The firelight cast eerie shadows over the crew as they talked, Mal and Inara, Jayne with Kitty on his feet dancing her around, and River smiling as Kaylee brushed her hair. Even Zoe looked happy, her dark lips smiling as Simon offered her a hand for a dance. Everyone was content, well, almost everyone.

Cat's body was almost to the point of a full recovery, stiffness in her ribs and muscles still caused her issues, but slowly it was beginning to fade. Simon had once again done wonders, even though her own healing had fixed most of the wounds. Still, dealing with Reavers was never fun.

Something on the wind alerted her, the smell of death from both a ship and its occupants. It wasn't a good smell and it was close by. Falling back into the shadows, her beautiful body morphed as the extra set of ribs popped into place to make room for a larger lung capacity as well as the growth of her heart. Whatever stiffness that was there was gone. Fangs dipped from her mouth lengthening as her nails turned into claws. Silently she thanked Kitty for her ability or the transformation for woman to monster would have never taken place, but with the smell of prey on the air, it was time for her beast to hunt.

With a final look to her crew, her people, Cat blended into the night and as she passed around the firelight as not to be seen, Mal thought he saw something out the corner of his eye. Like a warning wind before a devastating storm, she was gone.

"Zo, where's Cat?"

= = = = = = = = =

Saffron was trapped, not quite sure how she got into this particular situation, but knew without a miracle she was not getting out. Her hand hurt, the infection was spreading into the other digits and if she did not find a real hospital soon, she was lose the hand as well, but right now that was the least of her worries.

Around her, Reavers hissed, a scouting ship that had dropped out of the sky moments before and had stumbled up her as she rested at the abandoned farm north of the town she was headed for. Thankfully, Kay