Here Kitty, Kitty - 5. Chapter 2.3

Simon quickly covered the basics of how he’d been turned into a vampire…. “Now you see, I may be a vamp but that means shit. I’m still not sure you’re not somehow making me see things.” Simon sat back against the wall of the cave and crossed his arms. “So, I’ve told you my story. What’s yours, Kitty.” Simon threw in the name Fran had called Kitryn on a whim and almost snorted at the hiss Kitryn let out.

“I am not a kitty.” Kitryn spat. “I am a mountain lion shifter. I was born a long way from here and after I left I moved around a lot. Fran is my sister’s child and Nelson and Peter are my brother’s kits. All the kits’ parents are dead. There was…an issue, with a nearby group of shifters and they were killed, along with others from my family group.”

Simon reacted to the pain in Kitryn’s voice and reached for the other man’s hand. Kitryn’s head jerked up from where he’d been inspecting the floor. Simon knew he should still be questioning his sanity and maybe he should even be afraid of the big black man who was claiming to be able to change into a cat. But, all he felt was sympathy for someone else who it seemed had lost a lot recently, and some part of him insisted Kitryn wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’m sorry.” Simon jumped at Kitryn’s gentle tone. He glanced at Kitryn to see him staring at their joined hands. “I shouldn’t have sniped at you about not knowing about shifters without first finding out more about you. It’s no excuse, but things have not been ideal recently and my nerves are a bit on edge. I may have overreacted.”

Simon thought about making Kitryn grovel more and found he didn’t have the heart. He knew what it was like to be pushed to the limits of your endurance. How much harder must it have been for Kitryn to have three children—Kits, Simon corrected himself—to look after? The kits seemed happy and healthy, and really friendly.

Simon opened his mouth to speak when he felt the lethargy of the upcoming dawn soaking into his body. He would soon be unconscious and at the mercy of whatever Kitryn wanted to do to him. In for a penny, in for a pound. He didn’t have a choice other than to trust him and so as he felt himself slipping into sleep he managed to utter one word. “Dawn.”

As the blackness over took his vision he swore he heard whispered words before everything went dark. “I’m here, just relax and let me take care of you…”

***

Kitryn caught Simon as he tilted to the side and started to slide down the wall. He lifted him and was shocked at how thin the vamp was under the bulky clothes he wore. Kitryn could feel every rib and there wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on the underfed body he held.

How long had Simon been alone and trying to survive? Simon had not been very clear on the timeline of when he was turned. Kitryn wondered if Simon realized that he had probably slept longer than he’d thought for the first while after being turned? Newly turned vamps were always hungry and tired when they first woke from being turned. Some could sleep for days at a time and go through several donors before they are sated and learn to control the hunger.

Pushing his questions to the back of his mind he lifted his now unconscious host and carried him deeper into the cave. He checked the kits and decided he should be able to hunt up some food and be back before they woke.

He stripped off the blanket Simon had insisted he wrap around himself he shifted and padded silently out into the dawning sunlight.

Prompt used - In for a penny, in for a pound. 
 
Thank you to everyone for all their lovely comments  They mean a lot to me and I love to see what people guess is going to happen next  
 
Thank you as always to Tim who keeps sending me corrections and making me shake my head and   at my obvious mistakes.