A pleasant dream is suddenly brought to an end as the screeching sound of metal on concrete jolts me awake in the middle of the night. Rubbing my eyes, I try and think about what could possibly be making this sort of noise at this time. It sounds as if something is rummaging around in my trash outside, so I slip out of bed up and stare out the window to try and catch the culprit in the act. It's pitch black, the street is lit only by the dim orange light of the streetlamps lining the road. While it's probably just a raccoon looking for a meal, there's been a string of robberies in the area in the past month, which means that I can't be too careless. After I put on my robe and slippers, I head outside to check what could have caused such a commotion.
There's trash strewn all over my front porch and several bags have been torn open by some sort of animal. The moment that I turn my flashlight on, I'm greeted to the sight of something large scurrying behind a trash can that's been tipped over. I can see the silhouette of the animal as it pokes its head over the side of the can—it's a cat, a large fluffy black one. Her bright yellow eyes reflect off the light like two small spotlights as she stares right at me; she looks scraggly and disheveled, but definitely not like a stray. She's probably just lost and scared. Letting her stay inside for one night wouldn't hurt too much, but in the morning, I'll have to find out who she belongs to. I can hear her purring as I walk over to pick her up. She's clearly excited to see me; she doesn't even try to run off when I approach.
Scooping the cat up in my arms, I carry her inside my house and place her down in the kitchen for the night. Then, as soon as I turn back around to close the door, I hear a deep, yet but feminine voice calling out from behind me, "Oh thank goodness, it was freezing out there!"
Flabbergasted, I zip around to the see the cat, who is now sitting up on top of the kitchen counter, staring at me. "What?" the cat says, tilting her head curiously, "Is there something wrong with what I said?"
I'm not at all sure what to say here. I'm exhausted, but not delirious enough to imagine that there's a talking cat in my kitchen. All I can do is stare back at her, dumbfounded.
"Alright! I'm sorry for waking you up like that!" the cat continues, only stopping to clean her paws. "I'm just in desperate need of your help, do you understand?" Her voice is smooth, soft, and very melodic, curiously like a human woman's—or rather as human as I can imagine a cat would sound like.
As I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that a cat is trying to bargain with me, she jumps down from the counter and struts over to me, rubbing her head against my leg. "Look, I know how weird this is going to sound, but you're the only person that can help me," she clarifies.
I take a step back and look her over again, "Who—or what—are you?" I ask, trying as hard as I can not to shout and wake my neighbours up.
"What do you mean? I'm one of you!" she cackles, her tail twitching behind her as she explains. "Or rather, I was before I got stuck like this."
I raise my eyebrow at her, still not really understanding what's she's talking about, "What do you mean? Stuck how?"
"I'm not actually a cat you know! I'm a witch! Don't ask why—but I changed myself into a cat. Now I can't turn back!" she exclaims, looking at me as if I'm just expected to believe everything.
I don't know how to respond; the more she says, the less sense this entire situation makes. "A witch? Can't you just use your magic to change back?"
With a sigh, she answers, "Well, I can. There's something holding me back a bit, though." Her voice starts to quiver with embarrassment and her tail droops down, hanging limp and heavy behind her. "I don't know exactly, but I think it has something to do with my cycle. I guess you can say I picked a pretty bad time to try out this feline form..."
I cock my head to the side, unsure of what she means. "Your cycle? What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on, don't make me explain! Whenever I try and concentrate on changing back, I get distracted by intense feelings and urges." She slumps down and covers her face with her paws, "It's driving me insane! I'm just about ready to let some alley cat have his way with me to get it over with!"
She quickly gets back up and starts snaking around in between my legs. "You have to help me, kid!" she begs and pleads, "I can't take it any longer!"
It slowly dawns on me what she means, even if her story is all a bit nonsensical. "Oh! You mean you're in heat?" I ask; deep down inside, I really don't want to know the answer, though.
Her eyes light up instantly at my words like an exploding firework. "Yes, yes, yes! That's it! Now you get it!" she mewls, hopping back up onto the kitchen counter so that she's level with my chest. "If there's anything that can break me out of this trance, it's you!" She wiggles her hips suggestively, her tail waving like a magic wand behind her. "Won't you help a little old witch like me out?"
I look down at her, staring into her bright yellow eyes. "Are you serious? I can't help you with that!" I laugh nervously; this has to be some sick joke or something.
"Why not, we're the same species, aren't we?" she asks, her tone starting to turn sultry as she rubs her head lightly against my arm; her pitch black fur is sticking up in excitement now.
My cheeks burn red hot; I can feel the blood rushing to my face, but I force myself to remain calm. "No! We're not the same species, you're a cat, I'm a human!" I argue, taking a step back and putting distance between us. "Our bodies aren't meant for this sort of thing!"
She edges closer to me, practically leaning over the side of the counter. "I'm sure you can figure out a way to make it work, young man. You just need some encouragement..." With that, she turns herself around and presents herself to me like a gift; her slit is plump and ready and her tail is raised high above her. Swiveling her head slightly, she gives me another seductive glance and I can't help but blush a little at her overt display of affection,