2011 - July
"I want to break free. I want to break free! I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied; I don't need you. I've got to break free. Yeah. God knows; God knows I want to break free." Brittany sang along to her second copy of her Queen CD as she drove down an empty street, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel and bopping her head along to the music, "I've fallen in love! I've fallen in love for the first time and this time I know it's for real-ah. I've fallen in love. Yeah. God knows; God knows I've fallen in love. It's strange but it's true; I can't get over the way you love me like you do but I have to be sure when I walk out that door! Oh how I want to be free, baby! Oh how I want to be free. Oh! How I want to break free!"
She made the guitar sounds with her mouth, continuing to tap away at the steering wheel to the beat of the song, bopping her head and sighing when her phone went off on the seat next to her. She turned down the song, picked up her phone and pulled over to the side of the road, putting her car in park and unlocking her phone, her truck still running as she opened her new text and groaned.
"Jesus! I'm singing a song here; God! Do you ever stop texting me?" She huffed as she read the text and began to reply.
FROM Sam: Babe, please come back here so we can talk about this. I know I fucked up but that doesn't mean I don't love you… it just means I made a mistake. A BIG mistake. And I love you. So please come back.
"Blah, blah. I love you. Blah, blah." She whined as she typed, irritated, on her keyboard.
TO Sam: Nope. You said that last time, Sam. I'm not falling for it again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But fool me THREE TIMES? Shame on both of us.
She put her phone back on the passenger seat and put her truck in drive, looking out onto the road and letting out a shocked shriek at the sight before her; a large, male lion standing in front of her car looking dehydrated and beaten up, "Oh, my God." She breathed out, shutting off her car as the lion's big brown eyes met hers through the windshield and her breath got caught in her throat, "Oh, God. Poor guy." She said, unbuckling herself and climbing out of her car, shutting the door and moving slowly, carefully and cautiously towards the gigantic – yet, starved and skinny – lion. He was way bigger than a regular lion which caused Brittany to be more cautious than she usually would be, "Hey, big guy." She said gently, moving closer with her hands at her sides, not wanting to scare the poor creature, "Hey…" She whispered, stepping closer to the large cat as it stepped closer on weak legs and looked at her with sad eyes, "Aw, buddy. You look starving and thirsty." She said, reaching her hand out and letting her fingers gently tangle themselves in the lion's mane, "Okay. Here's what I'm gonna do; I assume you escaped from the zoo but by the looks of things they haven't been taking proper care of you. But not to worry, I'm studying to be a vet. So I'm gonna take you home with me, okay? You can lay down in the back of my truck and rest your legs. And when we get back to my place I'll give you as much water as you can drink and a ton of food, all right?" She suggested, truly believing the lion understood her, "You're gonna be okay, big guy. Come on, follow me to the back."
The large cat slowly followed her to the back of her truck and watched her with tired eyes as she opened the canopy and patted the fitted mattress inside. The cat got the idea and leaped up into the truck, bending its head, as it was far too big for the height of the canopy, and walking slowly to the back. Brittany watched it lay down and then climbed in, opening one of the windows for some air and running her hand down the lion's back, smiling in surprise when it purred and shut its eyes.
"I promise you're gonna be all right." She whispered, confident that the animal understood her, before she climbed out of the canopy and shutting it, locking it and peering in the window at the resting lion. She then exhaled a deep breath and walked back to the driver's side, climbing in and opening the small window that led to the canopy, "I'm gonna start the car now, buddy, so don't get a fright, okay? The engine's pretty loud." She warned the lion before starting the truck and turning the music all the way down, glancing at her phone which was blinking at her with a new message before rolling her eyes and starting the truck, pulling back onto the road and making her way back down the empty street toward the house she shared with two of her friends which was situated in a completely open and empty area behind the woods.
-TRHRTW-
Brittany parked next to Kurt's Cadillac and shut off the engine, peering through the canopy window and smiling softly at the sight of the sleeping animal in the back. She lifted her phone from the passenger seat and checked her new text with a frustrated sigh.
FROM Sam: Baby, please.
FROM Sam: You know how much I love you, Britt. Please don't shut me out.
TO Sam: Stop texting me, Sam. If I get one more text from you I will never speak to you again.
She locked her phone, tucked it in her pocket and opened the driver's door, climbing out of her truck and shutting the door, locking it and glancing towards the house as the front door opened and her other friend Penelope walked out with her arms folded over her chest and a grey cardigan wrapped around her body.
"Hey. You're home. I thought you were fighting with Sam?" She asked and Brittany put her finger over her lips, silencing the woman as she peered through the open window in the canopy and saw the lion was now awake and had lifted its head, realizing the truck had stopped.
"Penny, I have something in the back and I'm gonna need you not to freak out, okay?" She said, moving to the door of the canopy and unlocking it as Penelope walked toward her and stopped next to her with a frown, "It's really nice and gentle and super dehydrated and tired. So you can't shriek and squeal and call animal control because this big guy escaped from the zoo and I can't send him back there. They weren't looking after him."
"Uh, Britt? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Penelope said and Brittany inhaled a deep breath, opening the door to the canopy and revealing the large lion inside it, wide awake and yawning. Penelope gasped and jumped back at the sight of the large yawn the lion made revealing its sharp teeth and large tongue, "Jesus Christ, Brittany!" She hissed and Brittany pouted at her.
"Penny, you can't do that. He's really sweet. And look at him; he's completely worn down and it looks like something or someone beat him. And he's hungry and thirsty and I am studying to be a vet so I figured why not bring him home and take care of him?" She said.
"Because he's a wild animal; he's a fucking lion, Brittany." Penelope said and Brittany sighed, climbing into the canopy, "Brittany, don't go near that thing; lions are the most dangerous when they're hungry, you know that!"
"Penny, shut up." Brittany said, sitting next to the lion and crossing her legs, running her hand over its dirty fur and burying the fingers of her free hand in its mane, scratching the top of its head and earning a loud purr, "See? He's harmless. He just needs some proper care."
"No, Brittany; you're not bringing a larger-than-normal male lion into our house. No way."
Brittany pouted and rested her head next to the lion's as it peered out of the truck and studied Penelope with its tired and droopy eyes, "Please, Aunt Penny? Please can we come in? We won't eat anything but the food you lovely people give us. And we'll keep off the furniture, we promise." Brittany said in a child's voice and Penelope sighed, folding her arms across her chest and raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow at Brittany, "Please. We don't want to go back to the horrible people at the zoo. They didn't treat us properly. And Brittany saved our life. Please, Penny? Pretty please?"
Penelope looked back towards the house and saw Kurt coming out the front door. She then sighed, tilted her head to the side and looked at the lion while Kurt approached, "Well, he is beautiful." She said, "And I can see he hasn't been treated very well." Brittany smiled and raised her eyebrows in hope, "Look, Britt; it's fine by me but you're convincing Kurt."
"Convincing Kurt of what?" Kurt asked as he stopped next to Penny and looked into the canopy to greet Brittany, "Hey Brit—Oh, God! Oh, sweet Lord! There's a lion in Brittany's truck!" He shrieked and Brittany huffed as the lion startled slightly and moved its head back. Brittany sat next to the lion's head and gently rested it in her lap, noticing how it was bigger than her torso, and tangled her fingers in its large, dark mane, continuing to scratch its head.
"Kurt, please." Brittany sighed, "Don't scare him. He's hungry and thirsty and he's incredibly tired. He just needs to stay here until he's stronger, please? Penny said it's fine and he'll stay in my room."
"No." Kurt said firmly, frantically shaking his head, "No way."
"Why?" Brittany whined sadly.
"Because, first of all, it's illegal to have a wild animal in your home and, second of all, he's a great, big, male lion who looks way bigger than a regular male lion." Kurt said, "No. Not happening."
"Kurt. He'll stay in my room and I'll feed him and take him outside to go to the bathroom and I'll give him water and bathe him and I'll take care of him fully. You guys don't have to do anything except let him into the house because he's tired, he's hungry, he's thirsty and he's been hurt by the people at the zoo." Brittany said and Kurt raised his eyebrows in sympathy for the creature, "Please? He won't hurt you guys; I mean, he's starving right now and he's letting me scratch his head for God sakes." She pointed out and Penelope looked at Kurt with a hopeful expression, "Kurt, please? I'm not taking him back to the zoo and I am not calling animal control because they'll either put him down or take him back to the stupid zoo. And you know how much I hate zoos. They're cruel."
"And keeping him in a house is better than keeping him in an enclosure?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow and Brittany nodded.
"Yes. Because there's an open forest behind our house and when he's stronger he'll have free reign to do whatever he wants in the forest." Brittany pointed out and Kurt sighed before looking at Penelope who nodded and he then groaned toward the sky and looked at the lion who was continually purring while Brittany scratched its head.
"Fine. But if he scratches anything to shreds or eats our shoes, he's gone." Kurt said and Brittany smiled widely with a nod.
"I promise; he won't be a bad lion." She said before leaning down and kissing the lion's forehead, "Hear that, big guy? You get to stay here for as long as you need." The lion purred and yawned again, "You've got some great teeth, there, buddy. I'm gonna call you Canine since I don't know your given name." The lion looked at her with his big brown eyes and Brittany swore he was smiling at her through them, "Come on. Let's go inside, huh?"
Kurt and Penelope backed up and away from their risky friend who was now scooting out of the canopy with the lion crawling next to her. She jumped out and Canine followed suit, landing right in front of Kurt who shrieked at his size and widened his eyes when the animal, who's head ended at Kurt's neck, looked him in the eye and yawned again before turning and walking towards Brittany with his tail hanging low – sad and worn down – as the blonde patted his back and led him inside with Kurt and Penelope now closing her canopy and then following incredibly slowly behind their friend and new pet.
"She's fucking crazy." Kurt mumbled to Penelope before jumping back when Canine turned his head and growled slightly, having heard him insulting Brittany.
"Welcome to the Pierce-Hummel-Gerber Residence." Brittany said to Canine who looked around the house and then looked up at her as she smiled at him and then led him to her room, "I'll give you a tour when you've rested and have enough energy. We're gonna be roomies; just feel free to look around my room while I get you some food and water, okay?" She said as she opened the door that said Bee on it, which was across from the door that said Penny, and walked into her room, holding her hand out, presenting the large area to the lion who looked around and walked to the window, leaping up and resting his front paws on the windowsill, peering out as Brittany shut the door behind her and fast-walked to the kitchen while Penelope and Kurt sat down in the living room and watched their caring – yet totally insane – friend open the fridge and pull out the large water jug before digging in the cupboard under the sink and pulling out the largest Tupperware they had. She put the Tupperware on the counter separating the kitchen from the living room and emptied every ounce of water from the jug into it before plonking the empty jug down next to it and opening the fridge again, pulling out the Tupperware that had three raw, marinated steaks in it and taking off the lid.
"Hey, hey. You can't give him those; I'm making those for dinner tonight." Penelope said from the living room as Brittany lifted the Tupperware filled with water and rested it on her forearm, gripping the ledge of it and picking up the Tupperware with the steaks.
"No, you're not." She shot back before walking carefully back to her room so the water wouldn't spill and opening the door with her foot, "Here ya go, Canine." She announced, smiling when she saw the lion lying on her purple shag carpet with his eyes closed, resting. When he heard her voice his eyes opened and he lifted his head to see what she had in her hands. She put the Tupperware with the steaks in it on her bed and then grabbed the edge of the water Tupperware, lowering it to the ground on the carpet and smiling when Canine immediately began to lap up the water at lightning speed while she grabbed the other Tupperware and putting it down next to the water, "Whoa," She said, peering into the now empty water bowl, "You were thirsty." Canine looked up at her, licking the sides of his mouth before sniffing the steaks and beginning to eat them, "I'm gonna go get you some more water, okay? I'll be right back."
Brittany lifted the water bowl, moving back to the kitchen earning a sigh from Penelope, "He's gonna eat and drink us out of house and home, Brittany." She huffed and Brittany rolled her eyes, moving to the tap and refilling the water bowl.
"He's starving and dehydrated." Brittany said, "He's an animal; he has organs, feelings and a soul. He needs love, care and attention. He's staying. One of you go out and get the biggest steaks you can find. Make sure to get as many as you can with all the money in my wallet."
Brittany pulled her wallet out of her pocket at the Tupperware filled up slowly and put it on the counter. Kurt stood and moved over to the counter, peering down the hallway to make sure the large lion wasn't roaming the house, "Fine. I'll go." He said and Brittany glanced over her shoulder at him with a grateful smile.
"Thank you." She said before focusing her attention back on the Tupperware.
"I'll use some of my cash as well. You coming, Penny?" Kurt asked as he grabbed Brittany's wallet and opened it, pulling out all her cash and tucking it in his pocket.
"Uh… No. I'll stay and help Britt with Canine." Penelope said, standing from the couch and moving to the kitchen to grab the now full water bowl. She picked it up as Brittany shut off the tap and then followed the blonde to her room slowly while Kurt said goodbye, grabbed his car keys and left the house, "Where do I put this?" She asked Brittany who was stroking Canine's head and lifting the empty Tupperware.
"Just here." She said, "Canine, Kurt's gone out to get you more food, okay? I'm gonna make you a bed and you can rest before dinner, all right?"
Canine purred and stood, moving back to the windowsill while Penelope put the water bowl down on Brittany's nightstand. Canine looked out the window at the forest as Penelope and Brittany pulled the spare queen-sized mattress out from under Brittany's bed, "I'll grab sheets, our spare continental pillows and a comforter." She said and Brittany nodded, pulling the shag carpet towards the window and resting it just behind Canine's back paws. She then grabbed the mattress and pulled it back to where the carpet ended. She then grabbed the water bowl and put it back on the shag carpet, gaining Canine's attention as he put his front paws down and moved onto the carpet, bending his head and drinking some of the water. Penelope came back into Brittany's room with a queen-sized sheet, a queen-sized comforter and four large, square continental pillows wrapped in pillow cases the same shade as the sheet. She and Brittany made the bed and Brittany pulled back the comforter while Canine watched them.
"All right, Canine. Hop in. You've got your water and a nice, cozy bed." Brittany said, "When you wake up we'll take a bath and then eat some dinner, okay? And then I'll check your bruises."
Canine walked cautiously onto the mattress and sniffed the sheets, pillows and comforter before lying down – the perfect size for the mattress – and shutting his eyes with his head rested on one of the pillows while Brittany brought the comforter up over him and tucked him in. She leaned down, stroked his mane and then kissed his forehead before standing, checking that the water bowl was still half-full and then walking around the mattress, signaling Penelope to follow her out of the room. She shut the door quietly behind them and the two women walked through to the living room. Brittany sat down in her recliner after grabbing her laptop off the coffee table while Penelope sat down on the sofa and sighed.
"You're a good person, Britt." She said, shutting her eyes, "But just be careful, okay? Don't treat him too much like a pet because wild animals are not made to be pets."
"I know, Penny." Brittany sighed, opening her laptop and going onto Google before pulling her phone out of her pocket and typing out a text to Kurt.
TO Kurt: Grab a lot of cat shampoo and conditioner too. Canine needs a bath.
"Britt?" Penelope said and Brittany looked up at her as she rested her phone in the cup holder on her recliner, "You really are a good person. I mean, you're totally insane but you're a good person… a great person. I mean that, you know."
Brittany smiled and nodded, "I know." She said, "Thank you." Penelope nodded and closed her eyes again while Brittany typed something into the Google search bar.
Lions that can understand humans, are completely tame when hungry and thirsty and are bigger than regular sized lions
She hit search and chewed on her index finger's nail while the search results popped up. She scrolled through them and only one result caught her eye.
Spirit Animals – Humans that can shift into animals
There are four types of Spirit Animal: wolf, polar bear, jaguar and lion… Humans that have spirit animals…. The lions and polar bears are the strongest of all spirit…
She clicked on the result and sniffed as it loaded all the information on the site. She frowned as she read through all the information and then gasped as her mouth fell open, "Penny, listen to this." She said and Penny hummed, opening her eyes as Brittany's phone pinged in the cup holder, "All right: There are a select number of humans in the world that are born with spirit animals. Each spirit animal – wolves, polar bears, jaguars and lions – consist of five families with an exception for the polar bears which consist of ten or more families. These families run in a pack or a pride and stick together from birth." She read and Penelope frowned in confusion, "Lions: the lion spirit families are nowhere to be found and are suspected to be residing in Lima, Ohio. No proof of this has been given. The lion spirit animals are kind, gentle, loving and calm unless they are faced with danger. When hungry, they are tame in the presence of humans that offer to feed them. When tired, they are tame in the presence of humans who pet them. When it comes to the mate of a spirit animal lion these lions will do no matter what to protect their mate and cubs. All mates are human in the lion families. When in the presence of his or her mate, a lion spirit animal will be calm, cool, collected and will make eye contact as well as following said mate's orders and letting said mate take care of them. A spirit animal lion, in the presence of his or her mate, will only shift back to his or her human form when they are confident that their mate will not overreact."
Penelope's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, "Oh, God." She whispered and Brittany looked at her with wide eyes and a nod.
"I know." She said, scrolling down to read more of the text on lion spirit animals, "Canine may be a person… and I may be his mate."
"Britt, this is crazy. Are you sure this information wasn't written by some whacko trying to scare people?" Penelope asked and Brittany inhaled a deep breath, exhaling as she read more of the text to Penelope.
"These lions are larger than regular lions and the King of the pride is always the biggest of all the other lions in his or her spirit animal pride." Brittany said, "The King of the pride can be a girl." Penelope frowned in confusion before Brittany continued, "In the case that the King of the pride is a woman, that woman will be born with a penis and will be bigger in lion form than a King lion who is born male. This is not unusual in spirit animal families. And a female lion born with a penis will not produce a female born with a penis with her mate; the legend skips a generation therefore that woman's cubs, when older, may or may not produce a woman with a penis with their mates." Brittany read and then looked at Penelope, "Canine could be a girl."
"Brittany, this is ridiculous." Penelope chuckled and Brittany gave her a pointed look.
"You have to admit that this is entirely possible." She said.
"No, Britt. This isn't Twilight." Penelope argued, "It's just not possible."
"Blah, blah, blah. The number of cubs a spirit animal lion has with his or her mate also skips a generation. The generation currently assumed to be residing in Lima, Ohio are single children therefore these lions, when they meet their mates, will have twins, triplets or quadruplets and them or their mates will be pregnant three to four times. They will never have a single child unless through adoption – which is rare – or surrogacy." Brittany read, "Penny, you have to admit that this could be completely true. You just can't deny it."
"Brittany, you're living in Wonderland." Penelope said with a chuckle, shaking her head, "The only reason Canine is tame is because he came from the zoo."
"You can never tame a regular lion." Brittany pointed out and Penelope looked at her with a thoughtful expression, "Canine understands me when I talk to him, he – or she – made eye contact with me when I found him or her and a regular lion would've eaten all three of us by now if it was hungry but Canine didn't. He was calm; he let me stroke him and pet him and scratch his head and he – or she – purred for God sakes. This information is completely legit."
"No, Britt, it's not." Penelope argued.
"Fine. I'll bet you my next paycheck that Canine shifts into a human while he – or she – is here. If he doesn't, you get my paycheck but if he does you have to do the dishes on my nights for a month." Brittany suggested and Penelope raised her eyebrow in interest, "Deal?"
"Deal."
-TRHRTW-
FROM Kurt: Come help me unload the car. The trunk and back seats are full of grocery bags and my car's starting to smell like meat.
TO Kurt: On our way.
"Kurt needs help unloading the car." Brittany said, shutting her laptop and putting her phone on top of it on the coffee table. Penelope stood and followed Brittany outside to help Kurt unload all the groceries he bought. Brittany peered into the back of the car and her eyes widened, "Kurt, where did you get the money to buy all this?" She asked as Kurt unlocked the trunk.
"I used my credit card." He replied, "You can pay me back by doing laundry for a month."
"Done." Brittany said, "Thanks, Kurt. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, grab this stuff out of the car before your new pet eats the house." He said and Brittany rolled her eyes, grabbing as many bags as she could from the backseat while Penelope and Kurt grabbed all the bags from the trunk. They walked all ten bags of steaks into the house and all five bags of cat shampoo and conditioner.
"Hey, Kurt? Get this; Britt thinks Canine is a human." Penelope said and Brittany rolled her eyes as she began to unpack all the steaks.
"What? Brittany, that's ridiculous." Kurt said, lifting two bags of the shampoo and conditioner and frowning at the blonde.
"Just, take those to the bathroom and I'll show you the information on it. It really seems legit." She said, crumpling up the first grocery bag and tossing it in the trash.
The three of them unpacked all the groceries before Brittany checked on Canine and saw he was still fast asleep under the covers on the spare mattress. She left her bedroom door slightly ajar and then walked back to the living room. She sat back down in her recliner and picked up her phone and laptop. She tucked her phone back in the cup holder and opened her laptop, going to the bookmarked site and handing the laptop to Kurt who began to read while Penelope turned on the TV and went to their DVR, scrolling through all the stuff they'd TiVoed and clicking on the newest episode of Grey's Anatomy.
Kurt scrolled through the site with a frown on his face as he read every word twice before looking at who wrote it and raising his eyebrows, "It's completely legit." He said and Brittany smiled, "It was written by Dr. Richard Baynham."
"Who?" Brittany and Penelope asked in unison.
"Dr. Richard Baynham." Kurt repeated, "He's made findings on all these spirit animals and he has proof that they exist." He said, turning the laptop toward Brittany and showing her a picture of a man shifting into a lion.
"Holy crap. How did I not see that when I first looked at this site?" She asked, looking closer and smiling before sticking her tongue out at Penelope who rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"That picture is photo shopped." She said with a shake of her head, eyes trained on the TV, "And I'm getting your paycheck."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Brittany said, shaking her head, "Canine's a person. And I'm gonna prove it. So you just keep watching Grey's and look forward to doing the dishes on my nights for a month."
-TRHRTW-
"Okay, Canine. Let's get you cleaned up, huh?" Brittany said as she and Canine walked out of her bedroom towards the bathroom, "Thank goodness we have such a big tub. My dad built this house and he put this bath in for my mom because she wanted her boobs and knees to be covered at the same time." She told Canine as she put her hand in the water that rested in the tub and smiled, "The water's perfect; nice and warm. It's summer but it's still pretty chilly out at night so I made the bath water warm for you even though you have fur. Your fur is pretty thin so I figured you might be a bit cold too."
Canine looked her in the eyes and she saw that smiling shine again before patting the side of the tub and watching him step closer to it, bringing his front paws onto the ledge and sliding them into the bath. He then brought his right back leg up and into the bath, using it as leverage to get his left leg in without splashing all the water out of the bath. He sat down and then lay on his stomach, letting the water embrace him as Brittany scratched his back and looked at her nails, noticing the dirt underneath them.
"Okay, let's scrub you up." She said and Canine sat back up again, watching as she squirted a whole bottle of the cat shampoo onto his back and then began to rub it into his fur with a shower poof that Kurt had bought for him, "Do you like the color blue?" She asked, scrubbing the shampoo into the fur on his back with the blue shower poof, "I love the color blue. But I also like all the other colors. I don't really have a favorite color because that's not really fair to the other colors." She told him as she scrubbed him, watching all the dirt drift into the water as she scrubbed the shampoo further and further into his fur and he stood up, letting her scrub everywhere. She then squirted a whole other bottle of shampoo onto his leg and then used another bottle on his other leg, using two other bottles for his two other legs. She then scrubbed some of the shampoo into his tail and smiled at the dark fur at the tip, "You're really beautiful, you know." She told him and he purred, staring down into the water at the dirt now surrounding him, "And I like how your fur is darker than most lions' fur. It make you seem really mysterious and super mesmerizing." He purred again as she scrubbed his legs and then squirted a whole other bottle of shampoo onto the poof before scrubbing his stomach, "I'm gonna wash your mane too and get it all nice and smooth and shiny." She told Canine who made a joyful noise in the back of his throat earning a smile from the blonde, "Are you part of a pride?" She asked and Canine looked back at her with what she swore was a nod, "You're the King, huh?" Another nod and she smiled, "I get to room with royalty. That's pretty cool." He purred and then looked straight ahead of him as Brittany grabbed the water jug from the kitchen already filled with warm water and rinsed all the shampoo off of him, "All right, now conditioner and then we'll do your mane and your face."
Brittany continued to bathe Canine and laughed uncontrollably when he purred and jumped up and down as she scrubbed his mane. She washed him everywhere and used three quarters of the shampoo Kurt had bought before pulling the plug in the bath and watching the water drain out of it. She then told Canine to wait in the tub while she grabbed her hairdryer to dry him off. She grabbed her hairdryer, asked Penelope to borrow hers and also borrowed Kurt's. She then plugged all three into the outlet in the bathroom and switched one on high to dry Canine's fur while switching the other on high to dry his legs. He roared happily, startling Kurt and Penelope who sat in the living room watching Grey's Anatomy, and jumped up and down in the empty tub while Brittany laughed and laughed until he was dry. She then switched off Kurt's dryer and switched on Penelope's, telling Canine to shut his eyes as she dried his face and mane. He roared again and she chuckled as she saw him smile slightly while she dried his mane and danced around in her slightly wet sweats, amusing the lion until he was completely dry all over. She then shut off the dryers, unplugged them and put them back in their respective rooms before grabbing her hair brush and patting the bathroom floor after laying down at towel for Canine's feet. He leaped out of the bath, landing on the towel, and stood still, purring loudly as she brushed his fur and his mane, making him all sleek and shiny.
"All right, Canine. You're all done, big guy." Brittany said, looking at her mane covered hairbrush and chuckling, pulling out all the hair that got stuck in it and throwing it in the trashcan next to the sink, "Lemme just dry off your paws and we can have some dinner, yeah?" He purred again and she dried off his bigger-than-her-head paws with the towel he stood on before rinsing out the bath with the shower head and then walking out of the bathroom and leading Canine to the living room, "Look Penny and Kurt; look how sleek, clean, shiny and sexy we are after our bath." She said and Penny and Kurt smiled at the sight of the beautiful lion standing next to Brittany, purring as she ran her fingers through his mane.
"Wow. He looks so different." Penny said, "Hey, gorgeous boy; you look stunning."
Canine purred and rubbed his head against Brittany's neck, purring again as she chuckled at the tickle his mane made. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pecked his cheek, "You are the prettiest lion in town now." She told him and he yawned again, "Tired, huh? Okay; let's have some nice, delicious steaks and then get into bed, yeah?"
Canine nodded slightly and she smiled, moving to the kitchen while he watched her with his eyes and then made his way back to her room to wait for her to bring him his dinner. She used the same, now clean, Tupperware as she had before and put in six steaks, bringing them to her room and putting them down next to the empty water Tupperware, "All right, buddy; eat up. I'm gonna get you more water and then I'm gonna take a shower and we can go to bed." She said, stroking his mane again and smiling, "You're so soft now." She told him as she headed towards the door with the empty Tupperware and moved to the kitchen while Canine ate his steaks. She filled up the Tupperware with fresh water after rinsing it and then stopped in the living room, "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed, you guys. I'll take Canine outside before we go to sleep." She informed her friends who smiled tiredly at her and nodded, "And thank you, by the way. For letting him stay and for helping out with food and shampoo and all that. I really do appreciate it."
"No problem, Britt." Kurt said and Penny nodded, saluting Brittany as she smiled and moved back to her room with the full Tupperware and put it back down in its place on the shag carpet without spilling a drop while Canine ate.
She moved to the bathroom after patting his back and took a shower, washing her hair and scrubbing underneath her fingernails before washing her entire body and climbing out of the shower. She dried herself off and made her way back to her room to get dressed and dry her hair. Canine, having now finished his dinner and had some water, watched her get dressed as he lay on his bed and she looked at him softly after putting on her shirt.
"Come on, big guy. Let's go outside so you can do your business before bed." She said, moving to the door after drying her hair and smiling as he followed her. She stood by the back door as Canine moved far away from her behind a bush and did what he needed to do before coming back inside and letting her shut the door behind them, waiting for her before leading her to her bedroom, "I just wanna check your bruises before we go to sleep, okay?" She said, "Just to make sure they're not too bad." He nodded slightly and stood still, letting Brittany check his bruises before watching her smile brightly and kiss his forehead, "Most of them were just dirt from the forest. You're all good, buddy. You just have a small cut on your back right leg but it looks like it's healing by itself so you're gonna be fine." She told him, stroking his face and smiling when he bent his head and rested it on her shoulder, "All right; bed time."
The two of them climbed into their respective beds after Brittany shut the door and Brittany smiled at Canine as he made his own way under the covers, resting his huge head on the pillows and staring up at her. She inhaled a deep breath and let it out in a happy sigh as he shut his eyes and began to fall asleep while she cuddled under the covers of her own queen-sized bed and shut off her bedside lamp.
"Good night, beautiful." She whispered into the dark room and smiled when she heard a loud purr from the lion before shutting her eyes and going to sleep.
-TRHRTW-
Brittany woke up the next morning to see Canine curled up next to her with his chin rested atop her head. She smiled widely and wrapped her arm around him, pecking his chest and giggling when he purred and moved his head back to look at her. His huge face and big brown eyes peered into hers and she grinned as he pressed his nose to her forehead in the form of a kiss.
"Good morning, beautiful." She said happily as she sat up and looked at him as he rested on his stomach – which, funnily enough, made him her height when she was sitting on the same surface as he was. He pawed her upper thigh and she snickered, "Hungry?" He purred and raised his head at the sound, "Come on, let's go get some breakfast."
The two of them – now inseparable after less than a day of knowing each other – made their way out of Brittany's room together and moved towards the kitchen, "Morning, Britt." Kurt said as she walked out of the hallway, "And Canine. How'd you two sleep?"
"We slept good, huh buddy?" Brittany said with a smile as she turned at the counter and walked into the kitchen while Canine sat at the entrance and licked his nose, "Oh! Canine, can you go grab your food bowl?" She asked and he stood, moving to her bedroom to grab his food bowl. She smiled at Kurt from the kitchen and he chuckled.
"If only Penny could've seen that." He said and Brittany snickered with an agreeing nod, "There's no way he's a regular lion; that big guy is a human."
"And he could be a girl too." Brittany said, "Because he's the King of his pride and the women with penises who are the King of their pride are bigger in lion form than the male lions who are King of their pride. And Canine's gigantic."
"That he is." Kurt said with a nod as he read the newspaper, "Or she."
Canine came trotting back to the kitchen with his empty food bowl in his mouth and Brittany smiled, taking it from him and kissing his forehead, "Thanks, beautiful." She said, putting the Tupperware on the counter and opening the fridge, "How many do you want? Five or six?" She asked and he looked at her, "Five?" He blinked, "Six it is." She said, pulling out six wrapped up steaks and unwrapping them all, putting them in the Tupperware and throwing away the wrapping. She then made herself some cereal and grabbed her bowl and his, moving the six feet to the dining room table and putting his bowl down next to the back door as she sat at the table and began to eat her cereal while Canine ate his steaks, "Penny still asleep?" She asked and Kurt nodded from the living room.
"Yep. She got to bed at like four a.m. as usual." He told her and she nodded as she spooned some cereal into her mouth and chewed, glancing at Canine who was enjoying his steaks, "Do you have work today?"
"Yeah." Brittany replied and Canine raised his head, looking at her over his shoulder and frowning. She smiled and shook her head at him, "Don't worry, buddy. Penelope will take good care of you. I'll only be gone for five hours. And I'm not leaving for another two. Just relax and eat your food and then we can play."
Canine licked his nose and then continued to eat his food while Brittany chuckled, patted his butt and then continued to eat her breakfast, "You think Penny will be okay watching him today?" Kurt asked, turning his head toward the dining table and sniffing. Brittany shrugged and spooned some more cereal into her mouth.
"She's gonna have to be okay. I have work, you have work and she's unemployed." She said, "It's not like I can get Canine a babysitter, he's a grown-ass lion. He could probably take care of himself but he needs someone to feed him at lunchtime. And Penny's gonna have to be that someone."
"Why don't you call Louis to help her out?" Kurt suggested, "And Puck. Just in case Canine goes nuts on Penny. They're strong so they could probably hold him off long enough for her to get away."
"Kurt, Canine is a good lion." Brittany said after Canine growled in anger at Kurt's words, "He won't hurt anyone. Especially not my best friends." Kurt sighed and nodded, acknowledging that she was right and that he trusted her, "But I will call Louis and Puck to come by today and help Penny look for a damn job since she won't do it herself. And Louis can finally fix that damn plank in the back porch. I don't want Canine stepping on it, falling in and hurting himself."
"Good call." Kurt said with a nod, closing the newspaper and folding it up, putting it on the coffee table and standing, "Okay, I'm off. I'll see you later."
"All righty. Bye Kurt." Brittany said and then looked at Canine, "Say bye to Kurt, beautiful."
Canine licked his nose, purred and lay down, having finished his food. Kurt chuckled and lifted his satchel onto his shoulder, "Bye you two. Tell Penny I said goodbye before you leave." He said and Brittany gave him a thumbs-up as she chewed on some cereal. Kurt left and Brittany drank the remaining milk in her bowl, looking at Canine and smiling when he made what sounded like a laugh.
"What?" She asked and then squinted down at her lips, "Oh. Milk mustache." She said with a chuckle, wiping it off and licking her lips, "You think that's funny, huh?" Canine roared happily and she chuckled at the volume of it, "All right. I'm gonna write a schedule for Penny and then I'm gonna get dressed for work and then we can go play outside for a bit, okay?" Canine roared again and Brittany laughed out loud, "Okay. You can look around while I make the schedule."
Brittany then moved to the study where there were three desks – one for her, Penny and Kurt – and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen from her desk. She then sat down and began to make a schedule for Penny on what to do with Canine while she was at work.
Canine's Daily Schedule
(He's already had breakfast and his morning play time)
10a.m. – Take him for a twenty minute walk in the forest
10:20a.m. – Wash the dirt off his paws and dry them off
12a.m. – Give him five raw steaks in the empty Tupperware by the back door and refill his water bowl
12:30a.m. – Play with him outside for a bit; throw a ball around or just let him relax in the sun just outside the house
Canine walked into the study looking for Brittany and roared when he saw her sitting behind her desk. She looked up at him and smiled as he walked around her desk and licked her cheek, happy to have found her.
"Oh, my God! Does your pet ever stop roaring? Jesus!" Penelope groaned and Brittany rolled her eyes as she walked into the study and folded her arms across her chest, "Seriously, dude, you don't know how loud you are. Brittany, could you shut him up?"
Canine growled lowly and Brittany hushed him before replying, "He's just happy to see me, that's all." She said, "I have work and Kurt's already left so you're looking after him with Louis and Puck for the five hours that I'm at work today. I've made you a schedule and you have to stick to it because otherwise he'll get confused and think you don't like him."
Penelope groaned and held her hand out for the schedule which Brittany happily handed over and then she stood from her desk and moved to her desk with Canine following, both of them walking past Penelope and Canine patting her foot on his way out in apology for growling at her. Brittany grabbed her phone from her nightstand and opened one of her chats.
TO Louis B: Could you come over to our place in like an hour to help Penny look for a job?
She then opened another ongoing chat and typed out another text.
TO Puck: Could you come over here and help Penny find a job today? Be here in an hour or less 'cause I have work.
Canine lay down on his bed while Brittany shut her bedroom door and began to get ready for work while her phone pinged twice. She checked her two new texts and then locked her phone, going back to getting dressed.
FROM Puck: On my way.
FROM Louis B: Yeppers. On my way. Should I bring anything? Never mind, I'll bring some coke.
"Okay, beautiful. My two other friends are coming over today to help Penny find a job and maybe they can play outside with you for a bit too." Brittany said and Canine roared again earning a chuckle from Brittany and a groan from Penny who was walking back into her room to get dressed. Brittany chuckled as quietly as she could while looking at Canine who made another laughing sound and rested his head on his front paws as he watched her get dressed, "You like what you see?" She asked teasingly and Canine's eyes widened as he raised his head, looking embarrassed. She chuckled and shook her head, "I'm kidding." He relaxed his head in its prior position and licked his nose again, "You're too cute."
-TRHRTW-
Louis and Puck arrived almost thirty minutes after Brittany sent them texts and they both knocked on the door at the same time, almost as if they were competing to be the first to knock on the door. They knocked and knocked, Puck holding a six-pack of beer and Louis holding a bottle of coke, until Penny answered the door with a glare.
"You can stop knocking, assholes." She said bluntly and they smiled, walking past her and into the house while she closed the door, "Don't freak out when you look out the backdoor." She instructed, as she walked past them and into the kitchen where she looked out the window at Brittany and Canine relaxing in the sun.
Puck pulled the backdoor open and stepped out to greet Brittany before shrieking and jumping back, falling into Louis who groaned and pushed him forward, "Stop, loser." He said before looking at Brittany and letting his eyes widen just as Penny stepped up next to him, "Uh, why's Brittany cuddling a huge-ass-larger-than-normal lion?"
"He's her pet." Penny replied, arms crossed over her chest as she watched Brittany stroke her fingers through Canine's mane, "She found him on the street yesterday, brought him home, fed him, bathed him and made a bed for him. And now he's attached to her completely. They're inseparable. And we are looking after him while she's at work today."
"What?! No!" Puck exclaimed.
"Cool!" Louis exclaimed at the same time, moving out of the house towards Brittany and Canine, "Hey, Little Miss Lion Whisperer." He greeted and she smiled, looking up at him as Canine stood and moved around her to stand in front of him, "Shit, this is so cool. He's huge. His head ends at my chest."
"I know." Brittany said with a large smile, standing and ruffling Canine's mane, "I named him Canine 'cause his teeth are gigantic but he probably has a given name too." She told him and he nodded, "You can touch him, you know. He won't hurt you."
Louis reached his free hand out and tangled his finger's in Canine's mane. The lion didn't make any sounds of approval or of disapproval but instead stared at Louis and roared. Louis' hand snapped back and he looked at Brittany with wide eyes, "I don't think he likes me." He said.
"No, he likes you. He was just roaring 'cause I washed his mane last night and he wants it to stay all soft and shiny." Brittany said, patting Canine's sides and smiling, "Puck! Come say hi to Canine."
Puck shook his head frantically from the back porch and Louis rolled his eyes, "Fucking pussy, get over here. He's friendly." He said and Canine made his laughing sound again earning a chuckle from Brittany, "Did he just laugh?" Louis asked and Brittany nodded.
"He thinks you're funny." She told him, "Puckerman, come say hi to Canine or I'll get him to drink all your beer!"
Puck sighed and looked at Penny, handing her his beer and slowly – cautiously – approaching Brittany, Louis and Canine, stopping next to Louis and smiling awkwardly at the lion who looked up at Brittany and laughed again. Louis and Brittany chuckled, "Hi, Canine." Puck said nervously and Canine patted his foot in greeting causing him to gasp and chuckle, "Whoa. His paws are the size of my head." Brittany nodded, "Can I touch him?"
"Yeah. But don't touch his mane; he wants it to stay soft and shiny 'cause I washed it last night." Brittany said and Puck nodded, slowly inching closer and carefully touching the lion's back, smiling as he stroked it earning a purr.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed happily, "Fuck, your new pet is cool."
Brittany nodded and scratched behind Canine's ear before inhaling a deep breath and sighing, "All right, I gotta get going now, beautiful." She told Canine who looked deeply into her eyes, leaped up and rested his front paws on her shoulders, inching forward and hugging her. She chuckled happily as his bushy, soft mane brushed her face and wrapped her arms around him, "I love you. And I'll see you in five hours." She told him before he pressed his nose to her cheek and pushed himself off of her.
Brittany then said goodbye, told Penny to stick to the schedule again, and left in her truck for work. She recalled telling Canine she loved him and how he kissed her cheek with his nose and smiled as she drove to the restaurant she worked at. She did love Canine. But she wasn't sure Canine really was a he. And, while she loved him… or her, she wasn't sure how she should feel about falling in love with a lion that may or may not have been able to shift into a human. But it was all confirmed the very next day.