33The evening wore on slowly as the lynx stalked the rabbit. Her tiny tail twitched in anticipation and her claws silently dug into the dirt under her feet as she prepared to pounce. The rabbit had no idea what it was in for with its quiet nibbling of clovers and sniffing little nose. Wiggling her butt just so, the cat prepared to pounce - no! - The predator appeared out of nowhere, causing the cat to hiss repeatedly in fear, spitting as she retreated quickly, without turning her back to the man. Once her rear bumped into the base of a tree, she stopped, fangs showing as a growl erupted from her open mouth.
Hands up in surrender, the man - Edward, she remembered - stopped moving, dipping his head slightly in apology. "I didn't mean to frighten you," he started, pausing as he watched the little lynx's eyes dart to where a wild hare had been getting its dinner moments before, "and for scaring away your meal."
The cat stared at him, eyes wide, pupils narrowed to slits as a menacing growl continued uninterrupted from deep in her chest. He watched as her claws kneaded the bracken under her feet, almost as if she were preparing herself to flee.
"Please don't leave, sweet one. I swear to you that I won't hurt you. I would rather injure myself than find you in any pain."
The words out of Edward's mouth sounded so genuine, -a plea- almost as if he feared her fear. It gave the cat pause as she stopped growling and listened to him. Really listened. She kept her body poised against the tree, claws digging into the dirt, just in case. Always on edge.
He continued when he heard the growling stop. "I don't believe we've ever met before...in your human form, I mean." He watched the cat's reaction carefully.
He knows…
"I'd very much like to know if you're from around here. I'd love very much to meet you, in person." Edward paused, looking thoughtful. "I should let you know," he started, as he carefully maneuvered himself down to the earth, folding his legs in front of him and leaning back on his hands, looking completely relaxed, "I can usually read the minds of everyone around me."
The cat didn't do so much as twitch.
Amused, Edward went on. "I should feel silly talking to a Canadian Lynx. One would find this completely insane. Surely you should be running away from me, much like you did the first time you saw me. Yet here you are, seemingly willing to let me speak. For that sweet one, I am truly grateful." His voice had gotten softer as he continued speaking and the cat found herself almost lulled into a state of complacency.
What was it about this man, this predator...Edward...that made her feel so safe?
"I cannot read your mind." He started quietly. "I've never come across anyone in the world thus far that I couldn't read and yet, I cannot tell if it's because of your current form or if it's simply you."
The lynx relaxed her stance ever so slightly, bringing her front down into a lying position, pleased to take the pressure off of her paws. She felt at ease with him, and it made her uneasy even as it made her feel safe. The conundrum astounded her. She rested her chin on her paws but never took her eyes off of Edward. While he seemed harmless enough to her, she knew damn well that he was anything but. Letting her guard down completely yet could prove fatal and she was not willing to die, even by this beautiful man's elegant looking hands.
Watching as her posture became less hostile, Edward became more awed with this creature than he already had been. He had taken a guess as to her being a shifter, considering she had stuck around and acted so curiously the few times they'd interacted, - and Alice's antics of course - he decided to take a chance. Had he met this shifter before? She didn't have any specific scent aside from pure animal, that he could tell. There was no lingering human scent on her in this form. Would he be able to smell her in her human form? Would he be able to hear her thoughts?
Little did he realize; the cat was thinking the same thing about her thoughts. Would the mind reading Edward be able to hear her thoughts in her human form or would her lack of thoughts give her away? Would he know right away that she was the cat if he ever met her in person? Did she even want to meet him in person? He was the most stunning creature she had ever set eyes on, and these eyes were much better than her human ones. She knew that she would be no match in beauty with him. As more thoughts ran through her head, she watched Edward watch her. He stared at her as if she was this precious thing. As if he were...dare she think it...falling in love. With a cat! How is that even possible? She felt like laughing and yet she felt the same shiver crawl up her spine that she'd felt several times before around him. What was this pull she felt to this predator she'd happened upon in the forest?
R & R
Love ya! ~E