When I wake up, I find myself back in our cell, lying on my mattress. I can sense my body's clear of those feathers. I am no longer unwell. 

Yelen and Annabelle are sitting on their mattresses, conversing about their recent hunt. I wonder how long it's been that I'm sleeping.

"W... What happened?"

My voice doesn't sound squeaky either. Yeah, I guess I'm cured. So, that blond guy of before, Knut, has truly succeeded in healing me, as he had bragged back then? How come? I thought there was no way to reverse this transformation... All of these vampires said so. I thought he had been bluffing.

Yelen and Annabelle look at me with quite some surprise. Soon, their stupor changes into excitement. They run up to me.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?" Yelen asks.

"Your feathers have vanished, and your voice too, is back to normal? Goodness, I can't believe this!" Annabelle is dumbfounded. I guess, she too, finds it hard to believe I'm truly cured.

"It seems so. Thank goodness..." I mutter. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Annabelle says.

"Three days?!"

"Yes." Yelen nods. "We were concerned about you. Knut did say you'd recover but, it was too hard to believe... Then, your feathers began to fall, so we realised it might actually be true. Rufy and Ronald too, have dropped in several times, to check on you. They both were worried. We all were..."

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!" Annabelle goes on scolding me, as always. "I almost had a heart attack! You could have died!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry," I apologize. "I'll never drink blood again..."

"Actually, you can do that now." Yelen smiles, "Knut said that now when you're healed and have already tasted blood, you won't have those outbursts anymore. You'll be able to control your craving."

"Yeah, your turning process has sped up," Annabelle explains. "If you haven't already noticed, your claws have grown permanent, like ours."

Now that I look at my hands and feet, my nails have indeed gotten sharp like claws. I guess they have reached the final transformation. I can now morph them into beastly claws I can use for battles, whenever I want. Annabelle and Yelen have already had such nails ever since I met them. I guess my turning process has indeed sped up.

"So, I can, from now on, participate in the hunts too?" I ask, just to be sure.

"Yeah. Now you're officially our team member!" Annabelle grins, happy that I too can accompany them now. "When you are on your feet again, we shall go hunting together!"

"Yes! That'd be marvellous!" Yelen is no less excited.

"I guess I can get up already. I don't feel tired."

I push my blanket off and get up. I change into my prisoner's uniform - a white sleeveless top, a pair of grey trousers, and cheap sandals. I neatly fold my night-robe and stuff it under the blanket on my mattress.

"So, anyway, how did Knut manage it? I thought you guys said the bestial transformation was an unstoppable process..." I ask them as I take a seat beside them and grab a bottle of blood from the bunch we have piled up in a corner nearby.

"You want the truth?" Annabelle uncorks her bottle and tosses some blood off. "We have no idea."

"Yeah. I asked Rufy about that too," Yelen says. "He said he's seen it for the first time. Usually, bestial transformations are very rare. The only fact we have known is that of Kaleb. But when Kaleb was found out, he had already long been turned, so there was no way to reverse the process. Apparently, now it turns out it can be reversed, but only if the person is still in their early stages of turning. Like you were."

"Oh, I get it... So, can all felines do that? I mean, the way Knut stabbed me with his claws, some green liquid dripped off of them, back then. That should've been the medicine, right?"

"Yeah, that was the medicine, but not all felines can do that." Annabelle takes another draught of the blood. "Only elementals."

"Elementals?" 

I hear that word for the first time.

"Actually, I haven't seen any elementals do that either," Yelen argues. 

"Elementals are zoomorphs that can control elements like fire, water, and plants," Annabelle explains to me. "Among canines, only foxes can do that: white foxes control water, and red foxes go for fire. Felines have more variations: black panthers and jaguars control plants; red tigers, spotted leopards, and spotted jaguars control fire; and white tigers and nearly-extinct snow leopards control water."

"Yes, but they aren't always elementals," Yelen says. "Like, you may meet a lot of foxes who can't control any element, and so on. Meeting an elemental is a rarity. And then, plant elementals cannot control liquid... so, I don't know how Knut has managed to do that."

"Two words: dual power."

Annabelle proceeds with drinking the blood from her bottle. While Yelen is stupefied at her words, I am rather puzzled - I have no idea what she means.

"But dual power is a rare ability..." Yelen says.

"It may be rare, but not impossible, you know?" Annabelle shrugs. "At least, I don't see any other way he could've done that."

"So, you mean, he can control both plants and water? Unbelievable..." 

Yelen is shocked. I still have a hard time understanding their speech. However, one thing I know for sure - that guy, Knut, has saved my life. I guess I should thank him properly when I see him again. 

Will I ever see him again, though? This prison is really vast, and the feline district is too far away.

But then, Annabelle knows almost every kind of deviant in this prison. She should probably have some feline friends too.

"Annabelle..."

"Yeah?"

"Can you take me to the feline district?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I want to thank Knut properly," I explain. "He has saved my life. I believed I was a goner, yet I'm still alive. And now that you guys say he's done the impossible... I only guess I should really thank him."

"You're saying you want me to cross half of the prison with you just so you could thank some guy?" Annabelle rolls her eyes. "Can you believe her, Yelen?"

"Why not? He was rather handsome..." Yelen shrugs with a smile. 

"Aww, you mean, that? Yeah, that makes sense!" Annabelle laughs and turns back to me, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I feel my cheeks flush. How come they think I like him? It's just gratitude, for heaven's sake!

"You don't have to hide it, girl. When you want to cross the entire prison only to meet some guy, that's enough of proof it's for more than just gratitude." Annabelle grins.

"Ugh, forget it..."

I drop the subject. They are laughing. They must be thinking I'm too shy to express my feelings. That's always the way with girls - they think when you want to thank a guy who has literally saved your life, you must definitely like him. Why should I have feelings for that cat? He was rude and uncultured. If he weren't my saviour, I'd never really want to see him again.

I guess I'll just do it on my own, then. I'll find Knut by myself, thank him, and get this over with.