Imagine

Prologue

The hot blaze of the fire burned bright, slowly destroying its source. The flames reached up, licking the night sky, almost as if it were reaching to snatch the full moon above it. Windows shattered in the heat of the fire and people in nearby houses ran out into the road to watch the bursting light show. Many were confused, unsure of what to do. There hadn't been a fire in the small town for over a decade.

A black tomcat sat on the gray shingled roof of a red brick house across the street, watching, like everyone else down below. Although barely noticeable, dogs barked viciously at him, but the tom didn't flinch. His brown eyes stared, unblinking, at the fire. Glued to the scene, he sat anxiously. Waiting.

Waiting for a man to escape.

Another window shattered from the extreme heat and the tom turned his head to the source sound. A middle-aged man with a soot-stained face and dark, almost black, hair stood at the broken window on the second floor. He held a rag to his mouth to avoid the internal damage of the smoke as he breathed. He scanned the street below, amazed to see everyone watching, not lifting a finger to help. It was clear nobody would. How could they help a man they couldn't see in a burning house?

"Dr. Carter," the tomcat whispered hopefully. He stood slightly in anticipation. He could start to hear sirens in the distance as help began to respond.

As if the man had heard him, he looked directly at the large cat. He removed the stained rag from his face to reveal a comforting smile and gave a small nod. The tom jumped to his paws and watched in horror as the man named Dr. Carter turned and walked back into the seething flames.

"Please live," the tom pleaded under his breath, knowing he couldn't do anything right that moment.

The tom sat back down and watched as firemen arrived to put out the fire. He watched, waiting, as the flames were finally quenched, and everyone went back to their homes. Everything grew silent. The tomcat waited all throughout the cold night, the fur rising on his neck as he kept recalling Dr. Carter walking back into the flames. The image haunted him.

It was nearly dawn before the black cat made his way down from the roof. He looked around to make sure nobody was there before darting across the road toward the crumbling house. The tomcat first searched the smoking property surrounding the urban home, looking for signs: even the tiniest hint that Dr. Carter could have escaped. He kept seeking for a scent, but couldn't find one. All he could smell was the burned rubble and singed plants. He finally gathered the courage to go search the house, not wanting to think about what he could possibly find.

"Carter?" he cautiously called. "Dr. Carter, where are you?" He was uneasy over the quiet echo in the crumbling building.

"He's not here," growled a voice from behind. The tom turned to see a very large female black wolf. Her bright green eyes pierced his fur and her bared white teeth were frightening. A tall man, a little over 6 feet, in a white suit walked up behind the wolf, a red rose resting in his suit's front pocket. The wolf's hunched shoulders reached to the middle of his stomach. The tomcat hissed, arching his back.

"Thraeson," he snarled, the fur rising on his neck.

"Doctor Thraeson," the man corrected. "And we are going to have a little chat. I only have one request." Thraeson walked around the edge of the room. He leaned against the charred wall next to the crumbling doorway. Realizing his mistake, he immediately straightened up. He groaned at the black smear on his suit.

The tomcat shook his head, knowing what Thraeson was here for. "You're not taking my power."

"Oh, I wouldn't take it," Thraeson said, smiling. "You're going to give it to me." He brushed some of his blonde hair away from his eyes, then straightened his glasses. He tried his best to wipe the black soot off of his arm.

"Never," the cat hissed. His brown eyes were full of anger towards the man.

Thraeson sighed and put his hands together, linking his fingers. "Then I guess I do have to take it."

As if his words were a signal, the wolf lunged at the tom. He quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding her large, white teeth as they snapped at the air near his ear. She growled and turned to the tom. He backed away from the wolf, knowingly stepping into a corner. The wolf growled with delight at the capture of her prey.

The tom purred, confusing the wolf for a moment. He was growing, and the main color of his fur was fading to a golden brown, aside from the numberless black spots. His paws, much bigger now, muzzle and underbelly gave up their color completely, becoming a snowy white. The wolf stared at him, surprised to see the tom was now a leopard about the same size as her. Only the tomcat's brown eyes and pink nose remained the same.

She bared her teeth and growled, attempting to hide her new plan. "You should think bigger than that if you want to survive my attacks." She backed away, and lowered herself to the charred tile, preparing to leap on top of him.

The leopard sensed her trap. "No need. We're now the same size, so it should be an even fight." He hunched over and began to stalk around to her left side.

The wolf lunged at him once again with her large paws outstretched, furious, but the leopard dodged, scratching the top of her muzzle with his claws. The wolf shook her head, dazed by the pain near her eyes and blood dripping from her muzzle. She barked in rage, turning to attack the leopard again, but he was gone.

"Dr. Thraeson..." She mumbled, her eyes beginning to reflect worry. She stood her ground in a defensive position, in case the leopard decided to surprise her.

He walked in from a different room, holding something he had found in the debris. "Did you catch the boy?" He tossed the object aside, unimpressed by its value.

"No, sir," she said, lowering her head in fear as she turned to look at him. "He disappeared."

"Disappeared, or teleported?" Thraeson asked. He took a step closer, cowering over her.

"He can't teleport," the wolf said, crouching low. "That's not one of his abilities."

Thraeson sighed. "Well then find him. He can't be that far off." He turned his back to her.

The wolf dipped her head in respect. "If he is gone, maybe we should try and find him in a different way," she suggested. "We could trace him, and be able to find where he lives."

"You mean, find him using his name?" Thraeson asked. He plucked the rose from his suit pocket and began to twirl it between his fingers.

The wolf perked her ears, slightly raising her head. "It is Cole, right?" she asked. "What about his last name?"

"Correct," Thraeson said. "And I don't know his last name. Dr. Carter never put him in the files. Too bad 'Cole' is a very common name in the U.S." He sighed and put the flower back in his suit pocket.

The wolf dipped her head, then ran out of the burned, crumbling house. The black cat watched from the top of the blackened chimney. That wolf had no idea what she was getting herself into.