Silent Paws

Neville Longbottom

Sorry for the long break...

*hides behind the door*

We good?

*peeks out*

Cita could not believe that she had lost control. It was as if her instincts had taken over without her permission. She was embarrassed by her behavior and once she had calmed down enough to transform back into a human, she quickly left the large hall to get some fresh air.

Severus had warned her not to go outside and to return to her room, but Cita needed to be outside. She had been trapped in a cage for weeks and while she was no longer a prisoner, the heavy, stone walls of the castle surely made her feel like one.

And so, she went to 'her' room, grabbed a long, black cloak to hide herself in, and tried to figure out a way out of this underground labyrinth.

****

Kefir had remained in the Magnus Antrum after Cita had left, regaining his human form minutes after.

Ronald Weasley stared at him in shock. "You never mentioned you were a ginormous lion," he managed to say with a stammer. "Or that Cita was a huge cheetah!"

Kefir and Draco raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

"What did you think a cheetah looked like?" said Kefir dryly.

Ron's mouth opened and closed silently.

"I think I should check on her," said Mioha quietly. She started towards the door, but Draco held her back by her arm.

"She just needs time to adjust to everything," he said, "Remember, even though you look like her, to her you're still a stranger."

Mioha slumped slightly.

"Draco is right," said Severus as he approached them, "until Cita has reached the time when her Titan powers will trigger her memories, she does not remember any of us."

"Return to your rooms," said Professor Snape curtly. He brandished his wand, letting the training circles vanish. "Mr. Kefir will check on Miss Cita."

Harry and Ron looked like they had more questions, but they swallowed them down silently.

****

Had Cita relied on her eyes to find her way to the outside, she would have wandered around aimlessly until someone had found her. But her phenomenal sense of smell guided her down the golden-lit corridors, and so she followed the smell of fresh air until she stopped in front of a wooden door.

Cita pulled the hood of her cloak down to cover her face. With a small exhale, she pressed down the door handle and opened the door. Her face started to feel strange at the sight of the trees swaying in the air, but anyone else would have simply said that Cita was smiling.

However, Cita had never smiled as a human before and was quite unaccustomed to the sensation. But she barely noticed it as she eagerly stepped forward, letting the door swing shut behind her. Being a hidden exit, it melted into the stones of the castle wall and disappeared.

The trees had a pale green color and a sickly smell hung in the air, as if the forest was dying. Cita sniffed. The scent was weak, but it was there. Was this one of the effects of the Titans being out of balance?

She shook her head perplexed and quickly entered the forest with long strides. Her cat tail, hidden by the cloak, flicked with excitement when the heavy scent of wet grass and earth enveloped her. Cita inhaled deeply, ignoring the sour smell of the sick forest.

Her head started to clear and she already felt a lot better than before. Yet the restlessness in her legs remained, so without thinking, Cita broke into a run.