The next round of growing pains went a lot smoother. One night I went to bed just like normal and the next I woke up nearly double my previous height. I rushed to the bathroom and stood at the sink. I could see over the sink now! And I had hair! I didn't realize how much I missed having hair until I had it back. Jet black curly locks fell down to my shoulders, and after a few hasty finger combs, they fell on my right side in a single curtain. My ears, more cat-like than ever, poked out a little higher than where human ears would be, but my tail was the real story. It was long and thin now rather than pointed and probably a little fluffier. I wagered it would be better than ever for balance with the new weight distribution. My wings had faded completely now and I mourned their loss for a moment. I hadn't really used them, but they had been a novel presence while I had them. Perhaps I'd try wearing enchanted wings sometime, for old times sake as it were. 

My figure was definitely different. Where my old body had broad shoulders and narrow hips, my new figure was more moderate in both senses. Not too broad in either respect and fairly comfortable in my opinion. 

A devious idea grew in my mind and I sped back to the guest room to grab the glamulet. A few short minutes of concentration and I had the perfect prank, a seemingly unraveled pre-teen human. I lounged on the couch and waited for Laura to wake up.

“Pretty convincing glamour, Jake. I'm guessing you grew again?”

 “Fuck!” I couldn't hide my grin. “Yeah, you got me.” I took off the glamulet and carefully wound the chain around the locket to put in my pocket. When I looked back up, though, Laura seemed worried.

“What?” 

“Your ears…”

“What about em?” I smoothed them back, but I felt them pop back up a moment later. 

“They're cat ears.” Laura stepped closer “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Diana said they would fade right? There’s still time.” I was trying to stay upbeat, but Laura’s mood was crazy infectious

“Daphne said they should fade. Do you… want them to?”

“I…” I turned the glamulet over in my hand “I want to look normal, but at the same time…” I pulled my tail around and held the end to my chest. 

"You like them." 

I shrugged sheepishly 

"I'm sure it's not permanent. Probably some temporary phase because of a weird dream or something."

"A weird dream?"

"I mean not that weird. I'm sure everyone has those dreams where they wish something were different about themself."

"Did you wish you had cat ears?"

"No." I was becoming frustrated having to explain what was obviously a universal experience. "I mean yeah, sometimes, but I mostly just dreamed of being able to shapeshift, flying, or having been born as a girl. Normal stuff."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something, but shut it and folded her hands together under her chin. I tried to wait patiently for her to collect her thoughts but the silence began to drag.

"What?" My voice broke.

"Seriously, nothing sounds weird about what you just said?"

"Well, of course it sounds weird because nobody's supposed to talk about their dreams. Gah!" I dragged my fingers through my hair and paced around the coffee table. 

"I'm sorry, Jake. You're right I just… I'm surprised is all. I…" She sighed and I stopped pacing to meet her eye. "I really appreciate you being comfortable enough to share."

"You think I'm crazy." I squinted at her for a moment before deciding to look anywhere else. 

"No! Not at all. It's actually… I relate a lot more than you know, I'm so sorry for being weird about it." She stepped forward and held her arms out.

Begrudgingly I walked into the embrace. "It's okay," I mumbled into her stomach. I only half felt it, though. Why wasn't she as excited about my changes as I was?

"The ears are pretty cute." 

I hummed my agreement as she scratched the back of my head lightly. 

"Damn straight," I murmured and took a step back. I rolled my eyes as she ruffled my hair. I coughed to stifle a weird grumbling sound in my throat as I fixed it back how I liked it.

"Thanks again for sharing." 

I shrugged and stuffed my hands in my pockets. Holding onto the glamulet helped me feel a little calmer, but it still felt like there was some tension in the room. 

"It's no biggie. Thanks for trying to be cool about it." I smirked as she scratched the back of her head.

We fell into an easy silence and I was beginning to think I had imagined the tension until she spoke again.

"So do I need to get a litter box, or...?"

"Fuck youuu."