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Art by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/kitchiki
Bahiti by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/benwhiteclaw
...
The month of June was hotter this year than last year. The seasons changed from winter to summer so fast, no one even recalled having spring.
The cheetah known only as Angel Eyes was one of the only people who weren’t bothered by the weather, something that was made obvious by the fact that she wore both her hoodie AND her vest in the hot sunlight. Her faithful friend, the shapeshifter she called Ricardo, was fast asleep in her pocket, meaning that for the moment, she was on her own. And right now, the thing she desperately wanted most was a drink. Unfortunately, a little roughhousing at the bar last night got her banned. Again.
That’s when she saw it; a small café across the street, which had a column of umbrella tables on both sides of the building. A large series of vines were growing on it in that fancy way a lot of restaurants did, and flowers were blooming freely on them.
It looked promising, and right now, it was her only option for a drink. Angel Eyes stretched herself and then began to cross the street.
…
“Uhhhh…” the young lioness groaned.
Bahiti was walking down the street, trying to use her paw to shield her head from the scorching sun. It was only June, and yet it felt as though summer was in full swing already. She tried to use her t-shirt to fan her chest a little, but it hardly did anything compared to the summer’s daily heat wave.
Fortunately, sanctuary wasn’t far away. Just one last block from where she was walking, her favorite café rested in the distance. Maybe if she was lucky, she could get a seat inside, where the AC would protect her from the unforgiving climate. If not, then maybe she could get a spot under an umbrella. The sun may have been making the day miserable, but at least the small breeze would make it tolerable once she got in the shade. Either way, once she got there, the first thing she’d do was buy herself an ice cold frappe.
…
The counter had two cashiers behind it, but both were occupied by large lines stretching all the way back to the door. It made the whole situation a little less promising. The cheetah took a look to her left to see three young girls huddling around the AC vent, enjoying its hum as it blasted cold air in their faces. Next to them, a young couple, boy and girl, we're having a pair of smoothies together.
She turned to the right, and took notice of the girl next to her; a young lioness with a flower on her head, taking deep breaths of the café’s cold, and evidently refreshing air. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was heavy. The cheetah turned around to see that others were having similar phases. Some of them were sweaty, others were panting loudly, but they all were seriously exhausted from the summer sun.
“Hey, lady.” The fox behind her said, tapping the lioness’ shoulder. “Move up.”
She snapped to attention, and took two quick steps forward, rubbing her hands in anticipation.
Angel did the same when the dog in front of her moved up. It may have been a long line with less than interesting people, but at least it was moving.
…
After what seemed like an hour, it was FINALLY her turn. Bahiti took a quick look at the menu and found what she was looking for.
“May I take your order ma’am?” the cashier asked.
“One ice cold frappe please.” She answered quickly.
The cashier typed her order into the computer, and then looked back to her. “What would you like in your frappe?” he asked.
“Chocolate caramel.” She answered, again, quickly.
The cashier typed the updated order. “…okay, one ice cold chocolate caramel frappe; here’s your number. Wait until it’s called.
The cashier handed Bahiti a receipt, and it read ‘238’. She looked at the screen on top of the booth that told whose number it was, and it read, ‘207’.
At this point, the only thing the young lioness could do was groan. It was just gonna be one of those days, she could tell. She needed to do something, anything, to get her mind off of the growing dryness in her throat. She darted her eyes around the room to take her mind off of it, and then she spotted her, right at the cashier’s booth.
She was a cheetah, probably around five feet, and looked to be in her mid to late twenties. Her coat of fur was a golden orange and her white mane had their tips died a dark red. She was wearing a hoodie, and over that, a red vest. How could anyone dress like that on a day like today?
She looked to the cashier with a frustrated look and started grumbling something to herself.
…
“May I have your order, ma’am?” the cashier asked.
The cheetah looked at the menu, trying to spot anything that was related to an alcoholic beverage. But everything she looked at was like a made up language. One option read frappe, another read barista, and then there was another that read Nutella latte. It was like someone took a French dictionary, ate it, threw it up, and rearranged all the letters.
Angel’s eye twitched in frustration.
“Ma’am. There’s a line. May I have your order, or not?” the cashier asked, impatient.
Angel Eyes looked at her and pointed to that menu. “I cannot read that crap. And therefore, I cannot place an order.” She said with gritted teeth. The cashier pinched the bridge of her nose and looked to the other patrons. “Somebody help the cheetah? Please?”
Angel felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked to her right; it was that lioness girl from before.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“She says she can’t read.” The cashier answered.
“No, you idiot; I can read just fine. I just can’t read the menu, because the menu isn’t using real words or even a real language!”
…
Bahiti could tell that the cheetah was losing patience fast. And now that she looked at her, she was starting to recognize her from somewhere, and it was making her uncomfortable. She realized that she needed to do something.
“Okay, how about you tell ME what you’re looking for, and I’ll help you get it.” She offered.
The cheetah looked at her, then back to the menu, then to the cashier, and back to her again.
“By all means.” She accepted.
“Okay. What was it you wanted?” Bahiti asked.
“Alcohol. Something…anything…that has alcohol.” She answered.
The cashier pinched the bridge of her nose.
“If you wanted alcohol, then why didn’t you just go to the bar down the road?”
The bar? Now, this girl seemed even more familiar. Speaking of, she tightly shut her eyes in anger, and slowly turned her head towards the cashier. “Do. Not. Start with me.” she scolded, pointing her finger at her.
The cashier raised her paws in self-defense, and Bahiti’s ears perked up.
“Uh, how about an espresso martini? That’s got alcohol.” She offered quickly.
The cheetah lady turned her eyes to her, and Bahiti was able to get a good look at them for the first time. Vibrant was the first word that came to mind; absolutely vibrant. The specific shade was a shade of blue so deep it almost looked purple, but you could still just barely tell that it was blue. They shined so brightly at her; Bahiti could’ve sworn that they were glowing.
“Fine.” She spoke. “Yes. If it’s alcoholic, I’ll take it.”
The cashier clapped her paws one time and then started typing.
“Excellent. One espresso martini for the touchy, angry cheetah. Here’s your card. We’ll call you once it’s done.”
She handed the angel eyed cheetah a card, and it read ‘239’. She then looked to the screen on top of the booth, and saw that it now read ‘209’.
She then looked to the cashier, and slowly crumpled her card.
“You think that’s real funny, doncha?”
She started to advance, but Bahiti quickly grabbed her and guided her over to the side, smiling nervously. “Uh, uh why don’t we uh…eh-heh-heh…wa-wait over here?” she said, pushing her away.
…
It took about twenty minutes until their cards came up, and another five minutes until they actually got their drinks. But eventually, they got them, and thanks to the lioness’ intervention, the cashier was spared Angel’s wrath.
Much to the lioness’ dismay, however, all the seats in the café were occupied by someone, which meant the only other option was to go outside. Angel could tell quite easily that she didn’t want that.
“Hey Angel Eyes; you wanna sit with me out there?” she asked. “I don’t really wanna sit alone today.”
She was giving her those puppy dog eyes that people gave to others when they really wanted something. Or at least, she was trying to. The look was partial to the puppy eyes, but in actuality, it was exhaustion. Angel didn’t need to second guess that she was still upset about the scorching summer air, but that wasn’t her concern. By the end of the day, she’d have skipped town, and this weekend’s unfortunate incidents would be far behind her.
In the meantime, she may as well have someone to drink with.
“Yeah, sure.”
…
When they stepped outside, the sun was as hot as ever. The humidity had risen along with it, and everything just felt miserable. Fortunately, Bahiti’s frappe was ice cold, and the first sip fought back the summer heat in seconds. “Aaah.” She sighed in satisfaction.
The cheetah girl next to her took a large swig from her glass in seconds, taking some time to get the taste of coffee. “Eh.” She said simply.
The lioness looked at her with a raised brow. Whoever she was, it was at the tip of her tongue, but she still couldn’t figure it out.
They sat at a table, and Bahiti quickly adjusted the umbrella so the shade was protecting them both. With their spot ready, they both relaxed into their seats, and the cheetah downed the last of her martini immediately.
Bahiti raised her eyes at the sight of that, and the cheetah took notice.
“I didn’t have breakfast.” She said with an uninterested smile.
The lioness giggled and took another sip of her frappe. “I take it you go out for those kinds of things often?” she asked.
“Oh, about as much as I can. Don’t usually have a lot of time for the comforting things when on the road.”
Bahiti’s ears perked. “Traveler, then?”
“Of sorts.” She answered. “I usually go on foot, though. And most times I get to a town; I usually spend about a night or two before leaving.”
“Oh yeah?” Bahiti asked. “What do you do when you get to town?”
The cheetah looked up and poked her head out from the umbrella to look at the sky. “Usually, I just hit the town bars for a drink. Meet some people, beat some other people. Head out after a day or two, and start it all over. Did the same thing here; although, last night wasn’t exactly my night if you get my drift.”
That’s when it hit the lioness.
“Wait…you were at the bar last night?”
The cheetah looked at her and nodded.
“Oh, my god…you’re that woman who was on the news last night!” Bahiti exclaimed with a gasp. “You’re the one who threw two people through the bar windows!”
Fast as lightning, she put a finger over her mouth to silence her, and then looked around to see if anyone heard her. It didn’t look like it.
“Listen, you think you can try and be cool about that? I’ve had enough hassle on my back from the barkeep last night; I don’t need the whole town realizing that their newest public menace is having coffee with the locals.”
She slowly removed her finger from Bahiti’s lips, and the lioness looked down at her drink with minor embarrassment. “Uh…sorry. I don’t usually get involved with the aggressive types.”
She took a sip and took a deep breath. The frappe’s cup was starting to get moist due to the hot sun melting away the drink’s cold.
“So, does that mean you’ll be skipping town soon? I’m pretty sure that they won’t let you back in after smashing their place up so badly.”
“No need to panic, girl. I never stick around town that much anyways.” The cheetah replied, holding her emptied glass in her paw. “Towns are quiet, but they’re always tied down. I generally prefer to be on the road. It’s why I travel so much.”
The waitress came over and took a look at the two felines. “Everything going okay, ladies?” she asked. “Would you like anything else?”
“Just the bill’s fine.” The cheetah answered.
The waitress nodded and walked away.
“Wait, that’s it? You’re leaving?” Bahiti asked in surprise.
The cheetah looked at her with a raised brow and raised her arms in a shrug. “Well…yeah. I mean, it’s not like I can do much else here. Towns are too small for any real fun, and the only place I care to go to lock me out.”
*Phlip*
The waitress returned and placed a bill on the table. She left the two girls immediately, and they looked at it for the briefest moment.
“Well, guess that’s my cue then.” The cheetah said, reaching into her pocket.
Bahiti wasn’t sure why she was going to do this, but whatever the reason, she wanted to do it.
“Uh, hang on. Hang on.” She spoke quickly. “It’s on me,” she said, quickly getting her own wallet out.
The cheetah looked at her for a moment and shrugged. She leaned back into her seat as Bahiti put the required payment into the bill.
“So what’s the catch?” the cheetah asked.
The lioness placed the bill on the table and looked to her with a smile.
“Wanna walk me home?”
…
In all honesty, she was usually approached by men when they wanted to bring her home. Sure, there were women from time to time, but they usually reeked of beer and whiskey. Angel Eyes had enough sense to know that they were too drunk to know what they were getting into.
This one at least was completely sober. Speaking of, she had just finished her coffee, or frappy, or whatever she called that thing, and threw the empty cup in the trash. The young lioness looked up at the sky and shielded her eyes with her paw. “Uh, that stupid heat…” she grumbled. “How do you even walk around with all that clothing? It’s unnatural.”
Angel couldn’t help but snicker. “So I’ve been told.” She answered.
She continued to walk with her hands in her pockets and tapped on her compact companion, now wide awake.
“Make the watch.” She said.
She pulled her friend out, and as commanded, he had taken the form of a pocket watch. An original 20s pocket watch. She flipped it open and saw that it read 12:34. It wasn’t even the end of lunchtime.
“Oh, that’s pretty cool.” The lioness said.
“Yeah. It’s one of a kind.” Angel replied, closing the cap, and putting it back into her pocket. “You know, when people want me to come home with them, they usually wait until it gets dark out.” She added with a smirk.
At this, the lioness turned bright red.
“What? OH! Oh…oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no.” she said defensively, trying to laugh it off. Angel had to admit, asexual she may be, this girl was pretty cute.
“It…it’s not like that at all.” She continued. “I mean, not that you aren’t pretty, because you are. It’s just; I have a girlfriend, now.”
Angel looked back to the road. “Okay then.”
“No, I just wanted some company before I had to head into work tonight. My girl’s off doing her own job, and I won’t see her until we both get home.”
“Sounds like a scheduling problem,” Angel commented.
At this, the lion looked at her with a confident smile.
“A problem well on its way to being fixed!” she exclaimed, pointing a finger. “All we have to do is reorganize our work hours for the right days, and then we’ll be able to enjoy our time off together without a fuss!”
“So what is it you do for a living, then?” Angel asked.
“I’m a musician.” She answered. “My instrument’s the trumpet, and I’ve been able to do jazz, and wind bands, and stuff like that.”
The cheetah’s ears perked up at this. The lioness suddenly got interesting.
“Wait, you’ve played jazz music? Like old fashion jazz?”
She took notice of Angel’s change in tone, and couldn’t help but smile as they took a left into an alleyway. The other side of it showed the entrance to a decent looking apartment complex.
“Oh, yeah! I play oldies from time to time. I also play stuff like swing, Latin, even big bands that play together in orchestra!”
The two were about halfway in the alley now, and they could notice a pair of canines hanging out near the entrance talking to each other; they stopped when they saw the felines.
“So what about you, Angel Eyes? You ever play any kind of music?”
Angel looked behind her and saw two figures from the other entrance as well. Nonetheless, they kept walking. “I used to play piano back in the old days. Played at gigs like underground bars, and those big parties that were hosted in those big halls, and we’d play all night long.”
“That sounds so cool!” the lioness commented. “So, why’d you stop?”
Angel shrugged. “The others got old. You can’t expect something like a band to stick around forever.” She said. “Still, those were some good times we had. One of the only times I remember being truly happy.”
Angel stopped walking and grabbed the lioness by the shoulder to stop her as well. Four large mammals, all canine of some sort; two in front, two in back.
“Yeah, well…all good things come to an end, right?” one of them said.
It didn’t take long for the lioness to realize what was happening. She quickly got back to back with Angel Eyes as they started to advance. “W…what do you want?” she asked, now getting nervous.
The one that spoke pulled out a knife from a belt holster he had. “Well…there’s one of two things we’d be happy to have from the two of you.”
They started to circle the two felines, and the one with the knife brushed a finger on Angel’s cheek scar, who raised a brow in response. “You can either undress a little bit and show us what kind of scars you got underneath…”
He stopped with Angel and took a look at the young lioness. “…or you can just give us your cash. We’re fine with either one.”
The cheetah looked to see her current companion reaching into her pocket to get her wallet out.
“Thank you for giving us the option…”
“NO.”
She stopped before she could give it to him, and looked back at the cheetah. She had raised a hand to stop her from continuing, and with her free hand, shoved the canine back a little bit.
“Hang on a sec.” She said to him. “Now tell me honey; what was your name again?”
She quickly looked back between Angel and the canines. “Uh…Bahiti.” She answered.
“Bahiti? Sounds exotic.” Angel said. She looked at their surroundings and took notice of a large green dumpster on their right. “Okay, Bahiti; why don’t you go sit up there for right now, and I’ll be ready to take you back home in about a couple of minutes?”
She did as the cheetah requested quickly, and got on top of the dumpster, making sure that she had her feet off the ground.
The canines looked at them for the briefest moment, and the one who had been talking couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay…if that’s the way it’s gonna be, that’s fine.” He said with his hands on his hips. “One at a time is okay. It really is.”
He looked to Bahiti and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you go anywhere.” He said.
…
Bahiti couldn’t believe what was happening! They were just having a civil conversation, and then all the sudden, they were being mugged! Now, the nice cheetah lady was putting her life at risk just to protect her, and she didn’t have any idea of what she could do to help, and…
Wait. Her phone! She could call the police! None of the dogs were looking at her, and she hadn’t even used her phone today! She quickly whipped it out, and dialed 911. She made sure to lower the volume as quiet as possible as the dogs started to advance on the angel eyed cheetah lady. Oh God, she didn’t even know her name.
“911; what is your emergency?” the receptionist asked.
“Shh!” Bahiti exclaimed quickly. “I can’t talk for long. My friend and I are about to be mugged!” she whispered. “We’re outside of my apartment, and we’re outnumbered four to two.”
“Okay, ma’am. Tell us your address, and we’ll send a response unit as soon as possible.”
Bahiti told them as quickly as she could, and then she hung up. Now she could only pray that Angel Eyes, as she was starting to call her normally, wouldn’t get hurt.
“So, you’re not gonna name a preference, huh?” the leader said. At least, she was pretty sure that that guy with the knife WAS the leader.
“Nope.” Angel Eyes said.
“Fine. Then I guess we’ll be settling for a shiv.”
The dog lunged forward with his knife and made an attempt to stab the cheetah.
Bahiti couldn’t watch. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see, but instead of hearing her new friend cry out, all she heard was that guy grunting in discomfort. She opened her eyes to see that she had caught the knife in her paw, and was now holding the leader by the wrist.
“See, it’s people like you that really ruin my afternoons.” She said. “You think that you have me where you want me straight away, and then you just try to take what you want from me because you think that I can’t stand up for myself. And then you repeat this like a bunch of broken records. I mean what is it with you people always doing this, huh? Is it because I'm a cheetah, and cheetah's are smaller predators? Is it because I look vulnerable because of the scars? Or is...”
She started shaking her head in frustration.
"Don't assume me, to be some defenseless little PUSHOVER!!"
Then, in the blink of an eye, she swept her assailant’s legs right out from under him, and while he was still in the air, she used her free hand to grab him by the throat, and…
*SLAAAAAAM*
…slam him into the concrete.
“W…wha…?” Bahiti exclaimed in shock.
The other dogs had similar reactions.
“B…how did you…?” one of them started.
“You BITCH!” another one shouted. He got out a crowbar and took a swing.
Angel Eyes did nothing but duck, and let the metal appliance swing over her head. While the second dog’s sides were exposed, she threw a right hook into his left ribs in the quickest motion Bahiti had ever seen.
*CRACK-CKL*
“GHAAAH!!” he cried out.
*SLLMMMM*
Not even a second later, the cheetah landed a perfect sweep kick to his mouth, breaking several of his teeth, and making him spin before he hit the ground, out cold.
The last two ran at her at once, one with a smaller knife, and the other with a brass knuckle.
They lept at her at the same time, but when they tried to hit her, she spun herself, grabbing both of them at once, and getting them to hit each other.
*PNG*
The one with the knife got his nose broken.
*SHNK*
The one with the brass got stabbed in the shoulder.
The two dogs looked at each other in pained confusion before Angel Eyes, not skipping a beat, did a double karate chop, sending them both back.
“D-Ooof!”
“Ghaaa!”
They both hit the ground hard, but neither one of them stayed on the ground. They both got back up slowly and did the absolute best they could to shake it off. The one with the stab wound cleaned some of the dirt off of himself. “I am gonna feed you to your girlfriend, you slippery little…”
Not even given enough time to finish his sentence, the cheetah spun around him and grabbed the arm with the brass. Then, in one swift motion…
*CRACK*
…she slammed his face into the brick wall of the alleyway.
“Uuuuuhhhhh…”
He flopped down on his back onto the cold pavement, and the cheetah took a look at the last one standing, still holding his knife. He looked at his friends, all of them out cold, and with broken bones. Realizing what would happen if he went along with it further; he dropped his knife and made a beeline for the exit.
“FREEZE!” a voice said out of nowhere. Bahiti looked and saw that the cops she had called had arrived, and stopped the last robber dead in his tracks. The two officers got out of the car and surrounded him in seconds.
“DON'T MOVE! HANDS UP!”
“ON THE GROUND! NOW!”
The dog did as they commanded, and put his hands over his head as he put himself on the ground, letting the cops cuff him immediately.
Bahiti couldn’t believe what she had just saw! They were four dogs, and at least one of them looked like he knew what he was doing, but that cheetah lady took them all down! All by herself!
Speaking of, the cheetah dusted herself off, and looked to Bahiti, still sitting on the dumpster. “So…shall we?” she said, offering her paw.
“But…what about the…?” the lioness pointed to the cops.
“Let ‘em find you at your place. I’m sure you won’t be hard for them to find. Now let’s get moving before they recognize me from last night.”
The cheetah quickly pulled Bahiti off the dumpster as soon as she took her paw. Then the cheetah ran out of the alley with Bahiti in tow and crossed the street. “I really don’t wanna have to go through that crap again.”
…
Well, her daily fistfight was over, the bad guys were in custody, and the girl was safe and sound. Angel Eyes took a look at the building they were at and looked to the lioness, Bahiti.
“This is your place, yeah?” she asked.
She looked at her with that shocked look on her face, clearly still processing everything that happened. “I, uh…y…y-eah. That…that’s my…my place.” She stammered.
“Alright then,” Angel said. “Why don’t you hurry on inside, and wait for those cops to come and fin-”
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”
Out of nowhere, the young lioness grabbed the cheetah by the waist and pulled her into the tightest embrace the cheetah had ever felt in her many years.
“Uh…”
Angel had no idea how to react to this. Bahiti’s muzzle was digging into her neck, her arms tightly snuggling around her back, her chest area was pressing against her own; even her legs seemed to be wrapping around her in the biggest, tightest embrace she had ever felt someone give her…and she had no idea how she was supposed to respond to it.
“OMIGOSH, YOU FREAKING SAVED MY LIFE! YOU WERE FIGHTING ALL OVER! AND YOU WERE ALL: POW! WHAM! BASH! AND, AND, AND THEY WERE ALL: WAAAH! OW! BLEAAAH! AND! AND! AND!”
The lioness took a deep breath, and breathed a dreamy sigh of relief, not breaking her hold on the cheetah’s figure.
“If I didn’t have a girlfriend, I’d so kiss you right now.” She said.
At this, the cheetah’s cheeks turned a bright red. “I, uhh…”
She gently patted the lioness’ arms, trying to get her to let go, but she wasn’t moving. That’s when she noticed that the cops were scoping out the alley, and were dangerously close to spotting them.
“Uhh…okay, honey. You can, uh…you can, you can let me go now.” Angel stammered. Aside from the cops, other people were noticing them now.
“You, uh…you should probably get inside now…your uh…your girlfriend’s probably gonna wanna hear from you, and, and uh…”
“Hey, excuse me, ladies.” One of the officers called out. “Could you two wait there a moment? We need to ask you some questions.”
Realizing that she had no way out of this, the cheetah sighed in defeat, and with what little elbow room she had, patted the lioness on the shoulder.
“Ugh…shit.”
Bahiti by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/benwhiteclaw
...
The month of June was hotter this year than last year. The seasons changed from winter to summer so fast, no one even recalled having spring.
The cheetah known only as Angel Eyes was one of the only people who weren’t bothered by the weather, something that was made obvious by the fact that she wore both her hoodie AND her vest in the hot sunlight. Her faithful friend, the shapeshifter she called Ricardo, was fast asleep in her pocket, meaning that for the moment, she was on her own. And right now, the thing she desperately wanted most was a drink. Unfortunately, a little roughhousing at the bar last night got her banned. Again.
That’s when she saw it; a small café across the street, which had a column of umbrella tables on both sides of the building. A large series of vines were growing on it in that fancy way a lot of restaurants did, and flowers were blooming freely on them.
It looked promising, and right now, it was her only option for a drink. Angel Eyes stretched herself and then began to cross the street.
…
“Uhhhh…” the young lioness groaned.
Bahiti was walking down the street, trying to use her paw to shield her head from the scorching sun. It was only June, and yet it felt as though summer was in full swing already. She tried to use her t-shirt to fan her chest a little, but it hardly did anything compared to the summer’s daily heat wave.
Fortunately, sanctuary wasn’t far away. Just one last block from where she was walking, her favorite café rested in the distance. Maybe if she was lucky, she could get a seat inside, where the AC would protect her from the unforgiving climate. If not, then maybe she could get a spot under an umbrella. The sun may have been making the day miserable, but at least the small breeze would make it tolerable once she got in the shade. Either way, once she got there, the first thing she’d do was buy herself an ice cold frappe.
…
The counter had two cashiers behind it, but both were occupied by large lines stretching all the way back to the door. It made the whole situation a little less promising. The cheetah took a look to her left to see three young girls huddling around the AC vent, enjoying its hum as it blasted cold air in their faces. Next to them, a young couple, boy and girl, we're having a pair of smoothies together.
She turned to the right, and took notice of the girl next to her; a young lioness with a flower on her head, taking deep breaths of the café’s cold, and evidently refreshing air. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was heavy. The cheetah turned around to see that others were having similar phases. Some of them were sweaty, others were panting loudly, but they all were seriously exhausted from the summer sun.
“Hey, lady.” The fox behind her said, tapping the lioness’ shoulder. “Move up.”
She snapped to attention, and took two quick steps forward, rubbing her hands in anticipation.
Angel did the same when the dog in front of her moved up. It may have been a long line with less than interesting people, but at least it was moving.
…
After what seemed like an hour, it was FINALLY her turn. Bahiti took a quick look at the menu and found what she was looking for.
“May I take your order ma’am?” the cashier asked.
“One ice cold frappe please.” She answered quickly.
The cashier typed her order into the computer, and then looked back to her. “What would you like in your frappe?” he asked.
“Chocolate caramel.” She answered, again, quickly.
The cashier typed the updated order. “…okay, one ice cold chocolate caramel frappe; here’s your number. Wait until it’s called.
The cashier handed Bahiti a receipt, and it read ‘238’. She looked at the screen on top of the booth that told whose number it was, and it read, ‘207’.
At this point, the only thing the young lioness could do was groan. It was just gonna be one of those days, she could tell. She needed to do something, anything, to get her mind off of the growing dryness in her throat. She darted her eyes around the room to take her mind off of it, and then she spotted her, right at the cashier’s booth.
She was a cheetah, probably around five feet, and looked to be in her mid to late twenties. Her coat of fur was a golden orange and her white mane had their tips died a dark red. She was wearing a hoodie, and over that, a red vest. How could anyone dress like that on a day like today?
She looked to the cashier with a frustrated look and started grumbling something to herself.
…
“May I have your order, ma’am?” the cashier asked.
The cheetah looked at the menu, trying to spot anything that was related to an alcoholic beverage. But everything she looked at was like a made up language. One option read frappe, another read barista, and then there was another that read Nutella latte. It was like someone took a French dictionary, ate it, threw it up, and rearranged all the letters.
Angel’s eye twitched in frustration.
“Ma’am. There’s a line. May I have your order, or not?” the cashier asked, impatient.
Angel Eyes looked at her and pointed to that menu. “I cannot read that crap. And therefore, I cannot place an order.” She said with gritted teeth. The cashier pinched the bridge of her nose and looked to the other patrons. “Somebody help the cheetah? Please?”
Angel felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked to her right; it was that lioness girl from before.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“She says she can’t read.” The cashier answered.
“No, you idiot; I can read just fine. I just can’t read the menu, because the menu isn’t using real words or even a real language!”
…
Bahiti could tell that the cheetah was losing patience fast. And now that she looked at her, she was starting to recognize her from somewhere, and it was making her uncomfortable. She realized that she needed to do something.
“Okay, how about you tell ME what you’re looking for, and I’ll help you get it.” She offered.
The cheetah looked at her, then back to the menu, then to the cashier, and back to her again.
“By all means.” She accepted.
“Okay. What was it you wanted?” Bahiti asked.
“Alcohol. Something…anything…that has alcohol.” She answered.
The cashier pinched the bridge of her nose.
“If you wanted alcohol, then why didn’t you just go to the bar down the road?”
The bar? Now, this girl seemed even more familiar. Speaking of, she tightly shut her eyes in anger, and slowly turned her head towards the cashier. “Do. Not. Start with me.” she scolded, pointing her finger at her.
The cashier raised her paws in self-defense, and Bahiti’s ears perked up.
“Uh, how about an espresso martini? That’s got alcohol.” She offered quickly.
The cheetah lady turned her eyes to her, and Bahiti was able to get a good look at them for the first time. Vibrant was the first word that came to mind; absolutely vibrant. The specific shade was a shade of blue so deep it almost looked purple, but you could still just barely tell that it was blue. They shined so brightly at her; Bahiti could’ve sworn that they were glowing.
“Fine.” She spoke. “Yes. If it’s alcoholic, I’ll take it.”
The cashier clapped her paws one time and then started typing.
“Excellent. One espresso martini for the touchy, angry cheetah. Here’s your card. We’ll call you once it’s done.”
She handed the angel eyed cheetah a card, and it read ‘239’. She then looked to the screen on top of the booth, and saw that it now read ‘209’.
She then looked to the cashier, and slowly crumpled her card.
“You think that’s real funny, doncha?”
She started to advance, but Bahiti quickly grabbed her and guided her over to the side, smiling nervously. “Uh, uh why don’t we uh…eh-heh-heh…wa-wait over here?” she said, pushing her away.
…
It took about twenty minutes until their cards came up, and another five minutes until they actually got their drinks. But eventually, they got them, and thanks to the lioness’ intervention, the cashier was spared Angel’s wrath.
Much to the lioness’ dismay, however, all the seats in the café were occupied by someone, which meant the only other option was to go outside. Angel could tell quite easily that she didn’t want that.
“Hey Angel Eyes; you wanna sit with me out there?” she asked. “I don’t really wanna sit alone today.”
She was giving her those puppy dog eyes that people gave to others when they really wanted something. Or at least, she was trying to. The look was partial to the puppy eyes, but in actuality, it was exhaustion. Angel didn’t need to second guess that she was still upset about the scorching summer air, but that wasn’t her concern. By the end of the day, she’d have skipped town, and this weekend’s unfortunate incidents would be far behind her.
In the meantime, she may as well have someone to drink with.
“Yeah, sure.”
…
When they stepped outside, the sun was as hot as ever. The humidity had risen along with it, and everything just felt miserable. Fortunately, Bahiti’s frappe was ice cold, and the first sip fought back the summer heat in seconds. “Aaah.” She sighed in satisfaction.
The cheetah girl next to her took a large swig from her glass in seconds, taking some time to get the taste of coffee. “Eh.” She said simply.
The lioness looked at her with a raised brow. Whoever she was, it was at the tip of her tongue, but she still couldn’t figure it out.
They sat at a table, and Bahiti quickly adjusted the umbrella so the shade was protecting them both. With their spot ready, they both relaxed into their seats, and the cheetah downed the last of her martini immediately.
Bahiti raised her eyes at the sight of that, and the cheetah took notice.
“I didn’t have breakfast.” She said with an uninterested smile.
The lioness giggled and took another sip of her frappe. “I take it you go out for those kinds of things often?” she asked.
“Oh, about as much as I can. Don’t usually have a lot of time for the comforting things when on the road.”
Bahiti’s ears perked. “Traveler, then?”
“Of sorts.” She answered. “I usually go on foot, though. And most times I get to a town; I usually spend about a night or two before leaving.”
“Oh yeah?” Bahiti asked. “What do you do when you get to town?”
The cheetah looked up and poked her head out from the umbrella to look at the sky. “Usually, I just hit the town bars for a drink. Meet some people, beat some other people. Head out after a day or two, and start it all over. Did the same thing here; although, last night wasn’t exactly my night if you get my drift.”
That’s when it hit the lioness.
“Wait…you were at the bar last night?”
The cheetah looked at her and nodded.
“Oh, my god…you’re that woman who was on the news last night!” Bahiti exclaimed with a gasp. “You’re the one who threw two people through the bar windows!”
Fast as lightning, she put a finger over her mouth to silence her, and then looked around to see if anyone heard her. It didn’t look like it.
“Listen, you think you can try and be cool about that? I’ve had enough hassle on my back from the barkeep last night; I don’t need the whole town realizing that their newest public menace is having coffee with the locals.”
She slowly removed her finger from Bahiti’s lips, and the lioness looked down at her drink with minor embarrassment. “Uh…sorry. I don’t usually get involved with the aggressive types.”
She took a sip and took a deep breath. The frappe’s cup was starting to get moist due to the hot sun melting away the drink’s cold.
“So, does that mean you’ll be skipping town soon? I’m pretty sure that they won’t let you back in after smashing their place up so badly.”
“No need to panic, girl. I never stick around town that much anyways.” The cheetah replied, holding her emptied glass in her paw. “Towns are quiet, but they’re always tied down. I generally prefer to be on the road. It’s why I travel so much.”
The waitress came over and took a look at the two felines. “Everything going okay, ladies?” she asked. “Would you like anything else?”
“Just the bill’s fine.” The cheetah answered.
The waitress nodded and walked away.
“Wait, that’s it? You’re leaving?” Bahiti asked in surprise.
The cheetah looked at her with a raised brow and raised her arms in a shrug. “Well…yeah. I mean, it’s not like I can do much else here. Towns are too small for any real fun, and the only place I care to go to lock me out.”
*Phlip*
The waitress returned and placed a bill on the table. She left the two girls immediately, and they looked at it for the briefest moment.
“Well, guess that’s my cue then.” The cheetah said, reaching into her pocket.
Bahiti wasn’t sure why she was going to do this, but whatever the reason, she wanted to do it.
“Uh, hang on. Hang on.” She spoke quickly. “It’s on me,” she said, quickly getting her own wallet out.
The cheetah looked at her for a moment and shrugged. She leaned back into her seat as Bahiti put the required payment into the bill.
“So what’s the catch?” the cheetah asked.
The lioness placed the bill on the table and looked to her with a smile.
“Wanna walk me home?”
…
In all honesty, she was usually approached by men when they wanted to bring her home. Sure, there were women from time to time, but they usually reeked of beer and whiskey. Angel Eyes had enough sense to know that they were too drunk to know what they were getting into.
This one at least was completely sober. Speaking of, she had just finished her coffee, or frappy, or whatever she called that thing, and threw the empty cup in the trash. The young lioness looked up at the sky and shielded her eyes with her paw. “Uh, that stupid heat…” she grumbled. “How do you even walk around with all that clothing? It’s unnatural.”
Angel couldn’t help but snicker. “So I’ve been told.” She answered.
She continued to walk with her hands in her pockets and tapped on her compact companion, now wide awake.
“Make the watch.” She said.
She pulled her friend out, and as commanded, he had taken the form of a pocket watch. An original 20s pocket watch. She flipped it open and saw that it read 12:34. It wasn’t even the end of lunchtime.
“Oh, that’s pretty cool.” The lioness said.
“Yeah. It’s one of a kind.” Angel replied, closing the cap, and putting it back into her pocket. “You know, when people want me to come home with them, they usually wait until it gets dark out.” She added with a smirk.
At this, the lioness turned bright red.
“What? OH! Oh…oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no.” she said defensively, trying to laugh it off. Angel had to admit, asexual she may be, this girl was pretty cute.
“It…it’s not like that at all.” She continued. “I mean, not that you aren’t pretty, because you are. It’s just; I have a girlfriend, now.”
Angel looked back to the road. “Okay then.”
“No, I just wanted some company before I had to head into work tonight. My girl’s off doing her own job, and I won’t see her until we both get home.”
“Sounds like a scheduling problem,” Angel commented.
At this, the lion looked at her with a confident smile.
“A problem well on its way to being fixed!” she exclaimed, pointing a finger. “All we have to do is reorganize our work hours for the right days, and then we’ll be able to enjoy our time off together without a fuss!”
“So what is it you do for a living, then?” Angel asked.
“I’m a musician.” She answered. “My instrument’s the trumpet, and I’ve been able to do jazz, and wind bands, and stuff like that.”
The cheetah’s ears perked up at this. The lioness suddenly got interesting.
“Wait, you’ve played jazz music? Like old fashion jazz?”
She took notice of Angel’s change in tone, and couldn’t help but smile as they took a left into an alleyway. The other side of it showed the entrance to a decent looking apartment complex.
“Oh, yeah! I play oldies from time to time. I also play stuff like swing, Latin, even big bands that play together in orchestra!”
The two were about halfway in the alley now, and they could notice a pair of canines hanging out near the entrance talking to each other; they stopped when they saw the felines.
“So what about you, Angel Eyes? You ever play any kind of music?”
Angel looked behind her and saw two figures from the other entrance as well. Nonetheless, they kept walking. “I used to play piano back in the old days. Played at gigs like underground bars, and those big parties that were hosted in those big halls, and we’d play all night long.”
“That sounds so cool!” the lioness commented. “So, why’d you stop?”
Angel shrugged. “The others got old. You can’t expect something like a band to stick around forever.” She said. “Still, those were some good times we had. One of the only times I remember being truly happy.”
Angel stopped walking and grabbed the lioness by the shoulder to stop her as well. Four large mammals, all canine of some sort; two in front, two in back.
“Yeah, well…all good things come to an end, right?” one of them said.
It didn’t take long for the lioness to realize what was happening. She quickly got back to back with Angel Eyes as they started to advance. “W…what do you want?” she asked, now getting nervous.
The one that spoke pulled out a knife from a belt holster he had. “Well…there’s one of two things we’d be happy to have from the two of you.”
They started to circle the two felines, and the one with the knife brushed a finger on Angel’s cheek scar, who raised a brow in response. “You can either undress a little bit and show us what kind of scars you got underneath…”
He stopped with Angel and took a look at the young lioness. “…or you can just give us your cash. We’re fine with either one.”
The cheetah looked to see her current companion reaching into her pocket to get her wallet out.
“Thank you for giving us the option…”
“NO.”
She stopped before she could give it to him, and looked back at the cheetah. She had raised a hand to stop her from continuing, and with her free hand, shoved the canine back a little bit.
“Hang on a sec.” She said to him. “Now tell me honey; what was your name again?”
She quickly looked back between Angel and the canines. “Uh…Bahiti.” She answered.
“Bahiti? Sounds exotic.” Angel said. She looked at their surroundings and took notice of a large green dumpster on their right. “Okay, Bahiti; why don’t you go sit up there for right now, and I’ll be ready to take you back home in about a couple of minutes?”
She did as the cheetah requested quickly, and got on top of the dumpster, making sure that she had her feet off the ground.
The canines looked at them for the briefest moment, and the one who had been talking couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay…if that’s the way it’s gonna be, that’s fine.” He said with his hands on his hips. “One at a time is okay. It really is.”
He looked to Bahiti and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you go anywhere.” He said.
…
Bahiti couldn’t believe what was happening! They were just having a civil conversation, and then all the sudden, they were being mugged! Now, the nice cheetah lady was putting her life at risk just to protect her, and she didn’t have any idea of what she could do to help, and…
Wait. Her phone! She could call the police! None of the dogs were looking at her, and she hadn’t even used her phone today! She quickly whipped it out, and dialed 911. She made sure to lower the volume as quiet as possible as the dogs started to advance on the angel eyed cheetah lady. Oh God, she didn’t even know her name.
“911; what is your emergency?” the receptionist asked.
“Shh!” Bahiti exclaimed quickly. “I can’t talk for long. My friend and I are about to be mugged!” she whispered. “We’re outside of my apartment, and we’re outnumbered four to two.”
“Okay, ma’am. Tell us your address, and we’ll send a response unit as soon as possible.”
Bahiti told them as quickly as she could, and then she hung up. Now she could only pray that Angel Eyes, as she was starting to call her normally, wouldn’t get hurt.
“So, you’re not gonna name a preference, huh?” the leader said. At least, she was pretty sure that that guy with the knife WAS the leader.
“Nope.” Angel Eyes said.
“Fine. Then I guess we’ll be settling for a shiv.”
The dog lunged forward with his knife and made an attempt to stab the cheetah.
Bahiti couldn’t watch. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see, but instead of hearing her new friend cry out, all she heard was that guy grunting in discomfort. She opened her eyes to see that she had caught the knife in her paw, and was now holding the leader by the wrist.
“See, it’s people like you that really ruin my afternoons.” She said. “You think that you have me where you want me straight away, and then you just try to take what you want from me because you think that I can’t stand up for myself. And then you repeat this like a bunch of broken records. I mean what is it with you people always doing this, huh? Is it because I'm a cheetah, and cheetah's are smaller predators? Is it because I look vulnerable because of the scars? Or is...”
She started shaking her head in frustration.
"Don't assume me, to be some defenseless little PUSHOVER!!"
Then, in the blink of an eye, she swept her assailant’s legs right out from under him, and while he was still in the air, she used her free hand to grab him by the throat, and…
*SLAAAAAAM*
…slam him into the concrete.
“W…wha…?” Bahiti exclaimed in shock.
The other dogs had similar reactions.
“B…how did you…?” one of them started.
“You BITCH!” another one shouted. He got out a crowbar and took a swing.
Angel Eyes did nothing but duck, and let the metal appliance swing over her head. While the second dog’s sides were exposed, she threw a right hook into his left ribs in the quickest motion Bahiti had ever seen.
*CRACK-CKL*
“GHAAAH!!” he cried out.
*SLLMMMM*
Not even a second later, the cheetah landed a perfect sweep kick to his mouth, breaking several of his teeth, and making him spin before he hit the ground, out cold.
The last two ran at her at once, one with a smaller knife, and the other with a brass knuckle.
They lept at her at the same time, but when they tried to hit her, she spun herself, grabbing both of them at once, and getting them to hit each other.
*PNG*
The one with the knife got his nose broken.
*SHNK*
The one with the brass got stabbed in the shoulder.
The two dogs looked at each other in pained confusion before Angel Eyes, not skipping a beat, did a double karate chop, sending them both back.
“D-Ooof!”
“Ghaaa!”
They both hit the ground hard, but neither one of them stayed on the ground. They both got back up slowly and did the absolute best they could to shake it off. The one with the stab wound cleaned some of the dirt off of himself. “I am gonna feed you to your girlfriend, you slippery little…”
Not even given enough time to finish his sentence, the cheetah spun around him and grabbed the arm with the brass. Then, in one swift motion…
*CRACK*
…she slammed his face into the brick wall of the alleyway.
“Uuuuuhhhhh…”
He flopped down on his back onto the cold pavement, and the cheetah took a look at the last one standing, still holding his knife. He looked at his friends, all of them out cold, and with broken bones. Realizing what would happen if he went along with it further; he dropped his knife and made a beeline for the exit.
“FREEZE!” a voice said out of nowhere. Bahiti looked and saw that the cops she had called had arrived, and stopped the last robber dead in his tracks. The two officers got out of the car and surrounded him in seconds.
“DON'T MOVE! HANDS UP!”
“ON THE GROUND! NOW!”
The dog did as they commanded, and put his hands over his head as he put himself on the ground, letting the cops cuff him immediately.
Bahiti couldn’t believe what she had just saw! They were four dogs, and at least one of them looked like he knew what he was doing, but that cheetah lady took them all down! All by herself!
Speaking of, the cheetah dusted herself off, and looked to Bahiti, still sitting on the dumpster. “So…shall we?” she said, offering her paw.
“But…what about the…?” the lioness pointed to the cops.
“Let ‘em find you at your place. I’m sure you won’t be hard for them to find. Now let’s get moving before they recognize me from last night.”
The cheetah quickly pulled Bahiti off the dumpster as soon as she took her paw. Then the cheetah ran out of the alley with Bahiti in tow and crossed the street. “I really don’t wanna have to go through that crap again.”
…
Well, her daily fistfight was over, the bad guys were in custody, and the girl was safe and sound. Angel Eyes took a look at the building they were at and looked to the lioness, Bahiti.
“This is your place, yeah?” she asked.
She looked at her with that shocked look on her face, clearly still processing everything that happened. “I, uh…y…y-eah. That…that’s my…my place.” She stammered.
“Alright then,” Angel said. “Why don’t you hurry on inside, and wait for those cops to come and fin-”
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”
Out of nowhere, the young lioness grabbed the cheetah by the waist and pulled her into the tightest embrace the cheetah had ever felt in her many years.
“Uh…”
Angel had no idea how to react to this. Bahiti’s muzzle was digging into her neck, her arms tightly snuggling around her back, her chest area was pressing against her own; even her legs seemed to be wrapping around her in the biggest, tightest embrace she had ever felt someone give her…and she had no idea how she was supposed to respond to it.
“OMIGOSH, YOU FREAKING SAVED MY LIFE! YOU WERE FIGHTING ALL OVER! AND YOU WERE ALL: POW! WHAM! BASH! AND, AND, AND THEY WERE ALL: WAAAH! OW! BLEAAAH! AND! AND! AND!”
The lioness took a deep breath, and breathed a dreamy sigh of relief, not breaking her hold on the cheetah’s figure.
“If I didn’t have a girlfriend, I’d so kiss you right now.” She said.
At this, the cheetah’s cheeks turned a bright red. “I, uhh…”
She gently patted the lioness’ arms, trying to get her to let go, but she wasn’t moving. That’s when she noticed that the cops were scoping out the alley, and were dangerously close to spotting them.
“Uhh…okay, honey. You can, uh…you can, you can let me go now.” Angel stammered. Aside from the cops, other people were noticing them now.
“You, uh…you should probably get inside now…your uh…your girlfriend’s probably gonna wanna hear from you, and, and uh…”
“Hey, excuse me, ladies.” One of the officers called out. “Could you two wait there a moment? We need to ask you some questions.”
Realizing that she had no way out of this, the cheetah sighed in defeat, and with what little elbow room she had, patted the lioness on the shoulder.
“Ugh…shit.”
Category Artwork (Digital) / All
Species Feline (Other)
Size 1280 x 1081px
File Size 150.5 kB
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