As you get older, you ponder things you didn't worry about in your youth. When the hormones run high, and your muscles are eager for exercise, you have very few things that occupy your mind. If you're male, you tend to think with your genitals. And if you're female, well, you think with the same organs. I'm not complaining, nor am I bitter about my past. I had my time, and it was a glorious one. Looking back, it seems like so many years ago.

                Now, every day when the weather was good, I would wade out to a large flat rock in the middle of the river and fish. Not the overly complicated way of using a wooden rod, some string and a bent piece of sharp wire. No, I sat there and used my imagination. If I left my hairy feet in the water long enough, and especially if I didn't move around, the fish would come to me. If they got too curious about the wiggling toes or the undulating fur, I would clamp my feet together and pop them right out of the water, grabbing them from the air.

                It wasn't a talent that everyone could appreciate. But for a tired old leopard, it was the most fun he could have anymore. A broken leg that had healed poorly had done me in for much of anything else. I wasn't the type to hang around the local villages and their taverns. I wasn’t ancient by any meaning of the word, but I was old enough to not fit in well with the younger generation of mewling cubs and youths. They had little experience in which we could share camaraderie.

 And yet I was old enough now that the cold of winter bit into me more than it did in my youth. Spring was a relief, while summer was a salvation.

                I did have an additional bright spot in my waning days though. It didn't happen every day, but that make it all the more special. From time to time I would get a visitor. Her name was Velori and she was a snow-white feline in a class all by herself. She had no spots, and yet her eyes were green, not the red of an albino. In her face, she was pretty, but being honest; like an old cat tends to be; she wasn't the most beautiful I had ever seen. That face had belonged to my mate, may the spirits rest her soul.

                The situation was a little unusual. Velori would suddenly pop out of the water and sit beside me, watching me patiently waiting for the fish to come near. She would rarely speak, since she knew that noise would frighten them away.  She hardly stayed long either, and when she did speak, it was usually in brief snippets.

                "You must be a very patient person to sit here for hours to catch fish. Aren't there easier ways?"

                "Yes, I suppose there are. But if something is easy to do, then everyone would be doing it. Besides, why should you remark on such a thing. Look to yourself!"

                She giggled, but upon hearing voices along the bank, slipped back into the water and disappeared from sight. I smiled, thankful for the brief but enjoyable break in my day. I wasn't anti-social. I was just lonely and feeling out of place; I did my own thing and stayed out of everyone's way. Having someone take an interest in you was nice.

                Since you're likely wondering what I was referring to with her, it is this. When she came of age, she decided to forego all suitors. No, she wasn't one of those who preferred her own gender. She decided she wanted to have only the best of the males. She never defined what she meant as best, but she did impose a challenge. Every summer, starting at the equinox and ending three months later, she promised she would give herself to any male who could catch her.

                Now, it was never that simple of course. The rules were laid out with the village elders, and everyone had to abide by them. There were set hours, mostly daylight, so she could safely get to sleep at night. I smiled at her nerve. Like I said, she wasn't the prettiest, but she was special and she knew it. So did all the males. For three years running now she had eluded them, being by the end of the summer fit and trim and even faster than at the start.

                I never bothered. Like I said, I was old and tired and content with fishing as well as the occasional visit by this extraordinarily feminine feline. Oh, I won't say that I didn't get a little rise out of it, in more ways than one, but I was under no delusions as to my place in her scheme.

                Her visits were almost always brief, for she was constantly on the run. She found the game to be exhilarating, and her wits were as sharp as any. Today was slightly different at the outset of her visit. I had my basket half full of fish. It was submerged, held in place by a cord. I had closed my eyes for a bit when I felt a nibble on my toes. There was no point in opening them as I could do this blind folded. Try as I might though, I couldn't get this persistent fish where I wanted it. The slippery piscian was too wily. I opened my eyelids so that I could see what fish could outsmart me.

                It was long and white and as its head came out of the water, it smiled. "Caught ya sleeping on the job!"

                I yawned a little and grinned. "I suppose you did. The sun is warm, the water is cool and I can't just help feeling relaxed."

                She looked around before darting out of the water onto my rock.  "Yes, it is a beautiful day. You should see all of the fish under the water!"

                I laughed. "The only fish I care about are those I've caught, and those I haven't caught. If you've seen fish, they'll be a meal some day, if I have anything to say about it!"

                She was squeezing the water from her fur. It was a little less white from the river water, but hardly enough to dampen (sorry!) her looks.  She finished ridding herself of the excess and lay back in the sun.

                "Aren't you feeling brave?" I said, "Or is it the end of summer already?"

                "No, it's still summer. I think that I'll be safe here for a bit."

                I chuckled. "Safe from me anyway. Where are your pursuers?"

                She stretched out in the sun, her long limbs going to the four points of the compass. Her tail was idly lashing to some internal rhythm.

                "Who knows. After three years, the game has gotten old. Despite fresh meat added each year, none has the brains or the speed to match mine. Too bad they weren't more like you."

                "Me? I'm not in this contest young lady."

                "I know. I mean more like when you were my age. I know the stories. They say you were the fastest and most cunning cat in the valley."

                "Key word; was."

                She smiled. "True. Time has a way of ruining everything. They say your mate was a beauty beyond compare... if I'm not being presumptuous."

                I smiled back. "Those were the days. And no, you're not being presumptuous. She was the finest feline anywhere. I was lucky to gain her favor."

                Velori had rolled to be on her stomach. She was sitting up on her elbows. "Sounds like you two had quite the romance. I would give up this entire contest to find someone as perfect as you!"

                My heart beat a little faster at the flattery. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I told myself. Just listen and be good. "I'm not perfect Velori. I have a bum leg, and I have a touch of gray around my muzzle. Not to mention, I'm not fit enough to do anything useful anymore."

                "That's too bad. I wish it could be some other way." She swung around to a sitting position. She rested her paw on mine. It seemed small and delicate, reminiscent of my mates. I gulped a little, fighting down any thoughts I was having. I didn't want to frighten her off. Then my fishing would be even more boring. But my heart was quickening, and my blood pressure was climbing.

                She smiled at me in a way that made my heart slow to a stop. Time itself seemed to slow. I was feeling uncomfortable. Pleasant, yes, but uncomfortable, nonetheless. She patted my paw and I instinctively flipped it over to grasp hers. I missed the simple things like that. My mate had been gone five years now, and the emptiness was constant.

                She smiled even larger. Her teeth gleamed in the sunlight. "You have a strong grip."

                "I can let go if you want..."

                "No, I think I like it. Can I see how strong you are?"

                I wrinkled my brow. "It's nothing like in the old days. But if you want to try it out, just don't whine if I hurt you." I gave her a squeeze until she grimaced and tried to pull away. It didn't work. She was stuck in my grasp.

                I loosen up my fingers. She held onto me with an admirable grip of her own. She sighed and smiled.

                "Well, I'm glad that's over with."

                I felt hurt. "But you said you wanted to find out how..."   

    She put a finger to my lips.

                "I know what I said. I couldn't get loose. Therefore, I was caught in your grip. Your grip... That means that I now have a mate of my own, both one of my choosing, and one worthwhile of my time."

                I choked back a flood of emotion. "But I can't become your mate!"

                She pointed to the bank, where a few of the elders were watching. "They watched you hold me fast. You caught me. Or am I so ugly that you wish to have nothing to do with me?"

                I felt a rise in a region that was normally dormant. "Uh, are you sure about this?"

                She leaned up and kissed me. "Oh absolutely!"

                She climbed into my lap. I warned against it.

   "Uh, you probably shouldn't do that you know!"

                She kissed me soundly. "Shut up. Neither of us are getting any younger, and I for one would like a taste of what you gave your first mate. For all accounts, she used to howl to the moon."

                I could feel the blood finding its way to a long dormant organ. What had been mere hints at other times was becoming a fully fledged erection. She was quick to notice.

                "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

                By the time we were done proving our commitment to each other, the moon was out, and the crowd that had gathered had broken up and gone home. The entire population of males shook their heads in dismay and wondered at my luck. I was so tired that we slept out in the middle of the river the rest of the night. Oh, did I say sleep? No, there was little sleep to be had this night.

                I did finally ask her why she chose me. Her answer somewhat surprised me.

                "I would come and sit with you for as long as I could. Not once did you try to grab me or do anything inappropriate. Your grip is still plenty strong. You could have had me any number of times, but you never tried. I thought maybe you weren't interested, but I realized you were just being a gentleman. And that was when I knew I had to have you. And as you have proven to me on my mating night, you still have a lot of life left in you. I think I chose well enough."

             I leaned in and gave her a wonderfully warm embrace.

             Who was I to argue?