7
The giant feline-taur growled in frustration at the defilement of her
form. She had so longed to return to normal, and her wish was both
granted and taken away in the same exact moment. She clawed through
her mind, honing her magical instincts to seek out the reason for this
atrocity. At last, she detected a thread of foreign magic still
lingering from the transformation. Following its trail, Yuriko became
aware of a latent aura surrounding her. In fact, the entire garden in
which she sought seclusion was stepped in magical energy. Harmless
under normal circumstances, it must have been awakened by Yuriko's
activation of her collar, fueling her transformation to the point of
overflowing. If the energy hadn't manifested itself by increasing her
form, Yuriko would surely have been torn apart from magical feedback.

Although she now realized the truth behind her situation, Yuriko still found
herself reacting to it with strong emotions of anger and annoyance. Her four
paws clawed large chunks of dirt up from the ground as she tensed nearly
every muscle in her body. Throwing back her wild red-and-black hair, she
cursed through clenched teeth. She was fortunate to still be alive, and quite
happy to be rid of her human disguise, but no pleasant thought could bring
her peace. The abundant energies of her transformation cranked up her
emotions, and she was fighting a losing battle to keep them under control.

She bounded homeward on her strong but swift legs, taxing herself to the
limit...a limit that proved almost impossible to reach. Faster and faster,
across hills and forests, Yuriko felt an unstoppable excitement growing with
every leap and bound. The raw power she possessed seemed infinite. Her
paws devoured the terrain, reducing an overnight journey to an afternoon
romp, after which she would arrive at home and find a way to dispell the
extra magic and regain her true form permanently. Until that time, though,
she decided she may as well enjoy herself. As night began to fall, her keen
eyes spotted the glimmer of lights from her hometown. She continued on,
reaching impossible speeds as she craned her neck to the early evening
stars in a wild roar of anxious joy.

Artwork and Story ©  cobaltk