((England)
((The Next Day))
Jade Deveraux was no more. Her ears had pointed. Her teeth had sharpened. Jade's skin sprouted orange and black spotted fur. She was down on all fours like an animal, growling and scratching.
The Half-Caste raised its head and sniffed at the air, like the predator it was. The she-leopard growled, loudly. She smelled blood and human flesh.
The Half-Caste's ears perked forward a bit and she inched forward, slowly, feeling the grass come up between her clawed fingers and toes.
The half-leopard creature was in the local park, sensing the fear of a young human. The fear called out to her and made her very hungry.
Half-Castes feed off of the souls of the weak and scared. The ancient Africans believed that your soul was located in your heart, and the Half-Castes would rip your heart out and eat to eat the soul. The south Africans reported seeing Half-Castes in the brush, under the full moon, chewing on the hearts of victims until there was no more blood left.
Jade was crouched in the bushes, surveying a family of three, a mother, a father, and a small child, but they were not the ones that she wanted. She recognized the woman, but couldn't place from where.
A twig snap made her jump a bit and look to her sides, seeing nothing. Jade looked back at the family, but they seemed to not have heard the sound.
A howl broke out in the quiet park area, making the father of the family look up and survey his surrounding area. He saw movement in the bushes near the swings and looked to his wife.
"Jan, we need to get out of here. I forgot that tonight was the full moon." He said and the woman gasped and grabbed their small child.
Jade licked her lips, she sensed fear from them now. She watched as the family began to run and a large wolf-like figure coming up behind them fast.
The Half-Caste growled, loudly, and made a made a unique growling, moaning sound that all Half-Castes made to either scare or warn.
The creature bolted out of the cover of the brush and came up behind the wolf creature, inhumanly quick. The Half-Caste let out a roar and the woman looked back at the two creatures.
"Jan, don't look back!" The man yelled, but the woman didn't listen.
"Fred, there's a Half-Caste chasing the werewolf!" Jan said and the man looked over his shoulder, quickly, to see that his wife was right.
Jade could see that the child was starting to become tired and the werewolf was going straight for it. She let out an furious roar and pounced upon the wolf creature, making it stop, turn its head to look over its shoulder, and snap at the half-leopard, half-human.
Jade raised her right hand and took a quick swipe at the wolf's face, making it cry out in pain and growl at her, trying to buck her off.
Jade used her claws and dug them into the wolf's back, holding on for her life. She lowered her head and sunk her teeth into the creature's back pulling at the skin.
The werewolf raised one of its clawed paws and struck Jade in the side, ripping it open. She raised her head and let out a agony-filled cry, tears falling down her cheeks now.
Suddenly, a bolt of energy hit the werewolf, stunning it and making Jade fall off the creature, tearing the werewolf's skin.
She landed on her back with a pained squeak.
Jade groaned, making her moan-like growl version of a leopard's roar. She licked her lips, tasting the blood from the werewolf.
Jade squinted her slited pupil brown eyes and growled again, sensing determination instead of fear, which she didn't like.
"Jade, change back." She heard someone say and she snorted. "Please, Jade, I can't help you like this! Do you want to die?!"
"I'm better off dead!" Jade growled and she rolled onto her belly and popped up to her feet with a pained grunt.
Jade looked straight ahead to find a woman with a teenaged girl standing beside her. The woman stepped forward a bit.
"Jade, it's me, Kirsten. Don't let it control you. You can control it, Diablo Gato!" The woman yelled and Jade groaned.
"If I can control it so well, then why do you call me 'Devil Cat'?" The leopard creature asked and Kirsten sighed.
"Please, Jade, do you not want to be helped?" Kirsten asked and she remembered what she had clasped in her hand.
"Put this on!" She said, pitching the item to Jade.
The item fell in front of the Half-Caste and it looked at it and snorted, looking back up at the woman and girl.
"It won't help me or you now, milady." Jade said with an evil glint in her eye, getting up into a half-crouched, half-standing position. "Je sens votre crainte, milady." (I feel your fear, milady.)
"That necklace is supposed to ward off the Half-Caste spirit until you take it off! Now put it on!" Kirsten yelled and Jade snickered and bared her fangs.
"It may ward off the spirit, but I don't want to leave, Miss Kirsten!" The Half-Caste growled.
Jade pounced, claws out before her, ready to attack the frightened Kirsten. The only problem was that as soon as her clawed feet left the ground, she was stopped in mid-air.
Jade looked around and saw that the girl beside Kirsten had pulled out a wand, and it was aimed directly at Jade's chest.
"Don't move, Half-Caste!" The girl said and Jade growled.
"Doesn't really look like I'm going anywhere, gosse!" (kid) Jade hissed back to the girl, making shivers go down her spine.
"Keep holding her, Hermione. I need to get that pendant around her neck." Kirsten said, taking a timid step forward.
Kirsten got close enough to pick up the necklace and closed her slim fingers around it. She straightened up and looked directly into Jade's eyes.
The Half-Caste's eyes were nothing like the attitude that she was showing. Jade's eyes were pleading with Kirsten,
wanting the Half-Caste to receed back into the depth's of Jade's mind, body, and soul.
"I'll do it for you, my angel caido." (fallen angel) Kirsten said, gathering her quickly deminishing courage.
Kirsten put the necklace around Jade's neck and let go, backing away real fast.
"Hermione, drop her!" Kirsten said and the girl looked at her like she was out of her mind.
"But she is a dangerous creature, Kirsten! I've read about Half-Castes! They feed up on your fear and insecurities,
messing with your mind. When they kill you, they rip heart out and chew on it until there is no more blood left. They are
vicious creatures!" Hermione said, looking scared.
"My friend is not a vicious creature! She is my friend and a loyal companion!" Kirsten said, loudly, and Hermione nodded and put Jade on her feet, which the claws were receeding into her skin.
Jade fell to her knees and closed her eyes as she changed.
Her ears lost their points and her claws disappeared under her skin. Jade's fur receeded, as well, making her large gash, on her side, show up more.
Once she finished transforming, Jade looked up at them with her pain-filled eyes.
"Nice to see you, Kirsten. What brings you 'round here?" Jade asked, her New Orleans accent showing itself in its thickness.
"Well, I come to pick up Hermione here to bring her to Hogwarts, where she will be safe." Kirsten said. "And, then, we ran into you."
"Oh, I see. Well, don't let me keep you." Jade said and she got up, holding her sore side. "Au revoir." (good bye)
Jade turned to leave, but Kirsten grabbed her shoulder and turned her back to face her.
"Let me, Kirsten." Jade said as Kirsten stared into her eyes.
"Professor Dumbledore needs you to coe with us. He wants to speak with you." Kirsten said, pleading for the Half-Caste to come with her, using her eyes.
"Fine! Just don't expect any kind of favors or anything." Jade replied and Kirsten laughed.
"You always were the kind of person to act like nothing is wrong when there actually is." Kirsten said and Jade grunted.
"And just what is wrong?" Jade asked and she felt a sharp pain in her side.
Jade looked down to see Hermione standing beside her with thetip of her wand in Jade's side.
"That would be the problem." The girl said, matter-of-factly.
"Savez-le tout." (know it all) Jade said and Hermione snorted.
"I do know exactly what you just said." Hermione stated.
"Voyez, savez-le tout." (See, know it all) Jade replied, smirking and rolling her still cat-like eyes.