I know these chapters are not long, but I want to focus on some of the important points of the plotline a little at a time.
Chapter Two- Conflicting Views
Mozenrath awoke the next morning in his bed naked, but was unconcerned about his state of undress since there was no one around. Suddenly, he felt a cold empty feeling inside him as well as a sense of, for lack of a better word, despair. I cannot believe I cursed myself. There has to be a way to reverse it. Yes, I was strong and powerful, but I can't perform magic in that form and I feel vulnerable without magic. Also, I feel a need to find a companion which is no doubt a result of the curse. I must find a counter spell and I will start right now.
Mozenrath stood in his chambers hours later, fuming for he had scoured his books and scrolls and could not find a way to reverse the spell. He now turned to the spell he had cast the day before and read it over carefully. A lead weight fell in his stomach at what he read; the spell was irreversible once cast. He was stuck as a werecat for the rest of his life; he would continue to transform during each full moon.
I may not be able to reverse the spell, but maybe I can resist it. If I resist transforming tonight, perhaps the spell will break. I better prepare for tonight. I'll conjure some food and I'll remove my clothes and gauntlet before the moon rises. I want to break the spell, but I must prepare in the event that I fail. Should I fail tonight, I will simply try again tomorrow night. I must break it by tomorrow night because after that, the curse will have a month to permanently fuse with my human self and leave me as a leopard every full moon.
The sorcerer stood outside the Citadel's front doors without his clothes and with bowls of food and water nearby as the sky grew dark with the night. He stood calmly in place, his eyes closed and his mind concentrating firmly on his intentions. I am human, not a cat. I will not turn into a cat. I am in control of my body, not the full moon. He sensed the moon rising behind him, but kept his mental control going. It felt like it was working. He wasn't sure how long he had to keep in this state; he would stay like this all night if he had to for the end result would be-
Suddenly, pain went through his body like a bolt and he crumpled to the ground. He felt like his muscles were on fire and knew that they were slowly starting to enlarge. He fought against the change and felt the muscles starting to shrink back to normal before a wave of greater pain washed over him and his force of will completely dissolved and the change raced over him and he was a leopard again in almost no time. He snarled in frustration. He failed to hold off the transformation and would have to try again tomorrow or resign himself to being a leopard every full moon.
I will not fail tomorrow, he vowed as he walked over to the bowls of food and water to eat and drink. I will strengthen my mental defenses by meditating all day tomorrow and that should help me resist the change and break the spell.
He licked his muzzle clean before turning and heading out into the desert. He paid attention to his body as he walked. He noticed how elegantly his muscles rippled as he moved and how he could hear sounds that he wouldn't have heard in his human form. He marveled at how silently he moved, despite his ears hearing the crunch of sand beneath his paws. He extended his claws to knead the sand and the crunching sound diminished. He could now move in complete silence. His eyes allowed him to see with total clarity aided by the light of the moon overhead. He suspected that he would have been able to see just fine without the moonlight as well.
He lifted his head up and inhaled deeply. He could not believe how strong the smells were! It felt invigorating and his hunting instincts came to life for he smelled something that made him run his tongue across his mouth. He sniffed again and somehow he knew it as the scent of a hare. He followed the scent of the hare, keeping his body low to the ground as to avoid detection. He kept his claws exposed to prevent the sand from crunching and alerting his prey. His ears soon picked up the sound of the hare hopping just behind a dune in front of him. He stopped and crouched down, the muscles in his hindquarters bunching up, ready to pounce as soon as his prey was in sight.
The hare soon hopped into view, but it froze when it saw Mozenrath. Mozenrath growled at it, which caused it take off across the sand and damn, if it wasn't fast! He quickly took off after it and was amazed at how quickly he was moving. Clearly, his long limbs were adapted for speed and it was helping him catch up with the hare. He caught sight of his prey up ahead and leaped into the air to close the gap. He landed feet away from the hare before launching into a pounce that placed his forepaws squarely on the hare's back. He lunged forward and bit down hard on its neck, just as he had done with Xerxes. The furry body went limp and Mozenrath laid down to enjoy his catch.
Hmm, this tastes delicious, despite the fact that it's raw. My feline instincts don't mind at all and it makes sense. Cats can't exactly make a fire to cook their meat. I can adapt to eating like this; chances are by the time I get home with any kills I make, it'll be daylight and I'll end up using magic to make food. My catches will end up spoiling and that would be a waste of perfectly good meat. My feelings from last night were correct: It's actually fortunate that I cast the wrong spell. I like being a werecat, but I still feel that empty feeling that could only be filled with a mate. I will deal with that problem after tomorrow night. I need to spend the next night focusing more on how my body moves,
I want to note that I will be using the terms wereleopard, werecat, and leopard interchangeably throughout the story. This way, no one gets confused as the story progresses.