The Saurians whirl to face their attacker. She stands 5'7" and is a sleek, lithe, feline humanoid. Her short, but thick, fur is a bluish grey and her eyes, tilted at the corners, flare a brilliant silver green. Her mouth, more human than feline, is curled into a sneer, revealing curved, feline fangs. Her slightly triangular face is more exotic than attractive. While she has slight breasts, her form is as attractive as her face is exotic. A long plume of a tail swishes in annoyance. She wears a light blue, sleeveless, leotard that fastens around her throat. Black fingerless gloves adorn her hands even as emerald earrings adorn her feline ears. Gold bangles adorn her left ankle and a device like a watch sits on her left wrist. A mane of black-gray hair tumbles down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. A loose belt rests around her hips. Attached to it is a holster bearing a small, but deadly, hand blaster and a black hilted saber.
"Who in the name of DuCaine is that?" asks Duke quietly.
"No idea," answers his little sister..
"We'll skin you alive, kitty cat," says Siege, starting towards her.
Wildwing starts forward to help but Mallory stops him. "If she wants to take on Siege, let's see how she does."
The feline hisses and claws at Siege's weapon with claws 5" in length and 100x sharper than the claws of a lioness. Her claws slice through it like a hot knife through butter. He looks at it as the cut parts of the weapon hit the floor, then her in surprise.
She smiles and displays her claws. "I am not an ordinary adversary." Her ‘r’s are rolled, rather like a purr. Her voice is a smooth alto with a rumble like thunder. She takes her saber off of her belt and activates it. Kintarae whistles when she sees the ruby colored blade.
"Twilight Slash!" She slashes at them with the saber, purposely missing them. A slash of blue gray light appears on Siege's chest, opening a deep wound. She smirks. "Why don't you leave these nice ducks alone and deliver a message to Dragaunus...Tell him that Kitty is in town to collect."
"S-s-sure lady,"says Chameleon as he and the others teleport out.
"Sorry I interrupted your wedding...please continue," she says, deactivating her saber and walking out of the church.
The wedding is swiftly concluded and the Ducks file out and into the Migrator. The topic of conversation on the return to the Pond is their mysterious helper. "The fact that she is here to collect could mean that she is a mercenary or a bounty hunter," says Kintarae, leaning against her new husband.
"How do we know she wants to collect money?" asks Mallory. "He might have stolen something from her."
"I think Kin has the right of it," says Duke. "She wouldn't have said she was coming, she would have gone after him."
"Well we can't know what she wanted. We'll have to wait to find out," says Wildwing.
***
The feline stalks into the throne room of the Raptor. Dragaunus whirls when she says, "I want my money, lizard breath and I want it NOW!" She is pointing her blaster at him.
"Miss Purrsia...it's a pleasure to-" Dragaunus' smooth voice is cut off abruptly.
"Stuff it. Hand over my money and I will allow you to live," she snarls.
"I don't think so." He unobtrusively reaches towards a button then freezes when a shot from the blaster makes a hole in the console.
"Don't even try it," she says, taking aim at his face.
"Try what? This?" He pushes the button and the room immediately fills with robots.
Shit! Time to cut my losses, she thinks as she blasts several of the robots who try to capture her. After several minutes and several cuts and bruises, Gonna have to twilight my tail out of --
"Aaagghh!!!" She staggers and clutches at her lower back. Her hand comes away covered with blood and she can feel it trickle down her back. I'm out of here!
She yells, "Twilight teleport!" An aura of light surrounds her, then she vanishes.
She appears in an alley near the Pond and her legs give out causing her to crumple to the ground. Almost reflexively, she changes shape into a small, blue-gray cat and begins mewing loudly for help. Her distress communicates itself to Grin, who finds her. He picks her up gently and carries her into the Pond and tends her wounds.
***
These Ducks are a surprise. After all, we felines eat them...yet, they are helping me, she thinks watching them from the padded basket she was placed in. Her eyes roam over each of them as she delicately accepts the fish that Grin offers her, tidbit by tidbit. The one who appears to be in command is certainly handsome...as is his younger sibling...Too bad the younger one is married. His wife is gorgeous...for a duck. She has to be some kind of mercenary or thief. The one with the eye patch looks similar to her...Possibly her brother...Another thief or mercenary or something...The red haired one seems to dislike me...Not surprised. The blonde female smells like chemicals...a scientist? Well, she'll get a surprise if she ever thinks of using this little cat for a science project...This big one is gentle...but he doesn't seem to have any spirit at all...Might be allies against that low down, bastard snake, Dragaunus.
A month later she stretches and finds she is well enough to leave. She rises as Grin sleeps and starts towards the door. Her silver green eyes show her the way. At his door, she pauses and turns to look at him. Memories of the kind way Grin and the others treated her fly through her head, Wildwing's face hanging before her mind’s eye in particular.
Here and now I make two vows. I vow I will repay the kindness done to me and I vow I will get revenge on Dragaunus. Then she is out the door and gone.
***
Wildwing sighs, looking around at the prison in which the Saurians have tossed them.
"How long are we going to be in here, Dive?" asks a fearful Kintarae, huddling against him.
"I dunno, Kin...I guess until they are ready to kill us," her husband replies, wrapping his arms around him. This is the first time that he has ever seen Kin scared and it worries him. She sighs and leans her head against his shoulder. Nosedive hugs her tight.
"Wish there was some thing we could do," says Duke, quietly looking at the two, though he is speaking to Wildwing. "They should have a chance at life together."
"I know. But I don't see what can be done. These bars adapt to the strength used against them so Grin can't pull them out or bend them. We don't have our weapons and you stopped carrying your lock picks as did Kin...I don't even have the Mask."
"Mrrreow."
Wildwing looks down to see the feline they helped to heal rubbing itself against him. He bends down and picks it up. "I dunno know how you got in here, kitty, but I wish you could get us out." He scratches her gently behind the ears.
She looks at him, eyes glinting. -That is exactly why I am here.- Her mental voice is cool and purring and is heard by all the ducks.
"What the-?" says Mallory, looking at the cat.
The feline leaps from Wildwing's arms and slips between the bars. Once a safe distance from the bars she is surrounded by an aura of light. As they watch, the cat grows to humanoid size. Paws become hands and fingers and meowing becomes speech. She turns to them and smiles wryly. "Betcha never saw a cat do that before." She walks over and extend the claws of her left hand.
"Who are you?" asks Tanya.
"Twilight Purrsia. You can call me Purrsia if you want," she replies, inserting one claw into the lock and wiggling it around. "Purrsie if you must."
"Why are you helping us?" demands Wildwing.
She gives him a cold look. "I'm your friend...not an enemy or even a potential enemy. There is no reason for you to demand anything from me." Her voice is as cold as an Arctic night in winter. "If you want to know something then you ask for it. If I feel you need to know it then I will tell you what you want to know." She falls silent.
Properly rebuked, Wildwing says, in the tone of gentle respect that appeals to felines of all kinds, "Why are you helping us?"
Purrsia smiles."You're learning. I am repaying your kindness to me." She gives a disgusted huff and withdraws her claw from the lock then retracts them. "Damned lock."
Purrsia retrieves the Mighty Ducks weapons and passes them through the bars to their owners. Then she shifts back to her housecat form and slips through the bars. She shifts again, and says, "I'll have to teleport us out of here."
"Why not use those weapons of yours?" asks Mallory.
"If you want to try and fight the drones in a cage, I will. But I personally prefer a more silent method" is the tart reply. She walks up to them. "We need to talk...but here is not a good place to do so. Hold on to your feathers!" She closes her eyes and paces in a circle around them glowing brightly. Then, "Twilight Teleport!" They are gone.
They reappear in the ready room of the Pond.
"What was THAT?!" cries Kintarae.
"My teleportation." Purrsia replies, smiling smugly. Then she frowns and closes her eyes briefly. When she opens them she pins a silver stare on Wildwing. Her eyes are slightly dazed and a hint of the weariness she feels can be seen there. "I hate to admit it but teleporting over two takes a certain amount of energy. Is there someplace I can sit down while we talk?"
"Uh, yeah."
She is guided to the rec room. There she immediately makes herself comfortable on one of the couches. The others sit or stand. Purrsia licks her hand and passes it over her whiskers before saying, "How badly do you want to take Dragaunus down?"
To be continued...