Kierra

Amazingly, I get in around eight hours before the sound of my phone ringing has me slowly waking. Yawning, I stretch and stand, forcing myself away from the warm comfort of fuzzy bodies. Bastion has already risen, as has Maii and Xavier, the light sleepers.

You would not believe how good it feels to stretch when you have an elongated spine, it's downright sinful.

Shaking out my coat, I make my way out of the fur pile. Quiet enough, yet I still end up waking everyone from my leaving an open cool spot. Well, they all need to get up anyway.

Going back to nose at each one before going above, I get chirped at by Kani who tries to curl up to the giant cat. When she stretches and stands, it just ruins it for him and has him complaining.

Since my back is turned to him, I just give him a good tail smack. Having a longer tail than normal comes in handy for something. Doesn't stop his moping, but it gets him moving.

Hearing my name said upstairs, I finally ascend the steps and go into the kitchen. Three fully dressed males are standing about, one on my phone talking to Ava. Xavier's amber eyes fall on me as soon as I enter, the cell going from his ear to the table.

"That was Ava, she wanted to know when we'd be coming and just how many will be arriving. I let her know about your friend, Tristan, wanting to come."

Imagine that, I have a secretary.

Nodding to him, I yawn again and sit by the table as the others start filing in. Bastion comes up next to me and starts rubbing my ears. If I were a cat, I'd be purring right now.

When everyone's up and changed, I head to my room now that it's free. Getting dressed quickly, my blood heats, all jittery. Pacing my room on bare feet while going through everything in my head, I miss Renee sticking his head in.

"Hey, I'm going to take off. Thanks for letting me crash here. You have quite the setup, I'm pretty envious."

Looking up at the feminine male, painted nails flash as he tries to control his mass of hair into some semblance of order. From the pitch in his voice and the emotions coming from him, he isn't lying. Wouldn't think he'd be very lonely with those he has at the club, but then I don't really know him at all.

"Thanks, hope we didn't spook you that much."

I smile, talking to him helping to calm my frazzled nerves. Able to take a deep breath, I feel comfortable in my own skin. My normal wardrobe of jeans and t-shirt help, covering skin I don't usually show off.

Renee is back in the outfit he wore last night, the smells sticking to it having my nose curl. He chuckles, bows his head, and ducks out before I can say anything else. That reminds me, how the hell am I supposed to wash what I wore? And my boots?

Ugh. So getting my own washer and dryer when we get moved into the new place. Will make things so much easier. The collection of voices has me going back out into the living room, the front door open and showing that the built-up snows are already melting away. What the hell?

"Would seem mother nature is having hot flashes or something."

My voice has the others nodding or looking at me. The male WereHyena's already pulling out, so I guess he really wanted to scoot. We scare him that bad? Jeez.

Grabbing up my phone, I start playing phone tag. Sort of. I leave Alarico a message explaining what happened, then get Benjamin's voicemail and ask if he got my message about getting the cleanup crew over there. The call to my mother actually gets answered, which is weird. It's obvious I woke her, but I plow ahead and ask her when she wants to be picked up. Her answer is what I expected, wanting to be retrieved just before food is done. Already asked Faline, and Tristan will show up whenever.

It's pretty early for anything to be going on, but we'd already offered help with all the food and I still want to show off the house to the others. I think their reactions are what I'm looking forward to the most, especially my sister’s when I can get her out there.

While Shade goes out to call for his brother, I let Bryanna in on what all is going on and what she can expect. She's shy and nervous, yet jumps at the prospect of keeping the kids contained. Especially if one of them ends up shifting while oblivious humans are about. She's a Godsend, methinks.

Standing back from everyone, I look over them all and think of how I ended up with each one. How each seemed drawn to me and vise-versa. This time last year I was pretty anti-social and content that way, now look at me.

House full of kids and male adults. Both of which being the weirdest and unlikely. Looking over each now, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Thanksgiving; a time to give thanks for what we have. Best be sure I am very thankful.

Almost forgetting about the paintings out back, I bring them in and hang them in the living room while everyone else heads out to claim seats. Tempted to just put sandals on, but don't think I can swing that. Besides, I don't like driving with them on anyway.

Boots it is since I don't want to mess with tennis shoes. Having already lost a couple pairs, think I need to stock up on the damn things. Both still have traces of blood, especially the one I had my blade in. I can smell it.

Knee-high and zippered, they go under my pant leg, not over. Of course that means the stiffness from coagulation is right against my skin, but that really doesn't hurt anything. Getting them on and essentials grabbed, I head out as well.

Have to give Tigger a pat and kiss first, of course. The memory pops up in my head of years ago at my grandparents; when he'd been at their house and on this holiday he was sitting at the table with his bright pink nose as if waiting for his plate too. Was quite adorable. Have a picture of it somewhere.

Kani and Bryanna get the truck with Shade and his brother, Zypher will be given the time to take a quick cat nap on the way. The rest go into the SUV with me. Have to say, the thing is definitely coming in handy.

If I were to go about all of this legally; Bastion would need to be in a booster seat, since he's so small, and Diego would have to be in a carrier, I believe, but he's quite content on Rika's lap.

Discounting animal breeds and species, you'd think those two were actual siblings. Being brought together in a situation like they were, however, it's not uncommon. Usually goes one of two ways, they either want nothing to do with the other, or a bond is created. Survival and hope.

Doesn't take us long to get there, random chitchat on the way making the time seemingly faster. Roads had been plowed and salted in preparation of massive snow amounts, yet now prove to be unneeded as it steadily melts with the warmth of the rising sun. Really hope Benji got the cleanup crew called, or there will be reports of a body found by the three o'clock news.

Now wouldn't that be all sorts of awkward?

'Not my fault Mr. and Ms. Police Officers, blame my undead friend for not getting his cleaning crew out there to get and dispose of the body properly on this fine family holiday that you wanted off.'

Oh yeah, I see that going over real well.

Should probably spam call that horny tiger till he wakes and answers. Don't care if he's comatose from hours of sweaty workouts with various peeps. Answer your damn phone... Dammit.

Even the roads inside the park are relatively clear, guess Gabriel had his wolves on double duty. For some reason, I just can't find it in myself to care about that. Biased? Perhaps.

Lily's horses are even out and playing in the snow, kicking up plumes as they race by. The massive truck behind me would scare me if I didn't know who was in it. Hell, still does, the damn thing is so big.

Ava's is pretty big too, which I don't see the point of, but I'm not a truck person. Dick measuring? Nah. Think it's all in the sack size. Tiny stones an all, gotta make up for it somehow. Everyone always assumes it's phallus envy, but I think it's the other way.

Four-wheel drive is definitely a must when going through snow, it just is. Right now it comes in handy since Ava's drive isn't plowed like the main road. Now that I know who owns the place, I seem to be pointing out every little fault, even perceived ones. Tsk tsk.

I think Bastion is the first to jump out once we stop, having really taken to both Ava and Lily. With what he's been through, it's a real shock that he willingly goes up to anyone. Ava just has that way about her, all motherly and whatnot.

The rest of us get out, Bryanna moving up close to me. Don't have to be emphatic to read her anxiety. Smiling, I know it won't be that way for long.

While everyone else goes in, I hang back. Going to the backyard and looking over the treeline and water. Sticking my nose in the air, I close my eyes as I sift through everything that I can make out.

Much of it my human brain doesn't have an answer for. The animal in me rises to take everything in and has information going so fast through my head that I can barely keep up. Definitely a learning curve to all this.

The smells become colors in my head that I can read a little better, sort of. The waters of Pierce Lake are dark greens and blues, lighter colors of pink, teal, and purple flash through as pinpoints of life within it. Fishy smell is there, but not as strong as the others.

Trees are a riot of scents and colors. Did you know that green does actually have a scent? It smells of life, freedom. Of an opened path before you that leads into stronger scents of evergreen, moist bark, and earth. Decaying foliage under the melted snow even has its own.

A forested area carries the smell of life within it, a riot of color from every living thing that calls it home. Hundreds of shades of browns give a sense of safety and security, colors you can hide in. Greens, yellows, reds, and light blues predominate, but it's made up of all, every color that you can think of.

Even black. Not always the color of bad or dreadful things to come, but very natural. Yes, it is a color of death, of blankness. A scent that can vary from an absence of smell altogether, or strong scents of rot and musky earth.

The wind carries it all, mixing earth and sky together just as it mixes water with fire. Did you know that life is associated with fire? Its colors are much the same, jumping and random. Burning fierce before dying away into nothing.

Opening my eyes, I find myself in an area that I don't know or recall. Much closer to the ground with a feeling of needing to run. Vaguely recall stripping down right there in my best friend's backyard and taking off on all fours, I groan in my head and look around.

A couple steps forward leads me into a grove of trees, branches long and thick, intertwining with the ones next to it and creating a tightly interwoven ceiling. Light and snow do make it through, just in a much lesser capacity. More light would come through if snow weren't in the way.

The ground is thick with pine needles, long grass, and other fauna. Much I don't know the name of, obviously. Don't know how far away from Ava's I am, but it has to be pretty far. I've explored the areas surrounding her home, and this isn't anything I recognize.