The Spirit of the Cat

PROLOGUE

The Dreamtime--that gap between what is and what was--is a space where "being" is an eternal, all-at-once state. In the Dreamtime, the past is the future and the future, past. All of what is, what has been and will be meets here. It is where souls reside before becoming and it is the place to which souls return upon ceasing. It is the space to which the spirit is called when dreaming and the essence flows during ritual. There is neither "life" nor "death" in the time before time; there is only the ever-lasting.

In the nexus of being the old ones sat, guarding the well of the Others.

"Hmm... the Old Ones... they call to me, Old Man," creaked Old Woman.

He nodded his head sagely, his mane of white hair spilling across his wizened shoulders. "Yes, I have heard them too, Old Woman. The Gods have finally chosen."

Old Woman tossed herbs onto the surface of the water, watching the bits of flotsam settle into intricate patterns—the meaning of which only she knew. "This one, she will not take the transition easily."

Old Man's eyebrows crept skyward. "She?"

"Mmmm, yes. We have not seen the likes of this one in many generations." She smiled.

Old Man's mouth quirked up on the edges, "Not since the world began."

Old Woman cackled, "The God's must be crazy!"

CHAPTER ONE

Old Man sat peacefully, legs crossed beneath him, deep in the shade of a tree on the Deep Well Station. The People walked around and about him, paying him little mind. In this time and in this place he was a storyteller--no more and no less. It was a guise that had served him well in the past and one that was more than suitable in the present.

Old Man had come to the Station everyday for more than a week. Each day he sat, watching, waiting, and peaceably sharing stories of the Dreamtime with the young ones who had come to visit the red desert. Today, his audience was small, but Old Man sensed deep within his soul that it would grow. The Wind and the Skies, the Earth and the Trees, they all whispered the Chosen One was coming. Yes, it would be just as the Old Woman had foretold.

"In the time before time," his tale began, "when all that is was still yet to be, the Gods stepped forth to make the Earth. As man and animal they roamed the land, helping the First People become." Old Man paused, lettings his eyes roam, searching for the Chosen One. He tipped his head, shaking his shaggy white hair free of his face, all the better to see the world.

He blinked slowly. There! There she was, standing alone at the very edge of the story circle. 'Ah!' he breathed. Her body was tall and lithe, her limbs long and supple. Guardians, he knew from long experience, must be fit to survive. Why, it was obvious even to him that the Gods had chosen well with this one. Tsk! Old Woman must not have read the leaves quite right.

A lanky boy sitting nearby nudged his neighbor, giggling. Old Man stared directly at the youth until silence reigned once more. The Chosen One stepped closer and he motioned for the boys to make room for her within the story circle. "As the People grew in number, they split into tribes to better cover the earth, each tribe taking with them the essence--the Tjurunga--of the Others who mentored them."

Alanna smiled nervously, wondering why the old storyteller was staring at her so intently. She smoothed her red-gold hair and straightened the collar of her shirt. Yes, she had traveled all night to get here; but surely she did not look that bad?

The elderly storyteller drew breath and continued onwards. "From the South Lands came the Tjilpa, the largest of all the tribes, carrying with them the Tjurunga of the great wild cat."

"Pfft! What a crazy story! My teacher says there's no such thing as big cats in Australia." One of the children remarked snidely. "It's just a myth!"

Oh, the arrogance of modern youth! In his day, no child would have dared speak to an elder in such a manner. Old Man raised a bushy eyebrow in warning and the child settled back meekly. "The Tjurunga was powerful, bringing strength and greatness to the Tjilpa. But nothing is given without cost."

His listeners leaned forward expectantly.

"In exchange for these gifts, the Gods expected the Tjilpa to care for the Tjurunga. Those responsible for the essence of the wild cat absorbed it into their souls, becoming living vessels for the beast."

"So, what? They became cat-people?!?" exclaimed one of the older children. "You must be joking!"

This time the Old Man completely ignored the outburst. Instead, he turned his eyes once again to the Chosen One, watching carefully for her reaction. "The Tjurunga's essence remains within its human vessels until they die. Then its essence is returned to the Dreamtime." His dark eyes took on a glowing light. "Where it rests until a new vessel is born."

Old Man fell silent. Waiting.

Alanna stood abruptly. "Well. That was... interesting." She shook her head, letting her bangs fall down over her green eyes. She was not sure why she had come to the Alice Springs District, why she had come to Deep Well Station. But she knew she was not here to sit and listen to some crazy old man ramble on about cat-people.

A tall shadow crossed in front of her, a hand wrapped tightly around her arm. "Do not leave without your totem, Missy." Old Man held out a small chunk of stone on a leather thong.

The short hairs at the nape of Alanna's neck bristled. She tried, with little success, to pull away. The crazy old man obviously was not going to let go. So she stepped back as much as he would allow. "I don't..."

Old Man pulled her back, quickly reaching up to slip the thong over her head. "Everyone gets a totem--a piece of the Tjurunga for luck."

The stone slipped down to rest between her full breasts. Alanna suddenly felt dizzy, disoriented, as if the world had shifted on its axis. Her fair skin paled to a milky white and a light sheen of sweat broke over her brow. She blinked rapidly. "Wha...?"

There. That was the reaction Old Man was looking for. The Tjurunga had indeed chosen as Old Woman had predicted. "Are you alright, Missy? Perhaps you should sit down?" He asked solicitously.

"No, I..." Alanna shook her head. The sun. It must be the sun. Or maybe she needed to eat. Her stomach heaved at the thought of food. Okay. So food was probably a bad idea. "I think I'll just go inside for a bit and lay down."

Old Man nodded, watching carefully as the Chosen One made her way shakily to the guest house.

And so it began...

CHAPTER TWO

Alanna tossed restlessly in her small bed. The room was too hot. Her skin felt tight and painful. Rivulets of sweat rolled across her body. "It's the flu. It must be the flu," she groaned softly. God, she'd give anything for some aspirin and water!

She jumped, pressing back into the soft mattress as images flashed back and forth at the edges of her vision. She could no longer distinguish between reality and the visions flickering before her.

Time stopped and the world shifted yet again. Alanna felt weightless, ethereal, no longer bound by the parameters of physical space.

She lifted her head. The fever was gone and she was no longer in any discomfort. "Have I died?" Red-gold sand stretched around her for miles. Overhead, a crescent moon shone down. She looked around, confused. "How did I get outside? Where am I?"

How wondrous! The transition had only just taken place, yet already the child had found her way to the Dreamtime. "Be calm, young one," a silky voice intoned from the darkness. "You are most certainly not dead. For there is no death here. You are Dreaming."

'Ooookay.' Alanna thought. Dreaming. Right. Fever or not, she must still be ill.

Alanna watched, eyes wide, as an old woman dressed in flowing amber robes approached. She took stock of the woman's wrinkled, sun baked skin and waist length white hair. Alanna frowned thoughtfully. The old woman looked amazingly like one of the characters from the Ten Commandments. She had seen that movie recently. Maybe that was why...

Old Woman walked towards her. "Why do you frown so, child? You are not ill, not at all. You have been chosen. Your body is simply adjusting to its new existence. And I am not certain exactly what a 'movie' is, but I can tell you whatever it is, this is not it. As I said, you are Dreaming." She stretched out a wrinkled palm. "You have sought me out in the Dreamtime in order to begin your journey."

Visual and auditory hallucinations. Definitely. She blinked up at the woman. "Ummm, chosen? Chosen for what? And what's this about a 'journey'?"

Old Woman smiled, again offering her hand. "Come, child. Walk with me awhile."

Go walk-about at night. In the great Red Desert. With an hallucination as her guide? Oh sure, that was a good idea. Not! Alanna shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Nope. I'm sick--feverish and totally out of my head. I'm not going anywhere with anyone, but especially not some 60s era, hippie, tour guide wannabe. I'd probably disappear into the darkness forever, never to be seen or heard from again."

A thoughtful look crossed Old Woman's weathered face. Had the People completely lost their ancestral memories? "You do not believe me?" She stared into space a moment, as if she could see the past, present and future hovering before her in the great void. "Ah, I see. That which was is no longer; and that which will be is not yet realized." She clicked her tongue. Old Man would have a much harder time with this one than she had predicted. "No matter." She placed her hand on Alanna's shoulder, causing a river of heat to flow through the young woman. "You will soon come to know the things you should know." Old Woman turned and started walking back into void.

"Wait!" Alanna called. "Please!" She struggled to rise and follow the old woman, but her body felt thick--as if it were being sucked down into quicksand.

A faint voice echoed back through the void. "Be calm, child. You will find the Dreamtime again when you decide you have need of me."

Alanna woke abruptly, heart thundering in her chest. She was drenched in sweat and ached in every bone in her body. "It was a dream," she whispered to herself. "Just a dream. It wasn't real."

****

Hours later Alanna emerged shakily from the guest house, bags in hand. She felt like crap. Some vacation this had turned out to be!

"I'll take your bags, Miss Shepherd. You just climb on up into the Rover. We'll have you down to the airport and on your way home in no time."

Alanna shifted her gaze to her driver. What was his name? Rafe? Jack? She could not remember. They all looked so much alike in their khakis and bush hats. Besides, her head hurt too badly to work it out. "Thanks."

He tipped his hat to her. "No worries, miss."

No worries. Oh, how Alanna wished that were true. She pulled herself painfully into the back of the Rover and settled in for the long ride to the regional airport. The world passed by in a series of bumps and thumps as the Rover made its way across the track. She was so tired she did not even bother to look out the window at the scenery.

The Rover jerked, throwing her sideways. A stream of steady cursing flowed from the driver's seat, then the vehicle settled down again. "Sorry 'bout that, miss. Blasted 'Roo just jumped right in front of us. Would've done some damage, that would."

Alanna ran a shaky hand through her hair. "S'okay," she mumbled.

Worried eyes glanced back at her from the rear-view mirror. The woman in the back seat looked a little green. "You alright back there, Miss Shepherd?"

Alanna's physical state was certainly questionable. Her skin felt tight again and she itched all over. "I'm good," she lied.

"Hmm..." Her driver was obviously not convinced.

Surely things would not get much worse? If they could just make it to the airport, she was fairly certain she would survive the trip home. Somehow. Alanna flopped back against the seat. "I'm fine, really. Let's just try and make it to the airport in once piece."

Neither driver nor passenger noticed the crow flying along behind them.

****

Alanna cleared customs just in time to board her flight. She was bone tired. Thankfully, she was flying first-class and had more than enough room to stretch out for a nap.

"Can I get you anything, Miss Shepherd?" the tall, blond steward queried as he handed over a pillow and blanket.

"Hmm..." If she just felt a little better she might take him up on the offer evident in his eyes. But right now all she really wanted were some pain killers and a gallon of Benadryl. She had a headache the size of Manhattan and the damned itching was driving her crazy! "I don't suppose you have any aspirin? And maybe an antihistamine?"

Blondie's grin was rueful. It was obvious he was mentally crossing Alanna off his entertainment menu. "Caught a bug, did you?" He nodded sympathetically. "We've a med-kit on board. I'll bring you something straight away."

Alanna gratefully popped the pills he handed her and chased them with water. "Thanks, loads. I think I'm just going to sleep a bit now." She closed her eyes, chasing away the light, and nodded off.

****

Alanna moved restlessly. In her dream, dark eyes chased after her. Serpents slithered all around her. Terror threatened and evil mocked her.

"I think we should wake her," chimed a woman. "We'll be landing in thirty minutes."

"She said she wasn't feeling well," a man replied. "We've still thirty minutes before we land. Let her sleep. I'll wake her once we're on the ground."

"I dunno..."

Alanna let the sound of the softly bickering voices wash over her, slowly bringing her back to consciousness. She was thankful they'd rousted her from that horrid dream. What a nightmare!

At least whatever was in the pills Blondie had given her seemed to have helped. She had stopped itching and her skin was not tight anymore. She shifted carefully, testing to see how far her limbs would go before pain set in. Nothing. Thankfully, her body seemed to be back in working order. How weird was that?

"Oh, you're awake!" Blondie exclaimed as he reached for her pillow and blanket.
Huh? Alanna stared at the uniformed man in front of her. What was that on his pocket? Quantas. Oh. Yeah. She was on a plane, heading home. "Ummm, yeah. Thanks for letting me sleep." Thirst raged through her and she licked her lips.

"Tsk. You're likely dry as a bone, Miss Shepherd. I'll bring you a quick cuppa." Blondie trotted off towards the galley.

Cuppa what? The scent of coffee rolled through the cabin. Alanna's nose twitched. She lived for caffeine! How long had it been since she'd had coffee? A day? Two? She accepted the cup the steward handed her gratefully. "Thanks."

He winked. The poor woman had really had a rough time of it. "No worries."

The fasten seatbelt sign flashed overhead and the captain's voice poured from the loudspeaker announcing their impending landing. Alanna finished her coffee quickly, handed the cup back and buckled in. Gods, was she glad to be home!

CHAPTER THREE

The airport was a bustling, noise-filled hub. Alanna's head ache had started up again. And the harsh constant sounds vibrating in the air around her were not making things any easier. Standing in line for customs she pressed her hands tightly to her ears, desperately trying to reduce the impact of the incessant noise.

"Passport?"

Her head came up. "Sorry?"

"Your passport, miss?" The nondescript woman in front of her held out her hand, waiting.

Her brain kicked in. Passport. Customs. "Oh, right." Alanna handed it over. "Here you go."

The bored woman flipped the little booklet open and shut before her. "Thank you. Next!"

Alanna staggered off to baggage claim, only to be overwhelmed by the scent of humanity spilling from the crowds pressed around the conveyor belts. Her gums ached tremendously and she was salivating almost to the point of drooling. 'Good Gods, what is wrong with me???'

"Mommy, look," a small voice piped, "that lady has vampire teeth!"

A harried woman in a stained coat gave Alanna a dirty look and yanked the child out of her path, "Well, really! It's not Halloween, you know."

Alanna did not respond. What a nutcase! The pain in her mouth worsened. Maybe this was not the flu. Maybe she had some sort of abscess and the infection was raging through her body. She spotted her Louis Vuitton coming down the baggage conveyor belt. Wearily, she tried to grab for her bags.

A man in a mold-green suit shoved her roughly. "Hey, lady, watch it with those claws!" He stalked away rapidly, mumbling something about women and long nails.

Alanna stared after him in confusion. "What?"

The tightly packed group of teens to her left were pointing and gesturing excitedly. "Wow! That outfit is totally wild. Totally! The hair, the teeth, the claws... Wicked!"

Had the entire city gone mad? The world spun dizzyingly. Hands grabbed her roughly from behind. Alanna gave a startled scream, scrabbling at the arms that held her.

"Shh, Old Man crooned softly. "Be calm, young one. You will only make things worse if you try to fight the transition."

Wait! That voice. She knew that voice! "What..."

Old Man pulled her to an exit and dragged her outside. Alanna had a brief moment of clarity before the world started to fade. Black ate at the edges of her vision as she glanced into his face. "You're the old man. The storyteller from the Station." She gasped.

His "Yes" barely reached her ears as she was pushed unceremoniously into the back of a large black van, landing in an unconscious heap on the carpeted floor.

All around them the world passed by. Not a single soul paid any attention to the old man, the van, or the crow flying lazily along behind.

****

Alanna awoke in her bed. Her own bed. Naked as the day she was born. How had she gotten here? Where were her clothes? She struggled to remember. The plane. The airport. The old man. The van. She put her head in her hands. Was it real? Was it a dream? She sat up quickly, wincing as the totem she still wore swung up wildly to smack her in the chin. Nothing made sense!

Poor thing. The first days after the transition were always the hardest. "I imagine you'd like something to drink about now," a voice as smooth and rich as chocolate rolled through the dark.

Dark. Night-time? But when her plane landed, it had been morning! Good grief! Alanna had lost more than her memory, she had lost time. How long? Hours? Days? Alanna started to sweat.

Old Man rushed to Alanna's bedside, taking her soft hands gently in his gnarled ones. "Calm yourself, young one! Strong emotions will bring on the change and it is sill too soon since your last shift. You are not strong enough yet to shift forms twice in one day!"

Change? Shift forms? What the hell? Alanna blinked rapidly. Both her heart rate and breathing increased markedly. "Who are you? How did I get here? Where are my clothes?" Her skin itched and her mouth started to ache. "Oh, Gods!"

Old Man simply could not allow this. They could not afford to lose the Chosen One. His strong hands grasped her narrow shoulders, shaking her roughly. "You must cease this immediately, young one." He grasped her chin tightly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Breathe with me. Slowly now. In. Out. Yes, like that."

Alanna did not like him staring into her eyes like that. It was like he was trying to dominate her and it made her twitchy. But the old guy was right. The breathing thing was really helping. The pain and the creepy-crawly sensations eased. "What...?"

Much better! Old Man set her back gently against the sheets. "Rest quietly, youngling. I will make you some tea."