Note to readers: To answer some questions, no there are no pairings planned
for this story. I like ¾ but I have no plans on writing a ¾ anytime soon.
As for the other question, there will probably only be one more chapter to
this story. But no need to worry, I have another story that I'm going to
start as soon as this one's done. And now for the official stuff. The KND
still aren't mine. But that can't stop me from wanting to give Numbuh 4 a
big hug.
++++++++++++
Numbuh 1 lowered himself back down silently. His heart heavy with grief, he stared down at his paws.
"This can't be happening." He whispered to himself.
Behind him Numbuh 3 was happily mewing, jumping around, admiring her newfound cat hood. Letting out a soft sigh, One turned to his teammates. His head held low, feeling ashamed that he had allowed this to happen. What leader lets his teammates get turned into kittens? Even more shame filled him recalling that he had tried to run as well. Great, not only a bad leader who couldn't even see the glaring evidence that the old woman was responsible for the missing kids, but now he must have looked like a selfish coward. 'Darn it Nigel,' he thought to himself, 'you should have seen this coming.'
In all truth, he was blowing this all out of proportion. There was no way he could have predicted he was going to be turned into a kitten today. But responsibility is all part of being the leader. That and his ego had been bruised from being overtaken so easily by a woman practically ten times his age.
He would have to face them eventually, it was a small box. Even if they hated him he was still one of them. He wanted to speak, to comfort them, to get them in a fighting mood again, to come up with a plan like he always did. But this was an unfamiliar situation. They had no weapons, no access to their 2x4 technology, no opposable thumbs, so what could he tell them?
"What are we going to do now Numbuh 1?" A small voice shook him from his guilty haze.
Numbuh 2 was huddled in a corner of the box, quivering fearfully, looking to his leader for guidance. Pushing his guilt aside and letting his leader instincts take over, Numbuh 1 let the words flow.
"We have to keep calm, Numbuh 2. If we keep a level head we can figure out a way to fix this situation."
Numbuh 2 stopped his fearful quaking. If Numbuh 1 wasn't afraid why should he be? Being a cat wasn't the end of the world anyway. He still felt like himself. Well, he DID have a funny urge to knock Numbuh 1's sunglasses off and play with them just because they were shiny, but he felt normal besides that.
Uncurling himself from his little ball he took to his leader's side. Now adorned with white fur with a few black splotches, fluff that did little to hide his pudge. His ears poking out oddly underneath his pilot's helmet and a long puffy tail now swaying happily behind him, attracting the attention of Numbuh 3 who joyfully pounced on it. Two jumped up with a yelp and a jolt, Three giggled at his reaction.
"You a silly kitty." She smiled as Two landed stiffly on all fours.
"You scared me Numbuh 3!" He shouted, a bit of hurt in his voice. She just giggled again and swatted his tail around blissfully.
"Numbuh 3, why did you do that to Numbuh 2?" One demanded.
Three shrugged as Two yanked his tail away from her paws and cradled it protectively.
"I'm just being a kitty." She laughed and began prancing around the box singing, "I'm a pretty kitty, he's a pretty kitty, she's a pretty kitty, you a pretty kitty--" she paused a moment looking Numbuh 1 over, then placed a paw on his noggin. "You look funny with fur on your head."
One pulled his head out from under her paw.
"I'm well aware of that Numbuh 3."
"Numbuh 5 don't like being fuzzy all over." The chocolate colored kitten spoke of herself. Her tail swaying elegantly behind her, she embodied the epitome of cool cat now more then ever.
"I hope we don't get fleas." Numbuh 2 added, scratching his ear with his hind leg.
"I don' wanna stick around 'ere long enough ta find out if we do." Numbuh 4 sneered, leaving deep claw marks in the wall as he took out his frustrations. "An' I don' wanna 'ave some crazy granma putting little booties on me neitha'."
"It's not going to come to that." Said Numbuh 1, his tone quite serious. "We're going to get out of this box and escape."
"How?" Two inquired.
"By applying enough force on one wall we may be able to knock the box over onto its side so we can get out. Now come on, this is going to take a bit of teamwork."
++++++++++++++++++
Lined up in a tight row they faced the wall. Staring it down with determination, waiting for the signal.
"On my mark." Numbuh 1 ordered. "Ready? Now!"
The intrepid troop charged the barrier, hitting it with a thud. The box moved slightly.
"Again!" Their leader barked.
They backed up and rammed again, each grunting with the impact.
"This time should do it."
One last try yielded a bit more then they had asked for. Not only did the box tip over, but toppled over the edge of the table it was sitting on, sending it and kittens tumbling to the carpet below.
Landing in a heap, box landing over them like a canopy, they let out a collective groan, individually adding their own moans and 'owies'. A little pink nose poked out from under the capsized prison and lifted it up to make an exit.
"I thought we were supposed to land on our feet." Numbuh 2 groaned, rolling off his back.
He received no reply, as everyone else was too busy looking around. A cats- eye view of the room was more then what they had expected. Everything was bigger of course and the alteration of their bodies was going to provide a major obstacle in their plans. Something in the corner of the room, something round and red, caught Numbuh 2's eye. A ball of yarn, just sitting there, but mesmerizing. He wandered up to it and prodded it with his paw. It wobbled invitingly. The impulse to jump on it became too great, he couldn't resist. With a gleeful mew he pounced.
=======
The knowledge of just how hard accomplishing a plan now would be sinking in; Numbuh 1 laid his sights on the door. It would be an effort but he could come up with a way they could get out of the room.
"She got you too?" An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him.
Numbuh 1 turned to face the speaker. It was the orange kitten from earlier. Now in a box peering out over the edge, a sad look on his face.
"You. You're that kitten from before."
"Uh huh, sorry this happened."
"You were trying to warn us about this weren't you? You know the old woman was going to turn us into cats."
"I was trying to tell you. But I guess I made things worse." The kitten's head sank behind the box wall. Numbuh 1 jumped up to look inside, using his paws to hold himself up.
"Wait, it wasn't your fault. We weren't able to understand you then." Peering into the box he noticed two other kittens in there with the orange one. "How long have you been here?"
"Too long." Piped the black one, judging from its voice, a girl.
"We didn't do anything to deserve this." Added the calico sitting next to her, another boy. "So I called her a crazy cat lady. Everyone calls her that, even my parents!"
"You all must have somehow provoked her." Numbuh 1 stated.
"I may have thrown a water balloon at one of her cats." The orange kitten admitted sheepishly. "But I never meant to hurt it."
"I wasn't doing anything mean." Insisted the black kitten; "All I did was ask her if I could have one of her kitties as a pet. She has so many, I didn't think she'd mind."
"Yes, but I don't think we're dealing with a healthy minded individual here." Numbuh 1 said.
"I wanna go home. I hate being in this box."
"Why are you all in these boxes?"
"The cat lady thinks that keeping us in here will make us forget about being kids so we can be just like her cats." The calico answered.
"That's horrible." Numbuh 1 gasped, eyes widened, then narrowed. "She has to be stopped! Who knows how far she'll go."
"But you're a cat now like us." The orange kitten shook his head. "What could you do?"
Numbuh 1 cocked his brow. What could he do? What COULDN'T he do? Sure being a cat now would make things problematic but giving up was never an option. This was a serious situation. No more wallowing in self pity because of a single mistake. The shock of which had worn off and was now being replaced with an ego boosting feeling of being needed. Not only by his friends but by every kid in this room. They were depending on his commanding word and unwavering leadership. A confident smile curled his face.
"My team and I may have been turned into cats, but we were no ordinary kids to begin with. We are the Kids Next Door! And we are going to get you back to normal and out of here. I swear it."
With this vowed, he released the side of the box and walked away, holding his head with dignity. That is until he was run over by a fast bouncing ball of yarn being chased by a bounding Numbuh 2.
Numbuh 1 shook himself off and got to her feet. He looked to his portly friend with an annoyed look.
"What are you doing Numbuh 2?"
Numbuh 2 hopped onto the yarn ball with a doofy smile on his face.
"Playing with yarn." He beamed, "It's fun!" The ball wiggled a bit under his weight before tipping over, spilling him onto the floor.
"We can't be playing with yarn now!" Numbuh 1 yelled, "There are kids that need our help!"
Numbuh 2 lowered his ears as he stared longingly at the ball.
"But it's so round--"
"And yarny!" Added Numbuh 3 who was cheerfully tangled up in the red thread trailing from the sphere, batting at a loose end.
Numbuh 1 looked the ball over. Indeed it was round, and warm and tempting. He tentatively lifted his paw. He wanted to smack it around, watch it roll and chase it, just because it was there.
"No!" He let his paw drop back down. He had to resist this strange, frivolous feeling overtaking his senses. He jumped back to distance himself from the distraction. Fortunately the feeling passed and something else caught his attention.
Numbuh 5 rubbed her body against the table leg, making a low deep purr amid the strokes. Numbuh 1 stared at her, baffled.
"What are you doing?"
She paused her purring.
"Dunno. Numbuh 5 just got the urge to rub up against everythang."
She turned to giver her other side equal attention, her tail swaying sassily, resuming a set of pleasured purrs. She stopped though, seeing Numbuh 1's dissatisfied look.
"Now see here!" he shouted gaining everyone's attention. "We have a crazy cat lady to stop. We won't be able to help anyone if we give in to these animalistic urges!"
"I'm with you Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 4 agreed eagerly. "We gotta teach that witch a lesson. I'm gonna start -- by clawin' up 'er curtains!"
With that declared Four began scaling up the lace curtains that lined the small window on the wall. Two and Three resumed pushing the ball of yarn around. Numbuh 1 snarled with agitation.
"This is getting us nowhere! We can't loose our focus!" He calmed himself, "I have a plan. We are going to sneak by the crazy cat lady, steal her transfiguration ray when she isn't looking and use it on ourselves. Once human again we should be able to handle her and change the other kids back to normal as well.
"That's a good plan." Noted Numbuh 4 as he rode down the curtains on his claws, ripping the linins in the process. "But ya fergot that weh cats!"
"He's got a point." Added Numbuh 5.
"A minor detail." Numbuh 1 stated, walking up to the door. Keeping his eye on Four who had resumed his assent of the curtains. "We can cross those bridges when we get to them Numbuh 4." One stuck his paw under the door, finding it was closed and unable to be pulled open. "Instead of complaining you could lend me a hand - err, paw, whatever."
From his high spot on the window dressing Numbuh 4 took a leap and landed on the doorknob, letting his momentum turn it with a click. Numbuh 1 pulled the heavy door open a crack and nudged it the rest of the way with his head. Numbuh 4 slid off the knob and landed on his feet with a grunt behind his leader.
Numbuh 1 faced his group.
"Kids Next Door! Let's move out!"
The sound of mewing put a frown on his face. Numbuhs Two and Three were still batting around that ball of yarn, ignoring his command. With a defeated sigh he stalked over and gave the ball a swift kick, sending it rolling out the door. Two and Three mewed happily chasing it. Four followed them, muttering to himself about how dumb they were acting. One caught up with Five and passed into the next room with her. As they stepped through, she rubbed up against the doorframe. Numbuh 1 gave her a disappointed glance.
"Honestly Numbuh 5, I would like to think you had more self control then that."
She cocked an eye at him.
"Numbuh 5 ain't licking herself is she?"
This alternative passed through Numbuh 1's mind as a quick and disgusting thought.
"Ew."
++++++
Inside the living room Numbuh 2 had abandoned his ball batting and was now looking around slightly overwhelmed.
"Wow, this room sure looks different from down here."
Numbuh 1 silently agreed but remained stalwart.
"That doesn't matter. We have to concentrate on finding the cat lady and her ray." He looked around. "She said she was going to be knitting." His face fell to a look of confusion, as did his voice looking at the many doors. "Which one was the knitting room again?"
Numbuh 4 gazed up at the doors of the house, trying to recall if he knew. He groaned with frustration.
"Ah, fa' the love a, they all look the same from down 'ere!"
"We'll just have to split up then." One concluded "Call if you find anything."
The troop disbanded and explored the area. Numbuh 3 poked her nose under a shut door, pressing her head against the wood as if she were trying to squeeze herself through the thin crack.
"Old lady? You in here?" She called cheerfully, wagging her tail. The red yarn still wrapped messily around her body.
Numbuh 4 popped his head into a random room. No cat lady, just cats. Thankfully all asleep.
"When this is all ova'," he told himself "I neva' wanna see anotha' cat fer as long as I live." He walked away, not noticing that some of the cats had overheard him.
Trying to get a higher vantage point, Numbuh 2 climbed his way up on top of the coffee table. It didn't help much. He still couldn't tell one room from another. But since he was there he decided to take a few morsels of cat chow from the bowl he had been snaking from earlier.
"Hey, this stuff tastes even better when you're a cat." Noticing the saucer of milk nearby, he hopped over and started lapping up a nice long drink.
Numbuh 5 came back to Numbuh 1, frustrated and defeated.
"Man, how we gonna find the right room when we can't even open any doors?"
"All the open rooms just have kitties in them." Numbuh 3 said.
"I could try clawin' up the wall paper." Numbuh 4 suggested attempting to do just that. But not getting a good enough grip found himself falling on his little kitty heinie.
"The only door we need is the one to the knitting room." Numbuh 1 stated. "We just need to know which room that is."
"Why don't we ask them?" Numbuh 3 smiled pointing behind the group.
They turned to see what she was talking about. Angry cats. Very angry cats were standing behind them. The felines towered over them growling at the little kittens, gleams of malice in their yellow eyes.
"Numbuh 5 don't think they wanna talk to us."
The largest of the cats swiped at them. With a scream the little ones scattered, not wanting to be turned into itty-bitty kitty bits. The bigger, meaner, cats gave chase, looking to treat the trespassers more like mice rather then fellow felines.
Numbuh 3 was finding it hard to run with yarn snared around her body, some of which slid from her waist to around her legs where she got caught up in it and stumbled onto her back, getting even more tangled.
"Uh oh." She whimpered, trying to pull herself free.
Numbuh 5, witnessing her friend's plight, stopped her retreat and ran to help.
"Girl, this is no time for you to get all tangle-fied." She muttered, pulling at the string with her teeth.
Numbuh 1 sprinted around screaming at the top of his lungs as a formidably sized Persian repeatedly tries to pounce on him.
Numbuh 4 on the other hand was attempting some kitty combat with the Birman that currently had him cornered.
"Is that all ya got fluffy?" He hissed, leaping over its swiping paws. "Gimme ya best shot!"
The cat meowed a deep snarl and jumped at Four with claws outstretched. Four dashed underneath the air born tabby getting to safety and letting his attacker slam head on into the wall.
"Good on ya!" the Aussie chuckled as the cat slipped down the wall and into unconsciousness.
Numbuh 2 was oblivious to the goings on below him. He was far too consumed in the tasty cream he was slurping. He paused this a moment to lick the sweet residue off his whiskers. His ears perked as he felt a presents behind him. A shadow fell over him where he sat and a hot breeze wafted down his back. Gulping, he slowly turned to see glowing eyes and a snarling set of sharp teeth. A deadly looking Siamese glowered over him, its maw wide and ready to snap.
Two yelped and stumbled backwards, landing in the dish of cream. Soaked in lactose and a threatening face staring down at him, he let out a nervous chuckle, splashing a little cream in the cat's direction.
"Uh, heh heh, want some?"
The offer of milk obviously wasn't enough. The cat growled and began chasing Numbuh 2 around on the table.
Beneath all this action Numbuh 5 had almost finished pulling the yarn off of Numbuh 3. But celebration would be cut short for another cat was approaching them.
"Hi kitty!" Three cheerfully exclaimed, "You wanna play?"
The cat growled at them and stalked closer.
"You'd better take that as a 'no'." Five recommended, crouching down in an attack stance.
The long -haired Manx loomed over the girls, lowering its head close to look more threatening. It hissed evilly, its claws extended and ready to strike. Numbuh 5 calmly bopped it on the nose with the pad of her paw. Surprised, it drew back with a confused mew, then lowered again with a snarl, only to get bopped again. Numbuh 3 giggled. The cat was not amused. It reared up hissing loudly. This time meaning business.
Up on the table, Two was doing his best to keep out of the reach of the evil Siamese chasing him. He darted about on the slick surface, knocking over a teacup and sugar bowl in the process. In another lunge to avoid his pursuer, he caused the cat to push the saucer of cream off the table and onto the Manx below.
It cried out; then realizing it was covered in spilt cream it began licking itself, purring contently.
The girls took this moment to flee joining Numbuh 1 who was catching his breath beneath the rocking chair.
"I - think- I lost- It." He panted, speaking of the Persian that had been chasing him.
Another yowl from offside. One Three and Five turned to see the Siamese on the table failing its head and swiping at its face with its paws before leaping off and running away. Numbuh 2 had been lucky enough to find the spilt over sugar bowl and had kicked a handful of the white power into the cat's eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief and then licked his paw to get off the remaining sweet.
"Nice shot Numbuh 2." Numbuh 4 commented, joining his companion on the coffee table.
"That was fun!" cheered Numbuh 3. Numbuh 5 just shook her head and decided not to bother. Instead she looked to their leader whose face had suddenly sunken to a look of horror. His eyes were wide, mouth hanging open, his ears lowered to the point that his sunglasses sat crooked on his face in a pathetic way. His body shivered as his voice squeaked.
"Oh, no--"
The Persian had returned. It was smiling evilly from its perch on the rocking chair, watching them upside-down over the edge, its fluffy tail swaying contentedly, purring menacingly.
Without time to think the trio dashed out from their hiding spot as the cat pursued. Chasing them under the table and to the wall where they were trapped. All three afraid to move as their opponent sized them up for a final strike.
"Let me at that powda' puff!" Numbuh 4 shouted, ready to leap off the table. Numbuh 2 quickly grabbed him by his hood.
"No, it's too dangerous Numbuh 4!"
"Let go a me! I can handle it!"
"Numbuh 2!" Numbuh 1 called out. "The teapot!"
Numbuhs 2 and 4 looked to their side. The teapot from before was still there and it happened to be sitting directly over where the Persian was positioned.
It was still warm as Numbuh 2 pressed his head against the pot, trying to push it over. But it was still mostly full and too heavy.
"Numbuh 4, help me!" He cried, repeatedly ramming his head into the pot.
"Ya not gonna get anywhere pushin' it like that." Four scoffed. "Allow me!"
With a running start he jumped on Two's back, using it like a springboard to land on top of the pot. Then, carefully jumping onto the spout, catapulting the hot liquid onto the cat below.
The Persian howled as the scalding tea penetrated its fur. It leapt around screeching in pain. Making an awful ruckus.
Numbuh 1 quickly scanned the room; they needed a place to take cover while they had the chance to do so. He spotted a scratching post in the corner with a hole in it, big enough for five kittens to hide in.
"This way!" He signaled, letting his team follow.
After a sprint, a bit of climbing and a helping hand to those less adept at doing so, they managed to quickly occupy the small space in the fuzzy structure.
"That was close." Numbuh 2 gasped catching his breath.
"What's going on in here?" An elderly voice called out, causing all ears to prick up. Numbuh 1 peeked out the hole of their shelter.
"It's the cat lady."
The group crowded around the hole to see. The old woman wandered out from the hall and looked around at the disorder that lay about her. A pitiful mewing sound filled the room.
"Pussy!" She shouted seeing her Persian writhe in pain on the floor, her teapot lying nearby. Its remaining liquid dripping from the spout onto the carpet. The cat's cries filling her with pity, she lifted the burnt thing into her arms cradling it. "Oh pussy wussy, did you have an accident with the teapot?"
The cat meowed in response. A few cats sauntered in from the hall behind their master and began poking around. It seemed they knew the Persian's injuries were not caused by an accident. The quintet slowly pulled their heads back into their hiding hole.
"Don't worry sweetie." The old lady cooed, "Mommy's going to make you all better." She walked off with the creature, smothering it in kisses.
Numbuh 4 stuck out his tongue making a disgusted grunt. Numbuh 1 silently watched her as she slipped back into the hallway into a room with the door left slightly ajar.
"There it is. That's the room we have to get to." He noted.
"But how we gonna get there with the cat patrol prowling around?" Numbuh 5 inquired.
Numbuh 1 peered out again. The cats were all sniffing and probing around under furniture. Any attempt to run for the room would undoubtedly be seen.
"That does prove to be the problem." He admitted.
"Stupid cats!" Numbuh 4 snapped kicking a catnip mouse that was lying nearby. It let out a little jingle as it hit the wall.
"How are we gonna get past the mean kitties?" Numbuh 3 asked.
Numbuh 1 turned to her, ready to confess that he had no idea. But inspiration was a kind mistress. He noticed around Three's ankle some yarn still remained tangled. It was trailing from her leg and out the hole to the living room floor. He looked the thread over then glanced at the catnip mouse that was sharing their space. A devious smile was now on his face.
"Help me pull this in." He said taking the string in his teeth. "I have a plan."
[TO BE CONTINUED]
++++++++++++
Numbuh 1 lowered himself back down silently. His heart heavy with grief, he stared down at his paws.
"This can't be happening." He whispered to himself.
Behind him Numbuh 3 was happily mewing, jumping around, admiring her newfound cat hood. Letting out a soft sigh, One turned to his teammates. His head held low, feeling ashamed that he had allowed this to happen. What leader lets his teammates get turned into kittens? Even more shame filled him recalling that he had tried to run as well. Great, not only a bad leader who couldn't even see the glaring evidence that the old woman was responsible for the missing kids, but now he must have looked like a selfish coward. 'Darn it Nigel,' he thought to himself, 'you should have seen this coming.'
In all truth, he was blowing this all out of proportion. There was no way he could have predicted he was going to be turned into a kitten today. But responsibility is all part of being the leader. That and his ego had been bruised from being overtaken so easily by a woman practically ten times his age.
He would have to face them eventually, it was a small box. Even if they hated him he was still one of them. He wanted to speak, to comfort them, to get them in a fighting mood again, to come up with a plan like he always did. But this was an unfamiliar situation. They had no weapons, no access to their 2x4 technology, no opposable thumbs, so what could he tell them?
"What are we going to do now Numbuh 1?" A small voice shook him from his guilty haze.
Numbuh 2 was huddled in a corner of the box, quivering fearfully, looking to his leader for guidance. Pushing his guilt aside and letting his leader instincts take over, Numbuh 1 let the words flow.
"We have to keep calm, Numbuh 2. If we keep a level head we can figure out a way to fix this situation."
Numbuh 2 stopped his fearful quaking. If Numbuh 1 wasn't afraid why should he be? Being a cat wasn't the end of the world anyway. He still felt like himself. Well, he DID have a funny urge to knock Numbuh 1's sunglasses off and play with them just because they were shiny, but he felt normal besides that.
Uncurling himself from his little ball he took to his leader's side. Now adorned with white fur with a few black splotches, fluff that did little to hide his pudge. His ears poking out oddly underneath his pilot's helmet and a long puffy tail now swaying happily behind him, attracting the attention of Numbuh 3 who joyfully pounced on it. Two jumped up with a yelp and a jolt, Three giggled at his reaction.
"You a silly kitty." She smiled as Two landed stiffly on all fours.
"You scared me Numbuh 3!" He shouted, a bit of hurt in his voice. She just giggled again and swatted his tail around blissfully.
"Numbuh 3, why did you do that to Numbuh 2?" One demanded.
Three shrugged as Two yanked his tail away from her paws and cradled it protectively.
"I'm just being a kitty." She laughed and began prancing around the box singing, "I'm a pretty kitty, he's a pretty kitty, she's a pretty kitty, you a pretty kitty--" she paused a moment looking Numbuh 1 over, then placed a paw on his noggin. "You look funny with fur on your head."
One pulled his head out from under her paw.
"I'm well aware of that Numbuh 3."
"Numbuh 5 don't like being fuzzy all over." The chocolate colored kitten spoke of herself. Her tail swaying elegantly behind her, she embodied the epitome of cool cat now more then ever.
"I hope we don't get fleas." Numbuh 2 added, scratching his ear with his hind leg.
"I don' wanna stick around 'ere long enough ta find out if we do." Numbuh 4 sneered, leaving deep claw marks in the wall as he took out his frustrations. "An' I don' wanna 'ave some crazy granma putting little booties on me neitha'."
"It's not going to come to that." Said Numbuh 1, his tone quite serious. "We're going to get out of this box and escape."
"How?" Two inquired.
"By applying enough force on one wall we may be able to knock the box over onto its side so we can get out. Now come on, this is going to take a bit of teamwork."
++++++++++++++++++
Lined up in a tight row they faced the wall. Staring it down with determination, waiting for the signal.
"On my mark." Numbuh 1 ordered. "Ready? Now!"
The intrepid troop charged the barrier, hitting it with a thud. The box moved slightly.
"Again!" Their leader barked.
They backed up and rammed again, each grunting with the impact.
"This time should do it."
One last try yielded a bit more then they had asked for. Not only did the box tip over, but toppled over the edge of the table it was sitting on, sending it and kittens tumbling to the carpet below.
Landing in a heap, box landing over them like a canopy, they let out a collective groan, individually adding their own moans and 'owies'. A little pink nose poked out from under the capsized prison and lifted it up to make an exit.
"I thought we were supposed to land on our feet." Numbuh 2 groaned, rolling off his back.
He received no reply, as everyone else was too busy looking around. A cats- eye view of the room was more then what they had expected. Everything was bigger of course and the alteration of their bodies was going to provide a major obstacle in their plans. Something in the corner of the room, something round and red, caught Numbuh 2's eye. A ball of yarn, just sitting there, but mesmerizing. He wandered up to it and prodded it with his paw. It wobbled invitingly. The impulse to jump on it became too great, he couldn't resist. With a gleeful mew he pounced.
=======
The knowledge of just how hard accomplishing a plan now would be sinking in; Numbuh 1 laid his sights on the door. It would be an effort but he could come up with a way they could get out of the room.
"She got you too?" An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him.
Numbuh 1 turned to face the speaker. It was the orange kitten from earlier. Now in a box peering out over the edge, a sad look on his face.
"You. You're that kitten from before."
"Uh huh, sorry this happened."
"You were trying to warn us about this weren't you? You know the old woman was going to turn us into cats."
"I was trying to tell you. But I guess I made things worse." The kitten's head sank behind the box wall. Numbuh 1 jumped up to look inside, using his paws to hold himself up.
"Wait, it wasn't your fault. We weren't able to understand you then." Peering into the box he noticed two other kittens in there with the orange one. "How long have you been here?"
"Too long." Piped the black one, judging from its voice, a girl.
"We didn't do anything to deserve this." Added the calico sitting next to her, another boy. "So I called her a crazy cat lady. Everyone calls her that, even my parents!"
"You all must have somehow provoked her." Numbuh 1 stated.
"I may have thrown a water balloon at one of her cats." The orange kitten admitted sheepishly. "But I never meant to hurt it."
"I wasn't doing anything mean." Insisted the black kitten; "All I did was ask her if I could have one of her kitties as a pet. She has so many, I didn't think she'd mind."
"Yes, but I don't think we're dealing with a healthy minded individual here." Numbuh 1 said.
"I wanna go home. I hate being in this box."
"Why are you all in these boxes?"
"The cat lady thinks that keeping us in here will make us forget about being kids so we can be just like her cats." The calico answered.
"That's horrible." Numbuh 1 gasped, eyes widened, then narrowed. "She has to be stopped! Who knows how far she'll go."
"But you're a cat now like us." The orange kitten shook his head. "What could you do?"
Numbuh 1 cocked his brow. What could he do? What COULDN'T he do? Sure being a cat now would make things problematic but giving up was never an option. This was a serious situation. No more wallowing in self pity because of a single mistake. The shock of which had worn off and was now being replaced with an ego boosting feeling of being needed. Not only by his friends but by every kid in this room. They were depending on his commanding word and unwavering leadership. A confident smile curled his face.
"My team and I may have been turned into cats, but we were no ordinary kids to begin with. We are the Kids Next Door! And we are going to get you back to normal and out of here. I swear it."
With this vowed, he released the side of the box and walked away, holding his head with dignity. That is until he was run over by a fast bouncing ball of yarn being chased by a bounding Numbuh 2.
Numbuh 1 shook himself off and got to her feet. He looked to his portly friend with an annoyed look.
"What are you doing Numbuh 2?"
Numbuh 2 hopped onto the yarn ball with a doofy smile on his face.
"Playing with yarn." He beamed, "It's fun!" The ball wiggled a bit under his weight before tipping over, spilling him onto the floor.
"We can't be playing with yarn now!" Numbuh 1 yelled, "There are kids that need our help!"
Numbuh 2 lowered his ears as he stared longingly at the ball.
"But it's so round--"
"And yarny!" Added Numbuh 3 who was cheerfully tangled up in the red thread trailing from the sphere, batting at a loose end.
Numbuh 1 looked the ball over. Indeed it was round, and warm and tempting. He tentatively lifted his paw. He wanted to smack it around, watch it roll and chase it, just because it was there.
"No!" He let his paw drop back down. He had to resist this strange, frivolous feeling overtaking his senses. He jumped back to distance himself from the distraction. Fortunately the feeling passed and something else caught his attention.
Numbuh 5 rubbed her body against the table leg, making a low deep purr amid the strokes. Numbuh 1 stared at her, baffled.
"What are you doing?"
She paused her purring.
"Dunno. Numbuh 5 just got the urge to rub up against everythang."
She turned to giver her other side equal attention, her tail swaying sassily, resuming a set of pleasured purrs. She stopped though, seeing Numbuh 1's dissatisfied look.
"Now see here!" he shouted gaining everyone's attention. "We have a crazy cat lady to stop. We won't be able to help anyone if we give in to these animalistic urges!"
"I'm with you Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 4 agreed eagerly. "We gotta teach that witch a lesson. I'm gonna start -- by clawin' up 'er curtains!"
With that declared Four began scaling up the lace curtains that lined the small window on the wall. Two and Three resumed pushing the ball of yarn around. Numbuh 1 snarled with agitation.
"This is getting us nowhere! We can't loose our focus!" He calmed himself, "I have a plan. We are going to sneak by the crazy cat lady, steal her transfiguration ray when she isn't looking and use it on ourselves. Once human again we should be able to handle her and change the other kids back to normal as well.
"That's a good plan." Noted Numbuh 4 as he rode down the curtains on his claws, ripping the linins in the process. "But ya fergot that weh cats!"
"He's got a point." Added Numbuh 5.
"A minor detail." Numbuh 1 stated, walking up to the door. Keeping his eye on Four who had resumed his assent of the curtains. "We can cross those bridges when we get to them Numbuh 4." One stuck his paw under the door, finding it was closed and unable to be pulled open. "Instead of complaining you could lend me a hand - err, paw, whatever."
From his high spot on the window dressing Numbuh 4 took a leap and landed on the doorknob, letting his momentum turn it with a click. Numbuh 1 pulled the heavy door open a crack and nudged it the rest of the way with his head. Numbuh 4 slid off the knob and landed on his feet with a grunt behind his leader.
Numbuh 1 faced his group.
"Kids Next Door! Let's move out!"
The sound of mewing put a frown on his face. Numbuhs Two and Three were still batting around that ball of yarn, ignoring his command. With a defeated sigh he stalked over and gave the ball a swift kick, sending it rolling out the door. Two and Three mewed happily chasing it. Four followed them, muttering to himself about how dumb they were acting. One caught up with Five and passed into the next room with her. As they stepped through, she rubbed up against the doorframe. Numbuh 1 gave her a disappointed glance.
"Honestly Numbuh 5, I would like to think you had more self control then that."
She cocked an eye at him.
"Numbuh 5 ain't licking herself is she?"
This alternative passed through Numbuh 1's mind as a quick and disgusting thought.
"Ew."
++++++
Inside the living room Numbuh 2 had abandoned his ball batting and was now looking around slightly overwhelmed.
"Wow, this room sure looks different from down here."
Numbuh 1 silently agreed but remained stalwart.
"That doesn't matter. We have to concentrate on finding the cat lady and her ray." He looked around. "She said she was going to be knitting." His face fell to a look of confusion, as did his voice looking at the many doors. "Which one was the knitting room again?"
Numbuh 4 gazed up at the doors of the house, trying to recall if he knew. He groaned with frustration.
"Ah, fa' the love a, they all look the same from down 'ere!"
"We'll just have to split up then." One concluded "Call if you find anything."
The troop disbanded and explored the area. Numbuh 3 poked her nose under a shut door, pressing her head against the wood as if she were trying to squeeze herself through the thin crack.
"Old lady? You in here?" She called cheerfully, wagging her tail. The red yarn still wrapped messily around her body.
Numbuh 4 popped his head into a random room. No cat lady, just cats. Thankfully all asleep.
"When this is all ova'," he told himself "I neva' wanna see anotha' cat fer as long as I live." He walked away, not noticing that some of the cats had overheard him.
Trying to get a higher vantage point, Numbuh 2 climbed his way up on top of the coffee table. It didn't help much. He still couldn't tell one room from another. But since he was there he decided to take a few morsels of cat chow from the bowl he had been snaking from earlier.
"Hey, this stuff tastes even better when you're a cat." Noticing the saucer of milk nearby, he hopped over and started lapping up a nice long drink.
Numbuh 5 came back to Numbuh 1, frustrated and defeated.
"Man, how we gonna find the right room when we can't even open any doors?"
"All the open rooms just have kitties in them." Numbuh 3 said.
"I could try clawin' up the wall paper." Numbuh 4 suggested attempting to do just that. But not getting a good enough grip found himself falling on his little kitty heinie.
"The only door we need is the one to the knitting room." Numbuh 1 stated. "We just need to know which room that is."
"Why don't we ask them?" Numbuh 3 smiled pointing behind the group.
They turned to see what she was talking about. Angry cats. Very angry cats were standing behind them. The felines towered over them growling at the little kittens, gleams of malice in their yellow eyes.
"Numbuh 5 don't think they wanna talk to us."
The largest of the cats swiped at them. With a scream the little ones scattered, not wanting to be turned into itty-bitty kitty bits. The bigger, meaner, cats gave chase, looking to treat the trespassers more like mice rather then fellow felines.
Numbuh 3 was finding it hard to run with yarn snared around her body, some of which slid from her waist to around her legs where she got caught up in it and stumbled onto her back, getting even more tangled.
"Uh oh." She whimpered, trying to pull herself free.
Numbuh 5, witnessing her friend's plight, stopped her retreat and ran to help.
"Girl, this is no time for you to get all tangle-fied." She muttered, pulling at the string with her teeth.
Numbuh 1 sprinted around screaming at the top of his lungs as a formidably sized Persian repeatedly tries to pounce on him.
Numbuh 4 on the other hand was attempting some kitty combat with the Birman that currently had him cornered.
"Is that all ya got fluffy?" He hissed, leaping over its swiping paws. "Gimme ya best shot!"
The cat meowed a deep snarl and jumped at Four with claws outstretched. Four dashed underneath the air born tabby getting to safety and letting his attacker slam head on into the wall.
"Good on ya!" the Aussie chuckled as the cat slipped down the wall and into unconsciousness.
Numbuh 2 was oblivious to the goings on below him. He was far too consumed in the tasty cream he was slurping. He paused this a moment to lick the sweet residue off his whiskers. His ears perked as he felt a presents behind him. A shadow fell over him where he sat and a hot breeze wafted down his back. Gulping, he slowly turned to see glowing eyes and a snarling set of sharp teeth. A deadly looking Siamese glowered over him, its maw wide and ready to snap.
Two yelped and stumbled backwards, landing in the dish of cream. Soaked in lactose and a threatening face staring down at him, he let out a nervous chuckle, splashing a little cream in the cat's direction.
"Uh, heh heh, want some?"
The offer of milk obviously wasn't enough. The cat growled and began chasing Numbuh 2 around on the table.
Beneath all this action Numbuh 5 had almost finished pulling the yarn off of Numbuh 3. But celebration would be cut short for another cat was approaching them.
"Hi kitty!" Three cheerfully exclaimed, "You wanna play?"
The cat growled at them and stalked closer.
"You'd better take that as a 'no'." Five recommended, crouching down in an attack stance.
The long -haired Manx loomed over the girls, lowering its head close to look more threatening. It hissed evilly, its claws extended and ready to strike. Numbuh 5 calmly bopped it on the nose with the pad of her paw. Surprised, it drew back with a confused mew, then lowered again with a snarl, only to get bopped again. Numbuh 3 giggled. The cat was not amused. It reared up hissing loudly. This time meaning business.
Up on the table, Two was doing his best to keep out of the reach of the evil Siamese chasing him. He darted about on the slick surface, knocking over a teacup and sugar bowl in the process. In another lunge to avoid his pursuer, he caused the cat to push the saucer of cream off the table and onto the Manx below.
It cried out; then realizing it was covered in spilt cream it began licking itself, purring contently.
The girls took this moment to flee joining Numbuh 1 who was catching his breath beneath the rocking chair.
"I - think- I lost- It." He panted, speaking of the Persian that had been chasing him.
Another yowl from offside. One Three and Five turned to see the Siamese on the table failing its head and swiping at its face with its paws before leaping off and running away. Numbuh 2 had been lucky enough to find the spilt over sugar bowl and had kicked a handful of the white power into the cat's eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief and then licked his paw to get off the remaining sweet.
"Nice shot Numbuh 2." Numbuh 4 commented, joining his companion on the coffee table.
"That was fun!" cheered Numbuh 3. Numbuh 5 just shook her head and decided not to bother. Instead she looked to their leader whose face had suddenly sunken to a look of horror. His eyes were wide, mouth hanging open, his ears lowered to the point that his sunglasses sat crooked on his face in a pathetic way. His body shivered as his voice squeaked.
"Oh, no--"
The Persian had returned. It was smiling evilly from its perch on the rocking chair, watching them upside-down over the edge, its fluffy tail swaying contentedly, purring menacingly.
Without time to think the trio dashed out from their hiding spot as the cat pursued. Chasing them under the table and to the wall where they were trapped. All three afraid to move as their opponent sized them up for a final strike.
"Let me at that powda' puff!" Numbuh 4 shouted, ready to leap off the table. Numbuh 2 quickly grabbed him by his hood.
"No, it's too dangerous Numbuh 4!"
"Let go a me! I can handle it!"
"Numbuh 2!" Numbuh 1 called out. "The teapot!"
Numbuhs 2 and 4 looked to their side. The teapot from before was still there and it happened to be sitting directly over where the Persian was positioned.
It was still warm as Numbuh 2 pressed his head against the pot, trying to push it over. But it was still mostly full and too heavy.
"Numbuh 4, help me!" He cried, repeatedly ramming his head into the pot.
"Ya not gonna get anywhere pushin' it like that." Four scoffed. "Allow me!"
With a running start he jumped on Two's back, using it like a springboard to land on top of the pot. Then, carefully jumping onto the spout, catapulting the hot liquid onto the cat below.
The Persian howled as the scalding tea penetrated its fur. It leapt around screeching in pain. Making an awful ruckus.
Numbuh 1 quickly scanned the room; they needed a place to take cover while they had the chance to do so. He spotted a scratching post in the corner with a hole in it, big enough for five kittens to hide in.
"This way!" He signaled, letting his team follow.
After a sprint, a bit of climbing and a helping hand to those less adept at doing so, they managed to quickly occupy the small space in the fuzzy structure.
"That was close." Numbuh 2 gasped catching his breath.
"What's going on in here?" An elderly voice called out, causing all ears to prick up. Numbuh 1 peeked out the hole of their shelter.
"It's the cat lady."
The group crowded around the hole to see. The old woman wandered out from the hall and looked around at the disorder that lay about her. A pitiful mewing sound filled the room.
"Pussy!" She shouted seeing her Persian writhe in pain on the floor, her teapot lying nearby. Its remaining liquid dripping from the spout onto the carpet. The cat's cries filling her with pity, she lifted the burnt thing into her arms cradling it. "Oh pussy wussy, did you have an accident with the teapot?"
The cat meowed in response. A few cats sauntered in from the hall behind their master and began poking around. It seemed they knew the Persian's injuries were not caused by an accident. The quintet slowly pulled their heads back into their hiding hole.
"Don't worry sweetie." The old lady cooed, "Mommy's going to make you all better." She walked off with the creature, smothering it in kisses.
Numbuh 4 stuck out his tongue making a disgusted grunt. Numbuh 1 silently watched her as she slipped back into the hallway into a room with the door left slightly ajar.
"There it is. That's the room we have to get to." He noted.
"But how we gonna get there with the cat patrol prowling around?" Numbuh 5 inquired.
Numbuh 1 peered out again. The cats were all sniffing and probing around under furniture. Any attempt to run for the room would undoubtedly be seen.
"That does prove to be the problem." He admitted.
"Stupid cats!" Numbuh 4 snapped kicking a catnip mouse that was lying nearby. It let out a little jingle as it hit the wall.
"How are we gonna get past the mean kitties?" Numbuh 3 asked.
Numbuh 1 turned to her, ready to confess that he had no idea. But inspiration was a kind mistress. He noticed around Three's ankle some yarn still remained tangled. It was trailing from her leg and out the hole to the living room floor. He looked the thread over then glanced at the catnip mouse that was sharing their space. A devious smile was now on his face.
"Help me pull this in." He said taking the string in his teeth. "I have a plan."
[TO BE CONTINUED]