Velvet Claw

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2“I know it’s last minute,” Evan starts saying to his neighbor before she puts her hand up to stop him.

“I told you I was happy to look after your cat anytime you needed me to. I’m just glad he’s not a dog. Not sure I’d want to be calling out that name in a park.” Sue wrinkles her nose. She looks adorable. She’s a beautiful blonde, with big brown eyes and a perfect body. They might make a great couple, if one of the many things they had in common wasn’t liking tall, dark, and handsome men.

“What’s wrong with his name?” Evan asks.

“You named him Marshmallow Fluffy Butt.” Sue rolls her eyes.

“Well, that’s what he looks like: a marshmallow with a fluffy butt.” Evan shrugs.

“Fine, I’ll use his name. Just not around anybody else.” Sue smiles.

“Thanks, though, seriously. He hates the boarding place. He’s much calmer at your place. Is it okay that I don’t know how long I’ll be? And of course, I’ll pay for his food and any expenses.” Evan isn’t ashamed to say he loves his cat. He’s had that white fur ball since he found him abandoned in a box. Evan can still remember hearing the muffled meows. It’d been cold and raining, and Marshmallow was so scared. But when Evan put the wet kitten under his coat, it hadn’t clawed at him. It’d cuddled close, purring, like he was being thanked.

“You are such an animal lover. It’s really cute. Try not to worry too much. And of course I don’t mind how long it’ll be. It’s not like you’re being irresponsible. You’re off on a medical emergency.”

“I’ll keep you up to date on how long I’ll be gone. I’m hoping to show up and work it out superfast. The doctor who asked me to come, Nanook, has so much faith in me. I don’t want to let him down. And I always hate seeing kids sick.” Evan has worked with all kinds of people, but kids always tug on his heartstrings a little more.

“I know you’ll do a good job, but you’re a doctor, not a magician. You can’t perform magic. Just do your best,” Sue tells him, holding out her hand for Marshmallow’s carry case. He’s a good kitty. He doesn’t mind going in his case at all, even if it means going to the vet. Evan thinks it’s because Marshmallow Fluffy Butt has a crush on the vet.

“I’ll try not to put too much pressure on myself, but you know what I’m like.” Evan and Sue have lived next door to each other for five years. They know each other pretty well. She says he’s too hard on himself. They don’t always agree.

“I’ll send you updates with pictures,” Sue promises. She’s done this when he’s gone away, and it always makes Evan feel better to see a picture of his baby as well as hear how he is.

“Thank you so much.” Evan leans in and hugs her carefully so as not to jostle Marshmallow.

“No problem. You’ll have to tell me about Felis Forest. I’ve never been. Most humans haven’t,” Sue says, setting Marshmallow’s carrier down inside her apartment.

Felis Forest is what the Felis town he’ll be going to is known as. It has a large forest area and a large town. Only Felis live in the Maine town. Not a single human has been given permission to live there. Some humans can’t even get permission to travel through.

But Evan has permission to stay there and work for a little while on a possible new illness. It’s an interesting case and place.

“I’ll tell you about it. I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve packed for a few days because I know it’s unlikely I can cure these kids overnight. And if I have my way, I’m not coming home till they start improving,” Evan says.

“Don’t let the locals pick on you,” Sue warns.

“I’m sure they’re not as unfriendly as people say.” Evan has met Felis before, but ones living or working in human run towns, and Evan hears they are different from the Felis who live in isolation.

“Still, good luck with them, and with helping the kids.” Sue smiles.

“Thanks. I’m going to go grab my bag and get out of here.” Evan already had his good-bye hug with Marshmallow Fluffy Butt in his apartment because he didn’t want to get sappy in front of Sue, even though he’s pretty sure she wouldn’t mock him for it.

“Stay safe. And I know you’re there for work, but try to have fun. You work too hard,” Sue orders.

“It’ll be fun to see Nanook in person again,” Evan replies. Nanook is full Algonquian, and Evan is half-Algonquian. They’d bonded over that and being doctors.

“I’m sure he’s great, but he’s an old man obsessed with work, from what you’ve said, so I don’t think we have the same kind of idea of fun.” Sue laughs. She reaches out and ruffles Evan’s hair. It’s red and not overly long, despite his Native American heritage. He has his mother’s blue eyes, red hair, and fairer skin. His build is also closer to hers. He’s petit, on the short side, and is frequently called pretty. But it’s not easy to tell he has Native American roots.

“I won’t tell him you called him an old man.” Evan grins.

He hugs Sue good-bye, and she hugs back, patting his back before taking Marshmallow and disappearing into her apartment. Evan gets his suitcase and carry-on bag, and then he goes to the bus stop.

Taking the bus to the airport is a risk, but he leaves in plenty of time. He gets to the airport, checks in, and settles into waiting. He goes through some emails on his phone, all work related. Nanook isn’t the first, and probably won’t be the last, person to ask Evan to consult on a case. He has a good reputation, a low rate of lost patients, and a high rate of discovering solutions.

Evan is proud of his work, and he’s worked hard to get where he is now. He’s working at a university at the moment, doing research into several illnesses and biological weapons. He can take some of his work with him, enough that he’s not completely abandoning his projects, but he has no deadlines, so he’s fine to take off for a few days.

He gets his flight, and it takes him two hours west to an airport just outside Felis Forest. He collects his bags and then walks to the main part of the terminal. Nanook told Evan someone would be coming to meet him—the same someone who is going to escort Evan while he’s in town.

Evan looks around. There are several Felis in the airport. Being so near to their colony, there are bound to be more than in human-dominated areas. Evan spots a tall man holding a sign, though, with ‘Dr. Kidd’ written on it.

The guy is a huge Felis, the black fur outlining his face going back, and it’s hard to tell where the fur ends and his long black hair begins, but his hair goes down his back. He has green catlike eyes, and plump lips. He’s not smiling, though. In fact, his whole vibe shouts, ‘Get the hell away from me.’

Evan takes a deep breath, a little intimidated, and heads over.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Evan Kidd.” Evan introduces himself, holding out his hand to be shaken, but the Felis just looks at his hand with distaste before looking him up and down.

“You’re the doctor?” the man asks. Nanook had said the man picking him up would be Rene Cornell.

“Yes, I’m a friend of Dr. Wayra. He called me to consult,” Evan confirms, trying not to take the man’s snub personally. He’s handsome, in a fierce, rough-edged way. He’s all broad shoulders, long legs, and large muscular thighs.

Evan has met good-looking Felis before, but this one blows all of them out of the water. It’s a shame that, from his actions, tone of voice, and the look on his face, Rene isn’t pleased about Evan being here. Hanging out with him should be a ton of fun, Evan thinks sarcastically.

“My car’s outside.” Rene doesn’t even bother to introduce himself. He just starts walking, and Evan is left with few options but to follow if he doesn’t want to be left behind. He hurries after Rene, who has longer legs than Evan and can walk much faster.

Evan has had more than enough encounters with bullies in his life, and he’s not in high school anymore, even if Rene wants to act like it. Evan isn’t going to put up with it. He’s been picked on for being gay, for being half Native American, for being pretty, and for being a geek. He’s never been disliked just for being human before, and Evan is sure that’s what’s going on here now.

“Will you slow down!” Evan calls out, stopping in his tracks outside the airport. He has a suitcase and a carry-on bag, and he’s a lot shorter than Rene, only being five foot two. He can’t keep up, not without running, and he’s not running through a parking just because some asshole, no matter how good looking, can’t be bothered to show some consideration or even basic manners.

“What?” Rene stops, looking mildly annoyed, like Evan is just some irritant he’s having to deal with.

“I get it. I’m not an i***t. You clearly don’t want the job as my babysitter. You don’t want to be here, but I didn’t ask for you. This isn’t my fault. I’m not asking you to be my best friend. I’d just appreciate you not running away from me—maybe tone down being an asshole.” Evan is aware that Rene could easily kick his ass, but Evan’s had his ass kicked before, and he’s found that the humiliation of just putting up with being treated like s**t stung worse over time. Black eyes fade, but the soul deep feeling of being worthless isn’t as quick to leave.

“Did you call me an asshole?” Rene asks with a growl, coming back to where Evan has stopped and glaring down at him.

“If you want to focus on that part, then yes. I’m here to try to help some sick kids. I don’t need my ass kissed or my hand held, but I’d appreciate some decency. Introduce yourself. Walk so I don’t have to run. You might well be stuck with me for days, so I don’t think a modicum of civility is too much to ask,” Evan says, trying to keep his temper.

“You’re not afraid of me, are you, Doctor?” Rene asks, looming over Evan, and it’s clear he’s trying to be intimidating. Evan is sure it usually works, and it’s not that he’s unaffected, but he’s not a pushover.

“No, I’m not. Should I be? Are you planning to kill me? Chop me up into pieces just for coming to try to help the kids in your town?” Evan asks sarcastically, hoping he isn’t actually taunting a crazy person.

“My name’s Rene. And I don’t want to babysit you. You’re right about that. But I guess I can be civil for a few days, as long as you stay out of my face,” Rene says, and Evan feels like they’re making progress. He’s dealt with difficult people before: patients, their families, lots of people who didn’t want to work with him. This might be the first time Evan has worked with a Felis babysitter who hates humans, but Evan’s sure that he can handle it. He’s here to help Nanook cure some children, not make new friends.

“Hello, Rene, I’m Evan. I’m here to help, if I can. Now could you take me wherever I’m dumping my stuff and then to see Nanook? I’d like to get started,” Evan says, still aware that Rene has fingernails that he can turn into claws and rip Evan’s throat out if he likes. But Felis live under the same laws as humans when it comes to things like murder, so Evan hopes he’s worrying about nothing.

“First, I have a question I want to ask you, and I want an honest answer, no bullshit,” Rene says seriously.

“Okay.” Evan doesn’t see Rene asking anything he’d feel the need to lie about.

“Why have you agreed to come here? What’s in it for you?” Rene asks.

“Honestly? Not only do I care about kids, it’s a mystery. I like puzzles; I want to solve this one. It’s not about being a hero and saving the day. It’s about knowing the answer,” Evan replies.

Rene nods, seeming to accept the answer. He reaches out and takes Evan’s suitcase from him, and starts walking again, this time slower.

Evan follows him to a car, where Rene opens the trunk and puts Evan’s suitcase in the trunk. They both get in the front. Rene starts the engine, pulls out of his parking spot, and heads out.

“So where am I staying? Local hotel?” Evan asks.