London. She needed to get away. What better away then another country. After selling the house she has amassed quite a fortune. Which part of she put into buying an Inn in London. It had been closed for a while, and had fallen into a bit of disrepair. Once she arrived she settled into getting it ready for its opening.
That was two months ago. The inn had been opened for a few weeks now and she . d a steady stream of customers. Most of the rented rooms were to some displaced weres. They never brought trouble to the inn as was her policy if they were to stay there and they helped witH in repairs and such around the inn, in return for which she gave them free room and board.
There were however an ample stream for human tourists staying at the inn. This week was a slow week, with the normal six weres at the inn and only two honeymooners who have yet to leave their suite the week they had been there already.
She moved about the front if the house, working on the gardening. A large flower bed was filled with beautiful blooming flowers all of which not native to the area. She sat on her knees before the flower bed, her swollen stomach tugging at the fabric of her white maternity tank top. Her hair hung loose about her face as she worked dirtying her hands in the soil. She sat up wiping her dirty hands onto the dirt covered maternity jeans before looking up at the early spring sky, taking note of the clouds that began to creep into the sky.
Looking down at all the work she had gotten done that day she began the process of pushing her self to standing. Rubbing her sore knees a bit she picked up her gardening tools and made her way around the inn.
The backyard was lavish. A large patio with a hot tub and pool surrounded by her own beautiful gardening work. A large area for entertaining included a long table with padded chairs and a large grill and small bar. She kept the bar small and lightly stocked, and only with goods from the bar across the street. They both had to make a living. Which reminded her she needed to go over and get some more beer. The legal drinking age was only 18 here so the weres that stayed with her liked to enjoy a cold beer after working. She looked to the pool to see the youngest were male sitting next to the girl from across the way. They had their feet in the water and were engaged in a conversation. Sarah-Mae smiled to the two who waved and continued ob her way to her own private garden. Pulling the key out from around her neck she unlocked the gate and stepped into her own private sanctuary. The garden was filled with luch trees and plants. Birds of a dozen types flew about or rested in nests. A small pond held a wide variety of fish. The entire garden was like a whole ecosystem contained in fencing. She moved through the paths quietly taking in what was going on around her as she plucked a few exotic flowers along the way. In the very center of the garden there was a long stone alter like place. Rich red plush pillows lined the ground around the alter. On the table itself candles that never extingushed of various heights lined the compass points. The center was a shallow carved out bowl where she could place offerings. She knelt at the alter for a moment. Closing her eyes and letting out a silent prayer to her patron god Caguuror.
After a few moments of prayer she stood and moved baack to the house locking the gate behind her. She spoke a soft greeting to the teens still talking and went into the house washing her hands and going to change.
She changed her jeans to that of clean ones, the band of the maternity jeans covering her belly, then a clean white maternity tank over that. Sliding on some sandles she moved our of her room and out the front door to the bar across the street to purchase a few more cases of beer. She entered the bar glancing around a bit before searching for Sylvester, the owner of the bar. They had met when she moved in and although they werent well conversed with each other, they knew each others names.
"Sylvester?"
She called out a bit glancing around the bar with her deep brown eyes her hand absent mindedly rubbing at the baby foot which seemed to have lodged itself into her rib.
Slyvester was downstairs, in the basement. The basement where nobody was allowed to go. He rolled himself out from beneath console and wiped the grease And dirt from his hands. Alysia had gone across the way to play with one of the boys who frequently stayed at the inn that had recently opened up across from him. He didn't mind that she went over there almost everyday. The lady who had opened it, Sarah was her name, seemed kindly enough and yet also stern. She was quite a ways along in a state of pregnancy yet she never seemed to run out of energy. She was always gardening or fixing up the Inn and taking care of things. She had even struck up a deal with him for some alcohol. Nothing terribly strong, and never a lot. Seemed the boys who frequented the place simply like a cold draft every now and again. Little buggers.
Anyways having known Alysia was over playing and he had not opened yet Slyvester had taken the opportunity to slip downstairs and work for several hours. He was so close to being done. After years of hard word, first with his beloved wife and now with out her, their dream was close to being achieved. So close yet there where those certain things he needed and needed to get just right. He needed to get them perfect or things wouldn't work right and instead of creating flight he would create a spectacular fireball instead. Hearing a voice upstairs, Slyvester tucked his rag in to his back pocket and lifted his protective goggles an placed them upon his forehead. Mounting the steps he opened the wooden door and pushed it open and noticed Sarah looking around and clearly for him as she was calling his name. He stepped out of the stairwell and closed the door locking it and slipping the key in to his coat pocket.
"Good afternoon Madame Sarah. Is there something I can help you with this fine afternoon?" He smiled and walked towards her. This woman had been nothing but sweet and kind to him since buying the Inn yet she had a kind of...aura he would call it. Of fierce determination based solely out of love and kindness. He would never want to cross this woman he knew, not only out of mild fear of that almost inhuman determination but also out of pure respect.
She jumped a bit as he appeared, before smiling softly. "I came to buy some more beer, the guys worked hard this week. I figured a little celebration would be in order for them. The renovations are complete."
She said, her voive filled with a sense of pride. "Zakary and Alysia were heavy in conversation. I know you have the bar, but you are welcome to join the meal tonight if you want " Even though she had already decided she would bring him around a plate tonight.
She was always pleasent and hospitable. Entertaining seemed to be her knack. She always extended the invitation to him when she purchased some alcohol, though she knew he had to tend to his bar. She knew the men ocassionally came over to drink the heavier stuff since she refused to stock it out of respect for Sylvester. She ran her fingers through her hair combing out a knot.
"I think maybe a case of the usual will do. I can ask Marius to come carry it back to the inn if needed, i think they may be over tonight since they can nap away their hangovers tomorrow. If they ever get too rowdy just give me a ring...i think i scare them." That was pure truth. Devon had scared one of the human patrons by roaring like a bear and nearly shifting. Sarah-Mae had gotten angry at him and all the men behaved like well raised children since. She always had the money on hand and was prepared to pay him when he asked for it
Slyvester smiled at Sarah-Mae. She was always so sweet, all kind. She almost always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking about. Almost.... Hearing about the completion of her hard work to turn the old run down building in to a good, working, and quite beautiful inn he was extremely pleased. He reached out and patted her shoulder. "Thank you for letting me now Alysia is ok. Also you don't have to send anyone over. I'm not busy right now. I'll grab the case and carry it over. The perhaps you could show me around your finished place."
Smiling he walked over to the bar and lifted the small section and stepped behind the bar. He opened the door in to the room where he stored all the wine, beer, and extra liquor. He picked up the case of the same beer she always took and though about it, then smiled and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Stepping back out he set the case on the counter and walked back around. He closed the upward swinging section then handed her the bottle of hard liquor. "If you'd be so kind to carry that dear. It's on the house for the boys. A little congratulatory present. As is the beer. An inn next door will bring me a lot more business, and I can afford it." He smile and picked up the case again. "Lets go surprise them. And perhaps I might just swing over and join the celebrations, if only for a few minutes." He walked to the door and pushed it open with his foot for her.
"As to those big burly men, I'm not worried. They haven't gotten rowdy yet, and if they do a few good whacks over their heads with Louise will either knock some sense in to them....or knock them out." He chuckled. He didn't know about the men's nature as were-creatures and that his few good whacks would probably mean about as much as a few bee stings to a bear. Except for royally pissing it off, that is.
"Alysia is a sweet girl, I love having her company. It's nice having another female around." Sarah-Mae could keep all the guys in check in the Inn. They had seen her upset once before and agreed that she wasn't someone to mess with. Now that she thought about it, she felt like she needed to shift and stretch. She rubbed her back a bit as Slyvester carried over the case of beer to the counter, watching him as he moved about the bar.
She took the bottle of whiskey as he brought it around smiling brightly.
"The boys will definitely be surprised. I've made each of their favorite meals, so it will be like a buffet. A little bit of America brought here to London."
She loved to cook. It relaxed her almost as much as gardening did. She followed him to the door and pushed it open the rest of the way as he pushed it with his foot. She waited for him outside in case he wanted to lock up the bar, before walking beside him across the street. She looked at him, her smile fading a bit when he spoke of the baseball bat.
"In any case, if you ever have any issues with them or any other customer, just holler on over, any of the boys could help you. I've got a pretty loud roar that can stop a crowd too." Her smile brightened at the mention of her roar, even though she knew he had no clue she meant literally.
Once they approached the inn, she held onto the railing and climbed the front 5 steps. She pushed open the front door to the main entry way.
The house smelt of a mess of different cultures. It was the food she was cooking. Though one would have thought the mixture might have smelt odd, between the American Barbeque, the Italian food, Indian dishes and even some Mexican food. She led him through the inn, to the backyard, where Alysia and Zakary had gone from chatting to having some sort of competition with the rest of the men in the pool about who could get the most water out. Sarah-Mae paused for a moment, watching the activity, before smiling and walking towards the large outdoor dining area. Cushioned lounge chairs surrounded a large stonework fire pit. A long, off set dining table, was lined with chairs, a couple of vases filled with Orchid and Hydrangea arrangements and place settings for 7. A large outdoor kitchen occupied one part of the covered section, which included an oven, stove top and industrial sized grill and refrigerator. She placed the Whiskey in a pantry that pulled out from beside the refrigerator and opened the fridge to help Sylvester put the beer away. Once they had finished that, she brushed her hands on her jeans and smiled once more, before looking back to the playful chaos that was going on in the pool.
"Feel free to have a seat or just make yourself comfortable. I need to go change out of these clothes...it's far to hot for jeans for me, I'll bring dinner out." She patted him thankfully on the arm and moved into the inn, heading to her room.
Her room was small, but it was hers. She chose it on purpose, and while all the rooms in the house now have their own bathroom, she also had her own.
Grabbing a dress, she pulled it on over her head, after tearing her other clothes off.
Her body temperature ran warm as it was, but being pregnant she felt like she ran even warmer.
The dress hung down loosely over her body, allowing her space to breathe, unlike the maternity jeans did. She quickly moved out of her room and down the stairs to the kitchen where the food had been all finishing up. She grabbed a large bowl of home made cheddar bacon potato salad, and a large bowl of chicken fajita meat, the smells mixing around her as she walked them out to the table. She placed them down on the table and covered her nose with the back of her hand quickly, leaning her back against the table.
That was nauseating...She made a mental note not to mix the food. Keep Mexican with Mexican. She then kicked her self mentally for sounding racist.
Slyvester balanced the case upon one leg and locked the door behind them as they went across the street. He face went a furious shade of red as she began talking about 'roars' that would stop crowds. Thinking of it in context with the fact she owned an inn brought very bad thoughts to his head. He tried shaking those out, for what kind of man so recently lost his wife and had those thoughts of another woman? Yet he was deluding himself. It had been years since his wife vanished, and he had remained faithful since.
Following Sarah through the inn he looked around and nodded. She had done a fine job with the place. It was really coming along nicely. As she spoke of Alysia he smiled. "Thanks Sarah. I try to raise her the best I can by myself. However being a single working father, I'm sure you know how that is." He smiled and nodded at his daughter as she waved to him and he set the case of beer down upon the table.
He looked around at all the males, all clearly very strong and powerful. He worried a bit about his young, underage daughter who was just beginning to blossom in to her adult body, full of raging hormones around all these good looking men. He gritted his teeth and turned to pulling the beer out and placing it in ice to cool. Those where not thoughts he wanted to have, especially right now. What was wrong with him today? Thoughts of other women having sexual encounters, strings of jealousy, and now these thoughts of his daughter? He was over worked and stressed out, that's what it had to be.
Moving away from the tables he watched all the men and his daughter playing, noticing a cohesion between all these men not usually present in a group of so many ethnicities. Perhaps they where all college pals, or some kind of gang/club? He didn't know and found it intriguing as he continued watching intently until Sarah appeared again.
He moved quickly to her side and grabbed one item from her. He helped her set it upon the table and put an arm around her as she seemed to stumble back. "See Sarah....stop trying to be super woman. I'm here to help ya know." He chuckled and supported her with one arm, watching her face closely. "Not sick or anything are you? The baby ok?" He was genuinely concerned, caring from the bottom of his heart about this young pregnant female who was so nice and kind.
She felt an arm around her steadying her. She looked up to see it was Sylvester before she nodded.
"I'm alright. The scent of the food made me nauseas for a moment. Just a side effect of pregnancy I've learned." She smiled reassuringly to him.
"I'm not super woman? I guess I'll have to put the lasso back in storage." She said with a playful wink and smile before righting herself from leaning against him. She hadn't noticed the activity in the pool had gone quiet until she straightened before Turning to the pool to see Alysia standing confused in the shallow end and the three men and zakary staring at Sylvester and Sarah-Mae. The fur on her haunches would have been raised but instead she flashed her blue hues at the males, stomping her foot defensively. An unspoken conversation seemed to be going on between the five of them before Sarah-Mae threw her body forward in a sort of fake out which made the men all jump and cower a bit. She stood up taller, giggling a bit before spinning on her heels to Sylvester.
"With them I don't even have to roar, just give them the look and they act like babies. Don't worry about Alysia, they all care for her like she's a little sister to them." She took Sylvester by the arm. "Would you mind helping me carry dinner out? You can carry the mexican, the baby doesnt seem to like it" She led him away towards the inn. Was that a growl from the pool?
Slyvester nodded as Sarah explained the food had made her nauseas. It was something his wife had complained of when she was pregnant with Alysia. He rubbed she back (he vaguely remembered that had helped) and watched at her seemingly silent exchange between the the pregnant woman and the group of men. Then she lunged and they all jumped.
Slyvester blinked at the interaction seemingly to be happening before his eyes. Then suddenly Sarah began leading him towards the house. As they went inside Slyvester leaned closer and whispered in her ear. "Umm....do you have any dogs around here? I thought I heard one growling outside." He had thought he saw or heard a rule of no pets here, but he wasn't sure, dogs could attack people and a pregnant lady didn't need that kind of stress or to be attacked.
Following her in to the kitchen, Slyvester grabbed up the two contains of clearly Mexican food. He balanced them carefully and looked at her. "So Sarah, what are you gonna do with all your free time now the inn is actually complete?" He smiled as he inquired of her, pure curiosity filling him as he thought about all the time she had spent fixing the place up and now all that time she would have free except for some cleaning and minor fix me ups here and there.
Oh. She heard the growl. She made a mental note to put that wolf in hos place later. "A growl?" She shrugged a bit. "I don't have a dog, but I'll ask the boys to keep an eye out. That would be bad business if someone got hurt." She said as they entered the kitchen.
The indoor kitchen was industrial. Sarah-Mae lived to cook. All the vegitables, down to the tomatoes she pasted for her homemade spaghetti sauce came from her garden. She watched him pick up the bowls of mexican food, the smell wafting towards her momentarily before her face crinkled up. She turned her head quickly into her arm for a sneeze, which seemed to cause a chain reaction of things to happen.
The most noticeable was the faucet literally shooting off the sink, spraying water in a firehose fashion towards the ceiling, followed by several of the food containers turning to solid gold, including the two Sylvester was holding. A scream of surprise escaped Sarah-mae's mouth as water rained down, as she quickly ran to the sink slapping her hands over the spraying hole, which looked to stem the spray, though she used her powers to calm the flow pushing it into the sink, her wet hair sticking to her head. "The valve is under the sink!" She said scooting her body a bit so Sylvester coukd turn the water off. Once he did that she lifted her hands and looked at the sink before bursting into giggles. She knew of course that she had caused that when she sneezed, but she had no clue how to explain that to him. "I think I'll have the plumbing checked in my freetime." She said between giggles.
Slyvester instantly set the bowls down that seemed much, much lighter then before. He dove between the woman's legs and beneath the sink. He twisted both valves beneath the sink cutting the water off completely. Sliding out he stood up and laughed. "Well, that was unusual. A water pressure spike? That doesn't often happen. I really hope it didn't happen over at my place. I have sensitive equipment in the....err...."
He trailed off not wanting to say anymore. He swore mentally at himself. How could he almost slip to this girl? What was he doing and saying? He grabbed a rag and began wiping up the water all over the kitchen, wringing the rag out in to the sink and soaking up more then wringing again. He had stopped laughing and was continuing to clean. "Well that certainly was amusing, you should go change your dress now. It's sopping wet. I'll finish drying this all up then we can take the food out poppet."
Her dress was indeed soaked. She looked down at herself and shook her wet hair out a bit. She placed her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze with a smile. "Thanks for turning the water off, I would have had to yell and who knows how long it would have been before someone heard me." She moved through the kitchen and up to her room once more. She pulled her wet dress off and hung it up in her bathroom, before sliding on a pair of brown shorts and a sky blue maternity tank, the jersey knit fabric stretching along her swollen stomach and chest. She brushed out her hair and let it hang about her shoulders to dry into soft waves.
She went back downstairs to the kitchen to see he had finished up the drying. "Wow, is pro dryer on your resume?" She asked with a smile. She glanced out the back windows noting they were all out of the pool. She picked up pot holders and used them to grab the lasagna. "Shall we feed the masses?" She asked with a smile.
After they had all eaten, the large african american male went to fix the sink while Zakary and Alysia washed the dishes in the outside sink, laughing about whatever joke they could come up with. Sarah-mae leaned back in her chair rubbing at the foot planted in her side. "Free time? Im not sure what this feeling is." She said with a bright smile as she looked about to the men sharing shots of whiskey and beers
After the small feast the male was resting in a chair, watching everybody moving about in a full, warm stupor. He had eaten way to much and didn't want to move but the time was coming when he was gonna have to open the bar up. He rubbed his to full stomach and groaned sitting up. "Thank you very much Sarah. However I'm afraid I have to tell you I must leave to go open up. It is that time though it seems so soon. Would you be so kind as to make sure Alysia comes home before darkness falls? You know I worry about her when she is out after dark."
She smiled and nodded knowing he had to go open. As the evening went on the men finished up around the inn and made their way across to the bar to celebrate. Sarah-mae and Alysia sat on the front porch in view of the bars front windows chatting about things girls chat about, painting each others nails and laughing. Then men in the bar who referred to each other respectfully as Bear, Wolf and George. Zakary was there as well, though he was more staring out the bar windows to the inn across the street. Bear let out a hearty laugh that caught Zakary's attention as they talked about the "water surge" in the kitchen, though they knew what really happened.
"So Zakary is cute" Sarah-Mae said with a wink and smile to Alysia. The teen blushed nd Sarah-Mae giggled. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," she said as she dipped the brush into the paint to place another coat on Alysia's hands. She paused as the roar of motorcycles filled the air, parking at the bar. Sarah-Mae and Alysia looked over to the bar watching the men get off their bikes. Alysia looked back to the magazine they were sharing as the breeze brought the scent of the men towards the inn.
Sarah stiffened, her pupils dialating as she stared. The men talked amongst themselves before making their way towards Sarah-Mae and Alysia. "Alysia, the bar looks crowded tonight, why don't you go in an phone your father, I'll bring you over after it calms down a little" she said pushing herself to standing. Alysia smiled and looked up, noting the men coming towards the Inn and going inside quickly. Sarah bulked as she pushed on her sore lower back, stepping down off the steps to greet the strangers on the walkway. "You are welcome to rent a room, so long as you promise to keep your true self hidden and don't scare my regular patrons." She said with a smile. A large male clad in decorated leather and jeans approached her taking in her scent as he circled her. "What's a pretty little kitty doing out here by ourself?" The man purred, his voice silked as he tried to assert dominance over her. She lifted her chin and glared at him, her hands wrapping defensively around her stomach. "That is not tolerated here. If you do not wish to respect that you are welcome to move on." She stated calmly, though her body stiffed. The male stopped in front of her, scowling down at her. "Well arent you a fiesty one, and your fertile. A rare thing you are, a fertile female were, they are few and far between. I think we should keep you a pretty little thing such as yourself. We've been watching your little pack, whos the papa to this cub? He around? I think we should negotiate breeding rights, to preserve the species." The male said which invoked laughter from the rest of the group. Laughter that quickly stopped when a loud slap echod the air from Sarah-Mae's furious hand hitting the males face. "You are not welcome here. Get off my property." The men in the bar suddenly fell silent as the sound of the slap hit their ears. Zakary's eyes shot to the inn as his body began to shake. George put his hand on Zakary's shoulder as they all watched intently. The male growled and grabbed a handful of Sarah-Mae's hair yanking her hair back just as Alysia came out on the porch. Alysia screamed out in anger and the men went wild in the bar. They were all out the door and crossing the street quickly as the male threw Sarah-mae to the ground. Zakary let out a beastly roar of rage unable to contain himself as he shifted in the middle of the street to a black bear. He tore at the man who threw Sarah and chaos reigned. Sarah caught herself and watched wide-eyed. The familiar buzz tore through her body. She couldnt help it.
A loud earsplitting roar erupted from the porch steps. There standing defensively infront of a shocked Alysia was a full grown Maltese Tiger. Its blue grey fur shimmering in the fading sunlight. Teeth bared the tigress with a swollen stomach prowled down the stairs as all activity stopped. An angered snarl xame from the female as she swiped out at the male who attacked her. He stared at her for a moment before looking from her to his men, then to the males that stood shaking eyes glued on the female. "Im not finished here, clearly she's a mate worth warring for." The male spoke before George spoke. "She's not for mating. Not now, not ever. Come back and it wont just be baby bear tearing at you. Take a whiff and realize that not just a human male protects this tigeress." The male scented the air then narrowed his eyes. "You think two bears a wolf and a boar will keep her safe?" The determined male asked. Bear shook his head. "You gonna mess with the Tigeress after that cub is born? Shes defending a human child that isnt hers, you want to see what happens when the cub is born?" The male backed down. The tigress was clearly protected, but he would get her when she wasnt pritected. The plan formed in his mind and he backed down. "Fine. Ill be back" he motioned for his men and they followed him back to their bikes. Wolf looked to Sarah and stepped towards her, she growled at him baring her teeth. As Zakary shifted back he went to run towards Alysia to make sure she was safe in which Sarah responded with a snap of her teeth and growl. "Best let her calm down. She in protection mode. My wife was a tiger. She wont be able to shift back until she knows Miss Alysia is safe." George spoke holding the men back and motioning them to step back "She'll need a blanket. Mr Sylvester, do you have one at the bar perchance? My wife was always cold after a shift. We'll explain everything but right now we have to get Miss Sarah to shift back. Shes beyond a tigers gestational period and may go into labor if she's like that any longer." George asked.
Slyvester was serving the boys in the bar, but mostly was watching across the street at the two girls sitting there. Sarah was amazing with Alysia, and Alysia seemed to love her like a sister...or a mother. It was touching how the two got along so well. He wiped at his eye then went back to serving the boys with a smile.
The sound of roaring motorcycles caused Slyvester to raise his head and look out the window. A motorcycle gang had gathered outside and all shut down the bikes at the same time. Feeling slightly nervous the single human male reached below the bar and grabbed the wooden handle of Louise. The man headed straight towards the inn across the street as Slyvester swore. Bringing the bat out he followed the other males out the door. Subconsciously he noticed many changing in to animals yet the adrenaline in his system didnt allow for processing the information. Drawing Louise back, he swung the wooden bat with all his might at the back of one male's head as he looked at his Alpha trying to dominate Sarah who had magically become a magnificent tiger. A gunshot like crack filled the air that was mostly ignore as the bat shattered across the back of the male's skull, sending wooden fragments flying and he crumpled to the ground another useless heap of flesh. However another gang were whirled on Slyvester.
Ducking the first blow, the second grazed Slyvester's side sending him sprawling with a grunt of pain. His hand slid inside his jacket and grasped the hilt of his double barrel derringer. Just the size of his hand the male gripped the weapon tightly and rolled away from the pounding male. Leaping to his feet he thrust the fun forward and the metallic barrel pressed against the forehead of the male attacking him. He grinned and nodded at the man.
"Go ahead, make my day and give me the excuse to pull this trigger. The bullet may not be made of silver, but I'm sure that your brains blown across the street will do a decent enough job, freak." He gazed on the male's eyes as the other went cross eyed at the barrel until they all suddenly pulled back and left. Slyvester let the breath out he had been holding and not knowing it. He hastily slipped his pistol back in his pocket and walked to the group gathered around the tiger...ess.
"Alysia, are you ok?!" He had to have his priorities you know, and his daughter was definitely it. Seeing her scared face but her slow nod he sighed and walked past the tiger to his daughter and wrapped his long arms around her hugging her to himself. He then listened to the men asking for a blanket. "You gonna be alright Aly?" She nodded again and he went inside the inn. Flicking open several draws he finally found a linen draw and pulled out a thick blanket. Coming back out he moved towards the Sarah-tiger....thing. Holding the blanket out in front of himself like a bull fighter he moved towards the tiger. "Good kitty, nice tiger...please don't maul me..." He gently wrapped the blanket around her form.
Sarah-Mae sat on her back haunches as Sylvester approached the tigeress, the blanket wrapping around her. Her green eyes watched Sylvester closely as he went to Alysia, before the form under the blanket began to change. The blue grey fur melted away and gave way to her long brown hair that cascaded down her shoulder in a mess of tangled locks. Her bright blue hues shifted last, the green tiger eyes the last to leave, being replaced with her normal bright blue hues. She tugged the blanket tighter around her body before peeking about her shoulder to check on Alysia. Once she was assured that Alysia was ok, she stood up, looking about the group. Bear reached out to help her, but she shrugged him away moving to the steps. "I'm so sorry. I....I don't know what to say...." She stammered, before ducking into the house. She had never exposed herself to humans before and wasn't even sure as to where to begin. Bear chuckled. "Miss Sarah-Mae has never shifted in front of humans before. Or has had to explain it." Bear said looking to Alysia and Sylvester. Zakary stepped forwards after finding a pair of shorts, one of many that were hidden around the yard. "She is one of the few sheltered Weres. She grew up in a pack and was sheltered from humans mostly. The rest of us are rouges, like those guys, we have no formal pack. Where we aren't a formal pack because we don't have a mated male and female alpha, we are as close as any of us have come to having a pack besides Miss Sarah. If you have any questions about anything it's simple to just ask her. She'll probably be out in the pool. Shifting hurts her in her state." George said.
Sarah was indeed out by the pool. She had stopped and put on her bathing suit, and was just floating, allowing her aching muscles and joints the relaxing feeling of the shift off of her body.
