The Lost Shadow
Chapter One

There were days when Ebony almost didn’t mind being cursed. She had work as a barn cat, a warm and dry place to sleep and plenty of rats and mice to fill her stomach. What more could a Cat want?

Her human form. Being able to shift whenever she wanted.

Her life back.

Ebony ignored the little whisper in her mind. Any stray cat would consider themselves lucky to be in her position, and it wasn’t as if Ebony could tell anyone what had happened to her. The monster who’d cursed her had seen to that.

“Shadow!”

Ebony pricked up her ears.

“Shadow!”

Good. She’d been starting to get hungry. Ebony leaped down from the upper floor in the barn and trotted elegantly out into the sunlight.

“There you are.” David, the miller’s youngest son, knelt down and held out a small piece of cooked chicken in his flour-covered hand. “Want a snack?”

Ebony took the treat and ate it eagerly, allowing him to stroke her sleek black coat as she did so. There’d be flour in her fur afterwards, but she didn’t mind that at all. She could always groom it out. Like all Cat athrú, she was used to physical affection but only tolerated it from people she liked and trusted - and she could always tell when someone had bad intentions or couldn’t be trusted at all. 

The miller and his family were good people, which was partially why she’d chosen to live in their barn.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to get in the house, the way you spoil him.” Trent, David’s eldest brother, walked past with a bulging sack of grain over his shoulder.

“Pretty sure Shadow’s a girl.”

Trent shook his head. “He’s lived in our barn for over a year and there hasn’t been one kitten. Trust me. Annette’s looked several times - that, and she knows what a pregnant cat looks like. There are three more sacks back there; I could really use a hand with them.”

David stood up, dusting off his hands. Ebony stepped back to avoid the flour as it drifted down.

“Sorry, puss.” David took some more chicken out of his pocket and placed it on the ground next to her, then followed his brother.

Ebony snapped up the smaller piece, licking her lips contentedly. The meat was most succulent. Closing her eyes, she curled her tail around her front paws and let the sun warm her fur.

Her nostrils tingled with an unfamiliar scent. She opened her eyes and stood, waiting. Another feline was approaching; she’d never had to defend her territory before, but she would not let herself be ousted.

The tabby came into view a moment later. It was larger than most other cats, with a stealthy tread and a rugged form.

Wait. That was no tabby cat. That was a wildcat; what was he doing here in the lowlands?

Suddenly he stopped, his tail twitching, and turned to look at her.

A thrill ran through Ebony. That was no ordinary wildcat either. He was an athrú, a shapeshifter like her. 

Had she been in her human form, she would have wept. When was the last time she had seen one of her own kind?

The strange athrú moved towards her, his tail held high. As soon as he was close enough, she stepped forward and the two touched noses in greeting. Judging from his scent, he was quite young: maybe early twenties, a few years older than Ebony’s nineteen.

After the greeting was over, she sat down, looked at the remaining piece of chicken, then chirped at him in clear invitation. You must be hungry.

The vagabond didn’t look away from her. Are you sure?

When she chirped again, he lowered his head and ate the chicken. Ebony glanced at the miller’s cottage, just in case someone was watching them through any of the windows.

The vagabond finished eating, then paced back and forth in front of her twice. Ebony watched in confusion - then froze as he crouched down, eyes fixed on her, tail twitching.

He was inviting her to play. 

There was nothing forward about it. An invitation to play between Cats was rather like an invitation to dance or to spar. If he was going to challenge her like this, she would not disappoint him.

She crouched down too, then they both jumped to their hind legs, batting at each other with their claws sheathed. After a few moments when neither yielded, they subsided a little but still watched each other in anticipation.

His eyes were a beautiful green.

Then he sprang at her. Taken by surprise, she was unable to react in time and ended up sprawling on her back.

“OI!”

The wildcat scrambled off her, fur raised. David was storming towards them, eyes blazing.

“Leave her alone!” he bellowed.

The vagabond glanced apologetically at Ebony, bowed his head once and trotted away. Ebony shot David a reproachful look, but he was already going towards the mill.

“What’s all the yelling for?” demanded Trent.

“Another cat was attacking Shadow. Great rough brute. He’s gone now.”

It wasn’t fair. The only one of her kind she’d seen in over a year and now he was gone. It wasn’t fair.

She ran in the direction the vagabond went. She stopped outside the gate and looked around, calling, but there was no sign of him. All she could see was the small but lively village of Oldwyn, and to her left was the wood that bore the village’s name.

Ebony pressed her forehead against the stone wall. A single tear trickled down, leaving a wet furrow in her fur.

Wait. She was crying.

She was crying.

Her joints began to tingle. She yowled loudly as a burning sensation spread through her body from the tips of her ears to her tail. Her bones grew larger and larger, and the yowl changed to a soundless scream of agony.

She fell over onto her back again, wincing as her head hit the ground. Sunlight streamed down into her eyes. Groaning, she rolled over onto her side and tried to push herself into a kneeling position - and stopped at the sight of two human hands pushing against the dirt.

Ebony was human again. She was back.

A harsh, croaking laugh burst out of her throat. If she could turn back into a human again, did that mean she could access her other forms as well?

She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her skin tingled as she changed shape; when she opened her eyes, two massive black paws lay on the path in front of her. Ebony shifted again, and the panther paws were replaced by smaller ones with long, silvery-white fur.

Ebony changed back into a human, but as she tried to get up pain and stiffness made her gasp and lie back down again. She’d been warned something like this would happen if she stayed far too long in one form, and she’d been a small black cat against her will for over a year.

Cat athrú had excellent hearing, even in their human forms, which meant she heard the sound of horses and rattling carriage wheels coming from her left far earlier than a normal human would. There was only one road wide enough for one of those in Oldwyn, which meant they were heading straight for her. 

Wincing, Ebony tried to drag herself to the other side of the path. Her legs collapsed under her when she tried to get up again and she had to pause for breath before moving again. The approaching sounds grew louder and louder - until suddenly they came to a halt.

“Why have we stopped?” asked an unfamiliar voice. 

“Someone’s lying in the road, Captain.”

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