FSE

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Chapter 1: The Nightmares

For weeks, nearly every night when he tried to sleep he was plagued by strange sensations running through his body and even stranger dreams. His body felt as if it was trying to change its shape or something was trying to get out. His skin crawled beneath his fur that stood on end. He couldn't shake the almost panicky feeling that something was happening to him.

In his dreams, he was flying. Big broad wings grew from his back dark and forbidding. His eyes glowed with an inner light and his body was on fire. A growing need built in him for sex and blood. The dreams were so graphic he could almost smell the coppery scent of fresh blood, the frantic beat of a frightened heart, the arousing scent of sex. It was overwhelming and seemed so real. He would wake suddenly amidst his twisted sheets, his body bathed in sweat.

In the light of day, it all seemed like a nightmare fading with the morning light and he could almost forget about it with the days work to distract him. But come the night the tension would build as darkness fell. He could never describe what it was he was feeling to anyone without sounding crazy but it was starting to scare him.

The dreams refused to go away and, as time went on, increased in severity until one moon drenched night he seemed to be really flying. The night air playing over his bare body as he flew over Megakat Park amongst the huge trees looking for something. His unusually sharp eyes and keen hearing caught a movement on one of the pathways in the park. A cocky male dressed in clothes befitting a punk was strutting without a care in the world. He seemed to be headed somewhere for he moved along briskly toward some unknown destination.

His body tightened and an intense hunger flared. Swooping down without a sound, he grabbed the unsuspecting male and carried him off. The Kat yelled in shock and tried to beat at the strange creature carrying him off deeper into the park. Reaching a big old oak tree in the wildest part of the park away from the pathways, he turned his prey to meet his eyes. The Kat was terrified when he beheld his captor. He tried to scream but no sound came out.

He pulled his prey's head to one side and bent to his neck. Large incisors extended and bit down piercing the jugular vein. The prey went still as he drank greedily. He stopped after a few minutes. His prey was mesmerized and sexually aroused. Moaning the Kat pressed himself against his captor. He turned his prey around, bent him over, pulled the Kat's pants down and mounted him, riding him hard until they both released at the same time. Finished, he dropped down from the tree and carelessly abandoned his prey on the ground and flew off. His twin hungers sated.

He woke up shocked and shaking in his bed with the dawn's early light shining into his bedroom. Trembling he staggered out of his bed and made for the bathroom. Staring at himself in the mirror he only saw his exhausted visage though his body felt sated as if he had engaged in sex recently but there was no semen on him or his bed and he knew he hadn't left his apartment. What was happening to him?

Too shaken to get more sleep, he dressed in sweats and T-shirt. Putting on tennis shoes, he grabbed his apartment keys and made his way to the street. There was no one about at this early hour. He began to run, pushing himself hard trying to outrun his growing fear. An hour later, dripping and tired he returned to his apartment. Stripping off his clothes he took a hot shower and dressed for work. It was still too early, so he did a few chores around his apartment.

Megakat Park...

'Man. This is such an easy job except for the early hours. I make better money than my sleezeball brother-in-law and don't have to work as hard and what's great is I get off before the quitting time rush.' Park worker Ballentine mused to himself as he drove his little maintenance cart around collecting trash. As he came up to an overflowing can near a playground, he was shocked by the appearance of a staggering Kat coming through the trees toward him. As the Kat got closer, Ballentine could see blood on the Kat's shirt and the generally disheveled look of his clothes.

He rushed up to the obviously distressed Kat, "Hey buddy, what happened? Are you okay?" The Kat couldn't seem to talk and had trouble focusing. Gently taking hold of him, Ballentine walked the Kat to his maintenance cart and had him sit. He grabbed his cell phone and called 911. While he was waiting for help, he got out his first aid kit and tried to do what he could for the guy.

Late morning, Enforcer Headquarters...

Feral stared tensely at a report that had just been delivered. A call had come in earlier this morning by a park maintenance worker. As he was doing a garbage pickup around Megakat Park, he came upon a dazed and bleeding male staggering from some trees. The park worker had summoned help on his cell phone.

The statement police got from the injured male, named Tommy Wenter, was somewhat garbled. What they had been able to gather, Mr. Wenter had been passing through the park headed for the Kingsley Street exit when something large with wings swooped down, snatched him up and carried him to a big tree deeper in the park. The creature's eyes hypnotized him. He really didn't remember much after that until he woke up at the bottom of a tree. Physical examination revealed, he'd had sex and had suffered no other injuries but a small amount of blood loss. Semen had been retrieved and was being analyzed for DNA matches. The officers tried to get a coherent description of the assailant but it was bizarre at best. Wenter said it looked like a big, dark colored, male Kat with huge wings, golden glowing eyes and no clothes.

Shuddering, Feral dropped the report and turned to look blindly out his window. 'Oh God, just like my dream. What is going on? Am I linked to this creature somehow? How do you look for a dream?' Shaking his head and rubbing his neck tirededly he tried to make sense of the report and his hauntingly similar dream.

Normally, an assault in the park would be handled by one of the detectives in the Special Investigations Unit but because it dealt with an unknown creature instead of a Katizen, it landed on his desk. Sighing, he turned back around and made a decision. He assigned the case to his niece, Felina. He ordered her to make it a priority ahead of her other cases. He didn't tell her about his eerie dream that seemed to mirror the incident. He didn't want her to be influenced by something that was only a dream before she had a chance to see the scene and interview the victim first. He tried to put it out of his mind as he went back to the reports piled on his desk.

Later that day, Lt Feral's office...

Felina sighed as she saw yet another report on her desk. She already had nine cases to handle as she pulled the file to her she noted the red flag on it from her uncle. Frowning she began to read the report. She studied the photos taken of the victim at the hospital.

"Crud, that's all this city needs is yet another weird creature" She cursed mildly aloud. Reaching for her intercom, she called for one of her investigating officers to report to her office. Detective Snow walked in and was handed a report by Felina as she gestured him to follow her out.

"Read it on the way. We are going to interview the victim at the hospital." She said as she led the way to the elevators. She pushed the button for the parking garage. Snow whistled when he finished reading and climbed into the Lieutenant's car.

"Okay that's just creepy and something this city just doesn't need more of! I wonder what kind of creature could have left those puncture marks on the guy's neck?" He snorted cocking his head at Felina as she navigated them through the lunchtime traffic.

"I agree with you there, Harry!" She sighed. "I don't want to even try to guess what this may be until we talk to this Wenter's guy."

Snow nodded his agreement. He decided to address another concern since he had the chance to speak to the Lieutenant alone. "Hey, Lt. the rest of the squad is a little concerned about the Commander. Does he seem a little tired and preoccupied lately?" He asked carefully.

Wincing, Felina chewed her lip a moment, not certain how to answer this, "Ah...he has seemed overly tired the past week, but when I ask if something is bothering him he just brushes it off. But you're right, I know something is wrong but haven't been able to discover what it is yet."

"Yeah, that's what we have noticed too. I don't think it's the SWAT Kats since we haven't seen much of them lately. Thankfully, the city's big criminals seem to be keeping a low profile or are in jail. So we are at a loss as to what could be troubling him unless it's personal?" He inquired quietly.

"I'm afraid that is what it may be but until he feels the need to tell me or it impairs his ability to command there isn't much I can say about it. But I appreciate you informing me about how concerned the squad is about him. Tell everyone to just do their jobs and not discuss this with anyone and I will keep an eye on my uncle." She answered carefully not wanting to discuss her uncle's personal difficulties in too much detail.

"Of course, Lt." He acknowledged, relieved to clear the air about this sensitive subject.

At the hospital, Felina parked in the police zone. She and Snow headed for the bank of elevators to the victim's floor. At the nursing station they found out his room number. Reaching his door they knocked lightly and were let in by a nurse. Wenter was propped up watching TV while an IV was dripping into his arm. There was a bandage on his neck.

Producing their badges, Felina introduced themselves, "Mr. Wenter? I'm Lt. Feral and this is Det. Snow. We need to ask you a few questions about what happened to you last night."

"I already told everything to those two other coppers. I don't remember very much." Wenter snorted irritably.

"I understand, but we need to go over it again and see if you remember any more." Felina insisted. "We can't catch this thing without a clearer picture of what we are dealing with."

"Crud alright" Wenter sighed.

"Good! Now, what time were you in the park and why were you there?" She asked as she produced a notebook and started to make notes.

"Well, like I told those other two cops, I was headed to a buddy's house around nine o'clock. I took the bus from my place to the Plaza. My friend lives just a few blocks from there through the park. It was a nice night and I was walking along at a good pace. I guess I was about five minutes from my exit when out of no where this huge thing swoops down from the sky and grabs me. I tell ya I was freaked! I tried beating on the thing but it was like hitting a brick wall. It didn't react at all. It flew us to a big tree and landed on a thick branch. He never let go of me. When we landed, he looked at me. He had these glowing golden eyes that seem to draw me in then he pulled my head to the side and I felt a sharp stab then nothing. I felt like I was floating, you know like those drugs the dentist uses to make you relax. I don't remember to much after that until I woke up dizzy on the ground." He said shaking his head.

"Alright, that's very good, Mr. Wenter. Now I'm going to ask some fairly personal questions but trust me they are an important part of the investigation." Felina said patiently. "According to tests done when you arrived at the hospital you had signs of anal intercourse. Did you have sex before this incident?" Felina asked bluntly.

Reddening, Wenter growled, "I'm not a lover of toms and no I did not have sex before that thing got me. It's obvious it raped me but I just don't remember it happening."

"Okay, sir that's alright. You're doing fine. Just one more question and we'll leave you alone. Can you describe your attacker? Please try to remember everything about it. Any little detail will help." Felina coaxed the victim.

"Ah, well, it was big and broad with a powerful chest. Its fur was thick and a solid dark color but it was too dark out to see whether it was black or brown. Its eyes were large and a glowing golden color and I could just see huge dark wings. It wasn't wearing anything that's how I knew it was male. It had long claws on its paws and feet. It looked like a Kat with wings just bigger. It gave me the creeps. It wasn't just that it could fly. Something about it just made my fur stand up." Wenter shuddered at the memory.

"Thank you, Mr. Wenter. You've been very helpful. I would like to send a sketch artist to see you. I want you to describe the creature to him so that we can have an image of it. Will that be okay with you?" She asked.

"Uh...okay...sure. I want that thing caught. You better believe I'm not going near the park till it is." Wenter said fervently.

"I understand sir. We appreciate all your help. Here's my card. If you remember anything else, no matter how small, please give me a call." Felina handed him one of her business cards. She and Snow left the room and headed to the elevators.

She sighed and shook her head, "Well that was enlightening. Until we get a drawing of it there isn't much else we can do right now. Harry have a sketch artist get here right away. Better yet, bring him yourself and stay with him. We need that picture ASAP." She ordered.

"Right away, Lt." He said briskly. They were soon climbing into her car and rushing back to headquarters. She parted from Snow at the bullpen and headed for her office to try and make some headway on her other cases while she waited for the drawing.

Chapter 2: Chasing a Nightmare

Enforcer Headquarters...late evening...

Commander Feral had cleared his desk at last, though he knew by morning more would appear. He was soo very tired but was too uneasy to go home and sleep. But as night fell, the tension in his body increased. Giving up, he locked his desk and rose slowly to cross the room and get his coat. Everything he did was in slow motion. The desire to stay tugged as the urgency to leave pressed him at the same time, leaving him at war with himself. If only there were someone he felt comfortable enough to discuss this with but Felina was to close to him and he'd not made any other ties that would allow him to let down his guard. Sighing, he dragged his coat on and locked his office door.

Reaching his vehicle in the parking garage, he actually wished an emergency would occur to keep him at work but the evening was quiet as it had been for many weeks now with the exception of the creature in the park. Grimacing at the reminder of his nightmares, he climbed in his vehicle and drove home. Flicking on all the lights in his apartment, he tried to dispel the feeling of darkness creeping through him. He stripped off his uniform and in a desperate bid to shake off the strangeness he turned on the late night news only to hear Ann Gora give a report on the 'Park Vampire' as they were calling it. With a growl of temper he switched channels until he found an old gangster movie and tried to focus his attention on it.

Exhaustion caught up with him and he slide into slumber in his recliner. The dream was nearly the same as the night before. He was flying through the night sky toward Megakat Park. A patrolling chopper came into view and he ducked behind a billboard to avoid being seen. When the chopper disappeared around a group of buildings, he continued on his way to the park.

Gliding silently over the trees, he spotted a small group of young adults playing basketball. He landed in a tree nearby and watched them hungrily. After an hour, the group broke up and went their separate ways. He followed a healthy specimen heading through the park without a care in the world. As soon as he was certain the male was far enough away from the others, he made his snatch. The young Kat squawked and struggled but couldn't get free. He took his prey to a tree and repeated his acts of the night before.

Dawn found the Commander waking in his bed, screaming in denial. How had he come to be in bed and nude when he thought he'd fallen asleep in his recliner? Frightened, he staggered out to his living room and saw his TV was still playing, all the lights were on and his clothes were no where in sight. 'Oh God! What is happening to me?' And still he couldn't accept that the creature and he were connected in some way. It was simply too incredible to believe.

Enforcer Headquarters...start of morning shift...

Felina had just signed into work when Snow met her at her office door with the drawing and news of yet another attack. Sighing she turned around and with Snow in tow, made her way to her enforcer vehicle. At the hospital, they replayed the previous day's interview with the exception of the drawing.

"This is a drawing the last victim described for us. Does this look like the same attacker?" She asked the pale young tom in the bed.

He took one look and choked turning his face away, "Yes that's the thing that grabbed me and I hope I never see it again."

"Thank you for your help." Felina said in sympathy. They left the room to its shaken occupant. Felina was angry. On the one hand, she was relieved the creature wasn't killing its prey but on the other, it was traumatizing its victims. They needed to catch this thing quickly before the public really got upset. As they left the hospital, she laid out a plan of attack to Snow.

"I want you to commandeer about twenty patrolmen from A-Shift and have them canvas the area around the park. Don't forget to interview park maintenance crews. Show everyone this picture and see if you get a bite. Meanwhile I am going to show it to Dr. Sinian at the Museum of Natural History and see what she makes of it." She ordered as she pulled in front of Headquarters. "Call my cell if you find out anything."

"Yes sir. I'll get right on it." Snow nodded briskly, got out and hurried off to carry out her orders.

Felina mulled over her meager information on the creature as she made her way through morning traffic for the Museum. She realized, belatedly, that perhaps the doctor might not be in as yet. Sighing, she called dispatch to get Dr. Sinian's private number. She pulled to the side of the road and dialed her up. She got lucky. The doctor was just leaving for work and said she would meet the Lieutenant at the Museum.

Some twenty minutes later, the two she-kats were walking into the doctor's private office.

"Now, what is it you need to see me about Lt. Feral?" Dr. Sinian asked politely.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Felina showed her the drawing.

"Oh my!" Dr. Sinian said, a hand to her throat. The drawing was terrifying. It was an image of a dark Kat-like creature with glowing eyes. "I'm not certain. It looks familiar. Here, let me check a couple of references." She said briskly as she went to a huge bookcase of ancient manuscripts. Studying the titles for a moment, she pulled two of them off the shelf and placed them on a table. Quickly thumbing through one she shook her head and began searching the second of the old books. "Yes here it is. Oh dear! It says here that this is a family curse that befalls one male descendent each century. The Kat that bears this curse is usually unaware of it until it is triggered by the anniversary of the curses' casting." She read.

"Wait! How could a Kat not know about the curse if it is in the family. Surely it would have been handed down in a written history for each generation to be aware of it." Felina asked confused.

"That's usually true but apparently this family was so ashamed of the horror the cursed member was capable of they hushed it up and never spoke of it. The cursed male is normally killed before he can do anymore harm or beget any heirs. Unfortunately, they weren't very successful since it appears there is a poor descendent stricken with the curse at this very moment." Dr. Sinian said sadly.

"Well what is the family name so we can find this guy." Felina demanded.

"Unfortunately, this is only a report of the curse by an outsider who found out about it but never gave the name of the unlucky family to spare them from being ostracized by their peers." Dr. Sinian apologized.

"Damn. Is there a cure at least?" Felina said frustrated. "I don't want to have to kill the poor Kat when it clearly isn't his fault for his condition."

"Not in this account. But I may have something in one of those old magic tomes from Queen Callista's time. I'll have to research it." Dr. Sinian said thoughtfully.

"Well, in the meantime, we have to find this Kat and confine him for his own good until you can find the cure. Is there anything in that account to tell us more about what this Kat is capable of and how best to catch it? Does it only come out at night? Are we going to see it every night?" Felina asked.

"It says here the afflicted Kat feels the change in his body but, of course, he doesn't know what is happening to him. Fortunately, the curse is confined to the nights of the full moon only. The male's form alters to what you see in the drawing. The curse drives him to seek blood and sex from its prey. The sex of the victim is usually the gender the male is attracted to. The rest of the time, he is a normal Kat." She said with relief.

"So tonight is the last night of the full moon. It will hunt and then cease for another thirty days and start the cycle all over again?" Felina asked to be sure she understood what the book had said.

"That is correct Lieutenant. I'll give my complete attention to finding the cure and get the assistance from some of my apprentices. However, I'm sorry to say it still may take some time to find it, so you may have to cage the creature on full moons until we do." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"First we have to catch him then we'll worry about keeping him caged when need be. I don't envy the poor Kat when we find him. To learn you have to be locked up to keep you from hurting others will be quite a shock." Felina sighed shaking her head sadly. "Anyway, I'd better get back to Headquarters and brief my uncle about this. Keep me informed. Here's my cell number. Don't hesitate to call me anytime."

"Certainly Lieutenant and good luck." Dr. Sinian smiled sadly.

As she was returning to Enforcer Headquarters, she heard over her radio of an attack by Dr. Viper at the Bio Chemical Labs. She cursed and changed her direction to head for the Labs. She continued to listen to reports as she got closer to her destination. She heard her uncle barking commands for more tank support then a snarl of fury when the SWAT Kats were spotted arriving on the scene. Groaning to herself, her uncle was going to be in a fine temper when she got there.

Sure enough, Commander Feral was screaming commands to his troops as they tried to hold back an ugly assortment of plantimals from trying to over run the lab while the SWAT Kats took out flying creatures making a bid to enter the building from above. So far the good guys were holding off the mutated army but it was a losing proposition. There were just too many of them. Then the SWAT Kats pulled a rabbit out of the hat yet again with a new weapon Razor had obviously developed. It was some kind of freeze gun.

They warned off the enforcers before spraying the mutations with great effectiveness. The weapon reduced the creatures to brittle crystal that broke with a slight touch. Within minutes it was over. Viper had gotten away because he had remained out of sight and was able to escape quickly by his favorite means, the sewer system. The area surrounding the lab was a mess.

Apparently, the SWAT Kats hadn't wanted to use the weapon because it could and did cause some reciprocal damage to the surrounding buildings and they were tired of Feral blaming them for property damage. But really, there was no choice. It was put up with some property damage or the taking of an important laboratory by a criminal. Her uncle was still furious with them. Sighing she waved good bye to the SWAT Kats as they wisely made their escape while she had to remain and try to soothe her uncle and help with the cleanup.

It took the rest of the day to clear up the mess and write the reports involving the incident. So by the time she was able to return to the case of the cursed creature it was growing late. She still needed to speak to her uncle but found he was in meetings until well after quitting time. Knowing there would be no way to learn who the poor cursed Kat's identity was before it hunted again that night, she gathered an elite squad of enforcers to stake out the park that evening. Patrols of four swept the park continuously the moment dark had fallen. Everyone was tense.

Around ten o'clock an alarm was sounded in the northern most part of the park. Felina raced to the site. She arrived in time to see her troops engaging an incredibly powerful creature who fought off everyone as if they were dolls and took to the air where her choppers tried to head it off, but despite trying to net it, the creature was too cunning and managed to avoid them and disappeared.

Frustrated and angry, Felina had her troops search the entire park for the rest of the night but there was no sign of the creature. By dawn, everyone was tired and frustrated, but at least there had been no report of anyone being attacked. The down side was they would never find the creature now and would have to wait until the next full moon unless they got incredibly lucky.

Chapter 3: Horrifying Revelation

Enforcer Headquarters...dawn...

Exhausted Felina dragged herself back to her office after a fruitless search for the creature. Her eyes felt gritty and her body demanded she stop and rest. She forced herself to make out a report of the night's happenings and left it on her uncle's desk. With a tired sigh, she barely made it home where she stripped her clothes off and collapsed on her bed for some much needed sleep.

Later that morning, Commander Feral dragged himself in to work. He was soo tired. Another nightmare, this time with him fighting his own enforcers and not finding any prey and waking in pain and exhaustion even more confused.

He saw Felina's report and dropped down in his seat to read it. Shock vibrated through his body as he read what she had written. Word for word it described his dream in stark detail. He dropped the report as if it had burned him and buried his face in his paws. He was going crazy. It was the only thing he could think of. Pulling himself together, he realized he had to talk to someone and the only one who might believe him was Felina.

He checked the roster and discovered she had signed out for home. Well after all she was up all night trying to hunt the creature. He couldn't wait. He had to talk to her now. Taking the report with him, he grabbed his coat and locked his door. He told his receptionist he would be out for a while but not where. She could reach him by cell if he was needed.

Hurrying out to his car he quickly headed to Felina's apartment. Some twenty minutes later he was parking in front of her place. Striding into the building, he didn't bother waiting for an elevator and raced up three flights to her door. Leaning on the buzzer he waited impatiently for her to wake and answer. Five minutes later a groggy Felina was opening the door to her agitated uncle. He pushed past her and stood in the middle of her living room waiting for her to close her door.

Felina stared at her uncle in shock. He looked scared and exhausted. "Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Let's sit down Felina." He said tightly as he sat down on the overstuffed chair. "I need to talk to someone that won't think I'm crazy even though I'm afraid that's where I'm headed."

Concerned she sat on her couch opposite him, "I'm here uncle. I'll listen. I know you've been troubled by something for some time now."

"Yes, I...I've been having terrible nightmares for weeks now. They've gotten worse over the last three days. What makes them so bad is that they match exactly what that creature has been doing as if I was connected to it the whole time." He said rubbing his neck. "Then I saw your report this morning and it detailed everything I witnessed in my dream last night." He looked up and stared at his niece in anguish. "I don't understand what is happening to me and why I'm seeing these things."

Felina's mouth gaped open while her uncle described his dreams. She snapped it shut as she realized with horror that her uncle was the cursed Kat. It wasn't dreams he was experiencing but the actual thing in his changed form.

"Uncle, I found out some things yesterday when I went to see Dr. Sinian. I had a drawing of the creature and she found a corresponding one in her library. The creature is cursed." Quickly, Felina told her uncle the story of the cursed family that she now realized was her own. When she finished, her uncle was staring at her in horror. 'God! The look on his face!' Felina flinched in sorrow.

A moment later he was burying his head in his arms and moaning in anguished shock. She got up quickly and went to his side hugging him and offering what comfort she could. 'Dr. Sinian has to find the cure.' Felina prayed fervently. She couldn't bear the thought of any more of her family suffering like Uncle Ulysses was now.

"Oh my God. It was me all along. I attacked those poor Kats. I just...I can't believe I could do such a thing." He shuddered unable to shake the images of his attacks from his mind. 'God the blood and raping.' Just that image alone caused him to lurch up suddenly and rush to the kitchen to throw up.

"Oh Uncle, I'm so sorry!... It's not your fault!...You didn't know! You become a totally different person when you change. At least you didn't kill anyone. You always left them alive and able to recover and we did succeed in stopping you last night. We just have to keep you confined during the full moon until Dr. Sinian can find the cure." Felina tried to comfort and offer hope to her distraught Uncle.

"Locked up...Gods...locked up in my own jail. This just can't be happening to me." He hung his head which was beginning to pound.

Felina rubbed his back, "Here, let me get you some aspirin and water to rinse your mouth out" She rinsed the sink out, grabbed a bottle of aspirin and a glass from the cupboard. She filled it with water and handed it and some tablets to him.

He rinsed his mouth out and downed the tablets. "Okay let's get you laying down for a little while. My couch folds out into a bed and you need to rest. You shouldn't have any more nightmares now since the full moon is over and you badly need to just stop before you drop." Felina urged her uncle toward the living room. While he stood waiting, too numb to argue with her, she quickly converted her couch to a bed then helped remove some of his clothes and pressed him to lie down.

He hid his face in his arms and whimpered in distress. She crouched down beside him and gently stroked his back soothingly until he finally relaxed into a deep sleep. She took his cell phone into her room and unplugged her phone in the living room so that no one could disturb him. He was far too exhausted to be able to handle anything more today. She really hoped no emergency would happen to give him a much needed break. She relocked her apartment door and sought her own bed as she was still very tired herself. Tomorrow would be soon enough to deal with this problem.

Chapter 4: Under Arrest

He woke up rested for the first time in weeks. As he rolled over, he realized immediately, that he was not in his own bed. Panic rushed through him for a moment before a look around told him he was in Felina's apartment. Memory flooded back and with it renewed anguish. 'How could he face everyone when they learn he was the 'park vampire?' Should he arrest himself? What should he do now?' His thoughts were chasing themselves with no solution in sight.

"Uncle, how are you feeling?" Felina asked as she came in the room from the kitchen fully dressed for work.

Feral startled then looked up at her. Felina felt her heart squeeze at the distressed look on her uncle's face.

"What time is it?" He asked hoarsely. Trying to gather his shattered wits about him.

"You've slept the clock around Uncle. It's already five in the morning. You really needed the sleep." Felina said gently. "Why don't you take a hot shower, then we'll discuss what needs to be done about you and the case." She urged him, tugging a little to get him moving.

Shaking himself, he let her lead him into the bedroom. "Here's a towel. I guess you will have to wait to shave and change clothes when you get to your office. I'll fix you some breakfast." Felina said briskly and left him alone.

He stood in the middle of the bathroom for a moment trying to regain his usual self assurance. Turning on the shower, he let it get very hot before stepping in. The heat of the water relaxed muscles he hadn't realized he'd been holding tightly. He firmly put aside all thought and focused only on the soothing motions of getting ready for work to steady him.

Dressed once more in his rumpled clothing and feeling marginally better, he headed for the kitchen where the smell of breakfast wafted on the air. Felina smiled at him as she set a plate of eggs, bacon and toast before him. She set down a similar plate for herself and added two cups of coffee before joining him at the small table. The meal was eaten in silence for which Feral was grateful. It gave him time to come to grips with what they needed to discuss. As they leisurely drank their coffee, Felina opened the conversation by laying out a plan of attack.

"The way I see it, Uncle, you will have to admit you are the 'park vampire'. When it's released to the public that it is a curse you suffer and that you will offer recompense for the injured Kats, we tell them that a cure is being sought and you will be confined during full moons until it is found. This will go a long way toward garnering the city's sympathy for you and retain the Enforcers reputation." She said calmly.

Feral stared at her in surprise. Her plan was insightful and the most likely to prevent any scandal to the Enforcers while retaining his reputation. He always thought of his niece as bright and this was further proof of her ability to think strategically. He felt warm and proud of her.

"Thank you, Felina. That is a very good plan." He said warmly.

"I'm sure you would have thought of it, Uncle, if you weren't so upset and weren't the focus of it in the first place." Felina said gently.

"Well I guess we better go in and face the music. I'd best call my attorney" Feral sighed.

"Yes, that's a good idea and I'll inform the prosecutor. I don't see a reason we can't do this in your office without dragging you to the processing area. If we can do this quickly and quietly, we can have you be incarcerated within Enforcer Headquarters without resorting to a cell. Then get a judge to view your case immediately so that you can plead guilty and get sentenced that way we can move on to returning you to duty without too much disruption. All parties should be satisfied that justice has been served and we can close the case." Felina laid out their plan of action. Feral nodded agreement. She smiled, got up to remove the dishes and squeezed his shoulder in a show of solidarity as she passed behind him to put the dishes in the sink.

Sighing, Feral got up and went to use the phone. Thirty minutes later they were heading for Enforcer Headquarters in their vehicles. Parking in his Commander spot, he got out and waited for Felina. When she approached him, he surrendered his keys and other personal belongings to her keeping. She nodded grimly and gestured he should go ahead of her. The prosecutor and Feral's lawyer were waiting for them just inside. They nodded at him seriously and they moved as a group for the elevators.

In his office Lt Commander Steele waited. He, unfortunately, was the next in command and had to be present when Feral was arrested and charged. This was done quickly and professionally. Steele insisted that Feral wear a monitoring anklet. Felina bristled at that but was over ruled by the prosecutor.

"It's necessary, Lt, if we are to show we are serious about the charges and carrying out our duties. We don't want anyone to think we are showing favoritism even though we are a little by doing this here and not downstairs." Prosecutor Manlore said calmly. Felina subsided realizing he was right but not liking it. Feral's Sergeant handled the fingerprinting and other processing requirements and then attached the anklet.

"Alright, now that that's taken care of, I'll let your Sergeant be your guard and you can take care of business until we go to court later today. You are not allowed to leave your office. Consider it your temporary cell." Manlore smiled grimly. "Is that understood, Commander Feral?"

"Yes sir. What time is my court hearing?" Feral asked quietly.

"I don't know yet. We have to notify the injured parties and get them to be there too. Judge Fangmore has already been briefed. As soon as all parties have been contacted, I'll let you know when to appear." Manlore said as he prepared to leave. He signaled Felina to follow him. He needed to get her deposition before returning to his office. After they left, Feral narrowed his eyes at Steele.

"Despite what's happened, Steele, I'm still in charge. Since I can't leave my office and my Sergeant is required to stay and guard me, you will act in his stead." Though it didn't show on his face, Feral was amused as Steele's mouth gaped in shock at being relegated to gofer duty. His amusement didn't last as he pondered the hours and days ahead. Shaking himself mentally, he settled down at his desk and dug into the reports waiting him. The report on himself had already been confiscated by Felina.

By late afternoon there had been no word from Manlore. Before he could become concerned, Felina contacted him. She said there was some trouble getting all parties there at the same time. It looked like it might be tomorrow before he would get his hearing. She also told him that Dr. Sinean was going to be there as a defense witness describing the family curse and her progress on finding the cure.

"Uncle, I'm headed to city hall now to brief Ms. Briggs so that the Mayor isn't blind sided when this reaches the press. Dr. Sinean was nice enough to come with me to explain the curse to the Deputy Mayor so that she can get a press release prepared. So far we've been able to keep things quiet and it seems to be working." Felina informed him.

"Alright, Felina. It seems you have things well in hand. Thank you for keeping me informed. Will you be coming back to Headquarters soon?" He asked.

"I'm sorry Uncle, the prosecutor wants more information and I have to go track it down. I can call later. Do you need some things from your apartment?" She asked.

"Yes, but later will be fine, Felina. Thank you." Feral said. Felina said goodbye and they both hung up. Sighing, he stood up and stared out the windows for a while.

Later that evening, Felina brought her Uncle dinner and some things from his apartment. Snow had volunteered to take over evening guard duty. Even though he wore an anklet monitor, because of the seriousness of the charges and his position the extra security was thought to quiet any complaints about Feral's easy treatment. He was escorted to the quarters he used when staying at Enforcer Headquarters. He hoped he could sleep. It was going to be a long night.

The next morning, Feral's hearing was set for ten o'clock. He was escorted there unobtrusively and hustled into Judge Fangmore's courtroom. As hearings went, this one was quickly accomplished, all parties were satisfied, and his sentence was light. Since it wasn't his fault, he received no jail time and only community service aiding rape victims at a rape crisis center for ninety days. Relieved that was over, Feral returned to duty.

The news of his curse, however, was cause for rampant gossip amongst the Katizens of Megakat City and a little fear that he might still commit an act of rape and violence if he should manage to escape his jailers during the full moon. The press had a field day speculating on the ramifications of having a cursed Chief Enforcer running the Enforcers. Until the fervor wound down, Feral had to put up with being hounded by the press, nut cases that wanted him to bite them, and worried katizenry. It didn't make his job any easier. Fortunately, their attentions veered away from the Commander a few days later when the Pastmaster decided to storm the city. By the time he had been defeated and returned home, Feral's difficulties seemed trivial and quickly faded from the public conscious.

Relieved the spotlight was off him, Feral returned to a semblance of normalcy, but he couldn't forget that he was a ticking bomb just waiting for the full moon to set it off. Refusing to let it worry him since it was pointless to do so he carried on as if nothing was different.

Enforcer Headquarters, day of the full moon...

He'd been suffering those awful dreams for the last few nights but he knew why they were occurring now. It didn't make it any easier to take though. By that evening he was tense and irritable as Felina and his Sergeant escorted him to a heavily fortified cell. He shivered when the door clanged behind him. There were only three other prisoners in the cell block and they had watched him nervously as he was placed in the cell.

Feral paced around the cell nervously, his body burned and twitched. He'd never been awake during the change and he was afraid. He had asked Felina to please not watch and, reluctantly, she'd agreed. As the moon began to rise, Feral felt the tension build in his body, it seemed as if something was trying to get out. Moments later, he screamed as fire raced through him and his mind was shoved out of the way for something more primitive and cunning.

As the change finished the creature discovered it was locked in. Waves of fury poured through it as it repeatedly tried to break down the door. It's loud screams, roars and pounding attempts to escape, frightened the other prisoners as they huddled in their cells.For hours until moon set, everyone in the cell block had to listen to the maddened creature then finally there came a pained scream followed by moaning then silence for the rest of the night.

Feral woke in the morning, exhausted, naked and with a pounding headache. His clothes were ripped to shreds. He dragged the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around himself, sat and waited to be released. Felina arrived with fresh clothes and waited patiently while he dressed. He found it hard to put one foot in front of the other as he staggered out of the cell.

"You need to rest Uncle. It's obvious you can't function after the night you had. I'll take you up to your quarters and inform Steele you're down for the morning. Perhaps by lunch you'll feel up to returning to work." She said as she walked with him out of the cell block. He merely grunted his agreement, too tired for conversation.

For the next two nights, the ordeal was repeated. Feral always needed at least six hours to recover before the next night's torture. By the fourth day, he was back to normal. He was desperate for the cure. No way did he want to spend month after month suffering like that. But the cure seemed as elusive as air despite Dr. Sinean's focused effort to ferret it out of all the ancient tombs she had at the museum. All she could offer the distraught Commander was her willingness to continue to search no matter how long it took. He had no choice but be satisfied with that.