Title: Let sleeping monsters lie
Chapter: 4/4
Ratings/Warnings: PG-13 for violence and language
Summary: The final chapter. Short of the long is, that Morsel finds her alpha and all hell breaks loose.
Disclaimer: This story was co-written with Essande. Thanks for the ride! It was fun!
Taras and Face Stealer belong to Essande, while Morsel, Grey Matter and Kathy belong to me

Morsel had had enough of waiting. The two-leg was nice, but she couldn't stay with him forever, even if he had been kind to her and given her food and everything. But meeting the grey pelted one had given her a new kind of courage. She couldn't smell where the man had gone as they had taken him away in one of the moving things with round legs. But she *could* smell where he had come from! She whined a bit, wondering what she could do with her alphas pelt.. In the 4 months that had passed, she hadn't thought about how she had grown to be honest. She was slowly nearing the size of middle sized dog, and that made carrying the shirt around a simple enough task. She pondered, and pondered long. An idea came to her when she saw a two-leg pass the store with a dog, who actually had a shirt with the sleeves wrapped around its neck. Be it as a sign of identification or a way to keep the dog warm she didn't care. She knew how she could get help for this particular trick...

She gazed longingly after the pair, giving a soft and drawnout whine.

Taras looked up at the sound of whining. Ah, Morsel. He smiled sadly as he walked around the counter to see what she was looking at. She was getting too big to keep. Between Terrance, himself and kind donations from That Place, Taras was sure they were barely keeping her fed. He hated to say it, but given the situation and the information he had, he really had no choice but to either start advertising for a new owner for her or to send her off to Canada. Not yet. But soon.

"Hey girl, what's the matter?" He knelt by the Katbeast, scratching behind her ears out of habit. Following her line of sight, he spotted the dog-walker before they disappeared from sight. "Did you want to play?" He supposed lounging around a store all day must be pretty boring for her.

She gave a huffed sigh, looking down at the shirt she was usually sleeping on. By now she was too big for the box she had slept in to begin with and pawed at it for a bit, before looking after the couple again, where the human had paused to adjust the shirt, smiling as he did so and patted the dog afterwards.

Oooh. Taras would never cease to be amazed the Katbeast's ability to make herself understood. "You wanna dress up huh?" Taras ruffled Morsel's fur before slowly reaching for the green shirt. She had always been so particular about it. But she allowed him to pick it up and drape it over her shoulders, tail wagging happily. It really was a pity he couldn't afford to keep her. Aside from that whole "leg eating" incident she really was a sweetheart. Taras tied the sleeves off in a double knot so the garment wouldn't slip off and stood up.

"There you go! Don't you look cute?"

Morsel gave a happy whine, wagging her tail. She was going to miss this two-leg who had been so nice to her. She wondered if her alpha would have liked this one too, for something other than food because he had been kind to Morsel. One could never know, of course. If she couldn't find her alpha, or if he was dead.. Then maybe, maybe she would return to this one.. She knew he felt guilty for never feeding her enough, but he could of course not know that she ate whatever rat that managed to get into the store. She hoped the rats wouldn't be too much of a bother for him when she was gone...

While he was still knealt down, she sat up on her hindlegs and nuzzled, licking at his face with a small whine as if to say 'I'm going to miss you'.. Then, when a customer opened the door to get in, she set off and disappeared out the door, running off before Taras could react.

Taras almost knocked the person entering down, racing to the door. You had to be an idiot to try and catch a Katbeast that didn't want to be caught though. He sighed. He was really sorry to see her go, but evidently, she had somewhere she felt she needed to be. Terrance would later assure him that it was for the best that she ran off. Taras still insisted on dragging his friend to pet stores to look at pets. Morsel was irreplaceable, but it would still be nice to have an animal presence around the store. …Maybe a guard dog.
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The scent trail was old, but Morsel smelled it clear as day, and followed it first to what looked like one of those multiple dens her alpha had once called "apartments". She let out a slight snort, before she sniffed around intensely. Here, the scent was only a few days old, and she gave a slight irritated growl when she at first couldn't determine where the man had gone, but then perked her ears when she spotted another familiar scent and heard a door open. She hid herself, and then managed to hold back a growl when she spotted another of the grey pelted ones.. This one wasn't wearing his grey pelt either, but again she recognised him. He was the other one who had been holding her alphas pelt. The cowardly one.

The man checked his watch at the top of the landing and once again at the bottom. It was almost like a nervous tick. But when you're a member of Grey Matter and expected to report at a certain time…well, you had better report! The way he looked at everyone so warily wasn't so uncommon as to raise suspicion of him either. Necropolis was full of crazy people. One could never be too careful. Just look at the news! Arsons, bank robberies, giant cats roaming the streets, various people with electrical abilities causing havoc and only one of them was Grey Matter's!

No one was ever truly safe here. Even in sleep. Why just last night he'd had the oddest dream about a man with purple hair. Really, who dreams about random people? He shook his head. Maybe it was just stress. He really didn't like the fact they'd pulled a monster off the streets to use as a garbage disposal. If he mucked up he really didn't want to be eaten alive. So preoccupied with his thoughts as he skittered down the sidewalk, the man didn't notice the feline trailing behind him.

Morsel followed at a safe distance, trotting at a calm, easy pace. Whenever the man seemed to stop and look around, she went into easy hiding. There were certain advantages to being her young size.

This game continued on until they reached a seemingly anonymous officebuilding where the man disappeared inside. Morsel didn't fall for it one bit. This was the place where her alpha was! It *had* to be... Question was now however, how she was supposed to get inside.

Nightfall would be best, she decided, glancing up at the sky that was slowly turning into the hours of dusk. She would find a place to hide and perhaps nap a bit. Then she would explore. In daylight, it was far too risky. Perhaps she might even find a way inside. She wanted so badly to call out, to yip, to growl.. Just so she could let her alpha know that she was there, that she was on her way. And that soon, they would be together again.
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The now former Grey Matter agent sat in a corner, keeping quiet. It was part of the deal between him and the.. thing. He would find out some way to get a hold of the coded key that his boss had for the shock collar, despite how he was meant to be chow for the doppelganger. In return, he hopefully *wouldn't* end up as chow if they somehow managed to get out. It was a very, very hard nut to crack. But it was also the only thing he could spend time on. Looking at the thing was just too disturbing.. The fact that the Face Stealer seemed a bit thinner since the last time he had seen it up close didn't help at all.

This one had a brain. The human was pure scum, a cut worse than the rest of humanity, but he had a brain. The doppelganger had to give this one credit for that. This one at least knew when to shut up. His tail gave a lazy flop as he stretched out over his nest. It was nice to have authority over some aspect of his situation. He glanced at the corner the Grey Matter chew toy had taken up residency in. Eyes on the opposite wall and deep in concentration. He snorted.

"Does this form truly make you ill at ease?" He scoffed and pushed himself into a sitting position, form shifting to Antaine's as he did so. "Perhaps this one will better appease?" He pawed idly at his selection of clothing. The way he saw it, the more comfortable the human was, the better he could think. The better he could think, the sooner the doppelganger was free.

"Uh, a bit.." The man said hesitantly. Truth be told, that was almost worse. Due to the hungerstrike it had been pulling, even in its form as the redhead it was frighteningly thin. Hell, if the former agent took his time, he could probably count the others ribs. Instead, he still kept his gaze on the wall, trying to think.
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Outside, nighttime had fallen and Morsel wandered around in the search of an entrance. She had seen several of those doors, but she couldn't open those on her own. And if she tried to go in when one of the grey-pelted ones went, she would just risk getting caught, if not killed. She sat down on her butt, her tail twitching in agitation. What to do, what to do...

Her answer came in the form of a wall suddenly rising up. She let out a startled 'whiff!' and hid behind a nearby trashcan. A large truck she recognised as the thing that had first taken her alpha away slowly rolled out. A few of the grey pelted ones moved around it and then eventually got inside before it took off fully. In the confusion, no one noticed the cubling as she ran into the dark.

The doppelganger was draped over his makeshift next again, watching his cellmate watch the wall. There was hardly anything to listen for outside the door. Not so unusual. For some reason patrolling the halls was not a big priority here. The shape-changer suspected the place had more surveillance cameras then they knew what to do with to make up for patrols. He'd had the thought before; imagining how many screens he'd show up on as he traversed the building slaughtering every Grey Matter agent he met.

He'd have to destroy those surveillance tapes. He really didn't like the idea of the general public knowing Antaine's face in connection to his true one. That would be very detrimental to his living condition here. Knowing Grey Matter, they'd probably use that knowledge as more leverage against him if they knew it was a concern. He sighed, shifting so he could better watch the human.

A thought occurred that this very room might be under survellience. Ah, but surely the Grey Matter agent would have known that. They couldn't afford to have a camera in every room.

She could smell him! The scent was only a few days old, but she could smell him! But she still had to be careful. Morsel knew this, as she hid behind a barrel and looked out carefully through the garage. The lights were dim, but her feline nightvision allowed her to see everything well enough. One grey pelted one was sitting and reading a magazine with pictures of naked female two-legs on the front, and then stood up with a yawn to go to the bathroom. He left the door open, and as the scent lead in that direction, Morsel followed.

And there were so many corridors and so many scents mingled along with the day old scent. But that did not discourage her, because she knew she was so close now! She didn't have far now. But she did hers to stay out of sight as well. Whenever she heard footsteps, she did hers to hide around a corner if she was near one or pressed herself into a doorway, making herself as tiny as possible. Luck was with her, because what few grey-pelted ones she saw usually passed by or disappeared through another door that was far away from her.

She was sure that if she had been running without thinking, she would either have missed the right door or have been caught a long time ago. As it was, she found a heavy metal door that not only carried a strong scent of blood, but also her alphas! She sniffled long and hard at the crack at the bottom, and then began to paw at it as she whined softly. She knew her alpha was there, but how was she supposed to get in? Her claws clicked a bit against the metal and she continued to whine.

The doppelganger blinked, looked at the door. The human was likewise looking at the room's only exit. Generally the sound of boots was what would have caught the shape-changer's attention. The scraping sound against the metal was new, as was the animal crying. Did they have another "monster" off the streets that had gotten out? He envied it if that were the case. But why so eager to get in another cage?

He pushed himself up; loping towards the door once he was on his feet. The human stayed where he was. Concentrating on the noise the doppelganger slowly smiled. Ah, he knew that obnoxious sound. The Morsel was here. Lovely. "Whining does not open doors. Especially not one this secure," he chided. He directed his gaze to the human. "Is there a switch or code or key? What do we need to be free?"

"I's like your collar." The former agent said with a shrug. Truth be told, he was simply baffled about the fact of how the cubling had found its way to this place, considering how these headquarters were.. Well, you know, secret. "The code is in the card and that belongs to the feeding guy or the boss."

Morsel had her ear pressed against the door, having silenced once her alpha gave word of how the whining didn't help. Of course it didn't, but she was just so happy to have found him! She wished she could get the door open so she could give him his pelt... Her ears perked up when she heard footsteps and the sound of someone crying. She immediately ran into hiding, peering around a corner. One of the grey-pelted ones came walking, dragging along a sobbing young female. Morsel scrunched her face. Just what where they thinking!? Her alpha couldn't live off of that scrawny thing!

The guy simply took a card and swiped it through a box next to the door. When it gave a few beeps and a red light switched to green, he opened the door.

"Yo chow- YAAAHHH!!" The usual dry greeting turned into a shriek of agony when the cubling leapt forward and pounced, clinging to the agents back with her claws as she bit into his neck with a furious snarl. The girl of course took off running, while the feeder flailed the door open further, yelling out in pain while the cub kept biting.

Oh, good girl. The doppelganger's grin was maniacal as the screaming started and the door came open. A hand reached out to sink claws into the feeder's chest, fingers curling into flesh. A harsh, wet yank and the man's balance was upset, sending him to the floor and padding the Morsel's own drop. This was a most wondrous turn of events. Idly, the doppelganger turned his gaze to the chunk of meat in his hand. It was a snack he enjoyed very much. But unfortunately the only food he could enjoy at the moment.

He eyed the human he had made the deal with as he loped over to his makeshift nest to retrieve his knife. "Well, my friend the door's agape and so you must lead on. Careful you don't betray me friend or upon your corpse I'll feed on."

The man swallowed nervously. "Uh.. Eheh.. s-sure.." He said nervously. Morsel let out a keening whine, like a child seeking the attention of its parent, as she sat up on her hind legs. Oh, but her poor alpha was so thin! No doubt those morons hadn't been feeding him well.. She could tell that he possibly had drained on what fat reserved he possibly had in his tail, but that could only do so much.

And being thin meant you could cold much easier. So she whined again, showing how she had his pelt and she hoped he wouldn't be mad at her for wearing it without permission.

He was going to scold the Katbeast. He'd had enough whining from the humans, she ought to know better. Looking at her properly now though, the reprimand died. Antaine's hoodie. It brought to mind many questions, but suffice to say he gave Morsel an almost loving pat on the head before he removed the article from her back. He pulled it on quickly, as though he could lose it again in an instant despite the sparse company. Who would really take it from him? The human? The Morsel?

The human was too smart than to try that a second time. Morsel had brought back the precious garment. The doppelganger took a moment to smooth out the green cloth. Oh today was a very good day. He only needed one more thing to make it perfect. Glowing eyes fixed on the human expectantly. The man gave a hesitant nod and finally left the safety of his corner. The doppelganger backed up a step or two when the human paused, motioning the Morsel to do the same. He wanted the collar off sooner rather than later and the human seemed annoyingly hesitant about approaching the door with them in it.

Morsel wagged her tail happily at the pat, and obeyed when he motioned for her to step back. She recognised the two-leg of course, but she knew that now was not the time to try and seek out revenge once more. The former agent lead the way, feeling more than a bit nervous as he did so. He knew there was surveillance, but he also knew that it was spread out. The leaders felt safe with this particular side branch, but that was it. Now, if only he could remember where the boss' office was....

He didn't get time to ponder long as a group of armed Grey Matter agents showed up. One of them yelled and pointed: "There they are!" And then they opened fire. Morsel yipped and leapt into cover, the former agent doing the same. Morsel watched in horror however, when she saw her alpha crumble to the ground. A crackling confirmed it was that odd collar around his neck. That collar was hurting him! But how!?

It was foolish of him. It really had been. But the doppelganger had hoped he could get away without the collar being used today. Considering his current run of luck, he supposed his good fortune had to run out sometime. Was it really so much to ask it hold out a little longer? Long enough so he wouldn't have to writhe on the floor in pain, futilely clawing at his own neck in an attempt to remove the device. Whines easily morphed in the whimpers the longer the button was held. He couldn't tell if it had been as long as the last time he'd tried to make an escape. These lovely low sessions of electrocution always seemed like an eternity.

"You stupid, foolish creature." A familiar voice sounded in a loathing tone. Morsel stayed in cover, but she bared her teeth in a growl when she heard it. Oh she recognised the scent too. It was the false alpha, who now came out slowly from behind the other grey pelted ones. He was holding some kind of odd device, and the cubling knew at once that this was the source of her alphas hurt.

"You really believed you could simply just walk out?" The false alpha had a cold sneer in his voice. "I suppose that you have lived on your own for so long that you have forgotten a few important things, beast." A button on the remote seemed to heighten the volume, and it was clear how the leader was enjoying all of this.

"In Necropolis, there is always a stronger predator! You either bow to it, or get eaten by it." The volume went a notch higher. "You should have *bowed* to me, *beast*!!" And then the false alpha began to laugh.

Rage and hatred made her feel completely rigid, the Morsels fur standing on end and her tail whipping around. Even the former agent who had stood in cover so as to not get hit by bullets, knew that his former boss had crossed the line.

The doppelganger screeched. Oh what new hell was this? He hadn't known there were higher settings, higher voltages. He felt like his neck was charring, he *knew* his hands were beginning to burn. The man intended to kill him… That had become very clear, very fast. No! He was not dying here! The creature's one attempt to get up from the floor was hardly visible though. The increased current was making it hard to move in general, muscles seizing up and making the fact that this was how he was going to die more and more apparent.

Tch. Damned cheating human. Had this been a *fair* fight the leader's innards would be strewn across the hallway right now.

Morsel let out what among her kind would have been a roar, but as she was only a cubling it came out as a feline screech. How *dared* this no good false alpha just..come here and hurt her alpha! With another high screech, she leapt forward and bit hard into the mans wrist. The Leader howled in surprise and fury, dropping the still turned on remote as he did so.

The former agent first considered running as everyone was pretty occupied. The other idiots didn't know what to do with the furious little furball who was pretty much mauling the boss' arm despite the kevlar covering, and they didn't dare shoot at it for fear of hitting the boss. And the doppelganger was still writhing in agony on the floor. Then, he saw the slight glimmer at the leaders belt.. It was the key for the collar! Leaping forward, he quickly grabbed the remote and then tackled his former boss, grinning like a madman.

"Consider this payback, you crazy son of a bitch!" He snarled and punched the leader hard in the face. Then, with a sharp snap, he yanked the key from the others belt. The cubling ignored him, biting furiously into the mans arm, much like it had done with his leg just.. oh had it really been just a week ago? Nevermind that. The point was, that she was probably gonna leave something for her.. boss? Friend? Something? Nevermind.

He got off the man, grinning at his former collegues as he backed towards the still writhing doppelganger. Then, he clicked the remote, turning off the collar. The other minions started to back away nervously as their former collegue knealt down and used the keycard on the collar, that seemed to give a loud, ecchoing *SNAP* and then fell to the floor with a clatter.

"Remember our deal." The man said. Then, he did the wise thing, and took off running.

Freedom. Oh, for removing that damnable collar the doppelganger was more than prepared to honor the deal they'd brokered back in the cell. The rest of these cretins, however… The grin stretching across his face as he got up would have been impossible for a human to accomplish. His muscles protested the use, he really should have been resting. He ignored the need to recuperate. Instead, he pounced on the closest minion who dared to raise a gun at him. There was no finesse, no mercy, no painless swipe of a blade over neck. No, he'd dropped his knife when the man the Morsel was currently mauling had activated the collar.

He'd allow her the pleasure of dealing with him. The doppelganger was more than satisfied burying his claws into the idiot sheep who'd followed the man. A few of the smarter ones had chosen to flee. He'd hunt them down later. The doppelganger snarled, batting a gun out of one of the braver one's hands before claws pierced through the fabric of his mask. Some points were harder to puncture than others. The shape-changer figured he had plenty of practice dummies to learn weak points on.

The false alpha flailed around and about of course, trying to pull himself free from the damnable creature who was tearing at his arm. The Morsel snarled, her teeth expertly tearing into the flesh once she got past the would-be protective skin, and she clawed at it furiously. She growled when the man tried to struggle away, biting further into the flesh and then yanked out a piece, which bared the bone. The leader *howled* with agony, struggling to find something, a gun or anything, that could help him get the damn thing off of his arm! His hand closed around the hilt of a knife.. ahh, how perfectly ironic to find the Face Stealers weapon.. He didn't hesitate, but simply stabbed it into the feline, who finally released him with a shriek of pain.

With a snarl, the leader tossed the Morsel away and she hit the wall with a dull *thump* before she landed on the ground. She tried to get up, growling bravely after the leader who now did like the traitorous former agent and took off running down a corridor.

Blood dripped copiously from his hands by the time he paused in his killing. The Grey Matter agents that been gathered that either fled the scene or were dead. Or dying. Those still breathing surely would not survive the blood loss. He'd been looking down the hall at the back of the last grey suited human to go running. He'd been about to give chase, to start a merry little hunt through the building to *pay* his kind hosts for his stay here. Then he heard the screech.

The doppelganger whirled, eyes narrowing when he saw the reason for the Morsel's cry. Bastard! How dare he harm her! He paused long enough note the feline was still alive. A heartbeat later the doppelganger was tearing down the hall after the man. He would enjoy flaying that man alive…

The leader ran as fast as he could, teeth grit under his mask as he clutched his arm. The damn rat thankfully hadn't hit any vital, though it had certainly been close! Still, the bloodloss was getting to him, and he had to pause to catch his breath. He knew that he couldn't afford to stay still for too long.. He had to get to safety *somewhere*... The sound of claws against the floor made him take off once again, though he felt it as if he was moving through syrup by now.

Tracking was easy in this building when your prey was wounded. Droplets of blood on the ground may as well have been neon arrows, lighting the path the man had taken. Despite the ease, the doppelganger didn't slow his pace. This building likely had doors that he would not be able to open if the leader hid behind one. He skittered around a corner, following the path the human had taken. The man was lagging. Good.

The doppelganger snarled when he caught up to the human. He was tired, hungry and hurting. But before this day was over he was going to kill this man. The shape-changer launched himself at the man, taking them both to the ground. Tsk. Without his gadgets this human was hardly the greater predator.

The man howled behind his mask, but it was more in fury than in pain and fear. He was furious to be honest. Furious at himself for having lost control the way he had. At the minions for not having taken more caution the way he had ordered them to. And furious at how he himself had thought he could control a force like the Face Stealer.

Morsel felt.. tired to be honest. She was hurting, but when she tried to get up, her leg was hurting too much for her. And the wound in her side hurt as well. Where was her alpha? He had gone after the false one.. Which was good. If she concentrated, she thought she could hear the screams of the false alpha getting his punishment... Good.

She heard footsteps and tried to look up, but oh she was so tired. She gave a weak growl when she saw it was that grey pelted one without his pelt. He gave a sneer. "Fucking piece of furball..." He hissed, before looking down the corridor. "If it wouldn't get me killed, I'd off you right now for what you did to my leg." He shook his head in disgust. "Idiot... Should've known better.." With that, he just walked off, ignoring the few Grey Matter members who were still breathing.

He'd avoided the major arteries as he tore through the protective suit. He'd ripped out hunks of flesh and made the human watch him eat them. The doppelganger made sure the man's death was as painful as possible. So he devoured the man alive for his crimes against him. The doppelganger was almost sad when the man was gone. He was still hungry. Still tired, still aching. But at least now he felt accomplished. Like his old self again.

He retrieved his knife from the puddle of blood it was lying in. He'd like to burn this place to the ground. That could wait though. For now, he had to finish collecting his things and return home. Perhaps hunt down a few more Grey Matter agents. He scowled. He definitely had to hunt down more of Grey Matter. All those in this building anyway. Perhaps all of them. His tail lashed. He'd have to find a new den. Some place this collection of humans wouldn't know about. If the doppelganger's opinion of human intelligence was even close to the truth, these idiots might try this stunt again.

Morsel lay where she had been left, laying by the wall. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of his claws against the floor and managed to wag her tail a bit when she saw him. She was glad to see him safe.. But oh, she was hurting and she was so tired...

The doppelganger regarded the Katbeast evenly for a few seconds before turning his attention to the bodies. Choosing one at random he stole the man's face and the pants he'd been wearing. Hiding the knife away, he picked up the Morsel and started looking for a way out. The hunt and building burning would have to wait then. First home. Then maybe he could plan a more complete revenge than this.

Getting out was the easy part, as some of the Grey Matter members had left a few specific doors open. One of them was a fire escape that lead right outside. Humans where just so dumb when they panicked.
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What was really just a few blocks away, nurse Kathy who had helped the former Grey Matter agent in This Is Not A Store but a week ago, was walking home after a long day. She was just glad she was having the day off tomorrow, or she was afraid that she would go mad after reading alot of strange minds during the day. For a moment, as she passed an alley, she thought she saw the flash of something. A 6th sense whispered for her to watch out, and yet cat's curiosity made her look.

The Morsel had gotten bigger and thus heavier since she had first wandered into the doppelganger's den. Not in top condition, carrying the Katbeast was tiring. Despite his guise, he felt safer taking a breather in the darkness of one of Necropolis's alleyways. Setting the feline down, he flopped against a wall. He wanted to curl up and sleep. Snap up a rat or two and then have a good and proper hunt.

But not here. He looked to the alley's entrance at the movement happening there. Grand. Another human. He really didn't feel like dealing with any more at the moment. Still…perhaps a snack? Another meal? His stomach protested. It was still feeling odd after suddenly getting so much food after so long without. He had to admit, his hunger strike had not been the wisest thing he'd ever done.

She recognised him for what he was of course. Her eyes widened in shock and fear like it did with all humans. But then she spotted the Morsel and.. anything that made her afraid of the doppelganger seemed to have been forgotten. The Morsel seemed to recognise her, and again it wagged its tail just a bit.

"Oh you poor baby..." Kathy said soft, crouching down. She actually looked up to the doppelganger, and though every inch of her was screaming for her to get up and run as far away as possible.. Then at the same time, another and much stronger part, the part that was her gift, told her that she should help them both. 'Good lord, but that.. thing, is a mess... I doubt he will be much grateful if I try to help..' She thought. 'But oh, the little one.. She is hurt..'

"I can help you." She said, her tone gentle. "You and the little one. If you want me to." She bit her lower lip in return. "I only ask that.. that you don't attack me in return.."

Another deal with another human? Another human who saw through his mask it seemed. He was losing his touch. He'd been gone too long if people could see him for what he was and not scream. He would have lashed out at her and shown her the error in not fleeing had she not mentioned helping. Help how? He scowled. What was this human's game? Obviously it had something to do with the Morsel. Animal lover then. What was that group called…PETA? Yes, he supposed they were insane enough to risk their lives for a Katbeast.

"Help if you can then, do as you will. Go on, give me a reason not to kill."

She carefully moved forward, and knealt down when she reached the two of them. Morsel whined and licked her hand, which made the woman smile gently. "Yes, hello." She whispered, as she very carefully placed a hand on the doppelgangers arm and then gently on Morsels side. Then, she drew a deep breath and closed her eyes in concentration.

A gentle blue glow surrounded her hands, which then seemed to spread, first surrounding the Morsel who let out a faint whimper, but then relaxed with a small sigh before the glow vanished. Then, she got up as if she had never been injured and began to groom herself.

With the Face Stealer, it took longer, but mainly because he was bigger than the Morsel and had more injuries as well. The glow reached up around his neck, removing any sign of the collar or that he had scratched there with his own claws, and several other injuries. As a final touch, the before so very thin tail seemed to regain some of its fat reserves.. and after a long time, the woman finally stopped, stumbling when she got to her feet. She was breathing hard, and it was clear she had used alot of energy on this.

"Keep in mind.." She managed to say. "I mostly did it for the little one.." She shook her head as if in wonder. "Incredible as it may sound... she loves you very much. Such loyalty deserves just a bit of a reward."

The doppelganger eyed the woman. A super-powered human then. Wasting time and energy on the likes of him for the sake of a feline. …Definitely PETA. Still that didn't make her any less annoying. Reward? The Morsel was allowed to be in his presence unmolested! A privilege the woman was receiving herself. He allowed the feline to share his meals, to sleep in his den on a bed made from clothes he'd collected. He'd slaughtered the man responsible for both their pain only a short while ago! Standing he barred his teeth at the woman.

"Order, suggestion, command; these are things I cannot stand." He'd had just about enough of that. "Your help is appreciated, so I'll keep our deal. Consider your payment being not made a meal." He gave a pause before narrowing his eyes. "You breathe of this to no one, you tell not a soul. If I hear of this and find it's you, you'll find yourself six feet in a hole." Eyes still trained on her, the doppelganger stepped back, beckoning Morsel to follow before moving further into the maze of alleys that crisscrossed between Necropolis's buildings.

She wanted so badly to laugh at that last part. Tell someone? Her? The last thing she needed was to tell someone she had just healed the Face Stealer. Hell, if she even gave a hint of her powers, who knew what would come after *her*? She fell to her knees, exhausted, then smiled when Morsel licked her hand. It was the cublings way of saying thank you before it happily ran after the doppelganger.

But then.. From what she had read in the creatures mind, then after what they had both been through, they needed a serious break.

"Tell who? Tell them what?" She asked herself, as she managed to get to her feet. "That I healed the most feared predator of Necropolis? They would lock me up or send me to some laboratory for experimenting."
------------------------------------------

The doppelganger found his way to the abandoned gas station. He'd miss this place but he'd have to find a new den. He flopped on his mattress curling up. Later. For now rest, then he'd go out hunting. …Go out hunting and remind Necropolis that he was something to be feared. It had been seemingly forever since he'd stalked the streets. Likely they'd forgotten him. Likely they'd replaced him with another nightmare. Oh but come sundown…they'd remember him. He'd remind Necropolis and all who dwelled within that he was still around and something to fear. Perhaps this time around, he'd instill enough fear in the humans of Necropolis that not even people like Grey Matter would try to control him again.

The Morsel went to her nest and squinted when she found that she had gotten bigger than said nest. With a mental shrug, she curled up. She was tired and she wanted to sleep. With a yawn, she covered her nose with her tail and thought of all the things that had happened. Thinking of how she had found her alpha, despite how he had been lost for so long made her happy. And she hoped he was happy that she had found him despite everything.

Even if he wasn't.. They were together. And that was what mattered to her.

The End