Natural Disaster~~ [[garm]]

[Rune Delacroix]

It was a new moon, a dark night. The only light shining on the street was from the lamp posts that were scattered down the street, lighting up the street more than the sidewalk. Rune moseyed down the street, the humidity stifling him. He had his leather jacket in one hand, and a beer in the other. Rune hated the humidity, and felt some sweat roll down his back, causing his black shirt to stick to his skin. Gross.

Rune took a swig of beer. The darkness of the night didn’t bother him, he could see nearly perfectly with his cat like eyes. He took another swig. His right arm was fully healed from the glass that had stabbed into it the other day. Rune glanced at his arm, sighing while thinking about what had happened that night. Lame. He was lame.

A noise made him pause, and Rune turned around slowly, as a guy with a long goatee stepped out into the light. He was smiling as he started walking closer. ”Just set down your gun that you are reaching for and we won’t have any problems.” Rune laughed, his hand resting on the pistol that was tucked into the back of his pants. He heard a step, then felt a cold barrel touch the back of his head. So this is how they are going to play… Rune sighed, he had already dropped his beer and heard it crash on the ground, what a waste.

”Look man, I don’t want no trouble.” Rune let go of the gun and went to act like he was surrendering. He quickly turned around, smashing down on the other guys elbow to wrestle the gun from his hand. He heard the first guy running towards him and used the second guys arm to swing him around into the first. They went toppling and Rune backed up a couple of steps, watching them as they struggled to their feet.

”Come on guys. Thought you wanted to dance!” Rune smirked. He was so focused on the guys in front that he heard too late the steps behind him and felt hot pain as a knife was slammed into his left side. He gasped in agony, as he went to turn around to fight the other guy who had stabbed him. He heard the footsteps from the other two guys come up and felt another slice of pain from his right shoulder as the first guy stabbed him.

He blinked at the pain, feeling his knees give out. The second guy punched him with his good arm and Rune blinked back spots as he felt himself get dragged into the ally. ”Search him boys.” He heard the leader of the group command them and his wallet, gun, and jacket were taken from him. This was not good, he felt his blood pumping from him as another fist connected with his face. He fell to the ground completely before feeling a swift kick to his ribs. Rune gritted his teeth. He was gonna die here. How great.


===

Garm

[Garm]

It was a dark and terrifying night. With the world completely shrouded in darkness, devoid of even the moon's gentle light to guide the innocent to the safety of their homes to await the protection of the sun, a dark frightening creature made his way from his home to embrace the wide open world. Nights like this were made for creatures like him and he wanted to embrace it. After getting dressed Garm the Destroyer left the confines of his apartment and stepped outside. He didn't take his minions with him as the man often did when he went out for his nightly walks. There was no need to bring his faithful companions along with what he planned. Tonight Garm needed to hunt. This was something only he could do. As mighty as the Devas of Destruction were they were still just simple creatures. They were small, fragile little things, that could not the flames of his body during his transformation. They could never join him during times like that. He always felt a little tinge of guilt at that but Garm always pushed those feelings aside. After all, hellhounds did not feel such petty feelings such as guilt.

He had a long walk ahead of him to go to the forest but Garm took his time to get where he needed to go. The city was much more tolerable to deal with now in the dead of night than it was during the day. The streets were devoid of all those annoying mortals that normally traversed the city. Their absence created a calming atmosphere that Garm enjoyed immensely. For a moment he was at peace with the world. But peace never lasted long for beasts like him, and tonight was no exception. As the fearsome hellhound walked down the empty streets a peculiar smell caught his attention. The scent of blood. Garm stopped and sniffed the air around him so he could figure out what he was smelling. The smell was thick and fresh, but it was also familiar. It smelled like a shifter, there was small traces of feline mixed in with the shapeshifter scent. “Could it be...” the image of a small redheaded woman came to mind in that instant. “No...” It wasn't her. The scent he smelled now was similar to hers but it didn't belong to that girl he had met recently. But just because it wasn't her didn't mean he could overlook this. Somewhere out there an animal (of sorts) was injured. This was something he could not ignore.

Curiosity and concern compelled the creature to seek out the bloods source. On silent feet the dark figure crept through the dark alleys of New Orlando to find the feline he was looking for. The scene laid out before him was not anything that surprised him, but disgust him all the same. A small group of humans were surrounding a injured man, brutalizing him and taking what he had. A scowl played across the fiend's pale face as he watched the fool beings picking on the defenseless supernatural. It was things like this that made him despise humanity. Normally Garm tried to avoid dealing with them, but he could not overlook what they were doing now. He had to do something to stop them. While still cloaked in shadow Garm made his way to the humans. His steps were slow but silent. Those foolish mortals would not be able to see him yet, but as he drew closer his dark menacing aura would be all the mortals needed to alert them of the danger before them. He could see it now. The closer he came to them the more some of the humans tensed up. The closest one too him was already shaking and looking around for the source of his fear.

“Mortals like you should be careful of the actions you take on nights like these...you might find yourself getting your just desserts.” Garm's dark and terrifying voice echoed through the alley, causing the men to turn and look at him. Multi-coloured eyes watched the foolish mortals jump back in fright, especially the one closest to him. The man swore and jump back. As the man tried to pull out his gun Garm reacted. He was quick to grab the man's wrist and twisted to force the fool to drop his weapon. With a yelp the man dropped the gun before he was tossed aside to join the rest of his group. Garm took another step towards them, flashing the humans a wicked smile as the humans tried to back further away from him. “Now then foolish mortals, would you care to play a game with me? I want to see if one of you has what it takes to take on a real evil monster.” Suddenly a pillar of flame enveloped the man. The flames died just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind not a man but a large frightening horned beast. The mere sight of him was enough to send the cowards away.

And just like that they were gone. “I guess that is a no then.” he chuckled as he watched the cowards flee into the night. It was then that he turned his attention to the fallen man that remained. “Cat.” the hound stood before the injured shapeshifter for a moment as he pondered what he would do next. Had he been an oridnary cat Garm would have no problem scooping the poor creature in his arms and taking him home to give him medical treatment himself until he could take it to the vet to receive better care. This was no ordinary cat though. “You should be safe now, but not for long if something is not done about your injuries. Are you able to stand?”

[Rune Delacroix]

Laying down on the ground, Rune resolved himself to his fate. There was nothing he could do, being too badly injured to fight. He could barely move as it was. He closed his eyes, trying to not concentrate on the pain. His face was bloodied up and he felt his own warm blood pooling around him. His thoughts switched from the brutal beating he was getting, to the past. To the time when life was simple, before he realized what he liked in life. He hadn't been in New Orlando that long but long enough to become a total freak when it came to men. He hated that part of him. Even more, he hated the part that had led women on, trying to cure himself or something. He hated that sometimes he lost control and kissed men without permission. Like that kid...Loki. At least he got to kiss a good lookin one before he died. That was something he could be thankful for. He grinned.

That earned him another swift kick to the face, he heard a crunch with the kick and new his jaw was probably fractured now. As the men continued beating on him, Rune was near losing consciousness when he heard a voice. All he could make out was mortals and something about monsters? It made no sense to Rune, and being that he could barely see out of his eyes, he couldn't figure out what was happening.

Carefully, he lifted his head, a bright light like fire blinding him for a second. He placed his head back down, it hurt too much. He should just lay there. No one was hitting him anymore, it was just silence for a second before someone, more like something had walked up to him. He called him a cat? So he was a supernatural too...that was the only way to explain that the guy knew what he was...Rune had never encountered his kind before though and had no idea what he was. Just that he was a large black beast.

At this point though, Rune really didn't care. He cared that he wasn't getting beaten anymore, but this guy saved him...but why? To kill him himself? No, that probably wasn't it or else he would already be dead. Rune coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. He heard the guy...or beast...whatever...ask if he could stand and he blinked his swollen eyes. Maybe? He couldn't get any words out as he placed an arm against the wall, struggling to stand up. He felt more blood seep from his wounds. They were too deep to heal quickly and his blood loss was not helping him. He got dizzy immediately, ending up just sitting more upright. A already bloody hand covering his side wound.

The way he saw it, he had too choices...he could sit here and bleed out. Or he could stand up and bleed out. Either way, nothing good was going to come of it. He looked up through his blurry vision at the beast. "T..thanks...man..." He stuttered out, coughing up more blood. He probably had a bunch of internal bleeding. A normal human would be dead by now. He was not normal, and he already knew his body was working overtime to heal itself before he died. He saw the blurry vision of the world spin and then darken. The blood loss was getting to him and any sounds became blurry.

Then nothing.

[Garm]

Cowards Garm watched the humans flee for their insignificant lives with mild disgust. Beings like them really did make the mighty hellhound feel sick to his stomach. They acted all tough and confident when they were ganging up on a harmless animal, but the moment that someone tougher stepped into the picture they were too afraid to face him. Only the weak were capable of such cruelty. The weak minded and physically inferior beings of the world always picked on those that could not protect themselves. They had no sense of honor, no decency, no will to make themselves stronger by facing worthy opponents. They were despicable. Those fools were lucky that he was above their kind of thinking. Oh how easy would it be for him to take them down now if he wanted to. This agile demonic beast was more than capable of chasing them down and killing them one by one. There was a lot of fun to be gained in a good chase. He didn't even need to kill the ones he caught right away. They were slow enough that he could take some fun in toying with them first before he ended their lives. It would be easy, oh so easy. But he wouldn't. Let the cowards run, they were lucky they were so weak that they weren't worth the effort in chasing.

As the humans disappeared from his line of sight the ferocious beast turned his attention of the one he had came here for. The cat. It appeared that he had come here too late to save the feline from the worse of the damage, though the thick scent of blood that drew him here in the first place was a dead giveaway. The cat was badly hurt. Blood, bruises, and swelling marred what might once have been a handsome face. That wasn't the worse of the damage. The humanoid creature was laying in a growing pool of blood. There was so much blood, the scent of it alone was starting to make something in the hound stir. He had to shake his head to help clear his mind before he started to speak to the fallen creature. There was no response when he spoke, but there was movement. The feline was still breathing, it was ragged but he was still alive. There was still hope yet if he could be treated in time. Garm asked the feline if he could stand up, at the very least he hoped that he could help drag him to the hospital.

The cat didn't say a word, but he did try to do what was asked of him before falling back down and fainting. Garm tried to rouse him by nudging him and whining but it was no use. Now what was he going to do? Whatever I do I must do it fast if he stands any chance of survival. Garm took a step back, another pillar of flame surrounded him and when it died the hellbeast had returned to his human form. The man knelt down beside the shapeshifter so he could inspect the damage. “Two stab wounds, one near the ribs, and one in the shoulder.” They looked pretty deep too. They would have to be stitched up, but Garm did not having anything to sew with here. He could at least help stop the bleeding though. Garm tore off the feline's shirt and pulled up the spare rolls of bandages that he always carried with him and wrapped them tightly around the cat to help slow the bleeding down.

Now what? With the bleeding stopped he had given the feline a better chance at survival but he was not out of the woods yet. He needed more treatment to make a full recovery. In his current form there was no way that Garm could take this cat to the local vet. He had no cellphone to call the ambulance, he would have to abandoned the vulnerable animal to hunt down a payphone. Even if he called for an ambulance his presence would probably scare off the emergency helpers once they came at the scene, it would also raise a lot of uncomfortable questions and accusations his way. There was only one choice that he could make in this situation. “I will have to take him in...” with a heavy sigh Garm placed the feline's uninjured arm over his shoulder, grabbed his waist, and lifted him up then started making the journey back home.

It was a bit of a long journey back with the extra weight but Garm made it back without breaking a sweat. As soon as he opened the door the fearsome beast was greeted by Vishnu. The hamster looked at the burden its master was carrying, sniffing at the strange being curiously. “Vishnu, gather the others and fetch me my first aid kit.” Garm instructed as he carried the cat into the living room to lay him down on the sofa. Without a word Garm retreated to fetch some water and towels. By the time he gathered those supplies his devas had his first aid kit laid out for him. He gave his minions a quick thank you before he rolled his sleeves up, opened the kit, and got to work. It was a messy affair undoing the bandages so he could disinfect, stitch up, and redress the serious woulds before he tried to clean up the cats face. But with his skills, and his companions help he got the work done. All there was left to do now was to wait. The hellhound dismissed his minions for the rest of the night while he cleaned up the mess he made and returned to watch over his patient. Hours passed by in silence while sat down by the edge of the couch, leaning his back against it as he listened to the feline's breathing. It was getting harder for the hound to stay awake as much as he tried. Eventually exhaustion took over him and he fell asleep.

[Rune Delacroix]

Blinking his eyes, Rune was staring at a cieling. What? Where was he? His mouth was thick, and he had a throbbing in his head. As soon as he went to sit up, pain went through his body, causing him to fall back onto the couch. He saw the light on the cieling. It was day time. Ok. One thing figured out. He took in a deep breath, glancing around him. He was sitting on a couch in what appeared to be a living room. And there was a person sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. 

Rune blinked. The person appeared to be sleeping, but from his position Rune really could only see the back of the persons head. He sighed, feeling his ribs protest. He touched his face, it seemed like the worst of his swelling had gone down and his face felt relatively normal. He touched where he was sure his bones were fractured. They still hurt like a bitch but other than that they were healing. He was going to have to take it way easy the next couple of days until he was healed enough to work. He would have to call the owner and get another manager to cover his shifts. He groaned. 

It was gonna be a long couple of days. But might as well get started. He took care, slowly sitting up. The pain was not nearly as bad and he was able to get into more of a sitting position. This gave him a better look of the room, noting where the door was and then he looked at the person sleeping next to him. Well it was a guy. Rune studied him. He was kind of wierd looking and Rune leaned back. At least it wasn't a guy he had an interest in. He felt himself relax. Then he looked around. Maybe he should wake him? The guy was probably the reason Rune was still alive. 

That was when it dawned on Rune. He was alive. He looked at the bandages that covered his body. Ok he was barely alive. But alive none the less. He grinned, thanks to this guy he could go on living. Then his smile dropped. Maybe. He would have welcomed death last night but maybe with this second chance at life he could change. Maybe....if he could ever get over his lameness. He sighed, glancing back at the man on the floor. He tapped the guys shoulder with his uninjured arm

Uhm...hello?" His voice was crackely and hoarse and Rune cursed in his head. Lame.

[Garm]

Exhaustion waited for no man. Though Garm wanted to keep watch over his patient as time went on he eventually succumbed to sleep. How many hours had passed since the young hound took watch over the cat. It had been still dark outside when he fell asleep, but now when the feline woke the sun had crept over the horizon to signal the end of the night. The great beast had been sleeping soundly until he felt something touch him. The sensation was light but it was enough to rouse him. A low instinctive growl rose out of the male before his eyes fluttered open and he remembered what he was suppose to be doing. Garm turned his head to look up at the feline laying across from him. The hound's gaze looked almost apologetic for a second before he turned away. Garm would never admit to being so worried about startling anyone over a little growl but a part of him did. Naturally he shook off the feeling.

“I see you are alive, cat.” Garm stifled a yawn as he spoke. “You are very fortunate to still be in the world of the living. I did the best I could given the circumstances but even with my expertise you were very close to death.” An awkward moment of silence set in as the two sat there. Garm wasn't sure what he should do or say at a time like this. While he did see this shifter as a cat his current appearance was anything but that. It had been a long time since he had ever had anyone else under the same roof as him. The situation was even more complicated by the fact he was dealing with another male. Garm was not afraid of other men. He was fine fighting against them, but socializing was another story.

Garm had grown under a woman's care, and so far in this city where he had been forced to deal with several people in a short space of time all the parties he dealt with had been other females. Women were complicated to deal with in ways but Garm had a better understanding of the way they thought and felt than he did with his own gender. What was he suppose to do here? “...I am not familiar with your kind enough to know how fast you heal. But I know it will take some time. For now you are free to rest until you want to leave.” Garm pushed himself up onto his feet as he spoke. “If you had any plans or work to do today I would recommend canceling them. I will give you my phone to make whatever calls you need to. Let me know what you need and I will do what I can to fulfill it.”

[Rune Delacroix]

Looking at the man, Rune blinked a couple times. "You wrapped all my wounds? By yourself?" Rune looked down slightly. "Thank you. And I heal rather quickly, it will still take a few days, you are right about that." His voice was still hoarse and he leaned his head back against the couch. How crappy was this. He shifted his gaze to the man, who was still speaking. It was kind of him to offer him the couch for the next couple days until he was healed enough to move. Then he mentioned his cell phone. Did he not have his on him? 

What about his wallet? "Do you know what happened to my stuff? Did those douche bags get away with all my stuff?" Rune groaned, looking around him, attempting to fully sit up, clenching his teeth against the pain. Where was his jacket? His favorite leather jacket!! He finally gave up, laying against the couch. His side was throbbing and his shoulder was on fire. 

He sighed. The man told him he could use his cell phone to call work or whatever he needed. The guy was super nice, which Rune was grateful for. "So. Thanks. For the cell phone. My name is Rune by the way. So you can stop calling me cat." Rune let a smile touch his face before gritting his teeth on a fresh wave of pain. It was gonna be a long day for him.

Rune took in a deep breath. He really just wanted his leather jacket back, and his wallet. And all his stuff. Rune was staring at the cieling. He was pathetic, couldn't defend himself, couldn't get over his fear of guys who he found attractive. He let out a breath. What was he going to do...he looked up at the guy. "Can I use your cell phone....I need to cancel my cards and call work. He already knew the man had offered it but it was more polite to ask if he could use it. He stared at his hands, feeling just downright down in the dumps.

[Garm]

The cat was up. Night gave way to day by the feline rose and roused the sleeping beast beside him. It was a shame that Garm didn't get much sleep but he was glad to see the cat shifter was conscious. It was a good sign that he would make a full recovery. His injuries would not cripple the creature either which was a plus. He still had a long way to go before he was able to go about the rest of his life, but at least he would live it. Garm nodded when the cat asked him if he was the one responsible for patching him up. “Yes I did that. I am accustom to tending to my own wounds so treating yours was no challenge.” Garm rolled up his own sleeves to show off the bandages that went all up on his arms. “I heal quicker than any human but I still need to take care of myself to avoid infection. I've had plenty of experience taking care of other creatures as well so you were in good hands.”

Garm looked away when the cat started asking about his things. Oh right, he had been robbed when Garm found him. “I am sorry to say that I do not know what has happened to your things. You were in too bad a shape for me to look after them. They might still be in the alley or your abusers took them.” Maybe he should have been more thoughtful and went to fetch the feline's things. Then again what could he have done? The shifter's life was at risk the longer he stayed outside. He wouldn't have had time or enough hands to grab his things and drag him back home. Even after his emergency treatment Garm was hesitant to leave the cat's side in case his body went into shock or his condition worsen. There was no way that he could have left then so he didn't think about it. “It won't be too hard to find your belongings. I will go back to the scene of the crime later to retrieve them. If your abusers did take them with them it won't be too hard to track down their scent and hunt them down.”

The hellhound turned to leave, feeling unsure of how he should handle his new guest. He was not willing to turn a fellow animal in need away. He was fine giving the feline shelter for as long as he needed it, but what was he suppose to do in situations like this? Garm was good with animals but he was poor at dealing with people. Try as he might to see this shifter as an animal there was still a bit of him that seemed human. Garm didn't know how to deal with humans. For now he was content to give the cat space while he went about his business. He had to care for his animals, maybe get some food for himself and his temporary roommate before he went out to see if he could track down the cat's belongings. Before he did anything though he offered his phone to the feline so he could make the necessary calls he needed to. He seemed grateful for the offer. “Rune...I will remember that.” Garm replied in regards to his name. Rune was not a fierce name like his own but he suppose it would work on a cat. It was better than some of the names he had seen humans give their pets. “I...do not have a cellphone, but my home phone will suffice.” The man vanished for a moment to head to the kitchen to grab his wireless phone to hand to the cat called Rune. “I will be doing a few chores before I leave the apartment for awhile. If you need anything feel free to shout for me. Before I get started though, are you hungry?”

[Rune Delacroix]

Rune started when the man started talking about tracking the guys down to get his stuff. He hadn't meant that! He raised a hand, groaning when his ribs protested. "No..no you don't have to. Don't worry about it." Rune frowned. He could cancel the cards and get a new wallet, an ID. It was just a pain. He went to run a hand through his hair, but his ribs decided that it wasn't the best idea, and Rune gave up, placing his hands back down.

Taking the phone, Rune thanked him and let out a breath. "I'm sorry man, that I can't really move...or leave. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can." Rune blinked as he was asked if he was hungry. He was starved. He let out a short laugh. "I'm starving actually. And if you have some rum, or alcohol in general, that would be nice too." He nodded, alcohol would help dull the pain and dull the foolishness he felt.

"I can get myself something if you just point me towards the kitchen." Rune said, taking a breath and working on standing up. He was almost standing when he felt something in him strain and he let out a small gasp, crashing back on the couch. "MUTHER FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT CAN'T FUCKING GAH!" Rune yelled it out, angry he couldn't move or take care of himself. Could he be more pathetic? He let out an angry breath, looking around, then up at Garm, shrugging and giving him a grunt of an apology.

[Garm]

Garm hadn't thought about recovering his guest's stuff when he had dragged him back to his place but now he wished he had. It was a shame that he didn't have the time or the consideration to think to recover the feline's belongings but he still had the chance to make things right. He would make things right in the end, just as soon as he was done a bit of chores first. As he left to get his phone he heard the cat named Rune tell him he didn't have to do it. “Fear not cat. It will be no trouble for me to retrieve your things.” Garm said as he re-emerged from the kitchen to hand the device over to Rune. “It's been awhile since I have needed to use my tracking skills so it will be a good opportunity to keep my skills sharp. The mortals that attacked you were too cowardly to face me once, so I doubt they would put up a fight when I ask for your things back. Besides...I love a good chase.” a devilish smirk graced the young hound's lips as he spoke. Though the hellhound did have a code about not harming the weak that never stopped him from giving the bad ones their just desserts. He would not kill the men but giving them a good scare would help teach them a lesson on not robbing others.

The hound huffed when the cat started apologizing for not being able to move. “There is no need to apologize. I don't have much but I am more than happy to share my space with another beast. I've never had a cat in my abode before so this could be interesting.” Garm was part canine but he didn't hate cats. In fact he was rather fond of the creatures. Felines possessed a level of intelligence and independence that he admired a lot but like how he could never have a dog when he was younger he couldn't have a cat. He had spent enough time with strays and the like to understand how to interact with them and could even tame feral felines so they could get adopted to loving homes but he couldn't keep one. Even now he couldn't keep a cat in the apartment even when he found a place of his own that allowed pets. It was hard to raise cats around their natural prey. Garm's hamsters were smart and well trained to keep themselves out of harms way with bigger animals but the younger ones still needed training to be safe. It was too much of a risk.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about this cat harming his hamsters for the time being. He was far too weak to leave the couch, let alone chase down prey. He would be alright so long as he was fed though. Garm was right to ask if Rune was hungry. As soon as he asked the question the shifter admitted he was hungry. “I will see what I can do.” Garm agreed, but then Rune started asking him if he had any booze. The hound looked away, feeling a little embarrassed to tell the truth. “I do not carry alcohol in this place...I am a man grown, but still under the legal age limit to partake in those kinds of things.” Just admitting the truth gave him a foul taste in his mouth. It would have been one thing if he just didn't carry the stuff. He had never drank before, but admitting that he was underage made him feel like he was confessing to being a pup. Garm was no little puppy. “I will see what I can do for food.” What should he make for his guest. He did not have much on the lines of cat food on him beyond the stash of cat treats he kept on his person in case he ran into a lost or stray cat on his journeys. Maybe he had a can of tuna though. He would have to see.

Before Garm could leave to check his pantries Rune tried to stand up. Garm tried to protest but Rune quickly fell back down on his own. Garm chuckled despite the situation. “I warned you that you should stay still for awhile. Just stay where you are and let me take care of the rest. It would be a shame if you reopened your wounds.” With that Garm left the shifter to head to the kitchen. Now what would he give him. He searched through his pantries and cupboards for something suitable for a cat but found nothing. Not even a can of tuna. I will have to stock up later tiny cans of cat food would not do for someone of Rune's size but they would at least make a decent snack. For bigger meals he would have to buy fresh fish and chicken. For now he would have to settle on what he had. Garm did a bit of rummaging before he settled on bacon and eggs. He took the time frying up the meal properly before taking a serving for his guest and himself and bringing the plate to the hungry cat. “I am not sure how well shapeshifters digest human food but hopefully this is suitable to your taste.” he said as he offered the plate out to Rune.

[Rune Delacroix]

Rune nodded as the other man spoke. Well, he couldn't say that he wasn't a cat. He really was, even if he wasn't quite cat like in all aspects of his life. He took the phone and thanked the guy again. He could live without alcohol, it would just help numb the pain he felt right now, but he would just struggle through it. After the struggle, and the other guy telling him to sit back down and he would worry about food, Rune looked at the phone. He would make the necessary phone calls now, instead of later. He started by calling his work, making up some excuse about the flu. That should buy him a couple of days without too much fuss. 

He then called his bank, cancelling his card and getting a new one sent to his place, followed by the one credit card he had, canceling that and having a new one sent to his home again. Rune sighed, so much trouble. He looked over at the other guy cooking as his mind wandered. It wandered to the stuff that he had gone through, and the people he had hurt. His concious was doing a number on him when the other guy returned with bacon and eggs. Bacon. Rune grinned, taking the plate. "Oh, it digests perfectly, thank you...ah...whats your name?"

Rune started eating, not realizing how hungry he had actually been. It must have been all the blood loss and he controlled himself to not eat like an actual animal, and not completely shovel it into his mouth but damn, he hadn't had good food in a while. His crazy schedule didn't allow for much cooking, and he didn't cook that well to begin with anyways. Not for lack of women trying to teach him, telling him it would be a good way to catch another women, them not knowing that he was not attracted to women in the slightest. His concious gave him another ding. He really had to figure something out.

Putting down his empty plate, Rune let out a breath. If he knew where the people he hurt were now, he would totally apologize. But now he was turning super squishy. He had no idea how to handle all that...and Loki, the poor boy probably got totally weirded out. Rune groaned, throwing his head back. He just had to stop thinking about it. About all the times he lost control, or led people on, but his sexual orientation was just...freaking him out. He was supposed to be a womanizer, his father was, his grandfather was. He was supposed to just....be with women. He wiped his mouth. He had to stop feeling sorry for himself and figure out something to do, but what could he do?

"So if you aren't legal age, what are you like...18..19..20?" Rune asked, trying to turn his thoughts to a different direction, looking back over at the man. He wasn't the greatest looking guy, more like an aquired taste that Rune did not want to aquire. But what was it with him and running into all these young guys, Loki was grown but young to his 52 years....this guy was really just a puppy...like those puppys that are big and look like full grown dogs but are still just puppys. He didn't act like it though....and Rune waited for the response, puzzling the man over and over in his head. 

[Garm]

After giving Rune his share of breakfast Garm went to take a seat elsewhere in the living room to eat his own portion. It was easy to tell from the way that Rune was chowing down that he liked what he was given, either that or he was just very hungry. So shapeshifters could consume human food. That was good to know. Garm wondered to what extent that they could though. Even as a half human he couldn't digest certain things. Chocolate wasn't fatal to him if he ate it in small doses like it was with other canines but too much would make his stomach upset. He couldn't live off of a vegetarian diet either. When he had been younger he had tried to adopt a vegan diet but doing so had nearly killed him. Like it or not, he needed meat in order to survive. Now that he knew what he was he understood why he was the way he was when he was younger. In a lot of ways Garm was a beast. He had been a lot worse as a child than he was now, and in a lot of ways he was still a beast. Did shapeshifters deal with the same issues? He couldn't help but wonder about that. Perhaps he would find out while Rune was staying here.

Garm was pulled out of this thoughts for a moment when Rune asked him for his name. Oh right, he had never given his name yet did he? “You can call me Garm.” the hellhound replied before chewing on some bacon. He didn't hesitate to give his new name, though a quick look around the rest of his apartment would give Rune a different name. There would no doubt be some confusion he would need to address if Rune caught sight of all his breeder awards with the name Malakai Kohel plastered all over them. Malakai was gone now, that part of him died along with his mother. Not all of the youth he once was had died though despite what he had told himself after everything that had happened. He kept the business he had created for himself, and of course he still had his companions. A familiar furry face could be seen poking his head out from the corner of Rune's couch. Vishnu, the eldest of Garm's four dark devas hopped onto the couch beside Rune. The little creature eyed the feline shifter for a moment before scurrying over to his master and taking his place on one of the arm rests. The hamster gave a distinct squeak, one that Garm easily recognized as a signal for food. “You are as impatient as ever.” the beast scowled at his minion. Garm pulled a small bag of yogurt drops to give one to Vishnu. “There, let that tide you over till breakfast.”

Both men were able to finish their meals in peace. After they were done though Rune asked Garm about his age. “I turned eighteen last winter.” the hound admitted. “I am unsure how young that makes me compared to others of my kind or to other supernaturals. But I age at the same rate as a human.” Garm's thoughts drifted back to his encounter with two other fellow hellhounds and how the leader of the pack had treated him like some inexperienced pup. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't a little green in the ways of a hellhound. He had never met another hound until that day, and while he had killed a demon in the past he did not have a lot of battle experience yet. Still it annoyed him being treated like that. He wasn't some lost pup. He had his strength and enough common sense to overcome most obstacles in his way. What was it about him that made those hounds treat him like a puppy? Would other beings see him that way too? “What about you? I am not too familiar with shapeshifters but I know that there are quite a few supernaturals that are much older than they look."

[Rune Delacroix]

Rune looked at the hamster, his eyes shifting, then looked back up at Garm. "Uhm...why do you have free running hamsters?" Rune shifted a little bit, then cleared his throat. If he was only in his cat form...

"Er...I'm 52. I age about twice as slow as humans do....is that your only hamster?" Rune shifted again. This was the only thing he hated sometimes was that...sometimes his more 'kitty like' instincts kicked in...and he just wants to chase something. The little hamster was lucky he couldn't change into his cat form. He clasped his hands together, looking away from Garm and his little furry friend.

You aren't doing too bad for yourself if you are 18 and have your own apartment and everything...not bad..." Rune sat there a little awkwardly, his thoughts turning inward for a bit. He took a breath, feeling his ribs ease up. His pain was going away slowly. It still hurt like a bitch but he was healing nicely.

He looked back at the hamster. The little furball was distracted, so he concentrated on his hands then looked at Garm. Well...after today he would probably never see the guy again. He knew he would be healed enough to start moving tomorrow and he could take a cab back to his apartment. He chewed his cheek. He looked around. He let out a breath. Nah...he needed to get out of here...and see a shrink. But that sounded awful to Rune. He looked back over at the hamster. He just wanted to chase it. And take out his frustrations on it. Not kill it..just bat it around. He blinked.

He turned away again. He hated not being able to move.

[Garm]

It was easy to see the change in Rune's demeanor the second that he laid eyes on Vishnu. It came as no surprise to this fearsome hellhound to see the predatory side of the feline begin to surface. All predators were slaves to their instincts, but cats were more susceptible to it than others. Even when a cat was not hungry they loved to hunt just for the sport of it. Garm wasn't worried though. Even if Rune wanted to harm Vishnu he wouldn't be able to. The shifter was too banged up to try even if he wanted to, and Vishnu, like most of the hamsters Garm was carrying for were too clever to become easy prey to any other beast. Just like his master Vishnu didn't seem bothered at all by the feline's attentions. After giving the shapeshifter a good once over Vishnu ignored the cat to beg his master for food. Against his better judgment Garm obliged his minion. The hellhound would never admit that he had a soft spot for Vishnu compared to the other Devas. The syrian hamster was the oldest Deva to date, he was the most loyal and in tuned with his master, and had been by his side at the time he had lost his mother. There were times that he spoiled the beast but not by much.

Garm absentmindedly stroked the tiny beast as he nibbled on his treat when Rune asked him why there was a hamster roaming about. “Because I am used to it.” Came his answer. “I don't have any other creatures living with me that would be a threat to my minions, so I have made it a habit to give some of them free reign of the apartment.” This was only an exception with the Deva's of course. The Four Devas of Destruction were the only hamsters amongst his brood that had their own individual cages in his room. The cages for the most part were usually left open so the hamsters could come and go as they pleased. “I was too busy tending to you to think of closing my door, but even if I had it would have done little good. These creatures are more clever than the average hamsters you might be used to. The always find a way to open my bedroom door if I close it, so I don't bother to close it.”

Garm shifted the conversation for a moment to how old Rune was. Since the shifter wanted to know just how old he was it was only fair that he asked in turn. It looked like Garm was right to assume that this feline was older than he appeared. He looked to be around his mid-twenties but in reality he was in his fifties. That didn't make him more mature than he seemed though. Just because a creature aged slowly didn't mean they didn't develop faster. It was an interesting thing to learn at least. It didn't take long for the conversation to turn back to Garm's hamsters again. The man let out a dark chuckle. “No, Vishnu here isn't the only one. I am a breeder by trade so I have a lot of these creatures in one of the spare rooms. The ones I breed though are kept locked away in the safety of that room with their young until they are sold off to better homes. But four from the best of my broods I have taken in as my personal minions have free reign of the house. You will probably see the others at some point throughout the day. But I must advise you to think twice about chasing them. They like to mess around with cats from time to time. They make a game out of outsmarting them. Vishnu knows you are too injured to egg on so he has enough courtesy to not tempt you, but some of the others are not as thoughtful. The last thing you need is to reopen your wounds trying to get at them.”

After devouring his sweet, Vishnu resumed his proper place within his master's scarf just as Rune complimented Garm on how well he was doing for himself. Garm shifted his gaze as he contemplated how to take that. “I suppose I am...” he said after awhile. “I have had no choice but to find a way to support myself. I was fortunate enough to have enough money given to me from my mother's life insurance to last a year on my own. I was already making a lot from my breeding business so I shifted all my focus on that until I had enough for me to move.” It was a good thing that he was a top notch breeder for someone of his age. Trying to find work elsewhere was exceedingly difficult for someone like him. He was a highschool drop out with no family, and a tendency to scare most of the people around him. Even if he had the highest education possible he never would have found work. His business was all he had but he didn't mind. He liked doing what he did. “What about you? What kind of work do you do for a living?”

[Rune Delacroix]

Rune stared at the furball. What intelligent creatures for so small and so...rodenty. Rune shook his head, chuckling at the fact that some little furballs could outsmart him. "Garm..they can really outsmart a cat? That would be fun to see one day..." Rune kept the smile, showing that he was joking as Garm continued talking about his breeding business and how he came to be in such fortuitous circumstances.

When Garm asked what he did for a living, Rune perked up a little. "Well, nothing fancy. I bar tend down at the Wandering Mule as a night manager. Which is why you saw me last night at like 4 in the morning. I like night time a lot better than day time anyways..." Rune looked down, thinking about the bar. "I'm pretty comfortable where I'm at, ya know. I make more than enough for myself, and I don't have to own the place. I can mix up anything you can think of...." Rune nodded, feeling the room descend into silence.

He shifted again, letting out a breath. "I don't know, maybe I'll go into business for myself. Not much of a people person." Rune shrugged. "As you saw last night, nearly dieing and all that jazz." Rune looked at Garm. He hated being so couped up right now. Maybe he should just take a nap? He just wanted to stretch out but everything hurt too bad and he could re-open his wounds doing that, which wasn't a good idea since he had lost so much blood the night before.

Looking out the window, Rune squinted against the sunlight. He was hoping he was going to be able to leave soon, and be healed enough to transform. He kind of missed being a cat right now to skulk around. He turned back to Garm. But this man was very interesting....very interesting indeed. Rune had never met anyone like Garm before, he doubted anyone who had met Garm that it was a very unique experience. Rune studied Garm and let out a breath. "So tomorrow night I should be able to be out of your hair and all."