Asad [Septer Series- Book 3] *Beta Version*

Following the Cat

Chapter 4- Following the Cat

     Asad had driven around looking for rental houses just about all day. It was hard enough looking for a nice quiet house, but hard enough looking for a house far enough away so no one could look in and see, well Asad shape shifting into a cougar. Never the less it was about four in the afternoon and Asad came to a familiar looking neighborhood. He parked and looked at his GPS which told him there was a rental house near the woods. Asad smiled thinking of living in the forest. It was pure nature to want to live there since he was part cougar. He got out and followed the GPS on his phone. He was looking down at it for some time until he heard someone's voice. He looked and saw a tree house up in the trees. What the? Asad thought walking closer. He looked in the window and saw Derick. Surprised and oddly amused he decided to scare him.

Asad walked up towards the tree house and began climbing up the ladder. He was quiet and tried to make no sound. He came up to it and looked down. Defiantly a far drop. Asad swallowed. He peered into a crack in the wall to see where Derick was. But he saw no one there. He opened the door anyways and jumped out trying to scare him, but no one was there. 

"That's odd. I saw him two seconds ago," Asad said aloud looking around. He noticed an odd looking piece of wood stuck to the ceiling and saw a hinge. He pushed it and it opened leading up the tree. Asad smiled and jumped up onto the top of the tree house. It was incredibly high up and Asad wobbled to keep his balance. He looked up and saw feet high up in the tree climbing boards that were nailed against the tree for a ladder. Asad climbed carefully higher and higher. A gust of wind blew and shook the tree. Asad kept on climbing up and up.

Finally, he reached the end of the ladder and looked around to see where Derick was. He sat up on the branch and breathed hard. Then he heard a voice and turned around. There stood Derick sitting beside Alessia dangling on the edge of the tree branch.

"Uh, Asad?" Derick asked looking surprised. Alessia was surprised too.

"Surprise!" Asad said trying to sound enthusiastic. "Sorry, I wanted to scare you, but uh, looks like you lead me on a wild goose chase instead," Asad shrugged.

"Right," Derick said looking still shocked he decided to climb up in the tree. 

"Well, I should probably go," Asad said slowly climbing down. 

"Wait! I, uh, I need to tell you something," Alessia said climbing over to him. 

"Uh, okay," Asad shrugged sitting up on the branch beside her. 

"I found this cat the other day and well, it seemed like it was sick or wanted something, but I don't know what. So I thought since, uh," Alessia said pausing.

"Since I'm part cat?" Asad asked trying to finish her sentence.

"Yeah! Since you're part cat I was thinking you could like try to talk to her or something," Alessia said trying to see his answer.

"Well, I guess I could take a look," Asad shrugged.

"Great! Can you come over at six then?" Alessia asked.

"Yeah," Asad said smiling as he climbed down. Alessia smiled back and began talking with Derick. Good talk. Asad thought to himself as he climbed down.

**********

"So, maybe you should turn into, uh, you know," Alessia said making an awkward smile and glanced at Derick.

"Yeah, just I don't want anyone to see me go cougar. Or as a cougar for that matter," Asad said frowning.

"Okay. Go and change while I meet you behind the back side of the house with the cat, alright?" Alessia said going inside. 

"Okay," Asad shrugged. He went over to the back side of the house and bit his lip. He had brought an extra change of clothes, cause he would rip the other ones. That was the downside to changing. Asad changed into a cougar and waited for Alessia to come around the corner.

"Here she is," Alessia said holding the cat in her arms. It was a tabby cat and it looked sad. She sat it down and it sat there looking hopeless. 

"Hmm," Asad said looking at her. "I think..." Asad began.

"You think what?" Alessia asked.

"I think you need to leave," Asad said nodding his head. "I think I would understand her more if you were not here," Asad said as Alessia nodded.

"Right," She said going behind the corner. "I'll just leave you two alone then," Alessia said as she went around the corner. Asad looked at the cat and the cat looked at him.

"Well, don't look at me like that," Asad said to the cat. It was as if Asad understood her, somehow. She meowed and then began walking. 

"What's going on?" Alessia said peaking behind the corner.

"She's sad because she wants to go home and...she keeps trying to go home, but you keep her locked inside," Asad said as the cat started climbing up the wall.

"Wait! What is she doing?!" Alessia said walking over to the cat.

"No, she wants to go home. Let her go," Asad said.

"Come on, can't we at least follow her?" Alessia asked looking over the wall she jumped down from.

"Uh, I guess," Asad said turning his head.

"To make sure she gets there on time and everything," Alessia shrugged then turned to Asad. "You might want to change before we go. I think people might shoot a wild cougar," Alessia said running around the back. 

"Right," Asad said biting his lip and turning human again.

*********

"Are you sure she went this way? I thought she was that way," Alessia said as they walked along the sidewalk.

"Come on, over here. I'm not as intuitive whenever I'm not a cougar," Asad groaned as they turned and spotted the kitty. The two of them had been following the cat for almost thirty minutes and now they were somewhat tired. 

"She's over here," Alessia panted. The cat started meowing as they saw it at the door of what seemed to be the cat's home.

"Is this it?" Asad asked looking at the dome shaped house. It looked oddly shaped like an egg since it was white. Then someone came to the door. It was a lady around her mid thirties. She had curly blonde hair and green eyes. She looked happy to see her cat return home.

"Oh thank you!" The lady said smiling at them.

"No problem," Alessia said turning to walk away.

"Oh, wait!" The lady said as she turned around. "You two look of age, I have something for you," The lady said running back into her house.

"What is she talking about?" Alessia asked Asad.

"I don't know, but she seems a little, yeah know," Asad said swirling his finger around his head. Crazy. Asad thought.