Flash Fiction #627 -- Neko's Trip Home/7

 I couldn't move. Or maybe I didn't dare move because I had no idea where Catzilla might be. I was starting to see splotches of color, but given the white from before, I assumed the colors were in my head. That didn't help. Neither did going from stone deaf to hearing everything in three realms. The roar hit me like a wind, and I rolled a few feet and came up hard against something.

Yes, I panicked.

"Easy, Neko!"

Colin swept me up in his arms, but pulling in all my claws still took a difficult act of will. I could hear his heartbeat, the rush of blood in his veins, and the sound of each breath he took.

And the movement of something else nearby.

"White Catzilla," I whispered. "Huge. And speak softly. It hurts. Told her Maude is dead. She wanted the honor."

The cat charged at us, her claws sounding like bullets against whatever flooring we had beneath us. She must have been farther away than I thought. Colin had time to shift me to his shoulder, and I settled in like an excellent furry collar.

It was where I belonged. Not only was I safe here, but I could also help. It occurred to me that this entire place was Maude's magical construction. Now that I had a moment to think, I realized no one alive knew more about her magic than I did.

She made a leap at us but hit the wall of protection he'd put up. She bounced back with a squeal of indignation that sounded like sirens going off all around us. Even Colin winced.

I could see her all too well now. She stood a bit wobbly, and her ears went back while her tail twitched. I wasn't confident even fae magic would stand up to a determined charge.

"Do you want to know how to get out of here or not?" I asked. The words were too loud but stopped her. "If not, my fae friend and I will be on our way."

I hoped.

She started to leap and pulled herself to a stop away from the magical wall. I suspected she took note of Colin for the first time. Maybe she saw me as more than a dreaded enemy, but rather a minion for Maude.

I was never a minion.

I moved to stand on Colin's shoulder rather than cowering behind his head. I stopped acting like prey, and she noted it.

"My name is Neko," I said. It was a dangerous ploy since names convey power --

But this paid off.

"She spoke often of you! You were better than me at everything --"

"She was just toying with you. She locked me away in an old building, and I stayed there for centuries until the fae helped me. Whatever she said I was good at clearly wasn't true."

She sat down. "I am Shosha -- or I was before rage turned me into this creature."

"Do you want to let go of that rage?" Colin asked.

She blinked, her icy-blue eyes narrowing. "What do I have left without it?"

"The chance to be something more and to leave this cage," Colin replied.

She stared at him again, and I wondered what she thought. At least she did so quietly. Unfortunately, Colin was in a talkative mood. My head still wanted to explode, and I would have asked for help, but Colin needed to focus on our companion.

"I want out," she whispered, afraid to admit to it. Afraid it was still one of Maude's tricks. There had been those while Neko traveled with Maude, but not after he had been trapped in the bookstore. Maybe I'd been lucky. Or else she didn't want to draw attention to me and her hidden treasure.

I stopped myself from saying anything. This wasn't about me.

"I can help you release your rage," Colin offered. "Then you can come with us or go anywhere you want."

"But I will be small and helpless again!"

"Cats are never helpless," I replied with more indignation than I had intended. Also louder. I winced, but Colin patted my shoulder.

"We cannot stay," Colin said. Shosha made a soft sound of worry. "I know this isn't an easy choice to make. I can take the rage away and give you a link to call it back again if you change your mind. Just remember that was the rage also comes the prison. I could not allow you to run around wild in that state."

She still paused. This would be a significant change for her, and I felt that she had wiped away all memories of her previous life. I had the feeling I knew someone who would help her, though. Better yet, Luna had no magic except for her ability to see beyond the simple reality the rest of us could view.

"Let me see this other world," she finally said. "It may be that I don't like it."

That sounded sufficiently catlike to me, so I had more hope for her. Colin was already lifting his hands and casting a spell. A moment later, there was a harsh breeze that seemed to tangle into everything and just annoyed me. I finally realized that this was Shosha's rage dissipating into the air.

As the sound died down, I looked over at Shosha and couldn't find her until I saw a small bit of white movement against the white and gray background.

"I am tiny!" An indignant voice shouted from the floor.

"You are adorable," Colin replied and scooped her up.

I decided that she was right -- she was tiny. She was also somewhat adorable if you go in for those short-legged fluffy things.

I could not imagine what Maud wanted with her unless it had been the power of that rage.