It was not long after they were within the cabin's clearing that the man set to preparing their catch. She watched him move to a fire pit, not having noticed it before but she chalked that up to being more focused on the start of their in an entirely new place. Perhaps from now on she should make more of a resolution to herself to be more observant. Small ears went back at the thought of relinquishing her own catch still firmly in her jaws. This was solely hers, wasn't it? She had done all the work in utilizing what quiet paws and keen eyes and ears could do. Found and wrestled with the thing that had wanted life as much as she did, in either form. Flexing her claws, she decided that sharing was a better option. Better to be this way now and try and train the feline to do her own wishes when asked. Cooperative would serve better than combative. Trotting up to the man's off side, she set the bird to the ground, which did not go without protest but it ebbed away as large eyes followed the man's movements preparing the rabbits.
She watched with interest, inching forward to get an even better view as the man's fingers moved a knife deftly through the animals fur and skin, to reveal the structures underneath. They gleamed red with the shine of fresh blood int he afternoon sun, quickly staining the hands that now moved into the body cavity to remove internal organs she guessed were not fit for their human consumption. The organs were set as far as the arm could reach, and for that she was glad. Their scent was nothing short of distinctive and although the feline was interested in checking them out to eat, her human nose recognized them as unfit for safe consumption. The flies attracted to the small but growing pile confirmed her desire to ignore them and she returned to watching as muscle segments began being peeled, pulled and cut from the body. It seemed easy, but she knew better now than to assume that were the case. Even as she continued to watch dinner's progress, she could see the calm concentration on the man's face as he separated what he could from the rabbit's gradually diminishing body. The larger muscles groups from leg and middle were driven through hand-sharpened wooden poles and placed over the fire, the flames licking up at them as their juices dripped down into it. Nostrils flaring as she took in their scent, she almost reached out a dark little paw to snatch one of the smaller bits yet to be placed over the fire. It seemed to wake her stomach to give an insistent grumble about being empty. And she thought she had been peckish earlier. A fluttering object caught her eye and almost without thinking she turned and grabbed at it with her paws, forcing the object to the ground. Peering closely she realized it was a feather. Barred in shades of white and brown. The bird was being prepared now, feathers being plucked as quickly and surely as Mason's fingers could go, sending some up into the air, some back her way and a few towards the fire where the caught quickly and went up in a short burst of bright orange. Releasing the feather beneath her paws, she was almost disappointed it remained there as if defeated.
Looking back toward the cabin, she knew it would be easier to communicate in human form. Easier to maybe even help him with this without four claw-tipped paws instead of more dexterous hands and fingers. Thinking of shifting brought all the reminders of the pain it would bring before emerging with two legs instead of four. As much as a cat could grimace, she could feel it on her face and she could not hide it. Even the feline remembered and tried to croon the lure of rushing through the late afternoon shadows and feeling the power of being a predator gave. They would run before you, cower in their nests, and there would be victory in the taste of warm flesh and the thrill of another hunt. It was...alluring. Yet this was part of it, being able to deny these urges, these callings, when she said to. A low, plaintive meow escaped her jaws, a physical manifestation of her frustrations as she moved to her feet. She jumped up the steps and found herself in the living room.
Setting herself out of sight she tried to start the process she could never look forward to it. Something the tied herself to the human piece of her, he had said. A memory, a feeling, something unique to a human versus an animal. Keeping herself calm, even as she could feel her anxiety rising at knowing what was about to happen, she sifted through her memories. Ah, there it is. She let the memory replay and with it she could feel the snap of bone beginning to shift. Gritting her teeth, she felt every dark hair retreat into her skin, blinding jabs of pain as they did. Watching her paws before her she saw claws pull back into the blunt and useless ones of a human, sending dull pounding aches through her as they did. She had no choice but to contort into uncomfortable shapes as the transformation took over now, more surely and steadily then when it had first started. The clicking and scraping of bones and tendons into their new places sent her into waves of blackness from passing out, only to be greeted with a new wash of agony as it continued into the last remaining feline elements. Breath hissing between fangs that shrank at an eon's pace, she could not back the muffled cry. Almost too soon she snapped her head up from the worn wooden panels, aware that there was no longer any trace of a small black cat. Breath a little ragged, she rose to her feet, grateful they were steadier than she thought they would be. She was happy to see that this time somehow, she was fully clothed.
The layer of sweat that now clung to skin grew irritating. Quickly she went to dampen a clean cloth from the rudimentary kitchen and went to change. It seemed to linger, all that pain and feeling of being in limbo. Wiping herself down, she took deep breaths to get herself back down to feeling decent. Newly dressed in plain jeans and a white t-shirt, she returned to the kitchen sink and rinsed out the cloth again. Setting her face into the damp cloth, she let herself rest there for few moments, relishing the cooling feeling. She suddenly wondered how the shower set up was. Really hoped it was indoor or at least attached, even if it was one of those "solar shower" or whatever they were. She liked to be able to step right back into her room to get ready for the day after. Hadn't he said there was an outhouse? She grumbled to herself and her hope for a nice shower set up faded. Other than the doors to the rooms, there had been another two off the kitchen she hoped was not just storage.
He was done with everything already, apparently. He was turning the poles every so often, reaching over from his chair to poke the smaller bits on a sort of grill just over the fire on its other side. The smell was even better now, reaching her and making her stomach grumble again. He seemed relaxed this way, the motions came easily and practiced, his focus on the meat and feeding the fire. The transformation must have taken longer than she thought as late afternoon had dipped into the start of the sun starting its slow descent. "How...long have you lived out here?" She asked, taking her seat in the chair beside him and pulling her knees to her chin. Jeans were a good idea, it was still summer but it was going to be a cool summer night.
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