Chapter 2: Just when you think you're about to win. Bam, someone hits the reset button

I put the car in gear and pulled back onto the road. I knew I was different; but being born on another world was mind blowing. I kept thinking, Who are the folks that raised me? Where are my real parents? Why am I 'Sentinel'? What was "coming"? Good questions, currently without good answers or even a passable ones. Hell I would have settled for bad ones, just so something would make sense. And what's with the flying fleabag sitting next to me?

[Hey! That was uncalled for. Do I look at you and call you a talking monkey? Just because I look like a cat, does not mean I am a cat. I am one of the Asalon race. We are shape shifters, but always in some type of feline form. Observe.]

There was a sudden flash of light and it grew very chilly in the car, when I looked over I saw what I can only describe as a 'cat woman'. She had two legs, two arms, a torso, a head like a human. Oh yes, she had two breasts. That was where the similarities stopped. She was covered in very fine looking fur, with the same coverings as before (black, with white hands and feet, and a white patch on her chest). She sat in the passenger seat with her legs curled up beneath her. As far as I could tell, she had ten fingers and ten toes, but her hands and feet were foreshortened (not as long as they should have been). She looked at me and I saw her bright yellow (almost gold) eyes with their slits, just as you would find in a regular cat. Her nose was a cross between a human nose and that of a cat (shortened and flat, black and looked a little wet). I couldn't see if she still had the wings, but I kind of doubted it as it would have been difficult to sit with them, even folded.

My ears picked up a rasping that reminded me of a cat purring, and when she spoke it was with a deep husky voice that set my neck hair on edge (in a good way), and sent a chill down my spine (Think Kathleen Turner in "Roger Rabbit"). "So does this prove that I am not a cat, or do you need more persuasion?" She reached out with one hand and touched my knee and slowly ran it up the inside of my thigh towards my groin.

I jumped and the car swerved all over the road as I fought to regain control, both of the car and my hormones. "Okay," I said, "that will be enough of that. I don't know if your race can survive car accidents better than mine, but I would rather not find out just now."

[Then keep your eyes and attention on the road and getting us back to your home in one piece] she blasted into my mind.

Figuring if I just kept my eyes on the road and ignored what she was for the moment, I would be OK. I asked, "So why did it get cold in here when you changed forms?"

[Simple. When we change to larger form from a smaller one, we draw in the surrounding heat to feed the change. The opposite is true when we revert to a smaller form. Most of my people have the basic two forms, but some have a third which looks like an upper torso on a lion or tiger's body. Very few can alter themselves to take on the form of what you call a griffon, but that is the way the Goddess made us and we do not argue with her wishes.]

Looking over at her for a moment I said, "Can we take this up at a different time? We're about to get home and I would like to only have one thing on my mind at a time. By the way, could you change back to the cat form? I don't feel like explaining to the neighbors about the lovely cat lady in my car."

She giggled and said in her sultry voice, "You think I'm lovely? That's so sweet. You're not so bad yourself. But before I change you had better open the windows and turn on the air conditioning, because when I change back it will get rather hot in here. Remember the heat we draw in to grow to this and other sizes must be bled off to change back to a lesser size."

Hearing this I reached over and turned up the AC and rolled down all four windows. Then I thought out loud, "What about the seat? Will they burn from the heat?"

She smiled and said, "Not if I slow down the change and do it over time. I have to tell you, though, it can be a little upsetting to those that have never seen it happen. So don't lose control of the car again, because during the slow change I am helpless and can do nothing once the change is started and for about a minute till it is finished." She closed her eyes and let her head drop, and as her chin touched her chest.

It became very hot in the car when her form changed to what I can only describe as an amorphous blob which slowly got smaller and smaller as the heat in the car continued to climb to well over what felt like a hundred degrees, before suddenly dropping back to normal as she became a cat again. The only lingering thing from the change was the smell of slightly scorched leather from the seat in which she was standing.

She jumped to my lap. In my mind I heard, [Hot, hot, hot! Not fun! Remind me not to do that again soon.]

Grinning I reached down with one hand and rubbed behind her ears. "Tisk, tisk, did the kitty burn her paws?"

She poked her claws into my legs.[Yes, I did and keep it up with the 'kitty' business and you will wish you hadn't.]

All I could think was [Yikes! OK you win! No more kitty jokes! I promise! But take it easy around the family jewels. I'd like to get to use them at least once before you cut them off.]

Slowing down the car I turned into the driveway of the only home I had ever known and seeing my (I guess) foster parent's cars were here I knew something was wrong. They should not have been home from work for about another hour.

Seraph spoke again. [So they would be ready and have some things for you, I informed them about what has happened. Don't be nervous. They have known this day was coming and will try to be as honest with you as they can. Just remember that for the last thirteen of your fourteen years they have watched over you with as much caring and understanding as your real parents would have and love you as if you were their real son. Love them no matter what for they are your real aunt and uncle and have given up a great deal to keep you safe.]

I stopped the car and put it in park and opened the door. She jumped from my lap to the ground. When I didn't move, she looked back at me. [Coming? Or would you rather sit in a smelly car all night?]

With a million things running through my mind I got out and followed her. Walking up the sidewalk to the door I didn't know which was worse. Wanting to know the truth about everything, or being scared of the answers that I might find out about.

As I reached for the door, it opened and there stood my 'mother/aunt' with her arms out to gather me in to one of her "monster" hugs, the ones that used to make everything better no matter what the problem was and let me know that all was right in the world and nothing could ever get me as long as she was there.

At that moment in time I knew that no matter what answers might come, no matter what things I found out about, this woman was all the mother I would ever need and that she loved me as a son and not just as her nephew.

Standing behind her was the only dad I had ever known and with his smile I saw that I was his son, if not in body, then in soul. He would protect me even if it called for his life to do it, not from a sense of duty or because he had given his word, but because he loved me just as much as Mom.

All of my nervousness vanished and I only felt the warmth of their love and that was all I needed for right now and forever.

My mother is a beautiful woman, but I guess I should call her Aunt Ellen (that was what I had always been told was her first name), she stood about 5'8" with a light tan (for Texas anyway). She had sandy blonde hair and super blue (almost sky blue) eyes, and not that I had ever looked at my mother that way, but she has a great figure. I had always figured she was around her early thirties, but she looked to be in her early twenties. Hell, when she and Dad would go out she would still get carded to buy alcohol. Once I asked her how old she was and she smiled and said "Oh, I'm a bit older than you would think."

When I asked my dad about it and told him what she had said he laughed and said, "I would take her word for it if I were you, and remember it's not nice to ask a lady her age."

Both of my parents were on the thin side, but looked to be in excellent health with muscles that were more 'wirie' than bulky and both had that quiet confidence that said that they were ready for anything.

Dad stood very tall at 6'7" and looked to weigh about 220 pounds or so. His hair was sun bleached (super blonde almost white) and his eyes looked so dark that in the right light they were purple. His skin was just a shade or two darker than mom's, but he never spent a great deal of time outside.

Mom's voice was light with an almost musical quality with a laugh that seemed to lighten the room she was in and one that made everyone around her smile. Dad's voice was about an octave or two lower, but still carried the same sense that made one think of music, except once that I can remember when we were out on the town and a couple of drunken cowboy wannabes bumped into us and started harassing Mom. Dad stepped in front of them and in a voice I had never heard until that moment (and never have again) told them that they should make their apologies and leave. It wasn't what he said it was that voice. It was like he had borrowed the voice of Death himself. It had sent chills running down my spine and I just about wet my pants (and he was my dad). The wannabes heard that and seemed to sober up in a flash and said that they were sorry and practically fell over themselves getting out of the area.