Chapter 10 - Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.
1058 Words
Here kitty, kitty, kitty.
Here kitty, kitty, kitty.
I've been wandering around the bush now for what seemed like an hour. I'm cold. I'm naked. I feel like an absolute i***t. Leaves and twigs scrape across my skin as I push my way further and deeper into the scrubland.
I was trying to get my cat on, but it was proving to be harder than I thought. I tried everything I could think of, from walking naked into the bushes, to staring up at the moon. I even got down on my hands and knees, willing myself to turn into a cat. Nothing was working. The only thing I had accomplished was how to look and feel like an i***t.
I give up.
There was no point going any further, so I stopped and looked around. I was trying to gauge which direction home was, when the sounds of nature caught my attention.
May as well enjoy nature in all my natural glory.
I could hear the leaves rustling, high up in the trees as a gentle breeze passed through. Insects were scurrying and owls were hooting, I could even hear the possoms scratching at the bark. The dark, night sky was filled with a blanket of stars. Each star trying to out-dazzle the other. There were giant gum trees with roots stretched over boulders, standing around me like sentinels keeping watch. Their bitter eucalyptus smell was so strong, I could feel my sinuses starting to clear.
How long have I been out here for?
I had no idea how far or how long I had been walking in my fruitless effort to change into a cat, but the ache in my knees was telling me I'd gone further than I thought. Actually, I was starting to feel all my joints starting to ache. You'd think my feet would be the first to complain, considering I was barefoot and wandering around thick bushlands.
My eyes fluttered open with an awareness of everything my body was feeling.. Somehow I was lying on the damp ground, in fetal position, with my eyes closed.
When did that happen? The aches I was feeling were more like a pressure around my bones, pulling away from each other. It was the same in my chest, my jaw and my eye sockets.
It's happening again, finally.
I was getting my cat on. Yay! As my nose and jaw stretched out to meet each other, I could see black fur sprouting out of my pores. The searing pain I experienced every other time wasn't happening. Don't get me wrong, the whole dislocation and relocation of every bone in my body isn't without any feeling at all, but I'd take discomfort over searing pain any day. I couldn't help but think that acceptance was the key, rather than panic and fright.
Standing on all fours, I stretched out the last of the kinks and unsheathed my claws. It felt good to dig them into the hard ground, repeatedly. Shaking off the dirt and leaves from my fur, I mentally prepared to push my limits.
Let's see what this cat can do.
Best to start off with baby steps when faced with something new. Well that's what Dr Whittaker told me in our first session. I'm not sure she had this in mind though.
Now what do I know about cats? They have great hearing. I pricked up my ears, moving them around like satellite dishes finding the searching for reception. Such a weird sensation, being able to move your ears independently of each other. The insects were still scurrying and the owls were still hooting, only now I could hear rats, rabbits and and wild boars. It was like my satellite ears were picking up the National Geographic channel. Further still, I could hear a car engine at peak revs giving it, its all to overtake the thrumming purr of a much younger car.
Darkness turned to daylight with my catlike eyesight and I looked around me. I knew cats were stealthy hunters and could carry heavier than normal weights, and it made me wonder what a six foot long, four foot high cat was capable of. There was a broken branch to my right so I decided to test the theory. Using my mouth, I sunk my teeth into the dry timber and lifted with my neck. Surprisingly, I was able to fling it a fair distance. The pads of my paws silently pressed down on the dry leaves as I made my way through the bushland, swatting logs and branches out of my way.
Hearing, check.
Eyesight, check.
Super stealthy, check.
Awesomely strong, check.
Now how fast can this baby go?
Quickening my pace, I galloped as fast as I could. Trees flashing past me in a blurr. The scent of fresh spring water caught my attention and I headed towards it. It was a good five minutes before the watering hole came into view. That's when I skidded to a stop, a new scent filling my nostrils.
Across the other side of the crystal clear water, about a hundred metres up the hillside, stood a large black cat. From the musky scent stinging my nostrils, I could tell it was a tomcat. He hadn't noticed me yet, so I must have been upwind. Crouching down as low as I could, I lay there just watching him. He was slowly making his way down to the water's edge, scanning his surroundings as he went.
I was in total shock and awe. My mind was spinning with a million different thoughts.
I'm not the only one.
How many more of us are there?
Are we related?
Will he hurt me?
Fear coursed through my body and I slowly crept backwards away from the perceived threat. As he reached the water's edge, he looked straight at me, his ears pricked up with interest.
Spinning around as fast as I possibly could, I ran and ran until my heart was threatening to break open my chest. I could hear him behind me, gaining ground. He was chasing me. I couldn't run fast enough.
Then I felt it. His larger paws swatting at my hind quarters. Knocking my back feet out from underneath me. My head hit the ground, leaves and dirt filling my mouth.
I was caught.
- Writer
