Author: Vamp_fangs
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
Feedback: Yes, please. My email is nikki_2005@techie.com
Summary: Mistress Tara finds herself in love with a disturbed redheaded hybrid and her life changes forever.

A tall, shapely blonde leaned onto her stone balcony that over looked her clan halls. Wearing a sheer light blue nightgown, she watched as the morning sun rose and felt the wind breeze gently caress her face and body. Down below, the early birds in the kitchen were already awake, pots and pans clinking together as they cooked breakfast. Tracing a rune on the balcony's edge she lost herself in her own agenda for that day with a smile as she breathed in the faint scent of freshly made pastries. Her thoughts were interrupted by three precise loud knocks.

"Enter." She called, standing up straight before heading back into her room and grabbing a long, white robe. The door swung open revealing two women; a blonde and a brunette who both bowed low. "Ah, morning, you two. So did you like the pets I bought you? Faith? Anya?"

"Mine's feisty, I can tell you that much. she has a nice ass too." The brunette replied, grinning as she closed the doors behind her. "How 'bout yours Anya. Were you able to get into your kitten's pants yet?"

"My kitty and I had lots of fun last night. he wasn't bad in the performance area. I just need to hand him over to some trainers later on, though I think it more productive if I did it myself. Wouldn't it be, Tara?" The shorter woman asked, settling herself on to a wooden chair, watching her Mistress nod.

"It would... You could teach him commands that you want him to learn. And he won't develop bad habits if you do them right." Mistress Tara Maclay answered, sweeping her hair to her left side as she sat down in front of a large mirror. "So, what are the plans for today?" Faith and Anya glanced at each other, Faith nodded at Anya signaling for her to start.

"Well, a few hours ago, we received word that the Mistress Drusilla of the Sangrine Clan had just killed Master Adam Three-One-Four. We can kill her and take both her and Master Adam's estates with few loses if we strike within a few hours." Anya started. "We need more meat and land to grow fresh foods. So acquiring their estates would mean that we would have more room for growing new foods and constructing new buildings."

"And I heard from the reports of our spies that Mistress Drusilla has gone on a hunting spree, getting three more plots of land." Faith supplied. "If we attack now we can gain five more areas." The blonde Mistress nodded and bite her bottom lip in thought.

"How close are we to her property?" Mistress Tara asked, standing up and moving to her closet, pulling out a brown-green light weight armor. She shrugged off her robe and slipped out of her night gown, causing Anya and Faith to look away in respect, before placing her body armor into place.

"Just a few thousand kilometers. Any closer, Mistress Drusilla's gift would sense our cloaking spell." Anya answered, listening to Mistress Tara snap her shin guards in place.

"Alright. Anya, get me the schematics of her place. Faith, you get dressed and get your ass back here. We are leaving in three hours."

"Yes, Mistress."

i was born into a large tribe of human-cougar hybrids. i grew up in a litter with my two year-mates, Buffy and Xander. i was always the awkward looking one, compared to Buffy and Xander, who took their stature to stride, being able to shift before me while i remained the lanky, thin one with her tail and fangs always showing. we were the Alpha's pups and had two adults watching us at all times but we almost never noticed. we were happy children, ignorant of the world outside our tribe and so involved in ours. we were never coddled. i still remember the pact we made as children, the one that said we would follow one another wherever we may go, we would never be alone if one of us was alive. but we never thought we would ever use the pact or that anything would ever keep us apart. we were part of the Kogar tribe and our elders were our protectors. everyone in the forests, jungles and mountains feared us. and the only nightmares we had were of the stories warning us of the Inner Cities that floats in the air. but we never really paid close attention.

the Inner Cities were a harsh place to live and our kind were not welcomed as anything but property. purebred humans ruled those cities. the cities were separate and would pass through every week, everyone learned never to make much noise or movement on those days. the stories of those who were taken away and never to return truly frightened me. even though in the wilderness, the Kogar warriors were the most feared for their ferocity and stealthy kills, we would never take a person out of their natural habitat. it was a full moon that night when the poachers raided my village, taking the youths and maidens of the Kogar clan. Buffy, Xander and i had just been accepted as warrior apprentinces when the slavers of the Inner City decided it was time to hit our village. i remember the screams of my elders, the bellowing shouts of men for their mates, the calls of the mothers for their children and the keening noises the children that were in the air of the still night sky. Buffy and Xander fought along side me but i was stunned before i saw my attackers.

i was fifteen.

my Master was a tall, dark-haired woman, with beautifully misty, brown eyes but She also was a harsh woman, gifted with the power of Sight. She was the one who had seen my potential when i was locked up in a cell. She was the one who got me addicted to drugs that i recieved daily. She was the one who forced the change upon me, causing the cougar in my to rage. and because of my animal's rage, i was often beaten until i could not hold my animal form.

"Little girls rip so easily. Just like pink paper." She would explain as i reverted back to my human shape and She continued with my punishment for my animal's behavior. after each beating She soothes me with heavy pets on my head, running Her left hand through my hair while Her left would wipe away any tears, telling me that i was Her good girl, Her special girl always before injecting a murky white liquid into my veins causing my blood to turn into fire.

Her drugs always placed me a fog filled state that only cleared up when She was near and i would have lost sense of all time if it were not for my Master's enjoyment of celebrating the new years with new gifts. i assumed i had been with my Master for four years, because i received four gifts from Her; my black leather collar, Her mark just above my tail, a silver cuff that encircles my tail and a white shift that ends mid-thigh. and every year She allowed me new privileges like exercising outside, hunting, killing, and sleeping in Her bed. i took what She gave me and did as She said.

"I need someone to keep me warm, little cubby." She whispered into my ear the first night i spent with Her, She pressed my face into Her bosom, Her arms and legs interlocking with mine. it was only after a few months She decided that i was never a threat and left me unbound. but often in the middle of the night i would wake up and stare at Her throat but could never bring myself to bite through my muddled head, only press my body closer to Hers. She knew of my liking for women, for Her, but She liked Her males. i learned to appreciate Her presence even if She did not need me.

my life was starting to stabilize and if i needed my Master to survive i would do my duties. for Her I had kill two assassins and twenty-one slaves. for Her i watched her kill three other Masters. for Her i wore a nine inch scar down my left side, but i never blamed Her, it was my duty. and if She kept me with Her i was fine. it wasn't long before my world was taken away again.

"Don't make me take the whip to you again, girl. Go to the room now. Lock yourself in until otherwise." my Master growled as i hesitated at the door. She had fear in Her scent and i didn't like it. She was never afraid. "Leave!" She shouted, picking up a vase and tossing it at the wall just above my head. it was just a warning shot. i ducked as pieces of glass fell, cutting my shift and shoulders. i glanced at Her again and rushed towards my cell, my hands and knees hitting the wooden floor with thuds. something was wrong, She was angry and She was packing. why did She send me away? was i a bad girl? what did i do? where was She going? i locked myself into the room and huddle in a corner, my eyes fluttering towards the door and to the box on the other side. who was going to take care of me if She left? i rubbed bleeding shoulders against the wall causing the small glass pieces to go in deeper, whimpering in worry and pain. who was going to take care of Her? i shivered as fear ran down my spine. i scrambled over to the other side of my cell and hurriedly knocked down the box, almost ecstatic to see that my medicine was still in there.

i began to feel drowsy within a few minutes of taking it and slipped into my corner again, placing my head on the wall, resting my eyes for a moment.