One hundred years later
Miu woke up and cleaned herself up. She looked flawless and it was hard to believe she was older than seventeen. She had learned plenty about her werecat abilities and her inherited trait of healing. She found it a bit useless sense she could heal quickly herself thanks to her werecat side.
Cougar walked in suddenly and tossed her new clothes, which Miu caught with ease. "Get dressed." He ordered. "Then come talk to me." He left.
Miu looked at the dress and wished it were something different. Instead of complaining about it, she threw on her new dress and came out to talk to him. "What is it Cougar?" She asked. "Why do you want to talk to me about? Please, tell me."
"It is about your departed brother." Cougar answered.
Miu felt the color drain from her face. "What?" She breathed.
"Now listen to me, Miu," Cougar said. "Your brother's soul went into the Millennium Puzzle after defeating Zorc Necrophades. After destroying the Puzzle, I am afraid you destroyed your brother's soul."
"No." Miu snapped.
"I am afraid so, Miu." Cougar replied calmly. "Zorc can potentially come back, through the Shadow Games. Zorc was the one who placed the curse upon you when you were very small."
Miu shook her head wildly. "No!" She cried. But she understood why she never showed emotion, except around her brother and why she never shed tears.
Cougar took Miu's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
She blushed as she looked at him with surprise.
"Let us go." Cougar whispered. He and Miu left to explore a town nearby.
People looked at them and continued to what they were doing.
"There is something else I must tell you." Cougar said. "There have been monsters for centuries. Since the beginning of time itself. The monsters of this world can be good, evil, or neutral. The good and evil monsters have been in an eternal battle, sometimes influencing mortals. All monsters can sense each other and can tell if the other monsters are allies or foes. There are many different kinds of wereanimals, divine, ghosts, and demons. For example, a werewolf, who is normally evil, kills humans without thought. If a human survives a werewolf attack, he or she will also turn into a werewolf. Just as when I bit you, you survived and now you are a werecat.
"There is however, a new kind of monster that has been around for longer than you have been a werecat, Miu. That would be the vampire. The first vampire was an Egyptian like you and me. Her title is the Queen of Vampires but she is also a goddess."
Miu shivered nervously. "Why does she drink blood?" She asked.
Cougar answered, "She tasted blood and enjoyed it, killing a human. Then she decided to destroy mankind that way, creating ghouls, or zombies, by killing humans who are not virgins, and creating more vampires by killing humans who are virgins. The Queen is able to walk in daylight. However, the vampires sired by her cannot. Neither can the ghouls she creates."
Miu swallowed the lump in her throat. "Can she not drink the blood of other monsters?"
"She has, but does not like the taste. She prefers human blood, because it can have a different taste depending on the person. She also likes to bathe in the blood of those she kills."
Miu felt her stomach churn and tried to keep herself from vomiting. "Horrible. She has no heart. How do you kill evil monsters?"
"No one really knows, to be honest. Which is why good monsters, like us, battle them. Someday, humans will discover monsters' existence and find ways of fighting back."
Miu stopped and stood in front of Cougar, making him stop as well. "What happens if you die? Will I die as well? Will I become human again?"
Cougar shook his head. "No, Miu. You will not die and you will not become human again. It was your decision. If something was to happen to me, you will not be affected." He places his hands on her shoulders. "Try to understand that."
Miu blushed, wishing to kiss him and knowing that she was in love with Cougar.
He smiled. "You made the choice of becoming a werecat. Those who choose to become a wereanimal will not die or turn back to human if the one who turned them dies."
Miu smiled faintly and nodded.
Cougar kissed her on the forehead.
That night
Cougar and Miu are walking from a tavern when vampires attacked them. Cougar snarled, "Miu, you know what to do. You have enough experience."
Miu nodded and morphed into her werecat form.
Fur grew all over her as her hair shrank back. She dropped to all fours as her body, arms, and legs became feline. She grew a tail. Her face changed to a feline face and her ears became feline. Her eyes turned green and feline. She grew fangs into that of a cat's. A horn grew on her forehead. She finally popped out her claws.
Miu in her werecat form, she was solid black with the tips of her ears violet and yellow streaks on her head. She looked like a panther. She growled and roared at the vampires, making them back away.
Cougar morphed into his werecat form in much the same fashion as Miu. In his werecat form, he was solid yellowish gold with green eyes. He snarled, growled, and bared his fangs.
"Mistress will not be pleased." One announced. "She will kill us for sure, this time."
A second one laughed. "Not if we kill these two werecats first." He pointed out.
A third one shuttered. "But what if she finds out that we were fighting werecats?" She asked. She and the other two male vampires charged at them.
Miu and Cougar charged at them and fought. The two male vampires slashed and bit Cougar, wounding him badly.
Cougar morphed back into his human form and was bleeding uncontrollably. He collapsed to the ground.
Miu killed the female vampire and pounced the two remaining vampires. She tore off their heads and watched them turn to dust. She morphed back into her human form and ran to Cougar. "Cougar!" She cried. She dropped to her knees, picked him up and held him in her arms. "Please do not die." She held her hand over his wound and a green light surrounded her hand.
Cougar opened his eyes and looked at her. "There is one more thing I must tell you," he breathed weakly and in a raspy voice.
Miu shook her head. "Do not talk, Cougar." She snapped. "Let me heal your wounds, then you may tell me."
Cougar smiled weakly. "I lived three thousand years before you did." He said softly. "In fact, I am the first good werecat while my sister is the first evil werecat. Throughout time, werecats were in fact neutral monsters but my sister and I chose sides." He smiled more when he believed she was going to cry. "You are not evil because you have a horn on your forehead in your werecat form. Just remember…I fell…in love…with you…when…I…first…met…you." His eyes closed and he stopped breathing.
Miu shook her head wildly and her hair fell over her shoulders. "Do not die." She muttered. "Do not die. Do not die! DO NOT DIE! DO NOT DIE COUGAR!" She screwed her eyes shut, even though she knew she would never cry. She kissed him on the lips and held him close. "I love you…Cougar."
She buried him and threw away her girdle and other royal symbols. She hesitated when she was about to throw away her cartouche. She looked at it and stared blankly.
The cartouche was on a thin rope for a necklace. Written on it in hieroglyphics were three symbols that spelled out her name. Atemu gave it to her on their birthday and he wanted to her have it, despite the fact that the cartouche was the pharaoh's mark.
Miu kissed it and put it back around her neck. She got down on one knee, put her hands together, bowed her head, closed her eyes and said, "Dear Ra, please guide me and protect me. I wish for your help. Please send me a sign as to where I should go now."
There was silence for a long moment.
Miu finally opened her eyes, lifted her head up, stood up and straightened her dress. "Someday," she muttered, "I hope to meet Cougar again." She headed towards the Nile Delta, built a raft, and left Egypt.
