Rainbow Reflection

Chapter 3

 “I got to get up,” I mumble as I scramble from beneath his body.

Drew:

I get to my feet reluctantly and head for the bathroom as Harley goes into the toilet and shuts the door behind her. I reach for a washcloth, hesitate for a moment before turning the shower on and stepping beneath the spray. I hear the toilet flush and the water pressure slackens slightly, I glance towards the bathroom door and see Harley as she hesitates just outside the door.

 “Come join me,” I invite as I turn to face her, the water cascading down my back. I can’t see her eyes as she stands there for a second or two before walking in and stepping beneath the shower. I smile to myself as she ducks her face beneath the spray before turning around and backing under the spray. I step back letting her have the spray of the shower to herself.

 “I feel really weird,” Harley says and I look at her taking note of the way she has one hand against the wall as if bracing herself.

 I turn the shower off hurriedly and reach for a towel and wrap it around her gently.

 “Are you dizzy? Feel like you’re going to pass out?” I ask as I scoop her up, one arm behind her back and one arm beneath her knees.

 “No … I … I …” Harley mumbles uncertainly. I carry her towards her bed quickly, she had seemed slightly pale for a moment in the bathroom and I try to remember all I had read about head injuries.

 “I feel like my skin is crawling!” Harley exclaims as I ease her down onto the bed. An annoyed sound comes from her throat as she pushes against my chest as she tugs at the towel. A jerk and a twist and she rolls onto her hands and knees, I step back as I realise her inner cat has decided it is time she changed forms.

 I can only stand back and watch as she clutches her head and screams in pain. I bite my lip and hope the damage from being hit by a vehicle won’t interfere now it has almost healed. Her screams soon stop and I watch as she slowly transforms into a large dark cat. She lays on the bed almost motionless, her fur covered skin twitches now and then and her sides move as she breathes rhythmically. I head for the small kitchen corner and take two pieces of steak from the fridge. A minute or two in the fry pan on the stovetop and I put them on a plate before taking them to the bedroom.

 Harley turns her head slightly and blinks at me several times as if her sight is blurry, finally she lifts her muzzle and sniffs with interest. I put the plate on the bed and slide it close to where she lays prone. A few moments of suspicion in her eyes and then she leans forward to take one steak delicately between her teeth. I move back to the doorway as she eats slowly, I shut the door even though I know it will not stop her if she wants to leave the room. The old recliner chair squeaks slightly as I sit down on it, I stop moving and listen intently. I can hear faint sounds of a cat eating in the bedroom and settle down on the chair for what remains of the night. In cat form she may be irritable due to the pain of her transformation and I intend to give her plenty of room for the moment.

 I sit in the chair unable to fall asleep as I listen to Harley prowling the room behind the closed door, I can only wonder how this change will affect her. Will it trigger further healing to the brain damage she suffered when the vehicle struck her or is all she was, all she had, lost forever in that split second? Unable to sit around any longer I slip outside, shed my clothes in the cover of the old garage and drop to my knees as I begin my change. When I finally stretch the last tingles of my change out of my muscles I trot out of the building and head for the tree cover behind the house. Being several kilometres out of town certainly has its perks, there are half cleared paddocks all around and plenty of small game to catch. Wallabies and hares are abundant along with the slow moving wombats.