The trouble with being an amateur witch was that sometimes… Sometimes you suspected the universe was laughing at you behind your back. Kayla frowned with concentration, staring expectantly at the empty summoning circle. She held her gaze on the candle-lit ring, unwilling to miss her moment of triumph.

After several uneventful seconds, a rumbling hum broke the silence as Kayla Thurgood’s furnace cycled on. After a moment, one of the candles in the luminous ring guttered in the sudden breeze and went out.

Kayla finally allowed herself to blink. Well, that hadn’t worked. She listened carefully for any signs that the spell had worked, but could hear only the silent, mocking laughter of reality.

The book of spells—sorry, the grimoire—lay open on the side table where Kayla had left it. She glared at the book’s yellowed pages and scrutinized its diagrams. It looked like she’d done it right… The circle was the same, the candles were the right type. She’d even practiced for hours before she’d managed to get the Latin phrases to roll off her tongue properly. She’d been just as careful this time as she had the other times…

“The other times, heh…” Kayla repeated aloud. She was beginning to feel the icy fingers of doubt as they tightened around her heart. The young woman peered down at herself through thick and unstylish glasses. Kayla knew she wasn’t winning any prizes, unless it was the prize for frumpiest girl of the month.

Kayla flicked on a lamp, flooding the room with the harsh yellow light of modern, real magic. In the merciless illumination the chalked circle and smoking candles seemed as silly as Kayla felt. She ground her teeth, nodding slowly to herself. Maybe lack of power caused by the absence of a Familiar hadn’t been Kayla’s real problem after all.

Feeling the sudden urge to clear away all evidence of her foolishness, Kayla spun on her heel and marched into the kitchen. She could get some cleaning supplies there, and afterwards… well, it looked like chez Thurgood was going to host a movie-and-ice-cream party for one. Again.

Kayla’s sudden enthusiasm for cleaning almost drowned out the quiet scratching coming from the direction of the kitchen. She looked up when a pitiful mewling broke through the racket of her scrub brush. Ignoring it didn’t work—the stupid creature just kept mewing as though its little feline heart would break.

Annoyed, Kayla got up to investigate. She brought the bucket. It was a heck of a thing when even the local strays got more action than she did. On her own porch, too. Well, not if Kayla Thurgood had anything to say about it…

Kayla flicked on the floodlight at her back porch, expecting briefly to glimpse a furry blur of escaping felines as she interrupted the nocturnal entertainment of Mrs. Grady’s calico. Instead two mesmeric golden orbs gazed up at Kayla. A small black cat sat on the deck, moving only to scratch at the screen door again. It mewed.

“Why hello there, little guy…” Kayla squatted down to get a better look. The cat seemed to brighten and started purring, rubbing itself up against the screen affectionately.

Kayla waved her hand to shoo the cat away, but it didn’t budge. She couldn’t just leave it out here like this… She eyed the broom leaning against the wall. Well, that would probably work… but she didn’t have the heart to do it.

Somewhat surprised at herself, Kayla slid open the back door and let in her waiting guest. The cat padded decorously inside, purring, and immediately began rubbing up against Kayla’s leg.

“Goodness! You are affectionate… Ow!” Kayla winced. A blue spark of static electricity had leaped off the cat’s glossy ebon fur, grounding in her leg. Paying no notice, the cat continued to lavish attention on her.

Momentary pain already forgotten, Kayla began to smile as she watched the little creature’s antics. If it—he?—was trying to win her over with his charms, he was doing an excellent job. When she got him a bowl of water he drank eagerly, mewing his thanks.

Kayla felt her heart melting as she watched the adorable little cat. But really, what use did she have for a kitty? She picked him up and started to take him back outside. The young woman’s efforts lasted for about two heartbeats before her furry passenger nuzzled against her and mewed pleadingly. She paused with a sigh.

“Okay little guy, you can stay for now… but be quiet for Mommy, okay?” Oh lord, Kayla realized she was already talking to the stray tom as though he were hers. Enjoying his loud, rumbling purr, she headed back into the living room and busied herself getting ready for the movie.

Picking a nice, soppy romance movie to match her mood, Kayla settled onto the couch and pressed play. Still purring, the cat wriggled out of the young woman’s arms and curled up peacefully on her ample hip.

The cat lay softly on Kayla’s hip during the entire movie, mewing in pleasure as the girl distractedly stroked his head. Kayla was a bit surprised at herself for all this; she’d never been much of a pet person. Still, with her most recent hobby in shambles, perhaps a new one would be good for her.

Rolling onto her back, Kayla regarded her visitor. The black cat returned her scrutiny, making a little inquiring purr as he walked carefully up onto her ribcage. Despite the creature’s lack of a collar, Kayla wondered if she’d picked up someone’s pet instead of a stray. His coat seemed glossier than the matted, ill-kempt fur strays usually had. And ooof, he was heaver than she’d thought—definitely well-fed. Here in the light of the living room, he seemed bigger too.

“Well, cat… I guess I can’t keep calling you ‘cat.’ What about…” Kayla searched her memory for an appropriate name. The tomcat’s golden eyes watched her with interest. Heh… Kayla smiled.

“I’ve got it! How about ‘Tom?’ Tom Cat,” the young woman laughed. Tom seemed to approve, purring and kneading her flesh with his soft, velvety paws.

Kayla pushed playfully at the happy feline, sitting up so that Tom tumbled down her chest and onto the couch. She waggled an admonishing finger at the black cat. “Hey now, Tom, we’ve only just met! Don’t go pawing at me so soon…”

Tom drew himself up with offended dignity and began licking his paw. The transition from surprised disorientation to complete control was so abrupt that Kayla nearly burst out laughing. The cat mewed in annoyance and went back to washing himself as if to say, ‘fine, if that’s the way you want to play it…’

“Awww, did poor widdle Tom get his feelings hurt? It’s okay, I still think you’re cute—ow!” Another static spark had grounded on Kayla’s hand as she reached out to pet the black cat. She shook her hand to drive away the temporary numbness, failing to notice a slight puffiness on the tips of her fingers.

Kayla lavished attention on her offended kitty, slowly stroking Tom’s glossy fur until his resentment faded. Faint pinpricks of equally silky hair began to rise from the young woman’s skin, rustling faintly far beyond the range of human hearing.

Tom’s ears perked up. It was beginning. The black cat watched Kayla’s ears grow fuzzy and begin to acquire points. He mewed, noting with satisfaction the way the woman’s ears twitched and turned in response.

“You’re pretty talkative, Tom… What did you think of the movie?” Kayla laughed at the intense, intelligent look in Tom’s eyes. It was like he was paying attention to her every word, even though he obviously couldn’t understand her.

Tom mewed noncommittally in response, staring interestedly as the young woman’s body continued to change. He watched her clothing sag a bit as her body dwindled and faint stripes of fur darkened on her arms.

Kayla chuckled, shifting on the couch to act more engaged in her ‘conversation’ with her feline companion. She scratched Tom affectionately behind his ears. The cat purred and stretched, the motion making him seem larger than before.

It was amazing, how expressive Tom’s face was now that Kayla came to look at it. The cat seemed to be smiling up at her with a wickedly mischievous smirk on his dark-furred muzzle. Her glasses slipped a little bit on her changing face as she looked down, but Kayla took no notice. She was probably just tired.

Tom batted playfully at the transforming girl with one growing paw. He purred, feeling strange energies coursing through him and into Kayla. Her smiling face was pushing out, her nostrils flaring to catch new scents as her nose widened and lengthened into a more attractive—to Tom at least—muzzle.

Was it getting hot in here? Kayla’s ears flicked in annoyance. She could tell that something was wrong, but somehow she couldn’t put her finger on it. The smell coming from Tom was just so… distracting.

“You know, I think you’re the only guy who’s watched a movie with me in years,” Kayla commented with an expression half joking smile, half thoughtful consideration. She leaned forward on hands and knees with her growing muzzle mere inches from Tom’s. The young woman’s increasingly baggy pants slid off dwindling hips as she drank in the black cat’s pheromones.

Tom purred as he felt his bones creaking and shifting. He was already the size of a young child, and growing fast as his body raced to match the shrinking female next to him. He yowled in surprise as her pawn pushed him unceremoniously onto his back.

Kayla didn’t know what had come over her, but she liked it. Her shirt slid up her body, hanging around her neck to expose firm, shapely, and above all fur-covered breasts. A long, striped tail pushed oversized panties out of the way and swayed with interest as she watched the black cat’s transformation.

As Kayla moved closer, Tom began to be as overwhelmed by her scent as she was by his. He felt an increasingly humanlike erection begin to rise from his growing sheath. He grinned, his purring beginning to crescendo in proportion to his increasing size. Kayla’s gaze shifted downward, and soon her purr joined Tom’s in a feline duet of lust.

Shrunken far below her previous girth, the svelte new Kayla felt her body tingling with undreamt-of fire. Tom’s body had swelled to match her own, his now gangly and nearly human frame growing by the minute. She slid firm, fur-covered thighs across his muscular form as she started to straddle him.

“Oh, Tom…” Kayla purred.

Kayla gasped in pleasure as the male entered her, his thick and turgid length filling her eager folds. She yowled as sharp pinpricks of pain-spiced pleasure dug into her shapely buttocks. The two felines began to move as one, the dark Tom thrusting into his mate until both climaxed with cries of ecstasy.

Just as a panting, gasping Kayla was about to slide off her mate, Tom’s strong arms grasped her more tightly than before and they began again. For what could have been hours, Kayla’s world was a haze of almost mind-destroying pleasure.

Slowly, Kayla became aware that someone was stroking her head and calling her name. She opened one eye groggily. What an odd dream she’d had… She yawned, then started to ask what time it was. Her words came out as a half-hearted mew.

Wide awake now, Kayla looked around. Everything was huge. The back of the sofa towered above her, and the ceiling seemed as far away as if she’d been in a theater. She mewed in puzzlement and looked down at herself. Two white- and orange-furred paws sat where her hands should be. She turned her head and yowled in growing panic.

“Quiet, now, Kayla. Shhhh….” A giant hand came gently down and stroked Kayla’s head. In spite of herself the confused cat found herself arching her back in response to the unexpected affection.

Kayla looked up to see a large—of course, everything was large—man sititng next to her on the couch. He seemed to drink in the light. His hair was dark as midnight, and his clothes were made to match. Though his skin was fair, it seemed strangely dull. Only his eyes—a strange, golden color—seemed to glitter with an inner flame. Tom?!

“Of course I am,” replied the man with a gentle chuckle. He reached down to stroke Kayla’s head again, but jerked back at the last minute when her lightning fast claws snaked out to slash at him.

“Now, now. Is that any way to treat the one you summoned, Kayla Thurgood? For shame. And up until now your… hospitality… has been second to none.” Tom shook an admonishing finger at her, and suddenly Kayla found that she couldn’t move. The men reached down and pet her again. In horror, Kayla heard herself begin to purr. After a moment, she could move again.

Kayla mewled pitifully, but the man only smiled and shook his head. “No, no, Kayla. Don’t try to talk. Just think what you want to say. We’re connected now, you and I.”

You bastard, what did you do to me?! Kayla was almost satisfied to see that the force of her thoughts struck the man like a psychic slap. He shook off the unexpected blow and was soon his serene self again.

“Me? Ha ha, no. You, Kayla. You cast the spell, not me. I simply came when called. Was it my fault that these modern generations are so… so impatient?”

But, Kayla protested, but all I was doing was summoning a Familiar!

“And you did! And a very good job you did too… But of course, you removed the protective circle before I could arrive. I must admit, I’ve never seen that happen before.” Tom chuckled darkly.

Before Kayla could respond, she found herself lifted into the air and cradled gently against the man’s chest. She struggled, but his mental grip held her with greater strength than his physical one. She mewed again.

“Come now, Kayla. You wanted magic? I’ll show you magic. And perhaps, one day, my little Familiar, you’ll understand the risks of becoming, shall we say… too Familiar with what one summons?” Both Tom’s chuckle and Kayla’s yowl of despair were cut off as the two of them vanished in a puff of sulfurous smoke.

The longest post I have seen thus far.

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But the additional story provided definitely enhance the images. Now I kind of wish we had more galleries with additional text like this one has.

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