Cale's POV

Cale's own face stared back at him, the only difference were the eyes, dead and unseeing. It was so realistic it made him look down his own body to make sure it was still there. How, he thought, how could there possibly be someone so similar to himself.

He looked to Garnet.

"Magic," she whispered, it sounded like merely an exhale but it locked everything into place.

Of course it was magic. But it was so believable, paramedics were fooled by the bodies.

Bodies. 4. One for each of them. And each so realistic he would have believed them dead if they weren't sitting beside him.

"Why?" Nyarai cried at the screen.

All attention was on her, even of the Wolves who had gathered around to watch. The reporter kept rattling on about how it was such a tragedy. A look of confusion an horror painted on her face, it matched the other werecats so perfectly.

Then came the interviews. The shy sister of Nyarai, Zodwa's tear soaked face appeared on screen. Nyarai didn't even wait to hear want her sister had to say, she got up and headed out.

Garnet leapt off the couch to stop her "Nyarai, where are you going?"

Nyarai didn't turn back "I've got to tell my sister I'm still alive!"

Her voice was filled with emotions, fear, terror, sadness but most of all rage. She bolted out of the door, her body full of determination.

Garnet looked back at Cale, help me expressed so clearly in her eyes before she chased after Nyarai. Cale looked at Naoko and Alkira. "We better stop her."

They both got up without hesitation and followed Garnet's footsteps out into the yard. Nyarai had shifted into her lioness form, so filled with emotion she couldn't contain her lioness. Garnet stood at the gate blocking it. Her fame tiny against the mighty lioness. "If she sees you she won't be able to handle it, she's seen your dead body," Garnet pleaded.

Nyarai wasn't listening and paced the length of the fence.

Cale looked to Naoko as they raced through the garden "your cat is supposed to be fast."

"This really isn't the time for comparing cats," Naoko retorted, and she was right, Nyarai was in a pouncing position having picked the right bit of fence.

"Ugh," Cale rolled his eyes "catch her!"

Naokosuddenly understood, Cale grabbed her shoulders and pushed her into the ground and soon as her arms hit the ground they weren't arms at all. Her proud Leopard stood before them but not for long as it stot toward Nyarai.

Nyarai launched herself into the air in a perfect arc that would have saw her over the fence with ease. Her powerful body was a sight to behold, the muscles shifting under golden furr. Suddenly the leopard intercepted her, mid air the two giant cats crashed.

A snarl escaped Nyarai's lips before the two fell heavy on the ground. Cale and Alkira felt the ground shake with the impact. Cale was sure everyone in the pack house felt it too. It was like a small earthquake and left a dent in earth, cracking the stones of the garden nearby.

Nyarai was the first up with her teeth bared at Naoko. Naoko's head was bowed and her ears flat against it. Suddenly Garnet jumped in between them "stop!"

Garnet stared into Nyarai's huge cat eyes fearlessly, her arms were spread trying to block as much of Naoko as possible. Garnet though holding her pose, braced her face pulling into a wince. Despite that she held her open and her gaze with Nyarai, determined. Cale witnessed the fire of bravery Garnet had, standing up to something she knew was a powerful ancient force. But Garnet knew something Cale did not, under all the powers of a wereanimal they were still the same person. They as a person had control over their own body. And Garnet was gambling on Nyarai's self control knowing that despite her wolf form having more defence Nyarai would have more empathy to a human form with human eyes.

The snarl dropped from Nyarai's face. Garnet stepped forward, still with her arms raised, covering Naoko. Nyarai cowered down at her step. 

Cale thought Garnet must have been some sort of werecat whisperer. Nyarai was ready to attack Naoko, someone who had been though the same as herself but was now calm to Garnet. 

He was impressed.

"You have to shift back, being in Lioness form is only going to cloud your judgement further," Garnet's voice was calm but firm, as her gaze.

Nyarai threw her huge head back and forth, a small rebellious growl escaping her lips. But Garnet held her gaze, unblinking. 

Nyarai huffed and shifted back. Reason clearly getting the better of her.  Garnet smiled "Nyarai, thank you."

Now back in human form Nyarai couldn't meet Garnet's eye, her face was locked on the ground, locks of her hair falling out of their braid to cover it. "You want me to let my sister believe I'm dead?"

Garnet bit her lip thinking about it "it would be best, for now," Nyarai's body shifted deeply distraught "as least let her get over the grief, it would be too much for her right now. Her mind wouldn't be able to handle it."

Alkira who hadn't said anything this whole time finally spoke up "Let's figure with out so when you see her next you can explain exactly what happened."

The other four all looked at Alkira. Nyarai actually smiled a little "you're right," she whispered and stood.

Who knew Alkira could be the most understanding?

In silence they walked back to the mansion. Cale was still trembling a little from the terrifying bravery of Garnet, so easily Nyarai could have ripped apart Garnet. The fear he felt from watching her combined with fear that wasn't his own amounted to terror inside his mind. But where did the foreign fear come from. Garnet had called him her mate so possibly it was her own fear of facing Nyarai. However she had seemed so fearless in facing her. It was too confusing Cale pushed it from his mind. He thought instead about Nyarai's lioness form mid air. His fingers itched for a paintbrush. 

As soon as they entered the living room a younger werewolf about their age ran up to them "I recorded it like you asked," he said quickly to Garent, handing her the remote.

"Thank you Louis," her eyes were trained on the screen rather than his smiling face.

She hit rewind and sat down. Cale absentmindedly sat beside her, noticing it after he had done it, it was too late to move. He felt his face heat up. But Garent didn't notice, she was focused on the TV as were the rest of the werecats. 

Cale didn't know how Alkira and Naoko felt about all this but he was pleased. And strangely he wasn't even ashamed of being pleased. So many nights he had laid awake thinking of ways to leave his parents. Lately he had just been excited, thinking of universities he could have gone to that would have been so far away. But this was better, a university ended. Dead was permanent, even magical death, if he wanted it. He just couldn't force himself to feel bad about this situation when as a boy he had dreamt of it.

Garnet played the news segment again. Cale did have to admit, it was hard to watch. The new reporter saying his name in the past tense gave him chills. 

Suddenly about halfway through "Pause!"

The loud shout came from Naoko. Who pointed to the screen so abruptly she almost fell off her chair. 

Garnet paused.

"No you missed it, go back slowly."

Garnet rewinded again, slowly. Noako scrambled out of her chair and onto the floor she crawled over to the TV her finger shot straight up had a face in the crowd.

"Look!"

There was that smile, and those green eyes.

Meow Myths,

Happy new year! What are your plans for the new year? I'm taking a 6 month breath from uni to focus on writing and to also work. Maybe go on a holiday, we'll see.

First published - 9/1/2019

Meow for now