Cat and the Cryptid Spring Episode Four

Cat and the Cryptid Summer by Raspberry | Content Warnings

For possibly the first morning in decades, the sun rose before Betty even began blinking her eyes open. Nestled under the covers in Juliet’s arm, she was tempted to close her eyes and try to sleep even longer, if only so this moment of tranquility would never end. 

Unfortunately, Betty’s joints creaked in protest, and she had to shift into stretching her body with a groan.

“Good morning,” Juliet murmured, entirely for Betty’s own benefit.

As a vampire, Juliet never slept (a trait Betty found herself constantly jealous of). She usually spent her evenings in deep meditation though, meaning she “woke up” with a clear mind, zero bedhead, and (worse) no morning breath to worry about.

“You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long,” Betty found herself grumbling as she threw off the covers.

“Still not a morning person, I see,” Juliet teased with a fond smile. “I’ve missed seeing your grumpy pre-coffee face.”

“You’d be the only one who’d miss that,” Betty retorted, but she could feel the frown melt off her face. 

“It’s a vacation,” Juliet pointed out. “We’re supposed to rest and relax.”

Betty sighed and didn’t respond. Mostly because Juliet was right (and they both knew it), so Betty didn’t have to admit that aloud. She climbed out of bed and began slowly warming up her joints. It didn’t feel as stiff and sore as usual, but that could be the extra hours of sleep.

“Are you planning on fighting someone?” Juliet asked with a bemused expression as Betty started her morning warm-ups.

“I never plan on fighting anyone,” Betty replied, kicking the air and feeling her hip pop. “But I’m always prepared just in case.”

“Well, how about we fight a stack of pancakes down in the breakfast room?” 

“You don’t eat pancakes.”

“But you do. They’re your favorite.”

“Stop,” Betty said with a roll of her eyes. “I know you know me, but hearing you spout off random facts about me feels like I’m the subject of a game show.”

“I’m just reminding you that vacation is about us doing what we love,” Juliet said. “Since you’ve spent so long ignoring yourself, I assumed one of us would have to make sure you’re being taken care of.”

“And what about you?”

“Spending time with you is all I want.”

“How about a walk on the beach after breakfast?” Betty suggested. “If I remember right, you still have that old-fashioned habit of promenading daily.”

Juliet’s smile was all the answer Betty needed as confirmation. 

After an awkward breakfast where Betty tried ignoring double-takes and whispers of “is that even legal?” and “Are you sure they aren’t mother and daughter?” and Juliet seemed entirely oblivious of the unwanted attention, Betty was only too happy to escape to the beach. Though she might have preferred they left the city and returned home, where she could melt into the background once more. 

“Stop worrying,” Juliet chided, taking Betty’s hand. “I can see it written across your face.”

“It’s the staring,” Betty said. “People looking at me weirdly.”

“Or maybe looking at me?” Juliet suggested, gesturing to her long duster, parasol, and pinned hair from the early twentieth century. 

“Okay, both of us then.”

“You get looks at home as well.”

“Yes, but those are intentionally planned,” Betty pointed out. “It helps the batty old lady cover…” She trailed off with a sigh. “Maybe it’s not just a cover anymore.”

Juliet squeezed her hand, and they walked down the shoreline in silence for a few moments. Betty could feel Juliet waiting for her to expand on her last statement, but she found herself, possibly for the first time, at a loss for words. She wanted to out-last Juliet in the silent battle, but, as a centuries-old (and unnecessarily stubborn) woman, Juliet would always win that fight.

“I can feel myself getting older,” Betty admitted finally. “Sometimes I think it’s not just the aging potion making me a batty old lady.” She turned her face towards the ocean so she wouldn’t have to face Juliet. “I mean, last year, with the Fae and Silverfur… I should have seen all of that coming. I should have been more able to handle that. Twenty years ago, I could’ve mopped the floor with both of them. At once. Instead, I put Cat and Mare-Bear and you and everyone in danger.”

“You’ve been worrying about that since last summer.” It was a statement, not a question, but Betty still nodded. “None of us saw any of that coming.”

“I should have; I’m the Guardian.”

“And many of us have lived long enough to have seen wars break out. We didn’t see it coming, either. Should I also start berating myself for not seeing it?” Juliet asked.

“I never used to feel old,” Betty murmured. “It felt like a mask I put on, but now it feels like it’s me.”

“Aging is a blessing, you know,” Juliet said softly. “Not all of us get that experience.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it a blessing,” Betty retorted. 

As a vampire, Juliet hadn’t aged since the day she was bitten. Which honestly seemed like the blessing between the choice of aging and agelessness. 

“My darling, I would love to engage in this debate with you,” Juliet said, an odd tone in her voice that pulled Betty’s gaze from the ocean. “But it seems there’s something more pressing requiring our attention.”

Betty followed her eyes to the large crowd gathered at the edge of the beach. She couldn’t make sense of the din, but the flashing camera phones and ever-growing presence of onlookers tugged at her gut.

“Could be a beached whale?” she guessed.

“Not nearly large enough,” Juliet said, squinting at the crowd.

“Dolphin?”

“I can’t quite see it.” Considering her enhanced vision, that was a testament to the size of the crowd.

They moved closer, hearing the excited chatter.

“It looks like an alien!”

“It looks like something out of the lint filter in my dryer.”

“Dude, touch it!”

“Poke it with a stick!”

Juliet used the handle of her parasol to clear a path for her and Betty, until they were standing in front of a green, mossy blob. The salty waves licked at the edge, sending what looked like small shivers up and down the mass.

“It seriously looks alien,” someone on Betty’s left muttered.

“I’d say definitely not of this world,” Juliet murmured. “Do you know what it is?” 

“Unfortunately, yes,” Betty whispered back before turning to the teenager next to her. “How long has this…thing been here?”

“All morning!” he chirped. “I heard scientists are coming to take it to, like, Area 51 or something.”

“I heard it was just marine biologists,” the teen next to him argued. “My cousin told me this is part of those eco-activists trying to get media attention.”

The two began loudly bickering, turning their attention from Gran (which was fine with her).

“What are you thinking?” Juliet asked.

“Many things,” Betty said with a sigh. “But first, we need to get this away before anyone tries experimenting on it.”

“I can probably take it, but I need a distraction.”

“And I know just the batty old lady to help with that,” Betty replied with a grin. 

“We’re definitely circling back to that discussion,” Juliet warned. 

Betty winked at her before taking a large stumble, clutching at her heart.

“Oh, OH!” she wailed. “My chest! It’s on fire!”

She saw people lunge to catch her as she let herself fall away from the crowd. With a large splash, she held her breath as she submerged under the waves. 

She was being grabbed by several pairs of hands (a lot of screaming, considering the water was barely high enough to cover her nose), and let her body fall limp. No doubt surprising anyone trying to hold her that she wasn’t frail and light as a feather. She kept her eyes closed (and her breath raspy so no one would try CPR on her) as she was pulled from the water and set gently on the beach.

Juliet would have to make this up to her later. She hated the feeling of the sand sticking to her wet clothes and hair. But that would have to wait. 

Betty peeked an eye open. The crowd was fully focused on her, and no one seemed to notice the absence of the sight that had attracted them all to the shore in the first place. Not that any of them would recognize the mossen form as a nymph. And one that seemed to have been too far from home.

Betty sighed as her head was cushioned. It seemed her vacation was about to end early.