The hospital was uncommonly quiet compared to the chaos that had reigned earlier in the day. Patients lie in their beds, some conscious, some decidedly not. All of them connected to various machinery which created a discordant underlying lullaby that spilled into the sterile white hallways. A few nurses could be seen ducking in and out of rooms, doing their jobs in the early hours of the morning.<br/><br/>In one bed, hooked up to multiple machines and covered in immense amounts of gauze, lie a sleeping woman. Her skin was a patchwork of violet, cream, and crimson. She had not, since the incident that left her here late the previous day, woken up. The only sound in the room, save her ragged breathing, was the sluggish heart monitor quietly affirming her life-force. Every once in a while her eyelids would flutter which had been some cause for excitement for the nurses earlier in the day but was now considered a false alarm.<br/><br/>The room was sparse, save for the woman, and the off-white curtains had been dutifully closed against the night. A small bouquet of lilies sat near her head tinging the room with a light sweet scent that mixed strangely with the sharp chemical-filled smell that was the hospital. A small stuffed elephant was pressed to the woman's side; a splash of grey against the white of the hospital sheets. The only source of illumination was the ever shifting heart monitor screen. A small scratching noise irritated the calm serenity of the woman's temporary room. The nurses who walked past did not hear. The woman who lie asleep did not stir. But<span style="font-style: italic">something</span>slowly pried open the window causing a small breeze to flutter the curtains.<br/><br/>The scratching intensified, more resembling large claws, as a weight dropped down easily pushing aside the curtains. The creature was sleek and black, nearly as large as the injured woman in the hospital bed. It slowly lifted its large head, the red eyes glowing with an unholy light as it stared at the sleeping woman. A jaguar, black as the night wrapped that around it, slowly and carefully padded to the edge of the bed. It's ears were turned toward the door, listening as a pair of footsteps passed the woman's room. A liquid ripple of fur and muscle and the large cat was on the bed.<br/><br/>The beast made sure not to stand on the woman, whose eyelids once more fluttered, as it placed itself directly above her. The beasts elegant muzzle parted revealing ebony fangs which were as beautiful as they were deadly. It rumbled at the woman, the heat from its breath spilling across her bruised face and moving a few of the golden strands of hair that had drifted to rest upon her face. The fluttering of the woman's eyelids increased her face contorting into a sickening mix of fear and pain. The jaguar stooped lower, its nose almost touching the woman's own. A small whimper escaped the woman and filled the room. Another rumble followed close behind. The beast shifted, and there was a small thump as the stuffed elephant hit the floor.<br/><br/>The beast's long tail moved fluidly behind it casting strange dancing shadows on the wall. The heart monitors beeping began to pick up with the woman's oncoming awareness. The jaguar dug its claws into the bed, almost impatiently, as the woman groaned slightly. She opened her eyes, only to be caught in the deep red stare of the beast above her.<br/><br/>Any calls for help died within the woman's throat as the jaguar pressed further forward the softness of its nose coming to rest upon her own. Its eyes drilled into the woman's eyes. Slowly the red changed and twisted the jaguar pressing itself more firmly against the woman's body. One glowing green eye, and one glowing blue eye stared into the matching eyes of the woman. It carefully ducked down, pressing it's teeth into the soft flesh of the woman's throat. Instead of fear, however, the woman looked to be in rapture. Shaking and bandaged hands came to lightly stroke down the beast's side, her fingers easily sliding over the fur. A ripple of movement and the jaguar bit down, but there was no blood.<br/><br/>The room was once again empty save for the woman. Her eyes lightly glowed in the darkness as she stared at the open window some of the bruises on her face already fading.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><br/><br/>Lillith gasped sitting upright in her bed. She could hardly catch her breath as she clung to the stuffed elephant her mother had gotten her a few weeks back. Not able to calm herself Lillith threw off her covers trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling of the cold sweat she was covered in from the nightmare. Pacing her room she assured herself that she was, in fact, out of the hospital. Safe.<br/><br/>The doctors were baffled when she came in, looking as if she had been mauled by some large animal. Lillith's memory of the incident was hazy at best. All she could remember was claws. Claws and teeth. She wasn't sure who called the police when they found her bleeding out on the road, but she was thankful. Lillith knew that walking home alone at night had been a horribly stupid idea to do in a city as large as DC, but she was a cheapskate who hadn't felt like forking over the cash for a cab. She would never walk alone at night again.<br/><br/>The doctors had been amazed at her quick recovery. Heck, Lillith was amazed at her quick recovery. She usually sported bruises for weeks at a time, but all of a sudden her body had hit some sort of hyper-drive of healing. It was wonderful...also disturbing. Her mother had been reduced to a helicopter parent. It was only recently that she had been allowed to be left alone for any semblance of time. Lillith tried not to let it bother her. She really tried.<br/><br/>The nightmares had become a reoccurring thing. It was always that large cat that took on her eyes. That melted into her?  Lillith thought that she should be used to the strange images by now, but she hadn't yet. Lillith paused in her pacing glancing over to her alarm clock.<br/><br/>"It's already past noon," Lillith sighed. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into her bed, but groceries wouldn't get themselves. Lillith pushed away the dark thoughts she had been dwelling on and moved to her dresser.<br/><br/>A small amount of time later had Lillith stepping out into the street, a bounce in her step and a bright smile on her face.