Malcolm, also known as Snowcat King, leapt from the roof of the Downtown loft he shared with his Consort and mate, Leonard Carlin, known to most simply as Knight.
Landing on a nearby roof, he leapt and ran with inhuman athleticism, quickly reaching the landing pad where the Flux-Carson jet waited, its ion fusion turbines glowing a bright azure. The pilot turned his helmeted regard towards the young-seeming white-haired man, who may have appeared almost an inch taller than he’d been when he’d boarded just a moment ago, “Wilderness, sir?”
Malcolm nodded, “Yes, please, Captain Tomescu.” A quick glance at the pilot’s badge had supplied his name. People always appreciated when you used their names properly. Of course, everyone knew that you didn’t supply your real name in public. Names had power.
He settled in for his flight to Canada, though it would be brief and thought back to his farewell from Knight and sighed happily. They were exploring each other’s minds and forms, switching between animalistic hybrid to humanistic hybrid and the primal balance form Mal had been refining.
They had lain together, side by side, regaining their breath. Their skin still tingled with a spine-tingling preternatural chill and the room smelled of dewy, pine-forested mountainsides. The nipples on Knight’s broad, smooth chest were always attentive for a while afterward.
“I have to go up North for a while,” Mal murmured into their embrace, “I need some time alone to reflect on the use of our natural weaponry. I’m accustomed to using less lethal methods. I’d like for you to reflect upon the same thing in my absence. We covered it but a true warrior uses only the necessary force. You didn’t *have* to have killed him and we can’t afford for it to happen again.”
His tone had been sympathetic but firm. These things happened when you could have sharp claws at a thought. It was an act of concentration as simple as keeping one’s eye open a few moments without blinking. But control could be established and the Beta could have easily fled or disabled the two drugged humans with his superior prowess.
And it was then that the starboard turbine exploded, immediately making the transport vessel lurch violently to the left, losing altitude.