Werebeasts

Chapter Two:

With a growl, jaguar Orpheo leaped forward, and snagged the girl's ankle-lightly-with his teeth, making her yelp in startled surprise, even as he began dragging her towards his own little place, a cave a few feet away that the pack had no idea about. 

His father had already been taken by the pack itself, and none of them had spared him a second glance. He was going to regret this later, he knew, but right now he didn't care. 

She'd SEEN him. 

His chest and ankle ached with a fierceness that surprised him. His head pounded from having been smashed against the ground several times. He felt like transforming into his wolf form and howling out to the moon his victory, but he knew should he do that, the pack would set upon him immediately, and teach him a lesson that would make him ever regret having done so.

Sometimes he wished his mother had stuck around, so he could share in the misery. 

At this point, the girl was scrabbling, and once reaching the cave, he slung her inside, making her slide a bit on the slick rock. It had rained the night before, and he loved the smell of the rain against the green forest that surrounded them...it was one of the few peaceful things that he loved. 

"S...stop! Stop, don't go! i want to talk to you!" The girl was certainly brave, he thought, as she gasped out the words, struggling to reach him. He had turned his back on her, and was preparing to go and fetch her some food, so that she might have something to eat. She looked half-starved, after all. He was suddenly grateful for being the very best hunter in the pack, even if the pack refused to acknolwedge that fact. 

"I said STOP!" She took him by surprise when she grasped his fur around the back of his neck, making him freeze in her form. "There...." She panted, sounding a little relieved. "That wasn't so hard, was it? I just wanted...to say thank you. You saved my life." She whispered into his ear, and he remained still-well, frozen really. It had been so long since anyone had touched him at all, unless it was for hitting or abuse, that he'd forgotten how it could feel. 

"Your very pretty..." She said softly, and he snorted in amusement. He wasn't, not really. Unless one was attracted to the darkness, and if she was...no wonder she'd been able to see him.

She laid her head against his fur, and for a moment he felt like objecting, but...she felt nice. Calm, soothing...

And, he realized a split second later-asleep. 

She felt safe enough that she'd fallen asleep against him.

Which was really an unwise move on her part. 

He frowned, growling lightly. She shifted a little in her sleep, but seemed to exhausted to care. With a heavy sigh, he shifted into his natural form and found that it was a bit awkward, as her head was laying against his chest. Gently, he picked her up, and carried her to the makeshift nest that he'd built years ago, as a means of retreating from the pack when things got too dangerous or out of control. 

He shrugged out of his leather jacket, aware it wouldn't provide much warmth, and placed it over her. Then, he shifted back into his jaguar form, and-casting one more glance at her, went out of the cave to fetch them their dinner.