Faline, A Mountain Lion Shifter (3)

Wow, haven't been here in a while! A lot has been going on recently. Plus I got kind of stuck. I feel like I'm missing something but I'm not quite sure what. Detail? Better storyline? Comment please. :]

Part 3
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rattling branches shatter the peaceful chirps of crickets and the rustling leaves. A small huff leaves my throat. Why can't I sleep in peace? I stand slowly and do my routine stretch after most naps I take. As always, the stretch is accompanied by a yawn. The branches rattle again, unconsciously my ears twitch back. What is making that awful noise?

Actually, this could be good. I haven't eaten in a while. Perhaps it's a tasty squirrel? Glancing up, I only find darkness. Even with my exquisite eyesight I can't make out much. My tail sways lazily behind me. It's a shame I can't climb any higher. I look down at the leash resting in front of my paws. Now, how to get this leash off?

I don't want to risk biting it again. Perhaps if I can claw it? Very gently, I almost pet the leather with the tip of my paw. I'm afraid that if I stick one of my claws in it'll shock my paw. The last thing I want is another injury.

A purr rumbles in my throat as I think.

Maybe I could switch into my human form and try to get it off that way? If a human can get this thing on me then obviously one can get it off.

I sigh inwardly. That can't be the only solution. But then again, I can't think of anything else.

The annoying rattling of branches draws my attention skyward. I really wish I knew what that was. Even if I did go human I'd have to remain that way for the rest of the day. I don't change consistently enough for my body to regenerate the lost energy quickly.
I suppose I don't really have a choice though. Unless I want to find out what these humans want. The only problem with switching to a human is it will be harder for me to catch dinner. And if I can't catch anything I'll have to dig up roots or find berries.

I shudder. Anything that isn't meat is disgusting. Everything has such a weird texture to it. My sense of taste is heightened when I'm a human too which makes it worse. It's funny how everything useful is taken away as a human but I get something as silly as taste improved.

A dull shine catches my eyes and I glare down at the leash. Leaning closer I inspect the leather curiously. A very slim piece of shining silver runs through the middle up and down the length of the leash. What is that? I curiously poke it with a claw.

Without warning, a shock travels through my claw and into my paw. I chirp in surprise as I jump back on my branch. My ears lay flat on my head, I should have expected that.

Well if I touch the silver stuff I get shocked. No matter what. I mentally sigh. I guess that's it. The only thing I can think of is changing into a human and trying to pry it off that way. I peer up through the branches, hoping to see no signs of dawn.

After being sure that the humans will not wake soon, I close my eyes to concentrate. I picture my human form. The shadowy being in the back of my mind rumbles a low protest. I ignore her, she can't take over when I go back into a human. She seems to sleep all the time and only ever bothers me when I make a transition from one from to another. After a few moments of concentration, a familiar tingling starts in my paws. The tingling travels up my legs and to the rest of my body. Changing into a human should be the easiest part. It's my original form so really all I have to do is snap back into it.

I concentrate harder, focusing in on my paws and legs first. The tingling increases as I push more energy towards changing my body. I can vaguely feel my toes and fingers start to form slowly.

This isn't right. The change shouldn't be so slow. I panic, maybe I lost the ability to shift? I know I dislike humans but why does it go away when it's useful? This shouldn't be happening!

What little I have changed is slipping back and I throw all of my will into it. Every last bit of energy I have is pushed towards the change.

What if I get stuck as some monstrosity? Half cat, half human? That isn't possible is it? I crack an eye open and look down at my front paws. I have fingers but where my palm should be is still covered in light brown fur. And my legs are still feline.

I suck in a panicked breath. No! I can't be stuck like that! My new nails dig into the branch. I'm still channeling my energy into the change. This is good. I just have to keep the energy linked into changing. My limbs are starting to burn and I don't know what else to do.

Without warning, enormous pain hits my lower back. Something loud cracks in my ears but I'm frozen. All thought leaves as another pain, this time in my front leg, decides to show up. My joints feel as if they are going to pop apart and I'm vaguely aware that I'm shivering.

My eyes open as I lose concentration. I don't know where this pain came from but I know I'm never going to attempt it again. Another sharp pain lances my side. Pops and cracks are audible. It reminds me of small twigs that snap when stepped on.

Is that what's happening to my body? That can't be. It's never happened like this before. My eyesight blurs, my tail twitches, my ears won't sit still. Why is this happening?

Something between a human scream and a cat snarl tears its way out of my throat. The pain is unbearable. I'm not even trying to change anymore, why does the pain persist? A dull ache throbs in my shoulder. I fell out of the tree but it does nothing to distract me from the stabs of pain throughout the rest of my body. My ribs feel constricted, making it hard to breathe. It progressively gets harder to get the air I need. Black spots hover in front of my eyes.

Out of nowhere, the pain intensifies. I couldn't imagine it being any worse. My mild shivering has turned into uncontrollable shuddering. My eyes are open but everything is black.

My new fingertips go numb. Soon after, everything else does the same. I'm still aware of the pops and cracks. I can feel them. I must not be numb all the way through. Slowly, I lose consciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My first conscious thought: How can I be so stupid?

I have opened my eyes to a hard silver netting around me. It doesn't let me stretch out at all, making the aches in my muscles even worse. I encounter a slicing pain every time I inhale, leading me to believe that I bruised a rib or two. Or maybe I strained my lungs. Is that even possible?

My arms are behind my back and I feel cold metal against my wrists.

This is an interesting place. There are other cages similar to mine all around me. Loud barks, hisses, mews, screeches, and basically any other animal sound I've ever heard assaults my ears. The cage on my right is empty. I look to my left and find that one has a young boy. He appears to be chain free though. His golden hair takes on a fluffy appearance. I think it's golden anyway. He has a lot of dirt and dried mud in it. I'm startled when I see his eyes. They look almost orange.

"How'd they get you?"

I blink. His voice is hard to hear over all the animal noises around me. Where am I anyway? I look up. Maybe if I can get out of these chains I can climb over the top?

I'm dismayed to find that there is a solid ceiling over my cage. It doesn't look strong. Only appears to be a type of wood. Maybe I could break through it somehow?

"You can't get out." I glance back over to the young boy and he shrugs. "At least you woke up in time for dinner. If you aren't awake then you don't get food."

"Where am I?" My voice is rough and I'm not sure if it's from years of disuse or if it's from changing.

He ignores me and looks through the cage door in front of him as if he's expecting something. I sigh. Why couldn't I just ignore the humans and go on with my day?

Suddenly, all the animal noises stop. I look around, why are all the animals quiet? What's going on?

A loud clank draws my attention to the door in front of me. The door is open. I look over and see that the boy is already out of his cage.

I lean forward a little bit and look outside. The ground a hard dirt that has been packed down from heavy use. All the cages that are next to each other. They seem to be arranged into a circle. Inside the circle is a bunch of shiny bowls. I blink when the bowls are covered in every carnivore possible. Bears, hawks, eagles, wolves. I don't even know what's stopping them from attacking each other.

Without warning, I'm pulled backwards. I yelp when my tail gets pinched by metal.

Wait. My tail?

I look down, temporarily forgetting the fact that someone is dragging me backwards. My tail is dragging in the dirt beside me, twitching occasionally. I have an insane urge to cuddle it for comfort.

I'm yanked roughly onto my feet and I glare at the owner of the hand on my arm. It's Malka.

"You have an appointment." she smirks, "Come along kitten."

I try to yank my arm out of her grip but all it does is send spikes of pain up into my shoulder. My soft ears lay back into my short, spiky hair and I whimper. My muscles ache too much for me to fight so I follow her reluctantly.

She drags me through some wooden doors and into a building. The stale smell makes me wrinkle my nose. I can't quite place what the smell is. There are more silver nets on each side of us with very small rooms behind them. Each small room contains some kind of animal. I frown when I realize that most of them are all prey animals. We pass a large hoofed animal that I don't recognize. It almost reminds me of a very large dear but with no toes in the hoof. It's head is also shaped different, and it's ears are smaller. I'm tugged forward roughly, giving me no more time to figure out the strange gray animal.

My curiosity gets the better of me, "What was that?"

Malka looks back at me with a frown, "What?"

"That weird deer thing back there."

She looks confused for a moment. "Weird deer thing?" I see her eyes travel behind me for a moment, and then a spark of understanding. "Oh! A horse shifter."

I'm puzzled, a horse shifter? I've never heard of such a thing. Malka walks faster, pulling me behind her. Maybe I can do whatever she wanted back in the forest and then be set free? I might as well try.

"What do you want?" I can't stop a touch of fear from entering my voice.

Malka breathes a laugh, "A bit late now, isn't it?"

I look down at my bound wrists and sigh. "Can you at least tell me where I'm at?"

"Well, everyone has different names for it." she tugs on my arm when I stumble, causing me to lose balance. After I get it back, she continues, "Hell, Pet Shop of Freaks, Slave Market, et cetera. I don't know all of them."

I frown, "Why am I here then?"

"Because I get paid for every shifter I bring in."

We reach a door at the end of the hallway. "What will happen to me then?"

She ignores me and opens the door, Shoving me in first. The room we enter is a peculiar one. Chairs are lined up along the far wall, beside another door. The walls are a dull white, making me wish for my green trees again. Malka pulls me to a desk near to the door we just came through.

"What's your name?"

"Um, Faline." Why does she want my name? I think I'll just tell her whatever she wants to know. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll let me go?

"Faline? What kind of name is that?"

I glare, "What kind of name is Malka?"

She only smiles in response. This is ridiculous! She's sitting in front of a white box with a clear face. Behind the clear face are all kinds of little boxes and scribbles. I watch a small white arrow dance around the screen. After a few moments, she moves her hand to the rectangle on the desk in front of her.

"Well Faline, it appears you've already been 'adopted'. Talk about quick."

"Adopted?" I ask tonelessly. What does she mean 'adopted'? And why does she pronounce it like she's mocking me?

"Yup. Just have to get you trained and stuff." she laughs when she sees my clueless expression, "You got bought by a very rich guy. Apparently, were cats are pretty rare and a lot of people would love to get their hands on one."

I'm speechless. Trained? Before I can open my mouth, Malka is putting something around my neck. I look at her in surprise.

"Sit."

"I- What?" I'm so confused!

"I said 'sit'"

I glare, "Over my dead-" I'm cut off by a slice of pain steadily channeling into my neck. The pain only lasts for a few seconds, though I still wince. What happened? That felt kind of like that leash I was stuck to in the forest.

"Well, now we know it works!" Malka grins, "The collar on your neck does that any time you disobey."

My ears are laying flat on my head again, hidden in my hair. I let out a surprised yelp when she snatches my arm again, dragging me towards the door on the other side of the room. "Did you know that you are a rare pet?"

"Pet?"

"Yes. A pet. You sit and do everything your owner tells you to do." Malka steers me towards a large cage in a new room we have entered, "That doesn't sound hard, does it?"

I don't know how to react, "Uh..."

"Yes, it's very easy. Now get in there." I stumble when I get shoved towards the opening of the cage. When I step onto the dark blue shiny floor, Malka shuts the door behind me. "Now, change into your panther form."

I frown, that isn't possible. I don't have enough energy left to sustain the form. "I can't."

She glares, "Do it."

"I already said that I-" a warning shock zaps into my neck, startling me into sidestepping unconsciously.

"Oh, every time you disobey, the shock gets worse. Just thought you'd like to know that."

I sigh in defeat. "What if I pass out?"

"Practice makes perfect."

I take a deep breath, causing the collar to bite into my neck uncomfortably. I can't believe I'm about to do this, I must be crazy to risk the pain again.

I concentrate on my cougar. It's a shadowy caged presence in the back of my mind. It appears permanently docile. I'm reluctant to turn back into my cat. I always go a tad bit crazy after the change because it temporarily releases the feline.

"Um..." I glance up at Malka wearily.

She throws her hands up, "What now?"

"Uh, Just a warning, I'll go a bit crazy after I change."

"Whatever. Just do it." she snaps.

I close my eyes again and lift the walls that are restraining the other being. It's hesitant for a moment, as if not believing the wall is gone. I tense, I hope I have enough energy to fight off the thing. If I don't then I won't be able to control it until I do. The problem with that is the cat will waste any energy I get back. In a rush, the cat pushes herself into my body, changing it from human to feline. I wait patiently for her to change everything. The real tricky part is stopping her from taking my mind. She always does it in a different order, leaving me wondering when she will try it next.

My teeth are first, which is new. She's never started there before. They lengthen and grow pointy, digging into my lower lip. My mouth and jaw change to accommodate the new canines. My ears are popping, snapping, cracking, all reminding me of breaking twigs. Strangely, it doesn't hurt. It sounds like it should. An enormous headache hits me, causing me to fall to my knees, cradling my head in my hands. She does the change gradually to the rest of my body, causing minor pain. It's nowhere near as bad as when I went from cat to human. I'm pondering the pain factor when she notices my distraction. She uses the distraction to her advantage, immediately invading my mind. I try to push her out, but she digs phantom claws into my head, refusing to let go. I'm only half cat right now. I have paws, a half formed voice box, fur, tail, and a feline head. A snarl tears from my throat when she fills my mind completely, tossing me into the cage I keep her restrained in at the back of my mind.

Nononono! This is not good. I can't be trapped in here! I hate being trapped in my own mind. I can still have all my senses though. Feel what she feels, hear what she hears, see what she sees, taste what she eats. I don't know how I'm going to convince her to let me out, it's hard to communicate with her. She uses pictures and sounds, but no language. I can't really replicate her cat noises without being a cat.

Every noise I hear sounds like I'm underwater. And her sight is a bit more blurred from this point of view.

'Onyx!' I say sternly. 'Get back in here!'

She's still for a moment, listening. Her ears are twitching and she's looking around curiously. I haven't set her free in years, I'm sure she's quite surprised she's back in control. Her eyes rest on Malka. Onyx's interest is captured, she hasn't seen another female human in a very long time. Her tongue slides over her upper lip.

'Onyx..' I warn.

She tilts her head to the side, as if actually listening to me.

'Give me the body back.'

A purr starts to rumble in her throat and she stands. She walks up to the silver netting, rubbing against it like a patient house cat waiting to be fed.

"Lay down." I strain to hear Malka's command.

Onyx blinks her liquid amber eyes sleepily, then obeys.

Malka looks surprised for a moment, and then suspicious. "Sit."

Again, Onyx Obeys. I can feel her mind; patient, awake, waiting for the kill.

Malka walks closer to the cage, staring into Onyx's eyes. When she's a mere foot from the silver netting separating her from a cougar, Onyx's mind snaps to attention. What is she up to?

Onyx licks the metal separating her from her dinner. It would actually be rather cute if I didn't know how her mind works. Her purr is rumbling loudly, making it hard to not be soothed. Malka's muscles visibly loosen. I debate on not watching, but decide against it. I think it will be fun to watch one of Malka's fingers getting bitten off.

Onyx hooks her right claws into the metal and rubs her forehead into it, still purring.

'She won't let you out, stupid.' I snap. 'Just let me back into my body!'

She ignores me, continuing at her attempt to be cute. Malka looks down at her with a confused expression, before jumping back and glaring.

'What did you do?'

Onyx's response is a soft laugh echoing through my dark prison.

Wait... A laugh? Onyx doesn't laugh!

Malka, still glaring, pulls a small shiny square out of her pocket. After pushing on a few squares, she holds it to her ear. "Nuri, come here. I want you to look at that shifter we brought in."

Onyx loses interest in the human and rolls onto her back. Her tail is wagging almost as if she's a silly puppy.

'Play.'

I'm stunned. What was that?

Again, the childish voice echoes, 'Play!'

I'm speechless. Has Onyx found a way to talk? 'What?'

She doesn't respond, maybe I just imagined it.

Malka is touching the silver netting now, staring at Onyx in fascination. "Come here."

Onyx rolls onto her side and looks at Malka with a question in her eyes.

The woman taps her foot impatiently, "Come on."

As Onyx stands, I wonder what happened to make her so docile. Any time I ever had contact with her, she seemed to fight everything human. She watches Malka touch the metal a whole arms length above her head, "Up here."

I can almost hear Onyx thinking, Pa-lease

She obeys without blinking, sniffing Malka's fingers curiously. Her front claws are hooked into the metal beside her head, supporting her weight as she stands on her back paws. Why is she even doing this? Or maybe she knows that she'll get a shock if she doesn't listen? I find that hard to believe though, Onyx rarely pays attention to anything I do, unless it involved killing or blood.

Onyx rubs her cheek against Malka's fingers, purring the whole time. What has gotten into her? I wish I could smack her, she should be a vicious, uncontrollable beast.

"What's going on?" Nuri walks up behind Malka.

She eyes his mud-caked face and hair with disdain, "What the hell happened to you?" Onyx, tired of standing, unhooks her claws from the metal and lays back down on her side.

Nuri wipes the back of his hand over his forehead, succeeding in only smearing the mud. "Someone wanted to look at Talyn." He shrugs, "You know she hates me getting near her. You should have gone and done it, she likes you more."

Malka sighs, "I can't be around her all the time. She has to learn to accept other humans."

"So what's the problem? She looks fine to me." Nuri stares at Onyx through the netting of our cage.

"I want you to go in there and see what she does."

He laughs loudly and I can understand why. Malka seems to have a real sick sense of humor. After a few moments of laughing, he notices her straight and serious face. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not really. I want to see if she tolerates human contact. I can't very well send her to a collector if she's going to rip him apart."

He frowns, "I don't have health insurance."

"So? That never stopped you before."

Sighing, Nuri starts towards the cage. "I can't believe you are willing to just toss me to a mountain lion."

"Yup, I'd give you a chair or something so you could pretend you are in the circus, but honestly you always seem like you are anyway."

Onyx watches Nuri open the door curiously. I wonder what she'll do? Maybe she'll actually act like the vicious beast she is. I hope so. Maybe then she can get distracted and I can get my body back.

Nuri closes the door behind him, looking alert. Sitting up straight, he stares at Onyx for a few minutes. When this gets no response out of her, he starts to talk and move closer. "I hope you don't try to eat me. You know, that'd really put a dent in my day."

Onyx snorts. I can imagine it would put a dent in anyone's day. Onyx ignores Nuri's random soft words, making it hard for me to listen to him. If she blocks something out then it gets blocked from me too. Instead, Onyx is watching his feet. Her ears are erect and twitching at every small noise he makes. He kneels close to her, his hand touching her head slowly.

I can feel her distaste. Her ears are lying flat under his large hand, showing him she doesn't want it there. Her tail stills, a rare state for it. She remains quiet though, making no move to maim or mangle his hand. His fingers are rubbing her ears slowly. Onyx ignores the soothing motion.

"What do you think?" Malka's voice is oddly loud.

Nuri frowns, "I have no idea. The guy knows that she's a recent capture right?" He makes the mistake of taking his eyes off Onyx. I wait for her to attack.

I'm baffled when she doesn't take the opportunity.

"Of course he knows. I told him that when I talked to him."

Nuri stands, walking backwards and not presenting his back to Onyx, "Well then, if something happens then we can't be held accountable. It's not like he wasn't warned or something. And the papers you make him sign will protect us if she does go crazy."

Malka sighs, "I suppose."

Nuri leans his back against the door of the cage, "So, you think about buying Talyn?"

The question earns him a glare, "You know I can't." I wonder why she says it like she's disappointed? Malka seems to be the type of person who doesn't like anyone.

"Why not?" Nuri frowns, "I know it isn't money."

Onyx starts to lick her paw and rub it over her head. She obviously doesn't enjoy having mud in her fur. I strain to listen to the conversation, even as Onyx is tuning it out. "I don't have the room."

"Bull." He turns and opens the door to the cage. When he's halfway through, Onyx takes the chance to leap towards him. She is on his back with her claws buried deep. She darts her head in with her jaws open wide, trying to get her mouth around his neck.

I don't know what to think for a moment. I never even knew she was paying attention. One moment she was licking her paw, and the next she has her claws on Nuri.

I can't hear anything through the pulsing of blood through Onyx's ears. I don't know why she isn't paying any attention to the humans around her. Maybe she's rusty from being trapped so long? I can only see the flesh on Nuri's neck, making me wonder what Malka is going to do. I hardly think she'll just sit and watch him struggle with Onyx.

Onyx's claws are slipping down his back, making her lose her balance and causing long, bloody lines. Her back paws are on the shiny blue floor that's becoming slippy from Nuri's blood. Her mouth finally closes on something, but it isn't his neck. I can feel her disappointment. Instead, her teeth are in his shoulder. Something scrapes across Onyx's back. Nuri is trying to hit her against the metal of the cage. Growling, she digs her teeth deeper into his flesh.

Out of nowhere, a loud noise pierces the white noise. Pain slices through her side, making her snarl. I wonder why she doesn't just jump out through the door? The pain just makes her angry. She releases Nuri's shoulder and tries for his throat again.

Another noise, similar to the last, echoes close. I wonder what it is? I can't quite place the noise. A bang perhaps? Well no, not quite. Maybe it's more of a pop? This time, the plain slices into her shoulder. This would be the perfect time for me to grab my body back. But I'm kind of scared to do so. Onyx gives up trying to bite Nuri's neck and turns her attention inward. Towards me.

Without warning, she withdraws into my mind, taking the feline form with her.