A Special Gift 2: Cleo's first night
The Keeper and learns more about Cleo.
A Special Gift 2: Cleo's first night
Cleo only snoozed by my feet, raising her head each time some new noise occurred or Peaches or I shifted about on the sofa. This was completely understandable given that she'd likely never been in a home-type setting before and probably didn't know what to make of it all apart from the fact that she felt safe with me here.
Peaches, for her part, played up her role as "the affronted bigger step-sister" to the max, making sour faces and glaring at me when I'd use one of my feet to rub down Cleo's back in a petting motion. I even let her "steal" a couple of my sandwiches as a sort of apology for bringing someone new into our territory. I don't know if Peaches understood just what was up, but she seemed to accept Cleo without too much begrudging attitude. Perhaps she sensed that something wasn't quite right with her. That was indeed quite likely as Peaches looked at me with what could only be described as a concerned, confused expression when it took Cleo a fair bit of effort to right herself and get up when she padded to the water bowl in the kitchen by the stove. She looked back at me through the doorway in what I'd come to know as her manner of inquiry, even though her facial expression hadn't changed in the hours I'd had her, apart from relaxing substantially when she was snoozing.
"Yes, Cleo, you can drink from there. Peaches can learn to share her water bowl." I said, and with that Cleo lowered her head and began lapping. Peaches jumped off the sofa and quickly padded the few feet to the kitchen door. I was concerned there might be a catfight over possession of the water bowl, and Cleo raised her head from her drinking as Peaches came close, likely of the same concerns.
Peaches just lowered her head to the bowl and began lapping as well, stopping for a moment to just look up at Cleo. From my vantage point I couldn't exactly see Peaches' expression but it must have been friendly enough as Cleo joined her in a drink for a time, before being the first to come back to where I was sitting on the sofa.
"Do you need to go out, Cleo?" I asked. This time the question brought a nod in reply. Ok, well, at least now I know her particular cue for that. I'd have sure hated to continually ask "Do you need to go potty?" like I was speaking to some 3-year-old. I rose and we both went to the mudroom door. Peaches remained across the kitchen, so I asked "Peaches, do you need to go out?" Her response was less distinct but just as definitive, as she merely padded back into the living room and got back onto the sofa. I shrugged and opened the door for Cleo. She seemed to understand and passed through it ahead of me. I closed the mudroom door behind myself and then opened the outside door. She looked at me again.
"Are you afraid something will happen to you out there?" A nod came in response. "Do you worry I won't let you back inside?" Again, a nod. I couldn't help but smile. I bent down and kissed the top of her head, which elicited a slight ear-swivel from the lioness. "Just do your business and I'll wait right here for you." That seemed to satisfy her as she quickly padded off into the darkness of the yard to answer the proverbial call of nature. Well, the excretory one at least.
Soon enough she was padding back to within range of the porch light and we went back inside. Peaches had finished off my sandwiches while we were out, which I then scolded her about and gave her a gentle thwak across the bridge of her nose for her transgression. She gave me one of her sour looks but I knew there wasn't any real issue behind it. She knew she wasn't supposed to steal human food, but I couldn't be too mad at her because I, too, knew I shouldn't have left them out unattended with her loose in the house. Besides, I was more or less finished with them anyway and had made extra just for her and now my new charge.
I put the empty plate back into the kitchen then stood in the doorway. Peaches was sprawled on the sofa, Cleo sitting near the doorway watching the goings-on, and I pondered where to sit. I'd have preferred my favorite recliner, but I wasn't sure... I wanted to show Cleo some affection, likely long missing from her life, but I thought it somewhat unlikely that the old Lay-Z-Boy would be able to take another 150-200 pounds of cat along with my own 200. Peaches had the sofa pretty well occupied as she had sprawled out as many big cats do, taking up as much space as physically possible. I leaned on the doorframe as I considered everything, then figured that the worst that would happen is that I'd have to refit some screws or replace some springs in the next couple days if the old chair couldn't stand up to the weight.
I made my way over and sat down, Cleo followed and Peaches watched us cross the room, then rolled more onto her back and watched us from an inverted position, her head dangling upside-down over the front edge of the sofa. Cleo just sat by my side, and started a bit as I pulled the lever releasing the footrest and the chair reclined, letting me put my feet up. From years before when I had a Great Dane, I knew the footrest could BARELY take 120 pounds on its own, but we'd see what Cleo preferred. I patted my lap and nodded "Come on up, if you like. You can lounge here."
Cleo looked over to Peaches, who had swiveled her head right-side-up upon hearing the patting. Cleo then tentatively put her front paws in my lap and sort of stood over me from the side.... in my way of watching the TV, but that was alright since she didn't really know any better yet. I pet her head and down her neck. "That's it. It'll be a tight fit but you can climb up with your rear, too."
She looked to my feet, then to my head, and gave my face a lick. I couldn't help but chuckle at the apparent show of affection and wondered if she liked the taste of my facefuzz and the sandwich crumbs left in my mustache. As delicately as she could manage, she moved first one hindfoot and then the other up onto my left leg as she kind of balanced with two of her four paws on each of my legs... thankfully her paws were bigger than my Dane's were so she didn't cause any bruises. She did cause a couple punctures as one of her hindfeet slipped and her claws engaged for a moment to retain her position and balance. I winced when that happened, but it was wholly forgivable, as it was one of the inherent issues in living with fully armed big cats.
After balancing on my thighs for a bit, she shifted her weight and put her forepaws on the footrest, letting her hindlegs fold over so her rump was sitting in my lap wholly, her tail dangling over the left armrest of the chair with both hindfeet out to that side. I widened the placement of my feet on the recliner's footrest and she took the cue to lay down there, which she did, laying with her forefeet together on the footrest being stretched between my lap and my feet, head up and watching Peaches.
Peaches apparently didn't mind so much that her master's lap was occupied by the newcomer as she'd been allowed the comfort of the plush sofa, and once again was watching the world from her inverted position, letting her eyes close to slits as Cleo settled down again. I flipped the channel over to the nightly news and listened to the goings-on that I had missed that day. Nothing too spectacular or important from how I lived but that suited me just fine. I didn't really need to be involved in any political fights for survival at the moment, especially with Cleo being... well, for all intents, stolen from her rightful owner.
Cleo seemed to be passively interested in the noises and flashing coming from the TV, given her new position, but soon apparently grew bored with it. Perhaps her eyes couldn't focus anymore on things to see the images clearly. Long ago it had been surmised that other species couldn't comprehend two-dimensional images like on a television or photographs, but that had been shot down awhile ago and even today there are studies of many species interacting with computerized systems in a very basic form of interspecies communication and cross-education. But Cleo seemed to not care except once in awhile when something drew her attention, and she snoozed some more with her head laying atop her left paw and my left ankle. I idly pet her back and scritched at her tailbase as I listened to the news and weather. Just after the weather had finished while I waited for the final news snippet that had some cursory interest to me to come on after the sports news, she shifted her weight some and pushed back against the scritching of her tailbase, the tip twitching some in yet another small reaction. Perhaps, given all that I'd seen, that somewhere deep inside that radiologically-damaged brain of hers is the "real" her showing through, or trying to push through in little ways.
The downside of her shifting position like that was that she was now crushing my... well, my penis against some of the things in my left pants pocket and thigh, and it HURT! I didn't want to startle her or cause her to feel that she did something wrong, so I tried shifting in the seat, but with her weight added to mine, I couldn't really move enough. Ok, I guess I'd have to risk indignation from her or worse. I took my left hand and, sliding it behind her lower, right, hindleg and atop my left leg went to "adjust myself". That's when I got a bit more of a reaction from her than I was expecting. I adjusted position of my sausage but as I did so my hand naturally made contact with her rump, and I felt something... that shouldn't have happened.
The recording Jeff had made said she was pregnant, but then why would her vulva be swollen and twitched/pulsed when my hand made contact with it? Cleo only raised her head and looked at me as I did so. Her expression hadn't changed and I patted her hip with my right hand. "Just moving a part of me, girl. Sorry to have startled you."
She continued to look at me, so... well, what the hell. Who would she tell? And what would it hurt if it were true? "Did you like when I touched you there?" A vigorous nod came in response. "Would you like me to touch you there again?" This time the nod was more halting, showing there was some internal conflict. "Are you worried I'll hurt you?" She shook her head. "Do you know you have cubs inside you?" She nodded. "Are you worried I'll hurt the cubs if I touch you there more?" Again, a nod. I couldn't help but smile, not only for her ability to understand, but for her concern for her young, whether they be actually there or just some hormonal aberration.
I pet her rump tenderly with my right hand and gently moved my left to just cup her vulva, at which she arched and pressed it against my palm. "That's all that I'll do for right now, Cleo. Your cubs will be as safe with me as you are." I scritched her tailbase some more, eliciting tip-twitches from the long appendage. That seemed to satisfy her concerns and she lay her head back down, puffy puss mushed to my left palm and my right resting on her upper, left, hip as the news finished up and the first of the nighttime talk shows came on.
I listened to the guest list with curiosity, and the monologue with amusement, but decided I didn't really need to watch the whole show as the guests weren't really that interesting to me and there were apparently no interesting special features that night. Lifting my hand from Cleo's hip I grabbed the remote and clicked over to the DVD player and panned through the selections available on the rotisserie of discs. I looked at the clock - an old mechanical heirloom from days long before electronics, when electricity itself was still considered "devil's magic" in many places. Well, I'd likely have a short sleep since Cleo wasn't familiar with the place and would probably need to go out again at least once overnight. Then again, I could just show up a bit late for work and no one but Jack Bennin would have a problem with it. Then again, it was a weekend and Jack wouldn't be in again until Monday, the little pencilnecked bastard, so he wouldn't even know to complain until he looked at the timesheets. I pondered the concepts and then decided that I'd just watch a movie and see if I ended up getting enough sleep or not.
Scrolling through the selections I decided on "Flyboys", a movie about the Lafayette Escadrille flying corps of World War I France. The conflict that was to become known as "The Great War", and later "World War I" had been going on for a few years between France and Germany before the United States got involved militarily. The US had been selling weapons and ammunition, as well as supplies, to both sides for quite some time and individuals from the U.S., as well as other nations, had gone off to fight on either side, be it because of their home-country affiliations, ideological principles, or, as in the case of the aviation aspects, the "thrill" of man's ability to fly like the birds. The Lafayette Escadrille was one of, if not the only, French aviation unit receiving American volunteers, and their mascot was Whiskey the lion. An actual real live lion kept as a pet... sound kind of familiar?
Anyway, being an MGM movie, their logo came on and for the first time in the short time I'd known her, Cleo vocalized. She roared in response to the recording and that caused Peaches to spring up like something bit her and she sat up on the sofa. Cleo had only raised her head and was still lounging on me, my hand having returned to her left hip. I couldn't help but laugh at Peaches' reaction and Cleo turned her head to look at me at my vocalization. Peaches gave me a sour look and turned about a few times before flumping back down on the sofa, curled in more of a ball this time as she watched me from her position, her head propped against one of the armrests. Cleo... I couldn't swear to it but I thought I saw the edge of her mouth curl up a bit as though she wanted to smile. Her breathing was a bit accelerated but quickly returned to normal and she lay her head back down on my ankle as the movie played. I idly watched the movie, having seen it a number of times before. I snoozed a bit, too, and Cleo remained generally in the position she was in. Either she was quite comfortable laying there like that, or she just didn't want to disturb me.
I couldn't exactly tell about her, given her lack of expressions and general body language, but I figured if something bothered her enough she'd let me know. But therein lay the rub - generally animals are expressive beings and give fair warning using body posturing and other signs before they do anything, be it lash out in anger, go berserk trying to flee, or whatever action their mind dictates is necessary to extricate themselves from a situation they find untenable. But with Cleo not showing any practical body language, or even facial and ear expressions, it was entirely possible that her true self, if present somewhere, could somehow punch through in a situation she finds unbearable and she'd go holy apeshit on me or whomever is present. That danger was a serious concern for me, much like that of true "fear biter" dogs, which don't show any outward signs of fear or concern until it becomes psychologically overwhemling for them and they lash out aggressively/defensively as a response to their inner fear, for which they are usually terribly sorry afterwards, as demonstrated by affection behavior towards the individual(s) they just injured. I crammed that thought deep into a crevice in my mind, trying to satisfy myself that her responses to me were truly her feelings rather than just predetermined training.
I lay back and sighed, which brought a look from Cleo. My gaze fell upon her and I smiled and patted her hip a bit, and undulated my hand on her femaleness. There was that slight mouth twitch again just before she lay her head back down. I hadn't been imagining things before. Either that, or I was imagining them again. Her eyes closed to slits, then completely. Her face relaxed wholly and her tongue lolled a bit onto my pantsleg. Her breathing slowed and I knew she was asleep, or as close to it as she'd gotten so far in my presence. I snoozed a bit, too, as I listened to the movie and replayed the visual images of the scenes in my head to the audio track my ears were receiving.
Soon enough the movie was over, and it was time to head for bed. But this posed a dilemma. I didn't want to put Cleo in with Peaches, as she could very well turn quite defensive of her room, as it was indeed HER room. Her territory. Her space. The main house was mine and Peaches knew that, so to have invited this newcomer into my territory was something of my doing, but to force her to share her territory could result in the catfight I was hoping never to happen. I also didn't want to put Cleo out in the garage in her transport cage, as likely she'd spent a tremendous deal of time in there already, and it certainly wasn't as comfortable as the house was. The garage bay, too, was a possibility, but also it didn't offer the comfort and amenities the house did. I couldn't put her in the workshop as there were too many things she could inadvertently injure herself with when left unattended. The medical/surgical room, too, was out for similar reasons. The pens... well, while they'd work, she'd likely been in a climate controlled area in the lab and while they are out of the weather, it was kind of cool out the past few evenings and she likely wasn't prepared for the temperature changes. Also, they were just holding pens, not.... well, not the house, and that's what I felt she deserved, at the very least for her first night here. Comfort, warmth, compassion... that sort of stuff, to show her that this wasn't going to be like how her life was at the lab or on the run with Jeff.
I idly pet her rump as I continued weighing my options for the night. I could put her in the kitchen. Since she'd shown no inclination to "explore", the food in the cabinets would likely be safe, and there were still child safety latches on the two cabinets under the sink that held the household chemicals, so those were safe either way. The downside would be she might have an accident in the house if I weren't there to let her out when she needed it. That, and I wouldn't be close by. I could take her up to the playroom, but I don't like sleeping on the bench-bed because even though the mirror is safety glass, I'd been known to smack the wall and things overnight, which was why I never wore a wristwatch anymore - smashed too many of them in my sleep. That and it's not the most cushy bed in the world, meant more for sex than for sleep. My own bed would be nice and comfortable, however it was a long way from the outside doors, just like the playroom, for if Cleo needed to go out quite quickly in the night.
As I pondered these things, an ominous rumbling occurred in my gut. Apparently the tacos I had for lunch wanted to exit, and quickly. I figured I could ignore it for a bit while I continued evaluating just where I'd want Cleo to spend her first night here, but the tacos were persistent and the rumblings got louder, and more uncomfortable.
Finally, I gave in and patted Cleo's rump firmly to get her attention. She looked at me and yawned, having been woken from her peaceful slumber. "I need to get up now, Cleo. Off you go." She nodded and clumbsily hoisted herself from her spot and stepped forward, first her forelegs, then hindlegs stepping off the footrest. I quickly moved the lever allowing me to get up, and patted Peaches on the head. "Time for you to go to bed, Peaches. Go to your room."
Peaches yawned too, and headbutted me as I stood there by the sofa. She complied, but with far less acknowledgment than Cleo gave. Down the hall she padded with me following. Cleo stood at the living room end of the hall and watched as I shut Peaches into her room for the night, and came back the three steps to duck into the bathroom to take care of the tacos' demand for release.
Being a bachelor at that time, I rarely closed the bathroom door unless company was over. I also tended to leave the toilet seat up and not clean up the house as often as a woman would have appreciated... or demanded. The pile of clothes partially under the sink next to the bathtub were mute testament to the fact I lived alone and household chores were lower down on my list of priorities. One look in my fridge would also have shown a number of microcosm ecosystem science projects as well, but that's another story. While I was sitting on the throne sending what was left of the tacos to a watery fate, a face appeared at the door. Cleo had ventured down the hall and was now looking in, probably curious as to where I was and the sounds eminating from the unknown location.
"This is where I do what you did outside, Cleo. Well, most of the time." I said in explanation. Whether she understood me or not didn't really matter, and she gave no outward signs of comprehension. She just stood there, body facing down the hall towards Peaches' room but with her head turned to the left to look at where I was seated on the crapper.
Having finished and flushed, I figured that the best place for tonight would be for me and her to sleep in the living room. The rug wasn't terribly comfortable, but if need be I could always sleep on the couch even if there wouldn't be enough space for her to join me on it. I really wanted to sleep cuddled with her, showing her affection and love, but that would also depend on what she'd want. So far she'd given every indication of enjoying contact with me, so perhaps that'd continue. Turning out the overhead bathroom light, I went back down the hall to the living room area then headed up the narrow stairs to the second floor. Cleo followed me back down the hall but merely stood at the foot of the stairs as I ascended.
Partway up, I decided to look back and noticed she was still standing there at the bottom. "You can come up if you like, Cleo," I told her, but she only put her forepaws on the first stair tread. By that time I was at the top and I realized that she must have never encountered stairs before, at least not a full flight like this. She clearly had no issue going up the three porch steps into the mudroom and the single step into the kitchen, nor climbing up into my lap on the recliner, but perhaps she didn't know how to manage more than a few stairs at a time.
I chuckled as I remembered how many of my dogs in the past had to be trained how to climb whole flights of stairs, and how afraid they were at the start when I had to move each foot onto the next tread and how they'd nearly tumble down when headed down the stairs before they caught onto the concept of one foot on each stair and matching front and rear movements.
Cleo was looking at the two walls along the sides of the narrow staircase and then at me. "It's alright, girl. You can stay down there if you like. I'm just getting some things for me to sleep down there with you." That seemed to satisfy her as she backed up the half-step and sat down, apparently patiently waiting for me to finish what I needed.
Before heading to my room, I grabbed a rolled-up sleeping bag from the hall closet and left it by the door to my room, then nabbed the pillow off my bed. I ejected the DVD from my bedroom player and put it in the case along with its companions, as I'd been recently using a television series from years ago to relax me to fall asleep. I then turned to ponder whether I should take my alarm clock, and decided not to as there was the old regulator clock to tell me the time, should I need to know. Also on the nightstand stood a tube of KY and some adult toys. I sighed as I pondered them for a bit, and then figured Cleo wasn't in any position to do that stuff with me just yet, as she'd just arrived here and was pregnant to boot, so likley wouldn't be interested in sex play. Then again, she _was_ swollen and seemed to enjoy intimate contact.
"Aw, the hell with it..." I said aloud as I threw the tube of KY into the pillowcase, just in case. At the very least it'd help if I decided to take things into my own hands, so to speak.
Back to the stairs with my armful assortment I went, and Cleo was still sitting there at the bottom, not having moved an inch. I chuckled as she got to all fours when I started coming down the stairs. "You must really like it here, huh?" I quipped just out of comedic commentary. I wasn't too surprised, but quite pleased as she nodded her head vigorously before backing up some to allow me past as I reached the foot of the stairs.
She watched curiously as I unrolled the sleeping bag against the base of the sofa, and unzipped the zipper, opening it. I flopped the bed pillow down at the head end of the bag, and then extracted the tube of lube from the case, lest I forget and needed to fidget about later to do so. Cleo padded over and sniffed the tube.
"You know what that is, Cleo?" I inquired. She nodded, and I realized that she quite likely smelled that scent before, multiple times. My expression changed as I worried this would cause undue concern on her part. "Does that smell make you afraid?" She shook her head, but haltingly. I put the DVD in the player and selected a few episodes to run concurrently, and turned the volume down. I also switched off most of the lights except for the one over the sink in the kitchen and a small night light I always left on in the bathroom. That shed enough light about the place for general navigation during the night if she needed to look around, and if I needed to let her out.
She watched with her usual dazed, unfocused eyes as I sat down on the sofa and unlaced my boots, removing first one and then the other. She stuck her nose at the openings of both and sniffed them, then apparently decided they weren't of real interest. I peeled my socks off as she was doing that, and when she was finished laid them atop the boots to dry for the night. "Didn't care for that smell?" I inquired as I unbuttoned my shirt. She shook her head and licked the end of her nose. I draped my shirt over the one arm of the sofa and then undid my belt to shuck off my pants.
She sat down as I moved over to stand by my boots and let my jeans drop, then let my briefs drop on top of them, before stepping out of the clothes. It had long been my habit to sleep in the nude, apart from sometimes wearing a t-shirt to keep my shoulders warm in colder weather, so hadn't really given a thought as to how Cleo would react to a naked human, let alone whether she'd be inclined to attack any body parts during the night. But apparently such concerns, if I would have had them, were moot and would have been proven quite frivilous within a matter of hours.
As I lay down and snuggled in with my back up against the sofa, she padded over and lowered her head to look at me. I smiled and patted the floor in front of me. "Come on and lay down. Morning will come soon enough, girl." She nodded and moved to sniff at the tube of KY just above my head before circling and then laying down in the chest-laying position with all four feet touching the ground and her head up, as though not completely comfortable.
I furrowed my brow. "Are you afraid of what that smell means for you?" Again, her "no" came haltingly.
"Were you hurt by something when you smelled that smell before?" She nodded freely at that.
"Were there times when that smell happened and you weren't hurt?" I inquired. Another nod.
"Were there times when that smell happened and it felt good?" She nodded enthusiastically.
"Are you worried I will hurt you with that smell?" She didn't respond for a bit and just looked at me, she then shook her head in response and rolled over so her back was pressed up against my front. I smiled and draped one of my arms over her to rest against her chest. As I snuggled with her I murmured. "I won't ever intentionally hurt you just to hurt you, ever, Cleo. Some things with me may hurt some, but even if it does it'll be because I think it's for your own good." She didn't respond in any meaningful way, not that I expected her to. She just wriggled and pushed back against me more as she settled in for the night. I thought about grabbing a pillow from the sofa and tucking it under her head, but discarded the idea as I figured it might cause her neck pain in the morning due to her not being used to that sort of position. I figured pillows likely didn't exist in her parts of the lab, even if soft beds did, and even that would have been somewhat questionable. At any rate, her breathing became regular, then slower as she started to sleep, and sometime after that I, too, drifted off to the Land of Nod while the television flickered in the darkness of the room.
* * * * *
It was still dark out when I woke and something didn't seem to be right. The TV was still on and quietly playing the DVD, the clock on the wall was ticking away as it had been off and on for over a hundred years, but there was another sound, too. Something unusual. It took awhile for my sleepy brain to recognize it as the sound of water trickling into another pool of water. I then realized that Cleo wasn't laying in front of me and I bolted upright and looked around she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I was fairly alarmed and though my muscles complained I quickly got to my feet with the aid of the sofa, grabbed my glasses from the end table and stumbled my way down the hall to where the sound was coming from. When I reached the bathroom I heard another noise and was fairly shocked at what I saw when I reached the door.
It took a little bit for the sounds to really register in my sleep-addled mind, and it took a somewhat shorter time for the sight before my eyes to wade through the mental cobwebs into the light. The realities made themselves clear at the same time and I couldn't help but laugh.
There, seated on the john, was Cleo, doing just what I had done before. Another plop resonated through the empty room as she "sat", somewhat awkwardly-looking, on the throne, one foot and lower hindleg on each side on the seat, tail looking very uncomfortably bent sharply upwards along the lid as she answered the call of nature in a way likely very new to her. She looked at me as I stood there in the doorway, smiling and still chuckling.
Having finished what she needed to do, she closed the lid with a clatter and pawed the handle a couple times before she was able to get things right to flush the toilet. She then turned towards the door, stood before me and looked up at me.
"Did you just learn all that from me?" I asked, not really expecting a response. She simply nodded in reply. I was rather surprised, to say the least, but quite pleased that she would do all that rather than make a mess in the house or wake me to let her outside. I caressed her ears and then walked back to the living room with her following closely. I lay back down but again she waited. This time she sniffed my crotch, and I grew a little concerned. Perhaps it's just instinctual, or the fact that I know how rough big cat tongues are that caused me to be a bit apprehensive about her face being so close to my sensitive parts. Having concluded her sniffing she looked at me as she sat her rump down.
"Do you know what that is, Cleo?" She nodded reply.
"Have you seen it before on my kind of being?" She nodded. This was getting kind of curious. I patted for her to lay down in front of me and she did, but a little differently this time. Instead of rolling so her back was against me, she continued to wriggle until she was spreadeagled on her back with her head looking towards me. I smiled and pet down her front and for the first time pet through her softer, lighter abdominal fur. Her expression was as blank as ever but she slitted her eyes at the touching. I reached up and got a pillow off the sofa and, lifting her head, tucked it beneath so she could see a bit more as well as be face to face with me. Her eyes opened fully as I did that but then returned to slits as I kissed her broad nosie and resumed the petting along her abdomen and towards her pelvic girdle. Her intimate parts were a bit out of reach for me at the time, given her body length compared to my arm length, but she was happy and that was what counted.
"Have you mated before?" I murmured. She nodded as she closed her eyes fully, her facial expression relaxing again even though she wasn't asleep.
"Has a human ever mated you?" Again, she nodded, but then I realized how that may seem to her. Clearly she'd been impregnated in some manner, and given that she didn't seem to have any scars that I could feel, it was likely transvaginal embryo transfer at the very least, so if she'd been conscious, or even aware of what happened, she could have perceived it as a mating, since it did make her pregnant.
"Do you know what a penis is?" I asked. Again a nod was the reply.
"Was that my penis you sniffed?" I inquired, checking to make sure she really understood. As though savoring that scent, she licked the end of her nose without opening her eyes and nodded again.
"Has a human ever put his penis inside you to mate you?" Another nod really piqued my curiosity.
"Did you enjoy it?" This time a halting nod came and she opened her eyes.
"Did it hurt?" A regular nod confirmed that was likely the cause of her apprehension at the previous question.
"Did it happen more than once?" She shook her head.
"Was it Jeff that mated you?" Again, she shook her head. I shifted my position so I was lower on her so I could do a little exploration of my own. I caressed down across her pelvic brim and trailed my hand lower and lower with each petting until I touched her vulva. It twitched at the contact and her eyes remained fixed on me.
"Will you allow me to explore this part of your body?" She haltingly nodded.
"Are you worried it will hurt?" She haltingly nodded.
"Are you worried it will hurt your cubs?" She nodded freely this time.
"Do you trust me not to hurt you?" Again, a nod came as the response.
I caressed her vulva with my hand, then spit slickened two fingers and gently wriggled them between the puffy labia. She closed her eyes to slits and her breathing became a little faster.
I discovered I had no need to lubricate my fingers as she was rather moist inside once they passed through her vulvar lips. She folded her forepaws up close to her chest in what would best be described as a doggy-begging position as my fingers slid into her warm, slick depths.
"Does this hurt?" I inquired, knowing full well the answer that was forthcoming. She shook her head even as her eyes remained slitted, then closed as my thumb pressed against her clitoris from the outside. Her inner walls "twittered" some as her body was stimulated.
"Do you trust me not to hurt your cubs?" I asked again. This time the response was clear and rather positive - she nodded and her body relaxed.
Unlike Pickles, who was rather tight even though she'd had cubs before, Cleo was... well, sloppy loose compared to Pickles. And sloppy wet, too. That was kind of surprising to me since Jeff's DVD explanation said she'd never been pregnant before, so she should be tight as a ten-year-old virgin, so to speak. And her lubrication puzzled me a little bit, too. Perhaps she was genetically twiddled with as well, since Jeff's explanation said she was born there at the lab, or at least suggested it. Normally, most pregnant females are as dry as the Sahara and generally uninterested in intimacy... with a few exceptions. Female humans being the foremost that came to mind, as some become insatiable sex addicts as pregnancy hormones flood their body. Perhaps that's the case with her, too.
Her tunnel was gripping and undulating on my fingers and with my thumb on her clit she was well on her way. I slid my fingers out and added a third. She accepted the larger mass fairly easily, with a bit of stretching, and once I nuzzled my thumb between her labia to touch her clitoris directly, she tightened tremendously and her whole body reacted, even to her mewling and waggling her forepaws as though trying to grab onto something... or someone.
Soon her spasms subsided and I leaned to put my free hand on her heaving chest. Her eyes shot open and for the first time seemed to focus. Her gaze fell upon me and she seemed to smile while panting heavily. Then, just as soon as it had occurred, her eyes lost their focus and her expression did too, until all that remained was that disconcerting absence of anything intelligent in her face. I smiled, knowing that whatever she felt for that brief time was her true self and not just what had been done to her. I gently extracted my fingers from within her as her breathing slowly returned more towards normal.
"Will you allow me to mate you, Cleo?" She nodded as she looked down her body. I brought my hand to her face and she licked her own juices from my fingers.
I had been rather hard since I started first exploring her and so I reached for the tube of lube just above my pillow. Her eyes followed me as I clicked open the cap and a soft splut sound accompanied the wafting through the air of a familiar scent. I squeezed just a little on my fingertips and soon they were spreading a light coat of lubricant over her labia and slightly within. Just, I figured, to allow me inside her without any friction since her insides seemed slick enough for my fingers, and hopefully for my much larger appendage.
As I spread the lubricant on her she again folded her forelegs into a tucked position and her eyes closed some. Not to slits as before, but not wide open, as though she were not fully sure of her decision, or something. Moving about slightly I positioned myself between her outspread legs, the midsection of my member touching her intimate opening as the glans lay in her soft bellyfur. I moved overtop her onto all fours. "It will be alright, Cleo. This shouldn't hurt you, nor should it hurt your cubs. I'll be careful not to go too deeply too harshly."
With that, I reached between us, drew my hips back a bit, and rubbed the tip of my cock along her slicked lower lips. Putting a gentle bit of pressure, the lips parted under the movement and soon my tip was centered in her opening. A gentle pushing, nudging, on my part with my hips sank my glans into her hot wetness. I let go of my penis and braced myself with both hands to either side of her as I nudged myself further and further into her.
Her eyes closed to slits, then closed completely as I pressed into her depths more and more. I could feel that her insides were stretching some to accommodate my thickness, but that it wasn't anywhere near as much stretching or requiring as much pressure as it had with Pickles. Then, all of a sudden, as I was about halfway into her, Cleo's eyes shot open widely, and they were clearly focused on my face. A bit of a snarl crossed her lips and then she leaned her head forward. Oh shit! The real her doesn't want this after all!
But I had nothing to fear for the snarl turned into a smile and she licked my facefuzz and wrapped her forepaws around my shoulders, drawing me down to her chest and causing me to lose balance, stuffing myself fully into her rather rapidly, and reaching the back end of her tunnel with more force than I had intended. This brought a rumble from my leonine lover, but clearly I had caused no damage as far as I could tell. So I started drawing my hips back, extricating my cock from her twitching twat. She looked at me with curiosity, then understanding as I drew back and again sank forward into her. My thrusting was slow, and apparently too slow for her as she started rocking her hips in sort of a spasmodic manner as I moved out and back into her again. I took the cue and started speeding up.
Her eyes closed completely and she started mewling as her forelegs grasped me hard with each in-thrust, me sinking deeply into her each time but being careful not to bump her cervix hard lest I cause issues with the young she'd been carrying and thus betray the trust she'd placed in me. In and out, in and out, each movement became a symphony in sensations for me, and likely for her as well given the angle of penetration. While I wouldn't be hitting where her G-spot was, or her equivalent of that nerve cluster, my shaft was certainly rubbing firmly against her clit with each movement, so much so I could feel her love-bud running along the broad flat top of my veined shaft.
Her vagina, for its part, wasn't just watching Oprah. Twitching, twittering and clenching were all occuring, individually and in combination in various parts and various ways as I mated her. The tension within her was building more and more, to quite a fevered pitch as her insides gripped me tighter and tighter, and I felt more and more tension in her forelegs on my back, and her hindlegs draped past my hips.
Up until that point I hadn't given any thought to what her typical post-coital reaction would be. Since big cat females normally swat at their mates, that could pose a danger to me. But with her little orgasm from me fingering her, she didn't do any of that, nor did big cats usually mate missionary style like how we were coupling... Those thoughts ran through my mind ever so briefly but were quickly pushed out by her roaring out and her insides squeezing me so very tightly.
I wasn't too far behind her in the climax department, and though it was very difficult to thrust through her clenched cunt muscles, I rocked a bit, just enough to get me to blast off as deep within her as I could get. Her insides seeming to ripple in a way to milk me of my seed and I could have sworn her hindlegs pushed from behind my pelvis to shove me deeply and firmly within her, but that could have been just part of my mind muddling all the sensations, especially her warm bellyfur against my stomach and crotch.
I collapsed onto her, but she seemed to take my weight without too much effort. After a mewling aftershock mini-gasm with me still inside her, she licked my forehead and I lifted it enough to stretch a little bit more and kiss her right on the lips. Her eyes seemed to speak volumes, and showed tender love for me. Then, just as before, it left her. I was out of breath, and out of strength, and my heart sank as I watched "her" fall back into the unfocused abyss as the lace curtains came down to obscure her emotions once again.
"Can you roll onto your side and arch so we can stay joined but still sleep face to face?" Cleo nodded.
One of my dogs, years ago, could do something similar - fold herself like a jack-knife so her hindlegs were running up my front and we could sleep with our crotches touching, but to see that happen in a big cat, especially one with the physical movement issues Cleo had, was quite satisfying to behold. Due to her length differences, this still put her face about a foot above mine, even with her arching her back some, but that was quite good enough for me. I reached up and repositioned the pillow under her head, and folded mine so we were about the same face-height. I drew the sleeping bag over myself and as much of her as possible, and managed to get her mostly covered. I then leaned forward and kissed her nosie. "Thank you, Cleo."
At that she closed her eyes. Beneath the cover of the sleeping bag, I took her lower forepaw in my lower, left, hand and intertwined our digits and placed my upper hand on her hip. She certainly was a special gift and we drifted off to a terribly happy sleep, cuddled there together - me with my newest charge, her with her newest guardian. My wonderful damaged, concerned, protected, lover.