Kierra

He finally goes, but I think it's more because he's having trouble keeping his eyes open. Bryanna watches curiously as the boys head down, so I tell her she can go too if she wishes. Her look of uncertainty has me looking back at Xavier.

"You going to go back to sleep?"

"Are you?"

To be honest, no. Waking up like that, I'll be up for a few hours at least, then want to crash again.

"No, think I'll get some work done. Going to need all I can get to keep the new place. There's another event coming up soon, so I need to get some prints done, not to mention the commissioned ones. You should though, one of us needs to be decently rested for today."

He eyeballs me, but I go about and get ready for some painting, trusty glass of orange juice at my side. The normal place for arting is on my back porch, so that's where I go. The weather sticks with its weirdness, feeling like mid-spring outside instead of early winter. Tigger follows me out, jumping up onto the table and just overall making a pest of himself. Because it feels so nice, I leave the door open, not all the way, more halfway.

Flipping through my sketchbook, I stop on the demonic kittens. The commission for the out of town buyer. How the hell do you explain 'Gothic Demise'? Gloomy death? Isn't death already gloomy?

Somehow I'm thinking the small cats aren't what he was going for, but that's what happens when you don't specify. A rustle off to my side has me looking over before I can touch pencil to canvas, revealing an Arctic wolf peeking through at me.

Ears aren't tipped in black, so it's Zypher. Could tell by scent as well if he weren't downwind. Well, that and all the chemicals filling my nose, not to mention overlapping scents of them all covering the whole area.

Saluting him with my utensil, I set to work, doing a rough sketch before bringing up a brush. Making kittens appear furred as well as scaled proves to be really interesting. Making it look smooth and blend instead of all choppy is also an engrossing challenge.

Longer furred tails fork out and lead into scales, back legs are more leathery-looking than furred, while the front paws stay all cute and fluffy. The goat-like eyes on felines are all sorts of weird, but it fits with the theme. Just to add spice to things, I make them tortoiseshell and calico.

Mosaic-like, just taken a step further. The skeletal butterflies with the cobweb-like wing filling give me trouble, but I eventually get what I want. Essentially looks like sibling cats, just demonic and funky looking.

One on hind legs to bat at a couple undead bugs while the other is hunkered down and looking out at the artist, a third free-flying bony insect about to land on its head. Horns get situated just in front of the ears on both, one getting a few extra along its skull and down to its back. I hate doing backgrounds when all I have pictured is the main image, I never know what to put.

Deciding, I make it a mix of swirling grays that have streaks of brighter colors. Have to go over some of the fluffed fur again, but it's no biggy. Signing my name, I step back. Not an exact copy of the sketch of course, but enough to know where I was going.

The sun is rising further as I look out, warming rays peeking through the hibernating tree branches. A small breeze helps disperse the paint smells and carries the bird songs. Pretty sure they're just as confused about the weather as I.

The frame gets named 'Curious Kitties' before I'm fully finished. Moving it from the easel to hang on one of the hooks on the house is when I see Xavier. Stretched out next to the table, his head is up and watching me.

Long legs have to be stepped over or on since they're in the way. Got my very own watchdog, yippee.

"Don't you have anything else better to do than be in my way?"

Light brown eyes glitter at me before he shakes his head. Rolling my eyes, I get the canvas hung and another grabbed. Kitties took several hours, I should have enough time to do another.

Flipping through the book to find another that would fit the description desired, I stop on one. It sort of fits, I guess. A visual I had gotten some time ago and put down in a vague outline. Nodding, I get back to work.

While getting the hues I need, Bastion comes out.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?"

I get handed a glass of juice and a bowl of water is set down for the maned wolf. Smiling, I take it in thanks. I drink down half of it while he looks at the finished piece.

"Whatcha think?"

He smiles and nods, which basically means he doesn't have an opinion.

"I got the others up for food, what do you want them to do when they're done?"

Err. Good question. I blink at him, taking another drink as I give myself time to think of something.

Wait.

"Are Shade and Zypher gone?"

Shaggy blonde head nods.

"Yeah, they took Bryanna to work when they left a couple of hours ago. They said they'd work on things with her, let her know what's all going on."

Well that makes things a whole lot easier. Always nice to have helpful peeps around. Still don't know what to do with all the others inside though.

Bastion is relatively easy to keep entertained since he does his own thing, same with Maii. Kani hasn't really found much other than to read, and the new kids...who knows.

"You have no idea, do you?"

The sly look the Imp is showing me just isn't right. Giving him a look, he starts laughing. How messed up is it that I take all these people in, but then at a loss as to what to do with them?

"Uhh, they're free to do whatever, I guess."

Clearly bit off more than I could chew with this, but it's not like I can turn them out. The kid nods and heads back in, taking empty dishes in with him. Xavier stretches and stands, headbutting my side before he heads for the trees. Nature calls?

Tigger, still tucked up on the rail, watches the Dogdeer as he takes off. Doesn't make a move to follow, thankfully. Finally alone, I get the rough sketch drawn out then put brush to palette.

The dark shadowed background is put in place around where a young humanoid woman will be, sitting with her back facing the artist, but turned just enough to look over her shoulder, an expression of pain taking over her feline features. Shaggy flaxen-colored hair hangs from her head, stopping just below her shoulders where you see her spine has raised ridges. They go all the way down her back, flowing into a much longer extension, forming a cat tail still in the process of growing fur. She's nude, sitting on her legs that have lengthened and have started forming into cat paws. A chain around her thinning ankle leads to the corner of the large poster bed next to her.

Rosette-like spots pattern the skin of her back, mingling with the mass of scars that crisscross along its length. Some closed, others look old, while others open and angry red. Amazing how the young woman looks much like my sister, even with all the cat features forming on the face.

I had picked up bits and pieces of what had happened to her while I had been in a drugged stupor, she had it way harder than I. Living with a psychotic Vampire for days before being moved to the bordello, where she had even more to deal with. Both our experiences were hardly those to be desired for, yet it's made us that much stronger, that much more intent on protecting those around us, knowing what kind of stuff lurks out there in the dark.

Hours later my name is signed and I'm titling it as Maii comes out, looking nervous and jumpy.

‘Agony of Transition’. Apropos.

Although now that I'm not in my head working, I hear what's going on around me, and become nervous myself.

"Uh, Kierra? You havin’ a party and didn't invite me? That's not cool."

Even as nervous as I am, his question makes me smile.

"You got a fox? Oh, you fostering him? He get hit?"

Grabbing a rag, I head in so he'll stop shouting.

"Don't touch him, Tristan, you're bad luck around animals, remember?"

He snorts, nowhere near Diego as I walk in. Tristan had been with when Asher had bitten me. We'd been meeting up to talk when it all went downhill.

"He said he was a friend of yours, I wasn't sure what to do."

Bastion sounds so nervous that my heart goes out to him instantly.

"It's okay Imp, he is...usually."

"Hey!"

I laugh and go for the sink to clean up.

"You forget how to call? I could have been doing some wild crazy shit that would burn your eyeballs. Bleach for days."

Tristan snorts again, pulling himself up and sitting on the end of my floating counter. No manners. Ruuude.

"You? Yeah, right. Like I would believe that. What's with all the kids?"

Turning off the water, I turn and look out over the room. Bastion, Maii, Kani, Rika, and Diego are all spread out along the couch. Diego's next to Chandrika, watching us just like any wild animal would.

Doesn't look like she or Kani care for being referred to as kids, so I point out each one and introduce them.

"Not all are kids you ass. Kani is nineteen and Rika is sixteen. Bastion and Maii are younger, and I'm not sure how old the fox is."

Actually, I do, but he doesn't need to know that the small kit of a fox is thirteen. Tristan raises his hands in surrender.

"My bad, didn't mean anything by it. Got anything to drink? Grady sent us all out since the equipment is in the process of getting fixed."

Ahh, that explains why he's here so early then. Well...early afternoon now. Oops. Grady is his supervisor or some such, real ass from what I've heard.

"You know where it's at, get it yourself."

The natural redhead hops down and digs around in my fridge.

"Uh, sorry guys, this is Tristan, a friend from back in school. He's alright, just don't give him any sugar."

Right on cue, his head pops up and he starts singing off-key to one of his favorite songs. Rolling my eyes, I go to Diego and check his legs. With Tristan being all human, have to be careful here.

"Where's Faline? She can't still be sleeping."

Aww, hell. I hate lying, so nothing elaborate.

"Staying with one of her friends. She finished her classes and was driving me nuts."

His grunt lets me know it's believable enough. Good. The very loose bandage gets taken off, not like it was doing much to begin with aside from just getting in the way of proper movement. He doesn't flinch away from me this time, so there's that.

"There, better? Should be healed now, but take it easy so it doesn't offset."

With Tristan having heard me talk to Tigger and other assorted beasties, my talking to Diego will hardly be cause for alarm. Besides, he babies his dog, so he gets it. Speaking of dog, where's Xavier? His showing up now would seriously be bad, human or animal. Don't want more questions.

Looking over to Kani, who's admiring the new human’s flexing arms, I whisper in his head.

"Can you find Xavier and tell him to stay away from the house?"

He nods and stands, stretching while I walk away as if nothing happened. Getting my friend’s attention so Kani can make a clear exit, I start asking questions of my own.

"So anything more happen with your ex? She didn't start any kind of drama, did she? Do I have to pay her a visit?"

Gabriella. They'd broken up the night he came by. He wasn't that broken up about it, but still had feels.

"Naw, she hasn't said anything. Last I heard she moved in with her new guy."

He shrugs, but it's obvious it bugs him. Fickle ass chick, never liked her to begin with.

"Well good riddance. She was a ditz anyway, you can do better."

He's quiet for a minute, so I look up to him. He's looking at my hair.

"You get Ava to streak you? Speaking of which, that's what I came over to talk to you about."

I look at him in question, trying to keep an eye on the small fox moving around on the couch. The soft surface may cushion a fall, but it does nothing for balance. Then again, he's only like what, ten pounds? Tigger weighs more than he does.

"Oh?"

He nods, hair so short that it barely moves, keeping his teal eyes unobscured and his freckles more prominent. Luckily I don't have enough redhead in me to burn or freckilate, more or less enough to add the attitude part though. Great, great, whatever grandmother must have been hell on wheels.

"Yeah. My sister moved about a week ago with her husband and kids. Went south like they've been wanting to do for years. The guys are all busy with their families, so I was wondering if I could join you and Faline?"

Damn. Didn't know his sister bailed. He and she were close, but he didn't get along with the hubby. Would explain why he chose not to go. Don't have to ask to know that one.

Thought most of his guy friends were bachelors, but whatever. Mom will be around too, so not like he'll be a major sore thumb. Bastion as well, all going to be around a bunch of animals. Oh boy.

"Sure, although I'm not sure if Faline will be spending it with us or her friends, it's still up in the air right now. Ava and I agreed to have it over at her place since there will be so many people."

His turn to look at me in question, but then he smiles, all chipper once more.

"Cool. Maybe I can get her to do my hair."

Making a suave face, he starts rubbing his head as if it were an exotic thing waiting to be snapped and made immortal in today's papers. Yeah...

"Somethin' wrong with you dude, seriously."

He laughs, swallowing the last of his drink. Attempts to at least, since that's when another body comes in. My nose flares as I close my eyes.

Shit...is about to get awkward.