She was not a creature that was used to being touch in a gentle manner. As the leopard pressed his shoulder into her own she would grow still, not quite sure with just how she was supposed to deal with it. As he continued to trip and tear pieces of meat off the impala, she would obediently follow suit, pretending it was nothing. Yet that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it. It was nice to feel, well, to feel another. Her own bloodied muzzle was deep within an almost bare section of the impala, sharp teeth grasping hold of the last morsel before pulling her head out. One long pink tongue would roll out as she licked the side of her mouth, her tail wagging side to side in a satisfied manner. It had been an awful long time since she had this full of a stomach within her form. While being human she was fully capable of providing herself tasty meals. Yet always when she roamed on four paws for far too long the need to eat was always greater. As she sniffed the impala for a moment looking for bare scrapes, her left grey trimmed ear twitched hearing his follow up question about her adobe. Tilting her head to the side, intense slate eyes looked into his golden ones as she thought for a moment before calmly responding.



"Middle of downtown...has dark blue door...good stove...I can cook good meals with it."



She assumed this was a good enough answer. She did not give her full address away and presumed he wouldn't bother her with any more details. She was sure he wouldn't be able to track her down. He may be larger than her, but she had a good sense of smell when it came to tracking. She came him vague answers and perhaps he would drop the subject entirely. Yet when he mentioned his own home so would nod her head once, implying she had listened. She had heard him speak of Tetra before, and she wasn't sure what his life was like with that boy in the photograph, but she guessed indeed they lived in a house. As he lifted himself to his paws, she watched quietly as he began to climb up looking for a place to leave. Sighing softly she would follow him, but to an extent managing to find a loose board and wiggle her sleek form out. As they walked she would reach his side, but hold her head back and down, still acknowledging that he was in charge, at least for now. When they finally reached his warehouse, her head would life upwards not catching a live human's scent in the vicinity. She wasn't quite sure why he was allowing her to stick around. She was used to being ignored, or pushed aside by those in her pack, it was understood, to her, that she was not one of them. Slate eyes watched as he leapt over and carried himself into the warehouse after proclaiming his mark on it. As he leapt through a broken window she just stared and started to turn around to walk away before he mentioned her to come in. Puzzled she sniffed around the edges, managing to find a loose board as she wiggled her way through.



A sudden crack of lightning could be heard as the sound of rain pounded down on the sheet metal roof. Lifting her head some, she felt a cool draft, noticing the rags in the rafters would sway, evident that there were far too many broken windows to keep the warmth in. As she walked through his warehouse, she would hear him explain that the vampire was wrong about the whereabouts of his friend. Not wanting to intrude she would simply nod and sit, curling her fluffy tail around her grey paws. She wasn't quite sure as to why she was still around. As the jungle cat walked to his bed, she would turn around about to make her exit until she heard the sound of old racks and fishnets scrapping the hard ground. Quietly she watched as he yanked out one sack, dragging it near her and walked on it before alerting her it was hers.



"Mine?"



Her voice was soft as she whispered it in his mind. She hadn't had anyone give her something softer to sleep on. Wagging her tail some, she approached the sack sniffing it as the cat began to settle in his own bed. Yet as he curled up, she would walk quietly towards him, pressing her cold nose underneath his chin as she rubbed it up and down gently, eyes-half closed but she managed to murmur her apology.



"Thank you...Tobi."



Promptly when she was finished she would head back towards her temporary bed. That he would allow her a place to spend the night had caught her off guard, but she was truly grateful. She had been shown kindness. He had hunted with her, touched her, and provided her a place to stay. He was not pack. He never asked her to be in his own, so she was unaware of what they were. However, for now, she would accept that the cat was merely being tolerable. She would place a grey paw on the sack, spreading it out, before circling around on top of it, before settling herself down in a ball, her tail going over her nose. It would take a while but with the soothing sound of the rain, she would begin to sleep. Unsure of what the next morning would bring.

I'd Rather Feel Pain Then Nothing At All

Raven