An alarm clock dragged Juniper from her world of sleep. Somehow she had ended up on
her back, one leg dangling over the edge of her bed, her hairless tail curled back up under
her waist and her hair strewn across her face. Her mouth was dry and the taste of stale
morning breath was on her tongue.
Yech. This was the one time of any day when the rat would allow her self dignity to lapse,
and she would remedy that lapse in short order. She left the bed and shuffled to her
bathroom, completing her morning rituals with the same efficiency and grace with which
she approached everything in her life. As she returned to her room to select her attire for
the day, she spared a glance at herself in the tall mirror mounted on the outside of her
closet door.
Juniper was slightly taller than average for a rat, standing at just under seventeen
centimetres tall. Her fur was mostly a mid tone brown with darker patches near her hips
and shoulders. Pale spots blended into tan colouring along her wrists and ankles to her
hands and feet, and her freshly washed and tied hair was a much darker brown hanging in a
single bang down the left side of her face with a simple ponytail behind. Contrasting all of
her otherwise dull colours were her eyes, a brilliant almost sapphire like blue. She dressed
herself in a simple business suit and retrieved her phone from her bedside cabinet. After
one final glance to be sure she was presentable, she stepped over to her bedroom door
and left.
Juniper's apartment was sparsely furnished, and not at all large even for a single person.
Besides the bedroom and ensuite, she had only a small kitchen and living area that barely
ever saw use. None of it even got a glance as she walked directly to her front door and left
to start her job.
The location of her apartment was within a much larger dwelling, that being the manor
home of her employer. Her employer was the famous rock singer, Delarys Vayne, the
cheetah known throughout Luna City for her voice and her beauty. Juniper's employment
had begun as being something of a personal assistant, managing the singer's schedule and
the oversight of other directly related employees like the singer's personal trainer, cook and
housekeeper. Once the rat had proven herself adept at these tasks, her duties had
expanded to encompass the entirety of her band.
It had its challenges of course. Vayne and many of her bandmates were cheetahs, and as
such had limited impulse control and could be very playful on occasion. Juniper remained
professional at all times however and her authoritative tone and excellent timekeeping
ability had earned her enough respect that she rarely had any serious cause for concern.
She made her way across the countertop of the much larger kitchen, noting with a scowl
that the kitchen was still empty. 'Layla!' She called out. A few moments later, the sound of
soft footfalls could be heard from a distance, coming from the direction ahead of Juniper's
facing. Through that doorway was the expansive living room that occupied most of the
centre of this house and moments later the serval that served as the housemaid came
running in with an apologetic look on her face. Her black uniform was uneven and her
apron was about to fall loose from its knot. Typical for the scatterbrained girl. Barely out of
high school, landed a job working for a prestigious performer, and looked like she didn't
even know how to dress herself. If not for the fact that she was surprisingly good at her job,
Juniper would have fired her a month after she started.
'Sorry!' Layla stopped short at the counter, standing taller than Juniper by a large margin
as she tried to conceal her trepidation. 'I-I know breakfast is running late, but there was
more of a mess to clean up than usual after last night's... celebrations? I think?'
'Yes, they were celebrating.' Juniper confirmed. 'It was Zuri's birthday, and many of them
celebrated with disproportionate amounts of alcohol.'
'Oh I guessed the alcohol.' Layla grinned. 'Karim is still on the floor in there.'
Juniper sighed and checked her phone for the day's schedule. 'Alright. Leave the cleaning
for now. Get their breakfast started and I'll go wake them up. Hopefully by the time I can
convince them to get out of bed they'll be ready to eat something. Once I can get them over
to the studio you can go back to cleaning.'
'Of course, Miss Stone.' Layla nodded. 'I'll get on it right away!'
'Thank you.' Juniper continued along the benchtop, not giving the serval another glance
as she continued towards the living room. The end of the kitchen counter had a custom
piece of furniture designed to make it easy for the rat to traverse the countertop to the floor,
one of many such pieces situated around the house for her convenience. Most resembled a
miniature spiral staircase, and as she reached the floor level she spared a backwards
glance as a series of clangs rang out through the kitchen.
Layla, seeming much taller now that Juniper was on the floor, had dropped one of the
several pans she had tried to carry at once. 'Sorry! Sorry!' She called out, carefully placing
the remaining three down before retrieving the one that had fallen. 'Don't worry, I'll wash it!'
Juniper turned back towards the living room and continued without a word. As she
entered she could see that Layla had not been kidding about the mess. The cats had clearly
had fun the night before after Juniper had clocked off for the night, and though she had
been awake for several more hours poring through notes and organising the schedule for
today, she was still amazed that she hadn't heard any of this. Those little apartments must
be more insulated than she thought.
Karim was indeed still lying on the floor, one of the cheetah's legs haphazardly resting on
one of the sofas as though he'd tried to lie himself down and missed. The room was
enormous, even for cats as large as cheetahs, furnished with three luxurious sofas
surrounding an elaborately carved coffee table, all facing generally towards a large screen
television that adorned the wall just off to the right as the rat stepped though the doorway.
Empty bottles and cans were everywhere, one of the sofas was noticeably shifted from its
usual position, and several plates of unfinished food were stacked between the bottles on
the coffee table. Juniper sighed, thankful that the cats at least had the good sense not to go
overboard on the carpeting in this place since the claws on their feet tended to quite often
leave them in need of replacing. One less headache to deal with.
'Karim.' She called as she stepped close, the spotted cat stirring as he heard his name
called. His black hair was matted in shape as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting
position and turned his head to look back at Juniper. His eyes, normally a pale amber, were
even paler and bloodshot as he tried to focus on the small woman standing before him.
'Is it... morning?' He asked, immediately pulling a disgusted face as he tasted the stale
air that was his own morning breath.
'Yes.' Juniper replied flatly. 'Go shower and brush your teeth. Layla's making breakfast
now and I'm sure you need it.'
'Uh huh...' The cheetah nodded, wincing immediately.
Juniper continued past him, between two of the sofas towards the staircase at the back
of the room. This led to a balcony that surrounded the opulent space, and from there
separate hallways led to a number of bedrooms. The walk was longer for her than it was for
the cheetahs themselves with their ridiculously long legs, but the stairs had been modified
with a quick conveyor close to the handrail that bypassed her need to climb the stairs the
hard way, not unlike a travelator.
As she reached the first room, she knocked firmly at the base of the door. 'Zuri! It's time
to wake up!' She called in a firm voice as loud as she could muster.
She pressed her ear to the door, hearing the sounds of stirring and slow footsteps inside.
After a few moments, they got closer to the door and she stepped back as the door opened.
Zuri stood there, directly before Juniper, completely naked and rubbing her sleepy blue
eyes absent mindedly with one hand. Her eyes were barely open, and her reddish hair was
even messier than Karim's had been.
'Yea June?' The cheetah woman asked, looking as though she was on the verge of falling
back to sleep. 'Is it... morning already?'
'Sounds like it was morning when you went to bed.' Juniper replied, scowling slightly. 'You
do remember you were scheduled for recording today, right?'
'Right...' Zuri replied with a wince. She yawned and slumped, her dropping gaze seeming
to suddenly alert her to the fact that she was not wearing clothes. 'Ohh... Crap, sorry about
the... sight.'
'Not the worst I've seen.' Juniper replied passively. 'Layla's making breakfast and coffee.
Best get to it before Karim does. I want to see you over at the studio by 9am, alright? Oh,
and congratulations on your twenty eighth year.'
'Thanks...' Zuri managed a small half-hearted smile as her eyes sank closed.
Juniper continued towards the next room, a substantial walk for her size in addition to
the sheer size of these bedrooms even for their occupants. As well as Delarys Vayne
herself, four of the band's members lived in this house, with additional rooms for guests
and visiting officials. The installation of Juniper's own apartment in the kitchen had been a
matter of convenience, and on less hangover strewn mornings allowed her to facilitate
impromptu meetings first thing many mornings.
As she approached the bend at the end of the hallway, faint footsteps approached
rapidly. She paused with a sigh and stood still as the footsteps' owner rounded the bend
rapidly and made a cumbersome pounce. The young cheetah stopped just short of
colliding with Juniper, her excited expression mixing with her attempt at viciousness as she
made an attempt to intimidate the rat woman.
'Yasmina.' Juniper nodded calmly, meeting the cheetah's green eyes. 'Good to see you're
not hungover like the rest.'
Yasmina slumped, dropping herself to the floor with a heavy thump. 'You're not even a
little bit surprised? I smelled you coming and tried to ambush you! How do you always
know I'm here?'
Juniper gestured dismissively and sighed before answering. 'You always try this in the
same spot. I can hear you and smell you coming from a hall away. And you never try
anything different. There's a reason cheetahs are pursuit predators and not ambush
predators. You're not a leopard.'
Yasmina had stopped listening halfway through the rat's answer and was instead leaning
in close with her mouth hanging open in another attempt to playfully intimidate Juniper. Her
tongue curled and her lips pulled back in a snarling position as she tried to appear as scary
as possible, looming over Juniper with the sight of a throat easily large enough to swallow
the rat whole.
'You haven't brushed your teeth yet.' Juniper stated, examining the interior of Yasmina's
mouth and reaching her conclusion without missing a beat. She lifted a hand and pressed
it firmly against one of the cheetah's upper fangs, then pressed a foot firmly into her tongue
before Yasmina could attempt to lick.
'Aaah...' Yasmina withdrew her head dejectedly. 'I guess I try that too often too, huh?'
'That's a way to put it.' Juniper replied, narrowing her eyes and wiping her hand on her
pants. 'Layla's getting breakfast ready. We don't need you at the studio today, but if you do
want to attend, I trust you can keep out of the way?'
'Maybe I'll stay here and practice stealth.' Yasmina grinned, standing to her full height.
With more of her now visible to Juniper than her mouth, the rat could see that the girl was
still wearing her pale blue night wear.
'I could schedule a grooming session.' Juniper answered with a very subtle threatening
tone. 'Get your teeth whitened, your whiskers evened out, your nose hair trimmed, your
claws clipped and filed, maybe some-'
'Stop!' Yasmina raised her hands in surrender. 'I'll be good!'
'Thank you.' Juniper nodded with a wry smile. 'Is Miss Vayne still here?'
'No...' Yasmina shook her head. 'Left an hour ago.'
'Thank you.' Juniper repeated. 'I'll see you downstairs.'
Once back downstairs, Juniper had returned to the kitchen counter top and allowed the
three cheetahs to finish most of their breakfast and make a start on their coffees. Layla
stood close by, ready to top up any coffees or provide seconds if requested. They ate slowly
at the large island counter in the centre of the kitchen while Juniper ate her own breakfast
at a smaller setup just outside her own apartment installation.
'Day off, Yaz?' Karim asked. 'Gonna relax or gonna do something fun?'
Yasmina glanced at Juniper before answering. 'I think I'll just take it easy today. Keep my
head together for the weekend.'
Karim laughed between a mouthful of food. 'You tried to eat June again?'
'The groomer isn't fun.' Yasmina mumbled.
'Well, whenever it doesn't seem worth it, just remember we all end up making the trip to
the groomers now and then anyway.' Karim replied with a small laugh.
Whatever Yasmina was about to say next was interrupted by a clattering of the fork falling
from Zuri's grip. It bounced from her plate and clattered across the table, landing on the
floor before the half asleep cat could even begin to react. Layla had it in hand a split
second later, all but zooming to the cutlery drawer to retrieve a clean fork.
'Here you go!' The serval handed the new utensil to Zuri, who nodded her thanks and
shook herself back awake.
'Zuri?' Juniper called, standing from her small table and meeting the sleepy gaze of the
fatigued cheetah. 'Are you going to manage today's recording, or should I call someone in
to cover for you?'
'Uhhh...' Zuri tried to form words, blinking slowly as she considered her position.
'I'll call in Lulu.' Juniper replied with a small shake of her head. 'Just go back to bed.'
'I'll look after you.' Yasmina stood and stepped behind Zuri, ruffling the older woman's
hair with both hands and scratching behind her ears. Zuri looked ready to fall back asleep
on the very spot, her expression slowly turning to drowsy bliss.
Karim stood and finished his coffee, then turned to give Juniper a glance. 'So do you need
a lift to the studio? Or you gonna ride the serval?'
'Layla has her work cut out cleaning up after last night.' Juniper answered. 'So... I
suppose I could use a lift.'
The recording and rehearsal studio was attached to the same block of land as Vayne's
manor, a perk of being one of the most successful music acts in Leona City's
entertainment industry. It was essentially a division of Vayne's own band, a business entity
as much as an entertainment act. Though it was mostly used for their own purposes, they
still regularly rented the facility to other bands and sometimes even those in the movie or
television industries in need of top quality sound recording equipment.
The building had four separate recording booths, several soundproofed rooms for
unrecorded practice sessions, and a mock concert hall similar in setup to the main concert
arena in the city's central district. For the last several weeks, most of the facilities had been
in use as the band divided their time between brainstorming the next album's music and
preparing for a concert in the coming weekend.
Karim stepped into one of the recording booths control rooms, where two cheetahs were
already present and watching a third hammer away at a set of drums. Only one cheetah
was at the control panel, listening intently through a set of headphones, and the other
cheetah was Delarys Vayne herself. Karim stepped to the table at the back of the small
room where half a dozen empty coffee cups sat, and allowed Juniper to step from his
shoulder down his arm to the table top.
As the drummer continued, seemingly oblivious to the new arrivals, Karim stepped back
out to prepare for his own turn in the booth. After a few more moments, Delarys turned and
took a seat beside the table, greeting Juniper with a smile and nod.
'How did you go wrangling them this morning?' She asked. In casual wear and without
stage make up, Delarys looked like a different cheetah to the one most of Leona City was
used to seeing on stage and screen. Her hair was black and tied into a short ponytail, and
her blue eyes looking a tad less vibrant without the extensive eye-liner she used to highlight
them.
'We have Karim.' Juniper shrugged. 'Zuri was a write off after last night, but I've called
Lulu to come in. And Yasmina has promised to behave. She's Zuri's problem for now.'
'Probably the best we could hope for.' Delarys giggled. She looked back to the drummer
in the booth, then gestured for Juniper to weigh in. 'What do you think? Kamau's on fire in
there.'
Juniper took a few moments to listen. While her own knowledge of music theory was
limited, her time working for the band had instilled her with a sense of what they
considered to be good, and what in turn their fan base also loved. Kamau was the band's
premiere drummer, a musician that epitomised the cheetah reputation for speed and
agility. His drumming was on a level all its own, his rhythm and beats so fast that only the
other cheetahs of this band could keep up with their own instruments. His hands were a
blur, and his drumsticks almost invisible. Though the rat held a neutral expression, she had
to admit to herself that he was indeed quite impressive. Not all of their music kept this
pace, but it was something the crowd loved to see at concerts.
'He's certainly setting a high bar for the others.' Juniper nodded at last. A few moments
later the drummer began to wind down, steadily slowing his pace until his set was finished.
Finally allowing himself to slump in his stool, Kamau looked up and smiled as the
technician gave him a thumbs up through the glass. Juniper never learned the technician's
name but then she never needed to interact with him before. Instead she turned back to
Delarys.
'Do any of the band look like they need to visit the groomers before the weekend?' The rat
asked.
Delarys thought for a moment before shaking her head. 'I think the show masks will
cover for the most part. Maybe just a few haircuts. Make up can handle the rest.'
Juniper nodded, scrolling through her scheduling app and mentally compiling stats and
figures. 'Kamau and Zuri are due to hunt either tonight or tomorrow.' She said, glancing
back to the booth as Kamau and the technician carried the drum set in pieces out of the
small room and into the storage area behind it. Several more staff were assisting, a leopard
and a lion, both of whom carried the heavier pieces with minimal effort. As the rat glanced
back to her app, she noticed an extra detail. 'Oh, you're close too actually, Miss Vayne.
Perhaps you should see to that before the concert as well.'
'Think so?' Delarys tilted her head thoughtfully. 'I'm not really feeling it yet.'
'It's better you take care of it tonight.' Juniper said, more insistently than before. 'Eating
concert goers backstage might make you feel like you're having fun, but it's awkward to
handle from a publicity standpoint.'
'But that's not your problem to deal with.' Delarys grinned.
'True.' Juniper smiled back mockingly. 'But hearing Siman complain about it and making
me promise to try and alleviate the issue is my problem.'
'That guy is just a ball of stress and fur.' Delarys laughed.
'Even so...' Juniper continued. 'You would benefit from joining the others on their hunt.
And please remember you'll be on stage, so try to find prey that are small enough to leave
your... figure, intact.'
'Hmm, like a sweet, bossy little rat?' Delarys suggested playfully, crouching beside the
table and leaning in close to Juniper.
'Certainly, if you can find one.' Juniper replied flatly, not the least bit put off by the
cheetah's gleaming fangs and coffee breath. She'd learned to deal with this sort of thing
quickly, and the band had found the rat's resolve both amusing and admirable.
'Fine.' Delarys sighed as she stood back up. By now the sound booth was empty, Karim
was waiting to the side fidgeting with his bass guitar, and the technician was back in his
seat setting up for the next recording. Kamau had already left, whether to rest or prepare for
another session was not of immediate concern.
The rest of the day went fairly smoothly, with Lulu arriving halfway through Karim's
session and subsequently completing her own. Delarys herself was the last to enter,
adding her voice to the slowly growing song. By the time they were finished for the day,
everyone was getting tired and sick of dealing with long recording sessions despite them
being a large part of their lives. Juniper accompanied Delarys to the stage area, where they
found several of their backup singers and dancers practicing their own choreography for
the weekend performance.
Yasmina had found her way here, and was lending her own critique and advice to some
of the others, a fact Juniper found amusing since all of them were older and more
experienced than her. Still, the girl had raw talent and everyone knew it. So when she
offered advice, it was at the very least worth consideration.
'She'll have a hell of a solo act one day.' Delarys whispered to Juniper on her shoulder as
they watched.
'So long as she keeps herself out of Tales and Tails.' Juniper replied.
'I doubt that would be the worst she could do.' Delarys grinned. 'She'd run the place if
she ever went back there. Remember how much they begged her to stay?'
Juniper nodded slightly but stayed silent. That sleazy place was nothing but a glorified
strip club, attracting those whose talent consisted of appealing only to the basest of carnal
desires in the basest of customers. Though they tried to disguise themselves as a classy
establishment, there was no escaping the fact that nine out of ten of their dancers were
naked by the time their act was finished. Even if Yasmina could be successful there, it felt
wrong to Juniper to entertain the idea. Yasmina had real talent and deserved the chance to
shine in a more serious part of the entertainment industry.
Delarys seemed to pick up on Juniper's silence and didn't press the matter further. They
watched as the cheetahs and fennecs that comprised the dancing quarter continued their
rehearsal for another half an hour before Delarys decided to leave.
Back at the manor, Layla had done an impeccable job of cleaning and was already in the
process of preparing dinner. 'How many am I cooking for?' She asked excitedly. Zuri and
Yasmina were already sitting, while Karim and Delarys were in the living room talking about
something to do with what was on the television.
'Karim and Yasmina.' Juniper answered. 'Zuri and Miss Vayne would benefit from hunting
tonight, so maybe a light appetiser or a small smoothie to give them an energy boost.'
'And for you, Miss Stone?' The serval asked, leaning close.
'A portion of whatever you're cooking will be fine.' Juniper replied. 'And that will probably
be all we need for tonight.'
'Sure thing!' Layla replied with all her enthusiasm, setting about her cooking with gusto.
As the sounds of pans clanging and the cooktop burners beginning to heat up softly
sounded through the kitchen, Juniper was already scrolling through her scheduling app to
see what was needed for the next day. Her eyes were beginning to blur with the effort of
focusing and she found herself looking forward to whatever food it was Layla was
preparing. As dinner progressed and the smell of venison and a spicy sauce filled the air,
the rat set her phone down. This could easily wait until later.
As everyone but Zuri and Delarys ate, Layla was preparing a pair of energy smoothies.
These were light and tasty, but also gave a substantial energy boost that would aid the pair
in their predatory efforts for the night.
'Good luck, you two!' Layla offered her encouragement as they left.
'Do you ever run out of energy?' Karim asked, seeing the serval return to her cleaning of
the kitchen without missing a beat.
Layla was silent, smiling awkwardly as she tried to come up with an answer.
'About as often as Yasmina does.' Juniper interjected. 'Despite my best efforts to exhaust
them both.'
All three felids in the room turned to look at Juniper, surprise and amusement on their
faces at the dour rat's joke. Juniper herself said nothing further, letting her own eyes drift
shut and sighing deeply.
'Sounds like you only exhausted yourself.' Layla remarked. 'Good thing the other two left.
You'd be such easy prey right now.'
Juniper could suddenly feel the slight heat and smell of the serval's breath. She opened
her eyes. Layla had crossed the kitchen without a sound and now her salivating mouth was
looming over the rat's tired form. Tough not as large or imposing as a cheetah, a rat
Juniper's size would still easily slip down that throat if Layla was determined enough to
make it happen. Layla got closer, and it occurred to Juniper that she had never included the
serval's hunting habits on her roster.
'Layla!' She called forcefully. Bracing her arms as best she could as the serval's jaw
closed. She felt the cat's tongue press against her, her clothes thankfully stopping the
barbed surface from taking any of her fur. Still, she didn't have the physical strength to push
back and a disgusting wet slurp filled her ears as Layla attempted to draw her in deeper.
Everything lurched suddenly, and Juniper felt herself falling. She landed on something
soft and immediately felt herself gripped in someone's hand. As she rubbed the saliva from
her face and looked up, she could see that she was in Karim's right hand, with a pale and
terrified looking Layla gripped by her scruff in his left.
'Layla, we don't eat our employers, right?' The cheetah said playfully.
'I'm so sorry!' Layla raised her hands in as non threatening a gesture as she could. 'Miss
Stone I don't know what came over me, please please please I am so sorry!'
'Just...' Juniper panted as she tried to shift herself right way up in Karim's hand. 'Maybe
you should go...'
'What?' Layla's eyes widened in shock and dismay. 'But... I... I didn't mean to-'
'I meant go hunting!' Juniper cut her off. 'Clock off for the night, go hunt some other rats
or whatever, and get a good night's rest!' She tried her best to mask her frustration, feeling
the slightest pang of sympathy at the girl's fear. Only slight...
'R-right...' Layla nodded and took a step back as Karim released her, all but scampering
as she made her leave.
'You alright?' Karim asked, setting Juniper down on the counter once Layla was out of the
room. 'And does... Layla still have a job here?'
'Of course.' Juniper replied sternly, instinctively trying to dry her hands on her clothes
only to realise that they were damp as well. 'I should have factored her hunting cycle into
my scheduling as well. That was my fault. Still, faced with three cat mouths and only ended
up in one of them. Not a terrible day.'
Karim stared blankly, sparing a glance to Yasmina at the island counter, who simply
shrugged and smiled.
'Ill probably just wash up and call it a night.' Juniper sighed.
'Alright.' Karim nodded. As he returned to his seat, Juniper gave both cheetahs a simple
nod of farewell and stepped into her own dwelling.
Once inside with the door closed, Juniper let herself sink to her knees and take a few
deep breaths. Her phone clattered to the floor beside her and she fumbled to pick it back
up. There was nothing urgent needed right now, nothing she could do to make the next day
easier. Everything was handled, planned and scheduled for the rest of the week. Leaving
Juniper with nothing but her thoughts.
And that was the worst part. With no distractions, she was clear to contemplate how
close she had come to being a cat's food. If Karim hadn't been there, would Yasmina have
stepped in? Juniper thought back to how many times she had been alone with Layla since
the serval had been hired, never once considering the hunting cycle of the young girl. She'd
ended up in Delarys' mouth or one of the others on occasion before, but that was almost
always just their silly games and immaturity surfacing when they were in the midst of
having fun. But that encounter with Layla had felt more real... Far more real.
'Idiot!' She cursed herself. She survived by being better than this. By being useful to a
point that Vayne and her band would struggle to go back to being without her. By factoring
in everything about their habits and their needs. By showing no fear and ensuring that they
hunted regularly, even if it seemed a bit more frequent than necessary at times. How could
she overlook something as simple as the exact same thing for the goddamn housemaid?!
Juniper dragged herself to her feet. She had their respect, even fear at times. Especially
Layla's, the girl so desperate to keep this job she was practically on her knees. But none of
that would matter if they lost control of themselves. If Juniper lost control of them. She had
to hold herself to better standards if she was going to maintain any semblance of authority.
She picked up her phone and walked into her room, seeing her dishevelled form in the tall
mirror.
'Ugh...' She shook her head and turned away, shedding her clothes on the way into her
bathroom. A shower... She'd get the stink of carelessness and serval saliva out of her fur,
then she could do the same for her clothes. Tomorrow would be better. Tomorrow she
would have her power back...
