The Hunt for Freedom

Chapter Five

"That is a great idea, little one." He purred at me with eyes that showed kindness and love. "This must be a lot for you to take in, how much do you already know?"

"I only know that Momma has family here, and they are going to help me understand how I am half a cat." I said confidently, I had no idea how telling my words were.

My Grandfather actually looked hurt, and my Grandmother emitted a guttural sound like she was being strangled.

Grandmother spoke for the first time, turning to Momma, "Do you hate us so much that you have denied her any knowledge of her heritage?"

Momma burst into tears and dropped to her knees before her parents. "I have been such a fool," she cried. Between sobs she whimpered, "Can you forgive me?"

It was hard seeing Momma like that, broken and desperate. I was thankful my Grandfather showed compassion.

"Rise, my child, your transgressions are forgiven. You have been blessed among us to be the mother of our future. Stand now, and resume your rightful place." Grandfather sounded like a king, and he commanded respect from all...but what was he talking about?

Mother rose, shakily, laying one hand on the nearest table for support.

"So it's true then: She's the one foretold of in the ancient texts?" Momma questioned quietly, almost as if she didn't want to hear the answer.

"It is true, is this why you ran away?" Grandmother questioned.

"Yes Mother," Momma looked at the floor, "We were studying the ancient scripts in school and it became painfully obvious that my children might be called upon to fulfill the prophecies. I didn't want this. This thought terrified me day and night to the point I stopped thinking and I ran. I immersed myself straight into the human world, thinking that if I married a human I had a good possibility of having human children and the burden of our Pride would fall to someone else."

Momma paused and straightened her shoulders, "I can see now how wrong I was. It should be an honor to serve. I would humbly like to rejoin the Pride and ask for guidance for my daughter."

Tears streamed down my Grandmother's face. Years of pain and anguish washed away with a mother's love. She came to Momma and they embraced and cried together. The family resemblance was without question, And even in tears they both carried themselves so regally.

Grandfather, however, was ready to get down to business. "Sit down Katalea, I want to tell you of our beginnings.

I sat next to Momma and Grandmother, both of them rested hands on my back.

"It is said that there was a time when the gods liked to roam the earth seeking pleasure, using the humans as mere pawns in their hunt for entertainment. They would pit the humans against each other in barbaric battles just for amusement.. Some warriors would be sent out on impossible quests in hopes of a divine reward.

At times they would fall in love with a beautiful woman and a child would be conceived. Being born half god, half human the child would have abilities no other human could comprehend. They were often seen as witches, somehow evil, and often burned at the stake. They learned to hide their abilities and tried to live in colonies near each other. They found solace in each other and they were able to practice shifting and working on their craft without prying eyes.

One such ability was to shift into feline forms. Not domestic cats, but large cats that would prey on other humans. The nearby villages would report leopard sightings often. The woods were said to be full of wildcats that hunted at night. Some would see bobcats, tigers, or mountain lions, but never a black panther.