Kierra

The looks on all their faces drop from the anger they held at me to disbelief. Faline holds a hand low over her abdomen, the movement catching everyone's gaze as she nods.

"I was with her when it happened, in her head, I felt it just as she did."

Not wanting to see any of the looks they have to give, I turn and cross my arms. The laughter I had completely gone as I start feeling cold. I'm not sad he's dead, not by a long shot.

This, however, this feels...wrong? Deserved, but wrong? Stepping away as someone comes at my back, I war with myself on if it's actually wrong or not. More or less feel empty about it, as I have no real emotion either way. Think what's bugging me is my lack of feeling about it.

"Is there anything else in the box?"

Turning, they shake their heads, pulling out the rest of the tissue paper and tipping the box to show me. The contrite look on Xavier's face confuses me, so I just ignore it.

Orion puts it back in the box and puts the lid on, about to leave with it when I step in front of him. I take it and go to my room where I toss it next to my dresser. Tired of all the sad or guilty faces, I start asking questions when I come back out.

"Who would have done that? How did they know? He was alive when he ran. Ripped up pretty bad, but he was alive. I take it whatever shape we die in is the shape we stay in, there's no reverting back to human?"

The dark-haired lion nods, saying it's the same for Shifters as well.

"He was the reason you wanted nothing to do with any of the wolves in the area, wasn't he?"

Benjamin asks, but I can tell they all want an answer, so I nod. Bastion has tears running down his face. Shit. I never told him what had happened.

He had to have guessed with what was seen and said when at Ava's, but nothing was confirmed till just now. He doesn't look angry though, if anything I think he understands my actions up to now a little bit more, for sure knowing now that we have had similar things happen to the both of us.

I stay where I am as he stays where he is. My emotionless mask on that he understands perfectly.

"As to who or how... I can think of many who would do it, but not how anyone would know about what he did."

Orion and Benji pretty much say the same thing, then Xavier puts in the possibility of my song. I shake my head at that since I don't think I was projecting images. Feelings and emotion of my anger and pain that it happened, but not who did it.

I rub at my temples. I so didn't get enough sleep for all this needed brainpower. Even my ribs are starting to ache, but the small exclaim by Faline lets me know it's a little more than that. I look up as she comes over and yanks my shirt up. Tells you how tired I am that I don't even care about being bared to a room full of males.

"You've torn it open again. How do you always manage to reopen wounds? Used to be you picking at them, but now you don't even have to be doing that."

I smile at her bitching. My happiness of her being home and safe getting broadcast heavily. Just embarrasses her though to see everyone else smiling as they feel my joy.

"Think you were sniffing your paint fumes again."

"Not possible, was in a well-ventilated area."

I giggle, amusing myself immensely. She looks up at me, her eyes narrowing. My grinning at her has an exasperated sound coming from her.

"You're sleep-deprived."

"Yes ma'am."

Taking charge, she tells Orion that he'll get taken somewhere later, that sleep is needed now. By the looks of everyone, they readily agree. Bastion locks the doors as all the males make their way below.

Maii scratching at the back door has my Imp letting him out so he can relieve himself. Yay, he is house trained. Faline and I go into my room where she dabs at the trickling wound.

"You're making it itch."

She just grunts at me. Finishing her cleaning of it before she strips as well, I grin and look over at her.

"Race you."

I start shifting before I even finish speaking, so I get a bit of a head start, but she still beats me. The shifting of Vampires is a lot faster than Weres. I got my shifting time down to half a minute or so, but it still feels slow, especially compared to how fast she is.

Once on all fours, the feline rubs along my uninjured side, the light mew coming from her amazing me with its deep tone. Small kitty, big roar.

Even though ocelots can't roar, they don't have the right shaped vocals or something, can't remember what exactly.

Nipping at her flank, she makes some kind of zombie noise at me, the sound makes my ears go back and tail up. At her yowling, I start nosing her out of the room, calling her a loudmouth.

"You think that's loud, wait till you're trying to sleep and I start purring."

I groan but know that once I'm out, I will be dead to the world. Her laying on my face won't even wake me. We make it into the hallway when Bastion lets Maii back in, looking like he was rolling in the snow. Probably was, can't say I blame him.

"Is Asher below or did he go out?"

I whisper into the boy's head and he points down. Interesting. Went from him downright refusing to sleep with us to him making sure he's right there at our side when we bed down.

Cat and coyote romp for a minute before he's chasing her downstairs. Go figure, I want to sleep so the kids are wide awake. I wait for mine as he does his before bed rituals, heading down when he's finished.

Curtains are closed in the corner, so I take it someone's changing. I leave Bastion there since his clothes are within, while I head for the nest and my spot. Asher stands near the spot I lay as if he's guarding it.

"You the guardian at the gate?"

I ask with a smirk in my voice and just get a nip to my cheek in answer. Exhaling air through my nose at him, I start digging to move materials around. My dear little sister popping out from under a pillow scares the shit out of me, almost literally.

While nipping at her I swat at the laughing wolf behind me with my long tail. Faline then gets bullied to her side where I lay on her till Bastion comes out in his PJs. Her zombie meows are made with her opening and closing her mouth over and over, being as annoying as possible.

Just as bad as the maned wolf's loudmouth. A sneeze has me looking up as he comes out from behind the sheets, a canine grin splitting his maw wide as he threatens to start being loud. Raising my tail and head, I warn him he better not.

Maii and Faline are rolling around next to me as I finish 'fluffing' the blanket I lay on, Imp patiently waiting next to Asher as I do so. Finally done, I settle down. Bastion lays down next to me with the black wolf on his other side.

Xavier curls up again at the base of my tail where he uses my hip as a pillow. My sister's sharp yowl has me looking up, her eyes directed at the very large white tiger striding up lazily. I just smirk at her as I project out that I told her he was big.

I'm laying on my belly, facing the wall but have my head turned from her yelping. Bastion is on my right, Xavier at my rump, sister walking on me with Maii curling up in between my hip and the boy's legs. The large tiger comes up to my left side, watching Faline as she stands on me.

Her fur is standing on end, and while I'm laughing at her, Orion finally comes out. He's also in animal form, which is surprising in and of itself. His size, however, is what has me staring.

From the glimpse in my head that I had of him, I knew he was big, but holy shit. Maybe a foot shorter in body length than Benjamin, which is typical for the cat breeds. The tiger is the largest of all cats followed closely by the lion.

Around eleven feet long, four-foot tail and at least four feet tall at the shoulder. His massive head adds quite a bit more. He weighs in at a good six hundred pounds, at least, I'm sure.

A long black mane surrounds his head, tufted all the way down his spine. The insides of his legs also have larger black tufts, a buff tan coloring with lighter undersides, and dark stripes on his lower front and back legs.

Bronze eyes look out at us as he holds his head high. Oh yeah, if he isn't his Clan's leader, I can see him being so one day. His deep chest is massive even under the overflow of dark hair, but I know it isn't all looks that count for leadership.

He, himself, has the makings of a leader just by the way he looks out for others, caring even though it may have nothing to do with him. Walking down my body and over poor Xavier, Faline makes her way over to the massive cat that stands just off of all the blankets and pillows making up the large sleeping area. The maned wolf grumbles, but just yawns and closes his eyes once more, not impressed by the big pussycats.

Rearing up on her hind legs, my sister grabs the lion's snout with her paws, no claws extended and sniffs at him. The amusement in his eyes as he holds still for her inspection is warming. When she meows at him and taps at his nose bridge, he sweeps out a huge paw and knocks her over, purring as he butts heads with her. Her cat talking, moving her mouth while yowling, sounds off.

She definitely isn't a quiet feline as I pull my ears back. Whispering into his head that he's more than welcome to join us, he crouches and flops down behind the maned wolf on my rump. Flicking my long tail back, I touch his side, then move it back to curl around a sleeping Maii.

Little sister of mine takes to walking on him over me. That's fine, he has the body length for it. Even though she's just under three feet long, not including her tail, she looks much like a cub compared to him.

Once she gets comfy curled up on his back, I turn to Benji who has yet to settle, having been watching the exchange between my sister and the lion as well. From Faline's biting him earlier, I thought he'd attach himself to her more than he is with me, but that doesn't seem the case.

Kind of glad for that actually, as it would just make things awkward for everyone. Coming closer, his head collides with my scruff. When the headbutt isn't rebuffed, he moves in a little closer to lay next to me.

His long five or so foot tail curls away from the maned wolf yet still touching. Neither seems to mind, so neither do I. Turning to nudge my nose against Bastion's cheek, settling his racing heart over the new huge animals, his lips quirk up and he settles in.

With everyone bedded down finally, I rest my head on my forelegs. The day's events and new-found information whirling in my brain. A few weeks ago, I would never think to be surrounded by massive wild beasts that also spend half their time as humans.

It is quite fantastical, but right now it's comforting as all four races lay together and rest, showing that it is indeed possible. Is this what it meant about bringing change and bringing animal and Vampire together?

If so, it would seem it has already begun, no avoiding that now.

What the hell, I'm always up for causing some trouble, how about you?