Past Katt

It seemed that some creature had started living in her cave while she was searching. Some sort of animal she had never seen before. When she first found it the thing had nearly taken her arm off. Thanks to Grimm it was nice and bandaged.

Not that the bandages remained cleaned for much longer.

The beast had been removed from her cave with her own two hands but the beast didn't seem to want to give it up so easily. That didn't matter to her.

Before nightfall the creature's blood had painted the earthen walls and its carcase was tucked to the back of the cave to be disposed of during the early morning hours. To do so at night wasn't wise. Nor was keeping it there in the cave with her but it was better of two evils.

Present Katt

Pissed off.

She was terribly pissed off.

She wanted to throttle Morgan until he was purple and blue.

But above all else..she felt a panic in her chest.

Clayton offering himself up as seemingly some sort of pet while helping Morgan infiltrate some slavers home caused such a knot in her stomach. The idea that Clayton, while as strong as he was, could be enslaved...it caused several unsettling feelings that she was trying to work out.

She left the inn in a state that her surroundings were not so much her worry.

The cold sensation crawling up her arms...clawing at her very will...

It felt overwhelming joy at the thought of being rid of Clayton.

She had made it to the middle of the city seemingly not realizing she was being followed. Or if she had she just wasn't showing she had noticed.

Over the past few days events had been going on that left her..well..baffled...

An orc all up in her face about a child he mistaken for as her own because they looked so much alike. Never had she felt so low or angry as when that orc bellowed in her face about being a horrific mother.

She didn't have any children...

Hell it wasn't until recently that she hadn't even really given it any thought.

It wasn't until Arthour explained that there was a young girl running around who resembled an awful lot like her. No...he said it was her. Her past self.

Her past self..was in the city..and it made what the orc said much more clearer...

Well that was her goal then. She had to make sure that this..child..this..younger her..was safe. While the orc may of not liked her just sitting back and not interfering...she also didn't like the idea of disappearing...

She had a lot she wasn't willing to give up.

She no longer wanted death...

She made her way for the Glen, deciding to check a few 'hot spots' there first.

Clayton kept his peace as he followed after her, slipping out the door before it had closed, catlike grace as he moved in her wake silently but not making any effort to keep her from noticing, just keeping a short distance between them. He knew it was best to let her go, and just...be there when she was ready.

She had avoided the area rather well..It held too many memories but ..that was where she was headed. The last time she even thought about the place was when she was waiting for Leo..on that night..Ugh..Thinking about that night made her chest hurt...

Shaking her head she focused on her course, making her way through the city and eventually into the forest past. She knew he was there and for the walk she was silent, if only to calm down. She did eventually stop and tilt her head in his direction..again..not looking at him. She seemed to be waiting for him to join her at the edge of a clearing where the mountains started.

He didn't know where she was going, and he kept an easy pace with her, not closing the distance nor falling back. As they entered the forest he felt the animal within him stir, just a touch, as it always did when he left 'civilization' behind.

He caught that tilt of her head in his direction when she stopped, and he didn't pause or falter in his steps, simply glided up to stnad next to her in silence at the edge of the clearing. The green-gold eyes turned to focus on her a moment before he looked around to survey their surroundings, his senses wide awake and alert.

She smelled it. Blood. There was something off in the distance too...an unnatural scent of blood. One she remembered. Unicorn...Her lips thinned a bit and she shook her head. Suddenly the ink like substance whipped around her, cloaking over her like shadow hued cloth. Raising her hands up she pulled the hood forward to conceal her face in the shadows of it.

He knew the scent of blood when he smelled it. It was not unusual to him - he was a predator, and this was a place for predators to hunt their prey. For some to live, others must die...a fact know to all those who stalked and hunted.

He turned back to say something to her, maybe to apologize...but then he saw that inky darkness surrounding her, and his eyes went a touch wider, animal instincts rising in turmoil within him, warring against the man, who won out long enough for him to reach for her and speak softly, a questioning tone. (s)"Kathryn...?"

"(vs) Shush.." She scolded him quietly before raising her head. "Child! The one Grimm calls 'Little One'..I know you are there. Come out. You are among friends...I'm just here to bring food and relay a message." With that said she grew silent, waiting to see if her words would provoke out the one she wanted.

There was movement from one the mouth of one of the caverns. The interior smelled of blood, fresh..wild and the small figure that stepped from the shadows of the cavern was covered in the oldness of it. A young face smudged by blood it was even in the mismatched colored hair and on the clothes she wore. Doll like eyes looked between the two but made no attempt to get closer. There was just silence and a patience that seemed endless.

Clayton blinked and retracted his hand. That was her, all right...his Kathryn, and he couldn't help but smile a touch as he nodded and obeyed, falling silent, and turning to regard the clearing as she spoke to the night. Curiosity touched his gaze as he waited for whomever she was addressing to show themselves.

His green-gold eyes narrowed as he looked the girl over, careful to keep his gaze neutral as he observed quietly. The blood covering her masked any scent he could make out, and there was yet something...disconcertingly familiar about her that he couldn't quite place.

Really Katt had hoped that Arthour..Andu..Grimm..she really hoped they had all been wrong but that youngling ...there was no doubt. Inhaling a breath she held it and just sort of stared back. Staring contest was a go and ..with herself no less..There had been a lot of awkwardness lately but this about took the cake. "(vsw) Holy crap.."

The yard was in need of cutting and the grass was ..well it was taller than Clayton in his human skin..But at least there was a path from the street to the door. Once at the door it was opened and she stepped to the side so the two following could go in.

The youth had no intentions on touching and seemed to be rubbing her hands frequently as she walked. Rubbing the spot where his fur had grazed her. It wasn't that she didn't want to but simply because she didn't know how to react to the soft feeling. But she was constantly looking over, observing and admiring the large cat that followed her. She didn't quite understand why he was, either.

At the building the youngling rushed on by the woman, leaving the cat behind in order to go inside and as far away from the door as she could. Exits were noted..places to escape and such..The main floor seemed to hold some sort of boxing rings, dirty and old. Some stairs leading up to the second floor..

Clayton let her go on ahead, the green-gold eyes following her a moment as she escaped into the building. He kept his same slow pace as he followed her to the door, pausing only a moment to look up at his Kathryn as he moved to lean lightly against her, a low, rumbling purr in his throat as he did do, then turning his head to looked between her and the younger version of her. One great velvety paw moved to cross the threshold of the dojo as he looked back at the elder, seemingly questioning whether or not they were going in.

Reaching down Katt scratched her nails against Clayton's head and down the back of his neck. She didn't want him to see this part of her..What she was...but there was really no choice in the matter now was there. She nodded down to him and gestured him on in before calling out. "Upstairs and down the hall is a kitchen. There is food on the table. A platter of breads, meats, and cheese. Help yourself."

Looking around the younger Katt spotted the flooring of one of the rings was busted through but all that seemed to be less of a worry when she heard food. Well her attention quickly turned to the stairs that she was now heading to, taking two at a time up them. Straight line for the kitchen to where she'd not even bother with a plate. Just pretty much stuffed her face with a sever lack of table manners.

The big cat bowed his head at the gesture, then leaned in and butted his head against her hip with another deep, rumbling purr before he turned and glided inside on silent feline paws, looking around curiously here and there as he went. The green-gold eyes followed the girl as she moved around, then scurried for the stairs. He wasn't hungry - he had hunted earlier - but he still followed, taking the stairs slowly so as not to startle the younger of the two Katts.

Katt lingered at the door and just stared inside for a bit. The place held some bittersweet memories that were nothing but pain now. Lies..It had all been lies...Shaking her head she forced herself to swallow down her nerves and follow behind the large cat. Once they came upon the youth that was..ravenously eating she began to speak again. "There are two bedrooms here. They both have fresh linen so you can pick which one. They both have bathrooms. Grimm and Arthour will know to look for you here. You..are safe here.."

The girl's brows lowered as she stuffed another piece of cheese into her mouth. "Bed" What is bed?" Bread..cheese...She found a piece of meat and held it out to the cat. It was a piece fo roast beef, thickly cut. She didn't really believe the woman when she said safe but right now the food was winning over.

Clayton watched the girl eat, a most definite look of feline amusement on his features. That same look was turned on the elder Katt as she came in behind him. Knowing what a sensitive subject her youth was, he would spare her the ribbing he was tempted to give her later. For now, though, he turned his gaze on the roast beef, eyeing it thoughtfully. He had eaten earlier, it was true, but when would he ever turn down an offering of meat' The answer was never, so he trotted forward in true feline feline fashion, gingerly snagging it from her fingers and carrying it a few feet away, where he started tearing it apart and eating it.

Yes dear..Katt learned table manners some time later. Shush it! Hers was still better than his apparently and she seemed to watch him eat. She made absolutely no attempt to get some herself. "A place to rest your head. A room to hide in.." That works just as well. She knew the girl would likely not rest in the bed unless she showed her specfically what it was for and she had no intentions on getting closer. "(vs) Are you staying with her?" This was to Clayton of course.

With a full belly the girl was already growing sleepy. When the woman and cat weren't looking she was stuffing some of the bread into her pockets to be eaten for a later date. Stacking a sort of sandwich she was already moving to sneak past the woman and find one of these rooms. A *click* was heard soon after her disappearance down the hall as a door closed.

Hey, his table manners were impeccable, But right now, he wasn't at a table, was he" He finished the piece of beef with gusto, the long pink tongue used to lick his chops a moment before he looked at his Kathryn with a faint expression of feline incredulity before he got up and walked over to her, closing the distance and leaning to press his side against her leg with a loud, rumbling purr. Much as the younger looked like her, she was not his Kathryn, not yet, and it was with his Kathryn that he wished to remain.