Cursed Souls

Crystle focused on her birthmark, feeling like there was a burning sensation coming from it. It didn’t hurt, but was odd. The burning fanned away from her mark, spreading all around her torso, feeling her skin change. Even the boys could tell something was happening, a glow emanated from under her jacket, and the kitten backed up towards its mother.

Slowly, Crystle’s hands became covered in short white fur and turned her slender hands into paws. Her clothes disappeared, revealing a long tail and hair all along her back. Her shoulders and hips changed to that of a cat, and her arms and legs quickly followed. Her hair shortened, matching the rest of the fur over her entire body. Lastly, her facial features changed into that of a cougar. When she opened her eyes, she had no problems being able to see in the dark.

The kitten no longer tried to be tough, seeing her in this form it bolted behind its mother. The mother leopard growled even more but still couldn’t move. Crystle crept forward, keeping her movements slow and smooth, not wanting to seem aggressive to the mother.

When she got close enough, she could see it tangled its paws in a net, keeping it from moving. Crystle moved faster, knowing that the mother couldn’t do anything to hurt her or itself. She wanted to reassure the thing that she wasn’t there to harm her. She leaned in, closing her eyes and touched the leopard’s nose with hers. It snapped its large jaws at her, grazing its fangs against Crystle’s nose. Crystle jumped. She understood the leopard was terrified and more than likely starving.

She moved around to the back of the leopard and went onto a broken tree that laid beside her. Crystle put her claws between the rope and the leopard, lifting it off its fur. The leopard hissing. She lit her claws on fire, the rope snapped. She continued along the leopard’s back, loosening the entire thing. All that remained was freeing the leopard’s paws. Crystle jumped down from the tree and moved to her paws. Crystle could see the leopard cub sneaking out from the trees, trying to check and see if its mother was alright. She placed her paw against the kitten’s rump and pushed it closer to its mother’s head.

Crystle tried to put her claws between the rope and the leopard’s skin, however around her legs it wove tightly enough that Crystle couldn’t make a space between it and the leopard. Knowing she couldn’t use her claws to unwrap her the rest of the way. Crystle needed one of her daggers to free her without burning her.

It was the moment of truth. Crystle concentrated on her birthmark, trying to picture her warrior clothing. She felt everything tingle as the burning receded back to her mark, and her legs growing longer than her arms. Crystle was sure her transformation was complete as the burning dissipated. She looked down at herself, seeing she wasn’t wearing any clothes. “At least I’m in the trees and no one can see this,” she thought, closing her eyes, trying to picture herself wearing her warrior clothing. The gentle breeze that was nipping at her bare skin stopped as a strand of her hair brushed against her nose. She opened her eyes and her warrior clothes were back on.