"Take that, you despicable creature!" Felicia shrieked as her final bolt of electricity turned the elf cat into a charred husk. "I hope that's the last of your kind."
Zorek's golden dragon Kevnor landed gently, her huge wings beating a wind that stirred the grass and bent the few surrounding trees. "Blast!" he muttered, "I'm too late." Hopping awkwardly down from the beast, the elf strode over to the witch. He glared at her, his hands clenching as he tried to calm himself. "Do you realize what you've done? An entire species destroyed, in a petty tantrum?"
Felicia turned from the corpse, bestowing a haughty gaze upon the smaller mage. "Nothing I do is petty, Zorek. The experiment your cat disrupted will take years to repeat. Besides, I'm sure I missed an elf cat here or there. Who knows, the species might even survive."
"There's a price to be paid for such atrocities," Zorek muttered. The witch cackled at him and turned to go. As she moved towards her shadow dragon, a quiet chanting filled the clearing. Ignoring it, Felicia mounted gracefully and prepared to slip into the darkness.
Just as the dragon crouched to launch itself, a soft light sank into Felicia. Its color was none Zorek had ever seen, one he knew he'd never be able to describe. Immediately the dark Sorceress began to change. Her long, delicate fingers curled into claws; soft, beautiful fur grew all over her body; her entire form twisted and changed. Within moments the metamorphosis was complete, her scream of rage turning into a feline yowl. The elf cat leapt down from the dragon and scurried over to hide beneath some shrubs.
Zorek spent the next several hours trying to coax the new elf cat - the last one alive, as far as he knew - from its hiding place. Finally, inspiration struck. Unpacking a ball of string he always kept handy, he caught Felicia's attention. As he dangled it enticingly, her curiosity overcame her. Slowly the cat crept out, then rushed to pounce on the string. Snatching her up, Zorek tucked the former witch under his arm and headed for his dragon.
"I don't know how long your punishment will last, Felicia. The gods have inflicted it upon you; only they can decide. We'll keep you safe in the guild until it's over. I'm sure all the young mages will be happy to bring you mice to eat and string to play with." The elf sighed sadly as he thought of what the land would be like without elf cats. Or rather, almost without - the gods' idea of justice gave him some peace as he stretched and fumbled his way onto Kevnor, ignoring the cat's indignant growls.
Alley back to the library foyer.
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