Were-Hunter Prowl: IC

[Jedi_Khan]

"So Jeff are you going to be able to deal with her or what? At the moment she's a resident of the Red Room, and while I might not like what’s coming after her she does need help."

“Deal with her? As in protect her when she’s outside of the Red Room?” Jeff asked. “I don’t like the prospect of babysitting her either, but like you said, it has to be done. And having Katagarians, Daimons, and Arcadians on her tail isn’t going to help in the least. Of course, I wouldn’t mind so much if she wasn’t being hunted by Arcadians; they aren’t going to like the fact that their prey is being protected by fellow Arcadians. And unlike you, Kimi, we don’t have the surf-bum backing us up.”

Jeff sighed, and then took another sip from the jug of water.

“When she wakes up, I’ll lay down the law after getting some answers from her,” continued Jeff. “Andrei, have a few more of our family show up, with fazers, just in case. Keep ‘em downstairs, so we don’t spook Miss Delaney.”

 

[Mireille]

The sparking had no effect on the grinder, for it was insulated for that exact reason, but the same couldn’t be said for Delaney; her body went rigid and then bucked as the electricity made contact with her skin.

It was only a flash, less than a second really, but even unconscious Delaney felt it just as she had that day long centuries ago.

She was lying on the floor doubled up in pain, her knees drawn up to her chest and her mouth open in silent screams. She was burning up from the inside out. She felt her skin melt with agonizing slowness, her bones getting brittle and crushed. Her ribs felt like they had exploded into tiny shards that were driving themselves into her flesh. She couldn't breathe, couldn't scream, and the tears that had been coursing down her cheeks had boiled up and left singed traces on her beautiful skin.

Her voice was reduced to a hoarse rasp. A plea for mercy that neither humans heard, nor Gods heeded. She had been praying for death for hours on end, but all she'd been granted was more of the same scorching torture.

She was all alone. Her body would soon disintegrate, and it would be like she never even existed. She would have given her left kidney for somebody to just hold her hand, maybe give her a sip of water.

She tried to stand, but all she managed was to contort her body more onto the cold cement floor. That floor, once cool against her parched body, was now hotter than the fires of Tartarus. With every crawling motion, Delaney felt as if chunks of flesh were being ripped from her body. She didn't know how long it took her to crawl to the other end of the room, maybe an hour, maybe more. But eventually, Delaney got to the corner of the room, where there was a table and a chair. Propping herself on the chair, she managed to lift herself off the floor a few inches, and reach out her hand towards the bottle of water sitting on the table. But as pain shot through her once again, the bottle slipped from her grasp and spilled all over the floor. Dropping down with a thud and landing hard on her right arm, Delaney frantically started licking at the drops of water on the floor. She didn't care that she was cutting her tongue on the gravelly cement, or that she was degrading herself in ways not imaginable. There was nobody there to see her, to cool her face or soothe her pain, or witness her humiliation.

"Please grant me mercy", she whispered one desperate last time. Please, make this stop. Just let me die now, let me die..."

Then all of a sudden, the burning got replaced by coldness. Ice-cold. Shivering. Lips turning blue and cracking, blood seeping from her cut lip to the floor, mixing with the water, making her gag with its coppery taste. And then she transformed. All of a sudden, she was no longer a person. She could feel rage inside her, and hunger, and need. She didn't know what it was, just that she needed it desperately, and she needed it now. Growling with rage and despair, she tried to push herself up, but found that she couldn't support her own weight. She slumped back down to the floor and passed out.

The next time she awoke, she was in a secluded clearing. Butt-naked and covered in grass, leaves and blood. She dipped her finger in the valley between her breasts and brought it to her mouth, only to spit it out a second later in disgust. It wasn't her blood, yet it tasted...familiar. She had hunted last night, and her blood-hunger was appeased. Both the Apollite and the animal were now silent, leaving behind only the scared, vulnerable woman.

Rolling over onto her back, she gasped as a ray of warm sunshine hit her face. She started crying and laughing at the same time, choking with heart-wrenching sobs. Her right hand was broken where she'd landed on it yesterday, she was sore all over and covered with scrapes and bruises. Yet she could look at the sun for the very first time, she had finally transformed into a tiger, and yesterday....she had survived her excruciating 27th birthday.

"I'm free, you hear me, you sonovabitch?" she cried out towards the sky.

But she would never be free, as long as she was alive she would have to bear the burden of who she really was.

.............

As Andrei turned Delaney over and removed the collar, she stirred for a moment and opened her eyes. She was still in so much pain and her chest was just now starting to breathe normally again. She didn't know if the others had felt that flash of memory - of pain - if she had shared that excruciating day with them. If she had, they'd definitely be looking like they'd felt it, she thought. Unfortunately, she couldn't see very well at the moment. Or move, apparently. She could hear them talking in the background, but their words sounded like rain falling down on a rooftop. It was making her head throb, which in turn was making her vision blurry, which in turn made her stomach queasy.

Delaney closed her eyes again. "Later. I'll deal with all this later. After I rest awhile..."

 

[AngelofDeath]

"Well sleep all you want, cousin. Not like you plan on going anywhere without saying thanks first." Kimi pulled the top sheet over Delaney and then looked back towards the brothers. "Well since I know Jeff didn't think the offer of my bed was serious I assume you are going to babysit the both of them tonight Andrei?"

"Of course. I will make things easier." All of the Red Room's full timers were Kattagaria or 'other'. Del's arrival was sure to shake the tree some. "Oh and believe me Savitar only backs me up because I run the Red Room and acknowledge his superiority. I am not suicidal, unlike some certain Arcadians." Because of one the entire branch of the Jackal Arcadians had been wiped from existence, women and children included. If there was anything else other there bigger and badder than Savitar, Kimi didn't not want to meet them.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

"Oh and believe me Savitar only backs me up because I run the Red Room and acknowledge his superiority. I am not suicidal, unlike some certain Arcadians."

“My point is, I’ll have a harder time keeping the were-hunters off of her than you because I don’t have Savitar standing behind me as a deterrent,” said Jeff, finishing off the jug of water he had been sipping on the entire time.

“Now, if you’ll be so kind as to give me some peace, Kimi, I’d like to get some sleep,” said Jeff, laying himself back down and closing his eyes.

 

[AngelofDeath]

"I'll never know how two siblings could otherwise be so different. Goodnight Jefe. I'll send some food up later Andrei." Kimi left the trio alone and headed right for her own room. Closing the door behind her she headed for her bathroom, stripping as she went with every intention of soaking in the tub for at least an hour. The animals could contain themselves without her further into the night.

"Damn Savitar, what are you playing at?"It would nearly impossible to convince both the Katagaria and the Arcadians to back off Delaney, not when she stood accused of murdering her family.

 

[Mireille]

The smell of food made her nostrils twitch and her mouth water. Delaney opened her eyes to realize that she had no idea where she was or how the hell she had got there. A feeling of dread assailed her and she tried to scramble off the bed, only to find that her whole body was as limp as a dish-rag. A dish-rag who had suffered a hell of a rough time, judging by the pain she felt in every muscle of her body.

As her eyesight adjusted to the semi-lit room, she spotted a tall, dark-haired hunk sitting on a chair nearby. With his feet propped up on the edge of a neraby bed, the hunk looked positively delicious, and smelled almost as good as the plate of food perched on his knees. As she met his serious-looking eyes, Delaney remembered where she was and what had transpired a few...minutes, hours, or was it days ago?

"Guess you got stuck with the baby-sitting duties, huh?" Delaney whispered, her throat feeling like she'd swallowed shards of glass.

As Andrei cocked a none-too-impressed eyebrow in her direction, Delaney's stomach growled audibly. "Boy", she growled, "you gonna stare at me all night or move that fine-looking butt over here and offer me a piece of that juicy steak I'm smelling?"

 

[Jedi_Khan]

"Boy, you gonna stare at me all night or move that fine-looking butt over here and offer me a piece of that juicy steak I'm smelling?"

Andrei looked at Delaney, then down at his plate, then back at Delaney. He shrugged and stood up, with the plate in his hand, and moved towards Delaney. Just out of arm’s reach, he stopped, sniffed, and then wrinkled his nose. He then turned back around and set the plate on the table.

“Gods, woman,” said Andrei as he turned back around. “I don’t know how you could’ve smelled that stake, especially with the stench you’re putting out. You aren’t getting any food until you’ve cleaned up. Come on, I’ll show you to the wash room.”

Andrei then moved to the foot of the bed and waited for Delaney to get up. If she didn’t, he helped her up and out of the room to the wash room down the hall. The whole time, he tried not to inhale too often.

And Jeff was still asleep on the bed, and would be until close to dawn.

 

[Mireille]

“Gods, woman,” said Andrei as he turned back around. “I don’t know how you could’ve smelled that stake, especially with the stench you’re putting out. You aren’t getting any food until you’ve cleaned up. Come on, I’ll show you to the wash room.”

Andrei then moved to the foot of the bed and waited for Delaney to get up.

"First of all, you big lug," Delaney addressed the blurred outline towering over her bed, "that is a very rude thing to say to a person. Second, I haven't eaten in over 5 days, and the only thing stopping me from pouncing on that plate is the fact that I can barely move right now. And third", she said with a strangled growl, "nobody tells me what to do. Not unless they want to become the kitty's next meal". Delaney knew that Andrei was trying to get a rise out of her on purpose, but for once she welcomed the adrenaline rush.

"However, far be it for me to offend your very delicate doggie-smell." Delaney managed to get out of bed and scoot over to the edge. She put her hand out and grabbed on to Andrei's elbow, and used it to propel herself to her feet, then proceeded to walk carefully across the floor.
To distract helrself from the shaking of her very wobbly legs, she grumbled to herself, but still loud enough for Andrei to hear her.

"You know, girl follows a bunch of insane Daimons down a sewer, crawls around on her hands and knees to expire them and save your crummy town from a pest-infestation, and what do I get for my troubles?"

Half way across the room, Delaney's legs gave out from under her, giving Andrei barely enough time to catch her and scoop her into his arms. "You know," she said as she saw him grimmace at having to come into such close contact with her filthy clothes, "I hope you have a spare T-shirt I can borrow, cause I swore that if I'd get out of there alive. I'd burn every stich of clothing on my body."

Delaney's closed her eyes and let the wolf-man carry her to the bathroom. He really smelled yummy, she thought with a smile. A shower, some good food and sleep until dawn were the only thing on her mind at that moment.

 

[AngelofDeath]

Andrei simply made an affirmative noise, still not wanting to inhale too often. He felt that in Delaney’s condition, the group bath in the Red Room wouldn’t be such a good idea, so he carried her down the hall and did his best to knock on Kimi’s door. He wasn't crazy enough to expect Kimi to answer in a pleasant mood.

"What?" She saw them both. "Oh it's you," Kimi stopped short of coming out of her room. "DAMN! What did you do girl? Roll around in Daimon dust and then a pig sty? Gods, get here in here before she runs off the customers."

"Thanks." Andrei came in while Kimi closed her door. Cutting on her fan and popping open her window she said, "Take her into my bathroom."

Once they were in there Kimi ran the water nice and hot and tossed in a bunch of soap. "You can handle it from here right?"

 

[Mireille]

As Andrei set Delaney down on the bathroom floor, she dug her hand in the hot water and sighed in pleasurable anticipation. Throwing a handful of soapy water in the direction of Andrei's rapidly retreating back, she muttered "Thanks, Scooby, if I slip and crack my head open trying to climb in here all on my own, I'll come back and haunt your sorry ass."

As the door finally closed behind her, Delaney threw her disgusting clothes into a pile in a corner and climbed in the tub.

"I don't relish soaking around in some other female's scent, thank you very much, she talked to herself as the warm water soothed her sore muscles, "but in this case I suppose it might work to my advantage confusing those sons of bitches after me."

An hour or so later, wrapped in a towel and feeling much steadier on her own, Delaney made her way out of the bathroom and went in search of the promised plate of nourishment. She guessed it would be a bad idea to walk around the sabctuary in nothing but the fluffy towel, but her stomach was growling and she couldn't exactly remember the way back to the room Jeff was currently asleep in. Besides, she was hungry now, and who knew how long it would be before those two rememberd to come back after her.

 

[AngelofDeath]

Lucky for Delaney Kimi cam back right away with a arm full of clothes,"Here, theses should fit and no offense, but from now on use the group shower." She walked past the other were hunter to drain the tub and to toss her old clothes into the trash. "Jesus woman, the water is almost black!" Kimi shouted as she sprayed down the porcelain with Tilex.

"Goddann woman, goddamn Andrei. I go to the trouble of having this put it so I don't have to share, but noooo." She continued to rant and rave while she cleaned.

Andrei knocked on the door and stuck his head in, "Is it safe to... oops sorry," He pulled his head back out when he saw Delaney in the middle of getting dressed. "I didn't see anything."

 

[Mireille]

"Excuse me, but what you saw was definitely something, Scooby. And a lot nicer than what you're accustomed with, I'm sure." Delaney's shout towards the closing door was muffled by her pulling on a form-fitting black jumper.

"Now show me where the food is at, woman!" she smiled as she opened the door and brushed past Andrei before he had a chance to think of a suitable reply.

Realising she didn't actually know where said food was located, though, she turned back towards them and said, with a catch in her voice very unlike the tough attitude she projected. "Thanks, you two. For...for helping me, and all that."

 

[AngelofDeath]

"Its not, just don't get my place burnt down ok? I'm gonna go check on our other guest. Andrei you know where the kitchen and the other bedrooms are." Kimi headed upstairs to see if their human guest was indeed still asleep and to check on Stefan as well.

"ah now that you're clean let's get you fed and put to bed." Andrei led Delaney towards the kitchen.

Upstairs she saw that the woman was indeed still asleep, Stefan's magic hung in the air which meant the dragon was keeping her asleep. Heading to his room she knocked before pushing the door open. "How long is that going to last? I'd rather not have her wake up in the morning and bump into someone furry."

"It should last until tomorrow evening," Stefan sat with his shirt off, his well toned form covered in scars. Closing the door Kimi sat down next to him.

"Stefan this isn't your fault. You didn't poison Jeff."

"Yes, but that is not the point. It shouldn't have occurred in the first place." His skin jumped when she laid her hand on his shoulders, over old battle scars. "Don't try and convince me otherwise Kimi."

"I wasn't going to. I was just going to ask if I can count on you next week?" Stefan had always kept her company during her heat and if need be took care of her urges.

"Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" He turned and looked at her, "You could always ask..." Kimi cut him off

"Hell and no. One; we hate each other. Two; we hate each other."

"No you don't. You two might not get along, but hate? If that were true you wouldn't speak to each other. If you hated him you wouldn't have tended," She put her hand over his mouth and shook her head.

"Enough Stefan. I told you, Don't have a mate, don't want one, don't need one. Now lay down and let me help." The dragon sighed and did as she told him. Healing Jeff came with a price. Old wounds that would never fully heal had reopened. Straddling his hips Kimi licked his wounds first and then used the salve on the table to coat them. As Stefan rolled over under her, Kimi turned the light off.

"Thank the gods you soundproofed this room."

 

[Mireille]

Dawn was a few hours away, and Delaney knew that both herself and Andrei needed to get some rest if nthey were to be any good tomorrow. Armed with a plateful of food each, they made their was back from the kitchen. Andrew was about to show Delaney to one of the guest bedrooms, when she turned towards him and said

"I know you need to check up on your brother, but you really need to rest for a little while. Taking that collar off me wasn't an easy job, and it might have drained you of more power than you realise. I say we both go back in there and take turns keeping an eye on him."

Before he could object to her offer, Delaney kept walking. "Damn, boy, I swear I don't bite...unless youy want me to. Besides. There are ten other beds in that room, you know..." Looking straight in the eyes, she plowed on. "You don't have to fear me. I don't care if you trust me or not yet, but you will learn soon enough that I don't repay kindness with betrayal. You took me in when you didn't have to. Let me do this small thing for you. Please."

Andrei still looked undecided, but Dewlaney just shrugged and started walking again. "Come on. Kitty doesn't liek it when her food goes cold!" she tossed at him over her shoulder.

Back in the infirmary, Delaney threw herself on the nearest bed and started munching away on the heap of food on her plate. "I'll take first watch, then."

 

[Jedi_Khan]

A few minutes after Andrei started to snore, there was a knock on the door and in walked two men. Both of them wore the standard patrol gear of the KPC: body armor with a bowie knife attached to a shoulder, utility belt with a Fazer in a holster and a sword strapped on the opposite hip and heavy combat boots.

The two men stopped short at seeing Delaney on one of the beds, then looked at both Andrei and Jeff sound asleep, and then back at Delaney.

“Who are you?” one of them asked, his voice carrying a subtle hint of a Hispanic heritage.

 

[Mireille]

"The babysitter. And you two gentlemen are..."

Delaney hopped off the bed and, keeping her eyes on the two newcomers, pulled on her leather boots. She didn't know who these two were, but judging from the gear they were packing, she wasn't taking any chances.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

"The babysitter. And you two gentlemen are..."

The two men looked at each other, and then nearly burst out laughing, only barely managing to keep their merriment to suppressed laughter.

“Don’t let either of those two hear you say that, senorita,” said one of the men.

“I’m Carlos, this is my brother Manuel. We’re related to those two,” said the man, now identified as Carlos, indicating the sleeping forms of Jeff and Andrei. “We just came to check up on Jeff, see how he was doing. Apparently, he’s doing rather well, especially if he’s sleeping.”

“So,” said Manuel, speaking with a thicker accent than his brother. “Who are you?”

 

[Mireille]

“I’m Carlos, this is my brother Manuel. We’re related to those two,”

"God help me then. Does their attitude problem run in the family?"

Delaney lay back on the bed, propped against the pillows. Seeming carefree and relaxed, she kept studying them carefully. She knew from experience that family didn't always mean friends. She owed the two sleeping men a debt of gratitude, and she always took that kind of thing seriously.

“So,” said Manuel, speaking with a thicker accent than his brother. “Who are you?”

"I'm a stray kitty they took in for the night. Got into some trouble with a bunch of Daimons and needed a place to get cleaned up and crash for the night."

Delaney wouldn't say anything more about herself until she knew for sure she would be safe around them. Who was she kidding, though? She wasn't sure she would ever be safe around people again.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

"God help me then. Does their attitude problem run in the family?"

This time Carlos and Manuel did chuckle. It seemed that this woman had encountered how the Greek side of the family dealt with their lot in life.

“You mean their sarcasm? No, it doesn’t run in the family,” said Carlos, grinning. “Or at least in our family. It does in theirs. It’s how the Kattalakis family deals with their lot in life. The San Juan family, however, has a fiesta on a regular basis, with much alcohol.”

"I'm a stray kitty they took in for the night. Got into some trouble with a bunch of Daimons and needed a place to get cleaned up and crash for the night."

Sighing, Manuel shook his head. “We didn’t ask you what you are, senorita, we asked you who you are. Two very different questions,” he said. “Care to try again?”

 

[Mireille]

"And they said the attitude didn't run in their family..." she rolled her eyer towards the ceiling.

"Name's Delaney. Delaney Xenos." she extended her hand towards the two prime men before her. "Hmm...a half-Greek, half-Hispanic family tree? That must go well at Christmas, Easter, and all other mandatory family celebrations."

 

[Jedi_Khan]

“Name's Delaney. Delaney Xenos. Hmm...a half-Greek, half-Hispanic family tree? That must go well at Christmas, Easter, and all other mandatory family celebrations."

Carlos and Manuel both grinned and nodded.

“Si, the celebrations are very big,” said Carlos. “The Kattalakis and San Juan families throw the biggest fiestas around. Lots of dancing, lots of drinking, lots of fun.”

“So, Senorita Delaney,” began Manuel. “Where do you come from?”

 

[Mireille]

"Keep you voice down or you'll wake up the princesses." Delaney warned the two men.

"Hmm...actually, I was supposed to wake Andrei up and get some shut eye myself, but if you two gentlemen would like to go get me a nice strong cup of coffee and something to eat", she nodded towards her empty plate, "I think I might be persuaded to tell you a story or two about myself. Besides, sounds like you have a fascinating family, and I wouldn't mind hearing more about that, as well."

Delaney yawned, slid her hands slowly over her head and arched her back up in a stretch. She growled in her throat as every muscle in her body tensed and released. She smirked at the glint of pure male appreciation that entered Miguel and Carlos's eyes at the sight of her lithe body stretching like that.

Damn, she was still sore all over. Staying up was definitely the wrong thing to do, but she figured she'd let Andrei sleep a while longer, maybe fish for some background information in the meantime. She had to stay in Vegas for a while to finish her assignments, anyways, and she needed to get acquainted with the place, and the people she'd have to come into contact with. She didn't know if she was pissed off at Savitar or grateful to him for throwing her into this situation. Although she hid it pretty well, the surf-dude knew that she was extremely uncomfortable in overly-social situations.

"Well, then, how's about that cup of coffee, chavales?" she grinned her two new Hispanic friends.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

Carlos and Manuel eyed Delaney as she yawned and stretched. It was obvious to them that she needed rest.

“No, no café for you, senorita,” said Manuel. “You need sleep. It is getting late and tomorrow may be a busy one.”

“Si,” agreed Carlos. “The stories can wait for another time, Senorita Delaney. Get some rest and let Andrei sleep on. He will understand that you were tired and fell asleep before you could wake him. Besides, Jeff will be fine. We’re in the Red Room, so we’re all safe. There is no need to babysit.”

“Vé a dormir, senorita,” said Manuel. “Go to sleep.”

 

[Mireille]

Delaney eyed the two men with something approaching respect.

"Si, talvez sea mejor que me vaya a dormir." Perhaps it's best that I go to sleep, she conceded, and did something she hadn't done since her 12th birthday. She closed her eyes in front of two men she had just met half an hour earlier and allowed her body to relax.

 

[AngelofDeath]

Kimi emerged from Stefan's room with a loud purr and a stretch. As she headed back to here room she noticed that Carlos and Manuel were sitting outside of the other room. "Aww did some senoritas cut your wings?" Normally the pair were nowhere near the Red Room come morning. Not really caring if they smelled Stefan on her she continued, "I suppose you met our guest right? Well when Jeff wakes you two are gonna be very surprised to learn what you do. Good morning, boys."

As she continued on her way Kimi shifted forms and walked into her room the door closing behind her and the lock turning. Nikola and the others were slowly but surely getting ready for morning and that meant getting anyone who wasn't a resident out of the building.