Brennan shifted as he felt a body lying heavy to his right. He didn't know what it was and in his sleeping state, tried to ignore it. The last thing he could remember was his eyes slowly closing when the sun set in front of him and Shalimar. He couldn't really remember how they had gotten where they were, only it mattered that they were there.

Shalimar shuffled closer to Brennan when the cold air threatened to wake her from her peaceful sleep. She found a small place on Brennan's chest to rest her head, and fell deeper into a sleep. For once, the feral seemed to be asleep as well. Shalimar had her suspicions about that, but would question them later. Right now all she wanted was peaceful sleep. Complete silence and that would help her put up with the feral side of herself a bit longer.

Bushes near the two sleeping members parted, and a dark creature lurked closer and closer to what was napping out side its home. He crept up to them, and waited to see if either had sensed him coming. Neither moved so he drew nearer. Its whiskers tickled Brennan's face as it inhaled what they both smelled like. Brennan waved away what he thought may be a fly and after it went away, his hand drifted back to the floor. His hand landed on a huge paw, but in his sleep, he just brushed the thing aside in his mind... along with a small prick he felt on his hand, and let his mind fall deeper into slumber. The creature pushed aside the humans hand with a bug paw that held small little daggers on the end that retracted and ran along the middle of Brennan's hand

The creature moved to Shalimar, and suddenly jumped back. It smelled an animal, but saw a human. It tilted its head and inhaled her scent again. The creature stepped back as she suddenly started to move about. When she didn't rest again, it started to move away from the two.

It sprung back into the bushes, leaving no evidence it had ever been there or ever existed for that matter.

It was around 3am, when Brennan opened his eyes. He felt comfortable, but jumped away when darkness greeted his eyes. He tried to remember where he could be, but couldn't remember walking back to the mansion with Shal. He tried to stand, and as he succeeded, a low thud made him look back down. He squinted to see into the dark, even if he couldn't see his feet. He jumped and realised it was Shalimar when golden eyes looked up at him in annoyance.

"Hey Shal... sorry but, where are we?"

He saw as she started to look around with those gold eyes, and sat back down as gently as possible. He felt around for any thing, but only wafers of some thing, which felt like grass, greeted his hands.

Shalimar confirmed it for him, "we're still out side... I wonder why the others didn't start a search". Brennan bit his lower lip as a thought crossed his mind on what Jesse had told him, and quickly banished it. He rose more determined now, and still he tried to squint to see 3 feet in front of him. Sighing, he gave up looking and allowed his other senses to roam. If he couldn't see, then hearing, smell and anything else that may help, would have to do.

Shalimar rose and in an instant took his hand. He jumped at the contact, and was glad Shal hadn't looked at him at that moment. His face went red with embarrassment, and he tried to turn away, but Shalimar wasn't looking at him.

"Come on Bren, I'll lead us back, just try and watch your step".

Brennan gave a little huff, "that's easy for you to say".

During the walk, Brennan kept his own thoughts to him self, not wanting to start freaking Shal out, and him self, if he said he thought he could hear some thing behind them. He kept hearing it but put it down to his own mind, and how tired he was. Along the paths they took, Shal seemed to find some joy, every time Brennan lost his footing in a place, and she would prevent him from falling on his face.

Once he slipped on the edge of a hill, and nearly brought Shalimar down with him. But with reflexes like a cat, she gripped a tree and pulled him up.

Brennan seemed to get used to the ground as Shalimar pronounced that they were drawing nearer to the mansion. He gave a sigh of relief when she said it. But the constant thought some thing was behind them, dug into Brennan's brain and made sparks of doubt question if there really was some thing there.

He dared not turn, just to find his answer. He may like animals, but only ones that aren't wild and don't tend to sink big teeth into flesh. Ones with paws to match the size of his hands, and jaws that held the package of the teeth.

He shook him self, trying to get his mind along happier thoughts, but none came, and he continued to think about what might or might not be, behind them. A stray thought made him feel slightly better.

'Shal would have sensed it if anything was that close'. Brennan nodded to him self, but his thoughts instantly started to argue with them selves.

' Not if she's too concentrated on getting you to the mansion, while keeping you from falling on your face'. He blew out a deep breath, and continued to allow Shalimar to pull him back to the mansion.

When they arrived out side, he almost felt like dropping back down to the ground in relief. Shalimar tugged him inside and when they entered, were slightly surprised to see the place was also dark. No light was left on which signalled no one was awake.
They quietly walked up the stairs; again Shalimar leading him by the hand, until they reached their rooms. Brennan was too tired to take notice of what was going on around him, since the walk with the fresh air had sent him into a sleepy state.

He remembered Shal pushing him into the room, and then he was lying on the bed. He couldn't remember how close his bed was to the door, or any thing of the mansion. His eyes were already closing, to let him drift off. He felt Shal lie down on him and didn't really care. They were both asleep in seconds, and cuddled up.

One last thought echoed in his head, as he remembered in which direction Shal had pulled him in as they got to their rooms.

'Isn't my room on the left and not right'. But sleep took all other thoughts, and sent him drifting down the riverbanks of the dream world.

Ok. Sorry that this one was so short. But I'll make it up to you all with the others.

Please reply and keep them coming.

Thx for reading.

Tunder28