Danny awoke from a fairly pleasant dream of being hugged by Sam to become faintly aware of the sound of birds chirping in the trees as opposed to his alarm clock ringing beside him. He slowly opened his eyes to see the face of a dozing Sam lying curled up beside him, leaning against his chest. He stared at her for a while before he remembered he was outside in a forest and in hiding from civilization. He forced himself to look away from his sleeping beauty and check the surrounding area was ok- checking every shadow for signs of life. Everything remained the same as it was yesterday- peaceful and untouched. The sky was a bright blue and the sun had just risen on the right hand side of the sky. Although he didn't have a watch, he guessed it was around 6 o'clock in the morning.

He eased himself away from Sam so as not to wake her, carefully removing the paw draped over her waist, and got to his feet. He tested his left wrist by applying a little weight to his hand. It was numb, which he only hoped was a good thing compared to the pain he had felt last night! He walked over to the lake and took a seat at the edge, curling his tail around himself, and cupped his paws in the clear water. It sparkled in the early morning sun and a few small droplets clung to his furry hand. He raised his paws to his mouth and attempted to drink from it, but most of the water had seeped through his fingers and the remainder poured down the sides of his mouth. He groaned in frustration and, getting to his feet to bend over the lake, resorted to licking up the water with his tongue. It took a while for him to get a satisfying drink, but he didn't think it was too bad- it was even fun. His tongue curled as he lapped up the water, forming a small hollow that would fill with water each time he placed it in the lake. He smirked as images of his childhood obsessions with dogs came to mind, remembering how he had spent an entire week eating and drinking like a dog.

'Those were the days,' he mused to himself.

He was startled out of his thoughts as he felt a hand run up from his lower back to his shoulders. He quickly realized it was Sam, and so he tilted his head towards her and grinned widely, showing his teeth. Sam laughed slightly at the sight of his dripping wet face; water running from his nose down the sides of his mouth and dripping from the fur on his chin. He licked the outside of his mouth as she ruffled his hair playfully, not that it made much of a difference since his hair was always messy. He returned the gesture by nuzzling her head with his, tickling her skin his furry face while, thanks to his animal impulse, he instinctively purred softly. Sam beamed at him in surprise.

"AAAWWW!"

Sam gently hugged his head and laughed at the fact that he was purring at her.

"Hey, you know what I just realized?" asked Sam as she pulled away.

Danny shrugged and shook his head.

"I've been out all night with a guy my parents hate; the same guy that the police are now after for being a dangerous animal! And I haven't told anyone yet, not even Tucker! I'm sure he's sent out a search party for me too…"

Danny chuckled lightly under his breath.

"I think we should call Tucker anyway and tell him to come up here to, you know, fill him in; don't you? He might have a panic attack and think we've run off together somewhere! -Cue Sam's blush- Hey, he might be able find something to help us understand your language better!"

Danny nodded his head in agreement, noting how cute she had look with her tinted cheeks, and watched as Sam pulled her cell phone out of her pocket- lucky it hadn't fallen out during their marathon run yesterday. She press 2 on her speed dial list and Tuckers number was called (Guess who's speed dial number 1!). It rang twice before someone picked it up, breathing unevenly.

"H-Hello?" came the strangled voice.

"Hey Tucker, it's Sam-"

That woke Tucker up!

"OH MY GOD! WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU HURT? ARE YOU WITH THE BEAST? WHAT IS IT?!" Tucker cried in panic with one breath.

"Tucker, relax! In order; I'm in a clearing in the forest on the hill, no I'm not hurt, yes I'm with the beast-"

Danny groaned in disgust with his appearance and the fact Sam saw him as a beast; placing his face in his right paw and looking away from her.

"Sorry Danny-"

"DANNY! Is he with you? Is he fighting the beast?" Tucker badgered with the same amount of urgency.

"Tucker, Danny is the beast!" she hissed back.

Danny visibly cringed at the tone she used when she said this and blinked at her sadly. Realizing her mistake Sam shot him an apologetic look.

"Uh…creature!"

"-Gasp- DANNY'S THE BEAST?!"

"Tucker! Keep your voice down! And please don't call him that…"

"Ok, ok! But stay where you are, I'm coming to meet you," he informed, for once deadly serious.

"Ok, but don't tell anyone where we are or where your going."

Although she couldn't see, he gave the phone a bored look, "Please Sam, I'm not that stupid."

"Well, you are actually!" she teased automatically.

"That was a rhetorical statement! I'll see ya in a few."

"See ya."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Tucker-" she growled.

Tucker hung up before he could get any abuse from what he said. Danny looked at her questionably, hurt still evident in his eyes despite his attempts to hide it, causing Sam to loose her train of thought for a moment before she shrugged, fiddling with the mobile in guilt.

"You know Tucker…anyway, he's coming up here to meet us."

Danny nodded and looked down at his reflection in the water. Auburn fur scarred with dark lines stared out at him while his horns jutted out from his black mane, almost stabbing the sky. The only think that reminded him of his old self, was his baby blue eyes, weary from pain and sadness. It did little to comfort him. He sighed quietly, the gesture emerging as a low grumble.

'Who am I kidding…I am a beast…'

Sam took a seat on the grass beside him and followed his gaze to his reflection. Sighing, she tossed the forgotten phone on the grass beside her and turned to Danny.

"Danny…you're not a beast …you're just…going through some…changes…" she spoke softly.

Danny closed his eyes and lowered his head miserably. 'What wonderful changes' he thought to himself, 'I'm sure everyone experiences it during puberty!' Sam continued unaware of his internal ridicule.

"People just…see what they want to see…they don't see the real beauty of what you've become…"

Danny turned his head to face her slightly as she continued.

"I mean…your part liger- you have the stunning patterns of a tiger and the majestic mane of a lion. Your also part wolf and have a gorgeously long tail-"

Danny snorted a laugh and shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You do! Your tail is gorgeous! –She stroked his tail playfully- And your horns create the perfect contrast with your fur- they are tough and striking whereas your fur is soft and inviting…"

Sam trailed off as she began to stroke his arm, once again tracing the patterns of his stripes with her index finger. Danny gazed into her amethyst eyes and smiled at all the compliments he was receiving. She suddenly leaned towards him and stroked his nose once with her finger.

"Plus, you purr like a sweet little kitten! How can anyone be scared of that?!"

That got him. Danny threw his head back and roared a laugh, which Sam could all but chuckle quietly at. Then, standing up, he grabbed Sam by her waist, like you would a toddler, and dangled her over the lake. She gasped sharply and immediately began to struggle against him.

"NO! Don't you dare!" she screamed and laughed at the same time while kicking her legs to get free.

Danny smiled as he watched Sam try to pull herself closer to him and away from the lake lurking below her. He prolonged her fear of being thrown into the water for a moment longer before he with drew her back and held her bridal style in his arms. He could feel her struggle to regain her breath after she managed to calm herself slightly.

"Oh my God, thank you!"

She sighed in relief until she noticed the glint of mischief in Danny's eyes. She raised an eyebrow then suddenly her breath caught in understanding.

"Don't even think about it!" she threatened, pointing an accusing finger at his face.

Grinning he jumped forward with Sam screaming in his arms and they both landed in the lake, water spraying around them in all directions and sparkling in the sunlight. They both quickly surfaced; Danny laughing uncontrollably and Sam gasping for air. The lake was, thankfully, shallow enough for them both to be able to touch the bottom with their feet, so Sam was in no danger of drowning! When she had caught her breath she glared at Danny as he smiled innocently at her, baring his teeth again with his face dripping wet and his tongue hanging out playfully. Suppressing a grin, she growled,

"Your DEAD!"

She dove at him with her hands outstretched to strangle him, but he grabbed her arms, gently yet firmly, and held her away from him, laughing as she thrashed in the water to reach him. She eventually began to relax under his grip and when her fake anger had finally subsided they began to laugh again as Danny patted the top of Sam's head; pushing more hair into her face. A sharp gasp echoed around them though neither of them opened them spoke.

"Sam?"

They both shot their heads up in the direction of the voice to find Tucker standing near the edge of the woods with scratches and guts over his arms and face, tears in his shirt and trousers, and his glasses askew on his head. He looked like he had just come out in a fight with Dash and lived to tell the tale! His gaze shifted from Sam to the hairy creature beside her. He did a double take, nearly falling backwards at the face-on view of his best friend.

"DANNY?!"

(So, let me know what you think! And thanks again to all of you who have reviewed so far. If any of you wish to view an image of Leon, just type this without any spaces

http : / dandorcha . deviantart . com / art / DP – Page - 1- 90553553

The link underneath it will bring up the image of Sam preparing to hit Danny with a branch!

P.S. I'm away on holiday so don't panic if I don't update for a while!)