Higher Than The Alpha (#Wattys2014) »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

SIXTEEN

SIXTEEN – Cats Will Play [Victoria]

Lex hadn't spoken a word since Lusan's words. Instead, his tiger had taken over and shifted them, moving so that he could lay to face me. Once his sapphire eyes had fallen on me, they hadn't turned away. For all appearances, he looked ready to start mourning. I frowned at him.

Christopher and JJ had disappeared soon after Lusan's words. Ink was sat by the doorway. And Lusan was still crouched near me, behind me as I laid on my side to face Lex. Caine and Layke were still out.

Looking at my... hand as it rested on top of Lex's massive paw, I wondered how much longer I would have. Would have until I either died or shifted or went feral. I didn't feel feral, but then, how would I know what it felt like?

My hand was covered in a light dust of gold on top and white underneath fur. I had darkening stripes appearing as the hours past over the gold. We weren't sure what colour I was, wouldn't truly know until my shift finished. All we knew was that I wasn't a albino, white, or maltese coloured. Which left golden, red or black.

The light dust of fur wasn't the only difference. My hand... looked a little like Lex's when he was in his half-cat-half-man form, but it was more cat shaped.

I withheld the urge to look at my body. I didn't want to see yet. That, and movement hurt. Inside I ached, and my skin felt extremly senstivity as I laid on the carpet. The slightest brush against the carpet hurt.

I whimpered as another rocket swept through me. "Lex?"

I knew I already had his attention, but calling his name, I somehow knew that if anyone decided to harm one of us, he wouldn't notice. His entire being focused on me at that point. And that was when the something in me moved again.

It shoved against the confinement of my human skin. It snarled... in victory. I screamed in agony. I screamed in defeat. I felt my skin burst against the pricks of a thousand needles from inside out. I screamed as the needles found their way through my skin. As my body gave a final heave. Then with a last snap, my mind went under.

It took me several minutes for my mind to wake. Like an old computer that was trying to wake up after being asleep for years. The first thing I registered was carpet. Rough underneath me. Then scent. Wild, untamed scents that didn't belong with artificial scents. Then I heard breathing. Seven set of lungs.

Blinking my eyes open, I saw all of Lex's brothers and his father standing or crouching in front of me, watching me. Lex was still in his cat form watching me from where he now sat looking down at me with a happy expression in his eyes.

Feeling none of the pain from earlier, but a bit of the sensitivity, I rolled to stand... only for my legs to get tangled. Looking down my body to glare at it... I blinked. The. Hell!

It took me a moment to see the golden fur with darker gold stripes over my upper body, and white fur under my belly and covering my... paws. And a golden, with darker gold banded tail. My legs... weren't human. Nor was my body. Nor my hands. Flexing my new soft snow white paws, I watched, fascinated, as sharp claws unsheathed.

I looked over to Lex. Questioning.

In response, Lex stood and walked over to me, butting his head against mine with a growling-purr. After the initial head butt, he then continued to rub himself against me. Snarling at him, I bit him. Jumping back when I realised what I'd just done. I'd just bit him–

I grumbled as I just ended up flopping over after jumping away from hit. Growling as I heard chuckles around the room. Moving my new limbs so that I was laying with a little dignity, I glared at the others in the room.