Cathy stepped out of the bar into the night. Her new body gave her improved senses, and she took a while to take in her surroundings. A quick sniff, a smell of bread from the bakery, juicy meat fom the butchers, the stench of a trash can, and a whole lot of car exhaust.
She listened closely. Noises weren't louder for her, there were just more of them. She could hear everything going on around her.
Her more muscular body had turned her jeans into shorts, and her long sleeve shirt into a tank top. She took in a deep breath, and started her trek to Katie's dorm.
..........
"Um, Katie?"
The petite african-american heard her friends voice from the other side of the door. "Cat? I thought you were with Scott!"
Cathy giggled on the other side of the door. "Oh, I won't be seeing him for a while. See, Katie, something happened to me tonight. Something amazing. This is gonna sound creepy, but when I open the door, try not to scream."
The door swung open, revealing what had happened to Katies friend. "How do you like me now?"
Katie stared in disbelief. Before her stood what appeared to be a lioness. But at the same time, it stood on two feet, like a human, and had hands.
"Katie it's me! I promise I won't eat you, okay?"
"Uh, Cathy, somethings different about you. Did you dye your hair?" She said, a weak attempt at humour.
Cathy laughed. "Look, Katie, don't worry. I mean, I don't think I've been happy like this in years! It's like a fresh start! I even broke up with Scott!"
The last bit of news hit Katie with the force of a sledgehammer to the groin. "You finally got rid of that loser?"
"Yeah! Oh, man you should have seen his face! I transformed right in front of him, and I thought he was gonna crap himself."
"So, I guess that medallion was magic, huh?" Katie said, smiling.
"Oh! Let me show you..." Cathy felt around her neck to find that her amulet was missing. "It's gone..."
"Looks like it left your mark on you." Katie pointed to Cathy's arm, where an imprint of the lion had been burned into her skin.
"Girl, you're pretty damn lucky. Wish I had hair like that."
"Katie, you're way too insecure."
The duo spent the next hour or so researching and studying biology. Cathys new form did little to alter their daily routine.
"Alright, I'm in for the night."
"Agreed."
Cathy left the apartment, tail flicking behind her. "Damn," Katie thought to herself. "Bet having a tail would be fun.
As Katie turned around, she noticed something on her bed. An amulet with what appeared to be a cat on it.
"Wonder what this is?"