Chương 12: Paws and Pranks

I slumped in the recliner. After a few heavy sighs, I rolled a popcorn kernel between my paws as I weighed my options. While it was fairly obvious what Gaia was suggesting, it was my life and I was going to make the decisions, not her. The first gift I eliminated was Tongue of Trickery. I hated liars. They reminded me of politicians who would promise the sky. Bending the truth wasn't my style unless I was backed into a corner. Even then, it left a sour taste. Echoes of Chaos?

Who in their right mind would choose something so chancy? Nope, that's a hard no. I couldn't even imagine the problems that would come from a power like that. Shadow Thief didn't sit right with me either. That only left me with two options, one of which would make me look like an idiot. Pass. But Mask of Many Paws? Shapeshifting or invisibility felt like my kind of trick. Both were solid powers and could save my tail. Plus, the idea of messing with Tala's head was too tempting to pass up.

Reluctantly, I had to agree with Gaia. Then again, she could have given me better options. System, I pick Mask of Many Paws, I thought firmly. I didn't get a confirmation notification the last time I made a choice. Once again, a warm pulse surged through me. Tala's ears swiveled toward me. Her dark eyes narrowed with suspicion. Apparently, something must have happened with my aura. What're you scheming, kit? her mental voice asked. It dripped with wariness. I grinned as I studied her squirrelly form.

Bushy tail, twitchy nose, all attitude packed into a pint-sized package. Perfect. I focused on her image. My fur prickled as something shifted deep in my bones. The change was fluid, almost ticklish. Suddenly, I looked exactly like Tala. My tail was a floofy monstrosity that nearly tipped me over backward. For a moment, I just sat there, marveling at the transformation. It made me wonder how large of a creature I could turn into since I was the same size as Tala now.

I chittered and then mimicked Tala's smug swagger before leaping onto the table. Or tried to. I ended up jumping headfirst into the table instead. Looks like I might need to get used to a new form before trying to impress a girl, I thought. Ignoring my failure, I continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Surprise, Nutty!" I squeaked. My voice was high-pitched and dripping with glee. Tala had been staring at me, her brain having apparently shut down. However, when I yelled, Tala yelped. She tumbled off the table in a furry blur. She landed with a solid thud on the hardwood floor. Then she scrambled to her feet and stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. What the…?! You're me?! Her mental voice screeched. I pranced around the table and flicked my new bushy tail in her face. I reveled in her shock.

"How's it feel, bushy bottom?" I taunted her. I did my best impression of her territorial strut. She scrambled away from me. Her claws clicked frantically on the hardwood. Her mental voice erupted in a furious rant. Not funny, trash panda! Change back before I bury you in acorns! But I wasn't done. I laughed. I dodged her swipe and focused again. The tingling returned, stronger this time. My form began to shimmer like heatwaves rising from summer pavement. My fur faded first, then my whole body.

Until I was completely invisible. I wasn't even a ripple in the air. The sensation was incredible. I could see everything, but I felt like I was wrapped in a warm, invisible blanket. It was the world's best hiding spot. Tala froze. Then she sniffed. Where'd you go, you sneaky little…? she demanded. Her mental voice teetered between panic and fury. I crept behind her as silent as a shadow. Then I flicked her tail with an invisible paw.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. She screeched and leaped several feet in the air. She crashed into Shelly's snack bowl and knocked it over. You absolute jerk! Her mental voice was half fury and half something else. Smirking, I reappeared, still in squirrel form. My tail was puffed up for maximum effect.

"Mask of Many Paws, baby. Get used to it." Tala shook popcorn from her tail before glaring daggers at me. You're gonna regret this, kit. Her mental tone had a dangerous purr. But I caught the glint of reluctant respect in her eyes. Still, I wasn't finished showing off. I pictured Coyote from the vision. Lean, scarred, all desert swagger and cosmic attitude. My body stretched and my bones elongated with a series of soft pops that felt oddly satisfying. My fur lightened to a dusty tan.

I looked exactly like Coyote and loomed over Tala. Just for fun, I bared teeth in a coyote grin and said, "Boo!" Tala squealed. She then bolted under the couch like her tail was on fire. Her mental voice was a high-pitched tirade: Not cool, kit! You're so dead! I laughed. My coyote form felt wild and powerful. The sensation was intoxicating. But curiosity tugged again as I wondered, Can I turn back into myself? I pictured my old self. Two legs, no fur, all prepper paranoia and arthritic joints. My form shimmered.

Bones began to ache and shift. But the system pinged with disapproval. ERROR. Mask of Many Paws restricted to animal forms. Figures. No hands, just claws and paws. That didn't explain how I could turn invisible though. Also, judging from the fact I was restricted to animal forms, that sort of implied I might be able to turn into animals without paws. So, why call it that? Then after a moment, I shrugged. Whatever. Although I wouldn't admit it out loud, I was starting to like my new raccoon body.

Then again, that was probably just because my back and knees weren't hurting any more. Before I could change back into my raccoon form, Shelly came flying out of the bedroom with a broom in hand, swinging it around like a bat. She yelled, "Leave Abe alone you mangy mutt!" Why is there a broom in my bedroom? I absently wondered, not realizing what was about to happen. Wait, is she swinging that at me? I realized she thought I was a wild coyote who was trying to eat "Abe" who was hiding under the furniture. Fudge me!

I hastily changed back before the broom hit me. Luckily, Shelly was able to change the direction of her swing. Unfortunately, one of my lamps exploded into millions of pieces.

"Crap, I liked that lamp," I muttered sadly. Tala poked her head out and chittered angrily at me. Her mental voice blasted me with indignation. You woke up the human with your stupid pranks! Now she's armed! I raised my paws in what I hoped was a calming gesture.

"It's me! I was just playing around with Tala." Shelly lowered the broom slightly. Her lips twitched between annoyance and amusement. Then, one of her eyes twitched as she looked between me and whatever was under the couch. Finally, she asked, "So who's Tala?' Although I wasn't sure, it sounded almost as if the name Tala tasted bitter and had to be spat out. Yep, it's going to be a long night, I thought. Fortunately, Tala decided to poke her head out from under the couch.

Almost immediately, Shelly started 'oohing' and 'gooing.' She even picked Tala up and asked her questions like, "Did that mean raccoon scare you? It's okay, I'll teach him a lesson later." Then Shelly glared back at me.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, you menace." She looked around at the destruction. Then she went back to soothing Tala's feelings. As for Tala, she glared at me over Shelly's shoulder. As soon as Shelly set her down, she hopped onto the table and began sniffing Shelly's empty snack plate and looked back at Shelly with a sad pitiful look.

"Aww, so sweet. I'll go get you something," Shelly said. Just before she reached the kitchen, she turned around in time to catch Tala giving me a very human gesture. Shelly shot both of us a look and smirked.

"You two need a referee?" she asked. Eyebrows raised.

"Because I'm not equipped to handle supernatural drama this early in the morning." I groaned. I was caught between Tala's territorial sass and Shelly's... whatever. I still wasn't sure. I hadn't always been the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to figuring out what women were thinking.

"Anyway, it was about time to wake up anyway," Shelly said after giving a big sigh.

"Help me clean up this mess. Is your friend smart enough to understand?" Tala just flipped her tail and gave Shelly the bird too. Luckily, Shelly had already turned away and didn't notice. Yep, she's definitely seen humans interacting together before. Fudge me. If things get much stranger, I'm relocating to the nearest dumpster and declaring sovereignty. Tala continued to glare at me every once in a while but otherwise ignored me.

She was apparently getting some type of joy out of watching me clean up the broken shards of lamp while Shelly was making her food. By the time I was done, I heard footsteps outside. Fudge me, I can't get a freaking break. Who in the hell is it now? I wondered.