Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and its characters are the product and property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz video.

Thank the prereader: The unofficial Ranma look-alike, Cannibal Who Snacks.

Chapter One

By Michael Fetter

The sun was fierce that summer, drying up the jungle springs and making her very thirsty. Neko-Ranma, her Pussycat, went to the Amazon village some miles away for the water they could not get themselves in exchange for the meat they caught. It was a fair trade. In the heat, water was just as valuable as good meat.

Three years after Akane and Pussycat left Japan they were settled upon a mountain with a few other cats. They were not Jusenkyou victims, nor practitioners of the Neko-ken; they were the wild beasts of the jungle. Some were Bengal like herself and Pussycat, and there were smaller cats, meaner looking with dark fur highlighting the large white teeth. In all, Neko-Akane guessed there were six other cats on this mountain they had settled on.

It was a jungle still. Jungles were led by the strongest. Neko-Ranma was the strongest.

On their first pass through the area, Neko-Akane had discovered the cave that would become their home. It was luck that led her to it. After returning to China with Cologne, Pussycat had led her from the village. It was winter, the sky gray with frost, her breath came out like smoke in the air, but she wasn't cold with the thick orange and black fur. It was a powerful feeling to walk through this jungle in the winter without a thought for the weather. Few animals were foolish enough to attempt to get in their way.

In the cold, Akane had spotted the steam and wanted to investigate it. It took an hour to discover the spot and they were pleasantly surprised to find a hot spring. It was high on a mountain within the valley of the three tribes: Amazons, Musk, and Phoenix. Almost a week had gone by without either of them returning to human form. Akane wanted to change, to speak and interact with human limbs.

Pussycat lounged around the edge of the spring, his tailing lolling back and forth as he watched his mate become the two-legger. He gave his body to her as a pillow while Akane unfurled in the water. His mate was not as pretty as a two-legger, Pussycat thought, but he loved her all the same.

As the warm water worked loose her sore muscles, Akane buried her face in Pussycat's red fur, felt him nuzzle her neck and lick some of the wet skin that rose out of the water. The tongue was a rough and big, leaving a trail of saliva, but it didn't bother Akane any. She enjoyed the affection and hugged Pussycat tighter. He'd been without a rational human mind for almost a month, but she still believed that Ranma was inside the tiger, slowly working his way back to the surface.

The cave they found around the side of the mountain, not more than a few hundred feet from the spring. Akane had turned back into her tiger form after a minute out of the hot spring. She'd shook her body free of the water and trotted after Ranma on their way back down the mountain. It was only luck that took them by the cave. After a few minutes of inspection, Pussycat had found it to be a good place to stay. They wouldn't be traveling around like normal tigers. Through summer and winter they would stay hunting, playing, training, and sometimes jumping into the hot spring to revert back to human. Pussycat only did so with enough pleading from his mate.

Tigers ate differently from humans, so it was easier to dine as tigers. Akane had hardened her resolve after the month they spent running from the Oni-Ryouga controlled Amazons. Eating monkey was not as hard as it once was. Ranma found the most hunting, having a better understanding of stalking prey. They ate other animals: birds, rabbits, wolves, and snakes, which Akane found to be a delicacy amongst tigers. Once they had tackled a bear. The brown beast had been massive, standing near ten-feet on its hind legs, and growled like the heavy motor of a truck. Neko-Akane had gotten a cut on her shoulder from taking on the bear, but she wore it like a badge as they dined on bear meat for more than a week.

Life as a Bengal tiger was not all hardship. During the nights Akane would curl up on the ground and stare up at the sky, twinkling stars like diamonds were easy to see without the lights of civilization. She didn't feel insignificant with this beautiful expanse of sky overhead. Akane was content with where she was and imagined that people on the other side of those stars could see her as the bright beacon beside the sun.

After their second year, Akane and Pussycat had settled into a content life together. Cologne or other delegated Amazons would visit them, maintaining friendly relationships. A few times she and Pussycat had gone off to aid their friends. A little strange gnome had come to the Amazon village, stealing panties and artifacts, but with Pussycat's Neko-ken they were able to chase the old pervert off, only suffering light wounds.

This was how she and Pussycat began to meet the other cats. During the fights, Pussycat's battle cry and show of power had seemed to call others. All six, a test of superiority, challenged pussycat and he continued to come out victorious. No other cat had Pussycat's abilities; they were ordinary except in their allegiance. The cats followed Akane and Pussycat back to the mountain, finding their own homes around the area. There were a dozen more caves on the mountain to choose from as it turned out. Most were small or damp, but the other cats remained, often visiting with Pussycat and joining their hunt.

The third Bengal tiger to join their mountain was large; there were very few stripes in his fur. Beside Pussycat he was a good four inches taller and thicker. His challenge did not come to Pussycat. Instead he had found Neko-Akane sun-bathing on the stone outcropping of the cave she shared with Pussycat. He stalked closer from downwind, silent as the wind, before rushing in and pouncing on top of her. Akane had never thought she would be challenged like this. She grappled with the large Bengal tiger for a few minutes, but his weight and ferocity over-powered her. She had feared her death when the cat growled and barred its teeth at her. The fear was deepened as something poked at her fur.

Howling long and hard, Akane tried in vain to once again remove her attacker. The tiger was ready to take her when his weight was suddenly removed from Neko-Akane's body. She was crying and afraid, her fur covered in dirt and a bit of blood, but a familiar presence standing over her helped to calm her nerves.

Other cats appeared after Pussycat to see who would challenge the strong cat's authority and steal his mate. Pussycat's eyes must have blazed with energy because Neko-Akane could swear the jungle darkened until the only light came from her love's blue eyes. He growled at the challenging Bengal tiger and stepped between her and the attacker. The other tiger returned the challenge and a fight ensued. The other cats closed in on the fight, keeping a respectful distance from Neko-Akane herself, and watched as their leader's energy claws tore into the challenger, not enough to kill, but leaving long bloody tracks along his flanks.

When it was over, Pussycat snorted at the cowering Bengal tiger. He trotted back to the place Neko-Akane had been sunbathing and silently asked if she were all right. Neko-Akane nuzzled his chest and allowed herself to be led into the cave, out of sight of the challenger.

Things happened that night Neko-Akane had never thought she would do. She felt better, more complete; to know that she belonged to Pussycat as Pussycat belonged to her.

Her tail swished lazily in her happiness the next morning. Pussycat remained with her even late into the morning.

From the opening of the cave a growl beckoned them out. Neko-Akane followed her love out, rubbing her body against his this time without prompting. He seemed to grow with strength and confidence before her eyes though he remained a few inches smaller.

At the head of the cave Pussycat growled angrily at the Bengal tiger being escorted by his pack. The large tiger cowered again, fur stained with a little blood still, and tail tucked between his legs. He quickly crouched low to the ground, muzzle in the dirt, before the two of them. Neko-Akane had been surprised at this change in the large tiger. Pussycat roared, ki reinforcing his voice, making more than the large cat's body shake.

The other cats looked to Neko-Akane, each waiting quietly for her response. She'd been unsure as to what they wanted, but a deep rumbling was building in her chest and poured forth, weaker than Pussycat's, but echoed around the valley.

The large Bengal tiger had been chastised and was kept under watch for a long time. It would take a long time before he was completely trusted by Pussycat or Neko-Akane.

Neko-Akane slinked out of her cave, carpeted now with a few rags and wooden chest with a few changes of clothing they'd gotten from the Amazon's for their human forms. There were prizes from battles and hunts. The bear had been cleaned and tanned on one side by another Amazon, draped on the ground where she and Pussycat slept. Gold and silver ornaments were lying along the walls, prizes from a fight with the Musk after they attacked the Amazons. Pussycat's pack had been of great help in taking on the beast men, some of which changed allegiance to join their mountain.

Her tongue was hanging out, panting in the heat. Pussycat was supposed to be back with the water soon, but she was getting uncomfortable in the cave. She was starting a long trek into the jungle to where a small river should still be running through the valley. Her pregnant belly swaying a little as she walked, like stepping around a beach ball.

Neko-Akane made it to the riverbank without trouble. The jungle was quiet today, likely from the heat. It was the hottest summer she and Pussycat had ever endured. Tired and hot, she dunked her head below the water as she drank.

"Akane Tendou."

Neko-Akane gasped in surprise and looked over her shoulder to the man who had masked his presence until now. He wore a cloak over his shoulders and a hood that hid his face from view.

The man came up with a guest book with the Jusenkyou insignia on its front. "Where is Ranma Saotome, who was with you when you were cursed?"

She blinked and wondered who this man was and what he really wanted. No one had come in search of Ranma except to challenge him. Neko-Akane flinched as a spray of warm water hit her. She did not change while pregnant.

The man seemed irritated then laughed at her. "Have you been rutting with the animals, Akane? You belong out here, bitch tiger."

She growled, but he seemed unbothered. Pregnant as she was, the training Pussycat had given her was still formidable. Neko-Akane roared and a few slashes appeared over the man's cloak, bits of cloth falling to the ground.

The man's anger grew and he pulled out some water in a flask. "You don't know what you're dealing with, animal slut." His form grew with the splash of water, ripping the cloak further. He was a hulking creature that mixed various animals, yeti, bull, crane, and snake. The monster was massive, standing on his bull legs, bullhead snorting angrily. The yeti body had strong arms and large hands that swung out to strike Neko-Akane.

She was slow from pregnancy and the monster caught her in the face with his meaty hand. Tired and in pain, she roared again, slashing with weak ki claws even as she backed away from his advance.

The Jusenkyou victim wiped at a little blood from the cuts on his face. "MRAURGH!" His large hand pulled back in what would be a devastating blow to the pregnant tiger.

The brush along the bank rustled and a large Bengal tiger jumped out of the darkness, front claws and teeth aimed at the attacker. The cursed man roared in pain as he felt teeth sink into the junction where his neck met the shoulders. The stripe less tiger bit down hard, tasting the free-flowing blood of its victim, as it continued to claw with sharp nails into the monster's back. The river ran red and the pained cry began to wear down. The monster swayed on its feet until finally collapsing face down into the water at Neko-Akane's feet.

Panting from the battle, the large tiger resisted the urge to lick his face clean of the blood and eat the monster. Instead, he crouched before the leader's mate and waited.

Neko-Akane stared at the dead Jusenkyou victim who had been after her mate. He had been powerful and very angry. She knew that there were not many people in the world who could kill this monster. To Neko-Akane, this spoke highly of the large, stripe less tiger's desire to be forgiven and accepted onto the mountain.

She stood carefully on all fours and approached the humbled tiger and touched her muzzle to the top of his head.

The big tiger looked up at her from its crouched position and seemed to smile. He guided her back to the mountain, carrying the great monster in his teeth. When Pussycat returned to the mountain the pack feasted on the monster and Pussycat gave the large Bengal tiger the same blessing.

~

Nodoka Saotome used to live day by day. Then a month went by, two months, a year. She hollowed out, alone for all of these years. Her husband, Genma, had taken their only child off on a training trip to make him the heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. He would go whether she wanted him to or not. Her only hold on Genma was the contract he and her son, Ranma, had signed before leaving.

A decade passed and Nodoka's dark red hair began to gray a little near the temples. Going long days without speaking or smiling, her face were still without lines. She dressed in a formal kimono each day, hoping each one would be the day her family finally returned. The mornings, before her quiet breakfast, she prayed at the family alter for the strength to go on.

After gardening and cleaning the house during the afternoons, Nodoka retreated to the dojo in the Saotome home's backyard. She told herself in the beginning she was practicing kendo to hold up honor should her husband fail in his duties to raise their son properly. Over time she found herself training harder just to distract her mind from the loss.

The front door sounded one day as she was finishing up her exercises. Sweating lightly in her gi, Nodoka headed for the door, unsheathed katana in her right hand. She opened the door after fixing a few loose strands of hair. "May I help you?"

The man who stood before her began to tremble. He was middle-aged, large and bald, a set of glasses sat high on his nose, held to his head by the white bandana wrapped around his forehead. The gi he wore had once been white, but was stained after years of use into a brown gray mess. "N-N-Nod-doka."

She blinked and leaned closer. Add some hair and take away some of his large gut and this man could be . . "Husband!" Nodoka wrapped her arms around Genma's shoulders and hugged him closely. Ten years had gone by and her family had finally returned.

Genma was not trembling as badly as he had been, but he noticed his wife still held her katana with the grip of someone who knew how to use it.

Releasing her grip, Nodoka stepped back and waved a hand before her nose. "You need a bath, husband." Her head turned one way then the other. "Where is my son? Is he as manly as you promised?"

Genma swallowed, eyeing the katana nervously, "Ah, about that-"

"Do not worry, husband. I have practiced with this sword for these ten years. I am capable of protecting your honor, but I'm sure there is no need," she smiled pleasantly, though the katana was still held firmly in her hand.

Though Genma was a martial artist he was not as honorable as his wife obviously thought him to be. Still, he'd like to stay in his own home rather than sleep out in the park. Thankfully, with what had happened to his son, there was a way around the little contract he'd signed with his wife all those years ago. "It's tragic," he began.

"Tragic?" Nodoka looked at him confused.

He nodded, "Our son, Ranma, did become the greatest martial artist of his generation."

"That's wonderful!" Nodoka smiled brightly, eager to here more of her son and his manliness.

Genma nodded. "He was chased by many beautiful young women wherever we went," who were also trying to kill us, he added silently.

Nodoka's smile broadened and she cuddled the katana to her body like a teddy bear. Chased by many women? Oh, what a manly son he must be, she thought.

Something seemed unwholesome about the way this story was pleasing his wife, but Genma continued, having already worked the story out because of his wife's odd obsessions with manliness. He'd never thought the contract he'd signed with her to train Ranma could end up badly. He said, "And he fell in love with one of Tendou's daughters."

"Your friend who trained with you under that manly Master of yours?"

Genma sweated, "Yes, that one". He coughed and cleared his throat, "But the other girls didn't like it. Ranma ended up having to fight them off to protect Akane."

Nodoka nodded. Of course he would have to fight off all those women once they learned he was no longer for the having. She was so proud of her son. "Where is my most manly son, husband?"

"Dead."

She blinked and the katana in her hand clattered to the ground. "Dead?"

Genma took a step closer and held his wife by her shoulders, kicking the katana away as quickly as he could. With a put-on tenderness, he hugged her, taking the distraction to look around the house for any more sharp objects she could use to decapitate him with. Finding none, he smiled, "He died to protect Akane from a terrible creature that chased us from China. Ranma was a very brave and manly son."

Still in shock over the news of her loss, Nodoka only stared out into the street vacantly. Ranma was dead? Gone before she could even see him grown up? Meet his fiancée? Her legs felt weak and she crumbled into her husband's embrace, tears forming in her eyes. Why had she let them go? She should have tried harder to keep her son at home.

Nodding, Genma patted his wife on the back and carried her into the house. Looks like he would be safe from the seppuku contract. There was very little chance of his wife actually meeting up with Ranma in China and discovering the truth.

~

Neko-Akane's pregnancy lasted longer than normal tigers, but not as long as a human. It was nearing the end of her fourth year together with Pussycat in these mountains. She loved the way he doted over her, bringing back his hunt, keeping her warm at night, . . the tongue bathes. She almost laughed at the thought: 'Spit polished'.

In another day she would give birth. Cologne had stopped by to see how they had been progressing long ago and could tell it would be months until the expected date. For the past week the Matriarch had sent the village healer to stay with them and help with the delivery if it became necessary. Pussycat had to convince them not to attack her, but when the leader spoke, the pack listened.

Today was the day of the trial. A new summer was starting, a little snow remaining from the winter atop the mountain peak. The air was still and the sun had pushed through the clouds to touch the open arena to where the trial would be held, as it had been since the pack formed. There were ten now after the fight with the Musk. Admittedly, Thyme and Pepper were not full-blooded tigers, but beast people, they were still accepted after the initiation by Pussycat. In other words, they challenged Pussycat like the rest, lost, and were given his blessing.

The beast people were offspring from a man of the Musk and a Jusenkyou cursed animal. In the case of Thyme and Pepper, their great grandmother's were a cheetah and a panther respectively. Thyme was still a young boy, around ten, his features more animal than human. He was about four-feet tall with white skin where he did not have spotted fur. His ears were that of a cheetah, along with some claws on his hands and a tail that bobbed as he walked.

Pepper was an older girl who had grown up with Thyme because the two were outcasts among the Musk. The Prince and everyone else wanted little to do with them because of their very animal nature, so Pepper had gone unnoticed as a female in the mostly male society. Her body was covered in black fur, her face pulled out into a half way muzzle, and she would have passed for a full panther except she stood six feet tall and was very lean.

The trials were different from initiations. They took place in an open area near the top of the mountain, almost into the clouds. Though pregnant, Akane took her seat on the edge of the fighting arena and watched this renewed struggle to lead the pack. It happened once a year, always after winter. This would be Thyme and Pepper's second time to see the trials. They would not enter because of their age, but they were already among the best fighters in the pack. The Musk was very good at training its people in the Art at an early age.

Perfume, the Amazon healer, sat beside Akane to watch after her patient and for her own protection. The pack obeyed Pussycat, but during these trials she may find herself under new authority. Neko-Akane had no doubts about how this would end. Pussycat took the trials very seriously and never gave an inch for any reason.

"Doesn't this seem a little unfair?" Perfume fidgeted a little, playing with the folds of her doctor's robes. They were yellow and green, cinched at the waist with a rope belt. Her dark purple hair hung in a loose ponytail around her waist. She was a thin, but strong looking woman near her fifties. There was a strong similarity to her daughter, Shampoo.

Neko-Akane blinked at the woman sitting beside her. The trials were a little unfair since the challengers would most likely gang up on Pussycat like they did the previous years, but she had half-expected the woman to say they were silly. They would be silly if you never lived as a tiger in a pack. She did what she could to shrug, then looked back to the trial.

Pepper and Thyme, sitting below Neko-Akane's position, were also staring at the trials in anticipation. They were devoted to Pussycat because he had saved them from the Musk and did not care what they looked like. Pepper had an ear turned towards Perfume, and so heard the question. "They'll be okay. Ranma-dono not hurt them much."

Perfume stared at the beast girl, the smooth deep voice a contrast to the thin physique of the thirteen-year-old. Shaking her head, she turned to watch the trials as Pussycat roared for their start.

The pack leader and challengers were gathered in a circle facing each other. The obstacle of the trials, which Neko-Akane had set up after one cat was almost killed in the no rules trial on the first year, was to be the last cat left in the circle of their fight. Not all of the cats had challenged Pussycat. Of the ten other cats, only four had met the challenge. A puma, two Bengal, and an albino Bengal. The large, stripe less Bengal never entered the challenge since arriving.

Pussycat was in his tiger form as he most often was. As warning to the others, he let his powers show with a display of blue ki that licked his form and rose into the air for a foot. He roared, making the ground tremble with the powerful base, and the fight began.

Perfume was startled by the noise. She'd heard it before, but it had always been from the village miles away. Now she knew why she had heard it miles away. "This sort of reminds me of the champion tournament in the village."

Neko-Akane nodded.

"Do many of the other cats know the Neko-ken, Tigress Akane?"

Akane shook her head. So far only she and Pussycat could pull any power from the Neko-ken. It had taken her three years to get even as far as she had without dumping herself into a pit of starving cats like it happened to Ranma.

The fight was fierce, but with Pussycat it was also short. A Bengal and panther were flung from the circle in Pussycat's first swipe. He wrestled the others in a frenzy of fur and claws. For a minute it was hard to tell apart the different colors that made up the ball of tumbling cats. Pussycat did not always resort to his Neko-ken to win the fights. He was the strongest for many more reasons. Supporting himself on the front paws, Pussycat pushed with his hind legs and knocked the albino from the fight. A head butt put down the last Bengal at Pussycat's feet.

Pussycat stood his ground for a moment, watching the other cats close in on the circle again. Unified they roared, and Pussycat had proven himself the strongest for the fourth year in a row.

~

Akane was resting on the bear skin rug in the cave. After the birth of her cubs she'd felt wasted and sore. Perfume had washed her with hot water when it was over, which alleviated some of the pain as she reverted back to human, after checking the health of her litter.

"Three healthy cubs," Perfume announced to the tired Japanese girl. "If you're ready, they might be hungry."

Akane sighed and let herself be drenched with a little cold water. She shook a little water from her hair, but remained lying on the ground. Perfume returned with the cubs in a blanket and placed them on the rug beside Akane so they could feed. The three cubs looked slightly different each, black fore paws on one, and heavy stripes on the upper back of another, and the third had bright red fur like the father.

The three cubs mewled, fighting with each other blindly as they looked for a nipple each to suckle on. Akane watched them lovingly. While this certainly had never been in her dreams growing up in Japan it was wonderful nonetheless.

Padded feet walked into the cave.

"Ah, Patriarch," Perfume bowed her head at Pussycat, "congratulations. Two girls and a boy. A very lucky thing to have so many girls."

Akane rolled her eyes at the Amazon, but made no comment. It didn't matter how many boys or girls she got so long as they were hers and Pussycat's. She nuzzled his neck when he stood next to her.

There was still a little hot water left over in the bucket Perfume had used to clean Akane up. Pussycat dropped a paw into it and became her human form. At twenty-one, Pussycat was a lean and toned five foot four girl with the same big bust and slender hips Akane remembered from when she'd first seen Ranma's female form. Unwatched, the bright red hair had grown to a length that reached the girl's posterior. Her blue eyes, the same ones she had in any form, were keen and thoughtful.

Neko-Akane smiled at the redhead and placed her head in her mate's lap as she struggled to say something. It had been five years since Pussycat had last spoken. "A- . ."

Perfume gasped and waited. Like many of the Amazons, she had forgotten who exactly Ranma was. She did know a lot about how Pussycat came to be in this situation with the Neko-ken. During the fight with a demon that had seized control of the minds of all of the Amazons, Ranma had put all he had into the Berserker ability and melded it with his Neko-ken persona. The resulting power meld made him immensely powerful, but also blocked off all of Ranma's rational human mind. The sounds she was making now, Ranma could be . .

Pussycat's face strained to bring out the sounds as she stroked Neko-Akane's fur, "Ak-ka . . ka-n-nee."

Neko-Akane was ecstatic. It was Ranma. Ranma was pulling himself free of the Neko-ken. It would still be a long time before his mind was all there, but this was a step, the first visible step Akane had ever seen. She rubbed her head harder into Pussycat's thigh and purred deeply to show how proud she was of her love.

One of the cubs pulled away from her siblings and mewled as she took a few halting steps in Pussycat's direction. She had the same bright red hair Pussycat's tiger form had and her voice was as soft as a kitten.

Pussycat plucked the cub from the ground by the scruff of the neck and cradled it in her arms close to her chest. The kitten mewled again and pawed at Pussycat's collarbone. Her eyes were still mostly closed, peering through the tiniest slit in her eyelids. Pussycat purred back and rubbed her cheek against the newborn's fur.

"This is wonderful," Perfume exclaimed hushly. "Matriarch Cologne will be very pleased to know of Patriarch Ranma's progress out of the Neko-ken."

Neko-Akane agreed. The old woman had been something like a grandmother to them, bringing letters from Japan from her family. There was a picture in a frame sitting on one of the boulders near a place where they sometimes had a fire.

"Tigress Akane?" came a little voice from the cave entrance. Neko-Akane gave a small roar to invite Pepper in. The panther girl walked in quietly, biting her lip and looking around the elaborate cave she'd entered many times before to help her mistress. "C-Can I see your babies?"

Neko-Akane roared again and the tall girl stepped in closer. She liked Pepper very much and had grown used to the girl's presence and boldness in certain situations.

On the edge of the bear skin rug Pepper finally took notice of the redhead who held her mistress' head in her lap. Pussycat did not become human that often so it took a moment to realize who she was. Pepper fell to the ground in a cat crouching position and waited for the pack leader to do something.

Pussycat was still holding her little girl when she leaned over and tapped the panther girl on the head. She pulled Pepper in close to show off the little cub, mewling as it looked over the new person in the cave.

Pepper relaxed and asked silently if she could hold the newborn. "She so small," she cooed in awe at the little Bengal tiger. "You so lucky, Tigress Akane. Pepper want little cubs when grow up."

"Oh, if only my own daughter would have children soon. I want to be a grandmother," Perfume said wistfully as she watched Akane and her family. "Maybe I can get her to challenge that Mu Tsu boy again."

Neko-Akane sighed happily and watched her mate and Pepper gush over the little female cub until they returned her to the others still feeding. This was the happiest day of her life.

~

In the following months, Ranma's progress to work through the Neko-ken had come along quickly with Matriarch Cologne's help. Cologne now traveled with a tall woman, Lotion, who was a year older than Shampoo and carried a large broad sword.

Lotion often played with Neko-Akane's cubs while Cologne was helping Ranma break free of his mental constraints. The three cubs; Ranko, the red one, Akira, the boy, and Hikari, the other girl with dark fore paws; had grown into three playful and mewling balls of fur no more than seven inches tall.

It was a cool, bright morning when Akane had returned from a dip in the hot spring and was lounging around on the stone outcropping that she heard a noise from down below. One of the other cats was calling ahead to let them know of a visitor.

She stood up and looked over the edge of the boulder to get a better look. From the cave she and Pussycat could see almost all the way down to the base of the mountain before the tree canopy hid everything from view.

They were expecting Cologne and Lotion to visit again soon to look in on Pussycat's progress again. Cologne's last visit had been a week ago when a photographer had followed her in. The man had been with a wildlife magazine company and had no idea who Ranma and Akane really were as he took the pictures, but he did listen to Cologne when she told him to send a copy of the picture to the Tendou residence in Nerima.

Another roar and Akane responded. Her cubs bounded out of the cave and jumped around her feet. Pussycat emerged next, in human form for Cologne's lessons, and wearing one of the Amazon battle dresses she'd received as a gift when they first arrived.

"Good morning, Akane," came the familiar call.

Akane again responded with a roar, her cubs growling little sounds as well. She nuzzled the boy leaning against her front paw when he growled a second time to try and roar properly.

Three figures came around the bend flanked by a pair of cats a part of their pack. They bound up to Pussycat when she was in sight and received quick hugs around their necks from the Japanese girl.

"Bring new friend?" Pussycat asked as she eyed the third woman in the dirty kimono that had accompanied Cologne.

"Better than that, Ranma," Cologne waved the woman ahead, "meet your mother".

Pussycat and Neko-Akane blinked together. "Mom?"

"Ranma," the woman asked, a silken bundle in her hands beginning to unravel as she relaxed her grip. "Is that you, my son?"

End Chapter One

* * *

The time frame I worked with in the first chapter runs through the five years we missed in 'A Bengal Tale' during the epilogue. I got too much abuse for the Star Wars themed title 'The Cat Fist Strikes Back' so I decided on 'A Bengal Tale 2: Ranma's Pride'. That could be pride in the emotional sense, but it is also pride as in a pack of cats, like the 'Lion King 2: Samba's Pride'. No, I didn't watch that Disney movie.

The story will continue to jump through time probably another twelve years so we get to watch the cubs grow up and see the pack grow. In case you didn't know, the man who attacks Akane before was Pantyhose Taro. All the regular Ranma things happened during the first two years, but only if they could find their way to Ranma's mountain. Pantyhose was on the look out for all the Jusenkyou victims so that's why he was there. There was a battle with Prince Herb when he attacked the Amazons, and with Saffron, which will be gone into in later chapters.

Akane will refer to Ranma as Pussycat, but all others would call him Ranma or Patriarch Ranma.

Thyme and Pepper will be regular characters in the pack and hopefully I won't be making up names for Amazons when I need a new character there.

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Ja ne.