I do not remember my parents or my litter. My first memories were of the starport and old mother Synn. She was many things, thief, con woman and even a whore. What she was to me was my mother. She protected and taught me, she loved me as if I were her child. I was eight when I found out what I was and from where.

That was general since as far as I knew it was anyone from a farmer to the leader of clans. All I knew was that I was Kaire. Synn called me Kit, I was sure it was short for kitten but it did not bother me. Once I knew, I learned everything I could find out about them including customs and laws. I even learned an ancient form of martial arts from a small old human.

I used neural nets to learn to use weapons as if they were in my hand when I was born. Synn died in her sleep when I was sixteen. Sorrow and grief tore at me and I was all alone. I was surprised at all the credits she left. She also left a message to follow the law and go home one day. To me I was home but I knew what she meant and wanted.

It was a month before one of her old friends sent me to get a protectors license. The humans laughed and I acted the arrogant Kaire and growled a lot. I walked out with the license and was protecting children within a week. I was still going to my own school and learning what I could. I was eighteen before I met another Kaire.

I had a human pay for protection from the starport to the government building. I had grown tall and much stronger and wore clothing like a Kaire. I was waiting in a lounge when the shuttle began to unload passengers. The first out were Kaire and I froze as I saw another of my kind. There were males that strode proudly and females that stood tall and strutted like queens.

Two teenage girls were arguing and drifted out of the path and towards me. That was when I smelled a Kaire female for the first time. It was like musk and spice with herbs. I jerked and shook my head when I growled and they looked at me. I sneezed and tried to breath as one hissed. The other smirked, “need help tom?”

I shook my head as I growled again, “I ... what is...”

She frowned and pushed the other girl away when she tried to pull her, “tom?”

I sneezed and took a deep breath but all I could smell was the musk as it filling my mind. The female slid close and pinched my nose, “breath through your mouth.”

I went still at her touch and realized my cock was emerging. I opened my mouth, “what is happening?”

She was looking around, “Dar!”

My tail slipped out of the kilt and wrapped around one of her legs. She shifted but did not pull back as more Kaire looked and a few moved toward us. A large male pushed through, “Ryane?”

She looked around and then hissed, “he is going into rut.”

I stiffened, “rut? What...”

This time the growl was louder and I shifted towards her before I caught myself. I shook and finally yanked back, “no! I am not this!”

I spun and started away with long strides. The edges of my sight was blurred and I felt a strong need for a woman, something I had never felt before. I turned as my client ran after me and slowed when he saw me stop. I looked at the Kaire watching and turned and started walking again.

The human was as arrogant and stupid as many I had protected but he gave me a chance to calm. Only the image and smell of the Kaire she as they were called kept returning. Unlike all the Kaire I had seen I did not have markings. Not strips or spots or hands or feet of a different color, I was a solid light green.

Finally I growled at the human arguing with a clerk, “enough. You contracted to be brought here. Pay me so I may go to another contract.”

He stiffened, “if you think I am going to...”

Only fast reactions from a reflection made me move and saved his life. I spun and dove into him while pulling my weapon. Alarms went off the moment it cleared the holster. That was the same time the armored window shattered and rounds began impacting the wall. I shoved the human and he slid to a break in the counter.

I rolled onto my side and started firing back through the broken window. I jerked as a burning tearing pain ripped through my right thigh and more found my left shoulder. I was calm as I thought of Synn and put rounds into the distant humans in the other building. Another round slammed into my upper chest and I was twisted and rolling away.

The building security arrived and fired at the shooters as the world went dark. I woke to a cool and quiet room and looked at the monitor beside the bed. I hurt all over but slowly reached up to pull the pads off me. The Kaire girl was suddenly there and caught my hand, “no.”

I stilled and tried not to breath and she searched my face. She let me go, “you were in very bad shape. They put you in a stasis bag and had to operate with you in stasis.”

I turned my head to breath and she chuckled, “I am wearing a scent pad tom.”

I took a breath and looked at her, “I can still smell you.”

She shifted and then sat in the chair beside the bed, “they said on the news a Kaire had been shot. Our mission leader checked but we were accounted for so I thought of you.”

The growl was in the back of my throat and she smiled, “you do know why you are growling right?”

I looked around and then pulled part of the sheet over my nose, “no.”

She blinked and stood and bent to look into my eyes, “how could you not know?”

I returned her look, “I have never seen your ... my people.”

She started pacing, “that does not make sense. Your parents should have taught you or an elder in your clan.”

I watched her and shifted as the monitor let her and everyone else know my heart was beating faster. She looked at it and then at me and finally grinned, “horny tom? Want to breed me?”

The door opened and a human female nurse entered, “more like fuck you silly.”

She laughed as the nurse started checking me. The Kaire female went to the other side of the bed and touched my chest, “I am Ryane Den Elic Sil and I see you.”

I had read about this but there were two explanations. One was recognition and the other was part of their bonding custom. I smiled and ignored the growl at the back of my throat, “I am Kit and I see you. I would give you more but I do not know it.”

She blinked and looked at the human woman as she headed for the door, “you do not know your clans?”

I shook my head and she smiled and bent to lick under my ear, “I claim you tom.”

That sent tingles and shocks racing through me, “now?”

She grinned and then laughed, “after you are better,”

That did not help but she caressed my cheek, “tell me your story.”

I looked at her and shifted to get comfortable before I started, “they say I was found wandering in an alley when I was only one. A street woman took me home. She told me she searched for Kaire but none were listed as being on the planet or in the system. She raised me as her son.”

I sighed as a little of the pain of loss returned, “she was not young. She died in her sleep two years ago when I was sixteen according to my bio scan.”

She nodded and leaned against the bed, “I ... we can take a DNA sample and use the Kaire clan data net. That would at least tell you what clans you were from. It might or might not tell us who your parents were.”

I looked at her and she smiled, “you are probably from one of the wild clans. Green coloring is a recessive but there seem to be a lot more of that color from those clans.”

I looked at her coloring, from what I could see she was a solid grey with black stripes. She chuckled and I shook myself when I realized I was growling. We looked at the door as two human males entered. They crossed to the bed and one held up a badge, “inspector Porter and my partner is inspector Daniels.”

I nodded, “I expected you.”

He shifted, “you have a protectors license. Your client told us he had no idea why anyone would try to kill him.”

I snorted, “if that were true why hire a protector?”

He grinned and the other inspector chuckled. He looked and then sat in the seat, “that is what we believe also. Anyway you were there, tell us what happened.”

I looked at the ceiling, “we came from the starport in a public hack. From what I saw we were not followed conventionally. We entered the government building and went up to see the system property clerk. My client and the clerk were arguing over a property claim number and the listed owner.”

My mind went back to that moment, “my contract was only to get him from the starport to the government building. I had enough waiting and interrupted to ask for my payment. He started to argue and ... something ... there was a reflection behind the clerk in the polished stone. A flash off of a distance glass or a scope and there were men with rifles.”

I thought before finishing, “I lunged and dove into my client and pushed him into and through the counter so he would have cover. I rolled with my weapon and pointed and then aimed through the broken window. They must have fired a breacher to shatter the window like that.”

I looked at the inspectors, “they knew he would be there.”

I shook my head, “asshole.”

They grinned and I shrugged, “I fired at the human men in the other building and kept it up until...”

I touched my chest, “I felt the other rounds hit me but the one that hit my chest...”

I looked up, “my vision faded and I must have passed out.”

Inspector Porter shifted, “one of the building security officers pulled you back and put you in a stasis bag. From forensics you shot seven men, five are dead and the other two are in the detention medical facility.”

He stood, “everyone you shot was wanted. Any idea why they tried to kill your client?”

I shook my head, “he was irritating but you might find the answer with the clerk. What and where was the property he was asking about? Why did he think the name was wrong?”

He blinked and then nodded, “we will, thank you.”

I watched them leave and then looked at Ryane, “now ... How long do I have to stay here?”

She grinned and rubbed my shoulder, “with the nanites and the quick heal? They should be able to release you tomorrow morning.”

She sat and started telling me about herself and her litter and her clan. They were here for a corporation trade agreement. She was sixteen and studying comp security. We talked for several hours and besides the mating growls as she called them we were not interrupted. She finally left after licking under my ear and promising me she would return.

After she was gone my mind went back to my client and why he would be attacked. I looked for and found my comm and comp. I made a few inquiries including to see if he had paid me. When I saw he had not I notified the system credit bond agency. They would freeze his account until the bill was settled.

Next I pulled up the property number I remembered. I requested a sat image and frowned when two sides were blank. The property was a few thousand hectres bordering farm lands. I could not get any information on the two that were blurred. I zoomed out and looked at the location and shook my head.

I slept lightly and woke to inspector Porter entering the room. He looked at me and crossed the room, “the good news is you were paid. The bad is your former client was killed. The two men in medical detention were also killed so we are back at the beginning. The property he inquired about was not for sale.”

I shifted and slowly sat up, “what about the property clerk?”

He blinked, “what about him?”