“What if we Change, like Flora suggested, and have a fun time running through the woods?”
“I’m down for that,” Liam declared.
“I haven’t Changed since you had me moved to the apartment in the Sanctuary,” Beth said. “While I love being able to be human again, it’s been a bit. My cat wants out.”
“You don’t want to go up and get settled in your room first?”
Beth shuddered. “I’ve had enough of walls for the last year. I want to get out in the free air, and run and climb, and savor the freedom, knowing that I’ll never be in a cage again.”
Naomi hugged her sister right. “I get that, totally. Okay, let’s go!”
When they reached the first of the trees, Naomi looked at Liam. “I heard all about these woods from Tamera. I was scared to death when Flora brought us this way! I thought, maybe the woods could tell I was a Rogue and would eat me.”
“I can imagine,” Liam responded. “But at least now you know—really know—that it’s okay.”
“I remember you said something about the woods.” Beth looked curious. “Why were you scared of them? You said you’d tell me later.”
“That’s right, I did. The short version is that Tamera, one of the caracal shifters, had some kidnappers after her. They stalked her from the woods, hiding in the trees. And when Angus learned of it, he put some kind of magic spell over the woods here, on his property. When anyone meaning harm sets foot here, the ground under them turns to quicksand and swallows them up.”
Beth looked horrified, and not just a little ill. “Swallowed, as in…?”
“Yes,” Liam confirmed. “Just like you think. They sink into the quicksand. The End… unless someone is near at hand to rescue them.”
Naomi nodded. “So not being sure about the whole Rogue thing, I’ve avoided going anywhere near the trees, even though I certainly never had any ill intentions. Still… quicksand.”
Beth eyed the ground before her dubiously, but Liam laughed, grabbing both of them by the hand and leading them into the trees. “It’s fine! Now come, play.”
Once safely out of eyesight of both the inn and the road, they found a fallen tree and stripped, folding their clothes and putting them neatly beneath it. The air shimmered, the humans disappeared, and three sets of paws hit the ground. Liam gave a happy bark. Putting her ears back, Naomi hissed at him.
Dog.
He wuffed.Pussy.
She was about to pounce on him, when a rush of tawny fur bowled her over. Hissing and spitting, the two small leopards wrestled across the ground in a furious ball of fangs and claws. Breaking away, Naomi leaped for a nearby tree, clawing her way up to a high branch, then, as her sister followed, lowered herself from the branch and went back down the trunk head-first.
Show-off,scoffed Beth, still up in the tree.
Naomi chuffed, then shoved her head under Liam’s chin, while the huge shaggy dog chewed playfully on her ear.
Eww, dog spit,Beth taunted. She leaped from the tree, landing lightly on all four paws.Come on, let’s run!
Naomi chuffed at her sister and took off at a fast lope, Beth right on her tail. Since the large Great Pyrenees wasn’t as fast as the two cats, they circled around to come up on either side of him. Naomi, as a clouded leopard, was considerably smaller than Liam’s Pyr, and she leaped up onto his back as they ran, her claws digging into his thick fur to hang on. Spotting her, Beth squalled loudly, leaping onto both of them, and all three went down in a pile.
It was really hard to belly laugh in her cat form, and Naomi found herself laughing so hard she inadvertently Changed back to human. Beth and Liam followed suit, and the three lay in a heap of hilarity.
“Whoo, that was fun!” Naomi declared, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. She looked at the other two naked people on the ground beside her, and started to giggle again. “Oops. We left our clothes back there.”
Beth grinned. “So we did.”
“I don’t fancy a stroll back through the woods in the all-together,” Liam commented. “We’ll freeze our you-know-whats off. Let’s Change back to fur until we get back to where we left our clothes.”
“It is a little chilly,” Naomi agreed. “Just two weeks ago, we’d have been perfectly comfortable.”
Liam nodded. “Those Indian summers can disappear in the blink of an eye. Although, honestly, autumn held on much longer than is normal. I expect winter will come on fast, and next thing you know it’ll be snowing.”
“Snow!” Beth exclaimed, her eyes gleaming eagerly. “I can’t wait to run and play in snow! We never had any in Florida, growing up.”
Naomi shivered. “Okay, if we’re going to talk about snow, I vote that we Change, and get back to our clothing.”
