. It was a grumpy mate that Tendaji had the misfortune to run into when he got up to take a bath. Ulysses was leaving Ten's room with his suitcase, headed for the living area, when the lion stepped from the guest room he'd spent an unrestful night in.
The angry frown on his mate's face did not bode well for a reconciliation this morning.
"Can I ask why you are still angry with me this morning?" He asked, unhappily.
"I can't see a way to help my niece avoid the problems of pride's trying to snatch her. Knowing her, as I do, she will be totally pissed by this new complication in her life." Feral ground out.
"Oh...uhmm...well the only really effective solution is if she accepts a...yrk!" Ten started to say then choked when his mate suddenly put fingers around his neck and slammed him against the hallway wall.
"Forcing her to mate is not the answer!" Feral hissed furiously then released his mate who staggered back, rubbing his neck.
"Shit! When you get mad...you get mad!" Came a stunned voice behind Feral.
He turned and hissed in annoyance at the sight of Dubaku standing with his mouth open in shock. Turning back around, Feral picked up his suitcase, he had dropped when he'd attacked his mate, and stomped toward the front of the house. Moments later, the front door was heard to open then shut hard.
The two lions continued to stand in stunned dismay for several minutes then Dubaku looked at his friend with a sympathetic eye.
"Well my friend, you have one amazingly violent, bad tempered, and powerful mate. I don't envy you one bit." He observed uneasily.
Tendaji just glared at him and stormed off to his aborted bath without a word.
Dubaku just shook his head and made for the dining room. His friend was in for a very bad time and that meant so was his team from his foul temper. He only hoped Feral would cool off and allow his mate to be close again. Being separated was unhealthy for a lion and could cause severe emotional problems.
Dubaku would have to seriously address the problem of the Kat not feeling the bond. He knew it was there by the way Feral reacted to Tendaji's touch but the emotional link apparently wasn't felt by the Kat. This could have serious repercussions. In his capacity as Imamu, it was his responsibility to see to the health and welfare of each member of the pride. If he thought Tendaji had his paws full, he, himself was faced with a more daunting problem of getting Feral to trust him enough to head off an emotional disaster.
Shaking his head worriedly, Dubaku shoved the problem aside for the moment for more mundane things...like breakfast.
He was digging into his second helping when Tendaji came into the dining room. His face was set in lines of frustration and anger. His mother and father were sitting at the table as well and were dismayed by their son's expression.
"What on earth is troubling you? You should be ecstatic, as most newly mated are." His father said, eyeing his son in concern.
"Let's just say, my mate is a very difficult person." Ten gritted out as he dished up only a small amount of food. His appetite had diminished due to his altercation with his stubborn mate.
"Could you be a bit more specific, son?" His mother asked firmly.
Tendaji grimaced, not really wanting to air his personal problems with his parents but seeing their set expressions, he knew they would badger him for an answer. Sighing, he set his fork down and looked at them for a long moment.
"Ulysses is upset about a few things. First, he's angry at my failure to inform him of lion culture. By the way, mother, thank you for giving him the history book." He paused to say. His mother smiled and nodded. "And secondly, he's really pissed about his niece being the new target for a pride hunt." He finished.
"I see. Kats do have problems accepting our ways but the females, due to their bonds, adjust rather quickly. I don't understand why your mate is having so much trouble." His father said thoughtfully.
"That's just it! He doesn't feel the bond emotionally. Physically, I know the bond is working since he responds quickly to my touch but emotionally..." He stopped and spread his paws helplessly.
His parents blinked in utter shock.
"But...that can't be! A soul bond is two way. How is this possible?" His father demanded of the room in general.
"Sir, if I may." Dubaku interrupted.
Tendaji's father paused and nodded respectfully at the Imamu.
"Ten told me of this difficulty and I've seen it for myself. I can only surmise that it's due to Ulysses being male and not female that this is a problem. I do not know for certain if he is just not acknowledging it or he really can't sense it. Until I can get him to trust me enough for me to perform a soul search, there is nothing we can do at the moment." Dubaku said seriously.
"Oh my son, I am truly sorry this has happened. I hope Dubaku that you can resolve this problem quickly." Ten's mother said anxiously.
"I will certainly do my best." Dubaku said gravely.
The meal finished on a somber note. Ten's family walked with him to the limo that would take them to the airport. He wasn't surprised to see is mate leaning against the car waiting. When Ulysses saw them coming he straightened and politely waited for them to approach.
Ten's mother and father studied their new son-in-law with concerned eyes. His mother hoped her son would not suffer in the coming months with this fractious mate. She simply couldn't bare it.
She moved to stand before the tom. "Listen to me carefully, Ulysses. I love my son dearly. Your problems with the bond can hurt him seriously more than you realize. I want you to promise me that you'll let Dubaku help you to understand the bond better before my son comes to harm. Can you do that for me?" She said softly.
Feral blinked in shocked surprise. Ten's mother was worried something serious would happen to her son due his inability to sense the bond. He hadn't really bothered to understand this aspect of his mating, simply accepted it had happened. But Ten's mother made it sound like this was a much more serious problem. He glanced over at Tendaji who wouldn't look at him as he loaded his suitcase in the trunk. Feral sighed. Something else he would have to learn about. Oh joy!
"I can only say I will try, ma'am." He finally said, cautiously.
She gave a wane smile and hugged him briefly as Ten's father shook his paw. "That's all I want you do to, Ulysses. Have a safe trip!"
Feral nodded gravely then climbed aboard the limo. Ten climbed in beside him as Dubaku took the seat facing them. Others that were going with them loaded aboard their car and one other behind them. Soon the two limos were leaving the compound and headed for the airport.
An uneasy silence hung over the interior. No one was willing to break it. It seemed like a long time before they reached the airport but soon they were piling out and climbing aboard the jet.
Feral sighed in relief as the plane took off leaving the compound behind. He decided to take a nap during the short two hour flight.
Tendaji stared at his sleeping mate longingly. The future at the moment looked bleak and lonely.
Dukaku glanced at his friend in concern. He could already see depression settling over his friend's head. Turning away to look out his window, he was blind to the view, all he saw was a disaster he was expected to head off and he wasn't looking forward to trying to deal with it.
Two hours later, the plane came in for a landing at Megakat International Airport. Feral was practically the first to deplane. He strode for the arrival area, anxious to get his suitcase and get to his office. There was enough of the day to get a lot done.
He was pleased to find Felina waiting for him. She came forward smiling. She halted before him and saluted. He returned it with a radiant smile of his own.
"Glad you came for me. Are you on duty?" He asked as they walked toward the baggage claim area.
"Yes Uncle. I came on at eight this morning. How was your trip?" She asked, a little surprised to see her uncle practically running from his mate who was now far behind them.
"Don't ask!" He growled. "I want to hear all about what had happened with you and the Tumbuka Pride." He ordered.
It was her turn to grimace unhappily. "There's really not that much to tell, Uncle."
"I don't care. I want to hear it anyway and don't leave anything out." Feral said firmly.
Sighing, she held off answering until they had retrieved his suitcase and made for her enforcer sedan. Climbing in the driver's seat, she waited as her uncle tossed his case in the back and got in the front seat. He gestured for her to leave. She complied but saw Tendaji rush out the doors of the terminal and stand angrily on the curb as her car left the area. She wondered what on earth had happened. She hope he would explain after she gave him the report he wanted.
As she wended her way out of the airport traffic and sped off for Enforcer Headquarters, she relayed everything that had happened to her that night.
"Wait! Did you say you were investigating that business with Dark Kat when they snatched you?" Her uncle practically leaped at that statement.
"Yes...but I don't ..." She began.
"Got 'em! Remember they are not supposed to interfere with the duties of any katizen. To do so is to be arrested. I want a warrant put out for the Tumbuka Pride unit that's in the city immediately. Perhaps if we show we mean business about them breaking our laws it might make other prides think twice about hassling you." Feral said, nearly jubilant about finding a loophole to restrain the prides.
Felina's eyes widened and she nearly took her eyes from the road. "You mean I'm a target for all prides?" She said angrily.
"Yes. I'm sorry Felina. Because of me, you are now in this mess. I received little in the way of information about pride rules so I fell into many traps that I barely escaped except for the one perpetuated on me by my mate. I was finally given a very handy book to read which I should have had in the beginning. To say I was furious is putting it mildly." Feral said with a growl of remembered fury.
"Ahh...so that explains why your mate is in the doghouse with you." Felina said knowingly.
"That and other things I won't discuss. I've never been humiliated that badly before. Even the SWAT Kats antics have never done something that nasty. Tendaji will be lucky if I ever let him near me again after what he did." Feral fumed.
Felina's eyebrows rose. 'Now I really wished I knew what had happened. Uncle Ulysses is really furious.' She mused in concern.
"About arresting the Tumbuka Pride, Uncle, I was not technically on duty when I was taken." She reminded him after they had been silent for several minutes.
"An enforcer is always on duty, Felina. Even when they 'sign out' for the day does not mean they are technically truly 'off duty'." Her uncle said flatly.
She nodded. That was certainly true. Every cadet had that driven into them in the academy. If they saw a crime being committed, they were duty and honor bound to take care of it even if they were off duty.
"Have you found anything new about what Dark Kat is up to?" He asked, changing the subject.
"I found a piece of the crates used to ship those munitions Dark Kat got his paws on. I had it analyzed by our CSI but they didn't find anything noteworthy about it. I did find out what kind of munitions he took though. A new type of C-4 that's much more powerful. In his paws, he could do a lot of damage to half the city." Felina said unhappily.
"Crud!" Feral said angrily. This was why he had not wanted to leave the city. "As usual we are forced to play a waiting game until that creep makes his play and that could be months."
"Only too true." She sighed in agreement as she parked her vehicle in the underground parking area. She'd been forced to park here when she normally parked in the open lot across from headquarters just to keep the prides from trying for her again. So far, the only lion she'd seen lurking around her was Kunto from her uncle's pride. He at least was smart enough to keep his distance even though he wouldn't stop following her around. It was getting really annoying.
As they climbed out of her vehicle and made for the elevator, out of the corner of her eye, she caught the, by now, familiar silhouette of Kunto at the opening to the garage. She sighed mentally then was startled by a growl beside her.
"Is that who I think it is?" Her uncle snarled.
"It's Kunto, Uncle. He's my bodyguard, I guess." She said, her voice reflecting her resignation at the lion's constant vigilance.
Narrowing his eyes, Feral made a 'come here' signal that Kunto could not refuse. Warily, the lion slipped into the parking garage and came up to them. He moved close to give the pride greeting, Feral returned it as he had been taught. Felina frowned in puzzlement at the odd greeting. After the greeting was over, Kunto stepped back a distance.
"Commander Feral." He said politely.
Feral stared at the lion measuringly. "Thank you for aiding my niece in her escape from the Tumbuka Pride. However, she does not want to be mated to anyone and I respect her choice. I will not see her choice taken from her as it had been taken from me so listen up. Unless she changes her mind, no one is to bother her. She is an enforcer and that means she is on duty all the time even when out of uniform. That is true of all katizens whose job doesn't stop just because their shift is over. Get that word out to all the prides. If they don't heed my warning, they will find themselves behind bars as the Tumbuka Pride is about to find themselves shortly." He ordered firmly.
Kunto's jaw dropped when he heard that. "But a Pride Hunt is allowed in your city." He objected in shock.
"Only if it does not interfere with a katizens duties or job. This does interfere with the duties of an enforcer. So if you haven't heard me the first time and don't tell the other prides, count on any and all being locked up the moment they try to snatch either of us. Got it?" Feral said flatly.
"Yes sir." Kunto said. He was still trying to grabble with this incredible bit of legal logic on the dark tom's part. If what he said was legit then no enforcer, firekat, medical worker, or soldier could be part of a pride hunt unless that individual wished to be. This was going to shake the prides badly.
Feral turned and entered the waiting elevator followed by his niece leaving a stunned lion alone in the parking garage.