Nowhere To Go But Roanapur

My meal complete, I stood.

“Make yourself at home, I need to step out for a bit,” without waiting for her reply, I changed.

With a bit of a twang of pain on my chest, I left the room and pushed open a window. I got this house especially because of its backyard. I didn’t have to do much renovating to make it suitable for my nature. Clean out the pool and I was done. I slipped into the cool water and submerged completely for a moment. I splashed about, thoroughly soaking my coat before I climbed out and shook myself off. The moon was high in its cradle, the pains of the day easing away as the water dripped off my fur. I went to the trees that took to growing wild in the back of my yard and ascended, rising to a branch where I could see Revy still in the house, and also the moon. Heat still gripped me, an internal searing that was more pain than anything. My guts felt like they were on hot coals, a lava rock wedged inside. As I came down from the tree it hit me. How could I have been so retarded? The trap I’d tripped hadn’t been silver shot, but the bandit’s may have been. My stomach jerked in the memory of the shot it took. Why wouldn’t a big boastful bandit splurge on silver bullets? Unless he somehow knew about others…no. Random happenstance, must be. The pain burned white hot and my vision blurred. Revy dealt me no solace as she swept my mind off the pain and focused it on her. I’m not as vulnerable to silver as my more natural counterparts, but when it gets in my system I do feel its effects. The bullet obviously didn’t pass through me so I’d have to go in and retrieve it myself. I climbed back into the window and went straight for the bathroom.
Revy kept her eyes trained on me the entire time, I knew she’d notice the slight limp in my demeanor. I waited for the question, surprised when none came though I half expected her to follow. She did. She did me a mercy and covered up with the towel as she stood in the door way, always watching, as I changed back. From the corner of my eye I saw her countenance note the pain streaked across mine.

“Before you even ask,” I huffed, “I’d much prefer you not touch my blood with your bare hands.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve already been exposed to your blood.”
“I kept you from most of it, I don’t want to risk you becoming as I am.”
“This is Roanapur, I’m already inhuman, being so in fact doesn’t bother me. I’m betting that slug in your gut is tearing you up, hm?” Before I could ask, she said, “I was there, I saw him shoot, remember?”
“Aye, I remember. If you must help, could you gather a towel and some disinfectant from that closet there,” I pointed as I started to strip.

I’d learned a trick to not destroying all my clothes when I shapeshifted, it was neat, but only certain materials withstood the drastic changes. Spandex mostly, but also some nylon. I shed the bra and shorts that survived and climbed into the tub. Revy returned with the requested materials and sat on the tub.

“Need a blade or anything?” she asked, and I saw that she had one, among other tools.
“No, I come equipped,” I gave a small smile.

I half changed my hand, fingers thickening and curling as feline muscle corded through and a stiletto claw sprung from my index finger. With a slight hesitation and a breath held in, I sliced open my stomach; big enough to retrieve the bullet. I grimaced as the skin split and practiced breathing for a few seconds as the blood welled. Revy handed me a large set of tweezers that she’d soaked in antibacterial liquid. I’d forgotten to ask for it but was glad she remembered. With a bracing breath, I began to push my fingers in, the burning in my gut letting me know a close area to search but not pin point. I felt around for the lump of silver and found it hidden behind several layers of healed tissue. I made an incision through the tissues and touched the bullet. I retrieved my hand and sent the tweezers in and extracted the silver bullet. Sweat rolled down my head but once the precious metal was removed the burning ache eased a little. I squirted some saline solution into the wound and pressed the towel to it to slow the bleeding. I dropped my head back against the edge of the tub and debated whether I wanted to change again and heal it faster or just let it heal at its own pace. I could at least seal the wound and then let my human form finish the job.

“I bet that hurt like a sonnavabitch,” Revy said with a small smile.
“Going after it isn’t anything compared to the burn,” I replied.
“Hm,” she grunted. “I’ll cut you some slack tonight and let the questions rest. You should get some sleep yourself.”
“I don’t have the energy for anything else,” I said and rolled over in the tub.

With confirmation that I wouldn’t be trapped in conversation tonight, I went ahead and shifted. I much preferred my animal form to my human and would often remain such. A good thing about not being like my natural counterparts is that I could stay furry longer and not worry about carrying over characteristics to my human form. Despite my previous dip in the pool, my fur was dry but clean. I glanced down my spotted body for any bleeding wounds and then rose, satisfied to discover none. I definitely felt much better but I was also exhausted. I could sleep forever.
I inclined my head, indicating that Revy follow me, and led her to my bedroom. I motioned her towards the bed and watched as she climbed naked into my bed. I had the thought that I’d never get a restful sleep in that bed ever again and shook my head. To sleep with her scent around me wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe. I sat down on the ground at her side and started to lie down when Revy grabbed the rough of my neck. I halted and looked sidelong at her. She petted the fur before she let me go, then moved her hand to the backs of my ears.

“I’m not kicking you out of your bed, whore. Get up here with me.”

I cocked my head at that. Id never curled up with a human before when I was leopard. Not even with Daisuke. We would either both be human or both be animal. I’d never felt the desire to want to lie with a human when I was like this…but now that she offered, excuse me, ordered, I was beginning to want. I wanted her to soothe my fur and hold me close. But the images in my head were not as I am now, but me as a kit. I worried at that thought even as I jumped over her onto the bed. I was unsettled with the thought of wanting to be held as though I were a child, and merely slumped down, let her do with my position as she saw fit. Soon as the pillow cushioned my head, the exhaustion hit me tenfold. I uncurled my body to lie long across the bed as my human counterpart would. I felt Revy stroking my fur but not much else as I drifted off.

.::.~*~.::. +.+.::.~*~.::.

I was asleep, yet awake. My eyes were closed, I was resting, however I was wholly aware of everything around me. Aware of the clouded leopard at my back, aware of the dull murmur of the village a couple miles out. Aware of the handful of heartbeats coming closer. Movement and wetness touched my ear as the clouded leopard licked me, arousing me to full consciousness. I lifted my head as the creatures of the forest started making alarmed calls. The monkeys screeching at being disrupted at this hour. The birds clicks of wariness as the strangers moved through the forest. I heard the chuff of a natural leopard and rose with my partner. The group was on a hunt and it wasn’t any natural animal they sought. The clouded leopard and I rose higher in the trees, into the canopy highway of branches and leaves and moved stealthily closer to the intruders. If it had been broad daylight we might have had less of a chance of being concealed, but the canopy was thick here and the sun long gone. Even infrared wouldn’t tip off our coloration as animals that belonged elsewhere.
We halted above the troupe, five men armed to the teeth with guns and knives moved in a fan formation as they swept the brush and foliage for their prey. I resisted the human urge to growl and instead stayed true to the silence of my species. A leopard could snatch a human out of his home without alerting others of its presence. It’s temper was nothing to shake a stick at either; a leopard would be inclined to circle around its hunter and take him out rather than merely escape. Cunning, powerful, precise. I couldn’t have asked for a better gene. I must have made a move to begin the hunt because the clouded leopard rebuffed me with a silent paw. I looked at him and he shook his head and crept off in the opposite direction. With a soft snort of disappointment, I followed him. Tonight was not our time to hunt.

We escaped to the mountains, but not to safety. We were person non grata and white leopards and clouded leopards were being wrongfully hunted because of us. The reality of it drove me insane with anger. The military had implanted trackers in us and we hadn’t found them yet. They were killing the natural leopards to draw us out, I’m sure. I didn’t help our wanted case by hunting the bounty hunters whom came after us. I may not be a natural leopard but I was damn sure going to protect them, whether they accepted me or not. Daisuke, the clouded leopard, didn’t feel the same desire for the safety of the natural leopards that I did, but he entertained my desires.
We would run from town to town, living as normal a life as we could until we scented the Force within the area. Then we’d collect money from the bank and flee. Neither of us cared for fleeing but if it meant another day to live free… The force was getting smarter about our ways. They would have each major bank guarded before the main hunters got to town. Thanks to their experimentation, the plan failed them. Until that day…
Daisuke and I lie curled around each other in leopard form. We were happily tired from a day of romps through the forest and each other. Our guard was foolishly down. The Black Ops team finally decided to cut their losses and fight fire with fire. The lion crept in on us downwind, towered over us and was able to catch Die in a throat hold before we even knew he was there. I slipped from under Daisuke’s thrashing body and leapt atop of the mighty lion’s back, scoring it deep with my claws. The lion released Die with a fierce roar and turned on me, swiping at me. I evaded the heavy paw to my face and backed off, as Die jumped into the fray. The lion outweighed us by a hundred pounds at least but still we fought. Daisuke forced the male back, pushing him up against the wall. They reared on their hind feet, teeth sinking into the others neck, fore claws engraving angry red furrows on their chests. I helped Die out, attacking the bigger male’s hind legs, snapping at the muscle that kept him aloft. He twitched his tail at me, a firm hit but not enough to deter me. I tore at his fur, slashed his muscles, left gaping lines along his sides. His chest heaved but he did not retaliate. I found out too late why; he had the death grip on Die’s neck. Only when the clouded leopard fell limp did the lion release his prey and turn on me. He caught me with a heavy paw, throwing me back against the wall. He chuffed and roared, but his threats were non lethal. His rear end was a mess of blood and bare muscle; it was a wonder he could even keep his footing. Daisuke still lie motionless beneath him and it enraged me. The anger was hot and swept over me fast. This bastard would die slowly for this. I circled the injured, albeit larger, cat snarling and snapping at him. I baited him to swipe at me and when he obliged I tore into that paw. The other came around quickly to rake at my head but I didn’t retreat until flesh came free in my mouth. The lion was down now. Down but not quite out yet. His blood was mingling with Daisuke’s now and even that thought drove me insane. I jumped on his back, claws sinking deep and mouth darting for the neck. The lion tried to fight me off but he was too injured to stave me off.
I waited until the lion fell completely motionless and then some, clinging patiently until I heard the thick heart give up its futile hold on life until finally I released his throat. I hissed and spat at the carcass and pulled Die from beneath him. He was cooling fast, lax to my manipulations. I felt choked up, human emotions clouding the cat’s. I wrestled my body beneath Die’s, lifting him awkwardly and then stalked away. Let the force think that only the lion fell victim here. I would not grant those bastards Die’s body, alive nor dead.

.::.~*~.::. +.+.::.~*~.::.

I awoke to a firm stroke and the tingle in my leg let me know that I’d been kicking in my sleep very recently. My tailed twitched and the anger from the dream was still there. I started to growl and rise but an arm was thrown around my neck, a body pressed on mine. Scent flooded my senses before I could do anything more than shift my eye to the intruder. I was panting and willed myself calm before I did any damage to the naked woman pressing herself against me. She tentatively released me and scooted back. I rolled the opposite way and off the bed, pacing the floor between the bed and the door. The scent of blood assaulted my senses, assaulted because I knew that blood and didn’t wish for it to ever be spilt.
I turned towards Revy and saw the shallow claw marks on her left arm. I stilled, my breath hitching in my throat. Revy didn’t seem bothered by the wound, though she was obviously interested in me. I bled her. A growl rose in my throat and I cut it off, swallowing it down and willed myself to be calm; to change shape.

“I’m so sorry,” I dropped to my knees at her side.
“Sorry for what? What the fuck was that about?” She asked sternly.
“Your arm,” I said. “We need to disinfected it now. Our claws tend to leave festering wounds if left untreated.”

I dragged myself onto my feet and got the first aid for her. Revy still seemed unbothered by the wounds even as I dressed them. She was far more interested in what happened. She repeated her question. With a sigh, I sat down on the floor, sitting further from her than I’d been when I was treating her wound. I gave her the run down of my dream and found out that she hadn’t gotten scratched until she tried to press me down to keep me from thrashing. I’m more than sure I wouldn’t have rolled in my sleep and cut her, but if she reached around me then there was nothing I could have done. I resolved mentally to not sleep with her again in animal form, disregarding how soothing it was to have her curled at my back, her fingers in my fur, her scent all around me… I wouldn’t sleep, but laying with her like that was fine. I glanced at the clock both dismayed and relieved that it was only four a.m. I’d get to sleep longer, but the day was already off to a crappy start. Revy seemed to share my same thought process because she beckoned me back to bed.

“You don’t have to be so far away,” she muttered groggily, “The sheets aren’t torn on this side, come closer.”

She turned her back to me, adjusting an arm beneath her pillow and curling her body slightly. If she was wordlessly inviting me to spoon her the offer couldn’t be better done. I scooted in closer, cupping her body with my own, nestling my face into her hair and wrapping my arm around her nude waist. It took me a while to return to sleep but the utter calm in her demeanor helped ease me. I waited until I felt her body release her to the realm of sleep before I let my own do the same.

~+*+~

She stirred, trying to turn but I held her. I didn’t wake to full consciousness, but I lifted my arm and rolled onto my back to free her up. Revy rolled, resting on her back a moment before she rolled again and lie on her other side, facing me. She threw a leg over mine, an arm curled under my breast, her head rested against my shoulder. She subconsciously stroked me softly until sleep regained control and ceased her motion.
I woke up some time later. I felt much better than the night had left me and I had a strong conviction that the woman still nestled besides me contributed. I breathed deeply, inhaling her scent, strong and uniquely hers. I looked down my body at hers, she didn’t bother with a blanket, I threw off enough warmth for the entire bed. I was surprised she was still so close, as hot as I was. I reached down and traced the swell of her hips, curving around her tight ass. I loved her curves. My stomach rumbled and she woke, looking up at me.

“You’re not trying to lure me into a sense of security so you can eat me, are you?” she asked.
“What makes you say that?” I wondered.
“You just touched me and your stomach growls. You stare at me and you tell me how your hungry. You’re always looking at me like you want to eat me,” she explained. “Usually in a genuine food sorta view.”
I chuckled, “Sorry Miss Rebecca, I am a beast of insatiable hungers. One usually leads into another. If I’m carnally hungry the other hungers rise as well. You’re just all kinds of meals wrapped in one.”
She sat up at that, “The day you try to take a bite out of me is the day you die.”
“Then at least allow me to indulge in a last meal,” I smirked and rolled her over so that I rose on top.

I kissed down her body, easing her back onto the pillows. She resisted a bit but I used my unnatural strength to keep her down as I nuzzled my face around her groin. I passed my tongue over her core and grinned at the way she wrapped her legs around me. This was going to be a most lovely breakfast. With her legs firm around my shoulders and neck I nibbled on her lips. I could smell the moisture collecting, see it already starting to drip from within her. To think we were only just starting and she was getting this wet excited me. She might never admit it to me but we definitely had fun in each other’s arms. I lapped at the moisture, my tongue tipping around her core. I swirled it around her clit, suckling it to produce more of her lovely nectar. Revy’s hands were tight in my hair, making sure that I knew not to leave her body until she came. I smoothed my hands along her hips, my head spinning. This woman was an addiction like no other. I continued to tongue her; lavishing her pussy. It wasn’t until I felt her come that I realized my head was spinning partly because she’d been cutting off circulation. With the rush of the release, she went slack, her thighs not clinging as close to my ears as they’d been seconds ago. Smiling, I raised off her a bit and climbed up her body. I kissed her hips, those magnificent hips, nuzzled her belly, and nibbled on her breasts. While I distracted her orally, I let my fingers dabble in the wetness between her legs. Lubricating them on the thick nectar before pushing a digit inside. Revy grabbed my arms, squeezing as she arched her back. I added another finger and double teamed her g-spot, dancing around the sensitive tissue. Her ecstasy was already there, built up by the previous orgasm, and it was growing again fast. She cried out this time as I manually drove her to a second release. I dipped back down, going for a home-run before I left her side.
I licked, nipped and suckled her past the point of multiple orgasms before forcing myself away to prepare a real breakfast. I left her lying on my bed trying to gather herself up. I was going to need a light meal, followed soon after by some real sustenance. Mm yes indeed. Something light to give me quick energy. I made steak and eggs for us, with some fresh fruit and juice. Revy joined me in the kitchenette as I was just finishing setting the plates.

“My that took you a while to recover,” I said with a wolfish grin.
“Fuck you,” Revy replied, with half the animosity the words merited. “Man I can’t remember the last time I actually had a real breakfast.”
“You’re too thin,” I kidded, “If you’re going to be my owner then we need to plump you up some with real food and lots of exercise.”
Her eyebrow quirked up at that, “Lots of exercise heh? I already do that, thanks.”
“Not my brand,” I winked. “Eat the fruit and juice first. We have a vigorous routine to do before we can dig into the steak.”

Her curiosity peaked, Revy picked at the fruit. I ate mine, my eyes on her the whole while. My gaze alarmed her; her heart rate sped up and she frequently eyed the steak knife by her hand. I know a smirk grew along my face the more she fidgeted. It wasn’t real fear, she didn’t believe I’d hurt her, but she wasn’t sure what I had planned. The anxiety ate at her as she finally swallowed the last piece of fruit. She set her fork down and drew in a breath to speak and that was when I pounced. I flung myself over the table at her. Revy managed to get a curse out before I was on her, pressing down on her. She didn’t disappoint me; the knife she’d been eyeing was in her hand and against my throat. I grinned down at her as the wave of surprise passed over her.

“You’re a crazy fuck you know that?”

I didn’t reply vocally, instead I pressed my lips to hers. I wanted to christen my kitchen. It had always been a thought of mine but I’d never found the time nor the right person. We had something we had to do, yes, but I wanted her right now. I left the knife where it was and twisted my hand to get a handful of hair. We’d flipped the chair and I’d brought her down to the ground, my hand cradled her head in case I took her too roughly but it was perfect. I slowly pulled her hair down, she fought but gave in, stretching her soft neck for me. I smoothed my nose along that wonderful expanse of deliciously scented skin and pressed a kiss on her jugular. I was in full predatory mode and she sensed that as she held as still as possible, despite her increasing pulse. She seemed to have forgotten the knife in her hand. My lips parted to graze along the edges of her collarbone and she let out a shuddering breath, her pulse still racing but not with fear. No, with anticipation. I raised my other hand to the collar of her shirt and pulled down, the fabric tore easily under my claw and Revy’s pulse spiked again. I smirked behind her ear, my tongue flicking out to catch her lobe.
It was only as I was lowering myself to her chest, hand still in her hair, that I realized she’d been wearing one of my shirts. Fucking A, another shirt lost to her, even though this was my own doing. She’d pay for that. I smirked and sealed my mouth around one of her luscious mounds of hot flesh. She groaned for me, losing the knife and pressing my head harder against her. I released her hair completely to cup her other breast. Her nipple teased my palm, the hardened stub rolling as I moved my hand around the meat of her. Revy ran her hands through my hair, ruffling it up. I didn’t care, I kept my focus on the woman beneath me, writhing under my care. She pulled my hair, leading my head lower down her body. I released her breasts and scooped my hands under her thighs, swooping her up and aloft as I rose to my feet. She tightened against me then relaxed as she remembered my inhumanly strength. I carried her to the counter and set her down. I pulled her close, so that her groin rested against my belly. She cupped my chin, grabbing my face and pulling me up for a kiss. Her elevated height made me rise to the tips of my toes to revel in her taste. She bit my lip, grinning around my flesh. I let my hands leave her thighs to curl around her abdomen, fingering the edge of her shorts and beneath them.

“Jesus, I could just eat you up,” I mumbled around her face.
She let go of my lip, “Then what are you waiting for?”

I pushed her back against the counter and climbed over her, pushing her arms over her head and suckling at her neck. She groaned as my hand disappeared into her shorts and around her tender junction. Elation spread through me as she opened her legs more to me. I balanced on my knees to free up my hands and remove the offending fabric while still feeding at her mouth. I pushed her further up the slim countertop, turning her slightly so that she wouldn’t fall off as I savaged her with my mouth. I scooted back as far as I could, inching her up just a bit more. I dropped to my elbows, letting one hand palm a tit while I circled my tongue around her belly. I dipped my other hand to her crotch, rubbing around her hot lips and moist heat. I played with her clit, putting pressure on it, rubbing and flicking it. Revy gasped, one hand going to my hair over my ear and the other on my shoulder, a gentle push urging me further. I rubbed a finger around her opening, teasing her a little before finally slipping it home. She made a fist with my hair, her nails digging into my shoulder. I played in her, nipping around the soft flesh of her belly and the underside of her breasts. She got hotter, pushing me harder to get me to go down on her. I smiled against her body and finally complied.
I slipped off the counter, kneeling and drawing her closer. I pulled on her legs, spreading them around my face. She mumbled incoherently as I licked around her thighs, sucking up the juices that spilled free from her body. I had barely begun and she was cursing at me, gripping my hair and trying to pull me into action. I flicked her clit with my tongue, a quick lash and then circled around the sensitive bud. Her thighs quivered I reached my hands up her body, palming a breast per hand, gripping and rolling the flesh. I let my nails set in her skin, not breaking, but softly creasing. Just a hint of danger with human nails, not feline. I pulled my hands down her body, curving over her ribs and around her hips, teasing along her ass and back up. She arched her back, her own nails going over my shoulder, up my neck and along my scalp. I conquered her orally, claiming every inch of her lovely pussy as my own. Her legs tightened around my shoulders as her orgasm built. I rolled her clit in my mouth, suppressing the pleasure point with my tongue and nipping gently. That added pressure threw her over the edge and she cried out her appreciation letting loose a torrent of new flavor for me to lap up. I added a few fingers to the mix, her walls clenching around my digits. The aftershocks of orgasm built up into another wave and kept building, growing with each stroke, piling pressure higher and higher. I bit at the junction where thigh meets groin just as I sent her over the abyss. She cried out and nearly fell off the counter, but I caught her around the waist and held her. I pulled her back, stepping away as she gathered herself after spilling herself on the marble countertop. I had a Cheshire grin on my face as I passed one last lick along her core and then returned to my seat at the table. Didn’t want the steak to get too cold. I was laughing to myself as she slid of the counter and almost faltered; she’d have fallen had she not kept a grip on the counter.

“Fuck, that feels like more than a nip there, fangs,” Revy muttered.
I bit her? Oh shit, I did, “My apologies, Miss Rebecca. I guess I lost myself.”
“Mhm,” she mumbled and took a seat, naked. “You’re such a freak.”
“You seemed to be enjoying yourself,” I said. “Eat up, you’ll need the energy later.”
“Yeah, up until you tried to eat my fucking leg,” Revy ate.