Blood still hung heavy on his tongue and jaws and for the time being he didn’t care. The cat pranced back out with a near hop in his step as pink tongue slid back out between his jaws over lips and whiskers. He wasn’t a killer or at least tried to be a killer but the taste of blood sure made that cat purr like a kitten sunbathing. His yellow eyes set upon his dreamy fairy who was looking his direction which made the cat even more proud in his stance as he approached him, purring content and loud. He slunk along his fae’s touch as he slid his fingers through his fur causing the purring to increase even more in volume. in truth killing people and eating them were far low on his list but sometimes a predator cat like himself couldn’t tame the wild beast. ”There are still a few tricks that you don’t know that can get this cat purring, Djinn.” He bumped his head into the long legs of Djinn, one of his large paws wrapping around one of his legs playfully but with no claws. ”I still have my weaknesses even as a cat but I am unharmed.” He was content with getting lost into Djinn as the happenings had got his blood pumping and adrenaline going. It had been quite a while since he could let his inner beast out and run amuck as he did his best to remain on good behavior but what could he say…. His fae definitely got the wilder side of him out.

There was some murmuring from the trapped men, one even warning Djinn that he would get eaten if he wasn’t careful. It was a swift reminder that they weren’t alone and that there was still those who were alive. Killian was satisfied for the boss is dead and the one who hurt Djinn being dead but what to do with the rest of them. A loud hiss was given as his eyes turned towards the men debating on whether or not they should just leave them or let them sink to the bottom of the nearest river. ”They say drowning is the worst way to die.” His tail twitched thoughtfully behind him for a moment shoulder blades rocking a little underneath his dark coat. ”Carbon dioxide levels increase in your blood which gives you a strong desire to breathe. In an instant, you suck in attempting to gasp air but instead its water and you start to choke. Pressure starts building in your head straight to the point your eyes could very well pop from their sockets. It unimaginable pain. Unimaginable fear of death…. You realize just how mortal you a really are.” His head tipped a moment allowing the men to hear his thought as well. ”You think that’s what those werebeasts might feel when you skin them alive?” HIs lips rose upwards allowing a snarl to trail upwards, fur ridging along his spine. All he could really think about was if Lucia had it happen to her if these dirtbags got their hands on her.

He could see the look on their faces drop at the idea of their lives being taken from them. Sure they were only doing their jobs but one had the gall to speak up. ”You kill us then you are no better than what we are….. And just like us, you will have to answer for your crimes, Cat. You will be judged by God.”

”There is no god.”

Shaking his head though he glanced at Djinn for a moment. ”We leave them alive they will just continue doing what they are doing once and if they get out. Traders like them are scum to make a quick buck and repopulate like rabbits. You take out two then ten more pop up.” it was an easy job and of course, many people end up falling into it. ” Ending them won’t make much of a difference…. Besides the ones that deserved it was the leader and the guy who stabbed you. I’m satisfied with my bit of justice..” He turned his back on them. If they died he supposed they died if not then they would like just get out and continue on. But for now… He got his revenge. He moved back to Djinn and bumped the top of his head into his legs again. ”Lets just go…..”

It wasn’t what he wanted but he wasn’t a mindless killer. The other two had reasons for their death as for the other men… they were doing what they were told. He said nothing though when he turned and Djinn’s hands slipped over his skull and began to slink off in the opposite direction moving slowly enough for his two-legged companion to keep up with his four legs. They walked in silence for a moment, the scent of Djinn’s blood still clinging to his nose. ”How bad they hurt you?” he questioned. ”I saw you drop and was going to drag you out but… well…. You see how that went.” His tail twitched aggravated him sighing softly. His feline senses were on high alert being able to sense everything and anything around them. Ears twitched backward listening to the words coming from Djinn.

”You didn’t fail. You still came.” He purred lifting his head and rubbing his cheek into Djinn’s hip as he lift his front paws off the ground a bit in a hop as they were walking to do so. ”That’s what matters to me.” That and the fact Djinn wasn’t murdered. He wasn’t sure he would be able to handle that kind of news. The mere scent of his blood being in the air got the feline feeling tense with worry. He hoped he hadn’t been damaged too badly as he could smell the heavy scent flowing from his back somewhere. As he spoke once more he gave a soft snort. ”No perhaps not but I don’t find myself aiming to hurt people just because of a situation.” Sometimes he could get lost in the dark sensations of being a predator. It didn’t make him feel very good and back there he could feel it coming on. Running wild like the man-eater he could be. ”I told you I can hold my own.” His ears perked as a small creature skittered off in front of their trail and immediately want to chase overcame him nearly prancing after it before forcing himself to slow down. He wasn’t alone. As nice as it would be to pounce on a small helpless creature to play it to death…. He shouldn’t leave Djinn behind.

”I need to get out of this form.” He mewled groaning quietly. It was hard to turn off his cat brain as it even seemed to seep into his human form also with some of his mannerisms. ”I, however, can’t shift…. At least not right now.” His bones felt like they were locked in place. It was an uncomfortable feeling in not being able to change his body on his own free will. ”Dumb ass traders…”

His words caused him to mentally frown though he couldn’t really show it since he was in cat form. No less he didn’t say anything knowing well it would only just irritate him further and he was trying to get through this one evening with him and not have an argument for once. He huffed a breath through his nose instead of saying words and focused on the path ahead of him. HIs clothes were back -- or at least at one point -- were back when they got jumped unless others had picked them up. That meant Djinn’s jacket likely would have gotten tossed as well if they were no longer there. That made him sink a little. Hopefully, they would still be there. His words caused the cat to look up and he slicked his ears back against his skull. ”Unfortunately, no.” he answered. ”They gave me a bitter potion that doesn’t allow us to shift back. It makes it easier for them to sell and pass us off as just animals. The good ones usually make a potion also to make it unable for us to speak as well…. I think the ones who caught me didn’t really know what they were doing.” His nose scrunched causing his fangs to appear beneath his lips as whiskers pushed back. ”The potion tasted wrong when I woke up.” It tasted of poor quality the kind that would make anyone pucker at the taste of it.

He said they couldn’t go back to Aelfmenn because he was still a cat and then later joked that they could find him clothe elsewhere. The idea made him perk up a bit but then he could see Djinn quickly trying to cover it up and looked slightly ashamed he said anything. He missed that quality time with Djinn. It was more than just talking or teasing… it was a physical connection between the two. He supposed that was what he craved the most. ”I could always go without clothes.” he purred a bit as he swung his lanky large body in front of Djinn to force him to stop walking. ”Pretty sure you would like me better that way.” The sounds that came from him were affectionate. He sat back on his haunched a bit and rubbed up against his hip to his abdomen with his head. ”I know what you said but I could maybe change your mind.” With steady balance he lifted up with his legs moving up to his upper abdomen near his chest and then under his chin before he started to sway a little and forced to lower back to all fours.

”Or I guess we can always snag my clothes back at Aelfmenn unless you think they already got tossed….” Though that one was a little more disappointing.

He pondered for a moment and then simply mused a no. ”I feel fine just feel stuck in place.” and by stuck that just meant he couldn’t shift. He kept trying. He kept willing his bones to make a change in his appearance but of course, they wouldn't allow him. It reminded him of gears that needed to be oiled.

Djinn, however, got his brain wandering in dirty directions primarily because of his comment but he didn’t seem too eager right now with him being a cat. It wasn’t anything he would hold against him at least not until he was a human again. ”Well I wouldn’t think you would find this for attractive… if you did I may have to get your head checked.” He pushed his whiskers forwards in a happy cat expression, ears relaxed on his skull, and light yellow eyes closed amused. He couldn’t get enough of his smell even as he lowered back onto his four paws after rubbing into him. He could almost taste the scent that lingered on his whiskers which got him purring again. His tail tapped thoughtfully behind him as he lifted to his paws instead of sitting and bobbed his head. ”Then we should check with her or you can. I'm not sure how she will feel seeing a large feline.”

Most didn’t quite like seeing felines are large as him and often didn’t think shifter upon first seeing them. Though it was true he imagined most large cats excluded themselves from cities on purpose. He knew his type of cat were solitary animals who preferred to be alone unless mating of course. That, of course, didn’t include shifters like him. Shifters like him craved the companionship of others much like the natural way humans did. He supposed that was where the human side remained in control and to help not have their species die out. ”Doesn’t smell like we are too far away. I can smell those carts of food anywhere.” Elves truly did a masterpiece with foods. Sure the fairies were a close second in his opinion but he truly liked the elven food. He flicked his tail and ears pinned for a moment as he turned a sharp gaze at the fairy for a moment. ”Heeey.” He turned on his heel and swatted at his ankles giving soft growls but soft padded paws. ”Don’t make me push you over.” His large size he likely could if he caught him off guard…. Or you know…. Wind around him and trip him. He barred his teeth a bit though it wasn’t meant to be threatening it was more or less a displeased expression. ”I’d eat them.” being a feline he wasn’t too concerned for the welfares of other animals or humans really. ”Definitely not a pesky tiny thing. They are about as useless as canine shifters.”

He had Felix to thank for her distaste in anything canine.

he looked up at him with a curious expression, eyes twinkling with amusement as he chuckled. ”with your good looks? I don’t think she can hold it against you.” They started moving and he was practically prancing next to his fairy. Large paws thudding against the ground as he moved along and as he asked about meat he perked even more. ”Well I most certainly wouldn’t say no.” He said. With the way his guardian had treated him and starved him, he by no means would decline any food even if he wasn’t hungry. If anything it probably made a mental disorder of wanting to be a hoarder with food fearing he wouldn’t have any. It was something he couldn’t really help though. Being put through that kind of abuse could do a lot of harm to a person.

He said she likely wouldn’t care about him being a large cat but still, he didn’t want to test the waters. He was going to linger in the shadows and attempt to keep shifting. He could feel it slowly starting to wear off and he thought maybe if he kept pushing it through his body maybe he could make it happen faster. Djinn pushed on of his paws away with his boot but the mouth was quick to follow and attempt to trap his foot in his mouth. He was far more useful as a cat than he was a human.However, he was quick to release the possible trapped foot. ”I only mauled one and if you are going to push me over… at least make it a good time.” He purred before snickering mentally.

”No. They are like mice to me as mice are to them. They are small and annoying.” he scoffed. ”Besides meat is meat. Who am I to complain about where it comes from?” he did after all eat a person.

As Djinn went off to go get their clothing, hopefully his too, Killian went off to try and keep shifting though getting distracted every now and then. His distractions, of course, had him chasing a few bugs and climb atop things that look appealing to sit on. His cat nature really could override certain human basic needs and thoughts. The sound of the Djinn’s approaching boots as him stepping in towards him though. ”Good. I think I can shift back... I feel limber.” His body definitely was feeling different. Moving a bit more to flatter ground and then attempted. It was a struggle at first but once he started it was all effortless like the several other times he had done it. Finally now standing on his two feet he grabbed for his clothing and started to tug it on. Not having fur all of a sudden he could feel the chill in the air. ”Fuck.” He grunted as he tugged his pants up to his hips and then adjusted the shirt on his shoulders. It oddly felt weird being on his two feet again but now that he was though he could feel his cat simmering back down. ”Thank you for grabbing them for me, Djinn.”

He was teased about the elven woman but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel a little jealousy tinge at the ends of his fur. He covered it well enough though and did his best to brush it off. Visibly he stopped for a moment and shook himself out though to Djinn it probably would look like nothing than just an animal thing when in reality he was shaking off that weird feeling. ”You saying I am a bottomless pit?” he asked looking up at him for a moment. Not that he would say it was a bad thing but perhaps his obsession with food was a bit hard to deal with.

After being able to shift back and had to readjust from the weird feeling. He suspected part of it was the residual after-effect of the potion. He shrugged off his thanks but the other man didn’t say much about it instead just stared at him with a fond expression. His question had the other man bobbing his head though. ”Being a cat is fun and all. Far more efficient than being human but I prefer my human form.” primarily because his fairy was a human so his cat form was a little useless to his fairy. He scrunched his nose a bit at his comment on his cat and before he could answer djinn was reaching out touching the sensitive bruising on his cheek. Instinctively he pulled his head away for a moment. ”Didn’t notice till now.” He laughed. Another perk of being a cat. Bruising and the such wasn’t all that noticeable not only visibly but feeling them. ”I suppose I was a rather naughty feline.” He purred happily as he stepped more into him. ”If anyone got the raw end of the deal it was you.” He leaned in then and rubbed the bridge of his nose along djinn’s before nipping his lip. ”should probably get you to a healer. Bleeding like that likely can’t be that great of an idea.” his hands rest on his hips before nipping his lip again.