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Chapter 27 - Complications

-H-

When his eyes finally closed and he drifted to sleep, I cleaned up and threw away his own bandages. He seemed so sullen, quiet.. not that he talked before but he was so reserved right now. He'd lost the vibrance and energy he'd had since I'd known him.. and I understood why. Because of me. I'd have to find a way to fix it, or if it was not fixable then I'd have to make it up to him. For now I was just happy he didn't bleed out on my table.. I had done it. Or maybe he had done it, his wound had clotted up well, and I swear the wound was smaller when I changed the gauze and bandages. Either way, we were out of immediate danger and I could take a breath.

Besides his slow, deep breathing the apartment was quiet.. still. I even found myself almost tip-toeing just to keep from disturbing him as I went to make something for myself to eat, I was starving. I needed a shower badly too after the shit-show of a day it had been so far.. but food came first. I cooked up some chili, figured it'd help mask the scent of blood that wafted through my poor kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the wolf's nose flex and twitch a few times, more once the chili really got simmering. The sight had me stifling a few little chuckles, I'd have to save some for him.. I bet he'd love it. It felt weird having him just laying there while I snuck around and cooked up dinner, but at the same time.. I found myself smiling.

The bowl of chili was gone in minutes.. I hadn't realized how hungry I'd gotten, enough that I might have been able to race the voracious wolf with his meal if we'd eaten at the same time. I set the bowl in the sink and carefully turned the water on, cringing at the slow creak the faucet gave as I barely opened it, just enough to fill the bowl. Why was everything so loud when you wanted to avoid waking someone? The shower was going to be even louder I knew, but it was in the other room at least, muffled by the doors.

I know I have said it before, but I'll say it again.. showers are amazing. Even more so when you've got to wash werewolf blood off of you and forget that your life is some weird hellish nightmare that reality abandoned. That might be putting it too harshly.. besides the body horror of a werewolf peeling out of your flesh, besides the murder of my poor cat, besides the emergency gun shot treatment on my kitchen table.. things weren't entirely some horror movie. He wasn't some monster.. We just needed to figure out how all this was going to work, and then do better. I toweled off and wrapped it around my waist, heading into my bedroom to grab my clothes off the bed.. and froze dead in my tracks.

A fleshy, animal head turned to peek over it's shoulder at me, large eyes dilated and focused and a rather haunting grin spread across it's muzzle like face.. baring sharp and glistening teeth.

"Hello..~"

There was an amused trill to its growly voice as it greeted me, it's lanky form slowly turning and facing me as I stood there wide eyes and staring in shock. The creature stood at face level with me, hunched and gangly limbed.. maybe it would be as tall as my wolf if it stood up straight, but it's animal-like posture had its boney spine curved. It stood on two legs, two skinny, fleshy legs devoid of fur.. mottled with occasional dark patches across otherwise sickly pale pink skin. A cat.. it looked almost like a cat. The naked ones, the bare, rat looking ones. Without fur, just wrinkled and creepy.

The beast's eyes twinkled as I stared, "Something wrong human?.. One would assume you'd be used to beasts by now.."

It's tone made me shiver, unease settling through me.

"...What.. are you? Who are you?" My voice cracked a bit like my throat had decided to just dry up the moment I stepped out of the humid bathroom.

Delight flashed over the creature's face, and he took a step forward. It was most certainly a he.. he hid that fact even worse than the wolf in the other room without fur. Somehow that made the whole situation feel even more uncomfortable. My foot slid back, backing away and looking at the bedroom door as he stopped his approach.

"So nervous.." He whispered coyly, snickering under his breath and lifting a clawed digit up by his wrinkled jaw, "Quiet now and I'll answer you. Best keep from waking your little wolf.. Wouldn't want him hurting himself trying to get to you now would we?"

My heart pounded in my ears, but I shook my head slowly, staying quiet.

"Good boy~ Now who I am is not so important.. What I am is a far more intriguing question. And what I am.. is free now"

His wrinkled cheeks dragged up wider, baring an almost Cheshire cat like grin, those fangs looking all the more menacing. As slender as he was, I could see muscles flex beneath his thin, papery skin with each little movement.. and between those claws and teeth I had no doubt he could tear me to shreds as easily as a tiger in the wild.

"You are a gateway.. my friend.. Mmmm.. and such a fresh new hole too I could help but slip through.." He deliberately made his voice sultry and drew out the words.. making it sound sexual.

I wasn't amused, in fact as more questions started flooding my mind I was getting angry. "What do you mean I'm a gateway?"

My voice raised and he cackled in the softest, whispery way, "Keep quiet little human.. your wolf slumbers and you wouldn't want things to get bloody again now would you?.. Not when you've only just gotten yourself nice.. and.. clean~"

His voice purred and rumbled through his throat as he looked over me, stepping closer again.

I gripped my towel tighter around my waist, suddenly very aware that I was nearly as bare as he was, and he was between me and my clothes on the bed. I had no weapons in reach, there was a baseball bat in my closet but I was not going to be able to get to it without him killing me first ten times over.

"What do you want?.." I tried to make my tone firm and unwavering this time, trying to ignore the way he seemed to be purposefully making me uncomfortable.

"Oh, I want a lot of things.. It all started with getting free. Your wolf is going to wish to put me back.. but you are not going to let him now are you my little pink skinned morsel?.."

He took another step forward and I was out of room to back up, "Put you.. back?" Realization hit me all at once like a punch to the chest.. this creature had come out of me. Just like the wolf. "You.. you came from me? How? When?.."

I was so confused, I had obviously very much noticed a huge werewolf peeling its way out of me, but even if this creature was slightly smaller there was still zero chance I wouldn't notice it.

Another whispery laugh slipped out of his throat as he stared at me, looking like he was eyeing his dinner.

"I am very sneaky"

Another little snicker. He was joking with me.

My fists clenched up, I had to keep my voice from raising again, "I'm serious, cat."

A large, scratchy looking tongue slipped out over his teeth and lips, "Hush now human. When your guardian left his post.. I simply came through the open door while you slept."

That didn't make any sense.. I have been awake this whole time..

I..

My face sunk, I had drifted off for maybe ten minutes while I was cleaning the wolf up. Did he manage to slip out of me in that little window? Somehow without waking me? Had I been that exhausted? My mouth must have been open because suddenly I felt fleshy paw pads touching my chin and closing it, cupping my whole jaw as he brought his face in closer to mine, enough that I could feel his steamy breaths.. they smelled almost spicy.

"Thanks to you.. I have this lovely new form. In this lovely new world. Don't worry.. I can smell your fear. See you sweating. Feel your heart racing.. I am not going to hurt you. In fact it would be unwise for me to let harm come to you."

Somehow there wasn't much relief even with his promise that he wasn't going to hurt me.

"And why is that? Do you die if I die or some shit? Does my wolf?"

He chuckled coyly, patting my cheek and promptly ignoring my question, "Aren't you a lively one. Tell me.. was it hard to break your bond with your guardian? Did it hurt him so? I had been watching for so long.. Waiting for the new gateway to form, guardian and all.. but when it did, you broke the link so quickly. So flippantly. Poor wolfy.. such heartbreak. Such sorrow. Perhaps you are not fond of dogs hmm?... Felines more your type?~"

There was more of that flirty tone as he cupped my cheek. My hands came up and pushed at his fleshy chest, shoving him back a couple steps. His skin was soft and felt so thin, stretchy, almost delicate like I could have accidentally torn it.. but underneath it had felt like I was pushing a bodybuilder. Solid, coiled muscle.

"Back off.." I spat harshly at him under my breath, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

"My my. Aren't you easy to get going.. This should be fun.. maybe I won't wander so far yet." Delight flashed across those big, slitted eyes again.

What did I need to do? There was a new creature in my house now.. and he seemed much more malicious than my wolf. Even if he said he wouldn't hurt me I had heavy doubts. He was a cat playing with a mouse, it was in every movement he made, every word he spoke. He spoke. The realization seemed silly, since he's been speaking this whole time.

"How can you speak? My wolf doesn't.."

His thin, whip-like tail curled and flicked behind him, "~Your~ wolf hmm?... Oh I am much older than your little dog.. I have been around quite some time. He is but a fresh whelp. I watched him come to be. Watched you mold him. Such a soft little heart you have.."

He clasped his paws together, tilting his head. He was mocking me. Teasing me, seemingly just for his own amusement, unless he had another goal. The way he was looking at me like a piece of meat had me uncomfortable as anything, but I was trapped with him in the way, the only direction I could go would be back into the bathroom if he made any sort of move. He claimed he wasn't going to hurt me but our definitions of that might be vastly different.

"So nervous.." He purred out softly, "You humans are always so.. fragile and delicate and defenseless when you are unclothed.. Do you wish to cover up you poor, bared thing? Are you so ashamed?"

More mocking and teasing, but it wasn't entirely unfounded, I badly wanted to just get into my clothes.. like that somehow would make it easier to handle the whole situation. He was right, why was it so disarming? All I could do was give a somewhat defeated nod.. maybe placating him for now would be wiser.

The large cat monster stepped almost daintily out of the way, making a show of letting me pass with a wave of his clawed hand. My clothes were there on the bed, but it almost felt like a trap.. the way the creature was watching me, waiting for me to move past him. My heart thumped, but slowly I stepped past him and towards the bed, my whole body tensing and my spine tingling as I put him behind me and felt claws. His sharp claws dragged down over my shoulder, running along my neck and spine, not pushing hard enough to draw any blood or cut me but the threat was there. Enough to get me to gasp and jump forward, sending him into a little snickering fit as I twisted to glare at him.

He licked one of his claws.. there was a little blood on it. I guess he did manage to draw some..

"Oops.." The feline spoke so flippantly, casually as he groomed at his furless paw and licked up the little smear of my blood.

"The fuck dude.. What is your game? Why are you tormenting me? You said you weren't going to harm me.."

He gave nothing more than a lazy shrug, staring past his claws at me, "I said it would be unwise." He clarified. "Such a delicate little thing. My flesh is thin as well.. we are like brothers are we not? Bared and furless, delicate to little scrapes and nicks.. Oh what poor, supple little creatures we are."

Sarcasm dripped more into each next word the longer he spoke, the longer he went on with his little meaningless monologue. Yet once more he denied me answers, instead just pivoting the subject.. It was infuriating and he knew it. The little sparks of annoyance in my eyes brought little twinkles of delight to his. I yanked my towel free and threw it at his face, cursing at him under my breath as I quickly grabbed my boxers and pants, slipping them on as he wrangled the damp towel off of his face.

He cackled a little, taking the towel and sniffing it, before tearing a line straight down the middle with a single razor edged claw, the sound of tearing fabric making me look back at him and clench my fists as he peeked through the tear and dropped the ruined thing to the floor. I slipped on my shirt and huffed, feeling more emboldened against the monstrous feline, enough that I marched towards him this time, with purpose. My finger jutted at and prodded his chest as I raised my voice.

"Is that your game? You're just trying to get a rise out of me? Make me uncomfortable? Ruin things? You keep dodging questions. Why. Are. You. Here. What do you want from me?" I was panting a bit, my heart thumping from the direct confrontation. It beat even fast as his large, clawed hand suddenly curled around mine, claws digging into my skin a bit as he yanked me off balance and stared into my eyes with those oversized feline orbs that seemed to bulge in his sunken skull.

"Careful what you touch little human, you never know what might touch back." He accented his words with a claw extending from one pudgy padded digit, sinking it into my skin until a bead of blood started to form, my face twisting in a grimace as I tried to pull away. "I will give you answers when and if I so please. Life is one big game full of pieces to play with.. Some are useful, others aren't. Be a useful one, or at the very least be an entertaining one and maybe we'll keep you on the board."

His words dripped out like acid, slow and caustic, his tone turning back and forth between whatever ego he was fluffing and his own sour taste of amusement.

"How about you be a useful pawn and go back to your little wolf. Make sure he still sleeps and return with something to sate my appetite, so that I refrain from tasting more of your blood hmm?"

He let go of my hand, licking his claws clean as I yanked it back to safety, very aware of how much I had pushed my luck. This creature was dangerous, I needed to be more careful. I was at a loss for words.. My wolf was too injured to help me against the beastly creature and I doubted that I would be able to fight him. I worried that if I did he would simply kill me. His claim that it'd be stupid for him to harm me seemed to go out the window pretty fast.

I didn't even answer him, I just slipped out of the room, breathing heavily as I made my way into the kitchen to check on my wolf. He was still asleep. Good.. if he knew this other creature was in here tormenting me he'd hurt himself trying to defend me. Likely open his wound again. It wasn't worth the risk. Again I'd have to placate the cat.. for now. Until I could figure out how to deal with him.