Blade's Tribe

by Stormwolf Dawn

Fandom: Sentinel

Pairing: Jim/Blair

Note: The following takes place after the events in Jaguar Night....

Blade’s Tribe
by Stormwolf Dawn

An hour before dawn, Jim awoke lying in his own familiar bed, Blair's scent filling his sensitive nostrils. Opening his eyes, Jim saw Blair lying against him, chestnut curls spread out over the down pillow. Peaceful and serene in sleep, Jim smiled his heart swelling at the sight of his lover, and guide. Tears welled up in his green gold eyes, but Jim forced them down.

Moving slowly so as not to wake Blair, Jim got off the bed wincing a bit at the lingering soreness in his ass, reminders of the activities of that night. Caping his wings over his shoulders, Jim moved slowly down the stairs of the loft the claws of his feet clicking softly on the hardwood floor.

At the balcony door he stopped and looked back over his shoulder up into the loft seeing Blair's curly head still peacefully sleeping the sleep of the sated. Mournfully, Jim turned his attention back to the sliding glass doors, opening them quietly, and stepping out into the pre-dawn night.

After closing the doors behind him, Jim leaped into the air flapping his wings. He flew over Cascade with steady sweeps of his wings, the moon highlighting his dark naked body.

He dove down to the shadows that were the warehouses of downtown, and flew through an old subway entrance that was blocked off by yellow tape. That part of the subway had been closed after a minor earthquake had closed off the tunnels and nearly the entrance itself. But there was an opening at the top just big enough for Jim to fly through.

On the other side was the subway station with one lone car sitting half on and half off the broken tracks. Crouched on the car was a creature like Jim, only his coloring was white with only a few hints of black stripes beneath the fur. Light blue eyes that were almost silver watched Jim's entrance into the station. Jim landed on the roof of the car with a heavy thud. Caping his wings, Jim moved on all fours until he was crouched beside the white tiger-man.

"Where have you been, Blade?" the white tiger asked in a near fearful voice.

"Patrolling, Steel. It doesn't matter. Where are the others?" Jim asked.

"Jade is exploring the tunnels, at least as far as she can go. Artemis went with her to keep her out of trouble. Thor is out looking for food." Steel answered.

"Damn him, I told I take care of that." Jim said.

At that moment another entered the station through the entrance. The lion-man, Thor, flew over to the car carrying a large burlap sack on is back. He landed on the car and strolled over to where Jim and Steel were crouched caping his wings as he did.

"What is that?" Jim asked motioning his feline head toward the sack Thor carried.

"Food." Thor said in a deep rumbling voice. He dropped the sack and opened it to reveal a large side of beef wrapped in plastic.

"Where did you get that?" Jim asked standing up from his crouch. Still Jim's head only reached Thor's chest.

"At a warehouse. What does it matter." Thor said using his claws to cut through the plastic.

"You stole it?" Steel asked and cowered when Thor turned his golden gaze to the white tiger.

"Yes. What you think they'd stick around long enough for me to pay them for it. Get real."

"I told you I'd take care of it." Jim said in a cool voice.

"Yeah, and where is this food...you were out all night and didn't get anything..." Thor wrinkled his nose, then stepped closer to Jim his nostrils flaring.

Jim held his ground as the bigger lion-man came closer.

"Shit, I smell cum...and not yours...fuck you let some guy fuck you." Thor said with a growl.

"Its none of your business, Thor." Jim said.

"Shit Blade you didn't tell us you were gay." Thor said with a deep rumbling laugh. Then turning his back Thor went to the food and ripped off on of the meaty flanks.

"There's no need to steal. We live near the mountains, we can hunt in the forest." Jim said.

"Oh good now you really want us to act like animals, hunting with our teeth and claws." Thor said.

"If you can't hunt, then tell me. I'll be sure to bring enough for you." Jim said.

Thor turned and looked at him his yellow eyes looking down at Jim, his clawed hands glowing with a blue light. "I will hunt with you, Blade, and show you how it is done." With that Thor launched himself into the air, and found his nest high on the walls, a cave dug by the earthquake into the surrounding steel work.

Jim watched Thor fly to his nest, the crouched down again. Steel crawled toward the carcass, and Jim only nodded. The white tiger tore off huge chunks of the beef, and like Thor flew off to his own nest to eat in peace. Jim sighed.

A few minutes later, Jade and Artemis returned running on all fours through the tunnels. Sisters, Jade and Artemis were only eighteen years old. While Jade was a golden leopard with dark green eyes, Artemis was a snow leopard with white fur and dark spots. The two of them stopped before the train car, then leaped with a few flaps of wings to gain the roof. They crouched beside Jim.

"Find some food?" Artemis asked looking at the already torn carcass.

"No Thor found it." Jim answered. "Help yourselves."

Jade and Artemis both took huge chunks of the beef, but did not fly off. Instead the ate there, crouched on the top of the train car. Once Artemis and Jade took their share, Jim tore of some of the meat and bones, and ate.

"Did you find anything of interest?" Jim asked the two sisters.

"Not really. There's still no other way in or out except the entrance we use." Artemis answered. She was the more bold one of the sisters. They had been living on the streets since they were fifteen. Surviving as best they could like Thor and Steel. Unlike Steel they had not yet turned to prostitution to survive, but Jim knew he would have been only a matter of time. In fact, Artemis had confessed that she had been considering doing just that so they could survive.

"At least no one will be able to sneak up on us." Jim said.

Artmeis nodded and swallowed a chunk of meat. Her nostrils flared, and Jim became conscious of the odor of Blair's cum that Thor had remarked upon. Fortunately, Artemis said nothing about it. "You and Thor still arguing?"

Jim nodded.

"If it comes to a knock down drag out fight are you going to be able to win?" Artemis asked.

Jim didn't answer. Even before he was transformed, Thor had been a big guy. Even homeless, the man had kept himself somewhat fit as best he could, working as a part time bouncer when he could, hired muscle when he absolutely had to. As a lion man, he was bigger than Jim, and more heavily built. It would definitely be a fight to remember. So far, Thor seemed content to not challenge Jim directly, but he continued to go his own way on certain things, and to open his big
mouth whenever he wanted to. Jim wasn't sure what Thor was trying to do, but he hoped he never had to try and take Thor down.

Artemis took his silence as the answer it was. She nodded, then finished off her meal. When she and Jade were done, they flew up to their own nest to rest through the day. Like real cats, they slept during the day, and patrolled at night mostly to hide their activities from the Cascade citizens.

Jim finished off the meat he had taken, then found his way to his own nest.

Jim's nest was a crack in the steel walls of the train station up high near the curved ceiling. The crack was big enough for Jim to fit into, and he had lined the nest with pine brush taken from the nearby forest. Jim curled up in his nest, and wrapped his wings over himself. As he drifted off into sleep, Jim's thoughts turned to Blair, and a deep sadness filled his heart. He knew he could not live in the world he had come from, not as he was. He did not know if Blair was lost to him forever, and his heart cried at the thought of it.


END PART 2
TBC...maybe....who knows. I may write little parts like this for awhile instead of a whole complete story. Feedback would be appreciated.