Immortal Undeath

Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Bast, Leon/Crisis, and Marie.

Chapter 16: Mantle

Tigra held Bast's amulet in her hands and watched the faint, eerie glow it gave. Despite getting such a wondrous artifact from the goddess of felines, Greer was not comfortable around it. Whatever it was, it was powerful, it seemed. The aura from the amulet was glowing again, this time seemingly brighter in a particular direction. Tigra shook her head, shrugging,

"Well, this is where I'm supposed to go."

With cat-like agility, the striped heroine moved from rooftop to rooftop. She was taking a break from other heroics to focus on this for the moment, as it seemed instinctual. Greer sniffed the city air, looking for the scent. The amulet glowed a little brighter at that moment, indicating that the person chosen to wear this was close by. Greer looked around and shook her head,

"Now, where is it? It's almost like it was right above me."

She looked up and, for a brief moment, saw something flicker in the dimly-lit city. Greer scaled the windows and got to a rooftop. There, she saw it.

A tall woman, wearing rags, was sitting on the rooftop, staring out at the city skyline. Her blonde hair was messy, but her blue eyes were crystal clear. The thing that Greer caught a glimpse of was a golden-furred cat with unkempt fur. It was obvious that it was an alley cat. The woman herself, though tall, was slightly overweight. Still, she picked up the cat and stroked it gently, seemingly oblivious to Tigra, until she turned around,

"Who's there?"

Tigra raised her hands,

"Easy, there. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm supposed to be looking for you."

The woman asked,
"Why?"
She studied the bikini-clad were-tigress and she noticed the amulet in the former Avenger's hand. She asked,

"What is that?"

Greer explained,
"My name is Tigra and I had to find you. This amulet was supposed to be brought to someone that was worthy of it or something."

She did not necessarily believe it herself, but, her instincts told her that it was the truth. Greer asked,

"What's your name?"
The woman answered,

"My name is Marie."

She shook her head,

"You mean, you're supposed to give me that? I mean, what sort of joke is this?"

Tigra shook her head,

"Not sure what it means, but, trust me, it's important. Otherwise, I wouldn't have tracked you down."

Marie had to admit; Tigra did have a point in all of that. Still, there was some reservation,

"Who sent you?"
Tigra shook her head,
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The amulet was glowing brighter now. The golden cat began sniffing in the air and then purred to Marie. Marie asked,

"Are you sure?"

The cat mewed a response, indicating that it was all right, or, at least, that was what Marie thought it was. Marie nodded,
"All right, let me see it."

Tigra handed the amulet to Marie and the homeless woman put it on. The glow then subsided and Marie asked,
"What's going on?"
Suddenly, the amulet glowed brightly, causing both women and the cat to shield their eyes. A change began to form and, as Greer's eyes adjusted to the light, she saw it. Marie's blue eyes were wide open; a sort of surprise and rush of power and energy coming from the amulet itself. Marie could feel the change, as the rags on her body began to shed. Fur sprouted all over her body, covering bare skin with the soft material. There was a howl and, as Marie's head was tilted back, fangs began to take shape in her mouth. Marie's nails extended like claws on her hands and feet, and a tail wisped out of her backside. The fur itself was a golden color with black spots.

Then, the transformation finished and Marie was visibly calmer. She looked around and saw her body was completely covered in fur. Her clothes were gone and she asked,

"I need a mirror. What happened to me?"

Tigra said,

"It's all right. I think this was normal."
The amulet itself had formed a collar on Marie's neck, which seemed to be the only thing keeping her from being fully nude. Marie looked around,
"What am I going to do for clothes?"

Greer shook her head, and then said,

"I have an idea. Come on."

Tigra brought the new cat-woman to her apartment and picked something out,
"You might want to try this on."

Marie was looking in the mirror while Greer was getting the clothes. Normally, she would have been used to her overweight self, but here, she was svelte; lithe and limber like a cheetah. She could feel her senses all heightened at once, smelling things and hearing sounds normally should not. Her eyes were now blue and cat-like too. She looked at Tigra,

"How…what happened?"

Tigra explained,
"That amulet was made my Bast. It contained some of her power and it was meant for someone else to give the power of the cat to the one that was worthy. I guess you were worthy."

Marie twirled around and grinned,

"Yeah, I like this."

She stood high, enjoying her new bust and every inch of her body. Marie turned around and asked,

"How can I repay you?"

Tigra stated,

"Well, for starters, you can put these on."

Marie held the clothes and slipped them on. In a moment, she was wearing a black tank top and bikini bottom. The new cat-woman smiled,
"Wow, it's amazing to have these types of clothes that make me look good. I never had anything like this when I was growing up."

Tigra asked,

"How did you get to be homeless by chance? It looks like you've lived that way for a while."

Marie shook her head,

"I'd rather not talk about it. It's personal."

Greer nodded,

"Ok."

She then said,

"I want to train you, to learn how to use your powers for good. What do you say, Marie?"
Marie silently stared at the mirror for a moment before she said,

"Not Marie anymore…"

She turned, her eyes glowing,

"Call me…Cheetah!"

Next Chapter:

Crucifer returns for round two of the fight. Stay tuned, fellow readers!