Cat Troubles

	Isaac is a simple man. He spends his days slaving away behind the counter of a local gas-n-go. THe hours are terrible, the wages are terrible, but at least he can afford his crappy apartment. He has no disposable income. What he would have goes to spoiling his cats.

	His feline friends are the only creatures in the world who love him. Isaac lost his parents at a young age, a break-in gone wrong. He has no siblings, and extended family have no interest in connecting with him. So off he went, spending his youth bouncing between foster homes until he became an adult.

	He now sits alone on his couch, dejected and alone. Ten minutes ago he received a call. It was Tabitha. He met her on a dating site, and the two were supposed to meet up for dinner. She flaked out, saying that she couldn't go through with it. Nothing really different here.

	As he moped, he noticed his audience. The five cats he has collected over the years. Lacy the calico, Margaret the Russian blue, Annie the rag-doll, Munei the Siamese, and Agatha, the battle-hardened alley cat of questionable pedigree.

	The quintet stared at him as they are wont to do. He leans on the couch to peer into the kitchen. They have food. Maybe they know he's upset? It's a nice thought, but they are just cats. What's odd is that they sitting together without fighting. Try as he might, Isaac could never get them to play well together. The only time the five didn't hiss and spit at one another is when he went to sleep at night.
	Before going to bed, Isaac decides to flip through the news for a bit. Something about people going missing across the world, rumors of unusual weather activity, and a nice fluff piece on a soldier coming home to the wife and kids. He smiles slightly. At least they end on a positive note.

	As he heads to bed and undresses, the cats follow him as they always do. When he lays down on the ragged mattress they all hop on, jockeying for the best positions. The best part of his day is when he falls asleep to the chorus of purring that surrounds him. As long as the cats are content, he can sleep easily.

	The next morning he tries to call Tabitha back. A monotone voice informs him that his number has been blocked. Lacy and Annie are fighting on the couch as he gently places himself between the two. They curl up at his sides as he checks the morning news.

	Multiple disaster warnings are going off. The camera pans away from a pasty rail of a man, and focuses on the strange phenomena going on. Several distortions open in midair like holes in space. They appear near the ground, and continue swirling for a few moments. The news crew is stunned.

	What catches his attention is the text crawl. Instead of ticking away with the usual blurbs, it is displaying some peculiar messages. "EMERGENCY VEHICLES ARE O- Listen up ladies. It's time. #TheHuntIsOn, #DotR, #BoutTime. No more disguises." Things like that continue scrolling.

	The feed cuts to a well dressed woman at an anchors desk. She seems confused as the station manager approaches and shoos her off. The manager is a pretty good looking woman of Asian descent, bespectacled and wearing a simple green dress. As she motions for the cameras attention she clears her throat.

	"Those of us who have been waiting these past few years will finally be allowed to take action. No more spying and feeding information back home. The higher ups know what they need to, so the time is now. Shed those human disguises and let the fun begin"

	After she finishes delivering this speech she tears away her glasses and in a flash changes. Her arms and legs are coated in soft brown fur, and a bushy striped tail begins to wag as dark circles appear around her eyes. She leaps off camera. A man can be heard screaming. The transmission cuts off.

	Isaac speaks to himself. "Huh. Am I dreaming? What do you guys-"

	He stops mid-sentence as every one of the cats are staring at him. Police sirens ring out in the early morning air. They begin to look at one another. And then the hissing starts. Within moments there is a violent ball of angry cats, fighting as if all of the other times were simply practice. The room is filled with pissed of yowling.

	When Isaac moves to break up the fight, Agatha focuses on him with her one good eye and leaps at his torso. But what makes the impact is no longer a cat, but a full-grown woman. Her hair is dingy, matching her old coat in color and consistency. The left eye is milky white, while the right is lime green. She knocks him to the floor and two tails sway around erratically.

	Before he can think to speak, Agatha shouts, "You four can leave. I've been here the longest." She kisses Isaac tenderly, "I promise you will never be alone again."

	Several large clawed hands wrap around Agatha and she gets yanked back as several voices begin shouting. All female.

	"That's not how we agreed this would go!"

	"You sneaky bitch. We had a deal!"

	"Yay! No more hiding!"

	"The day has come, let's discuss this with some modicum of civility..."

 	Five women, all sharing characteristics with his cats, are bickering and wrestling. All possess two tails and large claws on their extremities. Isaac backs into the corner near the kitchen. "What's going on here?" he questions himself, confused and scared.

	The women stop arguing and close in on him, preventing escape. All have a hungry, feral glint in their eyes.

	Something tells tells Isaac that his life is going to change.

	And fast.