*Warnings and Disclaimer are the same as in the first chapter.
Cerberus lifted her head shaking off the slight disorientation from the light doze she had fallen into during the car trip. Once you got used to it the motion of the automobile wasn't too bad. That might also have just been her exhaustion talking though. She squinted slightly as Elizabeth opened the door and bright afternoon sunlight filled the darker interior of the backseat.
"Come on Shadow, We're home now." She explained looking at Cerberus expectantly.
Cerberus heaved a mental sigh before standing and jumping down to the ground. She shook herself slightly to rid herself of the last clinging vestiges of sleep. She paused once on the sidewalk despite the insistent pulling on her leash,
"Shadow?" Elizabeth questioned as she tugged lightly trying to get Cerberus to move. Sherry came around to their side of the car and smiled slightly at the scene,
"Just give her a second Liz, she's got to be a bit confused by the new place, let her sit for a second and take it all in." She said. Cerberus was just glad that someone understood as she sniffed the air, a combination of scents coming to her from the surrounding neighborhood. Nothing threatening but the chicken cooking down the block smelled absolutely divine. The house they were parked in front of looked much like the others on the street, two stories with a light blue outer paint and a bright red door and shutters. The perfectly green and cut lawn and sharply hedged bushes made Cerberus blink slightly, someone had too much time on their hands. She took a step forward and Elizabeth smiled happily and they followed her mother inside.
The beautiful red door opened to a simple but elegant entrance hall with family pictures hanging proudly next to a mirror. Cerberus took note of the three people in the photos as the two women took off their shoes. Sherry and Elizabeth smiled happily out at the onlooker accompanied by a middle aged man who Cerberus supposed must be the father. She flinched back slightly as a hand came down near her face without warning. Elizabeth paused in her attempt to unclip the leash in bewilderment before understanding dawned.
"Oh Shadow, I'm not going to hurt you sweetie. I just thought you might like to explore a bit on your own, Mom and I have to get dinner ready." She reached forward much more slowly this time and Cerberus watched her hand slightly wary, the leash unclipped easily and Cerberus shook herself in relief noting the slight clanking of the new dog tags on her collar as she did so. Sherry smiled before she and her daughter exited the hall through a doorway that lead to what must have been the kitchen judging by the multitude of food smells drifting lazily out of it.
Cerberus once she was sure that she was truly on her own to explore set off in a different direction quickly finding a set of stairs and her nails clicked on the hard wood slightly as she climbed them. On the second level she found little of interest. Three bedrooms, two that smelled like they were regularly occupied by the members of the family and one that smelled slightly of an elderly woman that hadn't been there in months. A bathroom connected off of the master bedroom and another stood between the other two rooms. All connected by the same hardwood that had been on the stairs. More pictures hung here but they were too high for Cerberus to see clearly, perhaps later she could change and look at them carefully. She would have to wait on that though until the family was asleep. She didn't think they would appreciate the dog they had brought home changing into a human in front of them was exactly good for their mental health. She did take note of the wooden cross hanging above the picture though which only confirmed her assumptions as to their beliefs.
Finding nothing else of interest she wandered back down the stairs, picking up her feet slightly so her nails wouldn't click on the wood as badly this time. She found herself back in the hallway that stood just off the entrance hall. It lead to a rather comfy looking living room with a couch and two nice squishy looking armchairs. Some form of large black screen hung on the wall and Cerberus circled it warily along with the box things that lay on either side of it. One thing she didn't quite like about this century so far was that she didn't know what all the technology was. Even things that she had known of on her last visit had changed drastically between then and now. A door that was slightly ajar led into a small office area that smelled heavily of the man and she quickly exited not wanting to snoop to far without having met the man first.
Another door connected the living room to a dining room with a table that could seat six and a nice cabinet with one glass wall that contained some very nice china dishes. The final door lead to the kitchen and Cerberus's tail wagged excitedly as she smelled the food cooking inside, vegetables, chicken, rice, and some sort of strange sauce she hadn't come across before. Elizabeth giggled at seeing her slightly glazed over eyes as she stared up at the stove. She pointed down at her drawing her mothers' attention,
"Looks like Shadow is going to want some stir-fry Mom." She said as she stirred the beautiful mixture around the pan. Sherry sighed,
"I'd say no, but I know you'll only feed her under the table when my back is turned. She can have a small bowl of the rice and chicken once we've finished eating." Cerberus sighed slightly at the announcement, she really wouldn't mind some of the vegetables either, she wasn't truly a dog after all. She was human once and she really did love onions like the ones in the pan now. Sherry moved around the counter carrying two bowls which she set in the corner, Cerberus walked over curiously, feet slipping slightly on the shiny tile.
She stared down at the bowls in dismay. The one container holding water made her happy enough, but the other did not smell appetizing at all. Hard nuggets were sitting in a pile inside and she pitied dogs everywhere. They weren't even given the good parts of the animal, and since when was meat crushed up like this with other junk and cooked? It looked and smelled foul. She looked imploringly up at Sherry and the woman gave her an unimpressed look before returning to preparing dinner. Cerberus had a feeling she would be very happy for that bowl of chicken and rice.
Cerberus's ears perked up as she heard the front door open and close and she growled slightly in warning. Scrambling to her feet on the slick tile she ran through the door to the hall from the spot in the opposite corner where she had been observing Elizabeth set the table in the dining room. She barged through it and paused before the man standing there growling. He wouldn't come another step into the house until she knew he was safe. Sherry followed her quickly with a concerned look on her face that relaxed once she saw the man in the doorway. She grabbed at Cerberus's collar to make sure she wouldn't try to attack, not that Cerberus had any such plans.
"Dave. You're just in time for dinner," At his wide eyed look down at where Cerberus still stood growling she explained, "This is Shadow, Liz found her earlier and we decided to bring her home, she's got a clean bill of health from the vet, and really she's quite pleasant. You probably just surprised her is all."
The man, Dave moved around her carefully, though they both relaxed a bit as Cerberus finally got a good look at his aura. She stopped growling and relaxed enough for Sherry to let go of her collar. He was no threat, slightly strict when it came to the rules of the house but otherwise a good man. Cerberus knew that the family likely had issues just like any other but at heart, or rather soul, they were all good people. She was once again thankful for whatever divine intervention had lead her to such a good family after the horrors she had seen in Hell.
Dave relaxed when she did and cautiously held out a hand for her to smell, smiling slightly when she sniffed at it and then licked the hand in welcome before turning back to go into the kitchen. Staring hopefully up at the dishes that were ready to go into the dining room. Elizabeth chuckled and set a bowl in front of her containing the promised chicken and rice. Cerberus ate happily, back to the couple that still stood in the doorway. Thus missing the expectant look Sherry sent to Dave and his reluctant sigh,
"I suppose she can stay." He murmured with a slight smile as he watched his daughter interact with the dog. Cerberus grinned into the food bowl as she neatly ate the last bits of chicken and gathered the last bit of sauce and rice with her tongue. She would be sad when she had to leave here, being a dog wasn't so bad, but she also wasn't just a dog and she knew that the demons would be looking for her.
Her worry though had been replaced by contentment as she curled up at the foot of Elizabeths bed at the end of the night. For the first time in centuries happy dreams kept her through the night instead of nightmares.