Publisher:
Publish Date: Not available
Features: On the second night, we couldn’t go to the Chapman house because Marko and I had to write an essay. The third day was Dad’s birthday. Finally, we gathered outside the street where the Chapman house was. It was almost eight o’clock at night. Moe was already out, crossing four streets, sniffing near a fence—it seemed another cat had left some scent there. At least Tobias said so.
“Ready?” Jack asked me. I nodded.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Casey asked. “If not, we can wait. We don’t have to do this tonight.”
“The sooner the better,” I said. “We all know there’s something wrong with that house. Melissa is still my friend, maybe I can help her.”
“Your task isn’t to help Melissa Chapman,” Marko pointed out. “You should spy on the vice principal, Chapman. You need to find a way to get close to the monsters so we can fight them as beasts.”
“I know what I’m doing, Marko,” I said. He nodded. “Alright. Hey, be careful. Your opponent is the vice principal. If he finds you turn into a cat and sneak into his house, he’ll make you stay after school for 365 days.”
Everyone laughed, as if staying after school was what I was really afraid of. Marko could be annoying sometimes, but he always made me feel at ease in critical moments.
“I’m ready,” I said. I waved my hand at the dark sky. Tobias flew over, spread his wings to slow down, and landed on the fence next to us.
“How’s it going with the cats, Tobias?” Jack asked.
“You’d have a great career in breaking into houses,” Marko said to Tobias. “You and me steal things, and Jack turns into Spider-Man to catch us.”
“Okay, I’m ready to transform,” I announced. “Absolutely ready.”
Tobias telepathically said to me alone:
I focused on transforming into Moe. It wasn’t hard—I clearly remembered Moe’s appearance. The day I turned into a weasel, it had almost killed me by climbing down a tree. My body already stored Moe’s DNA, ready for use at any time. I just needed to concentrate… to focus on transforming into every kind of animal. Especially the first time, you don’t even know how to control the transformation process. Even Casey, the first time, didn’t know how to do it. As for me turning into Moe, it started from the fur. First, black fur grew, then white fur began to appear. When the fur grew evenly, I still basically looked like a human. My arms were covered in fur. Fur and whiskers grew on my legs and face, but the rest of my body was mostly unchanged.
“Wow, that’s cool!” Casey said. She stared at me, her mouth wide open in a grin.
“So cool. You look amazing.” Marko and Jack nodded in agreement.
“It’s weird, but it’s beautiful,” Marko said. “You could be in a cat food commercial. Maybe sing a little song and dance. Forget Morris the Cat—no one’s better than you.”
I began to shrink. Strangely, my height decreased, my coat piled on the ground, yet I didn’t feel myself shrinking. In fact, I felt stronger. I felt like I was shedding the excess—clumsy legs, weak arms—leaving only my essence behind. I didn’t feel like I was made of ordinary bones and flesh. I felt like liquid steel. I didn’t have the fear of the weasel, nor the absolute arrogance of an elephant or an eagle. It was a completely new feeling. Of course, I had fear, but behind it was confidence. The cat knew there was an enemy nearby but also knew how to deal with it. I felt strong. Yes, that’s the feeling—strong.
At that moment, the experience of a cat began to flood my mind.
“Cats have eight times the night vision of humans,” Casey said quickly. “I checked it.”
“Eight times?” Marko repeated. “Not seven, not nine? How do they measure that?”
What was strange wasn’t how clearly I could see but what I could see. For example, humans pay attention to color. Cats can distinguish colors, but they’re not as sensitive to them. For instance, that thing is red. But who cares? Cats focus on movement. If something moves, even slightly, a cat can see it. I stood on the lawn, looking around with my big cat eyes. Everything seemed to be moving. I could see each blade of grass swaying in the wind. I clearly saw each insect crawling on the grass. I saw birds on the trees flapping their wings. And yes, I saw mice and squirrels of all sizes. Twenty feet away, a mouse. I could see every whisker on its tiny nose twitching. I lost interest in things that didn’t move. If a little mouse stood still, I’d forget it existed.
“You okay?” Jack asked me. I heard his voice, but it didn’t mean anything to me. The mouse was trying to gnaw open a nut, its tiny teeth making a faint crunching sound. I noticed the sound and focused on it fully.
“Good, at least she’s not running around uncontrollably,” Marko said. Suddenly, I felt something above me—its outline, its shadow, its presence. I turned my head lightning-fast, ears perked up. My fur stood on end, and my tail swelled to three times its normal size. I stretched my claws, bared my teeth. It all happened in an instant. I was ready to fight. Whoever attacked me would know that Moe wasn’t someone to mess with.
“Hiss” P101-106