It was only after he was under the bed for several minutes that Josh realized he hadn’t actually checked the window to see if the wards on it were the same. He took a deep breath and let it out again trying to settle into a good meditative state, but the thought itched at him until he dug into it. Kit wouldn’t be back so soon, and Josh didn’t hear anything outside. There was no possible way Kit hadn’t warded his window against incoming intruders so if Josh did leave it was a one-way trip.

He spun on his belly and peeked out from under the bed skirt. Kit’s room was massive. The bed was on a raised platform next to a tall wardrobe and a pair of bedside stands. The window was big enough that a large dog could lay on the sill comfortably and have room to spare. One side of the room had bookshelves by the dozen, and the other had something like a study set up with a desk, lamp, and a trunk of some sort. The middle of the room was arranged like a small parlor with couches, chairs, a coffee table, and a small dining table.

If Kit had secret information on mythical beastkin there was a good chance he kept it in his private room. Josh almost whined. The air under the bed was stale and tasted like lint and was too small and he wanted to leave. But the mission…

Hyuk.

Josh covered his mouth with his hands and blushed fiercely. He wasn’t some baby kitten practicing furballs! There were important things he needed to think about and hiccups weren’t a part of that! Absolutely no way he was so scared about staying that he-

Hyk.

Maybe it was because his mana was so low? And he was a bit nervous that Kit would come back and find Josh naked under his bed. Josh hadn’t been human in three days and using magic right now put a big stress on his body. He needed to calm down and think about what was most important.

Well, that was easy. Gathering mana. Without enough mana he wouldn’t be able to transform back into a cat and then also transform back into a human. So that was priority one!

A nice nap in the sun would be perfect for that. Ooooh, the warmth and the light would be really restorative and sleep was healing. It would help his body recover from almost starving.

Except what he had was this cramped, dusty floor. If Kit came back and saw a naked man napping on his bed Josh would be whipped, dismembered, and fed to the dogs! In little tiny pieces!

Josh shivered. Getting discovered was really scary - scarier than being a cat forever - and it was better not to think about that. Josh had to focus on his game plan. “Right, mission plan,” Josh perked up as he remembered the ‘trick’ for being productive: plan out what to do. “First, gather mana. Second, find clothes and glasses. Third, break out of here. Fourth, hide for the rest of my life.” There were a few steps missing - including finding Kit’s secret - but those were the steps Josh cared about the most.

Dark hair spilled across pale skin as Josh settled in the most comfortable position he could: on his belly with his head pillowed on his arms. It was a gray sort of dark under the bed that let his mind drift. Gathering mana was a natural process in human form: the more relaxed he was the faster mana would pool in him. The first step was as simple as staying human and not panicking.

Simple, but not easy.

Step two was more complicated. He could ‘borrow’ clothes from Kit’s drawers if they weren’t warded, but… “Where do I find glasses?” It wasn’t like he could just pick up any pair of glasses either! Glasses had to be a specific measurement or they didn’t work well. If he was outside the room he might be able to find a pair that worked well enough, but he needed the glasses to get out of the room!

Sniff, sniff. Josh wasn’t skilled enough to transform with clothes, and glasses were out of the question. Most of Josh’s talent with magic was in seeing spells and dismantling wards. But what was the point of making a spell visible if he couldn’t read it and take it down?

And cat vision was pointless. He could see well enough to pass for a cat, but cats couldn’t read and they couldn’t cast magic very well. Going back and forth would take too long and he’d get caught.

This was awful! Once he managed step one, step two became impossible!

And step one was still dangerous. What if Morrison came back and saw his human bits. Meeeeep! As if getting felt up as a cat wasn’t bad enough! Josh wasn’t an exhibitionist! He didn’t want everyone looking at his stuff!

The door opened and Josh froze. Kit was too fast - Josh had barely gathered enough mana to last the night as a cat!

Josh stopped his thoughts there and transformed into a cat. How much mana he’d gathered didn’t matter. If Drakon found out he was more than a kitten then Josh risked losing more than his innocence. It was better to be safe.

Besides, Josh could smell chicken and he was still hungry. Josh needed food just as much as he needed magic. And there was another scent in the air too…

“Where is the little beast?”

Yosh! Josh scrambled out from under the bed when he recognized the voice of his favorite maid. The rebel camp’s nicest caretaker!

Josh mewled as his legs tangled themselves and he ended up rammed against her legs. Purr, purr, purr! Lady Catnip! “I was sooo good,” Josh boasted to the human as he rubbed against her shins. “I deserve a treat, right? Look how cute and adorable I am, please! I promise I’m a good kitten!” If he put on a good show, maybe she’d take him away from Kit!