Faline

My staying close is just safe for everyone involved. Danica looks uncertain, so I call into Trisha to call when she needs her apprentice. The girl gives me a relieved smile, so I give her one as well.

"Thanks. I'm supposed to stay at her side, but I don't want to intrude on his privacy."

My smile widens.

"That's a good thing hun, especially with dudes. They get all prickly about that kind of stuff. Kell would have been too if he weren't so sick. Also have to keep in mind though, that you're in training to learn how to care for those who have problems like this."

Enthusiastic head bobbing is what I get, followed by a slight brow furrowing.

"Didn't you say you wanted to change things though? Won't you change that people get injured like that here as well?"

A sad smile is shown, a small shrug and sigh follow.

"I want to, but these are Vampires we're talking about. I can only do so much at a time. Since they already want me dead I have a little more wiggle room, but even those who want me to change things can have their minds changed if their lifestyles end up flipping abruptly."

That old Vampire woman pops into my head, the one who'd grabbed me before we'd gone to the pimps. Don't know which side of the fence she's on, but more than likely against. Danica nods slowly, looking worried.

"No worries Dani, it'll more than likely be the same as it was before I left. Someone will always be wanting to start something, and I'll be more than willing to set 'em straight. Just be on your toes though, and avoid as many as you can."

The thought that she and others can be used against me surfaces, but I'll have to depend on Lady as well to come off as too scary to mess with. They are all her property, after all, I'm just the shepherd. If I can get a few more of the Were-animals to be wolves instead of sheep, then they might have a better chance. Almost like a blanket protection thing. Or that's what I'm hoping for anyway, it could backfire and blow up in my face, getting me or others killed.

My lip gets chewed on while I think over things and the youngster is called in at some point. Seth has backbone, but he isn't a submissive here. He's not owned in the same sense as the others, and tasked to stay at my side, not look out for anyone else. Making a note to work it out later, I push it aside for now since the shower has stopped.

Walking in just as the healer is making her way out to me, we meet in the middle. Coyote also comes up while patting himself dry with a fresh towel. Laundry peeps are just going to love me tonight.

Completely at ease with himself, so he has to either be in the trade or is an older Were. One’s who've been an animal for quite a while are the ones who ignore nudity. Trisha looks annoyed, so I guess he wasn't the best patient.

Before she can reveal anything, he makes himself heard.

"I've heard you tell the others that if they have a place to go, you will release them. Truth?"

Cocking my head, I reply with an 'Mhmm'. He sure isn't a quiet one, that's for sure.

"Then I wish to leave. I have a home."

The way he says that has me getting angry all over again, as if those who don't are lower or their own fault. He stops abruptly, raising his hands and looking embarrassed.

"That came out wrong but still stands. I'm grateful for your help, but I've been gone for several days, I need to get back."

Still not happy, but I let it go. Looking over to the older woman, she's also looking at him with darkened eyes. At my look, she relays her findings, voice clipped.

"His nose is broken, fingers badly so. The cuts on his back will heal with relatively minimal scarring. Burns will fade, but it will take longer. Other abuse is evident, but he refuses to be looked at anymore."

My eyebrow raises, eyes sliding back to his. Over a foot taller than me and at least seventy pounds worth more muscle, but I stare him down. When you've been short all your life, you develop a chihuahua complex.

"You are free to go, yes. I ask that you stay long enough to shift and rest, possibly get some food into you. The Mistress here will wish to speak to you as well. After that, I will ask a friend to take you out with the others that will be leaving."

His expression falters then, going from haughty indifference to sadness mixed with anger.

"The boys. The fox you helped earlier, he's being released?"

I nod, looking confused for a moment. He catches on.

"There was another...much younger than the Shifter. The day before you showed up he'd been killed and 'disposed' of. The wolf there and I got into a fight afterward, I'd broken my bonds and went for him. After that is when I was strung up like a fucking easel and kept heavily drugged."

His hands and jaw clench, eyes fairly shooting sparks.

"I thank you for killing the bastard who'd been using me, as well as all the others. My only wish is that I'd been aware enough to have seen it. You threatened to castrate him, right? Why didn't you?"

Thinking back, I wish I had as well, but it would have been a bad idea.

"I was trying to keep things quiet so the Werewolf that had been downstairs wasn't tipped off to our being there. Wasn't till after finding him with Tasha that I learned I could have made some noise and he wouldn't have heard, but what's done is done."

My fingers rub over the rough material of my pocket, feeling over the hidden blade.

"Tabitha was drained, the man who'd been in the other room had his neck snapped, yours got his neck sliced open, Eddie and Bruce were dealt with by the Mistress, and we both took on Geoffry, the wolf. He ended with his throat ripped out, brutally castrated, and heart removed, done in a way he saw his death coming."

Knowing that Werewolf had a hand in every single one of these twelve's torture, I wish they all could have seen him die. Only ones who had are Tasha, who'd been covered in his blood, Alastor, Chandrika, and Diego. Poor kid is going to need some serious therapy, but he got to see the end of his rapist. That has to count for something. Seemed to for Bastion when my sister had killed his demon, but then again, he'd only seen the aftermath and heard what happened. Didn't actually see it.

Only reason I know about it is because she showed me when we'd thought she was dying. She'd wanted me to care for him the way she does and understand what he came from. She'd also shown the death of our own tormentor.

The man looks a little satisfied, followed by exhausted. Trying to act all hard and bad when he's about to pass out himself.

"Shift. We'll get you taken to the room so you can sleep with the others and get you healed faster. Before you do though, care to tell me your name?"

He looks at me, a quirk to his lips.

"Skeet. My name is Skeet."

No real nationality can be seen other than 'white', so not sure where that name comes from. Don't want to necessarily say 'weird', per se, but it is. My head tilts to the side as he starts his shifting.

Older indeed, it doesn't take him long. Then again Kierra isn't older by any means and she's pretty fast, but she's also been practicing. Either way, he's on four feet shortly.

The human hair tends to follow that of the pelt of the animal they become, but not always. The large coyote in front of me is mostly black with brown thrown in as another main color. The normal white undersides are still there too.

So need to catch up on my animals to know what's normal and what isn't. Granted it doesn't really matter, but I'm curious anyway. Larger than Maii and the foxes, but smaller than the wolves I've seen.

I walk him to the bedroom myself, thinking over all the animals I've seen. Weres seem to be much larger than their normal counterparts, while Shifters and Vampire animals seem to have a wider range. Being either smaller or larger, but tend towards larger.

Biggest cats I've seen so far are Orion's lion and Kie's Vampire friend Benjamin, who's a tiger. Biggest Werewolf was Asher. Nicolaus's puma is bigger than Lady's leopard, but since I don't know the real animal's size, I don't know if they're bigger or smaller. I'm betting bigger.

Speaking of the giant lion, he's still standing guard in front of the room. Don't think that's his usual thing, but his nephew is in there, so it is for the time being. He nods to me and the canine as we come closer. They'll have no trouble communicating, they have that whole telepathy thing. I on the other end, am the pooch that got screwed. Figuratively of course.

Six-foot-eight-inches worth of humanoid lion glances in at the growing fur pile then back to me.

"How many more?"

"Just the one Changeling."

He nods as I turn and go back. Just one more and I can rest myself. Almost groan aloud on the thought of just where I'm sleeping. Really don't want to fight with the head Vamp right now. I'll figure something out.

Trisha is waiting with the clipboard in her hands, looking over what I have written down. Nosy old bat, but it's not like anything's a secret. Those are kept in a notebook in my head.

"Everything look alright?"

She's so startled that she almost drops it, eyes wide as she gasps. I grin at her before apologizing.

"Sorry, thought you heard me coming. Information look right? Ledger is more my thing I think, but the tidbits written about the newcomers look good?"

Hand presses to the older woman's chest while I stifle a giggle. Don't see young Danica around, might have been sent on an errand. Seth is still leaning on the wall, looking bored.

Head finally bobs while she catches her breath. Motioning, we start towards the last detoxing room and the last victim.