"That is a great idea, little one." He purred at me with eyes that showed kindness and love. "This must be a lot for you to take in, how much do you already know?"
"I only know that Momma has family here, and they are going to help me understand how I am half a cat." I said confidently, I had no idea how telling my words were.
My Grandfather actually looked hurt, and my Grandmother emitted a guttural sound like she was being strangled.
Grandmother spoke for the first time, turning to Momma, "Do you hate us so much that you have denied her any knowledge of her heritage?"
Momma burst into tears and dropped to her knees before her parents. "I have been such a fool," she cried. Between sobs she whimpered, "Can you forgive me?"
It was hard seeing Momma like that, broken and desperate. I was thankful my Grandfather showed compassion.
"Rise, my child, your transgressions are forgiven. You have been blessed among us to be the mother of our future. Stand now, and resume your rightful place." Grandfather sounded like a king, and he commanded respect from all...but what was he talking about?
Mother rose, shakily, laying one hand on the nearest table for support.
"So it's true then: She's the one foretold of in the ancient texts?" Momma questioned quietly, almost as if she didn't want to hear the answer.
"It is true, is this why you ran away?" Grandmother questioned.
"Yes Mother," Momma looked at the floor, "We were studying the ancient scripts in school and it became painfully obvious that my children might be called upon to fulfill the prophecies. I didn't want this. This thought terrified me day and night to the point I stopped thinking and I ran. I immersed myself straight into the human world, thinking that if I married a human I had a good possibility of having human children and the burden of our Pride would fall to someone else."
Momma paused and straightened her shoulders, "I can see now how wrong I was. It should be an honor to serve. I would humbly like to rejoin the Pride and ask for guidance for my daughter."
Tears streamed down my Grandmother's face. Years of pain and anguish washed away with a mother's love. She came to Momma and they embraced and cried together. The family resemblance was without question, And even in tears they both carried themselves so regally.
Grandfather, however, was ready to get down to business. "Sit down Katalea, I want to tell you of our beginnings.
I sat next to Momma and Grandmother, both of them rested hands on my back.
"It is said that there was a time when the gods liked to roam the earth seeking pleasure, using the humans as mere pawns in their hunt for entertainment. They would pit the humans against each other in barbaric battles just for amusement.. Some warriors would be sent out on impossible quests in hopes of a divine reward.
At times they would fall in love with a beautiful woman and a child would be conceived. Being born half god, half human the child would have abilities no other human could comprehend. They were often seen as witches, somehow evil, and often burned at the stake. They learned to hide their abilities and tried to live in colonies near each other. They found solace in each other and they were able to practice shifting and working on their craft without prying eyes.
One such ability was to shift into feline forms. Not domestic cats, but large cats that would prey on other humans. The nearby villages would report leopard sightings often. The woods were said to be full of wildcats that hunted at night. Some would see bobcats, tigers, or mountain lions, but never a black panther.
A coven of witches observed this phenomenon and set out to deceive the gods for their own selfish gain. They seduced the god with love potions and glamor spells. They succeeded and a child was born to rival all children. Beautiful beyond measure in her human form, with long dark hair, olive skin, and piercing blue eyes. On her tenth birthday she shifted for the first time. This was abnormally young for shifting and it is said that she shifted into a powerful black panther. This was the first and only black panther born into the werecat's world.
Black panthers have always been seen as royalty amongst the gods and this werecat had the power of the witches and the nobility of the gods. She was blessed with agility, cunning, and wisdom. She would lead her people with a ruthless vision, but deal with petty mistakes and breaches of etiquette with love and fairness.
As word of this panther spread many came to see her and put a stop to her reign. Many tried ingeniously to kill her, all were destroyed viciously by the coven for it.
The witches decided to hide her away until she could come of age. On her eighteenth birthday a great party was given to celebrate the new era. Friends and foe alike were invited, and our young panther was heavily guarded. A few gods managed to sneak in trying to get a glimpse of this powerful child.
As the night progressed it became obvious that the god of war himself was bewitched with her beauty. She found herself drawn to him as well. It was the first mate bond ever felt by a werecat and it was strong. Nothing could keep them apart once they had seen each other. They eventually married and ruled all on earth and in the heavens for quite a time. Their children were fierce warriors, who were also werecats. This is where our Pride began."
He took a long drink of water, looked around at his audience and went on, "This was the last time a werecat was able to shift into a black panther. It was written that there would not be another until the time was upon the world of the werecat to need a savior. It was not foretold what the danger would be, only that it would come from the north and it would be swift. The prophecy spoke of a girl child born from the royal line in which our family hails. She would be born with jet black hair and cobalt blue eyes with powers and abilities rivaled by no one." He turned to me at this point.
"We think, young Katalea, that you are that werecat."
I sat there and stared at him in complete shock. Up until that moment I thought I was listening to a great story. I could feel something in me beginning to understand what he said to be true. I felt proud, and a bit scared. Everyone was looking at me for my reaction. I was so overwhelmed that I could do nothing. I could feel their anxiety at what they thought was my hesitation. I stood up and walked to my Grandfather.
"I would be honored to be a part of this Pride, to learn who I am, and to serve in any way I can." I said, fighting back tears.
I heard myself saying the words but I didn't recognize my voice. Realizing that this stirring inside me was growing stronger I pleaded with him with my eyes.
"Help me!" I whimpered as intense pain shot through my body. Before I could grasp what was happening, my dress tore and I stood there as the black panther.
Everyone gasped and fell to their knees and put their heads to the floor. Even Grandfather bowed low. I could not speak but I knew that they could all hear my thoughts.
"Please rise," I thought. "I don't know how I did this and I don't know how to get back. I have the most incredible urge to run but I want you to understand, I am not leaving. I will be back soon, and in the morning I want to start training."
With that I turned to the door and found it closed tight. Somehow I knew that if I thought about opening the door, it would open. As it did I took one glance back and ran for the beach.
I let out a blood curdling scream that I didn't know I was capable of as my legs took up copious ground with each stride. The sound terrified me but it felt so good to let it out, I screamed again. I was running at speeds I didn't know were possible for the sheer joy of the run. The sand felt magnificent under my paws and the misty wind from the waves beat on my fur as I streamed by. I could scent other animals nearby, but none dared to come towards me.
I must have ran for hours until thirst finally caused me to stop. Somehow I could smell fresh water nearby and I followed that scent. It seemed natural somehow to lower my head and lap up the water until my thirst was quenched. I didn't know where I was, but I wasn't afraid.
I could feel Momma's worry, so after drinking my fill I headed back. I wasn't sure how to shift back to human form but I knew somehow I was about to do it. I thought about being human and just as suddenly I was standing there naked. I was on the grounds of Grandfather's house, having climbed a tree while in feline form and scaled the wall. I was just outside of the terrace looking up at what I thought were our rooms. I sent Momma a mental message about my current naked situation and within minutes she was standing there with a selection of clothes for me to put on.
As soon as I was dressed I went to her. She held me so tight like she was afraid to let me go. It felt so good to just be her little girl again. I had a feeling this might be the last time for little girl notions. I clung a little tighter as she nuzzled a little closer.
We walked into the dark, quiet house together, everyone else having gone to sleep. "In the morning your Grandfather would like you to join him for breakfast." She said, putting an arm around my shoulders.
I nodded. I had a feeling of urgency I couldn't explain. I felt the weight of the responsibility and I really didn't understand what all that entailed. I was ready to begin and I didn't even know what I was beginning.
"What are we gonna tell Dad and the boys?" I teased. I knew that Momma had been thinking this same thing.
"I think I will seek counsel with my Mother on the best ways to handle that." She stated.
"We only have six day left here, we had better get some rest. I have a feeling there won't be much of that after this." She mused.
I had a feeling she was right.