• Chapter one



    The first time he saw her, he had been hunting.
    He had fallen in love with her, he watched her from a near by tree.
    She would never love me, I'm not even human.
    He flicked his tail in irritation, he was angry at himself for falling in love with a human.
    She was playing with some of the children of her village in a field of flowers.
    The sun was shining brightly making his white fur glow like snow.
    Maybe, I should tell her how I feel.
    He cursed himself remembering his race had a taste for human flesh.
    If she saw me she would run away.
    He saw another male human walk over to her, the children left her.
    The male human took her in his arms and began to dance with her.
    I, Jinn the snow cat being beaten by a human man, it is not happening.

    Jinn leaped from the tree and bounded over to the woman he loved.
    The man saw him coming and drew his sword, Jinn did not even see where the man had kept the sword and before he knew it, the man sliced Jinn down the left side of his face.
    Blood clouded his vision, this made Jinn's blood boil.
    How dare this cowardly human cut me with his sword.
    Jinn, ignored the man and moved closer to the woman.
    "I love you," he purred.
    The woman's eyes widened, she could not believe what she had just heard.
    "Back off monster," The Man warned.
    Jinn growled and flexed his claws, This man is not going to have my woman.
    The woman ran and hid behind the man, "Kill it Keros, please kill it!" she pleaded to him.
    Jinn's heart had been torn in two, she did not share his feelings.

    He flattened his ears, "Do you not love me?" He asked.
    "I do not love you monster! I love only Keros!" She cried
    The words cut into Jinn's heart like a sword.
    "Then I will curse your first born child," Jinn laughed.
    "What do you mean?" The man Keros asked.
    "Have you not heard of a snow cats curse?" Jinn asked feeling amused.
    He was no longer bothered about the human woman, he could get her anytime.
    "No. what is it?" The woman asked sounding concerned.
    "You, will find out when your first child is born," he said turning back toward the forest.

    The woman placed her hand on her stomach. "Keros, what does this mean for our child?"
    "I do not know Meru," he said shaking his head.
    A few days later Meru's husband Keros went into battle, he did return.
    Nine slow months passed by each month that had gone by, had Meru fearing for her child.
    She had already lost Keros she did not want to lose her child to the snow cat's curse.
    The birth had lasted six hours and when her child finally did come.
    The midwives of the village were reluctant to let her see her baby.
    "Meru, your tired you can see him later," said one of the midwives.
    "Him, he's a boy," said Meru proudly.
    Meru had slept for two more hours, she awoke to see that her baby was still not in the room.
    "I want my son," demanded Meru.
    "Are you sure? Don't be shocked when you see him then," warned the midwife.
    She brought the bundle in the room and handed it to Meru.

    Her heart missed a beat when she saw her son for the first time, she almost screamed.
    Her son had the ears of a snow cat and a tail.
    "The cat's curse," she said.
    The baby was soon sleeping soundly, "I'm going to leave the village awhile please take care of my son, Cavero," she said and got out of bed and left.
    "Wait, Meru!" Shouted the midwives.

    Jinn had heard the screams of the humans from the village, he smiled.
    He saw the woman he loved running toward him.
    Had she finally come to her senses?
    But as the woman came closer he saw that she was crying.
    Seeing the woman again brought back memories of the man Keros, he still had a scar across his eye where he had cut him.
    "Turn him back!" She screamed flailing a sword at him not just any sword, but the same sword that had scarred him.
    "What my dear, who?" He asked.
    "My son, what have you done to him!" she said the sword was now pointing at Jinn's neck.
    Jinn swallowed, he had her right where he wanted her.
    "You can't kill me I have nine lives," he boasted.
    "Then I will kill you nine times over until you remove the curse you placed on my son,"

    "If you come and live with me I will remove the curse. Kill me and the curse will never be removed."
    Her hand gripped the sword harder until her knuckle turned white.
    "Fine..."
    She had said it without a moments hesitation.
    This woman would do anything for her brat.

    The midwife held the baby in her arms awaiting Meru's return.
    This child must be killed it is a bad omen for the village she thought to herself.
    Hours passed and Meru never returned, rumours spread around the village about her abandoning her child because he was so ugly.
    The village held a meeting to decide the child's fate.
    With no mother or father present someone would have to plead the child's case if no one did the child would be thrown to the wolves.
    "Can we not wait a few more days for the mother to return!" Pleaded Meru's best friend Bea.
    "Yes but only one more, someone must look after the child until then," said the village elder Edgar.
    "I will, it is only natural that I will look after Meru's child for her," said Bea.
    The child was handed to Bea, everyone moved away from her, because they feared the child.
    "The child's name is Cavero, Meru named him that before she left," said the midwife.

    Bea took Cavero back to her house, she felt sorry for the child.
    She knew he would have a difficult childhood.
    She stroked his delicate cat ears, "They're beautiful," she told him.
    She looked into the babies eyes and said "You have your mother's emerald green eyes and your father's dark black hair, you really are a handsome baby."
    She placed the baby down in a temporary cot.
    Bea wished she had a child of her own, but no one had offered to mary her.
    She did not know why, she was not an ugly woman but neither was she attractive.
    Maybe I'm too plain.