Dark Dreams

Chapter Four

     Just where do you think you are going Miss?”  he asked her gently, hoping that she would answer him even though he hadn’t moved a muscle. Tamra glanced around the spacious cabin while standing just inside of the entryway. Cedric stood there watching her intently, he didn’t want to frighten her by moving in any direction, he was hoping that she wouldn’t retreat from him by going to far into the spacious cabin. Tamra finally stopped abruptly at the entrance of his dark home, to her it looked to foreboding to enter and reaching behind herself. She used her fingers in an attempt to locate a door handle that would take her back to the passageway and ultimately back out into the cool forest.

     When she didn’t locate the door handle, her hands painfully shifted into her panther paws, with the claws extended outwards she began gouging at the door and along the wall closest to her. In the hopes of creating some kind of opening for her to escape through. Cedric watched her while he slipped up behind her and gripping a small hinge style knob, he swung the door open for her. He watched Tamra as she ran past and out into the cool dark passageway, of course he began following her with leisurely, measured steps in order to open the passageway up to the forest for her.

     While he just stood behind Tamra, he could sense her unease as her slender figure moved cautiously out into the cool forest beyond his hidden pathway. Her soft sea-blue eyes slowly grew to a dark navy-blue while she scanned the forest, spotting a tiny path off to her right she quickly began following it. Granted most humans would never have taken the path as it was The more Tamra ran in her panther form the freer she felt, and the freer she felt the more she allowed that part of herself to take full control. Even when the panther went on the hunt for the prey in the wee early hours just before dawn. Tamra finally was at peace within herself, and just because she couldn’t stand having no family left in the world, caused the anger to hit the panther in its entirety causing it to kill the young deer. Feasting heartedly upon the young buck she finally found a small cave and aid down to rest through the hottest part of the day. All the while Tamra laid there with her head down her head against a small mound of dirt, using it like a pillow, she finally dozed off in her panther form, and as she slept her body slowly began to shift back into her natural sleek young beautiful slender woman.

     When she finally began to slowly wake from her slumber after several hours of rest, with a soft yawn Tamra rose to her feet and began to quietly walk outside, but she hadn’t taken notice that she was fully clothed and spotting the young buck that her counterpart had killed Tamra froze in her tracks. Not wanting to remember what had happened or how it felt did Tamra do her best to find place to walk round the dead buck. Only to be brought up rather short when saw the same bandages that she had placed on the midnight black wolf, with slow cautious slow cautious steps she continued to move around the buck and toe to toe with the wolf who wore those same bandages. Tamra carefully tried to use telepathy to try to converse with him once more “Greetings, what is it you want with me?” she inquired of him while she started to sidestep that dark wolf, “I would be most happy to teach you what it is that you truly are” he replied through their shared telepathic link, but his eyes never left her for moment.

     As the anger once again began to swirl about her, Tamra allowed herself to shift shape once again into the familiar form of the panther which was slowly becoming easier to shift into, with far less effort and pain the more she practiced the shifting. She refused to give the other creature the satisfaction of of knowing how he might affect her, and still angry with herself for allowing any signs of pain to fill her once more from her sister’s betrayal. She didn’t understand just how much she was utterly lost to herself or others with the pain that filled her heart like a lead stone. “Oh, just go away and leave me in peace” she growled through their telepathic link to him. With her body primed for fighting she lowered her head so it was level with her shoulders and began circling him, ready to pounce upon him should the need arise.

     However, she moved slowly around him with her gaze locked on him, never wavering in the slightest as she maneuvered into a good fighting location, and after a couple of minutes, Tamra had jumped onto a low branch in the tree’s and began a methodical climb towards the upper branches towards the top of the tree. Somehow Tamra knew he was no threat unless she provoked him, but she didn’t want to take that chance. And in the process, she surrendered full control over to her panther counterpart as she buried turned a blind eye to what the panther might do if he crossed her.

     All the while she searched her own heart in the darkness of night, the sleek black panther began growling towards the ebony wolf, a subtle warning to move along. Tamra had made herself into a tiny ball of light deep inside the panther, so he was unable to reach her even through the use of telepathy. Her barriers grew stronger as she practiced them daily, and the harder it would become for the ebony-colored wolf to reach her mind. Once more the panther growled its warning, though it had not moved from its sturdy branch, but chose to lie down on it in waiting for the wolf to make up its mind about leaving. When it suddenly changed into its normal human shape of a man, did the panther begin to move, she took to the ground stalking him. Her sleek slender and heavily muscled frame took three steps just before she pounced his six-foot frame. Brining her strong jaws just mere inches from his throat, just before Tamra managed to regain full control over her panther to keep it from tearing out the man’s throat. She knew the panther was moving in for the kill, and Tamra was not going to allow her counterpart to harm another human with special gifts.

     With her caws digging into his chest and his arms just enough to leave deep scratches as a warning to leave her alone, and with the knowledge that next time she would not stop the panther from tearing him apart. After several long minutes of convincing the panther that is was time to depart for safer pastures, did she manage to turn her counterpart back towards Cedric’s cabin and the safety it provided from the stranger she was beginning to find extremely attractive in his stalkerish sort of way. After a brief hard run towards the cabin, Tamra managed to bring herself under control and shifting shape back to her normal human form, continued walking until after several hours had passed, she found herself back at the towering rock formation and seeing it still opened she slipped inside of it. Cautiously Tamra walked up to the main door and knocked even though she had found it opened for her to walk inside. However, she wasn’t about to just walk inside of Cedric’s home without being invited in. A few moments of time had passed between each set of knocking, and although she didn’t even if he was inside, she wasn’t ready to trust her own instincts fully on any subject just yet, when he finally made his appearance as he walked up behind her nearly scaring her to death, her hands slowly changing into her panther paws and the sharp nails slowly extending out.

     Before she realized what was happening and retracting the claws and forcing them to change back into her normal hands, with a light smile that hadn’t quite reached her soft sea-blue eyes “is it alright if I go inside?” she asked him softly. “Yes Miss, please go inside and I will show you where I placed your belongings” he responded softly, warmly not wanting to frighten her. “Thank ye Sir, I shall follow ye then” she responded while stepping into the cabin and to the right side of the door, which allowed him to enter his home and lead her to the stairs that neared the small breakfast alcove. He led her downstairs and turning left he wound through a small passageway with a series of small rooms were located. “Here is your room Miss” he spoke thoughtfully to her as he opened up the door leading into a rather spacious bedroom and stepping to the left side of the door, he allowed her to enter the room. Cedric gently pulled the door shut behind him as he turned on his heals and walked back up to the main floor. Turning sharply on her heals as the was shut behind her, Tamra glanced about the bedroom and seeing the large bed with h er backpack on it, she walked over and began lifting it up into her hands and feeling the weight, she had noticed that it had gotten heavier.

     Looking inside it, she found several new items had been added to her backpack, one of the primary items was a small container filled with several bags of blood from a local blood bank. Tamra pushed deep into er backpack and after seeing a small hand carved wooden box, she carefully opened it up and there were several kinds of powders one of which was milk. She placed them back into the box and set them to one side. She continues to look through the many items, including the pouches on the outside of her backpack, as well as the two main pouches on the front side of her pack. When she finally finished going through her bag, Tamra had set it on the floor bear the head of the bed. She rose to her dainty feet and made her way back up to the main floor. “Sir, may I asl ye why ye added those things to my backpack?” she called out as she topped the stairs. He glanced at her, “my name is Cedric Stuart, please call me Tam’ she replied with a gentle smile, with a heavy heart of the memories from her past, she turned towards the breakfast alcove and finding a spot to sit, she slipped into the booth, she sat there watching him.

     Tamra finally let her gaze drift to the floor unsure of what more to say or do in his home. But the again she didn’t understand where she was in life since everyone, she had passed over the next life, or just didn’t care about her. At the same time Tamra needed to be with someone who she could trust, someone who would love and care for her. Just as the thoughts had crossed her mind, the image of the ebony-colored wolf and his human counterpart slipped through her mind, with his warm, soft tanned skin pulled tightly across his thick rope of muscles, she began thinking more to herself about her stalker and how each encounter with him was leaving her wanting more contact with him. Just to get to know who he was if nothing else. And with a light sigh more to herself she lifted her crystal light blue eyes up to Cedric, “so tell me how you knew to go to the small clearing where I was?” she asked him quietly, trying to understand how things around her were unfolding.

     After being alone for the last five years and always on the move, with little to no contact with those around her, her gaze slowly wandering about the cabin taking in the entire wonderous décor. From the simple crown molding to its elegant bookshelves and rich deep blue drapes, and to the lush rich light blue couch with its velvety white cushions. Over the matching armchairs with their robust wood decorations running down the front of each arm. To the soft brown carpet right up to the dark wood floor of the dinning room, that Cedric kept polished to a rich, lusty shine that flowed through the vabins interior to the kitchen and back porch. He seemed to know things that made her feel at , and she needed to know why “I have things I do in that clearing, it was just a place I wanted to work in the cool night” he said softly not wanting to reveal much about his reason why he was there at that time of night. He hoped she would not press the issue much further. “I see, but why invite me here?” she softly asked with more curiosity than she truly felt. “You seemed so lonely that first night, I thought that perhaps I could able to aid you in some small way” he replied taking a seat on the couch, his gaze resting on her soft features, while he watched her closely for any signs that she might be uncomfortable in his cabin. She began twisting her fingers together under the table “but you don’t even know me Cedric” she said softly nearly afraid that she sounded more scared, “does it truly matter” he asked her in return.difficult to maneuver, yet she made light work of it as she continued to follow it. After being on the trail for several minutes her emotions once again began to run rampant with each step she took, and the panther hidden within her pressed against her asking for release. With a heavy sigh Tamra allowed the panther control, feeling her body shifting as she walked was something so alien to her, that she nearly stumbled and fell. Tamra with drew deep into herself nearly a tiny light hidden with her counterpart unsure of how to handle the bombardment of emotions that she allowed the panther to have every ounce of control. As Tamra didn’t want to be human anymore, the panther raced across the cool ground, not stopping or slowing down until she spotted a dark cool lake, its crystal looking surface reflecting the moon. The she approached it slowly, cautiously all the while sniffing the air around her for any hidden threats.

     Sitting down near the edge of the lake the panther lowered her head towards the cool water for a drink, but her senses were always on alert. Hidden deep within Tamra felt the over whelming loss and the sorrow it brought with her family’s demise. She felt the shame of not being there with them when the tragedy had ultimately killed them. She knew reading about the crash that had taken them from her was the worst way to learn about it, but one newspaper outlet called it murder while a news channel called it an unfortunate accident on the high seas. Either way Tamra felt there loss so deeply that she knew bone deep it must have had to be murder, especially since her mother and father both told her to be very careful of a man named Woody. Somehow, she knew that wasn’t his true nae or identity and she would spend the rest of her life if it came to that just to find out who he was.

     Tamra allowed the panther its full reign as she wrestled with the image of her sister marrying someone that her parents highly disapproved of so strongly that it caused her panther to shiver.  Yet with the memories so to the surface Tamra was remembering her family’s betrayal when she decided to leave her ex-boyfriend and how they told him exactly where she could be located, and how to win poor Tamra back if that was something he was interested in. Tamra didn’t fully understand how her emotions would affect her panther counterpart, or how the understanding of her life might cause herself to un-necessarily shift.  But the worst betrayal came from herself as she had not joined them on their family holiday at sea. With that in mind, she thought about her family’s betrayal of her and how that simply wasn’t the case as it came out later that Jason was only trying to protect Tamra and her family, but all that came out after what Tamra thought was a brutal murder. The love Tamara held for Jason was that of a beloved brother, one who was always there thru thick and thin, but nothing would ever come from that kind of love. He was just her friend, and yet since she found out about her parents and her twin sister, along with her younger brother. Tamra never once had contact with Jason fearing for his life as much as her own.

     She knew it broke her mother’s heart to want someone special for her daughter, one who never cared for anyone but himself, and yet she was kept from knowing the truth until she was old enough by her parent’s standards to understand that simple fact. Which was a bit late as her twin sister’s husband had murdered her by his own hand. She couldn’t fault her parents for wanting to protect her for as long as possible from the cruelties of the world but when it costs the lives of your family, friends and even your own soul, she knew without a doubt that was the heavies burden her family carried.

     So, with her emotions all over the place Tamra missed the light scent of prey that her panther had caught, with a slow turn towards the direction of the small prey, and a silent stalk about the forest grounds, the panther had jumped into a nearby tree to get a feeling of well being before going on the hunt for her prey.

Chapter Four

     The more Tamra ran in her panther form the freer she felt, and the freer she felt the more she allowed that part of herself to take full control. Even when the panther went on the hunt for the prey in the wee early hours just before dawn. Tamra finally was at peace within herself, and just because she couldn’t stand having no family left in the world, caused the anger to hit the panther in its entirety causing it to kill the young deer. Feasting heartedly upon the young buck she finally found a small cave and aid down to rest through the hottest part of the day. All the while Tamra laid there with her head down her head against a small mound of dirt, using it like a pillow, she finally dozed off in her panther form, and as she slept her body slowly began to shift back into her natural sleek young beautiful slender woman.

     When she finally began to slowly wake from her slumber after several hours of rest, with a soft yawn Tamra rose to her feet and began to quietly walk outside, but she hadn’t taken notice that she was fully clothed and spotting the young buck that her counterpart had killed Tamra froze in her tracks. Not wanting to remember what had happened or how it felt did Tamra do her best to find place to walk round the dead buck. Only to be brought up rather short when saw the same bandages that she had placed on the midnight black wolf, with slow cautious slow cautious steps she continued to move around the buck and toe to toe with the wolf who wore those same bandages. Tamra carefully tried to use telepathy to try to converse with him once more “Greetings, what is it you want with me?” she inquired of him while she started to sidestep that dark wolf, “I would be most happy to teach you what it is that you truly are” he replied through their shared telepathic link, but his eyes never left her for moment.

     As the anger once again began to swirl about her, Tamra allowed herself to shift shape once again into the familiar form of the panther which was slowly becoming easier to shift into, with far less effort and pain the more she practiced the shifting. She refused to give the other creature the satisfaction of of knowing how he might affect her, and still angry with herself for allowing any signs of pain to fill her once more from her sister’s betrayal. She didn’t understand just how much she was utterly lost to herself or others with the pain that filled her heart like a lead stone. “Oh, just go away and leave me in peace” she growled through their telepathic link to him. With her body primed for fighting she lowered her head so it was level with her shoulders and began circling him, ready to pounce upon him should the need arise.

     However, she moved slowly around him with her gaze locked on him, never wavering in the slightest as she maneuvered into a good fighting location, and after a couple of minutes, Tamra had jumped onto a low branch in the tree’s and began a methodical climb towards the upper branches towards the top of the tree. Somehow Tamra knew he was no threat unless she provoked him, but she didn’t want to take that chance. And in the process, she surrendered full control over to her panther counterpart as she buried turned a blind eye to what the panther might do if he crossed her.

     All the while she searched her own heart in the darkness of night, the sleek black panther began growling towards the ebony wolf, a subtle warning to move along. Tamra had made herself into a tiny ball of light deep inside the panther, so he was unable to reach her even through the use of telepathy. Her barriers grew stronger as she practiced them daily, and the harder it would become for the ebony-colored wolf to reach her mind. Once more the panther growled its warning, though it had not moved from its sturdy branch, but chose to lie down on it in waiting for the wolf to make up its mind about leaving. When it suddenly changed into its normal human shape of a man, did the panther begin to move, she took to the ground stalking him. Her sleek slender and heavily muscled frame took three steps just before she pounced his six-foot frame. Brining her strong jaws just mere inches from his throat, just before Tamra managed to regain full control over her panther to keep it from tearing out the man’s throat. She knew the panther was moving in for the kill, and Tamra was not going to allow her counterpart to harm another human with special gifts.

     With her caws digging into his chest and his arms just enough to leave deep scratches as a warning to leave her alone, and with the knowledge that next time she would not stop the panther from tearing him apart. After several long minutes of convincing the panther that is was time to depart for safer pastures, did she manage to turn her counterpart back towards Cedric’s cabin and the safety it provided from the stranger she was beginning to find extremely attractive in his stalkerish sort of way. After a brief hard run towards the cabin, Tamra managed to bring herself under control and shifting shape back to her normal human form, continued walking until after several hours had passed, she found herself back at the towering rock formation and seeing it still opened she slipped inside of it. Cautiously Tamra walked up to the main door and knocked even though she had found it opened for her to walk inside. However, she wasn’t about to just walk inside of Cedric’s home without being invited in. A few moments of time had passed between each set of knocking, and although she didn’t even if he was inside, she wasn’t ready to trust her own instincts fully on any subject just yet, when he finally made his appearance as he walked up behind her nearly scaring her to death, her hands slowly changing into her panther paws and the sharp nails slowly extending out.

     Before she realized what was happening and retracting the claws and forcing them to change back into her normal hands, with a light smile that hadn’t quite reached her soft sea-blue eyes “is it alright if I go inside?” she asked him softly. “Yes Miss, please go inside and I will show you where I placed your belongings” he responded softly, warmly not wanting to frighten her. “Thank ye Sir, I shall follow ye then” she responded while stepping into the cabin and to the right side of the door, which allowed him to enter his home and lead her to the stairs that neared the small breakfast alcove. He led her downstairs and turning left he wound through a small passageway with a series of small rooms were located. “Here is your room Miss” he spoke thoughtfully to her as he opened up the door leading into a rather spacious bedroom and stepping to the left side of the door, he allowed her to enter the room. Cedric gently pulled the door shut behind him as he turned on his heals and walked back up to the main floor. Turning sharply on her heals as the was shut behind her, Tamra glanced about the bedroom and seeing the large bed with h er backpack on it, she walked over and began lifting it up into her hands and feeling the weight, she had noticed that it had gotten heavier.

     Looking inside it, she found several new items had been added to her backpack, one of the primary items was a small container filled with several bags of blood from a local blood bank. Tamra pushed deep into er backpack and after seeing a small hand carved wooden box, she carefully opened it up and there were several kinds of powders one of which was milk. She placed them back into the box and set them to one side. She continues to look through the many items, including the pouches on the outside of her backpack, as well as the two main pouches on the front side of her pack. When she finally finished going through her bag, Tamra had set it on the floor bear the head of the bed. She rose to her dainty feet and made her way back up to the main floor. “Sir, may I asl ye why ye added those things to my backpack?” she called out as she topped the stairs. He glanced at her, “my name is Cedric Stuart, please call me Tam’ she replied with a gentle smile, with a heavy heart of the memories from her past, she turned towards the breakfast alcove and finding a spot to sit, she slipped into the booth, she sat there watching him.

     Tamra finally let her gaze drift to the floor unsure of what more to say or do in his home. But the again she didn’t understand where she was in life since everyone, she had passed over the next life, or just didn’t care about her.The more Tamra ran in her panther form the freer she felt, and the freer she felt the more she allowed that part of herself to take full control. Even when the panther went on the hunt for the prey in the wee early hours just before dawn. Tamra finally was at peace within herself, and just because she couldn’t stand having no family left in the world, caused the anger to hit the panther in its entirety causing it to kill the young deer. Feasting heartedly upon the young buck she finally found a small cave and aid down to rest through the hottest part of the day. All the while Tamra laid there with her head down her head against a small mound of dirt, using it like a pillow, she finally dozed off in her panther form, and as she slept her body slowly began to shift back into her natural sleek young beautiful slender woman.