Transformation Tragedies [CoRIII]

Chapter 18 - The absconding

[Running is all that Nicole does. Running until her legs can't take it anymore. She recalls seeing the heartbroken look on her husband's face in the corner of her eye once she jumped out of the shattered window. Tears continue rolling down her cheeks as she accelerates her pace on all fours and runs through the quiet neighbourhood as the thunderstorm faded away. A waxing, but still bright moon shows itself above in the sky while the helpless feline tries to escape her tormenting mind. A hurricane of mixed thoughts rushes through her head and she no longer knows how to properly deal with them, trying to escape as quickly as possible. She doesn't even watch where she's running and feels her heart racing in her still aching throat, ending up having to hold still in a dead end. Nicole restlessly looks around, but can't see sharp enough due to her watery eyes and tries to use her scent to identify anything around her.

She stumbles upon a high wooden fence once she takes a different turn. Refusing to turn around, the blue mouser uses her claws to climb straight upwards the wooden construction and balances above it with all her four paws. Her tears dry once she squints her eyes by the bright garden light she didn't expect to encounter and starts panting after realizing where she is. A tall silhouette suddenly approaches the fence with a flashlight and Nicole startles once she gets blinded by it, immediately losing balance and falling onto the lawn on all her paws with a bent back. How she hissed while falling, her panting returns when she sees who's approaching her.]

Patrick: I suppose cats do always land on their feet, don't they?

[The tall, shelled fairy clearly recovered from the incident, yet he still has bandage wrapped around the stub where his left antler used to be. Not because it hurt, but because the fairy felt beyond aggravated and victimized himself even further by that. His eyes are narrowed and he keeps his arms on his back after turning off the flashlight, embracing the glow from Nicole's yellow sclerae. Her pupils are still black, but her body seems to be terribly morphed. Her skeletal structure and size still are her own, meanwhile her fur and fangs are long, with her not being able to stand completely straight and hunches a bit due to this. She rubs her eyes once the flashlight no longer blinds her and pants with trembling limbs, having a cowering pose once she notices the full appearance of Patrick. She speaks up in a terribly raspy voice due to her still damaged throat, but manages to speak up thanks to it now having healed enough for speech.]

Nicole: I- I didn't mean t-to end up h-here...

Patrick: Oh of course you didn't. Why are you even at this side of town? It's far away from your habitat.

Nicole: E-excuse me... H-habitat?

Patrick: Isn't that what an animal's living spot is called?

Nicole: I- I'm a feral animal t-to you?

[Patrick's frown gets deeper and he reveals a document from behind him, with stamps Nicole has seen before.]

Patrick: 'May 2014; Middle-aged individual identified with the specimen of Felis Catus governmentally classified as more animal than citizen of Elmore town.' It's all in this document from the many asylums you've been to.

[Nicole tilts her head and frowns while still trembling.]

Patrick: You've been locked up in so many places, says the record on the back of this. First you were considered law-loosed, meaning your punishment was at anyone's choice and it says you had been captured in a remote but unknown area.

[Nicole holds her head with one paw while trying to keep her balance with the other and groans once she remembers it.]

Nicole: [Murmurs] Ugh, Brandon... That was such a long time ago...