P.A.W.S.

by Debbie Manber Kupfer

  Miri walked back along the path towards the forest and managed to catch a small beetle along the way, which, because she was so hungry, did not taste as bad as she had expected it to. Finally, she reached her oak tree again. Underneath its canopy of leaves, she curled up into a ball and, exhausted, fell asleep.

  “Miri,” said the gray cat with the green eyes, “you have done well, mein Katzel. It will become easier. Now schlaf, mein Liebchen.”

  ***

  Miri woke up cold and shivery, lying on the ground under the oak tree. She was no longer a cat, and the charm felt cool around her neck. Had she somehow dreamed the whole thing? No. Instinctively, she knew it had been real, and that somewhere deep inside her, her feline essence still resided. And now that she had unlocked it once, she knew she would be able to call upon it again. For now, though, she was hungry, and she realized that she was probably in a whole bunch of trouble for not sleeping in her dorm room the previous night. She arose from the ground groggily, her whole body aching, and slowly made her way towards the school building.

  “And just where have you been, young lady?” It was Mrs. Eudora Epstein, Miri’s absolutely least favorite teacher. She taught math and was convinced Miri had mush where her brain should be. Miri didn’t see the point, really – when would she ever use algebra in her everyday life? Who cared what x equaled?

  Mrs. Epstein grabbed Miri’s arm and dragged her unceremoniously down the corridor past a group of students on their way to breakfast. Jeanie snickered at her as they went past.

  “To the principal’s office with you, Katz,” she said sternly. She marched Miri there and rapped loudly on the principal’s door.

  “Enter,” said Principal Ernest Schroeder. He had the morning paper spread out on his desk and was attempting to solve the crossword. He was a graying fellow in his early sixties, who was looking forward to his retirement.

  “I found Katz,” announced Mrs. Epstein. “She was wandering around outside.”

  Principal Schroeder adjusted his glasses that had fallen down to the end of his nose and peered across at Miri.

  “Ah, Miriam Katz, may I ask where you have been? The housemother informed me this morning that you didn’t sleep in your bed. You know your uncle donates a good deal of money to this school for the privilege of your education.”

  “Humph,” scoffed Mrs. Epstein. “Waste of good money, if you ask me. I’ve never succeeded in teaching this excuse for a student anything at all.”

  “Nevertheless, Eudora, we have to try. We have to try.” “Quite right,” said Mrs. Epstein, appearing to capitulate, though it was easy to tell she did not truly believe her words. In the math teacher’s eyes, Miri was and would always be a lost cause.

  “So, what do you have to say for yourself, Miss Katz?” asked the principal.

  “I… I…”

  “Yes?”

  Unfortunately, Miri was never able even to finish her sentence. When she was nervous, Miri tended to wave her hands around when she talked, and as she leaned forward, her left hand accidently brushed the coffee cup on the principal’s table, which was balanced precariously on the edge of the desk. Warm coffee spilled everywhere, and a huge brown blot formed right in the center of Mr. Schroder’s crossword. His face turned red with anger. “Detention!” he screamed. “One week – no, two weeks. And get out of here, now!”

  “Of course,” smirked Mrs. Epstein, and dragged Miri out of the room.

  Chapter 5

  Miri raced down the forest path, the cool breeze rushing through her fur, enjoying the scents of spring. She was chasing a bright blue hummingbird. Watching the tiny wings fluttering, Miri imagined the hummingbird was the elusive Tinker Bell on vacation from Neverland.

  The hummingbird stopped to sip nectar from a purple fuchsia. Miri crouched in the shade of a large elm tree, waiting to pounce. She was a mighty lioness, and this forest was her jungle. Here, she reigned supreme. Miri flicked her tail, back and forth, back and forth – ready, ready... go! She flew through the air towards her prey... and landed unceremoniously on the ground in a black furry heap. Sadly, even as a cat, she was still clumsy Miri Katz. The hummingbird was just a speck in the distance now, and Miri sat on the ground, licking her paws.

  It had been nine months now since her first metamorphosis, and in that time she had taught herself to control her changes, so now she could pretty much turn into a cat at will. She enjoyed her new power immensely. She still attended her classes, but in her free time she would come out here into the forest and transform, making sure first that she was far away from prying eyes. Occasionally, she would play tricks on the other students, particularly the meanest ones like Jeanie and Jeremy.

  Many of the Saul Emmanuel kids now believed that the old oak tree at the back of the forest was haunted. It was fun and highly satisfying, Miri had discovered, to hide in its branches, pelt kids with acorns, and yowl in the dark.

  As Miri regained her composure from letting the hummingbird escape, she heard a strange sound. It sounded like laughter but not quite human laughter. She also picked up a smell she had sensed before but had never been able to identify the source of – a rank smell. A dog, maybe? Cautiously, she inched forward, low to the ground, her ears back and her whiskers on maximum alert. She had yet to meet any predators in this forest, but there was always a first time.

  She stopped still. There, on a rock in between two elm trees, was a brown, shaggy wolf, and he seemed to be laughing at her! “Hey, what’s so funny?” Miri asked, or at least that’s what she tried to ask. She wasn’t sure, after all, if she could speak to the wolf or to any other creature while she was in cat form, as she had never tried before.

  The wolf didn’t answer (no big surprise there, thought Miri) and walked a little further down the path. Then he stopped and looked back, and Miri realized he wanted her to follow him. Cautiously, she stepped forward, and he continued down the path. She followed until they reached her oak tree at the very back of the forest. Then he entered into the branches into the secret spot that Miri had thought only she knew about. She followed, wondering as she did so why she was being so foolhardy. The wolf was far larger than she was and could overcome her easily if he wished to, yet somehow Miri sensed he was a friend.

  They stood staring at each other for several minutes, both trying to decide if the other could be trusted. Miri supposed she could always climb the tree if he tried to pounce. But he didn’t. Instead, she watched as his body began to stretch and change. His limbs lengthened, his nose flattened, and the brown fur on his body receded until all that was left was a messy brown thatch of hair on his head. In the place of the wolf was a boy maybe fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing blue jeans, tatty sneakers, and a Nirvana T-shirt. And yes, he was laughing at her.

  Chapter 6

  Josh was nine years old when he met Alistair. He was walking home from school after chess club. He was feeling so proud of himself. He had beaten Geoff Philips three times that day, and Geoff was a fifth-grader! He took a shortcut through the park and sat down on a bench. He really was supposed to go straight home, but he had homework and chores to do when he got home and was in no great rush to get back.

  He sat on the bench and opened up his chess set. Oh, how Josh loved that set. His father had carved each piece especially for him for his birthday. Josh didn’t notice Alistair until he had sat down beside him.

  Alistair had dark brown hair and very blue eyes. His face seemed ageless. He could have been 20 or could have been 50 – it was impossible to tell. He wore gray sweats, and Josh guessed he’d been out for a jog in the park. He spoke with a slight accent as if he grew up someplace in Europe but came to the States so long ago that he’d almost lost his accent.

  “That’s a very nice chess set,” he said. “Would you like to play?”

  Josh knew that he should have said, “No, I don’t talk to strangers,” and gotten up and walked away. Maybe that would have saved him, maybe, but he didn’t really think so. From the moment Alistair had seen
Josh in the park, he had already made his decision. And Alistair was used to getting exactly what he wanted.

  They played one game and then another. Alistair was an exceptional player. He and Josh would play many games over the years to come, and in all that time, Josh would only beat Alistair two times. That day in the park, Josh didn’t yet realize how devious a player Alistair was. He was used to adults being easy on him when they played. Alistair was merciless. “It’s the only way you can really learn to be a good player,” he would say.

  Josh was so engrossed in their game that he didn’t realize that it was starting to get dark. After Alistair beat him for the second time, however, Josh suddenly looked up and noticed that the sun was setting and that it was late, and his parents would wonder where he was.

  “Thank you for the games,” he told Alistair. “I have to go home now.”

  “Surely you can play just one more game,” Alistair said, smiling. “You almost beat me that last time.”

  “No, sorry, I have to go.” Josh said firmly.

  Almost imperceptibly, there was a shift in Alistair’s tone. “I don’t think so,” he said, and now Josh could hear the menace in his voice. “You see, I’m lonely, and I need someone to keep me company.”

  He leaned forward and his breath smelled rancid, like an old hound in bad need of some mouthwash. He stared directly into Josh’s eyes and snarled. “I’m also hungry.”

  Josh screamed and tried to run, but Alistair was faster. He grabbed him and pushed him down on the ground. He tore open Josh’s shirt and sunk his teeth into his chest. Pain rippled through Josh’s body, and then he blacked out. That was the last thing Josh remembered from that day.

  Josh woke up the following morning in Barnes-Jewish Hospital, his body covered in bandages and aching in places he didn’t even know he had places. He was told that he’d been attacked by a wild dog on his way home from school, that he’d lost a lot of blood, but that he was young and strong and would be fine.

  Josh tried to tell everyone about Alistair – his family, the doctors, and nurses, but somehow every time he tried, the words just froze in his throat. They said he was in shock, but he would be okay. And to begin with, he was. He spent a week at home, eating his mama’s chicken soup, and then he was sent back to school. “But no walking home through the park, Josh. All right?” implored his papa, and Josh readily agreed.

  Josh was perfectly fine for a couple of weeks. He went back to his classes, his friends, even chess club. But then one Tuesday morning, he woke up with a fever.

  “No school today, Josh,” said his mother. “You just stay here and rest. You want I bring you some warm oatmeal, maybe?” All day his mama fussed over him, but despite doses of Tylenol and the ubiquitous chicken soup, his fever steadily grew.

  When his papa came home from work, he brought Josh’s chess set up to his room and they started playing a game. “To distract you,” he said. But after several moves, Josh could no longer concentrate on the board. “Maybe you should rest, son,” his father said. “We’ll play later.”

  Outside his window the sun was setting, and as it did, Josh grew more and more restless. He got out of bed and started pacing around the room. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and the palms of his hands, and he started trembling uncontrollably. But he didn’t call for his parents; in fact, he was glad that his papa had left the room. Josh felt that whatever was happening to him, he needed to face it alone.

  He pulled back the curtains from his window and looked down into the wide shared yard at the back of their house. For a moment he saw a shape almost hidden behind the far trees at the bottom of the yard. It looked like a large dog, maybe a husky.

  As the sun set and the moon started rising in the sky, he grew more and more agitated. Now, for some reason, he felt a strong compulsion to block his bedroom door. He couldn’t understand why, but he knew that this was imperative. Josh felt he had to stop his parents from coming back in his room at any cost. With extreme difficulty, he managed to push his heavy wooden dresser in front of the door. His mama and papa were watching TV in the living room. His father was slightly deaf and they always had the television on at a loud volume, so they didn’t hear Josh moving the furniture.

  Josh went back to the window. Slowly, the full moon rose in the sky. He was hypnotized by its beauty. It was the largest moon he had ever seen – a round, glowing ball tinged with red, both beautiful and terrible. It illuminated the backyard, casting an eerie red glow over the trees and shrubs; and in the glow of the moonlight, Josh saw him – Alistair.

  He was not in his human form. This time he was a massive gray wolf. Yet Josh knew instinctively that it was Alistair and that he was waiting for him. The wolf threw back his head and howled, and in that howl Josh heard Alistair’s voice.

  “It is time, Joshua. Come to me. I told you before; you are to be mine!”

  Terrified, Josh stepped back from the window. He tried to scream, but no sound came from his throat. He tried to look away from the window, from the moon, from Alistair, but he couldn’t. He was mesmerized. Shaking, he placed his hands on the window frame and opened the latch and pulled up the window as wide as it would go. The cool evening air rushed into the room.

  “That’s right, Joshua.” Alistair’s voice echoed through his head. “Come to me, my cub! I am your destiny!”

  Josh climbed up and through the window. Shaking, he stood on the ledge, looking down at Alistair. That’s when he heard his father’s voice outside the door.

  “Josh, are you all right in there? Mama wants to know if you’d like some soup.”

  Josh heard him try the handle of the door and felt thankful when the barrier he had erected held.

  “Your door’s stuck, Josh. Hold on a moment... Josh! Are you sleeping?” Josh didn’t answer and silently willed his father to go away.

  “Now, Joshua, come to me!” howled Alistair. And then Josh jumped...

  Chapter 7

  Josh leaped from his bedroom window, an impossible leap; one that he was certain, when he thought about it later, should have killed him. The world slowed down, and somewhere in the distance he heard screaming and, in his head, the persistent voice of Alistair.

  “That’s right, Joshua! Come to me!”

  Pain surged through his body. He felt like he was exploding, internally combusting. The moonlight entered his limbs as he flew through the air, and impossibly, by the time he reached the ground, he had changed. Now he was no longer Josh Sinclair, a small, rather frail, 9-year-old boy, but instead, he was a small, frightened, brown wolf. He threw back his head and howled.

  In an instant the back door opened and his mama appeared with a bucket of water.

  “Shoo, shoo! What are you dogs doing back here? You’ll wake up my Josh, who’s so sick.” She tossed the water out in his direction, and Josh felt the icy cold water course through his fur.

  “Mama,” he tried to begin, but it just came out as a howl.

  He turned and ran towards the trees, and there, waiting for him, was Alistair.

  “Nice-looking woman, your mama!” he sneered. “And I’m always so hungry during the full moon. Aren’t you hungry, boy? Maybe we can have a feast. I’ll share with you, you know. Maybe, if she’s good, we’ll keep her.”

  Josh stared at him, horrified. “No, no... you can’t.”

  “Oh, but I can,” Alistair answered, and slowly, he inched back towards the house. Josh reluctantly followed him, and they stood together and watched his mama through the back window. Sarah Sinclair was a short, stocky woman. She was 41 years old, had dark brown shoulder- length hair and warm eyes, brown like melted chocolate. She wore an apron over her green dress as she stirred a large pot of steaming soup.

  “Al!” She shouted to her husband. “Does Josh want some soup?”

  Upstairs, outside Josh’s room, Albert Sinclair was still trying to get past the barricade that Josh had constructed. He was a small man with a slightly bent back and was not very strong. “I don’t understa
nd, Sarah,” he shouted down the stairs. “Josh’s door is stuck.”

  “Now, watch and learn, young Joshua, watch and learn,” snarled Alistair.

  Silently, he placed one paw on the back door which led into the kitchen. It was not locked, and with one push, it opened. At that moment, Sarah looked up from her pot. She saw the towering shape of the wolf in her kitchen and screamed. Her scream pierced through Josh’s whole body, and he felt as if his heart was going to explode. He rushed out in front of Alistair, trying to bar his way.

  In his mind, Josh heard Alistair’s laughter: “That’s it, my boy. It’s nice to see you so enthusiastic for your first kill! And she does smell so delicious, doesn’t she? But maybe we should take just a little taste each. Then she’ll be able to join our pack. Wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t you like to be reunited with your mama, Joshua?”

  At that moment, Josh’s father rushed into the kitchen. “Sarah!” he shouted. “Josh, he’s gone. I don’t understand. It looks like he jumped out of the window.” Then he stopped still and stared incredulously at the two wolves in his kitchen. His eyes traveled back and forth between the massive gray wolf and the small brown one that looked strangely familiar. He grabbed a broomstick by the door and tried, ineffectively, to shoo the wolves out of his house.

  Alistair howled and leaped at Josh’s father. “You,” he screamed, “I don’t need for my pack!”

  Josh tried desperately to get between Alistair and his papa, but with one swipe of his outstretched claw, Alistair knocked him away. Josh crouched on the ground, quivering, pain coursing through his body, and his left side oozing blood. He watched as his mother backed out of the room.

  “Go,” he willed her with his mind. “Go, get help!”

  Alistair had ripped the clothing away from Albert Sinclair’s frail body and sunk his teeth into his flesh. Albert’s screams echoed through the room. Josh wondered if his mother had managed to get away and if the police would be there soon. He could not imagine why the screams had not yet brought out the whole neighborhood. Then gradually his father’s cries subsided as he lost consciousness. Alistair looked up from his meal and stared at Josh.