New Friends - Grendel's Cave (Shauna/Grace)

She nodded. "Well this one goes back to 1989. I was a first responded and a fire fighter back then. I worked the ladder in search and rescue and roof work. I ran the old K bar and K 12 saw. This becomes important... We were responding to Beacon Hill area in Boston and upscale neighborhood that usually didn't have anything too unusual going on because the police were on it and the people had money. There had been a couple of recent burns in Dorchester so when we got called to the Code Red... a working structure fire, we knew something was up." She reached her hands out as she set the scene. We pulled up and parked the long ass beast of a truck down the road closest to the structure and spun up the aerial. The first incoming Engine was already making a hydrant and we could see this was one of the few abandoned homes in the area. That put it as suspicious but I wasn't in that Biz at the time."

She took a breath. "As we spun up the ladder I started my walk up K bar on my hip and K 12 saw in my hands. That's a big circular blade we cut into roofs to ventilate out smoke. It was abandoned so we were just dong business as usual as I stepped and checked out the already slightly spongy roof line. It was ok to Cut so a turned to rev up the blade when over the clicker flames the distant sirens of other incoming trucks I thought I heard a sound. It was a mewing sound."

Shauna looked form at Grace. "A cat sound."

She was attentive. And somewhat sad. She nodded for the woman to continue.

Shauna watched for any reaction to the tale as she spoke. You never knew with a fellow Kindred how they might respond to a tale so she always kept a steady watch.

"I couldn't find it. I took off my flash light and I still couldn't find it. It wasn't on the roof. It wasn't in the overhanging branches of the tree but by all that's holy I could hear a cat...or two... maybe three." She shook her head. "I set eh saw down and called in the sound to my Captain who was already pissed I hadn't vented the roof so the hose team could get in and he just screamed at em to do my job and stop Dicking around...so I did." I grabbed the K bar and slammed it down into the spongy part of the roofline and was greeted with a ton of think smoke. I also could barely make out the sound of coughing. That was it...I reved up the saw and cut my hole. Ripping out the roof with as much speed as I could muster. the hose team needed in and whatever was alive under the roofline wasn't going to make it much longer while I looked for the damn things." She took another breath.

The Kbar was set as a pry and I pivoted the roof in rather than the usual shove through and I guessed right. In the eves were 4 kittens. One was already long dead but the other three were bearly breathing. My team mates had made it up the ladder to join me and I handed off one to each. Now we have had cats up trees in drains in gutters but not in burning rooflines. They were in really rough shape but we rescued breathed them..." She smiled slightly. "Not nearly the baby training we had in class but it was good puff gently practice t the least and when they responded we were thrilled. The fire was being knocked down and the three were rescued down the ladder."

She looked really sad as she said. "Sounds like a great ending doesn't it?"

She took a breath and nodded. "We brought them down blanketed them and the cops took them to the Shelter. They were pretty badly burned in a couple of places each. The vet decided they were too beat up to rehab and adopt out... and put them out of the misery. we found out 5 days later that the vet decided that without a word to any of us. We had a debate going into this whole thing as to whether we should home them at the station or take them to the shelter. We were allowed a mascot and 3 cats could be one dog but... we figured real families in houses without shifts sirens and us running for the trucks would have been better for them. Sound logic..."

She shrugged. "You have never seen a more pissed off, pissed on, put out, bunch of guys than we were when we found out the vet decided. I swore then and there never again." She shook her head. "I would never again just drop and animal into someone else's hands without knowing full well in advance what they would do with them and when I became like we are... most animals still don't was to get too close. Humans don't get it but the critters out there instinctively do. Cinder got assigned to me and I had to ghoul her to get the relationship going. Getting bit by her was easy getting around the fact she bit me was a lot harder. You were the first cat to do the twining thing and for a moment I thought I really had done it..."

She looked at her ruefully. "So yeah it was a mental slap and flash back in a way. It was also amazing you brought me three... like the three that didn't make it."

She smiled.

"Lass, ye ha' no ken o' how much 't hurt me t' see ye like tha'. An' ye can always trust me wi' an' animal. I be glad t' ha' given ye ye're heart back."

Shauna smiled too and called a kitty to her. "I've been thinking on names. "I have Cinder here o maybe I should stick with the firehouse theme." She sighed. "The Black is like a good Char. People will think its short for Charlie or something. The Calico reminds me of a spotty burn so maybe Ember like the embers on the wind but I'm really stuck on the last one." She smiled looking hopefully at her. "Suggestions?"

She smiled.

"They've ne'er had names 'fore. Those sound like fine ones. An' they like 'em."

She turned and picked up the tabby colored American short hair. "OK you...." She eyed the cat eye to eye for a moment and placed it on her lap to pat the fur and scratch the sensitive spots under the jawline. "Hurst." She finally said. "I'm gonna call you Hurst after the maker of the Hurst tool...the extrication tool we use to rescue people trapped in cars. What do you think?" She picking up the cat and looking her back in the eyes.

All purrs. So many purrs.

"She like's 't. An' they all be girls, an' none be pregnant. Made sure o' tha'. They've all had litters but they still be whole. They understand Spaying, an' will submit if ye want. But they ha' nay been fixed yet."

Shauna chuckled. "I got a group of girls all around Kyle. He should be thrilled being the only man in the house. Will they stay inside and not go out jumping the bones of the handsome Tom's?"

She chuckled.

"They'll stay close, but when they go int' heat, they'll want t' get laid."

She nodded. "Then spay it is. No way I could handle 3 litters 2x a year." She smiled. "Vet check spay and then they can be free women to play as they like."

She smiled.

"Sounds like a plan. They've all had litters, so ye're nay takin' anythin' fro' 'em."

"I bet they were fantastic Mommy's too." She said quietly but with an intensity. "Something some of us will never see."

She frowns.

"Did ye nay ha' children, lass?"

She shook her head. "Didn't, then later couldn't... now never can. It's life, accidents, injuries and circumstance in my case." She chuckled ruefully. "And adoption is right out considering."

She frowned, but nodded.

"Well, th' cats make good children. An' I can teach ye t' speak t' 'em, if ye dinna ken how already."

Shauna looked at her steadily. "I have no clue how to speak to them and really get it understood. Cinder came to me trained and they trained me to handle her. Bond helps that too. The fact she's a love who is as much a workaholic as I am also makes points."

"Other than a happy home for them and one other if you find one in need, I don't know what I could offer you in return for the teaching."

She waved her hand away.

"Teachin' ye t' speak t' ye're animals be easy. An' for one so lovin' as ye, is nay a bid deal."

Shauna smiled. "Then I am honored 3 times over." She smiled an like that child shown a special toy she asked. "How do we begin?"

She smiled and called to the little black cat.

"It's easy..."

((Fast forward to you putting in the spend. I do not have the brain power for this.))

(LOL Holidays timing and brain power... eyah I hear you. Sent.)

Shuana was in earnest with this and between body language getting down on hands and knees and making some very odd off the wall and off key sounds eventually got a proper hello out there.

Laughing when she actually won the battle she rolled over and got mobbed.