Beast, Blood, & Soul

* 7 *

I sat in my office, holding the note that I was given earlier this week. I kept fingering it as I looked out the window. My mind was not focused on the trees, but on the note and the animals who brought it to me.

The rabbit was not the only animal to spend the night. I'd had new bedmates each night. The animals had been taking turns, and although the birds had not stayed in my bed, my bedroom chair had some interesting claw marks on it now.

After that first night, the dog, coyote, and wolf all came and snuggled in bed with me. I didn't mind the golden retriever, but the others were big animals. My bed was only a queen. It wasn't roomy enough for 3 canines and a human. I was at first leery of having wild animals in my bed, but they made it clear that I wasn't sleeping anywhere else that night. I didn't sleep well because those dogs kept trying to sleep on me instead of next to me. Do you know how heavy a wolf is?

The tiger took over my bed the night after that. I slept on the couch.

The eagle and owl kept me company, perched on the back of my loveseat in my room. It was a padded sofa that was perfect for when I needed to put on pantyhose and worked great for giant claws, too. I'll have to get it reupholstered at some point.

With each visitor, my dreams were getting more and more vivid and disturbing. I wasn't prone to nightmares, but I'd had several that week.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember the dream that invaded last night. It had far more detail than any of the previous dreams. I was walking through the forest, but I'm not where I'm supposed to be and I don't want to go back. I feel excited because the trees offer more adventure than the boring people inside. I see a flash of the wing through the branches and I run after the bird to check it out. The dream then hopped through several images of animals that passed too fast to catch them. The next thing I know, I'm in front of a cave. Curious to see what is inside, I step into the dark cavern and look around. This would make a great place to play hide and seek. I can't let them find me, I want to win. I duck behind a big rock sticking out from the ground. I notice that big rocks are hanging down from the ceiling too. I just know I've found the perfect place to hide. They'll never find me here. I bend down on my knees to make myself even smaller when I hear a shuffling in the dark. Did they find me? I don't want to be found, I want to win. I hunker down even smaller behind the rock when I hear a huffing behind me. I turn around and see a wolf looking at me with its gem-like eyes and I squeal as I'm found and I get up and run so I won't get tagged and be it. The wolf barks and runs after me, playing the game. It chases me around the rocks that stick up from the ground, its tail wagging, its mouth open in a happy grin.

Then the dream changed. The next image I remember is that same wolf changing. The eyes change color but I can't see what they turn to. I only know they change. The teeth get bigger, dripping something I can't see. The body changes into something that can stand on two feet and its paws change into hands that shoot out long claws. I look up at this giant monster and start to scream when hands grab me from behind...

"Y/N, do you have those documents for...." I scream and Ceren stopped in the doorway as I jumped at her interruption, "Y/N, are you alright?" She walked in and sat in the chair opposite my desk.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Embarrassed that she caught me, but I was not fine. "I was just remembering a bad dream from last night."

"That must have been some nightmare." She commented, I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"You look dazed. What's been going on? You've been out of it all week." Ceren wasn't wrong, it had been a strange week.

"I guess this job wasn't what I was expecting. Just taking me a bit longer to acclimate, I guess." I looked at Ceren and gave her a small smile, trying to shake off the strange mood that gripped me.

"I get it. This is an unusual sort of place. It's a great job, though. And you can't beat the benefits." Ceren gave me a big grin as if the pay and retirement package made up for the level of weirdness around here. I couldn't quite understand why nobody was bothered by the setup here.

Of course, I didn't think they were getting notes from the animals.

"Come on," Ceren walked around my desk and shook my shoulder. "You haven't left this place since you got here. Come with me and the others for dinner in town and get a break. All work and no play...." She grinned as she left that sentence unfinished.

I chuckled at her cajoling and tried to shake the funk off. "I'm not really a party person," I replied.

"Who cares? What you need is a break from this place. Especially if you are having nightmares. Some of us are going out to dinner and you should come." She looked expectantly at me.

I thought about the note in my hands, my dreams, and the fact that the full moon was tonight. Between the note and the full moon, I could tell my dreams were making up their own reasons for why I couldn't be with them tonight. If Bangtan didn't want me in the forest, then it's better if I go somewhere else, before my curiosity got the better of me.

"Sure," I say slowly, "I'll join you guys tonight."

"Perfect, we leave at 5:30." Ceren turned to leave. "Oh," she faced me again, "make sure to wear something fun." She winked and walked out the door.

I stared after her and regretted agreeing. Why was I regretting going out with my coworkers? When did I become such a stick in the mud? I snorted at myself. Who was I kidding? I knew exactly why. I wanted to be with the animals again, but tonight was the full moon and I figured whatever they were going through would mean I wouldn't see them tonight.

I want to see them, though.

*************************************

The club was dark, the music was great, the drinks were plentiful and I was bored out of my mind. Ceren was busy making out with some guy on the dance floor. Brendan was deep in conversation with the groundskeeper, Scott Lee. The snob Marcus was trying to hit on me. And fussy britches, Dr. Mindy Park was busy scowling at me when she thought nobody was looking.

What was this girl's deal?

"Come dance with me." Marcus pulled on my arm.

"I already told you no more after the last dance, Marcus" I was getting fed up.

"But we had fun," he slurred. Marcus wasn't a good drinker. He also couldn't keep his hands to himself.

"No, you had fun trying to paw my butt, I did not." I wasn't going to be nice to this idiot any further. I don't care how good he was at his job, my butt was not for his pleasure.

"You just need to relax, more. Have another drink." Marcus pushed another drink in my direction.

"I said no," I pushed the drink back towards him. This guy was going to find himself with a harassment complaint if he didn't stop.

"Y/N just doesn't know how to have fun, Marcus," Mindy touched his arm to get his attention.

"But you know how to have fun, right?" Marcus leaned in her direction. Was he starting to drool?

"Depends on who's paying for the drinks," Mindy cooed back at him.

"I'll just go get a few more, then," Marcus disappeared towards the bar. Great, like that's just what that octopus needed, more liquor. I shook my head at the absurdity. I need to get away from this place.

"Don't worry, he'll see some girl at the bar and get distracted," Mindy said with a nod in the jerk's direction.

"Is he always like that?" I ask.

"Marcus? Yeah, he gets handsy for a bit, but he'll be passed out soon. He can't hold his liquor but refuses to admit it, so he usually ends up passed out somewhere." Despite her help, I couldn't shake the feeling that Mindy just didn't like me. Her body language was one of complete dislike.

"Heeeere's more liquid courage for the lovely ladieees," Marcus slurred while the waitress slid a tray full of different drinks onto the table and then cleared away the empty ones. I looked at the drinks completely revolted. I'd be wasted before getting halfway through them and no way I was letting go of my control with this loser. 

If he touched me again, I was going to take steps.