Chapter 3: School Days

Jack stepped through the archway stifling a yawn while sliding on his bathrobe. Like the majority of human beings, he was not at his best in the morning. But the past three days of overtime proved worth a bit of insomnia. Giving what little resources they had, the two mages managed to convert their warehouse into a fortress worthy of world saving catgirls. Most of the blast holes had been filled in, with the interior walls reinforced by steel plating. Abandoned crates and parts were cleared out to make way for their standard equipment. Each had its own little area for studying, recreation and medical treatment. They even managed to use the spare wood and parts to create small quarters for each member of their team, four of which he knew were currently occupied. Hopefully no one would miss the refitted cargo if this warehouse ever got back into production.

“Good Morning David.” Jack muttered as he went straight for the coffee pot on the kitchen counter, and took a test sip. It was cold and tasted faintly of axel grease, but not enough to give him motivation to brew a new source of caffeine.  

“Morning Jack,” replied his partner mage sitting at the dinning table nearby. His attention never left the computer screen as he spoke.

Pouring himself a cup of black liquid, Jack shuffled over to a position behind David. Curiosity made him glance at the laptop between sips. “So what’s the problem this time?”

David chuckled, giving his long time friend a smirk. “What makes you think there’s a problem?”

“Well, you’ve been up the past three days straight.” Jack yawned again, fixing the knot on his bathrobe. “Usually that means either a problem or you might finally beat my high score.”

“I’m a mage, not a miracle worker.” The smirk vanished and David punched a few keys. “Take a look at this. I’ve been monitoring the nexus around Dylan’s world from the moment Zegul entered through the rift. We apparently missed something.”

“Hrrrm?” Jack leaned in closer to the screen. The window in question displayed a virtual mock up with a wall of liquid properties. Soon as the simulation started, the wall exploded out into a huge ripple as a purple dot representing Zegul zoomed through. It was followed seconds later but four other multi-colored dots in rapid succession, showing the girls pursuit of him. He blinked as the wall returned to a state of peace, and started to turn away. Then he saw it; a ripple so small it only caused a slight bobbing along the walls surface. “Was that…”

“Yep,” David said, nodding. “Something decided to follow them through the rift, but it left a trail so weak I could barely get traces of it. Doesn’t help that there hasn’t been any new rift activity since Zegul’s death.”

“Well that’s good news, considering the state this world is in already.” Jack grinned before adding, “Maybe they’re afraid to face the gals that took him down?”

The black haired mage finally turned from his screen to look Jack in the eye. “Or maybe they’re afraid of what came through with them.”

They stared at each other in silence for several minutes, neither wanting to contemplate the possibilities but unable to deny them either. Letting out a sign, Jack shuffled over to the wall mounted phone. “I better get Linda and Clover out on patrol early today. Boy are they going to be pissed.”

“Clover’s always pissed about being woken up before noon,” David said, causing both mages to chuckle. “How’s Rayne doing?”

“Barricaded herself in her room and threatened to hump anything that so much as knocks.”

“Oh good, her heat is almost over then.” He returned to typing on the keyboard, data flying by the screen faster than any human could read. “Dylan has got enough to worry about without repeats of World Sixty-Nine happening.”

“Not exactly our most tactful first impression of the group, but I have faith in Kayla’s choice.” Jack flipped through a little black book by the phone and began to punch in numbers.

“The Tiger has never failed before,” David agreed. “Who are you calling anyway?”

“Just doing a little research of my own,” Jack said smugly as he picked up the phone.

----------------------------------------

Dylan awoke with intense relief at being alone this time. While he could understand Ryne’s good intentions, it did not seem to be sinking in that they were also creeping him out. The fact he no longer had a literal weight on his chest also helped heightened his mood. Like all high school students, his first impulse was to roll over and go back to sleep. That was until his eyes fell on the clock next to his bed.

“Aw crap, I’m late!” he rolled off the bed and nearly stumbled upon realizing it was much closer to the floor thanks to last night. Not bothering to regain his footing, Dylan scrambled to the pile of clothes in the corner and began to dig for anything decent to wear. It was not long before he produced a shirt with only a few grass stains on the back, but he got thrown off track when something was placed in his left hand. Whirling in surprise, Dylan’s eyes went wide to see he was now holding his henshin device. A much smaller hand remained over it, pounding on its buttons. “What the…?”

A brief whirlwind of flame incinerated the shirt Dylan had been wearing, as well as damage most of the clothes closest to his thighs. Clawia growled her frustration at the little girl now standing in a nightgown before her. The tiger’s tail lashed about with frizzled fur behind her like an angry snake. “Pia! What on earth are you doing!?”

The outburst made Clawia ears fold back in a blush. It had come out a lot more ferocious than intended. Instead of being scared, however, Dylan’s younger sister squeeled in joy before tackling the catgirl.

“Oh wow, this is so cool! I got a kitty for a brother now! I know mom sounded crazy at first, saying you were possessed by a demon and all, but yay! Then the panther girl muttered something about henshin devices and I had to try it. It doesn’t work for me though. Can’t you turn me into a catgirl too? What’s it like having a tail? Hey! Are those real?”

At the last question, Pia reached up and squeezed Clawia’s bust hard through her training gi. The catgirls whole body went stiff, right down to the tiger tail tip. Recovering fast, she brushed the smaller girl aside and gasped at the miscalculation in strength. The simple whim sent Pia into a tumble towards a wall. Reacting on instinct, Clawia zipped ahead and reached out a hand to catch her. Pia rolled into her arms, allowing the cat girl’s bust to soften the impact.

“That was mean!” Pia pouted through her dizzyness.

“Sorry. I guess I don’t know my own strength.” She said sheepishly, her ears twitching a bit. Clawia flushed a deeper shade of rose and scratched the back of her head. The Dylan part of her thoughts paused in awe at reflecting what just transpired. Even being unintentional, Pia flew at such speed there was no way she could have caught her before hitting the wall. “Don’t know my own speed either.”

Pia giggled, much to Clawia’s relief. Last thing she needed was to hurt the only sane person she knew. Clawia’s eyes caught another glance of the clock and she gulped. This time she paid a lot more caution to her actions as she set her sister down and made for the door. “Gotta go!”

“Hey, brother!” she said, causing Clawia to create several claw trenches in the rug with her hands before managing to stop again. “What’s it like?”

“What’s what like…?” Clawia sighed, putting a lot of restraint into her next words. “Look, this isn’t something I’m in the mood to talk about. And I got to shower anyway!”

Clawia opened the door for her hasty exit, but did not make it past the threshold before a paper tag was slammed onto her face. A slew of kanji could be seen written across it, the ink still dripping off in some areas. Just beyond it, the Dylan part of her mind could recognize his mother dressed in a flowing white robe and red puffy pants.

“In the name of the earth and all her elements, I beseech the!” she chanted. Her hands shot out from the ridiculously oversized sleeves to form together. In a flurry of movement, fingers flexed and shaped into odd seals in rythem to her words. “Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Light! Dark! Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Light! Dark! Purify this poor soul!”

Dylan’s mom thrust both palms forward into Clawia’s cheeks, at the same time a loud ringing filled the house. Fortunately, the cat girl’s gifted strength dulled the blow to feel little less than a bump. She looked a little further down the hallway with perked ears, not at all surprised to see Dylan’s dad dressed in similar robes supporting a gong.

“Damn it!” the woman exclaimed after Clawia failed to respond to the strange performance. Not that she could think of a proper reaction beyond staring and blinking. “That Chinese website said this ritual was foolproof. Don’t worry sweetie! We’ll get that evil cat out of you yet!”

“Yeah,” Clawia stared as Dylan’s mom bolted down the hallway, dragging his dad by the robe neck. “But it’s not really like she’s…and they’re gone!” A hand reached up to rub throbbing temples. Clawia was already getting a headache from keeping her self referencing gender pronouns in line. It did not help that a foreboding part of her mind kept reminding her it might not be a problem much longer. She flinched out of her thoughts, suppressing a yelp and slowly turned to see Pia playing with her tail. “Why can’t you go with them?”

Pia pouted, “Meanie.”

Ignoring Pia’s protests, Clawia stormed into the bathroom. A momentary lapse in judgment made her slam the door behind her, causing the whole thing to split in half. By some luck, it still held in place enough to give her a bit of privacy. Then she caught sight of herself in the mirror. It was not as if she had never seen Clawia before. The fact she looked no different from her fellow heroines, sans different cat features and hair color, helped kill the shock value. Still, the Dylan side of her found it hard to believe she was the one behind this strange chimera of cat and human beauty. Her gaze then drifted to the henshin device still clasped in her dainty hand, moved to the shower against the far wall, then back to the mirror.

“Ah, what the hell?” she said to her reflection. Setting down the device, she untied and shrugged off the training gi. A shattering of several bath tiles became a painfull reminder of its weight as her tail tucked between her legs. Gauntlets and boots came off next, being set much more gently in a pile near the door. Clawia straightened back up and paused upon resting her hands on the belt around her waist. A strange mix of tension and excitement rose upon realizing she had not had the chance to see her new body like this before. Taking a deep breath, she undid the buckle and yanked the garments from her hips. Letting out a rush of air through sharp teeth, the blank pants, and panties slid down her thighs to pool on top of her feet. Kicking them on top of the rest of the outfit, Clawia braced herself and turned back towards the mirror.

Not to say Dylan was disappointed by what she saw, that side of Clawia’s mind just felt she had seen better. Nina was much better built after all, particularly around the rump and bust department. For some odd reason, that thought about Nina’s more feminine figure made Clawia feel jealous of her girlfriend. Shaking off the notion with a laugh, she struck a few poses to admire Clawia’s other fine aspects in the reflection. Each flex showed off a surprising amount of muscle hidden under the supple tan skin. Deffinitly a body meant for strenuous activity, with looking pretty almost an afterthought perk. Although she had to admit the cat ears and tail made up for it with a unique charm. Twisting around to jut out her hips, Dylan found a strange sense of passion at the way her tail swished between her thighs.

“At least I got a cute butt.” She giggled, giving her rump a smack and admiring the tightness of her muscles. Like a ton of bricks, Dylan suddenly became aware of what she was doing. Her whole body shuddered and ears folded back while trying to cover her chest with both hands. It only added to her embarrassment the way the cold air was making her nipples erect. “If Clawia wasn’t literally me, I’d smack her for this.”

Despite the urge to continue exploring her new self, Clawia skulked into the shower. Improved sense of smell reminded her that those trips to other worlds had left her smelling like a gas station. There were already enough problems at school to look forward to today without hormones adding to the list. She just wanted to get this over with and began twisting knobs. Her efforts were rewarded with a welcome jet of fresh water from the showerhead. Not a moment later a tiger’s roar of a scream shook the house to its very foundation, causing several windows to crack. Every dog within a mile radius would spend the next half hour barking.

“Is that water cold enough dear?” Dylan’s mom’s voice sang through the broken door. “I hear it’s perfect for clearing the mind and soul…so I froze the water heater.”

“I c-c-can’t feel my l-l-legs, mom!” Clawia called back from her fetal position in the tub. It took a few kicks, adding even more damage to the bathroom walls, but she eventually got her foot to shut off the water flow enough to move again. Even so, the freezing cold water burned on her skin like it was acid. Grasping her right hand to try to stop its shaking, Clawia brought it up to her chest enough to tap the area below her neck. “R-r-return!”

The henshin device flashed from its post on the sink. All of Clawia’s discarded clothes erupted into flames in sync with Clawia’s body, and then the flames themselves were drawn into the device leaving only scorch marks behind. Dylan groaned, crawling out of the tub sporting, much to his charging, possibly the biggest erection of his life. Not to mention the clothes he had put on before Pia slapped the device in his hand were now soaked to the root with ice water. Dylan peeled the soaked clothes off him in a pincer like grip. Gradually piling them on the ground where the scorch marks resided. Taking a deep breath, which was hard with the way his teeth chattered, his mind whirled to think of a plan. He was freezing, needed to clean up, and it would take hours for the heater to get warm again.

Eyes shifted back to the henshin device on the dresser, and with it more dread. Though Dylan knew it would be regretted later, it still was the only logical plan available. With little recourse he quickly filled the bath and instigated another transformation, with more care about damaging the plaster. Clawia’s discarded clothes were back on her as the flames vanished, which wasted more minutes to disrobe again. With only a moment’s focus, fire appeared over her hands. Holding them against the tubs wall, it was a bit surprising when the water began to steam seconds later. Not wanting to think too much, the catgirl finally slipped into the tub. A deep, sensual moan escaping through her fangs as the warm liquid washed over her. For the first time in ages, her muscles began to relax and a sense of calmness drapped over. The sensation lasted about a full minute, and then the bathroom door crashed to the floor. Clawia jolted upright, sending water everywhere while trying to make her teeth stop shaking. A moment later Pia poked her head through amidst a gush of cool air.

Clawia gasped, both from embarrassment and the chill running over her soaked back. Grasping her breasts in an attempt to recover some modesty, the catgirl slide back into the water until only her head remained above the surface. “Pia, what is it now?”

Pia giggled, ignoring the questions as she approached the tub. It only made Clawia scoot up against the far wall more when she produced a bottle clenched in her small hands. Without saying a word, she undid the top adding the contents to the bath. Almost immediately, the water began to bubble with pink suds and smells of bubble gum caused Clawia to murr in approval. The sound made Pia’s grin broaden.

“No sister of mine is going to get away with a plain old bath,” she said, and then asked innocently, “Can I wash your hair?”

Clawia winched at being referred to in the feminine person. But trying to lock eyes with that sweet smiling face crushed her resolve fast. Sighing in defeat, she sat up and leaned back so her red hair drapped a little over the edge. Pia cheered and wasted no time lathering up the cherished offering. Once the hair had been covered in suds, Pia grabbed a sponge out of the soap dish and set to work on Clawia’s back. The Catgirl wriggled at first, almost looking ready to flee, but instead began to relax again with a soft moan. Seconds later, the young girl was rewarded for her efforts with slow rumbling like a cat’s purr. The whole process took a lot longer than Clawia intended, but the revitalizing sensation made it a few extra minutes. Soon she climbed out of the tub feeling like fresh catnip. Giving Pia a loving lick on the face, she began to towel off.

“Thanks Pia.”

Pia smiled wide as Clawia bolted from the bathroom and seeing the time again quickly slipped on her uniform. She darted into Dylan’s room to retrieve her backpack and stuffed an extra set of normal clothes into it on the way out. Thankfully no one was waiting for her in the hallway. Arriving in the living room with backpack in hand was another story.

“The chosen arrives!” Dylan’s mom screeched soon as she stepped onto the carpet. Cold hands grasped her own and yanked the startled catgirl to the center of the room. Most of the furniture had been cleared away to make room for the white chalked pentagram she now stood in the center of. A skull shaped candle burned at each of the stars points facing inward towards her. Her mother had since changed outfits, now sporting a tight black leather dress with all her exposed skin also dipped in chalk for a whitened appearance. For reasons Clawia could not surmise her father was dressed like a hunchback, complete with a couch pillow inside his shirt to resemble a hump.

“Uh, mom?”

“SILENCE! You’ll anger the gods,” the woman screamed, slamming a small alter before the circle. Reaching underneath, Clawia could only stare as a cold turkey was pulled out and placed before her. Her mom cackled for effect while raising a curved ceremonial dagger above her head. “With this sacrifice, we beseech the, dark lords. Free my son from his curse!”

The dagger came crashing down into the frozen turkey hide amidst a loud clang. Both Clawia and her mom turned quizzically towards her dad, once again sporting his little gong. He grinned in reply and quickly put it away.

“Don’t sacrificial rituals normally require the sacrifice being alive?” Clawia asked.

“You’re right! I need a stronger deity!” Without warning, Clawia’s mom grabbed the fake hunchback by his collar and dashed into the kitchen. Leaving Clawia standing dumbfounded at their display. Her only hope was the turkey on the alter did not come out of their meat rations.

Clawia did not think to move again until the doorbell caused her to jump. With the way things were going she half expected Nina to deck her soon as the door open. Imagine her surprise to be greeted by an oddly dressed Maxine. Instead her usual attire of jeans and pants, Maxine now sported what looked like a sailor’s blouse and blue mini-skirt. The later was barely low enough to conceal the girl’s panties while the former looked tight enough that Clawia thought it would burst with each breath she drew.

“Whoa…” was all she could manage to say, looking up and down Maxine’s curves with slight indifference.

“Whoa?” the older girl mimicked, pouting. “They paid me twenty bucks to dress like this and that’s all you have to say? Rayne said men get a straight stiffie at seeing Japanese schoolgirl uniforms. Lord knows why.”

“I’m not a man at the moment.” Clawia said with a deadpan face and monotone voice.

Maxine examined Clawia critically, “Yeah, I noticed. Why is that?”

“Long story and I’m already late. Figure I might as well use Clawia’s speed to make the late bell.” Clawia paused a moment giving Maxine another glance. “Why are you on my front porch dressed like a Japanese schoolgirl!? What the hell IS a Japanese schoolgirl?”

“You know, one of those stereotypes from manga men think are…you have no idea what I’m talking about?” When Clawia shook her head, Maxine went into a fit of giggles. “Oh, you poor deprived boy. So what do you think?”

“It suits you,” she replied, getting an eye roll for the bad pun. “So why are you here again?”

“Ah yeah, David wanted you to have an escort for the day and I was the only one free. Linda will probably relieve me after her rounds.”

“Escort, huh? Well you certainly looked more dressed for the event than Rayne.”

“Not that kind of escort, you perverted…” Maxine paused to run a hand down her face. A low, deep breath helped to calm her nerves. “Look, your world is still too unstable and monsters could pop up any second. If they start finding out one of us is just a rookie, all hell is going to be on you.”

Clawia did not offer a response immediately, instead resting on the doorframe with a deep sigh. It was very hard to ignore the wet sensation soaking into her back. “You girls just make this little thing you do sound more enticing each time I talk to you.”

“Sorry, that’s just how it is.” Maxine shrugged offering a faint smile. She perked up upon looking past Clawia and pointed. “Did you know there’s some lady throwing water on you?”

“Oh that’s just my mom,” Clawia said with no real emotion. Turning to her parents, both now dressed in black suits, she added, “Going to school now. Love you.”

“THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!” was the response before Clawia shut the door behind her.

“She seems…nice,” Maxine offered, although her expression suggested she thought otherwise.

“Meh, they’re usually not this cranky in the morning.” Clawia dashed past her, fastening the backpack over her shoulders. Maxine recovered a few seconds later, evoking her own transformation and sprinted to catch up. After matching pace, the pair continued their jog in silence for several blocks.

“So Rayne visited you last night?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” Clawia chuckled. She did not try making eye contact as thoughts of the encounter came back. Mostly because picturing Rayne’s impressive bust was starting to become arousing. That was not an area of womanhood she felt ready to explore yet. “She thought it’d be easier to get into my pants when I wasn’t wearing any.”

“Huh, I got to try that next time.” Clawia whipped a wide-eyed glance at her, so she hastily added, “I’m kidding!”

“Whatever, you’re all freaking nuts.” Head cast downward, Clawia continued her sprinting.

“Please don’t judge Rayne too harshly. Heat makes all of us a little…man crazy…for a week or two.” She gave her a sly elbow nudge. “It still beats having a period every thirty days.”

“I really don’t need to know these things!” Clawia said. Despite her best effort to sound angry, a smile crept over her features. “And here I was starting to think you were the sane one.”

Maxine giggled. “Sanity is a hindrance in our line of work. You try getting a word in around people like Clover and Rayne.”

“Point taken,” the pair rounded a corner and Dylan’s high school came into view. Now-a-days it looked more like a fortress with the way army guards were stationing tanks at every intersection. “So, joining me for classes too?”

Maxine smirked back. Their pace slowed to a stop at the foot of the entrance stairs to the school. Some of the guards posted nearby exchanged a polite nod with Maxine upon noticing their arrival. “You wish. I’ll be doing some minor rounds in the neighborhood until Linda arrives. You should come with and get some training. No point going to school now, since we’ll be leaving once everything is safe and sound.”

“I’m not going,” Clawia said, although it was muffled by the squeezing of her head into her shoulders.

“Excuse me?” Maxine blinked like she was staring down a train. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You people do what you do. I want no part in it.” Clawia was so busy trying to hide inside her clothes as she tried to dart inside that she almost ran into Maxine when she appeared to block the way. It would be the first time she had ever seen the usually quiet girl flustered.

“Are you freaking nuts?”

“Hey, I didn’t have much choice to begin with,” she said, feeling her own frustrations surface. “Only reason I picked up that damn device was because I would have died.”

“So the truth comes out.” Maxine put her hands on her hips. They would not stop trembling otherwise. “You just helped yourself this whole time? Kayla’s death meant nothing, huh?”

“She did what she lived to do. Was it any different when the last lynx died at your feet?”

It looked like the taller girl was punched in the gut. Her mouth hanged open for a second, twisting back into a sneer when she recovered. “My whole world was destroyed, Dylan! If we didn’t do what we did, the last two important people in my life would be dead.”

“Yeah, well, life is tough like that.” Clawia shrugged and began to move around the girl blocking her path. “It hardly feels worth giving up everything I am to end up like Ryan.”

A strong hand grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the schools wall. An action that left a deep imprint in the buildings side, and Clawia was grateful for her enhanced strength. Force like that would have killed Dylan easy. Maxine moved in close enough for Clawia to smell the bacon on her breath.

“Don’t ever say that about her. What we do is very worth it, if you’re strong enough to make sacrifices. And Rayne is stronger than you can possibly imagine.”

“There a problem here, Kaba?” asked a new voice. Clawia turned in her daze to see an army ranger approaching them cautiously.

“Not at all,” Maxine replied cheerfully, releasing her death grip on Clawia. “I was just having a power meeting with my buddy.” The guard looked skeptical, but nodded and returned to his post. Soon as he was out of earshot, Maxine turned back to Dylan calm once again. “Think about the people that would have died without you on World sixty-nine, then tell us it’s not worth it.”

With that, she sauntered past Clawia around a building corner and was gone. Clawia had just enough time to let out the breath she was holding when the late bell for first period began to tone.