Kat the Cat (Story has five chapters, if you like the story, read on!)
By writercat - bronze member
Submitted on December 28, 2025
Prologue
Prologue
I sit in my bed of straw as I see mother and aunt pace around the river just across our den. I sit and stare as my two guardians bring fish of many different types and sizes. I can have enough time to explore the rest of camp. Loud echoy footsteps can be heard up the hill of camp. I can tell this stranger is wearing some brown, heavy, leather boots. The stranger walks up to my mother and growls in a croaky sort of voice. From what I can make out, it includes me.“I am Nymph Canto, and I have come to retrieve Kat.”
Mum freezes. Horror stricken. Then, she manages to say something. “What? No!” mum yells.
But Nymph shoves her out of his way. “You dare deny my orders?!” Nymph screeches. “You can't!”
He glares at mum, then aunt, then me, then back to aunt. “You. What do you have to say for yourself? Speak human!” Nymph spat.”Uh…pl...please sir. Please do not take her. Don't take Kat. She's all we have left of our families.” Aunt stutters then gains confidence. ‘Ha! Families, shamilies, I wouldn't care if everyone in your family dies! I only care about having, her” The stranger points his finger out from his cloak at me. “Now, since you refused-” He shot a nasty look at Mum. “-I shall be taking what I now call mine.” Suddenly, I feel a ghostly purple fog wrap around my thin body. In a whiff of smoke, and a last pleading look at my guardians, my body crumbles into thin air. Please find me. Mum! Aunt! I will return. Then, I am gone, without a trace. . .
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Chapter 1
10 Years Later…
Turners, first line! Everyone else in the second! You know the drill—you’ve done it a thousand times!” A booming voice thunders in my ear.
My brain instantly identifies the yeller: Mr. Brooks He is a stout man with soot-black hair and a spotless, unnecessarily fancy suit. I slowly shuffle towards the middle line. Being fourth in line means I won't have to wait long for food, but as I stand there, my mind drifts. I wonder how much longer I will be trapped in this looping, prison-like existence.
In this place, a Turner, is someone born as an animal to human parents. We gain the ability to shift back into human form at age five—that’s me. Then there are the Water Creatures: mermaids, sirens, squids, and narwhals. Since they can only breathe underwater, they travel through a network of flooded glass tunnels that snake around the entire prison.
Everyone else is a typical mythical creature—unicorns, dragons, dinosaurs, and so on. The last line is usually reserved for normal animals with magical abilities. Breakfast is usually so dull I’d die of boredom if it weren't for my two best friends.
First, there’s Soda, a raccoon-like ferret with pale grey fur and black stripes down her back. She wears shimmering rings and diamonds in her ears, but what makes her truly special are her large, ash-grey wings. She’s the only one of us who can fly.
Then there’s Adela. She’s a different kind of Turner—a shapeshifter. She’s tall, with streaks of purple and blue running through her bushy, light-brown hair. Her bright teal eyes always make her stand out, especially in her primary human form.
We’ve been inseparable since we met at age three. I remember that day eight years ago as if it were yesterday.
“Hey, Kat?” Soda called out. “Weird question, but... do you remember anything from your past? You know, before you were sent here?”
I give her a quizzical look. I search my mind, but it felt like hitting a brick wall. “Actually, now that I think about it, no. I don’t remember a thing before waking up in this place ten years ago.”
“Yeah. Me neither,” Adela whispered.
Soda stares at me for a long moment. My mind begins to buzz with questions. Why does everyone follow the guards so blindly? Why is there never any commotion? And why are all the prisoners—including us—exactly eleven years old?
“Kat? Do you know what this means?” Adela asks, her voice trembling slightly.
“Yes. It means something very fishy is going on,” I say. I saw them start to smirk. “No pun was intended!”
The girls suppress their giggles and sniggers. I lean in closer. “We’re going to investigate. We’ll sneak out of our cells at midnight to find out what’s really happening. See you then.”
We split up, heading in separate directions. Back in my cell, an idea began to take shape. I scan the small room until my gaze lands on a dusty, leather-bound journal tucked away on a shelf. I pull it down, open to the first of the gold-brown pages, and begin to write.
'This is Kat. Hello, future self. I’m writing this to remember who I am before this journey begins. I have a feeling that sneaking out tonight is the start of something huge—something that will change us forever.
Right now, I am a tall eleven-year-old Turner with emerald eyes and straight black hair with blue streaks running through. I'm wearing my favorite watermelon earrings. I am shy, quiet and thoughtful. The other side of me, is a cat. My fur is solid black, with blue striped lines only on my fluffy tail. I am stealthy and—if I need to be—aggressive.
One last thing for my future self: Why do I keep dreaming of two humans smiling at me while I eat fish? And why does the dream always end with a man in a cloak, a woman crying, and purple smoke?
I’m taking this journal with me. Wish us luck.
—11-year-old Kat'
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Chapter 2
A heavy, metallic clang resonated through the dark corridors, an eerie sound that felt etched into the walls for eternity. Midnight. My ticket to freedom, or at least a few steps closer to it. I ducked under my low cot, my paws dragging out a small, dusty cardboard box. As I opened it, a puff of stale air filled with the scent of decay—rat nests and dead insects—filled my nose.
A silver key shimmered in the center of the box. I took it between my teeth and crept toward the cell door. Shifting back into my human form, I gripped the key with trembling fingers and slid it into the lock. A silent click was followed by the agonizingly slow creak of the door swinging open. Shadows swallowed me as I slipped out into the hallway.
I shifted back into a cat and sprinted toward the West Wing. Within minutes, I was face-to-face with Adela.
“Adela, you ready? Do you need me to explain anything else before we go?” I whispered. She shook her head firmly. With Adela set, I darted toward the East Wing. Unlike Adela, Soda was already waiting at the edge of her cell, her wings tucked tight. She greeted me with a silent nod, and we raced toward the center of the prison.
Adela beat us there. We huddled one last time to go over the plan.
“Okay, listen up. Soda, head down to the dungeons. Stay out of sight and gather whatever intel you can. Adela, you take the top floors—check the storage rooms. We meet back in my cell in two hours, info or no info.” We shared a final, determined look before splitting up.
My target was the Control Room. It was a solo mission; three people moving in a pack near the heart of the prison was a recipe for disaster. The room was located on the highest floor. Luckily, as a cat, I had speed on my side. I was a blur of fur as I hurtled up the stairs.
Reaching the top, I saw a flickering blue glow spilling from under the door—the light from the computer terminals. I squeezed through a narrow crack in the doorway and held my breath as voices drifted over.
“Hey, don’t you think it’s a bit cruel what the Big Boss did to the newbies?”
“What? What did he do?” the second voice replied, sounding tired. “Sorry, I’m stressed. Remind me.”
“You’ve worked here for twenty years and forgot? Man, that’s rough. Look, I’ll tell you in the morning. I’ve got the night shift and I’m beat.”
“Fine. You’re heading to the South Wing? I’ll leave you to it.”
The two guards exited. I waited until their footsteps faded into silence before leaping onto a nearby desk. A small notepad sat resting near a keyboard. Driven by a surge of curiosity, I flipped to the first page.
#1
This simulation is sick. I’ve barely been here a day and it’s already unbearable. I overheard muffled voices in the meeting room down the hall... I have to find out more.
#2
I got caught. A week in the dungeons—no food, no light. But I found something. A man named ‘Nymph Canto’ is kidnapping children. Hundreds of them. All just a year old. All magical.
#4
I’m hiding in the science lab. I think I’ve found the truth. They plan to brainwash and mind-control the children. He wants them to be his personal, loyal army.
#5
They caught me again. Subject #1, they called me. They’re going to test the process on me first. I won’t remember anything after today. If anyone is reading this... succeed where I failed. Stop Nymph Canto.
—Rain Calloway
My blood ran cold. My insides churned as the realization hit me like a physical blow. Mind control? Brainwashing?
The time between reading those words and sprinting back to my cell was a frantic blur. By the time I finished relaying the news to Soda and Adela, we were all trembling. We stared at each other in the dim light of the cell, our reality shattered.
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Chapter 3
“Wait! Is that why we can't remember anything? Our entire lives before this place?” Soda asked, her voice rising with a sharp edge of panic.
“Must be,” I said, shrugging. I wasn't being heartless—I was just numb.
“HOW ARE YOU CALM IN A TIME LIKE THIS?!” Adela shouted, her teal eyes wide with disbelief.
“Because,” I replied, keeping my voice intentionally flat just to annoy her, “I’ve already processed the shock.” I let out a long sigh. “Look, we aren’t going to get anything done at this rate. We’ll investigate more in the morning. If we stay here, we run the risk of getting caught past curfew. I’ll see you both in five hours for morning attendance.”
I turned back toward my bed, ready to usher them out, when something stopped me. I reached my paw underneath my pillow and dragged out the notebook. Even through my fur, the touch of the leather made me shiver.
Soda and Adela noticed my hesitation and crowded around to see what was bothering me. I dropped the notepad onto the floor between us. I couldn't stop thinking about Rain Calloway. He had tried to stop Nymph Canto, only to fail and become a mindless, willing slave with no memory of his own bravery.
Rage began to boil in my chest—a hot, searing anger for a man I had never met.
Soda and Adela sensed the change in me and stepped back. A strange popping sound, like static electricity, began to fizzle in the air around my ears. My whiskers twitched violently. I closed my eyes, desperate for a sense of safety, and suddenly I felt it: tiny, glowing particles were floating all around me, brushing against my fur like warm sparks.
When I snapped my eyes open, the world had changed. Adela’s skin was shimmering, shifting colors like a chameleon in a trance. I blinked, stunned. I turned my gaze toward Soda, but she was just glaring at the notepad as if it had personally offended her.
Hadn't she noticed? Adela was practically glowing, yet Soda acted as if nothing had happened. Adela herself seemed completely unaware that her skin was a mosaic of shifting hues.
A distant bell chimed, signaling the final lock-down of the wing. We scrambled to hide the journal, our movements frantic and hushed. As my anger cooled for Rain Calloway, the vibrant hues that were dancing on Adela's arm moments before, slipped away into the shows. She didn't feel it, and Soda hadn't seen it. I retreated to my bed, my mind spinning with images of shimmering skin and fizzing air. All I know is that tomorrow, the prison would never feel the same again.
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Chapter 4
I gasp as I force my bones into a rigid, ninety-degree angle. I strain my ears, but I find only the drip, drip, dripping of rain. Panic immediately bubbles and starts to rise. ‘Rain? Here? Is this a coincidence?’
My stance stays locked as years of discipline floods through my muscles. I don’t dare glance at adela in case she bursts into an artist's rainbow paper. I consider telling Soda about what happened yesterday.
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