(My friend's cat, Snickers, shall start off this story. She is very excited. Full of enthusiasm. She's asleep.) 

The connecting flight had gotten delayed due to an incoming snowstorm. Pursing his lips, Blake looked up at the growing board of cancelations he'd been standing in front of for the past thirty minutes. His flight had long-since been added to it, but he'd hoped that the few other ones that would land him somewhere close to his intended destination, would still be available. 

Unfortunately, as the board flickered again with an updated list with three more flights added, he knew that his luck had run out. Turning away from the baggage claim, he began wheeling his single suitcase toward one of the large exit doors. His body ached as it began to snow outside, making him hesitate leaving. 

If it really is going to storm, the airport might not be accessible even when the planes do resume flying. It might be smarter to wait here...

But at the same time, he honestly couldn't find the willpower in himself to turn around. 

The weather looks like it's going to be bad for at least two days. Might as well go find a hotel and get some real rest. 

With his mind set, he waved down a taxi and hopped in. Since he wasn't exactly set on a specific place, he just requested to be dropped off in the middle of the nearest town. To his surprise, the nearest town wasn't exactly as big as he was used to. Sure, there were some big buildings and quite a lot of shops around, but when the car finally stopped and let him off on a street that had quite a bit of hotels on it, he was beginning to have second thoughts. 

He considered calling another cab, since his wasted no time speeding out of the area once he'd grabbed his suitcase from the trunk, but as the snow began to fall faster, Blake decided to just try his luck with a hotel. That was why he'd come into town, anyways. 

The first two he tried were right in front of him. One was nearly three-hundred a night, which was ludicrous, while the other only had a smoking room available. It had been hard enough to kick the habit. He didn't want to put himself in a position where he smelled the temptation constantly. 

Next and next. 

He tried three more along the long, deserted street, but again, no luck. By the time he got to the corner, where one final, little hotel sat, he was completely absolutely freezing and shivering like crazy. 

Just go inside and sit down if they don't have a room. 

If he stayed outside any longer he was definitely going to become hypothermic. So, he stepped inside, pulling the door open with a shaky hand. The inside was surprisingly-well taken care of and the scent of cleaning products was just present enough to tell him that the entrance was cleaned recently. 

I'm honestly impressed. Wasn't expecting much from this place considering some of the others' I've seen. 

Hesitantly hopeful, he tugged his snow-dusted suitcase up to the desk and tried to smile around his chattering teeth. 

"Hello, do you guys happen to have a room available by chance?" 

The guy sitting behind the desk didn't need long to look through his computer before slowly shaking his head. 

"I'm sorry, we're all booked up." 

Of course you are. 

Sighing, Blake turned to look outside. The snowstorm was really raging now, leaving him stranded. 

"Um... would it be okay if I just took a seat for a bit?" he asked, hoping that he could warm up and at least rest for a while. He doubted that the storm would calm down anytime soon, but at least he'd be warm and inside. 

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but we don't permit non-hotel guests to use our accommodations." 

 A chair... is an accommodation? 

He could tell that the guy was actually embarrassed by what he'd said, because his face was turning red as he rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"I'm sorry, but it's policy. I can't afford to get fired for not following it. They check the cameras..." 

Should have stayed at the darn airport. 

Grudgingly, Blake turned back toward the front doors, but then paused and tilted his head, confused. 

That's... a really strange looking dog. 

When the oddly-colored mutt didn't move away, and instead sat down, Blake glanced over his shoulder at the desk worker. 

Not even paying attention anymore. 

He didn't understand the allure of messing around on a cell phone. Perhaps he was just an old soul, even though he was only in his early twenties. Returning his attention to the dog, he noticed that it was lifting its chin slightly while letting its giant ears droop to the side slightly. 

Such an odd looking thing you are. 

He took a step forward, intent on just going around it... but then he noticed what was in its mouth. 

A keycard? To a room here? 

His heart immediately began to hammer against his frozen chest as he hesitated to move forward again. 

Feeling stranger danger from a weird looking dog. That's a new one. 

"Wait a second..." 

Stepping forward a few times, he stopped about a foot away, then knelt down. 

"You're a shifter, aren't you?" 

The pup seemed a bit startled by the amount of space he'd closed between them, its body language making it crystal clear that he'd come a bit too close. Blake quickly scooted back another foot, then smiled when he saw the dog untuck its tail and lift its huge ears. 

"That's better, hmm?" 

The pup nodded immediately, making its big ears flop forward, then tilt backwards to standing tall before it cautiously leaned down to set the keycard on the floor. Blake watched as its bright amber eyes refused to leave his for even a second, making the wheels in his brain begin to turn in another direction. 

I wonder what happened to you.

The odd looking dog straightened back up and trotted a short distance away as soon as it was able, then looked back at him and flicked its black and white tail. 

I guess my luck is looking up... or I'm about to be kidnapped by a tan-themed tie-dye dog. 

Shrugging with a tired smile on his face, Blake reached down and picked up the keycard, flipping it over to look at the room number as he slowly got to his aching feet. 

Cold weather is not my friend. 

He noticed the dog hurry toward a door at the far side of the office before it turned back toward him and sat down. 

I'm coming, I'm coming. 

Blake hurried over, but made sure to slow down as he got close so that the strange dog could adjust where it wanted to be. Unsurprisingly, it took a few steps back so that he could open the door and wheel his suitcase through, then darted past him once he stepped behind the tall pane of glass to hold it open for him. 

Thankfully, the hallway was inside, but the walls were quite thin because even though he could tell that a heater was on, it wasn't handling the blizzard outside very well. They walked all the way to the end, then turned the corner and walked for another few seconds before stopping in front of a door. 

"Three-hundred. This is our stop..." Blake said, his voice growing quiet as he finished speaking. 

He hadn't thought too much about his situation up until that point. Now that he was standing in front of the door with the keycard in his hand, he was beginning to have cold feet. Quite literally, but also figuratively. 

Glancing sideways, he licked his lips and swallowed down his nerves as best he could. 

"Hey bud... umm, there isn't a group of steroidal-muscle men behind this door ready to kidnap me or do other untoward things, right?" 

He expected the pup to give him an are you serious? look, but when it simply backed up quickly, then leaned up onto its haunches in a silent beg position, Blake frowned. 

"I'm not sure I like that you're begging me to open the door, but I guess I'm at a loss right now. If I don't stay I'm going to be thrown outside into that blizzard, and it didn't look like any of the other places in this area were open besides the hotels I've already been to," he said on a sigh as he stared down at the keycard. 

One other thing that's bugging me is that he's definitely a shifter, but I can't hear him. There isn't even a tiny bit of static... 

Shaking the remaining doubt from his head, Blake brushed his sandy blond bangs from his eyes and slid the keycard into its slot. The lock chimed immediately, then flashed green, signaling that it was unlocked and that he was free to walk into his doom whenever he felt ready. 

Well, here goes nothing. 

Blake turned the handle, then pushed the heavy door inward. The second he stepped inside he was enveloped in an incredible cloud of warmth. He forced his frigid body to walk three more steps into the room, then let it sink down to the floor. The sound of the door clicking shut mixed with his sigh of relief and the dog's paws as it bolted past him and farther into the room made it all seem final. 

My eyes just grew five times heavier than they had been ten seconds ago. 

He hadn't even realized that he'd leaned over against the single bed in the room until he heard a quiet yip from across it. Forcing himself to look up and not let his eyes slide closed, Blake noticed the little goth-rainbow dog look into what had to be the bathroom, then back at him a few times as it danced on its little paws. 

Oh, right. I'm still pretty darn cold.

He really didn't want to get up, but the dog had a point. If he fell asleep right then, he could definitely get sick.

"You're right," he said as he forced his exhausted body back to its feet with the help of the bed. 

He nudged his shoes off as he walked, nearly tripping himself as he did so. Somehow, though, he made it to the bathroom after grabbing a pair of pajama pants, then turned on the bathtub after pressing the drain-stopper into place. While the tub filled up, he quickly removed his shirt and sweater, then reached down for the waistband of his pants, but paused when he still felt eyes on him. 

Before he could look up, though, the pup was out of the doorway. 

Okay, locking the door. 

He walked forward to do just that, but when the old, little handle lock didn't move at all, he frowned. 

Okay, shutting the door. 

He pushed it closed, then removed his pants and underwear. After relieving himself quickly, he washed his hands and hopped into the tub. 

I found heaven on Earth...

His aching muscles soon began to relax after having been tense for so long because of the cold. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer, though, so he forced himself to scrub his body with one of the tiny, unopened complimentary soap bars. Once he was done, he leaned back and decided to relax for just a few moments. 

What is licking me...? 

It took a lot of effort to peel his eyelids open, and it took a lot more time for him to realize what was happening. 

"Excuse me, sir," he mumbled as the strange dog licked his nose one final time, then sat back, panting quietly with its long pink tongue hanging out. 

He was just about to reprimand it for opening the door and letting itself in, as well as for licking his entire face repeatedly, from what he could feel of the drying saliva on his skin, but when he tried to sit up to do just that, he felt terribly dizzy. 

Oh damn, how long had I been asleep in the bathtub? 

Long enough, evidently. 

"I take back my upset. Thanks for waking me up," he said as the little dog gave a tiny excited hop with its front feet, then backed up to the door's entrance before sitting down again. 

Blake chuckled and shook his head slowly before turning to face it. 

"Thanks for waking me up, but I'm still not offering a free show," he said as he pointed to the side, making it clear that he wanted the dog out of sight while he got out. 

It hesitated for only a moment before turning and walking away. 

Shaking his head one more time, Blake rinsed off his face, then pushed himself up on weak, but warm arms. He knew that he was going to fall asleep again soon, so he hurried to towel off, then tug on the pair of pajama pants he'd brought. He returned to his suitcase to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste real quick, then got that chore out of the way in less than a minute.  

Once done, he flicked off the bathroom light and hobbled toward the bed. The little dog was curled up at the bottom of it and its tail began thumping hesitantly as he approached. 

"I promise I won't bother you. Where would you like to me sleep?" he asked, knowing that he didn't automatically have rights to the bed just because the pup blessed him with a warm room for the night. He would be perfectly fine sleeping on the floor, if told. 

The pup tilted its head from side to side for a few moments, clearly contemplating the question, then stood up and pawed at the blankets covering the bed. 

"It's okay?" he asked, wanting a nod just for extra confirmation. 

The pup gave out a quiet little noise as it bobbed its head. 

Thank god. 

Blake quickly got into the farthest side of the bed so that he wouldn't bother the dog, then closed his eyes as his body began to relax immediately. 

"Hey, by the way... you aren't going to try and kill me in my sleep, right?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. 

When he heard another chirping grumble sort of sound, he raised an eyebrow, but didn't open his eyes back up. 

"I hope that was an agreement sound," he mumbled as he began to drift off, his body and mind too tired to stress any further about the strange dog's motives. He fell asleep with the feeling of eyes on him, and while it was a little unnerving, he appreciated the dog's hospitality and hoped that he hadn't made a mistake by accepting it.