Title:  Soul-Mate (1/1)
Authors: Cousin Shelley and Arletta Asbury
Faction: Cousins
Time:  Early Evening
 A few hours after "The Sweet Smell of Revenge (1/1)"
Date:  Sunday, July 8, 2001
Disclaimers: All participants (animals and otherwise)
       used with permission


Tiger sat in the lobby of CERK, entranced by the spot on
the floor.  It was a very *good* spot, not like that other
one, a few minutes ago ... or was it hours?  That one
didn't have half the fascination of THIS one.  So far, it
hadn't moved.  She'd keep watching it anyway.

As she sat, Perry the vampire dog wandered into the lobby.
He'd just arrived at CERK a little while earlier.  The
cousins has asked for his help but, as it turned out, he
wasn't needed after all.  He thought maybe he'd just have
a look around at the new-to-him territory before he returned
to the Hive. He stopped to observe the strange behavior of
a gray cat who was sitting in the middle of the floor.  He
wasn't quite sure what to make of her, since she didn't move.
She just stared.  At nothing. Perry moved closer.

Tiger saw something moving in the room.  Darn these
distractions!  This spot needed watching!!  The thing
moved again, getting closer. Doing her best imitation
of a kitty sigh, she looked away from the wonderful,
unmoving spot.  And into the golden eyes of Perry.

Perry crept closer and closer, watching the ball of
gray fluff.  At that moment, she looked up and began
staring at HIM.

The two animals engaged in this strange staring match for
quite some time.  Jess, at the receptionist desk, watched
them for a while, then sighed and went back to circling
non-yellow post-it note pads in her office supply catalog.
Working the front desk at CERK was strange.

Tiger had just decided this gold dog was okay.  He didn't
move much, which she liked.  And he stared.  He was a
soul-mate for sure.  Just then, he laid down.  Surprised,
Tiger jumped up, arched her back, and let out one long, loud
"YEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWLLLLL," as she landed.

Jess and Perry both stared at the gray ball of fluff now.

Deciding to try to save her slightly warped cat sense of
dignity, Tiger decided she would have to act.  She leapt up
on top of Perry and sat on him, effectively controlling the
threat of the moving dog.  Or so she though, anyway.  Being
a cat of little brain, this made her happy.

Perry sighed and put his head down.  If the strange ball of
fluff wanted to sit on him, he guessed it was okay with him.
He needed a nap anyway.

Tiger was surprised.  The big gold dog-thing had gone to
sleep with her right up there on top of him.  Something
about his fur, steady breathing, and just basic *trust*
calmed her.  Since her sister had left a few weeks ago, she
hadn't had that, and she had been missing it terribly.  As
she sat there contemplating this new-yet-old feeling, she
remembered her sister.  How they used to play before she
got so sick, how they laid together in the warm sun.  Tiger
felt a peace so complete, she lay down on the dog and also
fell asleep.

--------------------------

Perry woke first and observed the gray ball of fluff cat
stretched out on him.  She seemed sad, in a strange way.  He
liked her though.  Licking her awake, she sat up and stared
at him again, then climbed delicately down and found a spot
on the rug to stare at.  Perry wondered what he could do
to cheer her up.  Cocking his head sideways, he suddenly got
an idea.

Disappearing into the CERK halls for about 20 minutes, the
dog reappeared with a small ball of yarn in his mouth.  He
threw it up into the air and let it come sailing down next
to Tiger.

It MOVED!  The stringy-thingy MOVED!  Tiger was on it in an
instant, hunting it, tracking it, biting it mercilessly.  She
was the happiest she'd been since her sister left.  Life was
good again.

As the two animals darted off down the halls of CERK, Jess
circled a maroon post-it notepad in the catalog, and put
some stars next to it.  Definitely not yellow.  She shivered
at the thought.
***************