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Slipping on one of the clean t-shirts and a
pair of jeans, she stuck her head out into the hallway and listened.
The place was dark, with the exception of a couple of plug-in night
lights. There was no sign of any of the tourists, nor could she hear
them, except for the distant, muted sound of a TV coming from
upstairs on the other side of the building.
Feeling emboldened, Rikki tiptoed her way
into the dining room and over to the swinging doors which led into
the kitchen. Giving them a gentle push, she was surprised to find
they wouldn’t budge. They were locked from the inside. Making a
face, she tried to figure out another way to get inside, when she
noticed the gap between the bottom of the doors and the floor. It
was too narrow for her to crawl under…as a human.
But I might be able
to manage it in my other form.
She glanced over her shoulder. She could
shuck her clothes here and change, but that would up her chances of
being discovered if someone found her things lying here. It was a
risk she couldn’t take. Not after all Art and the others had done
for her. She’d have to find another way.
Inspiration struck, and she returned to her
room. Dropping into her leopard self, she eased her key card
underneath the door, then let herself out before returning to the
kitchen.
Squeezing through the narrow opening wasn’t
difficult. Once inside, she became human and went to check out what
was left in the fridge. As soon as she opened one of the large,
stainless steel doors, the scent of leftover baked chicken hit her.
It took her a moment or two to find the right plastic container.
Grabbing a leg quarter, she shoved it into her mouth, closed the
refrigerator door, and morphed into her feline form.
Slinking back underneath the swinging doors,
she started to congratulate herself on another successful stealthy
acquisition, when a form moved across the room, over where the back
entrance was located. She froze in place, muscles growing taut as
she tried to assess her next move. Should she bolt for her room? Or
try to make it out the front door? The smell of chicken filling her
nostrils prevented her from catching the person’s scent. It wasn’t
until the form spoke that she could let herself relax.
“What would our guests think if they saw a
leopard roaming around inside the lodge?” Art moved a little closer, enough to
where she could finally make him out more clearly. By the smile on
his face that reflected in his eyes, he was amused at having caught
her red-handed. Yet she could also tell he wasn’t pleased. “Come on.
Let’s get out of here before anyone catches us.” He indicated
returning to her room, which she swiftly did. When she reached her door, she pulled
out the key card, humanized herself, and popped it into the lock to
let herself inside. She paused once she got inside, when an
irrational thought came to her. Pulling the chicken from her mouth,
she hurriedly opened the door again and stuck her head back out into
the hallway. Art was turned to go into the room next to her.
“Psst. I have a thigh and a leg. You like
dark meat?”
Her reappearance had startled him. “Uhh,
yeah.”
“I’ll share with you if you promise not to
snitch on me.” |