Transformed [W&W Book 1]

Chapter 6

Theresa tried to take stock of the situation rationally, but it was an exceedingly difficult task under the circumstances.

Everything was wrong. She was a cat. A cat stuck up in a tree. A cat stuck up in a tree with nasty dogs guarding against her escape, even if she could figure out a safe way back down.

She was a cat stuck up in a tree with nasty dogs that were clearly doing Francine's bidding.

And she could hardly think.

Her cat side thought that she was mad to even consider leaving the safety of the tree under the circumstances. It was not particularly fond of the process of going down in any situation let alone under threat of the vicious brutes beneath her. Her cat side was quite sure that the imbecilic dogs would eventually lose interest and leave.

The woman in her wanted to hope, yet also knew she would be in more trouble if she just sat there.

Even in the completely unlikely chance the dogs were unrelated to her Francine woes, her aunt and her men would still be on the march. Theresa had to keep moving.

Her eyes fell upon the nearest tree. It was only a short distance away, or rather a short distance away had she been safely on the ground. The nearest branches looked really far from her present vantage point.

Far beyond the tree, she could see a rocky cliff. If she could just make it there, she could probably climb up and lose the dogs below her.

If they had been capable climbers they would already be up on a limb happily chewing on her rather than barking and whimpering on the ground.

Maybe she could make it, somehow.

She knew that she had to try. This tree bore nothing but the illusion of safety.

The cat part of her was screaming that her terrible idea would only end badly. It wanted her to stay exactly where she was and wait for the dogs to get bored and leave. She could feel her fur rising in her unease.

She glanced down again at the dogs below her. The smaller shorthaired dog was still watching her.

It was certain Francine's men were coming. But the dogs—

Theresa screamed in her head for her cat instincts to be silent and let her think.

She was human and it was her body, no matter how she might appear on the outside. She was not a cat.

With that certainty, she coiled energy into her legs and made a reckless leapt for the next tree.

She flew forward and arced down at the same time. It felt as if she was falling faster and her heart leapt into her throat as she plummeted.

Finally, her paws hit a branch and she dug her claws deep in. The branch snapped, but it still slowed her down enough that she caught the next one. Her paws hurt but she ignored the pain.

Theresa looked down. The ground was not very far. Ignoring her feline preferences she leapt down the rest of the way and landed on her feet without trouble.

Without wasting a moment she dashed in the direction of the cliff. If she could just climb up, the dogs would be powerless to touch her or trap her.

She ran until the cliff was in sight.

Her surge of relief was quickly destroyed by the sound of barking closing in on her.

She had caught them by surprise, but they had recouped fast.

A quick glance showed her that the grey dog was nearly upon her. The other two were not in sight although she could still hear their barking echoing through the trees.