Why Would You Fi(ght)v(natur)e

Tori toppled backward as her hind quarters struggled to hold her erect, with with Audrey holding her forepaws it was clear the large feline was not meant to stand like that, her growl as she rolled back onto her paws and stood back up further undercut the point.

“You're not even trying!” Audrey chided, “It's been 3 days now, you need to change back to a human, we have to return home soon.”

Tori growled as she shook the stars from her eyes, “Well maybe it's better this way! Maybe I like being a Cheetah!”

Audrey's voice cracked as her chest flopped forward in shock and horror, “Y-You don't mean that? Do you?”

Tori rolled the crick out of her neck as she paced around Audrey, “M-Maybe I do...this is what you wanted...a-and honestly it's getting harder and harder to even remember what I was like when I was human.”

Stalking around Audrey she started to sniff her, “I mean really what's good about humans. You have to wear itchy clothes, your slow, you can't fend for yourselves. Things are so much better as a cheetah. Besides you get the kitty you always wanted.”

“W-What about your friends?” Audrey pleaded.

Tori shrugged, “It would have been so confusing trying to rember who knew me as a boy or girl, this way everyone sees me the same way.”

“But only I can understand you,” Audrey counters, “If anyone sees you their throw you in the zoo or ship yo back to wherever cheetahs live.”

Tori shrugged again, “That's fine, I can just live with you.”

“What about your job?!”

Tori shrugged, “I'm sure they can find someone else, besides I have you, you can take care of me, I'll be your pet.”

“Your kidding right? What about your life.”

Tori yawned and licked Audrey's face, “This is my life now. And I'm quite enjoying it.”

“B-But I cant have a pet cheetah, it would cause a panic, probably get me arrested.”

Tori yawns as she starts to pad off into the woods, “That's your problem, not mine.”

“W-Where are you going?” Audrey chases after, “You can't just ignore the problem, you need to change back!”

“I'm going hunting. I'm hungry.”

“I have food in the car!”

Tori yawns bored, “There's no fun in your food, I like hunting my prey, stalking them. You head back your only going to tip them off and make hunting harder.”

“I am not leaving your side until I talk some sense into you, and being my pet cheetah is nonsensical.”

Tori pauses, looking curiously to Audrey as she closes her eyes and grunt with effort.

“What are you doing?” Audrey paces around her curiously.

“Concentrating,” she growls.

Audrey smiles, “Your going to turn back into a human? I convinced you?”

“No,” Tori grunts her form pulsating, shrinking and growing back to the original size.

Audrey stepped back warily, “S-Stop whatever your doing, just stop!”

“If I can't be a cheetah,” she growl, brow furrowed in effort, “M-Maybe I can be something else...”

“L-Like what?” Audrey back up more nervously.

“S-Something s-smaller, t-tamer, more f-fitting to the c-city.”

“Y-You can do that?” Audrey says with a mix of awe and trepidation.

“I-It's easier to see then a human.”

Her form was starting to shrink now, her features shifting, becoming less wild and more domesticated.

“I-I don't believe this,” Audrey said with a whisper even as Tori's form got smaller and smaller, less like a wild hunter and more like...“a house cat, your turning into a house cat?”

Tori purred, as the world started to spin around her and her vision started to blur.

“Wait!” Audrey protested, “what about John? How are you suppose to become his girlfr...his mate...if your a housecat?”

Vision going fuzzy Tori cause one final gaze toward Audrey with dawning realization before the world went black, 'John!'

“Thank goodness your awake!”

As Tori's vision returned the first thing she heard were Audrey's words.

“This is all your fault you know.”

And...Alex's?

'What is going on?' she wondered as the inside of the tent came into focus where a concerned Audrey and an annoyed Alex were looking down at her. Wait down? They were huge! Quickly turning her head this way and that she noticed the entire world seemed huge...or maybe she was just smaller? She felt smaller.

“Hey now,” Alex said softly as she lifted Tori to her chest, “You've been out for 2 days take it slow, can you speak?” before turning a dread glare to Audrey, “Get some water and something to eat, now!”

Audrey scrambled out of the tent in a hurry causing Tori to chuckle, “I've never seen Audrey run like that!”

Alex looked less then enthused, “Oh dear, it's worse then I thought.”

Tori looked around confused, she felt fine, better then ever, and to prove it she left from Alex's arms, “What's wrong, I feel greeeeat!”

Audrey scrambled in with a bowl of water and some tuna, and as she set them on the floor Tori's stomach rumbled making her scramble for the food as Alex pulled Audrey outside the tent.

“I-Is she going to be alright?”

“It's worse then I feared, the Tori you knew is gone.”

“W-What?” Audrey gasps as Tori herself stopped eating and turned her head to the entryway.

'What is he talking about I'm fine.'

Alex continued, “You just had to see what her animal form was like, just had to push her didn't you. Well now look what you've done. She's completely rejected her humanity. She's nothing more then a house cat now!”

'W-What?' Tori looked down at her paws confused as Audrey mouthed her own disbelief. Sure she was smaller now but she was still the same on the inside, Alex had no idea what she was talking about.

Growling Tori pushed her head out of the tent, “Hey just because I look like a cat doesn't mean I'm not still me inside!”

Alex pushed her back inside the tent with her foot as she spoke with a soft tone, as if addressing a child, “Just finish eating, your master is in trouble.”

Tori hissed and bit her toes, “Don't talk to me like a child!”

Quickly Audrey's eyes went wide as she scrambled to pick up Tori, carefully petting her fur, causing a soothing sensation to ripple through her body as she held Tori close to her chest.

“Shhh, shhh, Mommy's here...just calm down,” Audrey said in a soft, level tone as she continued to pet Tori.

The gentle petting washed away her mood as she drifted into a content bliss and purred as Audrey turned her attention to Alex, “What do you mean she's just a house cat? I thought you said if you went full animal you kept your mind.”

“Just listen to her!” Alex counters, “she's not talking, I doubt she even understands what we're saying. All she can do now is hunt mice and meow, the Tori you knew is gone, all because of your morbid curiosity.”

Tori stopped at this looking curiously to Alex, “What do you mean I'm not talk-” Then cut herself short, her eyes going wide in realization, 'they don't understand me...'