C.a.t.: Initiation

"Are you ready to begin?"

Nina and I stood facing each other at opposite ends of a wrestling mat. She was still wearing her shiftsuit, and looking fucking amazing in it, and I was wearing a pair of jogging shorts and a dingy t-shirt. I nodded to her in reply.

"Good. The first thing any C.A.T. recruit needs to do is to learn how to fight. I assume they taught you how to defend yourself in pre-Academy training?"

"Yeah," I answered. "They went over the basics."

What I didn't tell her was that I was a black belt in tae kwon do even before applying for the academy.

"That's all well and good," she went on, "but fighting against a human and fighting against a felinthro are two entirely different things. My advice is to forget everything they taught you, because none of it is going to work against me."

"You think so?" I asked, a cocky smile rising to my face. "Maybe I'll surprise you."

Nina turned her nose up at me. "If that were the case, I really would be surprised. Come on, then, if you think you've got what it takes. Try to hit me."

"No problem," I replied, and lowered myself into a crouch. I didn't attack right away, instead I looked at her. And when I say that, I don't mean that I stared at her perfect breasts or admired the way her shiftsuit outlined her crotch like a second skin, even though it was hard not to. No, I looked at all of her, and evaluated her. The thing about fighting is that everybody is different. Get in enough fights, and you'll start to find that you're able to predict what your opponent will do even before the first punch is thrown. Do it right, and you'll be able to take them down without even breaking a sweat. Now, I didn't fool myself into thinking I could actually beat Nina. She was a fully trained and field tested C.A.T. agent, and a felinthro on top of that. But I was determined to at least land a couple of solid hits on her.

Then again, I was one too now, wasn't I? A felinthro, I mean. I may not have gone on any assignments yet, but I was far from being helpless. Maybe whatever skills I had as a human would even the playing field now that I was a superhuman cat warrior like her.

"Are you planning on doing this sometime today?" Nina asked. "Or are you too busy fucking me in your imagination?"

My face turned red, and Nina smiled in self-satisfaction. Without taking her eyes off me, she reached behind her head and pulled out the band that kept her hair in its neat bun, and shook her head. Her midnight black hair cascaded down around her shoulders like a waterfall of raven feathers, and she murred in relief before pushing it back behind her shoulders.

"That's better," she said, and then shot the elastic loop at me like a rubber band. It hit me square between the eyes, but I didn't flinch or blink. "Now come on, try to hit me!"

I doubled down on my concentration. She wasn't overly muscular, not in human or felinthro form. That wasn't to say she was weak, but she definitely wasn't a body builder. Speed. That meant she had to rely on speed rather than muscle to beat her opponents. I hadn't had a chance to test my new body yet, but I already knew that just being a felinthro gave you a huge boost in speed and strength. She could have easily overpowered me when I was human, but now that I was like her...

"Hyah!" I yelled, and threw myself at her. Cliché, I know, but let's just assume that I looked awesome when I launched a spinning kick right at her head. Well, it looked awesome until she caught my foot before it hit her, and then twisted my ankle to flip me over. I landed face down on the mat and groaned.

"You move fast," Nina said from above me. The next thing I knew, something came down on top of me, pressing me further down into the mat. I turned my head to look, and saw that Nina had sat down on my back, and was looking down at me with a playful smile. "And that kick was almost perfect... for a human move, anyway. But that was the problem, you attacked me like a human. If you're going to take on a felinthro, you're going to have to fight like a felinthro."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that you're faster, stronger, and most importantly, more flexible now than you ever were before. You need to embrace that and learn how to use it."

"Okay, then teach me."

"The best way to learn is by practical application," Nina said. "So, lesson one: get me off of you."

I paused. "You're serious?"

"Dead serious," she confirmed. "I have PHD in physics and anatomy. I know exactly where to put my weight to keep you from being able to move. Trust me, I can keep you completely immobilized just by sitting my ass down right here."

I tried to get up, and discovered that she was right. As soon as I moved, she shifted her weight just a little, and I found myself back on the floor again. I'm not sure how she did it, but... she did it.

"When you figure out how to get me off your back," she said, "then I'll begin teaching you how to really fight."

"Uh, yeah. Okay," I said. Fucking bitch. I wondered for a minute if she knew how humiliating this was, and decided that was probably why she had chosen to this exercise in the first place. Then again, could I blame her? I'd been an overconfident smartass earlier, and this was obviously her way of cutting me down to size. She didn't need to use her hands and feet to beat me, she was saying. Her butt was more than enough.

I squirmed a little bit underneath her, to no avail. All I got was a laugh from Nina, and then she reached her hand out and shoved my face back down into the mat.

"No rush," she told me once she'd let go. "Your back makes for a really comfortable chair. I've been standing all day, and I could use a break."

Taking a deep breath, I threw all my strength into rolling over. I was heavier than her, and I'm pretty sure I was stronger than her too. If I could use that to my advantage, I could catapult her right off my back. That was the theory, at least, until she shifted her weight again, somehow negating all my momentum and forcing me back down onto the floor. I lay still for a minute, trying to catch my breath.

"In fact," she went on, "maybe I'll just lay down right on top of you and take a nap. Would you mind if I did that?"

I turned my head and looked up at her just as she stretched and yawned. Seeing me look at her, she crossed her arms behind her head, making her breasts jut out even more. I had to take my eyes off her, or else risk getting a hardon trapped between me and the floor. Nina giggled.

Okay, stop for a minute,

I told myself, closing my eyes.

Think.

"Hey," Nina scolded me. "I said

I

was going to take a nap. I didn't give you permission."

I ignored her, and an idea began to take form in my head. It was a bad idea. 100% stupid. And yet, something told me it just might work, so...

Moving quickly, I whipped my hand up behind my back and pinched Nina's ass.

"HEY!" she yelled, but I got exactly the reaction I was hoping for. In her surprise, she lifted her weight off me just a little. I used that split second of relief to my advantage, and kicked my legs up behind me. Turns out, Nina had been telling the truth about my new flexibility, because I was able to bend my spine almost double and hook my feet under Nina's armpits. Then, with a grunt, I flipped myself over backwards, taking Nina with me. A second later, I was the one on top, with my arms wrapped around her legs and the side of my face resting against her ass.

"How's that for flexible?" I asked, laughing. I pressed my face harder into her butt. "You know, you're not too uncomfortable either. Maybe I'll just use this as a pillow and— whoa!"

Before I knew what was happening, I was flipped over yet again. Nina moved in a blur above me, and the next thing I knew I was lying flat on my back, looking up at...

"Oh," I said when I recognized the smooth crotch of Nina's shiftsuit.

"Not bad," she said from above me. "But you're too easily distracted. It's like you forgot what we were doing right in the middle of the fight."

"I didn't know we were fighting!" I complained.

"Why wouldn't we be? I told you I'd teach you to fight as soon as you got me off your back. Well, I wasn't on your back anymore, so..."

"Okay, okay," I said. "Are you going to make me get you off my face now?"

I took a breath through my nose, and froze. There was that scent again, the one I had smelled when we were in the cell. It was even stronger now.

Nina gave me a smug smile. "That

would

be a suitable punishment for grabbing my ass like you did, wouldn't it?"

"I'll do it again," I said, raising my arm.

"You do," she warned me, "and I'll sit down right on top of your face and suffocate you."

I smiled up at her. "I can think of worse ways to die."

That made her laugh. "I'm sure you can. But no, I won't make you do it again. Come on."

She stood up and offered me her hand. I took it, and as she pulled me back to my feet I noticed how warm her skin felt. Weird. I was the one doing all the work here, she shouldn't have even broken a sweat. Maybe I was putting up more of a fight than she gave me credit for.

"All right," she instructed me, "go to that side of the mat."

I nodded and turned to do as she said, but stopped when her hand grabbed my elbow.

"Hold on a sec, Michael."

I turned back around, and before I could react her face was pressed against mine. Our lips met, and her tongue was immediately pushing to get into my mouth. I let it in, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me even closer. Our tongues fought against each, dueling for supremacy inside our mouths. Nina moaned and hugged me even tighter. I could feel her heartbeat through her shiftsuit, and when I put my hands on her sides I could feel her trembling. She was hot. Burning hot.

What's going on with her?

I wondered. One minute she was business, business, business, and then the next she was groping me, kissing me, teasing me. I wasn't going to complain, though. Not when it was working in my favor.

One of my hands slid around to her back, and then farther down so that I was cupping her ass cheek in my palm. I gave it a firm squeeze, and—

"No!" Nina exclaimed, suddenly pulling back from me. I was left standing in a kissing pose, my tongue still sticking out of my mouth. She backed away, out of my grasp, and shook her head. "No, Michael, we can't."

I panted for a second, trying to catch my breath. "But you're... the one who... started it!"

Nina waved her hands. "Michael, we're professionals! I'm your teacher and your superior officer, dammit! We can't do this!"

"Then why..."

She shook her head again. "No, just stop."

I slumped over, dejected. Was she fucking serious? How many times was she going to rile me up just to cut things off right as they were getting good? She wasn't the only one hot and bothered. My body had woken up, and it

did not

appreciate being teased like this. A small part of me was tempted to tackle her to the floor and have my way with her. I held myself back, though. Not just because she could have kicked my ass right up my throat if I tried, but because... well, you know. Rape is bad.

I started to back away into my corner of the mat, but Nina's hand caught me again.

"Michael, be careful," she whispered. "I don't know how much longer I can control myself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, thoroughly confused now.

Nina took a deep breath through her nose, closing her eyes like she was relishing whatever she was smelling. When she reopened them, her pupils were dilating again.

"Nothing," she said. "Go to your corner and get ready."

"Yeah," I said hesitantly, backing away from her. "Okay."

Once we were both in our places, Nina turned to face me again. When she spoke, her voice was even and controlled once more. "You used your flexibility to your advantage to get me off your back. I want you to try to do it again, and attack me."

"Just like that?" I asked.

She nodded. "Don't worry, I'll defend myself. All I want you to worry about is landing a punch on me. You'll have to use every advantage your new body gives you to do it. Are you ready?"

"Okay," I agreed, and came running at her.

We sparred nonstop for the next couple hours. Damn, this woman was good! I threw everything I had at her, and while she never threw a single punch back at me, I still wasn't able to do more than graze her cheek a couple times with my fist. She moved like water and lightning, fluid and graceful but still quick as a flash, and the sight was hypnotic enough to almost make me lose my concentration a couple of times. That was the only time Nina ever struck me, but instead of actually attacking she would merely slap me on the side of the head and tell me to focus again.

"Get that fog out of your eyes!" she snapped, whacking me just above the ear.

"It's getting a little hard," I grunted, throwing two more punches at her in quick succession. She leaned out of the way of the first one, and then batted my other fist aside like she was shooing a fly away. "I keep smelling something, and it's... distracting."

Nina chuckled. "If you're able to smell it, that's probably a good clue that you should start wearing deodorant."

"I do wear..." I started to protest, but decided to let it slide. Instead, I threw a kick at her hip, which she blocked, followed by another punch aimed at her face, which missed entirely. "I don't know what it is. I don't think I've ever smelled something like this before, but it's really hard to ignore. Is that because I'm a felinthro now?"

Nina hesitated for a second, but then lowered her fists. "All right, take a break."

Panting with exertion, I let my hands fall to my sides too and retreated to my corner of the mat. I wasn't the only one panting, Nina leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, trying to catch her breath. We were both coated in a sheen of sweat. Nina didn't look nearly as worn out as I did, but I took a little bit of satisfaction in knowing that I had at least kept up with her. Two hours, at least, of nonstop sparring, and while I hadn't been able to hit her I was at least proud that I'd been able to keep going until she'd said to stop.

"You're right," she said a couple of minutes later, once she'd caught her breath. She walked over to a cooler and produced two water bottles, one of which she tossed to me. "Now that you're a felinthro, your sense of smell is a lot sharper than it was as a human. Even when you're in human form, you'll be able to detect scents that normal people could never smell. Your feline form's nose will be even keener that. That goes for your other senses too. You probably haven't had a chance to notice these yet, but you can hear and see a lot better now than you could before."

"So what is it I've been smelling this whole time?" I asked, uncapping the bottle and drinking half of it in one gulp. I breathed in through my nose. Yeah, that scent was still there.

Again, Nina seemed to hesitate. "Could be anything," she finally answered. "I wasn't kidding when I said you might want to start wearing deodorant. Your nose is strong enough now that you'll be able to smell your own body odor. Plus, there's the fact that you've been asleep for three weeks."

I took another drink, but choked on it when I heard this. "Are you telling me that you people didn't, like, give me a sponge bath or something that entire time?"

Nina shrugged and finished her water before throwing the bottle across the room, where it landed square in the trash can. "You were a safety risk, Michael. The last time you were awake, you tried to kill me. We knew you probably wouldn't wake up that way, but we weren't willing to take the chance and risk somebody else getting hurt. That meant nobody was to touch you except to administer a feeding IV until you woke up."

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I raised my arm a little bit and sniffed underneath it... and nearly retched. Holy shit, she wasn't kidding! How had I not noticed it before now? Across the room, Nina doubled over, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," I said, waving my hand to blow away my stench. Damn, I was going to need a shower after this, followed by another shower. Then I'd probably have to sleep in a bath with flower scented perfume in the water to get rid of the lingering odor. "But that's not what I've been smelling. I think it's..."

I paused when I realized what had just been about to come out of my mouth. You've might have noticed by now that my speech filter is somewhat... lacking. That means that when my subconscious actually does its job and stops me from saying something, it was probably the stupidest fucking thing you've ever heard in your life. Unfortunately, now I had Nina's attention.

"You think it's what?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing," I shook my head. "Forget about it."

Nina put her hands on her hips. "Okay, now I'm definitely not going to let it go. Come on, spit it out."

I looked the other way. "I... forgot what I was going to say." I mimed a breeze blowing past my head. "Whoosh! There it goes, see?"

"Are you saying I stink?"

"Uh, no ma'am."

Now Nina's lips turned down in a severe frown. "Michael Arghen, as your mentor and superior officer, I'm ordering you to tell me what you were about to say

right now."

Well... shit.

I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the Divider. "I think the scent is coming from you, Nina."

Nina's eyebrows drew low over her face. "So you

are

saying I stink."

I held up my hands in defense. "No, I'm not saying that! Really!" Jesus, I was just digging my hole deeper and deeper, wasn't I? Well, no sense in stopping now. Just a little more, and maybe I could escape to China. "It... whatever it is, it doesn't, you know... smell bad?"

Nina was silent for more than a minute, and I grew more anxious with every passing second. I had been joking when I mentioned being sent to the Divider. I mean, they wouldn't do that just because some idiot didn't know when to shut his mouth, right? That's what I'd told myself, but I was becoming more and more uncertain as the clock hanging on the wall ticked away the seconds.

Then, just when I thought we were going to stand there forever, Nina shook her head. "I guess that means I need to change my deodorant too, then."

I was about to protest and tell her that what I was smelling definitely wasn't sweat, but I wisely clamped my mouth shut. It really wasn't, though. I mean, it's hard enough to describe scents if you know what you're smelling, but... well, sweat smelled bad. This smelled good. Not like an-apple-pie-in-the-oven good kind of, but still good. It made me think of good things. Like warmth, and intimacy, and holding the woman you love. Unconsciously, I closed my eyes and breathed it in again. There was just something about it I couldn't place. I

did

recognize it, but it wasn't because I knew what it was. It just reminded me of something. Or someone. Slowly, I raised my head to look at—

"Time to get back to work," Nina said, breaking me out of my thoughts. She stepped back onto the mat, flexing her arms. "Next up, you've got to get used to moving with your felinthrope body. Get shiftin'."

"Wait," I said, walking out to meet her on the mat. "You mean you want me to change here? Right now?"

"That's what I said. Is there a problem?"

I looked down at my clothes. "Well, I'm not wearing a shiftsuit."

She shook her head. "You should be fine. Those clothes have plenty of elastic in them. It won't stretch like a shiftsuit, but it should still be enough to hold your feline form. Now get to it!"

"Yes, ma'am," I said, taking a step backwards.