Authors: Lawna Mackie
Meeka,
you
idio
t
.
She
looked
at the
ground
w
hile
she
m
ade her
w
a
y
over
to
the
two
m
en.
She
m
u
t
tered
to
Catz
between
her
teeth.
“
F
eel
free
to
interrupt
m
e
when
I’m
m
a
k
ing
a
total fool
out
of
m
y
s
e
l
f
.
Geez,
w
h
y
does
he
do
this to
m
e
?
”
The
lioness
looked
up
at
her.
“
H
e
isn’t
doing
an
y
t
h
ing
to
y
o
u
.
You
are
responsible
for
y
o
ur
o
wn
feelings and
actions.”
“Ohhhhh,
w
h
y
’
d I
ask
y
ou a
n
y
w
a
y
?
”
Meeka
gru
m
b
led in
fr
u
stration. “Because
y
o
u like
the
sound
of
my
voice
?
”
Catz
chuckled.
Meeka
approached
the
two
warriors
and
unexpected
l
y
bec
a
m
e
self-conscious
as
she
noticed Kerrigan’s
e
y
es roving
over
her
bod
y
.
He’d
seen
her
y
e
s
terd
a
y
.
Why
was
he
looking
at
her
like
this n
o
w?
Courage.
She
real
l
y
needed
so
m
e
courage.
Meeka
lifted
her
head
and
squeezed
her e
y
e
b
rows
together,
prepared
to
ask
him
what
he
was
staring
at,
but
as
her
lavender
e
y
es
met
his blue
ones,
she
knew.
It
was
a
look
of
intense
desire.
H
ah!
The
beginning
of
a
s
m
irk
pla
y
ed
out
on
the
corners
of
her
m
outh.
S
he
didn’t
know
a
n
y
t
hing about
passion
or
desire
until
s
he’d
m
et Kerrigan,
but
his
look
s
poke
volu
m
es.
W
e
ll,
perhaps
this
could
be
payback
for
him.
Maybe
he’ll
realize
how
badly
he
drives
me cr
a
zy
with
need
for
hi
m
.
This
day
s
uddenly
got
better.
S
m
iling, she
nodded
to
both
m
en.
Str
y
k
e
r
and
Catz
exchanged
looks
and
shook
their
heads
at
the
sa
m
e time.
“Hate
to
interrupt
the
two
of
y
o
u,
but
we
real
l
y
should
get
started.”
St
r
y
k
er
glanced
at Kerrigan,
and
then
back
to
Meeka.
“
Training,”
he
reinforced.
Meeka
cleared her
throat
and
began
looking
around
in
all
directions. “I
m
pressive
facili
t
y
.
”
S
he
found
the
j
ungle
on
the
outskirts
m
ost
intriguing. Str
y
k
e
r
looked
at
her.
“Didn’t
sleep
m
uch,
I
see.”
Meeka
looked
over
her
shoulder
in
Kerrigan’s
direction. “I
gue
s
s
I
had
a
lot
on
my
m
ind.” “Let’s
begin
with
the
obstacle
course.”
Kerrigan
shoulder-checked
St
r
y
k
er
as
he
pointed
to the
left.
The
terrain
appeared
to
be
a
course,
heavi
l
y
s
urrounded
with
branches,
leaves,
and
vines.
It
w
ould
be
near
i
m
possible
to
get
through.
“Are
y
ou
up
to
m
a
k
ing
y
o
ur
w
a
y
through
that,
Meeka?
Perhaps
it’s
too
difficult
for
y
o
u
?
” Str
y
k
e
r
asked
with
a
patronizing
s
m
i
le.
W
h
a
t a
jerk!
He
w
a
s
purpose
l
y
egging
her
on.
Hell
would
litera
ll
y
freeze
over
before
she
ever
backed d
o
wn
from
one
of his
challenges.
“
It
doesn’t
look
difficult,
at
all.
It won’t be
a
probl
e
m
.”
Meeka
s
poke
with
a
bravado
s
he
didn’t
feel.
“The
course
w
raps
around
the
peri
m
e
ter,
and
as
y
ou
can
see,
y
o
u
’ll
have
to
use
y
o
ur
sword to
blaze
a
trail
around
the
cou
r
se.
You’ll
encounter
ever
y
t
h
ing
along
the
w
a
y
,
from
water
to climbing
walls.” Kerrigan cro
s
sed his
ar
m
s
over his
chest. “And
since St
r
y
k
er
and I
have alrea
d
y war
m
ed
up,
y
ou
go
on
without
us.
Let’s
see
if
y
o
u’re
in
as
good
a
shape
as
y
ou
look,”
he finished
with
a
hungry
grin.
She
s
hot
daggers
at
hi
m
.
“
I
f
this is
all
y
o
u got,
it’s
a
disappointment.”
Meeka knew exact
l
y what
s
he was doing as
s
he slowly
walked around Kerrigan and stopped a
short
distance
aw
a
y
from
hi
m
.
Graceful
l
y
,
she
tilted
her
head
back
ever
s
o
slight
l
y
and
let
her hair
fall
about
her
bo
d
y
from
side
to
side,
swa
y
i
n
g
with
its
m
oveme
n
t.
Her
locks
tu
m
bled
free
l
y to
one
side
w
hile
she
gathered
it
up
into
a
pon
y
t
a
i
l
.