The Demon had awoken slumped in an overturned chair muttering to himself.

"A~Ah~And a Fine party T'Was!" he exclaimed rubbing his new eyes open, seeing his new hands, and chuckling to himself.

"Well, that explains What I was doing last night, as for the rest of me..." His voice trailed off. His gaze shifted about getting used to the dark interior of the room.

"Ugh, Light's Please." He called, and the fireplace roared to life with a bright hissing yellow flame.

"That's better, Now, where did I put that, Ah there it is." He seemingly reached into nothing and drew out a tea cart with a bubbling iron kettle on the bottom rack and fine porcelain cups and cakes on the top row.

He poured himself a strong-smelling brew and took in the wreckage with a sigh.

"I know the phrase, A Devil never clears his mess, but considering this place was a Disaster already, there's no harm in making it livable." He drew a pocket watch from his jacket and sneered at it.

He was on mortal time now, a bothersome concept, given the lengths of Eternity, everything moved so much faster here. He wouldn't have time to spruce things up or to make any lasting improvements. Blast, this place was dreadful. Sod probably had no friends living like this.

The cat yowled at something and stretched itself awake. The Devil sighed, righting the huge chair he took a seat and waited for the shock of a lifetime to cross the creature's face. It was always his favorite part of these things. The cat hit the ground and screamed, looking itself over as it did.

The Devil Laughed and called out to the little black cat.

"Well, Well, You Do Make for a Fine Pussy Cat after All!"

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Darwin awoke with a start, his limbs going wild as he awoke the night terror. He groaned and tried to sit up. His body refused, aches and pain racking his body. He Groaned and flopped back onto the couch.

He cracked an eye open and surveyed the damages. The room was trashed, Scour marks and burns scarred the walls beside inhuman claw marks. Papers were strewn about everywhere, the ritual totems, however, were steadfast in the positions, which was embedded in the ceiling. At least there was a fire lit

He groaned again and tried to rise, stretching as he did. hips up, arms forward. His fingernails dug into the cheap fabric as he did. The Tension seemed to even out some of the aches and pains, shaking himself out he leaped down from the couch and.

It struck him like a brick. There was something wrong here.

He starred at his hands, No, his...Paws.

Turning them over and over, he could only stare in disbelief. Felt the claws moving in and out of their sheath instinctually. Then heard it, a sinister laugh that boomed in his ears.

"Well, Well, You do make for a fine Pussy cat after all!" the voice was eerily familiar, but with sliding malice that made his spine quiver.

The Demon wearing his skin made a gleeful sneer, Darwin was so consumed by the sight of himself acting on its own accord, that he'd failed to spot the tea cart that had materialized in his living space.

He shook his head, now wasn't the time for these questions, he had to do something. He tried to reach out with his power and seize the demon, but nothing happened, his will fizzled inside his skull.

"Pfft, Silly Pussy, were you trying to do THIS?!" The Demon put a pair of fingers to his forehead playfully, the whole room exploded in a roar, the force made him instantly sick with vertigo as his vision blurred and he lost all recollection of place and time.

He was brought back to earth just as suddenly, panting, feeling a cold dread replaced his sweat as he gasped for air after the sudden shock.

"I see you recognized that, very good. This would have been no fun if your brain had gotten scrambled in the move. You might find a few things missing though, Don't fret. I'm sure they're still here, right where I can keep an eye on them." The Spirit said, tapping the side of his borrowed skull.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Darwin could feel vile curses rising in his throat. Hissing and screeching left him instead. The Devil rose from his chair and set his cup on the cart. Pushing it slightly out of the way as the monster began to walk towards, heels clicking on the wood in borrowed shoes.

Darwin readied himself for some kind of fight but the devil inclined a hand upwards towards the ceiling.

"You might be wondering how you got here, well It's all very simple." The Demon trilled. Pointing a long boney finger towards the space above their heads. Darwins Gaze followed, eyeing the totems embedded in the ceiling amid scorch and fire.

"If you'll remember, or maybe you don't, During our little spat" moving his gesture towards their surroundings "You threatened to put me inside that animal." His finger was redirected towards Darwin, He cringed, still looking for an opening to lunge.

"But, you failed to account for something, Perhaps your instruction was incomplete, or maybe you were just that arrogant, but the fact remains." He reached into his coat and drew out a small object, kneeling in front of Darwin suddenly, he was startled by the appearance of his own face that he didn't notice the skinwalker was holding an item in front of him to study.

Darwin gasped as he studied himself, his stern and handsome looks had turned skeletal in the countless sleepless nights and neglect in his pursuits of power. The Demon turned his fingers, catching his eye with the silver color, sparing him from having to gaze any farther into his own dark eyes.

"You forgot to bring This" The Demon explained. The object was a silver ring, intricately carved with a depiction of a Man and Woman, arms outstretched and clasping a brilliant tear-shaped ruby between their bosoms. Darwin could only guess at its material value, but he could sense its magical taint, pulling on him like a magnet. It had to be the singular most powerful object he'd ever seen in his life.

"This, my new friend Cat, is a Soul Anchor. Or a Falactry if you will." The devil stood again, Slipping the ring onto his finger. A crackle of arcane and demonic power rippled through both of them as Darwins' vision flashed red for a moment. blinking his vision clear he heard the poltergeist laugh.

"Ah, there we go. Now, try speaking again, little Pus, tell me the name of my Familiar."

Darwin struggled to gain his bearing, he felt a power coursing through him, strange and familiar. He already knew how to use it. Old Lessons came to mind.

"I-I am Darwin St. Zackery Von Helmut." He proclaimed "Why Have You done this thing, Demon?"

The Devil nodded before sitting down in the massive chair "Good, this little thing still works. Oh, I thought I just explained this, your memory must have shortened. I didn't do a thing, this was all you." The demon spread his arms like evil wings.

"Either by Omission, Misinformation, or by sheer Arrogance, You left out one of the most important things in a Demonic Ritual, Your Safe Guards. Trying to manhandle me all by your lonesome is what led to this. And now that I'm here, I suppose I ought to see what I can Do."

Darwin raised an eye to that "For Me?" He questioned, the devil Laughed

"Hells No boy, I'm in this for myself. Being on the Mortal Plane will be a wonderful break from all the monotony in Hell, Torture, Screaming, the Smell of Fire everywhere, I deserve Some time away from all that. However, I could give you something to cry about."

Darwin felt the threat and resented it.

"I summoned you here to serve My purposes, not yourself Glutton. I brought you, I can send you away!" He cried out. The creature laughed in his face

"Just try it you old tomcat, But be warned. Unless you're stronger than you look, You haven't a prayer to overpower me or more importantly, This Ring." The ghoul touched the ring, reflecting the firelight of the ring dazzling jewel and into Darwin's eyes, He swatted at it, slapping his face with claws open, poking himself in the eye.

"Oh, that was adorable, I half expected you to gouge an eye out like the last sorry bastard." the fiend chuckled into his hand before clearing his throat and resuming his taunts.

"As I was saying, Unfortunately for you, I hold the cards here, So Long as I'm the Ring-bearer in this Arrangement, I hold power over you." The demon returned to his tea, plucking it up delicately and taking a sip from it, looking disappointed as it had grown cold.

"But, That doesn't leave you with nothing."

Darwin's ears picked up. The invading spirit continued.

"You will, of course, retain your thinking mind. That belongs to you and your soul. Your powers on the Other hand, besides what I choose to lend you or whatever you happen to obtain yourself, will remain with me. Anything you do, say or go will be known to me, Vise versa, You will always be able to find me, no matter the circumstances. And another thing."

The Demon shifted his grip and crushed the small vessel in his hands, shattering it and spilling the cold tea everywhere. Darwin leaped, screaming more so in surprise than anything, as he felt the pain stab into his feet and paws. The Demon chuckled as he plucked shards of fine eggshell porcelain from his palm.

"We each share each other's Physical Pains, A little something to keep aware of, try anything funny, and you'll suffer just as much as I." He finished cleaning himself and wrapped his hand in Darwins' old handkerchief. Darwin himself was whining as he stepped on biting phantom Daggers, cursing with all the ire and venom he could muster.

"Now, are we clear as to our roles, Yes? Good, now if you don't mind. I'd rather fancy putting you out for the night, I appear to have some cleaning to do." The Demon said, taking Darwin by the scruff of his neck and marching towards the door.

"Goodnight, Pussy. We'll talk again in the morning." the intruder cried, Tossing Darwin into the cold nighttime alleyway. Darwin shouldn't have been surprised to land on his feet, as he marveled at the new feline instincts he turned back to see the door to his former home slam in his face.