Unknown Secrets

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella watched the tiger's behavior before sighing and dropping her head to rest on her knees. She hadn't freaked as much this time with him rubbing on her... but honestly? She didn't really care any more. This whole siituation was ridiculous. Complretely ridiculous, "You kknow what?" she said to the tiger, not expecting a response, "Go ahead and bite me. And make it a good one. That way I can just go back home."

Logan
Logan was a bit surprised at Leah when she clung to him. It had to be uncomfortable in the position they were in now so he turned onto his back and wrapped her in his arms, giving a soft grunt as he got situated.

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
Oberon shifted his position so that one paw and his head rested on the edge of the pool and he stared at her. Was she really that miserable here? At least she had a choice! She didn’t have a shock collar strapped around her neck, cutting her off from the outside world and putting her at the mercy of a sick bastard. But of course she didn’t know how good she had it. She couldn’t. After all, she thought the shifting was just an act. He sighed and stood, taking a few more mouthfuls of water to try and fend off the growling in his belly. He stepped out of the tub, water pouring off of him before padding over to her. He stared at her for a moment before shaking, sending water everywhere and drenching her. Maybe that would snap she of the lovely scent out of this funk, he thought, dropping down beside her.

---

Leah
Leah never woke, merely grumbled in her sleep as she wrapped herself more securely around him before settling down.

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella didn't move until shw was soaking wet. She flinched, her head jerking up quickly as she glared at him, "Hey! That's not fair. I let you loose and this is how you repay me?" She shook her head, "See if I do you any more favors in the future." she huffed and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest, "Really. That was just plain rude." As he rested beside her, though, she sighed and her anger deflated. She sat there for a little bit in silence and when she did speak it was in a soft tone, "Why don't you just leave?" She asked, "Run off? You're free now, aren't you?" She turned and met his gaze, sighing again, "Probably not, huh? You're stuck here just like I am." She turned her gaze away again, staring at nothing as she wrapped her arms around her knees, "Chained here with invisible bonds..."

((Postpone Leah and Logan until the morning?))

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
Oberon sighed and looked up at her. She didn’t realize just how visible his bonds were. But she was right. Even if he got this collar off, he couldn’t just leave. He had Logan and Leah and everyone else who depended on him to take care of them. Even that jackass Sebastian, though he’d never admit it. Oberon couldn’t leave until they were all free, no matter how much he just wanted to throw them to the wolves some days. Before his capture, he’d been a loner, even among his own kind. But now he had this rag tag bunch for a clan and he had a responsibility to them. He couldn’t leave. No matter how much abuse he suffered.

[that’s what I was thinking]

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella sighed and turned her gaze back to him, "You really are a pretty Kitty-Cat, aren't you," She said softly, "Would you mind...?" She held her hand out, stopping just short of petting him. Sure, she'd stuck her head in his mouth earlier, had rubbed his fur just before that... but this was different. They weren't expected to practice right now... weren't under any commands. They were just sitting here. And if he pulled away she wouldn't push it. She'd just continue to sit there, hands to herself, and probably eventually go insane. She needed movement. She couldn't sit still. And hand't she head that petting a cat was good for the soul?

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
Oberon looked at her hand, then at her for a long minute before shifting into her touch. If any of the shifters saw he’d have an even harder time reestablishing himself as top cat, but right now he didn’t care. Besides, Richard had told them to stay away. He was the only one who openly defied the man the way he did. Logan must be right, he thought to himself, rumbling in the closest he could get to a purr. He was a glutton for punishment.

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella couldn't stop the smile from stretching her lips as the tiger allowed her to pet him. She ran her fingers through his coat, "I still can't believe how soft you are... even when you're wet." She shook her head, "Which still wasn't right, you getting me wet." She grew more comfortable with petting him and eventually was practically laying against him as they sat there and just hung out, "It's really easy to talk to you..." She said softly, now looking up at the stars as she rested her back against the side of his chest, "I'd heard that it is easy to talk to animals... but I've never done it." She gave a sad chuckle, "Heck, I've never even had a pet..."

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
Oberon shifted so that she could lean more comfortably against him. He listened to her ramble, wondering what she’d do if she knew the truth. She’d never even had a pet? No wonder she was so out of her depths here. He rubbed his head against her, trying to offer comfort. He’d never really been good at the whole shoulder to cry on, typically firing back with sarcasm or a snarl, but she seemed to like him now. It was a big shift from earlier, so at least his humiliation had served some purpose. Maybe there was hope yet. He doubted it, though. She might like the tiger now, but after their confrontation he doubted she liked the man. And she smelled so good, too!

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella smiled at him, her hands reaching out and petting his face, "I never imagined I'd be this comfortable with a while animal." She shook her head, still petting him, "I mean... everybody here kept telling me that you wouldn't hurt me... that's your trained... but I never imagined this." She grinned at him, "You truly are a special Kitty-Cat, aren't ya?" she cuddled a little more against him, sighing softly, "I just wonder why they had you chained... did you do something bad?" She grinned, "Did you go potty outside your litter box?" She teased.

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
If only she knew. Oberon shifted to rest his head against her, closing his eyes with a sigh. He wanted to sleep so badly, but he couldn’t risk it. He was vulnerable like this. One wouldn’t think of a massive Siberian tiger as being more vulnerable than the man, but he was. He was starving and weak, unable to fight, and if Richard saw him off of the chain he’d get it even worse. Plus he had the other shifters waiting for an opening at any moment. He had to stay awake, if only to remind her to chain him back up when she left.

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella found that resting with him was comforting... and eventually she fell asleep, the body of the tiger keeping her warm. She curled into him, fingers buried in his fur...

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
Oberon watched her sleep, curling around her to keep her warm. He liked the feel of her hands in his fur. Eventually he fell into a light doze, passing the night peacefully. Dawn found them still there. Oberon had watched the sun rise, enjoying the quiet, though he knew it meant this respite was coming to an end. He kept his ears and nose sharp until…there. He was coming. With a dissatisfied grunt, he stood, nudging Vella awake. He walked over and picked up the end of the chain and carried it back to her, hoping she’d get the idea and chain him before Richard arrived. If he was lucky she’d leave, too, but when had he ever been that lucky?

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella slept peacefully, comfortable through the night. When she was nudged awake she blinked her eyes, frowning, "Uh... what?" She rubbed at her eyes, shaking her head, "Why did you..." She stared at the chain "Really?" she lifted her gaze to his, "You really want me to rechain you? Do you like to be chained?"

Logan
That morning Logan woke to a very dark room. He had heavy curtains covering his window since he preferred cold dark places - like caves - to sleep. He found himself wrapped around Leah, holding her close to his body through the night.

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon
Oberon huffed, nudging her as he tried to get her to take the chain. He then turned to present his collar to her, looking worriedly in the direction he could hear Richard coming from. He growled, tail twitching in agitation. She needed to hurry it up!

---

Leah
Leah woke slowly, a smile on her face and her arms wrapped around something warm and firm. She yawned, blinking her eyes open as she came face to face with hairy man chest. She jerked back, eyes focusing on the bear mark on the left pectoral. Bear…Logan. She looked up at him sheepishly as she let go. “Good morning,” she said, giving him an apologetic grin. She normally woke up hugging her pillow, though this had been much nicer.

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella huffed and took the chain, "Jeesh, calm down. If I'd known you'd liked being chained I would have left it on you last night." she clipped it to his collar, then continued to sit there and stare at him, "Really, though, I don't get the big deal. Why do you want it one anyhow?"

Logan
Logan grunted out, "Good morning," He said, turning and stretching "Did I kick you off at all? It's a small bed, so I'm sorry if I did."

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon and Richard
The moment the chain was clipped on, Oberon returned to his spot where Vella had found him the night before, staring abjectly into space. And not a moment too soon, either. He had barely assumed his position when Richard came around the corner, smiling jauntily.
“Well, my friend, did you learn your-oh, Vella!” Richard stopped short, startled. “What are you doing here? This area is off limits to most people, did Leah forget to mention that? I’ll have to have a talk with her if so…”
Oberon snarled weakly at him, pinning his ears. He didn’t much have to fake his weakness, he barely had any fight left in him. If he was going to be defending anyone, he first had to eat something.

---

Leah
Leah shook her head. “No, you didn’t wake me up at all. I slept pretty good, actually. You’re a very warm and snuggly bear, Logan.” She giggled, shoulders hunching as she brought her hand to cover her mouth. “How did you sleep? I should have warned you I’m a clinger, Sorry about that.”

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella noticed the tiger's reaction to Richard and she smiled. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who didn't like the guy, "Actually, I do my own thing, Richard. So, regardless of what anyone told me, I found this tiger here tied up. I was lonely, and figured that if I have to put my head in his mouth every night than I should get to know him." She was still sitting on the ground, now glaring at Richard, "Are you the one who tied him up? Why?"

Logan
Logan gave her a smile, "It was fine. I can sleep anywhere." He shrugged at her, "But I worried about you, because I'm sure this isn't your normal sleeping arrangements. Or even close to it." He continued to lay there, just staring at her.

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon and Richard
Richard frowned. “Vella, there are areas that are off limits for your own safety, this is one of them. And as for why I tied him up, he’s been disobedient and this is the only thing I’ve found he’ll listen to. If you have issues with him, take it up with Oberon. He’s the trainer.” That should deflect any blame off of him and squarely onto the mangy shifter, where it belonged. He shot the tiger a look.
Oberon flashed his fangs, but didn’t move from his prone position. He could kill him for that. As if he wasn’t having enough trouble getting her to like him.
“You should go now, Vella. And don’t worry about befriending the animals. They are performers. They do their jobs and get fed, that’s all that matters to them.”

---

Leah
“No, it’s not, but I’ve slept in worse.” She shrugged. Leah couldn’t count how many times she’d had to sleep out in the cold. “I actually slept better than I have in a while. I hate sleeping alone, it makes me nervous.” She gave him another sheepish smile, ducking her gaze from his. “Thanks again, I mean, you really didn’t have to do that.”

@ Aikofox
Vella
Vella was still glaring at Richard as she stood. She gave the tiger one last pat before returning her glare to Richard, "I will be taking this up with Oberon. The way this animal is being treated is abuse. You cannot just tie up an animal than leave it without food and have it's water source out of reach. I could call the authorities on you for this." She shook her head and glared at him, "And since I can't stand any of the humans here... looks like I better befriend the animals." With one last look she turned and walked off, heading back to her RV.

Logan
Logan shrugged, "Well, this seemed to work out. So if you need to..." he left the sentence open, letting her fill it in. He really didn't seem to mind her there and didn't see why it would hurt.

@ Jaguar's Heart

Oberon and Richard
Richard waited until Vella was gone and safely out of earshot before turning to the cat. He pressed the button to trigger the shift, waiting impatiently for him to finish.
Oberon’s shift was agonizingly slow, leaving him curled on the ground and moaning in pain by the time he was done. He was just plain out of energy. He eventually straightened, reaching under the nearby trailer for his discarded pants as he unhooked the collar. Ignoring Richard’s furious ranting, he dressed, pushing away the humiliation of having something private like shifting be observed. “Done yet?” He asked. “It’s not like I asked her to come strolling along and find me, I’ve hardly said two words to her! Most of the time I’ve spent around her has been as a tiger, thank you for that.” He sneered, letting Richard rant a bit more before he was released. Scoffing in disgust, he headed back to his RV, hoping he didn’t run into anyone on the way.

---

Leah
She blinked, surprised by the offer. “Oh! Um, ah, thank you, I wouldn’t want to impose, I mean…” She scratched her cheek with her index finger and ducked her head. “That’s very sweet of you, Logan, but I don’t want to annoy you or anything.”