Chapter 12 #3
Meanwhile, Eric continues, gesturing to people in the first tier of seats.
“People in the bottom row, can you make sure you have nothing sitting on the banister in front of you? If you have handbags, food, or drinks, please move them now. Very shortly, a barrier will be appearing out of there.” People hurry to do as Eric asked as more smoke fills the arena and the lights start to dim.
Suddenly, just as he said, a clear glass-like barrier rises out of the banister in front of the bottom row.
People’s eyes are drawn to it, the distraction delaying their notice that the inside of the circus ring is changing as well.
It now looks like a frozen tundra with mounds and dips throughout the space.
A small section rises out of the middle with Eric perched on it.
“Alright, I think we’re just about ready for our next act,” he announces, drawing everyone's attention back to the center ring and earning more gasps and exclamations of surprise.
“You’ve all seen big cat acts in circuses before, but our big cats are just a little different.
All the way to us from the planet Iceeen.
” He gives a huge exaggerated wink, and they titter and chuckle like the good audience they are, playing to his cues.
“I’d like you to welcome our Lightning Cats! "
A thunderous roar, followed by some spine-tingling screeching, sounds through the arena, but the oohs and ahhs from the audience drown it out as the next act stalks into the center of the ring.
Holy crap, Dylan wasn’t wrong when he said they looked like saber-toothed tigers.
Larger than any Earth cat I’ve seen, their fur is varying colors on the blue spectrum, though one is pure white.
“That’s Echo,” William says, gesturing to the pure white one.
“Natalia is the light blue one that's slightly smaller, and Maxsim is the really big one with all the black markings.” The magnificent blue ombre cat stalks his way around the arena.
Muscles rippling, claws flexing, teeth baring, he is definitely king of the jungle.
He growls and roars, playing up to the audience, pacing back and forth in front of the glass screens.
The white one walks close to him and nuzzles his head against him, but Natalia chases him away from Maxsim, swiping a paw with huge claws in his direction and baring her teeth.
There are three more cats involved in the act, wrestling and rolling around on the snow-covered ground, bringing smiles to the children around the arena.
Suddenly, Natalia roars loudly. Her tail points straight up, lightning arcs shooting from it and bouncing around the arena before striking the three who are playing.
They all jump when it hits them, then rush behind Maxsim, almost like they’re using him as some kind of shield.
“I thought you said they were a matriarchal society?” I ask Willam.
He nods his head ruefully. “They are, but between you and me, Natalia is a raving bitch, and although their council was hoping this group would become a streak, I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen.
The others all look to Maxsim for protection when she's in a shitty mood because he will and does stand up to her.”
John practically giggles on my other side. “And I can guarantee she is still in a shitty mood from when you zapped her in the dining room. She knows how to hold a grudge.”
“Great,” I grumble, slumping down in my chair. “Do you think I’ll survive to actually do a show with them?” John pats me reassuringly on the shoulder while William chuckles.
“Don't drop your guard around them, and you should be fine. Remember, if she comes at you, you can levitate her around the dome if need be once your powers kick in. You may have to once or twice to put her in her place until she understands that you're not a pushover either. It’s also forbidden for her to use her lightning against you, so that’s a little safety net to keep in mind. Although they can absorb it, it’s lethal to just about anyone else.
” Oh yeah, I had forgotten I’m not a vanilla human anymore. Not that I’ve ever been very vanilla.
Eric waves his cane, and with a flick of his wrist, it unravels into a whip.
Immediately, he cracks it, the sound like a shot across the dome.
The big cats’ eyes are now all on him. The surrounding terrain has shifted, and he has them jump from space to space, over each other, and then commands them to roll over and play dead, causing the audience to laugh.
“Isn’t this a bit demeaning for them?” I ask. “I mean, they’re huge animals and prideful when in their humanoid shape. How can you get them to do this without complaint?”
“With great difficulty,” mutters John next to me.
William shoots him a scowl before answering, “When they shift, their personality recedes.
They become more animal than intelligent being, so it really is like training a wild animal, and we treat them as such.
They don't have a problem with it. Without the strong handling, they would tear Eric apart and feast on his entrails.” My heart thuds to the bottom of my stomach, and a wave of nausea crosses my body.
“And you want me to train them? What the fuck!!”