Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Predator and Prey ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Sesshy81 
Anime/Manga: Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.22.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 288 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.22.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 288 | Status: Work In Progress
Predator and Prey
Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies.
Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.
Chapter Four:
Sadly, Tetsu did not get his chance to bite the Detective as he had already come and gone. Count D told him he missed the pair only by a few minutes. “How is Ronan?” D asked a few minutes later.
Growling slightly under his breath, he said, “She’s asleep in the library. Ten’s watching over her, also napping. I’ve left her a change of clothes, since she doesn’t have any. She should be fine for now.”
“Very good.”
“I’ve asked Entai to let Ronan to bend her ear should she need it.”
Cocking his head at the Totetsu in astonishment, D considered it for a moment. Nodding in understanding after a second of consideration, he smiled. “I believe Entai could do the girl some good. After what she has suffered, I would think she would want someone who would allow her to cry without judgment. Although, it seems Ten-chan does well in a pinch,” he said with a light laugh.
“Ten-chan?”
“It is how I found her after she had left her room. She was on the floor, crying in Ten-chan’s arms. He called me to help her.” Laughing, he smiled, a bit of incredulity in his tone. “Our dear fox seemed rather out of sorts, or perhaps, as Detective Orcot would say, out of his league!”
Snorting, Tetsu had to smile at that picture. He never thought he’d see a day when that fox couldn’t charm his way out of a spot. Yet one emotionally distraught female had him panicking. Shaking his head, he observed, “Ten-chan has never met anything that balked him. It was high time.”
“You are correct in that, T-chan. Check on our guest in two hours, if you would. I wish to see how her injuries are doing and administer the medicine Lee Sinhg left for her.” Turning gracefully on his heel, D glided out of the room.
Left to his own devices for the day, save for the girl, Tetsu decided to find Saabra and Jabor and go hunting with them. Without Chris to watch, his hours were his to do with as he pleased. Glancing at Pon-chan, Tetsu grinned at her and licked his lips.
“Going hunting, I assume?” she asked, sounding much older than she looked for once. She grinned back at him. “Have fun.”
***Break***
Unfolding from her current position was rather difficult, Ronan noted on waking. All of her wounds protested the slightest movement, and her muscles seemed to be locked in place. Groaning, she tried to at least straighten out her legs, hissing when the scabs on her skinned knees broke open with a spark of pain.
“That was so not the best position to fall asleep in,” Ten informed her dryly, his body lost somewhere in the mountain of pillows that he lay on. “Would you like some help, doll?”
“Stop calling me doll. I’m not your girlfriend or anything else similar,” she huffed at him. “And yes, I would appreciate some help.”
Looking surprised for the space of half a second, Ten-chan scrambled to his feet and then carefully helped Ronan straighten out her legs and her back, so that she was at least sitting upright. “Feel better after a nap, Ronan?”
She smiled dazzlingly at him through a yawn. “Yes, although the injuries are beginning ta hurt. And I’m really hungry.”
Smirking at her, he nodded to the covered plate on the table. “Don’t worry about that. T-chan may be a cold bastard, but he knows food. I bet there’s nothing under there that would go bad after just a couple of hours. Take a look. I smell cheese at the very least.”
Pulling the cover off the plate, she was happy to discover that the only thing on the plate that was turning brown was the unfortunate apple that had born the brunt of Tetsu's displeasure with the fox. For the rest, there was cheese, as Ten had predicted, as well as crackers, salami, and a bunch of grapes. “I see what you mean." With a happy sigh she dug into the food that was so generously provided.
Ten waited until she had a mouthful of food before gesturing over at the neatly laid out outfit. "T-chan raided stores for you. It's all laid out for you. It's Japanese in origin, although I think the top was originally intended for a man, since it's not a full-length kimono. Tetsu was of the opinion the only thing you'd need help with was the obi."
Glancing up from her food, she looked at the pile of clothing with wide eyes. Brushing off her fingers as best she could, she pushed herself up out of the chair, gulping convulsively as pain seared through her. Looking down on the clothes, she reached out to touch it then jerked her fingers back with shock written all over her face. "But ... this .... It's far to fine for some nobody like me," she said softly, looking up at Ten, wonderment in her eyes.
Shaking his head, the nine-tails gave her a gentle push in the direction of a small, shoji-style screen that sat in one corner of the room. "Man, they really did a number on your head, girly. D keeps everything given to him just for instances like this. As far as he's concerned they're yours now. And you're very welcome to them. He prefers the Chinese style, you may have noticed." Handing her the clothes from over the top of the screen he continued. "He probably won't mind if you gather a few more outfits like this, if you want to. He's ..." Ten laughed. "Somewhat a traditionalist. Doesn't much care for current clothing styles. I don't know, I kinda like it. He'll be happy if you choose to wear this while here." Glad to hear the rustle of cloth as she pulled apart the outfit, he flinched slightly every time she whimpered, knowing she was likely in great pain.
"Um ... I don't have a bra..." she whispered.
Flushing, he thought for a moment. Well, in for a penny, in for a dollar, he thought. "What size?" he asked.
"I'm a 34c." She was grateful that he wasn’t looking at her, since at the moment she was about the color of a tomato.
Focusing, he grumbled a few phrases under his breath and conjured the article of clothing she required, the hentai in him unable to resist adding a matching pair of underwear. "Here," he said, tossing both over the screen. Hearing the sounds of clothing being donned, he lounged against the chair she had been sitting in. Behind him a welcome and familiar voice spoke up.
"For shame, fox. Are you not going to offer her aid?"
Grinning cheekily at the Great Hawk, Ten lifted an eyebrow. "I doubt she would appreciate my assistance at this moment, Entai-san. It would be better if you would help her. I am after all, male."
Slapping the fox upside the head with an amused laugh, the hawk brushed past him and slid around the edge of the screen. "Let me help you with that. I can see you are in terrible pain. I am Entai, little one."
Squeaking, Ronan tried to whirl around to face the newcomer. Instead a high pitched whine escaped her as stitches pulled painfully.
Rushing forward to steady her, the hawk noted how white her face was. "Come. Let me help you get dressed. You may ask your questions later." Deftly she pulled the sleeves of the over-kimono up over the white under-kimono and pulled it shut properly. Reaching for the obi, her practiced hands easily wound it around the girl's slender body, but instead of the more usual method of tying, she pulled it into a bow, thinking that it would be easier for the girl to handle on her own. "There. I see they forgot shoes or socks, but that will do for the time being. I doubt you will be going far.” Pulling her from behind the screen, Entai smiled at her encouragingly. “Come, girl. You look lovely in that.”
Finally stepping out into the light, Ronan blushed prettily as Ten’s appreciative eyes roamed her as he whistled. “Well, who knew that was hiding under the nighty?” he asked mischievously, smirking when her blush deepened to a nice crimson.
“Now, Ten, I believe you have someplace else to be?" Entai asked pointedly.
Putting his hands up in surrender, the fox bowed out, cowed by the dangerous look in the hawk's eyes. "Yeah, sure, no problem. I'll see if I can find her some shoes, or something ... um ... yeah." Sliding out the door, Ten gave a relieved sigh, glad that Ronan was in more capable hands now. He liked the hawk, but sometimes she gave him the willies!
Assisting Ronan over to her chair and the plate of food she had been interrupted from eating, Entai observed her from out of the corner of her sharp eyes. She was entirely too thin, she unhappily noted. And very flighty, like a hare that has realized it is being stalked. She would have to approach carefully as she didn't want to scare her. "As I said before, I am Entai. If you should ever wish to have someone to talk to, I am always available. Sometimes there are things that no female would want to discuss with a male. All you need do is seek me out. Now, I think it would be best if you were left to your own devices for a while. It must get frustrating to be followed everywhere you go here. Please, feel free to explore, although I would suggest limiting it a bit until your wounds have healed some.” Sweeping out of the Library, she smiled enigmatically as she closed the door behind her.
Ronan just stared after her, dazed, and left with only an impression of the same harshly yellow eyes of an eagle. Nerveless fingers picked up the book while her other hand was absently adding cheese and salami to a cracker. As she nibbled on the cracker and topping, she glanced between her book and the door, finally deciding to put the book away and try to find her way back to her room. She knew she should have looked back at it when she left so she would know what it looked like, but at the time she ahdn’t been sure she was safe. Now though … It was an odd feeling, being so welcomed and cared for.
Leaving the book on the table with the remains of the food, except for a final piece of cheese she snagged to nibble on as she walked, she stuck her head out of the door and slipped out into the myriad of hallways, her steps slow and careful, always mindful of her injuries.
Around a nearby corner, Entai and Ten watched as she walked away, the hawk nodding in satisfaction. “Good. It would do her no good to stay cooped up in the Library. She should get used to her altered existence.”
“So, you planned that?” Ten asked incredulously.
She grinned at him. “Of course! She needed a bit of a shock to get her mind moving again. Let’s leave her be, for now, fox. She needs some time alone. Although, I wonder if it has occurred to you that she is never really alone in this place. Word has already spread of the Count’s new acquisition. They will not harm her, only watch.” Turning sharply on her heel, she strode briskly away, leaving Ten blinking after her.
Within fifteen minutes, Ronan was completely lost in the maze of hallways and she was beginning to tire. Sitting down, she heaved a sigh and suddenly the scent of a late, warm winter hit her in the face. A draft worked it’s way down her spine, leaving her with goosebumps from the chill. Looking around for the source of the chill breeze she noted a slightly open doorway a bit further down the hall. Sneaking down to it, she stuck her head in and had to clutch at the doorjam to keep her knees from falling out from beneath her.
Spread before her was a physical impossibility. A vast rolling plain, half covered in snow stretched out before her as far as her eyes could see. Taking a few timid steps further in, she gasped as a breeze from the side blew the door shut behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she gathered her courage and pressed on, wondering where on earth she could be, if something like this was really stuck inside a petshop. A slight sound snapped her attention to her right just before she was nearly bowled over by a very large … lion cub? At least that was what it looked like. Except for the overgrown fangs. Right under her eyes, it resolved itself into a small boy dressed only in a fur loincloth. Who happened to be pouting rather adorably.
“Ya’ was supposed to fall over, lady,” he complained. “I’m huntin’ and I smelled you an I figgered ya was somethin new ta hunt. Tetsu’s allus doin stuff like that, bringun us some new things ta eat.”
Slowly lowering herself to the ground she stared at the boy, who just a moment ago had been a lion cub of some sort. Shaking away the shock, she had to smile at the adorable little boy. “No, I’m afraid not. I’m lost actually, out in the hallways, I mean. I saw your door open and thought to look in and see what was here.”
“Oh, so you ain’t somethin to eat, lady?”
“No.” That stern voice she recognized. Just a few steps away stood Tetsu, frowning hard at her. “Enough, Jabor. Go find your sister, now.” Though phrased as an order, there was something almost soft in his tone. “I thought you were in the Library,” he told her.
“Well, I was, until I woke up. Then Ten made me get dressed with the help of someone else, whose name I don’t remember.” Ronan laughed, feeling as if some great weight had been lifted in the short time the woman had been talking to her. “She was kinda like a hurricane. Stirred everything up and vanished.”
“Entai. Yes, she can be … disturbing to those who don’t know her. You said something about being lost?” Inwardly T-chan was growling at himself for losing track of time, himself. He had been having such fun with the tiger cubs, he hadn’t noticed the change in time.
She nodded. “I was trying to find my way back to my room. But I got tired and then I felt a breeze coming from this place and investigated. Jabor, right? He says you’re teaching him to hunt.” She paused. “If you don’t mind my asking, what is he?”
Sitting down, since she seemed rather inclined to talk instead of panic, Tetsu nodded shortly. “Him and his sister. And they’re Sabertooth Tigers.”
Gaping seemed to be fast becoming a favorite pastime for her here. So many strange things she now needed to get used to. But this? Long extinct felines that made lions look small? How was it even possible?
T-chan grunted at the look on her face. “We don’t know either,” he offered.
“Huh?” she asked intelligently.
“You were wondering how they came to be here, weren’t you? We don’t know how either.”
Jabor and a little girl raced up and pounced on Tetsu, laughing like loons. It was clear they adored their Tetsu, and she had to hide a smile at the picture the taciturn man made with two small children crawling all over him. So the children were really the human forms of Sabertooth Tigers? Big deal, she said to herself. Blinking, she realized she still didn’t know what Tetsu was. “Um … Tetsu? Can I ask what you are?”
Looking up from his play with the cubs, he gave her a strange look. “Are you sure you wish to know?”
She nodded.
Putting the children down, he stood and offered her a hand. “Saabra, Jabor, this one is never to be attacked if she comes in here. Her name is Ronan. Remember it,” he told them sternly. The two children nodded eagerly.
“Can we play with her if she comes to visit like you do?” piped up Jabor.
Lips twitching, he thought for a moment, then looked at her. She knew the pair were predators, so she should have some sort of idea what “play” was. She nodded, seeing the question in his eyes and the slight worry in his face. “Only if you are gentle with her. She is not food, and damages easily. Come with me, Ronan. I’ll show you back to your room.” He pulled her out the door and into the hallway. Then he turned on her, shaking with suppressed anger. “You should be more careful! There are many in this place that would just as soon eat you as look at you.” Marching off in the direction of her room he looked back over his shoulder and snapped, “Are you coming?”
After walking for several minutes without Tetsu saying a single word, Ronan began to take surrepititious looks at him, shivering inside at the ... intense ... look on his face. "Um ... Tetsu?"
He didn't even look at her. "What, girl?"
Glowering, she halted in place and growled at him. It sounded funny coming from a human throat, but still, she growled at him.
Hearing her low vocalization, he turned back, surprised at the anger on her face. "Is there a problem?"
Seething, but understanding where the anger was coming from, she had to restrain herself from physically attacking him because of her injuries. "Don' call me girl, or any other degrading nickname you can come up with," she hissed at him. "I got enough o' that there, an' I won't take it here. Now," she said, quite a bit more calmly. "Are you goin' ta answer my question or not? What are you?"
Sighing, realizing there was no possible way for him to avoid it any longer, he looked up the hall, a distant look in his eyes. "I am a Totetsu. One of the last of my kind."
Confusion spread itself across her face. "Okay ... What is a Totetsu?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at her until she began to feel uncomfortable. Eventaully, he snorted and turned away. "A Totetsu is a creature found most often in Chinese myth. A man-eater in most cases, but a household protector, as well, in some of the stories. A Totetsu can be either. I am a predator, that's why I'm teaching Saabra and Jabor to hunt. That's all you need to know. Come on, your room is up this hall."
Shocked, she followed him for a few steps, considering what he had said. A man-eater? Had he ... no, she didn't want to consider it. Whatever he may have done in the past, she would judge him by what she saw of him here. As she thought, Tetsu came to a sudden halt and she bumped into him. "Oh! I'm sorry."
"This is your room."
Looking up, she gasped at the image on the door, an image whose twin she had seen sketched somewhere in her family papers. Weak knees giving way , she collapsed on the floor ... staring up at the impressive carving. "It's true," she whispered.
Worried, T-chan sat on his haunches and nibbled on his lip. "What is true?"
"It's all true," she whispered again. "Every word of my family history ... Everything I've read ... It's only the truth ... I ... I always thought dad was a bit off, you know. I mean ... Who would believe such a story?" Wide eyes stared at T-chan, deep brown gone even darker with shock.
"Family history ... ? Never mind. Let's get you into bed. D will be by soon to check your wounds." Lifting her proved an easier task than he thought, her weight slighter than he could have imagined. Pushing open the door, he kicked it closed behind him and gently set her on the bed, getting more and more agitated the longer she remained in shock. Finally the door opened and they both jumped as Count D strolled in laden with a tea tray.
Before either of the two men could say a word, Ronan struggled to her feet to point a shaking finger at D. "Where did you get that door?"
Frowning, he looked between the girl and the door before smiling slightly. He set the tray aside and sat on the bed. "It was a gift from a king many years ago. Why do you ask, Ronan?"
"That door was a wedding present to one of my ancestors. It was stolen from them not long before she died."
***
Chappie 4 done! (Yays!!!! Where's chapter five? *giggles*) Kita! I haven't even started writing it! Subu-chan, put a leash on her, would you? *pouts* Give me some credit, guys! It'll be started as soon as I get some reviews on this one.
Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies.
Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.
Chapter Four:
Sadly, Tetsu did not get his chance to bite the Detective as he had already come and gone. Count D told him he missed the pair only by a few minutes. “How is Ronan?” D asked a few minutes later.
Growling slightly under his breath, he said, “She’s asleep in the library. Ten’s watching over her, also napping. I’ve left her a change of clothes, since she doesn’t have any. She should be fine for now.”
“Very good.”
“I’ve asked Entai to let Ronan to bend her ear should she need it.”
Cocking his head at the Totetsu in astonishment, D considered it for a moment. Nodding in understanding after a second of consideration, he smiled. “I believe Entai could do the girl some good. After what she has suffered, I would think she would want someone who would allow her to cry without judgment. Although, it seems Ten-chan does well in a pinch,” he said with a light laugh.
“Ten-chan?”
“It is how I found her after she had left her room. She was on the floor, crying in Ten-chan’s arms. He called me to help her.” Laughing, he smiled, a bit of incredulity in his tone. “Our dear fox seemed rather out of sorts, or perhaps, as Detective Orcot would say, out of his league!”
Snorting, Tetsu had to smile at that picture. He never thought he’d see a day when that fox couldn’t charm his way out of a spot. Yet one emotionally distraught female had him panicking. Shaking his head, he observed, “Ten-chan has never met anything that balked him. It was high time.”
“You are correct in that, T-chan. Check on our guest in two hours, if you would. I wish to see how her injuries are doing and administer the medicine Lee Sinhg left for her.” Turning gracefully on his heel, D glided out of the room.
Left to his own devices for the day, save for the girl, Tetsu decided to find Saabra and Jabor and go hunting with them. Without Chris to watch, his hours were his to do with as he pleased. Glancing at Pon-chan, Tetsu grinned at her and licked his lips.
“Going hunting, I assume?” she asked, sounding much older than she looked for once. She grinned back at him. “Have fun.”
***Break***
Unfolding from her current position was rather difficult, Ronan noted on waking. All of her wounds protested the slightest movement, and her muscles seemed to be locked in place. Groaning, she tried to at least straighten out her legs, hissing when the scabs on her skinned knees broke open with a spark of pain.
“That was so not the best position to fall asleep in,” Ten informed her dryly, his body lost somewhere in the mountain of pillows that he lay on. “Would you like some help, doll?”
“Stop calling me doll. I’m not your girlfriend or anything else similar,” she huffed at him. “And yes, I would appreciate some help.”
Looking surprised for the space of half a second, Ten-chan scrambled to his feet and then carefully helped Ronan straighten out her legs and her back, so that she was at least sitting upright. “Feel better after a nap, Ronan?”
She smiled dazzlingly at him through a yawn. “Yes, although the injuries are beginning ta hurt. And I’m really hungry.”
Smirking at her, he nodded to the covered plate on the table. “Don’t worry about that. T-chan may be a cold bastard, but he knows food. I bet there’s nothing under there that would go bad after just a couple of hours. Take a look. I smell cheese at the very least.”
Pulling the cover off the plate, she was happy to discover that the only thing on the plate that was turning brown was the unfortunate apple that had born the brunt of Tetsu's displeasure with the fox. For the rest, there was cheese, as Ten had predicted, as well as crackers, salami, and a bunch of grapes. “I see what you mean." With a happy sigh she dug into the food that was so generously provided.
Ten waited until she had a mouthful of food before gesturing over at the neatly laid out outfit. "T-chan raided stores for you. It's all laid out for you. It's Japanese in origin, although I think the top was originally intended for a man, since it's not a full-length kimono. Tetsu was of the opinion the only thing you'd need help with was the obi."
Glancing up from her food, she looked at the pile of clothing with wide eyes. Brushing off her fingers as best she could, she pushed herself up out of the chair, gulping convulsively as pain seared through her. Looking down on the clothes, she reached out to touch it then jerked her fingers back with shock written all over her face. "But ... this .... It's far to fine for some nobody like me," she said softly, looking up at Ten, wonderment in her eyes.
Shaking his head, the nine-tails gave her a gentle push in the direction of a small, shoji-style screen that sat in one corner of the room. "Man, they really did a number on your head, girly. D keeps everything given to him just for instances like this. As far as he's concerned they're yours now. And you're very welcome to them. He prefers the Chinese style, you may have noticed." Handing her the clothes from over the top of the screen he continued. "He probably won't mind if you gather a few more outfits like this, if you want to. He's ..." Ten laughed. "Somewhat a traditionalist. Doesn't much care for current clothing styles. I don't know, I kinda like it. He'll be happy if you choose to wear this while here." Glad to hear the rustle of cloth as she pulled apart the outfit, he flinched slightly every time she whimpered, knowing she was likely in great pain.
"Um ... I don't have a bra..." she whispered.
Flushing, he thought for a moment. Well, in for a penny, in for a dollar, he thought. "What size?" he asked.
"I'm a 34c." She was grateful that he wasn’t looking at her, since at the moment she was about the color of a tomato.
Focusing, he grumbled a few phrases under his breath and conjured the article of clothing she required, the hentai in him unable to resist adding a matching pair of underwear. "Here," he said, tossing both over the screen. Hearing the sounds of clothing being donned, he lounged against the chair she had been sitting in. Behind him a welcome and familiar voice spoke up.
"For shame, fox. Are you not going to offer her aid?"
Grinning cheekily at the Great Hawk, Ten lifted an eyebrow. "I doubt she would appreciate my assistance at this moment, Entai-san. It would be better if you would help her. I am after all, male."
Slapping the fox upside the head with an amused laugh, the hawk brushed past him and slid around the edge of the screen. "Let me help you with that. I can see you are in terrible pain. I am Entai, little one."
Squeaking, Ronan tried to whirl around to face the newcomer. Instead a high pitched whine escaped her as stitches pulled painfully.
Rushing forward to steady her, the hawk noted how white her face was. "Come. Let me help you get dressed. You may ask your questions later." Deftly she pulled the sleeves of the over-kimono up over the white under-kimono and pulled it shut properly. Reaching for the obi, her practiced hands easily wound it around the girl's slender body, but instead of the more usual method of tying, she pulled it into a bow, thinking that it would be easier for the girl to handle on her own. "There. I see they forgot shoes or socks, but that will do for the time being. I doubt you will be going far.” Pulling her from behind the screen, Entai smiled at her encouragingly. “Come, girl. You look lovely in that.”
Finally stepping out into the light, Ronan blushed prettily as Ten’s appreciative eyes roamed her as he whistled. “Well, who knew that was hiding under the nighty?” he asked mischievously, smirking when her blush deepened to a nice crimson.
“Now, Ten, I believe you have someplace else to be?" Entai asked pointedly.
Putting his hands up in surrender, the fox bowed out, cowed by the dangerous look in the hawk's eyes. "Yeah, sure, no problem. I'll see if I can find her some shoes, or something ... um ... yeah." Sliding out the door, Ten gave a relieved sigh, glad that Ronan was in more capable hands now. He liked the hawk, but sometimes she gave him the willies!
Assisting Ronan over to her chair and the plate of food she had been interrupted from eating, Entai observed her from out of the corner of her sharp eyes. She was entirely too thin, she unhappily noted. And very flighty, like a hare that has realized it is being stalked. She would have to approach carefully as she didn't want to scare her. "As I said before, I am Entai. If you should ever wish to have someone to talk to, I am always available. Sometimes there are things that no female would want to discuss with a male. All you need do is seek me out. Now, I think it would be best if you were left to your own devices for a while. It must get frustrating to be followed everywhere you go here. Please, feel free to explore, although I would suggest limiting it a bit until your wounds have healed some.” Sweeping out of the Library, she smiled enigmatically as she closed the door behind her.
Ronan just stared after her, dazed, and left with only an impression of the same harshly yellow eyes of an eagle. Nerveless fingers picked up the book while her other hand was absently adding cheese and salami to a cracker. As she nibbled on the cracker and topping, she glanced between her book and the door, finally deciding to put the book away and try to find her way back to her room. She knew she should have looked back at it when she left so she would know what it looked like, but at the time she ahdn’t been sure she was safe. Now though … It was an odd feeling, being so welcomed and cared for.
Leaving the book on the table with the remains of the food, except for a final piece of cheese she snagged to nibble on as she walked, she stuck her head out of the door and slipped out into the myriad of hallways, her steps slow and careful, always mindful of her injuries.
Around a nearby corner, Entai and Ten watched as she walked away, the hawk nodding in satisfaction. “Good. It would do her no good to stay cooped up in the Library. She should get used to her altered existence.”
“So, you planned that?” Ten asked incredulously.
She grinned at him. “Of course! She needed a bit of a shock to get her mind moving again. Let’s leave her be, for now, fox. She needs some time alone. Although, I wonder if it has occurred to you that she is never really alone in this place. Word has already spread of the Count’s new acquisition. They will not harm her, only watch.” Turning sharply on her heel, she strode briskly away, leaving Ten blinking after her.
Within fifteen minutes, Ronan was completely lost in the maze of hallways and she was beginning to tire. Sitting down, she heaved a sigh and suddenly the scent of a late, warm winter hit her in the face. A draft worked it’s way down her spine, leaving her with goosebumps from the chill. Looking around for the source of the chill breeze she noted a slightly open doorway a bit further down the hall. Sneaking down to it, she stuck her head in and had to clutch at the doorjam to keep her knees from falling out from beneath her.
Spread before her was a physical impossibility. A vast rolling plain, half covered in snow stretched out before her as far as her eyes could see. Taking a few timid steps further in, she gasped as a breeze from the side blew the door shut behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she gathered her courage and pressed on, wondering where on earth she could be, if something like this was really stuck inside a petshop. A slight sound snapped her attention to her right just before she was nearly bowled over by a very large … lion cub? At least that was what it looked like. Except for the overgrown fangs. Right under her eyes, it resolved itself into a small boy dressed only in a fur loincloth. Who happened to be pouting rather adorably.
“Ya’ was supposed to fall over, lady,” he complained. “I’m huntin’ and I smelled you an I figgered ya was somethin new ta hunt. Tetsu’s allus doin stuff like that, bringun us some new things ta eat.”
Slowly lowering herself to the ground she stared at the boy, who just a moment ago had been a lion cub of some sort. Shaking away the shock, she had to smile at the adorable little boy. “No, I’m afraid not. I’m lost actually, out in the hallways, I mean. I saw your door open and thought to look in and see what was here.”
“Oh, so you ain’t somethin to eat, lady?”
“No.” That stern voice she recognized. Just a few steps away stood Tetsu, frowning hard at her. “Enough, Jabor. Go find your sister, now.” Though phrased as an order, there was something almost soft in his tone. “I thought you were in the Library,” he told her.
“Well, I was, until I woke up. Then Ten made me get dressed with the help of someone else, whose name I don’t remember.” Ronan laughed, feeling as if some great weight had been lifted in the short time the woman had been talking to her. “She was kinda like a hurricane. Stirred everything up and vanished.”
“Entai. Yes, she can be … disturbing to those who don’t know her. You said something about being lost?” Inwardly T-chan was growling at himself for losing track of time, himself. He had been having such fun with the tiger cubs, he hadn’t noticed the change in time.
She nodded. “I was trying to find my way back to my room. But I got tired and then I felt a breeze coming from this place and investigated. Jabor, right? He says you’re teaching him to hunt.” She paused. “If you don’t mind my asking, what is he?”
Sitting down, since she seemed rather inclined to talk instead of panic, Tetsu nodded shortly. “Him and his sister. And they’re Sabertooth Tigers.”
Gaping seemed to be fast becoming a favorite pastime for her here. So many strange things she now needed to get used to. But this? Long extinct felines that made lions look small? How was it even possible?
T-chan grunted at the look on her face. “We don’t know either,” he offered.
“Huh?” she asked intelligently.
“You were wondering how they came to be here, weren’t you? We don’t know how either.”
Jabor and a little girl raced up and pounced on Tetsu, laughing like loons. It was clear they adored their Tetsu, and she had to hide a smile at the picture the taciturn man made with two small children crawling all over him. So the children were really the human forms of Sabertooth Tigers? Big deal, she said to herself. Blinking, she realized she still didn’t know what Tetsu was. “Um … Tetsu? Can I ask what you are?”
Looking up from his play with the cubs, he gave her a strange look. “Are you sure you wish to know?”
She nodded.
Putting the children down, he stood and offered her a hand. “Saabra, Jabor, this one is never to be attacked if she comes in here. Her name is Ronan. Remember it,” he told them sternly. The two children nodded eagerly.
“Can we play with her if she comes to visit like you do?” piped up Jabor.
Lips twitching, he thought for a moment, then looked at her. She knew the pair were predators, so she should have some sort of idea what “play” was. She nodded, seeing the question in his eyes and the slight worry in his face. “Only if you are gentle with her. She is not food, and damages easily. Come with me, Ronan. I’ll show you back to your room.” He pulled her out the door and into the hallway. Then he turned on her, shaking with suppressed anger. “You should be more careful! There are many in this place that would just as soon eat you as look at you.” Marching off in the direction of her room he looked back over his shoulder and snapped, “Are you coming?”
After walking for several minutes without Tetsu saying a single word, Ronan began to take surrepititious looks at him, shivering inside at the ... intense ... look on his face. "Um ... Tetsu?"
He didn't even look at her. "What, girl?"
Glowering, she halted in place and growled at him. It sounded funny coming from a human throat, but still, she growled at him.
Hearing her low vocalization, he turned back, surprised at the anger on her face. "Is there a problem?"
Seething, but understanding where the anger was coming from, she had to restrain herself from physically attacking him because of her injuries. "Don' call me girl, or any other degrading nickname you can come up with," she hissed at him. "I got enough o' that there, an' I won't take it here. Now," she said, quite a bit more calmly. "Are you goin' ta answer my question or not? What are you?"
Sighing, realizing there was no possible way for him to avoid it any longer, he looked up the hall, a distant look in his eyes. "I am a Totetsu. One of the last of my kind."
Confusion spread itself across her face. "Okay ... What is a Totetsu?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at her until she began to feel uncomfortable. Eventaully, he snorted and turned away. "A Totetsu is a creature found most often in Chinese myth. A man-eater in most cases, but a household protector, as well, in some of the stories. A Totetsu can be either. I am a predator, that's why I'm teaching Saabra and Jabor to hunt. That's all you need to know. Come on, your room is up this hall."
Shocked, she followed him for a few steps, considering what he had said. A man-eater? Had he ... no, she didn't want to consider it. Whatever he may have done in the past, she would judge him by what she saw of him here. As she thought, Tetsu came to a sudden halt and she bumped into him. "Oh! I'm sorry."
"This is your room."
Looking up, she gasped at the image on the door, an image whose twin she had seen sketched somewhere in her family papers. Weak knees giving way , she collapsed on the floor ... staring up at the impressive carving. "It's true," she whispered.
Worried, T-chan sat on his haunches and nibbled on his lip. "What is true?"
"It's all true," she whispered again. "Every word of my family history ... Everything I've read ... It's only the truth ... I ... I always thought dad was a bit off, you know. I mean ... Who would believe such a story?" Wide eyes stared at T-chan, deep brown gone even darker with shock.
"Family history ... ? Never mind. Let's get you into bed. D will be by soon to check your wounds." Lifting her proved an easier task than he thought, her weight slighter than he could have imagined. Pushing open the door, he kicked it closed behind him and gently set her on the bed, getting more and more agitated the longer she remained in shock. Finally the door opened and they both jumped as Count D strolled in laden with a tea tray.
Before either of the two men could say a word, Ronan struggled to her feet to point a shaking finger at D. "Where did you get that door?"
Frowning, he looked between the girl and the door before smiling slightly. He set the tray aside and sat on the bed. "It was a gift from a king many years ago. Why do you ask, Ronan?"
"That door was a wedding present to one of my ancestors. It was stolen from them not long before she died."
***
Chappie 4 done! (Yays!!!! Where's chapter five? *giggles*) Kita! I haven't even started writing it! Subu-chan, put a leash on her, would you? *pouts* Give me some credit, guys! It'll be started as soon as I get some reviews on this one.