Wasn't going to post this iration here, but some Discord buddies convinced me otherwise. Hope you're not all fed up with this. Sorry

Summary:

One boy, ten girls, wouldn't trade it for the world...

The Loud family are thick as thieves, one could say. Sure they fight and bicker almost everyday, but they would never purposefully hurt one another. And with twenty missing kid cases going on in Royal Woods, they have to have each other's backs. But one day, the only son, Lincoln Loud, decides to go down there, thinking there might be a ghost he could catch. But of course, things get so much more complicated than that...

Lincoln, now an anthropomorphic cat, now has to deal with not only his family's shock and his body and instincts, but also must face the very same thing who did this to him, a demon named Static, trying to manipulate him for his own revenge. It'll only go downhill from there...

It happened to be a lovely late-April morning in Royal Woods, Michgan, free of the heavy rain that normally plagued this month. The dawn sky painted a beautiful picture in the clouds, colors of night and day almost harmonious in a way. In a certain house everyone in town knows, the eleven children were waiting outside the house impatiently. Most were glancing at their phones or watches or tapping their foot in frustration. Their attention was occasionally dragged over to the family van when a loud clang or a groan of irritation reached them. With a certain white-haired boy, however, he quickly noticed the invisible audience watching, and decided to fill them in.

"I'm sure you all know what day it is." He said causally, "Friday, the day when school ends, and if you survive, the fun begins! And if we're really lucky, Vanzilla won't work and we get to miss out today!". He slumped over, eyes dreamy and almost drooling over the prospect of playing video games, reading new comics, and drinking so many juice boxes that this weekend was sure to offer! However, he slapped himself on the face and straightened, gaining a serious and almost solemn look on his face.

"Well, it might now be all sugar and spice this weekend, though." He said, hoping to clarify the previous sentences. "See, there's been a lot of missing cases with kids going on. Last I heard, there was nearly twenty!". He leaned in closer to the audience. "I heard they all went missing in the woods, so everyone's been on super high alert!"

He then rubbed his chin in thought.

"I feel like I'm missing something...". He then recalled whatever it was, and with a quick "Oh, right!", he turned back to the audience.

"Well, we've also been experiencing weird things around our house. A shadow racing past the walls, really big cat pawprints around the house, and weird noises from the basement is just the short list! Heck, mom and dad even moved the washing and drying machines into their room!"

Lincoln shook his head.

"Whatever's going on, I just know it can't be good news!" He declared. He then looked around and noticed none of his sisters around him.

"Wait, where'd everyone go?!" He inquired.

However, before he could ponder it any longer, his oldest sister, Lori, yelled from the now working Vanzilla, "Lincoln! Get your ass in the van or so help me I'll leave without you! "

Lincoln quickly grabbed his backpack and bolted to the rickety vehicle, yelling loudly, "Hey, wait, I'm coming!"

Seven hours later, Lincoln and his best friend, Clyde, were walking from school. However, while they would normally be chatting idly about schoolwork or the newest issue of their favorite comic, Ace Savvy, today they were both glancing nervously around as if they expected someone to jump out of the bushes.

Lincoln quickly turned back to Clyde and asked, "So why did your dads let you walk home? I thought you drove home with them for the past week!"

"Well," Clyde replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "My dads' car broke down, so they had to get it fixed. They told me just make sure only you are following me, and I should be fine!"

Lincoln turned once more broke the fourth wall.

"Clyde's dads have really been smothering towards Clyde since those kids went missing." Lincoln said, "My family doesn't put to many restrictions on us, so long as we don't go out at night or in the basement."

"Uh, Lincoln, who're you talking to?" Clyde asked, making his best friend turn away from the readers and go back to glance every so often around them.

There was a brief pause between the two friends, the air between them tense and silent. After a few minutes though, Clyde spoke:

"What if it's a ghost?" He asked, letting the question hang in the air for a moment. When his white-haired friend gave him a strange look, he followed that up with, "I mean, like on ARGGH! y'know? Don't you remember that one episode where that ghost was keeping all those kids' hostage?"

Lincoln gasped, suddenly understanding.

"Oh yeah, I remember that! And then when Hunter Spector was leading the children out of his lair-"

"The ghost pinned him against the wall, ready to possess him!" Clyde finished for his friend, both getting increasingly excited.

"And then he whipped out his capture device-!"

"And saved the entire town!" The boys said simultaneously, whooping in excitement. Then, Clyde coughed into his hand, cheek dusted with red.

"Sorry, I get excitedly talking about ARGGH." He then shrugged, "But that was just a suggestion."

"That does give me an idea though!" Lincoln declared suddenly, catching his friend off guard, "If I can gather my ghost hunting equipment, then I can go down to my basement and see if I can catch whatever's down there!"

"Wait, no you can't!" Clyde hurriedly said, eyes flying open and hands raising to his chest. "I can't have my friend go missing! I was just thinking we could get the ARGGH team to go after it, that's all!"

Lincoln shrugged, "Eh, that'll take too long. Besides, as long as I have my equipment, I'm sure I'll be fine!"

Clyde sighed in defeat, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince his friend otherwise. Once Lincoln Loud had a plan, there was no stopping him. He nodded, "Alright, fine, just... be safe, Lincoln."

"Will do, Clyde!"

Soon after that conversation, Lincoln and Clyde bid farewell at the latter's house, and then Lincoln was on his own. He mulled over his plan in the silence.

'Well, I can't let mom and dad know about it. ' Lincoln thought, 'They would definitely ground me! But they could catch me pretty easily, so is this really a good idea...? No! I have to do this, or else more people will go missing!'

Finally, the house infamously titled by neighbors 'The Loud House' came into view. He opened the door and set down his backpack, a thoughtful look on his face.

'Now where'd I put my equipment...?'

However, his sister, Lynn, noticed his entrance and called out, "Hey bro. How school go?"

Lincoln muttered mild profanities under his breath. Dang it, he couldn't tell his sisters! They would definitely rat him out to his parents! Besides, the only other member of the family who believed in ghosts was Lucy, so they would probably just think his plan is stupid!

"Oh, it was... fine!" Lincoln stammered out, a large grin plastered on his face and beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, "Now I just need to... get a snack! Yep, gotta fill up the ol' stomach! Heh..."

With that, Lincoln ducked into the kitchen. The sisters all looked at one another, clearly not buying his excuse.

"He's hiding something, isn't he?" Lola said flatly. Lori nodded and stood up, pausing their beloved show.

"Yep. Come on, come on girls."

Back with Lincoln in the kitchen, he was creeping towards the basement door ever so slightly, checking over his shoulder every so often. He breathed a sigh of relief. No sign of his sisters...

Shortly after, he was suddenly surrounded by his sister, unable to escape from their questions. He gulped, feeling like a man on death row. Except instead of death row, he'd have to face his sister's questioning!

"Aight, dude, what're you really hidin' here?" Luna asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"And I inquire as to why you're attempting to sneak into the basement despite our parental units direct warnings otherwise." Lisa added.

Still attempting to keep up his cheerful façade, Lincoln quickly said, "Who me? O-of course not! That would be ridiculous!". He laughed nervously, beads of sweat forming across his brow.

"You're not fooling anyone, Lincoln." Lori reminded sternly.

"Yeah, we can smell that load of baloney from a mile away!" Lola scoffed.

Lincoln stood still for a few seconds before he frowned, shoulders drooping like a wilted flower.

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you." He sighed, before straightening his posture and placing his hands on his hips like a superhero. He said proudly with a puffed chest, "I think the missing cases happening around this town, and the weird stuff we've been seeing are because of a ghost, and I'm gonna catch it just like Hunter Spector!"

He expected them to not take him seriously, but what he didn't expect was honestly worse. After a small pause of silence, hysterical laughter rose from everyone, making Lincoln feel dumb for even thinking he could tell his sisters. His mouth twisted into a tight scowl, feeling slightly hurt. He stomped away, trying to appear aloof.

"Yeah yeah yeah, laugh all you want. But when this city thanks me for single-handedly saving everyone, you'll be sorry!" Lincoln called over his shoulder, and then bumped right into Lucy, who fittingly enough was not laughing.

"O-oh, hey Luce..." Lincoln stuttered. He then perked up, an idea coming to mind "Do you wanna go ghost hunting with me?"

"Actually, I came to warn you." Lucy said in her usual deadpan voice, but if Lincoln strained his ears hard enough, he could almost hear a hint of concern in her voice. "I've been sensing a cold, angry presence down there in the basement, and sometimes in the dead of night when I get a snack, I catch a glimpse of strange golden eyes peering from the darkness."

"And?" Lincoln asked, tapping his foot with a scowl. Lucy frowned even more.

"Sigh. I'm just saying that I think this would be a really bad idea, so I don't think-"

"Aw come on, Luce! This is my one chance to prove to everyone else ghosts are real, and I gotta save this town! Not if you'll excuse me-". He punctured his words by shoving Lucy aside and throwing open the basement door. He finished with "I have a ghost to catch!". He then slammed the door shut, making the walls rattle, causing the sound of the door being locked to reach everyone's ears.

The slamming door had snapped everyone else out of their laughing fit, surprised that their brother was that stubborn.

"Did he..." Lola gaped, casting a wide-eyed glance at the door.

"Yeah, I think he did!" Lana finished for her twin.

Lincoln was stomping down the stairs, angry as heck. No, even more than that- he was pissed! His sisters couldn't just say they didn't believe him, oh no! Lucy told him to his face his plan was stupid, and everyone else laughed hysterically!

"I'll show them! I swear I'll prove it to them! When I catch that thing, they'll... they'll have to believe me!" He grumbled to himself. As soon as he reached the bottom step, however, a realization struck him.

"Wait a sec, my equipment's in the attic!" He said in realization, facepalming hard enough to hurt. "Well, I can't catch ghosts without it! But if I go back upstairs, my sisters will never let me live it down!". He groaned in frustration and grumbled, "As if this week couldn't get any worse!"

In the middle of his griping however, a shape was moving in the shadows of the basement, something not entirely human. Its purple eyes with golden pupils glowed eerily, and wretched grin spread across its features. It started moving forward, laughing softly and blending back into the wall

However, all Lincoln heard was a small chuckle. His eyes bugled wide open in fear. He shivered, the air feeling colder than ever.

"H-hello...?" He stammered quietly; all his previous bravado had gone out the window. His voice echoed slightly in the empty room. He glanced around, but he saw nothing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, a shiver of dread rushing up his spine.

'I don't wanna be next! ' He thought hurriedly, sucking in a shallow breath. 'This may just be the end of Lincoln Loud...'

Suddenly, there were footsteps behind him. Lincoln whirled around, probably wetting his pants out of sheer fright. However, it was the figure that met his eyes that scared him even more.

Standing before him was a thin figure, almost man-like in structure, but it couldn't be farther from human. It had two large ears poking from its head, a wide, short muzzle protruding from its face, a swishing tail behind it, and narrow, half lidded eyes with slit golden pupils. Its fur was long, dirty, and haggard, and the only pieces of clothing on it was a burlap scarf, an old, plum colored jacket, and tattered brown shorts. No, this looked far more like some horrific man-cat hybrid.

At that moment, Lincoln couldn't find words to explain his shock. He simply stood there babbling, his mouth flopping open like a fish out of water.

"Well," The creature purred, his lips slowly spreading into a devious grin. "Look what we have here."

Lincoln, upon finding his voice again, opened his mouth to scream. But in the blink of an eye, the creature placed a grimy finger on the boy's mouth, towering over him.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty." He drawled, "If you scream, I'll have to use my camouflage, and by the time your sisters come down here, I'll be gone and make you look insane. Now we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Lincoln's eyes went wide in fear, yet he nodded quickly. The creature smiled, his grin filled with sharp, dagger-like teeth that looked like they could barely fit in his mouth.

"Very good, dearie." The cat-beast chortled. He slowly removed his finger from his mouth, eyeing the boy carefully. Lincoln stood still in shock for a few seconds, as his mind was still running a million miles an hour.

"Wh-what are you?!" Lincoln shouted, "What're you doing in here?! Did-"

"Be silent ." The thing said, his voice as cold and hard as ice. Lincoln flinched but carried on, too wrapped up in his fear and shock to get the hint.

"Did you kill those kids?! It's-"

Just before Lincoln could process what was happening, the back of his shirt was grabbed as the beast shoved his snarling muzzle into the boy's face.

" Silence ." He growled lowly, "As long as you're down in this basement, you will not make any loud noises to give away our little secret, got it? "

"Y-yes sir..." Lincoln stammered, attempting to squirm out of his grasp. The creature then purred and set him down, patting his head gently.

"Good, very good. Now, you're probably wondering what exactly I am, correct?"

"Uh, yeah?" Lincoln said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And to be fair to the boy, it is.

"Yes, yes. Well, I'll be upfront with you.". The cat man leaned forward, grinning widely. Lincoln couldn't help but notice his sharp, long teeth that looked like they could snap his arm in a second. "I am a demonic wandering spirit, a soul who refused to leave this mortal plain."

He then pulled back, turning his hand over to look at his long black claws nonchalantly. "As for my... rather frightful appearance, it's simply a byproduct of becoming a ghost, dearie."

"So, wait, when you die you become... that?!" Lincoln said in bewilderment.

"Short answer, yes. However, the long answer is a fascinating, unfair divide between-." The cat beast then shook his head, chuckling, "Well, that's neither here nor there. Now, you were looking for a ghost down here, correct?"

Lincoln's eyes went wide in shock. What?! How?!

"How did you-?!"

"The walls are as thin as paper, aren't they?" The demon snorted, tail twitching in annoyance, "Besides, you lot don't make an effort to be quiet. Suppose that's why you're called the Louds, hmm?"

"I-I... I guess?" Lincoln was still put off by the tall cat demon, despite his words, "But why were you listening?!"

"Well, let's just say a little idea I had. However ," The demon began to pace in a circle around Lincoln, eyes narrowed in thought, "I believe you wouldn't be interested. After all, you're a smart kid, aren't you?"

"Wha-"

"Well, you pieced together that a spirit was down here, correct? And my, how brave of you to confront little ol' me!". The cat man chuckled, smiling widely.

"Eh heh, y-yeah, thanks I guess..." Lincoln chuckled nervously, "Bu-but I don't know if that matters coming from a cat person."

"Well, I never!" The demon said half-seriously, placing a hand on his chest, "We cat people have feelings too, you know!". He shook his head as he laughed, shoulders bouncing in mirth. Lincoln felt a little more at ease, now knowing he probably wasn't going to die, but still felt slightly uncomfortable around such a strange specter.

"Well, anyways, didn't your mommy and daddy say you couldn't come down here?" The demon suddenly inquired, cocking a brow, "I doubt they'd be too happy to hear you were down here!"

"Um, how'd you know that?"

"Again, your family doesn't bother being quiet."

"Oh, right...". The boy sighed and muttered "I mean, yeah... but if I tell them you were down here-"

"Kid," The demon began, steepling his fingers and blowing air out of his nose, "They wouldn't believe you, if your sister's reactions are anything to go off of, and second, they would ground your little ass so fast it wouldn't be funny."

"Yeah, I guess..." Lincoln huffed crossly. "I just wish I could find a way to prove it to them! To make everyone see that there really is something here!"

The demon was silent for a while, humming quietly to himself. Then he cleared his throat and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Well, that's easy! I could help with that!"

"Wait, really?!" The white haired boy gasped in delight. The demon nodded, smirking.

"Why yes. If you say yes, I'll give you a piece of evidence no one will be able to misconstrue." He rumbled, "However, you'll need to do something in return for my service."

Static then leaned back to Lincoln's eye level, murmuring, "Just, say-"

"Yes! Of course!" Lincoln answered quickly, bouncing on his toes excitedly. The demon chuckled, grinning and rolling his eyes.

"Eager beaver, aren't we? Very well."

Before Lincoln could react, he was suddenly bowled over a strong, heavy force, and a yellow gleaming light filled his vision. It was like a brick wall pushing him back into the wall. For a minute, the light glowed around him, so bright he couldn't see his own nose.

And then, seemingly almost as soon as it started, it was over. Lincoln was crumpled on the floor and propped up by the wall, even though he felt as if he was floating inside the light. Dazed, he looked at his surroundings as his head buzzed.

A low snicker interrupted him. The white-haired boy whipped around and saw the demonic cat creature draped dramatically on a box a few feet in front of him, a smug smirk on his face.

"Was that fun then, dearie? Because trust me, we have so much more to go!" He said sinisterly,

Lincoln shuddered, feeling a pit of fear opening in his stomach.

"What was that?!" He demanded. Static shrugged in a nonchalant manner and stood up, before bowing with flourish.

"Eh, just the evidence I mentioned. It'll be manifested soon enough, don't you worry your little head! For now though,". Static brought himself to his feet, walking over to Lincoln and leaning back down to the boy's eye level.

"Just remember this cannot be undone. You said yes, therefore I provided"

Lincoln snapped back, absentmindedly scratching a pesky itch on his arm, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

The cat demon chuckled breezily, a smirk tugging at his muzzle and a gleam of amusement in his eyes as if he told a joke that Lincoln wasn't in on.

"Oh, you poor, poor soul! You don't even know what hit you!" He said mockingly to Lincoln's chagrin. "You know, I'd almost feel sorry for what's about to happen, if not for the circumstances..."

"What circumstances?! Why can't you speak like a normal person?!" Lincoln yelled. He huffed loudly as the demon backed off, still not providing a clear answer. He was still scratching the itch, but it had somehow gotten worse. He scowled in annoyance, brows drawing together in confusion.

" Ugh , why's my arm so-"

Lincoln looked over at the limb as he spoke, trailing off and eyes going wide in shock. His breath hitched in his throat. He couldn't scream in fear like he wanted to.

There were thousands upon thousands of white hairs growing on his arm. And it was spreading like wildfire.

For a moment, Lincoln sat there in numb shock and watched the hair spread, feeling as if someone dunked him in icy water, his throat feeling tied in a knot. After a minute or two, though, he finally found his voice:

"Wha- what the... what's going on?! " He cried, lifting his gaze from his arm to Static in the desperate hope he would have some sort of answer. However, the demon simply shrugged, a cocky grin on his face.

His question was soon answered, however, because as soon as Static completed the motion, burning agony blazed within Lincoln.

It felt as if his body was being stabbed multiple times, the knives everywhere and twisting deep into his flesh. Lincoln screeched like a banshee, writhing on the ground, arms and legs wildly flailing. Fear filled him as he dared to take a glance at his arm.

While Lincoln had been distracted, his must have not noticed his arm completing its metamorphosis, complete with claws on his fingertips, fur all over the skinny limb, and pads on the underside of his hand. Lincoln looked at his trembling arm with a shocked expression, right before his attention was directed to his ears.

They were moving to the top of his head, becoming more and more triangular as time went on. At each successive pop as his ears shifted in shape and to the top of his head, Lincoln cried out, partially from pain and partially from being overwhelmed with shock and fear. As soon as they took the shape on giant triangles, he felt his ears pop one last time, making him go completely deaf for a moment.

'WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!'

For a moment, everything was silent. He could still feel the pain, yet he couldn't hear anything! And then, his hearing returned twice as strong as before.

He could easily hear the loud snapping and cracking of his bones, and the straining of his muscles as they realigned with said bones, which made him feel sick to his stomach. He could also hear his sneakers tearing as his toes became puffed out and shorter, his pinkie slowly receding into his foot. Claws burst from his toenails like an alien from a human's stomach, warranting a cry of pain.

It was too much, far too much. He felt his chest tighten, breathing hampered as adrenaline and panic began to flow through him, forcing him to breathe through gasps and pants. His senses were overwhelmed, hearing his bones cracking and his muscle tissue tearing, smelling the hot, irony scent of blood from his fingers and toes, and what he was seeing in front of his eyes made him feel like he was going insane. And good lord, the pain! The agonizing feeling coursing through his body outshined any pain he had ever felt from any injury in his life. It was so awful the boy wasn't sure if he'd be happier dying or not!

With his newly heightened hearing, he could hear the ghost chuckling, clearly entertained. In that moment, Lincoln decided to try and call upon his help, figuring he must have way to stop all this.

"Mister, p-please make it stop!" Lincoln cried out, shaking as he attempted to face the cat demon, trying not to keep yelling. "I didn't-ack- I d-didn't say I wanted this!"

He flicked an ear in response, bent whiskers twitching in amusement as he stood up and padded slowly over to the white-haired boy who was currently trying to grab onto his foot as it lengthened in inhuman proportions, as if that would stop the change afflicting it.

"Oh really? Well, this is quite interesting." He said slowly as he tapped his chin, clearly in no hurry to stop this. "A boy begging to terminate our deal when it hurts a little bit, despite him agreeing to my terms"

"It-it hurts a lot! It-"

"Shush."

He hummed thoughtfully, saying in a syrupy sweet tone, "Does this really make you deserve help?"

" I don't care! Just please make it stop !" Lincoln screamed, the agony becoming too overwhelming for the young boy to handle. His eyes were clenched shut in horror as his nails simply fell off and animal-like claws burst from his finger tips.

The demon shrugged and turned away nonchalantly, saying over his shoulder smugly, "A little late for that, dearie "

Lincoln's eyes burst in shock as the demon walked back to the box.

"Is he seriously just- Augh! " The changing boy screamed when he was hit by a fresh wave of pain, this time radiating from his mouth. It felt like he was wearing invisible braces that were getting tighter every second, pulling on his teeth. Lincoln was vaguely aware of the fur that was coating his body being finished, although he barely took notice due to the fear. Pressing his lengthened tongue, which also felt as rough as sandpaper, to his canines, he was greeted with a sharp sting and a sticky, irony taste in his mouth.

It was clear he had cut his tongue on his own teeth as the pain in his mouth slowly died away. That revelation alone shocked him to his core. Lincoln whimpered as a wave of heat overcame him, causing him to pant. Panic sparked to life in his chest once he properly realized he was now covered head to toe in a thick layer of hair and that it was the source of the heat. This realization only served to fuel the raging inferno of panic and terror inside him.

'WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!'

Then all the pain seemed to be building up into the small of his back, and strangely enough, a lump seemed to be growing there. It felt like a black hole was ripping his spine right out of his body, the skin around it stretching and only barely keeping with the elongating vertebrae. Lincoln screwed his eyes shut, scared to see what was growing this time. His teeth clenched and his newly formed claws scraped against the floor, the pain being so great that he couldn't even bring himself to scream.

'Please, please, PLEASE let this be a bad dream!'

Deep down though, he knew it wasn't. The pain was too great to all be in his head.

And then, Lincoln felt several sensitive hairs poke out from either side of his upper lip. Blinking, he tried to rein in his terror a little bit to look at them, almost going cross-eyed to see them. They were at least a few inches long and completely white, having the appearance of feline whiskers...

He then finally put two and two together about what he was becoming.

The only animal he knew had whiskers like this was a cat.

That demon looked like a cat that pairly mutated into a human.

Lincoln wanted to scream, to cry, to curse this horrible demon back to wherever he came from, but the revelation simply took his breath away, unable to process what was happening.

"I-I... oh god, I don't wanna be a cat !" He simply groaned.

A small laugh came from the left and was followed by, "Aw, did you figure it out? Well don't worry, your change isn't over yet!"

Lincoln blinked rapidly, not wanting to believe there were more to go. However, he was soon faced with the lump at the base of his spine growing longer and longer, and the pain there becoming more and more intense. He growled and slammed his fist into the ground repeatedly as if he were calling Uncle on Lynn during a wrestling match. The boy felt like he was trapped in some sort of nightmarish, horrific dream, but how could his mind make this sort of agony up?! None of it felt like it was supposed to be real, yet here he was, transforming into a cat!

His now-pointed ears flattened in distress when his new hearing easily picked up the sounds of his spine crunching and popping as it lengthened. God, it hurt so much!

The lump ended up bursting through his underwear and hit the material of his jeans, and even though it couldn't go farther, it still tried to grow, causing an almost unbearable amount of pressure to build.

The agony got so excruciatingly awful, Lincoln lifted his hand and tried to rip a hole in his jeans with his new claws. He felt like an animal for using them, but desperate times called for desperate measures, he quickly told himself.

Surprisingly, it worked, and he felt a wide enough tear in his pants for the lump to grow. This was followed by a mixture of relief and pain as the tail continued to grow longer.

Once the pain died down, he turned his head to look. What lay before him… he couldn't even process it, his mind refusing to believe that it was part of him. It was long and fluffy, bearing a striking resemblance to a cat's tail. Lincoln sucked in a breath, and with a trembling hand, he grabbed it, desperate to see if it was real or not.

Unfortunately for him, a shudder ran up his spine once his fingers wrapped around it, brushing against the fur slightly, his brain registering the appendage as very much real. The fur brushing up against the puffy palm of his hand felt so alien to him.

At that moment, it seemingly came to life, puffing up and twitching and curling in erratic, jerky motions. Lincoln quickly retracted his hand, his breath caught in his throat as he watched the wiggly appendage. He let out a strangled cry as he finally confronted what he refused to believe, what he wished wasn't true.

That tail, that cat tail, was attached to him, and it was real.

A new thought then occurred to him at that moment though: The pain had stopped. He hadn't felt any pain or overload while inspecting his tail. Lincoln let out a breath of relief that there was a momentary pause between all the sensory over stimulation, pain, and tingling. Finally, he thought it was done.

"Oh dear. Has the kitten figured out this isn't a dream?"

Lincoln screamed and whirled around, stumbling clumsily to his feet and backing away. The black and white cat demon started circling the boy, an ugly, gleeful sneer on his face.

"Well now, is that how you treat someone you were just conversing with? Why the long face?"

Lincoln trembled and tried to speak, only to hack. It seemed that his throat was far too sore to speak, probably from all the screaming.

"Now then, I'll inform you of what I expect from you tonight. But in the meantime, remember this-". Static suddenly stopped pacing and lunged towards Lincoln. The boy could barely cry out before he was sharply yanked by his shirt and was face to face with the demon's sharp fangs. He squirmed as he felt the sharp black talons dig in his shirt and poke his skin.

"If you ever tell anyone about this little meeting, I'll have no choice but to kill your entire family, boy! One by one, right in front of your eyes, leaving you alone and oh so guilty! "

Lincoln was suddenly dropped onto the floor, accidentally landing on his tail. He hissed in pain and winced, face screwing up as if he ate a lemon. Lincoln's eyes opened and trailed after the cat demon who was leaning against the wall. He then, for reasons unknown to his victim, blended into the wall like a chameleon.

Lincoln gaped at the sight, and then shuddered, the final words of the cat demon still rebounding in his head. However, he couldn't help but also be very, very relieved. At least he was gone...

And then his face started to creak, shortly before cracking outwards into a short, blunt muzzle. His now pink nose flattened on his face and became triangular. This was by far the worst part, as it felt like someone was trying to pull his skull outwards with a vacuum, causing agonizing amounts of pressure and pain. He could literally feel his skull break in half as it formed. Lincoln let out a silent scream, his voice having given out long ago as he dropped to his knees. He desperately waited for the pain to be over.

When the pain finally died down for what he hoped would be the last time, he let out a huff and flopped onto his side, relishing in the coolness of the stone floor that felt so welcome against his overheated body. He closed his eyes as a wave of soreness crept up on him, enveloping him in its ache.

And then, as if he angered someone with magic powers or something, he heard the door unlocking and frantic footsteps that thundered down the stairs that he knew had to belong to his sisters. He wasn't sure how long they were trying to open the door or how soon they heard him screaming, but he wasn't present enough to think clearly on that subject.

He did, however, want to do something, run, hide, explain, anything. He didn't want to be seen like this and considered dragging himself away. But his body ached fiercely enough to make it almost impossible to move, and exhaustion willed his eyelids to remain closed.

Gasps, murmurs, and yelling sounded out, although it sounded almost as if his sisters were underwater. He opened his heavy eyes and noticed the corners of his vision were getting darker, and the rest swimming in blurriness.

'I guess this is a dream, then... maybe I'll wake up normally, no changing into cat, no Static, no... no...'. He then screwed his eyes shut as they began to ache intensely.

Lincoln groaned and shook his head, feeling like it was made of cotton. Quickly afterwards, everything faded to black. Blissful, silent black...