My cat Urus - 5

Brad made it home by some miracle.

Still in his girl form, he crept past the living room like a trained spy. His mom was watching TV. His dad was on his laptop. Neither looked up. Brad tiptoed up the stairs, hoodie zipped to his neck, heart thudding.

His bedroom door closed with a soft click behind him.

He exhaled, half in relief, half in panic.

“Okay,” he muttered, locking the door. “Okay, this is getting out of hand.”

Urus was waiting for him, perched lazily on the desk like a cat-shaped puff of light and shadow.

“You agreed to the terms.”

Brad glared at him. “You broke the deal. I said when I say so. You did it again without asking.”

Urus floated upward. “You consented to transformation under certain conditions. You did not specify frequency. Or how soon I could act on the permission.”

Brad rubbed his temples. “You know, for a superior being, you’re really good at twisting words.”

Urus said nothing. Just blinked slowly.

“Look,” Brad continued, pacing. “I can’t be a girl at school. People will notice. I’ll get questions. It’s dangerous.”

“Danger is how creatures grow,” Urus replied simply.

“Not the point!” Brad snapped. “If someone catches on, my life is ruined.”

Urus watched him carefully.

After a moment, Brad stopped pacing and faced him squarely. “If you want to observe me like this, fine. You get me as a girl while I’m asleep. Deal?”

Urus blinked once. “Only during sleep?”

Brad nodded. “Exactly. You said you exist beyond time and space or whatever. You can observe my dreams, my thoughts, all that.”

The spirit was quiet for a long moment. Then:

“Agreed.”

A soft shimmer pulsed in the air, another bond, sealed without a handshake.

That night, Brad ate dinner with his parents as if everything were normal. He did his homework, messaged Marcus and Jenna about a science project, then finally slipped into bed around midnight.

He woke up once, around 3AM , feeling oddly soft, hair brushing his cheek, something gently pressing against his chest under the covers.

He didn’t look.

Didn’t move.

Just muttered, “Not the time,” and went back to sleep.

The next morning began with screaming.

“This is fraud!” Urus shouted, the second Brad opened his eyes.

Brad blinked. “What the hell…”

He looked down.

Still a guy. Everything felt normal. He sighed in relief.

Then he turned over, and saw Urus floating an inch from his face, glowing furiously.

“You did nothing,” the spirit growled. “You slept like a rock. You didn’t dream. You didn’t speak. You didn’t feel anything! Your form was inert. Boring. Useless!”

Brad rubbed his face with a smirk. “Yeah, that’s called sleep, genius.”

Urus hissed in frustration. “You took advantage of my curiosity!”

“I used the rules,” Brad said calmly, stretching. “Not my fault you didn’t specify.”

Urus’s eyes blazed. “You scammed a being from beyond the veil of dimensions!”

Brad stood up and stretched. “And I’d do it again. You wanted a deal. You got one.”

Urus hovered silently, swirling darker now.

But Brad could feel it, that this victory wouldn’t last.

The next move wouldn’t be so easy.

Still, for now, he grabbed a shirt and smiled. “Guess I’ll go enjoy my boring day of being male. Have fun sulking.”

As he walked out of the room, Urus’s voice followed him like a cold breeze:

“Next time, Brad… I will choose the terms.”

Brad didn’t answer.

But his grin widened.