Oliver forced himself up on his elbows and coughed, panic making his ears ring. Above the ringing he could hear angry words, and he did feel the floor shake when something was thrown the ground. It wasnâ€™t until he finally took a rattling breath did he finally try to look around. Shaking his hair out of his eyes, he looked up at his savior: The vampire girl heâ€™d noticed earlier.<br/><br/>He sat up, his arm pressed against his now aching stomach and his breath still coming in shaking gasps, and stared at the man who had tripped over him. He was on the floor a short distance away, writhing in pain. Bewildered, Oliver glanced around wildly, trying to scoot back into his spot by the hearth. All he could think was that the owner would be furious, and he would be to blame. And he wouldnâ€™t get his promised food in the morning. He winced when the sudden movement made his side and leg ache.<br/><br/>It took him a second, but he gathered his senses and glanced at the girl who had â€“ assumedly â€“ taken down the giant man single handedly. Sister Annette had told him that the Blood Folk were usually far stronger than they looked, and the Wolf Men were the same. The young woman was watching him with concern, her hand outstretched as if to touch him. Her hair was long and brown, her face pretty in a way that was nearly angelic. She looked like a warrior, with armor, weapons, and the like.<br/><br/>Oliver liked her immediately.<br/><br/>He looked back at the fat man, then back at her. Smiling he said, â€œThanks, miss! That guy was a stupid blighter, wasnâ€™t he?â€ He shot a glare the manâ€™s way, then noticed another woman, this one scores more terrifying than the one whoâ€™d helped him. Her face was all angles and sharp lines, her eyes widely spaced and her skin was a ghostly white. Weirdest of all, she had a strange aura about her that Oliver had never seen before.<br/><br/>Oliver raised wary eyes to her as she said,<span style="font-style: italic">â€œI can help him.â€</span>Her voice was soft and unthreatening, just as her words.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Sheâ€™s not</span>that<span style="font-style: italic"> scary...</span>thought Oliver. He shook his head at the woman. â€œI-Iâ€™m fine.â€ He said honestly, staring at the floor. The places he had been kicked hurt like the dickens, but nothing was broken. There would be bruises as big as his fist that would be sore for weeks, but what could be done about bruises? Not only that, but heâ€™d had far worse. What he was worried about what the owner would have to say about him causing such a big ruckus. He was pretty sure he wasnâ€™t getting that breakfast...