Night of the Werecat (10 page)

C
RAASSHHH!

Wendy's body flew through the air. The window shattered. Glass flew everywhere, sparkling in the moonlight.

Wendy easily twisted in the air.

WHUMP! She landed on her feet on the grass below the tree. She shook herself to get rid of the shards of glass. Then she licked her shiny fur.

She was fine. Not a scratch on her.

And she was out!

But where was the black werecat? It had been calling to her. Calling her to fight.

Now there was no sign of it.

Maybe it had been scared away when she crashed through the window.

Good, Wendy thought with satisfaction. This is my yard. My territory. She flattened her ears against her head and yowled. Mine!

It was already late. The moon was nearly setting.

But there was still plenty of time to prowl. Time to hunt. Time to find the black werecat.

She had to settle things with the other werecat. Had to show it whose territory this was.

Wendy sniffed the ground, searching for the scent of the other cat. Even though the moon was low, her sharp eyes revealed everything in the yard. Insects crawled through the grass. A moth fluttered against the porch. A gopher snake hunted beneath the white rosebush. But nothing would distract her from her mission.

To find the black werecat.

Wendy jumped onto the back wall. She stalked from one end to the other, searching, searching.

But there was no sign of her prey.

Had the black cat run away? Was it afraid of her?

Wendy puffed out in pride. She would teach the werecat a lesson. She would find it and teach it to stay away from her home.

Wendy lifted her nose into the breeze.

There it was. The faint, familiar scent.

Wendy's fur bristled. She leaped down into the alley. Crouching low to the ground, she streaked along, moving quickly, stealthily toward the scent.

As the scent became stronger, Wendy knew she was getting closer. She noticed something strange about the scent, something different. It was definitely the
black werecat. But it somehow smelled . . . bigger? Stronger.

How could that be? Wendy wondered. But she couldn't think about that. All that mattered was challenging the black cat.

Wendy continued to follow the scent. It led her down to the end of the alley.

The scent was much stronger here. The scent of the black werecat and . . . something else.

But what?

Wendy held perfectly still, sniffing, listening. She picked up the sound of movement just around the corner.

Was it the black werecat? Was it coming to find her?

Now, Wendy's brain screamed. The last challenge. The final showdown!

Bracing herself for battle, Wendy whipped around the corner.

There it stood, its back arched. The black werecat.

Wendy gasped.

A cry caught in her throat!

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw what else was waiting around the corner.

21

W
endy's back went into a high arch. Her tail puffed up to twice its size.

The black werecat was not alone. Just behind it were two other cats. One dark brown, one tawny gold. Each with a white star on its forehead.

Two more werecats!

They were even larger than the black werecat.

And Wendy was their prey!

With a scream of terror Wendy turned and streaked back up the alley.

With answering cries, the three werecats ran after her!

Wendy never ran so fast in her life!

She shot like a bolt of lightning through the night.
Back home. Home to safety. She leaped up onto the wall that surrounded her yard.

The three cats were right behind her.

Trembling, Wendy stood her ground. She paced the top of the wall. She howled out a warning.
This is my territory, Go away!

The three werecats stopped. They stared up at Wendy from the grass below.

And then all three huge cats jumped up. They landed gracefully on top of the wall.

Wendy leaped to the ground. She raced toward the oak tree.

If she could only make it to her room. If she could only make it back inside!

But the largest cat, the brown one, was too fast. It bounded between Wendy and the tree.

Wendy stopped short. She glanced around wildly, searching desperately for a place to hide, to climb. To escape.

The brown cat was ahead of her. Then Wendy sensed the black werecat stalking her, sidling up beside her.

A movement behind Wendy made her whirl around. The golden cat was also moving toward her. Its fur stood out like a halo.

Wendy was surrounded.

It's over, she thought in despair. It's all over.

22

W
endy puffed her fur out even more. She hissed and spat at her enemies.

She would not give up without a fight.

The cats came closer. Closer.

The golden cat was only inches away.

It opened its mouth. Its long, sharp fangs gleamed in the moonlight.

It lunged for her neck.

Wendy shut her eyes in terror. The gold cat was going to kill her!

An instant later Wendy felt a strange, rough stroke on her cheek.

Her eyes snapped open.

She stared at the gold cat in shock. It was licking her face. Then it snuggled up to her. It began to purr.

Wendy couldn't believe it. What is going on?

There was something familiar about the gold cat's scent, she realized. There was something familiar about the other werecats, too.

Wendy gazed at the black and the brown cat as they approached her. They weren't hissing or spitting. Their ears weren't flat against their heads anymore. Their tails stood straight up in friendly interest.

Wendy glanced around, puzzled. The yard was becoming lighter. The moon had set while she was running from the other werecats. Now the sun was beginning to rise.

Wendy felt a tingling throughout her body. The transformation back into human form was starting.

I have to get back to my room, Wendy thought.

She struggled to get away from the golden cat. But Wendy had only gone a few steps when the large brown cat once again jumped in front of her. Wendy tried to get around it.

It pounced.

The biggest of the cats knocked her to the ground. Before Wendy could pull herself up, the brown cat placed its heavy paw on her neck.

It held her firmly down. Wendy couldn't move.

Now the two other cats crept over.

Too late, Wendy realized the cats had only been playing with her. The way she had played with the mouse.

She was no match for the three of them.

And now they were going to finish her off.

23

T
he werecats closed in.

Wendy lay trapped under the enormous brown cat's paw. She was captive inside their circle. She shut her eyes in terror.

What will happen if I transform now? Wendy thought. What will these werecats do to a human?

She felt her face twist. The itchy feeling covered her body. Her hands ached as her paws turned back into hands with fingers.

The huge cat let go of her. A sense of relief flooded through Wendy—maybe the other werecats ran away.

She cautiously opened one eye. Then the other.

She gasped!

The three other werecats were transforming, too!

Fascinated, Wendy watched their fur shrink into their skin. Their faces shifted around and their ears changed shape. Their claws disappeared and turned into fingernails. And the whole time they were growing larger, becoming human again.

Suddenly Wendy felt afraid. These werecats were people, too—strange people who turned into monsters every night.

Who are they? Wendy wondered. What will they do now?

She jumped to her feet and edged toward her house. She had to get inside before they saw her as a human girl! Wendy turned to run.

A hand grabbed her wrist and spun her back around.

Wendy stared into three familiar faces.

Her mother. Her father. And Brad.

Wendy's mind raced. I must be dreaming. This can't be real. Can it?

“W—Wh—” Wendy stammered. She couldn't get any words out.

“Wendy,” her mother said gently. Her fluffy blond hair looked golden in the dawn light.

Brad brushed his long black hair out of his eyes. Her father ran a hand through his thick brown hair.

The golden werecat. The black werecat. The large brown werecat.

“Mom!” Wendy cried at last. “Brad! Dad! I don't believe it!”

Wendy's mother smiled. “We're a little surprised, too.”

“Man, Wendy,” Brad said. “You're a lot tougher than I thought. Cool territorial cry you gave.” He grinned at her.

Wendy still felt confused. “But—” She had so many questions, she didn't know what to ask first. “I thought it was the werecat charm. But then I still transformed. Even after I gave it back to Mrs. Bast.”

Her parents glanced at each other. “There was a werecat charm in our family once,” her mother said. “But it was lost ages ago. This Mrs. Bast must have found it somehow.”

“You see,” her father added, “your ancestors have been werecats as far back as anyone can remember.”

“We were going to tell you, sweetie,” her mother told her. “But we were waiting for the right time. We didn't expect you to change so early.”

“Besides, squirt,” Brad added, “you weren't allowed up after midnight!”

“Hey, is this why you never let me have a cat?” Wendy guessed.

Her father nodded. “It's why you've always been drawn to them,” he explained. “But we couldn't have one in the house. No ordinary cat can live among werecats.”

“They become our enemies,” Brad said in a fake spooky voice.

“I didn't like that part,” Wendy admitted. “All that fighting. And I got so wild.”

“Everyone has trouble with that at first,” her mother reassured her. “But soon you'll learn to control your werecat nature.”

“Don't worry,” her father added. “Now that you know, we'll help you. Teach you the werecat ways.”

They began heading toward the house. “And Wendy,” Brad piped up, “if you thought prowling the alleys was fun, wait until I take you hunting in the Fear Street Woods. I'll show you all the best spots.”

Wendy came to a sudden stop. “Why did you attack me?” She glared at Brad accusingly. “You almost killed me!”

Brad hung his head. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “But I didn't know it was you.”

“It's true, Wendy,” her father said. “None of us did. No one in our family has ever changed at such a young age.”

“I was almost fourteen when I transformed,” Brad said. Wendy thought he sounded a little jealous.

“Maybe it was the charm,” he suggested. “Maybe that made you transform early.” “Maybe,” Wendy's mother said with a smile.

“But after all, Wendy has always been advanced for her age!”

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