(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I realised that this year so far- from Christmas to now, has been twenty-nine chapters, which is almost as long as the others have been, and I'm not even into the school year yet...oops.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

I raced through the house, sliding on the polished wooden floors and rugs, slamming into walls and tables, not used to my new feline body, before I reached the front door, where I reached my first dilemma. How did I open doors in this body?

Deciding to just go for it, I took the round handle into my mouth, twisting my head to the side, nudging it open with my nose.

Well, snout. Whatever you want to call it.

I burst through the open doorway, pouring on the speed in my still clumsy body, taking the subtle hints from the more animalistic side of me to go faster, and be more efficient.

My sharpened claws dug into the soft soil, the strong but lean muscles in my leg propelling me across the flat surface, and I reached the tree line in seconds.

I grinned, though I wasn't sure if it could really show on my feline features, I inhaled deeply, having almost forgotten to breathe, my eyes darting from left to right as I dodged trees, but I didn't have the same stamina as I did in my normal, fully equipped vampire body. I was fast, but not as fast as vampire speed, but it was as close as I could get at the moment, so I savoured every second of this experience.

Eventually, I tried to skid to a stop, though my paws didn't quite grip the loose dirt after my quick stop, and I slammed my side into a tree, deciding to return to my normal form before I caused myself serious harm.

"Oww..." I grumbled quietly, before I heard a twig snap in front of me, my head snapping up to see a face mere centimetres from mine, but not a human face.

The face of another feline.

"Shari...?" I asked uncertainly, and the tiger head dipped in a nod. "A tiger?" She rolled her eyes, quickly returning to her human form as well.

"Speak for yourself, cheetah boy." I chuckled, moving to stand before a sharp pang went through my stomach.

"Oof...ouch." I mumbled, and she rested a hand on my lower back, and offer for pain. "Shari...before Lisbet saved me, my mother gave me something...do you know what it was?" She knew, I could tell, by the way she was looking at me, like she wanted to tell me but couldn't. "Shari, screw 'keeping me safe', I need to know what I'm up against here!" I snarled quietly, and she blinked before sighing, resting a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"It was vampire blood." I blinked, confused. I took a step back, startled, sitting down hard.

"But...why did it have such an effect?" Shari raised an eyebrow.

"It has that effect on veela...you're part veela Leo. That's why it had such an effect. Not to mention how much it hurts humans to ingest it." She managed a light, almost fond chuckle, though I could hear the bitterness underlying in her tone.

"Did it hurt that much when you were turned?" She seemed a little shocked that I had made the connection, but shrugged nonetheless.

"It hurt a lot..." She begun, before her eyes met mine, and I could tell she was holding back tears. "But nowhere near as much as what you went through." She finished, before appearing, sitting next to me, having used vampire speed to do so, wrapping her arms around me tightly. Well, loosely for her, but tightly for a human.

"I was so scared for you... I thought you were going to die for sure." She whispered, her voice misty and muffled by the block of unshed tears in her throat.

"So did I." I admitted with a chuckled, but that only made her latch on to me tighter.

"The way you were screaming..." She buried her head in my neck, and I smiled fondly.

"I'm fine Shari, everything's okay now." I reassured her, slightly surprised as to how hung up about this she was.

Of course, she was like family to me, but I had never really known that she thought of me as such as well.

"Is it?" She asked in a sob, and I paused for a second before nodding furiously.

"It'll all be fine Shari, I'll make sure of it." She let herself sob freely now, her tears cascading down her cheeks before soiling my shirt with their salty moisture.

"Thank you Leo." She murmured, a few minutes later, as she rose to her feet, pulling me with her, careful not to jostle my stomach in any way.

"Eh, it's what I'm here for." I joked, resting an arm across her shoulders, pulling her to my side comfortingly. "What else do I have to look forward too?" I asked rhetorically, though she frowned, and replied nonetheless.

"Life."

(A/N): Ooh, so dramatic!