Master always knew best. He always knew how to keep me happy, how to keep me out of trouble. Keep me safe. He accepted anything that could be a problem from my own being, & questioned it none. Why could I not speak like so many others he knew? Why must my thoughts & feelings be conveyed to him the way they are? It took so much time to develop this ability, but I did it to help strengthen our bond— Make us closer. It was not always this way, though... Before, his senses were at their best, but I was young, naive, & surrounded by so many things I could not understand, even about myself. It was only him that took me in, to show me the world & all of what it had to offer. At the time, I was fascinated by it all. How many things were not as scary as I thought, & how beautiful the world could be when you were no longer afraid. But, as time went on, I lost that interest. I became more acquainted with it all, & came to know many things as time went on. It became very rare that something would have the effect I had as a mere youngling then. Even so, it did not matter to me. I did not understand it at first, why I lost those feelings & why I did not feel any conflict about it, but as time went on, I realized something... All these things had become irrelevant to me. But it was only because I felt something stronger, something I appreciated much more than what the world had to offer— Master himself. He had cared for me & stayed by my side for so many years, asking so little of me despite how much I asked in return. How could I ever repay that kindness? There were many people in the world who would take advantage of that kindness, to use it for their own gain... They were some of the ugly things about this world that Master seemed to love so much. If it were not for him, I may have ended up much worse. Who knows what could have happened? Would I still not have Master? Would I no longer be able to appreciate his warmth? His comfort? ...All these feelings were foreign to me. And yet, I did not want to let them go. I became more demanding, eager to do nothing less than soak in his attention & the warm feeling I got whenever I was close to him. For the first time, there were some questions & a few concerns, (Is it really so strange to sleep with the one who's cared for you for so long past a certain period of time?) but after all was said & done, I was met with the smile & acceptance that I was given when Master first found me. I never wanted to let go of this feeling. I did not want to lose what I had. I would do everything to protect it. But, to me, I was regressing. Master had taught me how to care for myself, tend to my own needs for when he was too busy or not around, everything I would need to know. But I was becoming more & more obsessed. I couldn't handle the times we were apart, even for brief moments that felt like eternities that would never end. It began to trouble Master, as well. My growing need, my desire to not have even an arm's length of distance away from him. Everything was becoming more & more of a problem. I did not mean to become such a burden. I did not want to burden Master. But I could not control these feelings, not on my own. However, when the time came for confrontation... I've always been honest & punctual with Master. But something about my feelings... It did not feel right. For Man & Beast to even have this kind of relationship— Was it even permitted in this world? I am not quite sure what I even am. Only what Master is & what he thinks of me. For the first time since I could remember my existence, I was silent. I could not say a word. It only became more troubling for Master. The thought of being such a burden on Master's mind, to cause him such trouble & create problems, it made something inside of me hurt. Not a physical pain, nor mental, but something deep inside of my core. I could not bear any of it. I felt conflict within myself. With a heavy mind & soul, I decided to make a more conscious effort to keep my distance & better myself. I could not describe why I had even gone through such a phase & regressed back to child-like instincts. As time went on, I was able to restore the peace between me & my Master, & all was well once more. Though it could only appear as such to Master. Inside, I was hurting. Everything felt wrong. Being apart from him. Not being the focus of his attention all the time. It made me long for a time that had since long passed. I could only take comfort in the brief moments that he would take to be with me. But something changed, one night. Something that I, & my Master, would remember for the rest of our time. I could no longer speak to him anymore. I could never physically speak like others of his kind could. I could not make verbal sounds like the more wild animals of the land. But I could hear myself in mind, with my thoughts always wandering. When I was younger, these thoughts were always a noise that would never leave. It would keep me awake, deprive me of my rational thoughts & reason, & leave me suffering until I would fall into a slumber from exhaustion. It was only until Master came along that they finally calmed & left me to myself. Even despite my short-comings, he still accepted me. It was through all the kindness he had given me that I wanted to be able to communicate with him more & more, until I finally heard more than the voices of my thoughts in my head. I could hear... Master. And he could hear me, as well. We had been communicating this way for the longest time, & I had grown to control it more & more to expand to those I wished to do the same with. It became more of a second nature for me with the guidance of my Master. For this to suddenly vanish... My only way to share my thoughts & to hear his... It made me wild. There was panic. Everything was becoming a mess. I couldn't keep myself together. Even as calm as Master was to try & resolve the situation, I could not stand it. Everything was falling apart. What if Master no longer wanted to deal with it? This ability had made everything so much easier for Master, let us become closer than I thought we could become... I did not want it all to come crumbling to an end. I could not live without him no longer. There were so many strange feelings, so much pain— I could not take any more of it. In my panic & rage at my own failure, I shut down. I let everything stop. I could no longer feel the world around me. Hear anything daring to break the silence I had created. Even my own thoughts were blank. It was pure silence. But only for a moment. All the pain I had started enduring, it was all never physical or mental until this point. But I could feel my body screaming at me. Something was changing. From what I recalled, it started with my arms. While quite large compared to Master's & resembling those of a feline, they had never become so big. My flesh was growing, the feeling of muscle & tissue tearing & rearranging to compensate making my vision blur. My hands... They had become much more of a monstrosity than I had seen on even the most foul of creatures. They were misshapen, completely uneven in the size of my fingers, & they all ended in large, sharp claws. Nothing like the claws I was able to retract before— My hands had morphed to end in claws completely. Eyes wide, panic growing, I caught a glimpse of Master. He had seen it all. The look on his face, I could never forget it. All the problems he had faced since taking me in, he had a solution. He could help me. He was always there to help me through the worst of times. But this was different. For the first time since I had come to know my Master, his face showed fear. His eyes told it all. We knew nothing of this. There was no solution to what was happening to me. Worst of all... He had come to distance himself. I would only come to understand much later. My transformation was not stopping at my arms alone. My eyes had shifted to a red that only ever meant danger. My eyes looked like those of a feral monster instead of that of a tamed cat, as I was commonly told. It was at this moment that I wanted to protect what I had in front of me more than anything. But this desire would only worsen it all. I felt my legs becoming longer, going through the same changes my arms had gone through only a few moments ago. The pain returned all the same. I wanted more than anything to be able to call out to Master, to ask for his help & to comfort me. It was a wish that my body responded to in a cruel way. I could feel my face tearing. Splitting. The pain I felt was unlike anything I could describe. I did not understand it at the time, but my body was responding to all the wishes & desires I was screaming for in that moment. And with the pain I was going through, at some point, a scream finally came. My head had morphed to accomodate a set of viscious jaws. In the cruelest of moments, the first sounds— The first thing that would come from me that my Master could hear like he could with all of the other beings on this world— Was a horrifying scream full of pain. At first, through what little I could now see, I saw the fear in his face turn to pure horror. I thought it was all over then. My transformation had come swiftly, but painfully. I wanted nothing more than for its end to come before I lost my mind. It felt like it would all go on forever. I had become so much larger than before, enough to look down on him, but I could feel myself still shifting. My tail was losing its shape, becoming more like something fitting on a lizard. Was I crying? I had not even realized I could. Perhaps all these new features my body was taking had pushed me to do so. Once my tail had finished, & I could feel my chest starting next, starting to tear the vest I wore on myself & tightening around me to threaten choking me, I could feel it. That warmth. That voice. That kindness & acceptance. Even though my vest had finally given to make way for my new proportions, I had possibly tripled in size from before, I felt Master's embrace. He was almost hyperventilating, his entire body shaking, & yet he still decided to approach what I was becoming & hold me the best he could. Even at a time like this... I felt it all stopping. The pain was still lingering, & leaving me shaking for my own reasons, but it was stopping. Time felt like it came to a crawl. We stayed that way for a long time, with not either of us daring to move. Neither of us knew what would happen. I did not want to harm Master with this new, wicked shape I had taken. But perhaps he was frozen. Master knew nothing of what to do in the situation, but he decided to stay with me. To hold me until it was all over. The best he could do for me. And that was enough. All the thoughts flooding my head came to fade away into a faint noise in the back of my head. I did not know what would happen to either of us after this moment, but that did not matter to me. I just wanted the moment to last. I don't remember what happened after. I wanted to try to speak, but perhaps the fear of something happening overpowered any will to want to. I do not remember falling asleep, either. But when I awoke, Master was looking down at me, looking as though he had just cried, but smiling. Everything was back to normal, though I would imagine it would never quite be the same after that night. But for the time being... Everything was okay. Master was still here, & I was in his embrace. We were relieved... We were happy. I sometimes wonder if I should be thankful to the beast that arouse from me, for letting me have that moment when I needed it the most. It took some time, but I came to be able to speak with Master as I could before once again, & I was given extra care to prevent something like that happening ever again, after explaining myself & the feelings I had been containing to that point. Even so, I was afraid of it. What if I had done something I would regret? What if Master would come to finally run away & hate me? Everytime the thought came to my mind, I felt a tightening around the armlet that was now adorning my right arm. I could see the faint discoloration of red fading away back into the deep amethyst atop of it, as if the beast inside was receding back once more. I could not explain what had happened to me that night, but it was a part of me now. A part of me that Master accepted, just as he always had. Would this time last? Would the day come when I could no longer be in Master's warmth anymore? I could not say. But, for now... I was happy. And I could not ask for anything more.