S.O.S.

"Don't stare too long, your face will stick like that." Brushing off feathers as I commented, I walked over to the chair that went flying back a moment ago and stood it up straight. While he was still staring and hesitating, I sat down in the chair leaning back against my wings, it wasn't the most comfortable, but I sat there anyway and crossed my legs.

"First, let me introduce myself. Name's Ayda, and ya know the big guy upstairs?" pointing upwards as I was giving my intro.

"Well, he happens to be my boss, and according to him, no one, Other or Human, is allowed to be mean to me. That is, unless you're Him, or maybe a handful of Angels. Even then, I get pissed." I was trying to avoid dying by saying this and hoping for his hesitation to buy me sometime.

Walking back to the tipped over fridge he turned and leaned it against it eyeing me.

"My, my. Not human, and by the look of those dirty wings, not an Angel either. I know based on the aura you're putting off, you're surely not a Shifter. Interesting, yesss." Hissing with that last syllable, he gave me goose bumps. This guy wasn't going to give up.

"Nope, not human, nor anything else you probably will throw out there, so let's talk. Who hired you?" He kept his distance as I started questioning him.

"Pack member? Why Cash, and when? Are you listening? I'll find, out, it's just a matter of time." I was losing patience when he would just look at me and smile as I asked.

After ignoring me he stood straight and started to wipe at the dirt that had collected on the fridge.

"Matters not," he mumbled the last part.

"Speak up, no need to be shy." I commented casually trying to seem nonconfrontational.

Turning at me he stopped, and hissed, this time I could clearly hear him.

"It matters not because you'll be dead soon!" He started walking fast towards me with the blade in hand so I turned, knocking the chair back down, and tried to get momentum with my wings to lift me off the floor.

"No, no, birdie, you're not going anywhere!" Hearing him, I glanced over my shoulder as I finally lifted up but it was too late. I could feel him change.

He had suddenly shifted into a very large Tiger, pouncing towards me. He got close enough to sink his teeth into my left wing, and I landed on my stomach, feeling the world spin as I suddenly wanted to throw up.

"Let me go, bad kitty!" I screamed at him as I tucked my other wing under my side and was able to roll facing him as he started to drag me. I came down hard on that soft nose of his with my heel causing him to let go long enough for me to scuttle backwards.

My wing hurt, blood was seeping out, and I wasn't feeling too great from the belly flop a moment ago.

The moments reprieve was gone however, as he lunged at me again. I could barely try to lift up when this time his very large teeth sank into my calf. Nausea from the pain swam circles in my stomach.

I twisted, feeling my knee pop, but I had no choice, I gathered all the power of my aura into my hands and smashed him square in his striped head. He let me go again and staggered a bit before he shifted back. I never understood why Shifters can take their cloths with them when they shift, mine just rip.

"YOU BITCH!" I normally would comment his use of B'word was offensive and uncalled for, but I didn't have time for witty banter as he stopped shaking off the aura I just force fed his head and again grabbed the knife. I was at the point that death would be a sweet welcome due to the pain, my leg bled so bad I was now sitting in a pool of my own blood.

"Go ahead, kill me, if you think that will help you feel better." I tried screaming this at him, but it ended up a loopy whisper as my vision started to spin and lose focus. I figured if he didn't kill me with the knife, I'd die of blood loss anyway.

"Oh, I am going to kill you. Then, I am going to cut off those wings and see what price they can fetch me." He said this as he started walking slowly towards me.

I couldn't get traction with my other leg because of all the blood. My wings were drenched in it from rubbing against the floor.

"Mr. Cornell will be here soon, and I think I will just leave your body to greet him. I'll catch him another day, while he's still mourning over your dead CORPSE!" Snapping that last word out, he jumped at me knocking me flat on my back. Stars blinked infront of my eyes.

My head hit the pavement hard as I felt the coldness of the blade pierce my stomach. I managed a real scream this time, trying to grab at him, doing anything to get the pain coming at me from different directions to stop. He shifted so he could hold my arms down with his knees.

"Scream all you want, not a soul is coming. Not your 'Boss', not the wolf, no one." He twisted the blade making me scream harder.

I couldn't even manage to clench my hands any more. Tears dripped down the sides of my head to dilute the blood on the concrete floor. I had given up trying to fight. Sweet darkness had finally arrived, I was ready to ride it through the waves of unconsciousness. I closed my eyes, ready to go with it, when suddenly I felt the pressure on my body ease a bit.

Before I was gone with death, I managed one eye open, not expecting to see anything but him still holding the long knife.

My brain couldn't fully process what I was seeing, but in the delirium, I asked myself why Death had stopped at the Zoo.

I could make out the familiar stripes of that horrid tiger, and then what I thought at first was a bear, but it wasn't. It was a wolf, the largest I had ever seen. I was suddenly trying to hold on. Fear had lit a fire under my heart causing the warmth of it to take hold of my brain.

My words didn't come out but I felt my lips mouth Cash's name.

I didn't want to die suddenly. I laid there as sounds of snarling, growling threats, and crashing kitchen appliances filled the warehouse. I tried to pull at what aura I had still hanging around, but I was drained, and there wasn't enough time for it to have rebuilt anyway. I decided now was the time to use the calling card Michael had given me. I couldn't let Cash die, not from my lack of ability. Michael was the only one I could call for help at this point.