The Vampire's Pet

Black Cat

The sun barely peeks over the horizon and the chill from the night before lingers over the small town.

Aiea pads on chilled paws towards the park, the trees' bare branches reach up towards the dark blue hued sky, a wisp of light pink clouds hover before the rising sun.

A crow caws over head and the feline tenses, her gaze flickering up towards the large black bird perched upon a thin branch.

"Ignore Igor, he's a bit grumpy in the mornings," a black cat melts onto the sidewalk, his sleek frame glistening in the early light.

"Are you the witch's familiar?" Aiea questions, ignoring the other feline's comment about the bird.

The male cat grins and nods, "I am Ichabod," Aiea snorts, "Like that man from the tale of the headless horse man?" She snickers, causing Ichabod's grin to fade.

"I am he yes," her snickers die down and she feels a shiver inch up her spine as she catches a gleam of something otherworldly within the black cat's green orbs.

"Follow me," he says abruptly as he turns and heads down a thin path winding through the trees, Aiea trails slowly after him, her sharp eyes barely making out his dark form within the shadows.

The two felines travel in silence and Aiea senses Igor flying above them on his silent black wings, she suppresses a shiver, what fascination did witches have with black familiars?

"You must be gracious to my master, she is not fond of wanderers who fail to make an appointment," Ichabod speaks up as a small fading purple tent comes into view.

Aiea wrinkles her sensitive nose at the stench of decaying fabric and the bitter remains of liquids she did not want to know the origins of, Ichabod pulls back the flap and orange light spills across the crippled grass.

She slowly walks inside, the soft scent of herbs fill her nose as the flap closes behind her, she looks back over her shoulder to see that the black cat had not followed her inside.

"What an unexpected visitor, you have come in search of help huh kitty?" Aiea's fur bristles as a small woman waddles past her, she's not old or gross like the feline had envisioned.

The woman is on the short side but she looks as fragile as a china doll, her dark chestnut hair is pulled up in a messy bun atop her young face, a pair of round glasses hang from a chain around her neck and she's dressed in a long burgundy dress, a few blue bracelets jingle from her wrists and various rings of different sizes and shapes adorn her slim fingers.

"M-my friend has been injured terribly....both physically and emotionally," Aiea answers catiously, the woman nods as she slides into a large red recliner before a small table draped with a purple sheet, "Come sit dear," the woman gestures to the chair across from her.

Aiea blinks and nods slowly, hopping up onto the seat, it's tall enough that she doesn't have to place her front paws upon the table to see the woman.

"I am Ina," another 'I' name, Aiea mentally thinks with a brief roll of her eyes, Ina shuffles a deck of cards humming to herself, "Aiea you are the familiar of Miles Fairview correct?" The feline nods numbly.

"Y-yes I am...he's been injured by hunters and he's bleeding out, I can't get him the blood he needs and he won't feed from me. I need to....to become human to save him," Ina nods as the cat rambles on, talking about how he didn't seem to care about living, how he's broken inside and how his body is giving out slowly.

"Now deary there are prices to pay for spells like this....changing your entire species and body is tough work and illegal in the eyes of the Clan, but I can do it for the price of your soul," the cards flutter between Ina's fingers and Aiea stares at them silently.

The price of her soul? "I'd remain human?" She whispers softly, Ina nods softly, "You will also be immortal deary, you can forever serve your master," she says looking at the white furred feline and the blood stain upon her head.

"I want him to be happy, and if this is the only way to heal him, so be it," Ina grins slowly and lays the cards upon the table top humming.

"Hand me your paw dear," Ina says as she reaches out a hand, Aiea lifts her paw up and lays it on the tips of the witch's fingers.

"Do you give me permission to have your soul and change you into the human form you crave?" Ina asks, the white gold ring upon her right ring finger begins to glow with a soft blue light.

"I give you permission to have my soul and change me into a human," Aiea breathes softly, her eyes widening as blood drips from her paw pads, Ina had dug her fingernails into the feline's soft flesh.

"Your soul is mine,"