Faline

The scars caused by my own Vampires handling throb in remembered pain, and of course, unless I learn how to use a whip, nothing can be used as a decent weapon. Maybe one of the canes, but I have images of it snapping and flying back at my head.

I'm pretty sure the bed itself has plenty of hidden traps, so I steer clear of it, really not wanting to know. My gaze follows some thin gold chains up the insides of the posts at the end of the bed, I don't see what they're hooked to, but I do see the wheeled track that goes around the top frame. A black cord hangs from it, and it looks interchangeable.

My teeth clench hard, my body starting to shake as my eyes keep going up. On the reinforced underside of the canopy hangs several hooks. Not meat hooks per-say, these are smaller, almost looking like large fish hooks, all dangling unobtrusively right over the bed.

I back up slowly, hitting the wall before long. My eyes continue up, there doesn't appear to be anything on the ceiling apart from a long-bladed fan that isn't moving. The posts holding up the canopy go up at least eight feet, the top more than likely reinforced as well.

Right in the middle of groaning, the sparking in my brain finally connects to a memory. Fur. I had had fur. A lower view. Four legs! The breath catches in my throat as I recall Nicolaus had come up to me once as a cougar, just before the last bite.

I try remembering how I did it, but nothing comes to mind, aside from all the pain I had been in. It couldn't be that hard, could it? I know it was a feline shape, no idea what kind or its breed though. Bigger than a house cat I'm sure. Screwing my eyes shut, I try concentrating.

Since I don't know what it was, I have nothing to picture but the color and patterns I'd seen. A shadow forms within my head, it just kind of swirls together out of smoke. It looks sort of like a smallish jaguar. Kierra would know what it is more than likely.

As her name pops in my head, I feel a rubbing within my brain. Well, the mix between the feeling of rubbing and a fluttering. Blurry images pop into my head, sounds that aren't familiar. Everything seems so loud and bright that I cover my ears. A filling in my mind heralds both love and fear. I feel her then, or start to when the connection breaks.

Crying out and literally reaching forward as if I'm going to pull it back, I feel tears on my face, a hard knot in my throat. I cry silently for a few minutes, then steel myself to try shape-shifting. Picturing it once more in my head, it again takes form from a pale fog, I watch it as it seems to watch me.

Short tawny fur decorated with both spots and stripes, a black stripe at both eyes goes up over the head and in between the rounded ears. Not the tear-like trails of a cheetah around the nose, I know that much. Long whiskers come from around a big pale pink nose, two more stripes go from the outer eyes and muzzle out over its cheeks to disappear into the neck.

The coloring on the underside of its body is paler than the top while bright gold eyes stare at me. It creeps closer as if stalking and hunting me, I stand fast with not a clue what to do. I summoned it, now I have to deal with it.

As the cat comes closer I see that it indeed is not all that big, maybe two feet tall at the shoulder. Works for me since I'm short anyway. I give it a smile, trying to look non-threatening, not a hard thing to do considering.

Once I'm face to face with the feline, it disappears back into smoke which then flows into me. A very warm vapor, it fills my frame and expands. A pulse like a heartbeat throbs throughout my whole body at once then disappears, no more smoke in my head, no image of the cat.

I open my eyes in disappointment, looking at the bed, the view of it is a lot lower than what it should be. A startled squeak of a meow escapes a mouth filled with very sharp teeth as elation fills me. Looking down at my furry feet, I take a few steps. Have to step out of the underwear and robe I had been wearing, clearly, clothes don't work well with shifting. I stumble a few times before it dawns that I'm thinking about it too hard.

Raising my head, feline eyes look out around me, then walk towards the bathroom door. Sure enough, I walk smoothly. With a long tail flicking behind me, ears swivel automatically. Whiskers catch on air currents and give more information on what's around me. A large nose twitches as I try to assimilate everything coming at me, human brain on overload.

I distinguish old blood, for it sends the feeling of danger through me. It's fading scent mixes with multiple body liquids. I raise my lip in disgust and move further away from the bed and its horrors. Feeling brave, I carefully walk into the bathroom.

Sticking my head in, my mouth opens as I bring in as much scent that I can, instinct directing actions that I want to do before I do them myself. The only things I catch in here are body fluids and normal bathroom aromas. The smells even humans pick up but don't always register now come at me tenfold. I creep in further, placing padded paws softly on the tiled floor.

A large walk-in shower takes up a good portion of the room, enclosed with clear glass and filled with multiple spigots spread around to spray at different angles. A large shiny black clawed tub stands at the opposite side of the room, and a large old vanity table shares space against the wall across from the door. Someone has money.

Running my gaze over the walls causes my heart to thump hard when I see a small window above the big tables mirror. Looking into the shadows of the mirror makes me look back through the bathroom and bedroom. No lights. I've been seeing just fine that it didn't dawn on me that there was no lighting turned on. There are small bulbs above the mirror, but they're off.

I shake my head, can't worry about that right now, there's a window with my name on it...if I can reach it. There looks to be a tiny ledge in front of it that I might be able to leap to. Cats can jump that far, right? No time like the present to find out.

The window itself looks pretty small, so in an attempt to see how good my jumps are, I leap from three feet away onto the table in front of the old lead-made mirror. I land just fine, but slide headfirst into the glass, face planting it.

Just wonderful.

My head shakes as I pull back, in typical cat fashion acting like I meant to do it. Gold eyes look back at me, diamond pupils wide in the darkness. The gold is a metallic liquid, a bright non-tarnished sheen. Blinking, I look over myself.

About twice the size of a large house cat, black spots and stripes cover my whole body but aren't the rosettes of a jaguar. Even though I look a lot like a mini-leopard, I don't think that's what I am either. Quirking an ear, I get about my business. Ogling can come later once I'm free.

Looking up to try and measure the distance, my nose throbs slightly. An urge building fast before I can help it. A cat sneeze escapes me, then another.

A third one follows it before the throbbing stops. All from kissing the mirror. I shake, and my whole body follows suit.

Now that I have that settled, I look again to that damn window. Darker glass from what I can see, I crouch and ready my legs. Backing up a bit more as long ago instincts breathe through me, a subtle knowing. Readying myself again, I leap.

The ledge is indeed tiny, only my front paws catch it. Claws grip hard as I rush to look over it. Sadness flows through me at what I find; it's a false window.

With my back feet, I push off the wall, twisting in midair to land on my feet. You could say it's a window, but it has thick black bars crossing within the glass, and with it being blackened even further than what it normally would be, there is no seeing through it.

Sniffing in annoyance, I trot back into the bedroom. The failed window would give me another possible opening if it didn't have bars and wasn't so thick. I walk around the wall, eyes riveted to the paneling as I look for a heating vent. I get almost all the way around before I find the one right next to the door. I sigh in disappointment once again; it's way too small. Maybe if I were a mouse...

Vampires were known to be able to turn into all sorts of things, right? The whole bat and wolf thing? I close my eyes and try to visualize like I did with the feline.

Nothing happens.

I try to picture other assorted small animals. Nothing. A thought finally penetrates that a possible reason it's not working is that what I'm trying to shift into are prey animals. Alright. My mind starts flipping through all the small carnivores that I've seen in Kierra's assortment of books. Always thought they were kinda useless, but right now I'm grateful for it.

Raccoon. Opossum. Hell, a bat. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

I sit and growl. If all I have is a cat, then I have to make the most out of it. Could always try digging through the door, but that would take forever, not to mention it's not exactly quiet. There's no telling how much time I have before Nicolaus returns, and it's already been at least an hour.

Making a plan to make it out past the door when they open it, it's very possible since I'm so small, and now fast. Hell, I'll jump over 'em if I have to. So now it's just finding the best spot to wait. Right next to the door sounds good, but I can see that failing horribly.

The bedding isn't long enough to drape over it, and the hanging fabrics are pulled back, so under the bed is out. I could untie them, but then it would be obvious I'm up to something as soon as he walks in. Dresser-thing is too far away.

Then I get an idea. I look up. Not at the underside canopy, but above it. With the top being so sturdy it should hold my weight, right? I mean, if it can hold bodies that are much heavier than I, then it should hold me just fine.

Judging the distance between the bed and door, I won't be sure unless I try. If I'm quick, I can do a practice leap. The bed is roughly eight feet high, should be no problem, so I get into position and jump.

I make it, barely, only to fall at least a foot. The top is sunk in all around. Would make a great hiding spot, but not a perch to jump from. I consider hiding, but that gets me nowhere, just eventually found and punished.

Looking from the bed to the door, I don't think I'll be able to make the distance, not to mention over two heads, since that mangy Werewolf follows Nicolaus everywhere like a lovesick puppy. Doorway only looks to be ten-feet-tall and a little wider than a normal bedroom door, I would think, but still. Don't want to risk it.

The image of me landing on either of their faces brings a smile, but the yanking off part is something I'd like to avoid. Carefully jumping down, I go over to the bathroom door. Hooking my claws in the gap under it to pull the door closed, I have enough oomph to actually get it to shut all the way. I'll have to thank Tigger for giving me that idea, always opening cupboards at home and driving my sister buggy.

Since the bathroom door can be seen when you walk in, having it closed should draw attention to it. Padding over next to the door where I can crouch down and wait, wait is what I do. I huddle there for hours. No muscle cramping, but I'm about to go stir crazy. The anticipation mounts as adrenaline builds, threatening to make me dizzy or pass out. Dwelling on things I hear and not what's been going on is a task in and of itself.

Just before I go to move and walk around, I hear voices outside the door. Not close, but close enough for my body to coil tight and ready. A female voice is heard, then gets fainter, as if she's walking away from the door. The other two male voices belong to 'my' Vampire and Werewolf.

"You need to get rid of her, she's nothing but trouble. She puts all of us here in danger."

A loud smack sounds after Anthony gives his opinion.

"You forget your place, dear Anthony. You belong to me, you do not dictate to me. I will keep whoever I wish to, everyone else can get fucked."

Nicolaus has a serious obsession with sex, combine that with his insanity and he's volatile on the best of days. Seconds later the lock snicks. I crouch lower, unobtrusive, staying perfectly still, counting the seconds in my head as the door opens. As soon as Nicolaus steps fully into the room, I bolt out.