One looked like a refugee from a “B” class Western, a shaggy-haired old man sporting a straw Stetson and wearing a shield-front cavalry shirt. Faded jeans were tucked in knee-high brown Lucchese’s polished to a glossy sheen. A buckskin-encased hand held the stock of some fancy rifle, the barrel lying back on his shoulder.
The other figure could not have been more different. Shorter in stature, Lu knew immediately it was a woman. Well, female, to be more exact. The exaggerated curvature of the hips and breasts left no doubt as to that. Everything after that … well that was a very different story.
“Tiger?” she murmured. She tried to comprehend why a woman would have furry, pointy ears protruding through her hair and a bushy, swishing tail doing the same from her ass.
“Lulah … uh … I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine …” He pointed to the old cowboy. “This here’s Tex. He used to be a sure ‘nuff Texas Ranger.”
“A pleasure to meet ya, little missy,” Tex touched the brim of his hat in greeting. She could only nod back, her eyes still glued to the strange creature that now stepped forward.
“And this is … uh …” He said a silent prayer of thanks. At least she’d stayed in the wife-beater and cut-off denims Tex had found in one of his granddaughter’s wardrobe. Thank God for small miracles! By now, her disdain for clothing had become obvious to him. He shuddered to imagine what would be happening now had Lulah first laid eyes on a naked vixen. “This is Amber. Amber, I want you to meet Lulah.”
Before he even turned back to his old flame, he could feel the heat from her glare burning into his skin. At the same time, Amber snarled softly, a slight, but possessive warning to the woman with arms still around her man, a woman she sensed as an immediate threat.
“Amber, no!” Tiger said sharply, as if correcting a misbehaving dog. He was now very much wishing he was somewhere else.
“What the hell is this?” Lulah asked bluntly. She pointed at Amber. “What the hell is that?”
“Tha— she is the reason somebody is trying to kill me,” Tiger replied, hoping it might make a difference. It didn’t.
“And you brought it here?” She was incredulous.
“What the hell was I supposed to do?”
All Lulah could do was glare at him. How could he do this to her? Letting some trollop from a comic book fanboy’s wet dream inside her house WAS NOT part of the deal!
“Could we talk about this inside please,” Tiger glanced around nervously. “We really need to get outta sight before someone sees us. That’s kinda the purpose of hiding out, y’know.”
“If you think I’m gonna let so—” She did a double-take as she realized— Oh my God! She’s not wearing a bra! Oh Jesus, I can imagine the questions Blake’s gonna ask.
“Mom?” Brittain’s voice startled her, as it was suddenly directly below her. She was now standing between Lulah and Tiger, but she was staring at the creature, who was returning her daughter’s gaze. The two had locked eyes in the strangest of fashions, as if both were now totally obsessed with the other. As if in a trance, the creature began to move slowly, purposely toward the girl. Without a word, the girl moved to meet her halfway. Lulah, slow to realize what was happening, reached for her daughter … far too late, as she was already out of reach.
“Britt! No … wait!” she commanded, but her daughter ignored her mother. As Lulah started after her, Tiger grabbed her by the arm.
“Hold on. It’ll be ok. Please, trust me,” he implored. She moved to pull away, but the look in his eyes froze her. Still, she naturally feared for her daughter. Again, he reassured her, “She won’t hurt her.”
His confidence did nothing to change the mistrust in her eyes. How could she trust this strange creature? Could she really trust Tiger anymore? How can you even think that? Guilt washed over her. How could she ever think Tiger would allow anything bad to happen to her or hers? But … it’s my baby! Yet, in spite of her better judgement, with every fiber of her being protesting to the contrary, she complied with Tiger’s request.
Human child and genetically engineered female stood before each other now. Each studied the other intently for a moment. Both expressionless, both intense. It was as if, for the two of them, nothing else in the world existed, except for the other. With a look of innocent curiosity, Amber knelt down, gingerly touching the girl’s cherubic face. A soft smile lit up the vixen’s features. As she brushed a strand of hair back from the girl’s blue eyes, Brittain’s face widened into a huge grin of her own. She reached out a hand of her own. It hovered over Amber’s head momentarily, as the two locked eyes one more time, a silent consent passing between them. Then with a gentle eagerness, it fell into Ambers thick head of hair. With a giggle of delight, Britt began to pet her new friend lightly between the ears.
She turned back to Lulah, who, along with Tiger, was looking on in amazement. “Oh, Mom!” she spoke with childish joy. “Can we keep her?”
***
“Paw!” Junior Tuttle burst through the curtain separating his father’s gurney from the dozens of others in the E.R. He hit it with such enthusiasm he almost pulled it from its tracks. He also
