[Jaykobell]

He tried to stay still. "Stay still," he instructed. It was critical for the Onthera to follow his lead and to remain motionless. If they picked up on movement coming from inside the bar, they would knock on his door and question him. It had happened before, and it would happen again. And he could only use the excuse of a bad power outage so many times before they got truly suspicious of his activities.

And so, in the darkness, they waited.

[Jaykobell]

The Draculi was used to this kind of tension. The uncertainty of whether or not he would manage to fool those hunters. Whether or not they would come and knock at his door, someone vulnerable hiding in his premises. His heart was used to it, his breath calm and silent.

The Onthera, understandably, stood in a different state of mind. Their eyes kept flickering, and their breathing, although quiet enough, showed clear signs of stress and panic, a soft sound of panting echoing in the dark silence.

[Jaykobell]

The seconds seemed to crawl. They felt like minutes, hours, days. The noises from outside only got closer and louder, and there was but one thing the Draculi feared, so to speak. He hoped the Onthera would keep their cool, and stay quiet and still. The movement would be damaging if they felt the urge to move, but it could still be salvaged thanks to the darkness.

If they screamed, however, their entire cover would be blown: with or without the darkness.

[Jaykobell]

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the movements and noises stopped. Those who were shuffling outside in an aggressive, hungry pattern moved onward towards another part of town. Soon enough, their presence was gone.

Still, they couldn't rest yet. Just because the outside was quiet didn't mean there weren't still dangers lurking beyond the walls of the bar.

"Wait," he told the Onthera, and slowly, quietly, he moved along the walls. He creeped by the windows, and peeked outside carefully, stealthily.

[Jaykobell]

After peeking through the windows, he was pleased with what he saw. "They're gone," he confirmed to the Onthera, although without turning on the lights.

The sigh that they uttered, it was full of relief. All the stress they'd been holding onto had evaporated through the sound. "Are you sure? Really sure?" they asked, taking his advice to heart and staying quiet.

"Yes," he confirmed.

They sighed again, their voice cracking under the emotion. "Thank you so much. You've saved my life."

[Wild Pet Found]

[Jaykobell]

His tail gave a few, short waves. "A pleasure," he assured the Onthera. "But I suggest you stay here," he suggested, his voice making it clear it was more of a fact than an actual suggestion. "They will return over the next few days. It's not safe for you."

They seemed shocked by the offer; being a cat, he could see relatively well in the dark. "I... I'm not sure," the Onthera admitted, and their voice seemed hesitant despite their earlier gratitude.

[Jaykobell]

"I mean no harm," he promised. He couldn't blame them for being suspicious. First, he had welcomed them here in the darkness, and now, he asked that they stay here? This town already hadn't treated them kindly. Why should they believe a complete stranger so readily?

"My bar has seen many a hunted," he explained. "This town is dangerous. It is full of hunters who prowl about every day." He took a few steps forward, and he extended a paw.

[Jaykobell]

"I promise," he said, doing his best to make his flat, even voice to sound sincere. His bigger, fluffy appearance often put others off, leaving them to feel a little uncomfortable around him. His voice only added to the problems, being quiet and flat, and just a little bit deep.

The Onthera still seemed hesitant. They turned, looking towards the windows and the town that lay outside of them. They stared for a few seconds.

Finally, they slowly took the Draculi's paw.

[Jaykobell]

"I... I will believe you," the Onthera decided, sighing a long breath full of hesitation and fear. "It's either you, or... or them," they said quietly, incredibly concerned, their fear seemingly coming right back to them.

Seeing them shiver and tremble from the fear, he attempted to make them more comfortable. "Come," he invited, and he slowly started to guide them in the dark. "Follow me upstairs to the guest room. Slowly, now." Tripping on the stairs would be quite embarrassing, for either of them, after all.

[Jaykobell]

The Onthera seemed surprised by his invitation, their steps awkward and unsure. "Um... can... could you not turn on the lights?" they asked quietly, perhaps for fear of upsetting him.

"Not yet," he denied. "They need to believe the bar is closed. They may become suspicious if I turn on the lights." There was also another matter that could become tricky with respect to the lights. "Someone might see you through the windows if I turn on the lights," he pointed out.

[Jaykobell]

He felt a paw reach the first step, and he slowly guided the Onthera up one step at a time.

"Someone might...?" they repeated, in that moment, confused at the statement. "What do you..?"

They didn't finish their question, but they didn't need to. He hesitated for a heartbeat. "The townsfolk may see you. The hunters will offer bounty for intelligence."

Despite the darkness, the dread and fear as the Onthera understood was clear as the light of day.

[Jaykobell]

"You mean... They would...?" They struggled to find words, their voice wavering with upset. So much so that they almost missed a step, and they needed a moment to catch their balance.

"This town is dangerous," he repeated simply. It was all he could say. A short answer that explained the ugly truth of this place. "Money is difficult in this town. People seek it."

He changed the positions of his paws in order to help give the Onthera a bit more stability.

[Jaykobell]

"I can't believe..." they breathed, and they seemed unaware of their body following the Draculi up the stairs, in that instant.

He had seen this distress before, many a times. Every single individual reacted differently to his advice, and so, with time, he had learned to be careful. He tried to keep things short, and he did his best to avoid any sort of concrete advice. He had learned the hard way that this was not what these individuals sought.

[Jaykobell]

"Not all are crooked," he said, trying to soothe the pain. "But money will crook many."

They were silent following his words, instead seemingly focusing on going up the stairs for the time being. Perhaps only to create a distraction from the ruthless state of this town they were now stuck in for a while.

"Only a few more," he advised, and if he had spoken some magic words, the next few steps seemed to pass much quicker than the first few.

[Jaykobell]

Finally, the two reached the second floor. He guided them down a small hallway, all the way to the back.

"Here," he invited, opening the door to a small guest bedroom. Of course, in the dark, it was difficult to appreciate it. Since it was but a small room upstairs, he turned on the lights. After all, for all the townsfolk knew, it was him living around his own home. There was no need for suspicions.

The light was blinding. The Onthera covered their face as they flashed and illuminated the room.

[Wild Pet Found]