Not Expected

I returned to the cave, as my other half would put it, 'empty handed.'
I stalked in quietly, ears laid back in distaste as I shook the snow fall off my coat.
In the end, the storm had forced me to come back, it had only gotten heavier, making visibility nearly impossible even with my vision.
You'll want to shift back to human, unless you want to give Jake a heart attack again. My other self smugly said.
Lose the fur coat, or give the human a heart attack. I would prefer to keep the former, but as I stalked further back, I returned to the awkward human shape, shivering once with the change in temperature.
"Human?" I called out.
His name is Jake.
I still didn't care. I tilted my head listening for a response.
Nothing. I couldn't even hear breathing. If I didn't know better, I would think this cave empty.
Jake wouldn't be foolish enough to leave, its still snowing.
He followed us into the forest, he's been foolish before.  I shifted back to my form to use my senses in a more familiar way. The human's scent covered the cave, most of it recent, but it got stronger towards the back of the cave, which admittedly I hadn't thoroughly checked to see how deep it went. He could just be out of sight, though out of hearing was still unlikely for me.
I trotted deeper into the darkness, following my nose. And stopped at a blank wall.
He's not here. My other form whispered.
Obviously. So he was a foolish human. Though, I didn't believe it. The scent had only gotten stronger as I moved further back. If he'd left, I would have scented it. The snow couldn't cover all traces of a human passage.
But last I checked, he couldn't walk through walls either.
I touched my nose to the wall. It was solid.
Maybe there's something higher up? A crevice he could slip through?
I growled. Humans. I changed back, using the added height, to see. Nothing. It's still blank.
You sure?
Yes. I snapped. It's solid. Look. I placed my hands on the wall, only to have them sink in. I stiffened with a growl. What the? I jerked back, but my hands didn't budge. The wall loomed in front of me, pulling me in.....everything went black.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

-Danny

Searching

And being in control meant that I did not have to listen to my human half.
I continued to follow the game with half of my attention.
The other half searched the terrain, searching for a more suitable shelter for the human.
After all, I had no idea how to build a shelter, and thanks to my other half, I didn't think that the human would be able to do that either. Couldn't build a fire, couldn't skin an animal, couldn't build a shelter, this human needed to find a pack if he wanted to survive.
We are his pack out here.
I didn't need that reminder. I was searching for shelter wasn't I?

Catchya on the Flip Side!

-Danny

How To Stay Warm

How are you going to get him warm?
No idea.  I thought, shifting back to my form. I easily ran out through the storm, my paws leaving faint foot prints in the fading snow. The human should be able to figure out his own survival. Namely building a fire.
But if he's afraid of fire....
Well, I wasn't about to go find one myself and bring a burning branch back to him. I replied with a twitch of my ear. I could hear prey off in the distance and changed my path to intersect with theirs.
Hunting won't get Jake warmer you know.
But the fur would. I thought with some irritation. I'd seen humans with furs around their bodies during the cold season.
And do you have the skills to skin it after you kill it? Because I don't.
I growled. I would drag the carcass back and make the human do it.
If he can't build a fire, what makes you think that he can skin a deer? Especially if he's freezing?
What is the point of being a human if you can't do anything to survive! I snapped, baring my teeth.
We get creative with our limitations. For one, you could just go back and provide him warmth with our fur.
I told you I wasn't going to do that.
My other half chuckled in my head. Alright, then we need to find something to build a shelter with, to hold the heat in. And when I say we, I mean you, since you're in control.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

-Danny

And We Left...

I hope he's not a werewolf too, that would be freaky.
I shook my head. He isn't, I would know the scent if he was.
Good. But you do bring up an interesting point. Do you think he's afraid of fire?
I would think so, since he's adamantly refusing to do anything to make one.
Same here. I wonder if it's psychological. He does have the scar.
At this point I didn't really care. I was stuck with a shivering human in a cave in a snow storm. I turned for the entrance. That didn't mean I had to stay there though.
What? You can't just leave him!
And how else did you expect me to get him warm. I'm not curling up next to him like one of those housecats. "I'm going out."

That got a reaction from the human. He sat up straight. "What? It's snowing!"
I snorted. "like that would hinder me."
"You're just going to leave? Just like that?"
"I'm not going to sit around and listen to you shiver all night."
"I'm not shivering!"
"My ears don't lie, human. Get back further in the cave, you should stay warm enough there. If you can get over your fear, you'd get warmer still if you start a fire while I'm gone."

Catchya  on the Flip Side!

Danny

Frustration

I really wished that I could just take over. Trying to talk to Jake through my other self, had to be one of the more frustrating things ever.
I could tell that Jake was hiding something. Why else would he vehemently deny a fire? He wasn't even making the attempt to search for anything to start a spark.
The problem was, I couldn't ask him.
My other self was in control.
And as much as I wanted to fight back control and get to the bottom of this, and have Jake actually talk to me.
I had to stay nice with my other self. I had to live with him after all.

My other self had that right.
Glad you concur.
At least you aren't idiotic like the other humans....most of the time.
Oh, that's a compliment?
Somewhat. I studied the human. He refused fire. Admittedly, I didn't mind. Fire wasn't a wolf's best friend either. Maybe he was more like a wolf than I originally thought.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

He's Rather Stubborn

"Look, I have nothing to start a fire either." The human said, a hint of challenge in his voice. "Never have, probably never will."
"You must have something." I said stiffly.
A knife?
"Like a knife."
He hesitated a hair too long. "No, I don't."
I know understood why humans would throw their arms up in the air. Frustration. If he didn't want to get warm there wasn't anything I could do to convince him otherwise. "You do have a knife." I said flatly. "Make a fire with it."
"Look, Wolf guy. I don't want a fire! I did just fine spending a night in a hole. I think a little storm won't kill me either."

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

"You wondered why we hadn't seen him recently? It's because he's been avoiding us!"
"It can't be that bad, Lisa."
"They were mobbing him, Mom! I could hear him from outside! And then, as soon as I made my presence known they all scattered to who knows where, acting like nothing had happened."
"It could have been a one--"
"No Mom," Lisa said firmly. "He has new wounds on top of old ones. For all I know they've been fighting every night since you switched him to this form."
"We would have noticed something before now if that was the case."
"Mom! His feet are swollen to twice if not thrice their normal size! Just look at him and tell me this is a one time occurrence."

I burrowed deeper into the towel. I really didn't want Madam Shan to see how bad I was, it was one thing to have Lisa know, but her?
It didn't help to try and hide, Lisa just picked up the whole nest and unwrapped it holding me out to her mother. I hunkered down, shaking slightly. I hadn't been this close to Madam Shan since I was a fish and there was a wall of glass separating us. To be honest, she looked scary. Her lips had thinned into a tight line, her eyes blazed with fury as she looked upon me. But her hands were just as gentle as Lisa's when she ran a hand slowly down my back, feeling the various wounds. "Roll over, Henry." She said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Unable to stop myself from whimpering, I did as she asked, rolling onto my back so my feet were exposed. It felt so unnatural.
If it was possible, her lips thinned even further. I nearly fell from Lisa's hands, when Madam Shan touched the paw that John had nearly taken a toe from, trying to get away from her, squeaking in pain.
She winced, which I didn't think was possible from her. "I hate to say it, but you're right. He looks like he's been through a shredder."
"What should we do? He can't go back! Would he even recover from this?"
"He'll recover, any injuries received here heal without a mark. He'll be fine." She tapped a finger to her lips. "Are you sure it was his group that attacked him?"
~It wasn't the--~
Lisa's glare cut me off. "I'm pretty sure, I know the markings for each one. They were all present."
~Lisa, It wasn't them~
~Shut up, Fishy Thief.~ Her eyes taking on the same cast of fury as her mothers. ~Why are you even protecting them?~

#Henry

No. A wave of dread washed through me. No, she couldn't do that. That would be the worst possible thing to happen to them. ~Give...give me a moment.~ I said shakily pushing myself up to my feet. Agony, it was like walking through lava. Each step felt worse then the last. With my feet slick with blood, it was difficult if not next to impossible to get a good grip on the tunnels, and I ended up slipping most of the way down towards the Isolation box. My ears twitched frantically as I caught faint scratches and squeaks, that mixed in with scents of other hamsters nearby, watching me. Getting out of this, now that I had been caught by Lisa, I didn't look forward to tonight.

~Where are you now?~ Lisa asked a while later. I actually had no idea how long I was taking, my mind had hazed with pain.
~Almos...Almost to Iso.~ I managed. It was too close to the main feeding area for my comfort, but it would mean Lisa would be able to see me easier, not that I wanted her to...much.
I pulled myself out of the last tunnel and heard her gasp aloud. I huddled there in front of the entry way, unable to stop shaking, to stop twitching.
~HENRY!~ The lid above me disappeared in a flash. "You look awful!" she said speaking out loud. Her hands reached down. "Come on let me see you, closer."
I shied away, not looking at her ~I'm fine.~
~You're fine, my foot. Get on my hand.~
~You'll get bloody.~
~Like I care about that!~
It had been worth a shot. I closed my eyes. ~Pick me up, I'm not sure I can move.~
That brought silence on her part. I winced, squeaking softly as one hand, gently and carefully came underneath me, the other hand covering me as she held me close to her chest. I felt a slight breeze as she walked through the store, holding me as steady as she could. The hand on top moved away, causing me to shiver, as I heard the click of a door opening and shutting. Nearby water began to flow.
"Here Henry." She startled me by speaking out loud in a soft voice. I opened my eyes to stare up into her worried face. "I need to wash the blood off. The water is warm."
She lowered me into a sink with walls tall enough to be cliffs. Gently she slid me into a pool of water that probably wasn't deeper than an inch or two, but deep enough for me.
"Try to hold still alright?" She said. "I'm not purposely going to hurt you, but there's enough matting and grime, not to mention blood! on you."
~I'll...try....~ I whispered, lifting a foot to try and relieve some of the pain that standing on it brought. It just made the other three throb worse in the warm water. I cried out when a shower of water suddenly hit me. Her hands gently scrubbed at my fur, carefully washing out my wounds. I twitched like a vibrating phone every time she came across one of the newer wounds, but I managed to keep quiet and for the most part still.
It wasn't until she finally moved to clean my feet that I freaked out. Even the slightest pressure had me screaming in pain. Lisa had to fight with me, not giving up even when I bit her. She ended up throwing a wash cloth over my head to keep me from attacking her and gripped my twisting body firmly with one hand while using the other to clean each paw one at a time.
"I'm almost done, Henry." her muffled voice said, tersely, just barely audible over my whimpers. "Just hang in there for a bit longer okay?"
Finally, mercifully, she stopped touching my feet and pulled me from out of the washcloth, tumbling me into a dry towel. Gently she moved the cloth, working to dry out my fur, making a little nest for me to huddle in when she was done.
"Just rest here okay, Henry?" She said placing the nest in an empty fish tank, placing a lamp on the lid over me that gave off heat. "I'll be back soon...I have to finish opening up the store. You'll be safe here."

Safe? I hadn't felt safe in forever. Wobbling slightly, I lifted my head, but Lisa had already left, the door clicking shut. I had no idea where she's placed me, but it was quiet, warm, and away from all the other hamsters. I burrowed into the blanket, relaxing more than I had in ages.

#Henry

Our world shook violently as something hit the box from below."HEY! STOP THAT! Get AWAY from HIM!" Lisa's voice cried out. "I'll double your sentences if you don't!"
John gave me one more vicious bite to my back leg before he, his stooges and my crew scattered.

I could barely walk, but I forced myself to scatter with them, following some up into the higher reaches of the tunnel system. Lisa couldn't know. She couldn't find out. Stay unnoticed.

I collapsed as soon as everyone else was out of sight, hiding in one of the darker colored tunnels, shaking like a leaf in a wind storm. My feet. Oh my feet felt like they were on fire.

Silence came from below, I couldn't hear Lisa, or any of the others. They were probably busy cleaning themselves to hide any traces of blood so she wouldn't be able to tell who was involved.

~Henry?~
I winced as her voice rang through my head. Busted.
~Are you okay?~
~I'm...I'm f-fine.~ I managed.
~You don't sound fine.~ She accused.
~What...can you expect? I just woke up.~
~Don't lie to me, Fishy Thief.~ She snapped. ~I know it was you in the middle of that! I recognized your markings. Come down where I can reach you.
~I told you I was fine!~ I snapped back, unable to stop myself from quivering. It had been bad. This time worse than others.
~If you don't come down here Now, I will tear this maze apart until I find you!~
~I'd love to see you try.~ I replied stubbornly. ~Leave it alone, Lisa.~ There were miles of tunnels here. She couldn't take the place apart and put it back together before the store opened.
~Henry~ she icily responded after a moment of silence. ~If you don't come down, I will be sure to convince my mom to quadruple every single one of your gang's sentence.~

#Henry

I knew it couldn't last forever.
They managed to trap me one night in one of the crossroad boxes, using the other hamsters to block off every possible escape route.
John and Sue, like usual were the first to mob me, using their smaller forms to dart around, tripping me up to allow Jess and Billy to get in and hold me down. Larry struck from all directions at once it seemed like, going for every reachable piece of skin, while the others focused on more specific locations. 
I fought back as best as I could, drawing blood on more than one occasion, though no where near the amount that they got from me.  I worked to stay quiet for as long as possible, to not squeak out in pain as that only seemed to encourage John to fight harder, but tonight they went for my paws.
"NO MORE RUN!" John yelled digging his teeth into the pads of my paw, nearly biting off one of my toes. 
"BAD ALPHA!" Sue screamed going for a back foot.
My squeaks of pain reached higher and higher pitches as Jess held down my head preventing me from being able to bite back. I struggled but with them holding my feed down, there wasn't much I could do.
"Stop! Sorry! No More! Please! Sorry! Stop!" I begged as my struggles weakened. "Bad Alpha. Bad. Stop! Fix! Please!" 
But they didn't listen. They never listened anymore. Please, the store had to be opening soon. I couldn't survive much longer. Please.

#Henry

I had to avoid Lisa.
As much as I liked talking with her, she couldn't grow suspicious that my group had turned against me. And if she found out that they were attacking me, I was sure that she would forcibly separate me from the group. Which would be bad. I had to be present, had to get through to the others if I were to convince them that John wasn't totally right about our predicament.
I could sense Lisa's disappointment whenever I caught sight of her below, looking about, for me, but there wasn't much I could do. One look, one hint, that I wasn't alright, and my chance at fixing this rift would be over.

John kept his word, which meant the others kept his word as well. If I did by chance encounter any of them during the day, they didn't attack, though by the way everyone's ears besides Billy's twitched, they sorely wanted to. I tried to take those opportunities when John wasn't around to get through to Sue, Larry, and Jess. But they refused to listen, squeaking at me that I was a "Bad Alpha." And all to soon, those encounters became rarer than rare. The group spent more and more time together, probably due to John's efforts to keep them on his side. Venturing into the communal grounds, where they were, was basically suicide. John had managed to not only become the Alpha of my group, but of all the hamsters. While they wouldn't hurt me, they would hinder me. Blocking me from any chance of getting to the others.

Which meant that I only saw them at night, when they attacked. And that made it very difficult to talk coherently to them when they were bent on tearing me to pieces.

I very quickly figured out the complex miles of tunnels running throughout the store, learning every single route like it was the back of my hand, well paw. It was only through this knowledge that allowed me to escape getting more injuries.
That didn't mean I was always successful in avoiding them throughout the night. At first it was easier, but as I got more difficult to catch, John became more bent on attacking me. The nights after the ones where I managed to stay hidden were always worse.
Billy did what he could to help me at first, leaving cheerios for me to eat when going to the communal grounds for food became more dangerous. But as John's hold tightened on my friends, he found it more difficult to get away. I ended up having to tell him to not take any risks and to stop helping me the one time we were almost caught together. Even with him gripping onto my crew like the power hungry tyrant he was, as time passed John loosened his restrictions on the other hamsters hurting me. They didn't participate in the actual fights, but that didn't stop them from destroying what little food I tried to hoard. That didn't stop them from guarding the various water towers, and making it a tunnel of pain to try and get a drink. That didn't stop them from preventing me from getting any real sleep during the day. That didn't stop them from blocking off my various routes, effectively pushing me into the path of my crew. They even helped to hide all evidence of my battle for survival by carrying water in their cheeks to wash away the blood that would inevitably cover the tunnels before the workers came in the morning.

My life had effectively become a nightmare. One where...as time went on with it only getting worse...I wasn't actually sure I would survive.

#Henry

I flicked my ears, shaking my head. "Bad End Soon. Wish. Hope." I actually had no idea when this animal thing would end, but since we'd all become hamsters....it had to be sooner rather than later. "Go Burrows Soon. Hope. Pack here. Pack Soon Leave. Soon." I said actually managing to sound encouraging, even to myself.
"Know? How?"
"Think. Hope."
Billy nodded, using a paw to rub at his nose. "Hope. Never Lost. Hope Always. Alpha fine? Need Go. Beta Look Look Look Soon."
"Alpha Fine." I confirmed. "Go, See Soon." I winced. "Attack Small."
His ears laid back, nose twitching. "Attack None Wish. Beta Watch. Me Safe. Attack Small. Help Alpha Some. Food. Water. Some. Small Help."
"You Safe First." I said forcibly. "Attack Alpha, Small. Big. Fine. You Safe First. Alpha Good Lone Alpha. Fight, Fight, Pack Happy. Fix."
He shook his head. "Alpha."
"Go." I interrupted him. "Beta Look Look Soon. No Scent. You Here. We Talk. None. You Safe. You Safe."
"Help Small." He promised, looking uncomfortable to be leaving me, as he turned for a side tunnel.
"Help Small. See Soon." Though really, I hoped that I wouldn't run into any of them soon. Even Billy. The safety of my crew was my first priority. Billy had shown support, but I wouldn't let him help me if that meant he would get hurt too.

I forced myself to move, to get further away from Billy's scent. Who knew if we all had the same walnut smell or if our scents in the group varied slightly, but I wouldn't give John a reason to suspect that me and Billy had met up. He might already be suspicious. He knew that Billy and I were close. I would have to let him think that Billy had betrayed me as thoroughly as the rest of the crew. That meant, that I couldn't let Billy help...much. I would be able to do this. I had worked alone long before I'd teamed up with the others, I could do so again.

#Henry

I didn't know what to think when a black hamster with a white stripe across his nose appeared. Billy. His cheeks bulged with food. And he stopped when he caught sight of me. He turned to look back the way he'd come. Checking for the others? I thought I'd understood what John was getting at in his hamster speak, but now I wondered, had he meant only himself.
Even though I hoped that that wasn't the case, I took a step back, readying myself to run.
Billy shook his head with a muffled squeak. "Not hurt." He said pulling out a couple of the dry cheerios from his cheeks and pushing them towards me. "Bad night, Alpha?" He glanced over his shoulder again. "No others come. Me here. Not long. No Hurt" he looked back to me.
If hamsters could cry I would have been trying to hide tears. I hadn't truly thought Billy would go against me, to have it confirmed, relaxed some of the tension.
Some of it. I took a step forward to take one of the cheerios. "Bad Night. Bad time. Bad everywhere."
He nodded. "Not Good, Tried Not Hurt. Tried. Beta look out. Safety Me. Had Fight. Safety."
I hated this hamster speak. It wasn't as clear as I wanted it to be. My nose twitched as I nibbled on the food. "Beta Look Out?"
"He Here Many Seasons. Alpha Here. Bad Alpha here. Wants all Food, Wants All Others Alpha Him. None say Not Alpha." His ears wilted. "Not want hurt. Safety me. But You Alpha. Want Help. No Help No food. Bad. Survive Need. You. Me. Others."
Yes, I definitely hated this hamster speak. But, I could understand it after a fashion. Billy hadn't wanted to hurt me, but he had to because if he didn't John was going to hurt him. John ruled here, and to go against him would mean probably getting the same treatment I had just received.
"You Danger, Come Here?"
He nodded. "You Alpha. Alpha Needs Protect."
"Alpha Needs You Survive. Understand Fight Bite Fight." I cared more about his safety then my own. My crew took priority over my needs.
"Tail. Tail Only. Small Hurt."
I squeaked out a laugh. Come to think of it, he had only come after that nubby thing of a tail. "Others think same you?"
He shook his head. "All Mad. All Mad mad mad mad. Me Quiet. See. Hope. All Mad." he cocked his head. "Hope one. One Not Madmad. Suns wait. See. Mad. Scared. Mad Bad Gathering. All Want Burrows. Homes. Here Many Suns. All Scared Be Here Many Suns More."

#Henry
 

They may have called me Alpha, but with John acting like the leader, I was pretty sure I'd just fallen to the Omega slot.

I couldn't stay where I was for long, Lisa would be along any moment. I forced myself to move up to the higher reaches of the tunnel maze so that my wounds wouldn't be visible to the humans below. And if I understood John right, if my injuries were discovered, I wouldn't survive for long afterwards.
Especially if I had nobody on my side.

My ears laid back at that thought as I crouched down in a Y-shaped pipe towards the back of the store. How had John managed to take control so completely? It was John! Billy hadn't even wanted him as part of our crew until I convinced him we needed more muscle for our heists. And now? Now Billy was letting him lead? How had this gotten so messed up?

~Hey Fishy Thief, How goes Hamster life?~ Lisa called from below as she entered accompanied by the bell ringing from above the door.
~Oh it's a hoot and a half.~ I replied back as normally as I could. Should I tell her?
~More like a squeak I would think, unless you've learned to imitate an owl during the night?~ I could see her looking upwards searching for me as she gathered her stuff together to begin her morning chores.
~I'm trying to, haven't managed the sounds, but I do have the staying up all night thing down.~ Since I'd been chased around the whole night by John and the others. ~Are Hamsters nocturnal?~ I hadn't asked that before.
She shrugged, ~The normal ones are. The human ones? Not always. Why?~
~I.... just found it easier to stay up all night.~ It's easy to be wide awake when you're being attacked. ~And I noticed there seemed to be more of us around at night, running through the tunnels and such.~
~To each their own I suppose. I never really paid attention before. Are you going to become nocturnal now?~ She sounded faintly anxious as she moved to give us Human Hamsters food. I didn't dare go down to grab breakfast with her over there. Come to think of it, I probably couldn't go down there while the store was open. How was I going to eat?
~What, are you worried you won't have anyone to talk to?~ I asked.
~Huh? No! I have plenty of others to talk to!....You're just one of the more interesting ones.~
I chuckled mentally. Oh yah, my life was interesting though I wouldn't talk about it right now. I had to understand first, understand how John had managed this. How he'd turned everyone against me. ~Sure, I'm interesting. Just because I sleep for days on end one time...~
~It's not that.~ She said flatly, staring down at the hamsters. I could tell she was searching for me. ~You sound different...are you sure you're okay?~
Well, my friends had just tried to kill me. ~I'm fine, no ill effects from that Lisa. Perhaps you just haven't heard me sleep deprived before?~ I remarked. ~I was trying to get some zzzs when you walked in.~ I couldn't let her know that my crew had turned against me. No, I would do my best to convince them...of what I didn't know. I had no idea what John had done or said to get them on his side. I needed to find that out first.
~Oh by all means, sleep away the day.~ she said sarcastically ~don't let me keep you up.~
~I wasn't going to for much longer,~ I replied back, my ears suddenly perked up as I heard faint scratching along one of the side tunnels. What was that? Shouldn't everyone be getting breakfast now?

#Henry

More bites quickly followed, harder and harder. I struggled, but Jessa and Billy held me down in place.
What was this!? "Stop? What? Wait! Pain!" I squeaked, struggling to get away. They were attacking me? Even Billy?
If anything my squeaks seemed to encourage them. Billy went for my tail, nipping at the stubby point, Jessa my ears and my head. The others took everywhere in between.
A torrent of words, full of anger assaulted me. "Long time!" "Where you?"  "Slowslowslowslowslow" "Die! Die!, We all die!" "Noises all the time." "Barkbark!" "Alpha bad!" "No good alpha" "Bad risk." "Badbadbad"
In many ways their words hurt worse then the bites, but in reality, the bites were on fire, and my increasingly louder shrieks only encouraged them to bite harder. I twisted, finally nipping back at them, managing to get enough wiggle room from my feeble counter attack, using my teeth wherever I could to get free. I broke into a dead run, feeling the blood all along my body. I could hear the others giving chase behind me. John tackled me before I made it more then a foot down one of the tunnels. I rolled with him, biting as hard as I could and rolled free as he released me, only to encounter the others.
Their squeaks had no words now. Anger and Fear drove them to attack me. I couldn't reason with them, not with them this riled up.
We raced through the various tunnels, me taking whatever turns I could when they presented themselves to me, but whatever I tried, I couldn't shake them. They came like an avalanche. Larry and Sue managed to squeeze around me while I was fighting Billy, managing to block me in the narrow corridor. Billy got me onto my back, and John went for my throat.
He froze as the bell above the door dinged, announcing the first of the employees arriving to work. John chirped an order and the others fell back. He glared at me with his eyes a crazed mixture of red and black. "No attack daytime," he said, stiffly, "No notice with hairless. None. Night come. You runRunRUN! Continue. No die, but Run you fight."
The others had already disappeared, but I nodded, rolling cautiously to my feet. "No notice. None." I repeated softly, feeling like my mind's voice should be as parched as my throat felt.
"Hairless no notice." he warned me again, backing away. "Hairless notice, you dead."
I closed my eyes, listening to him make his way back down one of the tunnels. I could hear myself softly squeaking, from the multiple wounds running like fire all over my body.

#Henry

John chattered at me, almost like a growl. "Beta here long long time. Seasons change, change, cool, wet, hot hot, cool."
Definitely John then, he'd been a hamster the longest. 
I turned to the others. "All well? Eat much? Long here?"
John answered. "Find small female first, when hot hot, she barkbark, chase chase barkbark."
I sat back. Why was john answering for them? Surely the others could speak, I'd heard Larry talk. I shook my head. The barkbarks? A dog? Sue had gone after the dog stuff. So the female of John's size had to be Sue, which made the curly haired female, Jessa. Mentally I winced. Jessa had always kept her hair short like a guys. She'd hated long hair, and now, she had to deal with it as a hamster.
John continued his litany when I stayed quiet.
"Quick, quick next come in heat hot, Big male big female few suns apart storm wet soon ago.~
I nodded, I could follow that, though as a fish I had no idea about what the weather conditions were like, I got an idea of the timeline. Larry, Billy, and finally Jessa had come, and if they were talking about the storm I thought they were, they'd been together for at least a month before I'd been shifted.
"Good good, Happy all together. Soon home, soon fine good. You all speak yes? Good?" Nobody spoke up and my ears wilted. I looked to Billy first, then the others. "Bad Alpha, Bad gathering. Not again. No. Ears hear better now. You good?"
John nodded again speaking for the group. "Good soon yes." 
As one they moved forward, surrounding me and pressing in. At first I thought they were giving me some sort of group hug, but then I felt the first bite.  

#Henry

The midget hamster led the way through a series of tunnels, connecting stations -boxes that connected three or more tunnel sections-, and yet more tunnels, like the cops were after him. I could barely keep him in sight he moved so quick.
It surprised me to finally see him stopped in one of the connecting stations when I finally caught up to him. He hopped back and forth from foot to foot. "Wait, wait here. Find others. Back soon. Stay! Found you!" He zipped through the tunnel to the right before I could respond.
That was fine with me to wait. I crouched down, my sides heaving. If this hamster wasn't Larry, he certainly did a great impersonation of him. I certainly hadn't seen any other hamsters his size be the same ball of energy that one did.

I didn't have to wait long, though thankfully my I'd managed to catch my breathe before I caught the scratch scratch of multiple rodents approaching through the tunnels.
He appeared first, just as hyper as when he'd left, coming out of a different tunnel like a rocket, circling around me seven times before the others appeared.
There were four of them that stepped from the tunnel the midget had come from. Four! Could it be the five of them were my crew? Had I finally found them?  Cautiously they approached.
I straightened, my nose quivering. They all smelt of walnuts. Was it possible. The five of them smelt the same, did that mean I smelt of walnuts too? Was that how they'd been able to tell themselves apart?
The numbers even fit. two females, three males. But beyond my guess about Larry, I wasn't sure who the other four would be. Two of them, one male, one female, were the same size as me. Though their fur wasn't the reddish color mine was. The male was totally black, with the exception of a white stripe like a lightning bolt by his nose, and a white line down his chest. The female had the longest fur I'd seen on a hamster, curling around her and making her look super soft, with a light brown and white coloring. The other two new comers also a male and female were about double the size of the midget hamster. But smaller then me. The male was grey, while the female was a creamy colored.
I really would have to ask Lisa about the different hamster sizes.
Larry, I was sure it was him now, returned to the others, moving even when he was holding still, his ears, nose, eyes, constantly going different directions.
Their noses all twitched as they caught my scent. Surprisingly the grey male spoke first. I'd expected the black one to talk. "Same scent, smell sixth, you sixth? Alpha? None others alpha, you be alpha, I beta, Beta." He repeated significantly.
Obviously I got that we were unable to say our names in this hamster language. Though the beta, thing. Billy wouldn't ever refer to himself as second in command. John though...he would think himself as such. "I Alpha, You beta? Beta strong, hold much when gathering?" John was the strongest out of us and took pride in that fact.
His cheeks puffed out. "Hold much yes." He said tensing up, everyone else had done so as well. Even Larry had stilled. Yet, I couldn't see why they were tensed. If this male was John, that had to make the bigger black one Billy. The females, though, remained silent.
"You all well?" I asked cautiously, my perking forward. "Good? Eat much? Long time here? All Well?"

#Henry

Surviving

He exhaled, "Are you constantly going to harp on me about that?" He felt his way further back into the alcove as the wind shifted sending the hail into the entrance way. "How long is this storm going to last?"
"A while." I replied. "Possibly into tomorrow." I could leave him here, he wasn't dressed for the storm, but I could easily disappear.
He'd freeze if the temperature drops any lower. We need to find a way to keep him warm.
He should learn to wear an extra coat.
It was nearly 80 degrees earlier today, how would he have guessed that a storm was coming?
Again the signs were clear. There'd been signs all day.
Humans don't know them.
Obviously. How they managed to be so prevalent was beyond my comprehension. They knew so little about the weather, were so poorly protected.
We adapt, but again, how are we going to keep him warm?
I snorted. I wasn't about to curl up around him.
Well, it may be the only way, unless you know how to build a fire.
Did I look like I knew how to build one? It looked like you hit sticks together and flames appeared.
Or rocks, you nearly got the concept down.
Not enough to build something.
Well, why not ask him?
I shook my head, also moving back as the wind shoved the snow stones further in. If the human couldn't track well enough to find his way back to his own kind, what would give you the idea that he'd carry fire making tools?
I'm being optimistic.
"We'll need to get warm." I said to the human? "Do you have a way to build a...fire?"
"I'll be fine." He replied, tersely.
So much for optimism.
He didn't say no.
He didn't say yes. "You won't be fine if it gets any colder. Do you have a way to build a fire? I do not." Why would I need to build one when I had my fur coat to stay warm?
"I don't. I don't need a fire." 
He's wearing shorts and a t-shirt, of course he needs a fire.
I cocked my head, watching the hunched figure. "Really?"
"We don't have anything to burn. Any wood would be wet."
I snorted.  Could he not smell the leaves that had blown in here? There was stuff to burn.
We just need something to cause a spark.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny  

Take Cover!

"Are you going to tell me why we need to take cover?" The human asked, not doing much to speed his progress. If he wasn't part of my other half's pack I would have left him to fend for himself. Besides, it should have been obvious. I glanced back just as a heavy gust of wind slammed into us. "Run."
The clouds boiled over the horizon like a wolf pack after a wounded deer.
Now the human listened. He took off at a run, nearly leaving me behind. I raced after him, but he managed to stay ahead. Stupid human, I couldn't lead him to a safe spot if I was following him.
Well, we are on the track team together, we race all the time, he's competitive like that.
He should learn to lead when it's appropriate. And this human form was clumsily. Slow.
Not if you used to it.
Which I wasn't. I changed to my form, now easily taking the lead with my legs jack knifing back and forth. I could hear the human right behind me, but behind him, I heard it. The sound of frozen water hitting the ground. Hard.
Hailstones
I didn't care about the name.
I turned to my right spotting an alcove in the rock and dove in, panting, the human right on my heels.
Like the tidal wave in the endless waters, the storm hit our spot, sending us into near darkness.
"Whew...next time you say we have to move, remind me not to question it." the human breathed. I could see his grey form leaning against the rock wall of the cave.
I snorted, changing back into the human form so that I could continue talking with him. "Next time, don't wander from your group." I said stiffly, listening to the wind send the hailstones against the side of the mountain. This storm wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

One of the midget hamsters, no more then a couple inches long, came towards me through the tunnels like he was on a race. He made me think of Larry, always quick with everything he did. Though the chances that this hamster was one of my crew were pretty slim.
Lisa had been right, the number of hamsters fluctuated everyday, in so much, that I was never quite sure that I saw the same hamster twice. They came in all different colors, patterns, and sizes. My hopes of figuring out which of them were my crew were going slimmer by the day. It was entirely possible that they had already left the store, it was even more possible that I wouldn't run into any of them until we were all human again.
I knew that I could have asked Lisa what my friends looked like, if they were still here, but that felt like giving in. Surely I could figure this out on my own. Did I not know my crew better than anyone else? But, if Madam Shan could make Larry into a slow tortoise, what could she have done to the others to make them unrecognizable? I mean, I would never have looked for Larry as a tortoise. So trying to find them as hamsters, I really felt like I was searching for a needle in a haystack.

I moved over to the side of the tunnel to let the little guy run past, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd just clamber over me otherwise. He didn't seem opposed to that idea.
On the verge of passing by, the little guy whirled, nose twitching and sniffed at me.
His and my ears laid back at the same time. What did I smell bad or something? To me, he had a faint scent of walnuts, odd since we didn't get those when Lisa fed us.
His ears pricked as he sat back and began chattering at me. Squeaking and grunting.
It took me a moment to realize...I could actually understand him.
"Sixth, you the sixth? the last, you Alpha right? Right? For group? All six all six. I quick run tell others I find sixth if you sixth."  He stopped squeaking then, waiting for my response.
Sixth? I lifted my ears. There were six people total in my group. "You part of sixth?" I asked cautiously, weirded out that I could understand this hamster. I mean, I'd tried talking to others, but like talking to the fish, I hadn't gotten any intelligible responses from them. "I part of sixth yes, search find, look for sixth."
He ran around in front of me, squeaking in excitement. "You sixth! Found you! You squeak. Alpha, recognize voice. Found you! Come come!~ He took off like a bullet from a gun, skidding to a stop at an intersection. "Alpha! come come! Found you! Go rest sixth. Fast quick! Come!"
I followed, admittedly a bit numb. Could it really be possible that I'd actually found someone who knew of my group? Was this hamster part of my group? If so, I didn't recognize the voice. Which bothered me more than it should have. If this hamster could recognize my voice, why couldn't I recognize his?  

#Henry 

A Sudden Problem

I broke eye contact with the human as a, as my other half would say, electrical charge rushed through my body.
"We have to move." I said tersely, pulling the human after me.
"What? Why?" He asked, jerking his arm in a feeble gesture of rebellion.
"We need to take cover."
"From what?! It's blue skies."
I growled under my breath. Did these humans not know anything? Could they not sense the change in the air?
We can be rather dense, especially if the human doesn't like the outdoors as much.
They should learn to like it more then. I glanced over my shoulder. Otherwise they would continue to miss the signs. We had to find cover. Now.

 Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

Had I ever thought it would be easy to find my crew? Yes, a part of me had been that naïve. A part of me had expected my crew to be the only people who'd become hamsters. I mean, how many others would be stupid enough to rob from a pet store like I'd been?
A lot apparently. Only when I managed to get to the central tank for 'breakfast' did I actually see how many hamsters roamed the tunnel systems with me.
~How many people steal from your store?!~
Lisa looked up from placing food in the trough that ran along the full side of the central tank. She grinned ~More then you thought would, didn't you?~ She asked.
I jumped from one of the many tunnels that emptied into the central tank, pushing through the sea of bodies to go for my own portion of green looking cheerios, fruits, seeds, and veggies. ~Well, yah. How many hamsters are in here?~
~It varies from day to day. Anywhere between twenty and seventy I suppose.~
~And they've all stolen from this place?~ I couldn't believe it.
She winked at me when I looked up. ~Is it hard to believe that others see the same target you did?~
My ears laid back. ~Yes.~
She shrugged ~Alright, I admit you're the first to attempt as big of a job as you did. But there are a bunch of thieves willing to palm the smaller items.~
~Still, hamster stuff? What would they want those for, are they planning on feeding the park's squirrels?~
~Don't ask me why they take it,~ she replied, shutting the lid. ~You're the thief, not me.~
~Yah, and as one, it doesn't make sense why there would be so many thieves!~ I called after her.
 
#Henry  

The maze of tunnels I'd glimpsed at while I was a fish, truly were a maze. Up, down, back, forth, loop de loop, dead end. Lisa honestly had had too much time on her hands when she created this network to run around the entire store.
Of course, I didn't know for sure that she'd created it, but she knew it much better then I did.
Somehow or another she always knew where I was. And the constant check ups to see if I was alright, were getting on my nerves.
I hated being babied. I barely tolerated it from Billy, and that was only on certain occasions.
Just because I fell asleep for four days, didn't mean that there was anything wrong with me, but Lisa insisted upon checking in on me constantly.
This time though, I was refusing.
~Fishy Thief~
~I'm fine, Lisa, stop mothering me.~ I replied as I moved along the higher reaches of the tunnel system. How could I expect to find my crew if she insisted on calling me down every two minutes to make sure that I was alright? I could see her now, looking upwards anxiously, though her eyes hadn't yet found me.
~I'm not mothering--~
~Says the girl, who insists she watches everything I do. Come on Lisa. Even your mom says I'm fine.~ Madam Shan hadn't even come over to look at me since I woke up. Obviously that meant I was fine.
She glared up at the maze, her hands moving to her hips.
Well, it was true. I hadn't had a repeat experience of my marathon sleep cycle. Beyond being a hamster, I felt perfectly normal. ~I haven't slept longer then a normal hamster would sleep since then have I?~
~No..~ came her grudging reply.  
~Great, now that we have that agreement that I'm fine, you can get back to work, and I can wander around this maze until my sentence is up.~ I said, circling around behind her. This section lead to the actual hamsters in the store, didn't it? Two dead ends later told me I'd been wrong.
She huffed. ~Just be careful okay.~
I rolled my eyes ~Yes Mom.~ It wasn't like I had anything to worry about in here.

#Henry

Disappearing Act

"I don't think you'd have come back to work so soon if you were prone to swooning. Or work here at all in fact." He replied with an easy smile, that set my heart a pattering. Why did he have to be so...so....well, charming?
"Well...uh." I had to look away from his eyes to think. seriously, did I just do that? "Thanks for catching me...and for helping me yesterday, it was..."
"definitely different from the usual workings of a pet store." He gently lifted my chin up so I was looking into his eyes again. "You're welcome."
I had to be dreaming. This was a dream right? Please don't let me blush. That would be so uncool. I took a step back from him to clear my head. I didn't need rescuing. I was fine. I would not make him need to catch me again. "So you always hang out at Pet stores?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Something like that."
"Something like that?" I repeated.
He shrugged again, adding in a dazzling smile for good effect. "I'll explain later, but..." he pointed behind me. "You have a customer waiting."
I turned to see who it was, a woman with a small kid in tow. "She's probably just look--" I turned back to empty air. "Okay that's so not cool to just leave like that!" I said under my breath as I turned back to the woman. And it totally wasn't cool to trick me with the 'look a distraction' ploy either. Totally not cool that I fell for it either.

Karen<3

Watched

"You could try shooting lasers from your eyes again." Danny suggested from the opposite side of the room.
I groaned, burying my head deeper into my pillow. "And go blind again? No thanks."
"Come on, I'm sure you can figure out how to make that not happen."
"Can we just establish that I'm not Superman?" I mumbled.
"No."
I moaned lifting my head up. "Why don't you try shooting icicles from your eyes?" I shot back. "I don't have to be the only one constantly 'training.'"
"I did, when I was seven." He said idly twirling my watch around his wrist. "It didn't work, though I did figure out I could make myself a nice set of ski goggles from the experience." He smirked. "And I'm not the one who's been caught fourteen times sneaking out of the tower."
Of course, he had to bring that up again. Just because Steel had a knack of running into me every time I left the tower, didn't mean that he had to set Devoto on permanent watch duty.
I knew the risks of being about and about with Surge on the rampage. Who didn't by now? But seriously, if he'd been icing planning to do something, wouldn't he have done it by now? What was he waiting for? That's what I'd been trying to figure out. Surge's over all plan. Right now it seemed like total chaos, but there had to be a method to his madness. shouldn't there? So far, the answer appeared to be a no.
"Give me some slack, Devoto. Have you seen me even attempt to leave since Steel made you my babysitter?" I sat up, twisting to put my feet on the ground.
"No, but then again, you know I can easily stop you." He smirked.
I shivered. "Yah, the human ice cube, I know that trick." He also knew that I could melt the ice around me now that I had my abilities. Shooting heat lasers from my hands came easily to me. So easily in fact, that they were the main reason why I kept getting caught my Steel. It was like they reacted to instinct instead of thinking. "I'm sure I can get to a point where I can melt the ice before it even forms from how well I know it." It was his favorite attack on me.
"Well, why not try it out then." He replied pushing away from the wall. "I'm sure a few scorch marks can't hurt me."
"I'm sure the tower staff are tired of giving me new bedrooms." I replied. "You know I can't control the intensity of the beams." I'd burn nearly a hundred holes into the building because of it.
"And you wonder why Steel won't let you out of the tower."
"I haven't hurt anyone yet when I've been out there!"
"The keyword there would be 'yet'"
I threw up my hands, accidentally shooting beams towards the ceiling. Danny casually flung his own hand out a wave of ice rushing over my head to take the brunt of my accidental use of powers. I groaned flopping back onto the bed as droplets of ice and water cascaded down on me. "Shoot."
"Like I said." I could hear the laughter in his voice. "The keyword to your statement would be 'yet.'"
"Shut up."

Layters!

--> Issac

Walkie Talkie

I expected, if this was going to work, that Jake's voice would come across like he was speaking through a walkie talkie. Some static. Some interference.
It didn't.
"You could say that." he replied, loud and clear. It was just like we were talking out loud face to face. Only, obviously, we weren't. The tension in his shoulder's relaxed a little bit. "Voices in my head, werewolves...there apparently being two of you, and oh yah, I'm lost."
I chuckled. "I wish I could help on the last bit, the other three are here to stay."
"Well, I wish the third one would let go of my arm." his eyes narrowed.
"Sorry," I apologized. "I'm not really in the place to make my other self do so."
"Figures." his shoulders twitched in a small shrug. "You should make a different deal next time you have to save my life."
"Ha! I'll see what I can do." Though he'd have to have really bad luck if that happened again.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

On The Spot Conversation

In the end, I went for the direction approach.
"Well, this is an all new level of crazy isn't it Jake?" I remarked.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

Uhh...

It did basically turn into an awkward staring contest. I mean, I'd never tried to mind talk to anyone besides my other half before. Talk about being put on the spot.

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny

~I know about girls needing their beauty sleep, I didn't realize thieves needed theirs as well.~ Lisa's voice rang into my mind. ~Are you really going to sleep the rest of your sentence away?~
I would if she would quit talking.
I jerked awake with a squeak, my hands...paws coming up defensively as something tried to pick me up.
~Oh come now, don't be like that.~ The warmth of her hands continuing to burrow underneath me and pick me up. Why did she sound relieved?
I forced my eyes open, nearly rubbing them though the action didn't feel normal in this form. ~What's with the pick-me-up treatment?~ I complained, flinching away from her hand running down my back. That did not feel normal!
~I'm making sure that you're alright, Fishy Thief.~
~I'm fine, what's with the concern?~ I said, shaking the last of the sleep from my eyes. Cautiously I crouched on her hands looking up at her face.
She raised an eyebrow. ~You've been asleep for the past four days.~
I didn't believe her for half a second. ~FOUR DAYS!~ My ears laid back. ~Why didn't you wake me! We had a dea-~
~I tried, Fishy Thief,~ she cut me off. ~Multiple times. You were out like a light. This is the first time you actually gave me a coherent response and woke up.~
I groaned. That was three days I'd missed out on searching for my crew when I'd been trying to get out early. ~You sure you didn't put a sleeping spell on me or something?~
She laughed. ~I'm sure.~ Her fingers trailed down my spine once more. ~Are you okay though? You were beginning to worry me.~ 
~I would be better if you'd quit doing that.~ I complained. ~It feels weird.~ 
She raised an eyebrow. 
~I'm fine, Lisa. Really.~
~Then why did you sleep for so long!~ She burst out. ~It was like you'd gone into hibernation!~
~How am I supposed to know?!~ It wasn't like I'd planned to fall asleep for so long. ~Maybe my lack of real sleep as a fish had something to do with it!~ I shot back. ~You're the one who deals with shape shifting people into animals. Not me. You can figure it out.~

#Henry

I Couldn't Sleep, Actually.

I don't know what I was thinking when I made it back to work.
Okay, I do. I was thinking that Hatch would still be standing there in the parking lot.
Waiting for me.
He wasn't.
I saw no sign of him. Well, no obvious sign. I mean the guy could change his appearance to look like me! He could be anybody in the store. That old gentleman there, the young kid hitting the glass over there. Okay, I didn't believe he would harm any of the animals. So probably not the kid hitting the fish tanks. But still. Where was he? Where was my prince charming? Didn't he care that I'd gotten better? Or had he moved on with his life. Gone to save some other damsel in distress.
I wish he was still there.
Because, really. I wasn't feeling the best. I mean, I was loads better than the previous day. But I still felt shaky. Like I was a hair's breath away from fainting. So I took my morning slowly. More slowly than I would have liked. I couldn't even guarantee Hatch would be there to come to my rescue if I happened to break something. So I went slowly.
I didn't need a rescuer. I told myself.
I didn't need to see Hatch.
I could take care of myself.
I mean, where had he been when I'd spent that week cleaning out all the disgusting cages so that they didn't smell?
No really, I could do just fine by myself--
"I didn't expect you to be back so quickly."
I gasped, totally like a girly girl. And whirled. "Hatch!"
And like the girl I was, that spin I did, totally kicked my balance out from under me.
Hatch, however, easily caught me, like the Prince Charming he was.
"I promise, I'm not always like this." I muttered, once I stopped seeing stars.
He chuckled. "Oh I know."
I perked up. 'You do? wait...you do?" I asked suspiciously. Exactly how long had he been watching me to know that I wasn't always 'like this?'

Karen<3

Home At Last

It took me nearly an hour to get home after I left Hatch in the parking lot. I may have felt fine while I was lying down, but sitting up was close enough to standing that it nearly was a moot point. I ended up pulling into a parking lot four blocks away, to just lie down and convince my stomach that my car didn't need to be redecorated. It was a long fifteen minutes before I thought I would be able to sit up again. That lasted nearly to Harvey's home. Before I again had to pull over and lay back down. Talk about frustrating!
By the end of my journey, I really wished that Hatch had offered to drive me home. Because what I'd just gone through. Torture. Pure and simple. Having him carry me into the house and up two flights of stairs also would have been alright with me by that point.
Because seriously, I felt like a new born colt at the end of a marathon by the time I collapsed onto my bed. Exhausted. Tired. And yah, definitely sick.  

Karen<3

A Parting

I moaned as the bright sunlight struck my eyes, sending an instant bolt of lightning to my head. I buried my head against Hatch's arm. "I'm going to die." I complained softly.
My stomach did flip flops as we stepped off the curb, to get to my car. Why had I ever let this guy convince me to leave the sanctuary of the birds?
"You'll be fine." he said confidently, shifting his grip to wrap one arm around my shoulders. "I'll catch you if your knees buckle."
Of course, now that he said it all my knees wanted to do was just that. "You're not helping."
"And here I thought I was."
I groaned. "Not what I meant...are we..."
"Nearly there."
I heard the familiar honk of my car. Hatch must have unlocked it remotely. But that didn't tell me how close we were...
"Here." He said, in his normal voice. I opened my eyes, squinting in the light to see my car door open and waiting for me. Finally. Relief. Sanctuary. I climbed in, okay it was more like I fell in to the drivers seat. Dumb knees collapsing on me. I didn't make an effort to sit up right away though. I just needed a breather.
"Thanks." I finally managed, pushing myself up to sit, oh so not confidently at all, behind the wheel. Could I even make the drive home? Like this? It had to be at least 15 minutes away. At least.
"No problem." Hatch said reaching out to push some stray hair out of my face. "I'm sure you can take it from here."
He said it so confidently that I nearly believed him.
"At least I'll be sitting down.' I managed.
He grinned. "That's half the battle there."
My hands tightened on the steering wheel. Why wasn't he offering to drive me home? I would have refused, but after all he'd done.
"You need to turn your car on." he reminded me.
"I know. I know. I preparing myself!" Had my stomach settled enough to actually manage this?
One way to find out. I looked at him, forcing myself to smile. I probably looked like a demented zombie. "Thanks again, for everything Hatch."
"It was my pleasure." he replied placing a hand on the door to shut it.
I stuck my arm out, preventing him.
"I'll see you around?" I asked, hoping I sounded nonchalant enough.
He hesitated, but finally nodded. "I'll be around. Just get better alright?"
"I'll hold you to that. I owe you. Big time."
"You don't"
"I owe you." I cut him off as I turned the car on.
He nodded, closing the door.
 
He stood in the parking lot as I drove away, visible until I turned the corner.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel. I hoped he'd be around. I had a lot of questions for Prince Charming, and I couldn't very well get answers from him if he disappeared back into my dreams.
 
Karen<3

It was a good thing I ducked down, for Isabelle rushed into the kitchen like a whirlwind, clanging metal against metal, smacking wood, and ended up creating a lot of interesting smells. It was all I could do to keep still and out of sight. My belly felt like it was pressed against my spine, and the smells. I wanted them. I wanted something in me, to stuff my cheeks full of food, to finally have the energy to do more then rest on the heat.
Yet, I knew Isabelle, the source of high screams, and sometimes the scent of Fanged Death around her, wouldn't feed me. And that knowledge kept me back. She was no Maille. 
I heard how she talked to the other creatures while I rested in Maille's pocket. 
No, I would wait, and hope that Maille would stir from her nest soon before the scents surrounding me, drove me to do something that I would regret.

~Martin Elek  

~Fishy Thief. Hello. Anyone there? Fishy Thief.~

Vaguely I felt something run down my spine. I flicked an ear, curling up tighter. ~Mhhmmm~


#Henry

Despite my best intentions, I did end up sleeping.
I could totally picture Lisa smirking as I finally curled up in the plastic hut. Which is why I waited until the store had closed and she had left before I did so.

I'd actually forgotten what it was like to sleep. A fish never falls totally asleep, some part of me had always been active. But the hamster form? I fell asleep so quickly and deeply, that I didn't stir. I didn't hear the first of the workers come in. I didn't hear customers come in! Which had to say something, because that bell over the door. Noisy as a fire alarm on steroids.
Me. I heard nothing.

Apparently, I needed to catch up on a lot of 'lost deep sleep' that I hadn't had as a fish.

#Henry

So It Begins

"My other self tells me, that you're part of the pack. Is this true?"

He blinked. "We're friends." he replied, slowly. "I don't know if that means we're a pack."

"Let's find out." I said once more grabbing his burnt arm, making sure my grip tightened before he could jerk it away. Now, now he couldn't move.

"What. are. You. doing!" he punctuated each word with a harder jerk of his arm.

"A test." I said. "It's easy. You just need to look into my eyes."

He snorted. "Look into your eyes?"

"Yes."

"What's that supposed to show?"

I barred my teeth, and he flinched. "Just. Look."

His fists clenched. But he squarely met my eyes. "Do you know how creepy it is to stare into gold eyes? It's creepy."

"Don't talk."

He barred his teeth, mimicking my own facial expression, but the human kept quiet.

At least he has some sense.
If only he had more of it. How long are you going to have him stare at us?
Until you get him to hear you.
Him hear me? You're the one in control...wait. You mean mind speak to him?
Yes. Get him to hear you. I won't interfere. If he can mind speak, you'll be able to communicate.
If not, this just turns into a really awkward staring contest. He mentally took a deep breath. Okay goes nothing

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny 

Well, That's A Surprise

My other half stiffened in my mind Since when could you do this!

Easily I fended off his attempt to take back control. What wasn't as easy was balancing on the two legs. How he managed to do this, I wasn't sure. But I managed to get my equilibrium.
I have complete control for two more days, remember.

I didn't think that meant you would become me!

It didn't. I'd always been able to do this. But when I usually only had three days of complete control, I preferred my form to the human one.
Remain calm. I reassured him. I'm not out to take over your life.

Oh, that's assuring. What in the crazy are you doing in my form if you don't like being in my form?!

I rolled my eyes. Like I said. No way to find out if he mind speaks unless we test it.

And why couldn't you do that as a wolf!

Last I checked, I couldn't speak English.

Riight.
I could sense his frustration.

He's going to freak out when he realizes that I'm not me.

You're not talking to him. Unless you want to give me another two days?

He weighed that option for a good half minute. Just don't kill him okay?

I rolled my eyes. Since when would I kill one of your pack?

Since when do you take my form? He countered.

I didn't think the two compared, actually.
Perhaps you should remain concerned that I'll scare him off. I responded. After all, my record of killing humans still remained at zero.

The crunch of leaves alerted us at the same time. Well, I guess we'll see. He's coming now.

I raised my head in time to see the human moving through the trees,  
Jake
I didn't care what his name was.

He stopped upon seeing me. His shoulders went back. If he'd been a wolf, he'd be putting his ears back.
"H-hey Danny." He said.
Yes, he definitely was aware that he shouldn't be out here.

"You've gone the wrong way." I coolly, replied.
Do you know how weird it is to have you talk in my voice?
Probably as weird as me speaking. Wolf communication is much simpler.

He flinched. "Yah, I figured that out three hours ago." He looked at me, a challenge in his eyes. "It wasn't on purpose. Everything looks the same."

He didn't know how to look then, the forest was widely varied compared to the caves networks the humans chose to live in. 

"You need to learn how to look then, human."

"Human?" he scoffed before his shoulders stiffened. "Wait," he took a step back. "You're not Danny?"

He could catch on quick enough. I raised an eyebrow. "No."

"You're...uh, well, are there two of you?"

I bared my teeth. "You do catch on quick."

He flinched, but didn't back away. "Then who are you?"

"The wolf."

"You don't have a name?"

"I don't need one."

"Ah...kay." he shook his head. "Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be...hunting?" he paled on that last word. "Where's Danny?" he added, obviously trying to change the subject from the thought that I might be hunting him.

"He's here." I started forward to close the distance. "He won't be back for a couple of days." I grabbed onto his burnt arm.
My other self was right, the human twisted out of my grip, before I could tighten it. But not before I felt the toned muscles beneath the scarred exterior. "The fake injury." I said, softly. "My other self, was impressed that you climbed out of that cave with the bite I gave you."

"You gave me? No Danny,"
"Stopped me from tearing out your throat. Hence why he's not here right now. He interrupted my hunt. How did you climb out of that cave? I bit you nearly to the bone, tore flesh."

He lifted his head. "I thought that would be obvious. Do you know what Danny and I do at school?"

I did, but I didn't care.
We have a rock climbing class. Since he pretends his arm is useless there, he works on climbing the wall one handed. He never made it very far up, but....
But that could have been another ploy. I finished for him. At least you picked an interesting human to make part of your pack.

Thanks?

I nodded. "Those years of practice on the wall actually helped you out."

He shrugged. "Who'da thought." His fists tightened as again he met my eyes. If he'd been a wolf, that would have been a challenge, but I knew better with these humans. Still, I could picture his tail lashing if he had had one. "Why are you here, talking to me?"

Catchya on the Flip Side!

Danny