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Gina CatGirl 3) Growing Up

Cat-ette was fourteen now. In her months of helping the Pride steal from Humans she'd lost some of her fresh-muzzle innocence. Oh, she was still a useful baitfur, and would be for many years, but it'd become familiar. At first, looking lost and helpless hadn't been an act, she really *was* lost and a bit scared. Now it was more an act, she'd remember being sweet and innocent, and watch old Shirley Temple movies because Shirley tricked adults into helping her. Cat-ette tried copying Shirley's 'little girl lost' act, but she could see Shirley growing up and in the later movies, the act looked fake.

In Cat-ette's line of work that would be the fatal flaw, it would get them all caught, and Cat-ette liked her new life too much. She talked with Tigress, the next-youngest, though no other fur knew the Cheetah's ages, they just looked almost eighteen. Tigress also depended on looking young and trustworthy, to steal ATM cards and PINs, so the whole Pride needed Cat-ette and Tigress sweet and innocent- looking. Besides, that would distract the marks so the others could wander off with wallets and purses.

So this was another case where the whole Pride dealt with a single fur's duties. Tigress was growing up too, almost eighteen, and she'd started looking at Tiger when she thought nofur was watching. It distracted her, and Lion had spoken sharply to her in the Lair's planning sessions, only he'd said everyfur needed to pay attention. Part of why everyfur followed his lead was he didn't single anyfur out for anger. He'd just sigh and shake his head when it was obvious some- fur had messed up, and that made the fur feel worse. They'd let Lion, and the whole Pride, down!

They all kept expecting Lion to lash out at the guilty fur and get it over with. Lion was very specific, not just 'well that didn't go right!' Mature furs were like that, made 'hmmm...' sounds when they didn't agree, or just changed the subject. Adolescents and children just acted out, but mature furs thought through and asked how they'd handle it if a caper started to go wrong. Then the youngerfur would have to stop the 'look at me! Ain't I cool?!' swagger and the 'Nyah Nyah, you're doing something wrong, I can tell!' and have to show the evidence or eat their words!

And if one fur teased or flirted with another, it was up to that fur to defend him- or her-self. If he or she were silent and just listened, it wasn't right for another fur to get mad at the teaser. A quiet 'that's enough now, let's do or discuss something else' was all Lion allowed, even when it was Leopardess or himself teasing or being teased, because letting someone get mad and have bad feelings for anotherfur was the quick way to lose someone, and then the whole Pride would lose.

Cat-ette had been surprised when Gina Catgirl first joined the Pride, she'd sorta rubbed herself on one of the Jaguars, knowing they were, um, 'close'. The one she rubbed just seemed to put up with it quietly, but the other got mad and yelled at Gina! He was supposed to help out by stopping arguments, but he got emotional and refused to let Gina know what he was mad about; he got involved, and yelled at Gina to get out! He also closed the door a few times when he saw Gina wanted to come in.

What was wrong with rubbing somefur? It was thatfur's duty to accept or reject the rub, not the hot-head's. Besides, the otherfurs had rubbed the Jaguar, why not Gina? Lion just separated them and told Gina to stay away from the Jag and the Jag would do the same. Even after Cat-ette had become the Pride's baitfur and they'd all bene- fitted from the money she'd brought in, the rubbed Jaguar wouldn't talk with her and doors would mysteriously shut in her face if the hot-head Jaguar was around.

Sometimes conversations would die off when she entered a room, but when she left several voices would start up again. She wasn't paranoid that they were insulting her, but it was a thorn in her side that hurt her feelings where the Pride was concerned. She also noticed she got fewer visitors to her room, even though she let the otherfurs know she was available, to talk, or listen, or whatever...

Was she trying too hard, or not hard enough, to make friends? OK, she was the new fur, she didn't know who was friends with whom, but it seemed they were just making up relationships that conflicted with their real ages. The Jags told stories about Tiger and Leopardess being their 'nephew' and 'niece' even though the Jags were younger! And Jags couldn't make cubs with anyone except other Jags, everyone knew that. The one time Cat-ette pointed this out, the conversation died, everyfur gave her dirty looks, and ignored her when they started talking again!

Everyone had been so nice when she first showed up, welcoming her, and now this! Why wouldn't anyfur just tell her what the bloody hell was so wrong with what she'd been doing, and let her at least *try* to fix it? She soothed her jangled nerves with furry crime business, what they wanted her to do to be baitfur, and did it well. But the treatment still rankled. Maybe it was a test, a twisted way to see if she'd step up and do more for the Pride, but it was a damn rotten way to treat another fur!

* * *

Lion and Leopardess had each other for enjoyment, the Cheetahs had each other, Tigress spent more and more time with Tiger. The Jag- uars kept to themselves too, so Gina was odd-fur-out. As she grew up she was more and more interested in Tiger and the one Jag, but she'd been hurt before, she didn't come by so often just to chat. Why get beat up again?

They all got together every week or so to plan crimes, but Cat-ette saw they were more and more separate couples who happened to talk a bit, not one big nine-fur family. At the same time, Lion was a bit less active, and the hot-head Jag was doing more. Just a coinci- dence? OK, someone needed to lead, and if Lion had other things on his mind, why not the Jag?

Remember, CatGirls are kinda shy and innocent and want every- thing to go smoothly. Gina wouldn't know she'd rubbed somefur the wrong way unless they said so in words. Excluding her just said something was wrong but not what it was. Part of growing up was dealing with unclear situations, knowing you didn't always get what you wanted, and Cat-ette still chatted with the other six furs. But she'd seen and met fursons outside the Pride, and some Pride Kitties outside the Lair. They had a life outside the Pride, and Gina wanted one too.

When Gina became a CatGirl she wanted to grab life by the paws, and at fourteen she knew enough about furry crime to try a few things on her own. Just for thrills. She still had the Pride and the Lair, and she'd never give her friends up, least of all to the Humans, the law. She'd grown up in Chicago with cops committing crimes and reaping rewards, and now Dad was dead she was on her own. Cops weren't friends.

She was Cat-ette to the Pussy Pride but Gina CatGirl to the rest of the city. She wasn't ready for the whole world yet, just a few friends. Even Humans, she could fool them easily, and hide her crimes among them. She was willing to try, she remembered Gina had Human friends, but she didn't dare go back to her old home, the cop drug dealers might catch on she was still alive.

She knew some fursons from BioSyn, and the nurses disapproved of her living on the streets, so they took her in. Maybe the 'little Cat lost' shtick still worked! When Gina turned fifteen, she'd been baitfur for over a year, and she was still young enough for it. But her chest was filling out and she got more looks from men.

That wasn't necessarily bad for a baitfur, but the Pride had to switch tactics a little. Tigress was an adult now and spent more time with Tiger, grooming or something, Cat-ette wasn't sure. The Cheetahs were still touching each other, they were related but who cared? The Jags kept stealthing off somewhere, they seemed to think they were fooling furs, but everyone knew they were feeling each other out.

Gina had seen stuff on TV about touching, Cat-ette had heard talk about it, why were adults keeping secrets? If you're old enough to be interested in boys, you're old enough to enjoy them! And if they're interested in you, why not? That's what Cat-ette thought, so she changed her baitfur act a little, put a little wiggle in her walk, even showed a little fur now and then!

She did it awkwardly, hesitantly, and that fitted in with her 'lost and confused' act. Did the poor Kitty think she had to do that, show herself a little, to get help? It's a cruel world, men are per- verts, what's a girl to do? A little leg, a little arm, OK the fur *was* lovely, nicely muscled but still feminine. Pity the poor girl.

Cat-ette even learned to groom herself a little rough around the edges, a deliberate 'I haven't had time to do it right' lie that made humans want to give her money and advice. They didn't get upset enough to call the cops when she took a little more than was offered, you can see she needs a good meal, she's thin but filled out, not a junkie. Humans even fooled themselves, they didn't even know how Cat Girls usually looked! Gina CatGirl realized she could support herself, even without the Pride!