You gotta be kitten me right meow [cw] | Gaspar & Hunter

For my dearest kitty, @Gaspar <3

cw: sexual content

If there was one thing she liked more than being out after dark, it was the fact that she could let herself breathe a little. Shedding her human form and traveling in the shadows in what she saw as her real self. Very few people went to the park at night, and those who did were up to no good anyways. She was making a few rounds about the pond, stretching her limbs one by one, feeling herself at last. Oh what a relief.
People at this hour were peculiar. She had mostly gone out to just waste some time away, maybe find out more about the summoners who had tried gaining control over her on one of her strolls. As if she was just any common hellhound, no way, she was from a fine line of her breed, proud protectors. Only problem right now was that the one she was sworn to protect didn't know this side of her. He could only know when everything was ready.
Out the corner of her eye she saw a guy, lanky and with positively curly hair staggering about. At first she thought he was drunk. Or maybe he had a disability? But she soon figured that he wasn't wearing any shoes and was looking rather lost. She kept an eye on him from the shadows, not wanting to startle anyone in her form.

The poor guy looked distraught, making her furry brow frown as she circled him from the shadows. He smelled different and yet he looked human, but not in the way that Freddy smelled different. No, this was something else entirely. Hearing the sniffling sounds she wondered how he had gotten to a place like this, no shoes and only himself, tilting her head a bit to the side.
Instead of just appearing from the shadows, she left briefly, managing to steal some food from a couple of drunkards who had left their meals unattended for. She snuck back, quietly placing the food next to him on the bench, but returned to the shadows without being noticed. It was what she did best, after all, caring from a distance never to be noticed. "You look hungry, eat something," the hound said, a slight rasp to the beastly vocal chords, but it wouldn't sound too weird. Or at least she hoped. Her hound form wasn't too used to speaking, at least not English, so it might've come with a slight accent. "Are you lost?"

Taking food from strangers like this, he would have to be either incredibly naïve or very reckless. Yet she kept an eye on him from the shadows in which she blended with quite nicely. It was almost a way she could cloak herself. The person on the bench seemed non-native, at least the few words he spoke had something off about them, and she wondered what had happened to the poor guy. "Do you want my help?" she asked. If he didn't, then it was a pretty easy cut-case to her where she didn't need to worry about him further. She was not one to meddle in other's lives. Tilting her head a little to the other side, she studied his features. His glowing eyes were not normal, but it made her think that perhaps he was in a disguise. She made herself smaller, laying down in the shadows before revealing her own set of glowing red-orange eyes. He wouldn't be able to see much more of her, at least not for now, but maybe it would help him feel less alone. "You don't smell like human," she just said.

She didn't reply. Would it be wise to tell him who and what she was? Not really. But as he said cat, she couldn't help but scoff at the irony. Really? It was down to dogs and cats, wasn't it? "Well cat, I'm dog," she said, not missing a beat, and frankly she found that descriptor to be alright all things accounted for. "Though I would say that your lack of fur isn't to your advantage right now," tilting her head a little, the glowing eyes looking curiously at the guy on the bench. She couldn't just leave him now that she felt more invested. "Alright, do you have a home?" she asked, the raspyness of her voice followed by faint smoke appearing around the bench the guy was sitting on.

So he was out on his own, alone and cold and he didn't even have a place to go home to? Pushing herself up from the ground, her size was revealed. It wasn't as big as a lycan, but she was bigger than a normal dog, that was for sure. "I'll give you a place to keep warm," she said, stepping out of the shadows, letting him see her. She wasn't a hideous creature like those corrupted by the summoners, rather she more so resembled a wolf but with red glowing spots here and there that looked like her fur was on fire. Although it wasn't. "Follow me, cat," she told it, the sound coming from her throat almost in a growl. It was an order, but not one that should hopefully scare the guy. Starting to move, she kept herself mostly visible to the guy, only disappearing in to shadows if others came close.
She lived in a house not far from the part, and thankfully for that. Stopping at the door she nodded for him to enter, waiting until he had gotten in before moving around the back of the house. She had a special entrance for herself in this form. Once inside she moved forward, looking at the guy, her red beaded eyes squinting at him. "On the couch you'll find blankets ... The fire should be lit ... I'll bring you something more to warm you," she said, not shedding her form just yet. She had let a stranger in to her home, so she was weary, but he also didn't seem capable of fighting much.
She went upstairs, grabbing some pillows and a set of clothes for herself. Hauling it all downstairs she dropped the items by the couch.

The eyes moved and his sobs stopped as he looked in the direction of the sound to look at the beast. It looked nothing like the dogs he had seen but he also wouldnt say that he had seen enough to be saying what could or couldnt be a dog either. It told him to follow and he dried off his nose and drew in a sharp breath through his nose before he got up. He followed, well at least he followed until she began hiding in which he stopped. It definitely made people look at him weirdly but he didnt know where they were going.
Well at least until they got to the house and she let him in. There was no really any mistaking that. It was warm and his cold feet almost stung standing on the warm floor. It told him that there were blankets and he looked down at his feet that were a little dirty. He sat down in the couch, still keeping the jacket on. It smelled like Vinnie and that was a sense of safety for him, even if he had no idea where he was.

Hunter didn't really mind the dirt, in fact she wasn't much better herself. Looking at him as he sat there on the couch she wondered if he truly was a cat, but she guessed only time would tell. "You seem awfully calm in my presence," she commented, not a trait she had seen in many people being face to face with a hellhound. Grabbing the clothes with her teeth she moved around to the back of the couch, groaning softly as the shift could be painful at times. But she powered through, and a naked woman emerged from behind the couch. One that quickly got dressed, but not too worried about her naked state.
"If you're truly a cat, then this wouldn't really surprise you, I guess," she said, her voice more smooth now and not as raspy as her hellhound self. Grabbing the pillow she placed it on the floor in front of Gaspar, sitting down on it. Reaching her hands out, she looked at him for permission to touch, and if he gave it she would slowly start to massage his sore and cold feet. Her whole body was always rather warm, the fire within her making it so. "I usually don't get along well with cats; They see me and start running," she chuckled, her hands getting dirty from the dirt on his feet but it barely seemed to bother her. The fireplace was lit and sitting with her back to it she got to enjoy some of it as well.

"N..ot- scared." he stuttered, shuddering at the cold feeling in his legs he felt all the way into his bones, or at least it really did feel that way. She changed and he quickly looked in her direction, rather confused that she was just turning into a human like that, well looking past how painful it seemed and sounded like. Did she do that of her own free will?
He did look surprised but he also had so many questions. How? And why? Why would she not stay as a dog? She moved to sit in front of him and he looked at her, his expression neutral though he hesitated for a moment before letting her touch his feet. It tickled a little and he giggled involuntarily while he adjusted to the feeling. It was warm and nice. "I would. D-ogs... Scary." he said, but his feet were not really with him at that point. If he ran it would hurt like crazy. Maybe he had just given up at that point. Accepted whether she had been dangerous or out to hurt him. "I was... cat. Yes-ter...day." he spoke, pulling the blanket closer around him.

"Of course you're not scared - I would sense that," she smiled, rubbing his feet well, making sure to get all of his toes and as far up his legs as his pants permitted. Of course she preferred her hellhound self, but this way she looked less threatening. Or at least that was her logic behind it. Then he said something peculiar, the fact that he was a cat yesterday, making her tilt her head a little to the side, just as she had done in her other form. "And you haven't found a way to change back, I take it?" she smiled. Of course she didn't recognize his smell as human, he smelled like a mix of cat and human! Was he a strange hybrid? But then again the thought of that scenario of parents were quite disturbing. "How did it happen?" she asked.

She would sense it? He hummed. The way she rubbed his feet was starting to feel nice, especially as her warm hands were warming him up. He might as well come clean, or at least voice one of his frustrations about his current situation. Her question made him nod. He didnt even know if it was possible. Or it had to be. He had been a human before and then turned into a cat again and now the cycle was repeating. So it was just about when he would change again? "Dont... know.." he muttered, looking at her hands holding his feet. "I- sleep. Then I... wake up... not cat."

He slept and then woke up as a human. She couldn't imagine the shock he must've been in. "But you've done it before, yes? You've changed back before?" she asked, just wanting to be sure. His feet were starting to get warm now, and as she finished up the small massage, she wrapped him up in a good blanket. Leaning back on her hands she looked up at the guy on her couch. Scrawny kid, really, but it wasn't like she in her human form was much more intimidating. "Well then ... I mostly struggle shifting - that's what I call it when I go from one form to another - when I'm stressed out," she suggested, not sure if that was something he could relate to. "It's easy when I'm relaxed and feel good, but as soon as I get stressed it can be hard," she could remember having been stuck in this form for a good week and it damn near drove her crazy. She liked the freedom she had as a hellhound, all four paws on the ground, feeling her muscles tense and relax as she moved. "Are you sure you haven't got a place to stay? I mean very few cats don't have owners - at least in the city."

"Y..es." he answered, but he couldnt explain the how's and why. He had a long way to even begin accepting that he could be something else than just a cat. He was wrapped up nicely and he purred softly as he sat there in the little cocoon of safety and warmth. Shifting? He listened while he nudged his face against the soft blanket wrapped around his shoulders, liking the soft feeling against his skin. If he could shift, then wouldnt he have done that already?
She asked about a place he could stay and it made his lip quiver just to think about. "I had... th-en... I didnt..." but then he paused as he exhaled in a tremble. No he wasnt ready to unpack all that yet, he was still hurting. "Tired." he said as he didnt want to sit and cry. He would rather get some sleep and clear his mind. The walk at least hadnt helped in that regard at all.

She hummed softly, nodding as she took all the information she could. Seeing how he was cuddling himself up in the blanket was a good sign to her. It meant that he at least felt safe enough to sleep. Spreading her duvet on the floor, she laid down on her back, looking up at the ceiling. The light from the fireplace making her skin look almost alive with flames itself. "Get some sleep," she said, closing her own eyes, not caring that she would sleep on the floor. She was a light sleeper anyways, and she wanted to be there if he woke up or was trying to take advantage of her hospitality. "You're going to need it," she muttered, relaxing as the warmth from the fireplace along with the crackling of wood was quite soothing to her.

He stopped himself from sobbing again, and focused on how tired he was instead. She told him to get sleep and she didnt really have to tell him twice. He rolled over a bit, not minding that he practically was a ball of blankets now. She slept on the floor and he didnt question it. It didnt seem that weird. Well, considering she was the first dog-human he had met, this wasnt the weirdest part. He glanced at her for a short moment before he quickly fell into a slumber.
When he woke it was because a bad dream had hit him. He was back on the streets, helpless as a starving cat. Some other cats had cornered him but they were also accompanied by humans who looked rather evil. He gasped and hissed as he was pulled from the nightmare, to then realize that he was here with the dog-human, in safety.

Hunter was woken up, hearing the cat whimper and cry in his sleep. She couldn't do much to soothe him, but she did reach up, patting him lightly on the head, "there there," she muttered, her voice a little groggy, but still calm and nice.
The next time she woke up was early morning, sitting up she stretched herself, yawning as she tried shaking off the slumber from her body. Turning her head she saw the fireplace had burnt out during the night. Getting up she went to check if there were any embers in the ashes, reaching down to just move around the ash with her bare hand. What was it going to do? Burn her? That alone could've made her scoff, but she just remained calm, taking a piece of wood, placing it in the fireplace that she lit with the help of a little fire breathing. Hopefully he didn't see that.
Once the fire was going she placed down some more logs, the house soon warming up once more. "I'm making breakfast ... What do you want?" she asked, moving out in to the kitchen. It was pretty basic, mostly because she usually just bought home meat, but she had a feeling that this guy had a bit more of a refined pallet - or was that just assuming when he was a cat?

Well she didn't really know if she had any fish, besides tuna in a can, but she took it out of her cupboard anyways, opening it up and placing it on the table. She liked tuna too, but she preferred red meat any day, however having a guest over meant she probably had to be a bit more civilized. He came out to her in the kitchen, and she looked at the paper note in the guy's hand, frowning as she reached out to take it. Reading what it said she scoffed, "It says; If lost, please return to Vinnie - There's a phone number and address too," she said, giving the cat a small pat on the head. Things would work out it seemed. Moving over she opened the fridge, taking out a container of meat cubes. "I hope you don't mind," she said, moving over to sit down by the kitchen island, opening the container she dug in with a fork, piercing a piece of raw meat. "It seems we'll have to return you home," she said before placing the piece in her mouth, chewing it lightly before swallowing. "I think you maybe have been a bit overdramatic, kitty," she smiled, liking the nicknames she could give him already.

For a cat and a dog, they got on relatively well, but perhaps it was because he was a diva and she was down to earth. He spoke, and she heard him struggling, but she wasn't trying to rush him. Human speech was weird if you hadn't grown up with it, so she was actually surprised at how well he was speaking it. He could form sentences, make connections, hell he could even ask questions. "Attracted?" she hummed, just wanting to confirm that was what he meant before chuckling a bit, "last time I checked being attracted to someone wasn't bad, it just means you like them a lot and want to be closer to them." She didn't know the situation, but she bet it was because the guy knew him as a cat and not a human and now was confused.
"When you're attracted to someone you like cuddling or kissing that other person - maybe he just wants you to be more aware of the world before jumping in to stuff like that." If he was still confused she would put it simply, "you know when lady cats start to rub themselves against you? Mewling and meowing to be close to you? Well humans do that too, it's just more complicated than it needs to be."

Yup. He was a cat. She sighed as he asked how to kiss, pointing to her own lips, pursing them a little, "usually it's against another person's lips ... Sometimes a body part or maybe somewhere more private," she said, nodding down to his crotch. He was really clueless, but she couldn't really blame him. Breathing out she took another piece of meat that she chewed, feeling better already, "You kiss someone when you want to show that you care about them, but you don't kiss friends - I know, it's really confusing and trust me, everyone seems to struggle with the complexity of it." He wasn't alone in this. Romantic relationships had never really been something that spoke to her, perhaps because she knew that she would always care more for Freddy than with whoever she ended up with. However it didn't change that she had needs too. "Sometimes licking is involved too; My guess is that you have some experience with that," she smiled, tilting her head to the side before pushing the can of tuna as well as a spoon closer to him. "Eat ... I'll need to get dressed and maybe see if I have some shoes for you," she said, trying to be encouraging.