Before either of them could say a word, their sensitive feline ears stung with the shriek of a nearby woman. Lina turned, instinctively growling and lifting her claws. The woman had dropped bags of groceries and staret at the lioness with round eyes that looked even bigger than the glasses on her nose. She couldn't form words, she just continued to shriek and ran down the street.
This prompted the attention of many others, and before long Amy and Lina were surrounded by gawkers. Lina felt no fear from them, as she was the largest, but knew that Amy was a sitting duck in her current state. Presently the little cat was cowering behind one of her legs. Lina knew they had to get away. She lashed her claws at the empty air between her and the crowd, making them take a few startled steps back. Lina seized the opportunity and broke through a gap, hurrying up the street. "Come!" she commanded, and Amy scrambled to keep pace with Lina's large gait. She felt her huge shirt slip off her shoulders and allowed it to fall to the ground. She tripped on the folds of fabric and landed on all fours, still in a mad dash to follow the lion she was tethered to. She found that running was much easier this way.
Together, they darted through traffic and more surprised crowds, finally coming to rest in an alley close to the magic shop. Amy panted, her large tongue nearly flopping out of her mouth. Lina peered around the corner, waiting for activity the street to die down. "We'll have to wait for a while," she said in a deep growl. "Are you all right?"
"I'mmmrrr...I'mmm rrowwkaay," Amy managed to say. Her voice was much higher than it was before, and softer as well. She had a difficult time controling her vocal cords. Neither one said another word, but both could still observe the changes being made to their bodies as they waited for the street to empty.
Amy and Lina both were changing size. Now Lina was growing more powerful muscles and no longer appeared thin. She gained another foot in height while Amy diminished to under a yard. They both felt their faces widen and stretch into muzzles, their noses darkening and whiskers growing out of their cheeks. Their eyes became slits and their legs widened. Lina's already-thick mane grew thicker still, and poor Amy simply shrank and thinned all around.
"We'll have to go now. Are you ready?" Lina said after peering around the corner again. Amy could only respond with a weak mew. Both cats readied themselves for another sprint down the street.