A Spell Gone Awry (Sakume)

The coronation was tomorrow.

Elyse the witch was growing desperate. Princess Gwendolyn of Augusta—better known as Gwendolyn the Terrible in magical circles, for her cruel and unusual policies against mages, already sufferers of great prejudice in the world of Medina—was to be crowned tomorrow, and she had precious little time to do anything to stop it. She’d planned and searched for months now, hiring people to play the roles of long lost male heirs, and others still to tarnish the woman’s good name in the eyes of the nobles, just to prevent this very event. But all her attempts had fallen short. And now, on the eve of the ceremony, she had just one final window of opportunity.

Today, on this day before the coronation, the princess was in the kingdom of Choras, just miles away from her in the royal city of Renamor, on a visit with high-ranking aristocrats and generals to negotiate a potential treaty between their nation and Augusta when she took the throne. She’d scried for her more exact location with the help of a lock of the princess’ straw-blonde hair she purchased off a wizard, and a spell she’d gotten from one of her many books, and pinpointed Gwendolyn to be where she was lodging at during her stay in Renamor, at the Chestnut Stallion Inn. All that was left now was to finish preparations for her spell.

She dropped an eye of newt and a raven’s claw into the bubbling cauldron, murmuring a few magic words and sprinkling a crushed, purplish powder over the mixture. Sweet-smelling woods burned underneath, filling the hut with a musky aroma that made the senses tingle. Elyse stirred the pot, letting it simmer, and dipped in a piece of parchment with an enchantment, and the princess’ location drawn on it, letting it get soaked to the point where it nearly crumbled to pieces before pulling it out and tossing it into the blue embers of the fireplace.

The flames roared to life, engulfing the paper, and turning it into blackest ash. Elyse gave a smile, watched as the ashes even disintegrated away into nothing but the most basic magical particles, and got swept away by the wind. The spell was complete.

Tomorrow, when Gwendolyn the Terrible woke up expecting that day to become queen, she would instead find she had become a beast, like Elyse and all the other mages of the land knew she truly was, in her heart of hearts. All that would have to happen was for the spell to go right...

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It had been Louis’ idea to bring Kate to see the world he was from, and Cadenza was still not sure. As they had ridden through on a carriage from where the Dome door had left them, Kate had gotten puzzled looks for all her modern clothing and talk, and Cadenza herself had gotten the glares she had come to expect in Choras, for quite visibly being a woman of magic, and a woman who spoke her mind. But the minstrel kept reassuring her, playing and joking with Kate the whole way so that she paid the stares no mind, and they had come now to the capital city of Renamor, where Louis had suggested they pause in their travels and get some rest.

“I know a fine inn,” he had told them, and that is what led them to the Chestnut Stallion Inn, swarming with noblemen and courtiers who were all dying to speak with the princess that was evidently in town.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Fritz,” Cadenza had said to him, as she plunked four gold pieces for a night’s stay on the counter.

Still though, not all was bad. The inn seemed clean, the owners hospitable, and the food hearty and filling. And to add to all of that, Kate was thrilled by the idea of dining and being around a real live princess--she wanted to invite her to tea parties later. All Louis did was chuckle at this, but Cadenza felt more and more as they heard Gwendolyn speak and saw how she treated the other guests that Kate was a far more ideal princess than the real one ever could be.

Nevertheless, after a dinner of stew and mutton (both Cadenza and Kate sticking exclusively to the stew, which had bits and chunks of meats and veggies they could easily recognize), it was time for bed, for all guests royal or not. Gwendolyn seemed upset about the idea of sleeping under a roof with commoners and oddities such as “the scruffy man in the oversized hat” and “the short, dark woman with the suspicious feathers”, but with no where else to go in town, and too much baggage to move before dark, she had to cope.

Cadenza was glad to leave the fussy woman’s company and retire to their rooms. She swept Kate up into her arms, the little girl yawning contentedly with her full belly of warm stew, and both said good night to Louis before climbing the stairs up to the women’s quarters. By the time they reached the door to their room, Kate was already drifting off into dreamland, snuggling her mommy and resting comfortably in her arms.

The gypsy smiled and gave her daughter a small kiss on the cheek, before gently lowering her down onto the small, cushy bed.

“Do you want a lullaby before bed, sweetie?” she whispered, pulling down the covers so she could tuck the child in snugly under them.

Kate nodded sleepy, a peaceful smile on her face as her eyelids drooped more and more heavily.

“Just one little song, I think, or those eyelids are gonna close right in the middle of it. Mommy’s got one in mind… here goes:

‘Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine
Little one when you play
Don't you mind what you say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine
If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for
The right to hold you
From your head to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Cute as can be, baby of mine…’ ”

Cadenza laughed softly when she'd finished, finding that she had overestimated—Kate’s eyes had closed, and she’d slipped softly away into slumber before even that small song had finished, the soothing melody lulling her to sleep even faster than the warmth of the covers alone could. She gave the little girl another little kiss on the forehead, and then took one of the blankets lying on the bureau, and wrapped herself up in it, plopping down onto the armchair by the small bed. Her eyelids, too, were starting to feel a bit heavy… she pulled her amulet off, over her head, and set it on the bedside table.

And that sealed the deal. Without the energy from it flowing through her, Cadenza dropped off right to sleep, weeks without rest all taking their toll now, plunging her into a deeper sleep than she had ever experienced. Curled up on the chair there, by her precious daughter, she was as content as a cat…

She woke up, sometime early in the morning. At least, she thought it was morning, since it seemed so bright out. The entire room had been bathed in white, blindingly bright white, filling her eyes when she blinked them open. It was so bright she couldn’t even see Kate or the bed—she tried reaching up to rub her eyes a little, and see if that would help, but… for whatever reason, her arms did not move.

Cadenza sat up, finding it a much more complicated maneuver than expected. Had the chair cramped her back? She wasn’t sure, but it felt slouched, and she seemed to have snagged her belt or something on the cloth, because her movements felt strange… come to think of it, now that she focused on them, her eyelashes seemed much longer than they even had been before, too. What was going on?

She tried again to stand, deciding that all these questions could wait until she’d woken Kate and fetched them some breakfast. But therein lied the problem. She still couldn’t see Kate. She tried again to move her hand to her eyes, but… nothing happened.

When she stretched and let out a yawn, Cadenza was faced with a startling surprise.

Her yawn had sounded like the mew of a cat.

What on earth… where did that noise come from? Is my throat really that scratchy?

She tried to sit up again, found that the whiteness just seemed to move with her when she did. When she stretched her neck a little more, out of curiosity, to try and touch it… she found that she could—it wasn’t the ceiling, or light from outside. It felt soft… like cotton almost.

And that’s when it dawned on her. She couldn’t see—because she was completely covered, face and all, by her blouse.

What is going on!? I can’t move my hands, my shirt’s suddenly five sizes too big, and…

Things began to click in her mind. The snagging, the change in size, the mew… somehow, Cadenza Madrigal had woken up as… a cat.

It sounded insane, she knew, but the theory was only confirmed when she managed to scramble out of the chair towards the mirror on the dresser, and found herself staring back at two, big blue eyes set in a small, black, furry feline face. She was a sleek, black adult cat, and not a word of human language was escaping her mouth.

A small noise came from the bed, and her hair stood on end at the sound. Kate was rustling around, moving under the blankets—and Cadenza already felt she could expect the worst. When another noise came, a small mewing yawn just like her own, but sounding far softer, she knew she was right—Kate, too, had been turned into a cat.

She crawled out from under the covers, pawing gently at her face; a small, blue-eyed, black kitten.

Cadenza didn’t know whether the child had realized or not what she had been turned into.

She slowly, smoothly made her way from the bureau over to her daughter, making sure to approach calmly and in a way so that Kate could watch her every step of the way. The little kitten didn’t seem alarmed—just sleepy still, and when Cadenza leapt up onto the bed, she nuzzled against her, mewing quietly.

“Mommy, I’m confused, is this a dream…?”

Somehow, even though she was sure it hadn’t come out in human words, Cadenza had understood her. She was relieved to know she still could, even as a cat. “No, sweetie, I don’t think it is… I don’t know what happened yet, but… we’ll see what happened to Daddy, and with his help, maybe we can find out and fix things…”

It was at that moment they heard a knock at the door, and Louis’ voice, “Ladies, good morning! Are you coming down for breakfast?”

Kate took a step forward towards his voice and quickly found her paws crossed, flopping down as if her limbs were comprised solely of jelly. She mewed helplessly as she spoke.

“Mommy, I can’t walk!” Of course she could have walked had she not been so stunned by the growth in size of everything around her and her change in body. The sheer weakness heard in her kitten mewling spurred Cadenza instantly to her daughter’s side. She pushed the girl gently with her head, putting her back on her feet.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just pretend you’re a cat. Remember how you would crawl on your hands and knees when you play pretend sometimes with Daddy? It’s just like that.” She rubbed her head against the kitten’s ear, sure to give any reassurance and calmness she could to her daughter.

The girl was a little scared at the change, but found her Mommy’s advice, as it tended to, worked very well. She discovered after a few moments she could teeter a little bit along the softness of the bed even if the spongy surface threw her balance off by a bit. She crawled to the edge of the sheets, the way down looking as if it was fifty feet high instead of its true three feet.

“How will I get down, Mommy?” Kate asked, seeing Cadenza’s ears flicker as they reacted to Louis’ voice, perhaps giving signs of her deep thinking process. Kate could barely walk coherently, so jumping and landing on her feet so soon was out of the question for the girl, even if she was a cat.

Cadenza drew near to Kate’s side and nuzzled her once more, but this time something was different. A deep rumbling came from her sleek throat, and the vibration against Kate felt just as soothing as the lullaby had the night before, having the same effect of almost putting her to sleep. Kate felt the same rumble come from her throat in response, though it sounded like a little hum of a sputtering tugboat instead of Cadenza’s vibrato thrum. “I’m going to… carry you, sweetie. Do you know how Mommy cats carry their babies?”

“I think so… it won’t hurt, will it?” she asked a bit nervously, still purring in her little throat.

“No, sweetheart. It won’t hurt,” Cadenza assured her little kitten, very carefully bending over to take the nape of Kate’s black, furry neck in her mouth.

She must have been nervous, but the gypsy woman never faltered. There was no pinching sensation, just a powerful, gentle grab on the back of the kitten’s neck. Kate felt her body lift off the ground easily and tucked her small black tail between her two hind paws, her small body securely in the care of her mother. Cadenza gracefully jumped down, careful to hold Kate high enough so she didn’t touch the floor and padding over to the door.

Kate peered upwards at the doorknob, which seemed to tower over her like a skyscraper. She reached up as high as she could trying to reach it, tiny paws kneading the door. “I can’t… reach it…” It began to open of its own accord, and Cadenza scooped Kate back with one paw, waiting for Louis to enter.

OoC: Happy Thanksgiving, daddaluff! I can't seem to help making giant posts for this. x3

IC:
Louis stepped in quietly, hoping he hadn't woken Kate with his knocks, and shut the door slowly behind him. There was a quiet little scrabbling noise on the wood floor that sounded so very near, but when he glanced around, he saw nothing but flat, empty blankets in a bed, and blankets in a chair, and he began to feel a little worried.

That was, until he felt the gentle tug on his pantleg.

A little black kitten was mewing for attention, rubbing and pawing at his leg. Two big blue eyes, shining hopefully, stared up at him from out of the cute little furry face. His heart instantly melted, and he reached down, scooping the little bundle of joy and fur into his big hands, stroking behind the kitten's ears with a strong but gentle thumb.

"Hello little one, how did you get in here?"

"Meooow," the kitten mewed, kneading at his chest softly with her little paws. She seemed to be trying to communicate something, but Louis couldn't guess for the life of him what it was.

Another purring noise, coming from something pawing at his boot, made him look down. There, he met another pair of large, lively blue eyes, like two round, glassy gems, gazing up at him--but this time from a much bigger black cat, possibly even the mother of the little one in his arms. This one had her sleek tail raised a little in interest, and she tugged at Louis' panteg persistently, as if trying to get him to follow her.

"What is it, kitty? Are you going to show me how you came in? Did maybe Kate let you both in through a window?"

The cat paced over to the armchair, paws padding along delicately and gracefully over the floor, and stood on her hind legs when she reached it, leaning against the cushions as she took the blanket into her little mouth, and pulled.

Louis watched with wide-eyes, still petting the kitten in his arms softly, a little absent-mindedly, as he saw the pile with Cadenza's empty clothing, its owner no where to be found.

"What does this mean, kitty-cat?" he asked, knowing it was silly to expect an answer from an animal, but... having no where else to turn.

The kitten in his arms mewed, pawing genty at the stubble on his face. Something small and wooden smacked lightly against him as she did, and his eyes trailed down to the source of the clinking little noises. Around the little animal's foreleg, he couldn't believe his eyes--it was Kate's bracelet, the one Cadenza had carved for her so many days ago. But what was it doing now, on this kitten...?

"Oh... no... you can't mean to tell me that..."

"Yes, Mr. Fritz," he suddenly heard Melody's voice, from wherever it came, ringing softly in his ears, "the cats are Lady Cadenza and Kate... a witch's spell went wrong and turned them into animals."

Louis' heart sank a little when he heard the girl... he still missed her, felt guilty for not having been able to find her yet. He was a little glad to know, though, that she was still watching over them... and that maybe, if he could hear her here, she had come home to Choras somehow. "Do you know the name of this witch, Miss Melody? Can give us some sort of lead, perhaps?"

"No... I'm sorry... I... I'm trying to look, I'll... I'll try to talk to you again if I can find her..."

"It's okay... thank you, my dear. Please... also tell us if you learn any more about your situation, will you?"

The gentle, fading melody of a flute was his answer, as he was left alone again with the cats, and little idea of what to do.

"So over the course of the night..." he held Kate up to look her over, still finding her almost painfully cute as a kitten, but now that feeling was tinged with a little sadness, that he hadn't been able to stop this from happening to his daughter, "...you two were turned into kitties by a witch, who made a mistake. And... we haven't the slightest idea who this witch is, yet. But... she must have had some reason for wanting to turn someone into an animal. And that is... what we must go on for now."

Kate meowed in her squeaky little voice as Louis cradled her closer, and bent down, taking Cadenza into his arms as well. He pulled the magic bracelet, which stretched easily, over Kate's head to make it a collar of sorts, earning a delighted mew from her. Both kitties rubbed their cheeks and heads on the scratchy stubble of his beard, its touch feeling like a light brush, as the minstrel turned for the door, and began to head downstairs.

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Downstairs, the real trouble would start.

The innkeeper gave a disgusted gasp at the sight of the cats as they rounded the corner from the stairwell, and swept towards Louis, prying Cadenza from his hands, and launching without transition into a very huffy lecture. The little kitten, however, slipped his notice and his grip, as the sparkle from a chain of a cloak that hung on the back of one of the dining chairs caught her eye, and she shimmied down Louis’ pantleg to investigate. When the minstrel tried to turn to follow after, the persistent owner took hold of his shoulder, still in mid-scolding. Cadenza struggled and wriggled agitatedly in the innkeeper’s chubby hands, mewing urgently, her tail whipping at his side in distress but to no avail.

“Sir, it is our policy that we do not allow animals into our inn. They cause far too much disturbance, and leave behind great messes in not only the bedrooms, but the dining area, tracking food and dirt all about, and scratching up all the furnishings they can. Had you checked in with us before so carelessly bringing them in, you would have known this.”

Louis just stared at the hand on his shoulder, and back at Kate, looking for something he could use to make a distraction and get away from this man. But the owner wasn’t finished yet, and he tugged Louis along with him to the counter, where he continued his lecture and planned to discuss some additions to their fee. He still hadn’t released his grip on Cadenza, who was trying to squirm her way out from the large fingers hooked under her forepaws, and the thumbs pressing not so gently on her back, meowing in frustration.

“Look at that kitten, Harris,” she could hear Gwendolyn saying to one of her attendants as they ate their breakfast, the words falling on her acute ears, but the meaning being lost on her. She could tell that they were speaking about her daughter even so, with the way they looked and gestured.

“Isn’t it precious? Black is such a majestic, powerful color, Harris, very befitting of royalty.” The mouse of a man nodded his submissive agreement with every word as the woman continued on, her hand cupped at the side of her mouth as if she were whispering secretively, but her voice still more than loud enough for all around her table to hear, “The larger cats are well-liked by many ladies, but I find them to be brutish—just look at how that one writhes and wriggles so in that innkeeper’s arms, mewing so incessantly—but the little ones… now they are just the ideal animal to have around the court, don’t you think?”

“Yes ma’am,” Harris agreed again, watching the kitten paw playfully at the gleaming charm of the clasp on the end of the cloak’s chain.

“Well then we are all agreed. Harris, fetch me that kitten—we will pay the inn any sum for it, and if they protest, make it clear that we simply must have it. We will not accept no as an answer.”

The tall, thin man rose from his chair, approaching Kate slowly, with his slender hands outstretched in the amateurish way of a person not accustomed to handling animals. The kitten shied away from him, fluffing up her fur, curling into a small ball, but he reached down nevertheless, grabbing her awkwardly with his long fingers, and holding her up to present her to the princess. “I’ve got her, Your Majesty!”

When Louis heard this, his eyes widened, his head turning to look at Harris and Kate. The owner was still discussing, if you could call such a one-sided conversation a “discussion”, his fee, but the minstrel ceased to listen, and cut in as soon as he could recover the calmness to speak, “If you have a policy against animals, good sir, then why, pray tell, is that kitten here? Shouldn’t you go fetch it and bring it here to take out with my cat?”

The owner glanced over at Kate, seeing her as she was passed into Gwendolyn’s arms, mewing dolefully and pawing at the woman’s hands to try and get out.

“Sir… I hate to make it so plain to you, but quite frankly, the matter of your cat, and the matter of the Princess of Augusta’s kitten are two entirely different cases. You… are just a mere bard, and not even a very rich one at that, and she… well, she is about to become a queen tomorrow, and sign a treaty with our country that will bring great peace, so… surely you must understand that if she desires to bring her kitten into this inn, I think it is more than obvious that we shall be courteous enough to overlook---yeoow!”

It was at that moment that Cadenza had sunk her claws into the man’s hands, biting down hard on the fingers locked under her arms with her sharp, pearly white fangs. He dropped her and she leapt onto the counter, pouncing to the floor and bounding as fast as she could towards Kate and Gwendolyn. But just when she was nearly within reach, one of the many courtiers vying to win the princess' favor scrambled forth and scooped her up with his leather gloves, grasping her tight before carrying her back over to the counter. “The princess wants nothing to do with grown-up felines like you, cat. Go back to your scruffy old minstrel, all right?”

Cadenza growled low in her throat, scratching desperately at the man’s hands and chest, but her claws just scrabbling uselessly against the hard leather. She let out a wail of a meow, stretching and struggling to try to get back to Kate.

My daughter, my daughter...!

“Harris, did you see that?” Gwendolyn cried, watching as the courtier carried Cadenza off, and hugging Kate smotheringly closer to her bosom. “That uncouth beast was trying to attack me, glaring at me with those wild, fierce eyes! I feared for my little kitten’s safety! Let us leave this shack, and return home, shall we?”

Harris nodded obediently, “I believe the carriage is already waiting outside, Your Highness. I shall tell the driver to ready the horses.”

"Do so, and quickly!" she said, huffing indignantly as she stood, snapping her fingers for all her attendants to go and collect her bags. Kate whined and cried in her arms, trying to squirm away, but the woman's overbearing embrace was simply much too strong for her little kitty muscles.

Cadenza meowed desperately, twisting and turning and clawing in the courtier's hands, trying to get away. Louis still couldn't free himself from the grip of the innkeeper, and now his wife, who had come to double-team him.

Gwendolyn and her many emerald-colored skirts and petticoats were getting away, trailing out the door.

The leather-clad courtier just laughed as the cat in his arms persisted to struggle and wail.

"You're not going anywhere, little kitty. The princess does not want a beast like you following her."

If the man thought he had seen a beast now, he was about to stand corrected. Suddenly, the feline in his hands began to grow--from the size where she once filled only his two hands, she grew to fill his two arms, and then to buckle his two knees, and she continued to grow until his back hit the floor, and a large, adult-sized black panther was sitting on his chest, her powerful tail smacking him in the face. If he had understood magic, he might have known that that--along with motherly instinct--was what allowed this beast now to change before him--but because he didn't, all he could do was shriek in terror before he passed out, the cat's swishing tail beating him into unconsciousness.

The panther let out a ferocious, wall-shaking roar, and pounced bodily from the courtier onto the counter. Her weight and speed alone knocked it down with a percussive thud before she leapt and bounded through the dining area, the guests running away with screams of terror and breathless fright.

All the while, Kate's helpless little mews, trailing away, only drove her on faster.

My daughter! They can't take away my little girl--bring me back my daughter!

The door wasn't even an obstacle to her. With rippling, lithe muscles, she tore through the wood, raining splinters everywhere, and leapt into the street, her blue eyes shining fiercely as she growled low in her throat.

Louis followed after as swiftly as he could, slapping the innkeeper on the back on his way out, and shutting the remains of the door forcefully enough to dislodge the last of the fine china plates hanging on the wall.

"I'm sorry, it looks like she didn’t like your policy towards animals very much!" he shouted back, laughing dryly until he ran out of breath, "But don’t worry, if you're upset about the damage, you can send the bill to Prince Merridale!"

Kate would remember for a very long time if an animal ever struggled in her hands, she would release it immediately, unlike how this princess forced the kitten against her bodice despite the baby’s constant agitation. The kitten squirmed and wriggled, heart pounding in her tiny kitty chest, until she was panting from exhaustion, but the regal woman would not give her an inch of freedom. "Mommy! Mommy, help! Don't let them take me! Daddy! Daddy! Help, please!" she wailed, pitiful squeals escaping her kitten mouth. If she were still human, tears would have been streaking her cheeks.

"Hush now, my kitten," Gwendolyn cooed, smiling with her triumph and satisfaction of getting what she liked whenever she pleased. Such an adorable animal would indeed make a good impression on visitors and would add to her already impressive menagerie of pets. "Harris, when we arrive home we simply must give her every plaything and possible luxury she can have. I refuse to own any animal mistaken for a-" she gave a scoff, “ normal beast, like that horrid adult cat we saw back in the inn. Am I clear?”

The man immediately nodded, taking note on a piece of parchment her every wish. "Yes, your majesty."

"Harris!" the princess gasped as if someone had told her she had just lost her entire fortune, an idea popping into her head. "You don't suppose this poor, sweet kitten previously knew that disgusting beast that tried to attack us, do you? What a horrible life for such an adorable animal! Well. We'll take care of all that and make sure my kitten never makes contact with anything like a commoner's wild animal again. I want guards for my lovely pet once we get home tomorrow, Harris!"

As they carried on and Gwendolyn continued to increase her demands, Kate felt the hands only slightly loosen. She managed to glance out the curtained window as the carriage reached the edge of town, the buildings fading from view. Unlike the ride into this town in Choras, when Kate had willingly enjoyed the bumps and giggled as the carriage made her shift unexpectedly, kitten Kate found the sudden outgoing turbulences rather uncomfortable and much more likely to hurl her kitten body at the slightest movement. Rather than bump into things and cause possible pain in her little kitty bones, she allowed, at least for now, for the princess to hold her, although it tended to be more smothering then secure in fashion.

She mewed disdainfully once more; too tired and out of breath to continue her wailing without end as she had when she was first taken. Daddy will come for me... Mommy won't leave, either. They'll come... won't they? I don’t want to be a kitten anymore… I want to go home… She assured herself it would happen as she felt the princess lower her beside her onto an extremely soft and almost water-like surface. It took Kate a moment and a stumble before she realized the surface was a small silken pillow, embroidered in a fancy golden-colored trim.

She fell as she attempted to stand. It was no use- her limbs just weren’t strong enough to stand in the moving carriage, much less jump out the window. She made a few mewling sounds of despair, curling into a tiny ball of black fur and watching the sky out the window grow brighter, orange replacing the blue colors. She almost began to cry out loud again, but a sound stopped her from doing so- a deep, rumbling noise. Kate flicked her ears and realized after a moment the sound was thunder. Further listening let her hear the princess discussing how she would not stand for anything of hers to be wet and the procedures to assure the opposite. Normally, the child would have been frightened of thunder, but because it was so soft and not close enough to sound intimidating, Kate closed her eyes, nuzzled closer into the ball of her own fur, and remembered her Momma’s purr.

It wasn’t long before Louis had to accept that he simply couldn’t keep up with Cadenza’s breakneck pace on foot. She was moving with all the speed and urgency of a distressed mother, who would never rest until she was reunited again with her child—and while he shared much of her feelings, he did not share her animal strength or stamina. His lungs were rasping for air even as he came to the end of the street, and he cursed his years of smoking pipes and cigars as he stopped to wheeze and fought for breath.

The panther just bounded on ahead, ignoring the rain that had started to fall no matter how much her new feline instincts made her want to shudder all over and look for shelter. Louis was about to wonder how she managed to follow Kate’s scent, even in this storm, when he remembered the bracelet, and the magic signal that it sent out to the gypsy. Even as a cat, she must have still sensed it—that provided him with a good bit of relief. If he couldn’t keep up… they still wouldn’t lose her trail. Cadenza probably wouldn’t need someone to ask people if they’d seen a carriage pass—she could track their daughter on her own.

Still, that didn’t mean he was about to give up the chase himself. He glanced around, still panting, looking for a solution…

A nobleman dismounting from his horse, passing the reins to a small peasant boy to hitch up for him as he went into a store to conduct some business caught his eye, and he smiled, having found just that opportunity he needed.

The minstrel strode across the cobblestone street to the young boy when the noble had gone inside, all big friendly smiles and jingling coin purses.

“Say, fine lad! May I have a word with you?” he called as he came nearer.

The boy looked up from the ropes in his frail little hands, giving Louis the gaunt-faced look of a child who’d not had enough to eat in quite some time. The minstrel felt the sight tug at his heartstrings… and his purse strings.

“My boy, what say you let me borrow this great steed, and I will pay you double whatever the nobleman might have given you, aye? I’ll even throw in the roll left over from breakfast I’ve still got here in my pocket, still as soft as it came out of the oven.”

When he pulled out that roll of bread, the boy’s eyes got as wide as saucers, and he couldn’t help the little bit of drool that snuck out from the corner of his mouth. His stomach outvoted any compunctions he might have had about giving over the horse. He handed Louis the reins.

Louis patted the boy gratefully on the shoulder, and handed him in return the roll of bread, a mostly-full waterskin, and the contents of his entire coin purse. The little lad wasn’t quite sure how to react—so he just smiled wide, and hurried inside out of the rain.

His heart warmed to see how so little could make someone so happy, Louis climbed up onto the horse’s broad back, and gave him a little pressure on his side to get them started, whipping up the reins.

A few streets ahead, closer to the city limits, Cadenza ran on, through the pouring rain. There were some geese up ahead, in the middle of her path, splashing happily in the puddles and opening their beaks to get a drink as they squawked. She let out a low, rumbling roar as warning before she cut through the flock, scrabbling to a brief stop and startling many a bird, sending some flapping away.

“Quick, if any of you can understand me, then quit splashing around and tell me if you’ve seen a carriage go by with a large blond woman and a mousy-looking man! The trail’s just… a little fuzzy right now, I can’t smell them in this rain and that was helping…”

Two of the biggest geese squawked, trying to appear unruffled, despite the ever-growing fear of this beast before them that made them twitch and flutter their wings a bit. “Waaaawk, the carriage went out onto the big road, that leads across the pastures and fields someplace.”

”Swaaak,” the other chimed in, ”I remember that place from when we came over here in the carriage with the chickens! It’s a bumpy old road that goes to some other big town far, far away from here.”

This wasn’t the best news. Cadenza was beginning to worry that they wouldn’t be able to catch up to Kate before this princess had her locked away in a castle somewhere, with who knows what sort of security to protect her. But she couldn’t give up. She would never leave or even sleep until they’d found Kate, and brought her back home.

She didn’t even have time to thank the geese. The moment she’d heard what she needed, she sprang back into motion, quickly reaching her top stride, and continued on through the streets, out of Renamor city.

Hold on, sweetie, Mommy’s coming… just hold on…

"Harris! Come here with that umbrella! I won't have my kitten wet! Make sure you hold it over the both of us now! And spread something over that mud! I've only just bought these shoes!" Kate felt her body shoved from her calm sleep on her soft pillow into the future queen's arms and mewed unhappily.

The bedraggled and soaked man spread the only thing he had to cover the mud, namely, his rich coat, sorrowfully watching it get trampled with the princess's gaudy high heels. He made sure to hold the decorative parasol over the princess, knowing if one spot of mud were found on any of her many skirts later, he would be to blame, or rather, his head, as soon as she was queen.

Kate squealed at the sight of the heavy rain, peering through the blackness of the stormy night, but unable to see anything besides the looming castle in front of her and the shimmering glow of the many lights swinging from the line of carriages carrying the princess's belongings. Mommy? Are you there? Daddy? her mews were lost among the chattering and thundering in the distance. She was quickly covered under a heavy fold of clothing; perhaps a blanket as Gwendolyn entered the castle.

If Kate had not been a kitten, she would have been short of breath. The sheer beauty of the interiors made her gaze in silence. "Harris, I'm going to go upstairs and check on all the preparations for tomorrow. Meanwhile, take my kitten and prepare a room especially for her in the menagerie hall. Make sure to post the guards, primp and please my kitten..." She brought Kate up with a sweeping motion to nuzzle the girl's nose, kissing her forehead as the kitten squirmed. "And give her a bath."

Somehow, the mention of that word struck fear into Kate's heart. Being carried by Gwendolyn was nowhere near as terrible as being carried by her main company. Harris held her by the scruff of her neck, extended at least over five feet above the floor. He had too much of her neck skin clutched tightly between his fingers, making it painful for her to be held. She mewed and twisted. As soon as Gwendolyn was out of hearing, he drew Kate close to his face, his eyes flashing.

"Now you listen here, you little beast..." he growled, dangling her dangerously."I want to have nothing to do with you, but the princess demands you as a pet, so I want no trouble from you or I'll feed you to Romeo and Juliet!"

Kate didn't know who or what Romeo and Juliet were, but she mewed in pain as he jerked her skin. She watched as they took a staircase, and entered one hall, then another staircase, and then another hall, decorative and with a few noises along the way. She watched the end door swing open and mewed in panic as Harris dropped her into a tub full of suds. Her fur sopped as she scrambled to get out, tiny claws scraping against the porcelain. "Let me out! Let me out! I can't swim! I can't-" she sputtered, swallowing water as she squealed wildly.

"Just look at the state of this water. Disgusting, all you beasts. I've no idea why the princess likes you at all. Ugh..." Kate was lifted from the water soaking and fluffed with a comfortable towel until she looked more like a persian cat than her sleek, tiny kitten self. Harris noticed the wooden collar over her and grimaced. “How ugly. That won’t do at all. Here, this diamond collar will look much better.”

The instant he touched the collar and tried to remove it, he shrieked, holding his hand. It was singed and smoking slightly. “You little demon! What sort of treachery is this? That innkeeper must be the cause, or perhaps that bard with the adult cat. He must have put a spell on it. Well, no matter. The princess has not lodged a complaint yet…” Grumbling, he snatched the kitten up and finished drying her fur. She was then placed down on the floor, shiny marble; clear enough for the girl to see her own reflection in it, which caused a startled mew. "The princess will be in to see you shortly. Do not get the marble dirty." The door opened and closed before the kitten could get her bearings.

She mewed and pawed at the door, stretching, but not reaching anywhere close enough to the doorknob. Then she decided it best she get to know her surroundings. The room was medium-sized, which made it huge for a tiny kitten. It was surrounded by an intricate trim of gold along the floors and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. Mountains of pillows lined one side of the room, between them a large miniature castle model, complete with scratching post material for the floors and several openings mimicking gateways and drawbridges for a cat to dangle and practice jumps from, hiding places also going far back into the playset. The birds lining the edges of the top floor doubled as squeaky toys.

On the opposite side of the room were shining golden food and water dishes, each containing something delectable. Kate approached them, sniffing the food delicately. Some kind of fish, her nose recognized it instantly! She didn't like seafood as a little girl very much, but as a kitten, she was starving and she dove in, getting her black chin a little dirty. She lapped up milk to wash it down with her little pink tongue. Boxes and boxes of toys also lined the floor on each side of the food and water, containing any plaything any feline could ever desire.

The kitten felt re-energized and she approached the door, watching it open as she heard someone near it. Harris entered and swiftly closed it, looking over Kate's still-limp and unhappy form. "Oh, this won't do, this won't do at all!" he fussed, eyes wide. "The princess wants you... you know, playing? Being... cute?" He nudged the kitten with his foot, making her mew, but did little otherwise. Knowing he would be in trouble if he didn't get Kate to be more energetic, he took a toy from within the box, fished out a small letter opener from his vest and cut a slit in it, letting the contents spill out into his palm.

He bent down and took Kate once more by the scruff of her neck, burying her nose in the contents, making her smell them. Kate felt something strange began to happen in her bones. She felt like she had eaten ice cream smothered in sprinkles and remembered the sugar rush, except this rush felt forced. "Mew!" she squealed, Harris placing her down and concealing the split catnip in his pocket. She didn’t want to be so hyper, but something was almost forcing her to jump about the room. She was still zipping around the room and playing with various toys when Gwendolyn entered, pleased, hands clasped together.

“Look how sweet she is, Harris! Look at the way she plays with her toys so excitedly!” As far as the princess was concerned, the kitten loved her new home. She decided to play with her pet tomorrow and left Kate alone to paw at the rainbows bouncing along the walls reflected from the prisms in the chandelier.

There was just a few hours left before the day.

Elyse hadn't heard the sort of rumors she was expecting about a disappearing princess, or about a "beast" that had come and maybe eaten the royal, or any of the other sort of exaggerated tales a story would be transformed into by word of mouth by now. But news traveled slow across countries. Perhaps Gwendolyn was already roaming the Choras streets as the lowly animal she was, deep down, and the Augustans just had not heard of it yet.

No need to worry, she assured herself. There was no way things could have gone wrong...

But if that were true, then why could she not stop twitching and sit still in her chair!? She was hopelessly restless, and every chime of a new hour would send a chill down her spine. Had the spell worked? Or was Gwen the Terrible still poised and prepared to take the throne tomorrow, as a human?

Elyse couldn't stand to just sit and wonder. Snatching up her fastest broom, and her best shawl, she hurried out into the night, determined to settle her nerves and the question lingering in her mind...

------------------------------------------------------

Day melted into night seamlessly in the gloom of the storm. The only sign that time had moved on was the hush that blanketed the villages she passed, the owls hooting as they awoke in the woods far off. She heard every little sound, every crackle of thunder and shutting of a door as people turned in for bed. The panther just continued on, breathing hard, running harder.

Some strange noises rose up as she passed a small farming village, sticking out against the background sounds like a colored streak across a black and white picture. There was the hiss and steam of flames fighting to stay alive in the rainshower, and angry shouts, and the click of crossbow bolts being slotted into place. Cadenza's fur stood on end, her powerful tail raising in alarm, a low growl stealing between snarled lips. Her claws drew out as her roar grew louder, and an arrow sailed through the air toward her.

...Attackers? Well, I can't let them stop me--Kate waiting on us!

The beast swatted arrows down, whipping at them with her black tail, arching her back in fury. Villagers with shields and torches and spears ran out, flanked by the archers--just farmers who'd picked up bows, and slung on armor, to protect their town. Cadenza didn't know it, but this village of Briarsburg had a scare recently, with a ferocious wolf-like beast that was rumored to come at night to slaughter livestock and devour children. After the fright of that beast, another large, wild animal was not welcome, to say the least.

There were too many arrows and spears being hurled now. Cadenza took cover behind a scraggly bush along the path, narrowly dodging a crossbow bolt that whizzed by her back legs. She growled in distress, before slowly, the growl faded into a soft, quiet, scared little mew.

When the villagers ran closer, weapons in hand, they were stunned to find a frightened little black cat, mewing helplessly, and pawing at her wet face as she stepped out from behind a shrub.

No one's going to shoot at a scared little kitty... I'll just have to wait here like this for Fritz so we can go on. I hate having to make Kate wait even more, but it's the best I can do without my human magic to fight all these guys off...

The farmers let their weapons and torches down, feeling utterly foolish and ashamed to have threatened such a precious little animal. When she meowed appealingly and strode up to one, nuzzling at his pantleg, they all exchanged bashful smiles before bending down to pat the sweet cat, and shelter her from the rain.

"There, there, little one... art thou lost? Where is thy owner?"

Some time later, that "owner" finally came, heralded by the sounds of hoofbeats. Louis and his horse galloped up, and the minstrel slid down, brushing water off his hat as the mare shook and whinnied. Cadenza began to squirm and complain when she saw him, eager to get back to her owner's care.

"I see you fellows have found my cat," Louis said with a polite smile, accepting the kitty from the arms of one of the farmers, "My deepest thanks for keeping watch over her until I came. I do not have the faintest idea how the ol' girl got out here so far from home. Cats are so very clever and tricky, are they not?"

The villagers just looked back a little dumbfounded, nodding, wondering who this man with all the slightly more modern speech really was. Before they blinked again, the minstrel had tipped his hat to them, and climbed back up on his horse, cat and all, to gallop away.

"Ran into a little trouble...?" he whispered to Cadenza as they rode on, scratching the kitty behind her ears soothingly.

She just mewed, pointing as best she could with her tail in the direction they should go.

"My poor friend... we'll find our daughter soon. Just keep up your spirits..."

Kate’s energy previously given to her by the small handful of catnip was all but depleted; leaving the kitten flopped listlessly on the carpet surface of the lowest platform in her castle play place. She panted a little, her pink tongue hanging out of her mouth. What was that stuff? Suddenly, before she could mull over it more, she heard a quiet noise from nearby she never heard before this point. Her ears flickered back and forth as she followed the noise, creeping out upon a ledge of the toy palace to spy on the source. It’s coming from a hole… Her eyes were fixed upon it for some reason.

The tittering and scrabbling came again and a small, gray form peeked out from the hole, a tiny mouse. It zig-zagged out and approached her dish, crawling inside to inspect some of the leftovers, nibbling at the scraps of tuna. “Mm… mm… very nice…” a high, squeaky voice muttered, tiny paws picking at the pieces left on the mouse’s whiskers. “High-quality tuna.”

Kate’s eyes widened as she crept up behind the small creature, her belly grazing the floor. She snuck until nearly on top of the tiny animal. “Hi!” He whirled around and unleashed a horrified squeak, zipping past her quickly and practically flying into his home. Immediately the kitten leaped after him, sadness evident in her blue eyes. “Wait! Please wait! I won’t hurt you! I won’t! Really!”

“Hard to believe, coming from a cat!” Responded the tiny voice in a series of squeaks.

Kate pawed at the small hole. “I promise! Really! I’m not even a cat! I’m a little girl! My name is Kate! I… I just want a friend… Momma lost me by accident when they brought me here! Can you please help me? I’m lonely all alone here in this big room!”

“Lonely? I can’t level with you there. I have sixty-eight brothers and sisters! A little girl, huh? Well…” Slowly, a fuzzy head popped out of the opening in the wall. “I guess if you haven’t gotten me yet, you’re not a cat, at least.”

“I told you!” She backed up a little to allow him more room, to which he gave a breezy, “Thank you.” “Can you help me?” she mewed, the only light in the room from the chandelier above, the night still dim outside the castle walls.

“Hm… I’m guessing the cat door is locked, isn’t it?” the mouse replied, a round ear flicking.

“Cat door?” Kate replied, unsure of what the mouse referred to with the word.

The mouse nodded. “You really aren’t a cat if you don’t know what one of those is. Here. I’ll help. Let me unlock it. The other doors are all unlocked, I think. See, this door isn’t for cats, but they use it. It’s for the guard dogs. They make rounds to all rooms.”

He skittered back into the hole, the noise shifting throughout the walls. Kate followed it, intrigued and wide-eyed. “How do you do that?”

“Oh, there’s lots of tunnels in this old castle. It’s easy for me to move around places. Why don’t you go and explore, too? Maybe some of the other animals can help you a little more than a little mouse like me can.” A squeak of a hook sliding upwards from outside the door sounded and Kate pressed her head against the tile, flipping outside the door in a tumble of fur. “I wish I could do more, but I’m just a mouse,” sighed the little gray creature watching Kate get back up on her feet.

The kitten wobbled over to the mouse and bent down, giving him a long kiss with her pink tongue. “You did lots! You let me out! Thank you so much! Do you think you can keep an eye out for my parents? Maybe even let them know I’m here? There’s my Daddy who is a human with a big hat and yellow hair and a tickly chin, and my Mommy, who is like me but a little bigger?” Kate asked, hopefully looking at the mouse.

He shivered and shook a little with surprise at her warm thanks, nodding. “That’s easy; There’s lots of holes leading outside, too! I’ll let you know!” He scurried away from her, leaving the kitten to gaze at the many doors in the menagerie hallway. Kate finally decided to start at the end and work her way to the other end. She went into the door across from hers and peered upwards at a long pole. On top of the pole was a brightly-colored bird, cocking his head at Kate.

“Hello!” she exclaimed in a mew.

“Hello!” replied the bird. Kate had never seen such a brightly colored bird before this point. At least he was friendly.

“Can you help me?” she asked, blinking innocently. Maybe one of these animals could also help the mouse look for her parents or help her escape. The more animals helping, the better the chance to assist Cadenza in finding her daughter.

“Can you help me?” the bird repeated, tilting his bright red head towards Kate.

“I asked you first!” Kate said, pouting as she looked at the strange bird.

“I asked you first, rawk!” the bird seemed to laugh at her.

“Hey! That’s not very nice!”

” Don’t waste your time, suga… a sweet, thrumming voice said from next door. “He’s only trained to respond with what you say…. Now come over here and let me get a better look at you.”

Kate crawled through the pet door and froze as she looked at a very large cat resting on a large plush couch. She was pretty, covered in spots of black and otherwise somewhat cream-gray in color. “Well, well, well, what a sweet little kitten. Are you the one everyone is clamorin’ about?”

Kate could only stare at the leopard. “You’re beautiful…” she marveled.

“Well thank you, sugar…” The big cat said, coming over to the kitten and using a paw to draw her near. “What a sweetie… why, you’re trembling. What’s wrong, baby?”

“I want my Mommy and Daddy…” Kate said softly.

“Well don’t you worry, sweetheart. We’ll get them back, no matter what anyone else says,” the leopard purred.

“Hee hee hee. Sure she will! No one escapes from Gwendolyn’s castle! Hah hah hah!” Raspy voices in chorus laughed at Kate and the leopard from next door.

“Pay no attention to those silly hyenas. They laugh at everyone’ s misfortunes,” the leopard said, keeping Kate close. “Now, are your parents coming here for you?”

Kate nodded after a minute. “I… I think so.”

“Then don’t you worry, sweetie… they’ll come. I’ll keep an eye out and see if I can’t tell them where you are,” she said with a smile, leaping towards the huge window. “Meanwhile, you continue to explore yourself around, get more of the animals to help! But don’t pay attention to the rabbits or hamsters. Silly little things!”

“Okay!” Filled with new confidence, Kate exited the room and tottered to the last room on that side of the hall. Her eyes widened when she saw what it contained. A clear pond filled with huge Koi and other exotic species of fish sparkled. She neared the edge, sniffing delicately at the water and touching it with a paw. She couldn’t help it… it looked so tempting…

“And just vhat do you tink you are doink?” a thick Transylvanian accent asked.

Kate whirled around to stare into the sharp eyes of a black Doberman. She squealed in pure fear and fell into the pond, struggling to stay above the water.

“Oh! Come here you poor baby!” Kate, limp and soaking, was lifted from the pond and set beside it, the Doberman licking her. “Poor little think…” Immediately, Juliet felt her heart melt towards the little kitten as she was reminded of her long-ago litter of puppies. She forgave the kitten for sniffing at the fish the Dobermans guarded.

“You… you don’t want to hurt me?” she whispered in awe, still afraid.

“Of course not… vhat are you doink in here?” the female asked, soon accompanied by another Doberman.

“This must be the new addition,” said the male, nodding to the female.

“Oh, Romeo, dahlink, you don’t tink she’ll be stuck here without her parents, do you?” The two guard dogs had heard from all the gossip and knew Kate’s situation well by this point.

“No, that’s not fair… we must keep a look out. I’ll go outside, you stay here with her.”

“Alright…”

Kate just shivered, soaking and miserable, lonely and frightened. “I want my Mommy and Daddy…”

“What are their names?”

Kate shuddered, mewling while trying to clean her fur. “Cadenza and Louis…”

“We’ll get them somehow,” Romeo commented, pushing his way out the doggie door.

Juliet briefly nudged her head out the door. “Dear… be cahful…”

“Keep her safe and comfortable. I’ll do the best I can to find her parents,” Romeo said, leaping down the flights of stairs and outside the castle walls, into the dead of the night.

Thunder roared as they passed into Augusta, spooking their tired horse. A lightning bolt came down as close as the bush on the side of the road, making it erupt into bluish flames that were quickly doused by the pouring rain. Their mare reared back so abruptly at this, though, that she nearly threw the minstrel and cat from her back.

"Eeeee, we're cursed, cursed I tell you! Someone doesn't want us here!" came the high-pitched whinny into Cadenza's ears, before vertical and horizontal were suddenly flipped again as the mare reared back on her hind legs, away from the charred bush.

"Don't be ridiculous," she growled, clinging to the horse's mane as tightly as she could with her little claws, one of Louis' hands helping her stay up. "That was just... weather! Don't let that stop you!"

The mare grunted, seemed unconvinced, but with enough coaxing from Louis, and a few sugarcubes he had saved from his evening tea at the inn the night before, they were back on their way at a slow, cautious trot. "There, there, ol' girl," he cooed, feeding her another and letting her lick the sugar from his palm.

Cadenza arched her back unhappily and started to paw at the horse's back with her claws as irritatingly as she could to reflect this, whipping her tail urgently back and forth. She mewed when it went ignored and continued to prick her way up onto the mare's head, where she clung to her mane and watched where they were going.

"Faaaster," she whined, her little mouth opening to show sharp little fangs. This was one of the times where she missed being human most, she thought--she could've easily outran this horse, or even herself as panther, if she just had back her human body and her magic. The kitty whined loudly again when she realized she couldn't even remember what it was like to walk on two legs quite the same anymore...

The nervous horse was getting a little agitated by all this complaining and scratching. But she didn't dare throw the cat off her back--no, she was too afraid of the little beast to do that. "Y-you're a witch's cat, aren't you?" her deep voice quavered, "t-that's why you're such an unpleasant animal--and why the lightning came for us! You're a curse that's been placed on me or this man with the hat!"

She got back no reply for the time it took for a few more anxious trots. She hadn't noticed it, but her speed had picked up with her fear, even though she had been tired before.

But as she took the next small hill, and began to see a city far off through the fog, she felt a small, warm, furry presence by her ear, with fangs that gleamed in her big round eyes, and then a feline whisper, like a hiss, as sly, mysterious blue eyes shone, "Yesss, I am. And if you don't want to see what I'm capable of, you'd better run even faster and get us to that city in the next hour," and just to seal the threat, and the horse's fear, she let loose a rumbling panther roar from deep in her body, that rose up to join the crackling thunder in the night air.

The effect was only enhanced by the lightning bolt that shot down not too far off from them, making the mare whinny and tremble and break out into a terrified gallop as the city of Lindstbury came a little more into view.

"No word at all from any of you?" barked the doberman, sharp eyes narrowed at the group of pigeons cloistering about the rooftop of a nearby building. "I'm here on royal business! A little girl needs our help!"

"Eh, go try some other place, mac, 'cause we ain't seen no kinda doll like that around these parts," remarked a pigeon while squatting down to avoid the light patter of rain.

Another failure. He had to keep trying. "You inform me if you see a man or a cat like I told you!" Romeo continued to spread the word, urgently moving from one alley to the other and telling every animal in sight of the girl's urgent plea for help. He knew he was risking more than just a bath with this effort; the search demanded possibly his own life. It was a small chance it would come to that, but still, something worth considering for most dogs.

To say that all dogs are loyal, fearless and kind would be untrue. Romeo was indeed loyal, but he had known many dogs before to be the opposite. When it came to being fearless, Romeo feared much. Simply being out and among the people, many of whom were only in town to scorn Gwendolyn, was a dangerous act. A single arrow or chop and he could be killed, recognized to be royalty by the glistening collar about his neck. The last piece, that of kindness, or gentleness, was the best description for the previous father. Perhaps it was that reason he wanted so much to risk it all for the sake of a lost child.

Romeo knew the loss of a child; he understood well the agony of never knowing about a son or daughter's location. His loved wife, Juliet, had been blessed with puppies one time, just after they had been appointed guard dogs. Not long after, their puppies were taken by the castle staff, and neither Romeo nor Juliet ever saw them again.

Dawn drew nearer now. He was running short of time. If he did not find these parents and get the girl back to them before the coronation and her presentation to the courts, it would not be likely she could escape. Now was the time for any action, due to guards being less likely to be sprite and no royalty in favor of Gwendolyn awake. Tomorrow the castle would be swarming with people. It would be impossible to get the kitten outside without harm. The more he thought on the matter as he loped along the alleys, the more he decided upon one thing. He would not let the same pain be held by another father, even if that father was not the same species. The hurt shared among them must be the same... it had to be.

There was an almost palpable excitement in the air in Lindstbury, even as the quiet of sleep blanketed the royal city. It was the excitement of change, of a new monarch being crowned, of "Royal Sales" going on in every clever merchant's shop, of banners and streamers and decorations abound hanging from every tower and steeple and rooftop all in celebration for the event to come. Louis and Cadenza, and maybe even their horse, could feel the change in the air when they trotted in onto the gray cobblestone streets, passing vendors of late-night eateries that catered to those few that could not even manage to sleep on this eve of the coronation. A man that looked suspiciously like one of the event coordinators from Gwendolyn's court was even bent over one of the food carts, frantically eating a leg of turkey and just shaking with panic and worry for all things to go as planned on the big day tomorrow.

The entrepreneurial spirit was not lost on the city's animals, either. Cadenza hissed as Louis and her rode by an alley, and the squawk of a crow cut through the night air.

"Hey dere, cawwww, do ye want some information?" he screeched, his beady little eyes gleaming as he leaned down from his perch on a thatched roof.

Before Cadenza could even open her mouth again to answer, he added in his shrill voice, "It'll cost ye!"

At that point, she began to wonder if the bird was greedy or just stupid. He was trying to bargain with a cat and a much bigger human? The cat whipped her tail around menacingly, glaring up at the crow with dark blue eyes.

"Payment? You should consider me not pouncing up there right now and gobbling you up payment," she emphasized this with a low, vibrating growl that made the bird ruffle and puff up his feathers, trying to seem big and unafraid.

Louis watched with surprise as she jumped up onto a cart by the house, still growling, her claws out. The crow gave a panicked squawk for help, but either he wasn't heard, or there simply were none of his flock in the area, because it went unanswered. Cadenza crept even closer, scrabbling up the wooden siding of the house, digging her claws in. The roar of a beast echoed through the alley, shaking the buildings a little.

When the crow looked down, two much fiercer, bigger eyes were looking at him. The rest was too black and covered in darkness--but he had a feeling the last thing he wanted to do was see what was there. He'd have nightmares for years.

"Caaaaww... all right, all right, I shall be cutting ye a deal--tonight, free information for all ferocious felines, yes! Consider thyself lucky, caaaw. I've heard talk of a kitten in the royal castle--in the menagerie, with all de other animals. Tomorrow, the princess will order more guards for her pets once she has the power to as queen, caaaw."

"...How far are we now from the castle?" The bracelet's pulse still throbbed in her senses, but a little extra direction didn't hurt. That magic didn't say left or right, north or south... it was just a feeling that you followed. Desperation could be clouding that feeling a bit.

"Not too far, cawww, just keep heading down this street 'til ye see the guards!" the crow erupted into a sharp cackle at this, before fluttering off at the annoyed growl of the panther.

Cadenza and Louis were left to their own again, with only a few hours to spare before dawn.

He skidded to a stop and nearly slid past the alley, taking long strides and bursting with speed only seen in his greyhound faint cousins. He heard something in the distance, an accent he recognized.

"I shall be cutting ye a deal..."

Joe! If anyone knew where to find someone in the city, Joe the crow would. He had information none other would. He turned towards the faint voice, sensitive hearing following the raspy voice. "Joe! Joe!" he barked, following a cackling as it began to fade. "Joe, wait!"

"Eeeek!" The mare with Louis on board reared back, shrieking in fear.

Romeo leaped back out of the way with a startled whine of shock just as loud as the whinny. He jumped to the side and took a quick look at the man on board the horse. Large hat... he could't tell the color of hair, but he did have stubble, like the girl described. He couldn't see a cat, but perhaps if he spoke to the horse...

"Hey, you!" he barked, fur standing on edge, but matted because of his tiredness, "What is the name of your rider? Louis?"

The mare did not answer, too spooked and flustered to focus on a dog.

"I said, what is the name of your rider?" he barked again, angrier. He had to find this girl's parents, or she would never get back. "I have a little girl who needs her parents, so answer me before I bite you and force it out of you!"

"I have a little girl who needs her parents, so answer me before I bite you and force it out of you!"

At the mention of a little girl, Cadenza's ears perked up, and her tail swished around. The mare just continued to whiny and fidget, wrinkling up her nose, trying to get Louis to let her gallop away--Romeo was snarling, just about to bite, when a feline voice came from the alley nearby, and a large, black panther strode out along with it, still unsure of whether this dog was to be trusted or not.

"His name is Louis," she answered, looking evenly into his eyes as she walked out into his sights. She had an air about her that said her claws weren't out right now, but they could be in an instant, and cat or not, she was still big enough to be a match for any dog.

Her back curved into a little urgent arch as she thought back over the dog's words, the mention of the "parents"--he knew who Kate's parents were..? This all, of course, was assuming that Kate was the girl... she was a kitten right now, maybe this was someone else. But it sounded so much like their situation... Oh please, let it be Kate that he knows of...

"Who is this little girl? Please, tell me--we've lost our daughter, it might be her!"

Romeo blinked once, reviewing the facts in his head. He got as far as the father's name being Louis and his tail began to rapidly sway back and forth. "It's you! It's you, oh thank heaven it's you! Yes, the little girl described you to a tee! You are her parents! Louis and Cadenza!"

The panther's ears pricked upwards and Romeo was nearly toppled by her intimidating size as she lept forward, though not on him. "Where? Show us!"

Romeo scrambled to his feet, far ahead of her wishes. "Come on, I'll show you!" he barked towards Louis in an alerted tone, loping off towards the castle. In the meanwhile, he saw the castle in the distance of the brightening dawn and he barked loudly into the distance. "Found her parents! We found her parents! Tell the girl! We're coming!"

The leopard's ears flicked when she heard the barking and she listened carefully. "Did you hear that?" she shouted, bounding down from her perch. "Juliet! Everyone! Wake up! Romeo found her parents!"

"Vhat? Her parents?" Juliet gave Kate a big lick. "Did you hear dat my little one? Your Momma and Papa are comink to get you!"

Kate squealed in joy, making her way to the window with the other animals and gazing out into the light. "Mommy! Daddy!"

OoC: What a terrible blarg nothing post.

Cadenza had seldom felt so relieved, and she could tell Louis, from whatever he could glean from the dog's excited barks and her joyful, dancing tail and mews felt about the same. With all the speed she had left, and every ounce of energy the minstrel could stir up from the confused mare, they darted down the streets behind the Doberman, their spirits soaring and the exhaustion of the night's trek the furthest thing from their minds. It was as if they had been given a second wind.

Dawn was cresting the tall stone towers and spires of Lindstbury Castle, bathing them in soft pinks and oranges as the cool sky melted into the warm colors of the morning. Cadenza felt the dull burn of a good, hearty run in her feline muscles, and breathed in the crisp early-morning air as if for the first time, even though at the back of her mind there was still concern and a little panic about reaching their daughter before security was heightened and it became nearly impossible. Even further back than that were the questions that were lingering about their transformation--who had turned them into cats, and why? She thought if she ever found the person responsible, she might be likely to throttle them senseless before she ever got the answers.

The castle was coming more and more into view in the gentle light, and the large stone and metal gates looked big and underguarded. The men that were there were sleepy and looked lazy, and were easily shaken when the dog approached--and even more so when they saw the panther and the grim-looking man on horseback that followed.

"Let us through, we have business in the castle!" Louis shouted as they barreled through the first set of frightened guards, over the sturdy drawbridge.

"We cannot allow anyone without an invitation on this, the morrow of the coronation!" a brave, if not stupid guard called from the large locked entrance ahead.

This was answered by a growl from the Doberman and a roar from the fierce panther as they hurtled towards the offending guard, teeth bared. They hadn't understood what he said, but they could see he intended to be an obstacle when he drew his spear. Cadenza made quick work of him by biting the wooden shaft of the weapon in half, and tossing it like a harmless twig into the murky moat off the side of the bridge. Without his spear, the man squealed like a cornered pig and surrendered, lowering the large castle door.

Louis just glared at him as he rode past, following the animals.

"Show us to where Kate is!" Cadenza called to Romeo when they first stepped into the grand hall.

Again, the doberman was far ahead of Cadenza, glancing one way, then another, and leaping towards the closest staircase to head for the second floor and the menagerie. "This way!" His sensitive hearing caught a few shouts of alarm below and suits of armor clanking as men prepared themselves to battle the panther who had interrupted the safety of their castle.

"Protect the princess! Gwendolyn is still inside the castle!"

No doubt someone was already on his or her way to awaken the soon-to-be ruler of the country and not long after that, assuming she hadn't lost interest, the princess would worry not for her people or guards, but for her little black kitten.

"Get help! Rally the soldiers!" shouted the men nearby the moat, particularly the one who had been badly scared before this point.

"Hurry!" Romeo picked up the pace, great leaps bringing him closer and closer to the door. He squeezed through his doggy door, and following a crash, the door broken down behind him due to the panther.

"Mommy!" Kate called from beyond a nearby door, nudging against the little door with all her might. She wasn't quite sure how it happened, but with the tiny amount of her weight she pushed with, she tumbled through the doggy door she had never been able to open before this point and rolled right into a paw the size of her body. The tugboat thrum began instinctively and she mewled great, happy sounds mixed with a purr that gurgled as they escaped her throat. "Mommy! Mommy, you came! You came! You and Daddy, I knew you would, I told them you would! I knew you wouldn't leave!" She curled as close as possible on top of the panther's massive paw.

It was at this moment both sides of the hall both behind and in front of the group filled with soldiers.

"My kitten!" screeched a very upset royal, Gwendolyn's eyes sparking fire towards the man and panther, their defiance clear. "I will not stand for this clear anarchy against the my throne! Arrest that man, and cage up his panther!"

They couldn't! Not when they had come this far... they couldn't! She wouldn't let them! Let the hall fill with soldiers, let that princess yell words all she liked, they would not separate her from her child again!

Like a beast, action preceded thought. She was already in motion when these feelings flashed through her, passing Kate on up to Louis, pouncing on guards and wrenching their spears from their terrified grasps. But it wasn't enough. Even with Louis' help, as he drew his short sword to fend off the soldiers as he protected their kitten with his other arm, there were simply too many of them. Cadenza could not fight off these men, not without her human form's powers... oh, how she missed walking on two legs... missed the feeling of magic, the feeling of being herself again! Blades tore at her fur, digging at her sides as Gwendolyn shrieked at the panther's every move, every attack, and every growl. Blood made the soldier's weapons gleam... they began to move in, ready to restrain the beast and her owner.

But every time their hands reached, her teeth gnashed, her tail whipped, her claws sought for their hands and faces. She was starting to head towards something, or someone--not the princess, much to their relief, but... something in the corner. She barreled through them, making armor clang against armor, pushing animal muscle as far as it would go to move between them.

There was a soldier in the corner who started to shrink back, and gave an almost girlish squeal of fear...

"You...!" the panther's voice roared, and suddenly, all those pounds of fierce, black, beastly fury dove onto that single timid guard, as the others watched on, frozen with momentary shock.

"Magic... there's magic on you, the same magic that I felt on me after I turned into this thing! Why!? Tell me why!"

Cadenza felt like she was just venting at his point, roaring and letting out her frustrations on this--now that she could see through the visor of the helmet--young woman with reddish hair.

But a mousy, horrified voice answered back, answered directly to her words as if she understood: "I-I... the only spell I cast, i-it was meant for..."

There was a moment where the panther let up a little, maybe in surprise that this woman understood her growls, but just as quickly as she had, the claws were back, one poised threateningly over the woman's thin neck. The hall was filled with silence, except for that low growl.

"I don't care who it was meant for! You changed my daughter and me into cats, and if you don't change us back, we'll be locked away as this woman's prisoners and pet!"

"I-I-I..."

"Change us back!" the concussive roar sounded like thunder had struck the castle, making the walls reverberate, and every human in the hall shiver and shift uneasily. "Change us back now or I'll tear out your throat!"

Beastly rage coursed through the panther's body... Cadenza could feel it, overwhelming the humanity in her, urging her to want to make her threats a reality. She had always been likened to a panther before... but... never had she felt quite this close to the edge... to this kind of pure, animal ferocity, without compassion...

...in the privacy of her heart, she wanted desperately for it to end.

"I'll... I'll change you back!" the woman cried, "Just please don't kill me, please!"

The great paws lightened up on her throat, eased away completely, letting her stand... the guards took back up their spears, and Gwen went back to shouting her commands, unsure of what just happened.

But before any of the soldiers could make a motion, Elyse the witch dropped her helmet, and filled the room with a thick, almost blinding pinkish powder. The sounds of a chant filled Cadenza's feline ears: "Reverse thy workings, and by your power, let my intentions become true! The princess, she is the one who has ugliness inside--let her real beauty show, the hideousness of her deeds!"

Another blast of powder, green and sparkling hit the floor, filling the room, mixing with the pink. There was the choking smell of incense, and more murmurs...

Louis felt the little furry kitten in his hands begin to change, and hurriedly reached for the two cloaks he had brought, covering the girl, and tossing one towards the growls of a panther. A cat's teeth caught the cloth as those growls changed to feline mews, and then, a woman's groans...

From where Gwendolyn stood, there were horrified cries as the dust and powder began to clear, and the princess touched her face. When the eyes of the group began to search the hall for a sign of Elyse the witch, she was gone.

Kate felt her body shift, her paws form hands, growing bigger. She mewed in slight pain and it came out as a small squeal. She was immediately wrapped into a bundle so that everything but her arms, face, and ankles was covered by the blanket, her body held tightly against her father.

"Daddy..." she whispered, burying her head against him, wiping away her tears on his clothing. "Daddy..."

The instant Gwendolyn touched her face, she shrieked so loudly the glass of the castle windows trembled. She had always been blessed with flawless complexion, her looks had never before been discussed in a negative fashion, from country to country. Now, the soldiers surrounding her could only gape and try to convince themselves it was their same fair princess in front of them.

"Wh-what has she done to me?" The princess demanded, horror making her hands tremble as she scoured the texture of her face once renound for its beauty and soon for its ugliness. "Tell me now!" One soldier attempted to speak, but merely babbled, staring at her. She managed to look at the chestplate of the same soldier, this time breaking the windows with her scream. "That witch! Catch her! Someone! All of you! Where has she gone?! I demand we find her and bring her back to reverse this!"

"She can't."

Everyone turned towards the small, hesitant voice, barely loud enough to be heard over the whispers of the soldiers. Louis looked down at the bundle in his arms. Kate had to admit, Gwendolyn was uglier than she had been, by far. Louis pulled slightly back when Gwendolyn took a few steps towards the girl. "What do you mean, she can't?"

"She can't... cause... she isn't pretty inside. If you're pretty inside, you'll be pretty outside," she said, scrunching her forehead to make sure it made sense as she explained it. "It's like... a fairy tale I heard once. Because... if you only have the bad stuff in your heart like... mean and angry, then the happy and pretty can't get in, and if they can't get in, no one can see them."

"My daughter is right," Cadenza spoke up, and Gwendolyn's eyes shot from Kate to her in a look of almost envy. Here was this woman who had been a cat just a moment before, and now she... now she was beautiful and exotic, and had flawless skin as she had once had before, and instead of that black fur with a glistening sheen, she had lovely, flowing ebony curls. It wasn't fair! Had she stolen her beauty? Even the girl who had been a kitten before was still remarkably cute...

The gypsy stood confidently with only her cloak to keep her warm in the breeze, meeting Gwen's gaze evenly even as soldiers gawked at her from head to toe. Damn, she thought, it feels good to be human!

"From now on," she went on, stepping slowly back towards the window, "your people will see you for the monster you are. I heard you talking before at the inn... you'll do whatever you can to get what you want, even if it means using a whole group of people as a scapegoat. It seems about time that your real face was shown."

"M-me...?" the princess cried, looking as if she had just been struck in the face. Oh goodness, don't even mention her face! she thought. "You... you were the beast!"

"Beast, concerned mother..." Cadenza shrugged, "two sides to the same coin. I wonder... if you have two sides. If I were you, I'd discover that kinder side pretty darn quick and make peace with that witch... making Augusta a refuge for mages wouldn't be a bad idea. There might be more of those people around than you think..."

With those words, she swept Kate up into her arms, and pulled Louis by his sleeve up into the wide, stone windowsill. The guards were too mesmerized to even make a move. Gwen was speechless. The gypsy gently placed a hand over Kate's eyes, whispering to the girl, "Keep your eyes closed for this next part, sweetie... and don't try what Mommy's about to do, please."

And then she let all three of them fall backwards together into the cool embrace of the winds coming off the moat far below.

After what felt like many minutes later, one of the guards finally roused himself enough from his awe and... other distracting feelings to run over to the window and peer out for the bodies. There wasn't a trace to be found. Gwen was outraged.

"They were our last possible link to finding that witch!"

Back in Choras, Cadenza, Kate, and Louis emerged from the shadows, and Kate finally opened her eyes.

"Here already?" she gasped.

Cadenza just gave her a smile and nodded before Louis pulled her aside a little.

"I've rarely heard you speak like that, my friend..." he told her, referring back to the incident at the castle, "the gypsies... they were exiled from their homes in Airopa, weren't they...? That's why they settled down in Rubato... you sympathize with the mages here, don't you...?"

"...Maybe I do," she answered back, with one of her smirks that could be read any way you wanted. Louis took the hint that this was a topic they could discuss later, and let it go.

Right now, they both just wanted to get Kate back her clothes, and take her home. When they got back to the Chestnut Stallion Inn, Hunter Merridale was awaiting them with a bagful of clothes and things and a puzzled expression on his face.

"They... sent a message to me that I was to pay the tab for Sir Fritz and Lady Madrigal, and their daughter Kate? And... that this tab included a door, some fine china dishes, and... aromatherapy bills for their owner, for the emotional distress caused?"

When he glanced up at the minstrel and the gypsy, however, that puzzled expression faded, and his widened eyes locked on the woman's figure under that cloak even despite all his morals and his conscience arguing against it. His cheeks started to turn a flustered red, and Louis swore he saw a bead of cool sweat run down his neck as the young man's hands began to shake a little.

Cadenza rolled her eyes, and Louis had to hold back a laugh. "Ah... yeah," the woman explained, shielding herself with her arms folded across her chest. Suddenly the cloak didn't feel like enough. "We... were in a tough situation. Thanks for... handling that." She hurriedly took back the bag of clothing and possessions from the prince, and led Kate over to the inn to quickly use the restroom to dress, while Louis tried further to explain the bill.

This, they all felt certain, had been a trip they would not soon forget.

OoC: Fin~ this was fun! : D