\n      First and foremost this story is copyright by me and may not be used in part or wholly without my express consent
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\n      Secondly I am "NOT' an English major I scraped by with a d average in school and do not need criticism on my writing abilities. This is a story of MY mind. There is no reason to tell me that I flunked in the English department.
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\n      This book is ongoing and I’m not sure when or how it will end as of yet. I have spells of inspiration and dry spells where I can’t think of anything to write about. My real life is so boring that I created this world in my mind to have something to do.
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\n      Otherwise enjoy the story and understand that my life was influenced by authors such as Terry Brooks, J.J.R. Tolkien, and Ray Bradbury and several of the artists in SoFurry and the old Yiffstar.

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\n Chapter 7

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\n      I looked at her face and said, “I would be honored to hear of your life, especially why one as beautiful as you doesn’t have a mate yet. Please however don’t wait, tell me now.”
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\n      She looked at me and said, “I thought you were tired?”
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\n      “I am, but my adrenalin is racing through me keeping me from being able to sleep, so I would be honored to hear your true story.”
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\n      She saw the hope in my face and said, “very well. Where do I begin?”
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\n      I smiled at her and said, “why not start with you sitting next to me so I can put my arm around you and hold you as you tell me your tale.”
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\n      She sat next to me and I placed my arm around her and snuggled her to me. I then took my other hand and gently removed the tears from her facial fur. “You are too beautiful to be having these.”
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\n      When I said that she smiled at me and said, “You have no idea how many years of those have been there.”
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\n      “I will try my hardest, if you will let me, to keep you from having them ever again.”
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\n      When I said that she shuddered and suddenly laid her head on my shoulder and she then began telling me her tale.
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\n      She slowly told me her life story from when as a cub she was taken by the creator’s helpers and transformed by him to her anthro form. She then told that he was very old and never managed to create her a mate as he had all the other creatures he had created. She then started crying gently as she told me about how as she grew up she was shunned by all other creatures because of the black cat superstition that the creator had placed into all of the anthromorphs. She then told me about how as a teen she never had anyone who even wanted to be near her because of her being a loner. She went on to tell me about finding an elderly medicine man that saw the good that she could give if taught so he trained her in the use of his herbs and just before he passed away he told her that if he had been a younger man he would have been honored to be her mate.
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\n      She softly sobbed when she said that and continued her narration about how she slowly gained peoples trust as a medicine woman even if no one ever truly trusted her. Then she said that was until Herod and Doreen came to me saying that she was having complications with the birth of her son. When I helped bring Aramis into the world both

\n      Doreen and Herod befriended me and to this day they are the only ones who fully trust me.
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\n      I looked into the tear streaked eyes and said, “Now there is someone else to add. Not only do I trust you but I am beginning to love you.”
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\n      She smiled through her tear stained eyes and said, “I hope you are not basing this on the fact that I healed you.”
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\n      I looked at her and said, “If it was just because of that I would just try and mount you and tell you to leave. I have no desire to tell you to leave my life ever and as for the mating, it can wait till we both are ready to share that experience.”
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\n      She looked at me with a surprised look on her face and asked, “Do you really mean that?”
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\n      “I told you when you lay me on my bed that I was more than willing to take it slow with you and I have no intention of messing up my chances with someone as beautiful as you by racing you to my bed. It has been my experience that most women think that when men do that they just want to mate and leave them behind. I want us to be where you feel wanted and want to stay here even if we never mate. That is what I mean by love my beautiful panthress.”
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\n      She then pulled me close to her and said, “I have a confession for you. I have already decided that I wanted to see if you would be willing to be with me but I was afraid how to ask.”
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\n      “Well now you don’t have to. I already have.”
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\n      She then softly asked, “you don’t mind being with an outcast?”
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\n      “And what do you think I am?” I replied.
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\n      She then pulled away from me and asked, “Would you think it too fast if I asked to move in with you?”
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\n      “Yes I do think it’s a little fast but I am willing to hear your reasoning.”
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\n      She then pulled back slightly and said, “because of spending so much time with you here I have neglected to make payments on my rental space. The landlord left a note saying if I don’t have payment by the end of the week I would find my stuff removed from the room and the locks changed. I know this sounds like a come on but if you are willing to accept me as a houseguest I will pay the rent I gave the owner for use of the room I am in now. I really don’t care for the neighborhood I live in. It’s where all the bad people live.”
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\n       I looked at her and said, “I have more than enough money. If you want I’ll pay you for your services.”
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\n      She looked at me as if I had slapped her and said, “Then you don’t want me here.”
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\n       “OH MY GOD, YES!!! I want you here. It just seems that because of me you are having bad times.”
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\n      She brightened when I said that and then said, “I will not cause you any grief. All I ask is for a space to keep my herbs. For that I will gladly pay you for the space.”
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\n      “No you won’t pay me either. If you wish to stay with me then so be it. I’ll more than willingly accept that but however the matter of you having to pay for it is ridiculous. As I said before I’m fully hoping to call you my mate and I will not take your money. If you wish to have another building to set up as an office for your business, I will even help you with that. As far as paying to stay here with me, your loveliness will be payment enough for me to accept.”
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\n      Navaja then hugged me so tightly that I thought she would crush me and when she relaxed a bit she then said, “I’m sorry, it’s just that I never have been treated so wonderfully.”
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\n      “Get used to it my pretty panthress,” I replied.
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\n      She began openly sobbing and said, “You make me feel like I belong for the first time in my life. I’m so happy to have met you.”
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\n      “As am I, Navaja. I really want you to be my mate and I will always treasure the times we spend together.”
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\n      I shifted myself and began to lie down and I asked, “Do you wish to sleep here, I promise nothing will happen to you. I just want you to feel wanted by someone and the only thing I can do for now is hold you close.”
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\n      She replied, “What of Herod?”
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\n      “What of him. He’s my friend as well as yours and will be happy for the both of us I believe.”
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\n      Navaja then smiled and lay down next to me and snuggled up against me. I reached my arm over her and held her there and said, “Goodnight my pretty panthress.”
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\n      She replied Goodnight and thank you so much.”
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\n      We both slept quite late the next day and when I felt her stir I moves over to look at those wonderful Golden cat eyes and said, “Good morning my pretty kitty.”
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\n      She remembered where she was and smiled back at me and said, “Morning.”
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\n      She gently rolled out of the bed and looked back at me as I got to a sitting position. She then stretched her muscles and headed to the kitchen to make something to eat.
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\n      The door opened shortly after and Herod came into my room.
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\n      “I have news about the thing from last night. It seems that it was able to crawl away from the porch sometime in the night. I trailed it as far as your fence line. It was bleeding profusely. The other were things attacked it and from the mess left I would say they finished it off.”
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\n      “I wish I didn’t have to kill it but it was either it or me and now that I have someone else that I care for again I am not willing to give up so easily.”
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\n      He sort of cocked his head to one side and I could see his mind putting the pieces together. He then asked, “You mean you and Navaja?”
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\n      “Indeed I do, my friend. She and I had a long discussion last night before we slept and it was decided that she would move in with me here and I would hire someone to build a shop for her business.”
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\n      Herod then said, “I will willingly build the shop for you for nothing because of how much you did for my family.”
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\n      “Nonsense,” I said, “you will be paid the same as any other builder. I am more than able to pay and you have already earned all that I have given you and then some.”
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\n      I then shifted a bit and much to Herod's surprise I said, “You can come in here Navaja I have nothing I wish to keep from you.”
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\n      She entered the room with a tray of food looking at the floor. “How did you know I was listening?”
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\n      “Simply because if it were me I would of too,” I said smiling at her.
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\n      I then said towards Herod, “will you tell her of my past as I told you? I am still quite tired from last night and after having my food I am going back to sleep.”
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\n      Herod nodded to me and said, “I will tell her all that you told of me to where she already knows, rest well my friend.”
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\n      With that he left me to my food, ushering Navaja with him. When I had finished my food I heard him explaining to her of my past, including my wife and kids and then how they were taken away from me and how I found the passage here. At that point I drifted off to sleep.
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\n      When I awoke, I was surprised to find that Navaja has climbed into my bed and was laying there next to me. She felt me move and she opened her eyes and smiled.
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\n      “I hope you don’t mine my joining you, I didn’t get much sleep either,” she said.
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\n      “Not at all my pretty panthress.”
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\n      With that I wrapped my arm around her and she snuggled closer to me and said, “I understand why you are willing to go slow in a relationship now. I am sorry for all the grief you have had and I hope that I am the one to help you get through it.”
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\n      “You have no idea how much it helps just knowing that you are going to be here with me. That is why I said it doesn’t matter to me if we mate or not, you brighten my life in ways I’ve not felt since my wife, and that was over two of my worlds years. Here it would be close to seven hundred days ago.”
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\n      She placed her arm around me and hugged me back and said, “I want you to know that there is more than friendship between us. I, like you though want to take it slowly.”
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\n      “When Herod returns I will ask him to hitch up the wagon for us and I will go with you to get your stuff, unless you don’t wish me to go. I am so sick of being cooped in this room and I think I could make the trip; I just won’t be able to help you move.”
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\n      She looked into my eyes and said with a smile, “I think that would be wonderful. It will show the people who have looked down on us that we have found comfort in each other. I would love for you to go with me and make them all stare as I sit there with your arms wrapped around me, that is if you would like to do that.”
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\n      “It would be my pleasure to hold you close to me my sweet. It makes me feel wonderful having you near me and I’m sure it shows on my face that I truly care for you.”
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\n      To my surprise she gently released my hug and stood up saying, “Herod slept in the other room and is up now. If you are up to it we can get ready now.”
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\n      I smiled at her and said, “Then tell him it’s time for me to get some fresh air.”
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\n      She left the room and I heard her say to Herod, “he wants you to hitch the wagon to go to my place and get my things and bring them back here.”
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\n      Herod replied, “Do you really think he is up to it?”
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\n      “I’d hate to be the one to tell him he couldn’t. His mind is already made up. Besides I don’t have very much so we won’t be gone very long,” She replied.
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\n      He left the house chuckling and saying, “Stubborn he is, I’ll hitch the team and take you there and back.”
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\n      She came back into the room and before she could say anything I said, “I heard it all,” and smiled as she looked at me, worried that I might be mad.
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\n      After a bit I heard the wagon approach and said, “Are you going to be able to get me into the wagon?”
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\n      She looked at me and said with a smirk on her face, “I could carry you all the way there and back if I needed to my sweet, and I would gladly do it if I had to.”
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\n      With that Herod entered and said, “Your chariot has arrived.”
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\n      Before I could reconcile things, Navaja had lifted me up and was carrying me as a mother carry’s her newborn and had me to the wagon and sitting.
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\n      “Strong, isn’t she,” Herod said.
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\n      “She is indeed. I’m glad that I can say I love her. I’d hate to make an enemy of her.”
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\n      She smiled at me as she got in and sat next to me and wrapped her arm around me and I did the same to her.
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\n      She then said, “You’ll never have to worry about that, I care too much for you as well.”
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\n      With that Herod looked and saw we were set and headed us towards Navajo’s residence.
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\n      When we got there I saw that it was basically a building behind someone else’s house. When we got to the door of the out building the door to the house opened and a voice hollered, “Who’s there?”
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\n      Navaja replied, “It’s me Stephan. I’ve come to gather my belongings so you can rent the place to someone else.”

\n      With that she unwrapped herself from me as the man approached.
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\n      “You still owe me for two weeks rent,” he huffed at her.
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\n      “And how much is that?” I queried.
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\n      For the first time he bothered to look up at me and his face went pale as a ghost. “You, you’re still alive?”
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\n      “It would seem so and by the way the beast didn’t make it through the second time. Both Herod here and Navaja can confirm this.”
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\n      He stammered over what to say next and headed to the door to the out building mumbling about he has the luck of fifty men to be here still.
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\n      Navaja chuckled at the man’s distress and said, “No he just has a grasp of some magic’s that we have never saw before, and he used it on the beast to injure it. When it rejoined the other beasts they finished it off sensing its weakness.”
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\n      He looked at her and as she stepped inside then he said, “Then you two have something in common then.”
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\n      She smiled at him saying, “You have no idea how much we share.” She then strutted inside out of my vision.
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\n      A short time later Herod was called into the house to help with some of the larger stuff. During this time Stephan came over to me.
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\n      He asked, “Are you and her an item then?”
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\n      “Not that it’s any of your business but I want it to be.”
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\n      He took offense at my words and showed his displeasure at it.
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\n      “If you are offended by me then think about how you just made me feel and then think why I said what I did. You and your kind that think she is a jinx have no clue as to how wonderful she actually is. She has brought me back from near death to be here where we can have a conversation. I can never judge her as a jinx, she is my savior and for this I want nothing more than to make her feel as wanted as she has made me feel. Yes I am in love with the most wonderful creature I have ever met and everyone else thinks she is something bad, but she is just a lonely young panthress who just wants to be cared for.
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\n      With that he looked at me and said, “I wish you luck with that then.”
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\n      With that he headed back to the door and told Navaja to lock up when she left.
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\n      A few minutes later Navaja and Herod came out of the building carrying most of Navaja’s clothes. When they approached she looked at me and said, “Thank you my love, for standing up for me.”
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\n      I looked at her with a smile from ear to ear and said, “Don’t thank me for being in love with you. No one has the right to judge you like that without knowing both sides of your story.”
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\n      They went back into the house and after a few more trips they had all her belongings loaded up. She locked the door and climbed into the wagon with me and smiled and said, “Let’s go home, Herod.”
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\n      Navaja asked, “Do you feel up to a small detour?”
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\n      “Where to?” I asked.
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\n      “Just a trip through the park, if you feel up to it.” She said.
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\n      “As long as Herod does not mind then we shall be off to the park my sweets.”
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\n      Herod replied, “Whatever else I may need to do can wait till I get back.”
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\n      With that we headed towards the town park and as we were on our way Navaja took my arm and wrapped it around her and took my other hand in hers and sat it on her lap. She then laid her head on my shoulder and softly said, “I think I too am falling in love.”
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\n      When we reached the park I was astounded at how many couples were there. As we went round the path I could feel the eyes on Navaja and I. There were several people murmuring about us.
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\n      Suddenly we past a couple of skunk morphs and I heard one say to the other, “I told you trouble would find each other.”
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