The Pits.
Chapter Nine: Purring Welcome.
She felt like she had been run over with a very large truck. Groggily she felt her senses grow until they were in their heightened state. In her subconcious her mind noted that her senses were so much higher then normal which was familiar. The feline felt as if the world was swaying until the feeling of silk met her furry frame. She found herself purring at the touch of such fine silk against her body. Now that was more like it. Rubbing the side of her head against the material it took her a while to remember everything she had been through and the fact she should be dead right at this moment.
Opening her large mouth she let out a yawn before opening her eyes. She was stunned into silence at the sight of the room around her. She was laid on a beautiful four poster bed that had almost see-through ruby red curtains between each pillar on every corner of the bed. The bed was queen size and had more then enough room for four or five of her. There was four pillows at the top end of the bed and luxurious high quality sheets accompanying it. The back wall was covered in a beige wallpaper that intricate gold detail which matched the intricate gold detail on the pillows and bedsheets, reminisant of oriental design. The carpet was white and thick which was so soft that you could easily fall asleep on it in comfort. The two bedside tables matched the bed in wood, and on the right wall of the bedroom there was sliding cream doors that matched the other three walls. No doubt it contained the large wall length wardrobe. On the left wall was a door which she had no doubt contained an exquiste bathroom that wouldn't be out of place in a five star hotel. Everything was of the highest quality.
The room overwhelmed her thoughts so much that without any strain brought out the human in the were-leopardess. She blinked a few times as her humanity flooded back to her and she began to remember everything. She cringed at the thought of what state her human body could be in. Shaving was going to be a pain and she didn't even want to start thinking about the mess her hair would be in. Then there was her eyebrows and she was concerned about her weight. She had quite a lot of puppy fat before she changed into a leopard for the first time. With eating abundant in the forest as well as the zoo and barely eating in the Pits it was anyone's guess as to what her body would end up looking like.
Hearing her stomach rumble she glanced out the window beside the bed on the back wall and noticed it was daylight. Perhaps early afternoon which meant if that Godric vampire had saved her then he would be in his day time rest locked in a light tight room. Hopefully her door wasn't locked. She wasn't sure yet if she wanted to escape or stay here to see what was going to happen. There was pros and cons for each. If she left she would have to go back to protecting herself, risking being caught again, but she would have her freedom. If she stayed she may have Godric's protection if he was a decent vampire but if he wasn't then she would end up being in danger again. Deciding she'd make a decision after eating she leapt off the bed and padded into the bathroom. To get out of the room she'd have to be human and so if she managed to change back she would have to bring her body back up to a decent state because she sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone see her in the state she'd probably be in.
Inhaling deeply she tried to relax and before long felt a tingle run through all her limbs. It felt painful. So much so she ended up collapsed on the ground - she had only changed once from human to leopard mind you - but she did notice she didn't have fur anymore. Clenching her jaw she flexed her fingers before she forced herself up to her feet. Relieved there was everything any woman could need on the dresser infront of a large mirror she first clipped her fingernails into an appropriate length before plucking her eyebrows into a fair state. She took some time shaving her armpits and legs before clipping her toenails. Cringing at the sight of her hair she stepped into the shower, managing to figure out how to turn it on and get it to a warm temperature. She washed her hair thoroughly with water before lathering it with quite a bit of shampoo. She rinsed the shampoo out before putting in some conditioner. By the time she rinsed that out she could run her fingers through her hair without any knots. She did notice how long her hair had gotten, which was to her bottom, and knew she'd have to find someone to cut it soon.
After some thought she realised she was twenty five years old - she had been wild for a long time. Sighing deeply she padded out of the shower, turning it off, and wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel. Once her body and red tinged chocolate brown hair, she ran a brush through her hair before managing to plait it although it made her arms ache quite a bit. Her hair still seemed long even in the plait. Quietly she left the bathroom and went over to the wardrobe hoping to god there was some sort of clothing in there.
Her body was of decent size. Her breasts were still a UK size of 36A, and she still had large 'child-bearing' hips, stood at five feet nine inches in height, as well as what she thought was large thighs. However her puppy fat was gone, although despite the fact her stomach was flat she was not skinny by any means. She felt she was a nice weight. She knew she would never be thin and skinny - especially like the actresses, models, or most singers are in this day and age - but she was glad of that. She didn't want to look like a rake or severely unhealthy.
Looking at the clothing she knew they were female but she wasn't so sure they would fit her. Whoever the clothing was for was definately thinner with bigger breasts then her. Fortunately though despite the fact half the wardrobe was clothing that made her think of the dark side of sex - scary - the other half was pastels and some were even tracksuits. Relieved by this she grabbed a pair of pastel blue tracksuit bottoms which had two white stripes down each leg on the outside, a white short sleeved t-shirt that she felt was far too tight despite the nice give in the tracksuit bottoms, and fetched a pair of white socks as well as a pair of white boxers made for girls. Glancing at the bras she knew she would never be able to fill them and so grabbed the tracksuit hoody that matched the bottoms so her breasts were hidden from view. Putting everything on she felt a lot more comfortable in some clothing. It had been a while since she had. She marched back to the bathroom and brushed her teeth as well as use cotton buds in her ears before she went over to her bedroom door. To her relief she wasn't locked in.
The rest of the room was just as luxurious as my bedroom although it had more of a warm traditional feel that you would find in the best cottages and manors which the feline enjoyed. It took her a while to locate the stairs but once she got downstairs she noticed that there were people wandering around. Most were maids although once she found the kitchen she noticed there was a cook who strangely seemed to be waiting for her. The second the Were sat down the cook immediately asked her what she would like to eat. Licking her lips she found my throat felt rough from not being used.
"Um, what is there?"
The leopardess asked quietly, finding it hard to hold her gaze since she had always been a shy person despite the fact she was rather ferocious in leopard form. She had never felt comfortable in her own skin - a result from bullying throughout her education.
"Anything and everything my dear."
The cook responded. She looked like a down to earth southern woman with wisps of greying black hair straying from her bun, a very grandmotherly type plain light yellow dress with a white apron over it paired with a pair of light yellow pumps on her feet. It was hard to feel anything but good things for her since she oozed a kind, gentle, and warmth.
"Um, can I have a few pain au chocolats and a cup of tea for now? Earl grey is fine, with milk no sugar."
Her voice was raspy but she knew with time it would end up sounding how it used to. The cook nodded setting about getting the girl her breakfast despite it being two o'clock in the afternoon.
"Whats your name deary?"
The cook asked, making the feline pause for a moment as she tried to find her name. It had been a while since she had remembered or had a need to but it soon came to her.
"Oh! Maria. Maria O'Conner."
The leopardess responded, a smile stretching over her lips at the joy of being able to use her own name once more. Maria thanked the cook when her breakfast was set infront of her. Starving, she devoured her meal before sipping slowly at her cup of tea. She may have been able to have eaten more but decided to wait until it was dinner time. Just because she hadn't eaten well in a while didn't mean she was going to eat anything and everything the second she got a chance to. She knew her stomach would most likely complain in a rather volatile way if she even tried. After being shown to the library Maria picked out Pride and Prejudice before curling herself up on a comfy couch infront of a lit fire. It was in the middle of the book she ended up dozing off, the side of her face resting on one of the couch with the rest of her body curled up. Her arms were tucked against her chest whilst the book had fallen face down onto the floor open at random pages. She slept peacefully and happy for the first time in a while. She didn't need to be alert, she was safe more or less, and she didn't have to wake up at any particular time. Plus she was comfortable with a full stomach and no dehydration in sight. She slept without dreaming which was the best thing for her and something she would be glad for. When she did dream it ended up being vivid and very very strange dreams. They usually were almost like a movie but with the most random plots in the world - sometimes they weren't even about her and sometimes they had things that could never ever happen in them. She was known for crying when the dreams were particulary sad, and during the best dreamless sleeps she had drooled a few times. Fortunately this time there was no tears, no drool, and no dreams. Just peaceful sleep.
It was only when she was shaken gently that Maria began to stir. Something between a groan and murmurr left her lips as she turned over, trying to shake off whoever was disturbing her as she now faced the back of the couch. When the shaking refused to stop she sighed deeply before slowly blinking her eyes until she could open them with her eyes focused. She rubbed her eyes briefly, yawning, before she pulled herself up to a sitting position on the couch with her legs straight against the seat of the couch. Turning her head her sleepiness immediately went away as she saw the vampire who she guessed was Godric staring at her. Her cobalt blue eyes widened before she scrambled off the couch and darted behind said couch in an attempt to hide. She couldn't help it. He was beautiful and a vampire. She felt intimidated beyond words. Her cheeks were red from blushing as she peered over the back of the couch so only her eyes were visable.
"Um... hi? Oh! Um, thankyou, for, err, saving my life... and getting me out of there..."
Maria said quietly, blushing even more at her stuttering. From the twinkle in Godric's eyes she knew he was amused at her reaction. Damn vampires.
Why did she have a feeling she would be thinking and saying the words 'damn vampires' more then that once in the future?
Author's Note: Longer then previous chapters. Hope the quality is just as good, if not better. =D
