Chai

Chapter 16

My breaths were torn from my throat as the bathroom door flew shut. How did this happen? I repressed him for so long. I thought he was dormant. I glanced down at my shaking hands, the way they blurred and flickered. The taste of iron dripping down my tongue. Whose blood was it? Not mine, but the blood of those before this time. The blood of a thousand who came before, all converging to this. To me.

I whimpered as my hands morphed. The fur came last. Not for most, but for me. I suffered this fate alone. The screams started shortly after my legs crumbled. He dug his fingers into my organs, gutting me like prey and shredding the evidence. My hips were shrunk. My chest cavity was squeezed and rearranged like a warm gel ice pack. My arms turned to gummy worms, only to solidify again. The door flew open. The sound slammed on my ears as I screamed. Warm hands rested on my back as I collapsed.

Her voice was soft-serve in a heatwave, "Hey... uhhh..." My eyes clamped shut. I couldn't look her in the eyes. Not now. She's seen the hideous monster underneath. My chest clenched. She knows. "That's fur... You're all done now. It's alright now, Gizmo." I kept my eyes shut, my chest heaving. My wings lay sprawled and bloodied against the floor. Soft fingers grazed against my skin. I winced as my nerves rattled against her touch. A whimper echoed off the bathroom walls. "Can... Can you... um... Talking? Can you... Can you communicate with me? I know owls and owls can communicate, but I'm not sure if we can..." I stared at the wall, my blood trickling down my fur. "I just need to know if I can rinse the blood off? It might help you feel better..." I barely nodded and shivered. My bones pressed divots into the floor. Soft hands dug under my body and lifted me up. I was pulled tight against a soft chest, warmth seeping into my freezing body. I shuddered and whimpered. I was gently laid in the tub. "Can you keep your head up? I'm gonna try to keep this quick." I nodded, and rested my head on the edge of the tub. The warm water trickled down my back, and I closed my eyes. A soft moan slipped out as Kate's hands started cleaning the fur. Her fingers dug into my soft fur and washed me off. This is actually happening. I'm in fox form now. My tail slid across the tub. I waved it back and forth. This isn't as bad as I thought. This form, the Feral Form, is often referred to as vulgar and crude. Mine especially, due to my wings. Unnatural, they said. I can't find any records of another fox having an owl parent, aside from the dipshit duo, never mind inheriting part of their form. I let my tongue loll out of my mouth and panted, the cool air like a soothing balm. "Is this... is this good?" I jumped, my claws clacking against the tub.

I tap into her mind and say, "Yeah, yeah this is nice." The shower head clattered to the tub floor. Rapid breathing came from behind me. I stood on shaking paws and turned around. A large figure pressed against the bathroom wall. I leapt from the tub and drew closer through the mist. She cried, the sound of wings folding like a shield slamming into me. I pushed myself forward, my paws jumbled under me. I heard squawks and and soft screeches. I chattered back, softly fanning my wings. Pale light pierced the fog, and the door slammed shut. Darkness enveloped me. I screamed as I pawed at the door. My wings flapped and beat the door as I fought for freedom. I turned and jumped onto the toilet seat. I pawed at the window latch. I yelled and nipped the latch. I melted onto the floor, and curled into a soaking wet puddle in the misty dark.

*

"Hey, uhhh... yeah... yeah... yeah I know ma'am. I am taking care of the animal. YES MA'AM, IT WILL BE RELEASED. Goodbye." Calloused hands dug under my body. I bolted to my feet and snarled. My hackles raised and I bared my teeth. A man in black clothes stood above me with a slack jaw. He grabbed my scruff and I thrashed my body side to side. "Gizmo, my guy. Chill." I froze. He's dead. Why is he here? "I'll explain later. Your brothers are REALLY something." His sentence trailed off with the same exhaustion of a middle-aged dad chaperoning a field trip. He lifted me into his arms. He cooed, making my stomach churn, "Are you a good boy? Yes you are... I could get used to you like this, you're much more portable." I snarled and chattered as he carried me out of the bathroom like a bougie cat. I glanced around my house as we went. I don't remember leaving that light on...