Cats And Dogs

On the outskirts of a small country village sat a large house, set in substantial grounds with lots of woodland and a few outbuildings scattered around, some half hidden in weeds and bushes. The main house was imposing and well maintained, with the two wings separated by a large alcoved entranceway, and stone pillars in front of a huge wooden door with a flight of steps leading up to it. At the foot of the steps on either side were two plinths, each featuring a lifelike stone carving of a large wolf. It had been a mansion house built by a wealthy Georgian family, but was now owned by a rich businessman. That businessman was Samuel Arcan. He stood well over six foot tall, with a broad chest, his whole body muscular and toned. His hair was dark and long but usually tied back neatly, showing off his handsome face and striking deep green eyes. At that moment he was sat in the dining room having breakfast with his four friends and team mates, all resident at his mansion. While he was dressed in suit and tie, the three men had bare chests and wore only jogging bottoms. The one woman at the table wore a bright coloured sundress. All four listened intently to their leader while they ate their breakfasts. At first glance the scene looked calm, but there was an air of tension because today was an important day for all those present. When he finished his meal, Sam spoke to the others. 'I'm sure I don't need to remind you that our new colleagues arrive today, or that I expect you all to be on your best behaviour. I expect they will want the tour when they get here. Tilly,' he looked at the woman to get her attention, 'since I have business at the solicitors this morning, I may have to leave their Alpha with you in my absence.' She nodded to confirm she understood the instruction. 'Make sure you get back to the house when they arrive. They'll be coming by car so you should hear them wherever you are.' 'The rest of you, go about your usual business, but don't be surprised if you see the others around later on. And I know you are used to being around cats, but remember they aren't used to our kind.' He smiled as the men laughed quietly. He hoped that this would go well, but he had reservations despite reassurances from the Council. Two independent units being asked to join forces was worrying enough, but with their differences? They would either complement each other perfectly, as the Council hoped, or it would be all out war before they even got to whatever important assignment this was all in aid of. Sam was proud to lead this team of commandos, and keen to show them in a good light to the new team leader, or Alpha, and his men. It was unusual for teams to be joined together for a mission, and their objective was unknown. He knew and trusted all the people he worked with and they felt the same about each other, and secure under his leadership. Even if everything went well it was going to take time to build those kind of bonds with new people, especially since they would also be a tight unit already. The four men got up from the table and left the last team member finishing her breakfast delicately. They moved out to the massive hallway where three men rapidly shed their jogging bottoms and crouched as they started to change. Long legs shortened and hair spread from their chests and head over the rest of their bodies. Their faces and ears started to elongate until instead of human features they had muzzles and pricked ears on top of their heads, and tails grew from the base of their spines. The one remaining man stood with the three wolves and gave them final instructions for the day. 'Usual perimeter sweeps, and then your time is your own until lunch. We'll meet our guests properly then. See you later.' The wolves growled quickly to let him know they would do as asked, then ran out of the door and rapidly disappeared in different directions to check the grounds as ordered. Sam turned back to the dining room to see Tilly had finally finished and was walking into the hall. 'Am I on sweep until the others get here?' she asked. 'Yes. You'll hear them, but I'll give you a call anyway. You get to be our big surprise today you know.' 'Oh good.' She didn't look pleased at that news. 'Shall I clean my coat especially?' 'Don't complain. You never know, it might be to your advantage. Perhaps one of them will take your fancy!' He smiled at her but her displeasure showed even more at his teasing. 'I've told you before, you are more like them than I am. Perhaps we should hope one of them takes your fancy. It's about time you got a mate.' As she talked she stripped off her dress revealing she wore nothing underneath. She handed it to him and started her change, the scowl on her face rapidly disappearing as the hair spread across her body. Her muzzle was much shorter than the mens' had been, her tail on top of her back, and rather than grey she was pure black. Sam looked down at the panther before him. It was just like her to change rather than let him finish this conversation face to face. He spoke. 'It goes without saying that you are in charge of the team while I am away, but remember there will be another Alpha here. I expect you to follow his orders as if they were my own.' Her response was a quick purr and she rubbed against his leg as she walked out the door. No quick escape like the wolves, she ambled out gently then leapt down the steps and broke into a graceful run as she too headed to the perimeter of the land to check their territory. He sighed. He knew she would always do what he told her and she did respect him as Alpha, but that didn't stop her being mouthy when she wanted to and she was the only one of his team that would dare talk to him like a friend as well as a boss. Her last comments were a regular source of disagreement between them. She seemed to feel some duty to sort out his love life. If he had tried to find her a mate he suspected he would end up with at least a few scratches for his trouble, but for some reason she didn't see any problem teasing him about his lack of one. And worse still, she seemed to have some bizarre idea that he should find himself a cat. He was wolf, not panther, no matter how much she teased about his cat-like qualities, and right now the last thing he wanted to be thinking about was getting involved with a cat. She was right about herself though. Raised by wolves, she was as much one of them as she could be without changing her DNA. Her dainty manners showed against the wolves, but mainly because she was the only female. All he had to do now was wait for the others to arrive. This worried him more than it should, and he knew deep down there were going to be problems. Some of which would certainly be his own. He couldn't help but think back to the Council meeting when he had received his orders. The Alphas of each team had been called to attend, and after being told their orders he was introduced to Tom. Ironic name for a cat really. He couldn't forget the instant charge that went through his body when their eyes met, nor the warmth when they shook hands. The meeting had been brief but had left him with far too many unfulfilled fantasies that came to him in the middle of the night. 'Why did he have to be a bloody cat?' he thought. Worse still, one he was going to have to work with and not let his feelings show. He could just imagine the horror on the other Alpha's face if he found out he had been the star of Sam's wet dreams of late. Sam had long ago resigned himself to never having a mate, but it annoyed him more than it should when Tilly reminded him about his lack of one. He didn't believe that he would find a man that he could have that close connection with, and having tried a few brief relationships he was more sure it wouldn't happen for him. Even less likely was the idea that he would find another Were to share his life with. Not that his illogical side didn't wish for it, but he tried to keep that under control. He couldn't help wondering and imagining himself with Tom though, and it scared him. He needed to be focussed on work, not hoping for things that could never happen.