Silent love song 7

 The head of the family didn't seem as happy as the rest, however. Alma Madrigal sat with an unreadable expression on her face while the others congratulated them.

"Is <i>that</i> why you were sneaking around at night?" Julieta asked curiously.

"Well... uh, yeah." He chuckled. "I was trying to find her. I had a vision so I kind of knew where she would be."

Camilo pointed at Elly. "<i>You're</i> the puma," he blurted out all at once. "I can see your nose underneath!"

"The what?" Pepa blinked in confusion at her son.

"I met uncle on the road leading into the jungle a few days ago," he explained, excited and talking fast. "He said he saw a purple puma."

"She's a person, not a - ohhhh!" Antonio backtracked as Elly's ears poked up out of her short purple hair.

"Wait, I thought only we had magic."

"What's going on?!"

"I don't know why I'm like this," Elly told them truthfully. "I was young when it happened, and upset since I couldn't be with Bruno -" She tried very hard not to word things in an accusing manner. "My last memory was plunging through the jungle as I changed."

Alma's posture stiffened as if she realized something important. She addressed her son instead of the woman beside him, ignoring the question of magic and cutting to the heart of a different matter. "Brunito, did you smuggle this woman into the house last night?" Her unspoken displeasure suggested what most of the adults were thinking: <i>did you sleep together</i>?

He answered with another question. "Did you turn her away all those years ago, mamá?" His expressionate eyes filled with a deep, abiding sadness. He knew the answer and at that moment, they all did.

"Oh, ouch." Félix whistled lowly.

"I thought I was doing the right thing."

"You told me she never came." Bruno shook his head, bewildered. "I thought she'd found another."

"They tried to force me to marry someone else!"

"Please understand." The older woman switched tactics, appealing to Elly. "Your parents didn't want you involved with him and, quite frankly, neither did I."

"I wasn't a child!" Her lips thinned and she started to tremble. "You <i>knew</i> we were in love. Why did you let your daughters have that happiness but deny him?!"

"It would only have confused him if you suddenly showed up like that after so long."

"My parents <i>locked me up</i>! I couldn't get out and then when I did, you told me to go away." Elly paused. "I didn't, of course. I tried to see him but he wasn't there - he wasn't anywhere." Her voice trailed down until she was whispering the last words.

"Your parents wanted what was best for you, like I did with Brunito." She gestured towards him.

"Whoa." Mirabel's hands stole up to her face, trembling as she covered her mouth.

"He didn't need a woman getting involved when he was struggling with that power of his!"

"He <i>needed</i> love and acceptance." Elly's fangs flashed in the morning light as she bared them in anger. "You treated him like a villian and he's the sweetest man I've ever known!" She shook her head and curled her arm around his, hiding under his poncho. "I don't want to fight. Please, can we not?"

"It's okay, <i>gatita</i>," Bruno pulled his chair out so he could hold her on his lap. She softly begged him to stay and he held her closer, tighter. "No one's fighting, and I'm, um. I'm here. I'm still here."

Dolores winced. She could hear the puma lady sobbing and the look on Bruno's face nearly broke her heart. She held up her hand and addressed the table quietly but firmly, with a smile on her face. "We're all very happy to welcome someone new into our home. It can be a little challenging sometimes, but that's how family is, right?"

Bruno nodded gratefully and stroked his lover's furry ears. "We'll be together now, okay? As soon as possible." A cheer went up from the others and the house celebrated by rattling the furniture merrily about. "I'm not into big celebrations, but I guess our wedding has to be an exception, huh?"

"Of course!" Mirabel was so thrilled she got up and began spinning around the room with her sister Isabel, who produced a beautiful crown of orchids for Elly.

Camilo snickered at the white flowers when they were placed on her head. "They're both old," he pointed out. "There's no way the white's - ohhh! Sorry." He started to sweat as he found himself eye to eye all at once with the purple puma. Bruno was holding the rear half of the big cat with a wide-eyed, startled look on his features.

He changed into his uncle right away and held his hands up. "Whoaaa, you wouldn't hurt <i>this</i> handsome face now, would you?" He winked outrageously.

Luisa, who had been quiet the entire time, slapped a hand to her face, shaking her head at the young man's antics. "Camilo."

"Easy," Bruno spluttered, grabbing in the air and missing as her tail smacked him in the face. Several rats were now clinging to it, squeaking in terror as they failed to control its angry whipping around. "He's joking. Hey, nephew, you better apo-o-o-logize!" He comically drew out the last word, raising his bushy eyebrows at him.

A fogbank swirled around Pepa's head as she watched her brother rein in his wife-to-be. "My son deserves that," was all she said, however, when Bruno grinned sheepishly at her in apology.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," the teen nodded, changing back to himself. "That was kinda tasteless of me."

"White is doable. Perfectly okay," Bruno assured everyone in a loud voice as he rocked in his chair holding Elly, who had reverted back. "For both of us," he added. "Oh. I think. I don't want to assume anything."

She sighed and nodded, though her cheeks were stained pink. "I spent the years hidden away in the jungle by myself, remember? Not that it would have mattered. You're the only man I want."

The smile he directed shyly at her was like the sun coming up.

"Awwww!" Mirabel, Luisa and Isabel clutched their hands to their hearts as one.

"Okay, then! Who wants to plan a wedding?"

There was scattered applause along with lively chatter as the family turned to that happier topic.

Last night a DJ saved my life

 Present Mic didn't usually bring his girlfriend to his gigs, but when he did he liked to keep an eye out for her in the club. It was almost a wrap for the night and he'd started looking forward to packing up when he caught sight of a disturbance at the edge of the dance floor.

Hizashi squinted hard, trying to make out what was going on over there. That was approximately where Elly had been sitting at a table while she waited for him. She'd danced herself out and liked to relax and hydrate for the last hour.

His eyes narrowed dangerously when he saw a large man hovering over his girl. Elly pointed away, then shook her head. She was very clearly telling the man <i>no</i> and he wasn't listening. She finally looked up and caught his eye, and a fierce pride flooded through him when he saw her visibly relax as she waved to him. Though she could take care of things herself, she was more than happy to let Hizashi vent his frustrations now and then.

"C'mon lady, let me at least buy you a drink. You look like you need it."

"I'm not interested." The cat woman very pointedly placed the special headphones her boyfriend bought her over her ears.

Hizashi cleared his throat and scratched a record, first keeping to the beat but slowly turning the music down so the crowd looked up at the booth in confusion.

He leveled one leather-gloved hand in their direction. "I see one of my listeners is <i>being a <b>very BAD BOY</b></i>!"

The man harassing Elly cringed as the Voice Hero's message struck home.

"<b>No means no an' that's MY GIRL, YO</b>!"

He fell out of the chair, hands clutching his ears in pain.

"I told you I had a boyfriend," she said blandly.

Hizashi stepped down out of the booth and stormed over, his thick-soled boots clomping loudly over the beat of the last track he'd put on. The guy saw the DJ grimly coming straight for him and scrambled off, yelping curses.

"My hero," she teased.

He snorted loudly, slipping an arm low around her waist. "He didn't hurt ya, did he?"

"No, sweetie." She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

He looked around and sighed. The majority of the club goers were still dancing, but quite a few had their phones out and were texting or even bluntly recording them. He'd caused a scene and would pay for it later, but his blood was still boiling and he knew he had to moderate his temper before picking his gear up.

"A'ight, let's go in the back first, yeah? I need to calm down."

They passed the guard the club employed in the back after an ID check and headed to a small hallway filled with rooms where performers could rest. He opened the one reserved for him tonight and they slipped inside.

Hizashi immediately flopped down on the large couch in the middle of the room and screamed into a pillow.

"You said you wanted to try and calm down, sweetie," she reminded him, sitting down.

He grabbed her and pulled her underneath him. "So maybe I can't. <i>Maybe</i> I wanna kiss you all over 'n mark you up so everyone knows yer mine. <i>My</i> baby."

"Aww, Mic, you know I love you."

"Yeah." He sucked a light mark on her throat and grasped her tighter around the waist.

"I know what'll make you feel better," she purred. One hand stole down to his belt buckle and unfastened it deftly through so much practice. Knowing he was in a grumpy mood, she switched tactics from how she'd normally speak and pushed her boundaries a little. "Fuck me, Present Mic. Fuck me hard and fast and <i>dirty</i>." She pulled his member out of his underwear and stroked him to full hardness.

He gulped air and jerked his head up to stare at her in bewilderment. She winked at him, and he grinned back before shivering and dropping to her neck again. "I'm'a make it nasty, babygirl," he hummed darkly, biting harder and causing her to groan. "You ready?"

"Drop the beat," she murmured, and he snickered wickedly.

"Tell me if it's too much," he whispered in her ear before pushing her down on the couch.

"Mmn, okay. But the idea of you holding me down and fucking me senseless has me hotter than ever for you. I might not be able to speak."

He took her left hand in his and kissed the palm. "Squeeze my hand then, 'cause I might not hear ya, either."

"Gotcha."

He grabbed her other wrist in his hand and the texture of his fingerless leather glove gripping her so tightly caused her to whimper. "Shit," he groaned, tugging her clothing out of the way enough for him to squirm into position. "You're really into this, ain't ya, babygirl. Tell me again what you want, hmm? Ya want me to wreck you?"

"Ahhh, Mic, <i>use me</i>," she moaned, squirming at the sight of him, still dressed in all his gear except the neck speaker and looming above her with a mischevious smirk. "Pin me down and fuck me hard."

"My <i>pleasure</i>," he growled in a rough voice. He kissed her hard enough for her lips to start tingling, and before she recovered he thrust, burying himself as deep as he could go all at once.

He didn't stop, either, but did as she requested, plunging forward and back with mindless abandon as he let channeled his emotions into lovemaking. His near-boundless energy coupled with the aggression he was venting enabled him to keep up a wild pace for a long time. Sweat flew from his face and neck as he tossed his head, grimacing with pleasure, and the wetness started to bring down his waxed up hairstyle. Several minutes in Hizashi bared his teeth, set himself, and <i>doubled</i> his already impressive efforts with a rough growl deep in his throat.

"Oh god," Elly stammered, her eyes fluttering closed. "I've never been fucked like this before! Mic, <i>Present Mic</i>! I want all of you! Please, please, oh <i>pleeeease</i>!"

"Good girl," he gasped raggedly. "Sh - shit! Good girl, my precious girl. Lay back and take every last drop m'gonna give you!" His thrusts grew frantic, the jingle of his zippers and gear accompanying his rapid pace.

"Fill me up," she panted, staring him right in the eyes.

His tongue peeked out from between his lips. "Gonna be dripping down yer thighs, baby," he promised. "Fuck, fuck, <i>ffffuck</i>, I'm gonna nut so <i>hard</i>." He groaned and dropped a series of kisses on her mouth so steamy she quivered all over.

"Don't stop, but please, grab my other wrist and really hold me down. I'm close, and I want it - <i>oh god, yes</i>!"

Hizashi pressed her more firmly into the cushions and said nothing this time, just gave her a stern, squinted-eye look. She came with a gasp, shaking and staring into those <i>eyes</i> of his, the gorgeous, thin-spiraling hazel pupils that were currently glowing gold in the light of the room.

When Elly wound down she was oversensitive, and he pulled himself up so that he wasn't rubbing on her tired clitorus.

"Still okay, princess?"

"Ye - hess," she panted weakly with a smile. "Your turn, now."

"Good," he panted. "Good, 'cause I can't hold back anymore." He flopped down, his strokes less violent but still muttering with irritation under his breath. "Mine. My baby. No one can ever take you a - away..."

"I'm yours, Mic," she told him quietly. "Always yours. It's okay."

He buried his face beside her in the cushions and let out a muffled cry, jerking forward and holding one last thrust until he was finally spent.

"Better?" She brushed the blond chunks of hair that had fallen back, flipping them over his shoulders.

Hizashi blinked owlishly at her and nodded. "All kinds of better," he murmured. "Thank you, baby."

Silent love song 6

 Elly woke to the whimpering cries of her beloved as he shivered, naked except for his underwear yet sweating heavily. He was curled up in front of her, a starved little spoon that craved affection and physical contact. She'd wrapped herself around him and purred him into a deep, restful sleep last night but he'd woken disoriented and in a panic.

Chest heaving, heart pounding, Bruno's green eyes glowed brightly the moment upon opening and he woke up to an involuntarily vision. It shook him even though after it faded he couldn't remember what he had Seen. He rolled over to face Elly and buried his head between her breasts, weeping with both mental and physical pain.

"This hurts... it <i>hurts</i>," he moaned. "Huh - hold me, hold me <i>por favor</i>, please, my brain is on fire."

They lay there quietly while she held him, stroked his hair and traced lazy, circling patterns over his closed eyelids. He relaxed gradually, his brow smoothing out and the tension flowing out of him as she cuddled him. After a quarter of an hour or so he grasped the front of his shirt she was wearing and tugged her close for a tender kiss.

"Good morning, my heart," she greeted him quietly. "How's your head now?"

"It's much better," he mumbled, still groggy. "Thanks."

"Does that happen often?" She stretched her arms over her head and yawned.

He groaned very softly as he picked himself up, scratching at his chest. "Sometimes it does in the middle of the night, too. I can't control it as much as I used to be able to."

"Maybe I can help, somehow."

"You already did." Bruno sniffed and rubbed his tired eyes with the heels of his hands, then yawned hugely. "I've always wanted someone to hold me like that when it gets bad."

Elly smiled at him and walked over to a window, uncovering the heavy drapes so the light shined in. "Your tower has so many stairs," she murmured, peering out.

"Yeah, well... it helps to keep people out. The platform works for the ones I want to let in. I like it."

"So do I, love. You can see all around from up here."

He kissed her affectionately on the neck. "I'll make coffee. We can get dressed and wake up before we tackle the family." He paused, then added, "Oh, and don't let the rats help. They lick the sugar cubes."

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Ew."

"It's only if you ask them to get you sugar."

"You sure?"

He scratched his mass of unruly hair, his expression clearly showing he'd never thought too hard about this before. "Oh, um... actually, let's get coffee downstairs."

They showered and changed into fresh clothing. And while Elly didn't have a wardrobe besides the one purple outfit, he knew he had something suitable. Eventually, he found a dress he'd purchased as a gift a long while ago he hadn't had a chance to give to his sister before his self-imposed exile. It fit well enough, so they rode the lift back down and entered the main house.

The family were already seated at the dining room table, so they had privacy all the way there. Bruno took a deep, cleansing breath and stuck his head out from behind the corner of the wall. "Uhhhh, I need to talk to you guys."

"Bruno!"

"C'mon, uncle! Your coffee is getting cold."

An extra chair rolled up on a wave of flooring and settled beside Bruno's. As they watched, confused, a cup of coffee joined his as well.

"Casita? What are you doing?" Mirabel cocked her head to the side. "Why did you set another place?"

Bruno walked out with his head low, anxiety showing in his every movement. "I know why."

They looked over at him expectedly. His arm was outstretched toward the hall but it started to move as Elly, holding his hand tight, joined him.

She stayed close to his side with her ears folded into her hair and her tail curled around her legs. "Hello."

Julieta paused after setting a platter of food on the table. "Oh, company!"

"This is Elly. We knew each other when we were younger but we lost each other during the - you know, all the stuff that went on."

The family broke out in smiles and friendly hellos.

"She's my fiancée," Bruno added.

A shocked silence fell over the table like a thick blanket. His sisters' eyes lit up, their husbands faces grew pensive as they tried to figure out how the gangly, scruffy man had won over such a beauty. The rest of the family just sat there with their mouths open.

Elly squirmed uncomfortably, tucking a strand of hair back and creeping even closer to him. He drew her chair out and she sat, relinquishing his hand only for the amount of time it took him to sit as well. Blushing, he took it in his again in full view of the table.

"Oooooh!" Félix broke the silence with a loud whistle. "My man, Bruno! Way to go!"

Silent love song 5

 It was frighteningly easy to slip back into the house, but they both knew it was only because it wanted to help them.

Elly waited to greet it until she placed her hand on the engraving on the door, watching as the solemn illustration of Bruno lit up in welcome for her. "Hello, Casita," she said quietly.

The door swung open of its own accord and Bruno smiled a crooked little smile at her. "Looks like somebody still likes you here besides me, huh?"

"That's good to know." She stepped inside his world of spiraling, stone steps and desert sands. A playful wind gusted about her ankles and she smiled when he offered her his hand. The trip up the top of the tower didn't take long as there was now a rising platform they rode to the top. She commented on this as they walked hand in hand through the candle lit passageways to the center.

"It, uh, made up a nicer room for me to sleep in this time, too." He gestured towards the far side of the temple and she walked around a statue, exclaiming in delight at the surprise she found.

The room was warm and cozy. Green tapestries hung on the walls woven with hourglasses tilted on their side that also resembled crude butterflies - a common theme for Casita, she recalled. There was a decent sized bed and a plush chair, and an entranceway on the right that was possibly a bathroom.

"Are you hungry?" Bruno's hand dipped inside his poncho and came out with an <i>arepa</i>. He offered it to her but she shook her head.

"I'm more anxious than hungry. After all this time, to be back here again is blowing my mind!" Her tail swished rapidly back and forth, lashing at her legs.

Several rats scampered out of nooks and crannies in the wall and he tossed a piece of the cornbread to them. "You can have the bed."

She squinted at the comfortable looking mattress. "It looks big enough for two," she said calmly. "Why not share it?"

He coughed, pounding on his chest and gulping for air. "Wh - huh - whaaat? But that's - I can't..."

"Oh, Brunito." She reached out to cup his face in her two hands. "I'm as old as you. That's around thirty-five years without any comfort; for me, even longer waiting for your loving touch."

"Loving touch?" His eyes grew wide.

"Loving doesn't have to mean that," she assured him. "Anything we do we have to both be comfortable with, anyway. Right?"

He let out a gust of air from the lungful he previously inhaled, uncrossing his fingers and then anxiously re-crossing them again. "R - riiiight. It's just that - and I'll be honest with you here -- " He gasped and stood silent, his eyes flashing that telltale light. When the vision passed he shook his head, frowning, and groaned.

Elly took his forearm to guide him. "Bed, Bruno - now. I know how those flash visions affect you."

His ears were blushing dark red and he tried to stutter out an apology. "Did I..? I can't tell if it's my Sight or a - a daydream, sometimes."

She raised one eyebrow and looked pointedly at the mattress, then him. "See anything pertinent?"

"Nope!" The blush spread across his nose and cheeks. He jumped up but she laid a hand on his leg, causing him to falter and plop heavily back down. "You know I don't like discussing them."

"I know."

He regretted the words, however, as soon as he heard her sad tone. "I've had that vision before," he husked roughly, turning toward her. His sandals fell to the floor but only the rats paid attention to them, one crawling inside the left to use it as a bed. "<i>Mi amor</i> -"

"My love," she echoed, falling easily into his arms.

Their first kiss was fleeting; a brief brush of their lips that turned into much more when they felt the spark that connected them flare into life. Any shyness either may have felt fell away and they crashed together in a series of steamy, open-mouthed kisses and tangling of limbs. Neither were sure how long this went on but Bruno had a dark love bite on his neck and his beloved several smaller, rounder marks when they paused for air.

"I don't want to stop," he panted. "Your hands, your lips, all over me, I - I <i>need</i> it. <i>I need you</i>."

Her eyes were dreamy as she lay safe and happy in the circle of his arms, surrounded by his scent and heat. "Kiss me again," she begged breathlessly.

Bruno groaned and quickly obliged, pressing his lips to hers and canting his hips to grind into her body below. "I dreamed of this, but what I Saw was me kissing you all over. Everywhere, my beauty, my precious - going lower and lower until I was making you <i>sing</i> with my tongue and fingers dancing inside you." He kissed her throat and slid his tongue down, his hands gathering the hem of her dress to lift it.

"Oh my god!" She tossed her head to the side, moaning thickly. "Yes! Bruno, yes!"

He moved without thought after her enthusiastic consent, stripping her of her garment and only pausing when he reached her bra. Elly unhooked it for him and slipped her arms around his neck, stroking his upper back through the poncho he still wore. He said nothing but smiled brightly at her before darting down to pepper her breasts with soft, suckling kisses. Elly was a mess before he even ran a finger across the hem of her panties.

He'd watched himself doing this several times, a particularily sharp vision that he always dismissed as a fantasy though it had so many details. He knew just what to do and what he wanted to, and brought his desires together to please her the best he could. His scruffy goatee rubbed on her belly as he dipped his tongue in her navel. Loving the way her skin heaved at his touch he slowly dragged her underwear down, placing kisses in its wake. When it reached her knees he whisked them off and she parted her legs at such a brief caress of his fingertips that he exhaled sharply.

"<i>Eres muy mona,</i>," he groaned. "You are so <i>cute</i>, the way you open up like a pretty flower for me." He licked his lips, staring for a brief moment at the puff of purple hair in front of him. "Is this really okay?"

"Yes, <i>please</i>." Elly whimpered as she felt him lightly brushing her hair to part it. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her sex before opening his mouth and slipping his tongue between her folds. She had no idea how he could be so <i>good</i> without experience, but pleasure overcame curiousity and she let herself go, her tail beating the bed beside them as he kissed her more intimately than ever.

He continued swirling his fingers around the drenched button of flesh, licking rapidly. Her cries grew louder and more desperate, short and rapidfire shrieks of his name that spurred him on until, at last, her entire body spasmed.

"<i>Bruno</i>!"

"Ahhhh, she comes for me," he sighed lustily. "My ultimate reward."

"My god, oh my god." She struggled to gather her wits about her after that mind numbing orgasm.

"Did I please you, my <i>gatita</i>?" A little smirk darted about his lips. "You sounded like you enjoyed that very much."

"You were amazing." Elly cuddled close, nuzzling into his neck and kissing his ear. "Do you want me to touch you now?"

His smile turned sheepish and he kissed her sweetly on her nose. "I, uh, already finished. You sounded so sinful, love, I couldn't help it."

"Oh!"

"Yeah. Heh heh!" He cleared his throat. "How about we clean up and go to bed? To, ah, to sleep this time."

"Sounds perfect."

Silent love song 4

 "What <i>happened</i>? I was told you left me!"

"Everything came to a head not long after your door ceremony," Elly murmured.

"My magic." He groaned, took another handful of sand and threw it over his shoulder. He paused, then did the other one for good measure, looking around nervously. "I'd knock on wood, but - but there's no wood around but the trees, right?"

"I'm not sure they count if they're live..?"

Bruno's eyes darted around nervously and he knocked on his head, instead. "Knock knock <i>knock</i> on wood," he intoned, flinching in the knoweledge that most people assumed he was unstable at best when he started performing his actions.

"Relax," she purred in a soothing manner. "I remember you doing things like this when we were kids. It's okay, I don't mind."

"I - it may have gotten worse over the years."

"The years," Elly sighed. "I tried to reach you, but I was blocked every time. My parents, struggling to keep me away from your 'bad magic', finally ended up locking me in my room. I escaped and ran to your house. Your mother..." She shook her head.

"What did she do?!"

"She turned me away," she told him in a very quiet voice. "She said I shouldn't chase after you and I don't remember what else."

"My age. You asked my age."

"I'd know you anywhere, but I wanted to know how much time had passed. Plus I - after all this time, I thought it might be a trick."

"Fifty years -"

"It's been so long."

"<i>Gatita</i>." He tugged on her hands imploringly. "Come back to the house. You'll be welcomed now. It's different."

"Why didn't you try to find me, Bruno?" Her ears lay back in distress. "For a time, all I thought about was you coming to rescue me."

He groaned loudly and threw his head back. "That's my <i>fault</i>," he admitted. "I thought you left me and my family got worse. And if my own family didn't accept me for who I was, how could you?"

"Where..?"

"I hid from everyone inside the house."

"All those years?"

The same rat from before slipped out from beneath the green woven cloth, walked along his arm and squeaked at her, nodding. "Yeah. I only recently came out. But now you can come back with me!" The furry critter jumped off and skittered into the night.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I want to be with you, but I'm scared. What if they make me leave again?"

"Don't be afraid, my heart," he whispered softly, caressing the side of her face. "I won't let them come between us again."

"I don't want you to lose what you've only just gained," she said in a shaky voice.

"That means you! I found you again." He stood up, holding out a hand for her to join him. "You're going to be family, too. They'll - they'll see. They're trying to be understanding now."

She let him help her up, dusting off the simple purple dress she wore and not looking at him directly. "Do you really think it will be okay?" When she lifted her head, he'd taken the poncho hood and covered the top half of his face with it.

"Everything will be a-okay!" He said in a forced masculine voice, giving her a thumbs-up.

She grinned and lifted the hood. "Hernando?"

"Si."

"God, I missed you."

Bruno flipped the hood back. "That's good to hear."

"I meant Hernando," she joked, pulling it down over his face again.

"Oh, nice." He leaned on her, then suddenly grabbed her in a huge hug. "Hernando missed you, too!" He bellowed.

Elly laughed out loud, her fears pushed away by his warm presence. "Okay, okay. We'll hide out, sleep, and you can re-introduce me in the morning."

Silent love song 3

 "I..." Bruno frowned, thinking hard. "I used to know someone a very long time ago with that name."

"It's common enough."

"I guess?" He reached over and retreived his footwear from where it had been thrown. "You could've just told me to sit, you know." He grabbed a handful of sand from the road and tossed it over his shoulder, muttering.

Elly bit her lower lip shyly, staring at the ground. "Yeah, I didn't mean to scare you. I've been watching you, too, and I wanted to talk."

"Talk?" He laughed wildly, flopping on the dust-covered trail beside her. "You <i>pounced</i> on me!"

"Yeah, well." She gestured to her tail, grinning so wide that he could see her canines were sharp. "Part cat. Y'know."

"Ah, that's okay. I'm just glad you weren't looking for a late night snack."

"Sorry," Elly laughed, just as awkward. "I really am. Most people scream and run when they see me, or worse, attack, so when you didn't move I took the opportunity as I saw fit." She picked up the roses and held them close, inhaling deeply. "I've never gotten flowers before."

Bruno watched her, entranced. His Sight had shown him the woman of his dreams, and though he lived alongside magic he almost couldn't believe what was happening. "Why are you both?" He finally asked. "I mean... puma, human." He spread his hands apart. "I thought we were the only ones with magic here in the <i>encanto</i>."

She shook her head, and he saw what he thought was part of her hair rise from her head, two furry cat ears unfurling to perk at him attentively. "I ran away from the village a - a very long time ago. My parents told me I couldn't see my friend anymore, and I took the news badly. I'm not sure what made me turn into this strange hybrid, but I do remember running through the jungle crying." She set the flowers aside to wipe the tears running down her cheeks.

<i>A very long time ago.</i>

"Did you..." Bruno reached out and touched her hair with trembling fingertips. He had this wild idea in his head, but it couldn't be. "Your hair, your eyes. Were they always purple?"

"No." She sighed brokenly. "No, and my hair was shorter than all the other girls when I was younger."

"My heart, it's <i>you</i>." He choked, his dark eyes wide. "I thought you left me." He caught her hands in his and held them to his lips. "I thought you'd - they all told me you had gone."

"Bruno." Elly cried harder, leaning in closer to rub her cheek on his hands holding hers. "Bruno, you came looking for me. At last. <i>At last</i>, my love."

Silent love song 2

 Bruno took a deep breath where he sat in the middle of his newest prophecy circle. His room had been fixed and he could See Things in peace for the first time since his gift had been revealed.

He wanted to know about that <i>cat</i>. The eyes had stared straight into his soul, and he could have sworn he recognized a deep, abiding sadness within them. They had appeared almost... human.

She had haunted his every waking moment since, yet he hadn't seen her since. He knew it was dangerous but he'd tried walking at twilight, sometimes long into the night since that was their active hours. He found he would do anything to catch a glimpse - a whisk of tail, a shimmer of those mesmerizing eyes, <i>anything</i>, but so far he had come up empty handed.

So, although he was still loathe to use his magic his curiousity got the better of him and here he was.

He took an even deeper breath, held it, and released slowly. The incense was lit and he let the handful of sand he held dribble out from between his fingers.

His eyes opened wide, a cool green fire lighting from within that burned away the dark pupils, and a dome of sand erupted all around him.

A few hours later some of the family were gathered around in the living room.

"Look," Mirabel pointed out the door where her uncle had only just departed. "He keeps sneaking out to the jungle at night and he's gone until dawn. He could be in trouble."

"Maybe it's a lady," Félix crowed suddenly, flinging his arm around his wife and winking ludicrously at them all. "Whoooo, I bet he's making up for all that lost time quick!"

"She's not a lady if she's doing <i>that</i>."

"It's strange," Mirabel insisted.

"Strange isn't strange for Bruno," Pepa insisted, shooing off a small cloud above her head as she frowned. "It's just... <i>Bruno</i>. He could be out there counting the stars at night for all we know."

"We all said we wouldn't tease him anymore."

Camilo watched his family discussing this and kept his mouth shut. He periodically felt bad for mocking his uncle so much, transforming into a villianous persona that wasn't who he really was. The least he could do was be quiet about the "purple puma" he said he had seen. The dark-haired man seemed so taken by it, after all, and no harm had come from those midnight walks.

Tonight Bruno was bound and determined to find that puma. His vision had been startlingly clear and left him breathless and stunned.

He knew where to go - the same spot he'd walked to a hundred times before. This time, however, he carried a bouquet of fresh red roses he'd hidden away in his poncho. He arrived at the place where they first met and placed the flowers on the ground.

"Hello..? If you are here, <i>gatita</i>, please come out."

His heart pounded when he heard a quiet rustling, and he caught sight of those glowing eyes in the dark. The puma slipped out from the thicket to stand before him silently. As before, they stared at each other for a long moment.

"Do I look like a <i>kitten</i> to you?" She huffed and sat down on her haunches, watching him closely.

"Well, I - uh, no, not really. It was meant as a term of endearment." He gulped, his eyes growing wide as he realized she had <i>spoken</i>. "You talked!"

"You called for me. Did you not suspect I could answer?"

He ran a hand through his unruly locks, shaking his head. "N - no, I don't know what I expected."

She bared her fangs at him almost absently, then bent to sniff the silky, fragrant roses at her feet. "Is this a joke? Are these for me?"

"Ahhh... do you not like them?"

"Red roses are for lovers, and you don't even know my name. Facts aside that you're human and I'm not, of course." Her tail slowly twitched back and forth.

Bruno had the idea that he'd better come up with some very good reasons for being here right away. He gulped, his breathing picking up, and started to sweat. "Uh, then, what's your name?"

She suddenly leaped, catching him off guard and pinning him underneath her furry belly. One of his sandals came off as he hit the ground, and he yelped loudly.

"<i>Please don't eat me</i>!"

"Do I look like I'd do that?"

"No," he stammered nervously, backing up slowly. "You don't look hungry at all. Heh, of course not! Besides, I'm way too stringy - look! All bones, no meat. I haven't really gotten too many meals into me yet since - well, you don't care about that." A rat popped up out of his unruly hair, saw the large feline and shot back down, squeaking in terror.

"How old are you?"

He pointed at himself incredulously. "Me? What, you're worried I'm too old and dry? Because that's it, you know, I wouldn't taste good -"

She rolled her eyes and flexed her claws in his chest for emphasis while she spoke. "No. I'm curious. I'm not that young anymore, and for what I have in mind I'd prefer a certain age."

"Fifty!" He yelped, squirming under her weight. "I'm fifty."

She cocked her head at him, her glowing purple eyes uncertain. "And you have no mate? No children?"

"How..?"

"I smell no one on you but familial relatives."

"That would be, ah, correct."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why have you been coming back to this spot so often? I see you every night."

His eyes brightened. "You did - you do? I was trying to find you again!"

Her eyes narrowed even further, and a low growl emanated from her throat. "<i>Why</i>?" Her body tensed, ready to flee at any moment.

"I'm part of the family Madrigal," he said, pointing off into the distance at the huge mansion on the hill. "My magic told me you're somehow connected to a beautiful woman." He coughed, embarrassed. "I couldn't help it. There was something about you, and your <i>eyes</i>, just like hers..."

The puma trembled, and she stepped back off his body. "You're different," she said with a catch in her voice. As he watched, amazed, she transformed into the pale woman with short, purple hair and eyes from his vision.

"My god," he breathed reverently.

"My name is Elly."