Transformed [W&W Book 1]

Chapter 14

What in the world was she thinking now? There were many more pressing problems than their hosts' appearances.

She could not even blame the cat side of her mind for those errant thoughts. That was all Theresa, or probably more accurately, Daphne who was sending her mind down such foolish flights of fancy.

"It's so nice to be somewhere where we can rest," Daphne commented, completely oblivious to Theresa's thoughts.

"Perhaps I should ring a maid for a bath and perhaps some clean clothing."

Theresa shrugged again. The idea of a tub full of unpleasantly wet water sounded simply awful.

She did feel dirty, though. Her hair felt unpleasantly ruffled. She looked down her back. Her fur seemed to be a bit out of place on her shoulder. It was an irritating feeling, so she started to lick it into place.

"You're cleaning yourself like a cat," Daphne pointed out. "Again."

Theresa lifted her head and scowled at her sister. So what if she was? What else was she supposed to do? She wished for her human vocal cords more than ever so that she could give Daphne the talking to she so richly deserved.

"You aren't really turning into a cat, are you? I mean, in your mind?"

Theresa realized her sister was genuinely concerned, so she shook her cat head before she went back to cleaning herself.

She tried not to dwell on the worried note in her sister's voice. Fixing her fur was the logical thing to do. There was no other way to get herself clean now. Soaking in water had turned from a delightful luxury into an awful ordeal.

Besides, even if she wanted to clean herself in a more human way, her paws could not reach high enough on her body to reach the fur on her back. Why should she tolerate messy, uncomfortable fur just because she was too stuck up to do what her fellow cats did?

Did not her sister realize what a luxury it was to be able to reach almost any part of her body with her flexible and useful hands and arms?

It was probably the wizard's questioning that made Daphne think Theresa might be losing her mind.

She frowned. It was only her form that a changed, she was still Theresa inside. No question. She had to believe it.

So what if she wanted to clean herself? She would want to brush and wash her human hair if she still had it.

Daphne seemed to finally realize that Theresa was perturbed and moved off to ring for a maid.

When Theresa's fur finally felt clean and orderly, she climbed up into a corner of a chair and lay down for a nap. She must have been tired because she drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

* * * * *

When Theresa woke up she was alone in the rooms.

She found a dish of water and some cold food on a table, so she leapt up and helped herself.

Once sated, she decided it was time to have a look around Wildwood's castle. She walked up to the door and pushed on it with her shoulder. It was firmly shut. She was stuck in the room as if she was a prisoner.

Theresa leapt up onto the window ledge and looked longingly at the world outside. It was completely out of reach. Drat!

Daphne better not be the one who shut her in there, Theresa thought menacingly. Unfortunately she had no way of finding out whom the inconsiderate person had been or any effective way of punishing the offender if she did.

Theresa stalked around the room in vague circles, feeling increasingly bored and cranky.

Finally, something caught the attention of the part of her mind that bore the interests of a cat.

It was an enticing long braided cord. She climbed up onto the table beside it and gave it a good swat. It swung back and forth pleasingly and she swatted it again.

Her claw got caught in it and she yanked it out. She heard a distant ringing.

Of course, she thought. It was a bell pull, to call a maid. She grabbed the cord with claws out and gave it a proper yank.

A couple of minutes later, the door opened. Theresa ran through the door, dodging around the maid's legs.

Behind her she could hear the maid. "Lady Daphne? Lady Daphne? No one is here? The strangest thing. I could have sworn..."

* * * * *

Theresa wandered the castle, figuring out her way around.

The wizard's castle had many twists and turns and was almost labyrinthine in its design. Her castle was straight forward and logical.

Of course, the downside was that Francine was currently part of the bargain. Having a castle that was like a maze could be entertaining and it might also be convenient for escaping autocratic aunts.

Of course, if Francine had come into possession of a castle like this she would probably straighten the very corridors with her severity. Theresa felt amused at the thought, more than she had felt in a long time.

She continued exploring.

After a while, Theresa found herself in the main hall where they had originally come into the castle. She wandered down it. A servant walked by, apparently not even noticing her.

That was perfectly fine with Theresa. The less people who noticed her, the better, in case Francine ended up checking Wildwood for her nieces. They had taken so many precautions, but there could have been something that they had missed.

Words brought Theresa out of her musing and changed her humor to indignation. "Mangy beast," Theresa heard a condescending voice muttered under her breath.

She turned around to look at Missus White. The woman was standing there with her straight nose stuck up in the air in what was surely an unnatural position.

Theresa cursed her lacking voice and glared at the snotty woman. She was neither mangy, nor a beast. Furthermore, her presence had been sanctioned by the ruler of the castle.

Who did Missus White think that she was to criticize?

Theresa had seen her own reflection, she was a fine looking cat.

The woman continued muttering to herself. "I don't know what the master is thinking, free reign?"

She fixed her dress and looked over at Theresa. "What are you still doing here? Shoo, shoo." She shot Theresa another look of pure disgust and walked away.

Theresa watched as the housekeeper left. If the unpleasant woman knew who she was, who she really was, she would be bowing and scraping in front of Theresa instead of muttering nasty comments. Theresa scowled.

When she was completely human again, she would tell Wildwood exactly the sort of woman that she was behind her master's back.

Theresa continued investigating the layout of the house, but her mood was dark.

She was tired of being a feline and being treated like a dumb animal.

She could not wait for Wildwood to turn her human again, if he could. She had to believe he could and would. She did not dare to consider the unpleasant possibility that she might be stuck this way for the rest of her life due to his inability or treachery.

Wildwood would find a way, surely. She did not have much choice but to believe in him and let him try.