Off Leash Chapter 3
Chapter Three
I hadn't realized I had drifted off to sleep until the doorbell startled me out of it. A high-pitched chirp of surprise escaped my throat as my legs pinwheeled over the granite countertop for a moment. My paw pads slipped over its smooth surface before suddenly finding purchase. My legs launched me across the kitchen, and I slammed my shoulder into the opposite wall so hard I felt the sheetrock crack before I slid down the wall, snarling in frustration.
Who the hell was at my door?
As if in answer, the deadbolt helpfully unlocked itself and a glowing woman floated into my house. No feet were visible beneath the hem of her long dress. "Happy Awakening Day!" she declared with a sunny grin and flourish of her hands. Small stars and emoticons flowed between them as she made a rainbow over her head.
The woman herself had grey hair pulled up into a tight bun with two blue and green striped chopsticks, her wrinkled face sporting no makeup other than an oddly grey lipstick. Her bell-shaped dress rounded her spindly frame, swirling with blues and greens, and the air around her seemed to shimmer with its own soft light. For a moment I feared I had fallen into a Disney film and the kitchen appliances were about to burst into song. I gave the toaster a withering look just in case.
The woman clapped, and the rainbow vanished into a flash of light as she turned her smile on me, her eyes twinkling. Her teeth were very white for her age. Her eyes widened a bit as they scanned across me. "Oh, wonderful!" Her eyes came back to mine. "You must be Mr. Thomas Khatt. Yes?"
Not really seeing an option, I tried to make an affirmative noise. I had been expecting a meow or something, but I chirped like a bird! Some fierce apex predator I had become.
"Ah. Good, good. Well, I am Mistress Sabrina. I'm here to welcome you to the Real World."
Something must have shown on my muzzle because she laughed.
"That's all right, dear. Nobody believes when they first awaken to the true world. But trust me, you'll find this side of the Veil to be far superior! You have a very long and happy life ahead of you. Far better than this dreary little hovel."
I tried to tell her I had a life already, but my tongue just sort of flopped around in my mouth as that sense of unfamiliarity bit back into my brain. Involuntarily, I shivered.
"Yes, I know. This is a definite adjustment." She leaned down and cautiously extended a hand out towards my head. I shrank back from it instinctively; she had a faint scent of ozone. "But you're not going to last long on your own." She looked at the scattered wrapper shreds that drifted around the kitchen floor. "It's going to be okay, kitty."
I snarled at that. She flinched a bit but didn't back up. Nice to know that fangs counted a bit in this new "Real World."
She shook her finger at me. "Now, now, dear. No need to be cross. It's what you are and that is not likely to change. You will get used to it. Remember that you are one of the lucky ones. Not everyone survives an Awakening, after all."
At that particular moment, I did not feel lucky. Exchanging my thumbs and voice for claws and fangs did not seem a particularly advantageous trade from my perspective. I took a step back from Sabrina.
"I'm not going to hurt you." She stepped forward and tried to touch my head, violating my personal space again. I ducked and hissed, letting her know that if she persisted we were both going to find out a cougar's bite strength.
She let out a labored sigh and rolled her eyes. "Cats."
I narrowed my eyes. She was the one who had waltzed into my home, told me everything I knew was wrong and then tried to pat my head as if I were a toddler! I failed to see how my being a cat at this particular moment had anything to do with my irritation.
Sabrina crossed her arms. "Now look here, dearie, I'm here to help, but you are going to meet me halfway." Her flint-grey eyes hardened a midge, and I felt my fur prick up as static electricity settled onto my hide. "Tooth and claw will not get you very far in this wild and wooly world. No matter how big you are, you are still a small fish against"--she held up her hand and a spark cracked between her thumb and forefinger--"sorcery. So to prevent any misunderstandings, you will not show me, or any magus in my company, your teeth again. First and only warning, dearie." Electricity arced between her fingers and her palm, hissing and popping as the glow around her brightened. "Understand?"
My ears folded flat against my head. I nodded, although I made an effort to conceal my teeth. Realization was dawning on me that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Good!" With a clap of her hands, the iron lightning lady instantly transformed back into a hyperkinetic fairy godmother. "Shall we, then? You've got much to learn, and it would be best to fit you with a talking spell sooner rather than later. Words always prevent misunderstandings." She gestured at the floor in front of her. "Now come here and let me get a good look at you."
I gave a huff of frustration as I regarded her for a moment, trying to buy a little time to think. I didn't know what to make of this woman, but I couldn't see any alternatives. I could take her up on the offer and possibly get my voice back, or attempt to run and hide--"attempt" possibly being the defining word. She could tase me before I could run my clumsy self out of the kitchen.
Looking at things in that admittedly cynical fashion, the choice was obvious. Buy time to gather more information.
Other parts of my brain were busily flipping out over the possibilities hinted at by Sabrina's existence. Woman flying and casually summoning electricity? What was next? Zombies chewing on my door? Werewolves marking territory in my yard? As usual, fear held my awe and wonder in check. Hesitantly I stepped closer and sat down in front of her, my head about even with her chest.
Sabrina knelt but still appeared to hover an inch off the ground as she looked me over, drifting around me like a buyer around a used car. "Let's see. I'm guessing you're a bit over two hundred pounds, right at the top of the weight range for mountain lions. Although you could probably stand to lose about fifteen of those."
Just great, I lose my voice but I get to keep my spare tire? Further proof that the universe itself is a sadistic bastard. I flinched a little when she ran her fingertips over the crown of my head. The alien sensation of her fingers threading through my fur to scratch my ears felt pleasant, but did not make me melt into a warm purring pile, as I perhaps feared. I looked up at her and she stopped, flashing me a rueful smile.
"Oh, fine. And the students wonder why I tell them to pick dogs for familiars." She grumbled as she turned to the door, "Come along, then."
Outside sat an ancient moss-colored Cadillac convertible, the top up on this warm summer day. Paint flaked around the wheel wells, but otherwise the car looked well kept and free of rust. I looked up at Sabrina and tried to furrow my brow.
"Oh, dearie. You were expecting a golden carriage drawn by eight white horses, perhaps?" She laughed as she gestured me towards the car.
I tried to shrug, which didn't really work without a collarbone, so I shook my head.
She sighed and gave me a little nudge. "Go on, get in the car." The back door unlocked itself and swung open as I crossed the threshold of my doorway. A squirrel, the same one that had been in my window, sprang out from behind the apple tree in my front yard and dashed into the Caddy. Now I knew why this magus was in my house. The little rodent had sold me out.
"Why, hello, Rudy dear," Sabrina said as she shut the door to my house behind me. A moment of panic shot through me. I didn't have my keys! Or my cell phone or anything! The feeling of nakedness twisted my gut into a knot. Instinctively I turned back and tried to open the door. Sabrina quickly sidestepped out of the way as I battered the doorknob with my paws and let out a soft yowl.
Sabrina shook her head, although her smile had drawn a bit thin, maybe sad. "You don't need anything in there, Thomas. You've awakened into a new life--your old one is gone."
I hissed in anger and frustration, pressing my lips together to conceal my teeth. There certainly were important things in there! I was just going with her for a question-and-answer session! If this woman thought that I would leave without saying good-bye to Angelica, then she was in for a surprise.
"Go get in the car, Thomas. We will explain things soon, but you can't let yourself be seen out here. Someone will call animal control, and then they will drug or shoot you."
I hesitated.
"Come on! Stop being a sour puss!" The squirrel barked from inside the car. Ignoring the rodent, I looked at the closed door, promising I'd be back, and then trotted over and jumped into the back seat. The squirrel scampered into the front of the car and leapt onto the passenger-side dash.
As I sprawled out across the Caddy's wide backseat, I was surprised to find it was a bit of a tight fit. I nearly slipped off when I attempted to curl up, and the low ceiling prevented me from sitting up. I could have just lain down lengthwise and rested my head on the armrest in the door, but I needed to see where Sabrina drove. So I wound up hunching uncomfortably, my ears flattened against the canvas ceiling. The door closed of its own accord, and the driver's side opened to admit Sabrina into the car.
She glanced at the squirrel. "Rudy, dear, I will take it from here." The window rolled down about six inches.
"Oooh, no! I just found the biggest cat in Pennsylvania. I'm his TAU sponsor by rights! I'm sticking to him like bubble gum in curly locks." The squirrel's voice sounded like a young child's as his bushy tail thrashed.
So the squirrel had either doomed me or saved me, depending on what happened next. I made a mental note of that.
"That was not the agreement, dearie." A bit of that iron lady persona seeped into the grandmotherly tone.
"You never said he would be a big kitty. That's worth a lot more than a new iPhone." The squirrel seemed unfazed by Sabrina's implied threat.
Sabrina's lips tightened in the rearview mirror as she slammed the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. She looked about to say something, but the squirrel, Rudy, piped up first. "You don't got nothing to worry about, big guy. First you're feline, which means you can see magic, so you don't even need much training to be a familiar. And on top of that you're huge!" He made a sweeping circle with his arms to illustrate. "But not so huge you can't fit in an airplane or a car. I know this one guy, he's an elephant, and his bond has had to bail him out of the zoo half a dozen times already. One of the major houses will take your bond and pamper you rotten." The squirrel folded his dexterous paws together and let out a wistful sigh.
As Rudy talked, Sabrina's path did not stray towards the interstate at all. My guts loosened a little bit at the prospect that she lived in town.
I chirped questioningly as the car swam through the suburban streets, hoping to keep the rodent talking.
He obliged. "Hell, I bet you could boss your bond around! Be all like 'I'm tired of magic--get me some tuna-shrimp!' Course if I were you I'd put tuna in my contract. Well, not tuna. Not for me! I'd want a can of cashews per day. And none of that cheap Planters crap either. Real premium roasted stuff from Cali." The squirrel sucked in his breath, eyes closed, seeming to savor the imagined scent. Sabrina tittered but made no effort to stop Rudy from spending the next few minutes explaining in excruciating detail why cashews were the best nuts that nature had ever seen fit to invent. A few polite chirps were interpreted as probing questions into the nature and flavor of cashews. I was considering a more forceful reply when the car pulled into a driveway and the sight of the house slapped all thought of nuts from by brain.