As we remained indoors, standing with our respective teams, Damon announced, “Well, let’s go outside and assume our new forms. I’ll explain more soon enough.”
As we stepped out into the hot, dry heat of the African savannah, excitement surged through me.
This was going to be fun, at least for us, and I found myself smiling smugly as we lined up.
Mariella, completely unaware of her actual role for the next three months, was practically oozing with anticipation.
The only thing that bothered me was the thought of needing boosters for medical check-ups, but it was a fleeting concern as this wonderful adventure was about to begin.
I had my group, and oh, we were going to have so much fun!
While I might have to teach them a few things, with Wulfe on my right, Charles on my left, and Adam nearby, and several Salvatores glaring at me with palpable jealousy, I knew we were in for an experience.
Perhaps their lion pride would be beneficial for them in the long run.
Two magical circles were drawn on the ground.
Damon walked to them, crouched down, and touched each one, infusing them with his magic to activate them.
“Now, these will grant you your forms,” he declared.
“Baby, you’ll go through this too. These will solidify your forms, preventing any reversion or transformation into other creatures. They also limit energy usage, magic, and telepathy. Remember, the hive and our new sub-hive are the main focus here. These circles will amplify your feline instincts and boost your evolution. So, those who haven’t yet acquired their feline form will soon.”
He was incredibly smug, clearly wanting to show off his control.
While his own feline side was now much stronger, the environment would present different challenges.
Amplified instincts would lead him to behave more like a lion, focusing on defense rather than hunting.
Mariella, on the other hand, would need to hunt and allow the males to eat first.
She, too, might require boosters, though that would depend on what followed these initial three months.
Elena, Katherine, and I shared a smug satisfaction, and I could sense the others formulating their own plans.
Charles sent me ideas about establishing our own small nest somewhere, while Adam suggested caves where the entire team could reside.
Magnum, Murdock, Tim, and Taylor were eager to ponder hunting strategies, as this endeavor was entirely new to them.
Although I wasn’t going to take over the whole operation, we would tackle it together as a team.
While this wasn’t supposed to be a competition, I knew Damon well enough to understand that for him, it absolutely was.
He was certain he would win, but I intended to have fun rather than compete.
Since we were in Kenya, we might also take trips to certain places, significant locations for me.
It was time for me to truly embody the alpha female of my pack and demonstrate my strength to Damon.
Mariella, a rather timid soul, cooed at him.
Damon then announced, “This circle will also deposit you about two miles from here. We’ll go east, you go west. Mariella and Wulfe, please step into the circles.”
Mariella kissed Damon one last time before walking into her circle, and Wulfe stepped into their respective circles.
Mariella appeared first, a female lioness of modest size, her fur tipped with violet, looking rather meek.
Wulfe, an almost black leopard, seemed to have a glowing golden hue.
Then, they vanished.
As team leaders, we would go last.
One by one, the pack members walked into the circle, transformed, and disappeared.
Damon maintained his smirk, casually leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.
I stood in the shade of another tree, my posture perfect and my expression neutral, determined not to reveal how smug I felt at that moment.
As we finally walked in our circles, Damon said, “Happy hunting. See you in three months’ time. Have fun, baby.”
He was smiling smugly.
I just hummed as his magic caressed my body, and soon I was in my leopard form – a big, strong female leopard.
A slight dizziness brushed my mind as magic transported me two miles to my pack.
I licked each member, one at a time, purring and pushing, marking them as mine.
Wulfe was all over me; he wanted to wash me.
Pretty much all the males were purring, and Elena and Katherine were also quite robust females.
I said to my pack, “How about a little exploration? Let’s find a suitable place for us to be and then go get some food.”
Magnum replied, “Well, we want to try alone at first. Let’s see what we can do. Maybe later we can hunt something bigger as a pack.”
I replied, “Suits me, but let’s seek our first nest. I have a little idea: you know, lions are pretty healthy here, but cheetahs struggle. So, what I’m going to do is leave the rest of my meal for them to have, but we first need to see if there are any cheetahs around.”
My little plan was surprisingly popular, and soon almost everyone was ready to leave little gifts for the cheetahs.
I said, “Now, hyenas are afraid of us; they won’t come close, nor will other canines, so there’s no need to worry. Though I’m not sure if they’ll harass Damon’s team. Lions are usually followed by hyenas. Well, it’s not our problem; at least it will keep them busy.”
Charles said, “Yeah, it will. But come on, let’s go.”
Fine, let him.
I was going to enjoy myself and not waste my energy on hierarchy plays.
After walking for about 45 minutes, we came across a perfect spot.
There was a river running, trees providing shade, and plenty of sand to lie on.
And I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
We weren’t too hungry yet; first, it was time to have fun.
As everyone was smelling and checking the place out, I said to Wulfe, “Let me show you how this is done.”
I walked into the river, letting the water wash over me as I swam.
I dived, getting my fur nice and wet.
Sometimes I’d come to shore, shake myself off, and go back in.
To Wulfe, who was following me into the water, I said, “First, we need to get our fur all wet.”
Adam came to the water too, having seen this before when I’d done it in my mimosa form.
He said to me, “Really, honey, I do remember, you know,” but he didn’t specify what he was referring to.
Soon, the river was full of swimming and frolicking felines.
Tim, Taylor, Magnum, and Murdock chased each other, play-fighting in the water.
It kept us cool, and it was wickedly fun.
After an hour, when I had gotten myself soaking wet, I said to Wulfe, “Now, the next part.”
I walked out of the water onto the soft sand and started to roll in it, getting a nice, thick coating of sand all over me.
I made sure I was as covered in sand as possible.
Wulfe walked next to me and said, “Fine, let’s give this a try.”
He, too, started to roll, and one by one, the others joined us.
After I had gotten a good coating, I got up and walked to a few nearby tall stones, finding a nice, warm, flat one.
I flopped onto my side.
Wulfe came and lay down next to me.
“Time to have a nap,” I said.
“As you wake up, you just shake it off or rinse it off. It keeps your fur in good condition, and this is fun.”
Wulfe said, “It is, actually.”
As my stone slab was big enough, Adam and Charles soon joined us.
Adam said to Wulfe, “Now, imagine her doing this in mimosa form. She never got all the sand out, and unless I or Samuel were vigilant, the whole damn house was full of sand when she came in. We set up a washing station after getting bored with cleaning after her.”
Charles said to me, “Oh, honey, you are naughty, I see.”
His large paw was touching me, and his head was near me too.
Adam added, “But I must admit, this is feeling pretty good, and yeah, naps are always good.”
As there were several stones, they were soon occupied by sandy, sleepy felines.
I smiled in my mind as I saw Magnum rolling on his back to sleep, exposing his belly to the sun.
As I’d said, this was going to be a perfect time for us.
There’s no need to always be so strict; there are tons of fun things to do as a feline.
As I drifted off to sleep, a sense of contentment washed over me.
Life was good, and I finally felt at home, surrounded by my pack.
This peaceful state, I mused, could persist in the future if the Salvatores chose to unite further.
However, my pack might find itself somewhat divided, as these individuals desired me as their alpha.
To be frank, Damon hadn’t done much to impress them so far.
Yet, I had considered their needs, not just my own desires, recognizing that life revolves around the choices we make.
Awakening a few hours later, I stretched, still groggy but warmed by the sun.
The sand had dried, and I felt ready for another swim.
As I rose, Wulfe, Adam, and Charles began to stir as well.
I bounded down, shaking off the sand, my fur still feeling gritty.
To cleanse myself, I waded back into the river.
Soon, the others joined me, and our river became a playful haven for leopards, boys once again, chasing and wrestling.
I knew I had much to teach my pack, but for now, we would take each day as it came, reveling in the moment.
It was time to let loose, to do as we pleased without overthinking or striving for constant logic.
This was an opportunity to embrace a side of ourselves that felt foreign to most of the pack, but I was confident that after this experience, that alien feeling would diminish.
After some time in the water, I announced, “I’m hungry. I think I’ll go get myself a meal.”
Charles readily agreed, suggesting, “Fine, let’s each of us go and get something. Not as a pack, but each of us will hunt our own prey and eat what we catch.”
Dresden and a few others seemed hesitant, but Charles reassured them, “Just go and let your instincts guide you. It might take a few tries, but you’ll get there. That’s the essence of this – learning to be like a feline.”
Wulfe then said to me, “Well, I might just stick around you, my love. Knowing how skilled you are, I might just share your prey.”
I declined, “Nope, you go find your own. It’ll do you good. Come on, let’s go see what this place has to offer.”
As I was running lazily through the tall grass, savoring the scent of the air, others nearby soon veered off to hunt after catching a scent, including Wulfe, whose instincts flared up as well.
I continued a bit further and then spotted a large male nyala.
It was grazing on fresh grass, but since it was old, the rest of the pack was not nearby.
This presented a nice meal for me.
The tall yellow dry grass kept me hidden as I made my way closer—I was actually behind it, and it was completely unaware of me, unable to smell me because the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.
A little closer, I could feel my pulse quicken, and my hunting instincts ignite.
Then, like lightning, I leapt forward, biting into the nyala’s neck and grabbing it with my claws.
It thrashed, trying to shake me loose and kicking at me, but my bite held firm.
It felt like an eternity, as this was a strong old male.
Before it finally hit the ground, shuddering one last time, I kept my jaws locked, tasting its hot blood and vitality.
Then I let go, knowing it was time to feast.
First, I dragged my prey back into the tall grass to keep vultures or other opportunists from stealing my meal.
Then I began to feast: starting with the balls, which were kind of a signature dish, then ripping open its belly to devour the fat.
I cracked its ribs to get to the heart and ate that too, along with the pancreas, spleen, and as much belly fat as I could.
As I was devouring the liver, having eaten just less than half, Wulfe walked in, followed by Adam and Charles.
Adam said, “We only got small impalas, not much to eat, but surely you can share, honey—you’ve got this big animal.”
Wulfe calmly snatched the rest of the liver and ate it, while Charles and Adam also came over to partake in my meal.
I said, “I thought everyone was going to get their own meal.”
Charles replied, “Well, honey, we can be flexible, right?”
I thought bitterly to myself, sure, we can—but does this mean there will always be hungry males ready to eat my prey?
Wulfe then added, “Elena and Katherine took down a nice-sized zebra; Tim and Taylor helped, and Dresden went to assist them in eating it.”
Fine, well, we had time.
I could surely teach everyone to hunt their own meals, and then we could do some group work to take down a buffalo, so there would be enough food for everyone.
Since a buffalo is heavier than Wagyu, and in our time in the pocket universe, the 25 of us ate about one Wagyu per week, a buffalo should sustain us pretty nicely.
I already had ideas for group hunts.
But then again, I was the alpha female, and sharing and caring for my pack was innate to me.
We ate with a good appetite, devouring this nyala weighing over 240 pounds, even crushing a few bones along the way.
I hadn’t yet smelled any cheetah nearby, but we were cleaning this carcass pretty thoroughly.
There wasn’t much left when we finally had enough and began making our way back to the river, perhaps to take another swim, let the sand coat us, and then digest the meal.
Life was pretty damn fun; it was mostly about one’s attitude.
Sure, this was a time of learning for all of us, and these lessons would be crucial, enjoyable, and educational as well.
I was more than ready to learn, see new things, and experience something different.
Wulfe said, “I wonder just how weird it will be to return to our human forms. I mean, I feel more and more at home every hour in my feline form. This feels so damn natural, like something inside me has been unlocked.”
I replied, “Well, since you’re my other half, I’m way more kitty than vampire, so it might be linked to that as well.”
Wulfe was happy—I could feel it.
When we finally got back to our nest, the others were already there, happy, just lounging around with full bellies, digesting.
As for me, I went back to the river to swim and cool off, and then it was time to rest once again.
Funny thing: there were never nightmares when I was in my feline form, so nothing disturbed my rest later on.
This was just the perfect life.
Though the 12 weeks seemed so fleeting, I was determined to enjoy every damn day.