Crowns And Swords

Chapter Nine

Two weeks have gone by. I've grown accustomed to the stench of catnip and fish that wafts through this crooked shack. My jaw and lower back still ache, even more so after the night of transformation; I find it difficult to move much due to said pain, so the most I've been able to achieve in this time is rest my body. Every so often, Leo might come into my room and give me something to eat and drink (most meals consisting of soft foods and warm milk to ease the aching), then pets me on the head for a second before I growl, causing him to back away. He insists on addressing me by my title, as if to rub in the very fact that he was able to conduct his "experiment" on a figure of nobility. Mavis, she's never in the room with me. Some guy from downstairs whisks her away every morning and brings her back every night, crazed and almost too attached to her to let her go.
My only company during the day is the young meif'wa girl, Maia. She tells me stories of her past and of her imagination; of mythical creatures finding love with humans, of broken trust and deception, things you'd normally find in the fiction section of the royal library.
I discovered in my time with Maia that I find likeness in the art of massage. The young child will, on days my aching grows terribly painful, climb up onto my bed and rub my back with all her tiny might. I strangely find comfort in the deep massage that this girl gives me; purring from my throat is the outcome after just a minute of the round motions digging gently into my back. I treat her as if she were my daughter; in return for the massages and her keeping me company in this crowded yet lonely cave, I share my food with her and braid her hair. She even cuddles up to me at night, as if she had finally found a safe place to rest.

The croaking of pond frogs echoed throughout the night. I lift my weary head from my feather pillow and sneeze.
Leo really needs to come in and switch out the pillows.
Maia is resting in between my arms; little snores accompany her exhales. I smile, and as I'm about to close my eyes once again, the creaking sounds of the rusty door keep my eyes wide awake. Standing before the door is a silhouette of a person. I squint, trying to make out the being.
"Giada," she whispers.
It's Mavis. She's dressed in her old clothes and has a burlap sack of things in her right hand. I gently let go of Maia and sit up. "What's going on..?" I wearily ask, followed by a yawn. Goosebumps run down my back, I shiver. Mavis steps out of the light and closer to my bed.
"We're leaving, Giada."
"Why?" I rub my eyes and brush my hands through my hair.
"I can't take it anymore. The guys downstairs, they just won't stop coming after me. Day after day, they pull me down to 'play', which is just another word for using me as their toy to mess around with. Leonardo claims it's just the 'hormones' coming from the other girls. I don't want to believe what he says, after hearing from you how this," she motions to the ears and tail, "happened."
I stare up at her. The look on her worried face tells me that she's serious.
"Of course. Do you know where my belongings are?"
"I've already grabbed them," she whispers. She hands me the burlap sack. "I've got mine outside. Get changed, we're leaving as soon as you're ready." Mavis exits the room and shuts the door.
Maia's leg twitches gently in her sleep. I rub her back gently and mutter, "Hey. Get up." A few seconds pass and she wakes. She sits up and leans her head against my shoulder.
"Maia, we're leaving this place. Would you like to come with Mavis and I?" I ask.
"Yeah, sure, I guess," she mutters, placing a hand over her mouth as she yawns. She's about to doze off and fall down into the comforters, but I wrap my arms around her and help her off the mattress. I take one of the thinner blankets from Mavis's bed and wrap the half-asleep meif'wa in a tight bundle, lay the bundle on the bed, and proceed to undress and change into my old clothes.

I meet Mavis outside. She's gotten her horse all packed up and ready to go. Jean, who's horsey face feels like a distant memory, stands next to the white stallion Mavis owns. Behind me trots the little bundled meif'wa, clinging onto my hand to avoid stumbling over a rock in the ground.
"Giada!" Mavis whisper-shouts.
"What?"
"Why did you bring one of them with us?" She questions, pointing at little Maia. I look down, she yawns again and leans her forehead onto my body.
"I can't just leave her here. She's been treated horribly too, Mavis. You aren't the only victim."
A bolt of fear strikes Mavis's jade eyes. She stares at me, absolutely frightened.
"...What?"
A whirring sound comes from behind. In the darkness, surrounded only by the light of his cat staff, stood the feared Leonardo. Heavy winds pick up, the sky shouts. I push Maia towards my friend, pull my dagger from my hip, and charge at the wizard with full force. I aim for his chest, holding the weapon in both hands, ready to strike-
A beam of light sends me flying towards my company. Out of sheer luck, Mavis caught me. I fall back to the ground. On all fours, I search for my fallen dagger in the damp grass.
"GIADA! LEAVE IT! WE HAVE TO GO!" Mavis shouts loudly, louder than I've ever heard her shout before. I turn and look up at her-
"Awe, kitty!" Maia says, looking down at me. She bends down and picks me up, petting.
I come to the realization that I had just transformed. "What in the hell?! Let me go! Don't pet me!" I shriek, squirming in Maia's skinny arms. Mavis takes me from Maia and puts me and my belongings in a basket, with which is attached to Jean's saddle. I peek out the top of the basket and watch as the two get on the horses and lead them away from the wicked shack Leo's beams of blue light emit from. As the building disappears from behind us, I can hear Leo's blood-curdling shrieks of failure and agony ringing in my tiny feline ears.