There were humans around producing that odd yapping gibberish that humans were inclined to make when they were together.
If she had cared, she might have noticed the rhythms of the sounds were fast and agitated, but that was no concern of hers. What she was far more concerned with was how to remove herself from their clutches.
She was not particularly afraid, but she was annoyed that they seemed intent on interfering with her. They had captured her and brought her to this confined place. Although the place did seem familiar... It jogged at her memory.
"Theresa!"
A memory of food... She was perhaps a bit hungry.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that humans were sometimes useful for procuring sustenance, she had encountered such creatures before.
Although she was perfectly capable of hunting her own prey, perhaps she could still do with one of these gawky servants to care for her needs. It might be tolerable so long as it could remember its place.
She looked more carefully at the humans scuttling around frantically.
These ones had a familiar scent, perhaps they had offered food before. This whole place seemed comfortingly familiar.
"Theresa!"
Although she could do with less of these ridiculous panicked noises. The high pitched cry of the smallest one was too loud for her sensitive ears and it foolishly sounded like wounded prey.
"Thomas! It's like she doesn't even recognize me! What happened to her?"
These humans really were familiar. They also seemed to be agitated about something, although she felt quite indifferent.
Except, that odd flicker of vague memory made her think that she perhaps should care what these particular humans were thinking.
How odd. She scratched her side and then began to clean her fur.
The high pitched one was making an odd sort of racking sobbing sound now, but she could not fathom its purpose. Again, was it trying to call the attention of a larger predator? What madness.
Still, she felt an odd unexplainable twinge, like her juicy cornered prey had escaped when she had thought it was a sure thing. She looked at the crying human more closely, but could not place what it was about the human that gave her pause.
Aside from the worked up human, there was not anything particularly interesting happening in the room, so she once again considered her hunger.
Perhaps they really would feed her. It was an encouraging thought.
If they did not come through with a food offering soon, she would prefer to leave. When one of them left she could make her escape and find her own meal.
"Lady Theresa?" One with a deeper voice seemed to be talking to her. He too smelled familiar.
A jolt of memory, she had spent time with him before. She vaguely recognized him.
His expression looked unhappy. Was he angry and disappointed with her again? Still?
The memory of the last few days she had spent at Wildwood came back to her in a rush.
She looked over to see her sister, still crying. She looked really worked up.
How long had she been gone? The time that had passed was hazy and indistinct in her memories.
It was day again. She could see the sun shining through the window. Perhaps she had been gone all night.
"Theresa?" Daphne asked again, close to hysterics.
Theresa nodded slowly; the movement felt unfamiliar. Daphne whipped her up in a hug and held her too tightly.
It jarred her bones but she supposed she did not care. She felt bad that Daphne was so upset. She had known Daphne would worry but a clean break was best.
Would have been best, would it not have been?
She had not meant to come back. She wondered how she had returned.
Then it hit her, Wildwood had probably found her.
Why had she not thought of that? She realized he would have been able to find her wherever she went by his spells. No one was hiding his trace.
She could not even explain to them why she had decided to leave. She sighed.
"She's safe now, Lady Daphne. Here, let me take her," Wildwood said, attempting to remove her from Daphne's iron clutch.
Theresa could tell her sister did not want to let go. She supposed the suffocating hug was the punishment for leaving the first place.
"I would like to speak with her."
Daphne reluctantly handed Theresa to Wildwood. In a different mood, Theresa would probably have been irritated at being passed around like an object, but she really did not care right then. Let them expend the energy packing her about.
Wildwood carried her out of the room and then through the halls and up to his study. He set her down on her habitual chair and went and sat in his own behind his desk.
"I don't know where to begin."
Theresa shrugged. Her back was itchy. She had probably been bitten by an insect while she roamed in the wilds. She gave it a good scratch.
"I will apologize. I should not have been so short with you the day that your aunt came to Wildwood looking for you. Your behavior was reckless, but I've no doubt you had your reasons. I hope you will consider my position in the future. Of course, I do wish to assist you, but I have other duties and responsibilities to maintain."
Theresa nodded. She supposed that was fair. She could appreciate his dedication to the people who relied on him.
"Would you be interested to know what happened here during the week you were gone?" he asked her.
Theresa sat up in surprise.
Week? She had been in the forest for an entire week?
It was hard to believe that so much time had slipped away from her without her knowing. It was unnerving and frightening, even though she had actually intended to slip away forever.
Wildwood seemed to understand her reaction. "When we found you in the forest, you were oddly unresponsive. Were you even aware of what you were doing?"
Theresa shook her head. Wildwood's brow furrowed slightly.
"Is it as if there are cat thoughts influencing your mind?"
Theresa considered. It was a fair description she supposed, although it was perhaps more as if her mind had also become a cat's mind.
She waggled her head up and down, suddenly noticing how natural her cat's body had become. It felt like the body was really her own.
It was comforting to truly feel at home in her skin again even though she knew the realization should feel horrible.
Should she not be horrified that memories of her human form were becoming something like a murky dream?
"I've read that it is as if there is an animal in your mind. Were you thinking as a cat the entire time that you were gone?"
Theresa supposed so. The memory of the time between when she left and returned to her mind was almost curiously blank. She half nodded. She thought that she might have been aware at the time yet she had almost no recall of things that had happened.
"I believe it would be wiser for you to remain in control of yourself as much as possible. Remember your human self, my lady, or I fear that you might be lost inside the cat part of your mind indefinitely. Do you remember anything from when the cat was in control?"
No more than vague dreamlike stalking through the forest. She shook her head.
Wildwood seemed to ponder everything for a while.
Then he changed the subject. "Perhaps you were unaware, but I had left the castle the day after your aunt departed. Estate business, but at the same time I also acquired a few more texts that I hope should assist me in restoring you. One is quite a rare volume."
He indicated three books piled on his desk.
He paused, and met her eyes again. He smiled wryly. "I did not return until three days ago and when I did, the estate was in an uproar. Most of my staff was searching for you. Sir Thomas was trying to keep your sister calm. No small task. Missus White was threatening to quit."
Shame that bit did not come to fruition.
"I restored some semblance of order and rode out after you. Even though I could sense you vaguely, it took nearly two days of riding to reach you. Do you remember fleeing from me?"
Theresa shook her head.
"It was quite difficult to catch you, I had to resort to magic. You seemed not recognize me at all nor even to be aware of yourself. It was not until we returned that you finally began to act as yourself. I believe it was your sister's voice that brought you back to awareness."
Theresa shrugged. She did not know what had brought her back.
"I will read the latest volumes that I've obtained and I believe that we will be ready to attempt to begin to fix your magical issue."
Theresa had trouble believing that he would succeed, but that did not seem to be such a terrible thing any longer. She recalled his assurances that he would simply bring her back to this form if unsuccessful. It would be fine.
Her fierce desire to be human again was fading.
She supposed it was wrong of her to allow her actions to be controlled by something in her mind but there was also a feeling of comfort, like her cat instincts would take care of any problems that came her way. Like Theresa did not need to be responsible or in control.
It felt as if her cat half was protecting her as it had protected itself. It had not felt bad. It had felt almost comfortably familiar.
"You are probably hungry," Wildwood said.
Theresa was a bit hungry, but not as hungry as she should have been after a week wandering around in a forest.
She had a fair idea of what she had likely eaten and she did not want to dwell on it, although the thought was hardly so revolting as it once had been.
Still, eating something human prepared would be just the thing to wash down all the forest fauna that she was not going to think about.
Theresa scratched herself absently with her back leg.
"Come with me and then we'll get you something to eat," Wildwood said.
Theresa followed him. His plan sounded most acceptable.
* * * * *
Theresa was slightly taken aback when she found herself with Daphne and Thomas rather than with a bowl of something delicious.
They seemed to be playing a game Theresa did not recognize. She was vaguely curious about it, but far more disappointed because she had been looking forward to some meat or perhaps some cream, or perhaps both.
She scratched her fur and looked at Wildwood and wondered what he was thinking.
"Sir Thomas, could you check Lady Theresa over to make sure that she's unharmed?"
"You know animals aren't really my specialty, but I'll make an attempt," Thomas said slowly. "I suppose I did manage to repair her ear. Is it acceptable if I give you a checkup, Lady Theresa?"
Theresa nodded, not because she really wanted him to but because she had no way of arguing. It was easier just to let these humans do as they pleased, unless they were doing something overwhelmingly ridiculous.
It would be fine, so long as they fed her once this was over.
Theresa considered moving onto the table to make things easier for Thomas, but decided that he might as well suffer a bit as well. She sat in the middle of the floor and stared at him.
With a little sigh, he came and crouched next to her on the floor.
She felt tingling warmth go through her. The cat part of her mind was not thrilled but neither did she try to move.
"What's this?" Thomas stopped suddenly. "Oh."
Oh, what? Theresa wondered suspiciously.
Thomas' shock seemed to be turning into something more annoying. She glared at him with all the heat she could muster.
"What is it?" asked Daphne, sounding worried that something else was wrong with her sister.
"She seems to be perfectly healthy, Lady Daphne, except for one minor issue," Thomas explained.
"Minor issue?" Daphne repeated, sounding extremely concerned.
"I'm not sure your sister would want me to say," he said tentatively. "She's been hanging around with a rough crowd."
Wait, was he amused? She gave him a glare to demonstrate her feelings.
"Sir Thomas, tell me plainly what is wrong with Theresa," Daphne demanded.
And then before he spoke, Theresa knew what was coming.
It was too disgusting, too mortifying, too... too...
"Lady Theresa has fleas." The wretch really was amused!
Theresa shot Thomas a look that would have, in a just universe, killed him or at the very least set him on fire.
Her skin crawled just thinking about it, or was it the horrible little pests she was feeling? It was so revolting.
Daphne seemed to feel the same because she was wearing a look of pure disgust and rubbing her arms as if she too could feel them in sympathy.
Wildwood shook his head and Thomas became serious immediately.
"I am sorry, Lady Theresa," he said, although Theresa was not at all sure whether he was sorry about his enjoyment at her expense or the horrid diagnosis.
She had a stray thought to walk and brush her flea infested fur all over him, but she decided to maintain her dignity instead. She heroically resisted the urge to scratch and furiously stared him straight in the eyes until he looked away.
"Can you help?" Wildwood asked.
"I do know a spell that would probably work, it removes lice or other parasites. Just give me a couple of minutes. Excuse me, Lady Daphne. We can finish our game afterwards."
"Of course," Daphne agreed quickly. "Just get those horrid things off of her immediately."
Her skin crawled while she waited, and Theresa contemplated where she had picked up the disgusting pests. Most likely it had been the mother cat who had given them to her as a secondary form of revenge, she thought wryly.
She had heard of bugs infesting people or animals but never had she imagined that it could happen to her. Disgusting!
Thomas returned and Theresa waited while he cast his spell. She felt a soothing warmth move over her skin and through her fur. It actually felt really good; her cat side wanted to purr.
Through sheer force of will she forced away the reflex. There was no way she was giving Thomas the satisfaction.
"They should be gone," Thomas stated.
"Let's go to the kitchen, Lady Theresa," Wildwood said. Theresa followed him and he continued talking. "I am sorry about that."
Once in the kitchen, Theresa ate her fill and had a lovely nap by the fire.
Her cat side decided that it was quite pleased to be back with her loyal servants after all.