The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 24: The Not Cat

There was a rock in her favorite coffee cup. She had a lot of coffee cups, but she drank out of this one the most. It sat next to her coffee pot, ready to be used. And now it had a rock in it. She dumped the rock into her hand. It was a small piece of quartz. It looked like it had been broken off a bigger piece and was a bit jagged. She held it up to the light and smiled when it shimmered pink.

She put it in her pocket. It would make a pretty necklace.

—-------------------------------------------------

It was midday and everyone was in similar states of lazing around. The TV volume was low but no one was paying attention to it. Massie was sprawled out on the couch as she watched the boys try and show Wren how to play a board game. Wren's face was scrunched up adorably. The light reflected off the scale on his face, giving him a glimmering shine as he huffed about some rule in the game.

The doorbell rang. The four of them turned to stare at the door. They never got visitors. Well, besides the ones that now live in her house. It was an odd turn of events for the doorbell to ring.

Wren gracefully rose from the ground, making Massie a bit jealous of his agility. He looked out the peephole and made a curious sound in his throat. The boys moved closer to see. Wren opened the door and they all watched as a cat casually strolled in.

"A cat!" Jace screeched. And it was indeed a cat. It walked past them, sat primly in the middle of the living room, and stared.

It was a pretty calico. Mostly white with brown and black patches. Its tail curled around its body. Wren walked over, got on his knees a respectful distance from the cat, and engaged in a staring contest.

The boys looked at her with questions, and Massie shrugged back. This was definitely bizarre.

She got off the couch and walked over to the cat. She reached down to pet it and Wren grabbed her by the wrist. He didn't take his eyes off the cat. The calico turned its head towards Massie.

Its eyes were wide and green. She couldn't look away. It was green like looking over a valley from a mountaintop. Miles and miles of trees, endless green. Then a streak of orange across the vast emerald scape, like a burning sunset peaking over the trees. She was floating above it all. She was weightless. A speck in the endless landscape. Silver swirled across the horizon, glimmering like water in the distance. She kept rising, higher and higher, leaving the mountaintop behind until a sharp tug had her plummeting back to her living room.

Wren had tightened his grip on her wrist and had tugged her to the ground. His other arm was out, keeping the boys back.

She looked around completely bewildered, like she couldn't shake a dream.

Wren clicked his tongue. "That wasn't polite," Wren said, to the cat.

The cat flicked its ears back.

"You're talking to the cat." His grip was tight and grounding.

His eyes didn't leave the cat. "It's not a cat."

She looked pointedly at the calico. It looked back. No tricks this time, just a snotty look she wasn't aware a cat could make.

"It sure looks like a cat." She replied, still a little dazed.

Wren let go of her wrist. She instantly missed the connection.

"It's an Ozark."

She looked at the cat and then at Wren. "A what?"

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "You're an absolute cretin. How are you a witch and not know what an Ozark is?"

She shrugged a little helplessly. "It's never came up."