Paws

Changes

The door opening downstairs somehow managed to catch the lions' attention for just enough time to allow me to land a strong bite to the one holding my son. When I saw Coda scramble back beneath the bed I knew that he would be okay and could redirect my attention to the lions. I needed to make sure that they didn't shift and lift the bed up. When the lions looked over their shoulders I lunged at the one further away, getting his focus back on me before I darted from the room with a loud bark. Luckily the lions followed judging from the heavy footfalls of their pads on the hall floor behind me.

"Boys!"

The roared word made me flinch, but I knew I had to run towards it or risk further injury. The two lions behind me slowed at the top of the stairs while I jetted down them in a blur. My paws tripped me several times but I didn't stop running until I was behind Jordan and his wife, who were holding four large boxes of pizza.

While his wife stayed behind with him, Jordan lunged up the stairs. It was clear on the two young lion's faces that they wanted to run but knew better. They took the attack that came, each getting a bite to one leg or the other, as well as several scratches to their faces and sides. It was harsh, but I had to remind myself that they were lions. Jordan was disciplining the cats as much as he was disciplining his kids. When he stopped, panting heavily in his lion form, his sons were on their backs, paws bent in the air in submission.

When he was satisfied he shifted back to his human form, clothing previously torn and thus leaving him naked. It didn't make him look any less intimidating. In fact, he actually looked more dangerous... and now he was stalking down the hall towards Coda! My instincts kicked in again, sending back up the stairs and into the room my son was hiding in right before Jordan stepped inside. His nose flared a few times, likely catching the scent of blood. I responded by bearing my teeth for a brief moment before ducking under the bed and checking on my son.

I licked his coat from head to toe, finding three puncture wounds near the back of his neck. It was hard to tell how deep they were considering it was dark under the bed and my son had dark fur, but it was a relief that he was trying to swat at me and grumble about my constant licking.

"My boys  tending their wounds with their mother. Can you please let me see Coda so that I can see what I need to get to help him?"

My response was a growl, but when he just sat down on the carpet and waited, I knew I had to let him check. Coda was my baby and his sons had hurt him. He himself, however, had not. He'd been out getting us dinner and judging from the look of disbelief and frustration on his face, he had trusted his sons with something he was shocked to find out that he couldn't.

"I apologize for them, Sam. I'm honestly shocked and I need to figure out how to deal with them now in this situation."

He set a hand, palm up, on the carpet in front of me and wiggled his fingers a tiny bit. "Please let me see your baby."

The coppery taste in my mouth eventually had me gently lifting my protesting boy by his damaged scruff and tugging him out. I kept my eyes darting from Jordan to the door, then back and forth and back and forth. Thankfully Jordan was gentle and very calculated as he examined Coda. He checked the wounds, noting that there was only one deep enough that it required stitches. The rest were ones that could be managed with simple antibiotics and a good washing.

"Alright. I'm going to go grab our first aid stuff. Be right back, Sam." He said before getting up and walking out of the room. I kept my eyes on the door until he returned less than four minutes later in a pair of black shorts with the first aid kit. He also had a few washcloths, likely to deal with any blood, and a pair of electric clippers. It hurt to think about, but it also needed to be done. So, with a deep breath I forced myself to shift and gently took my boy in my arms, hugging him so that he couldn't jerk away as Jordan plugged the clippers in and began shaving Coda's fur. When he got to the injuries I sighed. They didn't look too bad.