Episode Two Hundred and One: Stuck as a Cat

“Stuck as cat.” Her voice wobbled a little as she twisted about in a circle, chasing her tail.

“I bet we can figure this out,” I said, thinking of the lesson Lady Twilight had given on becoming a cat to begin with. “You know what Indigo the dragon does, fly… and listen to audiobooks.”

Indigo jerked back as I spoke, letting go of her tail, which she had finally gotten a hold of.

“Think about flying, and soaring around my room,” I continued. “You can’t reach your hideaway as a cat, but as a dragon…”

That wasn’t technically true, since Betty could make cat access possible, but I had to think of something big. Her collection of books, crystals, and audiobooks should do it.

“My books!” She shook back and forth as suddenly she launched herself off my bed. Her fur rippled and shifted as wings sprouted from her back. It wasn’t fast enough to stop herself from crashing into the floor, but that even helped as she leaped back into the air.

“You did it!” I knew she could. Her audiobooks were just too important to her.

Indigo flew in a massive circle overhead before heading to her cat tree. Her chirping filled the room.

“I bet if you ask nicely, Betty can give you access to your hideaway from here…”

Indigo rocked her head and landed on top of the cat tower. A hole appeared in the wall that she raced through without a backward glance.

“Thank you, Betty,” I whispered, as the little book dragon vanished into her not so little hideaway. I leaned back on my bed and unlaced the first boot. Today had been good, very good.

“At least that solved one problem for the evening…” I muttered to myself. Tomorrow would be a different day, and hopefully she could become a cat again. If she couldn’t… I shook my head as I headed to the bathroom after undressing for the shower. Hot water always made things better, lessening the worries.

It didn’t take long for me to get ready for bed, but then after I crawled under the covers I stared at the skylight as snow drifted down on it.

It hadn’t really sunk in that my Dad was sick until Indigo said something. Her words echoed in my mind, a soft whisper that made me want to cry a little. 

Now it was out in the open, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t even know what I could do about it. When he talked, it felt like everything was under control and that it would all work out.

I hoped he was right.

Yet, even watching the snow slowly drift down, it took longer to fall asleep than I’d have liked.

Something nudged my foot, and it jerked me awake.

“Are you getting up?” asked the Cat. His green eyes stared at me from the end of the bed, then narrowed before he settled down on his hunches.

I glanced at the clock, then almost shot out of bed, missing him by just a smidgen. “Yes!”

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get dressed.

“How did I sleep in, two days in a row?” I asked as I pulled my boots on. Yet, it didn’t feel like I’d slept in. At least, I wasn’t sleepy in that way I got when I overslept. My bed was comfortable enough that I felt good, but not well rested. Worry for my Dad had kept me up later than I’d have liked, so even though it was later than I’d like, I didn’t actually get that much sleep.

At least I got to see him today.

The Cat didn’t respond, and when I looked for him he was gone.

Indigo hadn’t come out of her hideaway as far as I could tell, so I wandered out of my room alone. 

As soon as I opened the door, the smell of bacon filled the air. Eyes wide, I headed down the stairs to find Onyx taking a pan out of the oven and slices of French toast piled high on the counter.

Dad sat at the island with a mug in front of him, and he looked okay. He smiled when I glanced at him. Then something moved in his lap. A cat-shaped Indigo peeked my way.

“Ah, pumpkin, you finally woke up,” he said with a grin. “I thought I’d need to go knock on your door to let you know breakfast was done.”

“Morning everyone, it smells so good…” My stomach rumbled at the scent of cinnamon and vanilla, plus bacon.

I headed to the espresso machine and started grinding beans immediately for a latte.

“Can I get a latte?” asked Onyx as he plated up the bacon.

“Of course. What about you?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder back at my father. 

“None for me. I made some more of that tea.” He held out a piece of bacon to Indigo. “Your cats sure like bacon…”

I pressed my lips together to stop from laughing as I made basic vanilla lattes for Onyx and me. Something simple, to not clash with the breakfast flavors.

I then joined my Dad at the island as Onyx pulled out maple syrup and butter. I couldn’t resist piling my plate high with the French toast.

“Since when do you make French toast?” I asked in a joking manner.

“You aren’t the only one who had to learn to cook…” he muttered sadly. “Umber’s been on the farm so much that he couldn’t cook every morning. I just found something I could handle.”

I slathered butter on each slice before stacking them up and adding maple syrup.

Onyx took a seat, but kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

I took the first bite, and it was simple perfection. Slightly crunchy on the outside, but still soft on the inside. The vanilla and cinnamon weren’t overwhelming, and blended perfectly with the butter and maple. 

I groaned.

He chuckled and nodded as he ate his food.

“How are you this good at this?” I asked, not really looking for an answer. This was so far beyond my cooking it wasn’t even funny. It felt like this would be something served at one of those fancy brunch places I could never afford to go to.

My Dad snuck Indigo more bites of bacon, and she snagged a bite of the French toast when he wasn’t paying attention.

I said nothing, and focused on my food. It was that good.

Our forks clinked on our plates until we all finished eating. More French toast remained on the plate in the center of the island, but I resisted getting more.

I still needed to eat some bacon. Nice and crunchy.

Again, it was cooked to perfection.

How did my brothers all figure out cooking so freaking well, when I had to work at it, and have a wonderful Betty helping me out with timers and oven temps?

I crunched down on more bacon as I leaned back on my stool. There were only a few pieces left, and I bet I could sneak them to the Cat and Indigo.

Yet, the Cat wasn’t anywhere to be found. He’d woken me up, but was gone again.

“Another perfect breakfast, son,” said my Dad, as he pushed his plate away from himself. Both hands wrapped around his mug, as Indigo jumped to the floor. “But we should get on the road if we want to make it to the next stop for lunch.”

I blinked in shock.