Earlier this week I struggled (and inevitably failed) to catch a feral kitten outside of the day job. I work on a busy intersection and we wanted to get the furbaby someplace safe. Unfortunately, while he was curious enough to come close enough to catch, he did NOT want to be held. He tore my hand to shreds! You’re probably not even surprised, duh that’s what happens when you mess with a wild cat.
So why aren’t more people threatened by werecats?
Maybe some of the confusion comes from the many different kinds of kitty human hybrids. There are “cat folk” a sapient species of cat that live as humans. Then there are shifters-humans who have the ability to change into another creature through an innate magical ability. Shifters can be any sort of large cat. And then finally we have the werecat with all the tropes of the werewolf…only cat!
I’m not saying this makes werecats better or anything but I definitely want to see more of them in fiction. Hence, Tales of a Sixth Grade Werecat. Felix is not exactly the ferocious and terrifying creature I originally envisioned but he was still tons of fun to write about. Here is an excerpt of Felix experiencing his first transition:
The pain is so intense I fall to the floor, clutching my stomach. It feels like there are thousands of needles inside my body, fighting to get out. They tear at my skin and cause my eyes to water.
-Felix,Tales of a Sixth Grade Werecat
Everything hurts, even my fingernails. I stare down at my hands and blink several times, but despite my blurry vision, the image doesn’t go away. My nails are growing. Like, super fast. Not only are my nails growing, but hair is growing all over my body. The shiny black hair grows everywhere, covering all my skin.
My hands don’t even look like hands anymore, they are completely covered in black hair.
My mouth hurts, my ears hurt and my eyes are stinging. My left hand feels as if it’s on fire. I lay on the floor and squeeze my eyes shut, praying for the pain to just go away.
Cute, right? But why did I make him so young? Why do I associate werecat as something childish?
I guess what I’m saying is give me all the book recommendations please! Is there a book that exists with an evil and ferocious werecat? Are you currently writing about werecats or shifters or do you have a favorite book with these themes? Tell me about it below!
