TUM - 001/001 - A Leopard's Tail Ch 15
This is my first post for my personal project called "The unforgotten Memories". I'll explain what I intend to do in my blog. I hope you'll enjoy it.
THIS IS NOT WRITTEN BY ME. I'm only uploading it.
The previous parts can be found here:
http://www.sofurry.com/?pid=3224
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A LEOPARD'S TAIL Part Fifteen
"Ahhhhh..." Peter sighed blissfully as he entered his apartment after another long day as work, stretching his arms over his head and relaxing. Business had been pretty good at the office these past few days, which meant a bit more work than usual landed on Peter's desk every morning. Not that he could really complain, especially with the paychecks he was taking home. After taking a moment to loosen his shirt a bit and stretch out, Peter walked over to his answering machine and started checking his messages. The first few were the usual mixture of reminders and telemarketers and such, but the last one caught his interest. "Heya Little Bro." His sister's amused voice said. Peter rolled his eyes slightly. "How's my fuzzy little brother doing?" She asked, and Peter stifled a small groan, shaking his head. "I just thought I'd let you know that I'm have a layover in your neck of the woods this Friday, and I thought I'd drop by and talk to you and Karen for a bit, if you two aren't BUSY..." She said, and Peter could almost picture her grinning face. "Then maybe you can tell me how your trip to see Karen's parents went..." Peter blinked in surprise. How does SHE know about that? I haven't told her yet... "Just remember, you can't keep things from your big sister!" She said with a laugh. "Hope to see you soon Peter. Just give me a ring if you're busy Friday. I should be there for a day or two. Later!" Peter just shook his head and smiled crookedly as the message ended and the next message started playing. What did I do to deserve a family like this? He asked himself in amused exasperation.
"Heya Sis!" Peter said with a grin as he opened the front door a few days later. "Perfect timing! I'm almost done making dinner." Kristy grinned back. "Of course my timing is perfect dahling." She said, affecting a bad aristocratic accent. "Though I usually prefer to arrive fashionably late." Peter just sighed in good humor at the act and gave his sister a hug. "Karen's sitting in the living room." He said as he closed the door behind her. She nodded and stepped past him. "Hi Kristy! Good to see you again!" Karen said as she stood up off the sofa. Kristy smiled back and gave her a small hug. "It's good to see you to!" She said with a smile. Then she sniffed her nose and grinned. "I see Peter is inflicting his cooking on another poor victim..." She said, looking over her shoulder at her brother. Peter just chuckled. "Just ignore my sister, Karen. She wouldn't know good food if it landed on her head. At a young age she decided that microwavable TV dinners were the pinnacle of the culinary arts, and no one has been able to convince her otherwise since." Peter grinned back at his sister. "Culinary arts? This from the person who once tried to make a toasted bagel with cream cheese faster by putting the cream cheese on BEFORE putting it in the toaster?" Kristy replied with a raised eyebrow. Peter just put his hands out in a serene manner. "It was a learning experience." He explained calmly. Both Kristy and Peter turned towards Karen when she started to laugh at their antics. "Do you two ALWAYS do this?" She asked in amusement. Peter pretended to be deep in thought for a moment, then nodded his head. "Yep. Pretty much." He said with a laugh. Kristy nodded in agreement. "It's tradition!" Kristy added, and both her and Peter chuckled again. "Well, I'd better get the food before it burns." Peter said, walking towards the kitchen. "Go ahead, take your time." Kristy replied with a grin, turning towards Karen. "In the meantime Karen can fill me in on your trip..." The two women ignored Peter's soft groan as he headed towards the kitchen.
"So, what did Karen's parent's think of you?" Kristy asked as they ate dinner in the living room, facing each other. "Um... It's a little hard to say..." Peter replied a bit nervously. "Well, what was the first thing they said to you?" She asked, digging. "Well, actually.. the first words out of my father's mouth were something along the lines of 'Are you the one who's been deflowering my little girl?'" Karen filled in, looking a bit embarrassed at her father's bluntness. Kristy's eyes went a bit wide at that, as she pictured the scene. She had to swallow hard to keep from laughing. "You've got to be kidding me!" She croaked out in amusement. Karen shook her head. "My family can be a bit.. rough around the edges sometimes." She said, her tone a mixture of embarrassment and a bit of defensiveness. Kristy just chortled a bit, and looked over at Peter. "And how did my intrepid brother handle this?" She asked. "Oh, he almost choked to death." Karen said with a laugh as Peter flushed a bit. "Well, it wasn't precisely the greeting I'd expected." He replied. "But Karen's family was really pretty nice once you got to know them a bit. They seem a bit overprotective, but I can't really blame them for that..." He said with a grin, looking over at Karen. "But not to change the subject or anything, but what are you doing down here anyway Sis?" Peter asked with a smile. "Where are you heading off to next?" "Well, to be honest, I'm not exactly passing through." Kristy replied, grinning a bit lopsidedly. "Actually, I've got a little favor to ask of you..." "Uh oh..." Peter said aloud. "This can't be good." He said taking note of his sister's lopsided grin. Her grin just grew a bit larger. "Okay, okay... What is it?" Peter asked with a bemused sigh. "I want to paint you." Kristy said simply. "Paint me?" Peter seemed a bit taken back. "But why would you want to paint ME.... " He trailed off as the obvious answer hit him. "Well, not you like you are right now..." Kristy said, looking a bit more tentative than before. "You see, I'm going to enter a pretty prestigious art contest in a few weeks, and the subject of the work has to be nature and animals. Most of the prominent artists can get into zoos and things like that to look at the animals and improve their drawings." She grinned again. "But I doubt any of THEM have a fuzzy little brother who can actually POSE for them..." Peter shook his head a bit. "You know I really don't like changing into a leopard during the day..." "Awwww, please Peter? This contest is very important to me and could give my career a big boost, and I can do a much better drawing if I have a model..." She said, giving him a hopeful look. "I'm going to be down here all weekend, and it shouldn't take any longer than that to make some detailed sketches to work from later..." Peter looked over at Karen for a little support, but she just shrugged with a smile. "Don't look at ME. Personally I think it sounds pretty cool." Peter sighed and looked back and forth between the two women, Kristy giving him a hopeful look, and Karen just smiling at him. He sighed again and shook his head a bit in amusement. "Do you two plan to double team me on these things, or goes it just come out that way?" Karen and Kristy looked at each other, Kristy grinning victoriously. Peter laughed and shrugged. "All right, I guess I'll do it. After all, how many people get to have their portraits in an art show?" Kristy grinned hugely and hugged her brother around the neck. "Thanks Bro! You won't regret it!" "I seem to recall you saying that just after you convinced me to try jumping rope on roller skates with you when we were little..." Peter said. Kristy just grinned. "I've got my sketch pad and pencils down in my car..." "What? You want to start NOW?" Peter asked, a bit surprised. "No time like the present! That is, if Karen doesn't mine me borrowing you for a while?" She said with a grin. Karen just shrugged and grinned back. "I really don't mind if Peter doesn't. I wouldn't mind watching you work for a little while either." Peter just shook his head. "I just can't win with you two, can I?" Both women shook their heads. "Nope, not really." Karen replied with a smile. "Not a chance." Kristy added. Peter let out one last melodramatic sigh and headed toward his bedroom as Kristy went to get her supplies.
"Okay... Move your other paw a bit farther forward.. Perfect! Hold that pose!" Kristy looked at Peter past the large sketchpad she had on a stand in front of her. Peter stopped moving and stood still, holding his body low to the ground, one fore leg stretched out in front of him, looking for all the world like a leopard slowly stalking something. The image was spoiled, however, by the fact that he was standing in the middle of his well lit living room, the couch the only thing he was likely to pounce on. "This is going to look great!" Kristy said aloud as she began sketching her brother. Peter held his position as best he could, resisting the urge to lay down and stretch out. He'd been posing for his sister most of last night, and a large portion of today already, and he was starting to get a bit sore and tired. His muscles just weren't designed to sit in one position like this for any length of time. It had actually been a bit fun posing at the beginning, but he was starting to wonder how much longer he could keep this up. Not being able to have a two-sided conversation wasn't helping much either. Both Peter and Kristy glanced up as the doorbell rang. Saved by the bell, Peter thought to himself as he let his pose go, laying out on the floor and stretching his muscles. He only let himself relax for a moment though, before rolling back onto his feet and watching his sister check the door. If it was someone they didn't know, he'd have to head off to the bedroom and change back. Not that Peter would mind that very much. He been in leopard form almost continuously from last night, only changing back to get breakfast this morning before Kristy wanted to start drawing again. Peter really wasn't that comfortable spending so much time as a cat. Kristy turned back from the door and gave Peter a thumbs up. "It's just Karen." She said, opening the door and letting her in. After exchanging a quick greeting, Karen stepped into the apartment. "Where's Peter..." She asked before she looked down and noticed him on the floor. "Oh, THERE you are." She said with a grin. "Has Kristy been keeping you up all night posing for her?" She asked in amusement. Not quite, but close enough. Peter sighed mentally. I wish I could talk like this. he thought, not for the first time. It was difficult enough to get simple points across as a leopard, forget about complicated ones. He couldn't even mime without hands, and his facial expression was more than a bit limited. He did his best to smile and shrug at Karen, leaving it at that. "I've got some GREAT stuff going on over here with Peter's help." Kristy said with a grin, walking back to her pad. "But I think I had better let Peter go and change back now before he falls over. I can recognize his "I'm tired of this" face no matter what he looks like!" Peter made a low growl-like laughing sound, and did his best to give his sister a little salute with his paw before turning around and walking into his bedroom. A few minutes later Peter stepped back out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of slacks and a shirt, looking cheerful. "Ahhh, it's good to get out of that fur and back into my skin!" He said with a grin, rubbing his sore neck. "I think you look kind of cute in fur..." Karen said with a mischievous grin. Peter put on his best hurt expression as he walked past her. "You mean I don't look cute now?" He asked sadly. Karen just whapped him playfully on the arm and he grinned. "So, do I get to see these sketches, or are you going to keep us in suspense?" Peter asked, stepping next to Kristy by her stand, Karen joining them. "Well, I suppose since you DID pose for them it's only proper I at least let you see them..." She said, as if considering it. Then she grinned and started flipping back the pages of the pad, going from one incredibly detailed sketch to another. Peter stretched out on the couch. Peter laying on the floor. Peter low to the ground, looking about ready to pounce. "Wow... these are all pretty amazing..." Karen said as Kristy continues flipping through the sketches. "Thanks. It really helps to have a subject to draw from though. It makes it a LOT easier." Kristy looked over at her brother and smiled. "How'd you get Peter to pose for this one?" Karen asked, gesturing at a drawing that made it look like Peter was leaping through the air in mid pounce, his front legs up off the ground. "Oh, that was easy." Kristy flipped to the next page, which had a cruder drawing of the same scene, only with a rough sketch of Peter's coffee table under his front legs. "All he had to do was stand on the table." "I have to say, I'm really pretty impresses Sis. You think you can make your entry from all of these?" Kristy nodded. "I think I've got enough good, detailed drawings here to work with. I can just pick a pose, flesh it out, and then concentrate on a good background. A few more poses wouldn't hurt though..." She said with a wicked grin. Peter just groaned and rubbed his neck. "But not right now. Actually, I thought maybe we could all go out to dinner tonight, my treat. Just to say thanks." "Sounds good to me." Peter replied. "Where were you planning on going?" "Well, I read about a pretty good restaurant around here. A bit fancier than most places, but not the Ritz." "Sounds good to me. I never did like a restaurant where you need a tie and tails to get service." Peter replied. "But that shouldn't be a problem for YOU, Peter. You'd just need a tie, after all..." Karen said with a grin. Peter just gave her a sad look. "I'm afraid my sister may be corrupting you..." He said as seriously as he could manage. Karen just smiled pleasantly at him. "Is that a bad thing?" She asked sweetly. "I guess it all depends on which side you're on." Peter replied with a grin.
A few hours later, Peter looked around the table where he, Karen, and Kristy were sitting, and nodded his head. As Kristy had said, it was a bit fancy, but not horrible so. There were candles and folded napkins on the tables as well at large, bound menus. There was classical music of some sort playing quietly in the background which blended in with the sound of rain beating against the roof of the building, giving the entire restaurant a pleasant, subdued air perfect for conversations. "This place really is pretty nice." Peter said, adjusting his shirt slightly. Both Kristy and Karen had changed into slightly more formal dresses before they went out to dinner, as had Peter, and he had to admit, they both looked stunning. "Yeah, this place has a great atmosphere." Karen added. Kristy grinned and nodded. "I thought you two might like it. I read a review for this restaurant in a magazine a few weeks ago, and thought I should check it out next time I was down here. After all, even us starving artists have to eat." Peter was just opening his mouth to make a witty reply when their waiter showed up and started placing their entrees on the table. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starving." Peter said after the waiter had placed his plate of roast beef in front of him and retreated. Karen and Kristy nodded. Peter started to put a bit of horseradish sauce on his food, accidentally adding a bit more than he had intended. "You'd better be careful with that." Kristy warned. "They said the chef here likes to make things spicy." "It can't be that bad." Peter said, spreading the sauce around a bit before cutting a piece and bringing it to his mouth. He seemed fine for a few seconds after taking his first bite, but then his eyes opened a bit wide, and he quickly reached out for his glass of water, taking a huge swallow. "I take that back!" Peter croaked after a moment, taking another small sip of water. "Hot!" "I warned you." Kristy said, smothering a grin. "Um, Peter? You might want to fix your face..." Karen said, gesturing at the side of her own face. Peter raised a hand to his cheek and felt a very light coating of fur. He swallowed a bit and quickly concentrated, feeling it vanish. "Thanks Karen." He said after a few seconds, turning his head to look around and see if anyone else had noticed his slight change. "That could have been messy." "Don't worry about it. I barely noticed it myself. At worst it just look like you hadn't shaved very well. I think you should go a bit easier on the horseradish though." She said with a small smile. Peter chuckled and nodded a bit. "I think can live with that." He said good-naturedly, a bit disturbed by his momentary loss of control. "I was just wondering... Have you ever actually eaten anything while you were a leopard?" Kristy asked conversationally. Peter looked around for a moment, to make sure that no one at the surrounding tables was in hearing distance, not quite comfortable discussing such things in such a public place. "Um, no. Not really. I never really had any reason to eat while I was.. like that." He replied, glancing around again. "I prefer to be able to use a knife and fork when I eat anyway. Why?" Kristy shrugged. "Oh, I was just wondering if maybe things tasted differently like that or anything. That's all." Karen nodded. "You know, I never really thought of that." She said aloud, thinking. Peter adjusted the collar of his shirt a bit, preferring to talk about things like this in private, if at all. "So, how is the rest of your artwork coming along Sis?" Peter asked after a moment, trying to change the topic. "Well, things are going pretty well. I had a few people interested in commissioning me to do some pieces for them...." Peter breathed a small sigh of relief as the conversation moved along.
"It's really coming down now." Karen said, looking out at the rain slamming into the pavement a few feet away from the relative safety of the entrance to the restaurant. After a slow dinner, some pleasant conversation, and a fight for the bill (Kristy insisted on paying for everything, but Peter managed to beat her to the tip) they had stepped outside only to find that mother nature had stepped up her bombardment during their dinner. "It pays to be prepared." Peter said with a grin, pulling a small mini-umbrella out of his pocket. Opening it up, it was obvious the umbrella was too small for more than a single person, especially under such windy conditions. "Why don't you two wait here, and I'll go get the car and bring it around." "Sounds good to me." Karen replied. Kristy nodded as well, both of them standing back a bit as a strong gust of wind sent droplets of water flying into their safe haven. "I'll be back in a second." Peter said, holding his umbrella above himself and walking quickly towards the road. He was just preparing to cross when a car zoomed past him, hitting a large puddle, sending a wave of water right into Peter. Karen quickly ran over to the soaking wet Peter, who was still holding the umbrella over his head. "Are you all right Peter?" she asked, looking at his face. She suddenly had to restrain a giggle at he turned toward her, soaking wet, hair hanging down into his face. "Here you go. I think this will be a bit more useful to you than me right now." Peter said, handing over his umbrella with a wry smile. With a small shrug he went trudging back into the rain towards the parking lot.
"Hello, Ted Murphy's office here." Ted said, picking up the phone. "Hi Ted. It's Peter." A scratchy nasal voice came over the phone. "Peter? Are you okay? You sound terrible! I hardly recognize your voice!" "I've just got a really bad cold." Peter replied with a sniff. "That's what I was calling about. I don't think I'll be able to make it in for the next day or two. Sorry." Ted could head the sound of Peter sniffling and blowing his nose. "No problem Peter. You just take it easy and get that cold out of your system." "Sure thing boss." Peter replied a bit humorously. "Thanks." "No problem. Talk to you later Peter. Good luck with that cold!"
Peter hung up the phone with another sniffle. I HATE when I catch a cold... He blew his nose on a tissue again, noticing the layer of fur on the back of his hand as he did so. And this is even worse than usual... Walking into the bathroom for more tissues, Peter took a look at himself in the mirror. His eyes were a bit red and baggy, his nose was running like a freight train, and to top it all off, his face was covered with a very noticeable covering of yellow and black spotted fur. With a low growl of annoyance, Peter closed his eyes and concentrated on changing back to normal. When he opened his eyes again, the fur was gone. But as soon as he relaxed his concentration, it slowly grew back out. Peter grabbed a box of tissues and trudged back into the living room, flopping down into a chair despondently. "I can't go into work looking like THIS, even if I did feel better." Peter said to himself, his voice sounding both nasal and deeper than usual at the same time. This stupid cold is draining all my energy. Just then the phone rang, and Peter got back up to answer it. "Hello?" "Peter? Is that you? Are you okay? You sound TERRIBLE!" Karen said. Peter blinked for a second, then grinned. "And hello to you too..." He said in amusement. "Actually, you're the second person to tell me that today." He said with a sniffle. "I've just got a nasty cold, that's all..." "Are you sure that's it? You sound pretty bad. Maybe you should see a doctor or something..." Peter shook his head, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Nah, it's not that bad. When I do catch a cold, it's usually pretty bad for a day or two, then it goes away. This isn't unusual." Or not too unusual anyway. he added, looking down at his fur covered hand. "Besides, you know how I feel about doctors..." "Well, why don't I come by and try to cheer you up later?" Karen asked. "I'd bring some chicken soup, but I'm afraid the only kind I know how to make comes out of a can." She said with a laugh. Peter smiled and nodded. "Sounds okay to me, if you don't mind risking catching my cold." "I think I can take that risk." Karen replied with a chuckle. "I guess I'll see you tonight." "See you tonight Karen." Peter said with a smile, then hung up the phone. Peter flopped back down onto the chair, feeling a bit better already.
Karen frowned a bit in worry as she rang Peter's doorbell for the fifth time. Where is he? I hope he's okay. She thought to herself as she pressed the button again. Then she heard footsteps hurriedly walking over to the door, and it opened a moment later, revealing a tired, worn, red eyed Peter. "There you are Peter. Are you okay?" Karen asked seriously, more than a bit surprised at his condition. "I'm fine, fine. Sorry it took so long to answer the door. You kind of woke me up..." He said, looking a bit embarrassed. "Oh, sorry if I got you up..." Karen said as she stepped into the room. Then she noticed what looked like a shredded set of clothes hanging over one of Peter's chairs. Peter quickly walked over and started picking up the ruined garments. "Oh, you mean you just fell asleep..." Karen said as it suddenly clicked.. Peter just nodded silently and sighed a bit, sniffing his nose. "At least it was just an old set of clothes." He said, tossing the items into his room with a yawn. "This cold is just taking a lot out of me..." "Yeah, I can tell..." Karen replied, noticing the fur quickly growing on his face. Peter, noticing Karen's stare, rubbed a hand over his face, and willed the fur to vanish once again. "I've been having a bit of trouble with that lately." He said simply, a bit embarrassed. He picked up a tissue and blew his nose. "You should really just lay down and get some rest." Karen said with concern, but Peter just shook his head. "I can't. What if someone calls or comes over?" He sniffed again. "I can't exactly answer the phone with growls, or open the door with paws." "Well, you certainly can't go outside if you're so tired and drained you can't keep a straight face!" Karen replied forcefully. "I can always answer the phone and check the door for you if you want, but you have got to get some rest!" Peter sighed and nodded a bit, knowing she was right. "But it'd be rude of me just to take a nap on you..." Peter said weakly. Karen just crossed her arms. "It'd be even ruder if you didn't listen to me and got yourself even sicker! I'm the closest thing to a doctor you've got, and I'm ordering you to relax and conserve your strength." She nodded her head finally. Peter sighed and shook his head a bit. "Yes mother." He said with a grin. Karen gave him a small crooked smile and nodded at him. "Be back in a minute." He said, blowing his nose on one last tissue as he walked into his bedroom. A few minutes later, Peter stepped back into the living room and started to walk towards Karen, tail drooping behind him. He stopped suddenly to sniff his nose, his drip apparently not changing with his body. Karen patted the sofa next to her, and Peter hopped up onto the cushion beside her. "Now then, you just lay down and relax, and I'll take care of everything." She said reassuringly, scratching the top of Peter's head. Peter made his low, almost purring sound once again, and mostly closed his already drooping eyes. "That's it, just take a nice long rest, and you'll feel better when you wake up." Karen gently scratched his head at he stretched out on the sofa, his tail swaying back and forth a bit, and his eyes already closed. She laid his head on her lap and kept scratching as he nodded off to sleep. As his eyes finally closed and his breathing slowed, Karen chuckled and shook her head in amusement, looking down at him. "Pleasant dreams."
Peter blew his nose into a tissue again, trying to clear his sinuses. He shook his head slightly and scratched the back of his hand. His entire body was covered with fur, and his tail swished around behind him through a hole in the back of his pants. Peter had felt a lot better this morning after resting most of Monday, but his cold was still taking its toll on him. Rather than waste energy fighting his changes, Peter had decided to just let himself shift half way into a leopard, and leave it at that. It was a bit awkward, and his face felt strange to him every time he felt it, but it was better than spending all his time and effort remaining human, and at least he could walk around and use his hands like this. "Stupid cold." Peter muttered to himself for the thousandth time, chucking the tissue into the garbage. Luckily he'd found that he still had a pair of pants with a tail hole in the back from when he was first getting used to his 'condition' so he hadn't had to ruin any MORE clothes with his transformation. Peter glanced at the time yet again. He felt strange sitting around the house on a weekday, not doing anything. He felt like he should be at work, getting things done, and being stuck in the house all day was throwing him off. Peter had just decided to go see if his refrigerator needed cleaning, or if he could organize his cabinets or do something constructive with his time before he went stir crazy when the doorbell rang. He took a step towards the door, then paused. It was a bit early for Karen to be here already... She should have just been getting out from the Zoo. Peter wasn't expecting anyone else... Resisting the urge to sneeze and sniffle, Peter quickly and quietly snuck up to the door, and looked out the peephole. He blinked in surprise as he saw the distorted face of Ted Murphy there. What's HE doing here?? Peter asked himself in surprise. Well, no time to wonder.. Gotta go change, and fast! Peter ran towards his bedroom as quietly as he could, padded feet keeping him stealthy. He quickly threw off his old clothes and threw on the good pair he had handy, tossing the old ones into a draw to keep them out of sight. The doorbell rang another time or two while he was working, and he quickly hopped over into the living room as he pulled his pants up. "Coming!" He called, sniffling again as his drip started up once more. A moment later he opened the door, and was surprised to find not only Ted, but pretty much the rest of the office as well! Peter just stared for a moment, sniffing his nose reflexively. Then Ted grinned. "Hi Peter!" He began cheerfully. "We all knew you weren't feeling well, so we decided to drop by and see how you were doing." Ted finished with a smile. "Why don't you just tell the truth Ted?" Dan said from the side, sun glasses perched on his nose as always. "We all just wanted you to get better quick and get back to work before your projects started spilling over onto us. Otherwise Frank here might actually have to do some WORK!" Everyone chuckled a bit, and Peter gestured for them to come in. "Come on in you guys. But just remember, I'm not responsible if the entire office calls in sick tomorrow." He said with a chuckle, sniffling again. Everyone slipped into the apartment after saying hello. Peter didn't have enough chairs for so many people, so Dan and Jake stood. "Nice place you've got here." Brooke said, looking around. "A little small though." Peter nodded. "I kind of like it that way. It's the perfect size for me." Or it usually is anyway. Peter thought, looking around at how small it seemed with so many people crammed inside. He pulled out a tissue and blew his nose again. He didn't want to be rude, but he hoped his friends wouldn't be staying too long. He was starting to get over his cold, but he was still rather tired, and he still had to concentrate a bit more than usual to keep himself from changing. "Any of you want anything to drink?" Peter asked, glancing around. Everyone shook their heads. "We just thought we'd drop by for a few minutes and see how you were doing. You sounded pretty bad over the phone." Ted replied. "Well, I'm getting better." Peter replied, voice still a bit nasal. "I should be back on the job in a day or so, so don't go working those elves under your desk TOO hard there Frank!" Jake noticed the small leopard statue sitting on counter separating the living room and kitchen. "What's this?" He asked, examining the detailed sculpture. "Oh, that?" Peter asked a little nervously. "It's just something my sister made. She's a professional artist." Peter rubbed his nose a bit to clear it, subtly checking his face for any signs of fur at the same time. "I didn't know your sister was an artist." Paul said, looking over at the statue as well. "My brother does a lot of painting too." Peter pretended to be shocked. "You mean someone in your family isn't a computer wizard?" "Well, he's a bit of black sheep." Paul replied with a grin. Just then the doorbell rang. "I've got it." Peter said, standing up to go answer the door. He'd almost forgotten that Karen was coming over due to his surprise at his friends dropping by. Talk about bringing your work home with you! "Hi Karen." Peter said with a smile as he opened the door. "Hi Peter!" Karen replied. Then she glanced over his shoulder. "I didn't know you were having company over..." She said, a bit surprised. Peter led her inside. "Oh, these are all just my coworkers. They decided to drop by and cheer me up. And, of course, tell me to get back to work." He said with a grin. "Let me introduce you..." "This is Ted 'The Boss' Murphy." Peter gestured at Ted, who reached out and shook Karen's hand. "A pleasure to meet you." "And this is Dan 'Shades' Eldon. And here we have Brooke 'Ego Popper' Gaber..." Peter continued through his coworkers, giving each their own little moniker. Jake the caffeine addict, Frank the sleeper, Paul the techie. They all chuckled as he called roll, making it sound like a professional wrestling match with all the nicknames. While Karen was introducing herself, Peter yawned and ran a hand down his face. He was disturbed to feel the stubby beginnings of a coat of fur. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to focus, resisting the urge to yawn. This isn't good... He thought with another little sniffle. If I'm not careful, this cold really might be the death of me, or close enough! "So, Karen, Peter said you work down at the zoo?" Jake asked. "Yes. I'm head of the feline department. I take care of all the big cats." She said, shooting a little look in Peter's direction. Peter grinned back a bit, trying not to let how tired he was show. Karen noticed he was looking a bit harried however, as Dan tried to start up a conversation on the architecture of his apartment. Karen was just wracking her brain to try to come up with some polite way to help Peter get a bit of peace and quiet when Brooke looked down at her watch and grimaced. "I'm sorry guys, but I've really got to go now. I've got some... things to do." She made an unhappy face for an instant, but quickly covered it up and turned back to Peter and smiled. "I hope you feel better soon Peter!" "Actually, I suppose we should all head off now, and let Peter here get some rest." Ted added. He turned back to Peter. "I hope to see you feeling better soon!" He said. "Yeah, we don't want to tire poor Peter out." Dan said with a grin. He patted Peter on the shoulder on his way out. "Good luck with that cold Peter! Try some black coffee. That usually helps me get over a cold." Jake advised on his way out. Peter just shook his head in amazement. "See you back in the office Peter." Paul said on his way out. "It was a pleasure to meet you too Karen." He nodded at Karen as he walked out the door. A few minutes later, when the last good-bye had been said, and his friends had left the room, Peter closed the door behind them with a huge sigh of relief. Leaning back against the door, he let himself go, his face quickly covering with fur. His eyes turned bright yellow as his face elongated slightly into a bit of a muzzle. He yawned hugely, revealing inhumanly pointy teeth and a rough, elongated tongue. "Whew... About time." He said, stopping himself from changing just before he grew a tail and ruined yet another set of clothes. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose. He walked back into the living room where Karen was standing, and flopped down on the couch. Karen just smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, they're great friends, don't get me wrong." Peter said with a tired laugh, his voice a bit lower and gravelly due to his partially changed vocal cords. "But I'm just too drained to keep a straight face for too long..." He said with another yawn. "That cold still seems to be bringing you down." Peter nodded a bit. "Yeah, but it's almost out of my system. Another day and I'll be..." he sniffled and blew his nose again. "As good as new..." "Well, for the time being I think it might be a good idea for you to go change before you change any more, if you know what I mean." Karen said with a small smile. Peter nodded in agreement. "I'll be back in a second..." Peter said, getting up from his seat a bit unsteadily. He walked into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Karen sat and waited for him to return, but several minutes passed and Peter still hadn't returned. "Peter?" Karen asked quietly, knocking softly on the door. "Peter, are you okay?" Karen just stood there for a moment listening, then nodded to herself and decided to see if everything was all right. She slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door opening, peaking inside. "Peter? Is something wrong...." She grinned as she looked around and saw pretty much the scene she had expected to find. Peter's clothes were piled haphazardly on his bed, and at the foot of the bed, laying pretty much where he had fallen over, was one large sleeping feline. Karen watched Peter lay there sleeping for a moment, his sides rising and falling as he breathed, one paw twitching occasionally as he dreamed. Then she quietly closed the door to his bedroom without making a sound.