Heart within the beast

[Ricia]

Rhea actually laughed a bit, "You look like you barely felt that... I guess someone as little as me has no effect on you... Sorry to have woken you..." Rhea quickly go back up and put more food in the dogs dish before moving to the kitchen and buttering some bread. Quickly Rhea walked into the bathroom and got dressed into fresh cloths. "I have work today... now school though. I'll be back later this afternoon... why do I keep telling you all these things?" Rhea asked herself after a moment. She returned to the kitchen and took a few quick bites of her food. "Ill take you outside when I get home.. I'll only be gone for a few hours." She promised.

 

[Ixidor92]

The dog quizzically looked up at her, practically saying, Why not? He at some of the food put down, looking up and happily wagging his tail as she said she would only be gone a few hours. The massive creature walked back into the entryway, sitting down and almost seemingly waiting to see her off.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea smiled, not really expecting the dog to have done that. "I don't see why any one would have no wanted you... besides the fact you are a bit intimidating..." She told him quietly. Putting on her shoes, Rhea let out a long sigh before she opened her door and gave the dog one last look. "Ill be back... try not to cause trouble." She told him before she left for work. Rhea ended working a bit long then she intended, but she needed the money so she did not complain about it at all.


When she got home, Rhea moved quickly to her apartment door, she was always a bit paranoid that one of her slightly creepy neighbors would see her. Opening the door and shutting it as quietly as she could like usual, she peaked in the apartment, wondering where the dog was. She was a bit worried about him staying here most of the day by himself. She would take him for a walk in the park later... help him stretch his legs since he is cramped up in her apartment all day.

 

[Ixidor92]

When she left, the dog looked out through the window to watch her go down the street. He sat down on the kitchen floor, waiting. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. That was likely long enough. Four legs became two arms and two legs, fur melted into flesh, and the wolf-like maw shrunk backwards into a human jaw. The figure was roughly six feet, four inches in height, with not a single gram of fat on him. His only clothing was a pair of leather pants, clearly worn by the elements. A mane of black hair reached down in between his shoulder blades, somewhat unkempt, but oddly fitting with the pair of black ears that poked out of the top. A black tail also remained, identical to the one that had been present on the large dog. A long, flowing tattoo ran along the figure's left arm, almost like flowing water. This arm reached up and ran through the man of black hair, pulling it away from a pair of striking green eyes.


"Well, she certainly isn't who I expected to end up with."


The man spent the next few hours looking around the house. He poked his head inside closets, checked the facilities available, took a good look at some of the items lying around. In particular, he found a picture rather curious. It lay by her bedside, within a small picture frame. One figure within was her, clearly smiling from her heart. The other . . . the other was a young man, who had a few similarities to her. Family? A brother perhaps? Come to think of it, why was she living on her own and not with her parents? The young "wolf-boy" shook his head and checked the clock. It had been three hours since she left, she could be arriving back unexpectedly within a short period of time.


"Let's see where this takes us."


The figure melted back onto four legs, fur sprouting over his entire form. He sat down upon the couch in the side-room, easily taking up the whole thing as he waited for Rhea to arrive back. When he heard the door open, he jumped off the couch, trotting over to meet her at the door

 

[Ricia]

Most things around the house were books of all kinds, there was not really a room without a book around. Pictures were rare, nothing about her parents and a few wither her brother and her.


When Rhea saw him get off the couch she felt herself tense a bit. It was strange coming home to something again. Even though it was not her brother, "Hi.. Sorry I was late. Did you want to go for a walk?" She asked. "I thought you might want to run around..."

 

[Ixidor92]

The dog wagged his tail happily, walking next to her, but then stopped momentarily and looked at the kitchen for a second. After looking, he nudged his nose into her belly, looking back up into her eyes. There was still food in his dish from that morning, so the message seemed relatively clear in his mind.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea smiled at the dog, when he poked her belly she covered it with both her hands, it kind of tickled her. She did not eat much since her brother passed, and she was really bad at cooking. Like, burning-down-the-kitchen bad at cooking. So she usually stuck to store bought foods and basic meals, not that it mattered because she was never all that hungry.


Looking back at the dog, she seemed to stare at him for a few moments longer before walking over to the left over food from earlier and taking another bite, before putting it back down again. "There... does that appease you?" She asked it quietly. Were all dogs like this? "Come on.. I promised to take you out." Rhea insisted.

 

[Ixidor92]

The dog seemed to slump a little before straightening back up and heading to the door. He sat there and cocked his head at her, tail wagging in the entryway. It was almost the, at least it's something, idea that was communicated

 

[Ricia]

Rhea was not even sure the dog was a dog... Then again, she never owned a dog before. or any other animal for that matter.... Gently she reached for a leash and connected it back to his collar. Then she quickly picked up book from her coffee table before opening her door and looking outside. When she was satisfied, she opened it all the way before locking it behind them and quickly jogging away from the apartments. She did not really want anyone to know about to dog for a little while... just in case they don't allow dogs.


Rhea lead the black dog to a park. The park was a bit busy, people here and there. Mostly kids playing around the play ground and others running around. "I am glad you don't pull me... You look like you could drag me around for miles... I bet I could ride on you back." Rhea said, smiling a bit. The thought was pretty funny. "I think I'll call you Hikaru... I don't have any toys... and I don't know what dogs do besides play fetch... I think." She said, "I need to get a book and how to take care of dogs..."

 

[Ixidor92]

The dog, now "Hikaru" trotted steadily alongside her. At the end of her sentence about dragging her around, a snort came from him. It could almost have been considered a laugh. He looked up at her afterward, still walking along at her pace. He almost seemed to roll his eyes. You could practically hear the I don't need toys​

 

[Ricia]

Taking Hikaru to a more secluded place around the part, Rhea slowly unhooked the leash from the collar, unsure of what else to do. Sitting down on the grass Rhea stared at the black dog, wondering if she needed to do anything special with him. For a dog, he seemed really independent. Laying the book on her lap, Rhea's eyes seem to glaze over a bit as her mind wondered a bit into thought.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru sat obediently as she sat down. However, as her eyes glazed over he stood back up. What to do indeed? He looked down at the book in her lap and walked over to her, nudging the book with his nose before looking into her eyes again.

 

[Ricia]

"Ah.. Sorry... Did you want me to read to you?" She asked. Better then her sitting here and thinking things that were saddening or hard. "Aren't you suppose to like.. run around." She asked again, poking the dog in his sides.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru walked one circle around her, settling himself down beside her. His tail lay against the ground, while both of his forepaws crossed over each other. His black maw turned to look at her, seemingly saying well​?

 

[Ricia]

Rhea raised an eye brow at the dog before looking at the book, "I was kidding... You really don't want me to read this medical book to you? Its not a happy story or anything... just medical terms and things along those lines..." She said quietly. She rarely read for fun anymore, she was always studying for high school, College, work, a career. Well even though she rarely read books about dragons or mythic quests anymore, she still enjoyed learning. Rhea poked the dog's side again before leaning on it a little bit, testing to see if it minded.


Rhea felt like talking to him was normal... he had a look about him that communicated well, he was really smart. Intelligence was a key thing for Rhea, and this dog had it. Opening the book to the folded page, she placed it in front of both of them on the ground. She had done little talking outside her job, rarely in school in less to answer a teacher. She use to have a friend at that school, but she had moved of recent across the city, so she rarely saw them anymore. So talking had become an abnormality for Rhea, and it was strange, but she did not feel like reading out loud. Well in less the dog insisted, it was a strange dog indeed.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru remained stationary as Rhea leaned on him. His breathing was slow and steady, causing her to slide away from and toward his body slightly in a rhythmic manner. His head inched forward when she put the book down, his eyes squinting, as if he could actually read it. It only happened for about a minute before his head pulled back, letting Rhea stay leaning against him.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea stayed with Hikaru for what seemed to be a few hours. She read fast so she made it though a large portion of the heavy text book before she closed it. Hikaru could probably see several lines of highlights and notes on the side of the book. Shutting the book, Rhea put her legs out in front of her and stretched them. Leaning foreword Rhea wrapped her arms around Hikaru and pressed her face into his neck. He was really soft, he was a wonderful dog who seemed to just patiently wait for her. She wondered if he was really board.


"We should go home in a bit. In less you want to actually run around and stretch you legs or anything..." She said, sitting up and looking at the Hikaru. Rhea was not all that physically fit, so running was not really what she liked to do.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru stood up as she sat up, shaking himself to throw off a few clumps of grass. He let out one bark, his tail wagging as he looked at her. His muzzle nudged in the direction that had come from, seemingly trying to say that they should go if she wanted.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea smiled at Hikaru, then quick attached the leash to him. Another funny thought about his size ran through her head, she could attach bags to him and make him carry around her stuff. A light laugh escaped her lips before she scratched his ears while they walked. She would never do that to him, but it was a funny thought. When they arrived back from the apartment, Rhea stopped mid step to see one of her neighbors standing out her door looking in her window.


Rhea quickly yanked Hikaru back, taking several steps back to look behind her fence. She had been avoiding the guy since she had gotten the apartments. He was really weird... gently Rhea pulled on the lease to walk back to the park. Hopefully he would be gone by the time she got back.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru followed her behind the fence, eyeing the man with a very different look in his eyes. When she pulled on the leash again, for the first time he did not budge. He remained completely motionless as he continued to eye the man, and all of Rhea's strength would likely not be enough to move him. He didn't stay still much longer, but it wasn't what one might have expected. His lips curled back slightly, revealing his massive canines briefly before they were hidden again. Then . . . he actually pulled on the leash himself, away from Rhea, towards the apartment

 

[Ricia]

Rhea nearly tripped when he pulled the other way. Rhea tried to pull back, but like she had speculated, the dog could probably pull her several miles without even breaking a sweat. When the man turn around and saw the large dog heading for him he seemed to take several steps back, with that Rhea actually took several paces foreword and wrapped her ams around the dog's neck.


Rhea and the man had a stare off for a moment when he suddenly introduced himself. "Sorry... your that new neighbor yes? I just wanted to welcome you here. That is a big dog... Is he friendly?" He said a bit unsure how to procedure.


"H-hi.... um... T-thank you... Yes... he is very friendly..." Rhea said quietly, holding Hikaru's neck a bit tighter. Was that all he wanted? He always seemed to be hovering around her apartment if she came home...


The man eye'd the dog a bit more before he asked for her name, introducing himself as Garret. Rhea gave her name in return before there were a few more awkward moments and the man promised to talk again. When he walked away, Rhea shivered a bit and opened the door, trying to pull Hikaru into the house.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru glared at the man throughout the entirety of the brief conversation, never taking his eyes off of him. He did not peel his lips back again, but there was almost an aura around him. Something that said you're not welcome here. Hikaru quickly followed Rhea into the apartment once this Garret had left, nudging the door shut with his muzzle before coming next to Rhea and nuzzling her side.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea smiled at Hikaru, it was a nervous smile. "Thank you." She told him before locking the door behind her. Quickly Rhea walked around the apartment preforming several tasks. Feeding Hikaru, packing a bag, tiding up a few things and taking a quick shower. When she was done she moved to feed herself, sticking a can of soup in the microwave. "I have to work tomorrow again, but I will be working for most the day." She said her usual quite voice. "I guess I can take you out again when I get home. I don't think it would be healthy for you to stay cooped up for long..." She said, honestly concerned for the dog's health. "That guy is weird... I see him looking though my window a lot when I come home from work... I guess I jumped to conclusions and he was just trying to introduce himself..." Rhea said, pulling the can out of the microwave.

 

[Ixidor92]

Hikaru at some of the food that was placed down as she went about her other tasks. He looked up as she talked about the next day, rubbing his muzzle along her leg at the mention of his health. The mention of the man elicited a quiet snarl from him before looking back up at her. He walked around the table quickly, trying to show he was in fine physical condition.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea watched him quietly while taking a few bites of the soup she had made. "There is hardly any room for you to go anywhere... you are so big." She said, watching him make his way around the table. Finishing the small soup cup she put it in the trash quickly before picking up a book, "Here... this book has an actual story to it... would you like me to read this since you seem so keen on getting me to read something to you?" She asked, moving to sit on the couch.