Chapter Three: Tim
I called to the other side of the hilltop, "Leo! Jaz! Get over here! I'm okay! But you need to see Cat…" I deliberately let my voice trail off as they got up and ran over. They stopped short when they saw Cat on the ground, how still her body was, how pale her face was, and the tear lines on me and Pandora's faces. Leo, brave little guy, came over and sat down.
"How? Why? Where was she?" he asked, but his voice wasn't like him. It was low and uneven, and it sounded way more mature. Poor Leo. He was only seven! And he had to witness death in this horrible manner.
Soon we were all crying. Pandora patted Jaz's back while I helped Leo. Cat was important to our life. But we knew that at some point we still needed lunch. If Cat were here right now, she would be yapping at us to eat up so we wouldn't starve. So I took our sandwiches out of my pack and handed them out. The pride scarfed it down hungrily. While they were eating, I covered the body in some brush and leaves and made a small tent, so we could eat without crying distractedly the whole time.
As soon as I was finished, I went to get Cat. We would have to carry her home, as long as that would take. But she wasn't there anymore. "I swear I put her right here!" I muttered under my breath. "Where'd she go? Did that killer lion take her away again?" Pandora heard my grumblings and got up to inspect. A look of complete shock came over her face as she saw what I did. She sat back down with the little guys, leaving me to do the tracking, yet again.
So I unhappily went over the hill again, and stopped on the edge of the forest. Something moving off to my left had caught my eye. It was a lion, a beautiful one. It didn't look killer. It was also a she-cat. But the thing that made me most curious was the clothes. For some reason, this wild lion was wearing a full outfit. Not just any outfit, Cat's. The one she had been wearing not even five minutes ago! How was this possible?
As I was pondering the appearance of this strange creature, she came closer, slowly and deliberately. I took a closer examination. Wait, why had I thought this was a lion? It was human! And it was Cat! I bolted over and wrapped her in a super tight hug.
"What happened? I thought you were dead! We all did! And for a moment there you had me thinking you were a lion!" I whispered into her ear.
"Well, you're right, I was dead. But I wasn't really. You see, when you're killed by another species, you don't really die. Instead…" her voice evaporated, real quick like she was trying to hide something. And as soon as her voice was gone, so was her body. All there was in my arms now was the beautiful lion wearing Cat's clothes.
Had I been dreaming? Had Cat actually become one of the fascinating creatures we'd basically worshipped our whole lives? No, it couldn't be. I must have imagined it. After all, such things weren't possible. Maybe they are, said my inner self. Maybe you weren't hoping. Maybe Cat really is part lion and you need to help her. And as unlikely as it was, I was starting to believe what I saw, wanted and heard, rather than common sense. Yes, I was crazy, but I really wanted Cat to be alive and for this to be totally true.
I pinched myself and blinked madly, to see if I was going to wake up safe in bed at home. But I was still here, in the forest, standing with a pretty she-lion wearing my leader's clothes, who might be Cat in another form. Man, this was awesome and freaky and crazy all at once. How did this happen? Maybe if I could get her human again, for longer, I could ask about her death.
I slowly let go of her ruff and backed up slightly. She made an odd noise, caught halfway between grunt and growl. That was all I needed to convince me it was Cat. I sat down and tried to remember every detail about her as a human, from her eye color to her favorite book. And, while I kept remembering, sending her looks to her as a picture, the lion became human.
I snapped my eyelids open and grabbed her arm. But before I could even utter a word, she moaned. "I can't control it, not yet, I can't make myself human or feline, can't speak either language completely." This was accompanied by a small whimper, very unlike Cat. "Leave me here, alone. Tell the others I'll be home tomorrow. Don't worry about me, because I'll be fine. And please don't even think of telling them the truth about me being a lion. I want to keep this secret, so I won't end up in a zoo." And before I could even reply yes or no, she was a cat again, and she darted away into the deeper area of the woods. I wanted to ask her how she would remember her return time as a lion, or how she would find her way back. But now, when she was in lion form, it was useless. So I obeyed her last command and headed up the hill to give a report on her health and safety to my pride.
